Category: news

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Finnish Melodic Hard Rock/Metal Band PlusMinusZero Releases New Single “Touch” Through Downfall Records

Stream and purchase “Touch” now:
https://downfallrecords.bandcamp.com/album/touch
Helsinki, Finland – Finnish melodic hard rock/metal band PlusMinusZero have released their brand-new single “Touch” today, July 24th, 2026, through Downfall Records . Following the release of their debut single “Wasted” in June, the band continues to introduce their powerful melodic sound built on classic metal influences, memorable songwriting, and decades of musical experience.
“Touch” showcases PlusMinusZero’s signature blend of melodic hard rock and metal, combining powerful guitar-driven arrangements, memorable hooks, and the timeless influence of the classic heavy music that inspired the band’s members for decades.
Although PlusMinusZero is a newly formed band, the musicians behind the name are far from newcomers. Formed in Helsinki in 2025, the group brings together longtime friends who have previously shared albums, tours, radio airplay, and television appearances throughout Finland.
The band’s debut single “Wasted” introduced listeners to their sound, while “Touch” continues the journey with another strong melodic metal track built around experience, passion, and a return to the heavy roots that first brought these musicians together.
Drawing inspiration from legendary acts including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio, Helloween, and Scorpions , while carrying the spirit of Finnish melodic rock and metal influences such as Uniklubi, Happoradio, Negative, Altaria, Sara, and Charon , PlusMinusZero delivers a modern take on classic melodic heavy music.
Since forming in 2025, PlusMinusZero have been independently recording and mixing new material, creating songs that reflect both their musical history and their renewed passion for heavy music.
Lineup:

Pete – Vocals
dr. sundström – Guitar
iledelay – Bass
Janne – Drums
Recording Information:

Recorded by PlusMinusZero
Produced and mixed by dr. sundström
Mastered by C-Nil Studio
About PlusMinusZero:

PlusMinusZero was formed in Helsinki, Finland in 2025 by musicians with a long history in the Finnish rock and metal scene. Before coming together under the PlusMinusZero name, the members were involved in previous projects that produced multiple full-length albums, toured throughout Finland, and gained radio and television exposure.
Driven by a lifelong passion for heavy music, the band returns to the roots of melodic hard rock and metal while creating something fresh for today’s listeners.
Following the release of “Wasted,” PlusMinusZero continue their new chapter with “Touch,” available now through Downfall Records.
For Fans Of:

Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio, Helloween, Scorpions, Uniklubi, Happoradio, Negative, Altaria, Sara, Charon


Links:

Stream/Purchase “Touch”:
https://downfallrecords.bandcamp.com/album/touch
Official Website:
https://www.downfallrecords.com
PlusMinusZero Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/plusminuszeromusic/
Downfall Records Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/downfallrecords666
Downfall Records Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/downfallrecords_666/
Contact: mike@downfallrecords.com

It is not unusual for me to do things in a strange manner, so having heard Rob Harrison’s second album I then listened to his debut, and it is only now that I am moving onto the first Z Machine album which was released in 2023 (I hear the second is due soon). What we have here is a Welsh jazz rock/progressive rock quintet featuring Lester Greenhalgh (drums & percussion), Rob Harrison (saxophone, flute), Kristian Rees (bass) and guitarists Gareth Piper and Owen Rosser. The first thing that stands out from their sound is that there are no keyboards (which is not a total surprise in that these guys are so tight they could not fit in another instrument) and that they have far more in common with a “straight” jazz band than rock, but they are very much a rock group.

It is not unusual in jazz for a saxophone to be the main melodic lead working with a very technical rhythm section who do way more than just provide a foundation, but what is unusual here is the use of twin guitarists who can provide beck and call or just crunch the riffs. I think I expected much more in the way of pronk given Rob’s solo releases, and I confess I am having something of a difficulty in deciding if they are  jazz band moving into prog, or the other way around, but what I do know is that it is fascinating and endlessly inventive. I have no idea if this was recorded live in the studio as is the case with many jazz acts, but it would not surprise me at all if it were, as it has that bounce, feel and togetherness which only comes from everyone playing off each other.

The result is something which is far more jazz combining with rock than jazz rock fusion and is quite different from many bands working in their field, so much so that even jazz purists may find this interesting. All I can say is that this a fascinating take on different musical forms and anyone who enjoys discovering those pushing boundaries while somehow also staying listenable the first time around would do well to seek them out.
8/10 Kev Rowland

It’s that time of year again where we talk to as many bands as we can who are raring to blow you away at Catton Park! Plymouth metalcore outfit Carrier will be bringing their raw, aggressive riffs and dark, immersive staging to the Stowford Press New Blood Stage on Friday at Bloodstock 2026. We previously … Continue reading Road To Bloodstock 2026: Carrier

There was a time when a new Yes album was a cause for great celebration, but I must confess that like many I have become somewhat jaded over the years and there is a large part of me which thinks that Yes without Anderson isn’t really Yes at all, especially with Chris Squire no longer around either. But, although I may not have been a huge fan of the recent albums, I did enjoy Davidson singing when Yes came to NZ twice (when both Squire and White were still there), and thought he was great in Glass Hammer so maybe it was just me?

I think, and I could well be wrong as I often am, that this is the first time in nearly 40 years when there has been a line-up which has produced two albums together, and I am sure that has greatly helped in what is easily their most consistent and enjoyable release since 2011’s ‘Fly From Here’. Is it the Yes of the Seventies? No, of course not – none of the bands from that era are the same, either in line-up or musical style, but is it still an album which progheads will enjoy playing? Yes. I am probably not alone in thinking that Downes has always been best when in a group with strong songwriters and when he has been able to dominate then the results have rarely been as good (e.g. pretty much any Asia album not involving Wetton), and it is interesting to note he has had very little input into the writing of this release, with Davison having a much bigger impact as he moves away from being the “stand-in” to recognising he has a genuine part to play.

I thought long and hard about what I would rate this album at, and I am sure this is because it has the name “Yes” on the cover as if it was any other band I would have found it much easier, so perhaps the issue is not with the music but with the person listening to it. This is a thoroughly enjoyable, if somewhat lightweight Yes album, with Schellen and Sherwood clearly demonstrating they are also up to the task, while the ageless Steve Howe still has the delicate touch we have all admired for so very many years. I was worried about this release, so much so that I very nearly didn’t search for it, but I am very glad I did.
8/10 Kev Roland

Their new album “Hun” is also saddled up.

The post The HU Premiere “Horsemen” Music Video appeared first on Theprp.com.

Every year, ArcTanGent offers something a little different. Whether it’s discovering your next favourite band on one of the smaller stages, watching long-awaited reunions, or simply soaking up the atmosphere alongside one of the friendliest crowds on the festival circuit, it has become a staple of the UK alternative calendar. This year, however, is especially … Continue reading We’ll Be There: ArcTanGent 2026 – Farewell to Fernhill Farm

Every week the Stereogum staff chooses the five best new songs of the week. The eligibility period begins and ends Thursdays right before midnight. You can hear this week’s picks below and on Stereogum’s Favorite New Music Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly. (An expanded playlist of our new music picks is available to subscribers on Spotify and Apple Music, updated throughout the week.)

The post The 5 Best Songs Of The Week appeared first on Stereogum.

Finnish Turku-based melodic death metal band Frostbite Terror released their debut album “Into The Frozen Depths’ on July 24th 2026 via Inverse Records.  Into The Frozen Depths is a compilation of various real life and fictional events. A wanderer wades through the snows to take a sauna as hot as Hell itself, enters the depths and rides […]

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Listen to “Full Circle”: https://cherryred.co/FullCircle

The Pete Roth Trio release their new single “Full Circle” today, July 17, 2026! This is the first single from their upcoming live CD/DVD album Group Chat. This song is one of the first the Trio produced when they first started two or three years ago, and it’s the first track on the album. Unusually for Bill, it’s in a very common 4/4 groove! “Full Circle” also appears on the accompanying live DVD.

The Pete Roth Trio return with Group Chat, a striking new CD/DVD release that captures the spontaneity, interplay and fearless musical conversation at the heart of this exceptional band. Led by guitarist Pete Roth, alongside bassist Mike Pratt and legendary drummer Bill Bruford, Group Chat is Roth’s third major album and a release of particular significance, marking Bruford’s eagerly awaited return to headline performance after a 13-year hiatus, as well as his first appearance on new material in 19 years.

Produced by Pete Roth and Bill Bruford for Winterfold Records, Group Chat presents a trio that thrives on intimacy, risk and connection. Rooted in jazz but never constrained by it, the music moves fluidly through funk, contemporary classical influences and spontaneous improvisation, with nothing treated as untouchable. Original compositions such as Full Circle, Dancing With Grace and Original Sin sit alongside collaborative pieces including Part Of The Charm and Looking Forward To Looking Back, while the trio’s inspired Improvisation on the Largo from Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 underlines the breadth of their musical imagination. The result is a record that feels adventurous, immediate and alive – music made in the moment by three musicians listening as deeply as they play.

The release is presented as a two-disc digipak CD/DVD edition, complete with a booklet containing extensive notes and group photographs. Alongside the nine-track audio album, the package includes a bonus 35-minute DVD offering further insight into the trio’s world, with performances, an introduction, and a special spoken segment from Pete Roth.

The music press reaction’s have been emphatic. “The Pete Roth Trio is a band of equals, clearly loving the opportunity to improvise and have musical conversations,” wrote Biff Bam Pop!, while Innerviews praised the music as “rich with nuance, invention, and telepathic rapport.” Dr. Jazz Talks described the album as “a feast of rhythm and melody,” and Make Weird Music summed up its appeal succinctly: “I wish more jazz was this much fun.” Another review captured the trio’s balancing act perfectly, calling it “loose enough that it could fall apart and tight enough that it grooves.”

Pete Roth brings to Group Chat a background that spans blues, rock and jazz, shaped first in Germany and then refined through his studies and career in the UK. Mike Pratt, a highly regarded bassist, composer and producer with deep roots in jazz fusion and groove-based music, brings both harmonic imagination and rhythmic authority to the trio. For Bruford, whose career has encompassed groundbreaking work with Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and a host of major jazz collaborators, Group Chat reflects a continuing commitment to the innovative, the unusual and the unlikely. Together, the three musicians create an experience that reshapes expectations of the guitar trio format, making space for melody, texture, groove and surprise in equal measure.

Group Chat is a vivid document of three distinctive musical voices in open conversation – intimate, exploratory, witty and deeply alive.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE: CD AUDIO
1. Full Circle
2. Part Of The Charm
3. Group Chat
4. Improvisation on the Largo from Dvořák’s Symphony #9
5. Looking Forward To Looking Back
6. Summertime
7. Dancing With Grace
8. Original Sin
9. Hard Case, Soft Centre

DISC TWO: BONUS DVD
1. Introduction
2. Full Circle
3. Part Of The Charm
4. Group Chat
5. Improvisation on the Largo from Dvořák’s Symphony #9
6. A Word From Pete
7. Hard Case, Soft Centre

Produced by Pete Roth and Bill Bruford for Winterfold Records
BBWF006CDVD
www.winterfoldrecords.com

Listen to “Full Circle”: https://cherryred.co/FullCircle

Pre-order “Group Chat”: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/pete-roth-trio-featuring-bill-bruford-group-chat-cd-dvd-edition

Information about the Pete Roth Trio: www.peterothtrio.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeteRothTrio

It’s that time of year again where we talk to as many bands as we can who are raring to blow you away at Catton Park! Bristol crossover crew Martyrs Saint will be bringing their intense, hardcore-infused heavy metal to the Stowford Press New Blood Stage on Friday at Bloodstock 2026. We previously reported on … Continue reading Road To Bloodstock 2026: Martyrs Saint