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.«

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.«

Domači blackened death/thrash metalci Sovrag so objavili koncertni posnetek komada Corpses of Pointless Pride, ki so ga lani posneli v Kulturnem centru Kočevje (KCK). Omenjeni komad so izdali na debitantskem EP-ju Tribute to Death.

Kanadska heavy metal zasedba Withering Scorn, katere člana sta tudi brata Shawn in Glen Drover, pripravlja material za drugi celovečerec, ki bo nasledil prvenec Prophets Of Demise iz leta 2023. Shawn Drover o novem materialu:

»At this point, this is where we're at. I've got three songs done for drums completed, and we started working on song four today; Glen and I started working on this intro piece to song four, where it's got this whole intro thing and stuff. And so we worked that out. And that's where we're at in terms of music as well. We just started song four. Glen still has a couple of songs to do for keeper guitars and so does Joe for bass. We haven't even approached the lyric process or the singing yet. Once we get far enough ahead, that's when we'll start to tackle that. Once I hear keeper guitars, then I start to assemble lyrics. I need to kind of hear the finished product of certainly the drums and guitars, if not bass as well, so I get inspired to write lyrics. That's kind of how I work with that.«

Crossover thrash metal zasedba Belushi Speed Ball bo 10. maja izdala nov album Stellkira. Prvi single My Favourite Color Is Pizza je že na voljo za poslušanje, objavili pa so tudi naslove drugih komadov, ki bodo del ploščka:

My Favorite Color Is Pizza
This is the Peak
Eels and Escalators
Get to the Point
Glass Bones and Paper Skin IV
The Adventures of Rick and Mortarion
Garth, Let My Family Go
Griffith Did Literally Everything Wrong
The Hash Slinging Slasher
The Accountant's Due (Stab the Katana)
Tater Tot Eyes

Finski melodični death metalci Northern Genocide so nedavno v obliki besedilnega videospota razkrili pesem Our Final Hour s  prihajajočega drugega ploščka The Point of No Return. Seznam pesmi je takšen:

To Serve the Pestilence
Kaamos
Harbingers of Genocide
Icaros
Luonnonsurma
My Fortress
Our Final Hour
Para Bellum
The Engram
Necropolis (feat. Tommy Tuovinen)

Nemška zasedba Paradox se vrača z napovedjo novega albuma Mysterium. Album naj bi izšel še letos pri založbi AFM Records, točen datum izida pa še ni znan. Spodaj pa si lahko preberete izjavo Charlyja Steinhauerja:

»Friends and fans,
I had a dream. I wanted to start together with AXEL BLAHA, with whom I founded PARADOX in 1981, and end together again at some point. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible because he has said goodbye to this world.
In all these years, AXEL was the only musician who worked with me the way you have to, to achieve a goal. We never danced around at multiple weddings and were always loyal to one band. PARADOX! This was the only way the two classics “PRODUCT OF IMAGINATION” and “HERESY” were possible.
I miss him very much and it is very difficult for me to move on without him, but anyone who knows me knows that giving up is not an option for me.
Not even after 43 years and that's why I can tell you, that I have composed a new PARADOX album, which will hopefully be released worldwide this year via AFM RECORDS. The album will be called “MYSTERIUM” and will contain all the trademarks a Paradox fan wants.
The special thing about “MYSTERIUM” is that I composed all the songs and played all the instruments myself, because I will never again work with project-hungry musician whores who play a few notes on an album but otherwise have nothing to do with PARADOX, or none maintain contact with his colleagues. Unfortunately, this runs like a common thread through the entire career and is the main reason why PARADOX was never able to really get off the ground. To do this you need musicians who work together and pursue a common goal.
It should also be a warning to all young musicians and new bands who want to achieve something with their band. You can find out more about this in the numerous interviews for the new album. You should definitely read this!
I will also be responsible for the mix and the entire production.
The lyrics are written by ACHIM “DAXX” HOEMERLEIN (ex-Vendetta), who also wrote the lyrics for “TALES OF THE WEIRD” and “PANGEA”.
TRAVIS SMITH (Opeth/Nevermore etc) is currently working on the artwork.
“MYSTERIUM” is a very heavy album and contains 10 songs with a playing time of 51 minutes. Dedicated to AXEL BLAHA, my best friend and co-founder of PARADOX!
Cheerz!
Charly«

Finski melodični death metalci Northern Genocide bodo 1. marca pri Inverse Records izdali album z naslovom The Point Of No Return. Spodaj si lahko ogledate videospot za njihov tretji single To Serve With Pestilence.

Srbska stoner metal zasedba Cardinal Point bo 25. septembra izdala album z naslovom Man or Island. Ta bo izšel pri založbi Q Records. Tracklista:

Man or Island
Lay Down
Stray Dog
Behind the Fire
Rolling Ahead
Sometimes
Right ‘n’ Ready
We’re Not Alone
Sunrise
This Chest

Grški depresivni black metalci Sorry... so razkrili, da bo njihov tretji studijski album z naslovom Self Inflicted Razor Cutting izšel 20. oktobra pri založbi Tragedy Productions. Plošček prinaša teh devet komadov:

Self Inflicted Razor Cutting
Lying in a Pool of Blood
Complete Isolation
Days of Uselessness
Broken Promises
Never Reached Dreams (Hanging Garden Cover)
Window to Another Pointless Sunset
A Tortured Sight and The Final Breath
Path of Nothingness

Američani Nonpoint predstavljajo nov single A Million Watts s prihajajočega albuma Heartless. Album izide 17. novembra pri založbo 361 Degrees Records.

Poljski heavy/speed metalci Vengeance predstavljajo komad Another Fukkin Day s prihajajočega prvenca Sewer Surge, ki bo izšel 22. septembra pri Dying Victims Productions s takšno tracklisto:

Attack from the Gutter
Vengeance...
Brain Damage
Disappointing Parking Lot Sex
Another Fukkin' Day
Dregs of Society
U.G.H.

Italijanski power metalci Frozen Crown, ki so marca letos izdali šesti dolgometražec Call Of The North, sporočajo, da so podpisali z založbo Napalm Records. 

»We're happy and honored to join the Napalm Records family and we're ready for our next big step together! Since we founded this band in 2018 we worked hard incessantly, day after day, not only trying to put our best in our studio albums and live, but also managing the band all by ourselves, conquering every single little accomplishment with our DIY attitude, always keeping loyal to our (extremely) small entourage. Thanks to the support of our lovely fans, Frozen Crown eventually grew bigger, and got to a point where we were not able to handle it all by ourselves anymore. At the same time, we knew we needed more firepower to push the band further and bring it to the next level. And speaking of firepower, Napalm Records was just the best record label to start this new chapter with!!! We're excited beyond words to be part of the best metal label in the world, and we can't wait to start working together on our new album, joining forces with this huge team of professionals!«

Nemški melodični death metalci Kambrium so se razšli s kitaristom Maximilianom Wernerjem. Zasedba je trenutno v fazi snemanja novega albuma. Spodaj lahko preberete izjavo banda v celoti:

»Dear Kambrium fans, today we would like to contact you with an important announcement. Maxi and Kambrium will now go their separate ways. It was a difficult decision for all of us, but we strongly believe that this is the right step for us to continue to grow and explore new musical paths.

Maxi was a constant part of Kambrium. His talent, commitment, and energy have shaped our music and shows in a significant way and accompanied us on many memorable journeys. We are grateful for the years we spent together and will carry the memories we made together forever in our hearts.

Although Maxi will no longer be part of the band, we want to emphasize that our friendship remains and remains strong. We've been through so much together and been through so many highs and lows together that we're sure our connection goes beyond music. We will continue to stay in touch, support each other and look for new adventures in our respective musical projects. Maybe you'll even see Maxi at our merch stand.

For Kambrium, this change is also a chance to reinvent ourselves. We are already working on the next album and are looking forward to enthralling you with our music in the near future. We are very grateful for your support and hope you’ll join us on this new chapter of our journey.

At this point we would like to thank Maxi again from the bottom of our hearts. You'll always be a part of the Kambrium family and we wish you all the best on your journey ahead.«

Nemški heavy metalci Bonfire bodo danes ob 20. uri premierno predstavili pesem Who's Foolin' Who. Ta je del prihajajočega ploščka z naslovom Point Blank MMXXIII, ki bo izšel 22. septembra pri AFM Records.