FOREIGNER, one of rock’s most celebrated bands, announces FOREIGNER UNPLUGGED, a four-show European tour that will bring the band’s catalogue of top ten songs to audiences in a rare, stripped-down acoustic setting. The FOREIGNER fan pre-sale begins Monday, September 7 at 10:00 AM local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, September 9 at 10:00 AM local time.
Set for April 2027, the intimate run will feature a lineup of Luis Carlos Maldonado, Jeff Pilson, Bruce Watson and Michael Bluestein, reimagining FOREIGNER’s biggest hits acoustically and offering fans an entirely new way to experience some of rock music’s most enduring songs.
The tour will visit four of Europe’s most well-known venues, beginning April 12 at Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre, followed by the London Palladium on April 14, Paris’ L’Olympia on April 16 and Vienna’s Globe Theatre on April 18.
With a catalog that includes timeless anthems such as “I Want To Know What Love Is,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Urgent” and “Feels Like The First Time,” FOREIGNER UNPLUGGED will showcase these songs with the melodies, musicianship and vocals at the forefront, in an up-close setting rarely experienced by fans.
British singer-songwriter Billy Lockett will join FOREIGNER as special guest in Dublin, London and Paris.
FOREIGNER UNPLUGGED – APRIL 2027
April 12 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre April 14 – London, England – London Palladium April 16 – Paris, France – L’Olympia April 18 – Vienna, Austria – Globe Vien
With more Top 10 hits than Journey and as many as Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner ranks prominently across categories in Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time” list. At times, the band’s weekly catalogue sales have surpassed those of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Def Leppard, VanHalen, and Aerosmith (Source: Nielsen SoundScan). With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, Foreigner is widely recognized as one of the most popular rock acts in the world, boasting a powerful catalogue that continues to drive sold-out tours and total sales exceeding 80 million records. The band is responsible for some of rock’s most enduring anthems, including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” and “Long, Long Way From Home.” Their worldwide #1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” is also part of Spotify’s exclusive Billions Club. 50 years into their career, Foreigner remains a major presence on the charts, with strong airplay and continued Billboard album success. Their catalogue sales recently ranked them among the Top 40 Best-Selling Music Artists of All Time, according to Business Insider.
Southern Californian blues rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck are pleased to announce the September 4th release of a new radio edit of their single “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” ahead of their October 2026 UK Tour with special guests These Wicked Rivers.
Stream the single on Spotify HERE. Watch the official music video on YouTube HERE.
Tickets for the UK tour are available from alttickets, robertjonandthewreck, The Gig Cartel, and Gigantic. Dates include Cambridge Junction (October 2), Nottingham, Rock City (October 3), Liverpool, O2 Academy 2 (October 4), Bristol, Trinity (October 6) Leeds, Project House (October 7) and Oxford O2 Academy (October 8).
The announcement follows the release of Robert Jon & The Wreck’s album, Wreckage Vol. 3 which features the full-length version of “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” Wreckage Vol. 3 is available on CD, vinyl, and digital HERE.
“Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” originated from a writing session between Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar) and Henry James (lead guitar), which began with Henry bringing in the heavy riff and the song’s main chorus line. For the lyrics the band ran with the idea of what those words meant to them, thinking about how people can promise things in life, but often their actions don’t line up with their words.
Produced by Robert Jon & the Wreck, “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” is a heavy, riff-based anthem full of attitude and gritty ‘90s grunge influences. The band recorded the track in the fall of 2025 at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Studio 2, which is widely known in the music industry as The Van Halen Room.
Says Henry, “Self-produced by the band, the session was engineered and mixed by my good friend Chad Gordon, with whom I also recorded my very first album with my very first band many years ago. We haven’t worked together since that time, and since then we’ve both grown a lot, so it was great to reunite.”
“The song originated at an acoustic writing session at my apartment between myself and Robert,” recalls Henry. “I’d been playing with the idea for the chorus, and I already had a complete vision of the heavy main riff, melody, lyrics and general groove.”
“The main lyric is a call to action, that specifically refers to the phenomenon in which peoples’ actions don’t align with their words. It could be directed at society and the political climate we’re living in, just as much as it could be directed at myself or any individual, really.”
Continues Henry, “Robert and I became excited about the song, so he wrote some lines for the verse, and we brought it to the band at the next rehearsal, where it came together effortlessly. There was a youthful fervour and excitement that the song was bringing out of us. It felt different from the rest of our back catalogue.”
“Everyone in the band comes from different worlds musically, and this was something that seemed call upon some heavy ‘90s riff rock, with plenty of punk, grunge and even some metal influences. We also experimented with a lot of new sonic textures that we’ve never used in this band. It was a refreshing experience.”
Wreckage Vol. 3 features a collection of rarities, fan favourites, and standout tracks that showcases the band’s signature Southern rock sound. It documents one of the busiest creative stretches of the Wreck’s career and continues the momentum generated by recent single releases including “Run Back To Me” and “Arroyo.”
Says, Henry, “Wreckage Vol. 3 is a compilation album made up of additional singles dating back to sessions for the Red Moon Risingalbum in 2023. About half of the tracks were produced byKevin Shirley (Joanne Shaw Taylor, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart), with the remainder self-produced by the band.
“Most of these songs are stand-alone singles,” adds Henry. “We are proud of how a lot of these songs turned out and wanted to give them a home so our fans could own the songs as physical media, be it a vinyl or CD.”
The collection also follows the release of the band’s acclaimed 2025 studio album Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes, produced by Grammy-winner Dave Cobb. The record earned widespread praise for its blend of raw storytelling, muscular grooves, and lived-in performances. Classic Rock magazine called it “their most accomplished work to date.”
Hailing from Southern California, Robert Jon & The Wreck take the Southern rock sound from the East Coast and make it their own. Since their inception in 2011, these native Californians featuring Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, background vocals), Henry James (lead guitar, background vocals), Warren Murrel (bass), and Jake Abernathie (keyboards), have been electrifying audiences all over the world with their soaring guitar leads, rich vocal harmonies, and memorable tunes.
As Robert Jon & The Wreck prepares to embark on the next chapter of their career, fans old and new are invited to join in the celebration of change, rebirth, and the relentless spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. Stay tuned for continued updates.
October 2 – Cambridge, UK – Cambridge Junction October 3 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City October 4 – Liverpool, UK – 02 Academy Liverpool October 6 – Bristol, UK – Trinity Centre October 7 – Leeds, UK – Project House October 8 – Oxford, UK – 02 Academy Oxford October 9 – Weert, NL – De Bosuil October 10 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Vredenburg October 11 – Dortmund, DE – Musiktheater Piano October 12 – Nuremberg, DE – Hirsch October 14 – Hannover, DE – Blues Garage October 15 – Aschaffenburg, DE – Colos-Saal October 16 – Lossnitz, DE – Zur Linde October 17 – Seewen, CH – Gaswerk Eventbar October 18 – Seon, CH – Konservi Seon October 19 – Rubigen, CH – Muhle Hunziken October 21 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR – La Cooperative De Mai October 22 – La Roche-Sur-Yon FR – Quai M October 23 – Penmarch, FR – Salle Cap Caval October 24 – Cleon, FR – La Traverse October 25 – Lille, FR – Le Splendid October 28 – Verviers,BE – Spirit of 66
Dec 4-8 – Cancun, Mexico – High Tide Getaway 2026
ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – BIOGRAPHY
Reigning from southern California, Robert Jon & The Wreck have been taking the southern rock sound established on the east coast and bringing it to the West Coast.
Since their inception in 2011, these five native Californian’s; Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, background vocals), Henry Schneekluth (lead guitar, background vocals), Warren Murrel (bass), and Jake Abernathie (keyboards), have been electrifying audiences globally with their soaring guitar leads, infectious grooves and rich vocal harmonies.
With yearly European tours now becoming an integral part of their touring regiment, Robert Jon & The Wreck found their flow being on the road most of the year, returning to California and prolifically pumping out new material.
Their sixth studio album, the critically acclaimed Shine a Light on Me Brother, was released in 2021. On September 30, 2022, The Wreck released Wreckage Vol. 2, a collection of exclusive in-studio and live concert performances recorded from 2020 – 2022 on Joe Bonamassa’s KTBA Records. On August 4, 2023, the band released the album Ride into The Light via Journeyman Records to critical acclaim.
On June 28, 2024, the band released their album Red Moon Rising featuring the singles Ballad of A “Broken Hearted Man,” “Stone Cold Killer,” and title track “Red Moon Rising.”
On August 22, 2025, the band released their critically acclaimed ninth album Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes produced by Grammy-award winning producer Dave Cobb. The album features the singles “Ashes in the Snow,” Highway, “Better of Me,” and many more.
On Friday May 1, 2026, RJTW released the single “Arroyo” taken from their new album Wreckage Vol. 3.
On Friday September 4, the band will release a radio edit of their latest single “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” (the full-length version of the song is featured on the album Wreckage Vol. 3).
Northern Irish Pagan Metal pioneers WAYLANDER will release their new album, “Mac Tíre – Son of the Land“, on November 6th, 2026 via Rockshots Records. The band introduces the record with its first single, “Macha”, accompanied by an official music video. For fans of Skyclad, Eluveitie and Korpiklaani.
More than three decades after their formation in Northern Ireland, WAYLANDER return with “Mac Tíre – Son of the Land“, a nine-track album rooted in the landscapes, mythology and cultural heritage of Ireland. The record continues the path the band has followed since the early 1990s, combining extreme metal with traditional Irish instrumentation and Pagan themes.
While “Mac Tíre – Son of the Land” is not a concept album in the same way as its predecessor, “Ériú’s Wheel“, its songs share a strong connection with the land and the stories embedded within it. The title itself reflects this relationship: Mac Tíre, literally “son of the land”, is the Irish term for the wolf, an animal closely connected with Ireland’s natural past.
Musically, the album represents a natural evolution of WAYLANDER’s established sound, retaining the balance between metal aggression and traditional Irish elements that has defined the band throughout its career.
The first single, “Macha”, is dedicated to the ancient Goddess whose connection to WAYLANDER is both mythological and deeply personal. “Macha” is associated with the area the band calls home: both Ard Chieftain O’Hagan’s hometown and the county from which WAYLANDER originates bear her name.
“Macha is the Goddess of the area where we live. My hometown and the county where we’re from are both named after Macha. The time felt right to celebrate her in song, and we believe we have written a song worthy of her,” says Ard Chieftain O’Hagan
For WAYLANDER, mythology is not simply material drawn from a distant past but something that remains present in the landscapes, place names and traditions surrounding them. “Macha” reflects that relationship while providing the first introduction to the themes running through “Mac Tíre – Son of the Land“.
Formed in Northern Ireland in 1993, WAYLANDER were among the early bands to combine extreme metal with traditional Irish music and Pagan themes, developing their approach before Folk and Pagan Metal became established movements within the international metal scene. Whistles, Irish bouzouki, bodhrán, and Uilleann pipes remain integral elements of the band’s musical identity.
Track Listing: 1. When The Land Speaks – 4:12 2. Macha – 5:28 3. Ages of Éireann – 5:50 4. Hy Brasil (Isle of Mists) – 5:47 5. Sliabh Gullion – 6:16 6. Our Once Wooded Isle – 6:44 7. Mallachtaí – 4:52 8. Signs and Symbols – 6:22 9. She of the Sorrows – 7:58 Album Length: 51:29
WAYLANDER is: Ard Chieftain O’Hagan: Vocals Tor Dennison: Electric Guitars Connor Murray: Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals Lee McCartney: Drums and Percussion Dave Briggs: Whistles, Irish Bouzouki, Bodhran, Uilleann Pipes, Backing Vocals Saul McMichael: Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals Guest Musicians John Ryan: Fiddle, Cello Lily Maria: Voice of Deirdre Nicole Quinn: Additional Voicing
Swedish modern melodic metal frontrunners METALITE have unleashed a visualizer video for their brand-new single “The Metal Elite,” another electrifying taste of their highly anticipated studio album Discovery, set for release on September 25 via PERCEPTION – Powered by Reigning Phoenix Music.
The new single captures METALITE at full intensity: Powerful, energetic and made to connect with a crowd, the track channels the adrenaline of a live show into an unapologetic celebration of metal and the bond between band and fans.
Guitarist, producer, songwriter and founder Edwin Premberg comments:
“The Metal Elite is all about stepping on stage and giving everything you’ve got, like it’s the last day of your life. It’s about that raw energy, the connection with the crowd, and delivering every note with full intensity. No holding back, just pure, unstoppable metal.”
Mixed and mastered by acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Evergrey, Amaranthe), their new album Discovery pushes METALITE’s futuristic vision further than ever before. Across twelve dynamic tracks, the album explores themes of human evolution, technology, survival, liberation and hope in a universe shaped by digital realities and cosmic exploration in the year of 2058, three years after humanity left a collapsing Earth in search of a new beginning.
Building upon the sonic worlds established on Heroes in Time (2017), Biomechanicals (2019), A Virtual World (2021) and Expedition One (2024), the band once again proves why they are regarded as pioneers of modern sci-fi-inspired melodic metal!
Founded in 2015 by guitarist Edwin Premberg, METALITE quickly gained recognition with their debut album Heroes in Time, establishing a fresh and modern approach to melodic metal. In 2019, vocalist Erica Ohlsson joined the band for Biomechanicals, helping elevate the group’s futuristic identity through an even more refined blend of electronic textures and melodic power metal. Their evolution continued with A Virtual World and reached new conceptual heights with Expedition One, a visionary sci-fi journey set in the year 2055.
In 2024, drummer Erik Junttila joined METALITE, bringing renewed energy and precision to the band’s explosive live and studio performances. Following his debut live appearance in Linköping in early 2025, the band continued touring extensively alongside acts such as Pain, Leaves’ Eyes, and The Night Flight Orchestra, while also appearing at major festivals including Sweden Rock Festival and Masters of Rock.
With millions of streams worldwide and a rapidly growing international fanbase, METALITE continues redefining the future of melodic metal. Discovery is bold, emotional, futuristic, and unapologetically ambitious: a powerful statement of innovation, exploration, and the limitless possibilities of modern power metal!
METALITE is: Erica Ohlsson – Vocals Edwin Premberg – Guitar / Additional Vocals / Programming Robert Örnesved – Guitar Erik Junttila Johansson – Drums Robert Majd – Bass
Today is the release of the highly acclaimed new album “Roede voor de Borst” by the Dutch quintet VANAHEIM. This album represents the next level of VANAHEIM and a new level of epic folk metal.
“It’s an international-calibre release“, tells White Room Reviews (NL), adding: “There are moments in music when you can win people over to a genre. This can be achieved simply through a great piece of music, a great production and a compelling theme. With ‘Roede Voor De Borst’, Vanaheim effortlessly ticks all of those boxes.”
Metalhead New Stuff (GER) say: “Vanaheim have created an exceptionally mature, narratively cohesive folk/melodic death metal album that cements their position among the top folk metal bands.”ROCK TRIBUNE (BE) sums it up: “A must-have for pagan/folk metal fans!”
To celebrate the album release, VANAHEIM created a very special video visualizer for the song “Kroos en Slijk”.
“”Kroos en Slijk” (English: Duckweed and Muck) tells the haunting tale of a person dealing with a sudden, agonizing loss. The death of a good, old friend, though inexplicable, aligns with the eerie events plaguing the village. Lured by a will-o’-the-wisp, the loved one was drawn into the lake and drowned by spirits. As the miller struggles to bear the weight of these escalating horrors, grief begins to warp his reality. His friend, consumed by the depths, is reshaped into a flickering flame. It’s a grim warning to the living: do not follow the lights. Burdened by death, alluring whispers and sinister phenomena in and around the mill, he starts questioning if he isn’t drowning in his own delusions. Faced with a choice between hollow isolation and a lethal hunt for the truth, the miller’s decision is easily made: since no one is born to live forever, he refuses to wait for death’s embrace”, explains the band and adds:
“”Kroos en Slijk” is special to us because it brings together a lot of what we’ve learned on stage over the years. While performing “Een Verloren Verhaal”, we discovered our love for slower, heavier tracks, but also grew attached to high energy party songs like “The Dwarven Chant” and “Onbevangen”. This song feels like the place where those worlds meet. With this combination, we aim to move rooms and festival crowds in a way we haven’t before. The contrast between dark lyrics and melodic music feels natural to us, a reminder that light and shadow move together. Even in heaviness there is joy, and in chaos there is rhythm. This song is an invitation to let everything go and move as one.”
Vanaheim, an international storytelling caravan, has its roots in the land of the far sight, namely the Netherlands, in the city of Tilburg. Since their founding in 2015, the quintet has been on an everlasting journey through foreign lands, to spread folktales of their own.
Already, since the first two self-released outputs, an EP in 2017 (“The House Spirit“) and an LP in 2022 (“Een Verloren Verhaal”), all eyes and ears of the scene were directed on Vanaheim. Counting as the candidate for bringing back the golden era of folk metal and for returning the genre to the glory that it once had. “Een Verloren Verhaal” struck the scene like a meteor and was often highlighted by the metal press as album of the year 2022.
2023 to 2025, the hype around the band lifted them onto stages of major festivals in Europe, like Graspop Metal Meeting (BE), Wacken Open Air (DE), Wave Gotik Treffen (DE), Milagre Metaleiro (PT) and enabled them to widen their audience while touring with genre veterans like Manntra, Heidevolk, Ensiferum and playing support shows for Alestorm and Equilibrium.
Vanaheim paved their way into the heart of the scene and are ready to take the next big step. In the continuation of their success, the band signed a record deal with Fireflash Records, teamed up with MasterMoldMusic as their management team and found a trustful partner in RTN Touring for booking endeavors.
In September 2026, Vanaheim will release their highly anticipated follow-up concept album, which carries the name “Roede voor de Borst” together with a new band design and lyrics that tell a tragic, emotional but engaging story. The new album features top musicians like Coen Janssen of Epica and Nils Fischer of Eluveitie, who enhanced the band’s sound with their performances on all new tracks. The Dutch luminary of all things symphonic and melodic metal, aka Joost van den Broek produced, recorded and mixed the album before it was mastered by Finnish mastering legend Mika Jussila in Helsinki.
“Roede voor de Borst” involves the listener in an immersive storyline about regrets, despair, hope and salvation. A musical journey full of surprises coated by a Dutch 19th century setting that pulls you deep into a book of untold legends. The Dutch vocals award these songs with an emotional honesty which leads every sung word directly under your skin. With a rousing mix of symphonic heaviness, elegant folk-inspired melodies and grounding death metal riffs, “Roede voor de Borst” represents the next level of Vanaheim and a new level of epic folk metal.
Valhalla Calling European tour dates: 24.11 | SE | Malmö | Babel 25.11 | DK | Aarhus | Voxhall 26.11 | DE | Bochum | Matrix 27.11 | DE | Regensburg | Eventhall Airport 28.11 | CZ | Zlin | Masters Of Rock Café 29.11 | DE | Leipzig | Hellraiser 01.12 | DE | Saarbrücken | Garage 02.12 | AT | Wörgl | Komma 03.12 | DE | Berlin | Musik Brauerei 04.12 | NL | Drachten | Iduna 05.12 | BE | Brugge | Het Entrepot 06.12 | NL | Uden | De Pul 07.12 | DE | Stuttgart | Im Wizemann 09.12 | AT | Vienna | Viper Room 10.12 | DE | Weinheim | Cafe Central 11.12 | DE | Geiselwind | Strohofer 12.12 | CH | Pratteln | Z7 13.12 | IT | Milan | Legend Club 14.12 | HR | Zagreb | Boogaloo 15.12 | HU | Budapest | Barba Negra 16.12 | PL | Krakow | Hype Park 17.12 | PL | Warsaw | Proxima 18.12 | LV | Riga | Melna Piektdiena 19.12 | EE | Tallinn | Helitehas 20.12 | FI | Helsinki | Ääniwalli
VANAHEIM is: Zino van Leerdam – Vocals Michael van Eck – Guitar Mike Seidel – Bass Rikke Linssen – Violin Bram Trommelen – Drums
Epictronic is proud to present the new music video from modern rock band Muddshovel for “Third Time Today,” taken from their latest album Little White Hair, out now via Epictronic.
“Third Time Today” tells a story where folklore, disbelief, and real-life experience collide. Inspired by songwriter Shawn Hicks’ move to Ireland, the song recalls a series of unsettling events that began after the trimming of a solitary tree — a “lone tree” believed to carry a significance rooted in local folklore.
What followed was difficult to explain. Crows began attacking the house, and the strange events continued until a friend suggested that the only way forward was to make peace with them.
“The story is true. Crows really did start attacking our house, and it was only when a friend suggested that making peace with the crows was the only way to get them to move on. Good thing I didn’t cut that lone tree down.”
Muddshovel are a three-piece alternative rock band hailing from the heart of Cavan, Ireland. Blending raw guitar-driven energy with haunting melodies and intense lyricism, they craft a sound that feels both deeply familiar and completely their own. With influences ranging from grunge and post-punk to modern alt-rock, mudd·shovel deliver songs that hit hard and stay with you.
Formed out of a shared obsession with the dirtier side of rock and an instinct for storytelling, mudd·shovel isn’t just a name-it’s a reflection of their sound: heavy, honest, and unapologetically grounded. Whether on stage or in the studio, the trio brings an intensity that punches above their weight. With their debut album “Little White Hair”, mudd·shovel are carving out their space in Ireland’s underground rock scene, one riff at a time.
Muddshovel’s unique “alchemy” is driven by the tight-knit synergy of Shawn Hicks (Guitar/Vocals), Garreth Tackney (Bass/Production), and David Mulligan (Drums). Together, they have crafted a sound that feels both nostalgic for the golden era of alt-rock and fiercely contemporary.
“Little White Hair” album is available to stream and purchase now: orcd.co/lwhalbum
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 