vladPRomotion news/promos: ACHILLES STEEL, ANATHEMMA, MONSTRUM, UNDROWNED, UNKNOWN

Melodic heavymetallers Achilles Steel are
preparing to return to the stage

The band has just published online their first live rehearsals in 38 years. “Rough on the edges” says
the singing bassist Steve Kelley, who recorded the band’s comeback debut album with the help of the
drummer Doug Stevens only, taking care of almost all the guitar parts himself. Logistics aside, they
want to hit the stages as soon as possible in order to promote “Welcome To The War” properly.

Achilles Steel formed in Iowa in 1985 and quickly became a force in the Midwest metal underground.
Through the early ’80s and beyond, the band tore up stages in clubs, theaters and festival lots,
earning a reputation for no-frills, high-energy performances that left crowds buzzing long after the
amps cooled. Every show was loud, fast, and uncompromising—built to be felt as much as heard.
Forged on razor-sharp riffs and a fearless attitude inspired by Metallica, Metal Church and Dokken,
Achilles Steel blended melody and muscle into a sound that was both aggressive and anthemic. Tight
musicianship, soaring leads, and driving rhythms made their live sets unpredictable and explosive,
with the band feeding off the crowd and pushing every song to the edge.
After years apart, Achilles Steel reunited in 2024 with the same fire—and sharper focus.
Instead of chasing trends, the band returned to what made them dangerous in the first place.
Powerful songs, real performances, and heavy metal played with conviction. The result is Welcome
to the War, a back-to-basics assault that channels the spirit of ’80s metal while delivering a modern
punch.
Achilles Steel has created new music with the intensity of veterans who still have something to
prove. Expect biting hooks, crushing rhythms and solos that burn, all delivered with the raw power of
a band that lives for the music.
This is heavy metal with teeth—honest, relentless, and built to hit hard like a snakebite into your
soul.
“Welcome To The War” is out on Stormspell Record on a jewelcase CD.
Oldschool melodic true metal for the fans of MEDIEVAL STEEL, WARLORD, OMEN, VIRGIN STEELE,
SAVATAGE, classic era DOKKEN, etc.

https://stormspell.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-war-cd
https://www.facebook.com/Achillessteel

HIRAX guitarist’s band, LA thrashers
ANATHEMMA announce revamped line-
up

Anathemma emerged from Los Angeles, California, in August 2016, with a
singular goal: to promote unity through raw aggressive thrash metal. Drawing inspiration from
iconic bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Exodus, Testament, and Death, Anathemma
core members Allan Chan (of HIRAX fame; vocals, guitars) and Adrian Tellez (bass, backing
vocals) have crafted a sound that blends speed and intensity.
In 2023, Anathemma independently released its debut full-length album, Bound by the
Wicked, which focused on corruption, malice, and the destructive elements of human nature.
The album showcases Anathemma’s ability to take real world themes and apply them into
music. Anathemma is currently working on their second album, which is scheduled for
release in 2026.

In the meantime, the line-up was adjusted by the accession of Juan Ibarra (guitars)
and Jacob Stockl (drums).

VIDEO:

Over the years, Anathemma has continued to expand on the live circuit. The band has
performed in areas of the United States such as California, Nevada, and Arizona.
Anathemma has shared stages with renowned metal acts including Metal Church, Prong,
Nervosa, and Flotsam and Jetsam. Through a combination of intense live performances,
dedication to their craft, and an unwavering passion for thrash metal, Anathemma continues
to establish itself in today’s metal world.

http://anathemma.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/Anathemma0816
http://www.instagram.com/anathemma0816/
http://anathemma.com/
http://open.spotify.com/artist/1fA0Zce9jzEhOhLVRAngnQ
http://www.tiktok.com/@anathemma
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1dH0hhZThQslgdbILG69Q
http://music.apple.com/artist/anathemma/1674992259

Veteran Polish heavymetallers Monstrum attack with “Pod wiatr”
video

Rzeszów-based oldschool metallers have just released their fifth album “W drugą stronę świata…”
(To The Other Side Of The World), which ended a 13-year long gap after “Czas” (Time).
Lyrically, “Pod wiatr” (“Against The Wind” in Polish) seems an answer to their old song “21.37” they
had written after the demise of Pope John Paul II. There’s a certain ®evolution of the views of the
lyrical subject.

VIDEO LINK:

Monstrum was formed in 1994 and has been active ever since.
Since its inception, it has been creating its own, original, Polish-language repertoire in the broadest
sense of hard rock and heavy metal.
Monstrum has performed hundreds of concerts, both on large outdoor stages, at motorcycle rallies,
and in small clubs. The band has participated in local and national music festivals (winning the 1998
In Dedal Rock Festival), and has performed alongside stars (Sabaton, Tim Ripper Owens, TSA, Kat, and
many, many others). Above all, however, it plays independent concerts, presenting its own original
program, occasionally supplemented with covers of rock classics and more. Monstrum has released 3
demo albums (“1998”, “2002”, “Promo 2011”) and 5 full-length albums: “Za Horyzontem Ciszy”
(2004), “VIII Dzień Tygodnia” (2007), “Imperium Zapomnienia” (2010), “Czas” (2013), “W kontra
strona świata…” (2026) and many music videos available on the band’s official channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@monstrualny

Recording highlights include the band’s appearance on a compilation CD dedicated to the American
band Cirith Ungol (the album was released on vinyl in Western Europe) and the composing and
recording of the anthem for the Stal (then Marma Polskie Folie) Rzeszów speedway team in 2005, for
which a music video was also created.

Since April 2024, the band consists of:
● Mariusz Waltoś – vocals;
● Wacław Dudek – guitar;
● Paweł Guzek – guitar;
● Tomasz Sitek – bass guitar;
● Przemysław Rzeszutek – drums

Their greatest successes include:

performing in front of thousands of people while supporting the band SABATON at Lisia Góra in
Rzeszów
premiering the Speedway Riders’ Hymn at the stadium during a speedway match in front of over
ten thousand fans
performing at the Załęże Prison as part of the inmate rehabilitation program

Most popular music videos:
“Steel Is White and Blue “
“Freedom Taste”
“Szankiel”
and many others, each reaching tens of thousands of views.

https://www.facebook.com/plmonstrum
https://www.instagram.com/zespol.monstrum/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/696yetkdumnIuqmTdsTUi8
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL859FD10F6EB62815

American heavymetallers UNKNOWN present “Graveyard Of Empires”, the title track
off their upcoming sophomore album.

Unknown (CT, USA) forge their sound from the same iron that shaped the golden era of
heavy metal. Crushing riffs smoothed out with soaring melodies and emotive vocals — that’s
the mission, and the band executes it without apology or irony. Formed by guitarist and
primary songwriter Aamir, The Unknown channel the spirit of the genre’s most enduring
architects while carving out a sound that is entirely their own.
The band released their debut record,Vanishing Point on GoldenCore Records, the German
label responsible for some of the most respected reissues and new releases in the traditional
metal underground. That relationship was built on the strength of the music alone, and it set
the tone for everything that followed.
Now Unknown attack with Graveyard Of Empires, the second single off their most ambitious
and cohesive work to date. Conceptually driven, sonically relentless, and grounded in real
human experience, the album marks a significant leap forward. Anchored by vocalist and
songwriter Matt Fisher, guitarists Aamir and Michael Dale, and bassist Andic Salcedo, this is
a band hitting their stride.
Guitarist Aamir Syed comments: “‘Graveyard of Empires’ is the heart of the record, and I
think it earns that title. The song is heavy and relentless, but there is an undercurrent of grief.
Musically I was drawing from Ritchie Blackmore and Middle Eastern folk and classical
music. That combination gave the riff its character. We looked at history and saw the same
pattern over and over: nations, people, potential, all swallowed before they became what they
could have been.”

For fans of Jag Panzer, Manilla Road, Iron Maiden, and Accept.

VIDEO LINK:

Follow The Unknown:

Official Site: https://www.unknownmetal.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unknownofficialmetal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unknown_officialmetal

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unknown_officialmetal

Stream Our Music: https://hypeddit.com/theunknown/vanishingpoint

Bandcamp: https://unknownmetalct.bandcamp.com/album/vanishing-point

Spotify:

Melodic doom/deathsters UNDROWNED
present an acoustic version of „Of The
Twilight” from their debut “Universe”

UNDROWNED is a brainchild of a rock scene veteran Oliver “Olii” Bienert:
“It was 2014. My first try to establish my own metal band. The first line-up consisted of Jared on
drums, from the States, which was our official tattooer at Haudegen at that time, his Italian mate
Gian-Franco on guitar and my long-time friend Michar on Bass. However, this first line-up didn’t last
long due to different opinions on how serious and intense to rehearse. Perhaps also due to musical
differences. Jared and Gian-Franco were in the Metalcore camp (Trivium, Black Dahlia Murder,
Caliban,…), Michar and me listened to Goth and Death Metal. The track “Of The Twilight” was
written in that time.

VIDEO LINK:

“I then asked Martin Larsen, a Danish drummer I worked with in the past, he brought Birgit into the
game and on a musician-search-page we found Sebastian from Poland on second guitar and Igor
from Russia on bass (Michar left the band for lack of motivation). Quite international!!” says Olli.

Fast forward to 2026, the band has been back for 2 years and the new album was published. “Of The
Twilight”is there, but the acoustic version is brand new.

https://www.facebook.com/undrowned/
https://www.backstagepro.de/undrowned
https://undrowned.bandcamp.com/
http://www.undrowned.de/
https://soundcloud.com/undrowned
https://open.spotify.com/artist/16kns5gSxGfEoSdcLdW2cM?si=XCEn755uS3OTrqFa92ub2w
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/undrowned/1878122880

Below there are download links for the current promokits

https://www.facebook.com/Achillessteel (Melodic Heavy Metal from the US)

https://www.mydrive.ch/shares/152442/3d81ca72edf958223f9f3e8a7eb1c413/browse

https://www.facebook.com/Anathemma0816 (LA Thrash Metal)

https://www.mydrive.ch/shares/152444/e65fbbba9a2815ddde822dd9880e2044/browse

https://www.facebook.com/unknownofficialmetal (US Power/Thrash)

https://www.mydrive.ch/shares/150527/106d0ffa1678adf8250de9226ff76751/browse

https://www.facebook.com/undrowned (Melodic Doom/Death Metal)

https://www.mydrive.ch/shares/148180/e634d2d2fadf6abe248829ca7afec01f/browse

https://www.facebook.com/plmonstrum (Heavy Metal from Poland)

https://www.mydrive.ch/shares/147973/91899763444f398fab1775f3011d2262/browse

https://www.facebook.com/wearetrahir (Heavy/Doom from Czechia)