Frontiers Music Srl has confirmed what fans have been angling for since the band got back on stage: Pretty Maids is working on a new studio album, due out in 2027. It’ll be the Danish hard rockers’ first full-length since 2019’s Undress Your Madness, opening a new chapter for a band that’s been doing this for more than four decades.
At the core of it all is the songwriting partnership of Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer, the pair whose chemistry has defined Pretty Maids‘ sound since day one — big riffs, bigger choruses, and keyboard textures that give the whole thing an atmospheric edge. Since forming in 1982, the band has built a catalog that includes Future World, Jump The Gun, Pandemonium, Motherland and Kingmaker, records that cemented Pretty Maids as one of Europe’s most reliable names in melodic hard rock.
The band went quiet for five years before returning to the stage in 2024, and the reception apparently made the decision easy. What started as a handful of live shows has now turned into a full studio comeback.
Jacob Hansen, the Danish producer behind records from Amaranthe, Volbeat, Epica, Primal Fear and Evergrey, will handle production on the new album. Beyond that, Pretty Maids and Frontiers are keeping details close to the chest for now, with more to come in the following months.
Pretty Maids played its first show in nearly five years on 16 June 2024 at Forbrændingen in Albertslund, Denmark, billed under the alias Kingmakers for what amounted to a low-key warm-up. The real return came four days later, on 20 June 2024, when the band took the stage at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen.
Outside of Pretty Maids, Atkins has stayed busy on his own: his third solo album, Trinity, came out in October 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.
The band’s 2026 lineup:
Ronnie Atkins / Vocals Ken Hammer / Lead Guitar Rene Shades / Bass Chris Laney / Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards Allan Tschicaja / Drums
You’re probably wondering, “What’s a lightsphere?” Lily Seabird, who invented the term when she titled her new album Lightspheres On Your Way, defines a lightsphere as a catalyzing presence that perennially returns to alter life’s trajectory. “A lightsphere can be so many things,” she says in promo materials, “an actual light like a star, the sun, a UFO; headlights, a flashlight in the night; but also life, living things, people, relationships.” It could even be a Lily Seabird album.
Bonnie Bloomgarden, leader of the consistently great Los Angeles psychedelic rockers Death Valley Girls, recently lost her Altadena home in the California wildfires. That loss, along with the death of her dog Tommy, informed Death Valley Girls’ upcoming album Welcome To Earth. We already posted the excellent lead single “Message From The Venus Flower.” Their new song is a bright, emotional synth-garage bop about realizing how happy you are to have someone out of your life. Here’s what she says about it:
We are oh so back. Long Island treasure Jade Lilitri is back today with news of the next Oso Oso album, an exchange of information. It’s coming out in November on Feral Twin, the new label started by Hop Along drummer Mark Quinlan. Lead single “know you know me better,” out now, kicks off with a surprise string arrangement that may or may not be synthetic. But the song is, at its core, exactly the sort of pristine emo-tinged guitar-pop tune Lilitri has specialized in for years. That subtle adjustment to the classic Oso Oso sound lines up with his statement on the new album:
Album Review: Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Norwegian progressive metal act Green Carnation bring their most ambitious project to its conclusion with the final part of their “A Dark Poem” trilogy. Started back last year with the release of the first part “The Shores Of Melancholia” and continued earlier this year with the second part “Sanguis”, the third part “The Messiah Complex” concludes the band’s interpretation of “Arthur Rimbaud’s dreamy ode to Sheakpeare’s tragic Ophelia”. Each part of the trilogy has seen a different aspect of Green Carnation’s sound – “The Shores Of Melancholia” was dark and bleak yet heavy and immediate, “Sanguis” was even darker yet far gentler and introspective and “The Messiah Complex” sees the band at their most vast and progressive and serves as a surprising finale.
The album itself is only made up of four songs but each have their own identity. Album opener ‘Unconditional Artificial Chemistry’ continues the dark and introspective feel of the previous album but with driving riffs and luscious melodies. It is followed by the title track which is far more progressive affair with plenty of twists and turns and an almost psychedelic feel at times. The peak of the album comes with ‘Broken Souls, Common Enemies’ which manages to be the most melodic and heavy song in equal measure with gorgeous vocal lines and luscious melodies mixed with driving riffs and the most aggressive moments of the album.
The big surprise comes in the album’s finale ‘A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite’ which sees the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir perform a 16 minute orchestral piece. It is the boldest piece of music composed by Green Carnation to date and is a suitably epic and emotional finale for the album and the trilogy.
Green Carnation aren’t shy from bold musical statements as shown back in 2001 with their second album “Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness” which was one song an hour in duration. The “A Dark Poem” trilogy has been the boldest project from the band since then and can be seen as the band’s magnum opus and “The Messiah Complex” is a suitably epic conclusion to the trilogy with three excellent songs and a hair raising orchestral piece. Green Carnation have been going a long time but the past couple of years show that they are certainly not resting on their feet. I look forward to listening to the whole trilogy in one sitting and getting the full experience.
21st August 2026 Words: Matt Noble Photos: Rich Price
The ungodly hour of 11 in the morning didn’t deter Worn Out from rousing an impressive turnout to fill the PX3 tent for some no-nonsense metallic hardcore. Going from angular, jagged riffs to punishing breakdowns and grooves, they snap everyone’s necks together in unison and effortlessly get a vicious pit going front and centre. There is a real honesty and earnestness to their energy. Compared to some of their peers in hardcore, the instrumental sound is very much organic and does not rely on backing tracks or pre-recorded layers. This is the sound of the blood, sweat and beers of a rock band. The impassioned vocal performance and unapologetic political message, to put it simply, feels real. During their set, Worn Out brought out a Palestine flag mid-set with sincerity, too, earning a huge roar of approval. There is a nice mix of old and new in their influences, and songs from their upcoming album that are performed go down an absolute storm. I’ve done worse things with my time shortly after eating breakfast. This was superb.
Shortly after, Rugby quartet Conjurer take to the main stage to showcase last year’s ‘Unself’ to Arctangent for the first time. Fernhill Farm regulars, their confident and assured performance goes down a storm. As Conor throws himself around front and centre with his trademark windmill, Brady and Dani’s vicious dual vocals lead the charge with power and emotion. One of contemporary metal’s most consistent guitar duos, they don’t put a foot wrong while drummer Noah handles each shift in tempo and time with fluidity and real class. Dani gives a heartfelt speech before leading into ‘Let Us Live’, rousing cheers and offering a place to belong for many in the audience. The song itself has moments of melodic vocals to inject real colour and contrast to the otherwise bludgeoning screams.
The songs from Conjurer’s new(ish) record really go in hard with crushing dissonant breakdowns that are woven in around the post-sludge riff magic they’re best known for, as well as the moments of calm in the softer breaks. Tied into a pulsing visual backdrop, Conjurer present professionally for a stage show that’s a notch above many of their peers. There’s something seriously striking about the view of four silhouettes against the eerie yet vibrant backdrop. Towards the end, they close with the one-two of ‘Choke’ and ‘Retch’ from 2018’s ‘Mire’ to the delight of the old faithful. The hardcore blast of ‘Retch’ is, in particular, a hell of a statement to end a setlist. Igniting the pits one last time at Fernhill Farm, these grounds will miss this band as much as vice versa.
The fearsomely heavy Kulk, a power duo from East Anglia, could be found making more noise than two individuals have any right to on the PX3 Stage around teatime. With heaviness and sheer volume you can feel in your teeth, their titanic sludgy grooves dominate the tent. The Buzz Osbourne blueprint can be found in many of the riffs, while the snare booms out powerfully, as if to signal the end of the world. They bring a bit of a punk ethos with them into the songs, though the jaunty drum patterns and vicious vocal bellowing give them their own flavour. A guest appearance from Hannah of the band Ian sees a cello added in for the final song, which is dedicated to a friend of the band who had taken their own life. She adds a haunting ambience to Kulk’s emotionally driven closer, sitting nicely in the mix, present but not overbearingly so. Since the festival took place, Kulk released ‘Choosing to Die’ on Church Road Records. I’m sure many in the tent that day have their copy already.
Pennsylvanian shoegazers Nothing draw a large crowd even for their soundcheck. A band I knew nothing (haha) about before the festival, they are six months into the ‘A Short History of Decay’ album cycle, from which the first few songs of the soaring set are taken. Easing in with the soft, reverb-y chords and gentle vocal line of ‘Purple Strings’, Nothing build dreamy vocal harmonies and constantly create layers, utilising three guitars along with the traditional bass and drums setup. It’s a mellow opening song, but Nothing sound huge when they turn up to eleven as the set continues. The band school the tent on atmosphere and ambience, each note, harmony and texture carefully considered. You can see the way they feel the music onstage, as each member moves around in their own way, with no need for choreographed stage moves, and their receptive audience groove back in response. It’s definitely a festival performance as a whole, and the band interact well with the crowd, starting a ‘free Palestine’ chant during one of their songs, which goes down as popularly as you’d expect. For me, this performance is a gift from the festival gods, giving me a band that I was completely unfamiliar with that I’ll certainly be diving into and keeping tabs on.
Perturbator turn the big tent into a goth rave for their special guest slot on the main stage. The impressive light show and fun yet dark electronic vibe makes for a seriously memorable performance. Be under no illusions, a slot this high up is massively earned by Perturbator, as the tent overflows into the rest of the field. Inside, heads move, bodies dance and small clouds of cigarette smoke drift up to the top as the crowd go feral. Balloons are bounced around at the front, and overall, it’s nothing less than a massive party. Isn’t this what festivals are all about, really? The intense percussion gives the set enough “heavy” not to feel totally out of place, but with many Arctangent acts suiting standing around swaying or being drowned in traditional heaviness, a completely different vibe is welcome at this point. A great booking by the organisers. You can’t see too much on stage, but the silhouette of James Kent looks like he’s having just as much of a blast as the rest of us.
The godfathers of grind delivered a brutal headlining set on the Yohkai stage. Crowd surfers, rabid mosh pits and a sea of metal horns filled out the tent for Napalm Death’s maiden Arctangent appearance, with plenty watching from outside. They picked out a couple of their more post-punk-tinged numbersfor today’s setlist, such as 2020’s ‘Amoral’, maybe to try to fit in with the overall vibe of the festival. Napalm Death have never been a one-dimensional act, and cover plenty of ground and many of their own eras today. But there’s enough frantic, lightning fast classics that you’d expect from the band to keep everyone happy, such as ‘Scum’, ‘Suffer The Children’ and of course ‘You Suffer’, which the audience cheer for longer than the runtime of the song itself, a rare thing. Barney Greenway is a ball of energy fronting the band during the songs, and as witty as ever on the mic between them. Danny Herrera is also in particularly fine form on the drum throne. But there’s always something a bit special about witnessing Napalm Death living, breathing, and making their ‘horrible f*cking noise’, as Barney quips with a grin. There’s nothing quite like screaming along to ‘Nazi Punks F*ck Off’ in a festival field on a Friday night, either.
A whole fifteen minutes before Primus’ set time, shouts of ‘Primus sucks!’ erupt through the tent, already completely packed to its rafters to an almost uncomfortable level. But what else would you expect when they’d not played in the UK for almost a decade? When the lights finally go down, the response is absolutely massive, arguably the biggest of the weekend. It’s time. Primus had been tipped as an ideal Arctangent headliner for years on online forums and amongst discussions in festival camps alike. It really feels like Arctangent had pulled a special booking out the bag for our final jaunt to Fernhill Farm.
Opening with ‘Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers’ from the classic ‘Sailing the Seas of Cheese’ record, the crowd moves and grooves away to the band’s flowing rhythm, singing along with a sea of phones popping up for the chance to get Claypool and co into a few thousand camera rolls. John Hoffman delivers an absolute ripper of a drum solo during ‘Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread’, and Les’s first bass solo of the night goes down an absolute storm. But Larry LaLonde also deserves a lot of credit for faithfully laying down his guitar parts, never taking the spotlight – unusually for the role of a guitarist – but always delivering character and the experimentation that’s so central to the musical foundations of Primus.
‘I have no idea where I am’, admits Les after a few songs. It’s the final show of their European tour, and you’d forgive him for not knowing this corner of Somerset, especially on a night like tonight where the full extent of his mad scientist-like musical genius is on show. It’s rare to find someone so gifted on their instrument who can also make his crowd sing, clap and dance, while also letting his silly sense of humour shine. He jokes that ‘Shake Hands With Beef’ isn’t one for the vegetarians, and introduces ‘Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver’ as being about animals with a wry grin. But he also quotes The Star-Spangled Banner during a bass solo, and brings out an upright bass mid-set as well, largely allowing the music to do the talking. You’ll find this nowhere else.
A lot of bands playing this weekend bring a celestial vibe to their tent, or something heavy, or something that pulls at the heartstrings. Primus frankly bring something completely surreal, but that doesn’t stop a completely feral crowd response. The closing suckerpunch of ‘My Name Is Mud’ into ‘Jerry Was A Race Car Driver’ raises the atmosphere past the tipping point. If an entire tent dancing away isn’t your idea of what a proper festival headline set can be about, what is?
Nevertel are back with their second track of 2026, and it finds them at their most atmospherically soaring.
Titled ‘LAST BREATH’, it is a tune brimming with melodic force and wonderfully addictive catchiness. A slice of pitch perfect modern metal, the tension builds and builds until the weight can’t hold anymore, exploding into life and gripping your throat with glee.
It’s a summation of everything the band have done up till now and everywhere they are heading in the future.
Raul Lopez had this to say about where the song’s origins lie:
“‘LAST BREATH’ was written while being stuck in the Nashville ice storm earlier this year with our good friend Gianni Taylor. This song explores emotional turmoil that we sometimes experience in our head of breaking yourself down while simultaneously trying to keep going with whatever you’re doing in life. The sonic landscape of the song almost feels dark and gloomy, which is exactly how we were feeling when writing it.
The music video dives into these mind games we play with ourselves and shows Jeremy and I going through our own scenarios and having to get back to reality and keep fighting our way through life. Jeremy and Alex Kouvatsos from Blackwolf Imaging created the perfect visual representation of what this song means. We’re so proud of this one and hope you connect with it as much as we do.”
It follows on from ‘OTHERSIDE’ which was released earlier this year and sounds like this:
Jont’s Another World is a warm and uplifting indie folk song that explores love through connection, separation and renewal. A flowing 3/4 rhythm gives the track a gentle movement, while expressive vocals, melodic electric guitar and atmospheric synths gradually expand its intimate foundation. The live-band recording adds an organic, spontaneous quality, allowing the arrangement to feel natural as it builds toward its celebratory chorus. There is a strong balance between personal emotion and cinematic scale throughout, with the production leaving plenty of space for the songwriting to breathe. Another World ultimately carries a message of hope, reconciliation and lasting connection.
