Toward the end of summer 2013, Project: Roenwolfe issued their promising debut full-length, Neverwhere Dreamscape, through Divebomb Records. Unfortunately, life, distance, and various other creative priorities forced the group into an extended hiatus. But now, an all-too-long seven years down the line, Project: Roenwolfe is back and better than ever, announcing the forthcoming release of long-overdue sophomore outing, Edge Of Saturn. New single, “Something More”, is streaming below.

Edge Of Saturn finds Project: Roenwolfe co-founders Patrick Parris (vocals) and Tony Cordisco (guitar, bass) joined by drummer Ernie Topran (Theocracy, ex-Halcyon Way) to strengthen the manifestation of their vision for crunchy-yet-melodic thrash metal with epically soaring vocals—perfectly suited for fans of Nevermore, Forbidden, Control Denied and Artillery. The nine-song, 50-minute affair is a skillfully diverse effort that never favors variety or complexity over the sheer power of memorable, high-energy songwriting.

Lyrically, the album explores both the personal and the political, often through the creative lens of science fiction—be the concepts originally penned or inspired by literary legends such as Lovecraft, Shelley, Simmons, and Sapkowski. The title track, in fact, is a direct continuation of Neverwhere Dreamscape‘s “Split the Rings of Saturn” storyline, with the intention of expanding the saga across future recordings.

States Parris, “I feel that we did right by the creative process of this album. The amount of experience we were able to gain in the last eight years surely lends itself to our creative process as we return our focus to Project: Roenwolfe, and it’s honestly the most fun I’ve ever had creating something—the best music I’ve ever had the privilege of working on. I’m incredibly excited and proud to show people what we’ve done here.” Cordisco adds, “Edge of Saturn went through several iterations, but we took our time and made sure to make it the best combination of influences we could. We really wanted it to be the culmination of all we’ve learned in our musical journeys. As I prepared to leave Judicator—which had been my main band for nearly a decade—the album’s production ramped up and our partnership set a new course entirely. We are so beyond happy about this album, and can’t wait to unleash this slab of power-thrashing metal and deliver on a promise we made at the forming of this band almost 10 years ago.”

Divebomb Records couldn’t agree more, and is thrilled to once again partner with Project: Roenwolfe for the 2021 release of Edge of Saturn. The album’s markedly improved production and laser-focused songwriting boasts a level of quality and professionalism that raises Project: Roenwolfe toward the plane of the very luminaries that have inspired them—sure to stun former fans and newcomers alike!

Edge Of Saturn is due for release May 14, 2021.




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While Swedish progressive metal / rock pioneers and innovators Pain Of Salvation continue to challenge and bend stylistic boundaries with their frontline albums (Most recently: Panther, 2020), InsideOutMusic continues to re-work the group’s comprehensive and ground-breaking back-catalogue.

Consequently, Pain Of Salvation’s classic 2004 concept album BE (15 songs / 75 min.) as well as the exceptional 2004 acoustic live album 12:5 (16 songs / 60 min.) are now made available for the first time ever on vinyl, with a worldwide release date of April 30, 2021.

Both releases come as Gatefold Double-LP’s on 180g. vinyl with insert sheet and full album on bonus CD, available in the following variations/limitations:

BE:
Gatefold black 2LP+CD – Unlimited
Gatefold deep blood red 2LP+CD – 100x copies from IOM Webshop Europe
Gatefold transp. magenta 2LP+CD – 300x copies from CM Distro & IOM Webshop Europe
Gatefold transp. light blue 2LP+CD – 200x copies from EMP
Gatefold transp. sun yellow 2LP+CD – 200x copies from JPC
Gatefold lilac 2LP+CD – 200x copies from Revolver / USA
Gatefold white 2LP+CD – 100x copies from Band Webshop
Gatefold transp. petrol green 2LP+CD – 100x copies from Band Webshop

12:5:
Gatefold black 2LP+CD – Unlimited
Gatefold brown 2LP+CD – 100x copies from IOM Webshop Europe
Gatefold transp. sun yellow 2LP+CD – 300x copies from CM Distro & IOM Webshop Europe
Gatefold neon orange 2LP+CD – 200x copies from EMP
Gatefold transp. petrol green 2LP+CD – 200x copies from JPC
Gatefold brick red 2LP+CD – 200x copies from Revolver / USA
Gatefold white 2LP+CD – 100x copies from Band Webshop

Find preorder options at this location.

Pain Of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlöw checked in with the following comment: “So, we can’t come and play for you, but in this weird time of separation, we are all somehow closer to one another than ever. Please invite us into your hearts and homes in the shape of these two albums that are finally released on vinyl, after all these years. We know, judging from the number of questions and requests over the years, how important this day is for many of you, and it makes us very happy to be able to bring you the news. Your. Wait. Is. Over.

“At http://painofsalvation.com/store we will have signed colored versions available, 100 copies worldwide only, and the first 30 copies of each version will be numbered and have a handwritten lyric quote on the front cover. All pre-sales come with two shop-specific postcards.”

Additionally, Pain Of Salvation’s drummer Léo Margarit prepared a special drum playthrough video for the BE song “Nihil Morari” to enhance the announcement of these vinyl reissues.

Léo Margarit commented: “I played ‘Nihil Morari’ for the first time when I pressed “record” on my pro tools system for that video recording...While I knew all about its intricacies for having listened to it just about a million times, it proved rather difficult to perform well right away...! Nonetheless it was really fun to do and I hope I’m making Johan Langell proud!”




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Lucifer has announced the release of the ferociously moody classic "Pull Away/So Many Times", paying tribute to the opening track of Dust's second and final album Hard Attack released in 1972.

"Pull Away/So Many Times" is also being released physically as a special vinyl split single in collaboration with their Berlin peers Kadavar. On the flipside of the vinyl, Kadavar takes a bow to one of Britain's most important guitar players, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, covering the heavy track "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)". The single will be available physically on March 19, 2021 on Lucifer's own label Riding Reaper Records, as well as Kadavar's very own label Robotor Records. The 7" is limited to 1,500 copies and comes in five different colors (black, red, orange, white and blue) along with different bundle package options that are now available for pre-order via the bands web stores. European preorders here and U.S. preorders at this location.

Thrilled about this collaboration and the upcoming release, Lucifer frontwoman Johanna Platow Andersson states, "Both Kadavar and Lucifer have their roots in Berlin and we go back to the founding days of both bands where we shared the same scene. With our combined love for the deep cuts of the ‘60s and ‘70s we decided to cover two of our favorite songs together for a 7" single. We picked Marky Ramone's criminally underrated, glorious first band Dust. It is the first time that I duet together with our guitarist Linus Björklund and we had a blast recording it! Kadavar most relevantly chose to pay homage to the late Peter Green with this classic Fleetwood Mac number. Being a huge Fleetwood Mac fan myself this is the perfect choice to round off this nugget. We are very excited about this single and hope you dig our tributes!"

Lucifer are currently in the studio recording the follow-up to their highly praised 2020 album Lucifer III. Stay tuned for more details on Lucifer IV.




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Brazilian metallers, Angra, have released a live video for the Ømni album track, "Always More", from the band's Ømni World Tour. Watch below:

Check out the previously released live videos for "Magic Mirror", "Caveman", "War Horns", "The Bottom Of My Soul", "Insania", "Travelers Of Time", and "Light Of Transcedence" below:




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Sacred Oath has released a fourth advance single, “Cthulhu Wakes”, for streaming/download on all digital platforms.

The single and lyric video feature original cover artwork by drummer Kenny “Thundarr” Evans. Watch the clip below:

The band previously issued three singles and videos, “Return of the Dragon”, “Hammer Of An Angry God”, and “Empires Fall” for streaming and download.

Sacred Oath will follow Cthulhu Wakes with the release of one more advance single on March 19. Each single has featured a new and unique cover painted by Evans.  Platforms like Spotify and YouTube have also featured each art piece on video and canvas.

Pre-order for both the deluxe CD and double LP editions began on January 29 exclusively on the band’s website. These editions will be limited-edition pressings of 500 copies and LPs will be hand-numbered and signed. The CD will contain a 24-page booklet including all 11 original art pieces, lyrics, and photos. The double LP also contains all of the art and lyrics and is available in both black vinyl and color with splatter.

Digital pre-order will begin on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music on March 19 with instant delivery of all five singles. The complete album Return Of The Dragon will release on April 2.

Sacred Oath is best-known for releasing A Crystal Vision in 1988, an album that evolved into a cult-classic of the powerthrash-metal genre. It was followed by six more critically acclaimed studio albums, including fan-favorites World On Fire, Sacred Oath, Darkness Visible, and Ravensong. The single “Counting Zeros” from their eponymous 2009 release was chosen as iTunes “Discovery Download of the Week”, and their first live album Till Death Do Us Part (2008) was listed as a Top Ten Metal Album of the year by Apple Music in its year of release. The band appeared on MTV2 Headbangers Ball in its last televised season with a featured interview.

Tracklisting:

“Cthulhu Wakes”
“Last Ride Of The Wicked Dead”
“Return Of The Dragon”
“At The Gates”
“Empires Fall”
“Hammer Of An Angry God”
“The Next Pharaoh”
“Primeval”
“Into The Drink”
“Root Of All Evil”

“Empires Fall” lyric video:

"Hammer Of An Angry God" lyric video:

"Return Of The Dragon" lyric video:




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Omnibus Press has set a September 9 release date for "Evenings With Led Zeppelin: The Complete Concert Chronicle (Revised And Expanded Edition)".

"Evenings With Led Zeppelin" chronicles the 500-plus appearances LED ZEPPELIN made throughout its career.

From its earliest gig in a Denmark school gymnasium on September 7, 1968, through to the last gig that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones ever performed with John Bonham, in Berlin on July 7, 1980, this is the LED ZEPPELIN story told from where their legend was forged — on stage.

Impeccably researched by Dave Lewis and Mike Tremaglio, "Evenings With Led Zeppelin" traces the group's rapid ascent from playing to a few hundred at London's Marquee Club to selling out the 20,000-capacity Madison Square Garden in New York — all in a mere 18 months.

Illustrated throughout with rarely seen concert adverts, posters, venue images, ticket stubs and photos, this is LED ZEPPELIN as never chronicled before — now in a fully revised, updated and expanded edition.

Regarding the original concept for the book, Lewis told Tight But Loose's Gary Foy: "It initially came out of an idea to funnel Mike's amazing LED ZEPPELIN research in some way. We had been collaborating for many years — in fact, Mike's tour logs began to be a cornerstone of every Tight But Loose magazine from around 2007. I was incredibly impressed at his level of detail and archive research."

Added Tremaglio: "It's intended to fully cover LED ZEPPELIN's 12-year concert history on a gig-by-gig basis. Over the past decade-plus, the explosion of archival material, particularly newspaper archives, has provided much insight into the band's performances across the globe. For fans who'd seen the band live it gives them the opportunity to relive it, and for fans who hadn't seen them, the background text and countless visuals provide key insight into what the excitement was all about."

Asked how this books differ from other LED ZEPPELIN books, Lewis said: "I think the depth of information gathered offers a real perspective on what LED ZEPPELIN was really all about – which was playing live for as many people as possible. As I've said before, I'd like to think it reads as more than a mere list of dates. Within the format we adopted, it does clearly illustrate all the peaks and troughs of their career: the great nights, the not-so-great nights, all the craziness of their travels across America and beyond. This is no mere train spotters guide. I view the book as a result of a thirst for knowledge that paints as complete a picture as possible on the subject."

As for whether the book is just for the LED ZEPPLIN die-hards or if it has a broader appeal, Lewis said: "While the main appeal is obviously LED ZEPPELIN fans, I'd say it definitely has a broader appeal. For anyone interested in the heritage of rock music and its development during the 1960s and 1970s, this book reveals much about how the touring scene evolved. As Richard Cole, ZEP's tour manager, notes in the foreword, single-act stadium concerts were a rarity back then — until LED ZEPPELIN made the bold move into performing to masses of fans, and with no support act. This intensive documenting of their live appearances also reveals much about the evolution of the entertainment touring industry in the late 1960s and 1970s.

"As the band moved from gig to gig, there's a vivid sense of progression and momentum. Their performances carried energy, speed and vitality, leaving stunned audiences in their wake. Following the story gig to gig, that energy and speed is more than evident as they elevate from performing to a few thousand people at the Fillmore East in New York to selling out the 20,000-capacity Madison Square Garden in the space of a mere nineteen months."

Robin McAuley's new solo album, "Standing On The Edge", showcases the desire of the respected Irish rock singer to make a strong musical statement in a period that was more creative than ever for him. After reemerging on the recording side of the music industry with guest spots on MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST albums and fronting the hard rock supergroup BLACK SWAN, McAuley is feeling invigorated and ready to explore even more creative output, letting the world see that his voice is as powerful as ever. "Standing On The Edge" will arrive on May 7 va Frontiers Music Srl. Fans can get their first taste of the album with the release of the single and video for the title track today. Watch the video below.

Of the album, Robin says: "It was hard not to draw reference from the dreaded pandemic we all found ourselves in, and still do, so I just spat out what I was feeling and 'Standing On The Edge' seemed an appropriate title to describe the current climate." He continues: "In contrast to that however, songs like 'Run Away' harken back to my childhood years, racing across the fields next to our house trying to beat the rain home. I'm still running all these years later!! Alessandro sent me this beautiful music and this lyric and melody came together quite quickly. It's very simple and childlike and I really like how this song turned out. 'Wanna Take A Ride', on the other hand, was just me desperate to get out of the house during lockdown and head to the beach. Top down, throttle wide open, and a stiff middle finger to COVID. I crank this SO LOUD in my car. Makes me smile!

"Perhaps this record is not everything I ever wanted to say or record in a solo effort, but it's how I felt at the time. I'm far from being done. Hope you like what you hear," concludes Robin.

McAuley is widely recognized as one of the great singers of a golden period in hard rock music. His voice can be heard on albums from GRAND PRIX and FAR CORPORATION, and of course on the chart-topping MSG records "Perfect Timing", "Save Yourself" and "MSG". Through these releases, he was introduced to hard rock fans around the globe, who no doubt recognized the inherent talent and skill in his vocal abilities. Since departing MSG, he released one solo record in 1999, then joined AOR legends SURVIVOR, and then re-grouped with Schenker in MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST on their recent records "Resurrection" and "Revelation". And, of course, in what was an absolute revelation to hard rock fans around the world, in 2020, he came out swingin' as the frontman of the supergroup BLACK SWAN, where he joined forces with Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER), Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN) and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR BIG).

McAuley spent the latter half of 2020 working on a new solo record, one which truly encompasses all music styles he is known for — hard rock and melodic rock superbly performed as only he can do it. Envisioned, overseen, and creatively directed by Serafino Perugino, president and A&R director of Frontiers, with production (and co-writing) by Alessandro Del Vecchio, McAuley offers up a true gem of an album in "Standing On The Edge". Included are a splendid songwriting collaborations with his former GRAND PRIX bandmate Phil Lanzon (currently longtime URIAH HEEP keyboardist) on "Like A Ghost", Howard Leese (of BAD COMPANY, ex-HEART) on "Supposed To Do Now", and Tommy Denander on "Do You Remember" and "Chosen Few".

"Standing On The Edge" track listing:

01. Thy Will Be Done

02. Standing On The Edge

03. Late December

04. Do You Remember

05. Say Goodbye

06. Chosen Few

07. Run Away

08. Supposed To Do Now

09. Wanna Take A Ride

10. Like A Ghost

11. Running Out Of Time

Recording lineup:

Robin McAuley - vocals

Andrea Seveso - guitars

Alessandro Del Vecchio - bass, keyboards, backing vocals

Nicholas Papapicco - drums

Howard Leese - guitars on "Supposed To Do Now"

Necronomicon's new album, The Final Chapter, is in essence a new chapter for the band. It's the first time that the band has international members, so the sound is different because of Rik Charron (ex-Exciter) on the drums, and Glen Shannon on lead guitar. But, oddly enough, you still know it's Necronomicon - due to founding member Freddy, and his distinctive song writing style, and Marco Lohrenz on bass and backing vocals.

El Puerto Records will release The Final Chapter on March 26th in CD, Limited Edition Steelbox, and digital formats. Check outtheir new single / lyric video "Me Against You" below.

The songs on The Final Chapter, Necronomicon's tenth album, are intricate, hard-hitting, full of force speed and power. There will be a song on this album that will please everyone from power metaller to thrasher. As with all the previous releases, the album bears the unmistakable and signature sound of Achim Köhler who was responsible for the mixing and mastering. This album is coming to tear the roof down with a blistering sonic assault, and maybe it's the final chapter? Beware of the beast!

Tracklisting:

"I Am The Violence"
"Give Me Fire"
"Wall Of Pain"
"Purgatory"
"Burning The Fury"
"Spilling Blood"
"Selling Nightmares"
"Justice"
"The Devil's Tears"
"The Unnamed"
"Me Against You"
"Stormreaper"

The Final Chapter Video Medley Preview:

"Wall Of Pain"




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Los Angeles metallers, Slizard, have released a second 4-song sampler for their soon to be released debut album. Listen below.

Slizard recently signed a worldwide deal with Mega Metal Records, a sub-label of Canadian label Maple Metal, to release their self-titled debut on May 28.

The band was formed in 2019, and features LA singer Liz Fawcett on vocals, Pat "Buzz" Belrose on guitars, bass & vocals, and Todd "Toad" Resmen on drums.

Singing sensation Liz Fawcett has been described by a few LA music industry reps as a "badass" singer that has an instantly recognizable voice. Pat "Buzz" Belrose has previously played guitar for LA bands Spoiled Rotten, & World Jungle who were popular acts, especially on the local LA scene in the 90's, but has also recorded two albums with Canadian metal band Jade in the mid-80's. Buzz currently also has his own band appropriately named BUZZ ZA.

All the lyrics on Slizard were penned by American poet Randall Dwight.

The Slizard album cover art is designed by well-known Finnish artist Jan Yrlund, of Darkgrove Studios, Tampere, Finland.

Slizard is produced & mixed by Chris Wood, a 3-time Grammy Award nominated L.A. producer, & mix engineer. Chris Wood has worked with a variety of artists in multiple music genres, but in the rock world most notably with Slash, Lenny Kravitz, Vivian Campbell guitarist of Dio & Def Leppard.

The album is mastered by Chris Crerar at Metalworks Studios (Guns N' Roses, Rush, Triumph) in Toronto, Canada. The album cover art is designed by Jan Yrlund, of Darkgrove Studios, Tampere, FI.

Slizard have written over 50 songs for this project, and below is a list of the 15 tracks that'll appear on their debut album.

Tracklisting:

"Monsters"
"Mr. Hyde"
"Gears"
"Crack The Whip"
"Skinwalker"
"Watch N' Listen"
"Vampire Zombies"
"Running Towards The Zombies"
"Madness Of The Queen"
"Neverland"
"Down By The River"
"Spooks In The Trees"
"Broken Dreams"
"Slow Motion Suicide"
"Will You Still Be There"

Sampler #1:

Sampler #2:




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Melbourne’s eclectic duo known as Toehider have announced that their latest album, I Like It, will be released as a 2LP/CD set on April 2. Order here.

The collaborative project between singer/multi-instrumentalist Mike Mills and graphic designer Andrew Saltmarsh is the fourth full length studio album and 20th overall release (after a series of 12 EPs in 12 months kickstarted the project a decade ago, along with a few more along the way).

The collection of tracks on I Like it showcases Toehider's diverse influences, blending 80s pop/rock & metal, with Mike Mills’ trademark vocal gymnastics, modern prog guitar wizardry, and more.

"I Like It is now officially coming to North America! The songs on this album were handpicked by the most hardcore Toehider fans, 12 songs which were the absolute magic, the cat's pajamas, the certified BEST of the lot we put together on our Patreon over the last couple of years. This release will be a first for Toehider as it will also be available as a double 180gram gatefold sleeve vinyl, as well as gatefold CD. Brilliant!" - Mike

Tracklisting:

"Go Full Bore!"
"wellgivit"
"Rancorous Heart"
"Moon And Moron"
"Concerning Lix & Fairs"
"The Ultimate Exalter"
"Died Of Dancing"
"Bats Aren't Birds"
"The Guy That No-One Really Knows"
"He's There... And Then He Does THAT"
"How Much For That Dragon Tooth?"
"I Like It!"

"He's There... and Then He Does THAT" lyric video:

"Go Full Bore!" video:

More about Toehider:

After releasing their debut EP back in 2008, Toehider caught the world’s attention by releasing an impressive 12 EPs in 12 months, covering everything from up-beat pop & heavy progressive metal, to children’s audiobooks & chilled out folk. Soon a live act was formed and, in 2011, the band's first full album To Hide Her was released. The band continued to release albums over the next few years, while supporting a number of great acts on tour including Devin Townsend, Caligula's Horse, Voyager and others.

An invitation by Arjen Lucassen for Mike Mills to sing on the Ayreon album The Theory of Everything would lead to greater exposure for the group and performances with Ayreon live. Mills would also be a featured vocalist on the Ayreon album The Source in 2017.

In 2018, Toehider launched a Patreon campaign called ’49 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die’ as a home for Mike Mills and Salty’s prolific work and content. This project continued in 2019 with further livestreaming and content, as well as a series of digital re-releases marking the 10th anniversary of the 12in12 project, with additional commentary from Mike Mills on each track.




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Like some U.D.O. classics? Here's "Wrong Side Of Midnight" for you, from the upcoming live album "Live in Bulgaria 2020 – Pandemic Survival Show" which is going to be released on March 19th, 2021. If you want to order a copy and thus also get a contemporary witness of this breathtaking event in Plovdiv's amphitheater, please find the link in the video description.

With that show U.D.O. is not only making one of the world's grandest shows under Corona, but also certainly beyond compare. This is exactly the feeling that the live recording captures: It is an evening that lets everyone feel for a few hours exactly what only music can convey: to feel like we belong together and be carried away from everyday life and all worries. An evening in which, especially in 2020, it was clear what an important task culture fulfills and what an indescribable gap it leaves behind if it is not allowed to take place. The setlist is more than special: current songs cavort next to unforgotten and rarely performed live rarities together with some Accept classics.

Kreator - Under The Guillotine: The Noise Records Anthology, is now available as Deluxe Box Set, 2CD, and 2LP formats. Order here, and watch an unboxing video below.

The story of Kreator’s meteoric rise to the global elite of thrash metal bands from their humble beginnings in Essen Germany, began under their first name of Tormentor in the early 80’s. It was their ‘Blitzkreig’ and ‘End Of The World’ demos changing hands in the era’s bustling underground tape-trading network that exposed them to the international metal community.  Positive word of mouth soon attracted the attention of Germany’s own metal start-up, Noise Records, which signed the newly re-christened Kreator to a deal.

Kreator’s tenure at the label spawned six studio albums and established them as one of the most influential on the thrash scene, one they dominate to this day. 1985 debut, Endless Pain was a savage debut; its crude thrashing quickly had the underground metal world abuzz with excitement. 1986’s Follow up, Pleasure To Kill is considered the band’s first “classic” album and raised the bar with more diversity of tempos, while losing nothing in terms of ferocity or speed. 1987’s Terrible Certainty further cemented the reputation that Kreator were one of the genre’s finest exponents.  In 1989 the band closed the decade with the thrash triumph of Extreme Aggression, their biggest seller to date. 1990’s huge magnum opus Coma Of Souls confirmed them in thrash history before they diversified their sound on the experimental, Renewal in 1992.

Under The Guillotine is a deluxe celebration of Kreator’s, Noise Records discography and is the definitive collection of their first decade of recorded work and contains:

- Endless Pain - (Swirl vinyl with original artwork & inner sleeve)
- Pleasure To Kill - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner sleeve)
- Terrible Certainty - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Extreme Aggression - (Half/half vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Coma Of Souls - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Renewal - (Swirl vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Some Pain Will Last DVD - Containing ‘From The Vault’ mini documentary, plus two previously unreleased audio live concerts and an Andy Sneap remix of Live In East Berlin 1990
- 12” x 12”, 40 page hardback book of photography, quotes and lyrics from the first decade of the bands existence. Contains rare and previously unseen photos from the era.
- Reproduction ‘End Of The World’ demo cassette
- ‘Demon’ figurine USB drive containing MP3 audio of all the expanded editions of all the albums.
- All encased in an executioners, guillotine box.
- The first 250 orders from the Noise Records store will also receive a signed art card by Mille Petrozza.

Tracklisting:

LP1: Endless Pain (1985)
"Endless Pain"
"Total Death"
"Storm Of The Beast"
"Tormentor"
"Son Of Evil"
"Flag Of Hate"
"Cry War"
"Bonebreaker"
"Living In Fear"
"Dying Victims"

LP2: Pleasure To Kill (1986)
"Choir Of The Damned"
"Ripping Corpse"
"Death Is Your Saviour"
"Pleasure To Kill"
"Riot Of Violence"
"The Pestilence"
"Carrion"
"Command Of The Blade"
"Under The Guillotine"

LP3: Terrible Certainty (1987)
"Blind Faith"
"Storming With Menace"
"Terrible Certainty"
"As The World Burns"
"Toxic Trace"
"No Escape"
"One Of Us"
"Behind The Mirror"

LP4: Extreme Aggression (1989)
"Extreme Aggressions"
"No Reason To Exist"
"Love Us Or Hate Us"
"Stream Of Consciousness"
"Some Pain Will Last"
"Betrayer"
"Don't Trust"
"Bringer Of Torture"
"Fatal Energy"

LP5: Coma Of Soul (1990)
"When The Sun Burns Red"
"Coma Of Souls"
"People Of The Lie"
"World Beyond"
"Terror Zone"
"Agents Of Brutality"
"Material World Paranoia"
"Twisted Urges"
"Hidden Dictator"
"Mental Slavery"

LP6: Renewal (1992)
"Winter Martyrium"
"Renewal"
"Reflection"
"Brainseed"
"Karmic Wheel"
"Realitätskontrolle"
"Zero To None"
"Europe After The Rain"
"Depression Unrest"

Unboxing video:

Also available as an introduction piece is Under The Guillotine – The Noise Anthology – an 18 track double-vinyl collection of Kreator’s Noise era classics, pressed on splatter vinyl, including rare and unseen photos. And for the non-vinyl collectors, there will also be a 30 track 2CD version, housed in a mediabook. Both feature rare tracks and remixes from the bands discography.




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LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, the instrumental progressive rock/metal project featuring DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci, alongside ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and progressive rock icon Tony Levin (bass) of KING CRIMSON and PETER GABRIEL fame, will release its third album, "LTE3", on March 26 via InsideOut Music. The effort will arrive 22 years after the release of 1999's "Liquid Tension Experiment 2". The official Christian Rios-created music video for the album's second single, "Beating The Odds", can be seen below.

Petrucci said: "This was a riff that I brought into the sessions that I thought was interesting because it's in an odd time and phrased in a way that is hard to wrap your head around at first until you understand where the groove is. When I first presented it to the guys, their initial reaction was 'how are you feeling that?' When the band enters after the opening riff, it probably sounds a little 'odd' because the time signature is a bit unclear until the song gets going. If LTE ever had a 'prog pop hit' this would be it."

Added Rudess: "I remember the look of confusion on ALL our faces when JP started playing that opening riff! It's was seemingly so straight ahead but with a bizarre rhythmic twist! Took a while to internalize that, but then we all loved it! One of the great things about LTE is the fact that we just let ourselves loose and have FUN!"

Said Portnoy: "'Beating The Odds' is the second song we wrote in the LTE3 sessions. I jokingly referred to it as 'the feel-good song of the pandemic' in the studio as it has a very upbeat happy feel to it...but also takes a few cool musical twists and turns ranging from the glorious melodic chorus and end vamp to the dark driving solo sections."

Stated Levin: "Starts with an off-step riff, kind of like walking upstairs backward, but at the repeat you get it. Then it opens up into 'anthem land.' Later there are unison bass lines where both Jordan and John got flangy sounds that work well with the bass. Mike's unstoppable energy is evident here, and we've got more fantastic J&J solos. At only five and a half minutes, we start fading out… a short song by our standards. But we're just getting warmed up."

"LTE3" track listing:

01. Hypersonic (8:22)

02. Beating The Odds (6:09)

03. Liquid Evolution (3:23)

04. The Passage Of Time (7:32)

05. Chris & Kevin's Amazing Odyssey (5:04)

06. Rhapsody In Blue (13:16)

07. Shades Of Hope (4:42)

08. Key To The Imagination (13:14)

The bonus disc includes almost an hour of improvised jams.

The album will be available as:

* Limited deluxe hot pink 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray Box Set (including a poster and 4 artcards, Blu-ray includes a 5.1 surround mix with visuals, and full band interview from the studio)

* Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

* Limited 2CD Digipak

* Gatefold black 2LP+CD

*Digital album (2CD)

Speaking about why now was the right time to resurrect LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, Portnoy told Revolver: "The main reason is the insanity of 2020. The pandemic and the lockdown is pretty much what allowed it. But we've been talking about it for many, many years. It's been 10 years since I left DREAM THEATER, and it didn't make sense to do LTE while I was still in DREAM THEATER. Because it was three members of the same band. Then after I left, it took many years of healing and all the drama to pass and the dust to settle before the relationships with John and Jordan got real good again. And musically, Jordan and I played together a few years ago on the Cruise To The Edge, and then obviously John Petrucci and I played together last year for his solo album ['Terminal Velocity']. So it seemed like the time was right to finally do it. And the pandemic, for better or worse, gave us a window of opportunity where none of us were on tour and we could actually align the schedules and do it."

On the topic of his musical chemistry with Petrucci, Portnoy said: "Well, John and I were writing partners and producing partners for 25 years. And when we reconvened last year for his solo album, I guess I will say the difference was that the roles were redefined, because it was his album. It wasn't like DREAM THEATER where we wrote together and produced together. When I got together with him for 'Terminal Velocity', I was coming in and playing a much different role, as was he. John had written it all and I was there to do a service for him. And I'm very comfortable playing that role, being a session guy or a hired gun. But then when we got together to do LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT a few months later, that was more of the natural chemistry of us writing together, working together, making decisions together. Once we got to that relationship, it was exactly as it had been when I left DREAM THEATER. It was just so immediately comfortable."

In November 2017, Mike told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."

Photo credit: Tony Levin

Late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza's camp has released the new video below, Soultone Cymbals Mega Metal Beats #2 With Nick Menza - "Take No Prisoners" Breakdown.

Says Nick in the video: "Play fast, play loud, play hard and keep practicing!"

Previously unreleased drum-cam footage of Menza playing along to the band's classic song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" can be seen below.

The HD video, shot in a three-camera-angle mix, was filmed in March 2014 at Uberbeatz Studios in Seattle, Washington and is believed to be some of the final studio drum recordings of Menza before he passed away more than two years later.

The footage was supposed to be used for the late drummer's first-ever instructional DVD, Intense Mega Drumming, that was to feature 10 re-recorded classic Megadeth drum tracks with tons of tips and tricks from Menza's arsenal to help teach anybody out there become a better player. The DVD, which was produced and directed by Kari Pearson and Menza's manager, Robert Bolger, has since been shelved.

The unreleased video footage and audio from the session will be a featured highlight in the recently announced official Menza documentary film This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic Rust In Peace lineup."

This Was My Life will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow band members, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.

Bolger said: "I am very excited to be working with Screaming Butterfly Entertainment on Nick's official documentary. "There's a lot of published misinformation out there about Nick that isn't true and I am very happy to bring the truth forth. Nick loved his fans and always said without the fans none this would be possible. I really think Nick's fans will enjoy this journey through his life."

Executive producer Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment added: "As both a filmmaker, and fellow metalhead who deeply values the metal community, I am honored and excited to go on this journey alongside all of you."

Menza's official autobiography, Megalife: The Autobiography Of Nick Menza by J. Marshall Craig, was released in December 2018 via Post Hill Press.

Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Nick rightfully earned his place as one of heavy metal's fiercest drummers during Megadeth's 10-year commercial peak. The highlight of his career, Nick said, was playing Rock In Rio before more than 100,000 people. The lowest point was being fired by Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine while he was still in a hospital bed after surgery to remove what doctors feared was a cancerous growth.




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BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE (a.k.a. BIAS), the hard rock band featuring former KORN drummer David Silveria, was recently interviewed by Portugal's Underground's Voice. You can watch the chat below.

Asked how it feels to be credited with having originated the "nu metal" sound with KORN, Silveria said: "Supposedly [KORN] invented nu metal, the genre. I think if you Google 'nu metal,' KORN comes up as the inventors and all that shit. But we had our influences too before KORN came out.

"It's never hit me that we invented a whole new genre of music, 'cause, to me, we were just making songs, and we were just writing what we wanted to write, and what felt good," he continued. "Not one time when we were in the studio did we go, 'Hey, we're making a new genre right now. Let's do it.' That never happened. So when people say that we invented the whole nu metal thing, I don't really know how to act. It's definitely a great thing to hear — it makes you feel good — but I really don't know how to react to that, just because I felt it was five guys making music, not inventing a whole genre of music."

KORN's self-titled debut, which came out in 1994, went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide and featured the band's first classic, "Blind". The LP is credited with launching the nu metal movement, setting the template for albums from bands like DEFTONES, LIMP BIZKIT, COAL CHAMBER and others.

Essentially a fusion of rap and alternative rock (arguably born out of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), nu metal inexplicably swept the airwaves and peaked for a brief period in the late '90s and early 2000s, with Gregory Heaney of AllMusic describing the genre as "one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream." Along the way, several bands associated with nu metal, including KORN, DEFTONES and SLIPKNOT, took a somewhat defensive stance against being labeled as such. Even those less apologetic nu metal groups eventually changed their sound, effectively disowning the genre that they helped pioneer.

In a 2012 interview with Gibson Guitar, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer said that he and his bandmates "never considered ourselves 'nu metal,' or any particular genre for that matter. When we came out, certain media outlets coined that phrase to group all these bands together, but we've always tried to do our own thing," he said. "We love metal, but also incorporate hip-hop, funk, electronic music, and try to keep challenging ourselves to be different and push our own boundaries with our music. I think that's kept us in a good creative space that our amazing fans have been so supportive of, thankfully."

Last August, Silveria told the "Talk Toomey" podcast that countless people have credited KORN with creating nu metal. "I do agree that we changed the music scene and put the course of heavy music on a different route," he said. "I just feel like me — I don't feel, like, 'Oh, I did something. I changed the whole entire scene.' It's not a feeling that I have. I've heard it so many times, I don't really understand it. But I guess we did — for all intents and purposes, I guess we did kind of change the scene and created this new genre called nu metal."

In a 2017 interview Italy's Linea Rock, Silveria's replacement, Ray Luzier, said that he doesn't consider KORN to be a "nu metal" band. "To me, I don't know what that is," he said. "Anyone could make a style up. I don't know… all of these emo [bands], I don't get it. To me, KORN is KORN. It's its own thing. It's hard rock, it's metal, it's hip-hop, it's funk…all of this stuff wrapped into one. It's not just aggressive metal music. I can't call it metal, but hard rock doesn't fit either. It's KORN. It's the style. [Laughs]"

Last month, BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE released its debut EP "Acronym". The effort features a cover of FAITH NO MORE's "Midlife Crisis", as well as BREAKING IN A SEQUENCE's debut single "Pity", which reached No. 23 on the Billboard Indicator chart and No. 9 on the Foundations chart upon its initial release.

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke to the "Do You Know Jack?" podcast about how the advent of the Internet has changed the terrain of the music industry, particulary in an era when most music streaming services offer on-demand access to media where users can stream a song without having to download it.

"The music business, and especially with the Internet, boy, things change every six months — the speed at which it develops," Ellefson said (hear audio below). "The old formulas, of course, and the old guard of the music business, they were challenged in the '90s with Napster. That was the first time the evil horns of the Internet reared its head and said, 'Hey, we're going a different way.' And, of course, the old guard of the record business, who had gotten comfortable in their methodology, they got left behind. And the ones who adapted and got on board — obviously, Steve Jobs, largely, with Apple pretty much saved the day for an existing music business. But, obviously since iTunes, now we have Spotify and the digital streaming services and YouTube and all these things. The digital platforms, even for television… I watch [the Netflix show] 'Cobra Kai' [which follows the adult life of 'The Karate Kid' bully Johnny Lawrence 34 years after the events of the '80s film franchise]. Netflix had that afterplay party, and [actor] Ralph Macchio was even talking about that. He said, 'I've been approached a lot to do another 'Karate Kid' movie,' and he said it very well, and it goes to show — he's a seasoned actor; he's been in the business for many years — he said, he goes, 'Look, with the advent of these digital platforms now, we didn't have to go try to make some blockbuster movie. We can do this in an episodial series like this.'"

Ellefson also talked about how the pandemic has led to a surge of digital content consumption across genres and platforms, which is a very encouraging indicator for content creators and providers.

"God bless the digital platforms being here during the pandemic that we had some alternatives," he said. "Because the box office cinema, boy, that's gotten hit as hard as the concert business. And I think when all this stuff does come back online again, it's gonna look very different. Even the concert business, there's gonna be some social distancing and limited seating, and there's just gonna be some stuff we're gonna have to work around now. And they're saying, look, COVID is now here with us forever. Hopefully we'll get ahead of it and be able to manage it better than what we've done in the last year or so. But, look, it's here. It's kind of like the flu — it's here now. So it's gonna be something we're gonna have to be paying attention to, and hopefully it doesn't keep rearing its head like it has, but if it does, all of these big large gatherings and things, they're the first thing that's gonna be affected. And that affects all of our lives, those of us who are live performers.

"For me, I think books, movies, digital platforms — that is the path forward," he added.

MEGADETH is continuing to record its 16th studio album for a tentative late 2021 or early 2022 release.

The early sessions for the LP took place in 2019 with co-producer Chris Rakestraw, who previously worked on "Dystopia".

"Dystopia", whose title track was honored in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 2017 Grammy Awards, marked Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro's recording debut with MEGADETH.

MEGADETH's current lineup is rounded out by founding guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine and 46-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who had played with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH.

Legendary rock musician Ann Wilson has released another new single, "The Hammer". It is one of several songs the HEART frontwoman recorded last fall in Seattle with the help of local musicians, including current HEART bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker. In addition to "The Hammer", Wilson recorded "Tender Heart" as well as covers of Steve Earle's "The Revolution Starts Now" and ALICE IN CHAINS' "Rooster", all three of which have already been released as singles, plus another as-yet-unreleased original, "Black Wing".

Ann said: "'The Hammer' talks about that moment when the rubber meets the road, when all dreams, fantasies, and excuses fall by the wayside. The moment of truth. The edge of reality."

Released last year, Ann's version of "The Revolution Starts Now" — which marked her first new music in more than two years — was met by universal acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, which praised it for "a sense of urgency that arrives like a jolt to the heart." "With thrumming guitar and crashing high hat/kick drum combination, 'The Revolution Starts Now' is propulsive," agreed American Songwriter. "Classic hard rock, it swells on the chorus, then falls away. Her voice is strong, somewhat dusky, retains its power."

Ann Wilson is a true icon, known far and wide as lead singer and songwriter of the groundbreaking rock band HEART. Led by Wilson's extraordinary vocal power, HEART has thrilled audiences for more than four decades, earning sales of more than 35 million and well-deserved induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. Wilson's second solo album, 2018's "Immortal", saw her putting her unique stamp on songs made famous by a number of hugely influential artists, including David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty, Amy Winehouse, and more. Produced by longtime HEART collaborator Mike Flicker, the album earned widespread critical acclaim, with Associated Press declaring it "an exciting, eye-opening look at largely obscure songs by big-name artists" and Goldmine praising Wilson for "her mighty vocal firepower and a far ranging creative spirit."

Photo by Criss Cain

Hailing from Philadelphia, Shadows - the newly launched avant-garde/doom metal quartet led by Alex Bouks (Immolation, Goreaphobia) and comprising former Goreaphobia musicians - will release its self-titled EP tomorrow, Friday, February 26 via Agonia Records. Listen to an advanced stream of the full EP below.

As founding member of the Philadelphia death metal band Goreaphobia, Alex Bouks has been involved in the extreme underground music scene since the late 80’s. His technical style of aggressive, melodic guitar work has resulted in worldwide recognition, being a member of such acclaimed acts as Immolation, Incantation, Master, Ruinous and Funebrarum. Now Alex has returned to his musical roots in Shadows, with classic influences featuring Pink Floyd, Celtic Frost, Sisters of Mercy, Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate or Voivod, and with musicians he always felt chemistry with, including Henry Piotrkowski and Jake G of the split-up Goreaphobia and Lance Walter of another Philadelphia unit, Dominance.

Their debut EP was produced at Rhawn Street Studios in the US and mastered by Tore Stjerna (Mayhem, Watain) at Necromorbus Studio in Sweden.

Formats:

- Digipak CD
- Jewelcase CD
- Black LP
- Red LP
- Gold LP
- Splatter LP
- Digital

Order the EP here.

Tracklisting:

"Ghosts Of Old"
"Shadows"
"Night Of The Goat Winter Moon"
"Elders"
"Sea Of Dust"
"Ancient Eyes"

EP stream:

"Ghosts Of Old" video:

Lineup:

Alex Bouks - Lead guitar
Henny Piotrowski - guitar
Jake G - vocals
Lance Walter - drums, bass, lead guitar

(Photo - Verrecchio Photography)




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Symphonic metal powerhouse, Eleine, are back with a continuation from their breakout new album, Dancing In Hell. The band has announced a limited edition vinyl single, "Die From Within", which was taken from the aforementioned album. The single contains four tracks/b-sides from Dancing In Hell. In addition to updated versions of "Die From Within" and "The World We Knew", the record includes symphonic versions of "Die From Within" and "Story Untold".

The vinyl comes in three different colors: white/gold splatter, black/gold, and regular black vinyl. "Die From Within" is set for release on April 23. Pre-order here.

A message states: "The loss of someone leaves such silence, even if you're screaming from the top of your lungs and it feels like your insides are being ripped out. As time goes by, you slowly realize that life will never be the same again. It often feels like no-one understands the pain you’re in, and that just makes everything so much worse.

”'Die From Within' was born out of loss and depression. We all know what it’s like when you take one step forward and take two steps back when dealing with depression and grief. There are no words that instantly fix everything, but as you continue working on getting back to your daily life, you will get better little by little each passing day by finding the small things that comfort you and that keep you pushing forward. Even if it feels impossible sometimes.

”'Die From Within' is for our lost loved ones, and for all of our fans out there dealing with any form of depression. We see you, we're with you and we love you.”

Tracklisting:

"Die From Within"
"The World We Knew"
"Die From Within" (Symphonic Version)
"Story Untold" (Symphonic Version)




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Immortal Guardian has unveiled a music video for “Phobia”, the latest single from their new concept album, Psychosomatic, out now via M-Theory Audio. The clip for "Phobia", a narrative video that ties into the record’s pandemic-inspired theme, can be viewed below.

The video, which features a guest guitar solo by Angra’s Marcelo Barbosa, is the band's latest examination of the events that changed the world in 2020, which drove the overall creative process and production of Psychosomatic.

“As the pandemic first began, one thing that we saw happening to everyone – including ourselves – was an introduction of new phobias,” says keyboardist/guitarist Gabriel Guardian. “I started becoming scared of things that I used to like or not be scared of. Even just the thought of being in a crowd has a whole new meaning and feeling to it. Is it a phobia? Will we have to learn to deal with them, or will they go away when the pandemic is over? This song touches on the topics of these new phobias.”

Notably, the filming of “Phobia” was affected by the very real events of the outside world, as bassist/engineer Joshua Lopez and his wife contracted COVID-19 in January. Lopez recorded his parts for the music video while he was still in quarantine inside his home in the band's native Texas. Luckily, both Joshua and his wife were able to recover after suffering only mild symptoms. The video also saw drummer Justin Piedimonte contributing from his home in Montreal, Canada, and Gabriel Guardian recording his parts in his new home of Las Vegas alongside vocalist Carlos Zema, who recently relocated from his native Brazil after staying in lockdown for many months.

“Phobia” showcases Zema's high-flying vocals and Gabriel Guardian's dizzying abilities to play guitar and keyboard simultaneously. Guardian has shown off this unbelievable dexterity on MTV's “Amazingness,” and his unique dual-instrument covers of classics by the likes of Iron Maiden, Pantera and Guns N' Roses have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Order the Psychosomatic album at the band's online shop.

Tracklisting:

"Psychosomatic"
"Read Between The Lines"
"Lockdown"
"Phobia"
"Clocks"
"Self-Isolation"
"Goodbye To Farewells"
"Candlelight"
"Find The Reason"
"New Day Rising"

“Clocks” video:

“Lockdown” video:

"Read Between The Lines" lyric video:

Immortal Guardian is:

Gabriel Guardian – guitars / keyboards
Carlos Zema – vocals
Justin Piedimonte – drums
Josh Lopez – bass




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Korpiklaani have released a drum playthrough video for "Verikoira", the opening track of the band's new album, Jylhä.

A message states: "The composition of 'Verikoira' was kind of unorthodox. (Drummer) Samuli (Mikkonen) wrote the drum arrangements on his own first and after the drums were recorded they started to make the music on top of it with Jonne. The main idea was to make a strong opening track full of drums such as Judas Priest had on their Painkiller album. This is what they came up with."

Watch Samuli rip through "Verikoira":

Order Jylhä here.

Jylhä tracklisting:

"Verikoira"
"Niemi"
"Leväluhta"
"Mylly"
"Tuuleton"
"Sanaton Maa"
"Kiuru"
"Miero"
"Pohja"
"Huolettomat"
"Anolan Aukeat"
"Pidot"
"Juuret"

"Tuuleton" video:

"Niemi" video:

"Mylly" video:

"Leväluhta" video:




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Oklahoma City-based songwriter/composer/arranger/ producer, Kitt Wakeley, today announced his new album, Symphony Of Sinners And Saints, will be released on May 21. The album’s dynamic first single, “Conflicted”, featuring the best-selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time, Joe Satriani, will be released tomorrow, Feburary 26, on all major DSPs including iTunes and more. Listen to the single below.

Satriani said about the tracks he played on the album, "Kitt Wakeley's ‘Conflicted’ and ‘Forgive Me’ are epic musical gems full of powerful emotions and sonic surprises. Playing guitar on Kitt’s new album has been a fun, exhilarating experience, and a musical challenge too. Kitt's huge, cinematic sound makes each one of his songs a powerful sonic journey. I’m so happy I was able to contribute to this stellar album.”

About working with Satriani, Wakeley said, “To have someone of Joe’s talent is always a plus, but to have his creativity and input is even better. Add in the fact that he’s an incredibly nice person to work with, and you’ve got pure Satriani magic.”

Following his acclaimed 2018 release, Midnight In Macedonia, Wakeley’s Symphony Of Sinners And Saints (released by Studio Seven Media) boasts a cinematic hybrid of orchestral music, rock, and EDM, featuring stunning compositions, heavy guitar riffs, and thundering drums. Like that previous release, which was recorded with the award-winning Macedonia Orchestra and Choir, Symphony Of Sinners And Saints incorporates another renowned ensemble, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). For the October 2020 recording sessions at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios, the RPO was conducted by Cliff Masterson (Little Mix, Kylie Minogue, Il Divo, Oasis).

Wakeley said, “I thought that working at Abbey Road would be an intimidating process when considering all the legendary music that has been made in this iconic setting. Music from the most epic albums and movies have been made in these studios and I’m blessed to see and hear my music come to life in an almost magical sense. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cliff, and studio staff were phenomenal.”

Masterson stated, “Kitt’s compositions are a fantastically energetic journey through an incredibly creative, sonic landscape. The perfect blend of rock guitars, synths, choir, and full symphony orchestra elevate these tracks to instant 'hairs on the back of the neck’ territory. The RPO played brilliantly, and I could tell they were thoroughly enjoying every minute of these sessions.”

In addition to Wakeley on synths and piano, and Satriani on guitar on two tracks, the album features the talents of guitarists Andy Timmons (Danger Danger, Pink, Olivia Newton-John), Grammy-nominated pianist Paul Loomis, Paige Harwell, and Daniel Uribe, bassist Brent Berry, drummer Ryan Miller, the London Voices choir (Paul McCartney, Luciano Pavarotti, the Hunger Games series), and Dallas’ Gospel of Light Choir. The album was co-produced, engineered, and mixed by three-time Grammy Award-winner Tre Nagella (Lady Gaga, Blake Shelton, Snoop Dogg) at Luminous Sound Studios in Dallas, TX.
 
Regarding the album’s overall theme, Wakeley said, “Symphony Of Sinners And Saints illustrates conflict, and the structure of each song takes the listener on a journey through highs and lows. Darkness and triumph. Orchestra and rock. Instruments calling and answering. From dark modalities to uplifting euphoria. Drama with lush orchestral passages. Although I don’t expect people to analyze the scores themselves, there are very purposeful microscopic orchestrations, notations, arpeggiations, and arrangements that I wrote to foster the sense of conflict.”

EPK:




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Japan's Gyze continue to celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a new single, "Voyage Of The Future", via Out Of Line Music. It is available on all digital platforms now. Check out the official video below.

Gyze recently released the single / video "Samurai Metal". The song, which incorporates folk influences through the use of the traditional Japanese shamisen, features gang vocals supplied by Marc Hudson (DragonForce), Juuso Soinio, Eero Sipilä and Janne Björkroth from Battle Beast, Nils Courbaron from Sirenia, Felipe Muñoz from Frosttide, and  Mika Lammassaari from Mors Subita. Check out the official video below.  

For more information and updates go to the band's official Facebook page here.

Gyze released their Asian Chaos album in 2019. The main composer of the band, Ryoji, decided to highlight his Japanese identity. An amazing and unpredictable collaboration was born : being proud of his origins, he invited musicians of Gagaku - world oldest orchestra - to perform on a few tracks, introducing such traditional Japanese wind instruments as Sho, Hichirik and Ryuteki . The glory of lyrical melodies of Gagaku, combined with unique Japanese scale and integrated with heavy metal creates the unrivalled transcendent sound album showing how cool pure Japanese traditional music actually is.

Asian Chaos includes a song in collaboration with a DragonForce vocalist Marc Hudson. Gyze has played with DragonForce on festivals and on their Asian tour where the bands became friends, so when Ryoji asked if Marc was interested to do guest vocals for the song he supported the idea. Look forward to find out what spice did Marc add to the song "The Rising Dragon"

Also, a bonus track for Japan edition is a cover of the iconic "Forever Love" by X Japan.

The tracklist is as follows:

"Far Eastern Land"
"Asian Chaos"
"Eastern Spirits"
"King Kamuy"
"Dragon Calling"
"Camellia"
"Japanese Elegy"
"The Rising Dragon" (ft. Marc Hudson from DragonForce)
"White Territories"
"1945 Hiroshima"
"Forever Love" (bonus track Japan)
"Vivaldi Winter" (bonus track Japan)
"Asian Chaos" (Far Eastern Mix)




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Israeli progressive metal outfit Subterranean Masquerade have unveiled the details for their new album, Mountain Fever. The band's fourth LP, and sixth overall release, marks the band's first record to see release through their new label home, Sensory Records.

Subterranean Masquerade, which until recently was considered a cult studio project for fine taste followers, has transformed over the last two years into an exciting, colorful live act, mixing the traditions of heavy metal together with the aesthetics of world music performance, spiritual punk, and pure rock. Praised by music journalists all over Europe and beyond, the band has taken over the stages, showcasing a distinctly audacious execution of their complex songwriting while maintaining an almost magical grip on their audience, reviewed as rave parties for metalheads.

Led by guitarist Tomer Pink, Subterranean Masquerade was previously fronted by Green Carnation vocalist Kjetle Nordhus and Novembers Doom's Paul Khur. Having officially revamped the lineup in 2018, the band now features a very tight knit, fully group of musicians handpicked from the upper echelons of Israel's prog scene. Mountain Fever is the band's first album to be created by this expansive seven-member lineup.

Boasting ten new songs which encompass nearly fifty-five minutes of material, Mountain Fever sees Subterranean Masquerade continuing to push the balance between pioneering experimentalism to their own take on modern pop culture and its manifestation in the Middle East. Revealing an album composed of African and Balkan brass sections, Arabic violins, extended vocal techniques, and several special guest appearances, the band explores radio friendly hooks that emerge out of heavy riffs and polychromatic arrangements.

The record features several notable guest contributions, including drumsfrom Matan Shmuely (Orphaned Land), bouzouki and lead guitars on "Mångata" by Idan Amsalem (Orphaned Land), and vocals on "Somewhere I Sadly Belong" by Melechesh Ashmedai (Melechesh) and Jackie Hole (The Super Things).

Subterranean Masquerade recorded Mountain Fever Golan Heights, Israel, the album engineered by David Castillo. The record was sent to Fascination Street in Örebro, Sweden (Leprous, Katatonia, Opeth) where it was mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren, then completed with artwork and layout by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight 13 Media.

Lasers Edge division Sensory Records will release Mountain Fever worldwide on May 14 across all digital platforms, on CD, and pressed on vinyl as a double LP cut at 45RPM. Watch for preorders to post alongside new audio previews, official videos, and more to be issued over the weeks ahead.

Tracklisting:

“Snake Charmer”
“Diaspora, My Love”
“Mountain Fever”
“Inwards”
“Somewhere I Sadly Belong”
“The Stillnox Oratory”
“Ascend”
“Ya Shema Evyonecha”
“For The Leader, With Strings Music”
“Mångata”

“Ascend” video:

(Photo by: Yalon Schori)