Napalm Records

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    Katatonia - Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State (2025)

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    As the first Katatonia release without Anders Nyström, “Nightmares as Extensions of the Walking State” continues the band’s moody and melancholic journey with ten emotional songs. While losing Anders was a big blow to the band, Jonas Renkse and company compensate by creating a very dreamy and crafty release that weaves back and forth between bleakness and heaviness, but at the end of the day, still feels as just a continuation of their efforts from the last few years.

    The release starts heavy with powerful riffs that very quickly dissolve into the band’s weepy style. New guitarists Nico Elgstrand (ex Entombed) and Sebastian Svalland (ex In Mourning), are definitely capable musicians and imprint some of their personal styles on tracks like “The Liquid Eye”, “Lilac”, and “Departure Trails”, they still mimic some of the older ‘Katatonia-style’ riffs and arrive at a very familiar and traditional sound, which is not band for people expecting more of the same, but it does now grow the band’s musical range.

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    Alien Weaponry - Te Rā (2025)

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    Showing that their impressive momentum after “Tangaroa” was no fluke, New Zealanders Alien Weaponry return with the blistering “Te Rā”. As one of the loudest and more direct Groove Metal bands in the scene, these guys perfectly blend additional elements in the Djent and Progressive Metal realms to create eleven tracks of high-octane music. Full of attitude and authenticity, the band’s overall vibe is a masterful mixture of haka and crushing Metal riffs.

    Opening with the blistering “Crown”, the band immediately hooks the listener with a superbly catchy riff that carries the track from start to finish. The vocals and drumming perfectly complement the band’s high-octane opening move and set the mood for the rest of this intense release. With “Mau Moko”, “1000 Friends”, and “Hanging by a Thread”, this outfit cranks out masterful guitar melodies alongside crafty tempo changes to create a very unique and engaging style, that could be described as a mixture of Jinjer with Into Eternity.

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    Cradle of Filth - The Screaming Of The Valkyries (2025)

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    Unearthing their first offering through Napalm Records, today we have the legendary Cradle of Filth with “The Screaming Of The Valkyries”. Featuring nine tracks and nearly one hour of music, this outfit delivers one of their most complete and diverse releases while retaining their signature sound. With the full incorporation of Zoe Marie Federoff and Donny Burbage into the fold, the band manages to add some exciting elements into an already well established and highly effective style.

    The release opens with the Omen-esque intro to “To Live Deliciously”, which quickly transitions into nightmarish territories thanks to lush orchestrations and Dani Filth’s signature shrieks. The album’s tempo changes a bit into more sinister territories with the crafty “Demagoguery” and the epic “The Trinity of Shadows”, which delivers very cool vocal arrangements and some killer guitar leads. For those looking for Gothic darkness, “Non Omnis Moriar” is an excellent melodic piece that creates a “Dusk and Her Embrace”-esque atmosphere.

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    Avantasia - Here Be Dragons (2025)

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    Returning for their first release through Napalm Records, today we have Avantasia and their 10th full-length album “Here Be Dragons”. Continuing their bombastic and catchy Heavy/Power Metal explorations, Tobias Sammet and company are set to unleash another superbly crafted release with plenty of guest singers and bombastic explorations. With over 50 minutes of music, this release continues the band’s legacy and injects a heavy dose of catchiness to your day.

    Opening with the addictive “Creepshow”, we get a Scorpions-esque bombastic piece with a masterful chorus line and a high level of energy to set the pace for this album. With Geoff Tate, Michael Kiske and Tommy Karevik, featuring on “Here Be Dragons”, “The Moorlands at Twilight”, and “The Witch” respectively, the band showcases their dynamic nature with a mixture of Power Metal anthems, alongside crafty atmospheric arrangements, and a heavy dose of catchy distorted guitars to keep things very energetic and quite epic with some lush choir arrangements thrown into the mix.

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    Grima - Nightside (2025)

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    Enigmatic Russian outfit Grima are finally back with their ravaging Atmospheric Black Metal with “Nightside”. Featuring a very bombastic and lush sound filled with raw and powerful emotion, this band manages to shine from the rest thanks to their unique atmospheric sound and fierce brutality. Carving their own name and path in a very crowded scene, this outfit delivers nearly 50 minutes of magical ritualistic music that is hypnotic and captivating.

    After the folky intro, “Beyond the Dark Horizon” quickly sets a hypnotic pace with crafty melodic guitars, an engaging tempo, and majestic keyboards that create a very immersive atmosphere as Vilhelm’s shrieks and growls keep things dynamic. Far from linear, songs like “Flight of the Silver Storm”, “Impending Death Premonition”, and “Skull Gatherers” explore mysterious atmospheric depths that feel very unique and enchanting, taking the listener into dark paths in the woods.

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    Jinjer - Duél (2025)

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    Continuing their meteoric rise, today we have Ukraine’s Jinjer and their latest opus “Duél”. Adding some extra polish and flair to their Djenty Progressive Groove/’Modern’ Metal, the band unleashes eleven crafty tracks that perfectly balance their technical proficiency, aggression, and mellowness. Fronted by the talented Tatiana Shmayluk, this outfit continues to improve their sound by creating intricate songs filled with brilliant moshing passages and sultriness.

    Wasting no time, “Tantrum” fully explodes in the listener’s ears with a pummeling start, mixing harsh vocals and a playful bass guitar line. The band’s melodic nature follows suit with nice tempo changes and a barrage of alternating passages, showing the band’s proggy side and versatile nature. Cruising along with Djenty tracks “Hedonist”, “Rouge”, and “Tumbleweed”, we get the band's signature style of intricate transitions and alternating clean and harsh vocals, creating a very deadly and efficient combination.

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    Патриархь - Пророк Илия (2025)

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    Finally putting all their legal messes behind,Bartłomiej Krysiuk’s Batushka is now Патриархь or Patriarch, and they are back with an impressive release titled “Пророк Илия”. Keeping some of their ‘old’ stylistic themes and sound, but also adding some extra layers and new dimensions, this release unleashes over 40 minutes of highly ritualistic and hypnotic music, that while not close to “Литоургиiа”, it does show the band in a new light and with a unique identity.

    The release kicks off with an atmospheric piece that slowly transitions into the chilling “Вершалин II”. This track perfectly exploits the band’s eerie choir arrangements alongside a good dose of Black Metal harshness and some new string instruments. The full effect is quite cinematic, unveiling new layers to the band’s sound while keeping their own uniqueness. This bleeds into “Вершалин III”, another engaging ritualistic track that masterfully incorporates some haunting female vocals.

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    Delain - Dance with the Devil (2024)

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    Continuing the momentum gained with their 2023 release “Dark waters”, Delain is back with a bombastic EP, titled “Dance with the Devil”. Showcasing the new incarnation of the band’s synth driven sound, this EP is far from a regular one as it delivers two brand new tracks, two reworked fan-favorites, nine live tracks, and two instrumentals. Packing plenty of bang for your buck, this release also foreshadows the band’s return to North America with Xandria in 2025, so be prepared for a party.

    Opening with “Dance with the Devil”, we get the new bombastic and playful Delain with the charismatic Diana Leah settling into the band’s sound with her talented vocals and Martijn Westerholt really going wild with the synths. The lush “The Reaping” continues with a very crafty Synth-wave vibe alongside a hefty dose of distorted guitars and a good amount of catchiness. The band’s sound in these two new songs is quite explosive and leverages Diana’s vocals even better, creating masterful Symphonic Metal music.

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    Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All (2024)

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    Everybody’s favorite Egyptian-inspired Brutal/Technical Death Metal outfit is finally back with another high-octane release titled “The Underworld Awaits Us All”. Featuring eleven tracks and nearly 55-minutes of music, the band returns with masterful incisive onslaughts of brutality, perfectly paired with crafty atmospheric elements and crushing tempo changes. If you are a fan of the band’s earlier work, you will love this album as it keeps things hectic and punishing from start to end.

    Blasting away with “Stelae of Vultures”, we get those sweet chuggy Death Metal riffs the band is known for alongside the crushing drumming of George Kollias. Pummeling through blistering fast tracks like “To Strike with Secret Fang” and “Naqada II Enter the Golden Age”, to the traditional instrumental pieces like “The Pentagrammathion of Nephren-Ka”, Nile continues to polish their style while delivering intense pieces of music, only getting better with time.

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    Evergrey - Theories of Emptiness (2024)

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    Long running Progressive/Power Metal outfit Evergrey is one of the most recognized names in the scene and with “Theories of Emptiness”, the band keeps their momentum going with eleven epic tracks. Totaling over 45 minutes of music, this release continues the band’s highly melancholic journey with well crafted songs that perfectly show the band’s excellent songwriting skills and atmospheric prowess.

    Opening with the banger, “Falling From the Sun”, we get Tom S. Englund’s signature vocals perfectly surrounded by subtle atmospherics and crafty instrumentation. We particularly love how the keyboards crafty dark vibes on songs like “Misfortune” and “To Become Someone Else”, giving the band’s sound that extra edge. However, the guitar work is also top notch, with a good amount of engaging solos and a mixture of powerful riffs with melodic passages, as heard on “Say” and “Ghost of My Hero”, our personal favorite song of the release.

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