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Additional anarchy in the US

Following the success of Unself, Conjurer hit 16 cities across the U.S. and Canada this May through June with a stacked support lineup.

The post UK Heavyweights CONJURER Bring Unself Tour To North America appeared first on Metal Injection.

– March 2nd, 2026 –

“Transcend into Oblivion” Full-Length Out Now On Metal Blade Records

Watch NECROFIER’s “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I” HERE

“…a fully cohesive, absolutely crushing work…” – Decibel Magazine

“...the finest full-length experience released under the NECROFIER name to date as we find ‘going big’ with an idea generally pays off here… an entertaining step-up for the group which rewards the patient listener with a well-curated hourlong spiritual transformation…” – Mystification ‘Zine

“The album is extreme, but never one-dimensional, brutal and at the same time imbued with an ominous beauty. The songs unfold in powerful arcs of tension, in which chaotic outbursts meet melancholic, almost ethereal melodies…” – Deaf Forever

“Behind ‘Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path,’ ‘Horns Of Destruction, Lift My Blade,’ and ‘Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way’ lies a concept based on the number three, which represents awakening, the struggle with knowledge, and ascension or rebirth… This is not light fare, and musically, NECROFIER naturally indulges in the extreme. Oldschool black metal, albeit with a melodic touch, somewhere between Watain, Necrophobic, and Dissection.” – Metal Hammer

“…a fierce attack that’s more pointed and purposeful than all that has come before. The expected and desired histrionics of black metal – cold tremolo picking, slicing blasts and high-register screeches – are all in tow.” – Blabbermouth

“The band blends the fiery directness of the Texan scene with the cool, melodic black metal language of the Scandinavian’ 90s; stormy passages stand alongside melancholically ethereal melodies, without any motif degenerating into mere ornamentation…” – Rockhard Germany

“…this is certified corpse-paint wearing, squeezing invisible oranges black metal that would make Frost grimace! I mean, moreso.” – Jersey Beat

Houston, Texas-based black metal alchemists NECROFIER are pleased to present their new video for “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I.” The track comes by way of the band’s Transcend Into Oblivion full-length, released February 27th on Metal Blade Records.

NECROFIER is rewriting the rulebook in their own blood. Since 2018, the quartet has applied a spicy Texan intensity to the icy atmospheres of mid-’90s Norway and Transcend Into Oblivion deploys their modus operandi with more power, conviction and ingenuity than ever before. Here, NECROFIER crafts a modern classic of the form, where tempestuous squalls of extremity are punctuated by sinister, melancholic, otherworldly melodies, twinkling in the gloom like will-o’-the-wisps on a black night.

Photo by Brian Sheehan

Of “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I,” vocalist/guitarist Bakka comments, “The beginning when your eyes see for the first time. Something in you has changed but you don’t know what it is yet. You’re drawn to it, it consumes you. You are not the person you were before, but you don’t know why and how yet. New beginnings burn deep in the soul.”

Watch NECROFIER‘s video for “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I” HERE.

Watch NECROFIER‘s previously released video for “Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way I” HERE and “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path III” HERE.

Transcend Into Oblivion was recorded at Southwing Studios and House Of Thorns in Houston, Texas, produced and engineered by Joel Hamilton with assistant engineering by Chris Kritikos, and mixed by Joel Hamilton at Studio G in Brooklyn, New York. The record features artwork by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal (Whoredom Rife, Mephorash, Exhumation, Beheaded) and is available on CD and digital formats as well as 2xLP w/ etching on Side D + four-page insert and DLC in the following color variants:

Cosmic Storm (Clear Brown Black Marbled) – (US)
180g black – (EU)
Enchantment (Cloudy Clear/Red Marbled) – (EU – Ltd. 500)
Transcend (Gold W/ Black Splatter) – (EU – Ltd. 300)
Cursed (Black Powder Splatter) – (EU – Ltd. 200; Band Exclusive)

Preview / purchase the record at: metalblade.com/necrofier

NECROFIER will play a special one off show with Acid Bath, Obituary, and High On Fire in March as well as San Luis Metal Festival and Maryland Deathfest in May. Stay tuned for additional live dates, including a full European tour, to be announced in the weeks to come.

NECROFIER Live:
3/28/2026 White Oak Music Hall Lawn – Houston, TX w/ Acid Bath, Obituary, High On Fire
5/16/2026 San Luis Metal Festival – San Luis Potosí, MX
5/22/2026 Maryland Deathfest – Baltimore, MD

While the US has had a black metal scene since the early ’90s, developing in its own obscure, eccentric directions, NECROFIER are among a gathering spearhead of US bands taking the genre’s ancient Scandinavian roots and replanting them on a wide American prairie. “Black metal in America has always been different than in Europe,” Bakka asserts, “but I think there’s been a siren song in the US for this style of black metal to be created here. Something in the zeitgeist has pulled it forward, and bands like Uada, Hulder, Lamp of Murmuur, Blackbraid, and Cloak have all been really carrying the torch. Some of the reason is that America is starving when it comes to it; we rarely see European black metal tours. I think it created something where we and the others had to walk the left-hand path so we can have this in America.”

As is evinced by Transcend Into Oblivion‘s song titles, themes and lyrics are conceptually linked with the number three playing an especially significant role on this, their third LP, a three-act structure comprising three three-part suites, separated by three instrumentals. Notes Bakka, “Transcend Into Oblivion is based on a Luciferian Dark Night Of The Soul. ‘Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path’ is the awakening. The first three songs are experiences and dreams that were happening as this change began, and I questioned everything I was doing. It starts feeling as though a new fire has been lit, but it grows dark as we venture into the second act, ‘Servants Of Darkness, Guide My Way.’ This is the struggle and torment that comes along with the awakening. Realizing things from the past are no longer true and you see the world in a different way, and it isn’t easy. This leads into Act III, ‘Horns Of Destruction, Lift My Blade.’ This is the rebirth or accession. You have been transformed; you are not who you were before. You see the world differently and you take what is yours.”

NECROFIER:
Bakka – vocals, guitar
Semir Özerkan – guitar
Mat Aleman – bass
Dobber Beverly – drums

https://www.instagram.com/necrofier
https://www.facebook.com/Necrofier
https://www.youtube.com/@necrofier1818
https://necrofier.bandcamp.com/music

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Indianapolis metallic hardcore crew Crossfire make their latest statement in quick and hefty fashion on their new promo EP, I Drew a Heart Around the Name of Your City. Clocking in at four songs in under eight minutes, I Drew a Heart is Crossfire’s love letter to Indianapolis hardcore with no room for filler or dead weight.

The promo clocks in around seven-and-a-half minutes, though if you grab it through Bandcamp or on tape, you’ll get a bonus cover of Hatebreed’s “Last Breath,” which brings it to about nine minutes. It goes without saying, then, that Crossfire’s brand of metallic hardcore was influenced by the likes of Hatebreed as well as All Out War, Deadguy and various bands from the Indianapolis hardcore scene, some of whom are featured on the tape, including Dave Hoffman (Ishia and ex-The Contortionist), Nate Olp (ex-Demiricous, ex-Lair of the Minotaur) and Jimmy Ryan (Trenches, ex-Haste the Day).

“The Crossfire train don’t stop,” vocalist Carter Seaton says of the new promo. “We like to think one step ahead and we are currently writing a full-length with our new guitar player Max Lawson. We want to play every single town in the country, and continue spreading the word of Indianapolis hardcore.”

You can get a taste of I Drew a Heart Arond the Name of Your City below and get it officially on March 6 via Wise Blood Records.

The post Full Album Stream: Crossfire – “I Drew a Heart Around the Name of Your City” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

The post NECROFIER Presents “Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I” Video; Transcend Into Oblivion Full-Length Out Now On Metal Blade Records appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.

The UK rock scene is never short of bands with a history, but few have a lineage as complex and hard-hitting as DA. Rising from the ashes of NWOBHM veterans Desolation Angels, the band has shed its skin (rather fitting when you check out their most recent single / video…) to become a leaner, heavier, … Continue reading Headline Act: DA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CREEPER’s ‘Crushing’ Out Now – Produced by Pantera & King Diamond Alumni
Purchase vinyl & CD: www.nolifetilmetalrecords.com
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX — Texas metal war machine CREEPER USA has officially unleashed their long awaited new album Crushing , and it is exactly what the title promises. No filler. No trends. Just straight up, Texas groove driven heavy metal done the way it is supposed to be done.
Formed in 2007 by guitarist Jimi Fritz, Creeper has spent nearly two decades grinding it out in the trenches of the Texas underground. With the current lineup locked in and firing on all cylinders since 2021, the band has evolved into a tightly wound wrecking crew built for both stage destruction and studio precision.
Crushing was recorded at MediaTech Institute, House of Wags, and Boot Hill Studios, and shaped by Texas metal heavyweights Kerry Crafton and Sterling Winfield . Winfield’s track record alone speaks volumes, having worked with legends like Pantera , King Diamond , and Mercyful Fate . Crafton brings the pedigree of Rigor Mortis and Warbeast into the fold. Together, they helped forge a record that is punishing, precise, and unapologetically heavy.
The sound? Think the aggression of Slayer , the groove and swagger of Pantera, and the Southern grit of Exhorder , all filtered through Creeper’s own battle hardened identity. This is not nostalgia. This is legacy level metal carried forward the right way.
The lineup delivering the damage:
Texx Duncan – Vocals
Jimi Fritz – Guitar
Paul Fritz – Guitar
Ian Train – Bass
Kurtis Lawrence – Drums
Over the years, Creeper has shared stages with heavy hitters including Drowning Pool , Symphony X , UDO Dirkschneider , Loudness , Metal Church , Anvil , Primal Fear , Overkill , and Prong , proving night after night they belong in that company.
Standout singles from the album include “The River,” “Big Bad Wolf,” and the hard hitting “White Devil,” all showcasing the band’s blend of bone cracking riffs, thunderous rhythm work, and commanding vocal delivery.
This isn’t a comeback. This isn’t hype. This is a band that put in the years, sharpened the blade, and delivered when it counted.
Crushing is available now on digital, CD, and limited vinyl through No Life Til Metal Records, as well as select retailers including Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Tower Records, Walmart, and Bandcamp.
For fans who still believe heavy metal should hit like a sledgehammer and groove like a freight train, Creeper just dropped your soundtrack.
For interviews, press, or review requests: zach@metaldevastationradio.com













  Follow the band here at these links:
creeperband.com
https://www.facebook.com/creeperUSA/
https://www.instagram.com/creeper_the_band/
https://x.com/CreeperBand
https://www.youtube.com/@Creeperusa
https://www.reverbnation.com/creepertexasmeta
Contact: Creepermetal@gmail.com
Label Contact:
NoLifeTilMetal Records
www.nolifetilmetalrecords.com
bill@roxxproductions.com

Today, Iron Bonehead Productions announces May 1st as the international release date for Black Cilice‘s highly anticipated seventh album, Votive Fire, on CD and vinyl LP formats. By now, Black Cilice require no introduction. Undeniably THE most influential raw black metal entity since the first demo releases in 2009, this Portuguese enigma has come to both define and defy that idiom. Unmindful of the present, not looking […]

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Straight out of Austria, ZEPTER hit the metal scene like a thunderbolt. Fueled by riffs and a love for everything from NWOBHM to classic hard rock, Alex, Lukas, and Stefan are on a mission: to make metal loud, real, and unapologetically fun. In this interview, they talk recording on tape, chasing perfect guitar tones, reviving lost classics, and more.

Hi! ZEPTER formed in January 2024, and had the EP out by April. That’s either hunger or recklessness. Which one was it?
Alex: Ha! Good question, I guess we were hungry. The EP was done a couple months after we formed, and we progressed quickly into different realms. Luki wrote a couple songs and we just wanted to release them.
Lukas: Yeah that was basically it. We felt motivated and inspired and just wanted to get going without overcomplicating anything.

Be honest – was ZEPTER born out of frustration with other bands you were in, or was this something you’d been itching to do for years?
Alex: I guess it was born out of common grounds. We all played in different bands besides our guitarist Stefan, Zepter was his first band but mostly our other bands got disbanded because of various reasons. No bad blood or frustration.
Lukas: Yeah, absolutely not but I gotta say Zepter to me indeed does feel kind of fresh in a certain way. As I just mentioned, it might have something to do with the bands approach of just doing things, without thinking too much about what’s not possible. Instead, we focus on what is possible while the whole thing is primarily about having as much fun as possible and, at the same time, put out music that we’d like to listen to ourselves.

When you say “old school heavy metal,” what do you refuse to compromise on? Sound? Image? Recording method? Attitude?
Alex: I guess if you ask 6 people to define “Old School Heavy Metal” each one gives you a different era or definition of what’s heavy metal to them. One probably says Black Sabbath, one Judas Priest, one maybe Manowar, one heck maybe even Metallica or one Motörhead which is totally wrong because they were a rock and roll band haha but still some would consider them metal. All great bands but mostly very different, if you listen closely. For us it is a mixture of all the above. We have certain influences from bands who carry the “Heavy Metal” flag but we try to not give too much attention to certain terminologies. After being in bands for so many years we kind of know what we want and what not.
Lukas: I agree. Heavy Metal can be a lot of things while to me, it always needs to include a certain minimum of rough edges if you know what I mean. When it comes to heavy music, I prefer it not to be too clean and polished in most cases. It needs to feel “real” and “organic” with happy little accidents of all kinds. That’s also the main reason why we prefer to record real amps and drums directly to tape. I would argue that it’s not just a gimmick, it’s a certain philosophy that just works for certain kinds of music. Heavy Metal is definitely one of them.

A lot of bands claim tradition, but end up sounding like tribute acts with better (from time to time) production. What separates you from reenactment bands?
Alex: Nothing I guess. We just try to do things our way and they try to do things in their way.
Lukas: 100%

You chose to make the debut self-titled. Is this album meant to define ZEPTER once and for all?
Alex: I guess not. I know Luki quite some time now and he is always hungry for new influences or bands which of course should fit in the music we try to do but maybe you will hear some more synths, more falsetto singing or we start to lift heavy and start a Manowar cover band. I am just kidding – I love Manowar, but seriously why did they skip leg day. Come on.
Lukas: Zepter’s sound will definitely evolve over time, that’s for sure. We already have a couple of new ones we’re currently working on that show where it could go stylistically. Personally, I’d like to do some more fast ones. Also, I’d love to spend more time trying to find the perfect guitar tone in the studio.

How does this record differ from Inferno – not just in production, but in ambition?
Lukas: I don’t think the whole thing was that much different this time to be honest. Basically we repeated the exact same process with just a different set of songs and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be done that way again sooner or later.
Alex: Knowing this was a full length I guess we entered the mighty halls of Nothing Studios a little bit more serious. We had more songs in almost the same amount of time to record for EP so we knew we had to nail the takes. Also we took our equipment choice more seriously. I borrowed a late 70s Ludwig Supraphonic Snare from a buddy just to have this thing on the record because I heard it records well and was used on many great albums. So lots of small choices were made to make a little bit more effort than on the EP.

Was there a moment during writing when you realized: “This is the sound of the band”?
Alex: I think that already happened on the Inferno EP. I guess the title track “Inferno” pretty much sums up where we are trying to go as a band. But I mean listen to Thin Lizzy – Johnny the Fox and then to Black Rose. “The Sound” always reinvents itself. Not saying we are as good as Lizzy of course – nobody is haha

What does this album say emotionally? Anger? Defiance? Nostalgia? Escapism?
Lukas: Probably a mix of everything, I guess.
Alex: Yep, all of the above. Some songs are really uplifting and some are fast. Some are more evil, some lean more towards a classic early 80s NWOBHM vibe.

There’s a clear NWOBHM pulse in “Exterminator”. What did those early UK bands have that today’s heavy metal scene lost?
Alex: Freedom of choice. That is a great song by DEVO but it also answers this question to some extent. There weren’t so many bands around and genres weren’t invented yet. I really love “proto-metal” (good I hate myself for using this description) from the 70s but some bands really were off the freaking heaps with their sound. Krautrock records have heavy riffs and then someone reads a poem for 20 minutes straight in the middle of a song. Now this can be very terrifying if you lay down in a dark room listening to music but I guess they intended it to be like that. The NWOBHM bands sort of all had the same idea. The sound was more focused, and everyone had the same idea but delivered it in a different way. That made it unique. Also there weren’t that many metal bands around so everything was fresh and new. I also have to state that many “cool” bands drew influences not only from other metal bands but also from early 80s punk bands as well for instance. You gotta know your influences’ influences kids.

You all listen to stuff outside heavy metal. Has anything non-metal ever slipped into a ZEPTER riff without you noticing at first?
Lukas: Good question. Considering being influenced by so many different styles of music I’m sure by far not all choices of notes can be traced back to Heavy Metal exclusively. I’m a huge fan of Prog Rock for instance. Some bits and pieces would probably have sounded slightly different if I hadn’t dived into the world of, say, King Crimson or Captain Beyond. Same goes for so many other kinds of music like AOR, Heavy Psych, Garage Rock, etc. There are so many things out there one can draw inspiration from.

Why cover “Lonely Night”? What does that song have that most people overlooked?
Alex: We just loved the fact that this hidden gem was written and recorded when all the band members were really young, and metal was fresh. These kids back then, now grown man, had the same approach we do now, so we sort of tried to create a worm hole for listeners to really warp back to 1986 while listening to our record. THAT’S freaking retro!

High Roller Records has a certain reputation. Did signing with them feel like validation, pressure, or just the next logical step?
Alex: We all have tons of High Roller re-presses and releases by active bands as well. I remember I played a Show with my old band with High Spirits back in 2013 or 14 and I really was jealous of that HR logo on the back of “Another Night in the City” which is a great record! So yes, it felt like validation. They really know what they are doing and are super professional but not in a big corporate way. The way they operate is very band-oriented and I think we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
Lukas: Nothing but love for High Roller, really. It’s truly a pleasure being privileged to work with a label that is so reliable, transparent, supportive and fair to its artists and remains true to itself.

Austria isn’t exactly known as the global capital of traditional heavy metal. Do you feel like outsiders, even at home?
Alex: Not at all – there are great bands especially from Linz. Bands like Eisenhand or Venator are big names among metal fans all over the world. I mean what’s missing is a band really making it big from Austria in terms of traditional heavy metal. Although Venator are really a household name I guess in Austria you can say Pungent Stench is or was really the biggest name in metal but that was more death metal.
Lukas: To be honest, I don’t think it matters if bands or musicians don’t come from major countries like the UK or the US, really. To me, quite the contrary is often the case: Sometimes I’m specifically looking for music from specific countries like Italian Prog, French Zeuhl, Afro-Beat from Nigeria, German Kosmische Musik or Swedish Heavy Metal. Every part of the world has its very own, unique aspects of music to offer so, coming back to the question, no, we don’t feel like outsiders at all.

The name ZEPTER sounds sharp, almost weapon-like. Where did it come from?
Alex: It really has no deeper meaning. We thought about the English word first and then thought the German version sounds like you said sharper and more like “attack”.

Lyrically, are you telling stories, building myths, or just chasing atmosphere?
Lukas: Most of the time the lyrics are mainly supposed to support the musical aspect in a way that the specific choices of words must fit the respective part. It usually starts with nonsensical sing-sang which builds the foundation for the search for the right words that eventually give meaning to the songs. Sometimes they tell stories, sometimes they are referring to a specific movie while other times it’s just about evoking an abstract imagery in your head.

Five years from now, what would annoy you more: people saying you’ve “evolved,” or people saying you’re stuck in 1981? Thank you for your time!
Alex: Both would be cool actually! As long as people still show interest in us in five years from now I think we are good and even if not we will continue in some form. As a virtual reality band with our avatars looking like guitar hero characters or some shit because it all goes downhill from here. So go to shows, buy physical copies of bands and enjoy it while it lasts. I am just kidding. Thanks for your time! These were really some great questions!
Lukas: Thanks for the super fun questions and taking the time!!

https://www.facebook.com/zepterattacks

‘The Warrior Chant Tour’ will commence in late September.

The post The HU & SKÁLD Set For Fall 2026 European/UK Tour appeared first on Theprp.com.