Metal Contraband News For December 9th, 2025:
This week in Metal Contraband:
It’s time once again for Metal Contraband to go on our annual break for the holidays. The year-end charts have been posted and we’ve seen some great releases in 2025.
We had a great time covering some epic events this year, seeing both new and familiar faces (you can see many of them on the Metal Contraband Galleries page!) at the Metal Hall of Fame, NAMM, Happens, Inferno Festival & Music Conference in Norway, Rock for Ronnie, and Bowl for Ronnie!
2025 featured memorable releases hitting the charts, including new album drops from classic icons like Doro, Yngwie Malmsteen, Helloween, and Amorphis; modern favorites like Meshuggah, Epica, Arch Enemy, Lorna Shore, and Alien Weaponry; new music from bands we’ve been missing for a while, like Biohazard and The Haunted; and names consistently on the rise like Deadlands, Chained Saint, Living Dead Girl, Tallah, Raven Black, Andry, plus so many more.
This year’s Q&A section featured artists: Doro, Yngwie Malmsteen, Marco Aro (The Haunted), Kasey Karlsen (Deadlands), Ben Lumber (Acres), Larissa Vale (Black Satellite), Tim Williams (Rollin’ Coffin), and more.
Most recently, Metal Contraband covered the red carpet at Bowl For Ronnie 2025, featuring interviews with: Wendy Dio, Geezer Butler, Jeff Pilson, Michael Sweet, Simon Wright, Yächtley Crëw, Matt Starr, Regina Banali, George Thorogood, Marc Ferrari, Carolina Chase, Bjorn Englen and Rob Math, Doug Aldrich, Ira Black, Sebastian Bach, Rita Haney, Riki Rachtman, Taime Downe, Gilby Clarke, and Brian Tichy.
Looking toward 2026, the next Metal Hall of Fame has already been announced with a Sunset Strip Takeover Blowout Bash on Wednesday, January 21st – find more info at: https://metalhalloffame.org/metal-hall-of-fame-takes-over-the-sunset-strip-for-2026/. Happens registration is also open, with details here: https://happens.vip/registration/.
Many thanks to everyone who continues to support Metal Contraband and Skateboard Marketing year after year. Keep an eye out for a new editorial when we return in early January. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, enjoy the holiday season, and Happy New Year! See you again in 2026! \m/
Chart Editor: Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing Ltd.
Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci
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