Belgian post-metal/heavy shoegazers Slow Crush are back today with a pair of new singles called “Que Du Noir” and “Hallowed,” their first pieces of new music since releasing their album Thirst last spring. “Que Du Noir” is massive and cacophonous, though Isa Holliday’s smooth-gliding vocal melodies keep the track sounding graceful amid all the intensity;…
The post Slow Crush – “Que Du Noir” & “Hallowed” appeared first on Stereogum.
A few interesting facts about the Russian area/province known as Chelyabinsk Oblast:
*The region, located in the southern Ural Mountains, has been home to top-secret nuclear research since the ‘40s. There was a serious nuclear accident northwest of Chelyabinsk City in 1957 which led to evacuations, fatalities and the province being closed to all foreigners for 25 years.
*A 1994 documentary by Polish-American director Sławomir Grünberg titled Chelyabinsk: The Most Contaminated Spot on the Planet chronicled the region’s environmental history as well as more recent unsafe dumping of radioactive waste in local rivers and lakes. Russians are probably still pissed about foreigners being allowed in the area.
*In February 2013, a 10,000 tonne meteoroid passed over the southern Urals and exploded in a meteor air burst over the area. Fifteen hundred people were reported injured and 3000 buildings in six cities across the region were damaged by the explosion and impact.
*Chelyabinsk Oblast is home to more than 3700 lakes covering an area over 820 square miles. That Chelyabinsk City’s basketball team is called BC Chelbasket Chelyabinsk and not the Lakers is a serious injustice.
I don’t purport to know what life is like in Russia these days. I especially don’t know what life is like in Russia for a death metal band, but against what are likely some hearty odds Chelyabinsk quartet Insect Inside are set to release their second album, Reborn in Blight, tomorrow courtesy of Gore House Productions, a label based in Los Angeles, a city with far fewer than 3700 lakes whose local hoops team is nicknamed the Lakers. If you like your death metal rough, tough and inspirational enough to make you want to go out and punch cops, and you’re a fan of Devourment, Internal Bleeding, Cryptopsy, Stabbing and Defeated Sanity (whose Josh Welshman makes a guest appearance) why not take the below stream of the album for a whirl? When asked about their latest work, the band replied: “We hope that we will be able to please our music fans with this new album. We managed to create a symbiosis of groove-based slamming and dark brutal death metal. The lyrics are about the domination of the insectoid race.”
The post Album Premiere: Getting Brutally Slammed By Russia’s Insect Inside appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
The time has come for swords, steel and glory with the relentless black metal assault of Fire Magic. Hailing from Virginia, the band brings a unique and triumphant energy to their sound, blending the grandeur of classic heavy metal with raw black metal excellence — with perhaps the slightest echo of folk-metal (think the early Helheimalbums).
What you get is an expert-level execution of melody and a relentless wave of aggression in equal measure. That kind of thing goes down well at Decibel, so we’re very pleased to present the album in full here today. From the epic “Break Them Against the Mountains” to the contemplative “Imperishable Flame,” Memories of Fire promises a varied but consistent black metal experience.
Memories of Fire comes out tomorrow via Stygian Black Hand. You can find preorder information at the label’s Bandcamp page.
The post Full Album Stream: Fire Magic – <i>Memories of Fire</i> appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
Yes. Members of the Swedish rock band Europe confirmed that songwriting has been underway and studio plans have been discussed as the long-awaited follow-up to Walk The Earth moves forward.
When Europe released Walk The Earth in 2017, the album reinforced what longtime listeners already knew — the band’s modern era had become heavier, bluesier, and far more rooted in classic rock than their 1980s reputation might suggest.
That record, produced by Dave Cobb, continued the creative streak that began after Europe reunited in the early 2000s. Albums like Start From The Dark, Last Look At Eden, Bag Of Bones, and War Of Kings helped reshape the band’s identity beyond the massive shadow of “The Final Countdown.”
Still, the wait for the next studio album has now stretched far longer than fans expected.
During an appearance on The Chuck Shute Podcast, guitarist John Norum explained that the band had already begun writing songs for the next record and were planning to enter the studio once schedules aligned.
According to Norum, the group intended to start recording in May, with every member contributing ideas and new material during the writing phase.
At the time, the band were also preparing for a South American tour, including performances in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
Frontman Joey Tempest also discussed the band’s future plans during a conversation with Behind The Vinyl, explaining that the next album would arrive alongside several other major projects.
Among the ideas the band were exploring:
Tempest suggested the band preferred to release new music first, rather than relying solely on nostalgia-driven tours.
That approach has defined Europe’s post-reunion era: moving forward creatively rather than living entirely in the past.
Classic hard rock has quietly surged back into mainstream attention over the past few years, thanks to festival revivals, vinyl sales, and renewed streaming interest in legacy bands.
Europe are uniquely positioned in that landscape.
Unlike many 1980s acts, the Swedish group rebuilt their sound after reuniting — trading glossy arena rock for a heavier, blues-infused style closer to Deep Purple, UFO, and Led Zeppelin influences.
That transformation earned them renewed credibility among rock audiences.
The next album will determine whether that late-career momentum continues.
No matter how much the band evolve, one song inevitably follows them everywhere: “The Final Countdown.”
Released in 1986, the track became one of the most recognizable rock songs in the world.
But Europe’s later albums proved the band was capable of far more than a single iconic anthem. Their modern catalog has been praised for its richer songwriting and heavier tone.
A new record would continue that story.
Will Europe’s next album arrive soon… or will the wait stretch even longer?
Either way, anticipation is building for what could be the band’s first new studio release in nearly a decade.
And that raises a fun debate among fans:
Would you rather hear Europe continue their heavier modern sound — or return to the melodic arena-rock style of the 1980s?
The band’s most recent album, Walk The Earth, was released in October 2017.
The band still features the classic lineup: Joey Tempest, John Norum, John Levén, Mic Michaeli, and Ian Haugland.
Yes. The band continues to perform internationally and appear at major rock festivals.
No official release date has been confirmed yet, though members have confirmed ongoing songwriting and plans to record new material.
Europe formed in Stockholm in 1979 and became one of Sweden’s most successful rock exports. Their 1986 hit “The Final Countdown” turned the band into global stars, but their 2000s reunion ushered in a heavier, more mature sound influenced by classic hard rock. Over four decades into their career, Europe remain an active touring band with a dedicated international fanbase.
The post Europe Are Finally Talking About A New Album — But When Will The Swedish Rock Legends Hit The Studio? appeared first on Loaded Radio.
Apple Music won’t prevent you from streaming AI slop, but it’ll at least let you know that you’re streaming AI slop. According to the Music Business Worldwide newsletter, the biggest non-Spotify streaming service is launching a new feature that it calls Transparency Tags. It’s a set of metadata disclosure requirements that’ll flag music that used generative AI on a “material portion” of four elements: the track itself, the lyrics, the artwork, and the music video.
The post Apple Music Introduces AI Transparency Tags appeared first on Stereogum.
FireHouse .
The post FireHouse launch new single “Midnight Gasoline” first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.
Picture a chamber recital held in a bombed-out city. The theatre’s ceiling has collapsed inward, burying the balconies and mezzanines in rubble. The few working lights flicker tentatively in the gloom. Scorch marks adorn the walls, occasionally outlining ghostly silhouettes on the peeling plaster. The stage is coated in a fine layer of ash, soon to be stirred about by a rotating ensemble of over a dozen musicians, who will weave tales of resistance, desperation, loss and, ultimately, hope.
This is the imagery Something to Lose conjures, a live collaboration between Throwing Bricks and Ontaard commissioned by the curators of Roadburn Festival. Last April, these nigh-unclassifiable Dutch bands united to perform this joint composition–a whirlwind of sludge, screamo, black metal, post rock, industrial, and spoken word–and on the anniversary of that performance, the bands and their collaborators will make a recording of that set available to the world. You can sample the “unholy alchemy” of that evening through lead single “Acid for Fascists,” available to stream below.
–Alex Chan
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Here’s what Jordi from Throwing Bricks had to say about the track:
“Acid to Fascists” truly embodies the collaborative nature of the project. Throwing two bands in a room together, adding extra musicians with new instruments and sounds we don’t know. It has been quite a guess for all of us, but turned out great. This song specifically started out as an improvised jam, when Yoni (TTFO) joined in during rehearsal to see what we we’re doing.
He hooked up his synths and sample pad and off we went. It’s the best fun you can have, making noise with friends.
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Something to Lose will release on digital platforms and vinyl April 10th.
REXORIA returns with their signature Royal Metal sound on the brand‑new album ‘Fallen Dimension‘, delivering towering choruses, vivid storytelling, emotional depth, and raw, commanding vocals. With their fourth studio album — the successor to the acclaimed ‘Imperial Dawn‘, both released through Black Lodge — REXORIA takes a bold and focused step forward. Fallen Dimension spans […]
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