Full photo galleries available here: Photos and text: Andrea Chirulescu It’s not often you get to attend a ‘revived’ festival, such as the Graveyard Gig in Notodden (Norway), a festival which was first held in 1990 in this town in Telemark county and now, 30+ years later, the concept has been revived by Mikael Siouzios,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://thedredgemusic.com/ This scribe was quite smitten with the fully formed and utterly rewarding debut offering by the eclectic Norwegian prog rockers The Dredge featuring Helheim drummer Frode “Hrymr” Røsjø, which saw the light of day a couple of years ago, so naturally, expectations were high for their sophomore effort. Sporting the evocative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.sarischorr.com/ I distinctly and vividly recall the great Sari Schorr performing a forty-minute set at the WinterStorm Festival in Scotland one late afternoon a few years ago, and she and her talented bandmates blew us all away. Catchy choruses you just cannot argue with, an endless supply of shark hooks, all the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/how-does-it-feel-the-jim-lea-autobiography While renowned British rockers Slade are the stuff of legend and the very definition of cool in so many ways, one of its principial songwriters and sonic architects, namely bass player extraordinaire Jim Lea, seemingly always thrived in the background and was rarely the center of attention, nor did he desire…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://knivad.bandcamp.com/ There are bands that use aggression as an aesthetic, and then there are bands that sound like they genuinely have something they need to get out of their system. Göteborg’s KNIVAD clearly belong to the latter category. Five years after Insidans ärrvävnad, the Swedes return with Lilla vackra människa, an album that promises to…
When you type the final word of an event’s summary/review, it feels like only then you somehow leave it behind you. And I still don’t want to do it and accept that Dark Bombastic Evening festival, 2026, has already ended. And it’s been at least 2 weeks now but given how beautiful each of the…
KINGS OF THRASH/UNDER THE OAK Anmeldt av Roger Hagerupsen BYSCENEN 19 August 2026 TRONDHEIM Bilder fra eventen: Om vi går helt tilbake til 1980, så var det noen unge gutter som kalte seg Iron Maiden som var support for noen langt mer meriterte karer som kalte seg Kiss, å ryktene sier at unggutta spilte flettene…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/ Norwegian black metal does not get much better than this. Formed in 2018 and having quickly gained a well-deserved following in the underground, these skilled chaps are the real deal when it comes to churning out meticulously crafted songs of impassioned, bleak splendor. Like a swirling mass of all-consuming negativity that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/triggertone This delightfully hard-hitting outfit from Belfast blew my socks off by means of the four riff-fueled, passion-soaked compositions that constitute their upcoming EP titled Bombs Away and judging by the depth and electrifying vibe of this particular piece of work, something tells me that Triggertone will go far in life. …
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://doublemute.bandcamp.com/album/corporate-culture-ceo-edition This twisted and hugely enjoyable little gem came out roughly two months ago, so I shall keep it relatively short and concise here and merely sum up in a few sentences why it deserves your time and attention. First things first, the enigmatic entity Double Mute is never boring and about…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://metasoma.bandcamp.com/ The London-based squadron known as Metasoma will release their five-track EP titled Core in early August, and if thick, massive grooves and body-slamming riffs designed to numb your skull stimulate you, now is the time to get excited. There is a modern edge and a subtle melodic sensibility on display that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://thosemadebroken.bandcamp.com/ The Glaswegian purveyors of heavy, emotionally charged, and occasionally brooding alt. rock sporting the appropriate moniker Those Made Broken are a most enticing and rewarding musical proposition, and judging by the overall quality of this muscular-sounding effort, this writer needs to check their entire discography out asap. A Door You Can…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/cognitive-dissident Cognitive Dissident offers something quite extraordinary and different to the usual fare of (auto)biographies out there; what we have here is an organic, fluid, and essentially long-form talk and exchange of ideas and viewpoints between none other than the multi-talented Matt Johnson of THE THE fame and author Jason Wood. The…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/cairiss Formed back in 2013 and having released a well-received demo the following year and then an EP two years later, this intriguing debut album of theirs may be said to have been a long time coming – ten years to be exact – and the term blackgaze is most definitely an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://deafbeatvanguard.bandcamp.com/album/libido-induced-anabasis Given that this highly entertaining gem came out in early June and that I either missed or subconsciously overlooked its release date due to laziness, I shall keep it short and simply tell you why Libido-induced Anabasis by the intriguing outfit Deaf Beat Vanguard is worth your time and money. This…
Photo galleries can be found here Photos by Jonathan Mazin and Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Saturday was, yet again, a day when there are tons of events in Oslo, including the ever-colorful pride parade, and that led to some logistical challenges for the transport to the festival area. You’d get there, but need…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.relapse.com/pages/left-to-die-initium-mortis What we have here is akin to a wet dream for any fan of old-school death metal performed by veterans of the genre. As the title of the album, the splendid artwork, and the line-up itself all indicate, this is a homage to the early catalog of the legendary Death and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/do-what-you-fear-most Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground is undoubtedly the most comprehensive study of one of the most fascinating and mythic acts of all time, and to many rock music obsessives out there it will turn out to be one of the year’s most important books. …
Photo galleries can be seen here Photos by Jonathan Mazin/Andrea Chirulescu text by Andrea Chirulescu Eivør – Vampire Stage As the festival has announced that they’d show a football game on a screen on the main stage and thus having the day’s headliner end their show before 9PM, the whole of Friday’s schedule was a…
Full photo galleries here Photos by Jonathan Mazin and Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Audrey Horne – Scream Stage Audrey Horne opened the Thursday program with a polished hard rock set built around strong riffs and melodic structure and a lot of scene playfulness by guitarists Arve Ice Dale and Torkjell Rød, who elegantly…
Full photo galleries can be seen here Photos by Jonathan Mazin/Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Tons of Rock started, once again, on a Wednesday in late June 2026 with a dense schedule across multiple stages all carefully setup at Ekeberg area in Oslo, where you’d usually see a lot of football fields for bigger…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://onsegenensemble.bandcamp.com/album/a-tale-2 The Finnish folk prog rockers known as Onségen Ensemble have unearthed and sculpted a most bewitching and atmospheric offering in the shape of this fifth full-length album of theirs enticingly titled A Tale, and I cannot thank Karisma Records enough for sending a copy of the CD my way. With its pastoral…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/dear-boy-the-life-of-keith-moon-omnibus-remastered?srsltid=AfmBOoryhaCbxlk8SoCO06TrDJvAuPy3cRfsez_jHAMHZVhkmUqBGaTX What we have here is undoubtedly one of the greatest rock music biographies ever written. The very thought and idea of summing up the magnificence and quality of this vivid portrait of the infinitely talented and sadly missed Keith Moon of the Who fame is a daunting task as mere words…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/twilight-of-the-golden-star Polish post-black metal executed with precision and discipline is what is on the agenda for today, and few bands pull that off better than Zørza do. Somewhat comparable to MGLA and Kriegsmaschine in terms of riffs and sonic punch yet more despairing and agony-filled with respect to atmosphere, Zørza weave together…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/3PsAZFXqy2Sb94LbMEApbJ?si=xAbw8ytbQ4mtUktAzz9Ryw The hard-hitting and musically excellent metal constellation known as Tessia hails from the flourishing underground scene in Bergen and has made quite the name for itself these past few years thanks to some killer outputs and impressive live performances. The Cataclysm is essentially two EPS along with brand-new material combined into…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: http://www.hevydevy.com For much of his career, Devin Townsend has seemed less interested in writing what many would call ‘usual’ albums than in constructing entire worlds. From the celestial vastness of Terria, the coffee-hunting saga of Ziltoid, to the emotional turbulence of Empath, his work has consistently occupied a strange intersection between the realsm…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://nunslaughter.bandcamp.com/ For more insights into the upcoming release, checkout our interview with Don of the Dead here: https://eternal-terror.com/2026/06/19/nunslaughter-interview/ Primitive, punishing, and proudly stuck in its ways—Satanic Chaos Legions is less a progression and more a ritual reaffirmation of everything Nunslaughter stand for. Nearly four decades into their blasphemous existence, the Cleveland veterans return…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://liminalskyband.bandcamp.com/album/all-tomorrows-darkness What we have here is undoubtedly one of the most unique and captivating records that you will come across this year. Spearheaded by the two multi-instrumentalists Jaime Gomez Arellano and Daniel Knight and then backed by a stellar cast of musicians including Mathew “Kvohst” McNerney (Hexvessel), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver), and Daniel…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://einherjer.com/ For more than three decades, Einherjer have stood as one of the most steadfast acts within Norwegian Viking metal, proven by their faithful audience and great feedback received by their live presence and releases. The Haugesund veterans have consistently found ways to evolve without losing sight of their roots. If the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://thisisredkite.bandcamp.com/album/this-too-shall-pass Formed back in 2013 and having released a couple of strong and robust-sounding records fueled by unfiltered enthusiasm and memorable riffs, Red Kite’s 3rd opus titled This Too Shall Pass, which will be out via Is It Jazz? Records in June, marks a high point in the group’s career and sees…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://ram-zet.com/ After thirteen years of silence, many wondered whether RAM-ZET would ever return with new material and the answer arrives in the form of Sapien, an album that not only reawakens one of Norway’s most eccentric and adventurous metal acts, but also proves that time has done little to dull their creative…
VENUE: HulenDATE: 05.06.2026ORGANIZER: HulenPHOTOGRAPHER: Sander Lindholm AndersenPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. Two superb Norwegian acts from Bergen and Trondheim respectively, more specifically Goatmilker and Dune Sea, paid the excellent venue that is Hulen a visit last Friday, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://einarsolberg.com/ If has become increasingly clear over the last decade, it’s that Einar Solberg has long since outgrown the role of merely being the frontman of Leprous. And from my side that is a nice surprise as I struggled to get into a good deal of the band’s releases since…what feels like…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://falaren.bandcamp.com/album/ljora What a delightful surprise this was! Not being familiar with this intriguing and explorative outfit beforehand, I had no idea what to expect but suffice to say that I was blown away by the gripping soundscapes that constitute Ljora. Fälaren inhabit a space located somewhere between jazz rock, folk music, psychedelic…
VENUE: Lemon TreeDATE: 23.05.2026ORGANIZER: Aberdeen Performing ArtsPHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. How often does one come across a tribute band as good as this? The answer is “rarely”, and the highly talented constellation of musicians collectively…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://bjornriis.bandcamp.com/album/lifandi While many prog fans might associate the talented guitarist Bjørn Riis with the amazing outfit Airbag, the fact of the matter is that Riis has been quite prolific outside his main band these past few years and carved out an equally interesting solo career. The man has never denied where much…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.dimmu-borgir.com/ Norwegian legends Dimmu Borgir have returned with a new studio offering, and the good news is that it has been worth the eight-year wait. What immediately becomes obvious upon spinning the disc and digesting the whole of the splendid Grand Serpent Rising is how much thought and creative energy these chaps…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://bjrnberge.bandcamp.com/album/morphine Renowned Norwegian blues rocker Bjørn Berge released his latest record just a couple of weeks ago via the lovely and eclectic Apollon Records, and it is a gritty-sounding and emotionally charged yet charming affair that offers an interesting take on the blues. More than that though, it offers a highly creative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/album/surgical-cuts-in-the-cosmos Three years on from the near-flawless LP titled Delightful Sharp Edges comes a new output by the magnificent Norwegian doomsters Hex A.D., and that is cause for celebration if you are as much into the band’s potent mixture of prog rock, classic heavy metal, stoner rock, and old-school doom metal as…
Photo galleries by photographer Jonathan Mazin can be seen here First band of the day was The Big Rip, a young Norwegian stoner/doom act from Porsgrunn and their performance on the backyard stage of Revolver. As there were too many people gathered at the entrance to the yard, I couldn’t really swim through and see…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://lonelycrowdn.bandcamp.com/album/not-on-my-watch-single-feat-wholy-martin Something along the lines of fourteen years have passed since the brilliant purveyors of melancholy art rock known as Lonely Crowd released their previous effort titled The-Not-So-Great-Britain, but judging by both the quality and longevity of By the Time You Read This and its eleven magnificent compositions, the wait has been…
ROY KHAN Anmeldt av Roger Hagerupsen TAPPERIET 2/5 – 2026 TRONDHEIM Når selveste ROY KHAN gjør sin entre’ i byen er det oppmøteplikt for alle som er glad i både progrock og powermetal av den melodiske typen. Selv om det er minst 15 år siden KHAN var her med sitt gamle band KAMELOT (hvor han…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://agusaband.bandcamp.com/album/panacea Captured for posterity back in September of 2024 in Malmö and sporting a magnificent line-up that is truly gelling and capable of delivering some wonderful surprises, the live LP titled Panacea by the Swedish vintage-sounding prog rock ensemble Agusa is a masterclass in real warmth, genuine excitement, and skill. The group’s…
Desertfest Oslo 2026 — The Tundra Burns Again While this is only the second year I get to attend this festival, I am convinced there is something beautifully stubborn about Desertfest Oslo. While larger festivals continue chasing trends and algorithm-approved lineups, Desertfest remains entirely devoted to the riff. The slow and heavy one. The 2026…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://35tapes.bandcamp.com/album/veil-on-life The experimental Norwegian prog rockers 35 Tapes have garnered a good and solid reputation on the back of their well-received offerings from these past few years, namely Lost & Found (2020), Home (2021), and Fabric of Time (2023). Their latest opus titled Veil on Life, which came out a couple of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://takahashilynch.bandcamp.com/album/resonant-duality What a magnificent gem this uniquely composed and highly atmospheric record is! Leave it to the ever-eclectic and positively weird Gymnocal Industries to uncover and unearth something as gripping and trance-inducing as this. Resonant Duality by Takahashi & Lynch falls somewhere between electronica, ambient soundscapes, and classical-inspired music in which the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/hey-ho-lets-go-the-st0ry-of-the-ramones?srsltid=AfmBOop-OBwnFd-WxDMgsGKZPCGxPIUdLtnY2SPVSRjLK4NUQf37u6R0 Few bands are as influential and important as the Ramones are in wider musical and cultural context, and their classic and much-loved song material remains as fresh-sounding and innovative now as it did when it first blared out of the speakers in 1976. Spreading from the New York underground scene like…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/kaasinmusic/?locale=nb_NO Norwegian hard rockers Kaasin, which is the brainchild of Come Taste the Band guitarist Jo Henning Kaasin, impressed yours truly quite a bit a few years ago when they released the melodically strong and impeccably crafted Fired Up. Said album was a superb mixture of eighties classic heavy metal and late…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://centurymedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-ghost-of-a-future-dead-24-bit-hd-audio The renowned and legendary Swedish constellation known as At the Gates surely need no introduction as they have been at the vanguard of melodic death metal for decades now and helped shape and pioneer the very genre. Admired and cherished by both fans and critics alike, their unique take on the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://drakentheband.bandcamp.com/album/here-be-draken From the fertile Norwegian underground comes an excellent new outfit named Draken whose eleven-track recent offering charmingly titled Here Be Draken, which will be released via the ever-dependable Dark Essence Records, is guaranteed to melt brains and tear faces clean off. Consisting of members of such fabulous and musically forward-thinking constellations…
