The first single and title track from Flummox‘s new album, ‘Southern Progress,’ is out npw via Needlejuice Records. Their sound often described as genrefluid, Flummox runs metal’s sonic gamut, blending prog, doom, thrash, symphonic thrash, mathcore and blackened death metal with a healthy dose of Mr. Bungle-style eccentricity. New single ‘Southern Progress’—the title track from the queer / transfemme Nashville band’s forthcoming album (out spring 2025 on Needlejuice Records)—follows suit as a jaw-dropping mission statement, taking everything Flummox does well, smashing it together in a particle collider and cranking the volume. “I usually work on my songs for months, even years before completion,” says bassist / lead singer Alyson Blake Dellinger. “But with ‘Southern Progress’ I wrote the majority of the arrangement in half an hour. Sonically, it encompasses the entire new album in the way we shift genres, and how intense and in-your-face the music is, while also being subtle where it needs to be.” “It’s very bombastic,” says guitarist Max Mobarry. “This song was our clear choice for a lead single. It just lays waste to everything; it’s a portent of the madness to come as the record unfolds—four solid minutes that represent how far we’ve come as a band.” Lyrically, ‘Southern Progress’ is a scathing, autobiographical song about personal development and musical & spiritual growth. “The song plays into this rock-star trope,” Dellinger says, “while also pointing the finger back at myself and asking, ‘Don’t you think it’s a little cringe, the way you represent yourself?’ A lot of what we do is very queer and, unfortunately, autobiographical. Southern progress is a flip on the fact that I’m from the South, that this is a Southern band, and we’re progressing not just musically, but also spiritually and within our own character development.”

AD INFINITUM have released a new music video. The new music video, for the track ‘Follow Me Down’, is taken from the Swiss/German symphonic metal band’s upcoming new album, Abyss, which is scheduled to be released tomorrow, via Napalm Records. Speaking about the new song, the band shares, “Abyss is just around the corner, and we’ve got one more treat before the big day, which we are excited to share: ‘Follow Me Down’ – an energetic song that will have its debut on stage tomorrow!” [via Distorted Sound]

ELEINE have released a new music video. The new music video, for the track ‘Never Forget’, is taken from the Swedish symphonic metal band’s latest studio album, We Shall Remain, which was released in July last year, via Atomic Fire Records. Speaking about the new music video, frontwoman Madeleine Liljestam and guitarist/vocalist Rikard Ekberg says, “after the latest album We Shall Remain was released and we have been touring, it became clear to us that we wanted a proper music video for the song ‘Never Forget’ that is a powerhouse itself. We are celebrating 10 years as a band this year, and we have just started our first own headliner tour that is going better than our expectations – so why not celebrate this with an epic music video in the spirit of ELEINE? We hope our fans enjoy it and feel the empowerment we want to bring with this song!” [via Distorted Sound]

M-Theory Audio has announced the signing of gothic extreme metal band Aversed, an artist the label has monitored in recent years as a potential candidate to join their roster. “Upon hearing an early preview of their latest album, we knew the time was now as the Massachusetts based band has captured their best sounding, most mature, technical, catchiest and uniquely their own material to date,” says M-Theory. “We are excited to officially announce our partnership with the M-Theory Records team! With ‘Cross To Bear’, we begin our journey leading up to the release of our new album, Erasure Of Color on March 21, 2025,” states drummer Jeff Saltzman. “Thanks to everyone who has supported up to this point and for joining us in these next steps!” Aversed and M-Theory Audio now present you with new music in the form of first single ‘Cross To Bear’, and its accompanying music video. Aversed weave wondrous awe with righteous anger across ‘Cross To Bear’, see for yourself. “Navigating the hurt, loss and betrayal of life’s trials and tribulations is our ‘Cross To Bear’. There are so many people we’ve hurt (or vice versa), whether intentional or not,” explains guitarist and songwriter Sungwoo Jeong. “We must always reflect on the consequences of our own actions as they affect those around us, and ourselves. You can die tomorrow and it can be too late to right your wrongs.” [via Brave New Words]

French heavy metal act MYSTERY BLUE has announced their brand new album, Night Demon, for a release on December 6 via Massacre Records. Listen to a first song appetizer, the rousing ‘Skulls From Hell’. [via Metal Shock Finland]

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US rock giants Icon For Hire share more new music with single ‘Shadow’, taken from their upcoming album The Reckoning due for release on September 30 via Kartel Music Group. ‘Shadow’ follows the release of heavy cut ‘Breakdown’ and continues to build on the momentum gained by a string of singles and video releases ahead of their forthcoming new album The Reckoning. The soaring new single deals with “the ugly part of ourselves we try to suppress and hide, but what if we embraced them?”, says lead singer and songwriter Ariel Bloomer. Digging deeper into the creative process of songwriting for the track, Ariel adds; “I’m in this space right now where I’m learning not to be ashamed, apologetic or resistant. To accept those dark parts of myself as me”. Co-written with Breaking Benjamin’s Keith Wallen and mixed by Joe Rickard of In Flames and Red, ‘Shadow’ is the first track Icon For Hire felt would benefit from the help of an outsider. “We had the chorus and most of the vocals written, we got together with Keith to finish it out. He was able to help move some of the pieces around, and helped us demo out the structure. It was our first time working with him and it went really well”.

Aversed is back with their second single of 2022 and, much like the first one, it’s an incredible progressive death metal ass-kicker. The song covers a ton of heavy ground before returning to a super catchy chorus sung by new vocalist Sarah Hartman. “Humans have a universal language: violence. It’s the only solution we consistently turn to in order to solve even our most basic problems,” said drummer Jeff Saltzman. “‘Death Lullaby’ serves as an ode to this natural state of affairs. On the contrary, while all of us aspire to it, universal peace is a concept that is hard to comprehend. We need violence to comfort us and lull us to sleep each night because that is what we know. The beauty of being a metal musician and a fan is that we have an outlet to release this explosion of violent feelings within each of us.” [via Metal Injection]

Marlene Mendoza is here to throw down big time with her new single ‘Insanity.’ If you’re looking for mosh riffs, breakdowns, and a massive chorus that’s sure to incite tons of fists in the air, then you’re going to love this. “I am excited to release my first EP that showcases my artistic expression and authentic self thus far,” said Mendoza. “And also to show that women can be awesomely insane too.” [via Metal Injection]

Delain officially became the solo project of the keyboardist Martijn Westerholt in February 2021, meaning the other four members of the band quit. Westerholt has now announced the new Delain lineup consisting of guitarist Ronald Landa, who played with the group between 2006 and 2009; and original drummer Sander Zoer, who played with the band between 2006 and 2014; alongside newcomers vocalist Diana Leah and bassist Ludovico Cioffi. The new Delain lineup is now streaming their debut single ‘The Quest And The Curse’ which you can check out above. As for a comment on the new lineup, Westerholt simply offered “The future of Delain looks bright!” [via Metal Injecton]

Forever May Fall are a band from Charlotte, North Carolina, who’ve been around since 2017, but have used 2022 as an opportunity to reintroduce themselves to the world with a fresh sound and a re-energized approach. After dropping two singles throughout the first half of the year, ‘Aftermath’ and ‘You,’ the group led by frontwoman Jillyan Brennan are back with another new banger called ‘Undertow.’ Bands like Evanescence, Halestorm and Linkin Park definitely come to mind as similar reference points, but Forever May Fall are definitely putting their own spin on that type of heavy, anthemic rock with a song like ‘Undertow.’ [via Revolver]

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Hungary’s promising melodic metal formation Esperfall have released their debut album Origins In Darkness. The album presents the initial phase of the human soul’s journey as it forces itself to face its inner demons. As with every dark phase in our lives, this state is the starting point of a deep, spiritual journey and self-discovery. Every song is an echo of a major emotional issue vocalized with self-criticism, doubt and fear, fueled with anger and disbelief, oftentimes directed towards our society. These are the battles we have to face in our everyday lives. This song, ‘Tempest In Paradise’ sounds more positive compared to the other tracks on the album, although it describes a rather hopeless situation. This is the moment in the protagonist’s life when everything collapses, there is nothing left to hold on to and she has lost what has been the most important to her so far. Nevertheless, the hope and the will to fight at all costs remain to create everything on her own. Until now everything has been an illusion. Compared to the previously released music video (‘Retreat Into Dreamland’) this song highlights another side of the band. The pace remains the same, however this song is much more on the melodic side and Nonee presents only clean vocals this time as opposed to the harsh vocals that can be found in the previous single. It’s a real power metal song from start to finish, so hopefully — but not only — oldschool Avantasia, Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius fans will like this one. [via Metal Goddesses]

FlowerLeaf are back and they are ready to start their Dreamerie journey. As a forerunner, they just released a brand new single along with a music video called ‘The Storm’. ‘The Storm’ is the first single from the Dreamerie – Chapter I: Time. It’s a song about self-confidence, fighting for what you want and fulfilling your destiny. “It was an amazing experience recording The Storm because it gave FlowerLeaf a new dimension and it gives us lots of possibilities for what we can create in the future,” singer Vivs Takahashi says. [via Metal Goddesses]

Seven Kingdoms have released the first single, ‘Universal Terrestrial’, from their upcoming full-length album Zenith. The music video for ‘Universal Terrestrial’ was filmed during the crowdfunding campaign, which raised over $50,000 on Kickstarter. Zenith will see a June 17 release via Distortion Music Group. 7K guitarist Camden Cruz says: “We are very excited to release the first song from Zenith! We are packing this one up, and two more new songs with us for the Beast in Black tour that starts this week! We will actually be shooting the music video for ‘Chasing the Mirage’ while we are on tour! We had a great time filming this song a few months ago with our main man, Jimmy Garcia. We hope you love it!” [via Metal Goddesses]

Following their latest, chart-breaking album Heat Wave, Sweden’s heavy rock band Thundermother has unleashed a brand new song taken of their upcoming album Black And Gold. ‘Watch Out’ showcases the band’s adrenaline-fuelled, high voltage sound of powerful, filthy yet catchy rock ‘n’ roll they are known and loved for: Creating infectious party rock songs with an irresistible feelgood appeal! Guitarist Filippa Nässil reveals: ”We are stoked to present you our first single ‘Watch Out’ from our upcoming album Black And Gold; The song is about us in our careers right now about rising up, being powerful woman working as a team and taking charge. We are so proud and we hope our music will inspire many people. Don’t let anybody mess with your dreams.” [via Metal Goddesses]

Giant Walker release their fifth and final single, ‘Katoomba’ ahead of their debut album All In Good Time which will be released May 13. ‘Katoomba’ opens with a menacing guitar riff that undulates with an intricate, yet powerful drum groove. The energetic track is complemented by a hooky and captivating chorus that leaves you reaching to crank up the volume. Guitarist Jamie explains, “‘Katoomba’ was actually the first song that we wrote for the album and, whilst we try and bring a different vibe to all of our songs, we feel that ’Katoomba’ really summarises the sound of Giant Walker. Lyrically, it captures the essence of how we felt at the time – trying to stay sane in the first lockdown. Funnily enough, the song was actually named after a trip to the Blue Mountains, Katoomba in Australia, as that’s where I purchased the fuzz pedal which inspired the initial riff.” [via Metal Goddesses]

Hardcore x thrash crossover band Cage Fight have dropped the new single ‘Killer.’ Bassist Jon Reid explains, “‘Killer’ is a release of anger and fury directed at anyone that has caused wrong and is a rallying cry to those that feel pure visceral rage and need a soundtrack to that pure emotion. The song’s intensity is based in a simple remit, if you have wronged… you better start running…” [via Metal Goddesses]

Spanish death metallers Bloodhunter just released a new single plus videoclip for the new song of their upcoming album. ‘The Forsaken Idol’ is the second single from‚ Knowledge Was The Price. The track features guest vocals of Rosalia Sairem, one of the singers of swedish symphonic/death metal band Therion. Diva Satanica, front woman of Bloodhunter, states on her Instagram: “Very proud of all the songs of this upcoming album of Bloodhunter, but this one is a very special one for me!“ Knowledge Was The Price will be released on May 27 via Maldito Records. [via Metal Goddesses]

Darkness Surrounding is a five-piece metal band from Wuppertal, Germany, that was founded in 2017. Their musical style is best described as Melodic Metal, influenced by Death, Core and Old School. Fast riffs, epic melodic parts and groovy breakdowns create a powerful and versatile sound. The voices of growler Tim and guitarist/clean-singer Kessi complement those attributes very well. The ban had this to say about their new song ‘Nocturnal Forest Air’: “We recorded this song as a part of our album in the legendary Maarweg Studios, Cologne, Germany. ‘Nocturnal Forest Air’ – a tragic and stirring waltz that tells the story of a young woman who had to deal with being constantly stressed and pressurized her whole life by a person in her close environment. As she grows up, she finally realizes that this person is the reason for her agony and plans to take revenge. With the lyrics being quite dark, we decided the song had to be a waltz because it would portray and frame the story in the most fitting way. The song is supposed to feel like a journey through all the emotions the protagonist goes through, really making it an experience to listen to the song. Through the music video we gave the whole story a new twist, that does not necessarily come across when just hearing the song, so watching the video is definitely worth it!” [via Metal Goddesses]

Los Angeles based alternative metal band, Motive Black has released their new single ‘Lift Me Up’. Produced by Grammy-winner Nick Rowe (Bloodsimple, Vampire Weekend), the track focuses on the talents of newcomer Elana Justin, and features special guest Carla Harvey, of the internationally acclaimed metal band Butcher Babies, on vocals. The single features Justin performing together with Butcher Babies’ Carla Harvey. Elana Justin explains: “the song is about realizing that you can’t find validation through other people. It’s easy to fall into the trap of avoidance, and trying to distract yourself from the growth you require by looking for love in all the wrong places. Facing inward can be truly difficult, but through that journey you find empowerment.” Carla Harvey (Butcher Babies) concurs stating “I love collaborating with strong women on projects so when I was asked to add my vocals to ‘Lift Me Up,’ I happily obliged. The result…an infectious tune, and a new found friendship!” [via Metal Goddesses]

The Damnnation attack with their debut album, spewing forth a versatile sound which mixes several strands of Extreme Metal and brings life to Old School Thrash. Way of Perdition will be released on May 6 via Soulseller Records. To promote the new work, the band releases the second single, entitled ‘The Greed’, which is accompanied by a music video with behind the scenes footage. [via Metal Goddesses]

Formed in 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria, Gwendydd have now inked a worldwide record deal with Drakkar Entertainment for the release of their upcoming, sophomore studio album entitled Censored. Driven by a modern production, complemented by the mastering fingerprint of Max Morton (Jinjer, Ignea), the band‘s vibrant blend of wrecking guitar riffs and adrenalizing drums builds up to an extreme-metal avalanche. The perfect carrier for that brute death metal voice, which cuts deep into the flesh of modern society – not only with words but with a message. Censored is slated for a release on May 6 via Drakkar Entertainment. But give ear, as Gwendydd also shared a new song taken of their upcoming album. Watch the video for ‘Rape’ below. [via Metal Goddesses]

Aversed is now streaming their new single ‘Every Hill A Tomb,’ whose purpose is twofold – to remind you that Aversed does kick ass and that you need more of them in your life, and to introduce new vocalist Sarah Hartman. Sonically, ‘Every Hill A Tomb’ does a great job mixing the trippier elements of death metal with a heaping spoonful of progressive metal. “We are excited to unveil our first single with our new vocalist, Sarah Hartman,” said Aversed in a statement. “The artistic chemistry has been incredible and we hope you welcome her into this new era of our band and our songwriting. We wrote ‘Every Hill a Tomb’ to not only showcase our new direction with Sarah at the helm, but to process the grief we have all experienced these past few years. We explore a depersonalization into death and the afterlife, with the music and lyrics portraying the simultaneous grandeur and anxiety of infinite time. We are now in full-on songwriting mode and we hope you stay with us as we continue to reveal our new chapter with the world.” [via Metal Injection]

Texas-based industrial metal group Daedric releases their anticipated third single ‘Dawnbreaker’ with an alluring official music video overlaid with a vocal performance that dashes between brutal and ethereal, industrial guitars, pulsing electronics, and heavy rhythm. ‘Dawnbreaker’ pushes the boundaries into even heavier territory for the band and is another triumphant chapter in the Daedric saga. “During production, we basically said “how heavy could we go if we really just went for it,” says Daedric. “And compared to other Daedric songs, the production elements actually came together pretty easy. We also like it very much.” [via Outburn]

Lydia’s Castle drops their newest single ‘Search For You’. The hard-hitting track was penned as a form of therapy for vocalist Tonya LeeAnne, who hopes to share her feelings of deep, personal loss with listeners. “’Search For You’ is about one of the greatest losses of my life, and I wanted to channel that pain into something creative that can be shared with others and help myself, the band and so many others know they are not alone” says Tonya LeeAnne. “The great thing about music and good lyrics is that the listener can make the song their own, and become attached to it in their own way, which is exactly how I got into music to begin with.”

US rock giants Icon For Hire return with new gritty single ‘Ready For Combat’, alongside a high-powered music video. ‘Ready For Combat’ is the first cut from their upcoming new album released in partnership with Kartel Music Group. Describing the song as “a punch in the face”, lead singer Ariel Bloom says: “I’m demanding a fight, insisting that my demons come out to meet me. It actually feels amazing to acknowledge this angrier side of me. As women we often don’t have the space and freedom to do that, so it feels good to create some space with this song”. “It’s pure aggression from the start!”, adds Shawn, “it doesn’t have a lot of the bells and whistles we usually incorporate in our song”. This heaviness is perfectly depicted by the gripping video accompanying the single, which features Ariel in all her fierceness.

Belle Morte is a musical project from Belarus, Minsk, playing dark symphonic metal with gothic/progressive flavor and melancholic vibe. ‘My Little Demon’ is a track taken from the band’s critically acclaimed album Crime of Passion, out now via Wormholedeath worldwide. Watch the video below.

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Emerge, the new album by Chaos Magic. Fronted by the mesmerizing Chilean vocalist Caterina Nix, Emerge is another stunning album of symphonic yet modern metal. Out on June 17, the title track is available as a single and video now.

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