17. maja bo pri Scarlet Records izšel debitanski plošček od Duft. Za novi single Only Dead Fish Follow the Stream so posneli tudi videospot, na omenjenem ploščku Altar Of Instant Gratification pa bo skupno spodaj zapisanih enajst komadov.

Intro
Caved In
Dragged Across Concrete
Instant Gratification
Waste from Birth
Scarfaced Blues
Doctrine
20th Century Doom
Anomic Suicide
Open Casket
Only Dead Fish Follow the Stream

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.«

Deathcorovci Chelsea Grin sporočajo, da je vrzel na bobnarskem stolčku zapolnil Josh Miller. Zasedba se je pred kratkim razšla z bobnarjem Pablom Viverosom in tako je nov polnopravni član zasedbe postal Josh. Izjava banda:

»We hope everyone has been doing well; we have some updates. We have parted ways with our fill-in drummer, Nathan Pearson. We sincerely value his friendship, as well as his devotion to furthering his craft and bringing his all to the stage. We truly look forward to watching his drumming career continue to blossom and advance, and value his time with us.

Furthermore, the band and Pablo have mutually agreed to separate. Pablo is one of our oldest friends, the life of the party, a masterful player, and a powerful creative. After Pablo spent some years away from the band, we all came together and realized that personal visions had diverged through time. We will always wish the very best for him, and seriously value all that he brought not only to the band, but to our lives. Nothing but tremendous love for him, always. We also encourage everyone to show support for him, Jaek and Alex’s new band, Ameonna.

Moving forward, we are proud and excited to announce that Josh Miller will be joining Chelsea Grin. It goes without saying that the future is bright – you will hear it in our music and witness it in our performances.

We keep very much to ourselves at this stage in our lives, but when we check in we want each of you to know that you are deeply and sincerely valued – we are so grateful for the opportunity to do what we love. We cannot wait to bring more of our vision to you all. Thank you for the years of support and love, and we will see you on our current tour supporting Fit For A King.«

Islandci Duft, ki prisegajo na heavy metal zvoke, bodo 17. maja prek založbe Scarlet Records izdali prvenec Altar Of Instant Gratification. Ta bo zajemal naslednje komade:

Intro
Caved In
Dragged Across Concrete
Instant Gratification
Waste From Birth
Scarfaced Blues
Doctrine
20th Century Doom
Anomic Suicide
Open Casket
Only Dead Fish Follow the Stream

Finski melodični death metalci Insomnium so objavili uradni live video za komad Only One Who Waits. Komad sicer najdete na petem studijskem albumu One for Sorrow, izdanem leta 2011.

Ameriški black/death metal dvojec Antichrist Siege Machine predstavlja nov komad Sisera kot prvi single s prihajajočega albuma Vengeance of Eternal Fire, ki ga bo izdal 19. aprila pri založbi Profound Lore. Tracklista:

Son of Man
Only Evil
Piled Swine
Sisera
Cowering Lamb
Prey Upon Them
Vanquishing Spirit
Scalding Emnity
Lysergic War Psychosis
Abyssal Hate

Grška black metal zasedba Dødsferd sporoča, da bo maja izdala nov celovečerec Wrath. Natančneje naj bi album izšel 10. maja pri Hypnotic Dirge Records in bo zajemal te skladbe:

Restoration of Justice
Decay of Sanity
Raging Lust of Creation
Spiritual Lethargy
Heaven Drops with Human Filth
Failure Ablaze in Your Existence
Back to My Homeland… A Beast in Calm (vinyl only)

Legendarni heavy metalci Tygers of Pan Tang bodo 26. aprila izdali live album z naslovom Live Blood. Tega že lahko prednaročite, medtem ko je tracklista takšna:

Stran A
Intro
Euthanasia
Keeping Me Alive
Love Don’t Stay
Gangland

Stran B
Edge of the World
Destiny
Back for Good
Only the Brave

Stran C
Paris by Air
Do It Good
Insanity (vinyl bonus track)
Fire on the Horizon
A New Heartbeat

Stran D
Slave to Freedom (vinyl bonus track)
Suzie Smiled
Hellbound
Love Potion No.9
Blood Red Sky (vinyl bonus track)

Lansko leto je enočlanska black metal zasedba Blackbraid, ki svojo inspiracijo išče v zgodbah ameriških staroselcev, izdala album Blackbraid II. Po krajšem premoru pa zdaj idejni vodja Sgah’gahsowáh sporoča, da je že začel delo z novim albumom, ki bo nosil ime Blackbraid III. Podrobnosti za zdaj še ostajajo skrivnost. Celotno izjavo Sgah’gahsowáha pa lahko preberete spodaj:

»I realize it has been several weeks since I posted on this account which is unusual for me. Rest assured the silence is a temporary but necessary one. The solitude of winter has always been an integral part of my writing and this year is no different.

That being said it should not surprise you that I have recently begun work on a third full length, Blackbraid III. The details of this release are still largely unknown and there is much work to be done in the coming months, just know that my lack of social media presence during the writing process is a necessary one.

As the winter wanes on I will make more updates on the new album as the process progresses. As always, thank you all for your endless support, I promise this is only the beginning.«

Nemška zasedba Paradox se vrača z napovedjo novega albuma Mysterium. Album naj bi izšel še letos pri založbi AFM Records, točen datum izida pa še ni znan. Spodaj pa si lahko preberete izjavo Charlyja Steinhauerja:

»Friends and fans,
I had a dream. I wanted to start together with AXEL BLAHA, with whom I founded PARADOX in 1981, and end together again at some point. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible because he has said goodbye to this world.
In all these years, AXEL was the only musician who worked with me the way you have to, to achieve a goal. We never danced around at multiple weddings and were always loyal to one band. PARADOX! This was the only way the two classics “PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION” and “HERESY” were possible.
I miss him very much and it is very difficult for me to move on without him, but anyone who knows me knows that giving up is not an option for me.
Not even after 43 years and that's why I can tell you, that I have composed a new PARADOX album, which will hopefully be released worldwide this year via AFM RECORDS. The album will be called “MYSTERIUM” and will contain all the trademarks a Paradox fan wants.
The special thing about “MYSTERIUM” is that I composed all the songs and played all the instruments myself, because I will never again work with project-hungry musician whores who play a few notes on an album but otherwise have nothing to do with PARADOX, or none maintain contact with his colleagues. Unfortunately, this runs like a common thread through the entire career and is the main reason why PARADOX was never able to really get off the ground. To do this you need musicians who work together and pursue a common goal.
It should also be a warning to all young musicians and new bands who want to achieve something with their band. You can find out more about this in the numerous interviews for the new album. You should definitely read this!
I will also be responsible for the mix and the entire production.
The lyrics are written by ACHIM “DAXX” HOEMERLEIN (ex-Vendetta), who also wrote the lyrics for “TALES OF THE WEIRD” and “PANGEA”.
TRAVIS SMITH (Opeth/Nevermore etc) is currently working on the artwork.
“MYSTERIUM” is a very heavy album and contains 10 songs with a playing time of 51 minutes. Dedicated to AXEL BLAHA, my best friend and co-founder of PARADOX!
Cheerz!
Charly«

Finski power metalci Sonata Arctica so na tej povezavi razkrili svoj nov single z naslovom A Monster Only You Can´t See, ki je del njihovega prihajajočega albuma Clear Cold Beyond. Ta bo izšel 8. marca pri Atomic Fire Records.

Finski veljaki power metala Sonata Arctica bodo naslednje leto pri založbi Atomic Fire Records izdali nov dolgometražec z naslovom Clear Cold Beyond. Album izide 8. marca, seznam komadov pa je sledeč:

First In Line
California
Shah Mat
Dark Empath
Cure For Everything
A Monster Only You Can't See
Teardrops
Angel Defiled
The Best Things
Clear Cold Beyond

Enočlanski ambielntalni black metal band Midnight Odyssey iz Avstralije predstavlja skladbo A Land That Only Death Knows s svojega deveta albuma Biolume Part 3 - A Fullmoon Madness, ki izide 24. novembra pri založbi I, Voidhanger Records in obsega naslednje naslove:

As Darkness Dims The Fire
A Land That Only Death Knows
The Long Forgotten Dead
They Have Always Known
The Horned Goddess
Witching Eyes
As One We Grow, As One We Fall
The Ghost Of Endymion
A Fullmoon Madness
In The Lunar Maelstrom
Death In Crimson Fire
The Last Day
Luna

Angleški avantgardni black metalci Void bodo 7. decembra pri Brucia Records izdali svoj četrti dolgometražec, ki so mu nadeli naslov Jadjow. Band je od devetih komadov razkril že dva:

Fables From a Post-Truth Era
Interdaementional
Only For You
Oduduwa's Chain
When Lucifer Dies
Self Isolation
Swamp Dog
Interlude
Iniquitous Owl

Kalifornijski heavy/power metal veterani Leatherwolf, ki so pred dvema letoma praznovali 40 let delovanja, z videospotom za komad Only the Wicked spominjajo na svoj aktualni lanski album Kill the Hunted.