Skillet have added another major achievement to their career as their signature hit “Monster” has now surpassed four billion streams worldwide. The six-times-platinum track has also earned a place in Spotify’s Billions Club, further cementing its position among the most-streamed rock songs ever released.
The milestone comes shortly after Skillet completed a fully sold-out European headline tour. The run moved 90,000 tickets across 23 cities and brought the band in front of some of the largest crowds they have ever played to outside North America.
Throughout the tour, Skillet packed venues in cities including London, Glasgow, Paris, Munich, Warsaw, Bucharest and Barcelona. Several locations also posted record-breaking ticket sales, including Paris’s historic Zenith venue.
More than two decades into their career, the band’s international appeal continues to grow. Beyond the touring circuit, Skillet recently gained additional exposure when “Legendary” was selected as the featured theme song for a historic UFC event held at the White House.
The group’s momentum also carried into the holiday season. At the end of 2025, Skillet released its first Christmas recording, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. The track quickly gained traction and reached No. 1 on five Billboard charts, introducing the band’s music to additional listeners around the world.
With more than 23 million albums sold globally, over 12 million monthly Spotify listeners and billions of streams across digital platforms, Skillet remains one of hard rock’s most commercially successful acts.
The band’s accomplishments include multi-platinum, platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA for 12 singles and four studio albums. Skillet has also received two Grammy Award nominations, earned a Billboard Music Award and scored three Top 5 debuts on the Billboard 200 chart.
Outside of music, the band expanded its creative reach through the launch of the graphic novel series Eden in partnership with Z2.
Looking ahead, Skillet has indicated that new material is on the way. The group has suggested that some of its heaviest music to date could arrive later this year.
Fans already received an early preview during Skillet‘s headlining performance on May 14 at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria, where the band debuted a new track titled “Scream”. A studio version of the song is expected to be released in the near future.
The '80s heartthrob tells UCR how he had a hit, but also, an important assist from the Red Rocker as his success in the music business was exploding. Continue reading…
Insomnium have released “Shadowlife”, the first single from the Finnish melodic death metal band’s upcoming tenth studio album, which is scheduled for release in October.
The new track offers an early look at the direction of the forthcoming record and finds Insomnium continuing to expand its sound while maintaining the elements that have defined the band throughout its career. “Shadowlife” balances heavy riffs and melodic passages, combining darker moods with more reflective moments. The song is accompanied by a new music video produced by Coldstore Productions.
Speaking about the track’s role within the larger album, Niilo Sevänen explained: “As a story, “Shadowlife” can be seen as a thematic gateway to the entire record — an elegy not only for a lost beloved, but also for the fading belief that anything beautiful can remain untouched by time. It is a realization that love, youth, summer, and warmth cannot be preserved forever. Thus, we are left suspended between longing and acceptance, lingering in the liminal spaces of sleep, shadow, and night.”
Guitarist and clean vocalist Markus Vanhala described the single as the opening step into the band’s next chapter.
“‘Shadowlife” opens the dreamy next chapter of Insomnium with a certain self-aware catchiness. I set out to write an obvious hit — perhaps even a so-called ‘banger’ — to kick things off, but don’t worry: The deeper cuts will follow. Album No. 10 is truly a defining milestone for us, so we wanted to honor our history while also introducing some new nuances. Living on the edge.”
For a band now preparing to release its tenth full-length album, Insomnium continues to avoid repeating itself. While rooted in the melancholic melodies and aggressive edge that helped establish its reputation within melodic death metal, the group is still looking for new ways to evolve its songwriting.
Since emerging from Joensuu in the Finnish region of Karelia, Insomnium has built a loyal following through its blend of atmosphere, melody and heaviness. With “Shadowlife” serving as the first preview of the upcoming record, the band is once again exploring themes of loss, reflection and mortality while pushing its sound into new territory.
More details on Insomnium‘s tenth studio album are expected in the months leading up to its October release.
The sound of Aspesti is powerful and resounding, delivering a substantial dose of fuzz that feels almost tangible. Their music scratches and tingles at the skin with intense acid-infused vibrations. Right from the start, the guitar riff elevates listeners’ spirits and evokes a celebration of the sacred fire of rock. Once the vocals enter, there are unmistakable influences from the ’90s, reminiscent of bands like Nirvana and Alice in Chains.
However, this music carries a contemporary slant that sets it apart. It feels almost ritualistic, enveloping listeners in its rich atmosphere. The melodic line is remarkably visionary, bordering on the kaleidoscopic, and features unique harmonies that imbue the track with a sense of mystery and dreaminess. The song’s structure is distinctive, using fewer words that contribute to its almost ritualistic experience.
The members of Aspesti are earnest in their craft. They spend considerable time rehearsing, honing a unique musical chemistry that shines through in their work. Their sound feels genuine and authentic, which is a rarity in an age flooded with artificial influences. This single is a delightful discovery that I would recommend to anyone.
Blank – Sound and Atmosphere
The use of fuzzy guitar effectively establishes a powerful foundation for the track. Aspesti’s raw energy is palpable, drawing the listener into an engaging sonic experience. The combination of strong melodies, traditional rock elements, and fresh twists allows this band to carve out their niche in the modern music scene. They possess an innovative charm that is often missing in today’s overproduced landscape.
The lead singer’s voice captures a sense of urgency while maintaining an ethereal quality. This duality enhances the overall impact of the song, making it resonate with various audiences.
Throughout “Blank,” the rhythmic structure is intriguing. Instead of a predictable verse-chorus layout, the band leans toward a more fluid approach. This gives the impression of a musical journey, allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
Blank – Performance and Production
Aspesti focuses on creating a visceral reaction. The sparse lyricism feels intentional, akin to a chant that guides the listener deeper into the track’s essence.
In a time when music can be overly edited and polished, Aspesti provides a refreshing alternative. Their dedication to a true and raw sound is commendable. The authenticity in their music creates a strong connection with the audience, rooting them firmly in reality while also inviting listeners to explore deeper emotional themes.
Aspesti’s “Blank” is a riveting exploration of sound that skillfully blends the past and present. As listeners delve into the layers of this single, they will discover a multitude of elements at play that enrich the overall experience. For anyone seeking something genuine and powerful in today’s music scene, Aspesti is a band worth exploring.
In just a few weeks, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis will release her first solo music as Sad13 since 2020’s Haunted Painting, and it’s got some exciting specs. The new mixtape 1331 comprises 13 “1 minute long-ish songs,” so I guess it’s her very own Whack World? Dupuis made it entirely solo and DIY, serving as the lone performer and recording engineer for the first time in 15 years. The first three tracks are out now.
Cold Blue Mountain are not exactly thinking small on The Healer. The Chico, California post-metal quintet’s new double album is a 74-minute concept record tracing the rise of Grigori Rasputin from grief-stricken peasant mystic to royal-court power broker, turning Russian historical obsession into a massive doom/sludge/post-metal descent through grief, faith, ego, corruption and control.
Out June 24 via Vulture Print Records, The Healer marks Cold Blue Mountain’s most ambitious work to date. Across eight tracks, the band build on the massive emotional architecture of Neurosis, Amenra and Oathbreaker while pushing into heavier, more violent terrain. Lead single “The Storm” channels the intense grief of Rasputin’s early life through death metal breakdowns before collapsing into an outro of black metal-style annihilation and ego death. In other words: not exactly light weather.
The album also finds Cold Blue Mountain reforged with a new lineup around returning members Brandon Squyres, William McGahan and Daniel Taylor. Guitarist Nathan Collins brings complex doom harmonies and frenetic black metal influence, while bassist/vocalist Chris Keene adds soaring clean vocals to counter Squyres’ bloodcurdling screams and expanded harsh-noise/sound-design work. The result is still recognizably Cold Blue Mountain, but broader, darker and more melodically adventurous.
“We are incredibly proud of this record,” Squyres tells Decibel. “The story of Rasputin has always fascinated me. Having this theme and story in mind for the next album gave us a focus that helped create our heaviest music to date.”
Stream “The Storm” below, and look for The Healer on June 24 via Vulture Print Records. Cold Blue Mountain will also hit the West Coast for a short release run June 24–28, with physical media in hand, including the double LP on gold vinyl with full art booklet and CD editions.
Brand of Sacrifice Return With Explosive Double Single
Canadian deathcore titans Brand of Sacrifice have returned with a devastating double single, ‘Seeing Red’ and ‘This Place Wasn’t Meant For Us’, marking the band’s first new music since late 2023 and the opening strike of a major new chapter. Arriving with the scale, precision, and emotional force that have made Brand Of Sacrifice one of heavy music’s most singular modern bands and serious contenders for the modern deathcore crown, the two tracks feel both newly sharpened and deeply connected to the sound, scale, and conviction that the band are known for.
Watch the video here!
Since their formation in 2018, Brand of Sacrifice have built a world around a lethal combination of force and feeling. Across every era, their sound has carried the feeling of standing at the edge of something enormous, where beauty, violence, grief, and transformation all collide in the same frame. With the two new tracks released today, Brand of Sacrifice reconnect with the atmosphere and emotion of early releases The Interstice, their 2019 debut EP, and their 2021 Billboard-charting, Juno-nominated sophomore album Lifeblood. The result is a continuation of the band’s formative instincts: visceral heaviness, cinematic unease and emotional immediacy, sharpened through the force and command of the band they have become.
’Seeing Red’, sees the band come out swinging with one of their most direct and overwhelmingly brutal tracks to date. Built for devastating impact, the track is arguably one of the heaviest in the band’s catalog but underneath the brutality is something more human. The track speaks to the desperate search for agency when everything feels unstable, turning the guttural chaos of the music into something listeners can connect to on an emotional level.
Its companion, ‘This Place Wasn’t Meant For Us’, leans into the band’s gift for atmosphere and tension. Hauntingly eerie, cinematic, and slow-burning before the earth finally gives way, the track pulls the listener deeper into the darker, moodier sonic world-building side of Brand of Sacrifice.
Speaking on the new singles, vocalist Kyle Anderson shares:
“Seeing Red” and “This Place Wasn’t Meant For Us” mark an incredible moment for us as our first new material since 2023. While these songs push Brand of Sacrifice forward, they also reconnect with elements of our past, drawing inspiration from the atmosphere and emotion of The Interstice and our sophomore release Lifeblood. We wanted to strip things back and focus on something more visceral, and honest while capturing a sense of nostalgia without simply repeating ourselves. We’re very proud of these tracks and can’t wait for everyone to experience this next chapter with us.”
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