We Speak Rock

Exile On Mainstream Shares Bliss Mountain 2 Live Footage and Confirms a Third Edition for July 2027

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Artists performing at Bliss Mountain 2 on the terrace of the Anton-Proksch-Haus in the Austrian Tennengebirge

High in the Austrian Tennengebirge, a small gathering of artists, friends and hikers turned two summer days into live music at 1,590 meters. Exile On Mainstream is now sharing live footage from Bliss Mountain 2, featuring Might, Conny Ochs and Jacke Schwarz, and has confirmed the event will return for a third edition on July 2 and 3, 2027.

Following Exile On Mainstream’s UK roadshow in September, the German independent label is now sharing footage from another event – Bliss Mountain, hosted in Austria this Summer – which encapsulates the label’s ethos of music and friendship, while simultaneously celebrating the power of nature.

On August 8th and 9th, 2026, Bliss Mountain returned for its second edition, this time on the terrace of the Anton-Proksch-Haus. 1,590 meters above sea level in the Austrian Tennengebirge, it’s a place you don’t just happen to pass by: getting there means either a two-hour hike up the mountain or a gondola ride followed by another half-hour walk. Some reportedly even made their way up and back down in the dark, with nothing but their torches to light the path: A journey in itself, and perhaps part of what makes being there feel so special.

About the event, label owner Andreas Kohl comments, “Some moments stay with you. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get to experience something like them again. Back in 2022, we gathered on a remote pasture in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, beneath the mighty Sassolungo and Sassopiatto, to share an evening of music, friendship and the beauty of the mountains. It was a small gathering, born out of a simple idea, and one that has stayed with us ever since. Four years later, we found ourselves doing it again.”

He continues, “With Might, Conny Ochs, and Jacke Schwarz, three artists connected through the Exile On Mainstream tribe, and fire artist Johanna Marie, we spent two days surrounded by mountains, music and wonderful people. There was no big stage, no festival machinery, no pressure to be anything other than what it was. Just the artists, a small gathering of friends, hikers and music lovers, and the freedom to let the music find its own way… Saturday brought an evening of sounds drifting into the mountain dusk, culminating in Johanna Marie’s beautiful fire performance, accompanied by improvised live music from Conny Ochs, Sven Missullis of Might and Paul-Willy Stoyan of Jacke Schwarz, Gavial, and SEK. Sunday gave us a few more hours together under the open sky.”

Kohl concludes, “Both days were free to attend and streamed live on Instagram, allowing friends from further away to share in the experience. What began as a little idea in 2022 continues to mean more to us than we can easily put into words. Perhaps because it reminds us how little it sometimes takes to create something meaningful.”

Today Exile On Mainstream shares the magic of those moments by releasing live footage from across this special event, with video filming/editing and audio mixing/mastering by Sven Missullis.

Additionally, the third installment of the event has been confirmed, and will take place at the same magical location on July 2nd and 3rd, 2027. Further information including this year’s lineup and more to post over the months ahead. Save the date!

Exile On Mainstream – Bliss Mountain Vol. 3:

7/02-03/2027 Anton-Proksch-Haus – Tennengebirge, AT

“The vastness of the mountains, the closeness of friends and those who might become friends. Silence, loud. Resonance, connection. Comfort and the reassurance that the world still has love and magic to offer. Only the mountain itself you have to climb alone.” – Ana Muhi/Might

“Far above the heads of cities and villages, amid the nature of the mountains, music echoes into the distance and you feel grateful to be allowed to experience this moment.” – Sven Missullis/Might

“Exile On Mainstream Records’ tradition of bringing the label family and fans together in unusual places has taken me to many inspiring locations. From the sea, we moved to the mountains for the first Bliss Mountain sessions in 2022 and again this year. Many of my new songs were written there in just a few days. It’s like coming home — to places you haven’t been before, but always with family. After days on the road alone, these encounters mean a great deal to me. The spirit of the label manifests here in its purest form. We play together, write together and see the world from the same angle for a few days.” – Conny Ochs

“The long journey was absolutely worth it. Surrounded by steep mountain peaks, green meadows, wandering hikers and singing cows, I experienced a small and very special festival with good handcrafted, genre-crossing music in a friendly and familial atmosphere. The two days felt like a week’s holiday.” – Jacke Schwarz

“Arrival in the valley late afternoon in the rain. The gondola then takes you up through the rain clouds to around 1,500 metres altitude. That 20-minute ride was a small transformation: hiking trails instead of roads, cows instead of cars, beautiful mountain peaks instead of skyscrapers. Fresh air, silence, calm and, in the spirit of the event, bliss. We tried to channel all of these impressions — with fingers and bottleneck on strings, with Sorbian and German words, while the sun climbs over the peaks and even the grazing cows seem to pause for a moment to listen.” – Paul-Willy Stoyan/Jacke Schwarz

EMPATH, Built From Volbeat, Rising And Anti-Ritual Members, Drop Their Self-Titled Debut Album

Published

17 hours ago

November 14, 2026

We Speak Media

EMPATH's four members in a black and white portrait against a dark background

Copenhagen has a new heavy rock band with serious pedigree. EMPATH, formed by members of Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual, have released their self-titled debut album today, November 13th, on Indisciplinarian — a dark and dreamy take on heavy rock built on atmosphere, melody and crushing dynamics.

EMPATH is the sound of a new, dark and dreamy heavy rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark — one that revolves around atmosphere, presence and empathy. The constellation may be new, but the four members carry solid experience from bands such as Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual.

In a digital and efficiency-driven age, where humanity is increasingly giving way to mechanical coldness, EMPATH — as the name suggests — is about presence, empathy and humanity. This ethos runs like a common thread through the band’s self-titled debut album, released today, November 13th, 2026, on LP, CD, cassette and digital formats via Indisciplinarian.

Across nine songs, EMPATH blends elements of progressive metal, doom, sludge and post-rock into a sound that is as dreamy and melodic as it is heavy and riff-driven. The music was recorded live with producer Lasse Ballade (Halshug, Slægt, Eyes) at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen, with vocals tracked at Grapehouse Studios by Morten Grønnegaard. Ballade also handled mix and mastering, while the artwork was created by illustrator Jon Gotlev (Nohr).

The album was first introduced by the single “Waves,” followed by “Vessel,” both pointing toward the band’s balance of melodic clarity and dense, riff-driven weight. EMPATH plays its debut show on December 11th at Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen.

EMPATH Track Listing

1. In Absence
2. Waves
3. Vessel
4. In Formation
5. In Bloom
6. In Thought
7. In Dissent
8. In Memory
9. In Return

Before forming EMPATH, guitarist/vocalist Morten Grønnegaard played with Volbeat on the albums Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. Bassist Christian Qvortrup played in the epic doom metal band Rising, while drummer Jakob Krogholt toured and recorded with Anti-Ritual.