Reviews SEPTEMBER 26 -

Shakra – Just Live Loud!

Veröffendlichung: 04.09.2026

Swiss hard rock veterans Shakra are thrilled to announce their return with a new album, “Just Live Loud!”, set for release on September 4, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.

To coincide with the announcement, the band share the title track, along with an official music video, available below.

The band described the new single as “a powerful track for everyone who has waited too long, hesitated too often and held themselves back too many times. The song is a call to break out of your shell, shake off the doubts and stop postponing life. It is not about simply being loud. It is about living out your own freedom, dreaming big and finding the courage to take the next step – even when the perfect moment has not yet arrived”.

“Musically, “Just Live Loud!” brings together everything we stand for: driving guitars, a strong hookline, raw energy and that unmistakable blend of hard rock, melody and clear attitude. The song sounds like a new beginning, like adrenaline, and like the feeling of finally being fully alive again. Stop waiting. Live your freedom. Now. Just Live Loud!”, they continued.

Watch the official video for “Just Live Loud!” HERE

Pre-Order “Just Live Loud!” HERE

Shakra return with renewed fire and unstoppable energy on “Just Live Loud!”, their explosive new studio album and the band’s very first release through Frontiers Music Srl. Fuelled by massive riffs, soaring melodies, and the unmistakable chemistry that has defined Shakra for decades, the album captures the spirit of classic European hard rock while pushing the band into a heavier, more modern sonic territory.

Vocalist Mark Fox commented: “Becoming a father has changed the way I look at many things. When I watch my daughter grow, discover the world and face every day with this incredible curiosity, I find myself asking even more consciously what life is really about. For me, the answer can now be summed up in three words: JUST LIVE LOUD! Don’t live halfway, don’t wait forever, don’t hide. I recorded the vocals for this album on my own in my basement. It was a very intense process that strongly confronted me with myself, my self-criticism and my responsibility. At the same time, it showed me that true freedom always comes with responsibility. For me, this tension is exactly what lies at the heart of this album.”

Guitarist Thomas Muster added: “Over the last 30 years, I’ve written many songs for Shakra. Heavier stuff, sometimes even poppier songs, and some really soft tracks. And even though I was ultimately always happy with the albums, I still always had this feeling inside me that musically, there simply had to be a little more. An even better riff, an even better hookline, simply even better songs. With ‘Something You Don’t Understand’ from the Snakes & Ladders album, I had that feeling of the perfect song for the first time”.

“And now comes “Just Live Loud!”, the Shakra album I always wanted to write, but somehow never quite managed to until now. And it comes with 12 great songs! If I could take only one Shakra album to the famous desert island, it would definitely be this one”, he continued.

Produced with a raw yet polished approach, “Just Live Loud!” delivers a powerful mix of thunderous anthems, emotionally charged ballads, and adrenaline-fueled rockers designed for both festival stages and late-night highway drives. From razor-sharp guitar work and pounding rhythms to towering vocal hooks, every track reflects the band’s commitment to authenticity, passion, and pure rock’n’roll attitude.

Lyrically, the album celebrates resilience, freedom, brotherhood, and the determination to live life at full volume – themes that resonate deeply with the band’s own journey through the international hard rock scene. “Just Live Loud!” also marks an exciting new chapter for Shakra, combining the experience and songwriting strength of their legacy years with a fresh creative momentum that feels more vital than ever.

The band proudly stated: “For over 30 years, we have been walking this path with Shakra. We have always worked on ourselves, put many things aside and given everything to push this band forward – without compromise, without a safety net. We have dared, we have taken risks, and we still do. But this very path has also given us our freedom: to find our purpose away from the ordinary, to lose ourselves in it, and to do what we burn for”.

“Just Live Loud!” brings all of that together in one album: origin, attitude, energy and the view ahead. As long as this fire is still burning, we will keep moving, keep daring and keep giving everything. Living louder is hardly possible – JUST LIVE LOUD!”, they added.

With this landmark release, Shakra reaffirm their status as one of Switzerland’s premier hard rock exports and prove that true melodic heavy rock is alive, loud, and ready to conquer a new generation of fans.

“Just Live Loud!” Tracklist:

1. Let The Show Begin
2. Wasteland Warriors
3. Just Live Loud!
4. Left Outside Alone (Feat. Seraina Telli)
5. Demon Of The Night
6. Legends Never Die
7. Lost Generation
8. When We Were Young
9. Another Day In The Universe
10. New Tattoo
11. High Above The Storm
12. Screaming Silence
13. Left Outside Alone (Solo Version)

Line Up:
Thom Blunier – Lead Guitars
Mark Fox – Vocals
Thomas Muster – Guitars
Cyril Montavon – Bass
Roger Tanner – Drums

Follow SHAKRA:
Website
Facebook
Instagram

Night Laser – Call Me What You Want

Veröffendlichung: 25.09.2026

Zwei Jahre ist es her, dass die Hamburger Glam´n`Sleaze-Metaller Night Laser durch die Veröffentlichung ihres vierten Albums ‚Call Me What You Want‘ und Europatourneen mit Axel Rudi Pell einen künstlerischen Quantensprung vollzogen haben. Rückblickend entpuppen sich diese Großereignisse als Kreativkatalysatoren mit grandiosen Folgen: Das neue Mach(t)werk ‚Rats In The Cradle‘, das am 25. September 2026 über Steamhammer/Open als CD, Doppel-LP und digitalen Download erscheint, ist zweifelsfrei eine nochmalige Steigerung des bereits etablierten Night Laser-Sounds. Oder wie Sänger Benno Hankers es formuliert: „Night Laser sind zu der Band geworden, die wir immer sein wollten. Die Handbremse ist gelöst und der Turbo gezündet. Unsere mit Abstand abwechslungsreichste Scheibe atmet Rock, Metal, Blues, Funk und vor allem Freundschaft und Spaß!“ Night Laser-Bassist Rob Hankers bringt es auf den Punkt: „Mit dem neuen Album haben wir endgültig unseren unverwechselbaren Stil gefunden.“

Als kraftvollen Beweis dieser Einschätzung präsentieren Night Laser bereits ab Sommer 2026 drei Vorabsingles und einen Fokus-Track: Am 10. Juli erscheint die Bluesrock-Ballade ‚Heart Of The Desert Rose‘, mit der Night Laser all jenen Frauen ihren Respekt zollen, die sich nie unterkriegen lassen. Benno Hankers: „Der Song zelebriert Schönheit und Anmut in seiner reinsten Form.“ Am 21. August 2026 folgt die Power Metal-Hymne ‚Defenders‘ und ruft zum bedingungslosen Widerstand auf, Motto: Wir stehen Schulter an Schulter, egal was da kommen mag! Die druckvolle Groove-Nummer ‚19CR490‘ (VÖ: 18. September) zeigt den ausgestreckten Mittelfinger all denjenigen, die im Machtrausch auch den letzten Rest von Menschlichkeit verloren haben. Last but not least: Am Tag des Album-Releases rückt der düstere Titelsong mit seinen krachenden Riffs in den Fokus und thematisiert die verstörenden Abgründe des japanischen Kriegsverbrechers Dr. Ishii Shirō.

Spannende Themen also, die Night Laser auf ihrem neuen Album behandeln und mit entsprechender Kompromisslosigkeit in harte Sounds verpacken. Benno Hankers: „Auf Rats In The Cradle‘ geht es nicht um Perfektion, es geht um einen dreckigen Old-School-Vibe mit ungefilterter Ehrlichkeit. Wir haben alles von Hand eingespielt, um den Schweiß, die Ecken und Kanten und die pure Energie ungefiltert einzufangen. Dies ist kein glattpolierter Radio-Pop, sondern authentischer Sleaze-Metal!“ Dazu haben auch einige namhafte Gastmusiker beigetragen: Die Keyboards stammen von Corvin Bahn (Gamma Ray, Lord Of The Lost), Sascha Paeth (Avantasia) hat für ‚Blueberry Gin‘ ein paar heavy Gitarrenparts beigesteuert, ebenso wie Freedom Call-Axeman Lars Rettkowitz im thrashigen ‚Get Out‘. Zudem mündet die mit Axel Rudi Pell-Sänger Johnny Gioeli geschlossene Freundschaft in der Zusammenarbeit auf ‚Heart Of The Desert Rose‘, während ‚The Voice Of Germany‘-Halbfinalist Sebastian Zierof in ‚Defenders‘ zu hören ist.

Produziert und arrangiert wurde ‚Rats In The Cradle‘ von Eike Freese (u.a. Deep Purple, Saga), einem wichtigen Bestandsteil des Erfolgsteams: „Auf der neuen Scheibe haben wir als Band so eng wie nie zuvor zusammengearbeitet“, erklären Rob und Benno Hankers, Gitarrist Felipe Zapata Martinez und Schlagzeuger Ingemar Oswald, die zudem von Gamma Ray-Mitglied Dirk Schlächter tatkräftige Unterstützung bei der Vorproduktion erhielten. Hankers: „Jeder Track trägt unsere individuellen Handschriften und ist das Ergebnis tage- und nächtelanger Proberaum-Sessions. In der neuen Scheibe steckt ein Stück Seele von jedem von uns!“ Exakt dieses Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl werden die Fans in den kommenden Monaten auf Tour – erneut unter anderem mit Axel Rudi Pell – garantiert auch auf der Bühne zu sehen bekommen!

Line-Up:
Benno Hankers – vocals
Felipe Zapata Martinez – guitars
Robert Hankers – bass
Ingemar Oswald – drums