Defocus, one of Germany’s most exciting progressive metalcore acts, return with their crushing new single 'COMA'. Packed with razor-sharp riffs, atmospheric melodies and a chorus that refuses to leave your head, the track showcases the band’s unique ability to capture today’s spirit.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/EUoq687nY3c
Stream the single here: https://arisingempire.com/defocus
Lyrically, 'COMA' dives into the struggle of being consumed by trauma and despair, yearning for cryosleep as an artificial escape from suffering without giving in to death.
For more information:
https://www.instagram.com/defocus.band
https://www.facebook.com/defocus
https://defocusband.com/
German metalcore outfit Annisokay close their Abyss saga with Abyss - The Final Chapter which will be out 21st November. After Pt. I (2023) and Pt. II (2025), this release completes the journey with raw emotion and power. The new single 'Splinters' launches the pre-order, blending heartbreak and defiance.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/18w1W0FPGxE
Pre-order: https://arisingempire.com/annisokay
Annisokay are about to kick off their massive Abyss Pt. II Europe Tour, this Friday 10th October.
UK dates:
15.01.2026 The Garage, London
16.01.2026 Key Club, Leeds
17.01.2026 Thekla, Bristol
18.01.2026 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Canadian progressive metal band Omnivide return with their most ambitious work to date; the stunning new EP Arise, out today, 10th October, via Seek & Strike. To mark the release, the band have unveiled an official animated video for the EP’s title track, available to watch below.
Watch the video for 'Arise' here: https://youtu.be/2f9a2klv7Cw
Order Arise EP here: https://orcd.co/omnividearise
Arise showcases Omnivide at their most confident and creative, blending precision, power and melody in equal measure. The band’s signature technicality meets soaring orchestral arrangements and dynamic songwriting, pushing the boundaries of progressive metal while remaining deeply engaging and accessible.
Omnivide state: "Our second single, ‘Arise,’ is the concluding track of the EP and it fits that role well, being a longer, more progressive piece. It focuses on the orchestral and melodic sides of our sound while maintaining intensity and technicality throughout. It also features the most clean vocals of any song we’ve done, making it the most emotional track and a fitting conclusion to the record. We chose to feature it as a single because it displays our more progressive and melodic sides, in contrast with ‘Void' that is more brutal and in-your-face."
Watch the video for previous single 'Void' here.
With Arise, Omnivide elevate the sonic palette laid out in their 2024 debut album A Tale of Fire. That record, self-produced and refined over years, fused progressive, melodic, death and symphonic metal to critical acclaim and launched the band’s rise, featuring an extensive tour across Canada and resulting in nominations for Music NB Awards in 'Breakthrough Artist' and 'Song of the Year' categories. Their signing with Seek & Strike later that year signalled their growing international momentum.
Now with Arise, the group raise the stakes, pushing deeper into progressive and symphonic territory while maintaining the technical edge that has become their signature. Drawing influence from acts such as Between The Buried and Me, Opeth and TesseracT, Omnivide fuse brutality and beauty in equal measure.
The band add: “Arise is a major evolution from our debut album A Tale of Fire. We took the elements we loved most from that first release and cranked them up another level. We really wanted to outdo ourselves on this one and we all felt ready to make something better in a shorter time frame. People can expect more techy riffs, bigger orchestral arrangements, more progressive song structures and more clean singing to complement the harsh vocals. The EP also has a lot of ups and downs in intensity, going from all-out brutal riffs to chilled-out, subdued clean sections throughout each song."
With Arise, Omnivide push themselves further than ever, delivering a thrilling balance of technicality, melody and emotional depth. The EP cements their reputation as one of the most exciting rising forces in modern progressive metal.
For more:
Facebook || Instagram | Spotify
Photo Credit: Andy Ford
UK prog metal titans TesseracT have today, 9th October, announced their forthcoming live album and concert film. RADAR is the culmination of a fifteen-year journey that has seen TesseracT rise from underground beginnings to one of the most vital forces in modern metal music. Set for release on 5th December via Kscope, RADAR and the accompanying soundtrack RADAR O.S.T. will be available on a variety of video and audio formats including Blu-ray, CD and vinyl LP.
Filmed at Radar Festival 2024 in Manchester, the new concert film captures the band at a peak moment in their career, performing to a sold-out crowd and delivering a performance for the ages.
Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/eVncgruq4Oo
Pre-order here: https://tesseractkscope.lnk.to/Radar_OST
RADAR and RADAR O.S.T. will be released on Blu-ray, Blu-ray + 2CD, black vinyl 2LP, Lagoon vinyl 2LP, transparent orange vinyl 2LP and 2CD.
In their own words, “The 90 minutes, or so, on stage, were proceeded by two full years of talks. Wild creative chats about ideas, and an ever increasingly ridiculous level of ambition from both Joe at Radar, and Mos in TesseracT. Venue changes, schedule changes, album touring, none of these impeded the momentum once the ball was rolling”. The performance soars even higher with the addition of Choir Noir, led by the indomitable Kat Marsh, whose imprint was vital in shaping the vocals on 2023’s landmark War Of Being album.
TesseracT online:
https://www.tesseractband.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/tesseractband
https://www.instagram.com/tesseractband
https://twitter.com/tesseractband
https://open.spotify.com/artist/23ytwhG1pzX6DIVWRWvW1r
https://kscopemusic.com/artists/tesseract
TesseracT are:
Daniel Tompkins (vocals)
Acle Kahney (guitar)
James Monteith (guitar)
Amos Williams (bass)
Jay Postones (drums)
TesseracT – RADAR
1. Natural Disaster [07:59]
2. Echoes [04:21]
3. Nocturne [06:17]
4. Tourniquet [05:54]
5. Concealing Fate Part One: Acceptance [08:06]
6. The Grey [05:39]
7. Legion [06:26]
8. Tender [04:51]
9. King [07:11]
10. Juno [06:16]
11. Sacrifice [10:22]
12. War Of Being [12:23]
Photo Credit: Justin Reich
Black Label Society have dropped their newest single ‘Broken and Blind’ via MNRK Heavy / Spinefarm Records. This is the band’s third single release, pre-dated by ‘Lord Humungus' (2025) and ‘The Gallows’ (2024), leading up to the much-anticipated new Black Label Society album scheduled for early 2026. ‘Broken and Blind’ is available across all major digital streaming platforms, and the official music video directed by long-time collaborator Justin Reich can be seen on YouTube.
Watch the video for 'Broken and Blind' here: https://youtu.be/OdNhhCWPA7g
Stream and purchase 'Broken and Blind' here: https://blacklabelsociety.ffm.to/brokenandblind
“What’s going on gang? This is Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. This is a new song called 'Broken and Blind'. The song is about peanut butter and chocolate and what happens when you don’t have any of it. My soul is broken and I’m blind with rage if I don’t have any peanut butter and chocolate, so there you go, it’s a new song called 'Broken and Blind'. Thank you, have a great day.”
Black Label Society were founded in Los Angeles, CA., in 1998 by Zakk Wylde, the legendary guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Zakk is also known for performing and writing for Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Sabbath, and has played guitar in honor of the Abbott brothers in Pantera’s Legacy Celebration tour since 2022. Black Label Society’s debut album, Sonic Brew, was released in 1998 and was followed by the 2005 release of fan-favorite, Mafia and Doom Crew Inc. in 2021. The band have released eleven studio albums, two live albums, and one EP to date, with the twelfth full-length studio album set for release in 2026.
Black Label Society are:
Zakk Wylde – Vocals, Lead Guitar
John DeServio – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jeff Fabb – Drums
Dario Lorina – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Black Label Society oOnline:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
YOUTUBE
Photo Credit: Jennifer McCord
Acclaimed British metalcore band Shields have announced their new album, Death & Connection, to be released 30th January, 2026, via Long Branch Records.
"Death & Connection is a body of work born from the absence of the people who no longer hold space in our lives", comment Shields. "This record was created from a necessity to express and soothe our deepest losses; however, that was never the intention — we simply set out to make an album we wanted to hear."
In conjunction with today's album announcement, Shields have also released their new single ‘Wolfskin’, featuring Left To Suffer's Taylor Barber, who contributed guest vocals.
Watch the video to 'Wolfskin (ft. Taylor Barber, Left To Suffer)' here:
https://youtu.be/bEFAJHvryR4
Stream 'Wolfskin' and pre-order the album here:
https://shields.lnk.to/deathconnection
Founded in 2012 by primary songwriters Joe Edwards (vocals) and Samuel Kubrick Finney (guitar/vocals), Shields quickly made an impact in the heavy music scene with their viral single I Just Feel Hate - a track they re-released in a newly reimagined version in April 2025.
Their EP GUILT cemented their refined sound, blending brutal instrumentation with poignant, emotionally driven lyrics. With this release, they demonstrated an aggressive adaptability to the ever-evolving alternative music landscape, winning over fans from across adjacent genres. The momentum of their powerful breakthrough led to tour cycles alongside acts such as Loathe, Ice Nine Kills, and Escape the Fate.
Shields’ debut full-length album Life in Exile (2018) received critical acclaim for its raw honesty and musical maturity. However, the album cycle was tragically cut short by the sudden passing of guitarist George Christie - an event that ultimately led to the band’s untimely and abrupt disbandment.
Now, several years later, Shields are back - a bold decision, given the tragic circumstances surrounding their 2018 split. Yet, Shields re-emerged with the powerful single 'Abuser' (released via Long Branch Records), inviting audiences to witness the next evolution of their sound - matured, refined, and fearless. This new chapter is supported by a fortified lineup, featuring founding members Joe Edwards and Samuel Kubrick Finney, now joined by Alastair Wain (drums) and Krishan Pujara (bass).
If Shields’ discography is any indication of what lies ahead, audiences can expect a torrent of unrelentingly bold strides into new sonic territories.
Shields are:
Joe Edwards - Vocals
Samuel Kubrick Finney - Guitar, Vocals
Alastair Wain - Drums
Krishan Pujara - Bass
For more:
https://www.tiktok.com/@shieldsuk
https://www.instagram.com/shieldsuk
https://www.facebook.com/Shieldsuk
Tracklisting:
1 This Is Not A Dream
2 Abuser
3 Kill
4 Parasites
5 Lacerate (ft. Harvey Freeman from Graphic Nature)
6 Womb
7 Brother's Lament
8 Red & Green
9 Wolfskin (ft. Taylor Barber from Left To Suffer)
10 Loser
11 Death & Connection (ft. Jonathan Finney)
12 Miss Me
Photo Credit: Moritz Hartmann
Unprocessed are embracing spooky season with their upcoming Halloween (31st October) album release Angel. To celebrate the release, the band are connecting with their closest fans at a small run of release signings at select record shops, and two release parties with exclusive product launches.
Unprocessed will mark their Halloween release date with a private album listening party and Q&A session taking place at Blondies Brewery on 30th October. The release party will also see the launch of an exclusive Unprocessed ‘Head in the Clouds’ lager. Fans will get to hang out and celebrate the album with the band, plus have the opportunity to purchase merchandise.
Tickets limited to 100: https://www.allotment.live/events/unprocessed-blondies-brewery-london-thu-30-oct-2025/
Following the party, Unprocessed will host an album signing and meet and greet at Rough Trade West on 31st October from 3-5pm, where fans can have access to an exclusive variant of their album Angel.
Unprocessed - Angel - UK release week events details:
Album Release Party (UK)
Blondies Brewery - London, UK
Thursday 30th October - 7pm-1am
Album release party, Q&A + Listening session
Featuring exclusive Unprocessed ‘Head in the Clouds’ lager.
258 Church Rd, London E10 7JQ, UK
Fancy Dress welcomed.
*No live performance.
Rough Trade West - London, UK
Friday 31st October - 3-5pm
Meet and greet, album signing
130 Talbot Rd, London W11 1JA, UK
In Germany, the band will embark on an album release week tour of key record stores to celebrate Angel, culminating in a hometown release party in Wiesbaden, at the venue where it all began for the band.
Unprocessed will head to the EMP Store in Leipzig, Rough Trade in Berlin, and finish up with a hometown celebration at Kreativfabrik. The tickets to their Wiesbaden event will be limited to 100 for fans, and they’ll have the opportunity to purchase the album and merch at the event.
The signing event at Rough Trade Berlin will also see the presentation of the wine collaboration with Schottwein, a local winery close to where Unprocessed are from. There will be a wine tasting of two new wines - an Unprocessed Angel Riesling, and an Unprocessed ‘Deadrosé’ Spatburgunder Rosé wine.
German event details:
EMP Store - Leipzig, Germany
Monday 3rd November 5pm-6pm
Meet and Greet and signing
Brühl 10, 04109 Leipzig
Rough Trade - Berlin, Germany
Tuesday 4th November 5-7pm
Meet and greet, album signing, wine tasting
Karl-Marx-Straße 101, 12043 Berlin
No ticket required but you must RSVP: https://dice.fm/partner/rough-trade-retail-germany-gmbh/event/oewp7r-unprocessed-angel-wine-tasting-signing-4th-nov-rough-trade-berlin-berlin-tickets
Album Release Party (Hometown, DE)
Kreativfabrik - Wiesbaden, Germany
Thursday 6th November - 7pm - Close
Hometown Album release party
Murnaustraße 2, 65189 Wiesbaden
Tickets limited to 100: https://www.impericon.com/collections/unprocessed
Smart link for all events: https://ffm.live/unprocessed-angel-events
Angel releases on 31st October, pre-order here: https://ffm.to/unprocessed-angel
Unprocessed is composed of Manuel Gardner Fernandes (vocals, guitar), David Levy (bass, synths), Christoph Schultz (guitar), and Leon Pfeifer (drums). Their upcoming album Angel marks another bold step in the band’s creative evolution. Expanding their sonic palette with heavier textures and emotive and intimate lyricism that highlights their poppier side. Angel features high-profile guest appearances from Zelli of Paleface Swiss and Jason Aalon Butler of Letlive and Fever 333. These collaborations add new layers of urgency and intensity to a record that explores themes of conflict, duality, and inner transformation.
The band speaks more about the themes of Angel: "This album is more than just a record by four boys from Germany - it’s a light shone upon the unknown, like memories from the afterlife. We explored the concept of "Angel" in various ways: becoming an angel through real-life actions, hearing angels serenade, a fallen angel telling his story and becoming the Antichrist, or seeing someone as an angel through glorification. This concept inspired both the music and the lyrics. While we’re leaning more into a polished metalcore sound, the record still maintains the essence of what makes Unprocessed unique. It features some of the craziest guitar, bass, and drum work we've ever showcased as a band. At the same time, we believe it’s more accessible to the broader metal and metalcore audience, with our strongest and catchiest hooks and melodies to date.”
The band’s previous album, ...and everything in between (2023), received widespread acclaim for its complex arrangements and specifically heavy compositions. The record launched a major touring cycle which saw the band complete headline shows with many sold out across North America, and Europe, as well as performing their largest shows in China, and venturing into Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Australia for the first time. They also appeared at prominent festivals such as Download (UK), Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium), Mystic Festival (Poland) and Resurrection Festival (Spain).
In the past two years, Unprocessed have supported major heavy acts including In Flames, TesseracT, August Burns Red, Spiritbox, and Polyphia. Their collaborative work with Polyphia guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage on ...and everything in between highlighted the potential Unprocessed continues to exhibit amongst the scene’s most exciting guitar focused acts.
Central to Unprocessed’s identity is guitarist and vocalist Manuel Gardner Fernandes, whose playing has garnered international attention across online platforms and beyond. His partnership with Ibanez, including a signature model, and his ongoing guitar clinics around the world, reflect his growing status as one of the leading voices in modern metal guitar.
Unprocessed continue to push their sound forward with each release. Angel presents their most focused and dynamic material to date, offering a deeper look into the extremes of human experience without losing the technical foundations that first set them apart.
Unprocessed are:
Manuel Gardner Fernandes - Vocals, Guitars
Christoph Schultz - Guitars
David John Levy - Bass & Keys
Leon Pfeifer - Drums
For more:
www.unprocessed.band
www.facebook.com/unprocessedofficial
www.Instagram.com/unprocessedband
Track-list:
1. 111
2. Sleeping with Ghosts
3. Beyond Heaven’s Gate
4. Sacrifice Me
5. Snowlover
6. Terrestrial
7. Your Dress
8. Where I Left My Soul
9. Solara feat. Zelli from Paleface Swiss
10. First Tongue
11. Perfume
12. Head in the Clouds feat. Jason Aalon Butler from Fever 333
13. Dark, Silent and Complete
Photo Credit: Jakob Ekvall
Long regarded as singular architects within European post-rock, EF have built a catalogue defined by dynamic patience, melodic clarity, and widescreen emotional reach. Across two decades of touring, the Gothenburg ensemble have carried that language to clubs and theatres at home and abroad, earning a reputation for meticulous, high-impact live shows and a body of work that has steadily gathered critical regard and a devoted international following.
In 2025, EF and Pelagic Records mark a double milestone: the 20th anniversary of Give Me Beauty… or Give Me Death! and Pelagic Records' 300th release.
On 28th November 2025, EF will release a re-recorded version of their now classic debut album.
Pre-order: https://orcd.co/ef-noll
The band have marked the occasion with a brand new bonus track, 'Noll', which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/sXNeivYsIac
Reimagined and with expanded production, this edition is a considered re-engagement with the material that first crystallised EF’s voice. The band returns to these songs with the benefit of twenty years’ craft, presenting new arrangements that stretch time and deepen narrative, while retaining the quiet-to-catharsis arc that has always set their music apart.
“Since it’s our precious firstborn we wanted to give it the love it surely deserves. We felt we didn’t want to celebrate its big 20th birthday by just remastering it and we surely didn’t want to make the songs too modern and unrecognisable for the old fans. We wanted to give it a tighter, more dramatic and bombastic make over… a gentle touch of today’s EF.” (Niklas Åström)
Originally released in 2006, Give Me Beauty… or Give Me Death! introduced EF’s signature blend of cinematic guitars, patient dynamics and aching melody. For this new edition, along with an incredible cover illustration by Phillip Janta and brand-new bonus track ‘Noll’, the band returned to the material with fresh ears and clear intentions: to open more space in the arrangements and to enrich the melodic lines with orchestral colour.
"When we recorded the originals back in 2005 we didn’t know much about arrangements nor did we know many musicians playing strings or brass. We also didn’t have enough money to rent a studio for more than three days, which forced us to rock and record all the songs live with minimum retakes. The add-ons were later done in Daniel’s (Juline) apartment with a shitty microphone and you can hear someone doing dishes in the kitchen and the trams running by outside.
"This time we had money saved up and time to hang out in the studio to play around, arrange and track properly, but also to bring in professional musicians to fulfil our musical vision. It was intended 20 years ago but we couldn’t get it done." (Niklas Åström).
The compositions now open further, allowing phrases to breathe and themes to unfold with greater intention. Brass and strings thread through the arrangements to widen the harmonic field and intensify the music’s gravitational pull. Guitar architectures are voiced with more restraint and more consequence; percussion serving the songs whilst retaining the backbone. Dynamics have been sculpted with greater nuance; crescendos are permitted to unwind more slowly, and motifs are developed with discipline, small gestures accruing significance until the inevitable release, the swell of post-rock roars, in which we find EF’s lyricism within a larger, orchestral-adjacent palette.
For Pelagic Records, release number 300 is both a celebration and statement of intent: an affirmation that the label’s long-game approach to curation continues to reward artists who value evolution. For EF, this release closes a circle while drawing a new one around where they are now - seasoned, sonically expansive, and unafraid to reinvent and elevate.
Give Me Beauty… or Give Me Death! (20th-Anniversary Edition) is a document of growth rendered with care: more instrumentation, more time, more consequence. The album is an act of stewardship - both a homage and a forward-looking manifesto for EF and for discerning listeners everywhere.
EF are:
Erik Jardestig, Niklas Åström, Thomas Torsson, Kim Ruiz, Daniel Juline
For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/efmusic
https://www.instagram.com/efmusicsweden
1. Ett
2. Misinfom the Uninformed
3. Noll
4. Hello Scotland
5. Final Touch/Hidden Agenda
6. He Came, He Stayed, He Fell
7. Tomorrow My Friend...
8. ...We’ll Meet in the End
Photo Credit: Shane O’Neal
Dark Chapel, the riff-heavy powerhouse led by Black Label Society guitarist Dario Lorina, have released a new single, 'Sign of Life'. The track arrives alongside a cinematic black-and-white video, directed by Justin H. Reich, which reimagines a modern-day western posse against a dusty blacktop backdrop.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/Jmt94sl0VUg
This Friday (10th October), fans can purchase a deluxe vinyl edition of the band's acclaimed album, Spirit in the Glass, originally released in February. The Laguna EcoMix variant special edition adds two brand-new tracks - 'Hit of Your Love' and 'Echoes of a Stone Heart II' - and comes pressed on striking blue vinyl. The expanded version will also be available digitally on all DSPs and will include 'Sign of Life' as a third bonus track.
Pre-order here: https://mnrkheavy.com/collections/dark-chapel
Dark Chapel will also hit the road with Zakk Sabbath on an extensive US tour, beginning on 1st November. The band will also open for Corrosion of Conformity on 17th October in Las Vegas.
Dario Lorina began his professional career in 2006 at age 16 as the touring guitarist with the late Jani Lane (ex-Warrant). At age 19, he joined veteran metal act Lizzy Borden, whom he toured with for four years. Dario released two instrumental records with Mike Varney on Shrapnel Records in 2013 and 2017 titled Dario Lorina and Death Grip Tribulations. He joined Black Label Society on 1st January 2014, and has since been touring worldwide alongside Zakk Wylde, performing on guitar, piano, and backing vocals. Dario dueled solos with Zakk Wylde on Black Label Society's 2022 release Doom Crew Inc. and joined him on the January 2022 cover of Guitar World Magazine.
Dark Chapel are:
Dario Lorina (guitar / vocals)
Brody DeRozie (guitar)
Mike Gunn (bass)
Luis Silva (drums)
Dark Chapel online:
www.darkchapelband.com
www.facebook.com/darkchapelband
www.instagram.com/darkchapelband
www.x.com/darkchapelband
www.Tiktok.com/@darkchapelband
https://www.youtube.com/@darkchapelband
Tracklist:
1) Afterglow
2) Hollow Smile
3) We Are Remade
4) Corpse Flower
5) Glass Heart
6) Dead Weight
7) Dark Waters
8) All That Remains
9) Gravestoned Humanity
10) Bullet in Our Chamber
Bonus Tracks
11) Hit of Your Love
12) Echoes of A Stone Heart II (Instrumental)
13) Sign of Life (digital only)