GBHBL Interviews

Bristol-based experimental outfit, Sugar Horse, will release ‘Not a Sound in Heaven’, the band's 3rd studio album, on 10th April 2026 via Fat Dracula Records. As indefinable as ever, somehow sounding simpler and more complicated than ever in equal measure, this new Sugar Horse album is unlike anything they’ve ever done before. A punishing, cerebral, and enthralling dive into the world of experimen...

Nervosa, the Brazilian modern thrash and death metal, are back with their sixth album, ‘Slave Machine’, out April 3rd, 2026, via Napalm Records. It’s time to thrash… but with a fresh twist! Nervosa are back, settled (thanks to founding guitarist Prika Amaral establishing herself as the vocalist with 2023’s Jailbreak), and in a riotous mood. Delivering an album that expertly blends old-school thras...

Plum, the legendary South African alternative rock band (formed in 1996), known for blending trip-hop, acid rock, nu-metal, and funk, make their return in 2025 with the single ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. This, following a 17-year hiatus, got the ball well and truly rolling, and their latest single, 'How The West Was Lost' is out now. The future for the band, now featuring Kevin and Waz Leicher, alongs...

Over half a decade on from the release of their debut album, 'The Smothering Arms of Mercy', Melbourne progressive-death outfit Growth have re-emerged with their sophomore album 'Under The Under', the first new music from the long-awaited second chapter of their planned trilogy aimed at going beyond expressing emotion, illustrating pathways of recovery while acknowledging the most dread-filled asp...

Since the dawn of time mystics have prophesised the coming of an ancient amphibian, bestowed with deathray vision and ectoplasmic slime. Emerging from deep within the mystic swamps of Bristol (UK), Froglord arise bringing their powerful blend of sludgy grooves and psychedelic doom. With face melting fuzz and foot stomping riffs, Froglord’s reign of amphibious terror has begun. Their sixth full-len...

As Everything Unfolds are back and back with a deeply personal record shaped by grief, trauma, escapism, and the slow, uncomfortable process of confronting reality. Called ‘Did You Ask to Be Set Free?, is out on April 10, 2026, via Century Media Records. With over 30 million streams of their catalogue to date and a touring history that includes Download Festival, Graspop, Resurrection as well as t...

Blindead 23, formerly known as Blindead, is the new Polish avant-metal juggernaut led by ex-Behemoth guitarist Mateusz "Havoc" Smierzchalski, with a stellar lineup also including Roger Öjersson (ex-Katatonia) and Pawel "Pavulon" Jaroszewicz (Vltimas, ex-Vader, ex-Decapitated). Their much-anticipated debut album, 'Deuterium', will be released on 24th April 2026. Worldwide on Peaceville excluding Po...

Released on March 27th via Floodlit Recordings, 'Growth' is the debut full-length album from post rock/shoegaze/folklore band, Wildernesses. FFO: Slowdive, Explosions In The Sky, Idlewild, Whirr, Cigarettes After Sex, Bon Iver. Featuring nine tracks, two instrumental, seven lyrical, each is a vessel of loss, heritage, mental health, grief and quiet rebirth. The album has been brought to life at No...

On March 27th, 2026, and via Mascot Records, South African traditional/stoner doom metal trio Mad God return with the release of their brand-new concept album, ‘An Age of Ash’. A bold new chapter for the band that sees them venture into darker, more expansive territory, delivering their first full concept album rooted in dark fantasy. The new single, ‘Left to Rot’, offers the first glimpse into th...

Giving them the platform they deserve, Mascot Records have seen just how special Agabas are and how Hard Anger needs to be heard by a wider audience. Even if it’s an album likely to confound as many as it will amaze. Deathjazz is more than just a gimmicky title, or an attempt to dress up something blasé as new and interesting, it’s a fresh sound that puts the two genres on an equal footing. Someth...

Scotland's ibex-obsessed blackened thrash bastards of Hades otherwise known as Hellripper will release their fourth studio album, 'Coronach', worldwide on March 27th, 2026 via Century Media Records. The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/solitary force, James McBain, Hellripper has become an unstoppable force, respected across the world, and this new album promises to be the most varied release from...

It is the toughest of tasks opening for a band that, pretty much, everyone in the venue is there for, but when you’re a band the calibre of Silverburn, it’s almost a given that you’re going to turn heads the moment you start playing. Although, that’s not to suggest that most inside the Electric Ballroom aren’t fully aware of who they are, especially as anyone who has been paying attention to this...

Impactful, melancholic, and energetic – these are qualities with which Hamburg-based metalcore breakout act Lost in Hollywood embody. Continuing their rise with the release of their new self-titled album coming out on March 20, 2026 via Arising Empire. Not only do they offer a high-quality sound, but also an electrifying stage presence from all band members, promising an unforgettable concert expe...

Phendrana is an avant-garde progressive/atmospheric metal project from Mexico City, founded by composer and multi-instrumentalist Anuar Salum. Phendrana provokes introspection in the album 'Cathexis'. Contained within is a plethora of instrumental textures and intriguing progressive arrangements as listeners are invited to confront depression, loneliness, and our existential fears. Led by composer...

What began as a deeply personal solo project exploring identity, adoption, and the search for belonging has transformed into a powerful progressive metal act. With members who have played together for over a decade, -JAIME- is a band built on chemistry, precision, and an unmistakable artistic vision, now ready to launch onto bigger stages. Blending the cinematic intensity of Devin Townsend, the vi...

Ukrainian metalcore force Space of Variations returns with ‘Poisoned Art’, out on February 13, 2026, via Napalm Records. Delivering an explosive sound that has tons of appeal, especially if modern metalcore is your jam, Space of Variations return with a punchy, infectious, and evolved record that genre-bends in mostly pleasing fashion. Not everything works, personally, but what does, is memorable,...

Hailing from Finland and known as messengers of melancholy, Atlas forge a uniquely Northern strain of modern metal where emotion meets cinematic scale. The band will release their third album 'Sunder' on 20th February 2026. The Finnish five-piece blends ancient echoes and Northern mysticism with a contemporary edge, creating something powerful and memorable. Rooted in melancholic heaviness, the ne...

Varang Nord is a Pagan Folk/Death Metal band from the shadowy forests of Latgale, Latvia. Since 2014, they have been forging a fierce and unmistakable sound by merging crushing riffs, growling vocals, and epic accordion melodies. Their songs celebrate ancient battles, forgotten rites, and wild northern feasts, carrying the spirit of old gods into the present day. Their brand-new album, 'Mygla' was...

Uncultivates, the mathy post-hardcore group of riff-totin’ cowboys from Southern (Ireland) Texas, will release their debut album, ‘This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution’ on February 6th, 2026, via HORSEBOX Records. It’s a miracle that Uncultivates have sobered up enough to get this release out, but here we are. When whiskey farming isn’t bringing in the coin, and they’ve been ab...

Damien Cain is an Ireland-based independent artist whose music blends melancholic alt-rock, gothic undertones, and a cinematic sense of storytelling. Active since the late 1980s, he first gained underground recognition with his progressive art-rock project Celtic Crypt and later with CAIN – whose 2000 single ‘Age of Darkness’ sold over 250,000 copies and earned the Impala Diamond Award. Over the y...

Interview: It's Time to Thrash - Talking Dead Flesh Rising with Guitarist/Vocalist Rafal of Hellmaze by Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life

Groove metal Texans, Upon a Burning Body, are back with their brand-new album, ‘Blood of the Bull’. Released on December 5th, 2025. On the one hand, Upon a Burning Body keep it really simple here. Delivering a bevy of riff-based groove-infused metal with slamming tendencies. Whereas on the other hand, this is up there as one of their most experimental releases to date. Finding the band exploring m...

It’s been six long years, but the impossible has happened, Dutch progressive metal innovators Textures are back with ‘Genotype’. Serving as the conceptual counterpart to 2016’s acclaimed Phenotype, the new album arrives January 23rd, 2026, on the band’s new label home, Kscope. It's all about evolution, which in progressive rock really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise, but the new layers that T...

Out on January 23rd, 2026, via Mascot Records, ‘The Fallout’ is the new album from the Manchester alt-rock band, The HARA. The HARA’s ability to fit neatly within the alternative rock scene, while having a wider sound base that draws from varied genres, has always made them special. Yet, there’s an argument that they’ve been missing a little something that could help transform them into giants of...

Japanese metalcore force Crystal Lake are back with their seventh studio album, The Weight of Sound, set for release on 23rd January 2026 via Century Media Records. The Weight of Sound is a strong and confident statement from Crystal Lake. It showcases a band that knows exactly who they are while still finding room to evolve. Across the album, they balance aggression, melody, and variety well. Int...