Caligula’s Horse, hailing from Brisbane, Australia, a leading light in contemporary progressive metal worldwide, recently announced their fifth studio album Rise Radiant for release on May 22, 2020. Produced by the group’s Sam Vallen, and mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend Project, Leprous), the record is their most focussed and potent artistic statement to date.
Today, the band has launched the video for the awe-inspiring second single “Slow Violence”, directed and produced by the band’s own Adrian Goleby & Dale Prinsse respectively.
Vocalist Jim Grey comments: “Our goal with ‘Slow Violence’ was to create something more stripped back and minimal musically speaking, letting the guy’s performances speak for themselves. The result was something full of energy and with a powerful message that we’re all really proud of, and the hectic music video ended up capturing that explosive vibe perfectly. The idea for the themes in Slow Violence came out of my own frustrations with very visible hypocrisy in the face of a desperate need for change, and a youth that is crying out for unity in crisis. ‘Slow Violence’ expresses that frustration along with the unifying message that one way or another, all are inevitably made equal.”
Vallen comments: "Rise Radiant is the album we’ve been working towards for almost a decade. It represents everything we love about Caligula’s Horse – the colour, the ferocity, the introspection, the extremes – all tied up together in a way we could never have managed until now. As a band, we’ve never felt tighter, more inspired, or more driven than in the creation of this record. We’re tremendously proud of Rise Radiant, and we can’t wait for you to hear it!"
Rise Radiant is an uncompromising exploration of the human experience dressed in vivid musical colour and virtuosic performances. It is an anthem for the regeneration of self-belief, an exploration of the themes of legacy, and a rallying cry for survival. Comprised of 8 tracks, Rise Radiant will be available as a limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP + CD and as digital download. The formats also include two bonus tracks: covers of the Split Enz track "Message To My Girl" and Peter Gabriel’s "Don’t Give Up", which also features a guest appearance by Lynsey Ward of Exploring Birdsong. You can find the full track-listing below and pre-orders are available here.
Tracklist
"The Tempest"
"Slow Violence"
"Salt"
"Resonate"
"Oceanrise"
"Valkyrie"
"Autumn"
"The Ascent"
Victoria, BC's black speed death thrash band Torrefy will self-release their new album, Life is Bad, on July 1 - Canada Day.
The official video for the album's first single, the aptly titled album-closer "Plague Of Empires" can be seen below.
Torrefy issued the following statement concerning Life Is Bad and the progression of the band's sound since the release of 2016 progressive thrash album The Infinity Complex:
"Life Is Bad is not a departure for Torrefy. Rather, it is a continuation of the journey to becoming the band that Torrefy was meant to be. Torrefy's previous work lay more in the realm of thrash metal, albeit not traditional thrash due to our leanings towards a more progressive sound and a blending of influences ranging from thrash metal to death metal, black metal, classic rock, and punk to name a few. Our new record is another step towards creating a sound that we refer to as black speed death thrash."
"Life Is Bad is not a concept album like our previous album, The Infinity Complex. Instead, as the album title indicates, it is thematically geared towards the fact that life is pretty brutal. The songs are emotionally charged and full of diverse themes including an awareness of one's inescapable mortality, humanity's unending greed, and the desire for conquest and their refusal to learn from their past, to being overrun by a swarm of other worldly, bloodthirsty insects, and being caught in a machine that is perpetually killing you and keeping you alive at the same time."
"We think that this album is the best and most true representation of the Torrefy sound. We hope that you dig it!"
Tracklisting:
"Sarcophony"
"Eye Of The Swarm"
"Outrun By Wolves"
"GFYD"
"Arborequiem"
"The Thin Line"
"Cells"
"Torrn Apart By Machinery"
"Plague Of Empires"
Life Is Bad was produced by Torrefy and Gustavo Valderama. The album was recorded by Gustavo Valderama and Electric Flow Studios in Victoria, BC. It was mixed by Felipe Gonzales and Gustavo Valderama at Umbral Studios in Caldas Colombia and Electric Flow Studios in Vancouver, BC. Life Is Bad was mastered by Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust.
Metallica performed "Dream No More" at Schleyerhalle in Stuttgart, Germany on April 9, 2018. The band have released this professionally-filmed footage:
Metallica checked in earlier today with the following update: "Tune in tonight on YouTube or Facebook to catch Live in Copenhagen - July 22, 2009 for free! Streaming starts at 8 PM, EST / 5 PM, PST, but don’t worry if you can’t make it. The show will be on demand for you to enjoy all week!"
Poison frontman Bret Michaels has released the fifth in a series of videos, dubbed Rosebush Sessions. Watch below.
A message states: "Stay tuned as each day we will gather one of these clips along with the Go-Kart trilogies. All of which will cumulate as we put the whole song together for you going through verses & choruses in different locations. Watch for the big mash up of the #RosebushSessions coming all this week."
Canadian-American rockers PALAYE ROYALE have released an animated video for their brand new single "Little Bastards", the opening track of their upcoming album, "The Bastards", due on May 29 via Sumerian Records.
The storyboard for the new animated video for "Little Bastards" is based on PALAYE ROYALE's upcoming graphic novel that has been written and drawn by drummer Emerson Barrett and XO Billie. It reflects this time of isolation and shows the bands innate ability to deliver enormous creativity, even during times of isolation and great challenge.
Speaking on the new song and video, guitarist Sebastian Danzig says: "'Little Bastards' is the opening track from our third album, 'The Bastards'. Musically, we show the direction of the album all in a single track. The vulnerability, the truth and the aggression all wrapped together in a three-and-a-half-minute track which will set the listener up for what is too come for the next 14 tracks and what corners we will touch. Lyrically, it trails from our latest release 'Lonely' but displaying the frustration and anger towards individuals that are meant to be friends. Visually, we wanted to display our current state which is complete isolation from the world; trapped inside a house but yet the toxic society has found its way inside. We have to 'band' together to keep our circle of trust and honesty tight."
PALAYE ROYALE has been teasing "The Bastards" since last year. Surrounded by a utopian world created by the band, "The Bastards" is set in a place that is a reflection of their own lives, but in a mythological sense.
Emerson Barrett says: "It takes place around the island of Obsidian and it's set in 1888. In short, it's a world that started off with intentions where the island encouraged free thinkers and artists to exist and, as everything does in life, eventually it becomes this political power and evil toxicity that comes with everything. To remain a true individual in the society, you must wear a gas mask."
Musically, the album is an enormous step up for the band. It is, in turn, dark, lush, angry, vulnerable, caustic and warm. From the grandiose Bond-theme-esque "Tonight Is The Night I Die" to the darkly jarring "Anxiety", from the quietly heartbreaking refrain of "Lonely" and the massive fuzzed up, distorted guitars of "Nightmares (Coming Down)", "The Bastards" demonstrates just how far the band have expanded their writing and musical dexterity, rounding out their already accomplished arson with flourishes of electronics, metal beat-downs, drum-and-bass beats and haunting string arrangements. There are singles on the album, luminous highlights, but it’s also a piece of work that works beautifully when listened to as a whole. That, despite the fact that it was recorded in a variety of locations.
Sebastian Danzig states about the recording process for "The Bastards": "We rented an AirBnB in Joshua Tree, one in London, and we kept on going in little areas and writing new sections of the album. It's crazy — we thought the album was done in March of last year, and we did the heavy stuff in Joshua Tree. We wrote 'Little Bastards' a week before the album was supposed to be mixed and mastered."
Lyrically, the album addresses a number of important issues, prevalent to today's youth — struggles with mental health, the gun violence epidemic, substance use as a means to escape a difficult reality and parental abandonment all play a part in the album's rich lyrical tapestry.
Remington adds: "We need a little honesty and a little truth. The world is getting so tainted by everyone trying to be so fucking perfect and so goddamn PG and trying to walk this line of not trying to offend anyone. People need to be themselves, just for 20 minutes at least."
LA-based rock band, Roxanne, have released a video for "First Mistake", a track from the band's Radio Silence album, out now via Rat Pak Records. Watch the new clip below, and order the album at this location.
Tracklisting:
"Someone To Kill"
"Girls Alright"
"Super Bad" (ft. George Lynch)
"Thin Blue Line"
"Broken Chandeliers"
"Man In The Moon" (ft. Ray Luzier & dUg Pinnick)
"Go Fuck Yourself" (ft. George Lynch & dUg Pinnick)
"Without Us"
"Quarter To Four"
"I Don’t Want To Live This Way"
"First Mistake"
"First Mistake" video:
"Girls Alright" video:
"Thin Blue Line" video:
"Go Fuck Yourself" (ft. George Lynch & dUg Pinnick) video:
Duke TV has released HQ video of Lordi performing their song, "Shake The Baby Silent", at La Machine du Moulin Rouge in Paris, France on March 6. The clip was directed by Hugo Tessier, filmed by camera operators Antoine de Montremy and Hugo Tessier.
Lordi released their tenth album, Killection, back in January via AFM Records.
Killection tracklisting:
"Radio SCG 10"
"Horror For Hire"
"Shake The Baby Silent"
"Like A Bee To The Honey"
"Apollyon"
"SCG10 The Last Hour"
"Blow My Fuse"
"I Dug A Hole In The Yard For You"
"Zombimbo"
"Up To No Good"
"SCG10 Demonic Semitones"
"Cutterfly"
"Evil"
"Scream Demon"
"SCG10 I Am Here"
Australia's Thy Art Is Murder unfolded their "Reign Of Darkness" for an obedient audience inside the Bullhead City Circus at the 2019 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. Check out footage of the performance below:
Thy Art Is Murder recently announced the addition of drummer Jesse Beahler. In celebration, the band release a drum playthrough for "Human Target" which can be seen below.
Jesse comments, "I’ve been long time friends with Thy Art Is Murder, from touring beside them on their first American tour in 2013, to becoming a contributing member of the band during ‘he Depression Sessions, and eventually evolving into a full fledged member during the writing and recording process of our latest album, Human Target. I’m very grateful to be working alongside great friends and musicians, and feel like Thy Art is a band I was always meant to be a part of.
"I am incredibly proud of the performances we tracked on our newest album Human Target, and it sounds so good in part because of the great gear we selected. Thanks to Zildjian, Tama, Remo, Vic Firth, Czarcie Kopyto, and Foot Blaster Triggers for creating exceptional tools that help me deliver the best possible performance every time I sit behind the kit."
KISS performed the Hotter Than Hell album classic, "Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll", during their End Of The Road tour stop at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on April 9, 2019. Check out pro-shot video below:
KISS singer/guitarist, Paul Stanley, released the video below, in which he performs the KISS classics "Makin' Love", "Hotter Than Hell", and "Got To Choose" from home quarantine.
Spokane, WA-based metal band, Enterprise Earth, have released a video for "Scars Of The Past". The punishing track comes by way of the band's Luciferous full-length, released last spring via Entertainment One (eOne) / Good Fight Music.
Comments the band, "'Scars Of The Past' is reflection. The pain of our past mistakes, haunting with a shadow of fear that the pain animates across the bare walls of the present moment. The meaning it holds is an anthem to recovery. Letting go of the pain and recognizing that the pain we experienced is what made us stronger. It's a part of who we are. This video was taken at a sold-out show in Atlanta, Georgia. It was able to capture what the song and metal as a whole stands for. Letting go of the past and living life to the fullest in the present moment. If we could turn back time, we would do it again."
"Behold, Malevolence"
"Sleep Is For The Dead"
"He Exists"
"Scars Of The Past"
"Ashamed To Be Human"
"Requiem"
"The Failsafe Fallacy"
"Infernal Suffering"
"Luciferous"
"Nightfallen"
"We Are Immortal"
"There Is No Tomorrow"
From the mean streets of Gary, Indiana by way of Oslo, Norway (or maybe the other way around- we’re not sure) comes Witch Taint, the most extremely extreme and Satanic Norwegian Black Metal band from Indiana ever (probably). On the eve of releasing their debut LP, Sons Of Midwestern Darkness, the demonic duo has premiered the official music video for "Death To Death Metal". Watch below.
Brought to fruition by the very unstable genius collective of Lance the King of Black Metal (rumoured to actually be comedian and musician Dave Hill) and Matthias Backwards (rumoured to actually be comedian and musician Phil Costello), Witch Taint's full-length debut Sons Of Midwestern Darkness (recorded entirely in darkness in a damp room that was also annoyingly cold even if you wore a coat and a hat and stuff the whole time) will be released tomorrow (April 10th) via Tee Pee Records. Pre-order the album here.
To celebrate the release of Sons Of Midwestern Darkness, Witch Taint is hosting an official record release party on their Facebook page at 9 PM EST on April 10 (again, that's tomorrow). Why the hell are they doing this? Beats us. Stop asking so many valid questions and click here.
Sons Of Midwestern Darkness, is extremely difficult to listen to in all the best ways and features guest appearances from members of such not-nearly-as-extreme-as-Witch Taint bands as Venom, Carpathian Forest, and Autopsy and also Lance’s dog Lucifuge because they forgot to keep the basement door shut even though she will end up coming down there every single time no matter what. Sons Of Midwestern Darkness is a 12 song collection of extremely grim yet very catchy and danceable heavy metal anthems that are perfect to get hammered and sing along to with all your closest friends and enemies. There are also five extremely extreme interludes where Lance and Matthias Backwards basically school motherfuckers on various topics, which is awesome. If you think you can handle it, which- statistically speaking anyway- you probably can’t, please get yourself a copy. And by all means, come see the band live (where Lance and Matthias will be joined by the destructive tendencies of opera diva La Sinistra [rumored to actually be Jennifer Valle], bassist Dean Ripper [rumored to actually be Dean Rispler], guitarist Thomas Guillotine [rumored to actually be Tom Beaujour], and drummist Markus St. Bastard [rumored to actually be Dave Richman]) for an assault on yours and a lot of other people’s senses. However, whether you decide to kill yourself, go sit in a ditch for a while, or simply stare off into the distance for a disturbingly long amount of time as a result of having done either one of these things that is not Witch Taint’s fucking problem.
This past spring, Witch Taint began performing as a full, six-member live band (consisting mostly of members found in the darkest recesses of Craigslist) that is so extreme, brutal, grim, unholy, kvlt, and just sort of negative in general that most people can’t even handle it basically even if everyone agrees the Witch Taint T-shirts are pretty awesome and they should really consider keeping more mediums in stock but whatever. This being the case, Witch Taint has scheduled an album release show for April 7 at the Mercury Lounge in NYC.
Tracklisting:
“Introduction”
“We Are Your New Gods”
“Interlude Black Metal VS Death Metal”
“Death To Death Metal”
“Sons Of Satan”
“Interlude Can One Be Grim And Extreme”
“Changes”
“Viking Heaven”
“Ready For LVV”
“Are You Ready (To Black Metal)”
“Interlude Grimness Of Noodles”
“Sons Of Midwestern Darkness”
“The Dark Way”
“The Taint Of The Witch”
“Conclusion”
“Gods Of The North” (Bonus Track)
“Hall Of The Witch” (Bonus Track)
Swiss hard rockers, Shakra, have released an "unplugged@home" music video for "Mad World", a track from their new album, Mad World, out now via AFM Records. Watch below, and order the album here.
For a quarter of a century, Shakra has been part of the music circus. Only someone who's been in a band before, knows how fragile and exhausting this kind of social fabric is. 25 years is a very long time and only a few acts can make this distance. Shakra made it and it doesn't look like they'll give up sometime soon. Quite the contrary.
Guitarist, Thom Blunier, points out: "I'm extremely proud and thankful, that this band is stil existing after 25 years of rock 'n' roll. Those of you who have a clue the difficulties of existing as a band know, how precious and exceptional this is. I am ready for the next 25 years!"
Tracklisting:
"Fireline"
"Too Much Is Not Enough"
"A Roll Of The Dice"
"Mad World"
"When He Comes Around"
"Thousand Kings"
"I Still Rock"
"Fake News"
"When It All Falls Down"
"Turn The Light On"
"Son Of Fire"
"New Tomorrow"
As we all know, dramatic times call for unusual measures: the German/English-language single, "Ladies & Gentlemen", sees Germany's star writer and singer for kids music Detlev Jöcker collaborate with Münster-based hard rock band Mad Max and students from a North Rhine-Westphalian music school.
With more than 1,300 songs released and over 17 million records/songbooks sold, Detlev Jöcker is one of the most successful and widely sung German-language artists. The musician, who has garnered multiple gold and platinum awards, has been committed to environmental as well as humanitarian and solidarity projects for decades.
Jöcker: “‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ is an emotional description of our times with the exponential rise in man-made problems. At the same time it’s an appeal to humanity for solidarity, asking people to get up and take a stand against that negative trend with optimism, courage and hope. In addition, the fact that the song is bilingual also reflects the global dimension of the current situation which concerns not only Covid-19 but also the environment and the refugee crisis.”
Jürgen Breforth, Mad Max composer/guitarist, also stresses the song’s relevance: “It’s practically predestined for a collaboration between Detlev and our band,” he says. “Even while I was composing ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ on the guitar, I saw the whole thing in my inner eye: melody, verse, chorus, German/English lyric, plus Detlev and a kid’s choir to transport and symbolize the central message. Because it takes all generations together, old and young, to solve the problems of our times. To take a stance we decided, together with our record company SPV, to launch ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ today, earlier than originally scheduled. We want to reassure people now, we want to stand together - as the song’s lyric says - now.”
The song sees Detlev Jöcker continue his decades-long work as a global ambassador for charitable, social and socially relevant projects. Among the German musician’s most remarkable achievements, inspired by his commitment to a peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures in the Middle East and initiated by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, was Jöcker’s recording ‘Alle Kinder dieser Erde’ (All the children of this Earth) in German, Hebrew and Arabic in Israel together with pop vocalist Liel Kolet and Israeli and Palestinian children and musicians. Back in the 1990s, the musician from Münster travelled countries such as England, Scotland, Latvia, Estonia and Finland on behalf of the Goethe Institute as an official ‘Ambassador of German Children’s Songs’ to make the German language and culture accessible to children in those countries. In addition, he was invited to Rome for an audience with Pope Francis for his long standing work as an author of Christian music. Jöcker was also involved in the international Climate Action Project and brought together more than four hundred students in front of Münster’s city hall for a climate flash mob and the environmental song ‘Alle wollen leben’ (Everybody wants to live).
‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ is the first joint venture by Jöcker and Mad Max, which also features an unusual musical approach: “You’d expect a major ballad in view of such an emotional message, but that’s precisely what we didn’t want,” explains Breforth. “Inspired by bands such as Def Leppard, we wanted a powerful song that really gets down to business.”
In line with this, there’s an atmospheric video clip, shot under the direction of Sebastian Stumpe (AffenAufRuhr) at a music school in the small town of Havixbeck near Münster, the students featured wearing T-shirts painted with messages relating to the global situation. Breforth: “You can see very clearly in the video what these kids have to say.”
You can watch the video below.
As Detlev Jöcker puts it so aptly: “‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ fits perfectly into these times. What people need now is a lot of light because they’re feeling increasingly scared. The songs and the video are a message which transports a lot of light.”
The song is available on all digital platforms, here.
Melodic death metal masters, Omnium Gatherum, have released an official phonevideo for their track, "Be The Sky".
Says the band: "Hell'o folks and checking in from the OG HQ!
"This 'Be The Sky' DIY home video was filmed and edited by my phone during past 1.5 years on The Burning Cold tours all around the world , and it includes the same vast skies spotted everywhere around the planet Earth during the endless travels with the band. Back in the good old times when we were free and able to tour, times before apocalypse. Waiting to do some more, someday!
"This week we're gonna rock thru the livestream and pretend it feels like a real concert in front of a real crazy fans in the front, be sure to check it out and support "the modern times".
"The mid-video also contains the "not-so-serious" bass player application video that Mikko Kivistö send to us, and in fact, got the job! With this excerpt we wanna thank all the guitarists who have already sent your application to us - you are many and have surprised us positively, and we're starting slowly to watch all of them carefully and plan the next moves with this case too!
"We have been overwhelmed by our fans huge and endless support during these hard times - Thank thee all!
"Be safe, and let's stay strong!"
Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum, in cooperation with East Coast Events, AK Sound & Music Service, livevideo.fi and Framenoir, announce a very special and exclusive live streaming event, taking place on Friday, April 10, at 6 PM, CEST.
Like many other bands, Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum were forced to cancel their ongoing North American tour from one day to another, which brought them into an unforeseen miserable situation.
Markus Vanhala comments on behalf of both bands: ”If someone had asked me to do a livestream with ticket sales two weeks ago, my answer would’ve been ‘hell no’. But the world changes, apparently really fast, when you’re in quarantine. Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum double trouble North American tour went pretty bad with the cancellation and the country (=WORLD!) shutting down right after we arrived at the airport to New York City… So this is what we can offer back for now, before this tour can be rescheduled sometime next year, hopefully. After staring two weeks on the wall inside four walls at home quarantine, I have discovered a hellish urge to go back on stage and play. Even if it would be an empty hall and pose for the camera eyes only, but to play with my booyas as live in concert as we can at the moment!
"With this stream production we try to help the cultural field, concert promoting, our own crew, local entertainment companies and a bit also, our poor ourselves, as cancellation of the gigs and tours destroyed our income. Thanks for the huge support to our beloved fans!”
Both bands will be playing live on April 10, the viewer is going to be able to comment and react on the performance in real time. This offers the opportunity for the fans to react and interact during the show. During the change over the band members of both bands are available for a live chat as well.
The live stream takes place here. The ticket sale has started and available on the same platform. The recording will be available for 48 hours after the live stream. (Ticket price is: 8,90€.)
April 10 premier times:
- Brisbane (AUS) - 02:00 AEST
- Tokyo (JP) - 01:00 JST
- Taipei (TW) - 00:00 CST
- Dubai (UAE) - 20:00 GST
- Helsinki (FI) - 19:00 EEST
- Berlin (GER) - 18:00 CEST
- London (UK) - 17:00 BST
- New York (USA) - 12:00 EDT
- Houston (USA) - 11:00 CDT
- Calgary (CAN) - 10:00 MDT
- Los Angeles (USA) - 09:00 PDT
Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, in which he performs an acoustic/classical fingerstyle solo guitar cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name".
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" was originally released on The Number Of The Beast album in 1982 and has been in Iron Maiden's live set on almost every tour. The guitar solos in this arrangement are inspired by both the original solos by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, their live solos from Live After Death in Long Beach, as well as the Janick Gers live solos from later performances such as A Real Live Dead One, Flight 666, Rock in Rio, En Vivo, Donington and more.
Previously, Thomas arranged "Hallowed Be Thy Name" for two classical guitars. This version can be found on the Nylon Maiden II album and was performed live frequently on the Master Guitar Tour with Ben Woods.
Guitar Lesson and Tabs for this arrangement are available here, and all Thomas' Nylon Maiden albums are available here.
Poison frontman Bret Michaels has released the third in a series of videos, dubbed Rosebush Sessions. Watch below
A message states: "Stay tuned as each day we will gather one of these clips along with the Go-Kart trilogies. All of which will cumulate as we put the whole song together for you going through verses & choruses in different locations. Watch for the big mash up of the #RosebushSessions coming all this week."
Grammy-nominated California rock heavyweights BLINK-182 enlisted their army of fans for their brand new video for "Happy Days". The clip, which can be seen below, comes nearly two weeks after the band went on a social media search for footage, and is a montage of how fans are spending their time social distancing, intermixed with clips of the band performing the song from the comfort of their own homes.
BLINK-182's latest album, "Nine", is out now on Columbia Records and includes singles "I Really Wish I Hated You", "Darkside", "Happy Days", "Generational Divide" and "Blame It On My Youth".
Since its humble beginnings in 1992 in San Diego, BLINK-182 has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and rocked audiences around the globe, becoming one of the defining and inspirational rock bands of its generation.
BLINK-182 is Mark Hoppus (vocals/bass), Travis Barker (drums) and Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar). A guitarist and singer with ALKALINE TRIO, Skiba replaced original BLINK-182 singer Tom DeLonge in 2016.
BLINK-182 released its first post-DeLonge album, "California", in 2016.
This year marks 40 years of one of the most influential and pioneering bands of the German heavy metal scene. May 29 will see metal titans GRAVE DIGGER release their 20th studio album via Napalm Records, and their 40th band anniversary will be celebrated in the most glorious way. With their brand new album, "Fields Of Blood", the band around charismatic frontman Chris Boltendahl continues their iconic Scottish Highlands story.
Today, GRAVE DIGGER is presenting a very special highlight and the second single of the album. The new track "Thousand Tears" features the incomparable voice of Noora Louhimo of BATTLE BEAST, refining the most touching metal ballad of the year in a duet with Boltendahl. An unforgettable moment of GRAVE DIGGER's from "Fields Of Blood", the track invites the listener into a melancholic dream, sweetened with a high class vocal mélange and an outstanding instrumental arrangement.
Says Boltendahl: "With 'Thousand Tears', we pay homage to the unforgettable Queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart... Noora from BATTLE BEAST gives Queen Mary an incredible, warm and fragile atmosphere through her voice which at the end of the song turns into pure anger and despair. We couldn't have found a better voice for this song. We are proud to present 'Thousand Tears' featuring Noora Louhimo. One of the best ballads GRAVE DIGGER has ever written, maybe the best of our entire career."
Noora adds: "It's an honor to do a collaboration with the legendary GRAVE DIGGER and I'm very intrigued by the Scottish-themed songs they've done. Now I will also be part of their historical song 'Thousand Tears' as the voice of Queen Mary. I hope all listeners can hear the big emotions and get a little glimpse of her story as one of most powerful women that lived in her time."
Joe Satriani's extended video for "Nineteen Eighty", the first single from his forthcoming studio album, "Shapeshifting", can be seen below. The clip was shot and directed by Satriani's son, ZZ Satriani, who also filmed, edited, directed and produced the critically acclaimed documentary film "Beyond The Supernova" in addition to work with Sammy Hagar. Set in a soundstage as well as featuring clips from the new album's recording session, the video conveys the nostalgic feelings for the retro sounds of the song. "Nineteen Eighty" finds Satriani spiritually revisiting the time period when he was working with his first band, THE SQUARES. The future guitar hero would have to wait for his time, and the world came to know his name less than a decade later.
"The year that 'American Gigolo', 'The Shining', 'Raging Bull' and 'Caddyshack' came out, I just wanted to rock. 'Nineteen Eighty' is my high-energy throwback instrumental soundtrack to that year," explains Satriani. He recalls that in those early days, they "dialed back the guitar solos and histrionics to try to create a cooler new wave vibe." Now decades removed from those early goals, Satriani was free to go forward and recapture what was on his mind in 1980.
Set for release on April 10 via Sony Music/Legacy Recordings, "Shapeshifting" was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (FOO FIGHTERS, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS) with longtime associate John Cuniberti on board handling the mastering duties. Satriani enlisted a wide range of collaborators, both old and new, to help him bring the songs to life. Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux were the core musicians on the new album, with additional contributions coming from Lisa Coleman (THE REVOLUTION) and Christopher Guest.
"Golden Swansdown", the new video from the Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — can be seen below. The clip features an appearance by dancer extraordinaire Ella Snellman. A remarkable fact about her performance: The dance was filmed in one take!
Guitarrist David Andersson states: "'Golden Swansdown', the new video release from THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, is a classic power ballad based around the themes of impossible attraction and the difficulties that arise when you let your heart rule your mind. The video was filmed in the pre-apocalyptic late summer of 2019 by René U. Valdes. This might be the last shot of Earth as we knew it. Featuring Rachel Hall on violin and John Lönnmyr on keyboards. Words and music by David Andersson."
"Golden Swansdown" is taken from THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's latest album, "Aeromantic", which came out on February 28 via Nuclear Blast.
"Aeromantic" track listing:
01. Servants Of The Air
02. Divinyls
03. If Tonight Is Our Only Chance
04. This Boy's Last Summer
05. Curves
06. Transmissions
07. Aeromantic
08. Golden Swansdown
09. Taurus
10. Carmencita Seven
11. Sister Mercurial
12. Dead Of Winter
"Aeromantic" was recorded at the Nordic Sound Labs using the same drum kit that was used during the recordings of ABBA's 1980 mega album "Super Trouper".
Австралия
Caligula's Horse![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Канада
США
Финляндия
Швейцария
Германия
Бельгия
Швеция
