Amberian Dawn have recruited Nicole Willerton as their new singer. She replaces Capri Virkkunen.
Multi-instrumentalist Tuomas Seppälä commented:
“We want to sincerely thank Capri for the incredible journey we shared. Over more than 10 years together, we recorded five albums, toured around the world, and experienced so much side by side. We wish her all the best in her many musical and artistic projects. You will always remain a part of our story and in our hearts.
Nicole brings new life, energy, and inspiration into the band. She is an incredibly versatile musician, a dedicated professional, and a wonderful person to work with. Her creativity and drive have already had a big impact on our new material.”
The band’s first album with Willerton, “Temptation’s Gates,” will be released on June 26. Seppälä and Willerton also discussed that effort:
Seppälä:
“When I started working with our new singer, I felt the same kind of excitement I had years ago when I began creating our debut album back in 2007 and 2008. At that time, Amberian Dawn were still newcomers to the band world, even though we were already experienced musicians. With ‘Temptation’s Gates’, I felt that same spark of creating something new for the first time in a long while. I hadn’t composed many songs yet when I began collaborating with our new vocalist. Most of the material came together surprisingly fast once I realized how easy and natural it was to work with her. I was deeply inspired by Nicole’s enthusiasm, dedication, and efficiency. I truly feel that the band has been reborn with her joining us. Musically, our style has evolved once again, perhaps moving slightly back toward a heavier, more metal-driven direction. At the same time, elements of our classic sound and identity are naturally still present. In many ways, creating this album felt like going back to my roots. For the first time in a long while, I also took on a bigger role as a guitarist. I focused more on crafting guitar riffs, played roughly half of the guitar leads on the album, and even performed one full guitar solo myself.”
Willerton:
“‘Temptation’s Gates’ is the first album I’ve sung on and recorded with Amberian Dawn, and it has been a beautiful experience. While writing the lyrics, each song was inspired by feelings, memories, and moments that were especially prominent during the creation of the album. Writing the lyrics felt like diving into the subconscious, bringing these emotions to the surface. It was wonderful to explore the creative process of arranging the backing vocals. I especially love how Amberian Dawn’s music makes strong use of backing vocals, helping to create a fuller, richer sound around the lead vocals. It’s definitely a fiery album that combines a broad spectrum of emotional depths, ranging from love and melancholy to darker elements such as fear and inner struggles. A recurring message throughout the album is to embrace one’s true desires and to accept and acknowledge one’s honest feelings.”
A video for the title track can be found below. The aforementioned duo commented on that as well:
Seppälä:
“This song is pure intensity and relentless aggression from start to finish. It’s short, fast, and straight in your face — no compromises, leaving no room to catch your breath. I remember talking about this back in 2010 with our other founding member, Tommi Kuri (RIP). He told me that I should write a song that would be nothing but relentless energy from beginning to end. This track is the realization of that idea. It fits our new vocalist perfectly and represents our renewed sound in the most honest way possible. The track also features a classic guitar-keyboard solo battle, something that has always been part of our identity. This is the kind of sound and intensity that I know many of our longtime fans have been waiting for.”
Willerton:
“The song ‘Temptation’s Gates’ speaks about facing one’s inner desires and accepting what you truly like and want, acknowledging that these cannot be ignored or avoided. It’s about rebelliously finding liberation through the intense struggle between who you think you should be and who you truly are.
I’ve always loved the poems ‘Les Fleurs Du Mal’ (‘The Flowers Of Evil’) by Charles Baudelaire, and they were a major inspiration while writing the lyrics for ‘Temptation’s Gates’.”
“Temptation’s Gates” Track Listing:
01. “Temptation’s Gates”
02. “The Vision Of Dreaming”
03. “Moon”
04. “Unchained”
05. “Eternal Flame”
06. “Life Is Art”
07. “This Night Is Waiting For Me”
08. “Undying Colours”
09. “The Garden”
10. “Phantasmagoria”
Moonspell have shared an official video for the title track of their new album “Far From God.” That effort will be released on July 3.
Singer Fernando Ribeiro commented on the song:
“I lost my faith and hope in vampires for quite a few years. They became the clowns of Hollywood, the cheap Halloween shop customs, the old and disgraceful Princes From The East. Until the film director Robert Eggers brought us ‘Nosferatu’ in 2024 and I was immediately attracted back to that tragic, romantic character who Bram Stoker immortalized in his letters. I wrote ‘Far From God’ in just one breath and it’s our first song about vampiric love in ages. I confess I felt the urge of, together with Moonspell, saving the face of gothic metal which became hostage of semi-tuned operatic female vocalists, simpleton and crunchy guitar riffs; and of lyrical content that would make Dracula impale himself with a stake in his bloodless heart. This song is the essence of this album, its title, its video, its soul. And you can even feel the fire of daylight burning into yours and your lover’s skin.”
He also added the following about the album:
“To create ‘Far From God’, we had to wait for the muse. Again, she didn’t fail us and revealed herself in the most mysterious and beautiful ways to us. It took us five long years of hit and miss, of despairing to the point of thinking we didn’t have it anymore, and why should we at all create new music? But I’m glad we persisted. ‘Far From God’ is a true crusade against the decline of the style in the past few years, a darkly crafted statement that Moonspell is here to stay and to claim our throne. No politics, no socials, no intervention, just sickly romantic love, vampires, werewolves so we can all die of beauty, in peace and elegance. Goth bless you.”
“Far From God” Track Listing:
01. “Cross Your Heart”
02. “Far From God”
03. “Biblical”
04. “The Great Wolf In The Sky” (feat. Alicia Nuhr/Strings)
05. “Your Promise Of Light”
06. “For The Love Of Mortals”
07. “Our Freedom To Fall”
08. “Reconquista”
Poison’s Rikki Rockett will be releasing his new memoir, “Ghost Notes: My Life In Poison,” on July 28. The drummer shared more information:
“From the suburbs of Pennsylvania to the neon blaze of Los Angeles, Rikki Rockett’s life has always moved to a louder, faster rhythm. Brutally honest and darkly funny,’Ghost Notes’ strips away the mythology to reveal the man behind the drums. It’s a story of survival, reinvention, and what it means to keep going when the music fades. For fans and collectors, we are offering a limited number of signed copies available exclusively through Rare Bird. Only while supplies last. Preorder ‘Ghost Notes’ today and step inside a life lived loud, fast, and without apology.”
Alice Cooper is among the guests booked to appear at this year’s Monsterpalooza convention. That event will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA on May 30-31. The singer will be available for autographs and pro-photo ops. This news come after Corey Taylor (Slipknot) was previously confirmed for the convention.
William Shatner (“Star Trek”, etc.) is working on a cover of Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” for his upcoming metal album. Notably, the track is set to feature Rob Halford himself.
Shatner commented:
“I’ve always been drawn to the energy and storytelling of heavy metal. Working with Rob on this track brings that intensity to life in a way that feels both timeless and entirely new.”
Halford continued:
“One life I’m gonna live it up!’ William Shatner is boldly doing that more than ever, and I am honored to reinforce this message with him — ‘taking flight I said I’ll never get enough!’”
Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera added:
“I’m honored to be a part of another chapter in William Shatner’s musical journey, and celebrating as he goes louder, harder and heavier than ever.”
Black Spikes have signed a new deal with Napalm Records. The band’s new album, “Ydos,” will be released through the label on August 28.
“Ydos” Track Listing:
01. “Pasaka”
02. “Motina”
03. “Melas”
04. “Mara”
05. “Zelvar”
06. “Revana”
07. “Apatija”
08. “Aurea”
09. “Senas Demonas”
10. “Dulkės”
The group commented on their new label home:
“The funny thing is that while celebrating the release of our single ‘Imperatore,’ we were actually discussing and even researching what it takes for a band to be signed by Napalm Records. Coming from a small country with a tiny metal scene and performing in our native language, we concluded we didn’t stand a chance and decided not to bother reaching out. A week later we were contacted by Napalm Records ourselves — and at first, we honestly thought it was a scam. But here we are, incredibly excited and looking forward to where this beautiful cooperation will take us.”
They also discussed the album:
“‘Ydos‘ is a conceptual album — a dark fairytale about human vices. The idea was there from the very beginning and guided the entire songwriting process. Each vice has its own name and story, and many songs will be brought to life through music videos where these vices take shape. It was our first time creating a conceptual album, and we really enjoyed starting with an idea and expressing it through music.”
A video for the first single, “Aurea,” can be found below. The band added the following about that:
“’Aurea‘ is the name we chose for the vice of pride. It grows within us when we are young and beautiful but becomes painful when time passes and that beauty fades. The song is released together with a music video filmed in the stunning Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology.”
Metal Anarchy 
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