Video of KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's LOVE AND DEATH project performing the song "Down" during its February 12 livestreamed concert can be seen below. The track is taken LOVE AND DEATH's latest album, "Perfectly Preserved", which arrived on the same day via Earache Records.
"Perfectly Preserved" is described in a press release as "a blistering but accessible full-length follow-up, driven by the spiritual resilience inherent in the first record, combined with an even starker depiction of real-life struggle." Anger, broken relationships, lowered self-worth, and the collision of optimistic values with oppressive systems are all on display, from the arresting refrains of "Tragedy", "Death Of Us" and "Affliction" to the bold, conqueror driven anthem of "White Flag".
LOVE AND DEATH harness soaring melodies and crushing riffs, weaponizing them like a supernatural dagger to strike at the blackened heart of disillusionment from both within and without. With an instantly recognizable relatability, for anyone who has felt discarded or without value, the band crafts invigorating anthems filled with earnest pleas for mercy and certainty amidst the chaos of an uncertain world. This is heavy music to vigorously confront depression, heartbreak, and pain.
The band began with similar raw, authentic emotional honesty to what drove Welch to multiplatinum and Grammy Award-winning heights as a co-founder of genre trailblazers KORN. Forged as an outlet for recovery and redemption in a season of change, the creation of LOVE AND DEATH resulted in the powerful and dynamic 2013 debut "Between Here & Lost". The album spoke plainly to the hearts of similarly disenfranchised fans all across the world.
"Perfectly Preserved" marks the introduction of guitarist, bassist and co-songwriter Jasen Rauch as a full-fledged member of the band, as well as second time producer for LOVE AND DEATH (co-produced by Joe Rickard). Jasen, best known as an integral part of chart-topping rockers BREAKING BENJAMIN, produced LOVE AND DEATH's first album in 2013. The duo first met a year or two after the release of Head's solo album, "Save Me From Myself" (2008). As Head experimented with synthesizers, it was Rauch who encouraged him to pick up his guitar and churn out new riffs.
"Jasen and I started writing together. I was trying to do new things, writing music on a keyboard at my house," Welch recalls. "I credit him with the rediscovery of my love for the guitar."
LOVE AND DEATH charge into this new chapter with a definitive lineup, which sees Head and Jasen side by side with the band's original guitarist, JR Bareis, also on vocals and guitar, and powerhouse drummer Isaiah Perez. It was a perfect storm of friendship and creativity, as they all worked on the album in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Chicago, over several years.
Like A PERFECT CIRCLE or STONE SOUR, LOVE AND DEATH isn't a "side project" or replacement for the guys' respective bands. It's an extension and companion, offering each of them a unique outlet to explore different aspects of their creative passions. "There are certain things we can do melodically in LOVE AND DEATH that might not work in KORN," Rauch explains. "For me, there are certain creative risks I can take with the arrangements and production that wouldn't fit with BREAKING BENJAMIN. In this band, we don't worry about how long a song might be, for example."
It's also an opportunity for further collaboration with their friends from other bands. "The Hunter" features Jasen's BREAKING BENJAMIN bandmate (and solo artist) Keith Wallen, who was also a major co-writer on the project. And Longtime comrade Lacey Sturm, formerly of FLYLEAF, sings on a metallic rendition of a surprising pop cover.
As with the "Lo Lamento" single released in 2016, Bareis steps up vocally, sharing frontman duties with Welch, whose own delivery draws on jaw-dropping life experience. From the heights of rock stardom to the depths of addiction, through an exciting resurrection to the daily battle to stay above water, every moment of truth is evident in his brutally honest screams. Bareis, by contrast, delivers anthemic and even haunting melodic vocals.
"Everybody knows my foundation," says Welch, regarding the contrast in lyrical themes between "Perfectly Preserved" and the first LOVE AND DEATH album. "I feel like what our world needs most in this very unique moment in time are real storiesabout overcoming struggle. These are honest songs co-written by our group of friends targeting depression/mental health, challenging relationships, trauma, loneliness, and related issues."
As their fans have learned to expect, LOVE AND DEATH is fearless in its open examination of contradictions and failure, making confessional music with an underlying anchor of purpose and hope. Like the band's very moniker suggests, both "Love" and "Death" are very present in all that they do.
"Eleventeen", the debut solo album from late OZZY OSBOURNE and URIAH HEEP drummer Lee Kerslake, has just received a posthumous release via HNE Recordings, the hard rock and heavy metal arm of Cherry Red Records.
"Eleventeen" is a collection of eight songs, seven of them written or co-written by Lee. Lee offers notes and insights for each track, saying "Take Nothing For Granted" "is based around my wife and then some," evidently with tongue firmly in cheek. Elsewhere, "Where Do We Go From Here", according to Lee, is about how "ot's all too late to realize… where do we go from here? I've had to many argumentative girls in my life!!!" "You May Be By Yourself (But You're Never Alone)" was written "when Bob Daisley gave such a loving look to Squish, his daughter. It moved me all those years ago." According to URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box's dedication on the album, "The song 'Port And A Brandy' made me smile as we have shared many of them together over the years." Next up is a heartfelt rendition of Carole King's timeless "You've Got A Friend", which Lee dedicates to "all of my friends past and present who I have loved through music." "Eleventeen" concludes with the instrumental "Mom", which Lee wrote for "all the mums in the world who we should never take for granted."
Standing down from drumming full-time for URIAH HEEP in 2007 due to ill health, Kerslake commenced his debut solo album in 2015 with Jake Libretto, completing the album in 2019. At the time, Lee stated about the effort: "WOW, I have to say now the album is finished, there is a great sense of achievement. It's been a little over three years to record and finish it. It took so long because I could only manage two days a week and sometimes nothing for a period of time as the chemotherapy without my permission kept me away. Never mind, it's done, and I am very proud of the songs."
With a career that goes back to the 1960s, Kerslake's first step into the rock limelight was with THE GODS, recording "Genesis" in 1968 and "To Samuel A Son" in 1969. Joining TOE FAT for their self-titled debut in 1970, via 1970's "Orgasm" by HEAD MACHINE, so far Lee had shared his musical journey with multi-instrumentalist and song writer Ken Hensley. This musical connection and friendship would be further cemented in 1972 when Lee joined Ken in URIAH HEEP for the classic "Demons & Wizards" LP, remaining behind HEEP's drum kit for the best part of 30-plus years. Lee also found time to make cameos drumming for Ken Hensley and David Byron solo records along the way, and most notably as a founder member of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band, drumming on the multi-platinum "Blizzard Of Ozz" in 1980 and "Diary Of A Madman" in 1981. He also appeared with supergroup LIVING LOUD, a band featuring bassist Bob Daisley, guitarist Steve Morse, singer Jimmy Barnes and keyboard player Don Airey.
Lee sadly passed away in September 2020 at the age of 73. Box said of his longtime bandmate: "It fills me with great pride that he achieved this as his last final musical legacy."
"Eleventeen" track listing:
01. Celia Sienna
02. Take Nothing For Granted
03. Where Do We Go From Here
04. You May Be By Yourself (But You're Never Alone)
The music video for the single "Cold Sacrifice" by the late Ken Hensley can be seen below. Taken from his upcoming album "My Book Of Answers", "Cold Sacrifice" is the third track to be released from Hensley's collaboration with Russian fan Vladimir Emelin whose poems have been turned into an album's worth of songs, a series of videos, a concert and an illustrated lyric book (available later this year). "My Book Of Answers" will be released on March 5 as a CD/DVD and vinyl album through Cherry Red Records.
For half a century, Hensley was a major influence in the rock world. An original member of URIAH HEEP, Hensley was keyboard player, guitarist, vocalist and principal song writer with URIAH HEEP for ten years. His subsequent solo career saw Hensley work with leading artists across the globe and he became known as an inspiration for encouraging other talented artists.
"My Book Of Answers" is a wonderful tribute to this rock legend. The album is the intriguing result of a collaboration with one of Hensley's fans, following a chance meeting at an airport, as he turns dreams into a reality. Over a two-year period, the collaboration with Russian fan Vladimir Emelin has seen Hensley turn Emelin's poems into an album's worth of songs, a series of videos, a concert and an illustrated lyric book charting the progress of each piece from Russian poem to English rock song. And all of this has been produced in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
Hensley was clearly excited when speaking shortly before his death. "It's been fascinating since day one," he said. "It's somewhat miraculous how it all came together and how it's continued to grow and develop, even through the crisis, to where it's at today and where it's going tomorrow."
This unique project came about following Hensley's chance meeting with Emelin at Alicante airport in early 2018, as he explained. "Vladimir has a home up on the Costa Blanca and he's here as often as visas will permit," Hensley said. "I was flying to Moscow, he was on his way home and he saw me at the airport. I guess I'm his idol and he's been a fan since he was a kid. Well, he asked me for an autograph and a picture, which I was happy to give him, and for an e-mail address."
At a meeting in Alicante later in the year, Emelin asked if Hensley could turn a couple of his poems into songs. "I tried a couple of songs, although I didn't know if I could do it because I've never done it before," Hensley recalled. "He loved it and he wanted me to do more and more until we finally ended up with an album's worth of songs.
"I made most of the album under lockdown, coronavirus restrictions, which was easy because it was just file-sharing over the Internet with the musicians, the singers and my engineer and it was relatively easy. What we had to do was make sure we didn't compromise any quality. I popped it over to my manager Steve Weltman and typically, before I know it, he's got the guys at Cherry Red interested in it! The whole thing takes on another dimension."
Emelin also suggested a video and they would, eventually, make a video for each track together with a concert of all of the songs which was filmed, with social distancing, close to Hensley's home in Spain.
"I've never done anything like this before and, to the best of my knowledge, I don't recall anybody else who has," Hensley added. "I'm also developing a lyric book which will be a beautiful piece. Each song features the original Russian lyric, the translation by Vladimir's friend in Siberia and my notated stuff where I changed the words of the poem into a song and created verses, bridges and choruses. The fans can see all the changes I made, and understand why I made them, and then there's the final lyric that appears on the album. Alisia Vaselieva, a wonderful illustrator and friend of Vladimir's, has done an illustration for each song, so five pages for each song and it will be a deluxe hard-back package — a collectors' item.
"To begin with, it was hard to find the time to really concentrate on the project because 2019 was one of the busiest years of my career, but, as it happens, the coronavirus actually solved the problem for me, at the same time as it created terrible problems for so many others. I was forced to stay home and spend all my time on this project with Vladimir, the restrictions of the virus meant I was able to do that.
"I'm really happy with it and I have a huge yardstick to measure it by! It seems as though it was meant to happen."
Track listing:
01. Lost (My Guardian)
02. Right Here, Right Now
03. Cold Sacrifice
04. The Silent Scream
05. Cover Girl
06. Light The Fire (In My Heart)
07. Stand (Chase The Beast Away)
08. The Darkest Hour
09. Suddenly
10. The Darkest Hour (Acoustic)
Hensley was URIAH HEEP's keyboard player and principal songwriter, responsible for such classics as "Lady In Black", "Easy Livin'" and "Look At Yourself", and providing them with much of their musical direction. Leaving the band in 1980 to pursue a solo career, he also collaborated with Florida-based hard rock band BLACKFOOT, L.A. heavy metal band W.A.S.P. and CINDERELLA. "Ken Hensley wrote the rule book for heavy metal keyboards as far as I'm concerned," W.A.S.P.'s frontman Blackie Lawless is quoted as saying.
Following his departure from URIAH HEEP, Hensley lived in America where he met his wife-to-be Monica. Speaking just days before his death, Hensley said: "I lived in America for 20 years after I left URIAH HEEP and I really needed time to rediscover myself, get rid of my drug habit and see if there was anything left of a human being in there after my life had been buried in URIAH HEEP for ten and a half years. It took a long time to get there but I got there in the end. I met Monica and we lived together for a couple of years. I wanted to move back to Europe to be closer to my family."
The Hensleys settled on a farm near Alicante, Spain, and married in 2004. A very spiritual person, Hensley became an inspiration to many and known for encouraging talented artists and enjoyed the love and respect of fans the world over. "It's enduring and I'm happy that most of them are still alive," he said. "I love to meet them when I go out on the road but at the moment that's not possible."
Reflecting on 50-plus years in the music business, he added: "It's been a great career. I can't look through the (URIAH HEEP) box set without having a huge smile on my face! To be celebrating my music 50 years on is quite something. We weren't a hit with the critics but we listened to the people who bought tickets and albums and, unfortunately, the critics ignored them. It just went on and on and on. We pulled together and achieved everything we set out to do. It was a wonderful life and career. My life has been fantastic, but it's not been easy. It was a lot of hard work, but when you do what you love best it doesn't seem like hard work."
Oceanhoarse, the four-piece heavy metal outfit from Helsinki, Finland, has been operating for a couple of years with a relentless self-made attitude releasing a bunch of singles, an EP Voluntary Bends in 2019 and a live album The Damage is Done - LIVE! in 2020. The year 2021 sees the band moving up a gear with the German label Noble Demon. The brand new single "One With The Gun" displays the band’s love for vocal harmonies and crushing riffs accompanied with a strong message.
"’One With The Gun’ is about the twisted power trip some people seem to be on once they get a piece. There are constantly horrific news about the consequences of that 'I Am The Law' attitude happening all over the world way too often. So the statement the song makes is clearly really anti-violent even though the title sounds pretty menacing when you first look at it," bass player Jyri Helko comments and continues:
"We are really thrilled to start working with Noble Demon! The German label is a new player in the game, but the people behind it have a strong background in the industry and they’ve already managed to build quite an impressive roster around the up-and-coming acts like Mercury Circle and the newly activated Dawn Of Solace. We are currently starting the recordings of our first full-length studio album scheduled to be released this fall, so get ready for some Heavy F*cking Metal from Finland!"
The as yet untitled debut studio album is scheduled to be released in August 2021 via Noble Demon. "One With The Gun", the brand new single by Oceanhoarse, is now available on all digital platforms.
Roman Empire-inspired epic death metal band Ex Deo - featuring mastermind Maurizio Iacono of Kataklysm - plans to release their new album, The Thirteen Years Of Nero, this summer. Iacono has checked in with a new update:
"Listening to the first Ex Deo mixes for the new album The Thirteen Years Of Nero. I'm blown away by this record ,you can tell it was spawned from a dark place. J-F Dagenais has created one of his best productions ever, the record gives chills down your spine... this IS one of the most evil , twisted and dark albums to come in quite some time. I'm unearthing the true Antichrist (as he was remembered) Emperor Nero was someone who really walked the earth and tested all limitations, he lives in infamy in today's modern world , it's REAL and I can't wait to share it with you all and if your feelings are senstive about history... too bad."
A previous progress report from Iacono reads: "Ex Deo once again commissions the one and only Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh, Paradise Lost, Kamelot) to put to life the visionary and artistic cover artwork for the new album, The Thirteen Years Of Nero. Seth, who created the artwork for the now classic album, Caligvla, was the clear choice for this album according to the General of the XIII Legion Maurizio Iacono: 'Like any good strategy for battles, one must chose the right commanders in order to win the war.' The new pinnacle is coming your way soon via the champions of Ancoent Roman Metal, Ex Deo, on Napalm Records!"
After three years since the release of their latest acclaimed full-length, The Immortal Wars, Ex Deo returned in March 2020 with a new single, entitled "The Philosopher King". The track features very special guest Francesco Ferrini of Italian symphonic metallers Fleshgod Apocalypse.
Ferrini provided the stunning orchestral score for the colossal track, which tells the tale of one of Rome’s greatest emperors, Marcus Aurelius - an important historical figure that Maurizio Iacono feels a deep connection with. The track also features pummeling production by Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine) and Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within).
Iacono offers: “It’s been three years since the release of The Immortal Wars - an album that propelled Ex Deo to a new level. This time, we didn’t want to wait another five years to release new material, so we decided to release a standalone new single called, 'The Philosopher King' while we wait for the follow up album to The Immortal Wars. For this track, we asked our brother, the talented Francesco Ferrini, for his contribution on the orchestral score.
"The song is based on the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It’s a song that strikes a chord with me personally, exploring my life experiences and tribulations. I find myself very close to this man’s philosophical ideals - some I have struggled to understand, some I have adopted. He is the author of the famous book “Meditations” (now you know the influence behind the recent Kataklysm album). Stoicism is something I have been applying more and more to my life in recent years - self-control, discipline. Marcus Aurelius, while commanding the world’s largest army and the most advanced society in ancient times, was perceived as one of the most regarded and prosperous emperors not only economically, but also in military and social triumphs. This is an homage to one of Rome’s greatest, The Philosopher King!”
Francesco Ferrini adds, “When Maurizio suggested to join forces on a brand new Ex Deo release, he had me bought in straight away! This song was incredibly inspiring to work on, being such a powerful combination of drama and epicness. I’m sure everyone will love it as much as we do.”
TOMAHAWK, the band featuring Duane Denison (THE JESUS LIZARD, UNSEMBLE), Trevor Dunn (MR. BUNGLE, FANTÔMAS), Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE) and John Stanier (HELMET, BATTLES), will release its first full-length album in eight years, "Tonic Immobility", on March 26 via Ipecac Recordings. The official music video for the disc's second single, "Dog Eat Dog", can be seen below.
"It's a statement about competition, oppression, and unity — served up with a healthy dose of slapstick humor," said Denison of the Eric Livingston-directed clip. Patton added: "Dogs patiently wait, obediently, for humans to snuff each other out… so they can take over the world. Dogs rule!!!!"
Pre-orders for "Tonic Immobility" are live now, with the album available in the following formats: digital, CD digipak, and 180-gram LP in textured gatefold packaging. Vinyl variants include standard black, coke bottle clear (indie retail exclusive — 5,000 available), opaque metallic silver (Ipecac webstore exclusive — 2000 available), and crystal clear (Newbury Comics exclusive — 1,000 available).
"'Tonic Immobility' could just be something in the air we're feeling," said Denison. "It's been a rough year between the pandemic and everything else. A lot of people feel somewhat powerless and stuck as they're not able to make a move without second guessing themselves or worrying about the outcomes. For as much as the record possibly reflects that, it's also an escape from the realities of the world. We're not wallowing in negativity or getting political. For me, rock has always been an alternate reality to everything else. I feel like this is yet another example."
"Tonic Immobility" track listing:
01. SHHH!
02. Valentine Shine
03. Predators and Scavengers
04. Doomsday Fatigue
05. Business Casual
06. Tattoo Zero
07. Fatback
08. Howlie
09. Eureka
10. Sidewinder
11. Recoil
12. Dog Eat Dog
2013's "Oddfellows" was TOMAHAWK's first CD in over six years.
TOMAHAWK was dormant for five years after releasing a trio of albums: "Tomahawk" in 2001, "Mit Gas" in 2003 and "Anonymous" in 2007.
New York City's Broadway theatres have been out of commission for almost a year now. This prolonged pause has not stopped world-renowned opera singer Alyson Cambridge and guitar virtuoso Tony Bruno from creating a new show: "Rock Me Amadeus". After first announcing the upcoming show last fall, they are releasing their newest music video, "Love Hurts Uninvited", as part of a series of videos to build anticipation for the show. Arranged by Tony Bruno, the song is an original mashup that combines '80s rock of NAZARETH's "Love Hurts", '90s angst of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the classical strings of Tchaikovsky's iconic theme to "Romeo And Juliet". Rock vocalists Dee Snider, Kia Warren and Chloe Lowery co-star in the video, showing off their vocal and acting chops.
The three co-stars portray individuals who are dealing with the complexities of love: loss of it, memories of it, and the hurt and joy that come from it. Each character clings to a token of that love lost — a scarf, a locket or a letter — each a reminder of happier times.
Directed by Matthew Stiller, the video was shot by Tyler Ribble and Pierre Tsigaridis, and edited by Simon K. Wheeldon in a neo-noir film style, in black and white with evocative pops of color, representing the show's classic-meets-modern ambiance. Filmed from both sides of the U.S., the video shows Snider from a downtown L.A. hotel room, while Warren and Lowery are seen on the abandoned streets of New York City and inside Flux Studios.
"Rock Me Amadeus" co-producer Tony Bruno says about their new video: "As in 'Romeo And Juliet', there's always more to love than the attraction. It's complicated, frustrating and painful at times. Some endure and some don't. This mashup was born out of that feeling which we have all experienced at one time or another."
More video teasers and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage will be released via the show's web site, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube every month through the summer to give fans a preview of the exciting experience to come. With the videos, Cambridge and Bruno aim to evoke the excitement of their live show as they move closer to announcing the show's opening dates.
"Rock Me Amadeus" is a new show that combines classics from different centuries. It brings the grandeur of classical music, the opulence of opera and the powerful emotions of classic rock and pop songs into one electrifying concert experience. Internationally acclaimed opera soprano Alyson Cambridge and rock guitar virtuoso/composer Tony Bruno join forces to create and co-produce "Rock Me Amadeus", blending an all-star cast of rock, pop and classical vocalists and instrumentalists with a full rock band, symphony orchestra and choir. The show is currently slated to open in fall 2021 in New York City.
Apocalyptica is streaming a clip of their performance of "Inquisition Symphony" at Pol'and'Rock Festival 2016. CHeck it out below.
It is with great regret, but obvious and necessary compliance, that Apocalyptica has had to postpone their upcoming North American tour a second time to August/September 2021 due to the ongoing restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note that all tickets bought will remain valid for the rescheduled dates and tickets remain on sale.
Apocalyptica's performances will be comprised of new songs from most recent full-length Cell-0 as well as from the band's rich catalog. Lacuna Coil, who was scheduled to support on all North American dates, remain confirmed for the California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, and Canadian shows. Support on the remainder of the tour is yet to be announced.
To keep the band's fans and everyone else involved with the tour safe at this time, the shows have been postponed to the following dates. Additionally, the Toronto show will now take place at Rebel.
Dates:
August
16 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
17 - Plaza - Orlando, FL
19 - House Of Blues - Houston, TX
21 - Emos - Austin, TX
23 - Sunshine - Albuquerque, NM
24 - Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ
25 - Mayan - Los Angeles, CA (with Lacuna Coil)
26 - The Regency - San Francisco, CA (with Lacuna Coil)
27 - Crystal - Portland, OR (with Lacuna Coil)
28 - Showbox Sodo - Seattle, WA (with Lacuna Coil)
29 - Commodore - Vancouver, BC (with Lacuna Coil)
30 - Commodore - Vancouver, BC (with Lacuna Coil)
September
1 - Midway - Edmonton, AB (with Lacuna Coil)
2 - The Palace - Calgary, AB (with Lacuna Coil)
4 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN (with Lacuna Coil)
5 - House Of Blues - Chicago, IL (with Lacuna Coil)
6 - Rebel - Toronto, ON (with Lacuna Coil)
7 - Mtelus - Montreal, QC (with Lacuna Coil)
8 - Big Night Live - Boston, MA
9 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
11 - Webster Hall - New York, NY
Wacken TV has uploaded pro-shot video of As I Lay Dying performing "Anodyne Sea" and "Confined" at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air. Check it out below.
It was reported in December 2020 that As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis had been hospitalized after burning 25% of his body in a bonfire accident.
In a statement on Instagram, the singer said, “Keep your head up no matter what! I’m doing the best I can to make a thumps up on my way to surgery (in about 30 minutes).
“I apologize to my friends that I have not had the time to fill in yet on what happened. The entire gas cap fell off when trying to use a little from the trickle tip to get a bonfire started. Gas got all over my clothes and I ended up burning 25% of my body.
“I’ve been in the hospital since Saturday night, and I will be here for a couple more weeks most likely. Today’s surgery is to remove the remaining dead skin that we were unable to scrub off during dressing changes this week. It will be for the best so that we won’t have to scrub so hard during dressing changes, and that is a big relief for me. I am extremely thankful for the Burns center workers who are taking care of me.
“I will try to update on my recovery. It will be a long road, but I will get back to full strength eventually.”
Finnish prog metal band Wheel have announced their new album Resident Human. The follow-up to their 2019 album Moving Backwards will be released on March 26, 2021. Third single, “Fugue,” is streaming below. Preorder Resident Human here.
"Fugue's title was inspired by a form of long-distance space travel in the Dan Simmon's series Hyperion Cantos. In the books, cryogenic fugue allows individuals to enter a form of stasis that enables them to cross vast cosmic distances; the convenience of this suspended state presents major risks however, such as brain damage.
“Over the last year, many of us have been confined to our homes as the pandemic has continued to spread through our societies; alcohol consumption has increased and current data indicates that the mental well-being of many has suffered. Broad trends like these made me think of how despite the risks, many would choose to take a gamble with something as risky as cryogenic fugue, rather than continue to endure the radical changes Covid-19 restrictions have imposed upon all of us. In lieu of the possibility of suspended animation, many of us are choosing to sedate ourselves at home with substances and distract ourselves with the media at our disposal; to weather the storm as best we can and to wait for whatever is to come next.
“The events of the past year are likely to be generation-defining and honestly, I don't think it will only be in a bad way - there is some promising global action to address the detection of future pandemics, hygiene has improved and working from home seems likely to be a possibility for employees in a range of sectors that were previously unwilling to adopt it. Unfortunately, despite this positivity, it is exhausting to read about Covid every day and the constant media bombardment of speculation, fear and hopelessness is taking a toll - I openly admit that it has affected me too.
“Our social separation and the fear of either spreading or contracting Covid, has left many of us feeling isolated and disconnected from each other, but this is an illusion - we all want the same thing; to get back to a point where our lives are not dictated by this virus and however bleak things may look, this, (like everything else), will eventually pass. It is easy to forget we are interconnected and that we stand together; if we can endure this clamour, there is going to be one hell of a party on the other side. For now however, wine and Netflix will have to do." – James
New Orleans band Cane Hill have delivered the gloriously devilish and sanguine video for the new song "God Is the Enemy."
The track completes their Krewe De La Mort song collection. It began with "Power Of The High," which dominated the Devil's Dozen on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal for weeks on end, and "Kill Me”.
"'God Is the Enemy' is an honest comment on contemporary Christians and their skewed views of living Christ-like," says vocalist Elijah Witt. "From the hypocrisy of the church shielding its abusive history (and their present) to the blatant racism, control of women's bodily autonomy using the bible as a scapegoat — it's obvious that the followers of Christ have gone astray. 'GITE' implores you to imagine how the religious world would react if someone claimed to be the son of God again."
Lucifer has announced the release of the ferociously moody classic "Pull Away/So Many Times", paying tribute to the opening track of Dust's second and final album Hard Attack released in 1972.
"Pull Away/So Many Times" is also being released physically as a special vinyl split single in collaboration with their Berlin peers Kadavar. On the flipside of the vinyl, Kadavar takes a bow to one of Britain's most important guitar players, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, covering the heavy track "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)". The single will be available physically on March 19, 2021 on Lucifer's own label Riding Reaper Records, as well as Kadavar's very own label Robotor Records. The 7" is limited to 1,500 copies and comes in five different colors (black, red, orange, white and blue) along with different bundle package options that are now available for pre-order via the bands web stores. European preorders here and U.S. preorders at this location.
Thrilled about this collaboration and the upcoming release, Lucifer frontwoman Johanna Platow Andersson states, "Both Kadavar and Lucifer have their roots in Berlin and we go back to the founding days of both bands where we shared the same scene. With our combined love for the deep cuts of the ‘60s and ‘70s we decided to cover two of our favorite songs together for a 7" single. We picked Marky Ramone's criminally underrated, glorious first band Dust. It is the first time that I duet together with our guitarist Linus Björklund and we had a blast recording it! Kadavar most relevantly chose to pay homage to the late Peter Green with this classic Fleetwood Mac number. Being a huge Fleetwood Mac fan myself this is the perfect choice to round off this nugget. We are very excited about this single and hope you dig our tributes!"
Lucifer are currently in the studio recording the follow-up to their highly praised 2020 album Lucifer III. Stay tuned for more details on Lucifer IV.
Brazilian metallers, Angra, have released a live video for the Ømni album track, "Always More", from the band's Ømni World Tour. Watch below:
Check out the previously released live videos for "Magic Mirror", "Caveman", "War Horns", "The Bottom Of My Soul", "Insania", "Travelers Of Time", and "Light Of Transcedence" below:
Sacred Oath has released a fourth advance single, “Cthulhu Wakes”, for streaming/download on all digital platforms.
The single and lyric video feature original cover artwork by drummer Kenny “Thundarr” Evans. Watch the clip below:
The band previously issued three singles and videos, “Return of the Dragon”, “Hammer Of An Angry God”, and “Empires Fall” for streaming and download.
Sacred Oath will follow Cthulhu Wakes with the release of one more advance single on March 19. Each single has featured a new and unique cover painted by Evans. Platforms like Spotify and YouTube have also featured each art piece on video and canvas.
Pre-order for both the deluxe CD and double LP editions began on January 29 exclusively on the band’s website. These editions will be limited-edition pressings of 500 copies and LPs will be hand-numbered and signed. The CD will contain a 24-page booklet including all 11 original art pieces, lyrics, and photos. The double LP also contains all of the art and lyrics and is available in both black vinyl and color with splatter.
Digital pre-order will begin on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music on March 19 with instant delivery of all five singles. The complete album Return Of The Dragon will release on April 2.
Sacred Oath is best-known for releasing A Crystal Vision in 1988, an album that evolved into a cult-classic of the powerthrash-metal genre. It was followed by six more critically acclaimed studio albums, including fan-favorites World On Fire, Sacred Oath, Darkness Visible, and Ravensong. The single “Counting Zeros” from their eponymous 2009 release was chosen as iTunes “Discovery Download of the Week”, and their first live album Till Death Do Us Part (2008) was listed as a Top Ten Metal Album of the year by Apple Music in its year of release. The band appeared on MTV2 Headbangers Ball in its last televised season with a featured interview.
Tracklisting:
“Cthulhu Wakes”
“Last Ride Of The Wicked Dead”
“Return Of The Dragon”
“At The Gates”
“Empires Fall”
“Hammer Of An Angry God”
“The Next Pharaoh”
“Primeval”
“Into The Drink”
“Root Of All Evil”
Robin McAuley's new solo album, "Standing On The Edge", showcases the desire of the respected Irish rock singer to make a strong musical statement in a period that was more creative than ever for him. After reemerging on the recording side of the music industry with guest spots on MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST albums and fronting the hard rock supergroup BLACK SWAN, McAuley is feeling invigorated and ready to explore even more creative output, letting the world see that his voice is as powerful as ever. "Standing On The Edge" will arrive on May 7 va Frontiers Music Srl. Fans can get their first taste of the album with the release of the single and video for the title track today. Watch the video below.
Of the album, Robin says: "It was hard not to draw reference from the dreaded pandemic we all found ourselves in, and still do, so I just spat out what I was feeling and 'Standing On The Edge' seemed an appropriate title to describe the current climate." He continues: "In contrast to that however, songs like 'Run Away' harken back to my childhood years, racing across the fields next to our house trying to beat the rain home. I'm still running all these years later!! Alessandro sent me this beautiful music and this lyric and melody came together quite quickly. It's very simple and childlike and I really like how this song turned out. 'Wanna Take A Ride', on the other hand, was just me desperate to get out of the house during lockdown and head to the beach. Top down, throttle wide open, and a stiff middle finger to COVID. I crank this SO LOUD in my car. Makes me smile!
"Perhaps this record is not everything I ever wanted to say or record in a solo effort, but it's how I felt at the time. I'm far from being done. Hope you like what you hear," concludes Robin.
McAuley is widely recognized as one of the great singers of a golden period in hard rock music. His voice can be heard on albums from GRAND PRIX and FAR CORPORATION, and of course on the chart-topping MSG records "Perfect Timing", "Save Yourself" and "MSG". Through these releases, he was introduced to hard rock fans around the globe, who no doubt recognized the inherent talent and skill in his vocal abilities. Since departing MSG, he released one solo record in 1999, then joined AOR legends SURVIVOR, and then re-grouped with Schenker in MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST on their recent records "Resurrection" and "Revelation". And, of course, in what was an absolute revelation to hard rock fans around the world, in 2020, he came out swingin' as the frontman of the supergroup BLACK SWAN, where he joined forces with Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER), Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN) and Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR BIG).
McAuley spent the latter half of 2020 working on a new solo record, one which truly encompasses all music styles he is known for — hard rock and melodic rock superbly performed as only he can do it. Envisioned, overseen, and creatively directed by Serafino Perugino, president and A&R director of Frontiers, with production (and co-writing) by Alessandro Del Vecchio, McAuley offers up a true gem of an album in "Standing On The Edge". Included are a splendid songwriting collaborations with his former GRAND PRIX bandmate Phil Lanzon (currently longtime URIAH HEEP keyboardist) on "Like A Ghost", Howard Leese (of BAD COMPANY, ex-HEART) on "Supposed To Do Now", and Tommy Denander on "Do You Remember" and "Chosen Few".
"Standing On The Edge" track listing:
01. Thy Will Be Done
02. Standing On The Edge
03. Late December
04. Do You Remember
05. Say Goodbye
06. Chosen Few
07. Run Away
08. Supposed To Do Now
09. Wanna Take A Ride
10. Like A Ghost
11. Running Out Of Time
Recording lineup:
Robin McAuley - vocals
Andrea Seveso - guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio - bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Like some U.D.O. classics? Here's "Wrong Side Of Midnight" for you, from the upcoming live album "Live in Bulgaria 2020 – Pandemic Survival Show" which is going to be released on March 19th, 2021. If you want to order a copy and thus also get a contemporary witness of this breathtaking event in Plovdiv's amphitheater, please find the link in the video description.
With that show U.D.O. is not only making one of the world's grandest shows under Corona, but also certainly beyond compare. This is exactly the feeling that the live recording captures: It is an evening that lets everyone feel for a few hours exactly what only music can convey: to feel like we belong together and be carried away from everyday life and all worries. An evening in which, especially in 2020, it was clear what an important task culture fulfills and what an indescribable gap it leaves behind if it is not allowed to take place. The setlist is more than special: current songs cavort next to unforgotten and rarely performed live rarities together with some Accept classics.
Kreator - Under The Guillotine: The Noise Records Anthology, is now available as Deluxe Box Set, 2CD, and 2LP formats. Order here, and watch an unboxing video below.
The story of Kreator’s meteoric rise to the global elite of thrash metal bands from their humble beginnings in Essen Germany, began under their first name of Tormentor in the early 80’s. It was their ‘Blitzkreig’ and ‘End Of The World’ demos changing hands in the era’s bustling underground tape-trading network that exposed them to the international metal community. Positive word of mouth soon attracted the attention of Germany’s own metal start-up, Noise Records, which signed the newly re-christened Kreator to a deal.
Kreator’s tenure at the label spawned six studio albums and established them as one of the most influential on the thrash scene, one they dominate to this day. 1985 debut, Endless Pain was a savage debut; its crude thrashing quickly had the underground metal world abuzz with excitement. 1986’s Follow up, Pleasure To Kill is considered the band’s first “classic” album and raised the bar with more diversity of tempos, while losing nothing in terms of ferocity or speed. 1987’s Terrible Certainty further cemented the reputation that Kreator were one of the genre’s finest exponents. In 1989 the band closed the decade with the thrash triumph of Extreme Aggression, their biggest seller to date. 1990’s huge magnum opus Coma Of Souls confirmed them in thrash history before they diversified their sound on the experimental, Renewal in 1992.
Under The Guillotine is a deluxe celebration of Kreator’s, Noise Records discography and is the definitive collection of their first decade of recorded work and contains:
- Endless Pain - (Swirl vinyl with original artwork & inner sleeve)
- Pleasure To Kill - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner sleeve)
- Terrible Certainty - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Extreme Aggression - (Half/half vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Coma Of Souls - (Splatter vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Renewal - (Swirl vinyl with original artwork & inner lyric sleeve)
- Some Pain Will Last DVD - Containing ‘From The Vault’ mini documentary, plus two previously unreleased audio live concerts and an Andy Sneap remix of Live In East Berlin 1990
- 12” x 12”, 40 page hardback book of photography, quotes and lyrics from the first decade of the bands existence. Contains rare and previously unseen photos from the era.
- Reproduction ‘End Of The World’ demo cassette
- ‘Demon’ figurine USB drive containing MP3 audio of all the expanded editions of all the albums.
- All encased in an executioners, guillotine box.
- The first 250 orders from the Noise Records store will also receive a signed art card by Mille Petrozza.
Tracklisting:
LP1: Endless Pain (1985)
"Endless Pain"
"Total Death"
"Storm Of The Beast"
"Tormentor"
"Son Of Evil"
"Flag Of Hate"
"Cry War"
"Bonebreaker"
"Living In Fear"
"Dying Victims"
LP2: Pleasure To Kill (1986)
"Choir Of The Damned"
"Ripping Corpse"
"Death Is Your Saviour"
"Pleasure To Kill"
"Riot Of Violence"
"The Pestilence"
"Carrion"
"Command Of The Blade"
"Under The Guillotine"
LP3: Terrible Certainty (1987)
"Blind Faith"
"Storming With Menace"
"Terrible Certainty"
"As The World Burns"
"Toxic Trace"
"No Escape"
"One Of Us"
"Behind The Mirror"
LP4: Extreme Aggression (1989)
"Extreme Aggressions"
"No Reason To Exist"
"Love Us Or Hate Us"
"Stream Of Consciousness"
"Some Pain Will Last"
"Betrayer"
"Don't Trust"
"Bringer Of Torture"
"Fatal Energy"
LP5: Coma Of Soul (1990)
"When The Sun Burns Red"
"Coma Of Souls"
"People Of The Lie"
"World Beyond"
"Terror Zone"
"Agents Of Brutality"
"Material World Paranoia"
"Twisted Urges"
"Hidden Dictator"
"Mental Slavery"
LP6: Renewal (1992)
"Winter Martyrium"
"Renewal"
"Reflection"
"Brainseed"
"Karmic Wheel"
"Realitätskontrolle"
"Zero To None"
"Europe After The Rain"
"Depression Unrest"
Unboxing video:
Also available as an introduction piece is Under The Guillotine – The Noise Anthology – an 18 track double-vinyl collection of Kreator’s Noise era classics, pressed on splatter vinyl, including rare and unseen photos. And for the non-vinyl collectors, there will also be a 30 track 2CD version, housed in a mediabook. Both feature rare tracks and remixes from the bands discography.
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."
A massive, melodic and outrageously catchy wall of sound is presented by Swedish Modern Metal band Metalite - short before the release of their highly anticipated new longplayer "A Virtual World", being released March 26th via AFM Records, the single "Cloud Connected" hits the streets, coming with a proper and stunning videoclip - have a look!
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