Švedsko-kanadski death metalci Darkened bodo 14. junija pri Edged Circle Productions na zgoščenki, vinilu, kaseti in digitalno izdali tretji album Defilers of the Light. Ta prinaša enajst komadov:

Waves of Desolation
Defilers of the Light
Those Who Dwell Below
In Praise of Shadows
Just Close Your Eyes
Echoes of Solitude
On We Slaughter
Dead Inside
Masses of Vain Observance
As Apocalypse Dawns
Final Sanctuary

Mednarodna progressive metal zasedba Seventh Station je razkrila vse datume prihajajočega evropskega popotovanja. Heal The Unhealed – Spring Tour 2024 bodo otvorili 16. maja s koncertom v Mariboru (MC Pekarna), sklenili pa 26. maja v Sofiji (Old Skulls). Koncertni datumi si sicer sledijo takole:

16. 5. 2024 Maribor – SLO (MC Pekarna)
19. 5. 2024 Brežice – SLO (grajsko dvorišče Posavskega muzeja)
21. 5. 2024 Zrenjanin – SRB (Mitraljez)
22. 5. 2024 Požarevac – SRB (Klub KB)
25. 5. 2024 Plovdiv –  BG (Spike Showcase Festival)
26. 5. 2024 Sofija – BG (Old Skulls)

Simfonična metal zasedba Elvellon v obliki besedilnega videa predstavlja drugi single My Forever Endeavour s prihajajočega drugega albuma Ascending in Synergy. Izid albuma je napovedan za 17. maj, izšel pa bo pri založbi Napalm Records.

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

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.

Brazilski black metal veterani Amen Corner predstavljajo pesem The War of the Antichrist s sedmega studijskega celovečerca Written by the Devil, ki ga bosta 7. junija izdali založbi Hammerheart Records in Metal Army. Seznam pesmi je tak:

Intro
The War of the Antichrist
The Protectors
Fall and Ascension
Signal from Beyond
Inferno
Written by the Devil
The Splendor of Your Presence
Lúcifer, a Suprema Luz da Manhã

Metalcorovci SetYøurSails, ki bodo jutri izdali nov album Bad Blood, predstavljajo nov single z naslovom Bad Company. Album bo poleg omenjenega singla zajemal te komade:

Bad Blood
Best of Me
T.F.M.F.
Halo
Lately
Dangerous
Bad Company
In My Head
Heart Attack
Eternally

Sporočajo, da je umrl Horst Odermatt. Horst je bil na sceni dejaven že od zgodnjih devetdesetih, ko je deloval kot urednik revije Heavy oder was? Bolj znan pa je bil privržencem trših zvokov kot vodja ter ustanovitelj festivala Bang Your Head, od leta 2006 pa tudi festivala Rock Of Ages. Star je bil 60 let. Naj počiva v miru.

Ameriška enočlanska zasedba Xasthur bo 5. julija pri založbi Prophecy Productions izdala album Disharmonic Variations. Album bo zajemal trinajst komadov, tukaj pa lahko prisluhnete singlu Messenger of Your Reflection.

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.«

Avstralski blackened death metalci Black Lava bodo 12. junija pri Season Of Mist izdali nov album The Savage Winds To Wisdom. Band že pred izidom albuma objavlja tudi video za komad Ironclad Sarcphagus. Tracklista:

Colour of Death
Dark Legacy
Wrapped in Filth
Unsheathing Nightmares
Summoning Shadows
Ironclad Sarcophagus
Pagan Dust
Sanguis Lupus
The Savage Winds to Wisdom

Britanski kitarist, pevec in tekstopisec Billy Morrison, v zadnjih 15 letih znan predvsem kot ritem kitarist Billyja Idola, in njegov glavni kitarist Steve Stevens (ex-The Cult) ter princ teme Ozzy Osbourne so posneli videospot za pesem Crack Cocaine. Pri tem gre za drugi single (prvi je bil Drowning) prihajajočega heavy rock albuma The Morrison Project, ki bo izšel 19. aprila. Pri snemanju albuma so med drugim sodelovali še Billy Idol, DMC, Corey Taylor, Al Jourgensen, Steve Vai, Steve Stevens, Linda Perry, Tommy Clufetos in John5.

Kanadska enočlanska black metal zasedba Nihilo Machina bo po devetih letih studijskega premora izdala drugi dolgometražec, ki bo nosil naslov The Black River. Ta bo izšel 30. aprila in prinesel osem komadov:

The Black River: Part I
Aberration
Empire of Reverie
Singularity
The Black River: Part II
Artifice
Entropic Journey
Sons Noir

Potrjenih že devet bandov za avstrijski Transcending Visions Fest 2024, in sicer: Autumn Nostalgie, Dordeduh, Enisum, Frostmoon Eclipse, Heretoir, Naglfar, Our Survival Depends On Us, Synkende, Whiskey Ritual.