The Bronx Casket Company – Motorcrypt Iced Earth – When The Eagle Cries Aerosmith – Janie’s Got A Gun Megadeth – Angry Again Savatage – Stay With Me A While Apocalytpica – I Don’t Care August Burns Red – Defender Inglorious – Breakaway Feinstein – Far Beyond Broken Fate – No Chance Axxis – Heavy Rain All That Remains – What If I Was Nothing Tygers of Pan Tang — Suzie Smiled Black Sabbath – Neon Knights As I Lay Dying – Paralyzed Lord of The Lost – The Look Doctor Butcher – The Altar Led To Ruin – Undertow Eternal Drak – Soul of Hate The Fading – Dybbuk Meshuggah – Broken Cog Malice – Chain Gang Woman Circle of Dust / Celldweller – Contagion Saxon – 747 (Strangers In The Night)
After an 18-year silence on the album front, CLAWFINGER are finally back – louder, sharper, and more defiant than ever! Known for their pioneering fusion of metal, rap, and unflinching social commentary, the Swedish-Norwegian powerhouse returns with their brand new record, Before We All Die, that will rekindle the fire which made them one of Europe’s most groundbreaking crossover acts. This long-awaited comeback marks not just a return, but a reinvention – proof that true intensity never fades.
Before We All Die arrives February 20, 2026 on PERCEPTION – A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music.
The first album appetizer “Scum” (listen here) debuted July 2nd and managed to cross the threshold of 100k streams within 2 weeks, a great start after a long absence. Even with a recent live performance of their hit ‘Biggest & Best’ currently going viral on Instagram, CLAWFINGER are being rediscovered by a new generation of metal fans — showing that their music remains as powerful and relevant as ever, nearly two decades after their last album. Now, CLAWFINGER strike back with their new single “Ball & Chain”!
With “Ball & Chain”, the band unleashes a track that fuses relentless riffs and raw energy with frontman Zak Tell’s unflinching honesty. The single, captured in a fiery live video from this summer’s festival stages, reflects on identity, change, and the struggle to find meaning in a chaotic world — all with the band’s trademark mix of power, grit, and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness. It’s CLAWFINGER at their most direct and human: heavy, urgent, and impossible to ignore.
Watch here:
“This is me trying to be deep, my emotional reflections and my personal struggle, the search for some kind of meaning, the ongoing identity battle and existential doubt”, singer Zak Tell reveals about the new single. “It’s about trying to make sense of the world and my place in it. It’s about going through changes, looking at yourself and trying to figure out what the point of everything is. We all go through good and bad experiences and they shape us and help us move on. Life in general is a stupid fucking game so it’s interesting how much time we waste worrying about what other people think and about things we can’t change regardless. There is no such thing as making everyone happy so focus on trying to make yourself happy and the rest will come to you.”
Loud, furious, darkly humorous and brutally honest, CLAWFINGER’s Before We All Die is everything you forgot you needed – and exactly what you’d expect from a band that never cared much for subtlety.
“This isn’t about finding peace,” Zak says. “It’s about telling the truth – even when it’s ugly. Especially then.”
From environmental collapse to political hypocrisy, personal disillusionment to collective denial, this is CLAWFINGER at full volume – still pissed off, still sharp as ever, and still refusing to shut up while the world pretends it’s all fine.
“This album is part protest, part therapy, and part middle finger,” the band adds. “We’re not offering solutions. We’re screaming because silence is surrender.”
CLAWFINGER are considered pioneers of European rap-metal. Formed in Stockholm in the early 1990s, the Swedish-Norwegian band made an explosive debut with Deaf Dumb Blind [1993], blending aggressive guitar riffs with politically charged lyrics and rap vocals. The album sold over 600,000 copies worldwide – more than 250,000 in Germany alone – and won a Swedish Grammis award in the hardrock/metal category.
CLAWFINGER’s follow-up Use Your Brain [1995] continued their success with chart placements across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Over the years, they released seven studio albums including A Whole Lot Of Nothing, Zeros & Heroes, Hate Yourself With Style, and Life Will Kill You, selling over 1.5 million records worldwide.
Known for their direct, riff-driven sound and strong political stance, CLAWFINGER address topics such as racism, political delusion, drug policy, environmental destruction, and social inequality. In the 1990s, they toured intensively with acts like ALICE IN CHAINS, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE and appeared at major festivals including Rock am Ring, Roskilde, and Monsters of Rock in South America.
After a brief hiatus, the band returned in 2014 and has since released new singles like “Save Our Souls” [2017] and “Environmental Patients” [2022]. In 2025, CLAWFINGER signed a new label deal with PERCEPTION, with more music on the way – still as loud, sharp, and uncompromising as ever.
From The Blade of Seattle, Hyperstrike erupts with today’s release of debut album, High Risk!
A high-octane collision of anthemic clean vocals, bone-crushing riffs, punk-fueled drum fire, and the razor edge of melodic death metal, Hyperstrike deliver danger with every track. This is metal built like an action movie soundtrack: explosive, relentless, and larger than life.
“I am genuinely blown away at how good this album is.”
– Smorg Magazine
“Their combination of uptempo, good-time rhythms and catchy melodies is something great to hear!”
– Metal Bulletin
“There are a bunch of passages where I feel I could have written,
which is cool!”
– Dan Swanö
Listen here:
Born in the Blade, forged in chaos—Hyperstrike is Seattle’s action metal war machine. Founded in 2024 by bass-slapping juggernaut Ben “Chop Daddy” Bennett, this band doesn’t play music; they drop sonic bombs. With a shadowy past tearing through thrash titans Warbringer and Bonded by Blood, and reigning as the “Lord of the Low End” in sci-fi shredders Xoth, Bennett knew exactly what kind of beast he was building. First, he wrangled in Ilya, the shredder known as “The Claw,” an assassin with riffs sharper than steel. Then came Adon, the “Brain Lord”—a maniacal force spitting venomous truths, carrying the fire from his days in Ghost Ship Octavius and the twisted depths of Spiritual Suicide. Together, they built a soundtrack for the end of the world: songs about nuclear meltdowns, cage fighters, and kings of the slain.
The final weapon in their arsenal? Josh, a drum-detonating powerhouse known as “Goblin Hammer,” whose percussive assault forged their chaos into a relentless onslaught. Hyperstrike is a raw, unfiltered force with hearts of steel and a taste for mania. No apologies. No survivors. Just unrelenting aggression. Brace for impact—because once the trigger drops, nothing will ever be the same.
’Warriors Of The Sea‘ is the name of the special release by DORO Pesch. With this album, the Metal Queen bridges the gap for her numerous fans waiting for a new studio album while launching her winter tour season!
This record truly has it all! For the first time in her over 40-year career, DORO is releasing an album as Liquid Filled Vinyl – a vinyl record filled with liquid that you can actually drink.
DORO reveals: “The record is filled with Blue Curaçao! We first considered Rhine water, but the liqueur is simply better in colour and taste!”
’Warriors Of The Sea‘ will be released on October 24, 2025 on DORO’s own label Rare Diamonds Production, distributed by Edel. Besides the strictly limited Liquid Filled Vinyl version, it’s also available as CD Digipak and Picture Disc Vinyl.
The idea for this special release emerged following two sold-out “Metal Queen Metal Cruises” that were a huge success with fans in late May and early June. Along with a third cruise scheduled for June 6, 2026, these events created demand for more music.
The album’s title track was written by DORO specifically as an anthem for the cruise and immediately became an absolute fan favorite at summer festivals worldwide.
The remaining nine tracks are a carefully curated selection by DORO focusing on “Warriors” and “Cruise” themes. All are rarities perfect for fans, collectors, and metal enthusiasts.
Side A features rare studio recordings, while Side B delivers live tracks recorded during DORO’s past, completely sold-out 2024/25 tour!
The German-American Power/Thrash Metal band THEM released their brand new single together with a great lyric video for the song “Remember To Die” today. The song is taken from the upcoming studio album “Psychedelic Enigma”.
The band says: “Probably the fastest and most brutal song THEM has ever created. We feel the fear exuding from two lovers that are bound during their final moments alive!”
Today will see the arrival of the brand-new RAGE single and video for the song “Innovation”. The full version song is also included on the new studio album “A New World Rising”.
Peavy Wagner: “This song doesn‘t just deliver speed and power—it also packs the perfect dose of melody and thrash, making it a top-notch showcase for our new album. Its positive message of hope and new beginnings ties it all together…!”
Swedish melodic death metal band Thermality releases their brand-new single Concept 42 today – the title track from their upcoming album of the same name.
With deep roots in ’90s and early 2000s melodic death metal, the band has crafted a sound that both honors the genre’s legacy and pushes its boundaries. Thermality’s unique blend of raw nostalgia and modern precision has earned them a growing fanbase across the globe. Concept 42 brings back the intense energy and memorable melodies of the genre’s golden era, while adding a fresh, contemporary edge. The bass takes center stage, powerful and relentless, while the drums are more technical than ever before – complex, dynamic, and full of detail.
The title is a nod to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where the number 42 is famously “the answer to life, the universe, and everything.” In the same spirit, the track is an existential sonic journey – dark, beautiful, and unrelenting.
“The answer to life, the universe, and everything is… 42.”
Chicago (IL) – Long-running Blackened Melodic Death Metal quartet, Withering Soul, are set to release their fifth album, Passage of the Arcane, November 14 on Liminal Dread Productions!
Passage of the Arcane is a convergence of blackened atmospheres and sweeping song structures. A mystifying journey that exceeds boundaries while remaining fun and exciting. The overall theme of the album involves human experiences traversing into cursed oblivion. Each song explores its own story, ranging from unexplained disappearances to the supernatural. While variation is abundant within the soundscapes, it is with a cohesive direction. Each chapter takes on its own “passage” through channels of cursed lore and harrowing experiences of the past. A seamless balance of crushingly heavy riffs and chilling melodies.
FFO: Dark Fortress, Windir, Hypocrisy, Dissection, God Dethroned.
The album’s first single, “Attrition Horizon,” is available at:
A manifestation in the form of chilling soundscapes, foreboding atmospheres, contagious melodies and tortured chants echoing above an onslaught of calculated percussion. Withering Soul creates a musical elegy that is both majestic and haunting.
Conjured into existence by founding members Christopher (guitars and vocals) and Mykil (former lead vocalist) with the release of their debut album Apparitions of the Surreal in 2004, the band was later featured on “ReUnation – A Tribute to Running Wild” with a cover of “Firebreather” via Germany’s Remedy Records earning “Best Song on the Album” by WeRock (SWE). A few years later saw the release of their follow-up album, No Closure via Mortal Music (MVD Distribution). The album promptly landed a spot on Apoch’s Metal Review: “Top 50 Albums of 2011.”
The band eventually recruited Rick Hernandez on drums and Joel Miller on bass guitar. Following an array of live shows brought the release of their third full length album Adverse Portrait (2015). It was later labeled “Album of the Month” by Metalreviews.com. The band made a few festival appearances such as Full Terror Assault III and Artifact Metal Fest in 2018.
Over the course of the 2020 world shutdown the band resolved to continue forward with Christopher on vocals and released its fourth full length effort Last Contact. The album reached an unprecedented level of acclaim not limited to earning the 3rd spot in World of Metal’s top albums of 2021. The band immediately followed up with a busy live schedule both locally and out-of-state including a performance at Legion ov the Order festival in Tacoma, WA, Merciless Metalfest in Nova Scotia, Canada and Desecration Rituals VI and VII in Fort Wayne, IN.
Withering Soul has just recently finished its 5th album to be released at the end of 2025 and plans to continue transcending the boundaries of metal‘s darker genres while maintaining its own distinctive sound and leave its audiences spellbound for more.
With this latest descent into the aether, we are immensely proud to bring you Revelator’sLight the Devil’s Fire. We love this release because it a truly unique lesson in necromantic black metal, forging a sound both regal and ruinous. If you seek the pure, riff-driven black metal of the ’90s European scene then this album is a must listen!
Our fiends at No Clean Singing premiered the album earlier this week and wrote a fantastic feature, describing the album “sounds like an infernal orgy, a whirling and darting fretwork extravaganza pierced by shrieks and delirious squirming from the lead guitar.”
They praised how the band’s “fiendishly addictive riffing” and “elaborately filigreed guitar-leads” create “melodic manifestations entirely in line with the band’s statement of what the album is all about.”
We encourage you to experience this unholy ritual. The flames are ready to consume all.
Metal Planet Media 