The Providence-based musician Ted Bradley plays in former Cymbals Eat Guitars frontman Joseph D’Agostino’s band Empty Country, and he also makes his own music as Strange Pains. D’Agostino produced, engineered, and mixed Strange Pains’ upcoming LP The Diamond District, Volume 1, the first part of a planned two-LP set, which was originally supposed to come out today. It’ll instead arrive next month, but the new single “Lucifer Disguised” is out today.
Bjørn Riis is among Norway’s most acclaimed and prolific artists in the progressive rock genre. As a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, he’s transitioned from learning his trade in obscure cover bands to having worldwide success both as a forming member of Airbag and as a solo artist.
On November the 13th, Karisma Records will release his mini-album called Divergence. The first taste of the mini-album is the song “Mercy”, written during the Fimbulwinter sessions, which is released today. It can be heard here: https://orcd.co/riis-mercy
Bjørn Riis has this to say about Mercy: Mercy was written during the Fimbulvinter sessions. It’s about healing from emotional trauma and the realization that you can’t do it alone. I’m blessed to have wonderful people in my life who relentlessly offer love and support along the way.
Musically, Mercy taps into my love of American singer-songwriters, and having Mimmi Tamba with me on vocals makes the song even more emotional and powerful.
Divergence is a four-track mini-album featuring all-new material, largely written during the Fimbulvinter sessions. Closely connected to Fimbulvinter and the mini live album Lifandi, released earlier this year, it completes a deeply personal trilogy and journey.
Bjørn comments: I love working with the mini-album format. It feels less constrained than making a full album — there’s more freedom to explore different ideas while still creating a sense of story, flow and theme. In many ways, it can feel more focused.
I’ve always been drawn to singer-songwriters, Americana, and the idea of creating an intimate sound filled with emotion and imagery. With Divergence, I’m inviting the listener into where I am right now — both emotionally and as an artist.
Pointing towards a new musical direction, Divergence explores different shades of Bjørn Riis’ songwriting. The single Mercy is a sombre, atmospheric piece featuring a duet with Norwegian artist Mimmi Tamba, alongside Bjørn’s evocative guitar playing. A song about change and hope, it also nods to the American singer-songwriter tradition that has been a recurring influence throughout Bjørn’s music.
The striking cover image, shot by Bjørn at Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Denmark, reflects themes of contrast and change. Cover design by Airbag frontman Asle Tostrup.
Divergence features Bjørn Riis on all instruments, with longtime collaborator Vegard Kleftås Sleipnes handling mixing and mastering.
Tracklisting for Divergence is as follows:
Carry Me
Mercy
Break Free
When I Think of You
Divergence will be available CD, Digital and limited edition Marble Vinyl LP formats, and can now be pre-ordered at:
For nearly two decades, Airbag and Bjørn has headlined sold-out shows, shared the stage with some of the biggest bands and artists in the genre, including Marillion, Yes, Saga, Neil Morse and Riverside and performed at some of the biggest festivals, including Night of the Prog and Cruise to the Edge.
Bjørn’s life in music started in the early 80s when he discovered Kiss, Black Sabbath and Whitesnake. This soon led to Bjørn picking up the guitar spending hours figuring out classic riffs and exploring weird sounds. Later, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree was crucial in Bjørn’s formative years as a songwriter.
“Music is a work of passion for me. It’s always there and something I can’t live without. I’m lucky to be able to create music, play instruments, play for other people and work with so many talented artists.” – Bjørn
After firmly establishing Airbag as a force to reconned with, Bjørn went deep into his own musical roots and recorded his first solo album, Lullabies in a Car Crash, in 2014. The album was a huge success, both commercially and personally, and it gained Bjørn the confidence and inspiration to venture out on a steadily growing solo career.
As a solo artist, Bjørn’s music is multi layered taking inspiration from different genres and styles. The bands he grew up with are ever present, but his unique sound also has references to late 60s singer/songwriters, americana, electronica and film music.
You’ll be able to see BJØRN RIIS live both with Airbag and solo in 2026/2027, and more dates will be announced:
AIRBAG: 22.10 – Academy, Manchester (UK) 23.10 – 02 Academy 2, Birmingham (UK) 24.10 – The Underworld, London (UK) 05.11 – Terminal Kultury Goclaw, Warsaw (PL) 06.11 – Zaklete Rewiry, Wroclaw (PL) 07.11 – Hype Park, Krakow (PL) 15.01 – Cosmopolite, Oslo (NOR)
A man consumed by other people’s ambitions stands at the centre of Consecration, the second album from Saint Petersburg post-black metal band SOMN. Due on November 20, 2026, through AOP Records, the four-track release examines blind obedience, senseless bloodshed and the gradual destruction of personal identity. The opening track, “The Loyal Hand,” is available now. […]
Over the summer, the National frontman Matt Berninger released the magnificently titled new solo track “Martini Me Fatso.” Though arriving in the long tail of last year’s excellent Get Sunk, it seemed to exist outside of the frame of the album cycle, and now we know it was part of a new EP that seems like it will stand as a capstone on this era. Released by surprise today, Type It Up includes “Martini Me Fatso,” the new originals “Type It Up” and “Ask For Water,” and the previously released covers of New Order’s “Blue Monday” and the Velvet Underground’s “Who Loves The Sun.”
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Rock titans Graveyard have officially unleashed their incendiary new single, “Tongue Tied”, available today on all digital platforms alongside an energetic official music video. The track serves as a driving second preview of their highly anticipated seventh studio album, Fever, arriving October 9th worldwide via Nuclear Blast Records.
Shaking off the gloomier, introverted atmosphere of 2023’s album Six, “Tongue Tied” shifts the band into high gear. Built on an up-tempo momentum and a relentless, hard-hitting groove, the track stands out as one of the most direct and urgent songs in the band’s catalog. Drenched in thick fuzz and fueled by a blistering rhythm section, Graveyard captures an uncompromising, high-velocity energy without sacrificing a drop of their signature, blues-soaked soul.
To visually capture the track’s breakneck drive, the band enlisted acclaimed Swedish director EmilKlinta, whose visual palette has previously shaped iconic videos for Ghost and The Hellacopters. Klinta’s video mirrors the song’s electric pace, matching performance-driven intensity with a sleek, cinematic rock-and-roll edge.
Mixed by Pelle Gunnerfeldt—widely renowned for capturing the ferocious live energy of bands like The Hives, Refused, and Viagra Boys—and mastered by Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering, “Tongue Tied” displays the raw, unvarnished power at the heart of the upcoming album.
Accompanying the record’s bold visual identity created by Dutch artist Maarten Donders, Fever marks a triumphant return to form for the two-time Swedish chart-toppers. Following the album’s release on October 9th, Graveyard will launch a co-headlining Scandinavian tour alongside Blues Pills to celebrate the release, ahead of extensive European and UK tours throughout 2027.
London grime giant Skepta has taken his career to some unexpected places lately. He released an extremely cool collaborative EP with the superstar DJ Fred again.. last year, and then he took steps to become a superstar DJ himself. Earlier this year Skepta started up spinning house records at Más Tiempo, his DJ residency at Hï Ibiza’s Club Room, and he released an EDM EP to go along with it. Now, Skepta’s back to rapping on a new single, but it’s got its own strange clubby energy.
Papa Roach has another monster hit on its hands. “See U In Hell,” the band’s single from the Devil May Cry animated series on Netflix, has now crossed 100 million streams since dropping in May — putting it ahead of even the band’s biggest recent chart-toppers. The track features Indian rapper Hanumankind, who broke through globally in 2024 with “Big Dogs” (597 million Spotify streams) and has since played Coachella and other major festival stages.
“We are blown away by the reception from audiences around the world. Performing the song in Europe this summer was amazing,” said Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix. “We were proud to bring this era of The Devil May Cry to life, and to reach fans in the gaming and anime spaces. They’re all in the PRoach universe now, and it’s showing.”
The momentum on stage matches the momentum on the charts. Papa Roach‘s 2025 Rise Of The Roach world tour rolls into 2026 having already played to 750,000 fans, and the band returns to Glasgow on Nov. 1 for the first time in nine years as part of a 22-city run. The itinerary is stacked with long-overdue stops, including Dublin, a sold-out Cardiff date, debut shows in Rotterdam, Bergamo and Katowice, a return to Cologne after 12 years, and a first-ever gig in Lyon.
“These are the biggest headline shows of our career, and some places we’ve never been,” Shaddix continued. “We’ll leave an exclamation point on these cities, that’s for sure.”
French support acts Landmvrks and Sleep Theory will join the run, which sees €1 (or £1 in the UK) from every ticket going toward local suicide prevention and mental health charities.
The tour keeps Papa Roach‘s reputation intact as one of rock’s most relentless live acts, still pushing hard both on stage and off with sets built around fan favorites and nonstop energy.
A two-time Grammy nominee and platinum-selling pioneer of alternative hard rock, Papa Roach marked the 25th anniversary of its breakthrough album Infest in 2025. Mental health advocacy has long been part of the band’s identity, dating back to the iconic Last Resort and continuing through the more recent collaboration with Carrie Underwood on “Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark),” which pulled in over $500,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention while also supporting CALM in the UK.
Eleven studio albums deep, Papa Roach shows no signs of slowing, most recently with Ego Trip on its own New Noize Records. The band’s catalog has topped one billion global streams overall, with Ego Trip alone producing four No. 1 singles and pushing the band’s career tally to 28 Top 10 hits and 15 No. 1s across the Rock, Alternative and Hot AC charts.
After sold-out arena runs across Europe and North America in 2025, Papa Roach took the show to Asia and Australia this spring, hit European festivals in June, and heads into a UK tour in November 2026. “Wake Up Calling” and “See U In Hell” are both out now everywhere.
