The band retains their identity throughout their releases, which is a great indicator of a powerful identity and a strong personality. However,”Cry of the Banshee” sounds a lot more modern than “I Will Follow You,” with some very interesting textures with delays and pitch shifting that make the main guitar melody sound bright and otherworldly through the verses. That makes the chorus hit way better, in my opinion, because of how anthemic and heavy it is, and then a musical reprieve brings us back. Musically, it’s very well paced.

With “Cry of the Banshee” the latest single of the comeback, the band says its recognition is growing, particularly across Latin America, where independent publications and curators have helped introduce CREEPS to new audiences. They say they are aiming to reach more listeners across Europe, the Americas and beyond, with new music and visual releases to come. For a band that spent so long away, that is a busy return, and this single is another step in a chapter that is still being written. CREEPS are one to keep an eye on as it continues.

On release, Control hit #1 on Apple Music Romania’s Metal and Rock Album Charts and reached the Top 10 across all genres. Release single “Earthquake” also topped Apple Music Romania’s “Best New Songs.”

Control is an enthralling ride from beginning to end, with explosive moments that keep you wondering what’s next. It opens with “Earthquake,” which begins on a blooming synth harmony that serves as the overture to the whole record. The sound is familiar enough to draw comparisons to Linkin Park, Enter Shikari, and Bring Me The Horizon, but what HVNDS have built is entirely their own. Tracks like “Breathe” and “Gravity” pair radio-ready hooks with dark, brooding soundscapes.

Lead singer Iustin is a powerhouse vocalist ready to command arena crowds. You can hear it in the way he leads the chants that open “Blood,” and in the deathcore fry and guttural he bellows on “Another World.” His versatility shows on lead single “Baba Yaga,” where he sings in a softer timbre.

Lyrically, the album is laden with religious references that question the character of human beings. “Hallelujah” reckons with how evil people can walk the earth while claiming to be just in the name of their god. “Until There’s Nothing To Burn” warns of demons while a Mick Gordon-esque guitar riff pounds through your chest.

The record also shows that HVNDS are more than students of heavy music. A liquid drum and bass beat opens the title track, “Control.” “Another World” has a Nine Inch Nails moment. “Arriba” is a bombastic salsa fusion that Don Broco wishes they’d thought of first.

It closes with “DOR,” a song about carrying heartbreak in one hand and hope in the other: being grateful for love while feeling the emptiness it leaves behind. “DOR” also became a radio success in Romania, joining the heavy rotation at ROCK FM.

The fan-favourite lead singles are “Blood,” “Baba Yaga,” and “DOR.”

Over the past few years, HVNDS have built a reputation as one of the most intense and emotionally charged acts in the region, with festival-ready music that hits hard, sings deep, and dares to be vulnerable. They don’t play at you. They pull you into something you already know by heart, even if it’s your first time hearing it.

Their first highly acclaimed record, Animal, arrived in 2022, followed by Sintetic in 2023. Both reached #1 Rock Album on Apple Music Romania, and each carried the band higher than the last, to sold-out record release shows for 1,000+ people. Breakout single “Vin Vin Plec Mort” was placed in Teambuilding, Romania’s highest-grossing film to date.

HVNDS have played major festivals including Electric Castle, Untold, Neversea, and Beach, Please!, sharing lineups with Bring Me The Horizon, Travis Scott, Twenty One Pilots, Massive Attack, and Iggy Pop.

HVNDS kicked off their headlining 10-date tour in support of Control on Friday, 23rd October. The campaign leads into a European run and their ESNS 2027 showcase. Tickets and merchandise are available on the band’s website.

The first one, recorded at Fuzzfest WV in the band’s second hometown of Morgantown, sold out. Instead of repressing it, the label and band went back with a completely different performance recorded years later, this time at Main Drag in Brooklyn. It was recorded by Craig Wehringer and mastered by Joshua “Danger” Dobbs.

In a way, this is the most anti-AI album I’ve seen in a while. It’s live; it won’t exist on streaming platforms. It’s just pressed on vinyl and available digitally only on Bandcamp, which is a platform that banned AI music earlier this year. The live sound itself is very raw and aggressively punk with a huge room sound. It kind of feels like someone just left their phone recording the whole thing in the background; you can hear extra mic noises and crowd noises and everything that happened in that room. Now that I think about it, James Brown in a mosh pit makes perfect sense. The energy is erratic and funky but ultimately has a different kind of power. It must have been exhilarating to experience in person, as the band keeps engaging the audience in fun ways. Speaking of fun, it was also the guitarist Alkatraz’s birthday, and you can tell he’s having lots of fun playing these bouncy riffs.

The tracklist draws on the band’s recent run of releases, including “Peace,” “Help,” “Forever More,” “Cornbread and Collard Greens” and “Alive on Arrival,” across 14 tracks. Most run under four minutes, with “Forever More” and the closer “Emergency Break” stretching longer. Only 200 copies are being pressed on ecomix graphite vinyl, so DCxPC Live Vol. 50 is a small run. Preorders open October 27 and the album arrives November 21 with a release show that night at the OCNY Vet Center in New Windsor, NY, part of a run of dates from November 20 to 23 alongside WORLDSUCKS. For anyone curious how Rebelmatic sounds with nothing but a room around them, this is the record to track down.

This is a great, albeit very traditional, Irish folk song in terms of harmony and arrangement. It is very charming how this demo-like recording sounds. The vocals are kind of buried within the layers, which gives the vibe that you’re sitting around a campfire, with the instruments louder than the vocalist who is trying his hardest to be heard.

Corcoran plays everything himself: Irish flute, tin whistle, electric guitar, bass, bodhrán, bouzouki, and the drum pads, and he sings as well. He layers clean and harsh vocals and builds harmonies in thirds between the flutes, with a full minute of the song left mostly instrumental. All of it was recorded at home with one microphone and one interface, a shoestring setup, though he says the bodhrán sounds better here than he expected.

The song has a personal side. Planxty’s version is seminal to him, and he says he deliberately avoided Cruachan’s take while preparing so the result would be his own. He also thought about the arrangements of Blind Guardian, Iron Maiden, and Spain’s Mago de Oz. His family history sits behind the choice, including a great-grandfather who served in the Dublin Fusiliers before emigrating to Patagonia, and Irish songs first inspired him to start playing, with folk coming before metal. He is now looking for a band to play with, since the arrangements need more than one pair of hands. For anyone who likes folk music with a bit of home-recorded character, this is a warm, home-made listen.

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Day 3 Highlight: Metal’s Historic Night

The event touches on different genres of music and on September 18th, 2026 the R.U.C. stadium was home to numerous heavy metal and rock bands that shook the stadium with their electric performances.

Sotherion: Kicking off the professional metal segment of the evening, Sotherion put on an astounding display of atmospheric black metal music. Their act consisted of unrelenting blasts, musical technicalities, and dark and engrossing stage presence that instantly set the right climate for the concert.

​Suicide Machine: Coming back on to the stage as former winners of Tremplin (springboard) contest, the band Suicide Machine showed incredible artistic progress. The Moroccan group played a heavy mix of death metal and hardcore band and showed such tight stage presence that speaks volumes about the health of local music scene.

​Sepultura (The Headliner): The major show stopper of the night was Brazilian thrash metal legends Sepultura. They put on a heavy show as part of their farewell tour.

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Crowd Dynamics and Atmosphere: 

The main highlight of L’Boulevard 2026 was the vivid synergy between the performers and the listeners. The heavy metal performance energized the audience, resulting in spectacular mosh pits and circle pits coupled with unending crowd surfing demonstrations. The musical encore took place in a tranquil atmosphere of mutual understanding.

The rest of the festival ground was characterized by its distinctive friendly and tolerant atmosphere. The Souk L’Boulevard cultural area was a very lively place where people could see a contemporary acrobatic performance from the Colokolo circus or watch break dancing battles in the Liquid Bridge area.

The 24th Tremplin Competition of L’Boulevard Festival hosted at the R.U.C. stage selected and presented emerging artists and groups over a period of three days. Artists and groups presented original songs to receive training and financial awards. The best songs and artists were recognized at the end of the competition.

Juries evaluated contestants’ originality, and overall artistic presentation and performance. The best projects were awarded and recognized.

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The best project in the category of Rap and Hip-Hop was awarded to Shinohidden from Berkane and BrownY Original from Casablanca in second place. The project Metrotune from Casablanca and Settat won the first place award in the category of Fusion and Contemporary Music and the second place was awarded to the project Arinass from Fes. The project Lixivia from Salé won the first place in the category of Rock and Metal and the second place was awarded to the project Darih from Casablanca.

The Importance of the Competition’s Outcomes: The emphasis of the competition goes far beyond winning. Both runners-up will receive training from renowned professional music and performance facilities (Boultek), and studio recording sessions at the HIBA studio, as well as slots on the performance stage for the international band music acts.

L’Boulevard 2026 demonstrated once more that an independent and community-based festival can reach high levels of production without losing its true essence. Connecting local artists with world-known icons, the great festival of Casablanca sets the bar for the live alternative music scene in the region.

Stay metal, stay safe & take care, STAY ROCK ERIANS!

Photography: Chadi Ilias, Hicham Laabd, and Abdelhamid Belahmidi.

Darkside Records has spoken. Now it is the bands’ turn to answer back — not with words, but with evidence.

Bands: it is about time to show your proof and contracts for Darkside Records’ contract violations. Show your messages with the founder of Darkside Records that prove your rights — the commitments that were made to you, and that were never delivered.

The statement, published across social media, addresses the allegations raised by multiple bands across Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, and beyond. We summarise its key points here:

On payments, Darkside Records states it does not charge bands for signing or for standard label services, and challenges any artist claiming otherwise to show invoices, payment proof, bank transfers, and contractual obligations publicly.

On Metal Station / Metal Over Cairo, the label states it has records of payments made for six shows and acknowledges one final payment remains pending, citing difficulties with international transfers into Egypt.

On Antiquus Infestus and Ludus Umbrarum, Darkside Records publicly acknowledges and apologises for delays experienced by both bands — while maintaining that contractual and financial investments made by the label do not disappear simply because an artist no longer wishes to continue.

On Catharsis, the label claims it spent approximately twice the originally contemplated budget on the project and states the matter will be referred to legal counsel.

On Anemoya, Maddox Theory, and Galloglaigh, Darkside Records disputes the allegations, claiming contractual commitments were performed and in some cases exceeded.

On DUSK, Mythos, Hëllridër, and Obscured Violence, the label claims the artists failed to deliver the agreed music within contractual timelines, and states it cannot be accused of failing to complete release work it was never given the material to execute.

On its legal status, Darkside Records states it is legally registered in Morocco under Commercial Registration number RC 165117, and that its website is currently offline due to a technical transition — not, it insists, because the company has disappeared.

The statement closes with a clear warning: where allegations are deemed legally actionable, Darkside Records will pursue proceedings in Egypt, Italy, Algeria, or any other relevant jurisdiction.

We note that Darkside Records has, within this statement, publicly acknowledged and apologised for delays to at least two of the bands named — Antiquus Infestus and Ludus Umbrarum. That acknowledgement is significant. It confirms that problems occurred. It confirms that bands were not imagining them.

We also note the following: the Estonian court dissolution of Darkside Records Europe — documented in case 2-20-16477, enforced in December 2020 and January 2021 — is a matter of public record, not allegation. The non-existence of DS Records Maroc under ICE number 00305806500003 in Morocco’s official business registry at the time it was signing bands is a matter of public record, not allegation. CARTHAGODS’ album being taken down from platforms and a €100,000 claim being levelled against them is a matter of documented public statement, going back to 2024.

The statement from Darkside Records invites bands to show their evidence. We echo that invitation — and we take it seriously in the other direction too.

Every band that has been affected, every artist that signed a contract and did not receive what was promised, every musician who sent messages to Saïd Chebacheb and received silence, delays, or threats in return: now is the moment.

Show your messages with the founder of Darkside Records that prove your rights — the commitments made to you that were never delivered. Show the agreements. Show the timelines. Show the promises that were made in writing and the silence that followed. Show everything!

Rock Era Magazine remains available to receive, verify, and publish documented evidence from any affected artist. Our coverage of this situation will continue for as long as bands are coming forward — and for as long as the truth requires a platform.

We publish these accounts because silence protects the wrong people.

Italian band Antiquus Infestus reached out to Rock Era Magazine with a direct and significant update. After taking matters into their own hands and presenting their case with documented evidence, Spotify has removed their music from the platform — it is no longer searchable and no longer appearing on their artist page. The platform read their message, evaluated their proofs, and acted in their favour.

In their own words to us:

“We managed to have our music removed from Spotify. It would be great if you talked about it, helping us to spread this.”

They added:

“Other bands will follow. We must make sure Saïd Chebacheb and Darkside Records cannot exploit anyone else in the future.”

And finally:

“Thank you guys! I appreciate your support in keeping the attention on the scammers.”

Their official statement, published across their social media platforms, reads:

“We are working in silence to get back what is rightfully ours. Spotify is the first platform to take down our music. The album is no longer searchable nor is it showing on our page. They read our message, heard our reasons, evaluated our proofs and decided to act in our favour. Other platforms will follow. If you want to listen to our music, please visit our Bandcamp page, which has always been managed by us. Thanks to those who are sharing the path with us and their support in gathering all the proofs.”

This is a meaningful step — and a signal to every other affected band that pursuing these claims through platform channels, with documented evidence, can yield results. Other platforms are expected to follow.

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Rock Era Magazine has also heard again from Imane, bassist of Moroccan metal bands Nexus 7.17 and Tombstone, whose account puts the current wave of disclosures into a longer, more troubling context.

Imane attempted to warn the Arab metal community about Darkside Records and Saïd Chebacheb before many of the most recent accounts came to light. The response she received was not gratitude — it was legal intimidation.

In her own words:

“In late last year I tried to warn Arab metal society under one of their posts endorsing DSR’s presence in Egypt. My goal was to spread the word on what happened to Sakadoya and some bands in Tunisia before 2022. Instead, I was met with harassment from Said and his friend, who happens to own a law firm in Morocco. I was asked to publicly apologise to Said and take back my claims in video format on all my social media — or they were going to sue me. I did not care about their threat, but I was definitely shocked by what he can do to silence people.”

She added:

“He tried to sign my band back in 2019, but luckily we’ve always had a bad gut feeling about DSR and Said. Thank you for sharing Sakadoya’s evidence — spreading DSR’s legal status is going to save a lot of bands moving forward.”

Imane also directed our attention to a Tunisian band whose suffering began earlier than almost anyone else in this story — and has lasted longer.

Tunisian metal band CARTHAGODS have been dealing with the consequences of their relationship with Darkside Records since October 2019 — when, by their account, Saïd Chebacheb left Tunisia, blocked all communication channels, and settled in Morocco. Their 2024 statement, which Rock Era Magazine republishes here in full, documents the scale of what was left behind:

“Hi everybody. As many of you have mentioned, ‘The Monster In Me’ album has been taken down from all the platforms. This was after Darkside Records decided that we owe him €100,000 for the recording and the promotion costs of the album.

The Darkside Records chapter was a tough one for the band — not only did it cause us multiple problems as a band and as artists, but also as humans. It literally destroyed many relationships and partnerships around us because of the huge amounts of unpaid money left under our names — recording, mixing, flight tickets, video making, merch — after Darkside Records escaped from Tunisia in October 2019 and blocked all communication.

Today, after almost five long years, during which we worked hard to stay together and go forward with our art and our passion — to connect with the people who always believed in us — we are still dealing with the consequences.

On the other hand, Darkside Records got in contact with us several times asking for another chance. Our position was clear: the dues need to be paid. He even reached out to several of our partners. Some were paid and never worked with him again. Others are still waiting for payment until today.

We would like to express our gratitude for your messages and support. Our current label Flying Dolphins is in search of a solution. We will provide updates as soon as we hear from them.

Stay true. Stay metal.”

An entire album removed. Five years of damage to relationships, finances, and creative momentum. A claim of €100,000 owed — levelled at the very band that was left unpaid. And an ongoing search for resolution that continues to this day.

The picture being assembled here — across Italy, Tunisia, Morocco, and beyond — is consistent, documented, and growing. Bands are reclaiming their music. Platforms are listening. Legal threats are being made against those who speak up. And the timeline of harm stretches back to at least 2019.

Rock Era Magazine will continue to publish every verified account we receive. We stand in complete solidarity with every other artist who has been affected — named in our coverage or not.

To every band still hesitant to come forward: the evidence is working. The platforms are listening. And you are not alone.

This is one hell of a melodic metal album, a full hour of theatrical, gothic metal with genuinely nothing to complain about. It plays almost like a piece of theater, with the closing title track functioning as its own three-act finale. This dense record packs an enormous amount of music, and it’s clear how much heart and soul the band put into assembling it.

“Life Lost Love” stands out as an early highlight, a genuinely dynamic composition that weaves from relentless heaviness into electronic, syncopated, almost ethereal sections built around acoustic guitar, at points recalling post-metal more than anything strictly gothic or symphonic. It shows a real dedication to storytelling, the band consistently reaching for whichever tool best serves the narrative rather than defaulting to one mode throughout. And that’s really just a preview of what the album has waiting later.

“She Is Me” runs seven minutes but never feels like it, a breathtaking ballad carried by genuinely mesmerizing lyrics and some of the best melodic guitar solos heard in a while, the kind of egoless playing that exists entirely to serve the song rather than show off. The pacing throughout is excellent, and the quieter passages building toward its climax land with real goosebump-inducing weight.

The album closes with the fourteen-minute title track, and it plays as the whole record’s payoff, essentially its own separate film or stage production. The band stretches out fully here, building a massive wall of sound around carefully constructed melodies with no urgency to rush toward the ending, prioritizing cinematic storytelling above everything else. It functions like its own third act within a larger play, using tension and release with genuine skill rather than just piling on volume.

Between the scale of the closing track, the dynamic range of songs like “Life Lost Love,” and a ballad as strong as “She Is Me” sitting comfortably alongside the album’s heavier material, Omega Origin earns the “most ambitious yet” billing the band gave it. This record is built to be experienced as a full journey rather than picked apart track by track, and it rewards exactly that kind of attention.

The track wastes no time making an impact. Massive syncopated guitar riffs charge forward, drawing from groove metal, melodic metalcore, djent, thrash, and power metal, while layered female vocals introduce an atmospheric melodic edge. The production feels expansive and cinematic; at times, almost like the soundtrack to a Dune or Blade Runner 2049 scene where the world looks enormous, but the real battle is happening somewhere inside.

That internal battle is what makes The Lazz’s “The Crown” particularly compelling.

Opening Act IV: The Return, the track explores what happens after transformation. Drawing on Jungian ideas of Shadow, Persona, and ego, it asks an uncomfortable question: what happens when self-knowledge itself begins feeding the ego?

The crown becomes the perfect symbol. It represents inner strength and sovereignty, but also the temptation to believe that personal growth means the work is finally finished. Sometimes, becoming more self-aware simply gives the ego a more sophisticated mask.

The tension comes through in the contrast between the male and female vocals, shifting between atmospheric textures and more aggressive delivery. The interplay adds a dramatic, almost cinematic quality without taking away from the sheer weight of the guitars.

The accompanying visual world expands the concept further, following two protagonists who rise into positions of symbolic power before realizing that transformation is not a finish line. Ultimately, both must relinquish the crowns they mistook for proof of completion.

And that may be the most interesting thing about “The Crown” by The Lazz: beneath all its heaviness lies a surprisingly human reminder that self-discovery doesn’t mean you’ve finished becoming.

The crown doesn’t make the king. The work isn’t done!

The music community deserves the full picture. Here it is.

Following their initial public post about their experience with Darkside Records in 2022, Sakadoya were met with questions about the basis of their claims. They responded with the following documented statement, which Rock Era Magazine is now amplifying:

“Since we posted our last article yesterday about the unfortunate events that happened with the Darkside Records Company/Label, a lot of people came forward and asked us questions about what grounds and what proofs we have to post such accusations. Well, these are some of the public information that you can easily get with just a couple of clicks on the internet — without sharing some of the words and comments we received from multiple Moroccan bands that were promised the same things we were, and any other private conversations.”

The band then presented the following publicly verifiable findings:

1. Darkside Records Maroc — No Legal Existence

A search of Morocco’s official business registry using ICE number 00305806500003 returned a legal status of “non-existent.” This information is publicly accessible via Morocco’s tax authority business search portal.

2. Darkside Records Europe — Dissolved by Court Order

According to Estonian court records, Darkside Records Europe OÜ was dissolved following a court ruling and ordered to pay a €3,500 fine by the Harju County Court. The ruling references case number 2-20-16477, with enforcement dated 15.12.2020 / 19.01.2021. The registered address on the court documents reads: Jardin de Carthage, Ain Zaghouen, Tunis, 2070, Tunisia — a detail the band notes is unlikely to be coincidental.

These documents are publicly accessible via the Estonian business registry.

3. Darkside Records USA — A Separate, Unrelated Entity

A New York State business registry search confirms that Darkside Records & Gallery LLC is a domestic limited liability company registered in New York on August 6, 2010 — a music store with no apparent connection to Darkside Records Europe or its founder. The band’s 2022 statement explicitly flags this distinction to prevent any confusion between the two entities.

In reaching out to us, Hecham was direct: “Since then, he had been trying to do it in Morocco but we managed to kick him out and stop his scams.”

He also urged us to draw attention to the documentation Sakadoya compiled in their original 2022 post, which revealed the non-existence of the label in any of the countries in which it claimed to operate and sign bands.

“We gathered some documents in the first post exposing the non-existence of his label at the time in any of the countries he presumed to have bands in,” Hecham told us. “Make sure you see those too.”

What began as a recent collective statement from multiple bands has now been placed in a significantly longer timeline. The legal and administrative questions raised by Sakadoya in 2022 — the non-existent Moroccan entity, the dissolved and court-penalised European entity, the separate and unrelated US business being used to create an appearance of international legitimacy — were publicly documented years ago.

The fact that these concerns were raised in 2022, and that bands are still coming forward with the same complaints in 2026, is a matter that the independent music community cannot afford to ignore.

Rock Era Magazine stands in full solidarity with Sakadoya, with the bands who signed the recent collective statement, and with every artist who has been affected. We encourage anyone with additional documentation to come forward. The more voices speak, the harder this becomes to repeat.