TOP 5 Holiday Music by Cammie Gilbert, Sylvaine, Vermilia, Mizuho Lin, Danielle Evans
Music is a special thing, as it most often relaxes and helps you cope with everyday life. A certain song makes the memories come back and you remember the moment you heard it for the first time. It makes you travel far away, live in the moment, think about the future, It gives energy, this year more with jogging than with gigs.
This year has been particularly exceptional in many ways, but the holidays remain and people spend them differently. Often certain songs belong to certain moments and different styles of music make people relax in different ways.
We contacted five artists to ask about their top 5 recommendations for holiday music. What kind of music is included in their holidays or what they have liked to listen to lately.
It’s also great to always find new music. That moment, that feeling when you find something new where you get shivers.
If you haven’t heard our featured artists yet, I recommend you to check out their versatile taste of music, but also the art they create, because you might find something new for your holidays.
Interview by Carina Lawrence / Dark Art Conspiracy
Polish black metal project Batushka was founded and created by guitarist and songwriter Krzysztof Drabikowski back in 2015. They caught the attention of metalheads and press alike with their successful debut release ‘Litourgiya’ and even went on to sign with popular label Metal Blade Records. The project also featured vocalist Bartłomiej “Bart” Krysiuk and drummer Marcin Bielemuk, to accompany Krzysztof however that is no longer the case as in December 2018 a shocking video was released from Krzysztof Drabikowski informing everyone that former vocalist Krysiuk had gone behind the creators back and essentially stolen his own band from him as Krzysztof had parted ways with the vocalist but Krysiuk turned the story around on Krzysztof instead. Currently, there are two sides claiming to be Batushka but there is only one true Batushka and we were lucky enough to speak to the real founder Krzysztof Drabikowski to get the full details of this unbelievable and shocking deceptive story and get the truth out there…
American psychedelic groove metal upstarts EverFelt are preparing to unleash their most immersive statement yet with the release of their new album, Stirring to Wake, which was released on December 15, 2025. Thick with hypnotic riffs, swirling atmospheres, and a dark melodic pull, the album channels the spirit of rock’s ancestors while carving a bold, modern path forward.
Drawing influence from the brooding weight of Tool, the haunting harmonies of Alice In Chains, the doom-laced swagger of Black Sabbath, and the mind-expanding mystique of The Doors, EverFelt deliver a sound that feels both familiar and dangerously fresh. Stirring to Wake doesn’t simply nod to these influences—it absorbs them, reshapes them, and pushes them into deeper, heavier territory.
Formed in the summer of 2022, EverFelt is driven by the haunting vocals and introspective lyricism of Adam Steglich, the expressive and textured guitar work of Corey Robinson, the powerful low-end foundation of Ryan Moore on bass, and the dynamic pulse and color of Danny Furlong on percussion. While their roots span everything from Audioslave and Pink Floyd to Slayer, the band’s identity stands firmly on its own—an intoxicating mix of psychedelic textures, groove-driven heaviness, and melodies that linger long after the final note fades.
With Stirring to Wake, EverFelt deepen their commitment to music that resonates beyond the surface. These are songs meant to sink in slowly, blur the edges, and stay with you. It’s an album built not just to be heard, but to be felt—music that crawls under the skin and refuses to let go.
“Music is the cornerstone of our existence,” the band shares. “With Stirring to Wake, we wanted to capture the haze, the heaviness, and the emotion that lives at the core of who we are—and leave a mark on anyone willing to take the journey with us.”
The album was engineered by Shelby Preklas of Loud and Clear Studio, who helped bring clarity, weight, and atmosphere to EverFelt’s evolving sonic vision, striking a balance between raw power and expansive depth.
EverFelt are ready to rise, ready to shake the dust off the underground, and ready to pull listeners fully into the world they’ve been building since day one. Stirring to Wake is not just the next chapter—it’s the moment the band fully comes alive.
Album: Stirring to Wake
Artist: EverFelt
Release Date: December 15, 2025
Genre: Psychedelic Groove Metal
For fans of heavy music with depth, darkness, and soul—this is a trip worth taking.
Hard-hitting rock outfit CHEMICAL EMPIRE returns with a thunderous new single.
“This Isn’t Gonna End This War,” is fast, heavy, and unrelenting, built on chaotic energy that mirrors the volatility of a toxic relationship. The momentum never fully lets up, creating a constant sense of pressure and escalation as the conflict intensifies.
The bridge and solo serve as a decisive breaking point, delivering a moment of total impact that feels irreversible. Afterward, the song briefly pulls back into a controlled, crushing outro, where the chaos settles into acceptance rather than resolution. The conflict may never truly end, but the decision to stop fighting becomes final.
Lyrically, the track captures the realization that moving on is not about winning or closure, but survival. It reflects the moment when walking away becomes the only way forward.
“I was working on music when my girlfriend came into the room and completely set me off. As soon as she walked out, the song basically wrote itself. All that tension and frustration went straight into the track.” – Matt Smith
Known for blending modern hard rock aggression with emotionally charged songwriting, CHEMICAL EMPIRE continues to sharpen it’s sound while refusing to dilute the message. “This Isn’t Gonna End This War” delivers a relentless sonic punch, pairing stadium-sized hooks with an underground edge that speaks directly to fans who crave authenticity and intensity.
BAND BIO:
CHEMICAL EMPIRE is an alternative metal project created by Matt Smith, built around fast, heavy music and emotionally driven songwriting. The project explores the darker realities of life, drawing from real experiences with conflict, isolation, and personal collapse.
Blending relentless aggression with controlled dynamics, CHEMICAL EMPIRE’S sound is intense and purposeful, balancing chaos with clarity. Lyrically, the music confronts toxic cycles, fractured relationships, and the realization that survival sometimes means moving forward rather than fighting back.
Rooted in honesty and emotional weight, CHEMICAL EMPIRE delivers heavy music that resonates with listeners who have lived through their own battles.
The release marks another bold step forward for the band, reinforcing their reputation as a rising force in the rock scene—unapologetic, unfiltered, and unwilling to back down.
“This Isn’t Gonna End This War” is available now on all major streaming platforms.
In many ways, Opeth’s Blackwater Park can be considered as their answer to The Beatles’ Revolver, both uncompromising and experimental, but equally commercially viable and unfuckwithable masterpieces. Twenty-five years on, Blackwater Park remains a breath-taking piece of work, dense with extraordinary melodic moments, spine-tingling atmospherics and agile but crushing heaviness. It is also arguably still the most cherished album in the Swedish metallers illustrious catalogue as a rising progressive influence kicked open prog’s ornate doors, fed death metal through the cosmic kaleidoscope and introduced a generation of music nerds to a world of limitless musical possibilities.
Napalm Records is proud to announce the signing of the UK’s black metal legends, WINTERFYLLETH. To celebrate this new partnership, the band unveils a new album, The Unyielding Season, set for release on March 27, 2026. Making a stand, WINTERFYLLETH’s ninth album is a social commentary wrapped in meticulously crafted poetry and prose. Where the preceding album, The Imperious Horizon (2024), described an ominous, malevolent force, lurking in the distance, The Unyielding Season now explores said threat becoming a reality. The raging wildfire to its predecessor’s calculating, icy cold, WINTERFYLLETH’s first offering for their new record label is a reflection and a rebellion against the turmoils tearing individuals apart. It is a cry against the unsustainable weight of fear and pressure being pushed into the world, by the agents of an unresting, and unyielding force for evil.
Papa Roach release a powerful new single “Wake Up Calling,” out today via New Noize Records / ADA – Listen HERE. The track, following in the footsteps of “Scars” and “Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)” shows the more melodic, emotionally vulnerable side of their songwriting, but still retains the intensity and honesty that have defined their career for over two decades.
HEXVESSEL, the renowned Finnish psych-folk and occult doom band, announce a European tour to present their new album “Nocturne“, a work steeped in pagan and animist spirit, where nature and the unseen converge. For this series of concerts, HEXVESSEL join forces with French pioneers of occult rock, ALUK TODOLO, who have recently released “Lux”, an album on which light and telluric energy intertwine.
HEXVESSEL comment: “I am proud to finally announce a tour to celebrate the release of ‘Nocturne’ and in such a perfect company”, singer and songwriter Mat “Kvohst” McNerney writes. “We are ready to illuminate your night!”
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