The new studio album, Coronach, from Scotland’s Hellripper, will be released on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital formats by Century Media Records on March 27th 2026.
Boston-based progressive death metal band GRAVEBORN are set to return this spring with the release of their fifth full-length album Metempsychosis.
In the five years since the release of 2021’s Transmigrator, GRAVEBORN has been meticulously crafting their newest magnum opus – an 11-track concept album about continuity in the face of collapse.
Throughout the course of Metempsychosis, GRAVEBORN challenges themselves and the listener to stare into an internal and external abyss. Moving from inner psychological fracture to societal and species-wide decline, the album rejects narratives of tragedy or triumph, treating destruction as a necessary mechanism of transmission. Metempsychosis asks one question and refuses to soften the answer- what remains when everything else is gone?
Hear part of this journey with the album’s new single and final track, “Orthologs.” Watch the lyric video now at youtu.be/rdi995yM6pw.
Photo Credit: Totem Coast Photography
Reggie Lewis – Bass Jesse Blanchette – Guitars Chris Ramusiewicz – Guitars John LeBlanc – Vocals Marc Brennan – Drums
Vocalist John Leblanc describes the track as the album’s closing statement – a reflection on consciousness as continuity, and the nature of self-evolution.
“‘Orthologs’ is about what survives after annihilation, not as hope, but as function. It’s evolution under pressure. Forced transformation. The essential self persists, but the form changes radically. I don’t return to who I was. I don’t heal into the old shape. I become something else because survival requires it. Like orthologous genes, the structure diverges, but the core purpose remains intact. This isn’t triumphant. It’s real. It’s not a victory lap. It’s the moment after the maw, when something still stands. Not because it’s unbroken, but because it adapted.”
This song means: continuity is not comfort. Continuity is persistence. I am changed. I am not whole. But something essential still functions, still moves forward, still exists.
Not healed. Not restored. Still here.
And that is enough.”
Stream the album’s first two singles, “Ember of Existence” and “Temporal Sands” on Spotify and Apple Music.
Formed in 2013 in Boston, MA, Graveborn serves up an ethereally heavy strain of progressive death metal. Over the last decade, they have released 4 albums Samsara (2014), Seeds Of Life (2016), The Athenaeum (2018) and Transmigrator (2021). Graveborn performed throughout the Northeast US with the likes of Fallujah, Rivers of Nihil, Cognitive, Ghost Bath, Ov Sulfur, and others. Graveborn weaves the themes of self-evolution and introspection through their lyrics, and embodies this ethos in their collaborations.
WINTERSUN S/T – released back in 2004, via Nuclear Blast. Cover art by Kristian Wåhlin aka Necrolord.
Tobias Sammet’s AVANTASIA The Mystery Of Time – released back in 2013, via Nuclear Blast. Album cover art by Rodney Matthews.
Cinderella Long Cold Winter – released back in 1988, via Mercury Records. Yes, it’s surely been a long cold Winter.
SONATA ARCTICA Talviyö – released back in 2019, via Nuclear Blast. Cover photograph and editing by Finnish photographer Onni Wiljami. Layout by Janne Pitkänen.
Immortal At The Heart Of Winter – released back in 1999, via Osmose Productions. Cover artist: Jean Pascal Fournier. Graphic design by Grafik Sarl.
Thank you for visiting and checking out these album covers that scream Winter. I applaud all the artists that created the above album art! Stay safe out there and be kind to your fellow humans. – Stone
Miami hardcore band POWERPLAY enter a new chapter with the release of their latest single, “Liberosis,” marking the band’s first release since signing with Terminus Hate City. The track features a guest appearance from Andrew Neufeld of COMEBACK KID, adding another surge of energy and connection to the song’s message.
“Like many newer bands, we were born out of the pandemic,” says vocalist Adam Hussler. “We had all been writing and playing music with various other projects for many years. PowerPlay was actually never supposed to be a touring entity or anything it has become, but just a musical outlet. Like all things, it evolved, and we just rode the wave, so to speak.”
That growth and perspective are at the heart of “Liberosis.” The track confronts mental health struggles and the long standing emotional battles many people face every day. Built as an anthemic rally cry, the song centers on the realization that while life can feel overwhelming, no one has to face it alone.
“Liberosis” delivers a message of acceptance and solidarity. It reflects the understanding that we can only control certain aspects of our lives while drawing strength from friends, family, and community.
POWERPLAY is a hardcore band from Miami, Florida, formed in 2021 during a time when the world had slowed down but emotions were running high. What started as a creative outlet between longtime friends quickly gained momentum, turning into a full force band built on honesty, intensity, and connection.
Made up of Adam Hussler on vocals, Julius Lopez on drums, Andrew Herrero on bass, and Oscar Rodriguez on guitar, POWERPLAY bring together years of experience from various projects across the South Florida scene. Their sound draws influence from SICK OF IT ALL, BLOOD FOR BLOOD, WHERE FEAR AND WEAPONS MEET, and BURIED ALIVE, blending classic hardcore urgency with deeply personal themes.
Lyrically, POWERPLAY focus on real life struggles, mental health, personal responsibility, and the everyday weight of being human. Songs like “Liberosis” channel those themes into anthemic, shout along moments built for both personal reflection and packed rooms.
Since forming, POWERPLAY have built their name through relentless touring and high energy live performances. They have shared stages with bands across the hardcore scene and appeared at numerous festivals and tours throughout the United States and Central America.
Their 2024 EP Sealed Envelopes helped establish their presence, while continued touring and new releases have pushed the band into a new phase, including their recent signing to Terminus Hate City.
At their core, POWERPLAY are driven by authenticity. They write music that reflects their own lives, struggles, and perspectives, creating songs that connect through shared experience, unity, and the strength found in community.
Melodic deathcore band THE JOTUNN have released their newest single, “The Departure,” the final track on the upcoming physical edition of their album Summoner, available now. The song serves as both a closing statement for this chapter of the band and a powerful step toward what comes next.
Originally introduced as a three-song release, Summoner Part I established the foundation of the band’s current era. The physical edition expands the album with Part II, which includes “Blood Flower,” the band’s cover of “Suicide Nation,” and now the intense and cinematic closer, “The Departure.”
The track was recorded in Michigan with producer Josh Wickman, known for his work with WITHIN THE RUINS, KING 810 and WAKING THE CADAVER. The result is a sharpened and fully realized version of THE JOTUNN’s sound, combining punishing heaviness with dark melody and atmosphere. The song highlights a band that has refined its identity and emerged stronger than ever.
An official video for “The Departure” was filmed by Tom Stumpf, who also worked on the band’s previous two records. The visual continues THE JOTUNN’s tradition of pairing their music with unsettling and cinematic imagery that deepens the emotional impact of their work.
Lyrically, “The Departure” explores the disturbed mind of Ed Gein, focusing on psychological horror and mental unraveling rather than glorification. The band uses the story as a narrative lens to examine darkness, instability, and inner torment, matching the song’s intense and oppressive atmosphere.
With this release, THE JOTUNN bring the Summoner era to a powerful close while signaling a new beginning. “The Departure” represents the band at its most focused and evolved, offering a glimpse of an even heavier and more ambitious future.
About THE JOTUNN: Based out of Cleveland and Columbus Ohio, THE JOTUNN formed in 2021 after guitarist and songwriter Shawn Kahan presented a number of demos to Paul Kahan. Soon producer Cole Martinez (ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, WHITECHAPEL, ABORTED) was on board taking up the role of bassist and producer of their music.
Nick Amato (ATOMIC WITCH) performed drums on the band’s debut album Graveworshipper (2022), prior to Adam Biats joining the line-up. The outfit was awarded the Columbus Artist Grant in 2023, and subsequently in 2025.Cole left the band in June 2025 on good terms, leading to the arrival of Leo Debevc on guitar and Londyn Snow on bass.
Credits: Recording Studio: Dreadcore Productions Produced, Engineered, Mixed and Mastered: Josh Wickman Drum Pre-Production: Nick Hawkins Lyrics, Song and Performance by The Jötunn
The architect of crossover thrash is back. Nameless Grave Records is proud to announce the official release of the self-titled debut from SUBVERSION TRIGGER, the new Seattle-based powerhouse led by Les Evans (Cryptic Slaughter). The album will be available on CD and Cassette on February 25th, with pre-orders launched!
“I wanted to get back to something that felt immediate and dangerous,” says Evans regarding the project. “Subversion Trigger is the sound of us not overthinking it. Just raw, crossover energy with the volume pushed past the limit.”
For fans of the blistering speed of Municipal Waste, Excel, Cryptic Slaughter and the manic delivery of The Accüsed, this release is an essential addition to the crossover canon. With the digital version already circulating, these limited physical editions serve as the definitive “artifact” for collectors and die-hards alike.
Ukrainian black metal stalwarts LUCIFUGUM return with Adanom, a new gatefold 7” EP that stands as one of the most significant chapters in the band’s 31-year journey along the Damned Path. Released on January 31st, 2026 via Aesthetic Death, Adanom is a defiant statement of Satanic Black Metal Authentism: underground, uncompromising and forged in the harshest of circumstances.
The release marks the powerful return of Stabaath to vocal duties, following a serious throat injury, bringing renewed venom and intensity to the Coven’s sound. Created, recorded, and mixed under the shadow of missile and drone attacks in the Ukrainian cities of Mykolaiv and Kharkiv, Adanom carries a raw, unfiltered urgency that reflects both resilience and unwavering conviction.
Track-list:
Side A
AB(∞)RH(ВОЛЯ) – 00:57
Смола у крові нашій – 05:46 (Dedicated to all defenders of Ukraine, to everyone who keeps his/her own front line.)
SideB
Lucispear – 05:09 (Dedicated to the first Rebel, the first torch of Truth. To the One who is an example of Fortitude and Purposefulness.)
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
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