Mojstri stoner metala Orange Goblin predstavljajo drugi single Cemetary Rats s prihajajočega albuma Science, Not Fiction. Izid albuma je napovedan za 19. julij, izdala pa ga bo založba Peaceville Records. Komentar frontmana Bena Warda o novem singlu:

»You want Metal? You've got Metal! "Cemetery Rats" is an anthem for all the metalheads and rockers, the kids that society deems the 'weirdos and freaks'! Fuck society! This is a song for everyone that likes to hang out in the graveyard, listening to metal and loving life as the underdog! This is doom, thrash and punk all rolled into one, like the mighty Black Sabbath colliding with classic era-Celtic Frost and Discharge! We are the heavy metal underground, we are the CEMETARY RATS!«

Purtugalski death/blackened thrash pankerji Spitgod so z videospotom za komad You Know It's Coming napovedali EP z naslovom Through Life 'till Death. Seznam pesmi:

Unwillingly Brought Into this World
March of the Dead
Nothing But the Will
Embrace Yourself
You Know It's Coming
Vile Evils

Danski heavy/doom metalci Altar Of Oblivion bodo izdali svoj četrti dolgometražec, ki bo nosil naslov In the Cesspit of Divine Decay. Ta bo izšel 28. junija pri založbi From The Vaults in prinesel deset novih komadov:

Nothing Grows from Hallowed Ground
The Fallacy
Ghosts in the Trenches
Mark of the Dead
Altar of Oblivion
The Night They Came
Silent Pain
Damnation
In the Cesspit of Divine Decay
Wind Among Waves

Španski thrasherji Holycide, ki jih vodi Dave Rotten od Avulsed, so razkrili prvi komad s prihajajočega albuma Towards Idiocracy. Gre za A.I. Supremacy, ki bo skupaj z ostalimi izšel 6. junija pri Xtreem Music. Tracklista:

A.I. Supremacy
Towards Idiocracy
Remote Control
Lie is the New Truth
Power Corrupts
Technophobia
Angry for Nothing
Chemical Dependency (Atrophy cover)
Pleased to Be Deceived
Flamethrower 'em All

Iz tabora hrvaških doom metalcev Old Night sporočajo, da jih je zapustil vokalist in kitarist Matej Hanžek. Vrzel v zasedbi bo na vokalu tako zapolnil njegov brat Ivan, na kitari pa se je zasedbi pridružil Rafael Cvitković (Nekroza). Spodaj lahko preberete celotno izjavo banda:

»This is a post I write with a heavy heart, yet full of hope and with a bright look on the future. After eight years with us as our lead singer and frontman, earlier this year Matej decided to step down from his duties within Old Night. I know you are hoping for some gossip or a sassy story, but there was no drama involved. He just wants to focus on other things in life and at this point, music is not a priority for him. Having said that, I wish to thank him on our behalf for everything he has done for us, all the great times we shared on stage and backstage, but also for all the long hours he has put in working on our first three records. It was a privilege and you'll always be a part of our family. Obviously, this news has taken us aback and we had to figure out how best to proceed. We took some time to see what our options were, as this is an important role we needed to fill. After much deliberation we figured out we need not look outside our band for a perfect candidate as we have one in our midst. Ivan has been singing all the backing vocals from day one and from now on he will be handling all the lead vocals. No need to worry, he’ll remain our lead guitarist as well.

The only piece of the puzzle left to figure out was who’ll play the rhythm guitars? Without further ado, we welcome Rafael Cvitković, from the Croatian death metal machine Nekroza, as our new guitarist. If you attended our concerts, you might have already seen him filling in on sound checks or working on our merch booth. Nekroza just released their debut album on InsArt Records – you can check them out and show them your support.

With our line-up complete, we will continue working on our new record and we hope we’ll have some news in that regard soon. In a couple of weeks, we’ll have our first concert with the new line-up and we can’t wait to present you the New Old Night.«

Ameriška progressive/alternative rock zasedba Nothing More je objavila video za skladbo House on Sand. Gost na vokalih je Eric V. iz I Prevail.

Organizatorji dogodkov Hangtime Agency sporočajo, da je nedeljski koncert zasedb Grima in Ultar v zagrebškem klubu Močvara odpovedan. Odpovedana sta tudi koncerta v Beogradu in Novem Sadu ter tudi 40 drugih nastopov skupin po Evropi. Zapletlo se je namreč pri vizah. Izjava banda:

»Dear followers of the Grima cult, sometimes even the biggest and oldest spruce tree can't withstand (in)human acts. There is a point where we have to bow down and accept what cannot be changed.
After 4 months of non-stop efforts from everyone involved behind the scenes, the best we got is a 30 days stay in the Schengen area. We have applied for a 90 days arts science visa, which we have been granted in past years, but not this time, the reasons have not been communicated to us.
We did everything we could do, Asgaardian Events and even Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions helped us as much as possible, but all we got are these 30 days for now, which we shall use to the fullest.
Our first show will be on the April 25 in Switzerland and the last one will be on the May 22 in Paris. Any other show will be cancelled. There will be no further rescheduling. We will be happy to see each one of our cultists at these shows. We won't have any other Central European tours in the near future, except a few festivals next year, which we are already negotiating with.«

Postojnsko-notranjska progresivna groove metal zasedba RALU je minuli petek v celoti objavila EP z naslovom After.

Deathcorovci Chelsea Grin sporočajo, da je vrzel na bobnarskem stolčku zapolnil Josh Miller. Zasedba se je pred kratkim razšla z bobnarjem Pablom Viverosom in tako je nov polnopravni član zasedbe postal Josh. Izjava banda:

»We hope everyone has been doing well; we have some updates. We have parted ways with our fill-in drummer, Nathan Pearson. We sincerely value his friendship, as well as his devotion to furthering his craft and bringing his all to the stage. We truly look forward to watching his drumming career continue to blossom and advance, and value his time with us.

Furthermore, the band and Pablo have mutually agreed to separate. Pablo is one of our oldest friends, the life of the party, a masterful player, and a powerful creative. After Pablo spent some years away from the band, we all came together and realized that personal visions had diverged through time. We will always wish the very best for him, and seriously value all that he brought not only to the band, but to our lives. Nothing but tremendous love for him, always. We also encourage everyone to show support for him, Jaek and Alex’s new band, Ameonna.

Moving forward, we are proud and excited to announce that Josh Miller will be joining Chelsea Grin. It goes without saying that the future is bright – you will hear it in our music and witness it in our performances.

We keep very much to ourselves at this stage in our lives, but when we check in we want each of you to know that you are deeply and sincerely valued – we are so grateful for the opportunity to do what we love. We cannot wait to bring more of our vision to you all. Thank you for the years of support and love, and we will see you on our current tour supporting Fit For A King.«

Britanski stonerji Orange Goblin predstavljajo besedilni video za single (Not) Rocket Science s prihajajočega albuma, ki bo njihov deseti po vrsti in bo izšel pri založbi Peaceville Records.

Francoski brutal death metalci Benighted so posneli videospot za komad Metastasis. Gre za tretji single z desetega albuma Ekbom, ki ga bodo 12. aprila izdali pri založbi Season of Mist. Tracklista:

Prodome
Scars
Morgue
Le vice des entrailles
Nothing Left to Fear
Ekbom
Metastasis
A Reason for Treason
Fame of the Grotesque
Scapegoat
Flesh Against Flesh
Mother Earth, Mother Whore

Po tem, ko so se thrasherke Jenner pred kratkim razšle z bobnarko Seleno Simić, zdaj dekleta predstavljajo njeno zamenjavo. Nova stara bobnarka je postala Marija Dragićević, ki je z bandom sodelovala že od leta 2013 do 2021. Izjava banda:

»As many of you suspected, Marija is once again taking a place behind the drum kit in our band! For those who may not now, Marija is Alexandra's sister. She was the original drummer of Jenner, but had to take a step back from the band due to some personal issues. However, she's back and ready to hit the stage with us again! Join us in welcoming Marija back to the band!«

Kot smo januarja poročali, je v 78. letu starosti umrl Tony Clarkin, kitarist, ustanovitelj britanskih veteranov Magnum. Že takrat se je šušljalo, da to pomeni tudi konec za zasedbo, ki je to zdaj tudi uradno potrdila. Izjava vokalista Boba Catleyja:

»Hello, everybody. Bob here. All right. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but I really can't carry on with Tony not here anymore. Please forgive me, and I hope you can understand how I feel. I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Since we lost Tone, we lost our guiding light, the magnum force behind the band, our songwriter, our producer, our guitar player. He was everything to the band. He was everything to me. For the last 50 years, we never went anywhere without each other. On tour, in the studio, I was at his side constantly, working on stuff with him. I had a wonderful life with Tony. But now it's all too much for me, people. I can't carry on without Tony.
I may pop up in some other shape or form in the near future – you never know – but I can't keep going on like this. It's far too sad; it's all too sad.
So, I hope you understand. You've been fantastic – the best audience ever. You kept this band going year after year, album after album, and we thank you for that.
So, be good. Keep Tony's music in your heart always. I know I will. I will always carry MAGNUM inside me. And I will always have Tony Clarkin beside me wherever I go.
I love you. You've been brilliant. But it's time for me to bow out now. It's my last curtain call, okay? I'll see you sometime. Be good. Cheers. Bye-bye.«

Islandska zasedba Duft je v obliki videospota razkrila pesem Instant Gratification, ki jo lahko preverite spodaj. Gre za prvi komad s prihajajočega prvenca Altar Of Instant Gratification, ki naj bi nagovoril ljubitelje bandov, kot so Code Orange, Jesus Piece, Zulu, End, Slipknot, God Forbid in Cancer Bats.

Letošnja zima bo prinesla debitanski plošček nemške sludge metal zasedbe Greh. Debitanski plošček so naslovili Dysphoric Devotion, prvi single pa nosi naslov Illusional Cenopath.