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With shows announced in Houston, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLUSMINUSZERO RELEASES UPTEMPO NEW SINGLE “RUNNER’S HIGH” VIA DOWNFALL RECORDS
Finnish Hard Rock / Metal Outfit Continues Its First Run of Releases Ahead of Upcoming Album

HELSINKI, FINLAND | AUGUST 31, 2026 Finnish hard rock and metal band Plusminuszero have released their new single “Runner’s High,” available digitally now via Downfall Records . Released on August 28, 2026, the track is the third single from the band’s upcoming album , with further details surrounding the full-length still to be announced.
“Runner’s High” delivers an uptempo, melodic blend of hard rock and metal , showcasing the band’s ability to combine driving energy with strong melodies and a classic heavy-rock foundation. The new single continues the momentum established by Plusminuszero’s first releases since the band formed in Helsinki in 2025.
While the name Plusminuszero may be new, the musicians behind the band are far from strangers to one another or to the Finnish heavy music scene.
The members have a history that stretches back to the early 2000s, when several of them released three full-length albums with a previous band and spent years touring across Finland. Their experience took them everywhere from small bars and clubs to some of the major festivals of the era, building the kind of road-tested chemistry that only comes from years of playing music together.
Eventually, the desire to create and perform heavy music brought them back together.
Plusminuszero began when guitarist Toni Sundström and bassist Ilkka Rasi started working on new material. Vocalist Petri Korhonen and drummer Janne Kaartinen later completed the lineup, bringing the project into full form.
Since then, the band have taken an independent approach to their music, recording and mixing their material themselves while reconnecting with the hard rock and metal roots that originally shaped them.
That combination of experience and renewed energy is at the heart of Plusminuszero. There is no need to pretend these musicians are discovering heavy music for the first time. They have already spent years writing songs, recording albums, touring, and standing on stages across Finland. Now they are bringing that experience into a new chapter.
“Runner’s High” represents the latest step in that return.
With three singles now released, anticipation continues to build for Plusminuszero’s upcoming album. More information about the album is expected to be revealed at a later date.
“Runner’s High” is out now digitally via Downfall Records.
PLUSMINUSZERO

Band: Plusminuszero
Single: “Runner’s High”
Release Date: August 28, 2026
Label: Downfall Records
Format: Digital
Genre: Hard Rock / Metal
Country: Finland
Runner´s High by Plusminuszero

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The whispers in my mind, the echoes of my past,
Judgment in the mirror, a reflection that will last.

The mind can build a courtroom from almost nothing. A remembered phrase becomes evidence, an old mistake is summoned as a witness, and conscience takes the prosecutor’s table before crossing the room to pronounce sentence from the bench. No counsel appears for the defense, no statute of limitations applies, and every hour spent alone provides another opportunity to reopen the case.

On Up Against the Wall, Minsk-based artist Tomorrows Letters turns this internal proceeding into a severe and stylish piece of noir synthpop. The solo project of Kiryl Karotki, Tomorrows Letters enters the song already cornered, facing a tribunal in which the accused, prosecutor, and judge occupy the same body.

A low, saxophone-like drone opens the recording before giving way to a mechanized groove. Sparse piano notes land beside Karotki’s controlled vocal, lending each phrase the gravity of sworn testimony. His delivery remains cold and composed, yet there is considerable force beneath that restraint, like silk draped across the song’s dread.

Trip-hop menace and industrial textures run through the rhythm, meeting the darker electronic pop associated with Depeche Mode’s 1990s and early-2000s records. The clipped construction also carries the severe elegance of 1980s new wave and minimal synth. When the saxophone returns between verses, it winds through organ-like keys and a low electronic buzz, giving the track the character of a neo-noir jazz performance conducted inside a machine.

Karotki’s voice completes the setting, transporting the listener into a room filled with stark light, suspended haze, and hard silhouettes. Every word appears carefully measured, as though an answer given too quickly could become further evidence for the prosecution.

The lyrics make this psychological trial explicit. Past mistakes supply the testimony, the mirror preserves the verdict, and the heartbeat keeps time for fear. Within the “courtroom of my soul,” the singer bears every role and pays every toll. By the outro, the narrow line between right and wrong has become another instrument of captivity: “I’m a prisoner of my own mind.”

“The song describes a state where your own mind acts as both the prosecutor and the judge in a trial that never ends,” Karotki explains. “It’s about being your own worst enemy, trapped in a loop of self-judgment where conscience acts as a punisher rather than a moral guide.”

The single release of Up Against the Wall, the first offering from Karotki’s debut LP set for release this autumn. It is accompanied by an exclusive remix from Karotki’s friends in Nürnberg, marking the first of several guest appearances and collaborations planned for the forthcoming album. The song was mixed and mastered by Nürnberg’s sound engineer, Andrei Bobrovka, while its cover artwork was created by Tomorrows Letters.

Tomorrows Letters is a project that operates according to a strict hardware-only philosophy, with Karotki using vintage samplers and unconventional songwriting methods to give it a dusty, tactile character. New Romantic and minimal synth-pop influences provide the foundation, though their historical language is put in the service of present-day psychological estrangement. Across his work, Karotki examines isolation, self-judgment, Jungian ideas concerning the hidden self, maladaptive daydreaming, compulsive creation, and the pursuit of victories that prove empty once attained.

Listen to Up Against the Wall below:

Follow Tomorrows Letters:

• Instagram
• Bandcamp
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Apple Music

The post “Judgment in the Mirror” — Tomorrows Letters Puts the Mind on Trial with Noir Synthpop Single “Up Against the Wall” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

A replacement has yet to be announced

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Eric Johanson has released “Shake the Fever,” the first single from his forthcoming studio album, The Open Bayou, out on October 16.

Built around a heavy fuzz guitar riff and Johanson’s power-trio approach, “Shake the Fever” offers the first preview of the direction of the new record. Johanson produced The Open Bayou himself, while Bill Skibbe, known for his work with Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Kills and Jon Spencer, handled mixing and mastering.

Johanson will release The Open Bayou through his newly formed Levee Ward Records, with distribution by Amplified. The decision to release the album through his own label gives Johanson greater control over the music and the creative process behind it.

“My north star is what feels true and exciting to me,” Johanson says. “Once you start wondering what a label, a producer or somebody on your team is going to think, part of you steps outside the music and starts trying to explain it. With this record, I didn’t explain anything. I followed the ideas all the way through.”

Johanson worked closely with Skibbe for several weeks to establish the sound of The Open Bayou. The pair focused on creating a raw, immediate sound built around texture, atmosphere and the impact of Johanson’s guitar-driven trio.

The new album follows Johanson’s The Deep and the Dirty, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart, and his 2025 release, Live in Mississippi.

Johanson has also maintained an extensive touring schedule. His power trio performed in more than 100 cities across 10 countries in 2025. He has toured as both a headliner and supporting act for The Record Company, Samantha Fish, Tab Benoit and North Mississippi Allstars.

Throughout his career, Johanson has also shared the stage with Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne and the Neville Brothers, and has performed with Terrance Simien and Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet.

“Shake the Fever” is the first music released from The Open Bayou. Additional details about the album are expected to be announced.

TOUR DATES

8/29/26 Little Rock, AR Stickyz
9/5/26 Portland, OR Jack London Revue
9/6/26 Oak Harbor, WA Oak Harbor Music Festival
9/12/26 Maggie Valley, NC Thunder In the Smokies Rally
9/17/26 Decatur, AL The Princess Theatre
9/19/26 Fort Wayne, IN Baker Street Centre
9/20/26 Newport, KY The Southgate House Revival
10/11/26 Huntington, WV Jerk’s Pullman Square
10/12/26 Pittsburgh, PA Jergels
10/15/26 West Dundee, IL RocHaus
10/16/26 Bloomington, IL Jazz Upfront
10/18/26 Grand Rapids, MI Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill
10/21/26 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
10/22/26 Hagerstown, MD Hub City Vinyl
10/25/26 Annapolis, MD Rams Head (1PM Show)
11/4/26 Hagen, Germany Gaststätte Stock
11/20/26 Wien, Austria Reigen Live
11/23/26 Salzburg, Austria Rockhouse Salzburg
11/24/26 Rimsting, Germany Blues Club Chiemgau
11/27/26 De Tamboer – Hoogeveen, Netherlands
12/20/26 Boca Raton, FL The Funky Biscuit
12/22/26 Wildwood, FL Rohan Rec Center

The post Eric Johanson unleashes “Shake The Fever” from upcoming album appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

The Wedding Present will headline our second Louder Than War live festival on March 13th 2027. Venue: Manchester Academy 2/3/4 Times : From 2 pm to 11pm With a 4th stage for in conversations and many more guests and surprises to be announced. All tickets from here Or See Tickets 

The post Louder Than War Live 2027 appeared first on Louder Than War.

A special run of European shows celebrating the band’s classic material

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Told Slant’s What’s Up is out this Friday. Do not let its title fool you — there is nothing casual about these songs. “Manhattan” and “Draw Blood” are memorable, moving singles, but today’s “Sailor” is a true tearjerker.

The post Told Slant – “Sailor” appeared first on Stereogum.

Founding Ensiferum vocalist/guitarist Jari Mäenpää will reunite with the band for a series of special live performances in 2027, marking his first appearances with the group since 2004.
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METALCORE VETERANS ESCAPE THE FATE ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM THE LAST GOODBYE DUE OCTOBER 2 VIA BIG NOISE For nearly two decades, Escape the Fate have turned heartbreak, chaos, and outright destruction into arena-sized anthems, bridging the visceral fury of metalcore with the swagger and spectacle of hard rock. Now, the metalcore veterans are entering a new chapter with the announcement of their forthcoming album, The Last Goodbye, due October 2 via Big Noise. Alongside the album announcement, the band is unleashing “Paranoia,” a blistering new single that captures Escape the Fate at their most ferocious and unapologetic, pairing their signature intensity with a renewed sense of urgency. The track follows the release of “Idle Potential” and “Déjà Vu,” and gives fans another taste of what’s to come from the new album, signaling a record that finds the band embracing everything that has made them a force in heavy music while pushing their sound into its next evolution. Ahead of the new record, Escape The Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt adds “Paranoia is a deep dive into what’s become a consistent state of mind of mine, putting those feelings into song helps to suppress.”

The Last Goodbye Tracklisting: 01. Last Goodbye 02. Comatose 03. Coffin Kingdom 04. Paranoia 05. Idle Potential 06. Déjà Vu 07. Devil In Wait 08. Money Power Fame 09. Hurt 10. Medicine 11. Other Side 12. Bedroom Wall 13. Remedy Of Numbness With a new label and a new batch of music, Escape The Fate are embracing evolution without losing sight of what made them one of modern rock’s most enduring forces. For nearly two decades, the Las Vegas-bred band have transformed heartbreak, chaos, rebellion, and outright destruction into arena-sized anthems, carving out a singular space between metalcore’s visceral fury and hard rock’s swagger and spectacle. Now, with their sights set firmly on the future, Escape The Fate are entering their next era with the same intensity that has fueled them since day one. That evolution began with “H8 MY SELF,” the band’s first release with BIG NOISE, the label run by longtime collaborator and producer John Feldmann. The track marked a new chapter for ESCAPE THE FATE, followed by “LOW” on March 31, 2023, and “Cheers To Goodbye,” featuring Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills. Each release offered another glimpse at a band willing to push beyond its established boundaries while retaining the massive hooks, combustible guitars, and emotional urgency that have become their calling cards. Rather than simply looking back at nearly two decades of chaos, the new album looks inward. Its songs draw from the band’s own experiences, struggles, relationships, and perspectives, offering fans a more intimate window into the people behind the distortion and detonating choruses. It’s Escape The Fate without the armor, still loud, still dangerous, but more revealing than ever. The band’s relentless touring history has only reinforced that reputation. Catch Escape The Fate performing at various festivals including Vans Warped Tour Mexico City, Louder Than Life and Aftershock this fall. For all upcoming Escape The Fate tour dates, visit: https://www.escapethefate.com

The post Escape The Fate Announce New Album ‘The Last Goodbye’ appeared first on Mayhem Music Magazine.