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.«

Pionirji death/doom metala My Dying Bride se žal za nedoločen čas poslavljajo od odrskih nastopov. Družbena omrežja so sicer že pred nekaj časa preplavile novice o nenadnih odpovedih njihovih nastopov na letošnjih poletnih festivalih, včeraj pa so vse skupaj obrazložili z uradno objavo.

Snemanje oziroma celoten proces ustvarjanja sveže izdanega albuma A Mortal Binding je med člani povzročilo oziroma povzročil kar nekaj napetosti, ki so pri nekaterih žal pripeljale tudi do izgorelosti. V upanju, da bodo lahko vse te napetosti reševali brez posredovanja zunanjih oseb in tako izpeljali tudi vsaj nekaj koncertov, so nekako zavlačevali tudi z uradno izjavo. Pa vendar naj bi zaradi pomanjkanja komunikacije in nerazumevanja profesionalnih partnerjev prišlo do še večjega kaosa in težav, ki bodo terjale kar nekaj časa za razrešitev. Upamo, da bodo te težave uspešno rešili.

Je pa zasedba ob izidu albuma objavila tudi besedilni video za enega izmed novih komadov, in sicer Her Dominion.

Deathcorovci Chelsea Grin sporočajo, da je vrzel na bobnarskem stolčku zapolnil Josh Miller. Zasedba se je pred kratkim razšla z bobnarjem Pablom Viverosom in tako je nov polnopravni član zasedbe postal Josh. Izjava banda:

»We hope everyone has been doing well; we have some updates. We have parted ways with our fill-in drummer, Nathan Pearson. We sincerely value his friendship, as well as his devotion to furthering his craft and bringing his all to the stage. We truly look forward to watching his drumming career continue to blossom and advance, and value his time with us.

Furthermore, the band and Pablo have mutually agreed to separate. Pablo is one of our oldest friends, the life of the party, a masterful player, and a powerful creative. After Pablo spent some years away from the band, we all came together and realized that personal visions had diverged through time. We will always wish the very best for him, and seriously value all that he brought not only to the band, but to our lives. Nothing but tremendous love for him, always. We also encourage everyone to show support for him, Jaek and Alex’s new band, Ameonna.

Moving forward, we are proud and excited to announce that Josh Miller will be joining Chelsea Grin. It goes without saying that the future is bright – you will hear it in our music and witness it in our performances.

We keep very much to ourselves at this stage in our lives, but when we check in we want each of you to know that you are deeply and sincerely valued – we are so grateful for the opportunity to do what we love. We cannot wait to bring more of our vision to you all. Thank you for the years of support and love, and we will see you on our current tour supporting Fit For A King.«

Španski death/doom metalci Totengott so razkrili naslovnico in seznam pesmi prihajajočega albuma Beyond the Veil. Naslovnico najdete na sliki, tracklista pa je takšna:

Inner Flame
Sons of the Serpent
Marrow of the Soul
The Architect
Beyond the Veil Part I: Mirrors of Doom
Beyond the Veil Part II: Necromancer
The Golden Crest (The Ritual, The Curse, The Path, The Light)

Kanadska enočlanska black metal zasedba Nihilo Machina bo po devetih letih studijskega premora izdala drugi dolgometražec, ki bo nosil naslov The Black River. Ta bo izšel 30. aprila in prinesel osem komadov:

The Black River: Part I
Aberration
Empire of Reverie
Singularity
The Black River: Part II
Artifice
Entropic Journey
Sons Noir

Novonastala zasedba Ortolan, v kateri delujejo Dan Gargiulo in Oleg Zalman (Artificial Brain), Jeremy Salvo (Xoth) in Andy Horn (Crossspitter), predstavlja svojo prvo skladbo Holy to Whom?. Z njo napovedujejo samonaslovljeni demo Ortolan, ki bo izšel 15. aprila na kaseti in prinaša naslednje skladbe:

Sudden Loss
Holy to Whom?
Drowned in Armagnac
Multiple Hidden Magicians
Early Departure

Sporočamo, da je umrl Dennis Cornelius, vokalist in kitarist doom metalcev Memory Driven. Naj počiva v miru. Izjava banda:

»It is with indescribable melancholy that words cannot express in which I make this announcement. Dennis Cornelius, our long time musical brother, in this band, and in life, has passed away. We cannot begin to process this immense loss, as we just send love and prayers to his family and loved ones. Thank you for so many years of such passionate and inspirational music. It has been such an honor to be a part of this journey with you. Thank you sooooo much for sharing that with us all, Dennis. You and Jyme are together again. We love you, Dennis, our brother.«

Nemški heavy metalci Inner Axis sporočajo, da je pri založbi Fastball Music izšel njihov najnovejši album Midnight Forces. Tracklista:

I am the Storm
Strike of the Cobra
Midnight Hunter
This is the Way
Evil Dead
Spartan War-Cry
Steelbladed Avenger
Master & Commander
Burn with Me
Blade of Glory

Psihedelični temačneži Lares bodo 12. aprila pri Argonauta Records izdali drugi celovečerec z naslovom Et In Arcadia Ego. Kaj pravi zasedba o prihajajoči izdaji, pa lahko preberete spodaj:

»The album is an accidental concept born from the first session we managed to play together after a long and frustrating break necessitated by lockdowns, band members in high risk categories, and mental illness. Without looking for it we found death, isolation, boredom, uncertainty, rage, and an energy that we decided instantly to try to capture and preserve as it was. No additives, no major editing. In the uncertainty of the times, we began to collect recording equipment, slowly transforming our rehearsal space into a recording studio. We developed a ritual of playing and replaying, without click, the whole 27 minutes, until we got better than close to the original, to the perfect simulacra. There is a bonus track included in the album called '10 Hygiea' that is part of the soundtrack of 'Music Appreciation', a short horror movie we collaborated with.«

Američani The Black Dahlia Murder se po petih letih znova vračajo v Evropi. Tukaj (ali na sliki) so vsi datumi turneje:

14. 6. 2024 – Zamora, ESP – Z! Live Rock Fest
16. 6. 2024 – Donington Park, UK – Download
17. 6. 2024 – Belfast, UK – Limelight
18. 6. 2024 – Dublin, IE – Opium
20. 6. 2024 – Atene, GR – Arch Club
21. 6. 2024 – Thessaloniki, GR – Block 33
23. 6. 2024 – Dessel, BE – Graspop
24. 6. 2024 – Nürnberg, DE – Hirsch w/ Suffocation
25. 6. 2024 – Lille, FR – The Black Lab w/ Suffocation
26. 6. 2024 – Stuttgart, DE – Im Wizemann w/ Shadow of Intent
27. 6. 2024 – Trier, DE – Mergener Hof
28. 6. 2024 – Lindau, DE – Club Vaudeville w/ Suffocation
29. 6. 2024 – Yasselsteyn, NL – Jera On Air
30. 6. 2024 – Clisson, FR – Hellfest
31. 7. 2024 – Brasov, RO – Rockstadt Extreme Fest
2. 8. 2024 – Dortmund, DE – Dortmund Deathfest
3. 8. 2024 – Wacken, DE – Wacken Open Air
4. 8. 2024 – Roitzschjora, DE – Full Rewind
6. 8. 2024 – Cham, DE – Lifestyle Café
7. 8. 2024 – Jaromer, CZ – Brutal Assault
8. 8. 2024 – Schlotheim, DE – Party San Open Air
9. 8. 2024 – Dunaj, AT – Szene
10. 8. 2024 – Ljubljana, SI – Menza Pri Koritu
11. 8. 2024 – Milano, IT – Slaughter Club
13. 8. 2024 – Salzburg, AT – Rockhouse
14. 8. 2024 – Aarau, CH – Kiff
15. 8. 2024 – Dinkelsbühl, DE – Summer Breeze
16. 8. 2024 – Sulingen, DE – Reload Festival
17. 8. 2024 – Gent, BE – Chinastraat w/ Decapitated
18. 8. 2024 – Carhaix, FR – Motocultor

Sobotni koncert zasedb Relentless Youth, Gründ, The Kripless v idrijskem Swenaku je odpovedan. Tako pravi organizator: »Due to unfortunate circumstances we are being forced to cancel the Relentless Youth release party!! We'd like to extend an apology to the bands and to all of you that were planning on coming this Saturday.«

Iz tabora finskih metal čelistov Apocalyptica je odjeknila vest, da se je band razšel z dolgoletnim bobnarjem Mikkom Sirénom. Spodaj lahko preberete celotno izjavo banda:

»Some of you may have already seen us playing without our drummer Mikko Siren in Brasil and Mexico earlier this year...or have heard rumors to this effect. We are very sorry to have to inform you that we have amicably parted ways with Mikko after 20 years. Recording our forthcoming album was our last collective achievement. Also, we want to reassure all of you that we – Eicca, Perttu and Paavo – will continue as APOCALYPTICA. We wish Mikko happiness and success in everything he aims for in all his future endeavors!!«

Pred dnevi pa smo tudi poročali, da se Apocalyptica septembra odpravljajo na turnejo po Evropi.

Avtorica fotografije je Saša Krajnc.

Domača metal hardcore zasedba Relentless Youth je izdala EP Exploitation, ki ga lahko v celoti poslušate spodaj.

Poleg tega je zasedba najavila pet koncertov, kjer bo promovirala novi plošček. Prvi koncert bo že naslednji teden v petek, 1. marca, v ljubljanski Gromki. Tega in preostale datume najdete na sliki.

Francoski progresivni metalci Kozoria sporočajo, da so sklenili sodelovanje z založbo Black Lion Records. Izjava zasedbe:

»Kozoria is excited to announce a brand-new partnership with Black Lion Records for its debut album! We are eager to share our fresh prog music across the world! See you very soon…«

Znana je časovnica jutrišnjega koncerta Kataklysm, Fleshgod Apocalypse in Stillbirth v Kinu Šiška. Ta zgleda takole:

19.00 vrata/blagajna
19.45 Stillbirth
20.40 Fleshgod Apocalypse
21.45 Kataklysm