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She’s just being “Miley” now. Miley Cyrus, one of her generation’s defining pop stars, has a new album on the way, and she has dropped the “Cyrus” from her name. This feels like an implicit rebuke of her father, the troubled country star Billy Ray Cyrus, but she hasn’t come out any said anything about that yet. She also hasn’t said much about her new LP. It’s called Bass Persuades, and it’s coming out in just a couple of weeks.

The post Miley (Cyrus) Announces New Album <em>Bass Persuades</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

Overkill will be performing an old school set, while Left To Die will be celebrating 40 year’s of Death’s “Scream Bloody Gore”.

The post Overkill, Left To Die, Secret Chiefs 3, Mortem & More Added To 2027 ‘Maryland Deathfest’ appeared first on Theprp.com.

In his second appearance with the group, Hugo Valenti tackled an 'Escape' deep cut. Continue reading…

Darkest Hour has locked in the details on album number 11. Suffer Divine drops on October 30 and it has been produced by Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse). The 11-track record hits every note the band is known for, from sheer force to something closer to spirit.

Frontman John Henry laid out the intent behind the song and the record’s first single: “Our first single and title track of the new album ‘Suffer Divine’ is about justice and accountability. This one goes out to anyone who chooses to push and peddle hatred and division, to anyone who would break down others to feed their sadistic, insatiable ego.”

Darkest Hour has always split the difference between hardcore’s urgency and death metal’s technicality, and “Suffer Divine” leans hard into both, pairing twin-guitar melody with the kind of aggression that doesn’t let up. There’s real weight behind every riff here, the kind that comes from a band still finding new ways to hit hard after three decades.

The title track is out now, and it’s every bit as merciless as the name implies.

Guitarist Mike Schleibaum didn’t hold back describing what went into making the album: “This album is so special to us. We’ve had the support of an amazing team at the label, the incredibly talented Mark Lewis, and each other as we have navigated the process that gave birth to ‘Suffer Divine’. The result is one blistering album. It’s full of rage, thrash, and aggression but also feels musically dense. Sonically, this is an album born out of love for things like melodic death metal.

“Conceptually, the album touches on the idea that you can derive self-worth (and some value) from your own suffering,” he adds. “In fact, the creation of this album was the personification of that actual act. There is so much rage, anger, and pain put into this record, yet at the same time it holds in itself so much hope. It’s equal parts hope, rage, and empathy.”

Darkest Hour hits the road this fall as direct support for Fear Factory, with the run kicking off in Missouri and wrapping with back-to-back nights in Los Angeles:

Thirty years deep into a career built on blending melodic death metal with hardcore, Darkest Hour hasn’t slowed down. The band came up out of the DMV region in 1995 and has since racked up tens of millions of streams, played hundreds of shows across every continent except Antarctica, and landed five Top 3 debuts on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Their 2017 album, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora, gave them their third No. 1 on that chart and even cracked the Top 10 of the Top Vinyl Albums chart.

Darkest Hour is:

John Henry / Lead Vocals 
Mike Schleibaum / Rhythm Guitar 
Nico Santora / Lead Guitar 
Aaron Deal / Bass
Travis Orbin / Drums

The post DARKEST HOUR Unveils Eleventh Album “Suffer Divine” & Drops Crushing Title Track appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Amorphis and Insomnium will co-headline 25 North American dates this autumn, with US melodic death/doom act Hinayana opening. The run starts November 17 at Paradise Rock Club in Boston and finishes December 19 at Irving Plaza in New York, taking in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta along the way. And there’s a detail buried in the announcement that makes this considerably more significant than a standard package tour: Insomnium’s tenth album arrives thirty-two days before the first show.

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The timing is the story

Here’s what the press release doesn’t lead with.

Insomnium’s Netherworlds is out October 16 via Century Media. It’s their tenth album. The tour opens November 17.

Thirty-two days. Which means North America gets the live debut of an entire record barely a month after release — no European run first, no festival season to break the songs in. Whatever those songs turn into live, these twenty-five rooms are where it happens first.

For a band whose material is built on atmosphere and slow-building emotional weight rather than immediate impact, that’s genuinely rare. Most bands road-test new material for six months before crossing the Atlantic.

Meanwhile Amorphis are continuing to tour Borderland, released September 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music — which by then will be over a year old and thoroughly settled into the set.

One band playing a record they know inside out. One playing songs almost nobody has heard live. That contrast is the reason to go.

Every date on the tour

Twenty-five shows, November 17 through December 19, with Hinayana opening throughout.

Nov. 17 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
Nov. 18 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Beanfield
Nov. 19 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
Nov. 20 – Columbus, OH – The King of Clubs
Nov. 21 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Nov. 23 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Nov. 24 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Nov. 25 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
Nov. 27 – Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre
Nov. 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
Nov. 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
Dec. 01 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
Dec. 02 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox Market
Dec. 04 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
Dec. 05 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
Dec. 06 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
Dec. 08 – Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
Dec. 09 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
Dec. 11 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey
Dec. 12 – Jacksonville, FL – The Albatross
Dec. 13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Dec. 15 – Richmond, VA – The Canal Club
Dec. 16 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Dec. 18 – Reading, PA – Reverb
Dec. 19 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza

Ticket on-sale details weren’t included in the announcement. Watch both bands’ channels.

The Karelia connection nobody’s mentioning

Here’s a piece of context that reframes this from “two Finnish bands” into something more interesting.

Insomnium formed in Joensuu, in the heart of North Karelia — the eastern Finnish region that sits against the Russian border and carries a distinct cultural identity, its own dialect, and a folklore tradition that runs deep.

Amorphis, meanwhile, made their name on Tales From The Thousand Lakes in 1994 — a record built almost entirely on the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from Karelian oral poetry. Their debut was literally called The Karelian Isthmus.

So this isn’t two bands from the same country happening to share a bus. It’s two bands drawing on the same body of northern myth, three decades apart, from opposite ends of the relationship with it — one from the region, one from the mythology.

That shared root is audible in the music. It’s why both bands sound melancholy in a way the Swedish melodeath tradition doesn’t quite. Gothenburg gave the genre its guitar language; Finland gave it its sadness.

Check Out – ODIN’S CHOSEN: 13 Best Viking Metal Bands Ranked: The Definitive Pillars of the North

Amorphis and Borderland

Some context on how Amorphis got here, because the way they made this record is unusual.

Their 2022 album Halo was their sixth number one in Finland, cracked the German top three, and won them two Emma Gaala awards — Band of the Year and Export of the Year. It was, by any measure, a peak.

Rather than rushing a follow-up while the momentum was there, they did the opposite: stepped back from live performance entirely and focused on writing. Almost nobody does that anymore. The economics of modern touring push bands to write on buses and in dressing rooms, which is exactly what Polyphia and I Prevail have both described doing this year.

The result was Borderland, released September 2025, and their first record with producer Jacob Hansen — who is also behind Amon Amarth’s forthcoming The Allfather Awakens, out October 2.

The band’s arc across 35 years is genuinely remarkable: from the sinister death metal of The Karelian Isthmus, through the genre-defining Tales From The Thousand Lakes and Elegy, into the melodic grandeur of Eclipse and Skyforger, and on to the synthesis of Under The Red Cloud and Queen Of Time.

The lineup is Tomi Joutsen on vocals, Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari on guitars, Olli-Pekka Laine on bass, Santeri Kallio on keyboards and Jan Rechberger on drums.

Insomnium and Netherworlds

Ten albums in, and Insomnium have never made the same record twice.

Netherworlds is described as a journey deeper into the shadows — sweeping atmospheres, poignant melodies and crushing heaviness, with what the band call their most nuanced and emotionally resonant songwriting to date.

The production story matters here. It marks the start of a new era: producer and engineer Miiro Varjus took on a pivotal role and became the band’s closest creative confidant during the writing and recording. The album was then finished at Fascination Street Studios, mixed by Jens Bogren with mastering by Tony Lindgren.

Bogren is worth flagging. He’s the man who produced Amon Amarth’s peak-era records and worked on some of the most important albums in the entire melodeath canon. If a record needs to sound simultaneously majestic and intimate, he’s the first call in Europe.

For anyone who came to this music through In Flames or the Viking metal end of the spectrum, Insomnium are the band that took the same building blocks somewhere colder and sadder — closer in spirit to atmospheric black metal than to anything anthemic.

Also Recommended – The Most Influential Women In Modern Metal Right Now (2026 Ranking)

Don’t skip Hinayana

Opening every date, and worth arriving early for.

Hinayana are an American melodic death/doom band who’ve spent the last few years quietly building a reputation for exactly the sort of heavy, mournful atmosphere this bill is built on. On a tour where both headliners deal in slow-building melancholy, they’re a genuinely coherent opener rather than a filler slot.

Three bands, one aesthetic, no wasted sets. If you’re mapping out the rest of the year’s touring, this one belongs near the top for anyone who likes their metal sad.

TL;DR

• What’s announced: Amorphis and Insomnium will co-headline 25 North American dates, with Hinayana supporting throughout.
• When: November 17, 2026 at Paradise Rock Club in Boston through December 19 at Irving Plaza in New York.
• Canadian dates: Montreal on November 18, Toronto’s Concert Hall on November 19, and Vancouver on November 30.
• The key detail: Insomnium’s tenth album Netherworlds arrives October 16 via Century Media — thirty-two days before the tour opens, making this the record’s live debut.
• What Amorphis are touring: Borderland, released September 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music and their first album with producer Jacob Hansen. The band stepped away from live performance entirely to write it.
• Behind Netherworlds: produced with Miiro Varjus, mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios.

FAQ

Two of Finland’s finest, three Canadian dates, and an album nobody’s heard live yet. Which city are you catching them in? Tell us below. And keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Amorphis And Insomnium Announce 25-Date North American Co-Headline Tour appeared first on Loaded Radio.

“This one goes out to anyone who chooses to push and peddle hatred and division, to anyone who would break down others to feed their sadistic, insatiable ego.”

The post Darkest Hour Premiere Music Video For The Title Track To Their New Album “Suffer Divine” appeared first on Theprp.com.

Posted on September 1st 2026, 5:10pm

Stereogum readers love Drake, right? He’s your favorite guy. You’re like, “Damn, I wish someone would tell me when Drake finally performs the hits from his new album Iceman, which I enjoy so much.” Well, we’re here to let you know that Drake has now performed two of those Iceman hits at Don Toliver’s Toronto show. What a relief, right?

The post Drake Performs <em>Iceman</em> Songs Live For The First Time At Don Toliver’s Toronto Show appeared first on Stereogum.

Though Gorod began as a more conventional technical death metal outfit, progressive songwriting seeps deeper into their bones with each release. The 2010 additions of vocalist Julien Deyres and Nicolas Alberny augured this shift, as 2011’s Transcendence EP and 2012’s A Perfect Absolution encouraged unconventional song structures to complement the band’s knife-edged precision. In this way, I consider Gorod to be the stylistic antithesis of Archspire within technical death metal. Rather than going bigger and faster like the speed-freak Canucks, Gorod takes a more measured approach that, while brisk and exciting, tempers their dispatches with nuance and poise. Both bands succeed down their chosen paths, and the exercise of comparison isn’t about pitting them against one another as much as demonstrating the differences in how the genre can diverge. Given Gorod’s penchant for intricately crafted drama, can eighth album, The Ember Gone, rekindle their elegant allure?

Pivoting from Gorod’s recent theses of celestial bodies and the mythologies they inspire,¹ The Ember Gone finds the French quintet examining more recent and pressing matters surrounding man’s role in ecological disasters. This theme carries an especially stark timeliness given the wildfires that broke out in southern France after the band began promoting The Ember Gone. Despite the change in prevailing inspiration, though, Gorod’s musical approach remains intact. Flurries of snaking riffs and clever bass countermelodies propel the album forward, this time adopting slinky grooves (“Regret,” “Ignite”) and reverb-saturated textures (“Forgiveness”) in addition to their expected acrobatics (“Remains”). Rest assured Gorod still reminds of Psycroptic, Augury, and Obscura, although this time around subdued undercurrents lighten The Ember Gone’s grandeur in favor of more intimate compositions.

On the surface, The Ember Gone doesn’t stray too far from the music of Æthra or The Orb. Guitar duo Mathieu Pascal and Nicolas Alberny unleash sidewinding flutters of perpetual riffs (“Signs,” “Remains”), occasionally relinquishing the fretboard gymnastics to build momentum with staccato chord bursts (“Devise”) or to instill emotion via delicate sustains (“Forgiveness,” “Ember”). Benoit Claus also commands attention with a sprightly bass performance, rarely content to play under what Pascal and Alberny construct. Instead, he pursues sinuous grooves that embolden Gorod’s stringed attack (“Devise,” “Ignite”). Deyres delivers an effective performance as well, especially on “Forgiveness” and “Regret,” as he unfurls stirring cleans that accompany his abrasive growls. Drummer Karol Diers likewise submits a solid outing, although he often falls into the background compared to his immediate and off-kilter patterns that made all-out brawlers “The Sentry,” “We Are the Sun Gods,” and “Breeding Silence” so explosive on prior albums.

Given how the same essential building blocks undergird Gorod’s recent releases, something feels like it’s missing from The Ember Gone. Æthra and The Orb dedicated runtimes to exploring various themes related to the moon and sun, and the music felt appropriately epic. With The Ember Gone’s thematic lens zooming in on humanity’s environmental negligence, the music too often dwells in melancholic lament. In fairness, this is an appropriate reaction, yet I yearn for some biblically righteous indignation that fans Ember’s flames into a raging inferno. Regardless, the music is unerringly gorgeous and feels richer than the DR 6 suggests, and every instrument sounds sinewy and potent while Deyres’s mix of clean and harsh vox cuts through. I’m also shocked at the number of plays I’ve accumulated over just a few days, and while part of that was born from necessity, I find myself drawn back to Gorod again and again.

Although The Ember Gone doesn’t reach the same heights as their other recent output, Gorod nonetheless delivers an invigorating dose of proggy tech death that should satisfy fans. In turns introspective and ferocious, The Ember Gone smolders with an understated confidence that stokes my appreciation higher with each listen. Evaluating it has presented an agonized challenge, as Gorod resolutely exemplifies what I love about both progressive and technical metal, yet I can’t escape the feeling that too much of The Ember Gone’s urgency is siphoned by restraint. Still, this review required a quick turnaround and even the little time I’ve spent with Gorod’s latest proves it’s a potent grower. Perhaps by the end of the year I’ll realize that The Ember Gone’s eminence was just a very slow burn.

---

Rating: Very Good!!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Base Productions
Websites: Official | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: August 28th, 2026

The post Gorod – The Ember Gone Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

– September 1st, 2026 –

“Death Mask Messiah” Full-Length Out Now On Metal Blade Records

Photo by Morgenrot Visions

Watch/stream EXUMER’s “Blinding Skies” HERE

German thrash titans EXUMER are pleased to drop their new video for “Blinding Skies.” The track appears on their pulverizing new full-length, Death Mask Messiah, out now on Metal Blade Records.

Comments co-founding vocalist Mem V. Stein, “Driven by a relentless barrage of riffs, the song’s lyrical content highlights the consequences of political overreach and the influence of the military-industrial complex – pushing society into prolonged conflict that benefits a few at the expense of many. It’s a perspective we feel is important to highlight, given the platform we have and the current climate.“

Watch EXUMER‘s “Blinding Skies” video HERE

Watch EXUMER‘s previously released video for “Death Mask Messiah” HERE

Death Mask Messiah marks the band’s first new studio output in seven years and further cements EXUMER‘s legacy as a dauntless thrash metal institution. A logical and compelling progression from the German legend’s three previous albums, the 11 ferocious songs, produced by Dominic Paraskevopoulos (Kreator, Caliban) and mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Soulfly, King Diamond), take a more brutal and direct musical approach.

Recorded from December 2025 through January 2026, Death Mask Messiah is EXUMER‘s sixth album and fourth for Metal Blade. It’s also the first EXUMER LP recorded with the rhythm section of drummer Jerome Reil and bass player Alex Voss. “You can feel their young energy, coupled with our trademark aggression and experience,” says Mem. “The band sounds more focused and yet raw, thanks to their addition to the lineup.”

The record is inspired conceptually by US politics of the last decade, the pandemic, the use of misinformation to stir up cultural divides, and the like. Mem also mused on the 30-year anniversary of Waco, Texas and the standoff with the Branch Davidians. “David Koresh was a false prophet and wore a death mask, manipulating and leading his followers to certain death,” Mem notes. “Each song picks up an individual theme of these two strains of thought.“

With Death Mask Messiah, EXUMER wants to help listeners not feel alone as they struggle with difficult personal or universal times. The audience relates to the band’s lyrical messages and musical delivery. “Fans sing along, they show up and share their thoughts with us on tour,” Mem says. “I feel accomplished when I can reach just one individual and make them feel better or supported.”

As an added bonus, the record includes a guest and a cover song: Nasty Ronnie Galletti from American metal legends Nasty Savage sings on EXUMER‘s version of his band’s track “Unchained Angel.” EXUMER supported the band in 1988 on their first European tour.

Death Mask Messiah is out now on CD-Digipak and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

180g Black
“Galaxy” Red/Black
“Saturn” Grey/Brown Ripple (Ltd. 250)
“Onyx” Black Ice w/ White Splatter (Ltd. 250)

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

Death Mask Messiah Track-Listing:
01. Death Mask Messiah
02. Blinding Skies
03. Sin Bleeder
04. Eradication
05. Ravishing Waste
06. Allocated Savagery
07. Serpent
08. Fratricide
09. Scorcher
10. Frozen Ground
11. Unchained Angel (Nasty Savage cover feat. Nasty Ronnie)

EXUMER Live:
9/19/2026 Bosphorus Open Air Metal Fest – Istanbul, TR
10/23/2026 Nuclear Winter Festival 2026 – Hirschaid, DE
11/21/2026 Alcatraz & Pluto Festival – Deinze, BE
2/20/2027 Endzeit Festival 2027 – Essen, DE
3/20/2027 Hell’s Heroes – Houston, TX
5/27-30/2027 Maryland Deathfest – Baltimore, MD
6/26/2027 Nackenbrecher Open Air – Teuchern, DE

“EXUMER is a legendary powerhouse with history to crush any stage they play. There is great history from 1988 with Nasty Savage touring Europe and I am honored to be a part of this project!” – Nasty Ronnie, Nasty Savage

“This is like jumping into a time machine set for 1986! Good old hard-nosed yet catchy German thrash metal the way it was always meant to be. Thank you to EXUMER for making me feel like I am 21 again!” – Danny Lilker, Anthrax, Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, SOD, etc.

“With Death Mask Messiah, EXUMER have elevated their craft. Tight and incisive riffing, pummeling drums, and Mem’s vocal attack at full force – the band is in top form. An extremely satisfying listen.” – Jeff Matz, High On Fire

“Classic German thrash with all the spirit and energy of their early days, but more focused and precise. EXUMER are one of the very few ‘legacy’ bands where modern production clearly enhances the musical aggression, without detracting from any of the original metal message. Well done, boys!” – Brian “Mitts” Daniels, ex-Madball

“After 7 years, EXUMER’s Death Mask Messiah continues to showcase their speed and aggression with Mensh and Stein’s classic Possessed Like Fire stylings of German thrash metal alongside a newly energized drum and bass rhythm section, complete with raw, hard-hitting production and a badass Nasty Savag” cover!” – Carlos Cruz, Nails

“…an opus of pure intensity that will be mana from heaven for the retro thrash devotees and especially those who are around back in the ’80s.” – The Great Metal Debate

“EXUMER has delivered once again. With a knack for great riffs, catchy songs, and the perfect blend of tradition and freshness, these scene veterans show they are far from running out of steam. Death Mask Messiah is exactly the kind of fuel the hungry thrash horde craves!” – Metal.de

“Death Mask Messiah is a blast of pure thrash fury that honors EXUMER’s roots while pushing the band’s intensity to new heights. Thank you to EXUMER for one hell of an album – loud, lethal and built for the pit.” – The Metal Pit

“…a thrash metal album blessed with serious punch and moments of virtuoso flair, with hardly any filler.” – Powermetal.de

“…this album sonically, is incredibly appealing. It has so much violence in it. It’s so aggressive. It’s so intense, gritty at times, penetrating as well. There’s an overall darkness as far as the riffs are concerned. But all of this doesn’t change the fact that the overall guitar sound is incredibly heavy and fat all around. This gives the album quite a bit of substance and width. It makes the tracks feel a lot chuggier, a lot heavier, a lot thicker…” – A&P Reacts

“This is a veteran band who flatly refuse to become a heritage act, taking on the ugliest currents in modern politics with the same fury they brought to Possessed By Fire four decades ago – and doing it without a bullet belt in sight. For all the record’s heaviness, EXUMER haven’t sacrificed songcraft; these tracks stick in the head rather than just flattening the listener.” – Moshville Times

“Aggressive, fast, and catchy as fuck riffs steep this offering in an old-school German and East Coast thrash coating that makes it instantly headbangable and a worthwhile listen.” – The Metal List

EXUMER:
Mem V. Stein – vocals
Ray Mensh – guitars
Marc B. – guitars
Alex Voss – bass
Jerome Reil – drums

https://www.facebook.com/exumerofficial
https://www.instagram.com/exumerofficial

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