Santa Cruz, California modern heavy metal revivalist James Durbin will release the debut album from his solo band, DURBIN, "The Beast Awakens", on February 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official visualizer for the disc's third single, "Evil Eye", can be seen below.
"The Beast Awakens" track listing:
01. The Prince Of Metal
02. Kings Before You (feat. Chris Jericho and Phil Demmel)
03. Into The Flames
04. Sacred Mountain
05. The Beast Awakens
06. Evil Eye
07. Necromancer
08. Riders On The Wind
09. Calling Out For Midnight
10. Battle Cry
11. By The Horns
12. Rise To Valhalla
Durbin is finally releasing the album he has always wanted to over the course of his decade long recording career. Combining his love of all things DIO, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST, Durbin set out to craft his own signature strain of fantasy inspired power metal for his debut DURBIN album, "The Beast Awakens".
"I've found a home for my creativity with Frontiers. They really share my vision for the type of metal I wish to create and we're all excited to see where it will lead," says Durbin.
"Kings Before You", the first single released from Durbin's forthcoming album, features Chris Jericho (FOZZY) and Phil Demmel (ex-MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE). For each of the solo sections on the remainder of the album tracks, Durbin called upon his own axe-wielding brethren to help out. Jon Yadon Jr., Marc Putnam, Dylan Rose and Nick Gallant all contributed guitar solos for the album. Due to the situation with COVID-19, the album was recorded largely remotely, with only Durbin himself, alongside his producer Ellison, occupying the recording studio.
Durbin says: "The fact that the album sounds the way it does, with the way it was recorded, is a testament to the passion of everyone involved. I am very grateful for all the love and care that was given to my songs and I can't wait to unleash my metal upon the world."
All the songs included on "The Beast Awakens" were written solely by Durbin himself.
"2020 has been such a strange year for all of us," he says. "Coincidentally, our shelter in place order happened just as I had begun writing for the album. It really forced me to write by myself and not rely on others to write the riffs for me. And then to write the lyrics and melodies too."
Once the songs were written and demoed by Durbin, he brought in the rhythm section of virtuoso drummer Mike Vanderhule (Y&T) and master bassist Barry Sparks (TED NUGENT, SCORPIONS, DOKKEN, B'Z). With Durbin handling the album's rhythm guitars, his core lineup was complete.
Durbin is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Many associate his name with his appearance on Season 10 of "American Idol", where he was unabashedly flying the flag for heavy metal. In fact, on the finale, he appeared with undisputed metal gods JUDAS PRIEST for rousing renditions of "Livin' After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law". James has also worked and performed alongside many incredible musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Don Was, Zakk Wylde, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones, Mick Mars of MÖTLEY CRÜE, Bob Babbitt of THE FUNK BROTHERS and STEEL PANTHER, just to name a few.
Durbin's signature vocal prowess and powerful stage presence have earned him stamps of approval and praise from rock and metal royalty like Steven Tyler, Sammy Hagar, Rob Halford and more. He has four full-length albums to his name, in addition to lending his voice to a handful of various albums.
Durbin recorded two studio albums with QUIET RIOT — 2017's "Road Rage" and 2019's "Hollywood Cowboys" — during his three-year stint with the group.
In September 2019, QUIET RIOT parted ways with Durbin and replaced him with Jizzy Pearl.
Former SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera has launched a new video series, "Beneath The Drums", on his YouTube channel, where he dissects some of the best-known songs from his recording history. In the first episode, which can be seen below, he gives the backstory of the SEPULTURA song "Territory" and also performs a playthrough video of the track, originally taken from the band's 1993 album "Chaos A.D."
Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their son (who was born in January 2006).
In 1996, Igor's brother, frontman Max Cavalera, exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with Max's wife Gloria as their manager.
For more than a decade, Igor has been part of the MIXHELL DJ/hip-hop/electro project with his wife Laima Leyton.
Last year, Igor teamed up with Wayne Adams (BIG LAD, DEATH PEDALS, JOHNNY BROKE) to form the PETBRICK project. The band's debut album, "I", was released in October 2019 via Closed Casket Activities in the U.S.
The current SEPULTURA lineup — featuring guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. alongside Derrick Green on vocals and Eloy Casagrande on drums — released its latest studio album, "Quadra", in February via Nuclear Blast.
QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Todd La Torre will release his debut solo album, "Rejoice In The Suffering", on February 5, 2021 via Rat Pak Records. The official music video for the disc's second single, "Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall", can be seen below. The clip was filmed in Florida and features Todd and guitarist Craig Blackwell delivering the punishing track in front of a giant rock wall. The song and video was inspired by rock-climbing documentaries that Todd had watched while recording for the LP. The song further showcases the influence that metal has on La Torre has and continues to surprise fans and critics that know him from his work in QUEENSRŸCHE.
"'Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall' is a full-throttle thrasher," Todd says. "We wanted a no-nonsense, fast-paced shredder, with intense guitar riffs, solos, drumwork, and vocals. This song was inspired by a few different documentaries surrounding two particular near-insurmountable feats of rock climbing. While initially written about those achievements, this song is really meant to represent and embody this very special breed and the spirit of all climbing."
The first single from "Rejoice In The Suffering", a song called "Darkened Majesty", was released in December. The track is a driving metal song complete with furious drumwork from La Torre, dynamic tempo shifts and showcases Todd's vocals in a way most fans have not heard before.
The idea for a solo album was always in the cards for Todd. With QUEENSRŸCHE tour dates postponed indefinitely, the world events offered Todd the opportunity to explore his ideas for the effort. Todd teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Craig Blackwell, alongside producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, to create a diverse heavy metal album that draws influence from different styles. These styles will surprise fans who only know La Torre from his previous work with QUEENSRŸCHE or CRIMSON GLORY.
Says Todd: "'Rejoice In The Suffering' was truly a labor of love. It's a pure metal record that certainly showcases a wide range of my vocal abilities. I feel there is something for any true fan of metal on this album. This album is full of groove, dynamics, power, and substance and I can’t wait for people to hear it."
From the album's opening riffs of "Dogmata" to the vocal acrobatics that drive the album closer "Apology", it is apparent that La Torre has a true love of heavy metal. With Todd playing drums and recording the vocals for the album, songs like "Darkened Majesty" and "Critical Cynic" offer an inside look into his musical mind. Blackwell's guitar playing provides the perfect musical accents to La Torre's vocals. Todd even finds vocal wails not heard from him before as showcased on the title track and the punishing "Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall". The deluxe version of the album features three bonus tracks: "Fractured", "Set It Off" and "One By One". Fans can pre-order the album in various bundle configurations here.
"Rejoice In The Suffering" track listing:
01. Dogmata
02. Pretenders
03. Hellbound And Down
04. Darkened Majesty
05. Crossroads To Insanity
06. Critical Cynic
07. Rejoice In The Suffering
08. Vexed
09. Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall
10. Apology
Bonus tracks (deluxe version only)
11. Fractured
12. Set It Off
13. One By One
La Torre previously talked about his plans to release a solo LP in a 2017 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. He stated about the direction of the material that will appear on the record: "Musically, it is probably, like, FIGHT meets PANTERA meets BLACK LABEL [SOCIETY]. It's definitely got that kind of southern… You know, PANTERA had that certain power groove — not full-fledged [speed], but has thrash elements. And then vocally, I'm singing probably a lot more chest voice, and then I've got some brutal gutteral vocals on it… That'll be a lot more brutal and more thrash, but the vocals are definitely more a power-metal, operatic kind of a thing — very aggressive…"
La Torre joined his first band BLACKWELL as the drummer, performing in high school talent shows and entering into the club rock music scene in Tampa Bay, Florida. In 2009, Todd was suggested to CRIMSON GLORY guitarist Jon Drenning by a mutual friend to help with some vocal rehearsals in preparation for a CRIMSON GLORY memorial concert. This would pave the way for more collaborations with the band, eventually joining as the band’s new permanent vocalist. La Torre was the lead singer for CRIMSON GLORY from late 2010 until resigned from the band in early 2013. In 2012, Todd became a household name in the metal world when he officially became the new lead vocalist of QUEENSRŸCHE. The band immediately began touring globally and started writing new material for the self-titled 2013 album "Queensrÿche". To date, QUEENSRŸCHE has released three studio albums with La Torre: "Queensrÿche", "Condition Hüman" (2015) and "The Verdict" (2019). Currently the band is writing new material for a fourth release for Century Media Records.
Greg Puciato, whose recent streaming event "Fuck Content" merged the worlds of recording and performance, has released a video for "Don't Wanna Deal", a song whose creation was chronicled in the film.
Puciato said of the new track: "I 'Don't Wanna Deal' with having to come up with something to say about this song or video clip so I'm not gonna."
The 16-track "Fuck Content" album features five new songs not available on Puciato's critically acclaimed solo debut, "Child Soldier: Creator Of God", as well as live versions of ten of the album tracks. While all vinyl variants have now sold out, a collectible Blu-ray is currently available, as are limited-edition, Jesse Draxler-designed merch items. Both the film and album are available digitally, with downloads available directly via the Federal Prisoner webstore, and album streams available across all major platforms.
"Fuck Content" is a reflection of where Puciato is in his post-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN life. He recently celebrated the release of KILLER BE KILLED's sophomore album, "Reluctant Hero", with the band landing on the covers of both Revolver and Kerrang! The album also debuted atop the iTunes Rock and Metal charts. His solo debut, "Child Soldier: Creator Of God", arrived the previous month, with Consequence Of Sound saying the 15-song album delivers "an experimental yet heavy sound that echoes Puciato's versatility as an artist." Puciato released four videos to accompany the release: "Do You Need Me to Remind You?", "A Pair Of Questions", "Deep Set" and "Fire For Water". In addition to writing and recording two high-profile releases, Puciato surprised fans at the end of last year by joining ALICE IN CHAINS' Jerry Cantrell for a pair of special performances.
German epic metal pioneers, Equilibrium, performed on the Faster Stage at the thirtieth Wacken Open Air festival in 2019. Watch the band perform the songs "Born To Be Epic", "Heimat" and "Renegades", below:
Spanish technical death metal masters Wormed are now streaming a brand new playthrough video for the song "Bionic Relic," which is taken from 2019's sci-fi EP, Metaportal.
Wormed comment: "We're not fans of playthroughs, but since this world is changing and we haven't played anywhere for a year (!!!) we thought you would like to enjoy a display of a Metaportal track, 'Bionic Relic' with the full band. This was recorded on different planets. We live light years from each other and it's quite hard to be all together for recording any footage. Become a 'Bionic Relic' with us!"
Metaportal was released on July 19, 2019 and can be streamed, downloaded, and ordered here.
Alice Cooper has written a song for Zak Nilsson — son of late singer Harry Nilsson — in an effort to cheer him up, as he battles end-stage colon cancer.
Cooper performed the song on a recent episode of "Coffee Talk With ADIKA Live", a YouTube Live show hosted by bassist Stefan Adika and writer and former Rolling Stone contributor Corey Levitan. According to Rolling Stone, the pair have been friends with Nilsson for years, and invited him on the show to discuss his experiences with cancer, chemotherapy and more. Adika and Leftan also reached out to members of Hollywood Vampires — Harry Nilsson's old drinking club — to see if anyone wanted to send Zak a message after he recently chose to enter hospice instead of continuing treatment. Alice, the founder of the Hollywood Vampires, responded with an original song, surprising Harry during the January 2 "Coffee Talk" episode.
After Cooper's performance, Nilsson joked that Cooper had gotten one part wrong in his lyrics. "He did say there's nothing that I lack," Nilsson said, "and I would argue the only thing I really lack is a functioning gastrointestinal tract. But other than that, spot on."
Alice will release his brand new studio album, "Detroit Stories", on February 26 via earMUSIC. Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, "Detroit Stories" follows 2019's "Breadcrumbs" EP as a modern-day homage to the toughest and craziest rock and roll scene there ever was.
Julia And The Roofers is a rock band from the Genoa area in Italy, and the lineup consists of Julia (vocals, bass), Ranza (guitar, sitar, keyboards), and Necrodeath drummer, Peso.
The debut album, The Will Of Evil, will be available digitally on January 7 via Diamonds Prod. A video for the first single "Sound Of Evil", featuring Necrodeath guitarist Pier Gonella and created by created by Morbid Vision, can be seen below.
Cover artwork inspired by “Ophelia” painting by John Everett Millais.
Tracklisting:
"River"
"Summer (Seems So Easy)"
"Sound Of Evil"
"Come To An End"
"Eros & Thanatos"
"The Rope"
"Gardens"
"Down In The Net"
"Bones"
Dutch / Brazilian metal act, Phantom Elite, will release their sophomore album, Titanium, on January 22. Watch a visualizer for the song "Deliverance" below, and pre-order the new album here.
Phantom Elite is a relatively new metal band fronted by singer Marina La Torraca (Exit Eden, live vocalist for Avantasia) and features songwriting and production from former After Forever guitarist and producer Sander Gommans. Marina and Sander together with Max van Esch (guitars), and Joeri Warmerdam (drums) are set to unleash an incredible slice of contemporary sounding heavy metal music in their sophomore album Titanium. Sonically, the band is a perfect combination of symphonic, progressive, alternative, and heavy metal.
Marina La Torraca explains, "'Diamonds and Dark' was one of the first songs we worked on for this album. It was one of those cases where everything just magically clicked and we were wowed by it from the very start. Although it probably has more symphonic touches then the other songs, this single is a good showcase of the quality and heaviness level of the whole album. We are really proud of what we achieved in writing, producing, and developing the concept together as a band (with the contribution of some wonderful professionals like Sander Gommans, Amanda Somerville and Hannes Braun)."
Originating six years ago, the seeds of Phantom Elite sprang from Sander Gomman's HDK project. While releasing the HDK album Serenades Of The Netherworld, Gommans brought together a group of young musicians with the intent of playing HDK's songs in a live setting. The natural chemistry among these passionate musicians wound up sparking a wealth of new and exciting musical ideas and thus Phantom Elite was born. The debut album Wasteland (2018), and the accompanying well received tour of Europe, showed that Phantom Elite are ready to take flight.
"With the support of Frontiers and their decades of history in the music business, we are proud to present the release of our second album with them in 2021,” says the band. "Listeners can expect songs where modern meets symphonic and progressive, (very!) heavy riffs meet epic melodies, all overloaded with a wide spectrum of emotions and love for music. For sure, a high note in our careers!”
Tracklisting:
"Conjure Rains"
"The Race"
"Diamonds And Dark"
"Worst Part Of Me"
"Glass Crown"
"Titanium"
"Bravado"
"Silver Lining"
"Haven"
"Deliverance"
"Eyes Wide Open"
Transatlantic - the prog supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas - will release their fifth studio album, The Absolute Universe, on February 5. In this new video, Portnoy performs "The World We Used To Know":
Below is a clip from The Making Of The Absolute Universe, available on the Blu-ray and the Ultimate Edition.
Representing the band’s first new music since 2014’s Kaleidoscope, with The Absolute Universe the band have done something unique and created two versions of the record: The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version) & The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version).
Each album will be available on CD, LP & digitally. But there will also be what has been called The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition, which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LPs, 3CDs & a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with visuals & a behind the scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard featuring the airship by Pavel Zhovba.
As Mike Portnoy explains: “We've got two versions of this album. There is a two CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one - that's 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the song titles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally what you'll hear has been altered. You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different.” Pete Trewavas adds: “We did write some new music for the single CD, what's more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records.”
The full list of formats is below, and you can pre-order here
The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version):
- Special Edition CD Digipak
- Gatefold 2LP+CD
- Digital Album
Tracklisting:
"Overture"
"Reaching For The Sky"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Take Now My Soul"
"Looking For The Light"
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Can You Feel It"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"
The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version):
- Special Edition 2CD Digipak
- 3LP+2CD Boxset
- Digital Album
Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
"Overture"
"Heart Like A Whirlwind"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Swing High, Swing Low"
"Bully"
"Rainbow Sky"
"Looking For The Light"
"The World We Used To Know"
Disc 2:
"The Sun Comes Up Today"
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Lonesome Rebel"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"
The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition:
- Limited Deluxe Clear 5LP+3CD+Blu-Ray Box-set – contained within a foil-finished lift-off box with extended 16-page LP booklet & 60x60cm poster
Blu-Ray tracklisting:
"Overture" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Reaching For The Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Higher Than The Morning" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Darkness In The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Take Now My Soul" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Bully" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Rainbow Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The World We Used To Know" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Sun Comes Up Today" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Owl Howl" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Solitude" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Belong" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Lonesome Rebel" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Can You Feel It" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends "(5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (5.1 Surround Mix)
The Making of The Absolute Universe (Documentary)
"The World We Used To Know" video:
"Overture / Reaching For The Sky" video:
Trailer:
Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: “Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That's the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD.”
“What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding,” recalls Stolt. “Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn't seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn't want to lose. That's when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward.”
This album also marks a return to the concept album for Transatlantic. “Well, the idea of Transatlantic deciding to do a concept record this time around won't shock anyone, right?” laughs Portnoy. “What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today.” “We didn't start out with the idea of this being conceptual,” admits Stolt. “The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment.”
So, how does this new ground-breaking album compare to Transatlantic's previous four albums?
“I always try not to compare albums as much as possible,” insists Morse. “It’s very difficult when you’re trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with 'The Whirlwind' album (the band's third, from 2009) than others that we’ve created.” For Trewavas, 'The Absolute Universe' is a momentous project.
“I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we've done. As the others have said, it compares very well to 'The Whirlwind', which I believe represents Transatlantic at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it.”
Transatlantic were originally formed in 1999, releasing their debut album SMTPe the following year as well as its follow-up Bridge Across Forever in 2001. Following a 7-year hiatus, the band reconvened to record and release the much-acclaimed epic 77-minute, single-track album The Whirlwind followed by a world tour in 2010 which included an appearance at High Voltage Festival in London where they were joined by legendary Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The band’s fourth album Kaleidoscope arrived in 2014, going on to win ‘Album Of The Year’ at the Progressive Music Awards.
On January 15, Dread Sovereign will release their third full-length, Alchemical Warfare, via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the new single, "The Great Beast We Serve", can be found below.
Alchemical Warfare can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:
- digipak-CD
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- slate blue / grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- raisin rouge marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 150 copies)
- gold / black dust vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 100 copies)
- white / black marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
Dread Sovereign was formed in Dublin, Ireland in 2013 by Primordial vocalist Nemtheanga to give praise to filthy cult old doom, black and heavy metal. Their first EP, 2013's Pray To The Devil In Man, came out on Roadburn/Burning World Records to coincide with the band's live debut. Soon after, two full-lengths were released by Van Records: All Hell's Martyrs (2014) and For Doom The Bell Tolls (2017). And now, in early 2021, the band will release their new album, Alchemical Warfare, through Metal Blade Records.
"Our motto when we started was 'The World is Doomed'…and it seems life is imitating art…as we are looking like filthy prophets!" says vocalist/bassist Nemtheanga. "Several years in the making, the new Dread Sovereign is ready for the End of the World, which might be next year in case you didn't know! A bit more reckless and up-tempo than the previous releases, yet the template remains doom, Alchemical Warfare just has a bit more Venom and Motörhead thrown into the mix. If it's the end of days we might as well go out with middle fingers raised right?"
Alchemical Warfare tracklisting:
"A Curse On Men"
"She Wolves Of The Savage Season"
"The Great Beast We Serve"
"Nature Is The Devil's Church"
"Her Master's Voice"
"Viral Tomb"
"Devil's Bane"
"Ruin Upon The Temple Mount"
"You Don't Move Me (I Don't Give A Fuck)" * CD+digital bonus track only
"The Great Beast We Serve" video:
"Nature Is The Devil's Church" video:
Dread Sovereign lineup:
Nemtheanga - vocals/bass
Bones - guitars
JK - drums
Since the pandemic began, Alan/Nemtheanga has also started a podcast, entitled Agitators Anonymous. Well over 30 episodes with almost 75,000 listens, Agitators Anonymous is a mixture of tour stories, politics, the occult, culture, history, travel, black humour, special guests, deep dives into books, events, writers, and characters from the past - and of course, metal.
Fans can listen at the below links and across all podcast platforms:
Transatlantic - the prog supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas - will release their fifth studio album, The Absolute Universe, on February 5. Here is a clip from The Making Of The Absolute Universe, available on the Blu-ray and the Ultimate Edition.
Representing the band’s first new music since 2014’s Kaleidoscope, with The Absolute Universe the band have done something unique and created two versions of the record: The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version) & The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version).
Each album will be available on CD, LP & digitally. But there will also be what has been called The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition, which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LPs, 3CDs & a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 surround sound mix with visuals & a behind the scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard featuring the airship by Pavel Zhovba.
As Mike Portnoy explains: “We've got two versions of this album. There is a two CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one - that's 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the song titles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally what you'll hear has been altered. You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different.” Pete Trewavas adds: “We did write some new music for the single CD, what's more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records.”
The full list of formats is below, and you can pre-order here
The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version):
- Special Edition CD Digipak
- Gatefold 2LP+CD
- Digital Album
Tracklisting:
"Overture"
"Reaching For The Sky"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Take Now My Soul"
"Looking For The Light"
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Can You Feel It"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"
The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version):
- Special Edition 2CD Digipak
- 3LP+2CD Boxset
- Digital Album
Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
"Overture"
"Heart Like A Whirlwind"
"Higher Than The Morning"
"The Darkness In The Light"
"Swing High, Swing Low"
"Bully"
"Rainbow Sky"
"Looking For The Light"
"The World We Used To Know"
Disc 2:
"The Sun Comes Up Today"
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude)
"Owl Howl"
"Solitude"
"Belong"
"Lonesome Rebel"
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends"
"Love Made A Way"
The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition:
- Limited Deluxe Clear 5LP+3CD+Blu-Ray Box-set – contained within a foil-finished lift-off box with extended 16-page LP booklet & 60x60cm poster
Blu-Ray tracklisting:
"Overture" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Reaching For The Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Higher Than The Morning" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Darkness In The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Take Now My Soul" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Bully" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Rainbow Sky" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The World We Used To Know" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Sun Comes Up Today" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (Prelude) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Owl Howl" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Solitude" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Belong" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Lonesome Rebel" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Can You Feel It" (5.1 Surround Mix)
"Looking For The Light" (Reprise) (5.1 Surround Mix)
"The Greatest Story Never Ends "(5.1 Surround Mix)
"Love Made A Way" (5.1 Surround Mix)
The Making of The Absolute Universe (Documentary)
"The World We Used To Know" video:
"Overture / Reaching For The Sky" video:
Trailer:
Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: “Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That's the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD.”
“What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding,” recalls Stolt. “Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn't seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn't want to lose. That's when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward.”
This album also marks a return to the concept album for Transatlantic. “Well, the idea of Transatlantic deciding to do a concept record this time around won't shock anyone, right?” laughs Portnoy. “What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today.” “We didn't start out with the idea of this being conceptual,” admits Stolt. “The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment.”
So, how does this new ground-breaking album compare to Transatlantic's previous four albums?
“I always try not to compare albums as much as possible,” insists Morse. “It’s very difficult when you’re trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with 'The Whirlwind' album (the band's third, from 2009) than others that we’ve created.” For Trewavas, 'The Absolute Universe' is a momentous project.
“I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we've done. As the others have said, it compares very well to 'The Whirlwind', which I believe represents Transatlantic at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it.”
Transatlantic were originally formed in 1999, releasing their debut album SMTPe the following year as well as its follow-up Bridge Across Forever in 2001. Following a 7-year hiatus, the band reconvened to record and release the much-acclaimed epic 77-minute, single-track album The Whirlwind followed by a world tour in 2010 which included an appearance at High Voltage Festival in London where they were joined by legendary Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. The band’s fourth album Kaleidoscope arrived in 2014, going on to win ‘Album Of The Year’ at the Progressive Music Awards.
Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess has posted his New Year's piano stream on YouTube. Check it out below. Fans can check out the entire livestream via Rudess' Patreon page here.
Dream Theater have announced the Images, Words & Beyond Live in Japan 2017 streaming event, on January 30 at 7 PM, EST.
Filmed at the historic Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, in September of 2017, this historic performance has never before been released worldwide. January 30, 2021 marks the first official release from Dream Theater’s Images, Words & Beyond tour, featuring a live performance of the classic album, Images & Words, captured in its entirety during their September 11, 2017 appearance in Tokyo. Don’t miss this presentation, in full HD, initially broadcast only for Japanese audiences, and now for the first time available to audiences worldwide.
Get tickets here, and watch a video trailer below:
Rage In My Eyes is a technically sound heavy metal act hailing from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Drummer Francis Cassol has posted a playthrough video for the single "Winter Dream". Check it out below.
Rage In my Eyes have a new video out for "Winter Dream", taken from the 2019 album Ice Cell. The video was part of the band’s participation in the Roadie Crew Online Festival - 9º Edição. Watch below:
Ice Cell is the first album by the band under their current name; the group also released three albums under Scelerata. They originally formed in 2002 and with the recent name change has altered their sound to incorporate traditional music from South America with prog and heavy metal. Along with the cultural infusion, Rage In My Eyes brings in accordion for a truly one of a kind listening experience.
Vocalist Jonathas Pozo explains the conception of “Winter Dream”: “We had already chosen Winter Dream as the opening track, which led us to address the lyric theme in order to present a little of the icy scenery of Ice Cell, imagining the aspect of our biological and chemical origin under the influence of the morphic field theory of Rupert Sheldrake, that is, considering the presence of the past as an important constituent of our subsequent choices, as humanity. At the same time bringing in this scenario landscapes that are common in southern Brazil, such as fog, frost, and sometimes even snow. It was also chosen because it is a more cadenced and heavy song (although also extremely technical and quite proggy), thus contrasting with the usual melodic and fast opening tracks in power metal albums, representing more accurately the “musical humor” of the band.”
Overall, the album can be summed up as "tight". It has great guitar riffs, fast drum parts, intricate instrumental parts, and powerful yet melodic vocals. Sometimes it leans towards prog metal, sometimes to power metal, sometimes to folk metal, sometimes to traditional metal, sometimes to thrash metal. And it still sounds like a cohesive whole, due to how well blended it all is.
Tracklisting:
"Winter Dream"
"Surrounded By Black Mirrors"
"Dive Deep"
"Hole In The Shell"
"Death Sleepers"
"Inner Fate"
"Blank"
"The Core"
"Soul Gatherer"
"Burn The Throne!"
"Draft Of Illusions"
"I have a treat for you," says Killer Dwarfs drummer Darrell Millar. "It’s a whole show. This is very rare footage of that time Jason Hook from Five Finger Death Punch joined the Killer Dwarfs for a spell. This was a show from Nags Head North Toronto. Lots of songs we never play. Love Jason. Skully was the guitar tech. And Mark Vice was my drum tech. RIP. Fucking cool."
New Year, New Beginning... In a stroke of marketing genius, a Los Angeles based entry in the global NWOTHM sweepstakes, Saber, issued their Without Warning debut as clocks hit midnight, New Year's Eve. "Had to do something different, to shake off the crust of 2020," says Saber.
Like every other band on the planet, the pandemic has put a temporary squash on vinyl production (raw materials and the available plants limited by shipments, workers and nightmare logistics creating a backlog of demand, with virtually no product) so January 1st, pre-orders for the eventual collector's item vinyl will be taken, via the band's Facebook page and Bandcamp, while digital downloads are instantly available, along with Pit Forge designed, album artwork merch.
The album was recorded on Trevor (Haunt / Hysteria) Church's label and in addition to helping the band record the eight songs (a half dozen newbies, plus reprises of pre-release singles "Strike Of The Witch" and "Speed Racer"), he also plays drums.
Tracklisting:
"Storm Of Steel"
"Without Warning"
"Midnight Rider"
"Strike Of The Witch"
"Outlaw"
"Leather Laced Lady"
"We'll Meet Again"
"Speed Racer"
MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern held a New Year's Eve "Electric Happy Hour" during which they performed around a dozen and a half songs, including MH tunes "Be Still And Know", "From This Day" and "Halo", plus covers of TEMPLE OF THE DOG's "Hunger Strike" and METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters". You can now watch the session below.
Featured songs:
3:31 Take My Scars
8:11 Ten Ton Hammer
12:54 From This Day
17:11 Killers & Kings
23:13 Catharsis
29:24 Beautiful Mourning
37:47 Hunger Strike
41:48 Now We Die
49:02 Davidian
54:32 Crashing Around You
57:57 The Trooper (Snippet)
59:48 Happy New Year countdown for Europe!
1:01:57 Aesthetics Of Hate
1:08:19 Old
1:17:27 I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
1:25:57 Be Still And Know
1:35:25 Nothing Else Matters
1:42:50 Locust
1:50:56 Halo
1:59:48 Happy New Year countdown for the UK/US!
2:01:28 Imperium
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Flynn has been staging "Acoustic Happy Hour" solo sessions every Friday, during which he has performed a number of MH tunes as well as covers of other artists' songs.
Flynn told Kerrang! magazine about "Acoustic Happy Hour": "It's just basically a free show on Facebook. I try to learn two new songs every Friday. I take requests, and I try to play MACHINE HEAD songs that have never been played live acoustic. Last week I covered MUSE, TOOL and LYNYRD SKYNYRD. It's been fucking awesome. The first three or four were horrible — I knew they were — but I knew that if I kept sucking for six weeks I would get past it.
"For the first 20 years of my career, I never took singing lessons," he continued. "Then I did some about 10 years ago. With these acoustic shows, I've been back in contact with my old singing teacher to try and figure out why I can do a three-and-a-half hour MACHINE HEAD show, but this clean singing is kicking my ass. It's been an opportunity to un-learn all the wrong shit and get an opportunity to do things right."
Last month, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.
"My Hands Are Empty" was the latest in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.
In July, MACHINE HEAD canceled its previously announced rescheduled 2020 tour dates for Europe and Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.
Each show on MACHINE HEAD's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour consisted of two parts: part one saw Flynn and MacEachern performing alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT); while part two featured "Burn My Eyes" played in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in.
Post Malone was joined by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash during his performance on Thursday (December 31) as part of "Bud Light Seltzer Sessions Presents: New Years Eve 2021" Facebook livestream. The rapper performed a cover of ALICE IN CHAINS' "Rooster" with Smith, guitarist/producer Andrew Watt and bassist Chris Chaney, before playing BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" with the help Slash and the aforementioned trio.
"Bud Light Seltzer Sessions Presents: New Years Eve 2021" was broadcast live from MGM Resorts in Las Vegas. The show was hosted by Lilly Singh and Matt Steffanina, and also featured sets from Saweetie, Steve Aoki and Sebastián Yatra.
BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne was a featured guest on the Post Malone song "Take What You Want", which appeared on the rapper's most recent album, "Hollywood's Bleeding". Post also collaborated with Ozzy on the latter's latest LP, "Ordinary Man".
Speaking to Zane Lowe of Beats 1 about working with Ozzy on "Take What You Want", Post said: "Ozzy Osbourne, baby. I was in Utah because I had just got off tour. It's good, right? Ozzy went over to Watt's house. You've talked a lot before. He's a maniac. I said, 'Hey, you know what? Ozzy Osbourne's coming down. We're going to cut it and I'll FaceTime you. And you let me know what's going on.' We talked and it was like a big deal. Yeah. Ozzy Osbourne. I think he crushed it. I mean he was talking to Watt and Watt was telling me he was like this, 'Yo, this is my favorite that I've done since, you know, SABBATH and since I started my own, own way.' I was like, 'That's huge.' I'm like honored. Thank you very much."
Last April, Post Malone, who is a huge NIRVANA fan, took part in a livestreamed concert on his YouTube channel, performing NIRVANA "hits and fan favorites" while raising money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Backing Post during the performance were BLINK-182 drummer Travis Barker, guitarist Nick Mack and bassist Brian Lee.
Post Malone previously covered "All Apologies" live. He also has a couple of NIRVANA tattoos, including a portrait of Kurt Cobain on his knuckles and the songtitle "Stay Away" on his forehead.
Bay Area bashers Death Angel have posted a new behind-the-scenes video clip along with the following message:
"Thilo Fehlinger, our wizard behind the curtain and the sixth member of Death Angel, talks about the D. W. Fearn Professional Audio Products that were used to bring our sound to life during the 7th annual Another Death Angel Xmas Show (broadcasted for the first time). Visit DWFearn.com to learn more about the VLC All Tube microphone preamp (used for Mark’s vocals) and the VDI All Tube Direct Box (used for Damien’s bass) that helped deliver the sonic beatdown that took over living rooms across the globe."
The 7th annual "Another Death Angel Xmas Show" took place over two days (December 19th and 20th) at The Great Northern in San Francisco, CA and was available for streaming. Check out the December 19th show below. It begins at the 7:27 mark.
The setlist was as follows:
"Humanicide"
"Seemingly Endless Time"
"Mistress of Pain"
"Absence of Light"
"The Pack"
"River of Rapture"
"Aggressor"
"The Dream Calls for Blood"
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"
"Tomorrow Never Knows"
"The Moth"
Band Interview
Death Angel recently released a new animated video, produced by Ben Clarkson, for the song "Aggressor", from the band's latest album, Humanicide. Watch the clip below.
Commenting on the video, guitarist Rob Cavestany says: “The idea started as a visualizer for the song but when we saw the footage we were hooked and knew it had to turn into a complete video. Ben did an incredible job of depicting the 'Aggressor' concept and his artistic style is unique for Death Angel. The timing of this release couldn’t be better given the circumstances that surround us! See for yourself…"
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