Disonantna/ekstremna pank zasedba Slugpit iz Ljubljane bo 15. maja izdala debitantski EP Mentally Unengaged, za katerega je produkcijo, miks in mastering opravil Anže Čanžek, naslovnico EP-ja pa je naslikal Sant V. Schreiber. Bandov logo je oblikoval Chris Kiesling (Misanthropic-Art).

Band bo prvi komad razkril v sredo ob 23. uri v oddaji Desadovnjak na Radiu Študent. EP Mentally Unengaged prinaša komade:

Goat Obliteration Machine
Scum
Sonic Eradication
Machete Carnage
Phantasmal Fist
Sentient Gas

Avtorica fotografije: Ronja Matijevec Jerman

Turški tehnični death metalci Carnophage predstavljajo komad Eventually They Will Die s tretjega studijskega albuma Matter of a Dark Nature, ki ga bodo izdali 3. maja pri Transcending Obscurity Records.

Danski black/death metal band Strychnos je posnel videospot za naslovni komad prihajajočega albuma Armageddon Patronage, ki ga bo izdal 17. maja pri založbi Dark Descent.

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.«

Ukrajinska blackened death/doom zasedba Sidus Atrum, ki od lani deluje kot dvojec, je posnela besedilni videospot za pesem Pulse of Life s prihajajočega albuma Torn Sky. Plošček bo izšel 10. maja pri Kvlt und Kaos Productions in bo prinesel šest pesmi:

Розірване небо (Torn Sky)
Коли земля кричала (When the Earth Was Screaming)
Сталеві янголи (Angels of Steel)
Гірше за ката (Worse than the Torturer)
Чи поглине нас темрява? (Will Darkness Swallow Us?)
Пульс життя (Pulse of Life)

Španski death/doom metalci Golgotha bodo 14. junija pri Ardua Music izdali Spreading the Wings of Hope, dolgometražni album številka šest. Ta prinaša osem novih komadov:

For Every Tear
Gilded Cage
A Solitary Soul
Hear Their Cries
Human Vultures
Closed Heart
Spreading Wings of Hope
Hope as Guide

Hrvaška rokenrol zasedba Anal Mandica iz Džakova je objavila video za komad Golf Kec.

Progresivni enočlanski death metal band Angel Rising je posnel guitar playthrough video za Hell Bent on Rampage z lanskega dolgometražca Afterlife.

Švedski black metalci Hellbutcher so posneli videospot za komad The Sword of Wrath. Z njim napovedujejo prvenec Hellbutcher, ki ga bodo izdali 31. maja pri založbi Metal Blade in ki prinaša komade:

The Sword of Wrath
Perdition
Violent Destruction
Hordes of the Horned God
Death's Rider
Possessed by the Devil's Flames
Satan's Power
Inferno's Rage

Drugi headliner na festivalu Metaljot Raspaljot 2024 bodo nizozemski pionirji death metala Pestilence! Kot šesta potrditev se pridružujejo doslej najavljenim bandom Bombarder, Rotting Christ, Skytower, Kaoz in 1914.

Festival bo potekal 5. julija na občinskem dvorišču v Laškem, v predprodaji pa je trenutno na voljo 200 vstopnic po ugodnjši ceni 32 EUR. V redni prodaji bodo nato stale 35 EUR oziroma 37 EUR na dan dogodka.

Peta potrditev za Metaljot Raspaljot 2024 so velenjski thrash metal veterani Kaoz. Festival se bo odvijal 5. julija na občinskem dvorišču v Laškem, doslej potrjeni nastopajoči pa so Bombarder, Rotting Christ, Skytower in 1914.

Prvih 100 vstopnic po ceni 29 EUR je že pošlo. V predprodaji bo naslednjih 200 vstopnic na voljo po ugodnjši ceni 32 EUR, nato pa bodo v redni prodaji stale 35 EUR oziroma 37 EUR na dan dogodka.

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.«

Nemški death/doom metalci Calliophis predstavljajo video za komad Trepak, ki ga boste našli na izdaji Dawn Of A Lifeless Age. Gre za split EP, ki so ga Nemci izdali skupaj z doom metal zasedbo Urza in bo izšel 3. maja. Na albumu bodo tako ti komadi:

Urza – Maunder Minimum
Urza – Through Ages Of Colossal Embitterment
Calliophis – Trepak
Calliophis – Endure Your Depression

Četrta potrditev za Metaljot Raspaljot 2024 so ukrajinski blackened death/doom metalci 1914, ki bodo v Laškem nastopili poleg Bombarder, Rotting Christ in Skytower.

Metaljot Raspaljot 2024 se bo odvijal 5. julija na občinskem dvorišču v Laškem.

Norveški gotični elektroničarji The Kovenant bodo nastopili na nizozemskem festivalu Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2024. Poleg njih je bilo napovedanih še šest zasedb, celoten seznam nastopajočih pa trenutno zgleda tako:

DARK FUNERAL (petkov headliner) | ASPHYX | THE KOVENANT | AGENT STEEL | M.O.D. | ANAAL NATHRAKH | IMPALED NAZARENE | CARPATHIAN FOREST | REVEL IN FLESH | HOUR OF PENANCE | EMPYRIUM | SCHAMMASCH | CHAPEL OF DISEASE | AKHYLS | ALFAHANNE | SVARTTJERN | SOULBURN | SAVAGE GRACE | THY ANTICHRIST | MALPHAS | FRACTURED INSANITY | VIOLENTHOR | THREE EYES OF THE VOID.