Author: Editorial Team

In a new interview with Chile’s Futuro, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy weighed in on the news that Rush’s surviving members, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, recruited fusion drummer Anika Nilles to cover the drum chair for their surprise “Fifty Something” reunion tour.

For Portnoy, it lands on two levels: lifelong fan excitement and a personal connection to Neil Peart, who shaped his playing and later became a friend.

“It’s extremely exciting. I, as a fan, can’t wait to see how they do this and what it’s gonna be like. Neil Peart was not only one of my biggest drum heroes, but he was somebody that I was honored to become friends with in the last decade or so of his life. So, yeah, as a fan of the band and as a friend of Neil’s, I’m very happy to see them doing this, and I can’t wait to hear what they do,” he shared (via Blabbermouth).

He also talked about Nilles specifically. Portnoy said he hasn’t caught her live yet, but he went straight to the clips after the announcement: “I have “never seen” Anika play in person, but like everybody else in the world, as soon as the announcement was made, I started pulling up videos on YouTube and saw her playing with Jeff Beck and doing the jazz fusion kind of stuff she does,”

“She’s obviously a tremendous drummer, so I’m really curious to see how it sounds,” he said.

One thing that’s followed Portnoy around for years is the hypothetical: would he ever step in with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson if they asked? He said that question came up constantly, and he’s relieved the band went another direction, because the weight of expectation would be brutal.

“Before [Lee and Lifeson] announced their return, it was a question that I would get asked in almost every single interview for the last decade: ‘Would you ever play with Geddy and Alex? Would you ever?’ Of course. Those guys are my heroes. But in all honesty, I’m kind of glad that they didn’t even ask me, because that would be way too much pressure, way too much pressure. So, it’s much better this way. I get to enjoy it like a fan,” Portnoy revealed.

The respect behind that answer connects to how Portnoy has talked about Peart for years. In an older interview, he broke down exactly what grabbed him early on, down to obsessing over kit details like other people obsess over something else.

“I spent 20 to 30 years idolizing him and being his biggest fan. And all those years, it was mainly the drum kit — the drum kit was such a fascination for me. He always built such amazing kits and put so much thought into it. I’d always get the tour programs where he’d write about the kit and what the new things were on it, and I would just look at those photos. Most other kids were looking at Playboy centerfolds; I was looking at Neil Peart drum kits. And then, obviously, his playing — it goes without saying. I learned how to really develop parts and orchestrate drum parts to build, change, and develop within the song. So that was the biggest thing for me as a fan. And then later on, once I got to know him, I was so inspired by what a gracious person he was,” he remembered.

And when Portnoy described Peart the person, he didn’t lean on mythology. He talked about boundaries, privacy, and how kind Peart was once you were in his circle.

“He had this reputation that he was sort of quiet and isolated and private, and he was, and it was very important for him to guard that. But once you were somehow allowed into that inner circle, he was always so sweet and kind and generous. He’d always send me holiday e-mails,s and he would always send me his new books and stuff like that. It was a relationship that I’ll always cherish, and I was honored to have.”

The post MIKE PORTNOY Says He’s “Kind Of Glad” He Wasn’t Asked To Join RUSH For Their Upcoming Tour: “The Weight Of Expectation Would Be Brutal” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

After dominating 2025 with their explosive new album I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, Lorna Shore is ready to do it all over again in 2026 with a massive global tour that kicks off January 23 in Germany and heads into the spring with newly announced dates just added for North America.

Lorna Shore will be joined by Paleface Swiss and Signs Of The Swarm for the North American run, which begins April 17 in Buffalo, NY, and runs through May 22 in Montclair, NJ, alongside festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival. See the full tour dates below.

Tickets for the North American dates will be available starting with an artist presale beginning Tuesday, January 20, at 9 AM ET. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, January 23 at 9 AM local time at LiveNation.com. For more info and tickets, you can also visit this location.

Alongside today’s tour announcement, Lorna Shore also releases the latest taste of their critically acclaimed new album with the single and video for “In Darkness.” See the music video, directed by David Brodsky for My Good Eye,  below.

Says frontman Will Ramos of the song, “’In Darkness’ is about growing up feeling distant from everyone, a song about anxiety and being an outcast (as many of us metal fans grow from). It’s a song about embracing that outlandish and ostracized feeling. Knowing that we have grown in the shadows, the darkness of the world, but accepting that through that darkness we have become.”

I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, out now via Century Media Records, is Lorna Shore’s fifth album and the first in three years since 2022’s Pain Remains, and continues the band’s reputation as one of the most impressive extreme metal acts to emerge in recent memory.

The quintet, also including lead guitarist Adam De Micco, drummer Austin Archey, rhythm guitarist Andrew O’Connor, and bassist Michael Yager, has hit the viral Spotify charts, racked up hundreds of millions of streams, embarked on highly successful tours, and, in the process, galvanized a significant fanbase that hangs onto the band’s quest for stylistic inversion.

But by virtue of physical onslaught and wanting to divine truth from their music, Lorna Shore have kept themselves fired up by torching the metal rulebook at every turn, practically demanding that other genres step up their game.

North American Dates with Paleface Swiss & Signs Of The Swarm:

4/17 Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo RiverWorks
4/18 Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
4/19 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
4/20 Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse
4/22 Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
4/24 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Convention Centre
4/25 Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Event Centre
4/27 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatr
4/29 Green Bay, WI  @ EPIC Event Center
5/1 Waukee, IA @ Vibrant Music Hall
5/2 East Moline, IL @ The Rust Belt
5/3 Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion
5/4 Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre
5/6 Memphis, TN @ Graceland
5/7 Dothan, AL @ The Plant
5/8 Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville*
5/9 Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company
5/11 Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
5/12 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues
5/14 Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live
5/15 Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple*
5/16 Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center
5/18 Virginia Beach, VA @ The Dome
5/20 Syracuse, NY @ Sharkey’s Event Center
5/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
5/22 Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theater

*Festival Dates

The post LORNA SHORE Share Music Video For “In Darkness”, Announce 2026 North American Tour Dates With PALEFACE SWISS & SIGNS OF THE SWARM appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Acclaimed singer, songwriter, and frontman of Christian rock icons Stryper, Michael Sweet, has announced his new solo album, The Master Plan, perhaps his most personal and spiritually resonant solo album yet.

Set for release on April 3, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl, this deeply worship‑inspired record marks a bold departure from his previous solo work — blending heartfelt devotion with fresh musical textures and melodic depth unlike anything Sweet has done before.

To celebrate the announcement, Sweet has also shared the album’s title track alongside an official lyric video – directed by Wayne Joyner – which you can watch below.

Pre-order the album here.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to make this record. I think I subconsciously started making it when I was a kid. All the music that has influenced me over the years is revealed on this album. It’s certainly not cookie-cutter by any stretch of the imagination. It’s one of a kind and very eclectic and unique, but that’s exactly what I wanted. It has something for everyone, and I hope you all are as excited about this one as I am. The title track is quite a song musically and lyrically. The goal is to inspire and encourage, and give people hope. I hope this one does just that. I want to personally thank you all for your patience and for your undying support for everything that I do. Much love to you all,” he shared.

Musically rich and lyrically uplifting, The Master Plan journeys into new acoustic‑oriented landscapes, built on warm harmonies, intimate vocal layers, and heartfelt expressions of faith. Sweet‘s unmistakable voice leads a tapestry of heartfelt worship, inviting listeners to reflect, celebrate, and draw closer to the timeless truths at the heart of his message. With sweeping arrangements and a sincere spiritual core, the album offers both comfort and inspiration for moments of prayer, praise, and quiet contemplation.

Recorded with a stellar ensemble of musicians and co‑produced by Michael Sweet and Jeff Savage, The Master Plan also features lush keyboards, evocative guitar work, and memorable vocal moments that elevate each song into something deeply personal yet universally uplifting. Mixed by Danny Bernini at Spirithouse Studios, the album balances polished production with the warmth of true worship expression.

With its heartfelt lyrics and spiritual sincerity, The Master Plan is designed to inspire peace, faith, and encouragement — music that comforts the weary, uplifts the spirit, and celebrates the profound love at the center of Sweet‘s faith journey.

The post STRYPER’s MICHAEL SWEET Announces New Solo Album “The Master Plan”, Shares Lyric Video For Title Track appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Sometimes, a truly novel experience can come from the unlikely coupling of two disparate eras in music’s long and complex history, and few combinations could be considered more unlikely than that of Bach’s High Baroque compositions and one of the Teutonic metal scene’s more unconventional projects.

At first glance, these two contrasting styles would seem to share little in common apart from the nation that birthed them, as the signature compositional style typical to Alkaloid’s brand of progressive metal rests in a curious middle ground between the dark expressionism of the German avant-garde composers and the subsequent Neo-Romanticism of the later 20^th century, a far cry from the Baroque world of common practice tonality and grandeur.

Yet when all elements are considered, the 62-minute concert experience captured on audio that is Bach Out Of Bounds showcases a brilliant synchronicity that reveals a level of ingenuity by those involved in its creation that few could hope to rival.

Though much of the material of this album’s namesake covers was likely intended for a larger orchestra, to speak nothing of the massive sound that comes with any shade of death metal, this is a very up close and intimate affair that resembles an 18^th century chamber music performance.

Accompanying the guttural vocalizations and explosive guitar work of frontman Morean, the bombastic kit work of ex-Obscura drummer Hannes Grossmann, and the virtuosic bass gymnastics of scene veteran Linus Klausenitzer is a highly accomplished troupe of instrumentalists bridging the nostalgia of the 1700s with the modern bombast of the 2020s.

Guitar shredder and recent Pestilence member Max Blok and highly competent six-string slayer also of Eternity’s End Justin Hombach fill out the metallic end of things in a live capacity, while an ensemble of classically trained players round out the rest of the arrangement, consisting of 2 soprano voices, 2 violins, a cello and an accordion (likely standing in the place of Bach’s organ or harpsichord).

In many respects, the marriage of two sounds that were born roughly three centuries apart results in a veritable rollercoaster ride of sound, but the necessary guardrails manifest at each jarring twist and turn. Kicking things off are high-dynamic performances of the first two movements of Bach’s famed “Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor (BWV 1052)”, reflecting both the technical skill of every musician involved and the genius of Morean in adapting a classic from a bygone era into a modern context.

Between the expressive and impassioned vocal deliveries of sopranos Rianne Wilbers and Chrysa Tsaltampasi, the wildly reworked and elaborated cadenza that blazes from Max Blok’s fret board, and the dynamic balance that faithfully approximates the terraced dynamics of the Baroque era, true homage is paid to the original. By way of contrast, the later performance of the “Agnus Dei (BWV 232” from Bach’s Mass in B minor strikes a consistently orthodox and solemn tone, falling far closer to the way a traditional concert hall would perform it and avoiding any metallic add-ons.

While carrying the name of Bach in its title, this live offering is still predominantly an Alkaloid concert in a somewhat unconventional setting, and along for the ride are 5 offerings from the band’s three-album catalog performed in a manner that can be best described as Alban Berg meets death metal.

Extended excursions into the realm of the Lovecraftian, like “Beneath The Sea” and “Cthulhu,” mix intermitted bursts of riff-centered brutality with machine gun drumming galore, bringing to mind the analogy of dark jazz meeting expressionist collage of sound, bolstered by the expanded arrangement of instruments and voices.

On the latter aforementioned entry and the closing fit of technically charged death metal “The Fungi Of Yuggoth,” there are zero punches in the aggression department relative to the band’s studio material in spite of a litany of bow-string noodling being along for the ride. But in terms of a total experience that blurs the lines between what Alkaloid’s existing fan base expects and the intimate chamber setting in play here, the apex performance belongs to that of “Haunter Of The Void”, which over its 10-minute run dwarfs what many symphonic bands accomplish with 5 times this many instruments.

Though the concept of merging the musical timbres of the 18^th and 19^th century into an extreme metal context has come a long way in the near 40 years since Celtic Frost’s Into The Pandemonium pioneered the concept, there is something truly surreal about hearing the raw, explosive fury of death metal adapted into a medium more readily associated with the tranquility of a 1730s chamber music event.

It may prove a hurdle in terms of accessibility for those that prefer their metal straight out of the bottle rather than mixed with the sweetness of a fruit juice or soda, yet it’s pretty easy to picture classical music enthusiasts and metal heads observing this spectacle side by side in a rare state of shared camaraderie given the avid yet politely measured applause following each performance.

It’s an interesting variation on the usual studio output of bands associated with Hannes Grossmann, like Obscura and his ongoing solo project bearing his name, and a fairly close cousin to Triptykon, but more than anything else, it’s a highly complex undertaking that may bear repeated listens before its full character is revealed.

Release Date: January 23rd, 2026
Record Label: Season Of Mist
Genre: Progressive Metal

Musicians:

• Morean / Vocals, guitar
• Hannes Grossmann / Drums
• Linus Klausenitzer / Bass
• Justin Hombach / Guitar
• Max Blok / Guitar

Guest musicians:

• Rianne Wilbers / Soprano
• Chrysa Tsaltampasi / Soprano
• Julija Hartig / Violin
• Oene van Geel / 5-string violin
• Marieke Hopman / Accordion
• Ketevan Roinishvili / Cello

Bach Out Of Bounds Tracklist:

1. Allegro (BWV 1052-I)
2. Adagio – All Is Vanity (BWV 1052-II)
3. Beneath the Sea
4. Cthulhu
5. Haunter of the Void
6. A Fool’s Desire
7. Agnus Dei (BWV 232)
8. The Fungi from Yuggoth

Order the album here.

The post ALKALOID – Bach Out Of Bounds (Album Review) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-Fear Factory) is set to fill in once more for Overkill bassist D.D. Verni on the New Jersey thrash vets’ upcoming U.S. tour, where Overkill supports Testament. The trek launches in March, and German thrash metal band Destruction is also on the bill. It’s being promoted as the “Thrash Of The Titans” run.

On Sunday, January 18, Olde Wolbers posted tour promo art and added a simple note to fans: “See you guys and gals out there on the ‘Thrash Of The Titans’ Tour!”

This is a familiar setup. Olde Wolbers already covered for Verni in fall 2024 when Overkill hit the road in North America supporting King Diamond, with Verni dealing with an ongoing “shoulder issue”.

For a stretch of European dates in September 2024, Overkill brought in another temporary replacement: ex-Kreator bassist Christian “Speesy” Giesler.

The band has been open about what’s going on physically. In a 2024 interview with Portugal’s Caminhos Metálicos, Overkill frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth explained how long the issue has lingered and how it affects touring: “D.D.‘s got a shoulder issue that’s been going on for this entire time, even back to [2019’s] The Wings Of War [See image gallery at www.sonicperspectives.com] , it was beginning back then. So I think that the number of shows that we did was actually a light amount. We would normally do more shows if he was healthy enough to do them. And he’s gotta rehab that shoulder, so he can only do so much, put so much stress on it.”

The situation already forced Verni off the road earlier in 2024. He sat out Overkill’s April 2024 Latin American tour while recovering from shoulder surgery, with former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson stepping in for those dates.

Later that same year, Verni addressed the issue directly in a July 2024 interview with That Metal Interview, describing why the repetitive nature of touring is the real problem: “It’s not so much playing, ’cause I can play; it’s really just tours where I have to play night after night after night, ’cause that’s what kind of did the damage in the first place. So, we’ll see, I’ll keep working as hard as I can, but if I have to keep doing little bits and pieces till I can get up to full strength, that’s what I’ll do.”

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The post OVERKILL Enlist Ex-FEAR FACTORY Bassist CHRISTIAN OLDE WOLBERS For 2026 U.S. Run With TESTAMENT appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Poison’s rumored 40th-anniversary victory lap sounds like it hit the brakes before it ever left the garage. According to Page Six, the band walked away from previously floated 2026 tour plans tied to the 40th anniversary of their 1986 debut, Look What the Cat Dragged In. The report claims the sticking point was money, specifically, an alleged pay split that frontman Bret Michaels wanted heavily tilted in his favor.

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett laid it out in blunt terms while speaking to the outlet: “We had a great offer [for a tour this year], I thought. But we left the table; it didn’t work.”

From Rockett’s perspective, the rest of the group was ready to move, but the financial structure became a non-starter: “Really what it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille], [bassist] Bobby [Dall] and I were all in, and I thought Bret was, but he wanted the lion’s share of the money, to the point where it makes it not possible to even do it. It’s like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way.”

Rockett also pushed back on the idea that this came down to greed on his end. For him, the work has to feel worth it for everyone involved, especially when the band would be committing to the grind that comes with touring.

“I don’t do this just for the money; I do have a love for this, absolutely. But at the same time, you don’t want to go out and work really hard just to make somebody else a bunch of money.”

Even with the frustration, Rockett framed the situation as something closer to a family dispute than a scorched-earth band breakup. He said the history and what each member has contributed still matter, even when business talks turn sour.

“Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life, it’s like hating your parents.”

As for what comes next, Page Six raised the obvious question: could Rockett, C.C. DeVille, and Bobby Dall take the songs out with another singer? Rockett didn’t shut the door, but he also made it clear that the route comes with a cost, and it’s not his preferred move.

“It’s not out of the question. But doing that is like surgery: it’s the last resort. I don’t want to do that. I’m not quarreling with Bret… We just didn’t come to agreement. I don’t like it, and I’ll say that, but it’s not like, ‘Let’s put up our dukes.’ I don’t think there’s a better frontman for Poison.”

The post RIKKI ROCKETT Confirms POISON’s Long-Rumored 2026 Touring Plans Have Been Scrapped: “BRETT Wanted The Lion’s Share Of The Money” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Leprous frontman Einar Solberg has announced his second solo album, Vox Occulta, due for release on April 24, 2026. A bold, heavy, and symphonic statement, the LP was recorded in collaboration with the much-sought-after Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

To celebrate the announcement, Einar has launched the second track from the album, titled “Medulla”, and you can watch the video — directed by Leo Liberti — below.

Einar comments: “‘Medulla‘ started with a riff. I had just picked up an eight-string plugin, and it immediately led me to that main idea. As soon as it came together, I knew it had weight. It felt physical — like something you feel in your bones rather than just hear. That’s where the idea of marrow came in.”

“The song is about the part of me that stayed strong through everything I’ve been through. No matter what happened around it, the core held. “There’s no full orchestra on this track, but it still has a cinematic edge. Chris Baum added real strings, and Keli, Pierre Danel, and Jed Lingat bring the song to life on drums, guitar, and bass,” he added.

As well as the beautiful orchestration, Einar is joined by drummer Keli Guðjónsson, violinist Chris Baum, guitarist Pierre Danel, and bassist Jed Lingat, as well as guitarists Ben Levin and John Browne. The album was mixed by Adam Noble and co-produced with David Castillo.

Vox Occulta sees Solberg taking a deeply personal approach, having been an avid fan of classical music and soundtracks for more than 20 years. The lyrics are personal as well, and they make “Vox Occulta” something of a thematic follow-up to 16. Where Solberg‘s solo debut revisited the death of his father and his past struggles with anxiety, this set is a warts-and-all portrait of himself and how he views the world in 2026.

Vox Occulta will be released as a limited CD digipak, gatefold white/black 2LP, and a very limited gatefold transparent red 2LP, as well as digitally.

Pre-order it here.

The first live dates in support of his upcoming second solo album have also been announced, and 2026 will see him playing the following headline dates across Europe:

09/18 – UK London, The Garage
09/19 – FR Paris, Café de la Danse
09/20 – FR Toulouse, Le Rex
09/21 – FR Biarritz, La Rhapsodie
09/22 – PT Porto, Mouco
09/23 – PT Lisbon, Republica da Musica
09/25-26 – ES Barcelona, Be Prog! My Friend
09/26 – FR Grenoble, L’amperage
09/29 – PL Krakow, Hype Park
09/30 – DE Berlin, Lido
10/01 – DE Neunkirchen, Gebläsehalle
10/02 – CH Baden, Werkk Kulturlokal

The post LEPROUS Frontman EINAR SOLBERG Announces Second Solo Album “Vox Occulta”; Shares Music Video For New Single ‘Medulla’ appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

International AOR supergroup Transatlantic Radio released today their new single and official video, “City Of Angels”, the second one taken from the upcoming debut album Midnight Transmission, out on February 20, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.

Basist Victor Brodén stated: “City Of Angels” was the last song written for the album. It is a tribute to all the great songs, throughout history, about going west to try to make your dreams come true and live your best life. In our case, it is also a tribute to the diverse city of Los Angeles, but it could be wherever the city of your dreams is. The song delivers the quintessential Transatlantic Radio sound, a huge chorus, big sweeping melodies and lots of attitude. This is a song to roll down your windows and sing at the top of your lunges on the way to a party or on a long road trip!”

Brodén continued: “The completion of this album is a love letter to the music that shaped my life, musically and otherwise. The guys in this band took what was a casual idea and turned it into something beyond my wildest dreams. Mattias Osbäck is truly one of the greatest rock voices of this generation with a rough edge that brings our big, sweeping melodies to life and gives them attitude”.

“RJ Ronquillo, on lead guitar, is a legend in his own right and a role model for guitarists around the world as well as one of the world’s most watched six-string heroes with his YouTube channel”, he continued. “His work on this album makes me grin ear to ear. Chris Reeve on drums is one of the most sought-after touring drummers in the world right now, and a bass player’s dream come true. Him agreeing to join this project is still mind boggling to me. Fred Kron on keyboards, my partner in production for this project, is nothing short of a wizard. There would be no Transatlantic Radio without his invaluable input, otherworldly mixes, and his ability to sprinkle magic dust on all of these songs. This is the band I could never have imagined being in growing up, and this is the record I always dreamed of making”.

An inspired celebration of classic AOR with a fresh, modern pulse, Midnight Transmission marks the official album debut of Transatlantic Radio. Midnight Transmission is a love letter to the 80’s giants of the genre – Foreigner, Toto, Danger Danger, Starship – but it’s no nostalgia act. Each track balances polish with punch, fusing massive choruses, slick arrangements, and emotionally charged performances with crisp, contemporary production.

Conceived during the isolation of the 2020 lockdown, the project was born out of a desire to bring timeless melodic rock back into the spotlight – with a lineup as global as their sound. Fronted by powerhouse Swedish vocalist Mattias Osbäck and featuring American guitarist R.J. Ronquillo (known for his work with Ricky Martin, Santana, Stevie Wonder, and Stone Sour), the band blends European sensibility with American fire.

The lush keyboards of Fred Kron – who had his work featured in Anchorman 2 and High School Musical 2, and longtime member of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! band – add cinematic depth and vintage flair. Behind the kit is Chris Reeve, drummer for Filter and Avril Lavigne, whose dynamic style gives the album its drive and precision. At the center of it all is Brodén himself, anchoring the songs with groove, vision, and a deep understanding of the genre’s melodic soul.

Following a string of well-received singles and video releases, Transatlantic Radio made their live debut at the Malmö Melodic Festival 2024, where their sound and presence confirmed that this is more than just a studio project – it’s a band with heart, muscle, and chemistry.

Pre-Order Midnight Transmission here.

The post AOR Supergroup TRANSATLANTIC RADIO Shares New Single “City Of Angels” From Upcoming Debut Album “Midnight Transmission” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

UK alt-hardcore quintet Higher Power have released a video for their track “Count The Miles”, ahead of their highly anticipated sold-out show, at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Friday 16th January.

The band’s third studio album, There’s Love In This World If You Want It, was surprise released digitally in summer 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Frontman Jimmy Wizard commented on the video: “This video was Alex’s concept but one of our favourite things growing up was seeing videos that give you a look behind the curtain! We don’t live and tour like this anymore but I’m grateful for the experiences we had together and it’s cool to have something of a highlight reel of our lives over those years so enjoy!”

Inner peace. That’s the aim for us all, isn’t it? Well, the truth is that it is always there waiting for you. You just need to work away a little bit to find it, digging deep and questioning yourself to get closer and closer to achieving that ultimate sense of personal zen. It may not always feel like the search is paying off, but there is always potential for that love, compassion and understanding of who you are to seep through. The journey may be challenging, but you’ll be glad that you took part in it in the end.

For Higher Power, that journey has seen them do things that, when they emerged onto the Yorkshire hardcore circuit in 2015, were never even on their radar. From their innocently frantic beginnings of emulating and celebrating legendary bands like Leeway and Merauder for a new generation, even playing their first two shows in the basement of the house owned by The Flex and at an early iteration of Outbreak Fest respectively, the ten years that have followed have seen them ride every ebb and flow that the music industry has to offer.

From touring with everyone from Alexisonfire and Neck Deep to Knocked Loose and Angel Du$t to signing to Roadrunner Records for their sophomore full-length 27 Miles Underwater, they have achieved the sort of things that, up until recently, would never have been on the horizon of possibility for a hardcore band of their ilk. Yet, within experiencing the industry mechanics usually reserved for the highest echelons of rock royalty, they also realised they were drifting away from the things that made them want to do all of this in the first place.

The result of putting what feels right for them first is There’s Love In This World If You Want It, a record that encapsulates the Higher Power spirit in a way that only those whose hearts are truly entrenched in the band can produce. Peeling away layers of assumption and ideology placed upon them by others and focusing once more on the genre-splicing experimentation that inspired them to create together in the first place, they have produced nine songs that showcase exactly what they are made of in a screaming rainbow of colour.

The post HIGHER POWER Shares Latest Video For “Count The Miles” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Finland’s forward-thinking metal trailblazers Lost Society announce their brand-new album Hell Is A State Of Mind, set for release on March 6th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Four years after the critically acclaimed If the Sky Came Down, the band returns with their most fearless and defining statement yet—modern metal without equals and without apologies.

For vocalist–guitarist Samy Elbanna, guitarist Arttu Lesonen, bassist Mirko Lehtinen, and drummer Tapani Fagerström, Hell Is A State Of Mind marks a bold step into the metallic territory they were always meant to claim: unrestrained, unmistakable, and unapologetically their own.

Reuniting with trusted collaborator Joonas Parkkonen (producer, co-writer, mixing engineer), the album took a decisive turn when the track “Blood Diamond” reshaped the creative direction—evolving from a simple melody into cinematic, string-driven grandeur.

The album’s first official single, “Blood Diamond”, follows last spring’s “early first taste,” “Dead People Scare Me (But the Living Make Me Sick)”, and arrives alongside a raw, high-energy video capturing Lost Society’s untamed stage presence. From the very first notes, Hell Is A State Of Mind makes one thing clear: this is Lost Society at their most confident, confrontational, and uncompromising.

Frontman Samy Elbanna comments: ”I’m beyond excited to finally be able to announce our upcoming album and the new single off of it! Lost Society sounds HEAVY in the year 2026 – and you are all about to experience it first hand! I loved every moment of writing this album and especially preparing the story that i’m singing to you all – soon it will all be yours. Pre-order the album and blast out ”Blood Diamond” LOUD until your neighbours can’t take it anymore!”

You can now pre-order Hell Is A State Of Mind here.

The post LOST SOCIETY Announces New Album “Hell Is A State Of Mind” And Drops First Single “Blood Diamond” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.