Latest Articles

• ALETHEYA New Single “Chasing The Sun” From Debut Album "Chance To Reborn" Out Sept 2026

  Jul 15, 2026 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Following the release of their debut single "Shame", Italian melodic power metal band Aletheya unveil "Chasing The Sun", the second single taken from their upcoming debut album "Chance To Reborn", due out on September 18th, 2026.
  ​
  Supported by an official music video, produced by Kinorama Studio, "Chasing The Sun" reflects Aletheya's own definition of power metal: speed, power, and melody brought together through dynamic songwriting and carefully crafted arrangements.

  While "Shame" introduced the album's darker and more introspective side, "Chasing The Sun" highlights its brighter counterpart. Built around driving rhythms, soaring melodies, powerful guitar work, and cinematic orchestral arrangements, the song demonstrates how those elements come together in a composition that prioritizes memorable songwriting over technical virtuosity alone.

  Lyrically, "Chasing The Sun" explores resilience, determination, and the constant pursuit of hope even when the destination seems uncertain. Rather than offering escapism, the song reflects the band's recurring focus on personal growth and inner strength, transforming moments of struggle into the motivation to move forward. It represents another chapter in "Chance To Reborn", an album that explores change, self-awareness, and rebirth through songs inspired by real human experiences.

  The official music video presents Aletheya in their natural environment: performing together with the same intensity and chemistry that shaped the album throughout its writing and recording process. Alternating energetic band performances with atmospheric lighting and dynamic editing, the video translates the song's energy into a compelling visual performance while highlighting the musicianship at the core of Aletheya's sound.

  Speaking about the new single, the band comments:

  "For us, 'Chasing The Sun' is our definition of power metal: speed, power and melody. Beyond the energy, it's a song about refusing to surrender, continuing to move forward and searching for hope even during life's most difficult moments. It's one of the tracks that best defines who we are as a band."

  The line-up features musicians with extensive experience across the Italian and international metal scene, including David Folchitto (Stormlord, Kaledon, Embryo, Neurasty), Francesco Menale (Risen Crow, Last Prototype) and Gianni Carcione (A.T.T., Concept), bringing together technical expertise, songwriting depth and a clear artistic vision. Rounding out the line-up is bass player Fabrizio Sclano (Ivory Moon). At the same time, the album also features acclaimed keyboard player Alessio Lucatti (Deathless Legacy, ex-Vision Divine), who performs additional keyboards throughout the entire record.
  ​
  Recorded and produced by Stefano Morabito at 16th Cellar Studio, "Chance To Reborn" combines melodic power metal foundations with symphonic textures, progressive influences and contemporary production, creating a sound that balances the genre's classic roots with a modern musical approach. With each new single, the album continues to reveal the different themes and musical directions explored throughout the record.

  For fans of: Helloween, Gamma Ray, Angra, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica

  Listen: https://lnk.to/s2ezTR

  
  ​Chance To Reborn will be released on September 18th, 2026, on Digital and CD digipak versions.
  ​
  ​PRE-ORDER: https://rockshots.eu/products/aletheya-chance-to-reborn​

  ALETHEYA lineup:

  • David Folchitto: Drums
  • Francesco Menale: Guitars
  • Gianni Carcione: Vocals
  • Fabrizio Sclano: Bass

  More info:

  ​https://rockshots.eu/​

  ​https://www.instagram.com/aletheya__official/​

  ​https://www.facebook.com/people/Aletheya/61578108544801/​

  Read more

• MUTUAL TRAUMA Reveal New Single "Left Inside" In Lead Up To MOSH THE ROCK 2026 (Victoria, BC)

  Jul 15, 2026 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

   

  Victoria, BC modern‑metal upstarts Mutual Trauma have unveiled their powerful new single “Left Inside” as momentum builds toward their upcoming appearance at MOSH THE ROCK 2026 featuring Anciients, Arrow in The Quiver, The Rising Fall, Squidhammer and more. The track marks the band’s most ambitious and emotionally charged release yet, showcasing their signature blend of crushing heaviness, soaring melody, and cyberpunk‑infused atmosphere.
  ​
  Lyrically, “Left Inside” confronts the lingering effects of abuse and betrayal while emphasizing resilience and the refusal to be defined by past trauma.

  “The song is about the lasting effects of abuse, but also about choosing to move forward instead of being consumed by the past,” says lead vocalist Brandon Reynolds, who wrote the lyrics.
  ​
  Musically, the single represents a major leap forward in songwriting and production. Bassist Michael Gignac, who re‑imagined the track from its original form, describes it as “energetic despite the darker subject matter… a feeling of resilience and defiance.” The song features a head‑bang‑ready main riff, pummeling verses, melodic choruses delivered by drummer/clean vocalist Chris Heretic, and a climactic final section where screams, clean vocals, relentless drums, and fast chord strumming collide.
  ​
  ​“It’s a massive step forward from our previous releases, and a standard we aim to uphold with future material,” adds rhythm guitarist Damian Donald,
  ​
  Formed by former members of Reaver and Lucid Karma, Mutual Trauma blends metalcore, melodic death metal, djent, and electronic elements into a modern, emotionally driven sound influenced by Invent Animate, Soilwork, In Flames, Periphery, and Killswitch Engage. Their cyberpunk‑inspired aesthetic and high‑energy stage presence have quickly set them apart in the local scene.
  ​
  ​“Left Inside” follows earlier singles “Dead Dreams” and “Die Alone,” expanding the band’s sonic palette and offering a preview of their upcoming EP currently in development.
  ​
  ​“We put a lot of time and effort into this track, and I think it shows,” adds Gignac.
  ​
  With MOSH THE ROCK 2026 on the horizon on August 9th in Victoria, BC, and new music underway, Mutual Trauma are poised to make a major impact within Canada’s modern metal landscape.

  Recommended for fans of Spiritbox, Counterparts, Knocked Loose, Polaris, and Soilwork, "Left Inside" can be heard at the following links:

  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/5yOk6vEtJAuiVPwaUko6oi

  ​

  Band Lineup:​
  Michael Gignac - Bass Guitar
  Chris Heretic - Drums, Clean Vocals
  Brandon Reynolds - Screams / Lead Vocals
  Trustin Bruyere - Lead Guitar
  Damian Donald - Rhythm Guitar

  For more info: https://linktr.ee/mutualtraumaband

  Read more

• India's SHIVERWOOD SHADE Releases New Video “Lost" From Debut Album "Escaping Darkness"

  Jul 15, 2026 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  India’s rising cinematic‑metal force Shiverwood Shade has unveiled their video for “Lost,” one of the most emotionally charged and high‑tempo tracks from their debut album Escaping Darkness. The single captures the band’s signature fusion of heavy nu‑metal riffing, dark electronic textures, and atmospheric storytelling, an approach they describe as “a heavy, electronic collision designed to feel like a movie soundtrack for your darkest thoughts.”​
  ​
  Clocking in at 3:50, “Lost” is a high‑energy eruption of down‑tuned guitars, industrial electronics, and emotionally raw vocals. Lyrically, the track explores the disorienting feeling of losing one’s identity and direction, one of the central themes of Escaping Darkness.
  ​
  ​“Lost” represents a pivotal moment in the album’s emotional arc, where confusion and inner conflict collide with the first spark of self‑realization," adds the band.

  Shiverwood Shade’s debut album is built around a journey through struggle, self‑discovery, and eventual liberation.
  ​
  ​“We wanted listeners to experience this album from beginning to end, a journey through darkness, doubt, resilience, and ultimately hope,” says the band.​
  ​
  The record blends crushing riffs, atmospheric layers, cinematic electronics, soaring melodies, and emotionally charged performances. It reflects the band’s evolution from their early sci‑fi‑inspired progressive roots into a mature, layered, and deeply personal sound.
  ​
  Formed in Gwalior, India, in 2013, Shiverwood Shade quickly gained recognition across India’s independent circuit, performing at major college festivals including Spring Fest at IIT Kharagpur. Originally inspired by science fiction and progressive metal, the band’s sound has since transformed into a hybrid of nu‑metal, post‑hardcore, industrial, synthwave, EDM, and cinematic metal.
  ​
  The idea for the band began with a shared desire to bridge the gap between heavy rock and dark electronic music, two worlds often treated as separate. Their goal was to create a sound where down‑tuned guitars coexist seamlessly with industrial glitches, retro synthwave basslines, and EDM‑style drops.
  ​
  In 2022, the band underwent a dramatic rebirth, relocating 1,500 kilometres to Kolkata and rebuilding their lineup from scratch. This geographical shift mirrors the emotional transformation behind "Escaping Darkness".
  ​​
  Shiverwood Shade’s songwriting is fully collaborative. Songs typically begin with a riff, melody, atmosphere, or lyrical idea, then evolve through collective input. The band emphasizes emotional storytelling, structuring each track to reflect the message and psychological journey behind it. Their goal is to write honestly so listeners can find their own meaning within the songs.
  ​
  ​“Every member contributes creatively. The strength of Shiverwood Shade comes from combining different perspectives into a unified vision,” adds the band.

  Recommended for fans of Linkin Park, Bring Me the Horizon, Story of the Year, Breaking Benjamin, and Architects, Shiverwood Shade's "Escaping Darkness" (released Dec 26, 2025) is available at the following links:

  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/5Htt6Dl6p54M4bVfx2rUKl

  Bandcamp - https://shiverwood.bandcamp.com/album/escaping-darkness-album​

  Track Listing:​
  1. Intro - 1:02
  2. Pulling Away - 4:14
  3. Facing Darkness - 3:53
  4. Holding On - 3:37
  5. Crawling Back - 3:54
  6. Walking In Circles - 4:50
  7. Alone - 3:12
  8. Lost - 3:50
  9. Haunted - 3:39
  10. Divided By Hate - 4:06
  11. Break Free - 3:21

  Album Band Line-up:​
  Gaurav Ghosh - Vocal
  Anupam Ghosh-Guitar
  Saptarshi Basu-Bass
  Manav Kundu-Keys
  Sayan Pal-Drums
  Monish Mallick-Guitar

  Live Band Line-up:​
  Gaurav Ghosh - Vocal
  Anirban Bhattacharya-Vocal
  Anupam Ghosh-Guitar
  Saptarshi Basu-Bass
  Manav Kundu-Keys
  Sayan Pal-Drums
  Monish Mallick-Guitar

  For more info:

  ​https://www.shiverwoodshade.com/​

  ​https://www.facebook.com/swsprod20​

  ​https://www.instagram.com/shiverwoodshade/​

  Read more

• SHORES OF NULL Unveils First Single “Bleed to Life” From New Album "Homesick" Out October 2026; Album Guests - Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair) and Shaun MacGowan (My Dying Bride)

  Jul 14, 2026 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Rome, Italy's melodic death doom collective Shores of Null open a new chapter with the launch of “Bleed to Life,” the first single and music video taken from their forthcoming album "Homesick," set for release October 16th, 2026 through label Dusktone.
  ​
  The track marks the beginning of the band’s next era, one defined by sharpened songwriting, emotional depth, and the unmistakable blend of doom, gothic, blackened, and melodic death metal that has become their signature.
  ​
  ​“Bleed to Life” stands among the most aggressive yet melodic compositions in the band’s catalogue. Davide Straccione (vocals) explains that the song’s core theme is the paradox of finding life through pain, an inversion of the familiar phrase bleed to death that instead celebrates growth through suffering.
  ​
  The track’s shadows represent traumas, memories, and scars that cannot be outrun. Instead, the band embraces them, returning to those emotional spaces in search of understanding and acceptance. The result is a song that feels both punishing and uplifting, a defining statement for the album ahead.
  ​
  The single arrives accompanied by a striking new music video, offering fans their first visual immersion into the world of "Homesick." The imagery amplifies the song’s emotional tension, its collision of vulnerability, heaviness, and catharsis.
  ​Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2xHwEaceWZAmKJDK0ANDhO?si=1878359078354a7e

  ​

  Out October 16th, 2026 via Dusktone, "Homesick" represents the band’s most mature and focused work to date. Conceived as a complete listening experience, the album moves through longing, loss, anger, vulnerability, and the search for belonging. It captures Shores Of Null at their most confident and emotionally honest, balancing crushing moments with some of the most memorable melodies the band has written to date, enriched by guest appearances from Natalie Koskinen (Shape of Despair) with her vocals on The Numbing Void and Shaun MacGowan (My Dying Bride) on several tracks, including violin on Dreaming of a Scar and The Numbing Void.

  "The record is an exploration of the deeply ambiguous nature of 'home', a place of comfort and identity, but also of pain, fear, and unresolved memory. It is probably the most honest representation of who Shores of Null are today. Behind this record lies a meticulous amount of writing, rewriting, and pre‑production work. At its core lies the idea of home as something deeply ambiguous: a place of comfort and belonging, but also of fear, pain, and memories we can never fully leave behind,” adds vocalist Davide Straccione.

  "Homesick" marks a new milestone for Shores of Null as an immersive, emotionally charged work that expands their sonic universe to follow their acclaimed discography, which includes "Quiescence," "Black Drapes for Tomorrow," "Beyond the Shores," "The Loss of Beauty," and the 2025 split album with Convocation, "Latitudes of Sorrow".
  ​
  Recommended for fans of Paradise Lost, Amorphis, Swallow The Sun, Katatonia, and Borknagar, "Homesick" will be available for pre-order (Vinyl, CD, Digital) in the coming weeks.

  Track Listing:​
  1. Allies Before Defeat - 4:35
  2. Two Mountains - 4:34
  3. Bleed to Life - 4:09
  4. Homesick - 5:31
  5. Son of the Tide - 4:18
  6. Dreaming of a Scar - 5:08
  7. Society Is the Murderer - 4:30
  8. The Numbing Void - 6:18
  9. Another Breath - 3:52
  10. Disappear - 4:33
  Album Length: 47:32

  For more info:

  ​https://www.shoresofnull.com/​

  ​https://www.facebook.com/shoresofnull​

  ​https://www.instagram.com/shoresofnull​

  Read more

• Iceland's Sorcerous Folk Metal HRAFNABLÓT Unleashes Debut Music Video “Svartigaldur”; The First Chapter of Forthcoming Album "Guðlaugar Saga"

  Jul 10, 2026 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Reykjavík, Iceland’s sorcerous folk‑metal conjurers Hrafnablót (pronounced rahv-nah‑blote) have released their first official single, “Svartigaldur,” alongside an atmospheric music video. The track marks the opening strike from the band’s forthcoming debut album, "Guðlaugar Saga," arriving in fall 2026.
  ​
  A metallized Icelandic sea‑shanty rooted in ancient folk melody, “Svartigaldur” tells a pivotal moment in the album’s narrative. The kidnapping of Guðlaug, the record’s time‑travelling protagonist, is bound to the mast of a Viking longship after being mistaken for a witch. The song’s main riff, adapted from the Icelandic folk tune Að bíða þess sem búið er, anchors a storm of rowboat rhythms, black‑metal‑tinged chord work, and soaring clean‑vocal hooks.
  ​
  The accompanying video, directed and edited by bassist Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson with creative direction by singer Hugrún Hanna Stefánsdóttir, was filmed across Iceland’s unforgiving winter landscapes and captures the band’s ritualistic energy and the stark contrasts that define their sound. During the shoot, members endured temperatures as low as –15°C, relocating mid‑day from a wind‑blasted lighthouse in Selvogur to the sheltering woods of Þrastarskógur to complete the performance scenes.
  ​
  ​“Svartigaldur was the last song we wrote for the album, and it came together at lightning speed. We’re extremely proud to finally release it as we invite every listener on this journey through the Icelandic settlement age along with us,” adds the band.

  Hrafnablót’s debut full‑length is a fully realized Icelandic epic, both musically and lyrically. The album follows Guðlaug, a modern‑day woman thrust back into the settlement age with nothing but her clothes and a taser. Across battles, celebrations, kidnapping, and existential crossroads, the record explores whether she will return to her mundane present or embrace a new destiny in the past.
  ​
  Sonically, "Guðlaugar Saga" contrasts darkness and light, ugliness and beauty, past and present, weaving together Icelandic folk music, Nordic folk metal, NWOBHM, gothic influences, and extreme metal to create a sound that is sorcerous, folky, dramatic, melodic, and contrasting.
  ​
  The album will feature seven full songs plus two spoken‑word pieces, including the seer’s prophecy in Spádómurinn and the chieftain’s post‑battle reflection in Kappar, meyjar, and komendur. Each track contributes to the overarching Saga, from the celebratory folk‑metal revelry of Fögnuður to the 11‑minute multi‑movement finale Örlagavegur.
  ​
  Formed in Reykjavík in fall 2024, Hrafnablót draws deeply from Icelandic magick, folklore, and the Sagas. Their sound blends heavy riffs, folk instrumentation, haunting melodies, and both clean and harsh vocals, creating a distinct brand of sorcerous folk metal rooted in Icelandic myth and landscape.
  ​
  Since forming, the band has become a rising force in Iceland’s live scene, performing at Íslenski rokkbarinn, Lemmy, BIRD, and the Icelandic Sorcery Festival, where drummer Andri famously performed despite a severe back injury, lying flat until the moment he took the stage.
  ​
  Their performances channel ritual intensity, dramatic storytelling, and strong visual elements, aiming to feel less like a concert and more like a magickal rite.
  ​
  The single artwork for “Svartigaldur,” illustrated by Ana Nikitina with layout by guitarist Mara Birna Jóhannsdóttir, depicts Guðlaug bound to the mast of a Viking longship. The frame features Icelandic magick staves used historically to ward against black magick, tying the visual world directly into the album’s themes.
  ​
  ​Hrafnablót’s writing is highly collaborative. Bassist Þórgnýr Einar Albertsson often brings initial demos, which the band collectively reshapes during rehearsal, adding symphonic elements, vocal lines, and structural changes. Lyrics, primarily written by vocalist Hugrún Hanna Stefánsdóttir and drummer Andri Pétur Dalmar with contributions from the rest of the band, draw heavily from Icelandic folklore, Skaldic poetry, and historical magick traditions.​
  ​
  The band’s influences span Cradle of Filth, Bathory, Iron Maiden, Ensiferum, Nightwish, Wintersun, and a wide spectrum of folk, gothic, and extreme metal.
  ​
  With “Svartigaldur” now unveiled, Hrafnablót opens the gateway into their Saga, inviting listeners into a world of Icelandic myth, magick, and metal.
  ​
  Watch and listen to “Svartigaldur”

  ​Add to your Spotify playlist - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/hrafnablt/svartigaldur​

  Bandcamp - https://hrafnablot.bandcamp.com/​

  For more info:

  ​https://hrafnablot.is/​

  ​https://www.facebook.com/hrafnablot/​

  ​https://www.instagram.com/hrafnablot​

  Read more