Following the release of their two latest singles ‘Reborn’ and ‘You Will Never Be Our God’, symphonic metal icons Xandria have finally announced their upcoming new studio album, The Wonders Still Awaiting, out February 3 via Napalm Records. The legendary German band, founded by mastermind Marco Heubaum, introduces its new lineup after six years of silence. Their first European tour and previous singles proved once and for all that this new arrangement is more than just convincing. With a breath of fresh air and immense talent, Xandria re-ascend to the top of the genre, unveiling all wonders still awaiting. Now, the five-piece have finally released their new single, ‘Ghosts’, together with a colorful music video that perfectly encompasses the mood of the multifaceted album. Vocalist Ambre Vourvahis not only showcases her creativity as a songwriter, but also her incredible vocal talent – ranging deftly from angelic chants to haunting growls. Xandria on ‘Ghosts’ and the new album: “’Ghosts’ actually started as a reminiscence to good old Swedish melodic death metal and with that archetypical guitar riff that you hear right in the beginning. And then we integrated it into our Xandria soundscape with lots of film score atmosphere and big choirs, because it was exciting to mix these elements and do our own thing with it (still we kept the working title ‘Swedish Fire’ for a long time…). It is a good example for how diverse the new album will be and how many different influences we were putting into it. We had a lot of things – little musical dreams – in our minds and hearts that we wanted to realize, and along with what you already heard in the first two new songs this is just one of them. There will be quite some more surprises coming…” [via Bravewords]

Three Times Royal is a multinational metalcore band. It was formed in Los Angeles, CA in early 2021. This is the second project for vocalist Iris Goessens. Iris has acclaimed success in Western Europe for her work in Spoil Engine (2015-2021). She has been praised by media outlets for her screaming range and exciting stage presence. Three Times Royal creates a cathartic experience of a checkered past and satisfying stories of femme fatales. The project features blood-curdling screams, strong pop melodies, fresh hooks and power driven instrumentals. New single ‘Deathbells’ is a story about a power struggle. The single shares the turmoil of a love triangle between the protagonist, their vices and their lover. Relapse runs rampant as vices suppress each breath of an exhausted addict. Listen to the collapse of human life and love.

Italian alternative metal band Violet Blend have just released a new music video and single for the song ‘Voices In My Head’. The video was directed by Angelo Mura. The single was produced by Giada Celeste Chelli, and it was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Andrea Dell’Olio and Furio Lanciano at Soundscape in Firenze, Italy. “Our music video portrays the lonely and delusional life of a woman admitted to a mental health center,” says lead vocalist and composer Giada Celeste Chelli. “The fear, delirium of a life lived in chains, and the fluctuating flow of time, are all key concepts in the song and video, especially as it runs faster and more erratically. In the video, she is terrified of the passage of time and the situation is getting worse because she knows when the time is up, she will never be able to be sane again. The doctor and nurse are completely indifferent to her needs, ignoring her. Instead, their presence and lack of action add more negative voices screaming in her head. The room is covered with all the words that she hears, so she writes everything on the walls to exorcise her fears to alleviate the pain. The empty white and bright room represent a sense of abandonment, anxiety, and pressure in a world that doesn’t care about her. The written words repry day to introduce ourselves to one another. They also represent the inner struggle that we carry out every day to make room for ourselves in the world, seeking affirmation.” The new single ‘Voices In My Head’ by Violet Blend is an inner conversation that screams instead of whispering. The song is about insecurity, fear, and doubt in yourself. Sometimes you feel like time is slipping away and all you hear is the voices in your head that are trying bring you down. It’s a furious urgency to get rid of all those chains that prevent you from living freely and accomplishing your dreams. The blindfold on Giada’s eyes that we can see in the music video and cover art for the single, represents the blindness to which we are induced when we allow negativity to overwhelm us.

Hot on the heels of their recent double album release, international metal collective Chaos Rising is back with their twenty-fourth (!) single and video. ‘Altered Reality’ is a Death-inspired technical death metal track showcasing the shredding and songwriting talents of US guitarist Victoria Villarreal. With Carol Perez a.k.a. Carol Blaster (US; Castrator, Hypoxia) on drums, and Chaos Rising founder Stéphanie Nolf on vocals and bass, this is a killer team and a killer track.