METALLICA – Official Recording Of M72 Syracuse, NY Show

Metallica have checked in with the following update:

“From full concert audio and select live video clips to dozens of photos and the setlist, we’ve got everything you need to relive the April 19th stop in Syracuse, NY. Enjoy the gig from Syracuse mixed by The Metallica Audio Team, now available to stream through nugs.net, download at LiveMetallica.com, or go old-school and pick up the CDs at Metallica.com.”



Metallica performed at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on April 19. The band has shared official videos of “One” and “Creeping Death” from the show.

Watch JINJER Perform At Hellfest 2025

On June 19, Ukrainian extreme metallers Jinjer performed at Hellfest 2025 in Clisson, France. Check out pro-shot video of their entire show below courtesy of ARTE Concert.

Setlist:

“On The Top”
“Duél”
“Green Serpent”
“Fast Draw”
“Vortex”
“Teacher, Teacher!”
“Judgement (& Punishment)”
“Hedonist”
“I Speak Astronomy”
“Perennial”
“Someone’s Daughter”
“Pisces”







Answering the overwhelming demand from fans across the continent, Jinjer have now added a second leg of dates to their European tour schedule, bringing their explosive live show to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Austria, Poland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

Armed with their most dynamic and daring album to date, Duél (out early 2025 via Napalm Records), Jinjer are ready to return to headline Europe for the first time in over six years. Kicking off on January 23, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, the four-piece will bring its signature blend of technical groove metal, progressive elements, and powerhouse vocals back to the stage in full force. The newly added leg kicks off in Glasgow, United Kingdom on February 27, 2026, before the tour wraps up in Hamburg, Germany on March 2, 2026. Tickets for all dates are on sale now and moving fast.

Don’t miss your chance to witness one of the most influential modern metal bands at the height of their power. With a fierce new record, an unrelenting stage presence, and a legion of loyal fans across the continent – this is the tour to watch in 2026. Dates are listed below.


Festivals:

June
25 – Viveiro, Spain – Resurrection Fest
26 – Ysselsteyn, Netherlands – Jera On Air
28 – Oslo, Norway – Tons Of Rock
29 – Lisbon, Portugal – Evil Live Festival

July
2 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival

North American Tour supporting Babymetal w/ Bloodywood:

July
5 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
6 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
8 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
9 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
11 – Denver, CO – The JunkYard
14 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Center
15 – Kent, WA – Showare Center
17 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic
18 – San Francisco, CA – Masonic
20 – Las Vegas, NV – The Pearl
21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
23 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial


North American Tour supporting Trivium w/ Heriot:

October
31 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues

November
1 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome
2 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
4 – London, ON – Centennial Hall
6 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
7 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
8 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
10 – Warren, OH – Packard Music Hall
11 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks
12 – Lancaster, PA – Freedom Hall
14 – Gary, IN – Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
15 – Milwaukee, WI – The Eagles Ballroom
16 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
18 – Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
19 – Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
22 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
24 – Edmonton, AB – Midway Music Hall
25 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre
26 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
28 – Spokane, WA – The Podium
29 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House

December
3 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
5 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel
6 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
7 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live
9 – Springfield, MO – Shrine Mosque
10 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
12 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans
13 – Dothan, AL – The Plant
14 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live

EU Headline Tour 2026:

January
23 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
24 – Tilburg, Netherlands – O13
25 – Brussels, Belgium – AB Brussels
27 – Glasgow, Scotland – SWG3 (NEW)
28 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia (NEW)
29 – Manchester, England – O2 Ritz (NEW)
30 – Birmingham, England – O2 Birmingham Institute (NEW)
31 – London, England – O2 Kentish Town Forum (NEW)

February
2 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
3 – Lyon, France – Transbordeur
4 – Toulouse, France – Bikini
7 – Madrid, Spain – Wagon (NEW)
8 – Bilbao, Spain – Santana 27 (NEW)
11 – Zurich, Switzerland – X-tra
12 – Stuttgart, Germany – LKA
13 – Wiesbaden, Germany -Schlachthof
14 – Munich, Germany -Tonhalle
16 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
17 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer (NEW)
19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Sasazu
20 – Leipzig, Germany -Felsenkeller
21 – Berlin, Germany – Astra
22 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja (NEW)
24 – Helsinki, Finland – Kulttuuritalo (NEW)
25 – Tampere, Finland – Tavara Asema (NEW)
27 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fållan (NEW)
28 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene (NEW)

March
1 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
2 – Hamburg, Germany -Grosse Freiheit 36



Over the past 15 years, Jinjer have built a reputation as one of modern metal’s most fearless and forward-thinking bands. Rising from the Ukrainian underground to international acclaim, their blend of progressive groove, technical precision, and raw emotion has earned them over 250 million global streams and views. From viral hits like “Pisces” to the crushing intensity of Macro and the dark complexity of Wallflowers, their discography continues to redefine what heavy music can be. Their latest album Duél features multiple music videos with multi-millions of combined views to date and broke into the charts at #2 US Hard Music Albums, #6 US Current Rock Albums, #2 CAN Hard Music Albums, #3 France Metal, #7 UK Rock & Metal and beyond.

Order Duél here



Duél tracklisting:

“Tantrum”
“Hedonist”
“Rogue”
“Tumbleweed”
“Green Serpent”
“Kafka”
“Dark Bile”
“Fast Draw”
“Someone’s Daughter”
“A Tongue So Sly”
“Duél”

“

GUS G. & RONNIE ROMERO Release New Single / Video “My Premonition”; European Tour Dates

Guitarist Gus G. (Firewind) and vocalist Ronnie Romero (Elegant Weapons) have teamed up once again, releasing the new single “My Premonition”. Check out the official video below, pick up the song here.






Gus and Ronnie have announced dates for their Convergence European Tour 2025. The schedule is available below.

October
10 – Santander, Spain – Escenario
11 – Madrid, Spain – El Sol
12 – Zaragoza, Spain – Sala Lopez
13 – Barcelona, Spain – Wolf
14 – Mallorca, Spain – Full Metal Holiday (Sold Out)
17 – Rome, Italy – Crossroads
18 – Bologna, Italy – Alchemica
19 – Bergamo, Italy – Druso
21 – Nürnberg, Germany – Hirsch
22 – Bensheim, Germany – Rex
24 – Hamburg, Germany – Bahnhof Pauli
25 – Isernhagen, Germany – Bluesgarage
26 – Leipzig, Germany – Hellraiser
27 – Augsburg, Germany – Spektrum
28 – Munich, Germany – Backstage
29 – Aschaffenburg, Germany – ColosSaal
30 – Bielefeld, Germany – Lokschuppen
31 – Oss, Netherlands – Groene Engel


November
1 – Amersfoort, Netherlands – Fluor
2 – Drachten, Netherlands – Iduna
4 – Warsaw, Poland – Hybrydy

Make sure you are following BraveWords Records on YouTube so you don’t miss any future videos by Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse, The Chris Slade Timeline, Jack Starr, Prophets of Addiction, ASKA, Crimson Glory, Lillian Axe and more!

ALBUM REVIEW: Xenotaph – Fallujah

ALBUM REVIEW: Xenotaph – Fallujah


Despite suffering a myriad of changing personnel over their near two-decade career, it’s remarkable that FALLUJAH remain at the summit of technical and progressive death metal. The San Francisco-based band’s blend of intricate and visceral tech death alongside serene atmospherics is a match made in heaven that has been more refined with each subsequent release. 2022’s Empyrean saw a welcome return to form after 2019’s divisive Undying Light, album number six Xenotaph sees FALLUJAH ascend to a height previously thought unfathomable.



Largely, this down to the brave, organic, and effortlessly natural evolution of the FALLUJAH soundscape, spearheaded by vocalist Kyle Schaefer, who consistently impresses with a wide and dynamic vocal range throughout the record. From sultry opener In Stars We Drown, that gives the first glimpse into the band’s new and expanded palette, through to the alluring chorus in Labyrinth Of Stone, a track which ebbs and flows from blistering technicality to reflective passages, leading from the front in a career defining studio performance, Schaefer‘s ability to twist and contort vocally helps drive the record’s lasting impact across its lean 42 minute run time.



It’s not just vocally where we’ve seen an expansion of the band’s greatest traits. Musically, Xenotaph is a bountiful buffet of atmospheric heavy tech death. Kaleidoscope Waves boasts a passage of play where guitarist – and sole original member – Scott Carstairs leads a jazz-fusion dance of elaborate technicality which will have you desperate to hit the replay button. Similarly, the way in which The Crystalline Veil allows each component of the band’s makeup to shine is incredibly slick and the elaborate musicianship is quite simply, a joy to listen to.


But, where Xenotaph really excels in the way in the band take each individual component and present it as one exhilarating cohesive listening experience. The way in the band demonstrate their multifaceted personas is quite simply, astonishing, and when it unleashes, it packs the force of a tsunami. Take Step Through the Portal and Breathe, for example. A staggering piece of brilliance, the way in which the band twist and contort their musical maelstrom whilst maintaining pinpoint precision is devastatingly brilliant and it’s closing solo is nothing short of stunning. Elsewhere, A Parasitic Dream duels and dances against a dizzying amount of shred and it’s supporting atmosphere is wholly immersive, whereas The Obsidian Architect has enough ferocity and technical shred that feels akin to 2011’s The Harvest Wombs.
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At this point, we’re wondering just how far FALLUJAH can ascend to, as their trajectory and musical craft is in a league of its own. Building upon the renewed sense of purpose achieved through Empyrean, Xenotaph sees the San Francisco natives at their creative zenith, delivering a record that sets the benchmark for technical death metal in 2025 and beyond.

Rating: 9/10



Xenotaph is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

Like FALLUJAH on Facebook.

LANDMVRKS: The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been

Assembling the dismembered limbs of their single, Creature, well over a year before beginning the production of their latest record, the members of French metalcore collective LANDMVRKS realised that in order to create life, it needed to meet its maker. The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been is an album that embodies the damaging spiral of mental health, whilst putting yourself into your art becomes as much of a struggle as it is an enduring strength.



“We had a bit of time off, but it wasn’t enough.” Bassist Rudy Purkat explains on a video call with guitarist Paul ‘C Wilson’ Cordebard. On a much-needed day in the sun away from their US tour, the pair are lounging in a lakeside Airbnb somewhere between North Carolina and Virginia. Alongside vocalist Florent Salfati, guitarist Nicolas Exposito and drummer Kévin D’Agostino, they are a long way from their Marseille home. Since the release of 2021’s Lost In The Wave, they’ve rarely had a moment away from the band.



As the band were touring for much of the production for their latest record, The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been was mostly made on the road using their own “carry on” recording station, with parts of the album coming together anywhere they could – in the US, in Europe, and even ten minutes before going on stage.

Taking advantage of every opportune moment possible was key to its creation, including their feature with Matt Welsh from WHILE SHE SLEEPS for their track A Line In The Dust. Paul says, “he’s a very good friend of ours, like when we wrote that song, we knew that we needed a feature of a very specific voice. We were playing a festival together, and we had the recording station back in the bus and so we just asked him to come over and lay down vocals.”

The band were keen to experiment with incorporating new genres into their music, Paul explains. “We didn’t know where we wanted to go at first, so we just tried a whole lot of different things we hadn’t done before. Like I remember on the first demos, we tried pop, synth wave, dance and then we found our way through the process to find a sound that was good for the album.” Taking influence from KENDRICK LAMAR and French hip-hop, the band’s love of rap would add texture to the album, just as much as their love of 2000s rock like BLINK-182 and BOXCAR RACER. Paul’s favourite record off the new album is Blood Red. “It is the most powerful emo vibe we have ever done.”
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Staying true to their metalcore roots, the band have polished their signature sound, with Reqiem becoming one of the heaviest tracks they have ever made. “People are going to be surprised by the chorus,” Paul starts. “Flo is taking a whole different range of his voice, it’s like a very deep growl with blasting and shit.” Of course, the band took great influence from GOJIRA whilst producing the track. Since COVID, the French metal scene is the strongest it’s ever been. Citing bands like RESOLVE, TEN. 56 and NOVELISTS, Rudy describes their relationship as family. “We’re all really close friends. We are very lucky to have that scene growing and GOJIRA as a leader of that scene internationally.”

The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been is no doubt the darkest record they have written to date. The record is brought to life with the creation of their single Creature, which Rudy describes as “an embodiment of fears and emotions, the behaviour we don’t want to continue to have, embodied into a creature and [physically] becoming its home. This is the process of trying to fight it and overcome it.”


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In conversation about the final track of the record, Funeral, Rudy adds, “we kind of liked the fact that the album ended with a funeral. There is nothing after a funeral. There is just death.” The descent into a bad mental health state- a spiral of negative thoughts and feelings – is the ongoing story of the album.

Paired with vocalist Flo’s meaningful vocals, the hope for the record would speak to their audience, as a collective struggle that everyone could have during their life and the strength to overcome it. Whilst he didn’t believe the record was a ‘concept album’, the band had a lot of fun putting together visuals, messing around with playing god for their dark creation.

When asked what is next for the band, Rudy jokes, “taking some time off. Maybe?”

However, this will have to wait a little longer. LANDMVRKS are heading back on tour this summer for the European festival circuit, with a stop in the UK for Slam Dunk. “It’s like our European Warped Tour. It’s very short, but you get all together with the bands you listen to and make a lot of new friends. It’s very easy to make friends there.”

“I think it’s a very special festival, compared to all the others in Europe. Slam Dunk is more of a mix of all the different genres of music in our scene. It’s really cool to be able to connect with bands like THE STARTING LINE and NECK DEEP. You’re able to watch their set and talk to them. It’s a very cool experience.”

The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been is out now via Arising Empire. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS120 here:

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ALBUM REVIEW: Subnormal Dives – Byonoisegenerator

While mixing jazz and extreme music may be old news to some of the more discerning metal fans out there, no band has ever done it like Russian quintet BYONOISEGENERATOR. With abrasive grindcore colliding with avant-garde jazz, the group’s latest album Subnormal Dives is a challenging yet exhilarating experience.
While heavier acts throwing in a sprinkling of jazz isn’t unheard of, BYONOISEGENERATOR take the concept to its logical extreme by stacking unpredictable sax and jazzy drums on top of their harsh grindcore. Their second album Subnormal Dives isn’t for the faint of heart, launching a barrage of chaotic noise at the audience which only rewards the most fearless or masochistic listener.



While BYONOISEGENERATOR are hardly aiming for a wide audience, there are a handful of unexpected choices that narrow their target listener into an extremely specific niche. The Saint Anger style trash can snare for example may put off some listeners with its harsh bounce that cuts through the mix like a pickaxe or the oddly placed math rock inspired tapping on deBroglieNeverExisted that sticks out in the jazzy groove in a way that could either come across as intentionally mismatched or a little messy. Although any sane person would be put off well before noticing these small annoyances, the same kind of deranged maniac that would willingly listen to an album as strange as Subnormal Dives is bound to nitpick a few inconsistencies.

Subnormal Dives is the kind of challenging listen that should be included in Navy Seal training programmes, clashing together two already difficult genres into a migraine inducing cacophony. For the tiny fraction of the population who can push past the initial shock of BYONOISEGENERATOR’s sound there’s plenty of tight performances and fascinating musical choices to pick through from the comfort of their windowless padded cells.

Rating: 7/10

Conan: A New Dimension

For almost two decades CONAN have been tearing up the extreme metal rulebook with their own unique brand of sludge-heavy ‘Caveman Battle Doom’, as the band themselves have called it. With new album Violence Dimension about to be released, erstwhile frontman and riff master general Jon Davis sat down with us to discuss the band’s new songs, new lineup and new label.



Before we got onto talking about the new record though, we took the opportunity to ask exactly where CONAN’s super-heavy, super-distorted sound originally came from. “I think, when you look at my contribution to that sound, a lot of it comes from the fact that I’m actually quite limited in my ability as a guitarist,” Jon laughs. “Over time I’ve definitely become better at what I do but what I do is quite narrow, really. I couldn’t play you a MEGADETH riff, I couldn’t play you a CANNIBAL CORPSE riff but in a way that’s been a blessing in disguise. It’s enabled me to just focus on doing what I can do, unapologetically, and just to focus on making that hit as hard as possible.”



And boy do they hit hard, although the bands that influenced those earliest songs might come as a surprise to some. “When I first started coming up with what is now the CONAN sound, really I was just writing punk riffs that were just really slowed down and really distorted,” continues Jon. “Up until that point though I’d only really been listening to GREEN DAY, FOO FIGHTERS and NIRVANA so my early ideas were kind of coming from there. It wasn’t until after that I discovered bands like FUDGE TUNNEL and Chaos A.D.-era SEPULTURA and then they became the kinds of bands that really moulded that early version of CONAN into what it ended up as. I can’t say I’ve really broadened my musical horizons that much since then to be honest – I’m like an old worn-out sword that just gets sharper because it’s used a lot!”


It’s probably no surprise to see Nottingham legends FUDGE TUNNEL named as an influence on the early CONAN sound. What might be more of a surprise, though, is the fact that founding member of FUDGE TUNNEL David Ryley is CONAN’s new bass player, having replaced the long-serving Chris Fielding in 2023. As a fan of the band in his youth, this must have been quite an experience for Jon? “Yeah, it was quite strange really. I ended up being put in touch with him through a mutual Facebook friend, so we became friends on social media first before anything. But it was actually through (Jon’s industrial side project) UNGRAVEN that we first started working together. I started that project off with just me and a drum machine and I hated doing that live, so I approached Dave to see if he’d be interested in joining me for that and fortunately he was. Then, when Chris couldn’t make a couple of CONAN festival shows, it made sense to see if Dave was able to step in for him and it all went from there really.”

Jon goes on to say that, despite having one of his biggest influences now playing in his band, it hasn’t really changed the way the band approaches writing new material. “It hasn’t changed a massive amount to be honest. We don’t rehearse together very much being as I’m in Merseyside, Dave is in Nottingham and Johnny (King, drums) is in Dublin, so jamming isn’t really a big thing for us. The way we write has pretty much stayed the same for a while though. Loosely, I’ll come up with a few riffs that I might record with a drum machine and then I’ll present them to the guys and we’ll develop them together in the studio before we actually start recording. Some of those ideas will end up on the album but actually a lot of the new album was just pulled together by all of us on the spot and that’s been the way we’ve worked for a number of years now. Revengeance in 2016 was probably the last time all of CONAN sat down together and made a concerted effort to sit and write a full album together before we went into the studio to record it.”



New album Violence Dimension, perhaps unsurprisingly given its title, continues to explore violence in its many forms, a running theme throughout the band’s back catalogue and one that is becoming more prescient given the current state of the world. “When I was a kid, I just thought wars started because one country didn’t like another country. I think as you get older, you realise there’s a lot more to it than that, although of course most of the time it’s just about money and resources,” Jon explains. “I think you just get more aware of how violent the world is as you get older. And, if the resources we’ve always fought over are becoming more scarce now, it stands to reason that the violence that exists in the name of owning those resources will only become more widespread and persistent. I’m not a big politics person but when you look at the people that we have in power in the world now, it’s insane how unsuitable some of those people are to be in the positions they’re in. It’s no wonder the world feels much less stable and much more violent and that’s definitely something that’s reflected on the new record.”

With a new lineup and the album set for release on the band’s new home Heavy Psych Sounds, it feels like an exciting time for CONAN to be ushering brutal new music into an increasingly brutal world. Just sit back, relax and allow the band to provide the perfect soundtrack for the apocalypse.

Violence Dimension is out now via Heavy Psych Sounds. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS120 here:

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Air Drawn Dagger: Releasing Your Inner Witch

Album release days can bring out a variety of emotions for different artists, especially when it’s your debut full-length being finally put out into the world. Months of writing, recording, producing, all resulting in the final form of your debut record, now ready for everyone to hear. It’s something that electro-emo trio, AIR DRAWN DAGGER, have recently experienced when they put out their debut album, A Guide For Apparitions, a record that not only follows what we’ve come to expect so far with their genre-bending and sound experimentation with the main consensus being there are no rules, but also brings in themes of the supernatural and mysticism.



Ahead of their hometown album release show at Sheffield’s Corporation, we were able to attend and speak to the Yorkshire trio, witnessing the general excitement for the upcoming show and acoustic set for their Patreon supporters. At this point, the album had been released a day prior and, apparently, today’s fast-paced nature is in direct contrast to what took place on release day according to guitarist, Lewis Budden, who mentioned how, despite the build-up and the general anxiety-infused excitement in the days leading up to it, the actual release is mostly one filled with emails and social media; “Album release days have quite a lot of admin as, unless you’re playing a show on that day, it’s just like posting things and spreading the word, doing PR and stuff. It was such a positive reception though.”



Frontwoman, Maisie Manterfield, agreed with Lewis’ description yet still acknowledged the worry whenever a response comes through in reaction to the album, “I think you kind of hold your breath every time you see like a comment, or you get a message come through, but literally every interaction that I’ve had so far in regards to the album has been like really positive which is really nice.”

Yet the overall atmosphere is good, and you can feel the excitement from the moment of setting foot in the venue. When asked how they feel to finally have the record out, Lewis said that they are ‘chuffed’, “It’s been like bizarre, I didn’t know like really what to expect but it’s just been like a lot, I’d say. It’s just been a lot because we’ve been like so focused on the show it’s been a really good distraction having a big album release show. That’s the main focus rather than the album coming out and getting worried about what people think.”


Looking at the credits for A Guide For Apparitions sees some familiar names with producer Neil Kennedy (CREEPER, BOSTON MANOR) and visual direction from Aaran McKenzie (WHILE SHE SLEEPS), both of whom AIR DRAWN DAGGER have worked with numerous times in the past, so including them in the creation of their debut album was an easy decision. Lewis said, “We worked with Neil (on their last EP, Songs To Fight The Gods To) kind of knowing that we would probably create an LP afterwards, it was on the roadmap internally. What we love about Neil is that he’s really good at maximising what’s good about each band he works with. He doesn’t have a sound as a producer, but he really good bringing out what’s special about each band he works with and what’s unique about them. Whether it’s CREEPER or BOSTON MANOR, he worked with them at their early stages, whether it was EPs into albums, so they can bridge over that, so to speak I guess that was something we had in mind working with him initially. And Aaran is just ingrained in what we do now.”

Maisie then added on about how Aaran’s creativity both supports their visual ideas and takes it even further, with the trio laughing how it feels like there’s no adults in the room when it comes to bouncing around ideas. “We just wouldn’t make a video without Aaran as I can’t imagine working with anyone else at this point. I think that with everybody that we work with is that they are just really good at what they do. So, when we go with like really ridiculous ideas, we’re comfortable at being like, ‘Oh, we want to do like XYZ’, and they’re like, ‘well, why don’t we just do Y?’. They kind of take everything and zone in and make that one thing really, really good.”



As mentioned, A Guide For Apparitions features heavy themes relating to the supernatural, witchcraft, dark fantasy and the gothic, unsurprising given that AIR DRAWN DAGGER’s name comes from a Macbeth quote. And the visuals weren’t just reserved with the album with posters put up around the venue linking to the “church of AIR DRAWN DAGGER” from their website, and the live show featuring characters, fake blood, a ghost, and a narrative relating to the burning of a castle.

According to Maisie, the supernatural concept was something thought of long before a single song was even created; “So, I wrote the concept for this before I wrote a single lyric, I kind of already knew where I wanted to go with it. So, we kind of built all of the imagery, all of the branding, like the album covers around the same concept, so it was an easy win for us. It was always going to be supernatural, I don’t think would ever make an album that was not supernatural.”

“I really love like supernatural stuff and I’m really into like all like witchy things stuff like that. So, for me that’s quite like an easy thing to lean into and I think you guys are kind of the same.” Both Lewis and drummer, Ross Dore, nodded eagerly when Maisie looked over to them with Lewis adding, “It was always going to have a concept for sure like everything like when you look back to the mixtape of the EP that sort of mysticism and stuff has been like building for quite, I think we needed to like round it off and like push it and see how far we could take it, I guess, with the narrative.”

“Like we’re fucking nerds as well so like any time to like explore fantasy and world builds then we’re going to go for it.”

A Guide For Apparitions is out now via Long Branch records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS120 here:

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Helloween announce new album ‘Giants & Monster

Photo Credit: Mathias Bothor


HELLOWEEN have announced a new album!



Titled Giants & Monsters, the upcoming album from the veteran German power metal band is the follow-up to 2021’s self-titled album, and is scheduled to be released in August this year, via Reigning Phoenix Music.
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The upcoming album was mixed at the legendary Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands (IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, DEF LEPPARD etc.).



“What keeps motivating us is the fact that we’re extremely different. It generates creative energy,” says guitarist Michael Weikath. Vocalist/guitarist Kai Hansen adds, “we try not to take ourselves and everything around us too seriously.” Vocalist Andi Deris sums it up: “In the end, we’re just seven guys who want to make music and enjoy the incomparable force that arises when we’re together. HELLOWEEN is way more powerful than the sum of its parts.”

Alongside the announcement of the new album, HELLOWEEN have released a new music video for a new song lifted from the upcoming album; This Is Tokyo.

Speaking about the new single, Deris shares, “I’ve always wanted to write this song. Japan plays a special role in my life because I had my first big successes there. I wanted to create a tribute to Japan for a while now and finally found the right lyrics. Because ‘Tokyo’ sounds better than ‘Japan,’ the city stands for a whole country that is very important to me.”

Watch the official music video for This Is Tokyo here:
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Also, you can view both the track list and artwork for the upcoming new album below:

Track List:

1. Giants On The Run
2. Saviour Of The World
3. A Little Is A Little Too Much
4. We Can Be Gods
5. Into The Sun
6. This Is Tokyo
7. Universe (Gravity For Hearts)
8. Hand Of God
9. Under The Moonlight
10. Majestic



Giants & Monsters is set for release on August 29th via Reigning Phoenix Music. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.
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For more information on HELLOWEEN like their official page on Facebook.

CRADLE OF FILTH Reveals Music Video For New Album Track “Demagoguery”;

Following the release of their brand new 14th studio album, The Screaming Of The Valkyries (Napalm Records) – which made stellar debuts at #2 on both the US and Canadian Hard Music Albums charts, #4 on the US Current Rock Albums chart, and more – Grammy Award-nominated extreme metal institution, Cradle Of Filth, have unveiled another surprise. A brand new music video for driving album track “Demagoguery” is out now, providing an eerily disturbing backdrop to the song, which blends dark beauty, blast beats and slaytanic groove as only Cradle can combine.

The video comes just in time for the band to kick off their UK/European headline tour, featuring support from label mates Nervosa, later this week. See below for a full listing of current tour dates.

“Demagoguery” music video director Shaun Hodson says about the video’s concept: “Subject Eleven, a marionette puppet, is controlled by the media, government, and television, her every move dictated by their unseen strings. As a charismatic world leader rises, cloaked in promises of peace, the truth behind her manipulation becomes clear: she is part of a dark orchestration guiding the world toward the rise of the Antichrist.”

Watch the music video for “Demagoguery” below:







On The Screaming Of The Valkyries, Dani Filth’s recognizable scream and equally identifiable growl stand mightily alongside twin guitar attacks, symphonic flourishes and explosive rhythm section, implemented by drummer Martin “Marthus” Skaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarists Marek “Ashok” Smerda and Donny Burbage, and keyboardist/vocalist Zoe Federoff. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England, The Screaming Of The Valkyries beckons the brave into a new era of Cradle Of Filth misadventure, celebrating massive melancholic melody, blackened thrash, and apocalyptic existential dread with a grinning smattering of unbridled revelry. The Screaming Of The Valkyries is a bloody dark love letter to the longtime legion of Cradle Of Filth faithful and a stunning entryway for fresh lambs to the sonic slaughter.

Menacing album opener “To Live Deliciously” hits immediately with rhythmic urgency, built around a Libertine lyrical hook that twists and writhes with aggression, atmosphere, and melody. Across the album’s blunt and unforgiving yet inviting expanse, Cradle summons the succulent flavors of classic albums like Dusk And Her Embrace and Cruelty And The Beast with the galloping (but no less fierce) thunder of recent entries Hammer Of The Witches and Existence Is Futile. Flashes of early metal influences coalesce with carnivorous glee into unapologetic death ‘n’ roll. Anchored by arguably the most mournful melody in their catalog, “Non Omnis Moriar” (“I shall not wholly die”) could be a cousin to Paradise Lost or Anathema, inverted through Cradle’s thorny prism. “You Are My Nautilus” is the darkest song Iron Maiden never wrote, spinning an epic tale with dueling guitars, while “Ex Sanguine Draculae” conjures Dusk-era atmosphere with imaginative new colors.


Order your copy here.



Tracklisting:

“To Live Deliciously”
“Demagoguery”
“The Trinity Of Shadows”
“Non Omnis Moriar”
“White Hellebore”
“You Are My Nautilus”
“Malignant Perfection”
“Ex Sanguine Draculae”
“When Misery Was A Stranger”

“White Hellebore” video:




“To Live Deliciously” video:



“Malignant Perfection” video:



Cradle Of Filth’s upcoming live dates are listed below.

JINJER Announces European Duél Tour 2026

Ukrainian metal titans, Jinjer, are set to return to headline stages across Europe for the first time in over six years. Kicking off on January 23, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, the tour will span 17 major cities, marking a triumphant new chapter for the band.

Armed with their most dynamic and ambitious album to date, Duél, Jinjer are ready to unleash their trademark blend of technical precision, crushing heaviness, and emotional intensity on fans across the continent. Following years of global festival appearances and extensive touring, this tour is more than just a series of shows – it’s a full-circle moment that fans have been eagerly awaiting since the band’s last European headline run in 2019.

Renowned for their genre-defying sound and electrifying performances, Jinjer continues to rise as one of the most dynamic forces in today’s metal landscape. The band spent 2024 on the road with Sepultura as part of the iconic group’s farewell world tour, and 2025 has already seen them bring their ferocity to stages across Asia and Australia. This summer, Jinjer will storm North America as direct support for Babymetal, with additional high-profile festival appearances set for Download UK, Graspop Metal Meeting, and more.

Dates for Jinjer’s 2026 European headline tour are listed below, and you can find the band’s complete tour itinerary here.




European headline dates:

January
23 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
24 – Tilburg, Netherlands – O13
25 – Brussels, Belgium – AB Brussels


February
2 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
3 – Lyon, France – Transbordeur
4 – Toulouse, France – Bikini
11 – Zurich, Switzerland – X-tra
12 – Stuttgart, Germany – LKA
13 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof
14 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle
16 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra
19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Sasazu
20 – Leipzig, Germany – Felsenkeller
21 – Berlin, Germany – Astra

March
1 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
2 – Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 36

Over the past 15 years, Jinjer have built a reputation as one of modern metal’s most fearless and forward-thinking bands. Rising from the Ukrainian underground to international acclaim, their blend of progressive groove, technical precision, and raw emotion has earned them over 250 million global streams and views. From viral hits like “Pisces” to the crushing intensity of Macro and the dark complexity of Wallflowers, their discography continues to redefine what heavy music can be. Their latest album Duél

DEATHCOREMUSIC VIDEONEW SONGNEWS

Photo Credit: Hampus Ströberg

BITE DOWN have released a new music video!



The new music video, for the track Wastage, is the brand new single from the Swedish deathcore band and follows on from their previous single, Decolorized, which was released last year.

Speaking about the new single, the band shares, “this song explores the feeling of being stuck in an endless cycle of monotony and numbness, where every day blends into the next and meaning feels just out of reach. Through raw, cinematic imagery and a sense of mounting frustration, the lyrics capture what it’s like to lose touch with reality and watch life pass by on autopilot. It’s a powerful reflection on the struggle to find purpose in a world that feels grey and repetitive.”

Watch the official music video for Wastage here:


For more information on BITE DOWN like their official page on Facebook.

Brazil is bankrupt and society doesn't see it

Rock and metal in Brazil was once synonymous with art, culture and freedom.Great bands have taken the country's name to different places around the world, such as Angra Sepultura, Korzus, Sacredeath, Infernal, Shshaman, Hibria, among thousands of other bands. But why can't bands climb to the next step?

Today we see politically correct bands or just brainless minds?

There is a scene in Brazil. Bands struggle to survive in a market dominated by funk, sertanejo, and other genres. The worst thing is that the current socialist government invests millions and diverts millions from public coffers, a government that has already been involved in corruption schemes..
There is no incentive to real culture in the country called Brazil. We are Indians in a world where underdeveloped countries take our money, and we don't have a big festival for underground bands to play at shows..
We are exposed to a reality that many countries are unaware of: a government that wants to regulate social media to become like China. Left-wing artists earn millions because they are on the side of the socialists, with laws that only favor them. Meanwhile, bands suffer and invest their money to play anywhere..

ALBUM REVIEW: Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk – Coltsblood

Liverpool doom mob COLTSBLOOD have always been a band who have brought a pitch black heaviness in sound and mood to their music all the way from their inception, with their mix of funeral doom and blackened sludge creating a sheer wall of intimidating sonic perfection. They are a band who always take it up a notch in terms of sheer intensity, constantly creating a sinister and foreboding atmosphere. There are countless bands who would say that they make heavy music, but few get close to the heaviness that COLTSBLOOD bring.



Having not released any material for six years, COLTSBLOOD make a more than welcome return with Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk, their third full length album, and with it, they create that foreboding atmosphere in an even more menacing and intense way than they have in the past, on four epic songs that will take your breath away. From the very first ominous chord that emits on opening number Until The Eidolon Falls, this is a mesmerising collection of music and it is extremely clear that COLTSBLOOD have retained the art of vast and immense music, and expanding on what they have done in the past whilst not losing the very essence of their none more heavy doom.


The hypnotic duo of Waning of the Wolf Moon and Transcending the Immortal Gateway make up the middle of the album and continue the blackened doom laden brilliance, with the quality not dropping at all through either of these tracks monumental running times, each song on Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk is around the 10 minute mark, although it doesn’t feel as such due to the gripping power of the music.

The band members each play their part on the album admirably with the guitar work of Jem McNulty constantly inspiring, Jay Pledted’s drumming creating a formidable groove throughout with the rumbling bass of John McNulty bringing the weight as his vocals command proceedings in an immense fashion, and this triptych of sonic power coming together is awe inspiring in so many ways.



The funereal intro into the albums closing title track is fittingly immense as it leads into the cavernous power of the songs sombre vibe and it does feel like a funeral march throughout the song and is a perfect way to finish off proceedings proving without question that this is an album that you will want to play over and over due to its vast nature, discovering something new with each listen.

With Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk, COLTSBLOOD have made an album that is one of the most formidable and dread inducing collections of music in recent times and one that will live long in your memory after you have listened to it, it is that powerful. So, let the music of COLTSBLOOD and Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk consume your very being in shrouds of sheer darkness over and over, you won’t regret it as you get swept away by its feedback indebted majesty, in the most dark, exquisite and rawest way possible.

Rating: 8/10



Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk is out now via Translation Loss Records.

Like COLTSBLOOD on Facebook.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Inferno Metal Festival 2025

Norway is synonymous with black metal and for over two decades, Inferno Metal Festival has been a fundamental component for Norway’s continued influence on extreme metal. Year after year, every Easter, the country’s capital celebrates some of the finest heavyweights, and killer underground gems, extreme metal has to offer. And with the festival’s accompanying Inferno Music Conference, that sees music industry representatives from all four corners of the world congregate to discuss and participate in industry panels, Inferno Metal Festival holds a special position in the festival calendar. 2025’s festival was overshadowed with the sadness of founder Jan-Martin Jensen‘s passing in February, but in fitting fashion, 2025’s festival served as a loud celebration of a man who gave his life for metal. As media partners for the festival, we were on the ground in Oslo to experience it all, let’s begin.



Thursday – April 17th

SIBIIR – GoldieSIBIIR live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Over in the intimiate confines of Goldie, homegrown talents SIBIIR ignite Inferno Metal Festival under the mantle of responsibility of being one of the first bands of the festival. And they do not disappoint. A cacophony of blackened tinged hardcore proceeds to ignite a high octane live experience, with vocalist Jimmy Nymoen spending more time in the crowd than on stage. Delivering a sound that felt like if CANCER BATS dipped their toes into a more raw blackened edge, SIBIIR are a lot of fun and it sets the tone nicely for the weekend’s action.

Rating: 8/10

NECROPHOBIC – RockefellerNecrophobic live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although they may not reach the same notoriety as some of their peers, Swedish outfit NECROPHOBIC are veterans of the scence through their blend of blackened death. At Inferno Metal Festival, they reflect a well oiled satanic machine with precision level execution. Buzzing riffing from guitarists Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck keep the pace hurtling forwards, whilst vocalist Anders Strokirk impresses with his confident stage aura and razor-sharp delivery. Albeit with some moment of stagnation, NECROPHOBIC deliver exactly what is expected; good, solid extreme metal. And they achieved just that.

Rating: 7/10

UDÅD – John DeeUDÅD live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Spawned as a side project of MORK mastermind Thomas Eriksen, UDÅD‘s primary purpose is to allow Eriksen to explore the more primal elements of black metal. Unlike war metal contemporaries REVENGE or BLASPHEMY, UDÅD sits firmly in the realm of black metal that was once pioneered by Eriksen‘s countrymen in the 90s. Live at Inferno Metal Festival, under the compact backdrop of John Dee, UDÅD deliver a primal and earthly black metal experience. Material from last year’s self-titled debut sound mightily impressive here, with the likes of Blodnatten and Den Virkelige Apokryf sounding mightily nasty in the live environment. An impressive set from one of Norwegian black metal’s modern masterminds.

Rating: 7/10

TIAMAT – Rockefeller Tiamat live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Swedish goth metal institution TIAMAT have a career that is fast approaching four decades and their long-standing career and blackened flourishes make them a solid palette cleanser on Rockefeller‘s main stage billing. Led by the swagger of Johan Edlund, the band twist and groove their way through a riff-laden feast and have enough bite in their bark to leave a lasting impression. It’s nothing particularly mind-blowing, but solid enough to catch your breath before the flurry of Friday’s evening billing.

Rating: 7/10

SPECTRAL WOUND – John DeeSpectral Wound live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Arguably one of the biggst draws of the weekend, John Dee is packed to the rafters to greet Canadian black metal horde SPECTRAL WOUND. For a decade now, the Canadians have been whipping up a fierce reputation in the scene and their set at Inferno Metal Festival does not disappoint. Feral, vicious and captivating to witness, the band erupt and maintain a fierce energy that never dips during their time on stage. Material from last year’s excellent Songs Of Blood And Mire sound absolutely enormous here with the likes of Fevers & Suffering and A Coin Upon The Tongue igniting sheer bedlam amongst the crowd. And in Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal, SPECTRAL WOUND have arguably one of the most infectious songs the genre has ever seen, and live, it stands as one of Inferno Metal Festival‘s greatest highlights.

Rating: 10/10

BATUSHKA – RockefellerBatushka live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Rewind the clock to 2015 and BATUSHKA were the burning star of modern black metal. Litourgiya had blown minds with its Eastern Orthodox aesthetic, Gregorian chants and hefty black metal but subsequent public legal disputes over ownership rights buckled momentum and caused widespread confusion. Now, in 2025 under the impressive Inferno Metal Festival main stage, with the legal issues resolved, BATUSHKA is reborn under the stewardship of band founder Krzysztof Drabikowski and the resulting performance is as immersive as it is atmospheric. Big and powerful Gregorian chants engulf the Rockefeller as a cacophony of percussive riffs and snarls swirl together organically. It’s a powerful reminder of that spark that first struck back in 2015, and looking ahead, the future is bright once again for BATUSHKA.

Rating: 8/10

ABBATH – Rockefeller Abbath live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As a stalwart in Norwegian black metal, ABBATH commands respect and admiration but well-documented struggles have impacted his ability to remain consistently solid live as he once held fronting IMMORTAL. But, under the backdrop of Inferno Metal Festival‘s main stage as Thursday’s headliners, and a billed Abbath Doom Occulta set, we’re treated to a bountiful feast of IMMORTAL classics, all performed with razor-sharp precision from a man whose purpose and drive is seemingly reborn. And the material speaks for itself. Having an opening five song run of Withstand The Fall Of Time, Sons Of Nothern Darkness, All Shall Fall, Solarfall and One By One is quite simply, fucking ridiculous, and the likes of Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) and Mountains Of Might in the set’s latter stages sees many in the crowd grinning like a Cheshire cat. The material speaks for itself, but what bolsters this is the fact that ABBATH, and his flanking bandmates, are on serious good form, helping deliver a set that celebrates some of the finest material the genre has ever produced.

Rating: 10/10

Friday – April 18th

GAEREA – RockefellerGaerea live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

The rise of GAEREA has been nothing short of stratospheric. The Portuguese masked collective have been turning heads aplenty with solid studio releases and dazzling live performances. At Fortress Festival last year, we witnessed something special, something that signalled that GAEREA are bound for greatness. At Inferno, message reinforced. As is now customary with GAEREA live performances, from start to finish, you are captivated as the band twist and contort in perfect synchorisation with the music, helping elevate its impact. The likes of Hope Shatters and World Ablaze (both taken from last year’s Coma) are thunderous slabs of top tier modern black metal whilst Urge and Mirage are dispatched with the utmost conviction. It’s a dazzling display once again from a band who seemingly can’t put a foot wrong.

Rating: 9/10

BLOOD INCANTATION – RockefellerBlood Incantation live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As one of death metal’s more intriuging outfits, BLOOD INCANTATION‘s expansive approach to death metal has seen them carve out a worthy reputation in modern extreme metal. And live, they are a force to be reckoned with. Arriving in Norway on the back of last year’s stellar Absolute Elsewhere, we’re treated to a full album playthrough of their epic. Flanked by two alien obelisks, the band proceed to take us on a journey that is equally horrifying as it is awe-inspiring as they power through The Stargate before jokingly asking to flip the vinyl before powering on with The Message. The sinister death metal riffs twist and contort whilst Paul Riedl dispatches his earth-shattering gutturals to monstrous effect. The added flourishes of psychedelic experimentation, where the band challenge us to look inwards as vintage Sci-Fi atmospherics swirl and ponder, is a wonderful component to the BLOOD INCANTATION sounscape, and live, it is a treat to experience. There is no one who comes to close to the majesty of BLOOD INCANTATION.

Rating: 10/10

KYLESA – RockefellerKylesa live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Reunited and back for a select run of shows on our side of the Atlantic, Savannah, Georgia’s KYLESA arrive at Inferno Metal Festival to provide a welcome slab of sludge-soaked stoner to break up the blackened bite of the day’s action. And despite a shaky start where the mix isn’t quite right, the band quickly dust off the cobwebs and deliver a bountiful dose of rifftastic metal. The likes of Nature’s Predators and Running Red sound absolutely huge as the quartet, led by Laura Pleasants, power their way through their set like returning heroes. There’s no backdrop or visual flaire to KYLESA, just riff after riff of southern soaked metal. Glorious.

Rating: 8/10

SEPTICFLESH – RockefellerSepticFlesh live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

SEPTICFLESH‘s consistency since 2008’s Communion is nothing short of sensational. The Greek’s blend of epic orchestration with the primal earthy tones of death metal has seen subsequent releases, particularly 2011’s The Great Mass, 2014’s Titan and 2017’s Codex Omega establishing SEPTICFLESH as a genuine juggernaut. At Inferno Metal Festival, the band draw on their rich modern catalogue of material to deliver a bombastic, gripping and high energy experience. The Vampire Of Nazareth‘s booming rolling percussion sounds huge, whilst Portrait Of A Headless Man‘s thumping riffs sees a sea of heads banging in perfect unison. It’s a highly polished set from a band that continues to fire on all cylinders, 35 years in and showing no signs of slowing down.

Rating: 9/10

1349 – Rockefeller1349 live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although forming at the tail end of the 1990s, Oslo’s 1349 have kept the spirit of Norwegian black metal alive through their own uncomprising and icy take on the genre. As a result, the band have grown to become one of the most reliably consistent names in black metal and they take the responsibility of headling Inferno Metal Festival in their stride. With copious amounts of towering smoke blasting through a sea of striking red stage lights amidst a backdrop of Satanic imagery, the band strike a menacing presence and their discography only reinforces this aura. Whether it’s material from last year’s The Wolf & The King (with Inferior Pathways and The God Devourer in particular sounding incredible live) or firm favourites in Atomic Chapel, I Am Abomination or Blood Is The Mortar, the band deliver a consistently evil live assault, one that demonstrates why they are held with such high regard.

Rating: 9/10

Saturday – April 19th

COVEN – RockefellerCoven live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Originally forming way back in 1967, for nearly six decades, Chicago’s COVEN have been conjuring their occult psychedelic rock. Helping to pioneer occult rock with their aesthetical presence, and behing held as an originator of the universal metal symbol, the signs of the horns, the band – helmed by Jinx Dawson – is a spiritual founder of metal. Although their music is a far cry from the cacophony of blastbeats, through vivid Satanic imagery projected on the screen behind them, or their ritualistic set opener in which Dawson elegantly steps out of a coffin, COVEN are a witchy good time. What helps is that they have some absolute bops to draw from, with the likes of White Witch Of Rose Hall and Black Sabbath sounding crisp and puncy, and Dawson elegantly glides across the stage and keeps the crowd entertained with her humout. “If you practise witchcraft, you can live forever, like me!” She jests at one point during their sermon, judging from her prowess and energy on stage, we’re inclined to agree.

Rating: 7/10

CADAVER – RockefellerCadavar live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Although Norway is most commonly associated with spawning the iconic black metal bands of the early 1990s, the country’s influence extends to other pockets of metal. For CADAVER, they stand as a veteran of the death metal scence, with a career close to four decades. At Inferno, they are greeted with a heroes welcome with Anders Odden and company reciprocating the welcome with a well-refined and savage musical assault. The likes of Ignominous Eczema, Innominate, and recent cut The Age Of The Offended all hit with the weight of a sledgehammer with copious savage riffs and snarls dispatched with ease by Odden. And if there was ever a poignant moment in music this volatile, let it be Odden laying tribute to dearly departed festival Jean-Martin Jensen before a rip-roaring rendition of Mr. Tumor’s Misery. Just one of many tributes to a man who gave his life for our scene.

Rating: 8/10

AURA NOIR – RockefellerAura Noir live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Arriving to inject a fresh bout of adrenaline, Norway’s AURA NOIR treat Inferno Metal Festival as a homecoming, and given the absolute bedlam that is unleashed from the crowd during their time on stage, that feeling is very much reciprocated. Buoyed by the crowd’s energy, the band unleash an absolute masterclass on blackened thrash, keeping heads banging and pits surging aplenty. Black thrash favourites like Black Thrash Attack, Conqueror and Hell’s Fire all pack a tremendous punch as the band blister their way with enough snarl and vigour to impress the stearnest of metalheads. It’s been seven years since their last record, but on the back of their endless energy at Inferno Metal Festival, we hope new music arrives sooner rather than later.

Rating: 8/10

ROTTING CHRIST – RockefellerRotting Christ live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Celebrating their astonishing 35 year career, ROTTING CHRIST are a genuine juggernaut in today’s black metal scene. Much of this is down to their consistently solid arsenal of records, but live, ROTTING CHRIST ooze energy and community and this atmosphere translated perfectly into one of the best sets of the festival weekend. Starting strong with 666 and P’unchaw kachun‐Tuta kachun, the band craft and unleash a primal aural force, one that threatens to shatter the building’s foundations. Led by Sakis Tolis, who effortlessly commands the crowd and holds them in the palm of his hand, the band keep the momentum surging with Fire, God And Fear and Elthe Kyrie being delivered with the utmost conviction. It’s sheer aural power and utterly exhilirating to experience. 35 years in and ROTTING CHRIST are in the form of their lives.

Rating: 10/10

SETH – John DeeSeth live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

French horde SETH have been carving their own niche within the black metal ecosystem for some time now, three decades in fact. Using their time at Inferno Metal Festival to focus largely on recent efforts, 2024’s La France des maudits and 2021’s La morsure du Christ, SETH deliver a razor-sharp and particularly vicious assault to the masses. With the stage adjourned with prosthetic severred heads on pikes, a fitting visual reminder of the brutal French revolution, the likes of La Destruction des Reliques and Insurrection hit with the force of a freight train, whilst frontman Saint Vincent leads the assualt with utter conviction. They may have experience on their side, but based on their live prowess and renewed sense of purpose on the back of their recent studio output, it’s a captivating performance from a band whose stock is set to continue to rise.

Rating: 8/10

SATYRICON – Rockefeller
Satyricon live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

The finale of day three exploded with an energy that barely paused for breath after the mesmerising performance by ROTTING CHRIST. One might wonder how any band could match such vigour and intensity. However, when one of Norway’s most iconic and groundbreaking black metal bands, SATYRICON, stepped onto the stage, it marked a moment that had been highly anticipated throughout the festival. Their presence carried the weight of their significant influence, delivering a performance infused with the unique gravitas that only SATYRICON can provide.

As Now, Diabolical crashed into the venue, it unleashed a torrent of unified fury, seamlessly transitioning into classics like Black Crow On A Tombstone and Walk The Path Of Sorrow. It was a joy to watch the synchronised headbanging as the night unfolded into the early hours of the morning. The air within Rockefeller crackled with electric tension, creating an atmosphere that only decades of raw defiance can conjure from a group that has influenced black metal for over three decades. The collective energy peaked during Phoenix, as all witnessed Norwegian rock legend Sivert Høyem take centre stage and deliver an exhilarating performance. The Rockefeller crowd was fully immersed in the spectacle as Mother North crushed the audience, and K.I.N.G. brought the night to a grand close, marking another triumphant moment for Satyricon on the Norwegian stage.

Rating: 9/10

Sunday – April 20th

LAMENTARI – RockefellerLamentari live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Danish outfit LAMENTARI might be one of the newer names on the Inferno Metal Festival lineup but they leave a lasting impression with a visual and aural feast to ignite the festival’s final day. A lethal cocktail of blackened death metal with extra orchestral flaire, the band ooze theatricity in their presence and songcraft. Pulling largely from last year’s excellent Ex Umbra In Lucem, the band cloaked and masked captivate as their symphonic blackened death metal connects with twisting riffs, big symphonics and expertly dispatched vocals from Daniel Lønberg. A mid-stage costume change, in which the members are blessed with incense from Lønberg before being derobed and unmasked is a subtle but impactful touch, helping shift the momentum in the band’s set. A highly impressive affair from one of black metal’s newest stars.

Rating: 9/10

SCHAMMASCH – RockefellerSchammasch live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

To experience SCHAMMASCH is a reflective and meditative experience. The Swiss collective’s approach to black metal is more measured in its approach, but its delivery is utterly enormous, and live, their sound translates expertly well against the backdrop of Rockefeller. Initial sound gremlins threaten to destabilise initial momentum, but ocne resolved, experiencing SCHAMMASCH is a breathtaking experience. The likes of A Paradigm Of Beauty and Winds That Pierce The Silence (both taken from 2019’s stellar Hearts Of No Light) are astounding atmospheric treats, whilst They Have Found Their Master sees the band deliver a breathtaking rendition in which the harmonised vocals cut through the meditative riffs like a hot knife through butter. It’s a stunning set from one of black metal’s most immersive outfits.

Rating: 9/10

NAGLFAR – RockefellerNaglfar live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

Swedish black metallers NAGLFAR have been part of black metal’s living room furniture for decades at this point. Emerging at the genre’s most influential and volatile period in the early 1990s, the Swedes have remained extremely prolific in their output and over three decades in, they resemble a finely tuned machine. And this is reflected in their performance on Inferno Metal Festival‘s Rockefeller main stage. The band power through a set that pulls upon many touch points of their weighty discography with Vortex Of Negativity finely representing their latest record, 2020’s Cerecloth, and Blades (taken from 19998’s Diabolical) given an outing to please the diehards. It’s a polished and unsurprising set that ticks all the boxes of what you can expect from a black metal performance from one of the genre’s reliable contributors.

Rating: 7/10

BYTHOS – John Dee Bythos live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

BYTHOS rarely perform live so to experience the Finnish black metal band live in action is a spectacle indeed. A packed crowd greet the band as they proceed to unleash a powerful and intimidating blast of black metal, made all the more immersive thanks to the intimate backdrop of John Dee. Pulling from their excellent two records – 2024’s Chthonic Gates Unveiled and 2020’s The Womb Of Zero, the band deliver an abundance of razor-sharp riffs, booming double bass drums and a hugely impressive display from frontman M.S.. Sorath The Opposer is a particular highlight where the band fire on all cylinders and leave a lasting impression. Although the crowd notably thins in the closing moments to file back upstairs for TSJUDER, we can only hope BYTHOS increase their live appearances.

Rating: 9/10

TSJUDER – RockefellerTsjuder live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

As NAGLFAR illuminated the stage with their precise melodic fervour, it was time for another Norwegian legend to take the spotlight on the Rockefeller platform. With over three decades of unrestrained darkness, the black metal trio TSJUDER paid an invigorating homage to the very roots of the genre. The blistering speed, combined with ice-cold aggression, captivated the Norwegian audience, paving the way for one of the most intense performances of the evening. Renowned for their unrestrainedly powerful approach, TSJUDER infused the venue with primal energy through tracks such as Possessed, Mouth Of Madness, and Kaos. The songs surged as the first half of the set not only captured attention but also engaged the hearts and minds amidst the chaos of riff and shrieks.

A significant highlight of their performance was a tribute to BATHORY, which further deepened their connection to the legacy of black metal during the second part of the performance. With bassist Frederick Melander leading the charge, the band honoured songs such as The Return Of Darkness and Evil, Satan My Master, and the closer, Born For Burning. The thrilling display generated immense anticipation, not only for the music itself but also for the immersive experience that unfolded, leaving every spectator feeling truly privileged to be part of this dark celebration.

Rating: 9/10

BEHEMOTH – RockefellerBehemoth live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal

BEHEMOTH have achieved what few extreme metal bands could even muster, eclipsing the confines of the genre to bring a theatrical spectacle whilst retaining their aural extremity that made them such a treat in the first place. CANNIBAL CORPSE have achieved just that for death metal, but flying the black for the more blackened metal persuasion, BEHEMOTH arrive to close Inferno Metal Festival and it is an aural and visual treat. Fire engulfs the stage at numerous moments throughout the set, with the pyro blasts accompanying the crushing riffs of Ov Fire And The Void allowing your adrenaline to surge, whilst the various constume changes allows Nergal and his bandmates to successfully deliver a Satanic specatacle on Easter Sunday no less.

Despite its questionable title, material from the band’s new record, The Shit Ov God, slot into the set nicely with the likes of The Shadow Elite and the title track being received particularly well. Although there are moments where the momentum falters, with Lvciferaeon and Bartzabel not quite connecting as hard as their early barrage, but rolling back the years and getting renditions of the likes of Christians To The Lions, Cursed Angel Of Doom and Chants For Eschaton 2000 more than makes up for it. And as a thundering and triumphant rendition of closer O Father O Satan O Sun! draws the curtain on Inferno Metal Festival 2025, one thing is clear, black metal and all its persuasions has never been stronger.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our extensive photo gallery of all the action from Inferno Metal Festival 2025 from Sabrina Ramdoyal here:

























































































































































































































































Abbath live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal


























Batushka live @ Inferno Metal Festival 2025. Photo Credit: Sabrina Ramdoyal


























































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