ARION
"VULTURES DIE ALONE"
Symphonic Melodic Power Metal
Year:09.04.2021
(AFM RECORDS)

Even among the many talented bands of the melodic metal scene, Finland's ARION stand out due to their incredible musicianship and songwriting craft. This is a young and ambitious band taking things to the next level: melodic metal 2.0!It becomes obvious right away what kind of "heavyweight" "Vultures Die Alone" is: producer Matias Kupiainen (Stratovarius) and mixing engineer Adam "Nolly" Getgood (Periphery) did an amazing job in making the manifold talents of ARION shine. Also, the two featured artists play an important role on "Vultures Die Alone": On "Bloodline", the group is joined by Battle Beast vocalist Noora Louhimo while the melancholic track "In The Name Of Love" features Finnish modern rock band Cyan Kicks. In addition, "Vultures Die Alone" comes up with very ...

GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT
"GHOST TAPES #10"
Progressive Metal/ Space Rock
Year:12.02.2021
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

An ethereal and moving post rock experience of infinite atmosphere!Reigning as one of the most well-known experimental instrumental groups out there with a respected musical legacy spanning nearly 20 years, Irish four-piece GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT will reach a career benchmark upon the release of their 10th studio album, Ghost Tapes #10. Founded by Niels and Torsten Kinsella in 2002, every piece of music the band has breathed life into since then has offered an intense sonic soundscape, leading the listener through an ethereal and emotional post rock dive into infinite atmospheres.Ghost Tapes #10 rekindles the band’s classic line up with Jamie Dean once again on piano and guitar duties, and rather than pick up where the quartet left off in 2018, exp...

SIRENIA
"RIDDLES, RUINS AND REVELATIONS"
Symphonic Female Metal
Year:12.02.2021
(NAPALM RECORDS)

"Symphonic metal institution SIRENIA are renewed in darkness on their tenth studio album, Riddles, Ruins & Revelations, to be released on February 12 via Napalm Records. The quartet around mastermind, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer Morten Veland is certainly not afraid of combining a heavy symphonic sound with modern influences, which their latest record, Arcane Astral Aeons (2018) is proof of. This time, SIRENIA offer an exciting new twist to their songs, spicing them with electronic vibes, but never losing sight of their musical core. The four-piece remains as true to their album title word-play as they do to their dedication to symphonic soundscapes, drawing the listener into a pounding narrative about the darkest aspects of life. All eleven ...

EINHERJER
"NORTH STAR"
Pagan Folk Metal
Year:26.02.2021
(NAPALM RECORDS)

 - The 9th Studio Album of Norway´s VIKING METAL pioneers!  - For Fans of: Amon Amarth. Opeth, Borknagar, Enslaved, Moonsorrow, Manegarm, TYR & Bathory .With North Star, Viking Metal pioneers EINHERJER release their eighth studio album on February 26, 2021, proving their status as the pioneers of blending Nordic Black Metal and Folk Metal genres once again. The album marks the band’s return to Napalm Records after 25 years, and their release of the legendary Dragons Of The North album (1996). The Norwegian metal outfit remains musically true to themselves and reinforces their exceptional position. North Star was recorded in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic at the in-house Studio Borealis, owned by founding member and mastermind Fr...

ACCEPT
"TOO MEAN TO DIE"
Heavy Metal
Year:15.01.2021
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

ACCEPT ARE BACK! The German kingpins of heavy metal will release their new, eagely-awaited studio album via Nuclear Blast on January 15th 2021. The ingenious title of the masterpiece is “Too Mean To Die”.Special circumstances often lead to very special albums. This is certainly true for “Too Mean To Die”, which of course alludes to the Corona period, although in a different way than one might assume. The title track is a classic Accept cracker: dynamic and unwavering, turned up to eleven! 'Zombie Apocalypse', also relentless and hard, strikes the same note in the band’s signature style. The first single - which will be released on October 2nd 2020 together with a remarkable video - is different. Titled ‘The Undertaker’, its...

GREENLEAF
"ECHOES FROM MASS"
Stoner Doom Metal/ Hard Rock
Year:26.03.2021
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Like clockwork, Swedish stoner rockers GREENLEAF spread their concentrated sludgy energy to disciples of the genre by releasing Echoes From A Mass in 2021, the successor to their 2018 epic, Hear The Rivers.The album opener, “Tides”, immediately draws the listener into a swirl of guitar driven soundscapes, while Arvid Hällagård’s remarkable voice merges with hypnotizing background vocals, ceremonially inviting the listener into a heavy reverie. Floating hypnotic grooves set the stage for the compelling yet chilling “Needle In My Eye” — with its incisive, driving drums and roaring riffs, the record’s third song accumulates piece by piece into a modern rock standout, taking the mind by storm. “Love Undone” breaks ...

WOLFCHANT
"OMEGA: BESTIA"
Viking Pagan Metal
Year:09.04.2021
(NAPALM RECORDS)

WOLFCHANT was founded in 2003 in Sankt Oswald, Lower Bavaria by Lokhi, Skaahl, Gaahnt and Norgahd. After the two demo self-productions "The Fangs Of The Southern Death" and "The Herjan Trilogy" WOLFCHANT signed their first record deal in 2005. With the albums "Bloody Tales Of Disgraced Lands" (2005) and the groundbreaking "A Pagan Storm" (2007) WOLFCHANT was able to gain a large fan base. This was shortly thereafter expanded internationally with the albums "Determined Damnation" (2009) and "Call Of The Black Winds" (2011) and the band played more tours, concerts and festivals in other European countries. The typical melodic pagan metal of Wolfchant was strengthened from this point on by the clear vocals of Michael Seifert (Rebellion) and the epic factor of the songs was expanded....

IOTUNN
"ACCESS THE WORLDS"
Progressive Metal/ Doom
Year:26.02.2021
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

Formed in 2015, Iotunn (which is old Norse for "Giant") entered the scene with their acclaimed EP, The Wizard Falls (2016), which was mixed by Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica, Morbid Angel, Blind Guardian, Rainbow) at Sweet Silence Studios. After some line-up changes, the band found their voice and narrator in March 2018: Jón Aldará (Hamferd), plus bassist Eskil Rask (Sunless Dawn) in October 2019. The quintet - completed by Jens Nicolai Gräs (guitars), Jesper Gräs (guitars), Bjørn Wind Andersen (drums) - then began work on their first full-length and Metal Blade Records debut: Access All Worlds.Mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (In Flames, At the Gates, Dimmu Borgir) at Fredman Studios, Access All Worlds is seven songs driven by creat...

JOSEPH WILLIAMS
"DENIZEN TENANT"
AOR/ Classic Rock
Year:26.02.2021
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

Steve Lukather aka “Luke” and Joseph Williams will release individual solo albums on February 26, 2021 via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group.  Both artists have made significant contributions to the other’s album. Steve Lukather will release I Found The Sun Again and Joseph Williams’ album is entitled Denizen Tenant.Denizen Tenant features a dozen new recordings. Amongst these are a cover of The Beatles “If I Fell,” which Williams cites as the one specific song that taught him about the power of harmonies and vocal arrangements. On Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up,” a very special guest performance is featured in his daughter Hannah laying down a vocal track. Across the recorded repertoire, there ...

STEVE LUKATHER
"I FOUND THE SUN AGAIN"
AOR/ Classic Rock
Year:26.02.2021
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

Steve Lukather aka “Luke” and Joseph Williams will release individual solo albums on February 26, 2021 via The Players Club / Mascot Label Group.  Both artists have made significant contributions to the other’s album. Steve Lukather will release I Found The Sun Again and Joseph Williams’ album is entitled Denizen Tenant.Steve Lukather’s solo album titled I Found The Sun Again was co-produced by Ken Freeman, who also both engineered and mixed the new collection of repertoire.  The players feature many dignitaries that have been in Luke’s life for decades. Amongst those are drummer Greg Bissonette, keyboardist Jeff Babko, and bassists Jorgen Carlsson and John Pierce. Life-long friend and Toto band-mate David Paich perfo...

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT
"PAINT THE SKY WITH BLOOD"
Melodic Death Metal
Year:23.04.2021
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Paint The Sky With Blood was recorded in Finland back in 2020 and was meant to be the beginning of an exciting new chapter that sadly ended far too soon. The three-track offering is an impressive, overwhelming sonic tribute to an absolute legend of the metal scene – matchless late guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho – and at the same time, a modern homage to the genre itself.A storm of raging guitars and blaring drums merge with Laiho’s versatile vocal power, leading into a heavy attack – title track “Paint The Sky With Blood” – opening the 14 minute EP. The track is strikingly reminiscent of early-CHILDREN OF BODOM elements, while also adding exciting modern influences into the fold. Second stunner “Payback’s a Bitch” a...

DEWOLFF
"WOLFFPACK"
Blues/ Rock
Year:05.02.2021
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

    DeWolff won the most prestigious music award in the Netherlands, The Edison Award    In ten years the band has grown to be one of the biggest and coolest bands in Holland and one of the greatest live acts around.DeWolff, the kaleidoscopic warriors were not long into their 2019 Tascam Tapes European Tour when the Covid19 pandemic broke and they, like so many others, had to turn back and head home. They started working on the new album Wolffpack.The album kicks off with the first song they finished, the soulful psychedelic funk of "Yes You Do," featuring Ian Peres and longtime friend of the band, Judy Blank. "We wrote it in a Zoom meeting!" Pablo says. "Treasure City Moonchild," struts in with a funky swagger and Piso's ...

LAKE OF TEARS
"OMINOUS"
Gothic Doom Metal
Year:19.02.2021
(AFM RECORDS)

The new release of LAKE OF TEARS is the perfect soundtrack for short, grey days and long, cold, dark nights. After nearly a decade of silence, Daniel Brennare, head and heart of the Swedish pioneers of dark music, finally reveals his sinister world of thought.

TRACKLIST CD:

01. At The Destination
02. In Wait And In Worries
03. Lost In A Moment
04. Ominous One
05. Ominous Too
06. One Without Dreams
07. The End Of This World
08. Cosmic Sailor
09. In Gloom (Bonus Track)

MSG [MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP]
"IMMORTAL"
Hard Rock/ AOR/ Melodic Metal
Year:29.01.2021
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

MSG is a legendary name. After two phenomenal records under the guise of Michael Schenker Fest, a true guitar hero is returning to his roots. By forming Michael Schenker Group (MSG) back in 1979, Michael Schenker laid the foundations for one of hard rock’s most glorious solo careers of all times. And while nobody expected anything less from a former guitarist for Scorpions and UFO, it’s close to impossible mentioning everything Michael has built over the past 50 years, or the countless people he influenced or played with. This, truly, is the stuff that hard rocking myths are made of.Right in time for his 40th anniversary as a solo artist and his 50th birthday as a musician, he resurrects the immortal Michael Schenker Group. “Immortal” is also the name...

KORPIKLAANI
"JYLHA"
Pagan Folk Metal
Year:05.02.2021
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

KORPIKLAANI was founded somewhere deep in the primeval northern forests in 2003. Ten celebrated studio albums, numerous world tours and hundreds of millions of digital streams alongside multiple other releases, have established KORPIKLAANI’s status as one of the leaders of innovative heavy music. For their diehard legion of fans, they are known as Folk Metal Superstars.Here and now, KORPIKLAANI’s fearless journey continues on – and this time, the journey is powered by rather serious subject matter. Their eleventh full-length studio record "Jylhä" (which has no direct translation but can be described as majestic, or wild and rugged in a beautiful way) brings all the well-known and essential ingredients to the table: heavy-duty guitar riffing, rhythmic f...