EMBRACE OF SOULS RELEASE "THE BATTLE OF THE DEAD"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

Embrace Of Souls proudly unveil "The Battle Of The Dead", the band’s new full-length album and most ambitious work to date, together with the release of the new focus track “Eversun,” further supported by a brand new Official Visualizer. Following the momentum generated by the previously released singles “Desolate Lands” and the album’s title track “The Battle Of The Dead”, the Italian power metal force pushes its artistic vision even further, delivering a record where epic storytelling, symphonic grandeur, and classic European power metal converge into a cohesive and emotionally charged listening experience.

Conceived as an 11-track fantasy concept, "The Battle Of The Dead" unfolds across a medieval world fractured into rival kingdoms where a mysterious plague begins corrupting human souls and slowly drags the continent toward an inevitable war between the living and the dead. Rather than unveiling every detail of the storyline, the band deliberately preserves the narrative’s mystery, inviting listeners to discover its deeper meaning through the interplay between music and lyrics. Themes of power, betrayal, sacrifice, and hope permeate the album, shaping a journey designed to be experienced in its entirety.

Musically, "The Battle Of The Dead" marks a decisive step forward for Embrace Of Souls. Firmly rooted in the legacy of ‘80s and ‘90s heavy and power metal while embracing the epic and symphonic scope of early-2000s European metal, the album delivers a sound that is both commanding and emotionally resonant. Driving guitar work, relentless double-kick rhythms, layered keyboards, and expansive choral arrangements form the backbone of the record, while the dynamic interplay between Giacomo Rossi’s powerful lead vocals and Martina Mazzeo’s operatic performances elevates the material with additional depth, contrast, and theatrical intensity.

Among the album’s standout moments is “Eversun”, the new focus track released alongside the album. Perfectly encapsulating the duality that permeates the entire record, the song balances darkness and melody through a powerful blend of energetic power metal, symphonic textures, and emotionally driven vocal arrangements. Defined by its dynamic pacing, triumphant melodic direction, and dramatic atmosphere, “Eversun” highlights the band’s increasingly mature songwriting approach while preserving the epic spirit that has characterized Embrace Of Souls since its inception.

Founded by drummer and composer Michele Olmi, Embrace Of Souls originally emerged as a studio project created to unite talented Italian musicians under a shared passion for classic heavy and power metal. Over time, the project evolved into a fully established live band, steadily refining its artistic identity while sharing the stage with renowned acts such as Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, and Rhapsody of Fire.

The album also features a special guest appearance by Morby (Domine), further strengthening the connection with the most authentic tradition of Italian power metal.

The record showcases a particularly refined production, enhanced by the mix and mastering handled by Alessio Garavello at Rogue Studios in London, bringing out both the album’s powerful rhythmic impact and its rich melodic and symphonic atmosphere.

With "The Battle Of The Dead", Embrace Of Souls deliver their strongest and most complete statement to date: a record conceived not merely as a collection of songs but as a fully interconnected musical and narrative experience where epic power metal, symphonic atmospheres, and emotionally charged storytelling merge into a world waiting to be discovered.

Watch the video - Eversun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmtIjk-nHg​

and previous videos:

Music Video - Desolate Lands - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TS0sF6CQ2s​

Music Video - The Battle Of The Dead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UivMmjBSIY​

"The Battle Of The Dead" releases today, on May 22nd, 2026, in digital format and digipak CD edition, and will be available to be ordered at the following links:

​

CD DIGIPAK: https://rockshots.eu/products/embrace-of-souls-the-battle-of-the-dead-cd​

​DIGITAL: https://lnk.to/kwCVof​

​​OFFICIAL MERCH: https://embraceofsoulsband.bigcartel.com/

For fans of: Rhapsody Of Fire, Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish.

​

​RELEASE PARTY: MAY 30th, 2026​

Embrace Of Souls will present The Battle Of The Dead live at La Cripta Club (Cusano Milanino, Italy), alongside Derdian, Drakkar and Axe Blade.

Track Listing:​

1. The Battle Of The Dead

2. Eversun

3. The Plague

4. The Gathering

5. Spine

6. Who Can Save Us

7. Betrayal

8. The Dark Lord

9. The War (feat. Morby)

10. Sacrifice

11. Desolate Lands

​

​Line-up:​

Giacomo Rossi – Vocals

Martina Mazzeo – Vocals

Edward De Rosa – Guitars

Xavier Rota – Bass

Davide Baldelli – Keyboards

Michele Olmi – Drums

More info: ​

​​https://www.rockshots.eu​

​https://www.instagram.com/embraceofsouls/​

​https://www.facebook.com/embraceofsoulsofficial/​

MEGASCAVENGER RELEASE "TOXIC NOXIOUS UNDEATH"

 

PRESS RELEASE:

MEGASCAVENGER – TOXIC NOXIOUS UNDEATH

LABEL: XTREEM MUSIC

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 13th 2026

Over months, years, decades…the poison so carelessly disposed of sinks down through the soil – bleaching, mutating, choking all that it touches. Slowly, slowly it descends deeper into the underworld, through layers of man’s detritus, through roots and rock and history, finally pooling in a place of the forgotten dead – the abandoned, the unmissed, unmourned, unloved. And here the poison works a different dark magic. Where it has killed the living, it brings a hideous parody of life to the dead. The toxins permeate the ragged flesh and mouldering bones and by some unholy alchemy, some ghastly, mindless sorcery, the inert bodies start to move…rising from their polluted resting place in a tainted miasma of corruption and decay, infused with a savage hunger and an implacable, unquenchable thirst for revenge...

Rogga Johansson, the man of a thousand bands, each one more steeped in the essence of death and decay than the last, has returned with his first Megascavenger album in six years. Not since 2020s Songs In The Key Of Madness have we been exposed to the particular brand of sickness that Megascavenger offers up, but in the name of all things dead, dying and undead, the wait has been more than worth it! Toxic Noxious Death is not only the finest album to bear Megascavenger’s ragged, bloody name, there is absolutely no doubt that it is one of Rogga’s very, very best releases to appear under any of the many malign and morbid names – be it Paganizer, Ribspreader, Putrevore or Bloodgut. If anything this phenomenal Swedish riff machine has ever done has captured your imagination, then you need this album. If you’ve ever loved death metal, real death metal, old and rotten, the way it was meant to be, the way it was when it first crawled out of the tomb, then you need this album.

Toxic Noxious Undeath features an incredible array of guest vocalists, a different one for every track, gathered together from Massacre, Crematory, Vomitory, Mercyless, Benediction, Thorium, Maceration, Fondlecorpse, Avulsed and Void Moon - and every one of them gives a superlative performance. These guests are not just a random selection of death metal heavy hitters either, they each seem to fit perfectly with their assigned track, lifting them to an even higher level. ‘Graveyard Dreams And Bonehouse Screams’ is the ultimate opening track, with top class riffs, addictive rhythms, adrenaline packed and featuring an awesome Kam Lee vocal performance – rotten to the core, it’s everything you could want from a death metal song, and incredibly the quality never flags for a second as the album unfolds. Each song has individual character and atmosphere and you simply cannot pick highlights, the consistency is so unrelenting. On one listen ‘A World Of Fire And Brimstone’ with its distinctive melancholy melodies, enfolding atmosphere of darkness and horror, great bass work, outstanding drumming and howling incursions of lead will seem untouchable. The next, ‘Shallow Grave Overflow’, with Dave Rotten’s inhuman vocals making it one of the grimmest, deadliest offerings on this feast of rancid reanimation will rise to the summit. But in truth, every single song is a triumph, every riff a work of genius, every individual performance a world beater. With colossal immediate impact and the depth and quality to keep you coming back for more, Toxic Noxious Undeath is one of the best real death metal albums you’ll hear all year.

Every aspect of Megascavenger’s return is just right; from the haunting, malignant sound, due in no small part to the mixing and mastering of bassist Johan Berglund at Studio Ulgnor (Coldworker, Axis Of Despair etc) to the apt, grotesque and expertly realised artwork of Lucretia Morti (Avulsed, Putrevore, Ribspreader etc). Toxic Noxious Undeath will be released by Xtreem Music, on CD, 12” LP, cassette and digital formats on August 13th. The Megascavenger is coming for you!

Line-up:

Rogga Johansson – Guitars

Johan Berglund – Bass

Thomas Ohlsson - Drums

Kam Lee – vocals on ‘Graveyard Dreams And Bonehouse Screams’

Felix Stass – vocals on ‘Corpses Below’

Erik Rundqvist – vocals on ‘Exploding Casket Syndrome’

Max Otero – vocals on ‘Heading For The Furnace’

Dave Ingram – vocals on ‘A World Of Fire And Brimstone’

Michael H. Andersen – vocals on ‘Fleshburner Yearner’

Jan Bergmann Jepsen – vocals on ‘As Purgatory Ascends’

Silvester Koorevaar – vocals on ‘Toxic Noxious Undeath’

Dave Rotten – vocals on ‘Shallow Grave Overflow’

Peter Svensson – vocals on ‘The Morbid Rides Again’

Genre: Death Metal

For fans of: Paganizer | Entombed | Ribspreader | Massacre

Further Information:

https://www.facebook.com/megascavenger

https://www.xtreemmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/rogga.johansson