#napalmrecords — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/at/399559/ As I Lay Dying: Tracklist & Release des neuen Albums sind offiziell #Ankündigung #AsILayDying #AT #Austria #Entertainment #LineUp #Music #Musik #NapalmRecords #Neubesetzung #NeueSingles #NeuesAlbum #Österreich #TimLambesis #Unterhaltung

NESTOR relive lost youth with live “Teenage Rebel”

https://voiceofnoir.com/2026/08/14/nestor-relive-lost-youth-with-live-teenage-rebel/

IGNEA Share First Single Off Their Upcoming Album

https://voiceofnoir.com/2026/06/24/ignea-share-first-single-off-their-upcoming-album/

Draconian is an institution. Since Where Lovers Mourn dropped 23 years ago, the Swedish death doom sextet upheld an unflappable standard of quality across seven records, marking a legendary discography matched by precious few. Everyone has their favorite out of those seven tomes, but it’s fairly uncommon to find a shared preference. This not only speaks to the diversity of Draconian’s sound despite their tried and true template, but also to the reliable nature of their compositions, capable of striking at the heart of anyone who might encounter them. I, just as susceptible to Draconian’s hooded charm, miraculously came into possession of their eighth outing, In Somnolent Ruin, albeit quite late. However, it took no time whatsoever to recognize that it was special.

As if in celebration of their reunion with original siren Lisa Johansson, Draconian amplified both the beautiful and the beastly sides of their trademark sound for In Somnolent Ruin. Heavy as Arcane Rain Fell and A Rose for the Apocalypse (“The Monochrome Blade”) and delicate as Sovran and Under a Godless Veil (“Lethe”), In Somnolent Ruin trudges inexorably through an unknowable pall with desperate fury and earnest sorrow. A dichotomy of intensity and grace embodies this hour-long funereal march, gloom and mist gently grazing the skin as the earth churns underfoot and a clouded sky thunders above. The emotions conjured through Draconian’s gothic spell, deep ripples that oscillate between tension and release in overwhelming concentrations, black out my vision and light up my synapses. This is what Draconian is known for, and what they do so well they’ve rarely done better than on In Somnolent Ruin.

Whereas Draconian routinely succeeds in songwriting across all of their records, In Somnolent Ruin blossoms primarily because of the striking performances it houses. Lisa and Anders Jacobsson shine here, each pouring every fiber of their being into their vocals (“The Monochrome Blade,” “The Face of God,” “Cold Heavens”). Anders sounds particularly venomous, his serrated growls and screaming rasps curdling my blood and melting my bones with every utterance (“I Gave You Wings”). Lisa belts like never before, showcasing a range and power I didn’t realize she possessed (“Cold Heavens”). Not to be outclassed, guitarists Johan Ericson and Niklas Nord shove thunderous riffs against each other and in concert with only the most bleeding-heart lead melodies (“I Welcome Thy Arrow,” “Misanthrope River”), creating a wonderful miasma of textures and tones that swirl with the deadly grace of smoke. Drummer Daniel Johansson and Bassist Daniel Arvidsson form a formidable rhythm section to bolster In Somnolent Ruin with great heft and shrewd patterns. Daniel Johansson in particular impresses with beats and fills that almost refuse to mimic Niklas’ riffs, instead forging his own path weaving in and out of the spaces between guitars and vocals with powerful muscularity. Working as a finely tuned machine, Draconian’s performance on In Somnolent Ruin is a rare coalescence that elevates every crest and crescendo beyond greatness.

That greatness nonetheless extends to songwriting, as In Somnolent Ruin showcases some of Draconian’s coolest pieces in their discography. With no fewer than four contenders for my Songs o’ the Year playlist (“The Monochrome Blade,” “The Face of God,” “I Gave You Wings,” “Cold Heavens”), the impact of these nine songs, both isolated from and integrated with the whole, leaves nothing but dust and rubble at my feet. Emotionally devastating, richly detailed, and imposing in stature, only one word approaches adequacy when intimating my impressions: majestic. Towering arcs that connect poignant storytelling to heartfelt expressiveness personify In Somnolent Ruin’s transition from the riff-laden challenge “I Welcome Thy Arrow” to the bitter death of “Lethe.” As I traverse that arc, marvelous transitions guide my way through twists and gnarls as beautiful in form as they are lethal to the touch. Draconian created something familiar enough to caress and comfort but surprising in its vitality and charisma, such that each fresh spin feels as compelling and impactful as the first.

I’m left astounded, alone in a clearing of brush and fog. So few discographies boast such reliable and recognizable greatness, but even fewer offer late-stage monoliths of this scale. To critique small nitpicks like the relative innocuousness of interlude “Asteria Beneath the Tranquil Sea” or the slightly less impressive “Anima” feels disingenuous—as if to do so is merely to make up for a perceived neglect of my responsibility to evaluation. Yet even accounting for this internal debate, In Somnolent Ruin is a rare triumph. A love letter to Draconian’s storied past and a celebration of their modern era, refined to staggering excellence.

Rating: Excellent!
DR: Buried Under 6 Feet of Bandwidth | Format Reviewed: Misanthrope Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Official | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

Exodus are one of the legends of the original thrash heyday, but since kicking things off with their stone cold classic debut, Bonded by Blood, way back in 1985, they haven’t had the most consistent career or evil. Lineup changes, recording delays, directional shifts, and issues with band identity always seemed to hamstring this Bay Area collective, and when you look back on their decades in the speed biz, they don’t have many albums in the big win column. When news broke that long-time vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza was out of the band, I was disappointed. When word came that he would be replaced by another ex-vocalist, Rob Dukes, for their 12th album Goliath, I was dismayed. I’m not the biggest Dukes fan, but hey, I still wanted to see Exodus put out another high-flying statement of extremity for the ages and the aged. After a 5-year wait, what does Goliath actually have in store for you, and will it be in your size?

In a nutshell, you get what most of you were probably expecting: a rather tepid “thrash” platter lacking in bestial excess and infernal overkill, with an even more pronounced absence of sticky hooks. Opener and early single “3111” kicks off with an ominously doomy plod before eventually exploding into a thrashing rage with Dukes sounding surprisingly spry and fierce. The classic Gary Holt riffwork is present and recognizable, but the song never pushes past standard-issue. It also lacks much in the way of memorability. “Hostis Humani Generis” feels more vital and forceful, reminding me of the band’s salad days. With slashing riffs and vocals spat out like venom, some moments even recall their mighty debut, making it an album standout (I use that term loosely here, but more on that later). Dukes is joined on “The Changing Me” by Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain), and at first it seems as if you might get a face-ripping speed feast, but an awkward, out-of-place alt-metal/rock chorus blows the song up, wasting a goodly amount of gleefully beefbrained riffage.

Some of the album’s most interesting bits come during the title track, where Exodus opt for a slow, grinding stomp that sounds like it fell off a sludge metal truck heading to Crowbar Meadows. The riffs are legitimately mean, and the song feels massive and weighty. Props to Dukes for his extra intense, throat-rending performance here, which is well beyond anything we’ve ever heard from him before. It’s an interesting tune, though it’s not what I want or expect from Exodus. They follow this up with the best pure thrash track on offer, “Beyond the Event Horizon,” which feels like a throwback to the Shovel Headed era. There’s enough raw aggression and meataheadedness here to win you over. Sadly, things roll back downhill after this mid-album quality spike. Both “2 Minutes Hate” and “Violence Works” feel like retread filler, and the nearly 8-minute “Summon of the God Unknown” is like an ill-conceived homage to the worst Black Sabbath albums. At 54 minutes, Goliath lives up to its name, feeling ponderous and bloated. While I appreciate that only 2 tracks cross the 6-minute mark, many still feel overstuffed somehow.

I want to be clear that Dukes isn’t the issue here. He goes above and beyond to give a gutsy, intense vocal performance that meets, and at times, exceeds what he did on 2005s Shovel Headed Kill Machine. This is one of his best performances, and he brings a level of versatility I didn’t know he possessed. Gary Holt’s riffing is vital enough at times to make you remember the glory days, but then it lapses into recycled chugs and generic thrash idioms. Some tracks have bite, but not nearly enough of them. I want to point out the surprisingly upfront and audible bass work by Jack Gibson. I don’t recall the bass ever being this in-your-face on an Exodus album, and it provides a satisfyingly low-end pop that helps the material. Ultimately, it’s the songwriting that takes this giant down for the count. There just aren’t enough cuts that feel essential or truly memorable. Half of this sounds like leftovers from the Impact is Imminient sessions, and the other half sounds like B-sides to Force of Habit. That ain’t no way to go through life, son.

As much as I wanted a killer new Exodus album, Goliath is a mixed bag of Jolly Green Giant nuts. I won’t reach for this when I want an Exodus fix, and honestly, there’s nothing here that I feel the need to poach for playlists (and that includes the “standouts”). Loath though I am to suggest it, it might be time to retire this particular pony and remember the better days. Now I need to go spin Bonded by Blood (the original version only!!).

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: FVKKING STREAM!!
Label: Napalm
Websites: exodus.bandcamp.com/album/goliath | facebook.com/exodusattack | instagram.com/exodusbandofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 20th, 2026

Bloodbound – Field of Swords Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Bloodbound has always been a band with a confusing identity. These Swedes lit up a storm with debut Nosferatu in 2006, an underappreciated heavy/power gem fusing the best of Iron Maiden’s gallops with the hooks of Helloween and HammerFall. The golden pipes of Urban Breed (ex-Tad Morose) were the cherry on top. However, the curse of unstable lineups would strike. Urban Breed would leave for one album, rejoin for the odd-but-good, progpower-meets-Kalmah melodeath sound of Tabula Rasa, and promptly leave again. A decade of struggles followed, ranging from watered-down HammerFall to withered Sabaton to simply tepid heavy metal. 2021’s Creatures of the Dark Realm was a surprising resurgence, drifting Bloodbound more towards saccharine Europower. This brings us to newcomer Field of Swords. Where does it fit into this unconventional discography?

Field of Swords doubles down on Bloodbound’s recent melodic adventures. The double bass drumming of ’90s power metal is immediately recognizable, following in the steps of Stratovarius and HammerFall. The guitar work, too, has rejuvenated. Gone are almost all of the Sabatonisms that marred some of the band’s lowest points; here, the Olsson brothers’ rhythmic assault is simple but effective (“As Empires Fall,” “Born to Be King”), and its attitude carries the medieval fantasy spirit of [Luca Turilli(‘s) / Lione] Rhapsody [of Fire] minus the wank. The vocals of Patrik J. Selleby fit this style like a glove, his adapted performance being one of the strongest of his tenure thus far.

Bloodbound’s newfound breakneck pace and consistency are their greatest assets. The decision to go borderline sparkly on Field of Swords could have backfired, marking yet another sudden left turn in a discography full of them. Instead, it feels like a natural development from the past three albums. While the album on the surface is written like standard ’90s–’00s melodic power metal (“Field of Swords”), the execution of classic power chord choruses leading into blazing solos (“The Code of Warriors,” “Forged in Iron”) is surprisingly fiery and fun. Most importantly, Field of Swords forgoes balladry and prioritizes speed for a lion’s share of its 45-minute runtime. The record has a unified image unusual of Bloodbound. It’s not infallible—the unnecessary Sabaton sing-along stomp rears its head on the second half of “Pain and Glory”—but it is tightly-knit in a way I greatly appreciate.

As catchy as Field of Swords is, there are a few things preventing it from being a resounding success. For one, Bloodbound rely too much on one-note Battle Beastian disco synths. While Fredrik Bergh contributes plenty of pleasant backing bombast to the album as well, his main weapon of choice is sharp and high up in the mix, leading to fatigue on some otherwise strong choruses (“Defenders of Jerusalem,” “Light the Sky”). The band is still not immune to odd songwriting shifts either. In addition to the aforementioned “Pain and Glory” stumble, closing track “The Nine Crusades” features Unleash the Archers’ talented Brittney Slayes, only for her voice to drown under sappiness unfit for the record. Even so, the concoction here is potent. Cuts like “Land of the Brave” and “Light the Sky” are some of Bloodbound’s fastest and most energetic to date, and this sudden burst of frenzy is admirable of a veteran band.

For the first time in a while, Bloodbound’s sound has a true sense of direction. Field of Swords’ all-gas, no-brakes approach gives the record more urgency than they’ve had in forever, and both the songwriting and album flow greatly benefit in return. Despite some lingering issues, Field of Swords ends up being one of the better albums in the band’s catalog. Both Creatures of the Dark Realm and this album indicate the Europower-forward realignment continues to work in their favor. I can’t say I don’t still long for the days of Nosferatu, and Bloodbound could place a bit more faith in their strong guitar work and vocal lines, but whatever they’re doing is paying off once more. I can only hope this progress continues.

Rating: Good!
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream o’ Piss
Label: Napalm Records | Bandcamp
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 21st, 2025

#lucaTurillisLioneRhapsodyOfFire #2025 #30 #battleBeast #bloodbound #fieldOfSwords #hammerfall #helloween #ironMaiden #kalmah #napalmRecords #nov25 #powerMetal #review #reviews #sabaton #stratovarius #swedishMetal #tadMorose #unleashTheArchers

1914 – Viribus Unitis Review

By Grin Reaper

1914 has never shied away from the ugliness of war and death. Since Where Fear and Weapons Meet was released in 2021, the Ukrainian outfit has witnessed the horrors of that ugliness on their own soil. On Viribus Unitis,1 the quintet from Lviv maintains the poise and brutality of earlier material while imbuing their latest opus with deft poignancy. The album follows the story of a Ukrainian soldier fighting in the Austro-Hungarian army, and describes the thrill of victory, the anguish of defeat and injury, and the wretched misery of internment. Rather than re-upping the pointlessness of war, though, Viribus Unitis broadens 1914’s philosophy to highlight the camaraderie and brotherhood that such difficult times beget. Do the shift in tone and gravity of personal stakes allow 1914 to clear the high bar they’ve set for themselves?

1914’s brew of blackened death/doom returns in full force on Viribus Unitis, delivering the potent cocktail of history and metallic fortitude we’ve come to expect. As Holdeneye keenly observed in prior coverage, the Bolt Thrower-meets-Asphyx intersection remains apt, as well as Amon Amarthian melodic sensibilities. The opening to “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl)” would slot perfectly into Fate of Norns, for instance. And anyone paying attention to WWI-centric bands writing songs from the Central Powers’ perspective won’t be surprised by Kanonenfieber comparisons, both in subject matter and determined sonic fervor. Besides the interplay of titanic riffs and melodic leads, listeners are thrown into samples of period-specific soundbites, such as the clip at the beginning of “1917 (The Isonzo Front).” Throughout Viribus Unitis, snippets like this further ensconce listeners in the milieu of the time.

Everything that worked well for 1914 on Where Fear and Weapons Meet has been dialed up on Viribus Unitis. The crushing bulk of blackened sludge, the biting edge of bitter melody, and the tinny clips of a bygone era construct a vivid portrayal of life and death on the front lines. It’s at once addictive and morose, and genuine in a way that transcends surface-level storytelling. Gang choruses weave in with Ditmar Kumarberg’s blackened rasps (“1915 (Easter Battle for the Zwinin Ridge)”) to create a soundscape on two fronts, one unhinged by the chaos of war and the other a united fellowship forged in the fires of man-made hell. Another crucial layer that elevates Viribus Unitis is the guest vocals. Christopher Scott (Precious Death), Jérôme Reuter (Rome), and Aaron Stainthorpe (High Parasite, ex-My Dying Bride) inject variety and character to support 1914’s intricate aural campaign. Stainthorpe’s contribution on “1918 Pt. III: ADE (A Duty to Escape)” haunts with magnetic resonance as his cleans detail the inner monologue of the escaped protagonist while Kumarberg’s snarls narrate a harrowing getaway. This is pure SotY fodder and a must-listen for anyone reading. “1919 (The Home Where I Died)” follows, where a slightly distorted piano adds a warbling surrealism to the dirge. In it, Reuter’s tender croon recounts reuniting with his wife and daughter before the heartrending decision that he must leave once more.2

1914 wields thunder and riffs instinctively, ruthlessly bludgeoning with devastating grooves and cutting with calculated precision. Rostislaw Potoplacht’s3 drumming hypnotizes with martial rolls and implacable plods while Witaly Wyhovsky and Oleksa Fisiuk’s dual-guitar tandem electrifies with fiery trems and viscous atmospherics. All the while, Armen Howhannisjan holds down the bottom end on bass, adding texture and balance to the inexorable heft of Viribus Unitis. The sum total conjures vivid auditory experiences where each track breathes and bleeds with vitality and earnestness. And while no song sounds alike, all are undeniably 1914.

There’s little doubt that 1914 has delivered the most realized and important album of their career so far. Viribus Unitis is a masterclass in no-bullshit metal storytelling that feels authentic, intimate, and anthemic for the entire runtime. The sweeping story of a solider’s struggle through injury, capture, and escape is enough to satisfy, but viewed through the lens of the ubiquity of loss and love makes Viribus Unitis even more profound. 1914’s preceding LPs are fantastic, and their newest platter unequivocally entrenches the band as a premier act with a unique voice and relevant commentary on the human condition and how violence always leaves scars. Viribus Unitis is a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike, and missing this one is sure to leave you shell-shocked.

Rating: Excellent!
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

#1914 #2025 #45 #AmonAmarth #Asphyx #BlackMetal #BoltThrower #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #HighParasite #Kanonenfieber #MyDyingBride #NapalmRecords #Nov25 #PreciousDeath #Review #Reviews #Rome #UkrainianMetal #ViribusUnitis