Paradise Lost

More than three decades into their career, and with over two million albums sold, Paradise Lost remain the undisputed kings of metal’s dark side. Formed in Halifax in 1988, the band quickly became noted as the pioneers of gothic metal through their early groundbreaking albums like 1991’s aptly-titled ‘Gothic’, a mixture of heaviness intertwined with shadowy melody and atmosphere.

Never a group to remain creatively static, across their career they’ve explored a myriad of avenues of dark music, from sludgy doom-death roots, to conquering the metal mainstream with the enormous, lush sounds of 1995’s ‘Draconian Times’, to more experimental, electronic leanings, leaving an influence on a trail of artists.

Now, in 2025, the Yorkshire quintet return with their staggering 17th album, ‘Ascension’, a record that sees their crown continue to gleam as it underlines just how they attained their position. The albums 10 tracks traverse the multitude of sounds in the band’s arsenal, from full-bore heavy metal to sky-high melody, all the while keeping a minor-key melancholy that remains irresistible.

The NEW album ”Ascension”, is out September 19th, via Nuclear Blast Records, Pre-Order and Pre-Save: paradiselost.bfan.link/ascension

Godsmack

Godsmack is an American alternative metal/hard rock American band originally from Lawrence, Massachusetts. The current lineup consists of Sully Ema, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola and Shannon Larkin.

Judas Priest

THE NEW ALBUM. INVINCIBLE SHIELD. OUT NOW.

Primus

Deathcore was once dismissed as a trend, so it’s ironic that it now has trends within itself. Downtempo, slamming and now blackened variants of the style have dominated its scene at various points, with many bands jumping ship.

Pittsburgh’s Signs of the Swarm aren’t just any band, though. They’re a once-a-generation beacon that radiates the sounds that surrounded them, preserving history by reframing it. On fourth LP Absolvere, they’re bleak without being blackened, smashing without being slam, and downtempo as a choice rather than a stylistic confine. And as many of their deathcore peers experiment with adding singing, often gruff in tone, they add a more ethereal style that soothes on “Dreaming Desecration” and “Death Whistle.”

The band contrasts that with some of the most brutal moments in their eight-year career, with riffs more punishing than pensive and a rhythm section that frames them in creatively cacophonic ways. Above it all, they’re utilizing vocalist David Simonich monstrous range in a much fuller capacity than on his debut, 2019’s Vital Deprivation.

That transitional album found the band experimenting to re-find their footing, which here lands on solid ground through the addition of guitarist Jeff Russo, a former bandmate of Simonich’s fin Improvidence. The proof is in the placing, with Absolvere landing at #15 on “Current Hard Music Albums,” #21 on “Top New Artist Albums” and #139 on “Heatseekers.”

Behind the cohesive crusher is drummer-turned-bassist-turned-drummer Bobby Crow, who acted as de facto producer, arranging the riffs written across Skype to make the songs more than the sum of their parts.

This gave Simonich a lofty platform from which to roar about the real (loved ones struggling with addiction, submitting one’s self wholly to art despite negativity swirling about) and the surreal; he or his characters beg for the release of death only to be denied. “Nameless” centers around a character collecting souls marked by death to receive its blessing, while “Blood Seal” follows a ritual to summon it. “Dreaming Desecration” and “Hollow Prison” are two sides of the same coin. When one finds themselves trapped in a meaningless existence, they can either attempt to escape through murderous hallucinations or succumb to the grave, respectively.

“Death Whistle” is the penultimate song, closing the album and the writing sessions for Absolvere with a tale concluding in sweet release. The piercing screech of the titular whistle contrasts with a subtle serenade.

Indeed, sometimes contrast can be a perfect complement, but more often that effect is achieved when paired with something more in-line. So it is when Ben Duerr (Shadow of Intent) and Alex Erian (Despised Icon) join the band for growls and shouts, where Signs of the Swarm filter their guests’ bands through their own sound. Instead of taking away from their identity, it expands it.

They’re steadily expanding their global reach, too. In the few short months since Absolvere’s release, Signs of the Swarm have toured with the likes of Fit for an Autopsy, Born of Osiris and Shadow of Intent. Forthcoming domination campaigns of Europe and Australia will be added to their tenure with Aborted, Lorna Shore, Brand of Sacrifice and more. Forget the signs, the swarm is already here, and it’s growing larger and louder every day.

Arch Enemy

Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, often referred to as a super group which currently consists of Michael Amott, Daniel Erlandsson, Sharlee D'Angelo, Alissa White-Gluz and Jeff Loomis.

Within Temptation

With their symphonic sound, Dutch metal band Within Temptation successfully moved from the gothic underground to become mainstream chart mainstays.

Slaughter To Prevail

Slaughter To Prevail is pushing heavy music to new extremes, delivering unapologetically hard modern metal while smashing expectations, and becoming one of the most talked about bands in heavy music in the process. With over one million monthly Spotify listeners, STP are arguably the highest streaming band in extreme music, a fact further reflected in their live shows. Packing out sizeable venues on their headline shows, the band also draw huge crowds at their festival appearances, and led a record-breaking wall-of-death at last summer’s HELLFEST OPEN AIR.

Slaughter To Prevail’s journey began in the most unlikely of ways—two musicians from completely different worlds. Alex Terrible, forging his monstrous vocals from a small bedroom in the cold, rural Russian city of Yekaterinburg, crossed paths online with guitarist Jack Simmons, who sharpened his craft in a quiet town on the outskirts of Essex, UK. What started as a distant collaboration quickly turned into a brotherhood, as their exchanges of ideas took shape, songs were formed and it became apparent to Jack and Alex that they were on to something special.

When they’re not commanding festival crowds, frontman Alex Terrible is proving his fighting spirit beyond his musical career. Fresh off a brutal 37-second knockout in Russia’s RCC Bare Knuckle—a promotion known for its savage, no-nonsense fights, Alex is in training to sharpen his skills for a bout with Top Dog Bare Knuckle in May, while discussions continue regarding his American debut with Bare Knuckle FC. Whether wrestling bears in Siberia, preparing for fights in the deep South, or bleeding on stage across the rest of the world, Alex thrives in the most unforgiving environments.

With the summer packed with main stage festival performances across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, 2025 is already shaping up to be a career-defining year for Slaughter To Prevail. Their logo now sits high on the world’s biggest festival posters, a reflection of their rapid ascent. This summer, the band will unveil a brand-new live show, reimagining their already punishing performances with a harder-hitting, more visceral production—an experience designed to pull fans deeper into the chaos, making every moment feel explosive and unpredictable.

All of this momentum leads to “Grizzly”, their most anticipated release yet. Featuring the already released singles 'Conflict,' 'Viking,' '1984,' 'Behelit,' and 'Kid of Darkness,' the album is a relentless assault, balancing raw aggression with massive, unforgettable catchiness, with the next single, 'Russian Grizzly In America,' set to be a heavy metal anthem, packed with hooks strong enough to hang a bear from.

This is Slaughter To Prevail’s moment. “Grizzly” is the culmination of everything they have built, a defining record that cements their place at the top of modern heavy music.

Airbourne

www.airbournerock.com

Airbourne.probitymerch.com

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Deafheaven

DEAFHEAVEN.COM

Deafheaven’s music feels like a project of accrual—on each album they fill new songs with elements of what they’ve learned in their earlier experiments. You hear echoes of past recordings in the howls of the present: the sun-dappled screamo histrionics of Roads to Judah are more fully realized in Sunbather’s pastel star-scapes; New Bermuda doubles down on the heaviest elements of both of those records; Ordinary Corrupt Human Love threads together elements of the soft and the heavy into an especially epic statement. Infinite Granite, often described simply as Deafheaven’s record with mostly clean vocals, compressed it all into something strikingly solid. That was true, but there was much more to it than that; listening to Lonely People With Power, you can hear its echoes everywhere—and if you listen closely, you can find deeper ways back into it when you listen to it again... Ultimately, Lonely People is a record that is anti-loneliness. It’s about finding less harmful ways to escape: your chosen family, your community, and even magic.

Alcest

Guilt Trip is a UK Metal/Hardcore Crossover band.

Bloodbath

'Survival Of The Sickest' out now via Napalm Records.

https://lnk.to/SurvivalOfTheSickest

Emperor

Belgium based Drum and Bass Producer/DJ.

Amenra

Amenra is a progressive/sludge/post-metal band formed 2003 in Belgium (Kortrijk, West-Flanders).

Amenra delivers dark, heavy and sludgy post-hardcore in the vein of Cult of Luna, Isis and Neurosis. Intense, noisy and gloomy almost spheric at times. Rich and Textured riffs. Thunderous low tones. High impact percussion and cutthroat vocals splattered with a healthy dose of religious iconography. Coalesce into a beautiful pitch black collection of staggering proportion.

Discography:

Mass I: Prayer I - VI Full-length, 2003
Prayer 8 : Offerande (split with VUUR) Split album, 2004
Prayers 9 + 10 EP, 2004
Gameness/Amen Ra/Gantz/Vuur 4-way split Split album, 2004
Mass II: Sermons EP, 2005
Mass III Full-length, 2005
Amenra & Hitch Split Split album, 2007
Mass IIII Full-length, 2008

Mass Hysteria

Paradise Lost

Flytjendur