The talent contest at this year’s Miss World pageant, held at Khanh Hoa Children’s Cultural Palace in Nha Trang, Vietnam, has been enlivened by a crushing performance from Ignacia Fernández, the Chilean contestant who went viral late last year after sharing her death metal vocal skills during the Miss World Chile pageant in Santiago.
Fernández, who has fronted the Chilean progressive melodic death metal band Decessus since 2020, sang the band’s The Hollow Descent – released as a single last year – during the contest.
Unfortunately, the judges failed to reward Hernandez for her efforts, and England’s Grace Richardson, Guadeloupe’s Annaëlle Ibo and the Philippines’ Asia Rose Simpson filled the medal positions.
“Getting to bring metal to the Miss World stage and share a part of who I am through music was an incredible experience,” says Hernandez. “Every contestant who took part in the talent competition was extraordinary and unique. The level of talent was truly incredible, and I want to congratulate England on winning first place!
“Thank you to everyone, the organisation, and my fellow sisters here at MW who cheered me on and made this moment so special.”
“Igancia exudes a quiet confidence that screams star quality,” wrote Metal Hammer’s man on the spot. “Holding herself with precise, careful movements that bring to mind the likes of Gaahl or Maynard James Keenan, where rabid energy isn’t what makes them so captivating.
“She might have been crowned Miss World Chile, but we could be seeing a future death metal queen. Closing out on the apocalyptic Deliverance, we’d like to think this won’t be the last time we see Decessus on these shores.”
The Miss World 2026 pageant will come to a climax on September 5, with the current title holder, Thailand’s Suchata Chuangsri, crowning the victor.
Naarm/Melbourne based Metalcore outfit Vault Hill have just unleashed their incredibly powerful new single and video called ‘The Pain We Keep Alive’, which premiered exclusively via HEAVY Mag. The single is taken from their forthcoming seven-track EP, due for release in September. Inspired by vocalist Morgan’s experiences living and working in the Northern Territory, the […]
As a kid growing up I didn’t like Dolly Parton. She and her musical partner, Porter Waggoner, represented everything I hated about country music at the time. They were well-coifed, fancily dressed, polished, with heavily produced records. Absolutely nothing of value to a teenage boy. Fast forward a few years and she’d shed Porter and, […]
Zero Hour’s new studio EP No Man’s Land sees the revered band’s incredibly technical and dynamic prowess put on full display, as expected from this top-tier musical collective. No Man’s Land features original members, guitarist Jasun Tipton and vocalist Erik Rosvold, joined by newer members, bassist Andreas Blomqvist and keyboardist Jeremy Villucci. Roel van Helden was acquired as a session drummer for this new chapter for Zero Hour.
No Man’s Land delivers two new songs – “Codes Of Violence and “No Man’s Land,” as well as instrumental versions of both tracks – marking another bold installment in the band’s impeccable catalog. Recorded by the band, with the drums recorded by Kai Stahlenberg at Kohlekeller Studio, the EP was mixed and mastered by Matt LaPlant at Madtown Mix Studio and completed with brilliant artwork by Wayne Joyner (Dream Theater, Ayreon, Devin Townsend).
Jasun Tipton writes about “Codes Of Violence,” the first preview of the record: “The guys and I are very, very excited for the listeners to hear No Man’s Land. Erik, Andreas, and Roel absolutely bring it on ‘Codes Of Violence’ and ‘No Man’s Land.’ The two tracks each clock in at over thirteen minutes long. The material is very dynamic, heavy, and dreamy, with plenty of twists and turns. We added keyboardist Jeremy Villucci,whose performance takes the material to another level.”
Zero Hour will independently release No Man’s Land on CD and digitally through their own independent label, CynNormal Lab Recordings, on October 16th. Pre-orders can be placed here.
Originally formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in the ’90s by Jasun Tipton and his brother Troy, Zero Hour was formed to create heavy, melodic, dark, and intricate music with influences from diverse sources like the Dio-led years of Rainbow, The Pat Metheny Group, and Dream Theater. The band released six studio albums from 1998 to 2008. The first two – Zero Hour (1998) and The Towers Of Avarice (2001) were self-released, while the next four – Metamorphosis (2003), A Fragile Mind (2005), Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond (2006), and Dark Deceiver (2008) – were all released under Sensory Records of the vast Laser’s Edge Group.
Zero Hour dissolved after the release of Dark Deceiver, when Troy Tipton suffered an arm injury that prevented him from playing bass. After Jasun Tipton and vocalist Erik Rosvold reunited the group, they recruited drummer Roel van Helden. The two became friends when Roel’s group at the time, Sun Caged, and Zero Hour played a gig as direct support for Liquid Tension Experiment. They stayed in contact, and years later, they reconnected overseas and chatted about making music together. Van Helden was then instrumental in bringing Andreas Blomqvist into the lineup, having known him in his prior band, Seventh Wonder. This lineup would then construct the return album, Agenda 21, released through Frontiers Records in 2022, and now arrives with the immersive No Man’s Land, opening the next chapter of Zero Hour’s ongoing saga.
Black Spikes are an exciting experimental metal band blending everything from black metal to trap into their heavy, aggressive sound. The release of their new concept album YDOS is imminent (unless you’re reading this after August 28th, in which case it has already been released!).
I talked with vocalist Agni to discuss the narrative arc of the new album, the themes and concepts behind it, and the band’s biggest musical influences.
Reuel
Hello Agni! It’s a pleasure to chat with you! How are you doing?
Agni
Hello! Thank you for having me! I’m doing great — we’re in a very exciting period right now. YDOS is finally about to be released, and we’re really looking forward to sharing the whole album with people.
Reuel
You will soon release the new album! How would you describe Ydos to our readers who have never heard your music before?
Agni
YDOS is a concept album about human vices. We imagined a pure land where different vices are born, take on their own forms, and begin their journey towards us — humans. Each song represents a different vice or stage of this story, so the album has a strong narrative running through it.
Musically, it’s very much Black Spikes — heavy, dark and aggressive, but also melodic, electronic and experimental. We don’t really like putting ourselves into one box, so our music takes many different turns, leading to very different emotions.
Reuel
Exciting! You combine many different styles into your music: black metal, trap, djent… In your own eyes, what is the thread that ties all these styles together into something uniquely yours?
Agni
I think the thread is simply us. We’re not trying to deliberately mix genres just to sound unusual. We write whatever feels right for a particular song and emotion. If a trap beat works better than a traditional metal rhythm, we use it. If a black metal part makes the atmosphere darker, it belongs there.
And I think our visual side is also a big part of that identity. Music, lyrics, costumes, makeup, masks, choreography and videos are all connected for us. We want Black Spikes to feel like a whole world, rather than just a collection of songs.
Reuel
The album opens with a mother giving birth to human vices on Motina and ends with everything turning to dust on Dulkės. Did you write these ten tracks in chronological order to fit that arc, or did the storyline come together after the songs were finished?
Agni
The full story became clearer as we were creating the album. Some ideas for the songs already existed and then found their vice, while others were created specifically around a particular vice and its story.
MOTINA became the beginning of the vices — it was the first song we wrote for this album. DULKĖS, however, wasn’t the last song we wrote. It simply felt like the natural ending, where everything eventually disappears.
So it wasn’t a case of writing ten songs strictly from beginning to end. It was more like building a puzzle and gradually discovering how all the pieces fit together.
Reuel
When you write a concept album like Ydos, does focusing on a specific theme, like the vices in this case, restrict what you can talk about, or does it actually broaden your scope through the lens of that theme?
Agni
Yes, it restricts it. But at the same time, it’s easier when you already have a direction. When you have a specific theme, you can dig deeper into it, dedicating the whole album to the story.
It doesn’t mean there’s less to talk about — quite the opposite. You can look at the concept from many different perspectives. A vice can be a demon, a character, a feeling, or even a part of yourself.
Reuel
Beautiful! If all the tracks on Ydos came to life and became real people, which one of these songs would you be most excited to meet? And which would you like to avoid?
Agni
I’ve already met SENAS DEMONAS — I bet we all have.
Actually, a conversation with a particular person inspired Sime and me to create the story behind this song, as we both wrote the lyrics. We met an elderly person – an exceptional and talented personality, but someone who had been broken by a life that wasn’t easy on him. His life was coming to an end, and the main things he had to teach us were how to manipulate people, never share your true plans, never open up and never trust anybody.
It made me think: maybe we’re the ones who grow these vices ourselves. And if we were more honest and open, maybe these demons wouldn’t grow within us.
Reuel
I really loved the switches from clean to harsh vocals. The way you switch made the contrast more visible and more enjoyable. How do you decide what parts get clean vocals and which get harsh? Is that driven by the lyrics, the energy of the music, or a mix of both?
Agni
It’s definitely both. For the story to be told in an organic way, everything has to be connected. The lyrics, vocal technique, character and music all must match. And that’s not an easy task to achieve.
Reuel
Indeed. If someone has never heard Black Spikes before, which track off Ydos should they listen to first to get the best overall picture of your sound?
Agni
That’s a difficult question. I don’t think we can easily pick one song that completely describes our sound, because the songs differ so much.
In that sense, I would probably pick MARA. The song switches direction so many times that it’s almost impossible to attach it to one specific metal genre.
Reuel
What musicians can you credit as the ones who inspired you, personally, in your life or career as a musician?
Agni
There are so many that it’s difficult to name just a few. I grew up listening to very different kinds of music, which made me open to almost every genre.
But I think it’s important to mention a few names that have influenced me during my journey with Black Spikes.
Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless were very important in the beginning. When we formed Black Spikes, we started by practicing covers of these bands, and I loved both vocalists.
Then me and Sime fell in love with In This Moment and their stage presence. That inspired us to start creating our own performances and to think about Black Spikes as something bigger than just music.
And Tatiana from Jinjer was the person who inspired me to start my own journey into harsh vocals. She has this beautiful combination of being a lady and a true beast at the same time — I love it.
Reuel
Great names! Thank you for your time, Agni! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Agni
I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported Black Spikes so far. YDOS is a very important album for us, and we put a huge amount of ourselves into it — not only musically, but also visually and emotionally.
We really hope people will listen to it as a whole and take their own journey through the story.
And, of course, we can’t wait to bring YDOS to the stage.
Naarm/Melbourne based Metalcore outfit Vault Hill have just unleashed their incredibly powerful new single and video called ‘The Pain We Keep Alive’, which premiered exclusively via HEAVY Mag. The single is taken from their forthcoming seven-track EP, due for release in September. Inspired by vocalist Morgan’s experiences living and working in the Northern Territory, the […]