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Atreyu have revealed everything you need to know about their new full-length, the follow-up to 2023’s ‘The Beautiful Side of Life’.

It’s going to be titled ‘The End Is Not The End’, and will be yours on April 24 via Spinefarm.

Frontman Brandon Saller had this to say about it:

“We realized what made Atreyu great in the beginning was that we didn’t sound like anyone else. We didn’t really make sense anywhere. We weren’t an emo band, a metal band, a punk band — but somehow it all worked. We kind of just carved our own path.”

“It’s our heaviest, most metal record we’ve made. But it’s also the biggest musical journey we’ve taken in years.” 

The artwork looks like this:

And the tracklisiting like this:

1. The End Is Not The End
2. Dead
3. Break Me
4. All For You
5. Ghost In Me
6. Glass Eater
7. Wait My Love, I’ll Be Home Soon
8. Ego Death
9. Death Rattle
10. Children Of Light
11. In The Dark
12. Afterglow
13. Break The Glass

That means that it includes the previously released ‘Ego Death’ and ‘Dead’, but also the freshly unleashed ‘All For You’. A metal ballad of the highest calibre, it showcases Brandon’s undeniably spine-tingling vocals abilities as well as the band’s insatiable knack for making even the most beautiful of lyrics feel crushing.

The band had this to say about the song:

“It’s hard to give someone what they want or need when they don’t know what that thing is. It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love themselves.”

The band will be heading on tour in various capacities across the US in support of the new record. Here are all the dates.

APRIL

15 – MILWAUKEE The Rave^
17 – DES MOINES Wooly’s^
18 – ST. LOUIS Delmar Hall^
20 – INDIANAPOLIS Egyptian Room at Old National Centre*
21 – LEXINGTON Manchester Music Hall*
22 – BIRMINGHAM Iron City Bham*
24 – MOBILE Soul Kitchen Music Hall*
25 – DESTIN Club LA*
27 – CORPUS CHRISTI House Of Rock^
28 – DALLAS House of Blues*
29 – OKLAHOMA Diamond Ballroom*

MAY

01 – DENVER Summit*
02 – ALBUQUERQUE Sunshine Theater*
04 – WICHITA The Cotillion*
05 – SPRINGFIELD Regency Live*
07 – DAYTONA BEACH Welcome to Rockville+
08 – GREENBORO Hangar 1819^
09 – NORTH MYRTLE BEACH House of Blues*
11 – NORFOLK The NorVa*
12 – HARRISBURG XL Live*
14 – MCKEES ROCK Roxian Theatre*
15 – COLUMBUS Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival+
16 – BALTIMORE Nevermore Hall*
17 – ASBURY PARK House of Independents^
19 – CHARLOTTE The Fillmore*
20 – KNOXVILLE The Mill & Mine*

*Supporting Sevendust

^Headlining

+Festival Appearance

The post Atreyu Announce New Album ‘The End is Not The End’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

After removing my clothes, I wade into the promo sump. Yes, nakedness is advised for such a foray, as any loose material can get you ensnared by the bog’s filtration and disposal machinery or by the foul denizens that reside within the sludge. I enter herein with a single purpose in mind: to find a promo that will restore my credibility as a reviewer, if I ever had any to begin with. Since my return to the hall, I’ve written 3.5 after 3.5, and I am in search of something that will bring my average down before I am made to “non-suspiciously” disappear again. I reach down and grasp a promising prospect. Pieces of congealed n00b meat and 16-year-old promo remains fall from the cover, revealing a band name that sounds like some guy’s last name and a photo of several dudes in various tough-guy poses. I smile, allowing myself to hope that I’ve found what I’m looking for. Further investigation reveals Rozario’s Northern Crusaders to be a 50-minute-long heavy/power metal album, and I tell myself that this has 2.5 written all over it. Yep, this’ll do.

My confidence grows when I see that these Norwegians have picked the album’s first two songs as singles. “Fire and Ice” starts things off with some energetic power metal-infused heavy metal that brings Dream Evil immediately to mind. After a huge earworm chorus and some killer riffing and leads, the song winds down, and I’m horrified to realize that I’ve been involuntarily smiling and headbanging the whole time. Fear not, I say to myself. The next single can’t be as good. “We are One” takes the momentum of the opener and runs with it. I hear Brainstorm. I hear Dio. I hear more Dream Evil. I hear an even bigger chorus. Shit.

Not to worry! I’m sure they’ve simply stacked the singles at the front because they’re the best tunes. A qualitative drop-off is sure to come! Just as those foolish words finish leaving my mind-lips, “Down Low” slaps me across the face with a down-tuned chug that I didn’t see coming. This PED-enhanced version of Rozario, also seen on “Sleepless” and “Betrayed,” fits the Brainstorm mold alluded to above, and even ventures towards Mystic Prophecy levels of heaviness. “Crusader” and “Die Like Warriors” both see the band putting their Saxon pants on, their quality daring me to add them both to my “SWOARDS” playlist of battle-ready metal.

I finish Northern Crusaders for the first time and am surprised at just how fast the album’s 50 minutes flew by. I play it again. I like it even more. I am totally fucked. Sure, I can look across the album’s track list and pick out two songs that I don’t absolutely love (“Coming Home” and “The Warning”), but they’re still good songs whose place in the runtime almost totally mitigates any potential impact they could have had on the overall flow. I’m rather pissed that singer David Rosario puts in a journeyman performance with his weathered voice, and I’m even more upset that he’s filled his near-eponymous band with so much talent, particularly on guitar. The duo of Stein Hjertholm and Taran Lister has filled these tracks with muscular riffs, beautiful leads, and face-melting solos, and this is a huge reason that Northern Crusader feels so effortless and easily replayable. Even the production is fantastic. Gah! What a catastrophe!

It’s now been several weeks since I plucked this from the sump. As I put the finishing touches on the review and prepare to enter the final rating, I am suddenly aware of a presence in the room with me. I look up from my laptop screen to see 3.5 glaring at me with a sinister smile on its face. “You couldn’t live with your own failure,” it says. “Where did that bring you? Back to me.” I type the score, realizing it is futile to resist, fully aware that I’ve made the mistake of judging Rozario’s Northern Crusaders by its cover. I slam my computer screen down, stand up, and walk away, naked and full of shame.¹

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pride & Joy Music
Websites: rozarioofficial.com | facebook.com/rozarioband
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

The post Rozario – Northern Crusaders Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Swedish modern power metal force METALITE have officially signed a worldwide contract with PERCEPTION – A Division Of Reigning Phoenix Music, marking a major new milestone in the band’s rapidly ascending career!

Following the signing, the band have unleashed their brand-new single, “Our Time Has Come”, a high-energy anthem that showcases everything fans have come to expect from METALITE: massive melodies, driving riffs, and a futuristic edge wrapped in razor-sharp production.

Guitarist, producer, songwriter and founder Edwin Premberg comments: “We’re beyond excited to finally share our new single Our Time Has Come with you. This song kicks off a powerful new chapter for METALITE and marks the beginning of our upcoming concept album ‘Discovery’ where the story continues on a new planet and humanity begins a new life. It’s a classic METALITE track – full of high energy, soaring melodies, and that unmistakable METALITE sound. This is only the beginning, and we can’t wait to take this journey together with you”.

With its soaring vocal lines, pounding rhythm section, and cinematic synth layers, “Our Time Has Come” captures METALITE at full throttle. The track blends melodic precision with modern production punch, delivering an arena ready chorus that’s impossible to ignore.

Stream/Download “Our Time Has Come” here: https://metalite.rpm.link/ourtimePR

ABOUT METALITE:

Formed in 2015 by guitarist Edwin Premberg and vocalist Emma Bensing, the band quickly gained recognition for its fresh and modern take on melodic metal and their 2017 debut album Heroes in Time set the stage for METALITE’s rise.

In 2019, the band entered a new era with Biomechanicals, marking the debut of vocalist Erica Ohlsson. Their evolution continued with A Virtual World in 2021, an album that expanded on their sci-fi themes while delivering massive soundscapes and powerful melodies.

With Expedition One (2024), METALITE embarked on their most ambitious project to date. A visionary concept album set in the year 2055, it tells the story of a renegade team searching for a new world, exploring themes of human evolution, technology, and survival.

In 2024, the band welcomed drummer Erik Junttila to the lineup, bringing new energy and power to their sound. His premiere gig with the band took place in Linköping at the beginning of 2025, marking an exciting new chapter in METALITE’s journey.

More on METALITE:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Spotify

More on PERCEPTION:
perception.music • Facebook Instagram • TikTok

Source: C Squared Music

Pop-punk has returned with force in 2025, yet it sounds noticeably different than previous waves. Early 2000s pop-punk centered on loud guitars, punchy choruses, and radio-ready hooks. 

A revival around 2020 to 2021, closely associated with Travis Barker and artists like Machine Gun Kelly, leaned into thick low end, glossy production, and heavy drum tones built for streaming playlists.

The releases in 2025 shift the balance again. Snare-forward mixes dominate. Vocals sit hyper-present at the front, often dry and intimate. 

Let us examine this music trend in greater detail.

Drum Icon and Cultural Force

Training in marching band and rudimental drumming gave Barker exceptional precision and endurance. 

Discipline developed through competitive percussion circuits shaped his technical foundation in concrete ways, including:

• Rapid single strokes executed at high tempos without loss of clarity
• Clean double strokes that remain even under pressure
• Tight dynamic control that keeps ghost notes subtle yet audible

Ghost notes flicker under main backbeats, adding texture and forward motion. Snare accents snap with clarity and often land with explosive force that cuts through dense guitar arrangements. 

Control over velocity allows contrast between whisper-quiet taps and full-power cracks in the same measure.

Visual performance also shapes his identity. High stick lifts, athletic posture, and dramatic fills turn drum parts into spectacle. Audience attention frequently locks onto his physicality as much as the song itself. 

Energy remains constant, yet control never disappears. Punk tempos merge with hip-hop groove sensibilities, creating rhythmic phrasing that feels both urgent and pocket-oriented. 

Syncopated hi-hat figures add swing and bounce. Snare articulation stays crisp and cutting, often mixed louder than traditional rock norms.

Drum parts often function melodically. Fills are not filler material but hooks in their own right. Transitions carry emotional weight, especially when tom runs climb or descend in patterns that mirror vocal tension.

In many pop-punk tracks, drums sit at the center of the mix, sharing space equally with vocals and guitars rather than hiding underneath them.

Why Barker Matters Outside Blink-182

During the 2020s revival, Barker expanded his role into production and co-writing for younger artists entering pop-punk. 

Collaborations linked Warped Tour era fans with Gen Z listeners discovering the genre for the first time.

Presence in these projects offered credibility to newcomers while reassuring longtime fans that pop-punk still retained its core intensity. 

Grammy roundtable discussions around the genre pointed to mentorship and openness as necessary components for its continued relevance. 

Barker operated as a cultural bridge, helping push revival-era releases into award conversations, streaming playlists, and festival headlining slots rather than limiting them to nostalgia circuits.

Barker’s Influence on Sonic Shape

Revival releases around 2020 to 2021 leaned into thick bass, polished mastering, and punchy drum tones optimized for modern streaming platforms. 

Production characteristics during that phase often included:

• Heavy low-end saturation that reinforced kick drums
• Wide, compressed masters tailored for playlist playback
• Large, punchy snares designed for arena-scale impact

Low end felt heavy and dense. Kicks hit with sub-frequency weight. Snares cracked with stadium-scale presence.

Pop-Punk Drum Beats, Barker to Bedroom

Fast sixteenth-note hi-hat patterns create relentless forward motion. 

Snare backbeats land firmly on two and four, often supported by ghost-note textures between accents. 

Energetic tom fills push transitions into choruses and amplify tension before release. 

Tight execution pairs with emotional urgency. Technical proficiency never overshadows feeling.

Emerging producers study these formulas closely through tutorials, breakdown videos, and MIDI packs modeled on Barker-style grooves.

DIY Beat Creation in Bedroom Settings

Modern production tools allow creators to build polished tracks without high-end studio budgets. 

Sample libraries provide punchy snares and kicks that approximate arena-level impact. Hybrid kits combine acoustic samples with digital reinforcement. 

For those exploring alternative setups beyond traditional acoustic kits, check out Drum Center Portsmouth’s electronic drums selection to find electronic drum sets and kits that suit bedroom producers and live performers alike.

From compact, quiet-practice options to stage-ready kits with more expressive triggering and roadworthy hardware, it’s an easy way to compare what best fits your room, volume needs, and playing style.

Clean, snare-forward mixes are achievable on laptops paired with affordable audio interfaces. Streaming optimization becomes part of creative decisions at early stages rather than an afterthought.

Compared to bass-heavy mixes of 2021, many 2025 bedroom producers focus on upper-mid snap in snares. 

Sub frequencies are reduced to avoid muddiness on small speakers. Vocals receive more space at the center of the stereo field.

Drum sound shifts toward immediacy and articulation rather than stadium scale. 

Transient shaping and light saturation target clarity instead of sheer weight. Snare tone often acts as a sonic signature, recognizable within seconds of playback.

What Makes the 2025 Wave Different

Three eras become clearly distinguishable:

• Early 2000s pop-punk focused on guitar riffs and full-band punch. 
• Revival around 2021 favored heavy low end and glossy production closely tied to Barker’s influence. 
• Current 2025 wave centers on snare clarity and vocal intimacy.

Production adjustments define the present phase in several measurable ways:

• Sharper transient response on snare hits
• Minimal reverb tails to maintain punch
• Reduced saturation in stacked guitar layers

Vocals feel close and direct, sometimes nearly conversational. Guitar textures remain supportive rather than dominant. 

Song structures adapt to short-form engagement. Hooks appear within seconds. Verses move quickly toward choruses. 

Extended instrumental breakdowns appear less frequently, as rhythmic immediacy carries greater importance than complex arrangement shifts.

Role of Social Media and Platforms

TikTok operates as a primary discovery engine for emerging artists. Sound design aligns with phone speakers and compressed streaming formats. 

Drum hits are engineered specifically to cut through small drivers and limited bass response. 

Cleaner arrangements prevent muddy frequencies that collapse in small speakers. Repetition and rhythmic punch encourage replay value, which feeds algorithm systems that reward immediate engagement.

Snare-centric mixes satisfy these technical demands while preserving pop-punk’s kinetic feel.

Festivals such as When We Were Young demonstrate sustained demand across age groups. Artists discuss community and inclusivity as guiding values for future growth. 

Genre boundaries soften as collaborations span pop, hip-hop, and alternative scenes. Nostalgia alone does not define current output. 

Younger artists reinterpret pop-punk through updated production and broader influences, while maintaining high energy and emotional directness.

The New Wave of Bedroom Musicians

Many current pop-punk artists self-produce or co-produce their material. Audiences are built online prior to touring cycles. 

Direct interaction through livestreams, short-form clips, and comment sections strengthens artist-fan relationships. 

Digital-first career paths commonly involve:

• Releasing singles consistently rather than full albums
• Testing song snippets on social platforms before official launch
• Tracking engagement metrics to guide future releases

Bedroom production aligns with pop-punk’s DIY roots while leveraging modern distribution systems. Affordable software and digital audio workstations lower entry barriers. Songs can reach millions without major label backing.

Emotional transparency remains central in lyrics, often addressing vulnerability and mental health themes. 

Genre fluidity increases as emo textures, alternative elements, and pop structures appear in the same track. Rigid expectations around instrumentation or image carry less authority than in early 2000s cycles.

Song structures tighten. Intros shorten dramatically. Choruses repeat with precision tailored for short-form clips. 

Drums anchor identity in an increasingly hybrid sound. Snare tone functions as a rhythmic foundation and branding device, with recognizable patterns defining tracks as strongly as melodies or lyrics.

The Bottom Line

Travis Barker’s rudimental precision, hip-hop crossover sensibility, and producer mindset shaped the 2021 revival in decisive ways. Drum-forward philosophy placed rhythm at the center of pop-punk production.

Pop-punk’s path across decades shows a genre defined by rhythm and emotional immediacy. Prominence of drums, especially the snare, continues as a defining trait in 2025. 

Barker may not dictate every sonic detail of the current wave, yet drum-forward production philosophy remains embedded in its sound.

Erik Grönwall has announced his new solo album Bad Bones, due out on 22 May 2026, and has shared the title track Bad Bones as the first single. The Bad Bones album is built entirely on original material, marking a return to songwriting at its core, honest, powerful, and deeply personal.

After years of fronting major acts including Skid Row and H.E.A.T – and more recently touring across Europe and Japan (and recording a UFO anniversary album) providing lead vocals for guitar legend Michael Schenker, Grönwall turns the focus fully inward on a record described as raw, fearless and uncompromising.

“I’ve had the honour of fronting some great bands,” Erik Grönwall says, “but now it’s time to tell my own story. Bad Bones is about owning who you are and not apologising for it. I’ve always walked my own path, no matter what people thought. I’ve never followed the norm, and I’m not about to start now. This is how I’m built.”

Alongside his work on stage and in the studio, Erik Grönwall has also built a hugely successful YouTube channel with millions of views and a global audience. With Bad Bones, that same direct connection now fuels his own original voice.

Two hometown shows in Stockholm at the end of May are already sold out, with more festival appearances set to be announced.

Erik Grönwall – Live Dates

• 25/05 – Stockholm, Cirkus (SE) – Sold Out
• 26/05 – Stockholm, Cirkus (SE) – Sold Out
• 13/06 – Lisaa Loylya Festival, Vaasa (FI)
• 03/07 – Latitud 57, Oskarshamn (SE)
• 04/07 – Alive Festival, Borlange (SE)
• 06/07 – Time To Rock Festival, Knislinge (SE) – Main Stage
• 09/07 – Sommarrocken, Svedala (SE)
• 10/07 – Hasslafestivalen, Hasslo (SE)
• 17/07 – Overtarnea Cruising Weekend, Overtarnea (SE)
• 31/07 – Naturscen Skuleberget, Docksta (SE)
• 01/08 – Skogsröjet Festival, Rejmyre (SE)