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Royal Sorrow launch new single “Covert”

The band will embark on a European tour with Einar Solberg in September, including appearances at Euroblast and ProgPower;

Royal Sorrow return with “Covert,” the first single after their acclaimed debut album Innerdeeps (2025). The song is a testament to the band’s unique place in the metal scene. Royal Sorrow has quickly built a reputation of being a voice for introspection and finding solace in the darkness.

“The ashen wings unfold”

The track features Royal Sorrow at their most versatile, and at the heart of what the band’s fans have grown to love. It features an incredible range of vocals and a trademark confluence of groove and harmony.

From dark and heavy, to soaring and epic, the song brings together beauty and fury like never before – pure progressive drama from start to end.

The band explains, “Covert is a meditation on transformation and the will to live on despite hardships. It is a journey of growth through fire. Change is never easy, but sometimes pushing through the pain is necessary to become the most authentic version of yourself.”

Watch the stunning video for “Covert” here:

https://youtu.be/dUt3hkk0EGg

The video will go live September 3^rd, 5pm CEST 

You can stream the track here:

https://royalsorrow.lnk.to/Covert-Single

Royal Sorrow will be joining Leprous vocalist Einar Solberg on his upcoming European solo tour along with Raphael Weinroth-Browne and Jovian Moons.

TOUR DATES

Sep 5, 2026: On the Rocks — Helsinki, Finland (co-headline w/ Cold Night for Alligators)

Supporting Einar Solberg:

Sep 18, 2026: The Garage — London, UK

Sep 19, 2026: Café de la Danse — Paris, France

Sep 20, 2026: Le Rex — Toulouse, France

Sep 21, 2026: La Rhapsodie — Biarritz, France

Sep 22, 2026: Mouco Hotel — Porto, Portugal

Sep 23, 2026: República da Música — Lisbon, Portugal

Sep 27, 2026: Euroblast Festival — Cologne, Germany

Sep 26, 2026: L’Ampérage — Grenoble, France

Sep 29, 2026: Hype Park — Kraków, Poland

Sep 30, 2026: Lido — Berlin, Germany

Oct 1, 2026: Neue Gebläsehalle — Neunkirchen, Germany

Oct 2, 2026: Werkk Kulturlokal — Baden, Switzerland

Oct 4, 2026: ProgPower Europe — Baarlo, Netherlands

Royal Sorrow’s album INNERDEEPS is available here:

https://royalsorrow.lnk.to/Innerdeeps-Album

—

Royal Sorrow is:

Markus Hentunen

Eero Maijala 

Janne Mieskonen 

Tony Olsén

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In this interview, Zsolt Szilagyi – founder, songwriter, and guitarist for Finnish melodic power metal project AFTER INFINITY – checks in with Metal Rules to […]

The post AFTER INFINITY Interview: Zsolt Szilagyi on Beyond Eternity, Math & First Live Show appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

The Dutch darkwave pioneers unveil a new journey through heartbreak, desire and emotional combustion

Clan of Xymox return to the darker side of emotion with ‘Broken Heart – Fire’, their new single, set for release on September 23, 2026.

The track explores the tension between losing someone and still being consumed by that person, turning heartbreak, desire and passion into an intense emotional combustion. It is a release that stays true to the darkwave essence of the band, led by Ronny Moorings.

‘Fire’ has already been introduced live during the band’s 2026 shows, giving fans an early taste of this new chapter.

Clan of Xymox will also bring their new material to Valencia on November 21, with a show at Sala Jerusalem. The concert will offer fans the chance to experience the new single live alongside the classics that have established the band as one of darkwave’s most enduring names.

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.es/artist/clan-of-xymox-entradas/962931

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The post Clan of Xymox Return with New Single ‘Broken Heart – Fire’ first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi says his cancer remains in remission nearly 15 years after his initial diagnosis with early-stage lymphoma.

Iommi, now 78, went public with the diagnosis in early 2012, not long after Sabbath confirmed a reunion tour and album. He powered through treatment while recording that album, 13, and continued through the tour that followed it.

Appearing on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” on Sept. 2, Iommi gave an update on his health (transcribed by Blabbermouth):

“It’s, touch wood, all right so far. I still go for more of my checks. And, in fact, two days ago I was having more blood tests. And I keep it up. Like everybody, we all have aches and pains and this, that and the other, but as far as the cancer is concerned, it’s stayed away at the moment.”

Tony said he keeps a close eye on things as best he can.

“I have scans and this, that and the other,” he explained. “But they’re a good team, the doctors I’ve got, and they keep me going. And they’ll call me up in a couple of days and say if anything’s happened with the last blood tests. But no, so far it’s been okay.”

Iommi first confirmed his cancer had gone into remission back at an August 2016 plaque unveiling at Spire Parkway Hospital’s Specialist Care Centre in Solihull, England, where he’d been treated for the illness. He later had surgery in January 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.

Health updates aside, Iommi has a new solo album on the way. From the Dark lands Oct. 23 via BMG, marking his third solo effort following 2000’s Iommi and 2005’s Fused.

The album finds Iommi working throughout with singer Jorn Lande, who co-wrote every song, along with bassist Becky Baldwin and drummer Karl Brazil. Tony co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Mike Exeter, who has served as his co-writer, producer and audio engineer for years.

Lande has a history with Iommi beyond this new record. He joined Iommi and fellow surviving Heaven & Hell members Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice for a tribute to late bandmate Ronnie James Dio at the 2010 High Voltage festival in London’s Victoria Park. This set also brought out former Deep Purple vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes.

Iommi‘s status as one of heavy metal’s foundational figures is hard to overstate. As the founding member and chief songwriter behind Black Sabbath, he’s widely credited with shaping the sound and language of the entire genre. His résumé includes multiple Grammy wins, a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a string of honors in the U.K., including a doctorate from Coventry University, a Lord Mayor’s Award and the Freedom of the City of Birmingham. Most recently, he was awarded an MBE in June 2026, one of the highest honors given in British public life.

The post TONY IOMMI Opens Up On Cancer Fight: “They’re A Good Team, The Doctors I’ve Got” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Album Review: hubris. – White Shores

Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez

There’s something in the water in Switzerland! A nation producing artists like Schammasch, Zeal & Ardour, Leech, Abraham, and countless more genre pushing metal and rock acts. And of course Tommy ‘Warrior’ Fischer and his priceless contributions through acts like Celtic Frost and Triptykon! Now under the spotlight today is Hubris!

A new band for me, a band that graced the stages of Post Festival and Dunk! in the USA and Belgium respectively! A dive into their discography and previous album “Apocryphal Gravity” revealed a rather aesthetically pleasing take on post rock, as well as song titles inspired by Greek mythology (the fact that ‘Beyond Styx, Pt1’ is playing right now as I type this sums this point up). Though “White Shores” marked a change in thematic direction. See, the eagle-eyed amongst us will notice the little Easter egg when you arrange the song titles together:

• Death
• Is
• Just
• Another
• Path

This a reference not to ancient Greece but rather to the Lord Of Rings, a quote from Gandalf forming part of one of many memorable speeches in the epic fantasy series. Though the album has deeper meaning, one that tackles the very real and relatable topic of grief, as band founder Johnathan Hohl experienced when his grandfather passed away. He explained that he wanted to write an album that explored the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Though it should be pointed out that ‘Path’ is split into two songs, to make a clunky and awkward 6 songs; surely it would make more sense just to keep ‘Path’ as one song rather than 2? In either case, understanding this makes listening to the album so much more deeper and richer. Especially as you can feel the album flow through different moods and emotional states. Take the closing moments of the second song ‘is’. You’ll be introduced to one of the louder and faster segments of the album representing this state of anger, whereas later in the album. Quieter and more mournful segments later in the album represent not only the more mournful states of depression but also an opportunity to build tension and intrigue, all before being released in a huge cathartic burst in the album’s crescendo towards the very end of the album. Thereby representation a state of acceptances and the associated relief.

So, why not just write the album about grief and loss and be more direct? Johnathan explained he felt this would be too morbid and on the nose, and much like Gandalf’s speech to Pippin, he wanted to explain that death and loss can be interpreted in different ways.

Once again, understanding this underlying philosophy creates a deeper connection to the music beyond just a random collection of notes and sounds. Though there’s still plenty on the surface level to be appreciated too. Especially if you’re a fan of MONO, Wang Wen, or even Alcest (especially with ‘Souvenirs d’un autre monde’). Perhaps more on the melodic and loungey end of the spectrum, and not so much the crushing atmospheric and all-consuming end.

With an already stacked year for post rock and metal, Hubris will be asserting their way into a few top ten AOTY lists, and making the final curation of said lists so much more challenging for the likes of yours truly!

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: hubris. – White Shores appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

The band returns with a new chapter in their enduring musical journey, exploring darkness and deep emotions.

On August 23, 2026, The Awakening released “The Lost Theatre”, their new studio album and the latest chapter in the story of one of the most distinctive names in gothic rock.

The album features eleven tracks: “Berlin”, “Until The Dawn”, “Crystal Morning”, “Severed”, “Isobel”, “Across Every Ocean”, “Burning Room”, “Behind The Curtain”, “Drown”, “Voices” and “This Dance”.

Across the album, The Awakening continue to explore the emotional and atmospheric qualities that have defined their music throughout their career. “The Lost Theatre” presents another chapter in Ashton Nyte’s creative vision within the band, bringing together melody, darkness and a deeply personal approach to songwriting.

The release also marks a new stage for The Awakening on the live circuit. The band will take “The Lost Theatre” on the road with a series of upcoming dates in Germany, beginning on September 2 in Dortmund, followed by September 3 in Köln, September 4 in Hamburg, September 5 at NCN Festival, and September 6 in Berlin.

Fans can look forward to experiencing the new material live as The Awakening bring the atmosphere of “The Lost Theatre” to the stage.

“The Lost Theatre” is now available on Spotify and all major digital platforms.

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The post THE AWAKENING release “The Lost Theatre”, their new album first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Please welcome yet another cool band to the Julia’s War Recordings roster. Julia’s War, the Philadelphia label founded by They Are Gutting A Body Of Water frontman Doug Dulgarian, is on a pretty absurd winning streak right now, putting out strong recent records from acts like Total Wife, Mx Lonely, God Of War, and Melaina Kol. For their next trick, they’ll get together with Bee Side Cassettes to release the new LP from the St. Louis band Shady Bug.

The post Shady Bug Announce New Album <em>I wanted to be there</em>: Hear “my night routine” appeared first on Stereogum.

70000 Tons Of Metal has announced the first thirty bands for its 2027 sailing, and confirmed that public ticket sales open on Monday, September 7 at 12:00 p.m. EDT via 70000tons.com. The cruise runs January 14–18, 2027, from Miami to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and back, aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Of The Seas. Sixty bands will play across four stages, every one of them twice. And the entire event is capped at 3,000 people.

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The details that matter

Public sales: Monday, September 7, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 CET, via 70000tons.com.

Sailing: January 14–18, 2027.

Route: Miami, Florida to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and back.

Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Of The Seas.

Capacity: 3,000 people. That’s the whole thing.

That last number is the one to sit with. A mid-sized club show in most American cities holds more people than this entire festival. Every year it sells out, and every year a chunk of the people who wanted to go find out too late.

Four days off work in the middle of January, and you need to have decided by Monday lunchtime.

The first thirty bands

Half the lineup, announced today. Thirty more to come.

Abigail Williams
Æther Realm
Arch Enemy Avaland
Battlelore
Brainstorm
Brymir
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
Enforcer
Equilibrium
Evergrey
Exmortus
Exodus
Famous Strangers
HammerFall
Melechesh
Mors Principium Est
Moonspell
Naglfar
Obscura
Origin
Primal Fear
Rhapsody
Sinister
Talia Hoit
Thulcandra
Uli Jon Roth
Warbringer
Wolfheart
Ye Banished Privateers

Look at the spread on that. Exodus and Warbringer for the thrash contingent. Arch Enemy and Mors Principium Est covering melodic death metal. Naglfar, Thulcandra and Melechesh for the black metal end. Obscura and Origin handling the technical extremes. HammerFall, Rhapsody and Primal Fear on power metal. Moonspell and Evergrey for the gothic and progressive side.

And then Uli Jon Roth — the man who played guitar in Scorpions from 1973 to 1978 and shaped a great deal of what came after — plus Ye Banished Privateers, who are a Swedish pirate folk collective with a rotating cast of something like twenty members.

That is not a lineup any land festival would attempt. It works here because everyone’s trapped on the same boat for four days, so the usual logic about drawing a coherent crowd stops applying.

Arch Enemy in particular are worth the trip — their discography is one of the most consistent in the genre, and their live show has only sharpened over the last decade.

Wolfheart are premiering an entire album at sea

Here’s the detail buried two-thirds of the way down the press release, and it’s the most interesting thing in it.

Finnish winter metal band Wolfheart will perform a world live premiere of their forthcoming album during the January 2027 sailing. Not a single, not a preview track — the album, live, before anybody has heard it.

And footage from that performance will be used in an upcoming music video.

Tuomas Saukkonen called it an honour to be on the deck for a third time, describing 70000 Tons as one of the most majestic metal events in the universe, and confirmed they’re bringing the world live premiere of the new record with them.

So a few hundred people in the Caribbean will hear an entire Wolfheart album before the rest of the planet, and some of them will end up in the video. That’s the kind of thing this event exists to do, and it’s the sort of reason people book it a second and third time.

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What you actually get for the ticket

Worth spelling out, because the pitch sounds like marketing until you read the detail.

Every band plays twice. Sixty bands, more than 120 performances across four days. If you miss something, you get another shot at it — which solves the single most annoying problem with every festival ever held on dry land.

There are no VIP areas. None. The release puts it plainly: it’s like everyone has a backstage pass. Every ticket includes meet-and-greets with every band on board, not a lottery, not an upgrade.

Four stages, and one of them is genuinely absurd:

• The Royal Theater — a five-level concert hall
• The Star Lounge — smaller, closer to a local club
• Studio B — the third indoor room, arena-ish in feel
• The Pool Deck Stage — billed as the largest open-air stage structure ever to sail, with bars, pools and hot tubs built into the stage itself

That last one is the image that sells this event. You can watch a band from a hot tub.

Also included: masterclasses with selected musicians, exclusive listening sessions for unreleased material, artist-hosted events, and the Jamming In International Waters all-star set, where musicians from across the lineup play classic metal songs together. There are also Artist Escorted Shore Excursions in Puerto Plata, which means going ashore in the Dominican Republic with members of the bands.

And because it’s still a cruise: complimentary dining, bars that don’t close, 24-hour room service, and the run of the ship.

No pricing is given in the announcement. Cabin categories vary enormously and so does occupancy, so check 70000tons.com directly rather than trusting a number you read somewhere.

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Why this format keeps working

Land festivals are getting bigger and more expensive, and the experience is getting worse — longer walks, worse sightlines, three-hour queues for water.

70000 Tons went the other way. It capped attendance at 3,000, put everyone in the same corridors as the bands for four days, and removed the hierarchy entirely. The organisers call it the United Nations of Heavy Metal at Sea, which is the sort of phrase that would be unbearable if the thing didn’t genuinely deliver on it — people fly in from dozens of countries and the passenger list skews heavily international.

The trade-off is real. It costs more than a weekend festival, it eats four days of January, and if you don’t like the people around you there is nowhere to go.

But nothing else in heavy music’s festival calendar offers a guaranteed meet-and-greet with all sixty acts, and nothing else puts the extreme end of the genre next to power metal and pirate folk without the bill collapsing under its own contradictions.

Thirty more bands still to be announced. The rest of the lineup lands before the sailing.

TL;DR

• Public tickets: Monday, September 7, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 CET, via 70000tons.com.
• When: January 14–18, 2027, sailing Miami to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and back.
• Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Of The Seas. Capacity capped at 3,000 people.
• The lineup so far: 30 of 60 bands, including Exodus, Arch Enemy, HammerFall, Moonspell, Obscura, Origin, Evergrey, Primal Fear, Warbringer, Rhapsody and Uli Jon Roth.
• Every band plays twice — over 120 performances across four stages, including the largest open-air stage structure ever to sail.
• No VIP tiers. Every ticket includes meet-and-greets with all sixty bands, plus masterclasses, listening sessions, the Jamming In International Waters all-star set and artist-escorted shore excursions.
• The exclusive: Wolfheart will perform a world live premiere of their forthcoming album on board, with footage used in an upcoming music video.

FAQ

Sixty bands, four days, one boat, and three thousand seats. Which of the thirty still to be announced would seal it for you? Tell us below. And keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post 70000 Tons Of Metal Reveals Half Its 2027 Lineup Featuring Exodus, Arch Enemy And More appeared first on Loaded Radio.

German gothic metal band Lacrimas Profundere have unveiled the first details of their upcoming studio album. Their fourteenth full-length effort, Lay Me Down O Silent Fear, is set for release on September 25, 2026.

As a first taste of the new record, the band have released “O Silent Fear”, the album’s lead single, accompanied by an official music video, now available on YouTube. The release marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band following the arrival of How To Shroud Yourself With Night (2022).

Alongside the new single, Lacrimas Profundere have opened pre-orders for the album in a variety of formats, including exclusive limited editions, box sets, and special vinyl and T-shirt bundles for collectors.

In the band’s official announcement, they stated:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the first SINGLE from our NEW incoming album is out NOW! Watch the FULL video also on YouTube. Our 14th album ‘Lay Me Down O Silent Fear’ will be out September 25. PRE-ORDER your exclusive copy and check out the beautiful exclusive and strictly ltd. editions, Box Sets or Shirt/Vinyl/Box bundles.”

Lay Me Down O Silent Fear will be released on September 25, 2026, while “O Silent Fear” is already available on all major streaming platforms and accompanied by its official music video.

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The post Lacrimas Profundere Announce New Album Lay Me Down O Silent Fear and Release First Single “O Silent Fear” first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Four decades on from its release, Iron Maiden‘s sixth album, Somewhere in Time, keeps racking up praise for its groundbreaking sound and production. Staples like “Wasted Years,” “Caught Somewhere in Time,” “Stranger in a Strange Land,” “Heaven Can Wait” and the sprawling “Alexander the Great” still turn up regularly in the band’s live sets, and the record marked a turning point that helped push Maiden toward becoming metal’s biggest act.

To mark the fortieth anniversary, Somewhere in Time is getting a limited-edition Oxblood vinyl pressing sourced from the 2015 remaster. An Amazon-exclusive variant will also include a full sleeve poster. Pre-orders are open here.

That’s only half the news. Tying into the band’s 50th anniversary and the setlist of its ongoing “Run For Your Lives” tour, Maiden is putting out a full vinyl box set covering its first nine studio albums this December. The collection, titled 50th Anniversary Studio Album Collection, Part One: 1980-1992, arrives in a fully designed box with an anniversary poster and will be sold exclusively through Amazon outside the U.S.

The box set includes:

50th Anniversary Studio Album Collection, Part One: 1980-1992

• Iron Maiden — red/gold vinyl
• Killers — red vinyl
• The Number of the Beast — silver vinyl
• Piece of Mind — yellow vinyl
• Powerslave — gold vinyl
• Somewhere in Time — oxblood vinyl
• Seventh Son of a Seventh Son — white vinyl
• No Prayer for the Dying — olive vinyl
• Fear of the Dark (2 LPs) — blue vinyl + yellow vinyl

Pre-orders for the box set are live here.

Maiden kicked off the North American leg of “Run For Your Lives” Aug. 29 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The 50th-anniversary run has the band playing stadiums and large amphitheaters across the U.S. and Canada, giving fans a look at a new, bigger production built specifically for outdoor stages, all wrapped around a setlist pulled from the band’s first nine albums. Maiden will also headline Louder Than Life at the Highland Festival Grounds in Kentucky on Sept. 17.

Since forming in 1975, Iron Maiden has built a catalog that includes landmark records like The Number of the Beast, Powerslave and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The band’s most recent studio album, its seventeenth overall, Senjutsu, came out in 2021.

Iron Maiden closed out “The Future Past Tour” in December 2024 at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, a show that turned out to be longtime drummer Nicko McBrain‘s last with the band. He’s since been replaced by Simon Dawson, a former session drummer who has spent the past 14 years playing alongside bassist Steve Harris in British Lion.

The post IRON MAIDEN Marks 40 Years of “Somewhere in Time” With Special Reissue & The Band’s 50th Anniversary With A Special Collection appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.