Blaze Orange ignite dancefloors with Beso, a sleek and high-energy electronic cut built around pulsing grooves, hypnotic momentum, and polished club-ready production. Drawing from a broad palette of modern house and underground dance influences, Blaze Orange crafts a track that feels both cinematic and immediately physical, balancing infectious rhythm with immersive atmosphere. The production moves with confidence and precision, steadily building tension while keeping the energy fluid and addictive from start to finish. Stylish, vibrant, and designed for late-night movement, Beso showcases Blaze Orange’s ability to merge underground edge with accessible festival-ready energy.
Ounce Of Pain come out swinging on Souls, a raw blast of hardcore fury packed with aggression, speed, and zero unnecessary polish. Fueled by crushing riffs, relentless energy, and shouted vocals that hit like a clenched fist, the track thrives on pure punk instinct and uncompromising attitude. There’s no overthinking here — just chaotic release, sweat-soaked intensity, and the kind of unapologetic heaviness built for packed DIY shows and flying bodies. Brutal, direct, and absolutely punk as fuck, Souls captures hardcore in its purest and most cathartic form.
Dan Holcomb and Tessa Joy channel warmth, reflection, and emotional sincerity into Climb, a heartfelt Southern rock anthem written as a father’s message to his children. Rooted in rich storytelling and organic live-band energy, the track blends Americana soulfulness with soaring melodic release, while Tessa Joy’s uplifting chorus vocals add a beautiful intergenerational dynamic to the song’s emotional core. Honest, nostalgic, and deeply human, Climb captures the bittersweet experience of watching loved ones grow while hoping you’ve given them enough strength to find their own path forward.
Whiskey’s Wake unleash a thunderous blend of Celtic folk spirit and punk-rock energy on Shepherd of the Night Flock, a rousing anthem built for crowded pubs, festival chaos, and voices raised in unison. Driven by stomping rhythms, layered instrumentation, and massive singalong hooks, the track balances storytelling tradition with raw modern intensity. Every crescendo feels designed to pull listeners directly into the heart of the performance, blurring the line between band and crowd. Wild, spirited, and bursting with communal energy, Shepherd of the Night Flock captures the euphoric chaos that makes Celtic punk so irresistibly alive.
Bad Progress fuse indie rock urgency, punk attitude, and sharp social commentary on Pictures of Girls, a punchy, emotionally charged track that takes aim at the vanity-driven culture of social media. Driven by wiry guitars, restless energy, and an addictive melodic edge, the song balances frustration and sarcasm with undeniable hook appeal. Beneath its scrappy, electrified surface lies a critique of performative identity and digital obsession, delivered with wit rather than heavy-handedness. Raw, catchy, and packed with rebellious spirit, Pictures of Girls channels modern anxiety into a fast-moving indie-punk rush that hits with both brains and energy.
M & J embrace tenderness and quiet emotional depth on Yesterday Stranger, a fragile indie folk number carried by delicate instrumentation and beautifully sweet falsetto vocals. The track unfolds with understated grace, allowing its intimate melodies and wistful atmosphere to slowly sink in, creating the feeling of faded memories drifting through late-night reflection. Every note feels carefully placed, balancing vulnerability and warmth without overcomplication. Gentle, melancholic, and deeply human, Yesterday Stranger captures the bittersweet beauty of connection, distance, and the lingering echoes people leave behind.
The Mystery Divide drift through hazy introspection and cinematic melancholy on Desolate Cowboy, a reflective indie gem that blends dreamy atmosphere with heartfelt songwriting. Built around emotive vocals, spacious instrumentation, and a lingering sense of solitude, the track feels like a slow drive through emotional wastelands illuminated by fading neon and distant memories. Beneath its understated surface lies a quiet emotional weight, balancing vulnerability and escapism with effortless sincerity. Moody, immersive, and deeply personal, Desolate Cowboy captures the beauty of isolation while transforming loneliness into something strangely comforting and hypnotic.
Conscious Pilot blur the line between satire, anxiety, and explosive post punk energy on Horatio Burns, a sharp, darkly comic anthem overflowing with restless momentum and DIY spirit. Built around propulsive guitars, wiry rhythms, and emotionally charged hooks, the track transforms creative frustration into something strangely exhilarating. Its fictional portrait of artistic obsession doubles as a wider reflection on modern disillusionment, balancing humor, tension, and vulnerability with remarkable precision. Fierce, witty, and irresistibly urgent, Horatio Burns captures the chaotic beauty of pushing forward through uncertainty while refusing to lose personality or edge along the way.
AITTALA Lineup – Gary ‘Smith’ Zeus (Drums), Eric Aittala (Guitar/Vox), Dane Taylor (Bass)
New EP Ill-Gotten Gains Out Now via Exitus Stratagem Records
AITTALA (pronounced EYE‑tah‑la) has released the official performance video for “Blacklisted,” the third track from their second EP of 2025, Ill‑Gotten Gains, out now on Exitus Stratagem Records.
The clip marks a milestone for the long‑running metal project; it is the first video to feature new bassist Dane Taylor, joining Eric Aittala (guitars/vocals) and Gary “Zeus” Smith (drums). The trio’s chemistry is on full display, delivering a tight, groove‑driven performance that captures the grit and weight of the track.
A groove‑ and sludge‑inspired standout, “Blacklisted” serves as the thematic counterpoint to the EP’s opening tracks “Isolation” and “Ill‑Gotten Gains.” Where those songs explore the chaos created by self‑serving actions, “Blacklisted” flips the perspective, calling out the people who manipulate, exploit, and leave destruction in their wake.
Musically, the song leans into thick riffs, a grinding mid‑tempo pulse, and the band’s signature blend of heaviness and melody. It’s a concise, punishing statement that reinforces why AITTALA’s sound remains difficult to categorize, and impossible to ignore.
Watch the video via its premiere on Metal Addicts HERE.
Released this past November,Ill‑Gotten Gains continues AITTALA’s tradition of blurring metal subgenres, pulling from traditional metal, doom, groove, progressive elements, and more to create a cohesive, emotionally charged experience.
The EP’s lyrics trace a path from chaos to consequence to the search for redemption, examining how people create disorder for personal gain, face the fallout of those choices, and grapple with whether forgiveness is still possible.
Each track sharpens that arc: “Isolation” delivers doomy heaviness and shifting time signatures as it confronts consequences; “Ill‑Gotten Gains” rides a bouncing 8‑string riff into the mindset of exploiting chaos; “Blacklisted” uses groove‑sludge grit to call out manipulative behavior; “Ever After” offers a modern metal ballad of internal struggle and uncertain redemption; and “Ashes” leans into traditional heavy metal as it follows someone spiraling downward and pulling others with them.
The EP cover features an updated version of Frank, AITTALA’s long‑running mascot, a cartoon pig head inside a pentagram, created in 2014 for the album “Effigy.” Frank represents the shady figure who helps acquire “ill‑gotten gains”…for the right price. His return on the cover ties directly into the EP’s themes of corruption, consequence, and moral decay.
Track Listing:
Isolation – 4:22
Ill Gotten Gains – 4:20
Black Listed – 3:35
Ever After – 4:29
Ashes – 3:50 EP Length: 20:37
AITTALA’s sound resists simple labels, blending classic heavy metal, doom, groove, progressive and power metal, thrash, and hard rock into a style that’s distinctly their own. Lyrically, Eric Aittala pulls from the darker edges of human experience, crafting songs that balance heaviness with introspection.
Founded in 1991 in the Netherlands, AITTALA quickly became a staple of the Dutch metal scene, even opening for The Gathering and Sadist after releasing their 1993 EP “Selling Heaven.”
After disbanding and later resurrecting the project in 2008, AITTALA released six full‑length albums between 2009 and 2022, followed by the Machines EP (2025). Each release showcases the band’s evolution while preserving their unmistakable core sound.
Recommended for fans of Mastodon, Eyehategod, Baroness, Crowbar, Katatonia, live music enthusiasts can catch AITTALA at the following show dates below.
Aittala Tour Dates (WV, VA, TN, NC): May 21 – Tilty McFlipperz – Martinsburg, WV May 22 – The Spot on Kirk – Roanoke, VA May 23 – Capones – Johnson City, TN Jun 19 – Cannonball Music Hall – Raleigh, NC Jul 31 – The Den | Winston – Salem, NC Aug 7- White Rabbit Pub – Fayetteville, NC Aug 29 – Scandals Live – Virginia Beach, VA
