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)

Four years after their Bloodwinter epic, German pagan metallers Wolfchant return with new energy and nine hotly forged irons. Their seventh studio album, Omega : Bestia, is to be released on April 9 via Reaper Entertainment. Pre-order here.

Today, the band presents the second trailer for the upcoming record and show and explain more about their studio and the recordings. Watch below:

On the new album the popular mixture of extreme metal mixed with timeless melodies, driving riffs and epic parts as well as the aggressive screams and the choral vocals were retained and expanded with a lot of flair by several nuances.

Album art by Peter Salai:

Tracklisting:

“Omega : Bestia”
“Komet”
“Into Eternal Darkness”
“Im Zeichen des Tiers”
“Der Geist und die Dunkelheit”
“Bestie”
“Jäger der Nacht”
“Out In The Dark”
“The Flame”

"Komet" video:

Wolfchant are:

Lokhi - Vocals
Nortwin - Vocals
Skaahl - Guitar
Seehb - Guitar
Ghust - Drums




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Earlier this month, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski was convicted for offending religious feelings by a court in Warsaw. The charges stemmed from an image the Polish musician posted on social media showing a foot stamping on a picture of the Virgin Mary.

Darski was ordered to pay a fine of 15,000 złoty (approximately $4,000) and court costs of almost 3,500 zloty (approximately $942). However, since Darski has contested the judgement, the case will now go to trial.

In a new interview with The Irish Times, Nergal said he is appealing his conviction because not doing so will result in him having a criminal record and therefore not being able to tour in many countries, including the United States and Australia.

"I don't think the public know the details of the level of harassment I have been through," he said. "It is getting monstrous, and it is a growing tide of censorship and harassment. Every few weeks, I have to check myself in at the police and go for different hearings and spend a fortune on lawyers with all the costs around court cases.

"I am being the perfect target," he continued. "The Polish authorities just pick on me. It is not a secret that a prosecution officer has me as his favorite scapegoat. He follows my Instagram account. Can you imagine that? It's insane and absolutely unprecedented."

After Darski shared the image on his social media in September 2019, an ultraconservative legal group, Ordo Iuris, and an organization called the Patriotic Society (Towarzystwo Patriotyczne) notified prosecutors that Darski had "offended the religious feelings of four people," including a local politician from Poland's conservative ruling coalition, reported Notes From Poland.

Poland is a predominantly Catholic country and the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party's policies are strongly in line with Catholic teachings.

"We are going backwards in time, more backward thinking," Nergal told The Irish Times. "It is a violation of the most basic human laws. It is not just me. There are different artists being harassed by police and self-proclaimed censors.

"They forget that Poland is still a pluralisatic country," he continued. "It is not a Catholic or a totalitarian state. We are a democratic and pluralistic democracy, which means we can say what we want about other religions. The authorities are trying to censor us and shut us down.

"We can't be part of the European Union if we are upholding different standards. We have a blasphemy law, and we are the only country in Europe that still holds to that law — and that is insane. That is an excuse for all of those people, all those opportunists. I must win, because we can't see my case becoming a precedent. People like myself need to be protected to freely express themselves."

Article 196 of Poland's penal code says that "Whoever offends the religious feelings of other persons by publicly insulting an object of religious worship, or a place designated for public religious ceremonies, is liable to pay a fine, have his or her liberty limited, or be deprived of his or her liberty for a period of up to two years."

Amnesty International has previously called on the Polish authorities to repeal or amend legal provisions, such as article 196 of the Criminal Code, that criminalize statements protected by the right to freedom of expression.

According to Human Rights Watch, international human rights law permits states to impose certain restrictions on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression only if such restrictions are provided by law and are demonstrably necessary and proportionate for the protection of certain specified public interests (national security, public order, protection of health or morals) or for the protection of the rights of others (including the right to protection against discrimination).

This is not the first time Nergal has encountered legal problems in Poland related to his social media activities. Back in January 2018, it was announced that Nergal was being formally charged by Polish authorities in a case involving BEHEMOTH's "Republic Of The Unfaithful" tour artwork and merchandise, which was said to be "insulting" to the national coat of arms of Poland, a stylized white eagle with a golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, in a red shield. Nergal and Maciej G., who, as the band's webmaster, promoted the tour online, were accused of publicly affronting the Polish national emblem, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison. Also charged was Rafał Wechterowicz, the graphic artist who worked on the BEHEMOTH artwork. Three months later, Nergal posted an update via Instagram, revealing that "all the absurd charges" against him were "dismissed."

In 2011, Nergal was acquitted in Poland on charges he insulted religious sentiment when he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the band's September 2007 performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it "a book of lies."
























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All aboard! The world’s favourite Pirate Metal Drinking Crew, Alestorm, are taking you on a wild, wet ride across the seven seas with their new live album/DVD/BluRay, Live In Tilburg, out May 28 via Napalm Records.

Starting within the very first seconds of the energetic “Keelhauled”, it is crystal clear that Alestorm are one of the most creative and unique live bands out there today - and judging by Tilburg’s incredible live audience of 3,000 fans, the band’s unmatched energy leaves no one standing still. Feast your eyes on Alestorm’s exciting funfest of a live show experience - featuring everyone’s favourite giant blow-up rubber ducky and loads of alcohol - from the comfort of your own couch.

Christopher Bowes about Live In Tilburg: "Oh wow! Live concerts! Remember those? Nah, me neither. Anyway, a  couple of years ago we played a giant show at the 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands. It was a whole lot of fun. We even filmed the whole thing. And when we released the recording for free on YouTube last year, a whole bunch of you said you really liked it. And being the treasure-hungry sellout pirates that we are, it made us realize we could  probably convince a bunch of you to buy it if we wrapped it in plastic and stuck it in a big wooden box. We even added some low-effort bonus features. Enjoy!"

Excellently produced and mixed by the renowned Lasse Lammert, who has already been involved in Alestorm’s studio albums Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, No Grave But The Sea, Sunset On The Golden Age and many more, Live In Tilburg features an amazing mix of Alestorm’s most beloved hits like “Drink“, “Mexico”, “Alestorm”, “Hangover”, “The Sunk’n Norwegian” and of course, “Fucked With An Anchor”.

The live album will be available on splatter-colored double-LP with a slipmat and a patch, as well as on mint colored and golden colored vinyl. The special edition of Live In Tilburg comes in a wooden box, along with a CD+DVD, a mediabook and a 7-inch vinyl  featuring two new acoustic Alestorm cover songs! Live In Tilburg’s immersive experience is the true definition of what Alestorm is all about - an endless fountain of foot-stomping, riff-busting, piratical singalong fun. A must-have for all the filthy landlubbers out there.

Live In Tilburg will be available in the following formats:

- Deluxe Wooden Box: Mediabook, 7" Single (2 Acoustic Cover Songs), Lanyard + Pass, Alestorm Flag
- 2-LP Gatefold (Mint) + DVD
- 2-LP Gatefold (Yellow) + DVD, Slipmat & Patch
- 2-LP Gatefold Vinyl (Black) + DVD
- BluRay/DVD/CD Mediabook
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

Intro
"Keelhauled"
"Alestorm"
"Magnetic North"
"Mexico"
"Over The Seas"
"The Sunk'n Norwegian"
"No Grave But The Sea"
"Nancy The Tavern Wench"
"Rumpelkombo"
"1741 (The Battle Of Cartagena)"
"Drunken Sailor"
"Hangover"
"Pegleg Potion"
"Bar ünd Imbiss"
"Captain Morgan's Revenge"
"Shipwrecked"
"Drink"
"Wolves Of The Sea"
"Fucked With An Anchor"

Lineup:

Christopher Bowes - vocals, keytar
Gareth Murdock - bass
Mate Bodor - guitar
Peter Alcorn - drums
Elliot Vernon - keyboard

(Photo - Robert Zembrzycki)




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David Coverdale has offered an update on the proposed 30th-anniversary re-release of his collaboration with Jimmy Page. The well-received COVERDALE PAGE set was recorded in several studios on both sides of the Atlantic over the winter of 1991-92 before it was finally released in March 1993.

Asked during a February 18 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if there has been any progress on a possible reissue of COVERDALE PAGE's eponymously titled LP, David said: "Well, I've gotta tell you, there's been immense progress. I finally reached a very positive agreement with my former record company regarding missing assets. And I got the rights to the COVERDALE PAGE album. So, of course, my first phone call was to Jimmy, and I said, 'We've got it. We've got it back, and we can do with it what we want.' And, of course, Jimmy is in lockdown in the U.K., where it's really very heavy duty [with the pandemic]. So he's in his country estate… I literally just texted Jimmy two days ago, and I said, 'Jimmy, I'm so sorry I haven't been in touch.' But we're resuming contact starting next week to discuss. I've got a couple of ideas. I wanna see if we can write courtesy of FaceTime or Zoom. I've got a couple of ideas which I think would be good for if indeed we can get back into the studio and plan for a very big, luxurious, complete box set [for] the 30th anniversary in 2023."

As for what extra material might surface on the expanded "Coverdale Page" set, the WHITESNAKE singer said: "We've got four unreleased tracks, which just need to be mixed. But since we reconnected, I've been messing around, writing at home. And I have two ideas which could make really fun tracks — just to throw at him and 'see what you can do with this.' The way we did it before — we wrote really very potent music together.

"The other thing that I recommended to him was, 'Let's remaster the original, but I'd love you, in England, with a mixer of your choice, to do the Jimmy Page mix of the album, and I'll do the David Coverdale mix as bonus stuff,'" he continued. "And I think that'd be great. He trusts me, I trust him, and I think it would be great for the fans to get Jimmy's take on it, 'cause we did everything 50/50 on the project. It was an amazing three years together. I loved it. So, yeah, that's definitely in the pipeline."

According to David, it is unlikely that work on the "Coverdale Page" reissue will begin in earnest for several months while the entire world is struggling to come out of the colossal impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

"At this moment in time, at his country estate, I don't think [Jimmy] has a studio," he said. "And he certainly doesn't wanna drive into London. He and I are target ages for this dreadful virus. So I completely support him in that scenario, 'cause there isn't any rush. Nothing is gonna be going on this year. Even if we have the opportunity of recording, I can record stuff over here, send him the drive for him to do his part, and we can mix it through the technology now, which is something you couldn't do before. But I have a studio at home, and Jimmy doesn't. So I'm hoping we can get some new bits and pieces and ideas and put that into play next year when it will be safer to get around."

Upon its release, "Coverdale Page" sold strongly, peaking at No. 4 on the U.K. album chart and No. 5 in the U.S. The album eventually went platinum in the U.S., despite the fact that the project as a whole was marred by the "LED ZEPPELIN clone" tag, including from ZEPPELIN frontman Robert Plant, who openly expressed his disdain for Coverdale, referring to him as "David Cover-version." Coverdale was equally vitriolic in his response, saying about the LED ZEPPELIN singer, "There's certainly no love lost between myself and Robert… I wouldn't send him cat food if he was starving."

Coverdale later apologized to Plant, saying in a 2013 interview with TeamRock Radio's "Classic Rock Magazine Show": "I hold [Plant] in the highest esteem as a human being, and as an artist, and I really would like to, you know, sit down, buy him a drink, shake hands and say: 'I'm really sorry," you know, "Can we be friends again?' I don't hold any animosity, just disappointment in myself that I took the bait and ran with some ugly things. Because it's not appropriate for somebody I respect so much."

Evergrey will release their new album, Escape Of The Phoenix, tomorrow, Friday, February 26, via AFM Records. Pre-orders can be placed at this location.

Watch a lyric video for the song "The Beholder" (featuring James LaBrie) below:

Written and recorded during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Escape Of The Phoenix came to life according to plans that had been laid out in 2019. Tom Englund and drummer Jonas Ekdahl began composing the songs in January, creating a foundation for the album before Evergrey gathered together and arranged the songs as a group. Unlike a typical creative process, which is often interrupted by appointments, travelling and one-off shows, lockdown requirements gave the band much needed time to work unhindered. The result is 11 songs that embody everything Evergrey fans have to expect, albeit “a more metal version of “The Atlantic”, with songs that are more direct” according to Englund and producer Jacob Hansen.

Escape Of The Phoenix continues to showcase Englund as a powerful lyricist as he once again digs deep into himself, only this time he wasn't restricted by the story developed and told over the previous three albums. With this new freedom he was able to write about whatever came to mind, with subjects ranging from intensely personal, his view of the world, mankind, and personal relationships.

“I write lyrics for myself, to get things out of my system,” says Englund. “This has been my therapy, really, for the last 25 years. I'm very certain that if we didn't do this, I would be a much more miserable person. I've got to thank music for everything, especially having the outlet to write lyrics. There's a theory that writing things to yourself is therapeutic, and I think that's very true. The composing of the lyrics is extremely important to me; just as important as writing the music. Even more, sometimes. For me it's like painting a picture with words. I see really clearly what it's about; it's a world for me.”

Escape Of The Phoenix will be available in various formats - from regular CD digipak to limited vinyls (picture, marbled, coloured), also available as an Artbook (limited to 1000 units, 36 pages, 28cm x 28cm including CD version of the album with bonus tracks, 7” picture vinyl single with exclusive bonus track "The Darkness In You", exclusive and extensive photographic footage,  and introduction written by frontman Tom S. Englund). On top of that, AFM offers a special and exclusive t-shirt print and various shirt bundles in the AFM online shop.

Tracklisting:

"Forever Outsider"
"Where August Mourn"
"Stories"
"A Dandellion Cipher"
"The Beholder" (featuring James LaBrie)
"In The Absence Of Sun"
"Eternal Nocturnal"
"Escape Of The Phoenix"
"You From You"
"Leaden Saints"
"Run"
"The Darkness In You" (Artbook Bonus Track)

"Where August Mourn" video:

"Eternal Nocturnal" video:

"Forever Outsider" lyric video:




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During a recent episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show", the MEGADETH leader offered an update on the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. He said (hear audio beow): "Lyrics, all done. Singing, almost all done. Guitar solos, in the process. And all the other little things that go on the record — the ear candy, the background vocals, the keyboards and percussion stuff — is also going down as we speak. [We're] getting solos sent from Finland by [MEGADETH's Brazilian-born lead guitarist] Kiko [Loureiro], which is a really cool thing. And I just got a really cool lyric from [MEGADETH bassist] David Ellefson sent over. Now it's my job to finish writing his lyric and make it into a song. And then that is going to be the last lyric on the record. So I'm pretty stoked. And I can't wait to tell you what cover song we chose for this record. I'll tell you soon. I think you'll get it. I've been giving you guys hints for a while. But I haven't really let anybody know."

MEGADETH has a long history of tackling covers of tunes both popular and more obscure, including Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", SEX PISTOLS' "Anarchy In The U.K.", ALICE COOPER's "No More Mr. Nice Guy", THIN LIZZY's "Cold Sweat" and BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid". "Dystopia" included covers of FEAR's "Foreign Policy" and BUDGIE's "Melt The Ice Away" (on the Spotify edition).

Last month, Ellefson told the "Rock 'N' Roll Icons With Bode James" podcast the recently announced working title for MEGADETH's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead", will likely end up getting changed before the LP is released. "Like Dave said when he announced it, he goes, 'We usually end up changing the title four or five times before it [comes out],'" he said. "We had a saying back in the old days: 'Nothing's final until it's on vinyl.' So everything can change. Probably short of the name of the band, everything can change. It's all just a work in progress, and I think that's the beauty of the creative world. People wanna know answers, like, 'What does it sound like? Does it sound like this album? Does it sound like that album?' And it's, like, 'Hey, man, I can't really tell you.' It's a work in progress until it's done. And then once it's done, you'll hear it, and then we'll all have a little talk about it."

Ellefson also addressed Mustaine's claim that the upcoming MEGADETH album will be "up there with 'Countdown [To Extinction]', 'Rust In Peace' and probably 'Peace Sells' and 'Dystopia'." "I would very much agree," Ellefson said. "Look, MEGADETH has done a lot of stuff over the years. Some fans go, 'Oh, dude, make it thrash, thrash.' And we do — 'Dystopia' proved that. But you can't just be a one-trick pony. We've never been a one-trick pony. Even on the earlier records — 'Killing Is My Business' started with a piano. 'Peace Sells' had a song on it called 'Good Mourning', which went into 'Black Friday'; it was basically kind of an acoustic guitar bit. We've done a lot of different stuff over the years. So with MEGADETH, you get a lot of diversity. And the musicians that are in the group, I think we challenge each other; we raise the bar for each other. And it inspires us to keep creating next-level stuff. So I think that's kind of the beauty of what you get with MEGADETH — is you get a lot. You get a pretty big bang for your buck, I think."

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 Loureiro's recording debut with MEGADETH.

MEGADETH's current lineup is rounded out by 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.

Drummer Hans Rutten of Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING has confirmed that he and his bandmates are working their first studio album in almost a decade. "We have recorded a lot, we can say," he told Portugal's Underground's Voice in a new interview (see video below). "We have quite a lot of material. And we decided to work with Attie Bauw — he's the producer of the new album. And he also worked on 'Home' [2006] and 'How To Measure A Planet?' [1998]. We know Attie quite well — he's a friend of ours. With this material, we really [thought] that it would be good to have a producer, to not do everything on our own, but this time to use the magic of Attie.

"We recorded almost everything," he continued. "We still have to record vocals and some things, so we're not finished yet. But what can I say about it? It's a big trip. It's a big adventure."

Regarding the musical direction of the new THE GATHERING material, Hans said: "It's difficult for me to get a hold on how it sounds, to put it in words, really. You can hear that Attie is working with us; that's for sure. And, yeah, I'm very enthusiastic about it, but every musician is always enthusiastic about his new album. I find it quite difficult to say something about it. I think people have to listen to it. So we hope to finish it soon, and then we can show the world, in fact, how it sounds."

Asked if the new THE GATHERING album will be released in 2021, Hans said: "The virus is going on — everybody knows — but we really want to release it this year. So we are aiming after the summer, but it depends on recordings. We want to record with Silje [Wergeland, THE GATHERING's Norwegian singer], of course. It's difficult to travel right now. It's the idea that she's coming to Holland to record vocals, but it's difficult because of the virus. So we're looking for maybe other possibilities. But the main thing is we really want to have a new album this year."

Rutten also talked about what it is like to be working on THE GATHERING's first album since 2013's "Afterwords". He said: "We don't see 'Afterwords' as the last studio album. We all see 'Disclosure' [2012] as our last studio album, and 'Afterwords' was more or less a 'Disclosure' after-party. Frank [Boeijen, keyboards] and René [Rutten, guitar] really wanted to do some extra things — to make remixes. We had some sounds going on and some ideas, so we devoped into a sort of — it's a mini album, maybe, but it's a long album. But that said, we don't see it as a full-length album of THE GATHERING, more as sort of an EP kind of thing."

According to Hans, the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic afforded him and his bandmates the perfect opportunity to focus on making a new album.

"It's strange, because touring is really impossible," he said. "Everything is unsure, especially this year, and I'm afraid it will take a while [before we can go back on the road]; it will become difficult to tour. On the other hand, what we can do is make new music, and you can do it at a distance, of course — send files, send ideas to each other. And that's the thing we can do, and that's what we did the last year, 2020. [We] bounced back e-mails with files, and that's what we did. So we tried really to focus on making new material — writing new material, talking about it. So that's what we did. The main focus was really writing. And, yeah, the virus, what can we do? What can we say about it? Did it influence the new music. I think so, but on other hand, it's difficult to say because we're still into it. It's difficult to say something about it. I think we have to wait after the whole thing. When it's totally over, maybe we can say what was the influence. But it's difficult to say about it right now."

Released in September 2013, "Afterwords" contained three songs that originally appeared on the "Afterlights" EP in 2012, two "Disclosure" remakes, three brand new THE GATHERING tracks and a cover version of a song called "Areas".

"Disclosure" arrived in September 2012 via THE GATHERING's own Psychonaut Records.




Work in progress!

Cheers, Silje/Frank/René/Hugo/Hans

#newalbum #thegatheringband #thegathering #tg2021

Posted by theGathering on Friday, January 15, 2021

Obscure Fate was initially formed in 2008 as a solo project by guitarist / songwriter Kaleva Kovalainen in Paltamo, Finland. The band has released a new single, "Black Moon", taken from their forthcoming Raven's Call EP. It is set to be released on April 1st via Inverse Records.

The band comments: "'Black Moon' handles death and the feelings regarding to it. One can anyway interpret the lyrics in its own way. This track represents the newer productions for the oldest track from the EP is already composed over ten years ago. 'Black Moon' has appropriate amount of different elements combined that are established on Obscure Fate's music." 

Tracklist:

"Black Moon"
"Ancient Evil"
"Lucid Dream"
"Raven’s Call"

EP cover art work by Jarno Lahti. Pre-save the EP here. 

Line-up:

Kaleva Kovalainen - guitars
Tapio Härkönen - vocals
Jari Keränen - drums
Joni Moisanen - guitars, backing vocals
Antti Möttönen - bass

Photo by Tiia Jefremoff




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Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Messiahvore have issued their self-titled album via Coffin & Bolt / Golden Robot Records. To celebrate the release, the band have also unveiled a new video for the track "Cult Worship".

Messiahvore's first album features nine tracks. All the music was recorded live in studio, and then the vocals were added after the fact. "We were stoked to have tracked all in the same room with one another and bring the music with the natural energy, feedback and volume of our live performances," says the band.

"The recording was done in Denver in our own commercially run studio known as The Crash Pad. Bart, the guitarist and singer engineered the recording. We simply set up and test tracked, locked in the tones and let it rip. The results speak for themselves. We are proud of our first effort and are looking forward to sharing it with all the heavy music fans of the world."

"Lots of density on this debut release. Thick guitars and bass combined with saturated vocals. Catchy hooks but not overly commercial. 'The Last Word' is an epic instrumental that supplies ambient vibe for days. 'Betrothed' hits hard and is either about overbearing control or Vampires - You can make the call. 'Cult Worship' is one of our favourites and 'Doublecross' starts out with some Sabbath vibe then moves into desert rock territory. Messiahvore mixes elements of groove metal, doom, stoner rock and a bit of industrial to complete the sound."

For further details, visit Messiahvore on Facebook.

 




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Phil X needs no introduction, having been an integral full-time member of Bon Jovi since 2016. Phil and his band The Drills released "Right On The Money" in June 2020. Now they are back with a brand new single, "'I Love You' On Her Lips", out now via Golden Robot Records.

"'I Love You' On Her Lips" features Phil X on guitars and lead vocals, Daniel Spree on bass and backing vocals, as well as Gary Novak on drums. Gang Vocals by Steve Ferlazzo, Joe Lester, Matt Starr (Ace Frehley) and Marq Torien (BulletBoys). Check out the newly released lyric video:

According to Phil X, "'I Love You' On Her Lips" is TOTAL Drills. A hooky, energetic, big guitar punch in the face with wit and a little silliness. Everyone knows someone who says one thing and feels another. This is that with a twist." 

Phil X & The Drills have finished their fifth album, Stupid Good Lookings Vol. 2, which will be released in the near future on Golden Robot Records. Featuring a different drummer on every song, which reads like a who’s who with the likes of Tommy Lee, Liberty Devitto, Kenny Aronoff and Ray Luzier, the music promises to be extremely diverse. 

Phil X and his band, The Drills have been enjoying a rapidly growing international fan base supported by the release of five strong albums: Kick Your Ass In 17 Minutes (2009), We Bring The Rock N Roll (2011), We Play Instruments N Sh!t (2012), This House Is Not For Sale (2016) with Bon Jovi and Stupid Good Lookings Vol. 1 (2019).

First a prolific session guitar staple in Los Angeles, California, recording with the likes of Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Cornell among many others (and even extends to playing with Canadian rock royalty such as Triumph, Aldo Nova, Our Lady Peace, Avril Lavigne, Theory Of A Deadman and more), Phil X became known for hosting the Fretted Americana web show that boasted over 50 million collective views!

In March of 2016, Phil was invited to Electric Lady Studios in New York to record guitars and background vocals on the Bon Jovi record, This House Is Not for Sale. The album was released later that year reaching #1 on the charts with the album artwork including Phil in the band shots, confirming his position in the band as an official member.  

Phil X & The Drills are looking forward to delivering their "energetic guitar-driven rock that infects your senses with addictively great anthems" to the global masses!

 




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