Pulse Records

The legendary MANGUALDE HARDMETALFEST returns on January 10th, 2026 for its 31st edition, reclaiming its throne as the oldest and most enduring metal festival in the Iberian Peninsula. Held again at the iconic Centro Recreativo e Cultural Santo André in Mangualde, the event continues its tradition of opening the metal calendar with a full day of underground fury and international heavyweights. This year’s edition brings a powerful and diverse lineup. Making their long-awaited debut in Portugal are Swedish death/thrash masters THE CROWN , expected to deliver a set packed with energy and material tied to their celebrated era around “Crown of Thorns” . Black/thrash veterans DESTRÖYER 666 join the bill with their signature ferocious assault, while German titans DARKNESS and WARRANT bring classic European thrash fire to the stage. The festival further expands with Swedish doom-driven force DOOMHERRE , NWOBHM survivors TYSONDOG , and one of today’s leading female-fronted b...

⛤ Death Metal | 12.25€ (Mint) ⛤ Pulse Rating: 8 / 10 🛒 Check this item in stock 📧 Order Now There’s death metal that nods to the past, and then there’s death metal that feels like it crawled straight out of it, still dripping with filth. ASCENDED DEAD sit firmly in the latter camp, and Arcane Malevolence remains one of the most savage and uncompromising statements of their early years. Originally recorded between late 2013 and early 2014 and first released as a 7” by BLOOD HARVEST RECORDS , this EP captures the band at their most feral. No polish, no modern death metal sheen — just raw, violent riffs tearing forward with absolute intent. The 2022 white cassette reissue preserves that ugliness perfectly, making this a mandatory format for anyone who understands how this kind of death metal should be consumed. The title track Arcane Malevolence wastes no time dragging you into a vortex of chromatic riffs and dry, howling vocals. There’s a primal aggress...

The organizers of MIDSUMMER PROG FESTIVAL have officially revealed the complete line-up for the 2026 edition, once again turning Maastricht, The Netherlands, into a mandatory pilgrimage point for progressive rock and metal devotees. Set to take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 & 21, 2026, the festival will be headlined by GEOFF TATE on Day 1 and TESSERACT on Day 2. Tate’s appearance is especially notable, as he will be performing Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety, alongside additional material — a true collector’s dream for fans of progressive metal history. The road to this announcement wasn’t entirely smooth. Landing TESSERACT meant shifting the festival by one day, but the result is a carefully curated weekend that reflects the organizers’ dedication to quality over compromise. There are also plans in motion for a special pre-festival concert evening on Friday, intended as a warm-up celebration rather than a full festival day. The full confirmed li...

With chainsaw precision and a deep love for cinematic horror, NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS rise again with a vicious new single titled "Hungry For Brains" , lifted from their forthcoming EP "Zombie Blood Nightmare" , set for release on February 20, 2026. A thrashy, smash-and-grab assault, "Hungry For Brains" hits your head with feral energy and sharp technical intent. Built entirely around the half/whole diminished scale, the track twists and spirals through symmetrical chaos, delivering a sound that feels unstable, ravenous, and constantly on the brink of collapse. Guitar fanatics will immediately lock onto the blistering solo work courtesy of guest shredder JAMES NORTON , a former college roommate of guitarist MIKE . His lead break injects a dose of unhinged flair, elevating the track into true horror-thrash territory and underlining the band’s technical chops. Lyrically, "Hungry For Brains" dives headfirst into zombie carnag...

The first confirmed lineup for the 2026 edition of EVILLIVE FESTIVAL has been officially announced, once again placing Portugal firmly on the European heavy music map. The festival returns with a strong and diverse initial bill that spans multiple generations and styles of heavy sound. Leading this first wave is industrial metal icon MARILYN MANSON , whose legacy and influence remain deeply ingrained in modern heavy music culture. Also confirmed are progressive and sludge metal heavyweights MASTODON , bringing their unmistakable mix of technical precision, atmosphere, and crushing weight to the festival stage. Expanding the stylistic scope even further, the lineup also includes Dutch atmospheric pioneers THE GATHERING , whose influential catalog continues to resonate across alternative, progressive, and metal scenes. Rounding out the first announcements is Swedish outfit IMMINENCE , known for blending modern metal intensity with cinematic and melodic elements. With t...

⛤ Classic Rock | 7.50€ (Mint) ⛤ Pulse Rating: 8.5 / 10 🛒 Check this item in stock 📧 Order Now Some albums hit you instantly. Others grow with time. "White Bird / Burn The Sky" by PALACE OF THE KING does both — and that’s rare as hell. From the very first spin, this debut feels like it was made by a band that’s been grinding it out for decades, not a hungry young act announcing themselves to the world. This record is pure, unapologetic rock’n’roll — soaked in blues, drenched in soul, and dusted with that late-60s / early-70s psychedelic swagger that modern bands usually fake. These guys don’t fake anything. The riffs are huge, the grooves breathe, and the songs actually live instead of just passing by. "Take Your Medicine" kicks the door wide open with swagger and confidence, setting the tone immediately. From there, tracks like " No Chance In Hell " and " Another Thing Coming" roll on with funk-laced grit ...

The German blackened death metal force BLOODRED have returned from the shadows with a brand-new full-length studio assault titled “Colours Of Pain” , set for release on February 13th, 2026 through MASSACRE RECORDS . After several years of silence, the band now erupts with the first single: the crushing, emotionally charged title track “Colours Of Pain” , accompanied by an official music video. Musically, the new song channels everything that defines BLOODRED — ferocious blasts, punishing mid-tempo weight, and a storm of bleak melody swirling through its blackened death metal core. The music video, directed and produced by Alexander Krull , heightens the emotional impact, pushing the track’s themes into a stark, cinematic descent. Krull also handled production, mixing, and mastering for the upcoming album at Mastersound Studio , shaping the record into an aggressive and atmospheric powerhouse. Visually, “Colours Of Pain” is reinforced by artwork from Stefan Heilemann , w...

From the filthy, corpse-cold depths of the Spanish underground comes a brand-new Death Metal entity built by none other than ATARAXY ’s own Santiago Cavero . Under the name HATING LIFE , this two-man force spits out a barrage of HATING LIFE driven decay, carving out a debut that reeks of the old school while still ripping with fresh, unhinged spite. Their first offering, the “Revenge From Beyond” EP, lands on February 27th, 2026 across CD, LP, and digital formats through PULVERISED RECORDS . Composed of six tracks, “Revenge From Beyond” is pure, primal Death Metal — ugly, unpolished, and soaked in the grave-soil atmosphere that defined the earliest era of the genre. This is the sound of haunted crypts, rotting tombs, and riffs sculpted at the altar of the Sunlight Studio chainsaw. With cover art by Finnish illustrator Luxi Lahtinen (known for work with CONVULSE , INCANTATION , GALVANIZER , etc.), the EP fully commits to a death-worship aesthetic that feels brutally sinc...

The newest Slow Down Prices batch is live — twenty handpicked titles across metal, rock, punk, and the underground fringes. Perfect chance to fill gaps in the shelves, discover something new, or grab that record you've hovered over more than once. All items are priced to move and available in very limited quantities. First come, first served — when they're gone, they're gone. Item Format Price Condition Order U2 – Boy (1980 CD, Album, Reissue) CD 6.00€ NM Order Saxon – Beast Of Rock (2001 CD, Compilation, Unofficial Release) CD 4.00€ VG+ Order Deathgod Luciferi – Raw Black Metal Destruction (2022 Black Cassette, Album, Limited Edition) Cassette 5.90€ Mint Order GB Arts – Return To Forever (1998 CD, Album) ...

Guitar virtuoso YNGWIE MALMSTEEN has issued a fiery new statement on social media calling out former singers for leveraging his name, album titles, and legacy to help promote their own tours and solo appearances. According to him, several vocalists he previously hired for studio work have been capitalizing on the association by presenting themselves as the “voices” behind his classic releases — a move the guitarist strongly condemns. “So it has come to my attention that these hired and paid singers that I hired for my solo records are all trying to capitalize from my brand,” he wrote, making it clear that performing on his albums does not grant ownership, authorship, or creative legacy. He further emphasized that contributing a vocal line “here and there” does not make someone a songwriter and that these musicians were compensated as work-for-hire performers, just like every other session contributor. The statement appears timed with the announcement of two separate to...

Dutch symphonic metal force WITHIN TEMPTATION have officially kicked off the 25th anniversary celebration of their landmark 2000 album “Mother Earth” with a brand-new reimagined acoustic version of the beloved single “Ice Queen” . First released in 2001, the track became a defining moment in the band’s rise across Europe — and now returns in a stripped, intimate form that places its emotional core front and center. The band describes “Ice Queen (Acoustic)” as a rediscovery of one of their earliest milestones. Removing the symphonic grandeur reveals the song’s haunting melodies and delicate winter atmosphere, led by the unmistakable voice of SHARON DEN ADEL . The result is an atmospheric reinterpretation that feels tailor-made for the colder months, inviting fans to reconnect with the song’s story in a quieter, more personal way. This acoustic release marks the opening chapter of a larger anniversary cycle celebrating “Mother Earth” . Over the next several months, WI...

In a fresh conversation with “Reckless” Rexx Ruger on the Pod Scum podcast, guitarist KIRK WINDSTEIN dropped the clearest update yet on when we might finally hear the new album from DOWN . According to the interview, the band’s next slab of heavy southern catharsis is most likely landing around September 2026 . For fans who’ve been waiting over a decade since the " Down IV" era, this is the closest we’ve been to a real release window. Windstein explained that while the band is deep into writing and recording, timing with their label NUCLEAR BLAST plays a pivotal role. With C.O.C. gearing up to drop their own new album on April 2nd, DOWN simply won’t release anything too close to that date — not out of pressure, but out of respect. “C.O.C. needs to come out and let everybody get blown away for a good bit,” Windstein said. “Then when the water settles a little bit, we give ’em a double whammy and throw out the Down.” It’s classic New Orleans attitude — patie...

Alright, let’s get into it! We're ripping through a killer stack of albums that totally pump us up and shake us to our core. These records ain’t just music; they’re experiences that challenge our souls, tear us apart, or drag us deep into the underground abyss. These quick reviews are our gut reactions to how these albums hit us today, leaving echoes of metal in our bones. Take a read into them one by one, or thrash around through the chaos; each album has its own crazy universe just waiting for you to get lost in. So crank it up, and let the metal take over! \m/ ...