Nemški heavy metalci The Night Eternal sporočajo, da je band iz osebnih razlogov zapustil Jones Nühlen.

»Unfortunately we have to inform you that Jones decided to part ways with The Night Eternal due to personal reasons. We‘re still good friends, so there‘s no bad blood and we respect his decision. Being a founding member, Jones was notorious for his catchy bass lines through all of our releases so far and we want to thank him sincerely for the great times we had.
There‘s a last chance to catch The Night Eternal with its original line-up on stage at Endzeit Festival on January 27th, so give Jones the honor and get your tickets!
For THE SATANIC PANIC TOUR starting on February 1st, our good friend Jannik will take over the bass duties.«

Nemški heavy/power metalci Hammer King so posneli videospot za skladbo Hailed by the Hammer s prihajajočega albuma König und Kaiser, ki ga bodo 22. marca izdali pri Napalm Records. To bo njihov šesti studijski album po vrsti, obsega pa te naslove:

Hailed by the Hammer
The Devil Will I Do
König und Kaiser
Future King
Kingdom of Hammers and Kings
War Hammer
Divided We Shall Fall
Kings of Arabia
I Want Chaos
Gates of Atlantia
The Last of the 7 Wars*
König und Kaiser - Titan*
König und Kaiser - The Tribune*

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«

Angleški tehnični melodeath metal band Cognizance je objavil visualizer za komad A Brain Dead Memoir s prihajajočega albuma Phantazein, ki ga bo izdal 21. januarja pri Willowtip Records.

Norveška black metal zasedba Mork, katere ustanovitelj in vodja je Thomas Eriksen, sporoča, da je ostala brez basista Roba Saxa. Zamenjava še ni znana, spodaj pa si lahko preberete izjavo banda:

Po treh letih se na sceno vrača black metal zasedba Dödsrit. 22. marca bodo namreč izdali nov studijski album Nocturnal Will, prvi single Nocturnal Fire pa že lahko poslušate tukaj.

Progresivni death metal duet Iapetus sporoča, da je podpisal pogodbo z založbo Willowtip Records. Band je trenutno v fazi priprave materiala za tretji album, spodaj pa lahko preberete izjavo banda ob začetku sodelovanja z novo založbo:

»We are honored, humbled, and thrilled to announce our partnership with Willowtip Records - to join their incomparable roster, both past and present, and to stand alongside so many incredible bands that we have long admired both as fans and peers.Willowtip is and has always been dedicated to pushing the boundaries of metal - to championing the off-beat and the unfamiliar - and so we feel resolutely at home beneath their legendary, ever-innovative banner. This partnership is, for us - and in so many ways - a perfect fit. We could not be more excited for the endeavors ahead.

Writing for our next album has been ongoing for years, and is still well underway - while it's still too far-off for specific details, we can promise that it will be our darkest record yet - an 80+ minute conceptual rumination on hopelessness, mortality, and meaning in an uncaring cosmos. More news will become available as the album progresses.

And, as always, our unending gratitude for the continual support of our fans across the globe - if you haven't already, check out some of our new, outstanding labelmates - An Abstract Illusion, Countless Skies, Hath, Slugdge, The Anchoret, and more!

Cheers, and Happy New Year!«

Ukrajinski death metalci Schizogen bodo prihodnje leto pri Willowtip Records izdali nov, zaenkrat še neimenovan studijski album. Te dni so predstavili prvi nov single Out Of The Light.

Tehnična melodeath metal zasedba Cognizance iz Leedsa je posnela videospot za skladbo Shadowgraph. Gre za drugi single s prihajajočega albuma Phantazein, ki izide 21. januarja pri Willowtip Records.

Švedska progresivna death metal zasedba Carnosus sporoča, da je sklenila sodelovanje z Willowtip Records. Poleg naznanitve nove založbe band še sporoča, da bo kmalu začel z delom na tretjem albumu:

»As the year ends we are buckling up and getting ready to record our third album. We are happy to announce that this time we are working with Willowtip Records and joining their roster of amazing bands!

Expect more ‘Visions’ as we venture into our third installment, with tales of the vicious majesty and the world it lives in. This project comes with some of our finest riffs to date and is a bit more progressive than our last album. We will, once again, team up with the trustworthy and excellent producer Robert Kukla at Obsidian Recording Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. We are beyond stoked to let this material come to life, and we hit the studio early 2024! Giddy up!«

Brazilske legende Sepultura so konec prejšnjega tedna nepričakovano sporočile, da se po 40 letih delovanja poslavljajo. Pred upokojitvijo se bo band odpravil še na daljšo turnejo okrog sveta. V Evropo naj bi se podali konec oktobra, datume turneje pa najdete na priloženi sliki. Krajšo izjavo banda lahko preberete spodaj:

»Sepultura has reached the end of the road and has chosen to depart via a conscious and planned death.

Throughout the next 18 months we will celebrate 40 years of existence together along with our loyal fans on a farewell tour across the entire globe.

It will be a celebration of the past and the present for one final time.«

Nemški alternativni metalci Emil Bulls so predstavili naslovni komad svojega prihajajočega albuma Love Will Fix It, ki bo pri Arising Empire izšel 12. januarja.

Ameriški avantgardneži Theophonos so pripravili videospot za komad No Reprieve s svojega drugega studijskega albuma Ashes in the Huron River, ki ga bodo 9. februarja naslednje leto izdali pri založbi Profound Lore. Tracklista:

The Built World
No Reprieve
Curse Envy
Willing Power
Grid of Sorrows
An Elegy
Ashes in the Huron River
Empty Gardens
Still You Haunt Me
As Long as Forever

Witherfall iz Los Angelesa po nedavno objavljenem komadu Insidious zdaj predstavljajo že drugi single Ceremony Of Fire s prihajajočega albuma Sounds Of The Forgotten. Izšel bo 31. maja, tracklista pa je sledeča:

They Will Let You Down
Where Do I Begin
A Lonely Path
Insidious
Ceremony Of Fire
Sounds Of The Forgotten
Aftermath
When It All Falls Away
Opulent
What Have You Done?

Rusko-norveški tehnični death metalci Defect Designer predstavljajo komad We Will Need Your Chitin s prihajajočega albuma Chitin, ki naj bi ga kmalu izdala založba Transcending Obscurity Records. Naslovnico je tudi tokrat naslikal Ian Miller (Ulthar).

Člani Defect Designer so:

Dmitry Sukhinin (Diskord): kitara, vokal, glasba, besedila
Martin Storm-Olsen: bas, vokal, besedila, zvočna produkcija
Eugene Ryabchenko (Fleshgod Apocalypse): bobni