Iz tabora hrvaških doom metalcev Old Night sporočajo, da jih je zapustil vokalist in kitarist Matej Hanžek. Vrzel v zasedbi bo na vokalu tako zapolnil njegov brat Ivan, na kitari pa se je zasedbi pridružil Rafael Cvitković (Nekroza). Spodaj lahko preberete celotno izjavo banda:

»This is a post I write with a heavy heart, yet full of hope and with a bright look on the future. After eight years with us as our lead singer and frontman, earlier this year Matej decided to step down from his duties within Old Night. I know you are hoping for some gossip or a sassy story, but there was no drama involved. He just wants to focus on other things in life and at this point, music is not a priority for him. Having said that, I wish to thank him on our behalf for everything he has done for us, all the great times we shared on stage and backstage, but also for all the long hours he has put in working on our first three records. It was a privilege and you'll always be a part of our family. Obviously, this news has taken us aback and we had to figure out how best to proceed. We took some time to see what our options were, as this is an important role we needed to fill. After much deliberation we figured out we need not look outside our band for a perfect candidate as we have one in our midst. Ivan has been singing all the backing vocals from day one and from now on he will be handling all the lead vocals. No need to worry, he’ll remain our lead guitarist as well.

The only piece of the puzzle left to figure out was who’ll play the rhythm guitars? Without further ado, we welcome Rafael Cvitković, from the Croatian death metal machine Nekroza, as our new guitarist. If you attended our concerts, you might have already seen him filling in on sound checks or working on our merch booth. Nekroza just released their debut album on InsArt Records – you can check them out and show them your support.

With our line-up complete, we will continue working on our new record and we hope we’ll have some news in that regard soon. In a couple of weeks, we’ll have our first concert with the new line-up and we can’t wait to present you the New Old Night.«

Norveški gotični elektroničarji The Kovenant bodo nastopili na nizozemskem festivalu Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2024. Poleg njih je bilo napovedanih še šest zasedb, celoten seznam nastopajočih pa trenutno zgleda tako:

DARK FUNERAL (petkov headliner) | ASPHYX | THE KOVENANT | AGENT STEEL | M.O.D. | ANAAL NATHRAKH | IMPALED NAZARENE | CARPATHIAN FOREST | REVEL IN FLESH | HOUR OF PENANCE | EMPYRIUM | SCHAMMASCH | CHAPEL OF DISEASE | AKHYLS | ALFAHANNE | SVARTTJERN | SOULBURN | SAVAGE GRACE | THY ANTICHRIST | MALPHAS | FRACTURED INSANITY | VIOLENTHOR | THREE EYES OF THE VOID.

Italijanski tehnični brutal death metalci Hour Of Penance bodo 5. aprila pri Agonia Records izdali dolgometražec Devotion. S tega albuma so posneli tudi video za komad Devotion for Tyranny, ki si ga lahko ogledate spodaj.

Beneški heavy/power metalci Hextar z novo skladbo Nothing Is Eternal napovedujejo prvenec Doomsayer, ki ga bodo 24. maja izdali pri založbi Dying Victims Productions. Tracklista:

Skies of Strife
Nothing Is Eternal
The Otherwordly Sin
Hour of Glory
Crestfallen Hunter's Tale
The Fight Beyond the Sleep
A Requiem for Fools
Doomsayer
The Story so Far

Moderni death metalci Hatefulmurder so objavili videospot za svoj novi single This Is the Final Hour.

Sulphur And Mercury je nova heavy/doom metal zasedba, ki jo sestavljajo Jason Netherton (Misery Index), Francesco Conte (Spiritual Front), Marco Mastrobuono (Hour Of Penance) in Dario Casabona (Griefbringer). Fantje so podpisali s Time To Kill Records, pri katerih bo 12. aprila izšel prvi EP Alchemia Prophetica. Prvi single Lightless Slumber so predstavili včeraj.

Finski melodični death metalci Northern Genocide so nedavno v obliki besedilnega videospota razkrili pesem Our Final Hour s  prihajajočega drugega ploščka The Point of No Return. Seznam pesmi je takšen:

To Serve the Pestilence
Kaamos
Harbingers of Genocide
Icaros
Luonnonsurma
My Fortress
Our Final Hour
Para Bellum
The Engram
Necropolis (feat. Tommy Tuovinen)

Nizozemski funeral doom metal band Angmodnes, ki od nedavnega deluje kot trio, je z besedilnim videospotom za pesem Beneath napovedal dolgometražni prvenec Rot of the Soul, ki bo izšel 1. marca pri Tragedy Productions. Tracklista:

Beneath
The Hours
Agony of the Sun
Stagnant
Rot of the Soul

Ameriški melodični deathcore death metalci Darkest Hour so objavili video za komad Societal Bile s prihajajočega albuma Perpetual Terminal, katerega izid je napovedan za 23. februar pri MNRK Heavy.

Ameriški death metalci Petrification bodo 9. februarja pri Svart Records izdali svoj drugi celovečerec, ki so mu nadeli naslov Sever Sacred Light. Ta prinaša osem komadov, od katerih sta znana že dva:

Twisted Visions of Creation
Oneiric Obscurum
Temporal Entrapment
Cadaverous Delirium
Sepulchral Lesions
Seething Cosmological Dread
Transmissions of the Unseen
The Hourglass Dissolves

Poljska moderna metalcore zasedba Serpents je predstavila videospot za svoj nov komad Hourglass.

Finski temačneži Counting Hours bodo 23. februarja pri Ardua Music izdali svoj drugi studijski album The Wishing Tomb. Komadu Timeless Ones lahko prisluhnete tukaj, sicer pa bodo na ploščku ti komadi:

Unsung, Forlorn
Timeless Ones
Away I Flow
All That Blooms (Needs To Die)
Starlit / Lifeless
The Wishing Tomb
No Closure
A Mercy Fall
This Well Of Failures

Avstralski heavy metalci Shattered Hourglass so izdali svoj nov single House Of Cards.

Lani je nastal projekt Satanic Witch, v katerem delujejo Shaun Van Calster (Length of Time), Michel Kirby (Wolvennest), Isa in Selina (E-L-R). Svoj prvenec 4:44 bo band izdal 5. decembra pri založbi Ván Records, za pokušino pa po prvem singlu Mirror Hour zdaj ponuja v posluh še skladbo For None.

Avtor fotografije: Isvan Bruggen.

Kot smo že poročali, so to poletje melodičarji Darkest Hour podpisali z MNRK Heavy, zdaj pa so znane tudi podrobnosti izida desetega studijskega albuma. Ta bo izšel 23. februarja in bo nosil naslov Perpetual Terminal. Video za naslovno skladbo si lahko ogledate spodaj.