Before stepping into the “Forest of Forgetting”, we sat down with Johanna Kurkela, the voice and heart behind Eye Of Melian. Born from a shared love of Tolkien, fantasy, and cinematic storytelling, the project she created together with Martijn Westerholt (Delain) feels less like a band and more like a living world. With their new album “Forest of Forgetting” arriving on February 20, 2026 via Napalm Records, Johanna opened up about kindred spirits, creative freedom, time pressure, guest collaborators, and why this music feels like home. What started as a conversation about a new release quickly turned into a deeper journey through imagination, intuition, and the magic that happens when art is allowed to breathe.
We sat down with Avatar frontman Johannes Eckerström to talk about the band’s upcoming album “Don’t Go In The Forest”, but the moment the mics were on, the conversation spiraled into something far deeper. What began as a chat about new music turned into an intense, thoughtful journey through darkness, mortality, feminism and what heavy metal really does to the human mind. Johannes spoke with rare honesty and sharp, poetic insight, peeling back layers of his writing process and worldview until we found ourselves deep in the forest with him, following his lead, the light between the trees.
At Hellsinki Metal Festival, we sat down with Germain Bodeus (bass) and Griska Lutgen (pitched vocals) of Brutal Sphincter — a band that proves grindcore can be chaotic, clever, political, joyful, and completely unhinged all at once. Between jokes about song titles, deep dives into conspiracy theories, and the art of vibing instead of “acting angry,” the duo gave us a brutally honest look at how their sound is evolving and why chaos on stage is absolutely essential. Buckle up — this one’s as wild as their live show.
Before tearing up the stage at Hellsinki Metal Festival, we sat down with none other than Dino Cazares, the legendary guitarist and founding member of Fear Factory. With more than three decades of trailblazing influence behind him, Dino opened up about the band’s legacy, their pioneering use of technology in metal, and what success truly means after 33 years of redefining heavy music.
Swedish death metal pioneers Unleashed are back with their 15th album! “Fire Upon Your Lands”, out August 15 via Napalm Records, delivers 11 tracks of battle-forged fury, continuing the saga of “No Sign of Life” in the World of Odalheim. In our interview, frontman Johnny Hedlund told us that after 35 years, the band’s vision remains steadfast.
MyTouché Blog 