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  • LEX LEGION – Featuring Four Former KING DIAMOND Members Plus PAGAN’S MIND Vocalist – Releases Music Video For Second Single “Gypsy Tears”

    Lex Legion, the new band featuring four-fifths of King Diamond‘s classic late-’80s lineup, has released the official music video for its second single, “Gypsy Tears.” The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus of rEvolver Film Company. The band comprises guitarist Andy La Rocque, drummer Mikkey Dee, guitarist Pete Blakk, and bassist Hal Patino — the four instrumental members who appeared together on King Diamond‘s Them (1988) and Conspiracy (1989) — joined by vocalist Nils K. Rue of Pagan’s Mind.

    Dee said of the new track: “It’s now time to release our second single, ‘Gypsy Tears.’ Another great song with a lot of fire and bite, this one is a real driving banger! The video, which is more of a short movie, does a great job of telling the story in the lyrics.”

    Rue described the song: “At its core, the song is a dark portrait of obsession, told through the eyes of a watcher who cannot let go. The video re-imagines this as a timeless story of love and longing that stretches beyond reality itself. Through layered metaphors, the lyrics transform personal conflict into vast, symbolic landscapes — where emotional collapse feels like war-torn ground.”

    Blakk added: “‘Gypsy Tears’ is the essence of me, Mikkey, Andy, and Hal. With Andy and me trading off solos and the power of Mikkey and Hal‘s rhythm section all supporting the powerful vocals of Nils, the song really brings a new dimension to metal in 2026. The video is tasteful, mystical, and raw. It’s a piece of art that will leave no one untouched.”

    Pre-order the album here.

    In an recent interview with The Metal Crypt, La Rocque explained how Lex Legion came together: “The story started back in 2008 when Pete and I talked about maybe doing something together. Then, many years later, during the pandemic, Pete continued writing a few riffs and played them for Mikkey, who thought, ‘This sounds really good. I want to be a part of this.’ They called me and asked if I wanted to join. I said, ‘Sure, man. We’re doing nothing really with King Diamond because we have a pandemic now.’ Hal Patino was also asked during that period. In the very end, everything went quite fast. We got a record deal, and everything was really smooth.”

    On what separates Lex Legion from his work in King Diamond, La Rocque said: “This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music, and there’s a big hole for us to fill. The album is a journey, and every song is like the beat of a movie. The song style is different [to King Diamond] but still from the same era. The riffs are different, and the arrangements are a little less progressive and a little more straightforward.” He was emphatic that no King Diamond material crossed over: “The songs we write for Lex Legion are completely different and have nothing to do with King Diamond in that sense. I don’t want people to believe that I have some songs that were intended for King Diamond that I’m using here. No, not at all.”

    Lex Legion‘s self-titled debut album will be released in June 2026 via MNRK Music Group. The group draws comparisons to heyday Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and Accept.

    Between them, the five members of Lex Legion span decades of high-profile work. Dee went on from King Diamond to become the longtime drummer of Motörhead and later Scorpions. La Rocque has remained with King Diamond to this day while producing and collaborating widely. Rue has been the voice of Pagan’s Mind since that progressive metal band’s formation in 1997.

    The post LEX LEGION – Featuring Four Former KING DIAMOND Members Plus PAGAN’S MIND Vocalist – Releases Music Video For Second Single “Gypsy Tears” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

  • Album Review: Lago – Vigil

    Album Review: Lago – Vigil

    Reviewed by Sam Jones

    Lago is a band out of Arizona, United States, that has passed me by on a number of occasions and yet I have never checked them out; well with the upcoming release of Vigil, their third full length work, I’ll finally put that to rights. Formed in 2010 Lago got to work immediately with an EP, a Demo, before releasing their debut full length, Tyranny, in 2014. It’s evident Lago don’t rush albums out given they wouldn’t release their follow-up, Seas Of Duress, until 2018, after which the band went quiet with not one release foretelling future efforts. But come mid-2024 the band released a Single, indicative of an upcoming record; that record is here, titled Vigil, set for a May 8th release date. Signing on to Everlasting Spew Records it’s Lago’s biggest label yet and considering how much I’ve heard and seen advertised about this album on varying social medias its time to finally dive head first into Vigil.

    First and foremost there’s the production applied herein. If Lago were after something monstrous and utterly commanding they’ve done a great job for there’s nothing on record that’ll give you a chance to turn away. However it’s far from overly crushing and while riffs and drums feel massive, Vigil doesn’t attempt to deceive its audience with what scope it’s really playing with. It’s a vast record but it isn’t thrust right in your face, and additionally doesn’t need to because by giving us the space to recognise its scale we can take in everything it has to offer with greater ease. But other than simply feeling big Vigil’s production gives the band a demented and serpentine aesthetic where every strike twists and coils; you can feel the malice and hatred oozing with every turn the songwriting takes. Though the record hardly stops for a moment its most impactful moments are when a handful of notes are closely tied together and then brought down on your head in quick succession. It’s this cinderblock attack many will take away from Vigil as a reason for returning.

    The riffs on this record are some of the most technically inventive you’ll hear all year, knowing we’ve got months to go yet until the year is out. Whilst Lago perform death metal familiar to many of us, their riffs hardly sit still and are always branching off into some lick or previously unexplored sound that, in doing so, broadens Lago’s horizons and what we may expect from them. Whilst the guitar tone is mostly chunky and sticks to the record’s ground, accompanied by basslines that churn and destroy when called upon, the memorability comes from those licks and riff segments that climb and soar and scream. To some degree Vigil cries to break free and does so after flight is attained; going into this record you mustn’t think the band are going to play by the rules for conventionality isn’t on their mind. The soloing is equally as sublime, clamouring for loftier heights than where others have marked their own flags and, by doing so, takes us into near-dreamlike worlds where foundations are left behind and intangible realms are that little more possible.

    Album Review: Lago - Vigil

    One true hero of the band here however is the drummer, for his performance ensures not only the record’s pace is constant and engaging but the techniques employed are continuously switching up for what the songwriting requires. Should the band aspire for more blunt force action the bass drums are employed in force, where the mix has helped them stand out with outlined presence. Should the drumming perform more typical segments whereby the songwriting bridges song sections, the patterns are far from predictable; there’s almost always some minute modification made to a standard pattern to give it greater life and energy. It is entirely possible to visit every track on record here and know wholly the drumming is entirely unique as one track succeeds another.

    The vocals utilised are excellent but not for the reason, I believe, most would think them for. Granted these aren’t the kind you’ll listen in to for the lyrics since you won’t make out a syllable and, should you know who Lago are, lyrics won’t be your prerogative for tuning in. The delivery is enormous, guttural, the kind of demonic soundscape you’d fear to discover in some pitch black domain, but more so is the incredible depth they achieve. As one listens you’ll find yourself captivated by the totality of such a performance, the complete lust for the void, as well as the longevity such vocals possess too. Some notes are sustained longer than you’d expect, showcasing remarkable control and throat technique, thus lengthening the heinous punishment Lago salivate at inflicting.

    In conclusion, the end goal of Vigil is to submerse you into as deplorable and destroyed a physical state as possible without inhibiting your ability to carry on. Should that become the case you wouldn’t wish to return to Vigil and I thoroughly want to return, for Lago have some deliciously devious death metal displayed here. Though there be seven tracks and each as rampant and rabid as the one preceding, Vigil runs with astonishing speed which is doubly impressive given its aforementioned scale, and how like a hydraulic ram it keeps applying pressure until bones break and organs rupture. Its that collective power, looking back, knowing what it delivers on, that enamours us to seek out more of it, chasing that high of adrenaline, that intoxicating power, that entices us to return. Many could say Lago do little different than the slew of cavernous death metal acts today but the band never needed to because it all comes down to songwriting, and Vigil is overflowing in that quality. It’s the kind of record that will see newcomers visit their older material and create lifelong fans. An exceptionally insane record.

    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: Lago – Vigil appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

  • Sturgill Simpson Says DC Think Tank Rescinded Award Offer Over “Optics”

    Sturgill Simpson is among the most outspoken and perhaps even cantankerous artists on the current music landscape. That hasn’t stopped people from wanting to go see him. After releasing the Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds album Mutiny After Midnight, which is only available in physical editions for now, Simpson and his band are about to go tour arenas. But Simpson’s “optics” have seemingly cost him a few bucks, and he’d like to tell you about the DC think tank that offered him ten grand and then changed its mind.

    The post Sturgill Simpson Says DC Think Tank Rescinded Award Offer Over “Optics” appeared first on Stereogum.

  • EVERGREY Release Music Video For “Leaving The Emptiness” From Upcoming Album Of “Architects Of A New Weave”

    Swedish progressive metal veterans Evergrey have released a new single, “Leaving The Emptiness,” along with an accompanying music video. The track is taken from their 15th studio album, Architects Of A New Weave, due June 5, 2026, via Napalm Records.

    Frontman Tom S. Englund said: “Our new single is a high-energy firecracker that makes you want to jump — we know, because we just played it in Brazil twice and people were more in the air than on the ground. But don’t let the adrenaline fool you. Underneath the surge is something rawer — a song about the moment you stop running from what hurts and finally turn to face it. ‘Leaving The Emptiness’ hits hard because it earns it.

    “The tension between the euphoric, major-key drive and the weight of the lyrics is completely intentional — we want you to feel joy and ache at the same time, because that’s what it actually feels like to face your demons and come out the other side. We also made a video that matches that energy in every way, and we genuinely cannot wait for you to see it. If you’ve ever stood in a crowd and felt the music pull something out of you that you didn’t know was still there — for us, this is that song,” Englund added.

    Pre-order Architects Of A New Weave here.

    Architects Of A New Weave will be released in multiple formats, including a 2-LP Gatefold Deluxe Edition (with a bonus LP and LP-sized 16-page booklet, exclusive to the Napalm Records mailorder), a 2-CD digipack (with six bonus tracks), and standard vinyl and digital editions.

    The album arrives just days before Evergrey take the stage as special guest to Iron Maiden for two shows on their “Run For Your Lives” World Tour. Standout tracks from Architects Of A New Weave include “The World Is On Fire,” “Leaving The Emptiness,” “Heaven,” “The Prophecy,” and the title track.

    Evergrey was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1995. More than 30 years and 15 albums into their career, the band has built a devoted global following through relentless touring and a catalog that spans melodic progressive metal to gothic darkness. Their previous album, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), was released in 2022.

    The post EVERGREY Release Music Video For “Leaving The Emptiness” From Upcoming Album Of “Architects Of A New Weave” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

  • DAUÞUZ set release date for new AMOR FATI album, reveal first track

    Today, Amor Fati Productions announces May 29th as the international release date for Dauþuz‘s highly anticipated sixth album, Todeswerk: Uranium II, on CD and vinyl LP formats. The tape version of the album is being released via the band themselves on their respective labels, Archaic-Oath Productions and Moonstruck. Since 2016, Dauþuz have been delivering quality black metal, which they have classified as Mining Black […]

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  • DELAIN Feat. Marko Hietala Announce 2027 Tour Dates

    Melodic Synth-Metal-Masters DELAIN Announce 2027 Tour Dates. Feat. Marko Hietala. With Special Guest Infected Rain & more to be announced soon! General on sale May 7h at 13.00 CET. Over the last two decades, melodic-synth-metal-force DELAIN has established itself as an enduring force in modern melodic metal, known for its powerful songwriting, a distinctive musical identity, […]

    The post DELAIN Feat. Marko Hietala Announce 2027 Tour Dates appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

  • TRIP VILLAIN: New Noise Magazine Hosts Exclusive Stream Of Dose LP From NYC Electro-Thrash Unit With Members Of Netherlands And Bangladeafy; Album Drops This Friday May 8th On Seeing Red Records

    photos by Robby Grodin New Noise Magazine is hosting an exclusive stream of Dose, the mentally mauling second LP from Brooklyn-based electronic/metal crew TRIP VILLAIN, on the verge of release this Friday on Seeing Red […]

    The post TRIP VILLAIN: New Noise Magazine Hosts Exclusive Stream Of Dose LP From NYC Electro-Thrash Unit With Members Of Netherlands And Bangladeafy; Album Drops This Friday May 8th On Seeing Red Records appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.

  • Case Oats – “Bottom Of An Afternoon”

    Case Oats is the partnership of singer-songwriter Casey Gomez Walker and drummer Spencer Tweedy, who besides being bandmates are engaged to be married. They put out their debut album Last Missouri Exit on Merge last year, and today they’ve got a new track out ahead of a tour launching later this week. “Bottom Of An…

    The post Case Oats – “Bottom Of An Afternoon” appeared first on Stereogum.

  • WYRMHAVEN – Decibel Magazine Premieres “Unrelenting Storms” Single

    “Unrelenting Storms” is the new single from Arizona death metal outfit WYRMHAVEN. Now playing at Decibel Magazine, the track comes off the band’s forthcoming full-length debut, Seasons Of Gloom, set for release on May 29th. Comments vocalist Steve Naemark, “‘Unrelenting Storms’ is about existential rot and decay. The lyrics depict humanity leaving the world barren, abusing the […]

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  • THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T)

    (Andy Synn has not four, not five… but six stellar recommendations for albums from last month to share with you) It’s always difficult to pick what bands I’m going to include in these “Things You May Have Missed” articles – I only have so much time, and so much space, I can give them, after […]

    The post THINGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED (BUT SHOULDN’T) appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.