Metal Contraband News For May 12th, 2026:
This week in Metal Contraband:
Dragonforce has just entered their next era with the announcement of Alissa White-Gluz taking her spot as the band’s newest vocalist and first frontwoman. She just made her Dragonforce debut this past weekend at Welcome to Rockville, with another show to come on Sunday, May 17th at Sonic Temple. Herman Li says of the lineup addition, “Alissa joining the band is an expansion of everything we’ve done up to this point. Twenty years is a long time to do anything, let alone survive the music industry and still be so inspired to continue doing what we love. Together we will honor what made Inhuman Rampage matter, while showing people exactly where we’re going next. Having Alissa in the room changes everything. She doesn’t just sing, she makes all aspects of our music better. And she sounds incredible live! I can’t wait for the fans to see her and hear what we have been working on”. Alissa says, “I am beyond excited to be bringing such iconic music to life with these amazingly skilled musicians in such a fun and inspiring environment. It feels great to showcase all the colors of my voice and utilize all my singing styles in technically challenging, deeply energizing, highly addictive songs. I am so thankful for the amazing support I have been lucky enough to receive from the metal world over this wild career I’ve built; I want to keep pushing my boundaries and delivering exceptional music and live experiences to the fans that I cherish so much”. Check out the music video for “Burning Heart” here: https://youtu.be/y0Th1P3ef5o?si=3ScOqDNOORwjn7hH.
Evergrey is getting ready for Architects of a New Weave, their album set for June 5th on Napalm Records. In the meantime, you can check out “Leaving The Emptiness” with a music video here: https://youtu.be/gPdXhOSsT_o?si=Y8vhH_pJU3TIQzBU. Tom S. Englund says of the track, “Our new single is a high-energy firecracker that makes you want to jump—we know, because we just played it in Brazil twice and people were more in the air than on the ground. But don’t let the adrenaline fool you. Underneath the surge is something rawer—a song about the moment you stop running from what hurts and finally turn to face it. ‘Leaving The Emptiness’ hits hard because it earns it. The tension between the euphoric, major-key drive and the weight of the lyrics is completely intentional—we want you to feel joy and ache at the same time, because that’s what it actually feels like to face your demons and come out the other side. We also made a video that matches that energy in every way, and we genuinely cannot wait for you to see it. If you’ve ever stood in a crowd and felt the music pull something out of you that you didn’t know was still there – for us, this is that song”. Evergrey will appear as Hammerfall’s special guest on the Freedom World Crusade tour this summer. For all the dates and details, head to: https://evergrey.net/.
Flotsam and Jetsam is heading to the release of Rats In The Temple, set for August 28th via Napalm Records. Frontman Eric A.K. Knutson says, “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date!! Do yourself a favor. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!!!” Keep an eye out for updates on the album and any singles via: https://napalmrecords.us/collections/flotsam-and-jetsam.
Lovebites recently released their 5th album, Outstanding Power to the world on May 8th via Napalm Records. Check out the music video for “Reaper’s Lullaby” here: https://youtu.be/YxM63Bcmyr8?si=W9L6Qr9XNg6xdB__. The band says, “While our music is fundamentally rooted in power metal, we embrace a wide range of musical styles. Among them, ‘Reaper’s Lullaby’ can be described as a fast and brutal track at 240 BPM, featuring tremolo riffs that convey a cold, chilling atmosphere and distill one of the most aggressive facets of Lovebites‘ musical identity. The music video also stays true to the song’s image, depicting us performing within a circle formed by candles, resulting in a dark visual presentation that differs from previous Lovebites music videos. We invite you to fully experience the dark side of Lovebites”. For more on the band, head to: https://lovebites.jp/.
Lex Legion is a supergroup project featuring members of the classic King Diamond lineup – Mikkey Dee, Andy La Rocque, Pete Blakk, and Hal Patino – alongside vocalist Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind). They recently unleashed their first single, “Sleep Eternally” (https://youtu.be/8QhmkfLI1bA?si=2l4SpC0_SV80kMDi), and this week, they’re following it up with the second, “Gypsy Tears”: https://youtu.be/L0CuHWB_0Zw?si=S4Uy3YrBedXfp2r-. Lex Legion’s self-titled debut will be out on June 12th via MNRK Music Group. Follow the band via: https://lexlegionofficial.com/.
Chart Editor: Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing Ltd.
Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci
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