Bulgarian pagan black/folk metal band Tsar Stangra has
released its new album, Hymns of the Broken Worlds, through GlobMetal
Promotions. The album was recorded at Holywaves Studios, mixed by Stanislav
Stefanovski, and mastered by Olivier Vaillancourt-Girard.
Founded in 2007 in Quebec City, Canada, Tsar Stangra
began as a solo project before expanding into a full band in 2014. The group
combines black and folk metal with themes inspired by Bulgarian mythology and
tradition.
The band's previous releases, including its debut
album The Heavenly Blacksmith, helped establish its presence in the underground
metal scene. Tsar Stangra has also performed at festivals such as Messe des
Morts and Skogen Fest and has shared stages with bands including Graveland,
Tormentor, and Arkona.
Hymns of the Broken Worlds is the band's second
full-length studio album.
Cypriot metal trio Zivanished have released their new
EP, 100% Agnos Kypriakos Villos, on 29 May 2026. The release reflects the
band's distinctive approach, combining thrash metal, hardcore, and punk with
elements of Cypriot culture.
The band's sound features aggressive riffs, Greek and
Middle Eastern musical influences, occasional bouzouki passages, and vocals
performed entirely in the Cypriot dialect. This blend has become a defining
characteristic of their music.
One of the EP's standout tracks, O Villos Mou En
Mialos, showcases the band's experimental side. Its accompanying music video
received a strong response, surpassing 14,000 YouTube views within the first
two months of its release.
With 100% Agnos Kypriakos Villos, Zivanished continue
to develop their unique interpretation of Cypriot metal while maintaining their
signature balance of heavy music and dark humor.
The Greek metal press — especially its mainstream
outlets — continues to elevate domestic bands that successfully emulate already
established international acts, often presenting them as groundbreaking
contributors to our scene. This tendency reflects a persistent undervaluation
of originality within Greek metal, and VALET PARN are almost certainly going to
be framed in that same flattering but misleading narrative.
VALET PARN’s debut aligns with the current trend
dominating modern heavy music: a blend of groove‑metal riffing, metalcore breakdowns, and the familiar
alternation between clean and harsh vocals. The problem is not the execution —
the band clearly possesses technical skill, and the production is polished,
full-bodied, and professionally handled. The issue lies in the creative
direction. The album follows the genre’s established formula so closely that,
at times, the only distinguishing feature seems to be the band name printed on
the cover.
As composers, VALET PARN struggle to imprint a
personal identity on their material. Several ideas throughout the record show
promise, yet they rarely evolve into something that sets the band apart from
the countless similar releases flooding the scene. The songs are competently
structured, but they lack the defining element — the signature touch — that
transforms solid musicianship into memorable artistry.
In essence, VALET PARN have clearly invested time in
honing their performance and production standards. What they now need is to
channel that discipline into developing a compositional voice that reflects who
they are rather than what the market currently rewards. Until then, Riddle
Figure Independent remains another release that plays well enough while it
lasts, but fades from memory the moment it ends.
Μετά
το Psalm 9, που τότε ακόμη ήταν το ομώνυμο άλμπουμ τους (έχουμε αναφερθεί στην
κυκλοφορία κατά την ακρόαση εκείνου του δίσκου), οι Trouble από το Σικάγο δεν
αργούν να επανέλθουν· και η συνέχεια, με τον χαρακτηριστικό τίτλο The Skull,
είναι ακριβώς αυτή που προμηνύει το όνομα.
Η
ατμόσφαιρα γίνεται ακόμη πιο στενάχωρη από το πρώτο κιόλας κομμάτι, το Pray for
the Dead, πάντα στο γνώριμο — και θα έλεγα ακόμη πιο βαρύ, χαριτολογώντας —
ύφος του Doom Heavy Metal, στο οποίο υπήρξαν από τους πρωτοπόρους. Για μένα,
ίσως να είναι και λίγο καλύτερο από το θρυλικό ντεμπούτο τους, έστω και με μία…
τρίχα διαφορά.
Το
αφύσικα ταχύ Fear No Evil ακολουθεί, και ύστερα έρχεται το δεκάλεπτο έπος The
Wish. Τα Truth Is What Is, Wickedness of Man (κι αυτό έπος, πραγματικός ύμνος),
Gideon και το ομότιτλο The Skull σε αρπάζουν και δεν σε αφήνουν στιγμή.
Έχοντας
πλέον λιγότερα κοινά με τους μεγάλους πατέρες Black Sabbath, οι Trouble
αποκτούν πιο αυτόνομο ύφος, κάτι που θα εξελιχθεί ακόμη περισσότερο στη
συνέχεια της πορείας τους.
Ένα
άλμπουμ που, αν δεν το ακούσεις, δύσκολα πιστεύεις πόσο καλό είναι.
English:
Despair in Electric Notes
After Psalm 9, which at the time was still their self‑titled debut (we’ve already referred to that release
during the listening session of that record), Trouble from Chicago didn’t take
long to return — and the follow‑up,
bearing the telling title The Skull, is exactly what that name promises.
The atmosphere becomes even gloomier from the very
first track, Pray for the Dead, always within the familiar — and I’d jokingly
say even heavier — Doom Heavy Metal style in which they were among the
pioneers. For me, it might even be slightly better than their legendary debut,
if only by a… hair’s breadth.
The unnaturally fast Fear No Evil follows, and then
comes the ten‑minute
epic The Wish. Truth Is What Is, Wickedness of Man (another epic, a true
anthem), Gideon, and the title track The Skull grab hold of you and never let
go.
Having now fewer direct similarities with the great
forefathers Black Sabbath, Trouble shape a more autonomous identity — something
that would evolve even further in the years to come.
An album that, unless you actually listen to it, you
can hardly believe just how good it is.
Οι
βετεράνοι hard rockers, με τις ρίζες τους στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του '70 και
με την εντυπωσιακή αναγέννησή τους στα charts από τα μέσα της δεκαετίας του
'80, έχοντας τους Steven Tyler και Joe Perry ως το ηγετικό τους δίδυμο, έφτασαν
στο δωδέκατο άλμπουμ τους έπειτα από μια σειρά εξαιρετικών δίσκων με τεράστιο
ειδικό βάρος, τόσο καλλιτεχνικά όσο και εμπορικά. Φυσικά, σε αυτό συνέβαλε και
το MTV – μη ξεχνιόμαστε.
Την
παραγωγή ανέλαβε ο Kevin Shirley, ο οποίος λίγα χρόνια αργότερα θα αναλάβει
διαδοχικά τις παραγωγές των Iron Maiden, οδηγώντας τους – κατά τη γνώμη μου –
σε δημιουργικό αδιέξοδο εδώ και περίπου 25 χρόνια.
Το
Pink, που ως single και video clip μάς «ζάλισε τον έρωτα» στα μουσικά κανάλια,
στα όρια της πλύσης εγκεφάλου, αποτελεί το δημοφιλέστερο κομμάτι του δίσκου.
Ακολουθείτοεπίσηςπολυπαιγμένο Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees). Στα
μεγάλα συν του άλμπουμ συγκαταλέγεται και η εναρκτήρια κομματάρα Nine Lives.
Άλλες
αξιόλογες στιγμές είναι τα Hole in My Soul, Taste of India, Full Circle, Something's
Gotta Give, Ain't That a Bitch, Attitude Adjustment και Fallen Angels,
συνθέτοντας ένα ιδιαίτερα αξιόλογο σύνολο 14 τραγουδιών.
Δεν
το λες κι άσχημο, έτσι;
English:
How Much More Mainstream Can You Get?
These veteran hard rockers, whose roots go back to the
early '70s and who enjoyed a remarkable chart resurgence from the mid-'80s
onward, with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry leading the charge, arrived at their
twelfth studio album after an impressive run of records that carried enormous
weight, both artistically and commercially. And, of course, MTV played no small
part in that success—let's not kid ourselves.
Production duties were handled by Kevin Shirley, who
would go on to become Iron Maiden's regular producer a few years later,
steering them—at least in my opinion—into a creative dead end they've been
stuck in for the past 25 years.
"Pink," which saturated music television as
both a single and a video to the point of near brainwashing, remains the
album's best-known track. It's followed by the equally overexposed
"Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)." On the plus side, the
opening powerhouse "Nine Lives" is one of the album's undeniable
highlights.
Other standout moments include "Hole in My
Soul," "Taste of India," "Full Circle,"
"Something's Gotta Give," "Ain't That a Bitch,"
"Attitude Adjustment," and "Fallen Angels," making for a
thoroughly worthwhile collection of 14 songs.
The wave of progressive and groove metal that has
become increasingly popular in recent years has never really appealed to me.
Most of these bands leave me rather indifferent, as they often fail to offer
anything that truly moves or surprises me. Every now and then, however, a band
emerges with enough originality and vision to make these familiar sounds
genuinely interesting.
JUROJIN is one of those bands. Their music combines
modern metal in the vein of SYSTEM OF A DOWN with contemporary hard rock
influences reminiscent of NICKELBACK, but what sets them apart is the way they
enrich this foundation with elements of 1970s progressive rock and subtle
oriental melodies. The use of traditional instruments such as the tabla and
santoor adds a distinctive atmosphere to the compositions, giving them an
identity that goes beyond the conventions of the genre. The track "Proem"
is perhaps the best example of this successful fusion.
Although JUROJIN's style is not something I would
choose to listen to on a daily basis, I have to acknowledge the band's talent
and creative vision. Rather than simply following modern trends, they reshape
them into something with depth, character, and genuine musical substance. Their
songwriting balances heaviness with melody and atmosphere, resulting in music
that invites the listener to become immersed in it rather than simply consume
it.
If you are looking for a contemporary band that offers
more than just technical proficiency or fashionable sounds, JUROJIN is well
worth your attention. They have something meaningful to say, and they certainly
deserve to be noticed.
If your definition of melodic death metal is confined
to clones of recent In Flames and Soilwork albums, or yet another predictable
metalcore crossover, Germany’s The Very End will come as a welcome surprise. On
their sophomore release, Mercy & Misery, the band proves that the melodic
death metal template still has room for genuine freshness, innovation, and
cross-genre experimentation.
Instead of merely copying their peers, The Very End
builds a robust foundation informed by the aggressive thrash of Metallica and
Kreator. They then layer this framework with unexpected elements of traditional
heavy metal and subtle, gritty undertones of stoner rock. This eclectic mix
prevents the album from feeling one-dimensional. That is not to say they
abandon the genre's roots entirely; tracks like "Rat Nation" deliver
the quintessential, high-octane melodic death metal assault that purists
expect.
Ultimately, Mercy & Misery stands out as a highly
compelling album within its subgenre, characterized by its commendable sonic
variety and vibrant energy. If The Very End continues on this upward
trajectory, they possess the songwriting caliber and distinct identity required
to rise to the top tier of the scene.
This is a remarkably strong release. Mercy &
Misery comes highly recommended—not just for melodic death metal enthusiasts,
but for any metal fan looking for a high-quality, original, and broad-minded
album. Definitively
worth checking out.
