January 15 will see Voodoo Circle release their highly anticipated new album, Locked & Loaded, via AFM Records. The successor to 2018’s Raised On Rock was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Pretty Maids, Volbeat, Primal Fear). Guitarist / founder Alex Beyrodt (Primal Fear) has posted an unboxing video for the CD and Vinyl LP versions of the album.
A lyric video for the album's first single, "Devil With An Angel Smile", can be found below.
Locked & Loaded will be available as digipak & ltd. colored vinyl. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
"Flesh & Bone"
"Wasting Time"
"Magic Woman Chile"
"Locked & Loaded"
"Devil With An Angel Smile"
"Straight For The Heart"
"Eyes Full Of Tears"
"Devil’s Cross"
"Trouble In The Moonlight"
"This Song Is For You"
"Children Of The Revolution"
"Devil With An Angel Smile" lyric video:
Voodoo Circle is:
Alex Beyrodt - guitar & vocals
David Readmann - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass & vocals
Markus Kullmann - drums
QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor. Along with Sarah Brightman, performed "Endless Rain", a song composed by X JAPAN's Yoshiki, on the biggest TV show in Japan this past New Year's Eve. Yoshiki appeared from Los Angeles.
"Kohaku Uta Gassen", broadcast on Japan's public broadcaster NHK, is an annual music program in Japan for the past 70 years and continues to be the most popular TV program each year, with a viewership of over 40%. It has long been viewed as the true barometer of status for domestic artists with an unrivaled influence on an artist's profile, status, and sales in Japan.
In light of the difficulties faced by people all over the world in 2020 and a pressing desire for togetherness, NHK concluded the broadcast with a special performance featuring the biggest artists from the show to perform the timeless hit song "Endless Rain", composed by Yoshiki, one of the most influential composers in Japanese history.
In 1994, Taylor and Yoshiki co-wrote "Foreign Sand" (lyrics by Taylor, music by Yoshiki), which entered the U.K. chart, and have been friends ever since. Also, Yoshiki opened the Classic Rock Awards (2015, London) with QUEEN's greatest hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was praised by May, who attended the event.
Brightman chose Yoshiki's composition "Miracle" to be a single and was featured in her 2018 album. They have joined each other on stage for selected dates during her world tour, Yoshiki's classical tour and at "Kohaku Uta Gassen" in 2018.
Yoshiki also appeared on the TV show. Ever since the impact of COVID-19 in February, Yoshiki has remained in L.A., so he joined remotely for the performance.
The 2020 "Kohaku Uta Gassen" marked Yoshiki's sixth consecutive performances and a total of eleven — eight performances as X JAPAN and three consecutive performances as a solo artist.
Yoshiki said: "I feel honored and grateful to be performing with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Sarah Brightman and all those Japanese superstars. I hope that through the music, we can give everyone courage."
Hard rock band, Sainted Sinners, have released a music video for "Stone Cold Sober", the song is taken from their new album Unlocked & Reloaded, which was released December 4th, 2020 via El Puerto Records.
The video was directed and edited by Volker Thiele: "Stone Cold Sober" tells the story of reality and (another) fantasy. "It's about the pub scene, how it has been until this year and how we have to deal with it in recent times. It's the story about real life and a sobering couch-potato existence."
After two albums with David Reece on vocals, the new Sainted Sinners record is the first with new singer Iacopo "Jack" Meille (Tygers Of Pan Tang) on vocals.
Unlocked & Reloaded was mixed by Dick Dropkick at SpitFire Studio and mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem, Danko Jones, Grim Reaper). The cover artwork was designed by Manfred Smietana / MS Art Design.
Tracklisting:
"Same Ol’ Song"
"Standing On Top"
"Early Light Of Day"
"40 Years"
"The Hammer Of The Gods"
"Free To Be"
"I Can’t Wait"
"Stone Cold Sober"
"Call It Love"
"Wall Of Sound"
"Farewell To Kings"
Legendary English guitarist John Sykes (TYGERS OF PAN TANG, THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, SYKES) has released the official music video for a new song called "Dawning Of A Brand New Day". The track, which was recorded at least four years ago, is expected to appear on Sykes's long-awaited new solo album, "Sy-Ops", tentatively due later this year.
The "Dawning Of A Brand New Day" video was produced by Parker Thibault, with additional footage courtesy of Natasha Gregory and James Sykes.
Last year, Sykes parted ways with Golden Robot Records without releasing a single record through the label.
Sykes's partnership with the Australian company was first announced in January 2019. At the time, John promised that his his first album in two decades would arrive before the end of 2019. However, things apparently went south shortly after the signing, with Sykes later accusing the label of making "little attempt to move things forward despite our best efforts and patience."
"Sy-Ops" is expected to include such other tracks as "Believe In Yourself", "My Guitar" and "Out Alive".
Speaking to Reality Check TV at the January 2019 Hall Of Heavy Metal History event in Anaheim, California, Sykes stated about his absence from the rock scene: "I'm looking forward to getting out on the road and playing again. I kind of go underground and stay there for a while. I don't know, man. Sometimes I just take off and shut it all down. But I'm getting the itch, I've been having the itch to get back out and play, so I'm looking forward to that."
Asked about the musical direction of his new record, Sykes said: "It's kind of got flavors of old and new. But I think it'll be pleasing to a lot of people to hear it. I think it'll touch a fair few people if they check it out. It's a good, solid album — it's not just a couple of tracks and a load of fillers."
Sykes's band for his upcoming tour is expected to include his onetime BLUE MURDER bandmate Tony Franklin (bass) and Fred Boswell Jr. (drums), both of whom are pictured with John below.
John's best-known work was when he joined WHITESNAKE and co-wrote the band's self-titled seventh studio album, released in 1987. It produced a major power ballad hit, "Is This Love", along with the No. 1 hit "Here I Go Again". The album was a major crossover hit, eventually selling over eight million copies in the U.S. alone.
Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music."
KISS's New Year's Eve performance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates broke Guinness world records for highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.
"I can reveal that you achieved a grand total of 73," a Guinness representative told the band about the number of projections launched. "You are officially amazing." As for the height of the flame projections, the new benchmark is now "35 meters."
Landmarks Live Presents produced the $10 million spectacular, which was filmed with more than 50 4K cameras and 360-degree views and was held on a massive 250-foot stage at The Royal Beach at Atlantis. The show included "a million dollars' worth of pyro," according to frontman Paul Stanley.
KISS partnered with event company Tixr to beam the "Kiss 2020 Goodbye" show around the world.
Tickets to view the stream are currently on sale on the event's official web site.
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told The Oakland Press about the band's decision to play the Dubai concert: "We get offers all the time, thank goodness, and we've been saying no to everybody because it's just not safe — for us, for the fans. With this, we happened to be in the right place at the right time, and it all make sense. The folks in Dubai, which is a fascinating place, suggested something crazy and said, 'You can do anything you want here, no restrictions.' And we said, 'Wait a minute. You mean we can put on the biggest pyro show of all time, since Krakatoa and the Big Bang? You mean we're gonna be safe going over there?' They said 'yeah,' so there you are."
Landmarks Live creator, director and executive producer Daniel E. Catullo told KhaleejTimes.com that this wasn't his first time collaborating with the rock legends.
"I worked with KISS back in 2005 and I wanted to have a crack at doing a bigger show with them," he said. "Somehow, I developed a reputation of producing challenging shows, whether doing one with Andrea Bocelli at Palazzo Vecchio, the FOO FIGHTERS at the Acropolis or pulling off the biggest show of the year in the middle of a pandemic. Hosting the KISS show in Dubai was a logical step. The United Arab Emirates is among the world leaders in mitigating the spread of COVID and continues to effectively manage the pandemic given the government’s extraordinary response measures. It [made] sense for us to bring Landmarks Live to the UAE."
Catullo went on to say that working with KISS has been "a dream come true" for him. "To be able to capture them in such an explosive and record-breaking way will certainly be a highlight of my career," he said. "Logistically, this was the largest undertaking I've ever done, and during a pandemic made it all the more challenging. Our crew is comprised of over 400 people, most of whom are based in Dubai. It has been a very complex show to put together: almost five months of planning, hundreds of working crew, coordination with the Dubai government, major coordination with the band; this show will go down in the record books. We're also filming a documentary on how we are pulling this show off. We're doing the biggest production in KISS's history.
"The most arduous task has been developing a safe COVID compliance protocol amid the pandemic to ensure no virus transmission among the crew. The crew will essentially create a bubble for the show setup, particularly the few staffers who will be in direct contact with KISS. American Hospital is conducting daily testing. We have to take beyond-extraordinary measures to keep people safe."
GUNS N' ROSES has released video footage of the band's October 2019 performance at the Exit 111 festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The 32-minute clip is part of the GN'R web series dubbed "Not In This Lifetime Selects" featuring highlights from the four-year "Not In This Lifetime" tour.
Featured songs:
01. Live And Let Die (WINGS cover)
02. Shadow Of Your Love
03. Black Hole Sun (SOUNDGARDEN cover)
04. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (BOB DYLAN cover)
05. Paradise City
In a recent interview with Guitar Player's "No Guitar Is Safe" podcast, Slash spoke about what it felt like for him to step back out on stage with GUNS N' ROSES for the first time in over two decades at the band's April 2016 concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.
"That was our first gig back," the guitarist said. "I think probably the last time that we ever played there was in 1985. I don't think we even played there in 1986. Probably '85 was the last time we played there. "[The April 2016 concert was] our first show together after 20 years. We obviously had more gear and more crew than we did back in the day, I'll tell you that much. And it was loud. But it was a lot of fun. It was an almost poignant moment to fucking stand there and look at that crowd in that sort of room and have that kind of nostalgic feeling."
Last year, Slash told Guitar.com that his first concert back with GUNS N' ROSES was an "overwhelming" experience. "It was so cool," he said. "Because it was a long time — we're talking more than 20 years from the last show in 1994… it was 22 years since the last time we'd played together. And obviously I'd played with [bassist] Duff [McKagan] [since then] but there's a certain dynamic in the three of us together. It was awesome, and it's a really great experience."
In July, GUNS N' ROSES announced the rescheduled dates for its North American stadium tour.
GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour recently became the No. 3 highest-grossing tour in the history of Billboard Boxscore.
"Not in This Lifetime" featured classic-lineup members Slash, McKagan and singer Axl Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.
GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour with the aforementioned club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.
The band is now reportedly working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since 2008's "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Rose, Slash and McKagan since 1993.
The countdown begins! Sign up now at LeppardVault.com to unlock the Def Leppard Vault on January 13. Check out the following preview:
The Def Leppard Vault is the first ever collection of the band's artifacts and related stories, curated from and told by Joe, Sav, Rick, Phil and Viv. The Def Leppard Vault will serve as a constantly curated museum, including special installations where fans can gather to see the band’s history from 1977 to now.
Below is the initial trailer for The Def Leppard Vault:
Amaranthe vocalist Elize Ryd capped off 2020 with a performance of "Oh Holy Night" in her native Swedish, "O Helga Natt". Check it out below.
DragonForce guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman recently took a shot at writing an Amaranthe song during one of Li's recent Twitch livestreams. The end result is a song called "Cyber Sausage World". The guys took things one step further and invited Elize to sing on the track, which she did. Check out the stream below.
The At The Movies project - launched by Pretty Maids guitarist Chris Laney due to the COVID-19 pandemic - caught fire over the course of 2020, with many fans asking that the '80s soundtrack covers be made available as digital platform streams, or on CD and vinyl. The project has now kicked off Season 2, as they call it, which will feature movie soundtrack covers from the '90s.
Check out the first shot for 2021, a cover of "Waiting For A Star To Fall" by the pop duo Boy Meets Girl, originally released in 1988 and taken from the 1990 movie Three Men And A Little Lady"
Canadian rock icons Helix premiered their official video for "The Tequila Song" on New Year's Eve. Check it out below.
Prior to the release, the band announced a new swag contest:
"To coincide with the video release we're going to be giving away a Helix swag package worth over $400.00:
- 20 Helix CDs
- 3 Helix shirts (different sizes; no choice on size - sorry)
- 2 Helix DVDs
- Vollmer's Get Yer Hands Dirty vinyl LP
- Bastard Of The Blues - blue vinyl LP
- Helix hat
- Helix fridge magnet
- Helix patch
How to win: Like, share this post and name who played the part in the comments. Correct answers will be entered in the draw).
1) Jose Quervo Baby -
2) Bartender -
3) Minister -
4) Shot Glass Sitter -
Contest runs until the end of january, draw in February."
Enter the contest via the official Helix Facebook page here.
Helix frontman Brain Vollmer checked in with the following update:
Helix recently released the Eat Sleep Rock CD on Perris Records, a compilation album with some of singer Brian Vollmer’s personal favorite songs recorded since leaving Captiol/EMI in 1990. The album was recorded at bassist Darryl Gray's own Dawghouse Studios, mixed by Siegfried Meier and mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem). The artwork was done by ex-Helix guitarist Brent Doerner with photos by Victor Azziz Studios. "Brent is a very creative guy," states Vollmer. When he was in the band writing songs, he was with us for I think 16 or 18 years. I've always found him as a person who thought outside the box when it came to creativity so it's great still having him involved with Helix projects. He's like a 6th member."
Eat Sleep Rock adds the new track "Eat Sleep Rock" and includes "The Story Of Helix," a rap that Brian wrote a couple of years ago to kick off the acoustic show. "Eat Sleep Rock" is the first to feature new Helix guitarist Gary Borden, a veteran of the Canadian music scene who has played with Sass Jordan, Toronto and The Guess Who, worked with Gowan, and fronts his own original act Blood Of VanGogh. Brian continues, "Kaleb left last year, he was a solid member for over 10 years and he is still involved with the band writing for the next studio album. Gary is a great guy and he fits right in. It's great having guys with personalities like Gary and Chris (Julke, guitarist) to bring you up as it's tough when you are out there doing it all weekend long, travelling, playing, getting up early and flying. I got a great bunch of guys behind me."
For anyone that missed the August 14th BraveWords video premiere for "Eat Sleep Rock", check out the clip below.
Keep up to date with all things Helix in their newly designed website at Planethelix.com.
Smackbound, the hard rock/metal band from the robust and acclaimed Finnish music scene, released their debut album, 20/20, via Frontiers Music Srl back in June. The band's full performance, shot and edited by Topias Kupiainen at Sonic Pump Studios, Helsinki, can be seen below:
The 20/20 album was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios, produced by Tuomas Yli-Jaskari mixed and mastered by Jesse Vainio (Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica, Poets Of The Fall).
Tracklisting:
"Wall Of Silence"
"Drive It Like You Stole It"
"Close To Sober"
"Run"
"The Game"
"Those Who Burn"
"Hey Motherfuckers"
"Troublemaker"
"Date With The Devil"
"Wind And Water"
"Run" video:
"Wall Of Silence" video:
"Close To Sober" video:
"Those Who Burn" lyric video:
"Drive It Like You Stole It" video:
"The Game" video:
Lineup:
Netta Laurenne - Vocals
Teemu Mäntysaari - Guitars
Rolf Pilve - Drums
Vili Itäpelto - Keyboards
Tuomas Yli-Jaskari - Bass
Sicilian Artists For Charity project is back with a new bombastic Christmas cover song, rearranged in a symphonic metal style.
The Sicilian combo, with a new lineup, featuring lyrical singer Laura Macrì (MaYaN), presents “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” the well known Christmas anthem written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Once again this cover version has been arranged for the orchestra by Salvo Grasso (Hypersonic, Metatrone, Astralium) with the collaboration of the guitarist Salvo Calà.
Mixed & nastered by Riccardo Samperi at TRP MUSIC Studio. Video editing by Antonio Gueli, Salvo Grasso and Salvo Calà.
Sicilian Artists For Charity will be donating all profits from downloads and streams to “Amici delle missioni Sicilia” ONLUS Associazione, made up of health care workers (doctors and nurses) and secular people from Sicily (Italy) who support through health aid and economic /social support activities (construction of schools and water wells, long distance adoptions, nutritional centers, maternal/child support) some populations of Guinea Bissau.
Below, the payment details through Bank and Post Office:
IBAN: IT67 U 05036 84150 CC10 318 68602
Intestazione: Ass. Onlus “Amici delle Missioni Sicilia”
Istituto: Banca Agricola Popolare di Ragusa, Agenzia di Ramacca (CT)
Bic/Swift: POPRIT31103
IBAN Posta: IT47 T067 0116 9000 0101 9940 715
Intestazione: Ass. Onlus “Amici delle Missioni Sicilia”
Istituto: Ufficio Postale Ramacca
Bic/Swift: BPPIITRRXXX
New Year, New Beginnings! Sex Slaves bassist / vocalist Del Cheetah takes a moment to remind us what's important this year as he covers the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, "Simple Man".
On a much lighter note, back in May 2020, Del Cheetah introduced the world to Monster Cock Millionaires. Check out their debut video, "I Like Girls".
"I Like Girls" appears on Monster Cock Millionaire's debut three-song EP, Quarantine Dreams. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:
"WDMF"
"I Like Girls"
"On The Floor"
For further details, including how to obtain your own copy of Quarantine Dreams, visit MonsterCockMillionaires.com, or take a peek on Facebook.
"It's 'The Uh-Oh Song'," begins Alice Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie in reference to his just-released, solo video. "Even though this past year has been a bit of an 'uh-oh' type of year, I think the lyrics in this one will give us some hope and peace of mind that hey...'THIS Year, things will be different' (remember?)"
"'The Uh-Oh Song' is the 10th and final video release for the Imagine Your Reality album. Can you think of any other album (other than a Greatest Hits) where there was an 'Official' video made for each and every song? That's got to be some sort of record, or at least be rewarded with a 'participation ribbon' of some sort... ha!"
"A swampy riff-rock anthem that beckons its audience to utter only two words... although there are plenty more than just two guitars that fill the airwaves. 'The Uh-Oh Song' was produced by Kristoffer Folin at Purple Skull Studios in Stockholm, Sweden."
Swedish rockers, Thundermother, rocked out for Wacken World Wide during the pandemic summer of 2020. You can watch the band's full set below.
Setlist:
"Give Me Some Lights"
"Thunderous"
"Revival"
"Whatever"
"Racing On Main Street"
"Hellavator"
"Fire In The Rain"
"Rip Your Heart Off"
"Deal With The Devil"
"Rock 'N' Roll Heaven"
"Shoot To Kill"
"Driving In Style"
"We Fight For Rock 'N' Roll"
Thundermother's latest album, Heat Wave, is available via AFM Records.
Tracklisting:
“Loud And Alive”
“Dog From Hell”
“Back In ‘76”
“Into The Mud”
“Heat Wave”
“Sleep”
“Driving In Style”
“Free Ourselves”
“Mexico”
“Purple Sky”
“Ghosts”
“Somebody Love Me”
“Bad Habits”
In a sea of new metal bands, these four, or “Fore”, metal heads have come out with a classic punk rock band and debut album.
Featuring former Kreator bassist Christian “Spiesi” Giesler, Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc, ex-Massacre, The Absence) on drums, Taylor Nordberg (ex-Massacre, The Absence) on guitar, and rounded out by Brian “The Canadian Glenn Hughes” Stephenson on vocals, the band has formed, written, recorded and released their debut full-length album, Hombres.
Self-released back in August, Hombres features twelve blistering punk anthems in the vein of Bad Religion, Pennywise, The Offspring, and NOFX. Today we receive the first official music video for the single “Today We Rise (No Tomorrow)”, which features the Tampa Rejects skateboard team.
Watch the video below. You can order Hombres digitally at forepunk.bandcamp.com, or on CD through the band’s social media pages. Details on a vinyl release will be announced soon.
Melbourne, Australia-based melodic/thrash heavyweights, Katana Cartel, have unleashed their newest track, "Dime A Dozen", in honour of the late great "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of Pantera and Damageplan fame.
Jam-packed with soaring vocals, crushing riffs and powerful rhythms, "Dime A Dozen" is the perfect soundtrack to wrap up 2020 in pure heavy style.
The five-piece are also gearing up for the release of their to-be-announced sophomore full-length album, set to be released in 2021. Stay tuned.
Organizers for the annual Rock Meets Classic tour through parts of Europe have posted another previously unreleased clip, this time from their 2017 run.
"At the end of this year, we would like to thank all of you for the loyalty! Have fun with a very special song by Uriah Heep and see you again in the new hopefully better year."
Check out Uriah Heep guitarist Mick Box and vocalist Bernie Shaw performing "July Morning" from the band's 1971 album, Look At Yourself, with the Rock Meets Classic orchestra.
Rock Meets Classic recently confirmed Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider for the 2021 run of the annual tour. Snider will perform a Best Of Twisted Sister set for the duration of the tour.
Rock Meets Classic also confirmed that Europe frontman Joey Tempest will return as the headliner for the annual tour in 2021. This will be Tempest's second time with Rock Meets Classic, having headlined the 2016 run. Mike Tramp (White Lion), Midge Ure (Ultravox, Thin Lizzy) and Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Lords Of Black) have also been confirmed.
Below is the curent tour schedule for RMC 2021.
Snider previously performed with Rock Meets Classic with a special one-off set at Wacken Open Air 2015. Check out pro-shot footage below.
Fallen Arise has released a new lyric video for “Forever Winter”. Created by HK Visual Creations, the track is featured on their new album, Enigma, released on April 10. Order Enigma here.
Fallen Arise wanted their music to sound as contemporary as possible, but at the same time to remain faithful to the kind of music they play. Pop aesthetics are always something they are willing to implement in their craft, keeping in mind that pop music is a huge influence on the band's compositions. All this combined with the elements that define metal music and the orchestral idea which is still present in the band had provided this end result. The choice of collaborators for the creation of the “Enigma” was very thoughtful and targeted in order to achieve the result the band sought. The band's photo session and "Reborn" video shooting took place at rEvolver studios (Sweden) with the mighty Patric Ullaeus behind the camera.
Fallen Arise comment on this experience: “The least we can say is that we had an unforgettable time there and it was a unique experience for us working with such an amazing and talented guy.”
In the new video below, Dark Sarah performs “Iceheart” live at On The Rocks Helsinki on August 7. “Iceheart” is taken from Dark Sarah’s 2020 album, Grim.
Dark Sarah's new epos, Grim, is available via Napalm Records. Order here.
Dark Sarah start an astonishing new fairytale-like storyline with their fourth studio album, Grim. The beguiling new dimension, coalescing between crystal-clear vocals and propulsive hardness, draws you into the tempestuous maelstrom of their horror fantasy theme. Introducing the new protagonist, Luna, the band invites you to their mythical world of orbs, ravens, rabbit-headed people and Mörk, that’ll wrap you up in a surreal dreamscape.
The overwhelming intensity of Dark Sarah’s masterfully told cinematic metal saga sends shivers down your spine and takes possession of heart and soul, while leaving you with pure emotions. Grim flourishes with its full magnitude, unfolding its potential with every very second.
Singer Heidi Parviainen on Grim: “Our new album called Grim is a concept album like its predecessors, but Grim will start a new story line with a modern horror fantasy theme. Musically, Grim introduces a more modern sound and a taste of what's to come in the future - with a “Dark Sarah twist", of course. We're very happy about this album and it has been really fun to make. Also creating the new visual brand and the Grim world has been an adventure already!”
"Illuminate" video:
"All Ears!":
"Melancholia" video:
Dark Sarah is:
Heidi Parviainen - vocals
Sami-Petri Salonen - guitar
Erkka Korhonen - guitar
Rude Rothstén - bass
Thomas Tunkkari - drums