TRIVIUM have released the title track from their upcoming album, “Crown In The Grave”. The song gradually builds through layers of riffs before erupting into a powerful wall of metal, combining crushing heaviness with the precision, melody and technical intensity that have characterized the band for more than 20 years. “Crown In The Grave” delivers classic TRIVIUM elements, from galloping riffs and fiery guitar solos to hard-hitting drums and multi-layered vocals. At the same time, the track expands on the band’s established identity, staying true to their signature sound while pushing it into new and unexplored sonic territory.

The accompanying post-apocalyptic music video, inspired by Japanese Noh theater, brings the album’s artwork and themes to life inside a smoke-filled dojo, where the central characters prepare for an approaching confrontation through a series of tense and atmospheric scenes. Reflecting the band’s longstanding fascination with traditional Japanese theater and martial arts, the video emphasizes the discipline, drama and physical intensity that shape the song’s narrative.

“‘Crown In The Grave’ is our eleventh record, and when you get this far into a career, it’s easy to rest on what you’ve already done — or to reinvent yourself just for the sake of it,” says Gregoletto. “With this record, we wanted to find the space between those two things: Take everything we’ve learned and everything that makes TRIVIUM what it is, but present it in ways we hadn’t before.”

He continues: “We also wanted the record to exist within its own world. That began with the title track, inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Throne Of Blood’, and led us deeper into Japanese horror and cinema from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. That influence grew into this darker, ghostly atmosphere that became a set of guardrails for the music, lyrics, artwork, and overall identity of the record”.

The bassist finishes: “We built our studio so we could give ourselves the time and space to figure out exactly what an eleventh TRIVIUM record should be, and ‘Crown In The Grave’ is the answer we arrived at. It honors where we’ve been without living in the past, and pushes into new territory without abandoning what makes us TRIVIUM. I think when you hear it, it’ll somehow feel both new and like a return”.

“Crown In The Grave” track listing:

01. Jorōgumo
02. Crown In The Grave
03. Dead Inside Of Me
04. The Terror
05. The Haunting Never Ends
06. Lie Of It All
07. Blackout The Dawn
08. Paradise Of Sinners
09. Death Throes
10. The Agony
11. Devour Your Dreams
12. Serpent In The Flame

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“Arsenal” received its premiere in the “Hottest Record” segment of BBC Radio 1’s “New Music Show With Jack Saunders”. The track marks SLIPKNOT’s first new music since the departures of longtime members Sid Wilson and Craig Jones, as well as drummer Jay Weinberg, and the arrival of new drummer Eloy Casagrande.

The song also marks SLIPKNOT’s first release through the band’s own (sic)est Records label, following the completion of their two-and-a-half-decade partnership with Roadrunner Records.

Speaking to BBC Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor stated about “Arsenal”: “It pummels. It is absolutely a pummeling experience. One of my favorite things about it is it kind of encapsulates everything that we do. It’s got these great moments of hyperactivity, and then at the end, man, there’s this sublime drop that just makes it. It’s like we’ve got everyone by the hair, and we’re just going, ‘Go! Go!’ That, to me, sums up SLIPKNOT completely.”

The culture of SLIPKNOT has spread much farther than anyone could have predicted when nine guys from Iowa put on masks and uniforms, and began challenging the globe to keep up. The band’s influence can now be seen and felt in the underground, in those artists headlining rock and pop festivals across the world, and virtually everywhere in between. Across genres and subgenres, artists the world over are following in the footsteps that lead out of the U.S. Midwest, and onto stages around the world. And all without an ounce of compromise, to anyone.

“Arsenal” deploys nearly every weapon SLIPKNOT owns: pummeling dynamics, razor sharp vocals and lyrics, knifing keyboards, and riffs that can only be measured in tons. “I fought a f*cking god and the god lost,” Taylor proclaims, ripping his way across the track with a self-aware braggadocio, melding metal, punk and hip hop verses while summoning his roar from the seventh circle of hell. He’s serious when he throws off the weight of trend-chasing and spits, “I know I’m a hack and a has-been, but motherf*cker I’m a .45 and not a Mach 10,” but he’s also playing around; ditto when he screeches the song to a halt, shouting at his bandmates and bulldozing the wall of sound they’ve been building. There’s a focused, compressed brutality to this song that displays the firepower they’ve honed over their career.

Nearly three decades in, it’s notable that SLIPKNOT still summon the drive, creativity and band connection required to make music like this. Their rise to becoming one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of the 21st century is marked by hardship, having weathered enormous personal tragedies and facing them head on, alongside their fans. Through it all, they’ve kept a fighting spirit that’s allowed them to keep innovating, and keep testing the ragged edges of their sound to see how much farther they can push it.

On “Arsenal”, SLIPKNOT sound sharper than ever, the direct result of their commitment to the music, first and foremost. The track is an undeniable statement of strength in the face of diversity, and a new marker for the world to deal with and wonder how SLIPKNOT was always — and still remains — so vital and modern.

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To celebrate the announcement, ELYSION have released the album’s first single and official video, “Guardian Angel”, available now on all digital platforms.

A powerful anthem combining the band’s trademark atmospheric darkness with soaring melodies and an unmistakable sense of determination, “Guardian Angel” perfectly captures the spirit of “Identity”. The song delivers a message of hope, strength and resilience, while the accompanying video addresses the issue of child abuse and highlights the urgent need for a safer world for children everywhere.

Vocalist Christianna Chatzimichali comments:

“‘Guardian Angel’ was an obvious choice for the first single. It carries the emotional intensity, energy and character that define Identity. While the video focuses on a very important social issue, the song itself can resonate differently with every listener and become part of their own personal story.”

Produced by Fotis Benardo and ELYSION at Devasoundz Studio, mixed by Benardo and mastered by Nasos Nomikos at VU Productions, “Identity” finds the Greek quartet expanding every aspect of their sound while remaining faithful to the essence that has earned them a loyal international following. The album’s artwork was created by Dimitris Tzortzis.

According to the band, “Identity” is much more than simply a collection of songs. Conceived as a celebration of ELYSION’s twenty-year journey, the album serves as a heartfelt tribute to the fans who have supported the band throughout their career and to the worldwide hard rock and metal community as a whole.

While not a concept album, “Identity” is united by a common atmosphere and message. Its songs explore themes of self-discovery, personal struggle, resilience, belonging and unity in an increasingly fragmented world. The album showcases the unmistakable ELYSION sound while introducing a more dynamic, confident and adventurous approach to songwriting.

The band states:

“‘Identity’ is the most mature, intense and daring album we have ever created. It is true to our roots, but at the same time pushes our music further than ever before. In many ways, it represents exactly who we are today and what we have learned over twenty years of making music together. This album is our way of thanking everyone who stood by our side and believed in our songs.”

“Identity” also includes two special guest appearances. Greek metal icon Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) lends his unmistakable voice to “Harvest”, while Konstantinos Togas (Nightrage, Herta) joins ELYSION on “The Last Ride”.

TRACK LISTING

1. Do Or Die

2. Guardian Angel

3. Dead Loves

4. The Last Ride

5. Declaration Of Darkness

6. Phoenix

7. Gravity

8. Harvest

9. Moment In Time

10. Broken

11. Nighttime Whispers

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“Every album is a snapshot of who we were at that particular moment in time, and Legacy is exactly what the title suggests,” declares guitarist Zoltan Bathory. “It’s a reflection on the journey, the lessons, the victories, the struggles, and everything we’ve experienced over the last two decades.”

He furthers, “What makes that journey meaningful is that we didn’t make it alone. We traveled this road alongside millions of fans around the world and somehow became part of each other’s lives. That’s an incredible thing to reflect on twenty years later.”

Vocalist Ivan Moody continues, “At the same time, Legacy isn’t about looking backward. 20 years is a milestone, not a destination. We’re incredibly proud of this record because it captures everything people love about Five Finger Death Punch while also pointing toward where we’re headed next.”

He finishes, “Our philosophy has always been that this journey doesn’t come with a self-imposed ceiling. Every goal we’ve reached simply revealed another horizon beyond it. We never believed the sky was the limit; if anything, it’s where the true journey begins. Here’s to our shared legacy.”

The brand new song “De Oppresso Liber” is out now.

“‘De Oppresso Liber’ is more than just a motto,” states Bathory. “It’s a calling. It’s a philosophy. It represents a willingness to stand between danger and those who cannot defend themselves. Throughout human history, there have always been people who were drawn to accept that responsibility. This song is our way of paying respect to that mindset.”

The first single from the album released just last month, “Eye Of The Storm,” is already Top 5 at Rock Radio this week and has already generated over 3.9 million Spotify streams and 1.6 million YouTube views on the official lyric video. Revolver hailed it as “Huge,” going on to praise how “it mixes a flurry of battering metal chugs with a sense of melody, plus Ivan Moody’s pensive-but-barked lyrics hinting at fears, regrets, burdens, blame, and the search for some kind of inner peace.” Loudwire raved: “The song is a driving, furious banger that kicks off what’s expected to be a new album cycle in grand fashion.”
This summer, Five Finger Death Punch, will embark on the 1st leg of the 20th Anniversary World Tour which will take them all across North America with special guest Cody Jinks, and Eva Under Fire before hitting arenas in the UK/EU with Lamb Of God and Bleed From Within in early 2027.

The 20th Anniversary World Tour is both a celebration and a statement, honoring the band’s journey from their 2005 formation and release of their debut album, The Way Of The Fist, in 2007 to global arena headliners. The tour will showcase material from the new album, alongside classic anthems and #1 hits that defined the past two decades.

Produced by Live Nation, the 48-city North American tour kicks off on Monday, July 20 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ, and wraps up in Bristow, VA at Jiffy Lube Live on Friday, October 23.

In addition to celebrating two decades of music, the band is once again using its platform to give back. Long recognized as one of the most charitable bands in rock, Five Finger Death Punch has spent decades giving back to various causes, including U.S. military veterans and first responders and their families. In 2026, the band is continuing that tradition by supporting Team USA and aligning with the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games being held on American soil in Los Angeles in 2028. As part of the tour’s commitment to championing America’s next generation of athletes, a portion of the ticket sales from the 2026 North American Tour will benefit high-performance programs for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they prepare for international competition.

“The support from Five Finger Death Punch means the world to us and our BMX programs,” states USA Cycling President & CEO, Brendan Quirk. “As a nonprofit National Governing Body that receives no government funding, we’re already at a disadvantage compared to many of the world’s leading cycling nations as we prepare for the home Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. We’re working to raise awareness of that reality and the challenges it creates for our athletes.”

Quirk continues, “Their support will have a tremendous impact on both our BMX Racing and BMX Freestyle programs, helping fund critical preparation opportunities such as training camps, international competition travel, and qualification events. Every opportunity to train and compete on the world stage is essential as our athletes chase qualification points and prepare to perform at their best in Los Angeles.”

“We are sincerely grateful to Zoltan and Five Finger Death Punch for their generous support of our athlete programs,” said USA Judo CEO Corinne Shigemoto. “Judo has played a meaningful role in Zoltan’s life, and his decision to give back to the sport in this way reflects a deep commitment to its future. The band’s generosity will have a direct impact on our athletes through expanded high-performance programming as we prepare for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

5FDP’s 2027 UK/EUROPEAN tour leg with Lamb Of God and Bleed From Within will kick off in the UK in Manchester on Saturday, January 16 and will see the band perform in 21 cities across the continent, ending in Helsinki on February 22.

UK & EUROPE TOUR DATES

16 Jan @ AO Arena (Manchester, UK)
17 Jan @ OVO Hydro Arena (Glasgow, UK)
19 Jan @ 3Arena (Dublin, IE)
22 Jan @ BP Pulse Arena (Birmingham, UK)
23 Jan @ O2 Arena (London, UK)
26 Jan @ PSD Arena (Düsseldorf, DE)
27 Jan @ Barclays Arena (Hamburg, DE)
29 Jan @ Atlas Arena (Lodz, PL)
31 Jan @ O2 Arena (Prague, CZ)*^
2 Feb @ Olympiahalle (Munich, DE)
4 Feb @ Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (Stuttgart, DE)
7 Feb @ AFAS Arena (Amsterdam, NL)
8 Feb @ Vorst National (Brussels, BE)
10 Feb @ Accor Arena (Paris, FR)
12 Feb @ Hallenstadion (Zurich, CH)
14 Feb @ Stadthalle (Vienna, AT)
16 Feb @ Uber Arena (Berlin, DE)
17 Feb @ Royal Arena (Copenhagen, DK)*
19 Feb @ Unity Arena (Oslo, NO)
20 Feb @ Avicii Arena (Stockholm, SE)
22 Feb @ Veikkaus Arena (Helsinki, FI)
*without Lamb of God / ^with Dymytry

“LEGACY” TRACKLISTING:
Legacy
De Oppresso Liber
Eye Of The Storm
Nails In The Coffin
In Time
Unscathed
Joke’s On Me
Everybody Lies
Shelter
Scapegoat

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by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Gundriver has assembled a line-up featuring musicians with impressive backgrounds. How did this project originally come together?

In 2012, Alex Rivas and I had been kicking around the idea of starting a band while we were in Hollywood.  I gave him a call one day, when I was overseas working in Afghanistan and told him I had some song ideas and asked if he wanted to get something going – so that’s how Gundriver was born.  We had an album written in short order and ended up out on tour 13 months later opening for Michael Schenker, so it was a pretty quick flash to bang as they say.

What was the initial vision behind Gundriver, and how close is the band today to what you first imagined? 

The initial vision was to stay the hell away from the wrong side of Hollywood – so, we’ve stuck to a vision that allowed us to write freely with no outside interference and you can hear it in the tunes.  I’ve used the Jimmy Page model by producing from within the band to protect the band members’ input and prevent outside interference.  The ideas you’re hearing were written by the guys playing the music – period, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Metal isn’t supposed to be smoothly or slickly produced, it’s supposed to sound like it’s about to explode and these tracks have the raw energy that I always loved to about metal albums growing up. So, the vision hasn’t really changed – we simply wanted to write the best music we were capable of.

Some weeks ago, you announced that Ronnie Romero has joined Gundriver. How did this happen?  

Ronnie is featured on this album and did a world class job with the vocals.  Ronnie and I were introduced through mutual contacts in the rock and metal community. We had been looking for a vocalist who could bring both power and versatility to the material we were writing for Gundriver, and Ronnie immediately stood out as a great fit. After sharing some songs and discussing the vision for the project, he connected with the music and expressed interest in getting involved. Once we started working together, it became clear that his voice and experience added a new dimension to the album.

Your upcoming album is titled “Give War a Chance”. What is the meaning behind the title, and what themes are explored throughout the record?

I was in the American Army for 20+ years, and I saw this on a bumper sticker one day driving into work and began laughing – immediately I told myself, “That’s a great album title!”  It’s obviously a play on the hippie mantra of ‘give peace a chance’ and is intentionally provocative. It’s not about glorifying war; but in all reality, you can’t have peace without the people who are ready and willing to fight for it.  The album explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, loss, and personal struggle. Some songs are inspired by military experiences and history, while others focus on the battles we all fight in everyday life.

Who did the production of the new album? The mixing and the mastering?

I produced the album with Charlie Waymire mixing and Ernesto Homeyer mastering.  I will be completely honest with you in that production is much easier with strong songwriters and all of us write well together in this group.

How would you describe the musical direction of the new album compared to the bands and projects you’ve been involved with in the past? 

Gundriver’s current incarnation has that special little spark that you always hear some of the best bands reference, it was evident when we started writing this album that there was something special with these songs.

What were the main influences that shaped the sound of this album? 

We didn’t lean on any influences specifically when writing – we simply started writing. Obviously, you’re going to hear a flavor of any number of the great metal bands throughout any of our work, but that’s a subconscious versus intentional thing. We didn’t have a singer at the beginning of pre-production for this album, so Alex and I just started laying down riffs and song sections.  As we began looking for a singer, it forced us to tighten up the arrangements so the tunes were ready for a vocalist.

What did Ronnie bring to the songs, when he joined the band?

Ronnie Romero is among the best rock and metal vocalists in the world and after having seen him touring with Michael Schenker, he was on the top of my list of vocalists to work with.  His voice brings an enormous amount of character to these tunes, a truly great vocalist.

Can you tell us about the songwriting process? Did the music come first, or were some songs built around lyrical concepts?

I write often – generally, an idea will hit me while playing guitar already and I’ll simply record the riff and sit and listen for where the next section could go.  After I get a rough idea down – or at least a couple song sections, I’ll run it by Alex (drums) and that’s when the riff or idea will begin to develop into a more robust song style arrangement.  A real drummer is so much better than drum loops as you’re generally not going to be limited to a specific time signature or feel.  When the vocals came in, obviously the lyrical contact shaped the feel of the tune – I think they married up perfectly.

“One Man Army” is the first single from the album. Why was this track chosen to introduce the new album to the world?

We all like this tune, and the radio folks agree with us => so that’s how it became our lead single! “One Man Army” came to me as I was driving down the road in Virginia – it was a unique experience in that I felt like the song was floating in the air and I could kind of hear it and feel it.  I rushed home and recorded what you’re hearing in about an hour – our writing partner Serouj knocked out the lyrics in a day or so and sent it back.  I thought the vocal line was brilliant, so here we are!

You mentioned that the songs of the new album are “nasty” and exactly what you envisioned. What elements make this album stand out from other modern metal releases? 

The songs are recorded as written, and metal has something special about it in that the songs are intentionally rough, a metal album is supposed to sound so full of energy that it’s barely hanging together, we have that with these tunes.  There’s even some mistakes in there – I left them in there because that’s exactly what AI wouldn’t do! I mentioned earlier ‘slick production’ – I hate that for this type of music, ‘slick’ production belongs in less genuine styles of music – this is real, and we wanted it to sound real. Rev Jones (Bass) and Alex Rivas (Drums) have a thunderous drum/bass interplay that gave me a great foundation to work off of – I was so stoked when I heard how some of these tunes came out.  “New Wave of Destruction” which is our second single from this album is just a heavy riff with hints of doom and groove metal and it sounds monstrous.

How do you balance classic metal influences with a modern sound? 

It’s a simple as just being yourself – it’s much easier to be play something the way you would want to play it versus how you ‘think’ someone else might play it.  I really enjoy writing songs and seeing where they go – occasionally you’ll write something that might have hints of a classic style (Metallica, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Sabbath etc.) and that’s cool as long as it wasn’t engineered to be that way.

Was there a specific song on “Give War a Chance” that became the defining track of the album for the band? Which was the most challenging track to record and perform on the new album?

“Among the Humble” is probably one of the cooler ‘defining’ tracks on the album, its got this cool gallop feel to it that bounces between the drums and guitar riff with this super awesome vocal line and some high notes from Ronnie.  Ironically enough, we didn’t have too many challenges when recording, I mean we were focused and prepared.  I remember watching Alex tracking drums in Hollywood and being shocked at how he was making quick work of his drum tracks.   Overall, for all of us the focus was the songs, and we gave them the time and space to exist (big ideas can’t live in small spaces).

The album title and band name both suggest an aggressive attitude. How important is intensity and confrontation in Gundriver’s identity? 

Metal bands are supposed to be intense musically, and the confrontation can be with your biggest enemy/ally – yourself.  The term “Gundriver” refers to attack helicopter pilots – a nickname that existed before I joined the US Army and flew Apaches, it may date back to the Vietnam era. We put an Apache on the cover of the album as a tip of the hat to the attack community so that people knew where the name came from.

What was the most memorable moment during the recording sessions for this album? 

When Alex was prepping to track one of the tunes he said “in this section here, you’re a beat off” – I responded “you’re a beat off!” and our engineer Charlie Waymire just started laughing, I’m not sure if it was more Dethklok or Spinal Tap – maybe somewhere in between.

With such experienced musicians involved, were there any creative disagreements, and if so, how were they resolved? 

The way we run things, all ideas are welcome and the best one wins.  If we think a song should go in two directions, we can make two different versions of it – fighting is largely useless and prevents progress – if you have an idea, record it and away we go.  George Patton said “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week”.

With members having backgrounds in Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Tempting Fate and many other projects, what strengths does each musician bring to Gundriver? 

Rev Jones is worth his weight in gold – his bass tone has this unique feel where it seems to compliment every other member of the band – and he’s full of great ideas.  Alex and I wrote 90% of this album just bouncing ideas off each other and recording them – Alex is a great songwriter, some of the things I’m doing with a guitar lick or riff he suggested as we were putting this stuff together.  Ronnie’s a world class vocalist and truly great showman – his voice added a lot of character to the tracks and it’s great to hear him soar over these tunes.

Do you already have plans for live performances, and what can fans expect from a Gundriver show? 

We’re working that now, and when we can line up our schedules to support touring, we’ll publish those dates.  When you see us live, you’re going to get what’s on the record in a live format – no autotune, no backing tracks, just us playing these tunes the way they were meant to be heard.

What are your goals and ambitions for the band’s future?

World domination.

If you could describe “Give War a Chance” in just three words, what would they be and why? 

Power, courage, resolve.  The songs are strong and we’re glad we got it to the point where we could share them with the world.  When we started writing this album, we didn’t even have a singer – we just started out writing the tunes “If you build it, they will come” (field of dreams reference) and Resolve – it took us two years to find a singer to write with (Serouj Guidanian) as well as our final tracking vocals Ronnie Romero, but we decided come hell or highwater, this album was getting done and out to the world.

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Slipknot are releasing a special six album ‘blood-filled’ vinyl box set edition of their debut album.

The release is part of the band’s 25th anniversary celebrations for their Roadrunner Records debut, which was released in June 1999. Only 1999 variants of the box will be made available globally, with today, July 22, the date of the ‘global drop’.

The box set will go on sale at 3pm EST / 12pm PST / 8pm UK time and 9pm EU time.

Sales are limited to one box set per person.

The box includes exclusive new artwork and unseen imagery collected from the band’s personal archives, and 59 recordings including Slipknot’s Indigo Ranch demos / mixes, live versions and other rarities – 40 of them unreleased – across six LPs.

News of other versions and formats of the re-issue is still to come.

“I’m fully involved with putting together a reissue package, because I’m the band caretaker,” Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan told this writer last year, during an interview for Metal Hammer.

“I’m the one that held everything over the years: all the DAT tapes from the [sound]board from all our first shows, all the videotapes from studio sessions at SR Audio and Indigo Ranch, different test mixes that we gave to other people that we said ‘No’ to at that time and that were never released, but are amazing.

“They would never have been listened to 25 years ago, but now that the golden egg has been laid, and everyone knows it, you’re not going to listen to another mix and go, ‘This is better’, you’re just gonna go, ‘Wow, this is Slipknot like this, 25 years ago.’

“There’s new artwork, new photos from the time, there’s so much music that’s so punk rock from board tapes, there’s video documents, there’s a lot – audio, visuals, everything,” Clown enthused. “It’s the best of all things Slipknot”.

Το άρθρο SLIPKNOT: RE-RELEASE OF DEBUT ALBUM WITH … 40 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SONGS εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Hello Michael! How are you?
Pretty good. I’d say these days are a bit hectic, because we’ve got the live show coming up, and we’re also working on new material…

Great, before we get into the live show and the new material, let’s talk a bit about some general things regarding Playgrounded. First of all, I’d like you to tell me when the band was formed.

That’s something that kind of gets lost in time. Our first video came out around 2012–2013, but the band already existed for about two years before that. However, the whole thing really started quite a bit earlier, when the two Zafeiriou brothers and I first met in Chania, Crete, at the Technical University. We’d hang out together, mess around musically, doing covers of songs we liked, driven by our love at the time for Dream Theater — we used to cover a lot of their material… But later on, both our tastes and the people involved changed a lot, and eventually, we ended up with the idiosyncratic sound we have today.

How did the name Playgrounded come about?

At first, it was just Playground, because we liked the idea that this band was the place where we enjoyed playing — a kind of creative playground. Then, when we looked into it more deeply, we discovered the multiple meanings that the word grounded can carry — being punished, being grounded or down to earth, and yet still playing while all of that is happening. So, there are multiple layers of meaning, all of which we’ve kind of embraced in one way or another.

As far as I know, you’re based both in Athens and in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Yes, that’s true. Look, our bassist Odysseas lives permanently up there, and both the singer, Stavros, and I were also based in Rotterdam for a while — now we travel back and forth for work. The other two members, Orestis on synths and Giorgos on drums, are permanent residents of Athens. Rotterdam is genuinely one of the band’s bases — just as Athens is where most of our people are, in the Netherlands we’ve actually built a large fan base. We’ve played a lot there, met other bands…

If someone asked you to choose just one base for the group, which city would you choose — Rotterdam or Athens?

Oh, I think Athens! We’re all Athenians, and we’re more frequently present here. I should point out, though, that in the past all five of us lived in the Netherlands for quite a while — we were working there, and for a period, Rotterdam really was the band’s main base.

What’s the metal scene like in the Netherlands?

Things are a bit strange over there… I’d say the local bands and the alternative metal scene are actually weaker than the one in Greece. There are definitely some major advantages though — for instance, venues receive state funding, there are proper infrastructures in place for bands and musicians to play and create music. But musically, the local scene is somewhat lacking in strength.

What really makes the difference, though, is that all the major tours pass through all the big cities — and even some of the smaller ones. The Dutch are basically a live music hub for all of Europe. So, you’ll get to see everything, experience everything. That’s definitely something interesting.

Definitely … Earlier you mentioned that you started out with influences from Dream Theater. What would you say are the band’s influences now?

Haha, yes, we gradually lost those Dream Theater influences over time! But obviously, something of that has stayed with us, for sure. As for our main influences now… look, I think our sound has become quite personal at this point — we write in a way that’s more our own.

But from the metal world, I’d say Tool still influence us, Karnivool, The Ocean — we’ve toured with them quite a bit — and also the newer scene, the whole circle around our label, Pelagic Records, like Psychonaut, LLNN, whom we’ve also toured with.

Of course, there are strong electronic influences in our sound too, as I’m sure you’ve heard — definitely Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Boards of Canada… oh, and Deftones are a major influence as well!

So, a lot of different influences come together and take on a unique form within your own style.

Yes, that’s exactly what I believe — somehow all these different influences, techniques, and stylistic approaches that we use… take the synths, for example, where Orestis brings a very specific mindset — we’re all musicians with quite different backgrounds, so each of us brings something different into the band, and I think that really comes across in the music.

You’ve released two full-length albums.
Yes, we’ve released two full-lengths.

Can you give us some context about those two albums of yours?

Yes, we’re talking about “In Time with Gravity” (2017) and “The Death of Death” (2022). Our first album,” In Time …”, was written and released in the Netherlands by a small Dutch label. It was really then — after our EP (“Athens”, 2013) — that we found our sound, that blend of electronic and heavy elements.

But we truly managed to express what we want the band to represent with “The Death of Death”, which was released globally and widely through Pelagic Records. From the visual identity to the deep musical content, the production — everything — I believe that album fully represents what Playgrounded stands for.

Lyrically, where do you draw inspiration from?

Lyrically, I can answer that because I write many of the lyrics for the band. The lyrics are a very personal perspective on things — the lyricist is always a bearer of specific ideas and viewpoints. That said, my perspective, and I think Orestis’ as well, who also writes a lot of the lyrics, is always a social one. So, even when we describe something very personal, we’re interested in whether it’s a shared experience with someone else, and whether from that shared experience we can imagine a different version of how society and the world could be a little better and fairer today.

So, some of the tracks are purely political, but even the more personal ones carry this social dimension. We’re interested in addressing the problems of the human condition in general through our lyrics — things like death, grief, togetherness, solidarity, comfort, and such topics that you wouldn’t necessarily consider purely social.

Great, so you and Orestis write the lyrics, but who takes the lead on the music?
For the music, I’d say that so far, Orestis has had the final say, and this was by choice because we really like the character he brings with the synths. Stavros Markonis also contributes a lot, as he’s a film composer and has a lot of experience in production, just like Orestis. I also bring quite a few ideas, but really, both Odysseas and Giorgos often take things that came from Orestis or the others and turn them into something completely different in the end. So, that’s why we refer to the whole band as the composers. There are key contributions from all five of us.

You mentioned film music. Would you say that there’s a cinematic element in your music?
I don’t really like the term “cinematic” that much. What does film music really mean? All music can be cinematic in a sense! We’re definitely not composing for a film right now as a band, otherwise, you would have seen it! But, like with any kind of music, you can imagine images, moving pictures with our music, which is why we also create music videos. However, I wouldn’t describe anything in our music as purely cinematic.

You definitely have atmosphere, though.
For sure, atmosphere is one of the key elements we’re always aiming for.

How would you describe the atmosphere of Playgrounded’s music?
Atmosphere is always a goal for us. In other words, the space — we always want to place the listener in a certain space, and this goal is both musical and production-oriented. For sure, one could describe us as a dark, melancholic band. Also, because there’s a lot of repetition in our music, we rely heavily on the concept of loops and recurring elements that appear over time, perhaps altered, but always with continuity. This approach gives the listener space to think for themselves about how they’ll feel. It’s music that’s more open to introspection.

Where is the band at right now? Are you preparing your new album, have you recorded, or are you planning to record?
No, we’re earlier in the process than that. We’re at a stage where most of the ideas that will eventually form an album have been presented. At this stage, we’re trying to enrich them further and bring them into even clearer shapes. We might end up changing them in the end… we’re still in the composition phase right now. We’re looking for a seed that we’ll develop, but that’s not exclusive, because sometimes, often, a fuller, more complete structure may come in as an initial idea, which will likely change a bit along the way.

How do the tracks you’ve prepared so far sound?
It’s hard to say, really. It’s very difficult, because the choices that will be made, let’s say, in production — like which parts we keep and bring to the forefront, and so on — could ultimately lead to a very different listening experience. There are many possibilities that could emerge.

Have you decided who will handle the production, mixing, and mastering?

Ehh, let’s not get into that just yet, haha!

I respect that! … Are you still with Pelagic Records?

Yes, yes, it’s almost certain that the next album will be released by Pelagic.

So far, has your collaboration been good?
Yes, I’d say very good, not just good. Of course, we’ve had our disagreements and reservations from time to time, but so far, they’ve shown that for the main reason we chose them — which was to open up more to the European scene and present our unique sound under the best possible conditions — Pelagic has really helped make that happen.

You’ve toured both in Greece and abroad, and played many live shows. Do you feel proud of your live activity?
In the last few years, all of us feel a bit proud that we’ve managed to build a band that, by our own quality standards, stands with dignity. I’m not exactly proud that we’ve played a few more shows abroad, but I really enjoyed the experience. I don’t feel pride about it, but I feel happiness for having lived those beautiful moments.

Would you say that live shows are an important aspect of the band, both for you and for your fans?
Yes. If I were asked which we focus more on, live shows or albums, I’d say we care about both. And indeed, in our live shows, we present the material that people will hear on the album with much more depth. We always pay a lot of attention to the lighting as well, always considering the budget.

You’ve opened for bands like Nine Inch Nails, Anathema, Riverside, and others. Were those great experiences?
Our concert with Nine Inch Nails stands as an achievement for the band, but the experience itself was quite difficult. It took place in the Netherlands, under tough conditions… a very tight schedule, harsh security around us — I wouldn’t say we had a fantastic time at that show. With Riverside, it was a great experience, even though we were quite fresh at the time, I’m not sure if our first EP had even come out yet, maybe it had just been released. The Riverside show left a big impression on me. The many shows we did with The Ocean, I think, have remained a truly incredible experience, and we really had an amazing time.

In a few days, you’ll be performing live at Piraeus Club Academy. How do you feel?

At this point, because I have a lot of work to do for this live, I’m a bit stressed, but I think once everything is ready and we go on stage, we’ll have an amazing time.

What should we expect from Playgrounded at this live show?

We’ve titled it “Athens. Gravity. Death”, as a reference to all our releases so far. So, I think we’ll be showing a current version of the Playgrounded sound, while looking back at everything we’ve recorded. We’ll be doing something different with the lighting, so the mood will be different from what the audience might be used to, or rather, the mood will remain the same, but the techniques will be different.

If you had the opportunity to collaborate with a famous musician on a track from one of your albums, who would you choose?
I can’t really think of anyone, because if there was someone, we would have already made it happen… What can I say… maybe we could collaborate with a member of Tool, since they’re my favorite band? Or with Karnivool, whom we mentioned earlier. Something like that, but I can’t think of a specific part of a track or what instrument that musician would play.

During your journey as a band, you also went through the COVID-19 period. How did the pandemic affect Playgrounded?
The last album we released, “The Death of Death”, was created and completed during the toughest conditions of COVID-19. Fortunately, we managed to record during the first summer when things had “opened up” a bit, and we were recording in Athens… I would say that for this particular album, we were a bit lucky because the music industry had largely frozen, but the right people found the time and interest to listen to what we had created during that period and gave us a platform when things started to reopen.

What is your opinion on the use of AI in music?

It’s a very, very big and open topic. The “making music with AI” aspect doesn’t concern me at all. Okay, it will likely affect the next generations, but it doesn’t interest me. What matters to me in music is the human connection and communication. I’m not interested in something created solely by a computer. As a tool, though, on a deeper level, if you’re using AI to create a sound or manipulate something you’ve already created, but with artistic direction and intention, I’m not against it.

What are your ambitions for the next few years?

I think for the next few years, we would like to stabilize a situation where we can tour Greece and Europe once or twice a year to play our music. At this stage, we’ve made a first, definitely significant, opening, but it’s just the beginning. I don’t think it’s stable yet, so I’d like the band to find a way to enter a more consistent cycle.

If a producer asked you to compose music for a film, would you do it?
Yes, yes, of course, depending on what kind of film it is. We are probably a bit strict about what we would want to do artistically, but in general, we would definitely be interested.

As a band, you pay great attention to the visual and aesthetic aspects, such as album covers, videos, and live shows. Will this continue with your next album?

It’s still too early to answer that… Although we care a lot about the visual aspects, the music and the ideas we want to communicate are at the center. Any work we do around the band always focuses on the messages we want to convey and the overall quality. So, the visual aspects of the upcoming album are something we’ll address later. We will strive for the best, as always.

Would you like to send a message to our readers?

Yes, we’ll see you all at Piraeus Club Academy on May 9th. Don’t hesitate to come and chat with us after the show. Okay, we might seem less approachable during the concert with all the lights and darkness, but we’re always up for a conversation after the live!

Is there anything you’d like to add for the end?

Yes, the support for our live on May 9th will be Part of the Theory.

Yes, amazing band! … Thanks a lot, Michael!

Thank you!

Το άρθρο Interview with PLAYGROUNDED εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

by Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Give us a short biography of Calyces. How is Calyces connected to Tardive Dyskinesia?

Calyces were formed in 2018, out of my need to create something new musically, under a fresh identity, since my band at the time, Tardive Dyskinesia, had gone on hiatus. We released our first album, “Impulse to Soar”, in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, and since then we’ve done a number of shows across Greece. In 2023, we reconnected with drummer and friend Stavros Rigos, who had played on the first two Tardive Dyskinesia albums, and we started jamming together on the tracks that would become “Fleshy Waves of Probability”. The connection between Tardive Dyskinesia and Calyces is quite strong, since I am the main composer in both bands, and now, with Stavros back, the bond is even stronger.

Why did you baptize the band “Calyces”?

When I started looking for a name for the band, I was going through the dictionary looking for something that would catch my attention. I came across the word “Calyces”, which comes from the ancient Greek κάλυξ (kályx), meaning “shell” or “pod”. It’s mainly used in botany to describe the outer part of flowers. I liked both its sound and meaning, and since no other band seemed to have that name, I kept it.

You have just released your sophomore album, “Fleshy Waves of Probability”. Which are your feelings about this new release?

“Fleshy Waves …” is an album we’re really proud of. We worked hard on every little detail, not to achieve some kind of technical perfection in performance or sound, but to transmit the feeling and rawness we were aiming for.

How much different is the new album compared to your debut album, “Impulse To Soar”?

I would say the biggest difference between the two albums—and I say this with no intention to downgrade “Impulse …”, which is also my child—is that “Fleshy Waves…” sounds more grounded, like it knows where it stands. It makes sense, really. We’ve played a lot since the first record, we’ve bonded more as a band, and things now come together more naturally.

How would you define the music style of Calyces?

Out of all the genre labels I’ve heard thrown around, I think “heavy prog” fits best. But honestly, I don’t like to box our music into a specific rock or metal subgenre, because that automatically limits the scope. I encourage people to just listen with their own ears. If they want to categorize it afterward, it’s totally fine with me.

If you should name the biggest influences of Calyces, which bands or artists would you mention?

Without hesitation: Mastodon, Rush, Tool, King Crimson, Intronaut, Gojira, and so on.

How is a song of Calyces usually composed?

It always starts with a riff that’s stuck in my head. I let it sit and mature a bit. Then I start searching for what comes next—maybe a verse, maybe something else—until it makes some kind of sense in my mind. Once it begins to take a more complete shape, I record it and start mumbling different melodies over it. When I feel it’s becoming something solid, I present it to the rest of the band and that’s when the real jamming begins.

Where do your lyrics refer to? Why did you name the new album with that title?

Our debut album, “Impulse to Soar”, depicted conception and the beginning of life. “Fleshy Waves of Probability” continues that journey. It explores the adaptation to a new world, and the infinite possibilities that lie ahead. It is a work about the ability to create without limits, without a predetermined plan—letting each moment guide you to the next. We begin with a blank canvas. A riff, an idea, a brushstroke. From there, the journey unfolds with endless possibilities. “Fleshy Waves of Probability” speaks to this absolute freedom, but also to the struggle to achieve it. Along the way, there are obstacles and hardships, oppression and fear, but also the deep yearning to rise, create, and find your own path.

Which is your favorite song off the new album and why?

It’s hard to pick one (and yes, that might sound cliché), but I truly see all of them as my children. That said, I would highlight “Lost in Phrase” because it holds special meaning for me. Not just lyrically, and not only because it might be the most unique song on the album, but also because the violin in the chorus is played by my 11-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

When and where was the album recorded, mixed and mastered? Which things did you pay attention to during the whole production?

The album was recorded at Ignite Music Studio in Athens, engineered by George Christoforidis, with whom we also did the production. He then handled the mixing, while George Bokos took care of the mastering at Grindhouse Studios. What we really focused on was maintaining a natural and organic sound. We wanted the dynamics of our playing to come through, but at the same time preserve the heaviness that characterizes our music. I think we managed that pretty well.

The cover artwork of the new album is impressive. Can you give us all the info about it?

Thank you! For us, creating an album is not just about music. It’s a holistic process where visual direction and artwork are equally important. Maria Stergiou, who does our covers, creates pieces that take 1-2 years to complete. These aren’t just graphics—they’re oil paintings on canvas, carefully crafted to visually express our ideas. The result is a living dialogue between music and image.

Which are your ambitions and goals for Calyces?

To release many albums and play as many live shows as possible.

You are now on tour. How is it going until now? How do you feel now that you are touring under the name of Calyces?

As we speak, we’re just coming back from Sofia, which was the final stop of a 10-day tour that started in Thessaloniki and passed through various cities in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Serbia. The feedback we got was beyond positive! As Calyces, we’re still a relatively new band—even though we’ve been playing for years with other projects—and I didn’t expect such a great response. This tour gave us a big boost of energy and I can’t wait to do it again soon.

How do you sound live in concert?

That’s something you’d probably have to ask the people who come see us!

Which three adjectives would you choose to describe Calyces?

Colorful, bipolar, dynamic.

If Calyces music and lyrics were a color, which one would they be and why?

Hmm… I would go with bold and bright shades of violet, magenta, purple, and similar tones.

What do you think about AI in music and art in general?

AI is a great tool, and nothing more than that. What I want to hear and see in art must have stories behind it. It has to carry pain. AI doesn’t have any of that.

If you could cooperate with a famous artist, who would he/she be and why?

I would say Devin Townsend. He is my musical hero.

Which is your motto in life?

“Have more than you show, speak less than you know”

Send your message to our readers!

Thank you so much for the support—see you on Sunday, July 13th at An Club with Their Methlab!

Το άρθρο Interview with CALYCES εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

♦ 8/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο CALYCES – “FLESHY WAVES OF PROBABILITY” (2025) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.