New & Noteworthy: Origins of Releases

New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week will see new music from the likes of Skunk Anansie, …and Oceans, Age of Apocalypes and Witchcraft, as well as cover and re-recording album Onslaught, among the many outstanding works hitting shelves. Don’t forget to check out our weekly playlist below. Enjoy!

May 23, 2025 Release Highlights:

Skunk Anansie, The Painful Truth (FLG):
The British hard rockers release their first new album in nearly 10 years. Said vocalist Skin of the album, “As a band and as individuals we’ve had to conquer a lot of demons, and this album tells the story of that…song by song.”

…and Oceans, The Regeneration Itinerary (Season Of Mist):
The Finnish death/symphonic black metal band’s latest album is a “synthesis of their entire back catalog,” with guitarist Tim Kontio saying “It might be considered a continuation of the music we made in the 90s, but the sound has ripened and developed as our individual tastes have broadened, our inspirations subconsciously feeding into the band’s sound, necessitating change.”

Age of Apocalypse, In Oblivion (Closed Casket Activities):
The hardcore band returns with their sophomore full-length, which is described by their label as taking “everything that caught the world’s attention on 2022’s Grim Wisdom and triples down on it all, showing their penchant for writing genuinely huge metallic hardcore epics without eschewing any of the frenetic energy inherent to the genre.”

Witchcraft, IDAG (Heavy Psych Sounds):
The Swedish doom band’s seventh studio effort features a more “soulfully folkish doom” sound, with frontman Magnus Pelander saying, “This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones.”

Onslaught, Origins Of Aggression (Rock Of Angels):
The legendary thrash metal band takes things back to the beginning with an album that features re-recordings of their early, career-defining tracks and covers that influenced their sound.