Italijanski black metalci Stormcrow predstavljajo Ascension, že četrti single s prihajajočega albuma Path to Ascension. Celoten seznam pesmi je takšen:

Astral Deconstruction§
Dark Existence
Vulgus Vult Decipi
Detached
Ascension
Vertical Horizon
In This Solitude
Petit Dru
Ancient Forest

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.«

Organizatorji dogodkov Hangtime Agency sporočajo, da je nedeljski koncert zasedb Grima in Ultar v zagrebškem klubu Močvara odpovedan. Odpovedana sta tudi koncerta v Beogradu in Novem Sadu ter tudi 40 drugih nastopov skupin po Evropi. Zapletlo se je namreč pri vizah. Izjava banda:

»Dear followers of the Grima cult, sometimes even the biggest and oldest spruce tree can't withstand (in)human acts. There is a point where we have to bow down and accept what cannot be changed.
After 4 months of non-stop efforts from everyone involved behind the scenes, the best we got is a 30 days stay in the Schengen area. We have applied for a 90 days arts science visa, which we have been granted in past years, but not this time, the reasons have not been communicated to us.
We did everything we could do, Asgaardian Events and even Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions helped us as much as possible, but all we got are these 30 days for now, which we shall use to the fullest.
Our first show will be on the April 25 in Switzerland and the last one will be on the May 22 in Paris. Any other show will be cancelled. There will be no further rescheduling. We will be happy to see each one of our cultists at these shows. We won't have any other Central European tours in the near future, except a few festivals next year, which we are already negotiating with.«

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.«

Kot smo januarja poročali, je v 78. letu starosti umrl Tony Clarkin, kitarist, ustanovitelj britanskih veteranov Magnum. Že takrat se je šušljalo, da to pomeni tudi konec za zasedbo, ki je to zdaj tudi uradno potrdila. Izjava vokalista Boba Catleyja:

»Hello, everybody. Bob here. All right. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but I really can't carry on with Tony not here anymore. Please forgive me, and I hope you can understand how I feel. I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Since we lost Tone, we lost our guiding light, the magnum force behind the band, our songwriter, our producer, our guitar player. He was everything to the band. He was everything to me. For the last 50 years, we never went anywhere without each other. On tour, in the studio, I was at his side constantly, working on stuff with him. I had a wonderful life with Tony. But now it's all too much for me, people. I can't carry on without Tony.
I may pop up in some other shape or form in the near future – you never know – but I can't keep going on like this. It's far too sad; it's all too sad.
So, I hope you understand. You've been fantastic – the best audience ever. You kept this band going year after year, album after album, and we thank you for that.
So, be good. Keep Tony's music in your heart always. I know I will. I will always carry MAGNUM inside me. And I will always have Tony Clarkin beside me wherever I go.
I love you. You've been brilliant. But it's time for me to bow out now. It's my last curtain call, okay? I'll see you sometime. Be good. Cheers. Bye-bye.«

Španski brutalneži Christ Denied bodo po enajstih letih prekinili studijski molk in ponudili album številka tri. Ta bo nosil naslov Christopsy, izšel bo 21. maja pri Xtreem Music, vseboval pa bo deset komadov:

Scream Bloody Blasphemy
Fake Deity
A Blinding Light?
Take, Eat; This Is My Body
Why Call Him God?
Voracious Disciples
Starving Acolytes
Oozing Blood Nails
Liar's Meat Aftertaste
Mutant Christ (Cryptopsy cover)

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

Angleški ekstremneži Cradle Of Filth se potikajo v studiu, kjer pripravljajo material za 14. dolgometražec. Novico je v svojem profilu Instagram razkrila vokalistka in klaviaturistka Zoë M. Federoff:

»I am beyond humbled to have been allowed to contribute vocals and/or keys to many of the songs on this album. Dani and the guys showed a lot of faith in me for my first album with the gang, and I went in extremely nervous and hellbent on making them all proud. Thank God Dani Filth and producer Scott Atkins are so good at calming my nerves! That was the most fun and relaxing studio session I've had in ages!

Fourteen will be something very special, a distinctly new chapter, and it quite satisfies both the musician and the long-time Cradle fan inside me. A piece of each of our souls lives audibly in it. Prepare yourselves, Filthy family!«

Veljak norveške black metal scene Abbath se letošnje poletje znova odpravlja na turnejo po Evropi. Turneja z imenom Return to the Raven Realms Tour bo nekaj posebnega zlasti zaradi tega, ker se bo Abbath z bandom sprehodil skozi cel katalog komadov, ki jih je kot član legendarnih Immortal soustvaril med 1992 in 2009. 1. avgusta se bo karavana ustavila tudi na Dunaju, in kot pravi Abbath, bo celotna turneja nekaj posebnega:

»I can’t wait to get back on stage this summer to perform some old favorites that I haven’t played for a long, long time. Mark my words – it’s going to be loud and epic!«

Thomas Eriksen, ki stoji za imenom Mork, je pred kratkim razkril, da se v njem skriva tudi Udåd. Na to ime sliši njegov najnovejši black metal projekt, ki bo z istoimenskim albumom razkril drugo plat Eriksena. Izid je napovedan za 15. marec pri Peaceville Records. Kako zveni Udåd, pa lahko preverite prvi singel Avgudsdyrker, ki ga najdete spodaj.

»It is satisfying to unveil the first track from the first Udåd creation. It was both painful and rewarding to get this out of my being and onto tape. Pure atmospheric darkness straight into your soul. "Avgudsdyrker" was chosen as the first single as it represents the different elements of the album well. Take some minutes out of your everyday life, light a candle, cover the windows, turn off the lights and just take it in.«

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.«

Kanadska heavy metal zasedba Withering Scorn, katere člana sta tudi brata Shawn in Glen Drover, pripravlja material za drugi celovečerec, ki bo nasledil prvenec Prophets Of Demise iz leta 2023. Shawn Drover o novem materialu:

»At this point, this is where we're at. I've got three songs done for drums completed, and we started working on song four today; Glen and I started working on this intro piece to song four, where it's got this whole intro thing and stuff. And so we worked that out. And that's where we're at in terms of music as well. We just started song four. Glen still has a couple of songs to do for keeper guitars and so does Joe for bass. We haven't even approached the lyric process or the singing yet. Once we get far enough ahead, that's when we'll start to tackle that. Once I hear keeper guitars, then I start to assemble lyrics. I need to kind of hear the finished product of certainly the drums and guitars, if not bass as well, so I get inspired to write lyrics. That's kind of how I work with that.«

Crossover thrash metal zasedba Belushi Speed Ball bo 10. maja izdala nov album Stellkira. Prvi single My Favourite Color Is Pizza je že na voljo za poslušanje, objavili pa so tudi naslove drugih komadov, ki bodo del ploščka:

My Favorite Color Is Pizza
This is the Peak
Eels and Escalators
Get to the Point
Glass Bones and Paper Skin IV
The Adventures of Rick and Mortarion
Garth, Let My Family Go
Griffith Did Literally Everything Wrong
The Hash Slinging Slasher
The Accountant's Due (Stab the Katana)
Tater Tot Eyes

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