On January 19th, former Porcupine Tree frontman turned solo artist Steven Wilson joined The Prog Report podcast to talk about his latest album, The Future Bites, and also pick his Top 5 best sounding Audiophile Albums. He ends up covering a wide array of albums including a few from his past.  

Wilson: "I very often say to people, if you want to look at a brilliant run of work, Elton John in the '70s is almost flawless. And the rate of work is incredible. There's something like 10 albums - two of them double - between 1970 and 1976, all of which for me are borderline masterpieces, if not full-blown masterpieces. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (released in '73) is the one that has so many of the famous songs, and the production is just flawless. The songwriting, it's got lyrics that are flawless, even the artwork is iconic."

"I'm a big Trevor Horn (Yes) fan, he's one of my big guys. I grew up really wanting to be a producer so Trevor Horn, all the stuff he did in the '80s, including 90125, but also the Frankie stuff, Grace Jones' 'Slave to the Rhythm,' these were all touchstones for me, certainly growing up. 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'... one of the greatest pop singles of all time for me."

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider will enter the studio on Monday (Janaury 25) to begin recording the vocals for his next solo album. The upcoming disc will be the follow-up to "For The Love Of Metal", which was released in July 2018 via Napalm Records. That effort, which was produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, featured contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST), and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

On Saturday, Dee took to his Twitter to write: "Heading into the studio today to finish demos for new album. Monday I start tracking the real vocals. Maybe if I post a mime of @BernieSanders with this message it will get more RTs and likes! LOL!"

Snider previously spoke about his upcoming solo LP during an October 2020 interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "[I'm] working with the same amazing team — the Bellmore brothers, Charlie [on guitar] and Nickey. Nickey plays drums, but also is the engineer and mixer — an amazing, talented guy. And Jamey Jasta is the producer and curator. He is the gatekeeper, the master. As all ideas are brought in, they're filtered through Jamey, his ears, and have to get a thumbs-up from him before it makes it to the record. But now we no longer have to do that 'Is this gonna work?' thing. And for me, it's, 'Do I trust these guys?' I mean, I trusted them in the sense that they were friends, but when Jamey challenged me to do the metal record, I had my doubts. I don't wanna say it's doubts, but [I thought], 'How is this gonna work?' So there was an initial thing where we were all feeling each other out. Now, after two years of working together, touring with the Bellmore brothers, locking in a band with Nick 'Taz' Petrino on guitar and Russ Pizzuto on bass guitar, we come in and we don't have to waste any time with that. There is trust, we do know our direction, we do know what works for Dee Snider and for this project, and we just go full steam ahead."

Snider's latest release was "For The Love Of Metal Live!", which came out in July 2020 via Napalm Records. The DVD/Blu-ray and accompanying live album (available in various formats) features audio captured from several Snider festival performances worldwide — from the United States to Europe, Australia and beyond. In addition to tracks from Snider's solo catalog, like "I Am The Hurricane" and "For The Love Of Metal", TWISTED SISTER favorites such as "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It", and even a cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell", the audio portion of "For The Love Of Metal Live!" also features a brand new original studio track, "Prove Me Wrong".

In an interview with Chris Annunziata of the New Jersey radio station 90.3 WMSC-FM, Snider said about "For The Love Of Metal": "This is a really exciting album I did not expect to make, especially at this point in my life. I was doing Jamey Jasta's podcast, and he challenged me to make a contemporary rock record. And I was, like, 'Who's producing?' He said, 'I am.' And so we went in the studio [with] no record deal, and people started flocking [to appear on the LP]. It just amazed me, the enthusiasm and excitement that these younger musicians — younger than me, at least — had for working with Dee Snider and being a part of this project."

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.




Heading into the studio today to finish demos for new album. Monday I start tracking the real vocals. Maybe if I post a mime of @BernieSanders with this message it will get more RTs and likes! LOL!

— Dee Snider?? (@deesnider) January 23, 2021

BUTCHER BABIES have released the official music video for their latest single, "Sleeping With The Enemy". The song is the second taste of the band's forthcoming EP, tentatively due later this year via an as-yet-undisclosed record label.

BUTCHER BABIES vocalist Carla Harvey comments: "'Sleeping With The Enemy' is one of the most vulnerable songs we've ever written. The song is the ultimate 'own your own bullshit' song… because the first step in change is always admitting there's a problem, right?"

Singer Heidi Shepherd adds: "When face to face with what you presume as your enemy; who is it? Is it you? In 'Sleeping With The Enemy', the devil and angel on my shoulders met. This song is about hypocrisy and self realization. We can get so caught up in the rat race of life, as humans we tend to lose track of ourselves and our core values along the way. There comes a point where you look at the perceived problems in your life and realize there is one common denominator; yourself! Whether it's in the lens you look at life through or an overall attitude, there comes a point where we must turn a negative into a positive. This song is that for me."

Guitarist Henry Flury expresses: "And just when you thought we weren't going to be heavy anymore… BOOM! This is definitely a song for the stage. Can you sing and circle pit at the same time?"

Asked in a recent interview with Syfy Wire's "Metal Crush" how BUTCHER BABIES' new material differs from 2017's "Lilith", Shepherd said: "It differs a lot. You still have the classic BUTCHER BABIES metal behind us, but I found myself wanting to sing more.

"When I first started BUTCHER BABIES, I was an angry young girl, and I had a lot to scream about. I'm a happy 35-year-old woman now, so I have a lot that I wanna sing about."

BUTCHER BABIES next album will be the band's first since its split with Century Media over a year ago.

Last April, Shepherd told ELUVEITIE's "Corona Talk" that "it was a hard decision to part ways with Century Media." She explained: "Here in the U.S., the label doesn't exactly exist much here anymore. And so it was a really difficult decision. We were with them for our entire career; we've been a band for 10 years. It just wasn't working here in the States. But we do love our Century Media family."

"Lilith" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marked BUTCHER BABIES' recording debut with drummer Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.

In July 2019, longtime BUTCHER BABIES bassist Jason Klein announced his departure from the band. He has since been replaced by Ricky Bonazza.

Grammy-nominated band CODE ORANGE has shared the official music video for "Autumn And Carbine". The animated clip, which was directed and animated by the band's own Eric "Shade" Balderose and Jami Morgan (NOWHERE2RUN Productions), follows CODE ORANGE into a dystopian wasteland as they confront the thieving overlords of a ruined future society. The band also utilized DIY motion capture techniques to animate the various performance scenes in the video which is streaming now on their official YouTube channel. Furthermore, CODE ORANGE has launched a limited-edition "Autumn And Carbine" shirt in its webstore, featuring 3D incarnates of each member as seen in the animated video.

CODE ORANGE's latest album, "Underneath", was released in March 2020 via Roadrunner Records. Produced by Morgan and Nick Raskulinecz with co-producer Will Yip, the LP features additional programming from Chris Vrenna, and was mixed by Yip and Balderose.

"Underneath" is available on all streaming platforms, and features the singles "Swallowing The Rabbit Whole", "Underneath" and "Sulfur Surrounding". In its wake, the band performed multiple livestream experiences, including "Back Inside The Glass" an all-immersive environmental experience placing CODE ORANGE's live show at the center of awe-inspiring virtual landscapes. It marked CODE ORANGE's third livestream of 2020, following their empty-venue record-release show "Last Ones Left: In Fear Of The End" and "Under The Skin", their first-ever stripped down performance, which is available now as a digital album on all streaming platforms. Additionally, CODE ORANGE has continued to reach fans across the globe through its "You And You Alone" livestream series, which features collaborative performances, playthroughs, and in-depth discussions and fan question-and-answer sessions broadcasting regularly on the band's official Twitch channel.

In 2019, CODE ORANGE made headlines in the professional wrestling world with the release of "Let Me In", their official entrance theme for WWE superstar "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. CODE ORANGE previously featured at WWE's NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III performing a rendition of wrestler Aleister Black's entrance theme alongside Incendiary's Brendan Garrone. "Let Me In" followed CODE ORANGE's 2018 release of "The Hurt Will Go On", a digital EP featuring "3 Knives" and "The Hunt" featuring Corey Taylor, as well as "The Hurt Will Go On" (Shade Remix), an official remix of CODE ORANGE's "Hurt Goes On" helmed by the band's guitarist and vocalist Shade.

In 2017, CODE ORANGE flipped the heavy music world on its head with their breakthrough album "Forever", a collection that masterfully mixed hardcore aggression with urgent industrial textures, earning the band a breakthrough Grammy nomination and top placement on several "Best of 2017" lists, including Rolling Stone's "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017", Revolver's "20 Best Albums of 2017" and The Independent's "Top 20 Rock & Metal Albums of 2017."

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of SILVER LAKE, the solo project of AMORPHIS guitarist Esa Holopainen.

Esa made good use of his coronavirus downtime in 2020 and fulfilled an old dream of his by recording his first solo album at the Sonic Pump studios.

"As some of you might have noticed, I've been working on my first solo album," he says. "Well, actually, I'd rather call this a project which I'm leading as it includes different musicians and vocalists that I've had great privilege to meet during these years.

"I've had this idea in the back of my head for years and now that COVID-19 hit hard on all of us, it was time to be creative and start this project.

"The project is titled SILVER LAKE by Esa Holopainen and I am really happy to announce that SILVER LAKE is now signed to Nuclear Blast, which was a very obvious choice as NB is also AMORPHIS's record label and I know all the label personnel super well. Another natural move is that Grey Beard Concerts & Management is managing my solo stuff as well.

"I look forward to revealing more news about the artists who are collaborating with me in SILVER LAKE."

Markus Staiger, owner and CEO of Nuclear Blast Tonträger Produktion und Vertriebs GmbH, adds: "An old friendship of almost three decades that goes back to the very beginnings of AMORPHIS connects me to Esa Holopainen. Back then we just licenced the band from Relapse for the European market.

"Esa Holopainen is a remarkable guitarist, whose innovative way of playing is super recognizable. You can hear it right away if he's involved, and it was just natural for us to work together in releasing his solo album.

"I was so surprised of how diverse the final product sounded and how Esa keeps revealing hidden sides of his music. The fact that many friends worked on the album as guests just makes this fantastic record complete and I'm convinced that not only fans of AMORPHIS will love it.

"I want to thank Esa for his loyalty and this truly beautiful jewel of an album."

AMORPHIS's latest album, "Queen Of Time", was released in May 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "Under The Red Cloud" included the use of real strings, flutes, orchestral arrangements and even choirs. In addition, this was the first time that people were able to hear AMORPHIS lyricist Pekka Kainulainen on the album, as he contributed a speech in Finn

Chris Jericho has responded to Sebastian Bach over allegations that the FOZZY frontman uses pre-recorded vocal tracks during live performances.

The former SKID ROW vocalist initially accused Jericho of "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post last July. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".

In the months that ensued, Bach brought up Jericho's alleged lip syncing on several occasions, most recently earlier this month in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly. Asked specifically about his feud with Chris, Sebastian said: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."

Bach also addressed the fact that Jericho accused him of having a less-than-original stage name after Sebastian slammed Jericho for copying the name of a SKID ROW tour for FOZZY.

"I switched a couple of letters of my legal last name [Bierk]. Who's Mongoose McQueen?" Bach asked, referring to Jericho's original FOZZY stage name. "What kind of a stage name is that?

"How about this: professional wrestling sucks," he added. "Everyone wishes they were a rock star. It hilarious. Evidently, all you have to do is [record] a tape, go on stage, and jump around. You can jump off the drum riser and do jumping jacks. It doesn't matter if you are miming to tape."

Earlier today (Monday, January 25), Chris took to his Twitter to write: "I've been told that @sebastianbach continues to go out of his way to bury me. My response is this...be my guest! You are entitled to ur opinion & it doesn't affect me either way. I still dig ur work on the first 3 @OfficialSkidRow albums & look forward to ur new record."

When Bach first went public with his Jericho accusation, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward called Sebastian "universally disliked" and said that seeing Bach "publicly go after the only guy that I have ever witness utter a nice word about him is sad."

Sebastian, who has been outspoken about rock bands using pre-recorded backing tracks during live shows, later tried to explain his outburst, writing: "I'm not trying to beat anybody at anything. I'm actually trying to say hey Chris maybe you're right maybe I'll stop singing live and prance around while the tape is playing just like you do Chris. I'm tired of trying so hard it's like beating my head against the wall."

After a self-proclaimed Bach fan called Sebastian "an asshat" on Twitter for firing "the first shots" in his war of words with Jericho, Bach came back with: "Hey man f*** you. I have spent my life learning how to sing live on stage. When someone comes along and mimes to a tape it sucks for all of the rest of us that don't. You want to go see a wrestling match good. Don't call it rock and roll".




I’ve been told that @sebastianbach continues to go out of his way to bury me. My response is this...be my guest! You are entitled to ur opinion & it doesn’t affect me either way. I still dig ur work on the first 3 @OfficialSkidRow albums & look forward to ur new record.

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) January 25, 2021

Drumtalk, the video podcast by German drummer and videographer Philipp Koch, has released a one-hour video tribute to late CYNIC drummer Sean Reinert, who passed away a year ago. Included in the tribute are interviews with some of Reinert's colleagues and bandmates, among them Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, DARK ANGEL, DEATH), Tomas Haake (MESHUGGAH), Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH) and Steve DiGiorgio (TESTAMENT, DEATH), as well as a lot of previously unreleased footage.

Reinert was found unresponsive at his San Bernardino, California home on January 24, 2020. According to TMZ, he was transported to a hospital, but after life-saving measures proved ineffective, he was pronounced dead upon arriving.

Reinert was a founding member of CYNIC, along with guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal, and he remained in the group until September 2015.

In 1991, Reinert and Masvidal joined the legendary Florida band DEATH to record the "Human" album. After touring with DEATH, they returned to CYNIC.

1993 saw the release of CYNIC's debut album, "Focus", which is regarded as a landmark LP in the field of technical/progressive metal. After CYNIC's initial split, Reinert and Masvidal relocated to Los Angeles, where they continued working with music by writing and performing for television shows and motion pictures.

In 1999, Reinert helped Masvidal form ÆON SPOKE, which was described as an "ethereal rock" band. In 2007, CYNIC reformed for a tour and recorded a new album, "Traced In Air", which was released in 2008 and followed by more touring. After "Traced In Air", CYNIC issued two conceptual EPs, "Re-Traced" (2010) and "Carbon-Based Anatomy" (2011). Sean's final recorded appearance with CYNIC was "Kindly Bent To Free Us", which came out in February 2014 via Season Of Mist.

Reinert played his last shows with CYNIC in September 2015 in Japan. He later said that the "performances were not up to par" and blamed the band's lack of preparation on "the accumulation of differences in musical directions and business practices."

After his exit from CYNIC, Sean was involved with the Los Angeles progressive rock group PERFECT BEINGS, whose latest album, "Vier", was released in January 2018 via InsideOut Music.

Tuscany, Italy-based metallers, Angel Martyr, will release their new studio album on February 19. It will be available on CD and on all digital platforms via Iron Shield Records.

The album, titled Nothing Louder Than Silence, offers 10 tracks made of a pure heavy metal sound, on which dark atmospheres stand out thanks to the contents dealt by the lyrics: ranging from theology, to psychology, to investigating the meanderings of the human soul.

Frontman Tiziano “Hammerhead” Sbaragli: "This album will be more mature than our previous one. I'm not only talking about the riffs and the songwriting but, above all, it’s about the sound and the vocal interpretation of each song. When it comes to the style, we stay true to ourselves: it’s still a pure heavy metal sound with no compromise."

Tracklisting:

"Black Rose On A Frozen Grave" (intro)
"The Legion Of The Black Angels"
"Forgotten Metal"
"Black Twin Rising"
"Climbing The Walls Of The Abyss"
"Marked By The Woodblade"
"Reckless Master"
"Nothing Louder Than Silence"
"The Arrival In Geresenes’ Land"
"My Name Is Legion"

Ten Years After are best known for their Platinum selling album A Space In Time, which featured the Top 40 hit "I'd Love To Change The World", and their prodigious performance appearance at the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York, August 1969. Their rendition of "I'm Going Home" was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status.

Original members Ric Lee and Chick Churchill have continued this legacy and are now rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Marcus Bonfanti and bass icon Colin Hodgkinson. A Sting In The Tale was engineered and produced by Bonfanti at his ‘Cricklewood Green’ Studios in Cricklewood, North London and mixed by acclaimed Canadian mix engineer Doug Organ in Edmonton, Canada. The four bonus live tracks, including “I’d Love To Change The World” were recorded during a subsequent tour in Erfurt, Germany.

As Drummer Ric Lee states, “The creative process of the studio album was a joy. Writing and recording together, being able to construct songs that reflect the personalities, memories and experiences of each of the members was extremely satisfying. We’re very happy that Deko suggested adding four ‘live’ bonus tracks to make this the DeLuxe Edition."

The title A Sting In The Tale reflects the same sentiment Ric & Chick wished to convey in the 2015 live album The Name Remains The Same. Through the new lineup the music continues to evolve and grow fifty years on. The sound of the band will always be heavily rooted in the way they paved the way during the late sixties and early seventies and will never forget its incredible heritage. This new record is the ‘Sting’ in the continuing Tale of Ten Years After.

Deko Entertainment Bruce Pucciarello on Ten Years After joining the Deko family, “Their story is legend and working with these guys at DEKO has been a privilege. The album, classic organic contemporary, forward, it just rocks. You put it on…you can’t just listen once.”

The subject material on the album ranges from childhood memories of growing up in post war Britain, songs of love lost to the rock n roll lifestyle as well as sincere odes to a life well lived. They pay homage to the steam train drivers of the past and guitar heroes of the future as well as other interesting characters the band have encountered since they embarked on this journey over fifty years ago. Featuring tracks like “Land of Vandals”, “Suranne Suranne”, and “Up in Smoke” this album has critics raving.

Watch a video for "Suranne Suranne" below.

There are limited edition bundles (while supplies last), which can be ordered here.

Product Includes:

- One (1) Ten Years After - A Sting In The Tale (Deluxe Edition) CD
- One (1) Ten Years After Tee
- One (1) Ten Years After Tote Bag
- One (1) Ten Years After Autographed Photo

A Sting In The Tale (Deluxe Edition) tracklisting:

"Land Of The Vandals"
"Iron Horse"
"Miss Constable"
"Up In Smoke"
"Retired Hurt"
"Suranne Suranne"
"Stoned Alone"
"Two Lost Souls"
"Diamond Girl"
"Last Night Of The Bottle"
"Guitar Hero"
"Silverspoon Lady"
"Land Of The Vandals" (live)
"Last Night Of The Bottle" (live)
"Silverspoon Lady" (live)
"I’d Love To Change The World" (live)

"Suranne Suranne" video:

Maryland's melodic shredtastic twisted triumvirate known as Book Of The Dead just dropped a brief snippet of brand new material taken from their forthcoming as-yet-untitled debut full length release.

Book Of The Dead are currently in the studio working through the recording process, and while the upcoming album does not have a concrete street date, tentative plans are leaning toward a summer 2021 release time frame.

 

 

 

 



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A post shared by Book of The Dead (@book_of_the_dead_official)

Book Of The Dead also teased some brand new artwork:

The 3-piece death metal troupe features members of Visceral Disgorge, and Whisteria Cottage, along with an infusion of fresh blood to complete the triumvir. The band's debut EP, Bound In Flesh, Inked In Blood, was released last April via Rebel Pyro Musick, with an exclusive limited edition run of physical copies which quickly sold out. The EP is still available as a digital download, as well as streaming, on all platforms.

Bound In Flesh, Inked In Blood was produced by Robert Polanco at Espaiatt Studios in Baltimore, MD, with mixing and mastering handled by the one and only Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland, CA. The brutal artwork for the album was created by Blackdotx.

Book Of The Dead is:

Charlie Marvel - Lead/Rhythm Guitar/Bass/Drums
Wes Walker - Lead/Rhythm Guitar
Mike Comegys - Vocals

SLAUGHTER frontman Mark Slaughter recently spoke to 80's Metal Recycle Bin about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting.

"The grunge thing, I think, was a natural course of many events," he explained (see video below). "A lot of people are, like, 'Grunge killed this.' It wasn't that. I think there was a lot of bands that became a lot of industry that was creating these bands that was not what the bands were. I mean, it was, like, they'd sign the band, then they'd get get a writer, a producer, and these people, and those songwriters and those people, and those hair stylists and those people, and by the time they were done, the band they signed was not even the band that they really signed. They had created a whole different monster, which is the monster of music business. And I think that a lot of bands lost their way and really were not able to do that.

"In the grunge scene, they say that grunge killed our style of music. No — it was people in the business that killed this music," Mark insisted. "What happened is the largest radio station in the world, MTV, had a new president, who was a programmer of KROQ in California, and he said to Billboard magazine, 'I will never play MÖTLEY CRÜE, SLAUGHTER, POISON…' — he named all the bands that were right on top at the time. And the next week, we were off all the playlists. It's, like, the tide just completely turned. And everybody was, like, 'What happened?' Well, the industry made a change.

"In mid-'90s, we were running around on a tour bus barely keeping the gas going. It was a very rough time. But the thing is for us, music is art, music is life, and that's what we did."

Slaughter's second solo album, "Halfway There", was released in 2017 via EMP Label Group.

SLAUGHTER has not released a studio album since 1999's "Back To Reality".

After four years of hard work, the new Morrigu album, In Turbulence, will be released on April 23, 2021. With eight strong and varied songs, the record is the implementation of a concept of collaboration between Morrigu and multiple artists. Musically, it is a cross section of all previous albums that the band has released, with Morrigu’s music appealing to fans of Amorphis, Dark Tranquility, and Evergrey.

"A Funeral Of Liberty" is the first video/single from the album. Watch the clip below:

As the band wanted the best quality for their music - and to work with real instruments instead of sampling - they asked musicians from all over the world to work with them, including Adrian Erlandsson (At The Gates, The Haunted) on drums. Together with the experience of Adrian and Jakob Herrmann (who engineered the recordings in his Top Floor Studio) they got the drum sound that they had always dreamed of.

Like with the last album, Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy, At The Gates) was commissioned for the mastering. Various artists were also hired for the album artwork, with Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquility, In Flames, Soilwork) drawing the phoenix on the front cover.

Morrigu lineup:
Severin Binder - Guitars Acoustic Guitars, Synths
Mirko Binder - Bass
Luca Neukom - Guitars

Additional musicians:
Adrian Erlandsson - Drums (At The Gates, The Haunted)
Ricardo Jorge Borges Rodrigues - Vocals (Clamaty Islet, Forbidden To Fly)

Guest musicians:
Moonchild Shi / Ethnic Vocals

On Saturday, January 30 at 7:15 PM, CET, an alliance of Stockholm’s finest metal acts including heavy metal legends Wolf (pictured above), epic doom lords Sorcerer, progressive death metallers Descend and the tough, gritty 70’s sound hardrockers Lugnet, will join forces during an almost 5-hour live stream called “Stream Bloody Stream”. Each band will perform a 45-minute live set from a professional stage setting in Stockholm’s famous Popskolan. The show, as well as tickets, available here.

During the change-overs, host Henrik ‘Henke’ Brannerydh - known from the Swedish podcast “Rockpodden” - will take the audience for a backstage experience and in-depth interviews with the bands.

Wolf comments: “With the pandemic putting an unimaginable halt to concerts and festivals and the realization that live music for obvious reasons cannot be brought to performing venues anytime soon, an alliance of Stockholm’s metal alliance has united to begin 2021 with a message of faith and solidarity!”

Running order (headliner on top):

Wolf
Sorcerer
Descend
Lugnet

Timing for the live stream:

CET - 7:15 PM
UK - 6:15 PM
Moscow - 9:15 PM
New York 1:15 PM
Los Angeles 10:15 AM
Tokyo 3:15 AM (January 31st)
Melbourne 5:15 AM (January 31st)

Wolf are currently busy writing new material for their upcoming album, which is scheduled for late 2021. This will be their follow-up Feeding The Machine, which was released in March 2020.

(Photo - Theres Bjork / stephansdotter.com)

Metal/heavy music band, Sidewalk Mafia, have released a new single, "This Frozen Paradise", via Germany's Blood Rite Records. Listen below, and find the single at Spotify.

The band, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, immediately signed record deal with the German record company, Blood Rite Records. Later on this spring, an EP with four more songs will be released, and a full-length album in the fall.

The band operates as a duo, but in a gig situation, the band is a trio with a guest bassist. The band describes their music as a "crushing metal experience, which crossing over genres as well if needed. Songs can be slow or fast, but guaranteed with the emotion and attitude."

Swedish band Wardenclyffe, who are influenced by the doom/thrash sound from the early 90s, are now finalizing their second album, Temple Of Solomon, in Studio Hufvudstaden with Kristian Karlsson, known from band like Cult Of Luna and PG Lost, as producer. The composer Koen van Baal, a master creator of cinematic soundscapes who has worked with bands like Scorpions, will also create an EP based on some tracks from the Temple of Solomon album.

The band, with experienced members from the likes of Captor, Misericordia, Terrorama, Griftegård, Dautha and Godhead Machinery, released the highly acclaimed album Control All Delete in 2015 and the single "The Omega Point" later the same year.

(Photo: Martin Wilson)

 

The first single track “Georgia Guidestones/Evilution” from the coming album was originally released as a soundtrack CD to the singer and scholar Dr. Jacob Nordangård’s best-selling book Den Globala Statskuppen (The Global Coup D’état), published on December 21, 2020. This single is now also available on Spotify and all other digital platforms and is one of the darkest and rawest tracks from the forthcoming album. Listen below.

The band concept is interwoven with Jacob Nordangård’s writing and research and has musically taken inspiration from the early decades of hard rock and metal but with a modern finish. The upcoming Temple Of Solomon album aims to take the listener on an adventure that warns of the horrors of a technocratic megalomaniac regime but also predicts that their sinister plan ultimately will fail.

Nordangård has a PhD in Science and Technology Studies, is an experienced lecturer and has published five revealing books about global politics and power play. The latest book describes the ongoing effort by global elites to digitize the world and ultimately cybernetically alter the human being in order to ”save the world”. The book will be available in English in the spring of 2021 and the album Temple Of Solomon in mid 2021.

SMITH/KOTZEN, the electrifying collaboration between guitarists and vocalists Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, will release its self-titled debut album on March 26 via BMG. Part-time Los Angeles neighbors, full time friends with a healthy mutual respect. Both artists are seasoned performers on the global stage, having honed their skills throughout their careers to create their own unique musical sound.

Track listing:

01. Taking My Chances

02. Running

03. Scars

04. Some People

05. Glory Road

06. Solar Fire

07. You Don't Know Me

08. I Wanna Stay

09. 'Til Tomorrow

Debut track "Taking My Chances" sets the tone for this brand new partnership between two rock music trail-blazers. Recorded in Turks & Caicos at the start of 2020, the song is evocative of the classic rock bands of the 1970s, brought bang up to date with punchy hooks, harmonies and sheer guitar virtuosity.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.

Adrian comments, "I think Richie and I complement each other really well. He's a virtuoso guitarist but he's got a great sense of melody — the whole thing just felt very natural."

Richie adds: "We found common ground in classic and blues-based rock — we both come from that mentality. We've been writing and recording together for the past year and I'm ecstatic with the results."

As the gloriously heavy and brilliantly catchy "Taking My Chances" shows, rock fans around the globe will be delighted at the first taste of this marriage-made-in-guitar-and-vocal heaven.

Kotzen alluded to his project with Smith during a February 2020 interview with the "Another FN Podcast". At the time, he said: "I don't like talking about things until they're finished, but if you look at the photographs [on my Instagram] and who I'm with, and that sort of thing, you could assume that there may be a collaboration in the works."

He added: "It's very surreal, because it's a band that I grew up with; it was one of my favorite bands forever, and one of my first hard rock concerts. So it's very surreal. Very cool. [I'm] very excited."

Smith is currently promoting his memoir, "Monsters Of River & Rock", which was released in September via Virgin Books.

Last February, Kotzen released his 22nd solo album, "50 For 50", via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc. The three-disc collection is just what the title implies: a collection of 50 previously unreleased compositions produced, performed and written by Kotzen in honor of his birthday. It's the follow-up to his critically acclaimed "Salting Earth" album, which came out in April 2017 via Headroom-Inc.

Maiden United, the acoustic Iron Maiden tribute project, have checked in with the following announcement:

"The world is in lockdown, so let’s do a worldwide livestream for all and everyone: Maiden uniteD: Live from Theater De Schalm, Veldhoven (NL)Saturday Feb 6th – 20:00 CET / 2:00pm EST / 11:00am PST.

Tickets (worldwide) are available at this location, or send an email to info@MaidenuniteD.com. You will receive one streaming link per ticket.

Maiden uniteD would like to thank you for buying a livestream ticket for this show. We definitely can use this support in hard times and hope to meet you on Feb 6th / 7th online. Keep an eye on this page and / or MaidenUnited.com for more info."

Maiden United recently released this new video, featuring a performance of "The Evil That Men Do" from Koninklijk Theater in Carre, Amsterdam on January 27, 2018.

Lineup:

Vocals: Damian Wilson, Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation)
Guitar: Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation), Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden)
Bass: Joey Bruers (Up The Irons)
Cello: Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica)
Piano: Huub van Loon (The Dirty Daddies)
Hammond: Thijs Schrijnemakers (Orgel Vreten)
Drums: Mike Coolen (Within Temptation)

Maiden United previously released a video of "Wasted Years" from the same show.

Japanese drum prodigy Yoyoka Soma, who has become a YouTube sensation and attracted the attention of KISS icon Gene Simmons, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, has posted a one-take cover of the Deep Purple classic "Speed King". Check it out below.

Yoyoka recently uploaded her cover of the Deep Purple classic "Burn". Many fans wrote to Ian Paice suggesting he check out the clip, which he did, and his reaction is below.

Watch to the end, as the last four minutes feature Paice offering his thoughts on Yoyoka's skills, saying "You see something like that and it makes you smile. It just makes you happy. It's what it's all about. There's a young persom there, she found something that she loves, and she's going for it 100%."  

Yoyoka previously teamed up with Paulie Z, bassist Koichi Terasawa (ex-SLY) and guitarist Satsuma3042 to record a lockdown cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Over The Mountain". Check it out below.

Toronto's Scarlet Sins, who called it quits in 2009 after several years together and only one album (released in 2008), performed two reunion shows in late 2019, on October 19th and November 2nd in Ottawa and Toronto respectively. Since then they have been working on new material and have checked in with the following update:

"A new year and new goals for Scarlet Sins! 

We are still working on our album and currently getting our website created so that we can have a merch store again since many of you have been asking. We are so excited by how we have evolved as people and it’s only natural that you will hear this in our music. 

As a fun side project, Cris (guitars) is hosting an online songwriting workshop for kids between 10 - 18 during the first week of February in response to the continued lockdown here in Canada. Sylvia (vocals) and Monica (guitars) will also be participating and sharing their knowledge and love of songwriting. As mothers, we can feel how our children are suffering and we want to give them the joy of music, the one thing that saved us many times in our lives. Stay tuned for details.
 
We are so grateful for your support after all these years. It means the world to us and the love you show us inspires us to keep creating music. We love you."

Scarlet Sins recently re-released their debut album via Bandcamp with the following message: "Time to be reborn... our album is available on BandCamp. Stream or download."

It is available for streaming and for purchase below.

Scarlet Sins by Scarlet Sins

The tracklist is as follows:

"Let Go" 
"Drown" 
"Above Ground" 
"Own Truth" 
"With You" 
"Reborn" 
"Strangelove" 
"Are You Worth It" 
"Backstabber"  
"Broken" 
"Fire Inside"  
"Entre" 
"No Arguments"

Watch the band's official Facebook page for updates here.

Disney has announced details on the US premiere of the Japanese Disney+ original special, My Music Story: Yoshiki, which will debut on Friday, February 5th.

Yoshiki is the internationally-renowned leader / drummer of X Japan, named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history." In the Disney+ original, which is subtitled in English, Yoshiki performs reimagined versions of two Disney classics: "Let It Go" from Frozen and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King, along with his own compositions. Yoshiki also gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his recording process and how he shaped the arrangements in his Hollywood studio.

Yoshiki comments: "Regarding this film, I'm a little surprised (in a good way) that Yoshiki : My Music Story will be released in the United States, because this film is almost all Japanese language (with subtitles). Thank you to my fans!"

On October 29th, 2020 X Japan drummer Yoshiki uploaded pro-shot video of the band performing their classic single "Week End" live without an audience. This was part of a live broadcast. Check it out below, watch for more footage in the near future.

Helsinki street rockers Plastic Tears have signed with Wormholedeath Records for the worldwide release of their forthcoming album, Anthems For Misfits. The album will be distributed by The Orchard / Aural Music Group.

Plastic Tears comment: “We’re truly excited and honoured to announce Plastic Tears will be joining forces with Wormholedeath Records for the release of our next album, Anthems For Misfits. The staff at Wormholedeath have been really supportive and excited about our album with great, but realistic expectations. Worm seems to understand us and we’re looking forward to this cooperation, and hoping it will open some new doors for us and help us spread our rock’n’roll message to a wider audience. The new album is our most solid so far. The songs range from punk rock to bluesy pop, and everything in between - still sounding like the Plastic Tears. We’re known for playing rock’n’roll with a punky edge, and that’s what you get - spiced with a little bit of musical this and that.”

Anthems For Misfits cover art and tracklisting:

"Doomsday Girls"
"Riot Zone"
"Clash In The Night"
"Look Of Lies"
"Hallucinations"
"Divine"
"Radar Eyes"
"Restless Outsider"
"Nobody Likes A Crybaby"
"Candlelight Hate Affair"
"Communication"
"Imaginary Virgin Mary"

"Communication":

Plastic Tears is a rock band from Helsinki, Finland with a sleazy, dark glam, punk attitude. The band mixes classic rock with pop, punk, hard rock and glam for a unique sound. Plastic Tears' career has been colorful, and includes enough drama for a soap opera. ​Plastic Tears has signed a deal with Wormholedeath Records who will release their fourth album, Anthems For Misfits, in 2021.

The album boldly transcends genre boundaries and is Plastic Tears' most versatile release, nonetheless faithful to the band’s distinctive sound. Anthems For Misfits displays twelve songs with an appropriate proportion of attitude, character, dynamics and catchy melodies. The band sees the new release as a natural continuation to their previous album, Angels With Attitude. As the new album is even stronger than its predecessor, the band has high expectations toward it and are sure fans of rock’n’roll, and music in general, are gonna love it!

 

Rob Gravelle, guitarist of veteran Canadian heavy metal act Ivory Knight, has teamed up with Richard Fullerton, frontman extraordinaire of the Led Zeppelin tribute act Mothership, to release a cover of the classic Zeppelin track "No Quarter".

Rob Gravelle · No Quarter

In addition to playing in Ivory Knight, and recording the Knightfall CD with Annihilator's Jeff Waters in 2009, Rob has been releasing digital singles since 2008, when he covered The Police's "Synchronicity II". In addition to re-recording classic rock songs, Rob has also produced original progressive instrumental music, including a rendition of the Bugs Bunny animated classic, "The Rabbit Of Seville".

"No Quarter" (featuring Richard Fullerton) can be streamed on Rob's Soundcloud page and is also available as a digital single from online music stores such as Amazon and iTunes.

 

Death blues duo 20 Watt Tombstone have issued a video for their cover of "Midnight Train To Memphis" by Chris Stapleton. The track is from the band's new EP, The Year Of The Jackalope, which came out last Friday. The track was recorded by Jeff Hamilton (Violent Femmes).

The band commented, "We were unbelievably flattered that Jeff Hamilton wanted to work with us. I was a big fan of the Violent Femmes. I think he killed the track for this. Unfortunately, due to Covid and no touring, we lacked the funds to shoot a proper video. We decided to try and shoot the video for this ourselves in my basement. We had some help with edits, but we shot the whole thing ourselves with go-pros and for a first time effort we are pretty pleased. We are really excited to share it with people, the response has been a lot better than we anticipated!"

If ever there were a way to see in the new year, it’s by the arrival of the Jackalope, heralded by 20 Watt Tombstone. A self-styled ‘death-blues’ duo, they have kicked up a racket over the last few years as they’ve dragged their tour van through most of the US and several parts of Europe. While road dogging is the band’s main passion, it figures they put together some highway-worthy tunes. After proving their worth in their own material, it’s time to highlight just a couple of their wide-ranging influences on this two-punch record.

On the A-side of this record comes a feel-good rocker - the working man’s rock of ZZ Top with their underrated “Just Got Paid”. The effortless slide guitar licks carry the perfect level of twang - while everything has undoubtedly been recorded live as 20 Watt Tombstone’s previous releases, they’ve cleaned up their act and it all sounds much crisper. Mitch Ostrowski’s drumming is no slack either, as he bangs down hard on his kit in perfect synchronicity.

The flipside of the record, however, takes a darker turn; it has a thundering version of “Midnight Train To Memphis” by Chris Stapleton. The name may not mean much outside of Southern rock and Americana circles, but his influence as a songwriter reaches widely into pop, country, and rock n’ roll. As such it’s only fitting to pay tribute to a man who has done so much for music. And tribute is paid - there is a wonderful gritty tone from the voice of the tower that is Tom Jordan, as he stretches out the chorus lines detailing a prisoner’s life.

And that’s all, folks. A small teaser of 20 Watt Tombstone’s heaviness, more focused on the blues side than the death side this time. If it is indeed the Year of the Jackalope and its scary face, then it is with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that we await for further material to emerge. Long live Wisco Disco!

Get your copy now at this location.

 

 

"You know when it comes to hot sauces, no one got this game down better than Kataklysm," says vocalist Maurizio Iacono.

"We are proud to introduce two new additions as promised!"

- Focused To Destroy You registers an over 1 000 000 scoville score, is made with smokey trinidad scorpion peppers, features an amazing taste, and has an instant bite of heat

- The Killshot is full of tangy and spicy aged Jalapeno peppers, and tastes delicious on everything

Limited quantities are available now exclusively at this location.