Sepultura have announced one last EP, The Cloud Of Unknowing.
The departing groove metal titans will unleash four final tracks on April 24 via Nuclear Blast – the first of which, The Place, is available to stream now (and it is in fact the closing song on The Cloud Of Unknowing, following All Souls Rising, Beyond The Dream and Sacred Books).
The EP is described as one of the band’s most ‘diverse and emotionally resonant releases’, and showcases the ‘full spectrum’ of their creativity, according to a press release.
Speaking about The Place specifically, vocalist Derrick Green shares: “This song deals with immigrants who have come to a place seeking refuge and start a new life.
“Once assimilated into a false sense of security and relentless propaganda they began to act out against what they hate about themselves. The transition begins to escape from the self-hatred and the lashing out against people who believed in the same ideas. I feel the lyrics truly follow the transitions of the song. Starting with disappointment and arriving at anger.”
Today, grindcore cult Melting Rot reveal the new track “Blinded. Beaten. Stabbed.” The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated second album, Infatuation With Premeditation, set for international release on March 27th via Hells Headbangers. Hear Melting Rot‘s “Blinded. Beaten. Stabbed.” in its entirety HERE at Hells Headbangers‘ official YouTube channel. Formed in 2017, Melting Rot quickly made their presence felt in the underground with […]
Returning with their over-the-top, moar is moar philosophy of fun and shred, on Outstanding PowerLovebites cooks up a sugarbomb so explosive it’ll blow your teeth out your earholes. Minted in 2016, Lovebites has been slinging their brand of power metal for a decade, dropping five full-lengths over that time.1Outstanding Power marks the band’s fifth full-length release and the first since 2023’s Judgement Day, and these women from Tokyo used the intervening three years to cast a platter that shatters any illusion of restraint. With kicks and licks galore, does Lovebites cram in too much of a good thing, or can their latest LP stand the power?
Anyone unfamiliar with Lovebites can approximate their sound as an all-female version of Galneryus,2 although Lovebites is much more than a clone of a great band. Their full-length debut Awakening from Abyss dropped in 2017, with subsequent albums Clockwork Immortality and Electric Pentagram released in 2018 and 2020, respectively. Both follow-ups impressed, but nothing quite reached the heights of their debut until fourth album Judgement Day hit shelves in 2023. Introducing new bassist Fami,3Judgement Day honed Lovebites’ attack to a lethal edge, and with even more time spent sharpening their craft, Outstanding Power cuts deeper than ever.
Lovebites’ stable lineup exudes an electrifying chemistry throughout Outstanding Power. Each component of the band’s auditory milieu complements the others, whether it’s the blazing guitar tandem of Midori and Miyako, Haruna’s meticulously mechanical drumming, or Fami’s low-end purr and incredibly hooky countermelodies. Musically, Lovebites has never been this exacting. From the calculated rhythms in “Silence the Void” to the galloping rolls in “Blazing Halo,” Haruna’s drumming goads songs with an unflappable urgency that’s simultaneously composed and tempestuous. Meanwhile, Fami’s bass flexes mondo swagger that recalls Geddy Lee’s aggressive plucks and twangs (“The Castaway”) as well as Flea-bitten flourishes (the intro to “Blazing Halo”). In fact, the bass’s expanded role on Outstanding Power defines what elevates the album above the rest of Lovebites’ already first-rate output. Besides trading vicious solos and captivating riffs with fellow axe-bearer Midori, Miyako supplies the keys, channeling duel-lead, arpeggiated runs à la Children of Bodom (“The Castaway”) as nimbly as she blankets moods with Sonata Arctica-informed synth and piano (“Eternally,” “One Will Remain”). Atop it all, singer Asami coos, belts, and wails with a voice that some may find an acquired taste with her heavy use of vibrato, but is powerful and unique. Overall, the songwriting on Outstanding Power synchronizes into lock-step bombast, where each track dazzles with its own fully-fleshed identity and laser-honed melodies.
Though not without fault, Outstanding Power unequivocally claims the top spot in Lovebites’ catalog (so far). No small part of this is thanks to Fami and Haruna, who bring the rhythm section to the fore with undeniable performances that match the high-flying axe-work besieging previous releases. The biggest strike against Outstanding Power is the album’s sixty-four-minute runtime, which the sharp songwriting mitigates with infectious melodies and perfectly executed instrumentation. Even Outstanding Power’s weakest cut, seven-minute ballad “Eternally,” contains good moments despite fumbling Lovebites’ momentum down the home stretch. Add in the surprisingly spacious mix4 that gives the band ample space to pop and you’ve got yourself a bona fide power metal classic on your hands.
Power metal presents a challenge to rate, as its natural optimism and oft-cheesy tropes can be at odds with what typically engenders high scores and opinions, and makes Outstanding Power the most difficult score I’ve assessed up to this point. Throughout, Lovebites exemplifies power metal ethos, unleashing high-octane shredded cheese with a flagrant nonchalance that is shamelessly irresistible. With Outstanding Power, Lovebites not only delivers their greatest achievement so far, but the best power metal release I’ve heard in over a year. Relentless riffs, grooves, and fills assail listeners with flamboyant moxie and technical ecstasy, defining an album I haven’t been able to put down since I got my grubby mitts on the damned thing. If fun won’t kill you, give Lovebites’ opus a spin. Or maybe give it a listen anyway, because what’s life without a little Love?
Rating: Great DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3 Label: Napalm Records Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook Releases Worldwide: February 18th, 2026
Maddog
Much to her chagrin, Thus Spoke and I share many things in common. Chief among them is our anaphylactic allergy to major scales; being the two resident vegans, we struggle with cheesy music.5 While this has made power metal a difficult subgenre, Lovebites is an exception. Our coverage of this Japanese juggernaut has been scarce, but I gave 2023’s Judgement Day a tempered positive filter review. Outstanding Power has the same foundation as Lovebites’ prior work, but with a beefier rhythm section, more variety, better riffs, hookier hooks, and more cohesive songwriting. It’s a fantastic record.
Outstanding Power is textbook power metal, in the same sense that Rust in Peace is textbook thrash. The centerpiece is Asami’s vocal performance, which is appropriately over-the-top but steps back to let the instruments shine. Lovebites’ most visible weapon is their dual-guitar assault. Across theatrical leads, deathy riffs, and unrestrained solos, guitarists Midori and Miyako display a mastery of melody. Even with such stiff competition, Lovebites’ rhythm section stands out. Fami’s bass plays every part it can, with blistering riffs, playful lines that recall a young Steve Harris, and explosive additions to choruses. Haruna’s drumming is a gem, especially when her lavish fills and opening salvos help stitch the album together. Both the bass and the drums peak when their respective musicians take the songwriting reins; Fami’s collaborative composition “Blazing Halo” features irresistible dueling bass and guitar solos, while Haruna’s “Forbidden Thirst” highlights her grooviest drum work. No member of Lovebites ever fades into obscurity.
Outstanding Power holds me rapt throughout. Across their hyperactive leads, 1980s virtuoso shredfests (“One Will Remain”), and fanciful Mark Knopfler-style (Dire Straits) joyrides (“Wheels on Fire”), guitarists Midori and Miyako don’t miss a beat. Their dominance becomes clearest when they join forces. Lovebites’ harmonies recall Iron Maiden, and the guitarists’ knack for separating and rejoining makes “The Castaway” an early contender for Song o’ the Year. Asami’s vocals aren’t bulletproof, particularly in her higher register. Still, the vocals and the guitars forge an ironclad alliance that raises Outstanding Power to new heights. The guitars’ imitation of the vocal shouts on “[Grin] Reaper’s Lullaby” makes me grin every time, while the orgiastic leads that accompany the final chorus of “Out of Control” remind me of Madonna’s classic “Burning Up.” Even the ballad “Eternally” is a triumph. While its vocal melodies are memorable, “Eternally” takes a cue from Gamma Ray’s “Lake of Tears” in delegating much of the heavy lifting to the weepy guitars. These ingredients make Outstanding Power a wellspring of enormous climaxes. The guitar solos are at once emotive and explosive (“The Eve of Change”), and each song ends with pizzazz (“Silence the Void”). In short, Outstanding Power is a goddamn pleasure.
Outstanding Power is such a spectacle that I can’t even begrudge its excess. I hear Sunburst in the chugging riffs of “Blazing Halo.” I hear Riot in the downright rowdy “Silence the Void.” I hear 1980s electronica interspersed with chest-thumping power metal in “The Eve of Change.” I hear Symphony X in the vocal melodies and the atmosphere of “Forbidden Thirst.” I hear Kryptos’ heavy metal revival in the rockin’ ruffian riffs of “Out of Control.” I hear blackened melodeath in the vicious “Reaper’s Lullaby,” contrasting with the heart-rending ballad “Eternally.” Most importantly, I hear Lovebites in every moment. All five band members sustain the album’s shifts while sticking to their signature styles. With its balance of variety and continuity, Outstanding Power feels half as long as its 64-minute runtime. Due to the album’s wide emotional range, I even grew to love its more upbeat tracks. Criticizing Lovebites for sounding cheerful seems akin to criticizing Monet because you don’t like yellow water lilies; sometimes flowers are yellow, you twit! Outstanding Power tries to do a lot, and it nails every piece.
As I struggle to process this album, I’m reminded of Eldritch Elitist’s review of Imperial Circus Dead Decadence. Yes, Outstanding Power is self-indulgent; what’s your point? Lovebites paints their variegated image of power metal with five brushes and five million colors, and the result is astounding. It isn’t perfect, and the crushed master makes it harder to appreciate the album’s finer features. But Outstanding Power easily won over my shriveled heart. While major scales make me gag, these ones just feel like the crest of a wave. While I tend to balk at hour-long albums, this one goes by in a heartbeat. Power metal isn’t my usual fare, but Lovebites has created a masterwork.
(written by Islander) We’ve been avidly following the Philadelphia-based extreme metal band Moros since the days of their first EP in 2016, and now we reconnect with them because in March they will release their second full-length, aptly titled Cemetery Hallucinations. In its current configuration, Moros includes founding guitarist/vocalist Jay Dost, founding bassist and backing […]
Sepultura Announce Farewell Release ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’
As the curtain falls on an extraordinary career spanning more than four decades, SEPULTURA are preparing to close their final chapter at the end of this year. With over 40 years of band history, 14 gold records, and performances across more than 80 countries, SEPULTURA stand as Brazil’s uncompromising emissary to the global stage and one of today’s most influential metal bands.
Currently bringing their pioneering sound to audiences worldwide on the ‘Celebrating Life Through Death’ farewell tour, the question has arisen: how should SEPULTURA mark the end of such a monumental journey? The answer came naturally: By capturing a final creative moment and preserving it for posterity.
The result is The Cloud of Unknowing EP, set to be released on April 24th via Nuclear Blast Records.
The Cloud of Unknowing EP is one of SEPULTURA’s most diverse and emotionally resonant releases. Across four tracks, the EP serves as a bittersweet farewell, showcasing the full spectrum of the band’s creativity, reflecting both the ferocity and depth that have defined SEPULTURA’s legacy.
SEPULTURA have today released EP track ‘The Place’, which vocalist Derrick Green sheds some light on:
“This song deals with immigrants who have come to a place seeking refuge and start a new life.
Once assimilated into a false sense of security and relentless propaganda they began to act out against what they hate about themselves. The transition begins to escape from the self hatred and the lashing out against people who believed in the same ideas. I feel the lyrics truly follow the transitions of the song. Starting with disappointment and arriving at anger.”
The Cloud of Unknowing EP will be available in the following formats:
Oxblood
Transparent Petrol (NB exclusive)
Crystal clear (band exclusive)
Transparent red (band exclusive)
All LP variants come with a CD of the EP in a card wallet.
The Cloud of Unknowing EP Tracklisting
01. All Souls Rising
02. Beyond the Dream
03. Sacred Books
04. The Place
Arcturus have exciting news to share. The Norwegians have completed the recording process of their new studio album. The latter will be their first one since 2015’s Arcturian and will be released through Prophecy Productions. More info in due time. Read more…
InsideOut Music [Release date 27.02.26] The announcements that the Neal Morse Band’s fifth album, L.I.F.T.’ would be released in 2026 came as a pleasant surprise to many fans of NMB (as they now style themselves). That was the result of … Continue reading →
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil’s Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It’s not your average desert island and we’ll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil’s Island we find Toys That Bite sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil’s Island?
Find out now…
Welcome to The Razors’e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don’t worry about it’s name I’m sure it’s not as bad as that would suggest.
You’re marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn’t live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Adam – Foo Fighters – The Color and the Shape. The first album I played along to when learning the drums.
Karl – Muse – Simulation Theory. I love the idea and story behind the album.
Dave – AC/DC – Back In Black. The first album I fell in love with; I got it on cassette and wore it out.
Shep – W.A.S.P – The Headless Children. The first album that got me into metal.
Tezza – The Offspring – Smash. Brings back great memories of screaming swear words on the school coach.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Adam – The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Karl – Judas Priest – Killing Machine
Dave – Iron Maiden – Live After Death
Shep – Judas Priest – Painkiller
Tezza – Steel Panther – Balls Out
There’s also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What’s your tipple of choice?
Adam – Jasmine tea to warm the soul.
Karl – Rock cliché, but it’s got to be Jack.
Dave – I’m assuming it’s nice and sunny, so rum and ginger ale for me.
Shep – Soursop juice drink.
Tezza – Double espresso. Gotta keep the tempo up.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Adam – Metallica T-shirt from Big Day Out at Milton Keynes Bowl.
Karl – Judas Priest – British Steel album cover.
Dave – Motörhead “Merry Bastard Xmas” shirt.
Shep – Nightwish – Dark Passion Play.
Tezza – Metallica T-shirt from when I first saw the band live back in the early 2000s.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Adam – The Minions. They always find their way out of trouble.
Karl – The vampire lady in our reel for Gentleman’s Club. Failing that, Bear Grylls. More chance of surviving, maybe?
Dave – If the bar’s well stocked, how about ’80s Mötley Crüe?
Shep – Orianthi.
Tezza – A class of engineering students. They’d totally be able to find a way to escape.
There’s a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
Adam – Vulfpeck live at Madison Square Garden. So much energy, fun and tight as a duck’s a-hole.
Karl – Muse Simulation Theory tour at Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium. Absolute blinder of a gig.
Dave – Dream Theater at the start of their career when they played the now sadly closed (and missed) Bristol Bierkeller in ’93. It stands out in my memory as a night of sheer musical perfection.
Shep – Nightwish (Once World Tour 2005 / Helsinki Arena). Final performance of Tarja Turunen singing Phantom of the Opera duet with Marco. That crazy high note held on vocals at the end.
Tezza – I don’t actually know the band name, but I went to a birthday party when I was much younger and there was a live funk band playing. They were so tight, energetic and engaging. It was really inspirational for me as a young musician to see what I might be able to achieve when I got better at playing.
You’re getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Adam – Lemmy, in the hope that he might just fill the bottle and send it back.
Karl – Francis Rossi. He likes “Living on an Island” so would probably be popping over regularly to get away from Status Quo. I can cadge a lift with him.
Dave – I’ll go with Bruce Dickinson as he can fly the rescue plane.
Shep – Paul McCartney because, well, he has a submarine. Seems appropriate.
Tezza – I reckon it would have to be Bruce Dickinson. That dude can more or less do anything, it feels like, so staging a desert island rescue would be easy for him.
You’ve been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There’s only one thing for it… which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Adam – We could all survive. Just start with fingers first. Karl and Dave proved we can play all the tunes with one finger anyway…
Karl – Shep. He likes tins of ravioli so would probably taste of Italian pasta dishes.
Dave – All of them one by one to keep me fed. They can draw straws for the privilege of who goes first.
Shep – Def Leppard have a one-armed drummer who is very capable. Just saying…
Tezza – Well, we’ve got two guitarists so… duelling guitar solo death match.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Adam – Slash.
Karl – Jimmy Page. He started it all for me.
Dave – Probably Ozzy. Mainly because all the guitarists he’s worked with have heavily influenced my playing.
Shep – Blackie Lawless. Loved those thunder bass lines, and he can send smoke signals. Double winner.
Returning with their over-the-top, moar is moar philosophy of fun and shred, on Outstanding Power Lovebites cooks up a sugarbomb so explosive it’ll blow your teeth out your earholes. Minted in 2016, Lovebites has been slinging their brand of power metal for a decade, dropping five full-lengths over that time.
Much to her chagrin, 
