PARADISE LOST
"ASCENSION"
Melodic Death/ Gothic Metal
Year:19.09.2025
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

For over three decades, Paradise Lost have ruled the dark side of metal – with over two million records sold and a legacy that continues to echo throughout the genre. Now they return with Ascension – a powerful new chapter that explores the full depth of their unmistakable sound.Ten brand-new tracks, produced by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh, take you through crushing doom riffs, mournful melodies, and thunderous gothic metal – all steeped in the existential unrest of the human experience.CD:1 Serpent On The Cross2 Tyrants Serenade3 Salvation4 Silence Like The Grave5 Lay A Wreath Upon The World6 Diluvium7 Savage Days8 Sirens9 Deceivers10 The PrecipiceDIGI-BONUS:11 This Stark Town12 A Life Unknown2LP:1 Serpent On The Cross2 Tyrants Serenade3 Salvation4 Silence Like The Grave...

HELLOWEEN
"GIANTS AND MONSTERS"
Melodic Power Heavy Metal
Year:29.08.2025
(Reigning Phoenix Music)

The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN will release its new album, "Giants & Monsters", on August 29 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM).The band states: "We locked ourselves in a studio, summoned some giants, wrestled a few monsters, and somehow came out with a brand-new album: 'Giants & Monsters'. (It also smells like victory and possibly dragon breath.)"The album is DONE.Regarding how HELLOWEEN has managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by keeping all seven members of the band happy — returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen along with Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.CD/ 2LP/ Vocals:1. Giants On The Run    ...

AMORPHIS
"BORDERLAND"
Epic/ Viking/ Folk Metal
Year:26.09.2025
(Reigning Phoenix Music)

“Borderland” is the first AMORPHIS album that was created in collaboration with the Danish producer Jacob Hansen. Previously we had recorded three great albums in Jens Bogren's studio. During the planning phase of the project, we felt it was time to try something new and see what working with a different producer would bring.AMORPHIS has a very distinctive sound and way of making music. Having six strong personalities in the band naturally brings its own challenges to the production process, especially for the producer. Jacob was chosen for several important reasons: He has worked with an impressively diverse range of artists and is an incredibly calm, creative and imaginative producer.The lyrics are again by Pekka Kainulainen, and the album cover is by Dutch ar...

PRIMAL FEAR
"DOMINATION"
Power Heavy Metal
Year:05.09.2025
(Reigning Phoenix Music)

The partially renewed German metal commando PRIMAL FEAR returns with a powerful album: The 13 tracks mixed by Jacob Hansen - including jubilant high-speed numbers like the single “Far Away”, pounding midtempo anthems and an instrumental number - leave nothing to be desired by fans and present the band around the two founding members Mat Sinner (bass, vocals) and Ralf Scheepers (vocals) stronger, if not stronger and more versatile than ever. With extensive touring plans behind them, PRIMAL FEAR leave no doubt with “Domination” that they are the undisputed spearheads of the heavy/power metal scene!CD/ 2LP:01 - The Hunter (00:04:20)02 - Destroyer (00:04:31)03 - Far Away (00:04:17)04 - I Am The Primal Fear (00:05:41)05 - Tears Of Fire (00:05:14)06 - Heroes And Gods (00:...

INHUMAN CONDITION
"MIND TRAP"
Death Metal
Year:27.06.2025
(High Roller Records)

Choosing the title of Massacre’s 1992 EP “Inhuman Condition” as the name of their new band after having left the death metal flagship in 2020, it is fair to say that Taylor Nordberg and Jeramie Kling have stuck to that well-established old-school sound for the last five years. However, Inhuman Condition’s third full-length “Mind Trap” turns out to be more than Massacre 2.0, upping the ante on all fronts. The fact that the original trio, which is completed by bass veteran Terry Butler (also a member of Massacre at various points in time), never sets any goals for themselves when working on new material has become a blessing: “We feel we have found our identity and finally moved past the link with Massacre,” says Nordberg. “We d...

AURI
"III - CANDLES & BEGINNINGS"
Symphonic Female Heavy Metal
Year:15.08.2025
(ADA - Alternative Distribution Alliance)

The ethereal trio AURI returns with their long-awaited third studio album, III - Candles & Beginnings, set for release on August 15, 2025.Propelled by the celestial voice of Johanna Kurkela, the lush sonic landscapes of Tuomas Holopainen, and the boundless instrumental artistry of Troy Donockley, AURI once again invites listeners into a world that defies genre. Fusing elements of folk, progressive and symphonic music with touches of world, pop, and avant-garde, III - Candles & Beginnings promises an immersive journey for the senses.The creative process for this new chapter began in 2023, shortly after the completion of Nightwish’s 2024 opus Yesterwynde. While Troy composed in the serene landscapes of Yorkshire, Tuomas and Johanna crafted melodies and lyrics from th...

JOE BONAMASSA
"BREAKTHROUGH"
Rock/ Blues
Year:18.07.2025
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

Blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa is back with Breakthrough, his powerful new studio album dropping July 18th.Produced by longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, The Black Crowes, Journey) and co-written with Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd), Breakthrough captures Bonamassa at the height of his creative powers. Expanding his signature sound while staying true to the deep blues roots that launched his storied career, the album promises raw emotion, blistering guitar work, and fresh sonic twists. With over 50 albums to his name and an unprecedented 28 #1 Billboard Blues Albums, Bonamassa proves yet again that he’s not just keeping the blues alive - he’s driving it into the future.CD/ LP:1. Breakthrough 2. Trigger Finger 3. I'll Take The ...

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
"ARMADA LIVE OVER EUROPE"
Symphonic Female Heavy Metal
Year:04.07.2025
(NAPALM RECORDS)

High drama, hard-hitting heaviness, and gentle, spinetingling beauty. Visions of Atlantis have proven that ‘pirate metal’ is much more than a silly gimmick.” – Metal Hammer, 2024 Visions of Atlantis deliver tales of high-seas adventure through cinematic symphonic metal anthems, swiftly rising as high as a Jolly Rancher flag since the band’s humble beginnings in August 2000. Formed in idyllic Bruck an der Mur, Austria, the band boasts a French frontwoman (currently residing in Italy) and embodies an international appeal as vast as the oceans traversed by the pirates of old. Since the band’s inception, Visions Of Atlantis has boasted dual vocal power from a male and female vocalist, co-captained today with Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli at...

WARKINGS
"ARMAGEDDON"
Power Heavy Metal
Year:04.07.2025
(NAPALM RECORDS)

WARKINGS return from Valhalla with fanfares of the apocalypse! On their new studio album Armageddon, set for release on July 4, 2025 via Napalm Records, the five warriors have once again taken up their weapons to bring the legends of their past to life with mighty power metal anthems. Each of them carries the memories of great battles within, and now, the time has come to unleash these stories upon the world alongside the indomitable sorceress Morgana le Fay.Since their formation in 2018, WARKINGS have cemented their place in the power metal scene. They have conquered festival stages, played alongside legends like Powerwolf, Hammerfall, and Subway To Sally, and built a devoted fanbase that has chanted their anthems at Europe’s biggest stages, including Wacken Open Air.The ...

FEUERSCHWANZ
"KNIGHTCLUB"
Epic/ Viking/ Folk Metal
Year:25.07.2025
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Top charting modern folk metal leaders FEUERSCHWANZ are set to release their twelfth studio album, Knightclub, on July 25, 2025 via Napalm Records. Over the years, the band has solidified its place at the forefront of modern folk metal, with recent albums Memento Mori (2021) and Fegefeuer (2023) both reaching #1 on the official German album charts. Their previous headline tours were nearly entirely sold out, they performed at prime slots at the biggest festivals, and their songs and videos have amassed millions of streams. A standout moment came at the end of 2024 when they celebrated their 20th anniversary at the largest Metfest ever, performing in front of over 7,000 enthusiastic fans.With Knightclub, FEUERSCHWANZ continue on the momentous path they’ve forged with their ...

CRYPTOPSY
"AN INSATIABLE VIOLENCE"
Death Metal
Year:20.06.2025
(SEASON OF MIST)

A person spends all day building a machine, only for it to torture them all through the night. As if that wasn’t twisted enough, they like it. In fact, they like being tortured so much that, come morning, they wake up rejuvenated, eager to tweak the machine until it runs perfectly in their mind.  This is the nocturnal vision that inspired Cryptopsy’s ninth full-length nightmare. “Beware the spotlight”, warns vocalist Matt McGachy before “Dead Eyes Replete” flashes before your eyes with a skull crushing breakdown. An Insatiable Violence mirrors our toxic relationship with social media, but while eerily prescient, the album is influenced by the many mutations that have defined the band’s Hall of Fame discography. Inspired by a mukbang gone ...

FALLUJAH
"XENOTAPH"
Technical/ Prog Death Metal
Year:13.06.2025
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

Prog death-metal outfit FALLUJAH expand horizons and solidify their position as one of America’s most exciting acts on their new album, Xenotaph, through Nuclear Blast. The quintet’s confidence in the lineup that made their previous album, Empyrean (2022), such a resounding success—earning high marks from Metal Injection, New Noise, and Guitar World—has been reconfigured slightly, with guitarist Sam Mooradian (INHALE EXISTENCE, SAM MOORADIAN) and drummer Kevin Alexander (DISEMBODIED TYRANT, BROUGHT BY PAIN) bringing their jaw-dropping musical proficiency to the fold, as vocalist Kyle Schaefer, guitarist Scott Carstairs, and bassist Evan Brewer enter a new chapter with FALLUJAH. Moored by singles ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ an...

A-Z
"A2Z2"
Progressive Metal
Year:06.06.2025
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

The band known as A-Z began when Zonder started working on material in early 2020 with a clear vision for the band he wanted to put together: “I was thinking beer commercials, car commercials and Cobra Kai. I wanted a very accessible band that would appeal to the masses,” he says. The band’s name - standing for Alder thru Zonder - was an easy choice that would never pigeonhole the lineup’s sound. “What I liked is that it did not limit what someone would think of the band,” says Zonder. “If we named the band Scary Serpent it would give a certain direction and didn’t want people to prejudge us.”The band members are legendarily prolific, which allows for an amazing dynamic where, as Zonder explains, “when you find the right guys, you...

KATATONIA
"NIGHTMARES AS EXTENSIONS OF THE WAKING STATE"
Prog Black/ Death Metal
Year:30.05.2025
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Nightmares have never sounded so beautiful! Swedish grandeurs of melancholic heaviness, KATATONIA, return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Since emerging in the early nineties, KATATONIA has projected a beacon of light for the forgotten and the lonely ones, offering solace to those willing to lose themselves in the band’s immersive soundscapes. From their roots in death-doom metal to the post-metal entity they embody today, their art remains as haunting as ever. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State ma...

WARLORD
"THE LOST ARCHANGEL"
Heavy Metal
Year:27.06.2025
(High Roller Records)

When William J. Tsamis, founder of legendary epic metal masters Warlord, sadly passed away on the 13th of May 2021 at the age of only 60, it looked as if the premature death of one of the most creative forces in American metal had come. However, Warlord bounced back in 2024, with a new line-up and a brand new highly acclaimed studio album entitled "Free Spirit Soar" (on High Roller Records). This was quickly followed by "From The Ashes To The Archives - The Hot Pursuit Continues", a limited edition release to mark the occasion of the band's festival appearances in 2024 with returning Warlord vocalist Giles Lavery. (who also sings for Jack Starr and Alcatrazz). With a new studio album in the bag, it was time for the “reborn” Warlord to hit the road. In the summer of 2024, t...