German heavy metal/power metal unit Hammer King are back with a brand-new bombastic full-length full of true headbanger hits! The new offering, entitled König und Kaiser, continues the storyline of the band paying homage to the mighty Hammer King, and is set for release on March 22, 2024 via Napalm Records.
Hammer King, led by ex-Ross The Boss vocalist Titan Fox, was formed in 2015 and has captured the scene with their five previous offerings and live performances, among others at Summer Breeze Open Air following their last album, the massive 2022 release Kingdemonium…

Face the Heat is the twelfth studio album released by the German hard rock band Scorpions in 1993. This album marked their status as a sort of political band with the song "Alien Nation", which was about the re-unification of Germany.[citation needed] This album had a contemporary touch to it, as the band were then going with the current trends, before later returning to their original style in Unbreakable in 2004. This is last album to feature drummer Herman Rarebell, and the first with Ralph Rieckermann on bass guitar.

The Japanese pop-metal group’s third album, which arrives October 11th, will contain 14/16 songs and feature a bevy of guest artists. The musicians appearing on Metal Galaxy include Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz; Sabaton singer Joakim Brodén; Polyphia guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage; B’z guitarist Tak Matsumoto; and Thai rapper F.HERO.

A perfect collision of Metal and Classical Music! Swedish symphonic metal legends Therion have returned to deliver another masterpiece - fulfilling the Leviathan trilogy. With more than 35 years under their belts, the band around mastermind Christofer Johnsson was one of the first to combine metal with symphonic and orchestral elements back in the 90s, and are considered one of the most style-defining founders of symphonic metal today. Now, the band continues their legacy by releasing the third installment of the Leviathan trilogy, Leviathan III. The band continues with their versatile and style-combining musical journey, which is also formed by the fundamental line of its predecessors Leviathan and Leviathan II.

‘What Lies Beneath’ is the second rock studio album by Finnish solo artist Tarja. Originally released in 2010, it is considered a classic and must-have for both fans and critics and includes timeless Tarja hits like ‘Until My Last Breath’, ‘I Feel Immortal’ and ‘Falling Awake’. This year, the album will be re-issued for the first time as 2CD Special Edition and, for the first time, as Heavyweight 2LP Vinyl (Gatefold, 180g, black). Both formats feature a beautifully restored artwork, and all tracks are remastered at Sterling Sound for superb sound quality for the ultimate 2024 ‘What Lies Beneath’-experience. Out on April 12th, 2024.

The Swedish melodic power metal formation Metalite is back! In their luggage they have their fourth studio album "Expedition One", which tells the fictional story of life on our planet in the year 2055.
"Expedition One" is a nuanced and varied offering with a strong melodic backbone to the music that shines not just in the catchy choruses that abound on this record but also in the instrumental interplay between the guitars and drums, or in how the vocals come across. However, it is the way they calibrate the heaviness (especially when it comes to the guitars) and the free-flowing melodies that is the ultimate selling point of their music and the reason for this album’s playability (despite its length). Fans of Amaranthe, Temperance, or Delain will find plenty to enjoy on this record.

New full-length studio album by the German Heavy Metal legends Scanner. "The Cosmic Race" is released worldwide by Rock Of Angels Records.
The time has come for a new Scanner album after almost a decade. As the previous dictography almost imperatively demands, The Cosmic Race has become a concept album: survival on Earth has become increasingly difficult, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and military conflicts have reached their peak, large parts of the continents are nuclear-contaminated. Life is concentrated in a few large cities, and the confinement and heat in them has become unbearable…

Grammy-nominated extreme power metal pioneers DragonForce will release their monumental new album and Napalm Records debut, Warp Speed Warriors, on March 15, 2024! The iconic unit is known for their masterful, unparalleled and lightning-fast signature guitar solos that influenced a whole genre. The band around virtuoso guitarists and founding members Herman Li and Sam Totman are highly inspired by a myriad of heavy metal styles, fantasy realms and video games.
Warp Speed Warriors, produced by Herman Li, Sam Totman and Damien Rainaud - and mixed and mastered by the latter - is a matchless, innovative listening experience that continues the band's legacy with songs that will, without a shadow of a doubt, become instant classics in and beyond the DragonForce canon.

Great events cast their (apparently equally significant) shadows before them: German metal band Rage have announced the arrival of their latest studio album ‘Afterlifelines’ in March 2024. The double album will consist of a total of 21 songs, including an intro, interlude and outro. Remarkably, the two records feature different musical approaches: "The first CD is called ‘Afterlife’ and comprises songs that we recorded as a trio, while the material on the second CD ‘Lifelines’ also includes classical orchestral arrangements," explains singer and bassist Peavy Wagner. Wagner and his two band mates Jean Bormann (guitar) and Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos (drums) have cut more than 94 minutes of new Rage music, including what Wagner calls a "20-minute grand finale".

Purple is the color of fresh bruises. It's also the combination of Red and Blue, which makes sense musically for those familiar with the group's albums of those names. These are some of the biggest, strongest songs Baroness have written; it's rock music that folds in their more metal leanings, along with something more delicate and spare. The hooks and melodies are their best. It also marks a number of firsts for the band. They're releasing it themselves on their new Abraxan Hymns imprint, and instead of recording with John Congleton, who produced the last couple of albums, they worked with Dave Fridmann, best known for his longtime collaboration with Flaming Lips (and you'll notice a larger presence of psychedelic keyboards throughout). It's also the first album to feature the new lineup, the same group as that first tour after the accident, and at this point they play together like longtime vets.

Switzerland’s legendary Death/Thrashers Messiah are back with a new studio album! The follow-up to 2020’s highly acclaimed comeback album “Fracmont” promises harder and faster material with striking guitar parts and great arrangements, and also features the band’s new members Marcus Seebach (vocals) and V.O. Pulver (guitar), who are adding their own touches. There’s definitely a new wind blowing, but Messiah have not lost any of their established trademarks of old.

Since the late 80s, David Reece’ charismatic voice has enhanced successful albums by ACCEPT, Bangalore Choir, Bonfire and the Sainted Sinners, among others. In addition to this, however, he also continued to focus on his solo career. As the cover and title "Baptized by Fire" already suggest, his latest album is significantly "heavier" than its two predecessors. Twelve new songs full of power, mature and varied. One reason for this is certainly his new band line-up. In his adopted home of Italy, he found three highly talented, creative collaborators with whom he was able to work on the songs around the clock. A paradise for a thoroughbred musician like Reece!

After playing a major role in five positively classic heavy metal albums of the late '70s and early '80s (three with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and two with Black Sabbath), it seemed that singer Ronnie James Dio could truly do no wrong. So it wasn't all that surprising – impressive, but not surprising – when he struck gold yet again when launching his solo vehicle, Dio, via 1983's terrific Holy Diver album. Much like those two, hallowed Sabbath LPs, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, Holy Diver opened at full metallic throttle with the frenetic "Stand Up and Shout," before settling into a dark, deliberate, and hypnotic groove for the timelessly epic title track – a worthy successor to glorious triumphs past like Rainbow's "Stargazer" and the Sabs' "Sign of the Southern Cross."

More than 50 years into their heavy metal legacy, Judas Priest are still screaming at full power on their 19th studio full-length Invincible Shield. The album, their first studio effort of its kind since 2018's Firepower, is again produced by the band's touring guitarist Andy Sneap, and its 14 songs stretch out at over just an hour-long runtime. The album charges out of the gate with the dumbfounding riffery of "Panic Attack." The song touches on all the now-signature elements of Priest's sound, with dizzying harmonic guitar solos, a relentlessly pushy beat, and layers of Rob Halford's vocals, part winking metal theater, part authentic menace.