THE BEAST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BLIND ILLUSION Announces “STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre” Featuring Original Vocalist David White Progressive Thrash Metal Pioneers Capture Historic 2025 Performance for New Live Album Due October 16, 2026 BERKELEY,... More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BLIND ILLUSION Announces “STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre” Featuring Original Vocalist David White Progressive Thrash Metal Pioneers Capture Historic 2025 Performance for New Live Album Due October 16, 2026 BERKELEY, CA — Progressive thrash metal pioneers Blind Illusion are set to unleash their new live album, STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre, on October 16, 2026 through Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records. The release captures a historic 2025 performance featuring original Blind Illusion vocalist David White, recorded at the UC Theatre in Berkeley, California, during a special celebration of Exodus’ 40th anniversary of Bonded by Blood. For fans of Coroner, Watchtower, and Exodus, STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre showcases Blind Illusion at full power, bringing the band’s progressive approach to thrash metal to the stage in a performance that connects the group’s legendary past with its continuing evolution. Originally established in 1978, Blind Illusion has spent nearly five decades carving out its own distinctive place within the underground metal landscape. Led by mastermind Mark Biedermann on lead guitar and vocals, the band’s current lineup features Phil Cosentini on drums, Avery Thurman on bass, and Martin Lacour on lead guitar. The new live album also serves as another chapter in the remarkable history of Blind Illusion and its landmark debut, The Sane Asylum. Originally released in 1988, the album has gone on to become regarded as a classic of progressive thrash metal. The record featured Biedermann alongside guitarist Larry Lalonde, bassist Les Claypool, and drummer Mike Miner, delivering now-classic tracks including “Vengeance Is Mine,” “Death Noise,” “Kamikaze,” “Smash The Crystal,” and “Blood Shower.” Biedermann’s musical history extends well beyond Blind Illusion. In 1987, while working with legendary producer Sandy Pearlman, he contributed rhythm guitar and guitar leads to four songs for Blue Öyster Cult’s Imaginos, working alongside musicians including Joe Satriani and Robbie Krieger of The Doors. Blind Illusion continued to evolve throughout the following decades. The band returned in 2010 with Demon Master, shifting toward a more traditional heavy metal sound. In 2014, bassist Harald Oimoen of D.R.I. joined forces with Biedermann and helped inspire a return to the progressive thrash metal style that defined The Sane Asylum. Further lineup changes followed, including a 2017 incarnation featuring Doug Piercy of Heathen and Anvil Chorus on lead guitar. The band released the 2018 EP and toured Europe. In 2020, legendary Death Angel drummer Andy Galeon joined Blind Illusion, contributing to the band's Wrath of the Gods album, released in 2022, followed by additional European touring and festival appearances. In 2024, Blind Illusion introduced its current lineup and returned to the live stage. Then, in 2025, the band reunited with original vocalist David White, performing alongside Exodus, Death Angel, and Nukem at the UC Theatre in Berkeley on Paul Baloff’s birthday as part of the celebration surrounding Exodus’ 40th anniversary of Bonded by Blood. That performance became the foundation for STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre. The story didn't stop there. Blind Illusion later appeared at the Frost and Fire V Festival in Ventura, California, where the band performed The Sane Asylum in its entirety for the first time in its history, giving longtime fans the opportunity to hear the influential album performed live as a complete work. With STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre, Blind Illusion once again proves that nearly five decades into its existence, the band remains a vital force in progressive thrash metal. The release captures a significant moment in the band's history while celebrating the music, musicians, and underground metal spirit that have kept Blind Illusion moving forward since 1978. STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC Theatre will be released October 16, 2026 as a 12-inch vinyl LP, pressed at 33 RPM, through Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest Records. Release Information Artist: Blind IllusionTitle: STAGE FLIGHT: Live At The UC TheatreRelease Type: Live AlbumGenre: Progressive Thrash MetalRelease Date: October 16, 2026Label: Hectic Records / Bleeding Priest RecordsCatalog Number: Hectic 009Format: 12" Vinyl LPlimited to 500 copiesUPC: 810213561508 Current Lineup Mark Biedermann – Lead Guitar / VocalsMartin Lacour – Lead GuitarAvery Thurman – BassPhil Cosentini – Drums Blind IllusionEstablished 1978Progressive Thrash Metal For Fans Of: Coroner, Watchtower, Exodus, Heathen  Check them out on YouTube:  [jrEmbed module="jrYouTube" youtube_id="MaMW_k7Xmy8"] Connect:  https://blindillusion.bandcamp.com/album/stage-flight-live-at-the-uc-theatrehttps://www.instagram.com/blindillusionofficialhttps://www.facebook.com/officialblindillusionhttps://ffm.to/bclink1https://www.hectic.com/product/blind-illusion-live Contact: David HechtHectic Recordsdavid@hectic.com Less

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLUSMINUSZERO RELEASES UPTEMPO NEW SINGLE “RUNNER’S HIGH” VIA DOWNFALL RECORDS Finnish Hard Rock / Metal Outfit Continues Its First Run of Releases Ahead of Upcoming Album HELSINKI, FINLAND | AUGUST 31, 2026 Finnish hard... More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLUSMINUSZERO RELEASES UPTEMPO NEW SINGLE “RUNNER’S HIGH” VIA DOWNFALL RECORDS Finnish Hard Rock / Metal Outfit Continues Its First Run of Releases Ahead of Upcoming Album HELSINKI, FINLAND | AUGUST 31, 2026 Finnish hard rock and metal band Plusminuszero have released their new single “Runner’s High,” available digitally now via Downfall Records. Released on August 28, 2026, the track is the third single from the band’s upcoming album, with further details surrounding the full-length still to be announced. “Runner’s High” delivers an uptempo, melodic blend of hard rock and metal, showcasing the band’s ability to combine driving energy with strong melodies and a classic heavy-rock foundation. The new single continues the momentum established by Plusminuszero’s first releases since the band formed in Helsinki in 2025. While the name Plusminuszero may be new, the musicians behind the band are far from strangers to one another or to the Finnish heavy music scene. The members have a history that stretches back to the early 2000s, when several of them released three full-length albums with a previous band and spent years touring across Finland. Their experience took them everywhere from small bars and clubs to some of the major festivals of the era, building the kind of road-tested chemistry that only comes from years of playing music together. Eventually, the desire to create and perform heavy music brought them back together. Plusminuszero began when guitarist Toni Sundström and bassist Ilkka Rasi started working on new material. Vocalist Petri Korhonen and drummer Janne Kaartinen later completed the lineup, bringing the project into full form. Since then, the band have taken an independent approach to their music, recording and mixing their material themselves while reconnecting with the hard rock and metal roots that originally shaped them. That combination of experience and renewed energy is at the heart of Plusminuszero. There is no need to pretend these musicians are discovering heavy music for the first time. They have already spent years writing songs, recording albums, touring, and standing on stages across Finland. Now they are bringing that experience into a new chapter. “Runner’s High” represents the latest step in that return. With three singles now released, anticipation continues to build for Plusminuszero’s upcoming album. More information about the album is expected to be revealed at a later date. “Runner’s High” is out now digitally via Downfall Records. PLUSMINUSZERO Band: PlusminuszeroSingle: “Runner’s High”Release Date: August 28, 2026Label: Downfall RecordsFormat: DigitalGenre: Hard Rock / MetalCountry: Finland Runner´s High by Plusminuszero FOLLOW PLUSMINUSZERO Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/plusminuszeromusic/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590972147464 DOWNFALL RECORDS Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/downfallrecords666 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/downfallrecords_666/ Less