Supersonic Blues Machine featuring Fabrizio Grossi, Lance Lopez and Kenny Aronoff issued their debut release back on February 26th via Provogue / Mascot Label Group. The album features guest appearances from Billy F. Gibbons, Walter Trout, Warren Haynes, Robben Ford, Eric Gales, and Chris Duarte.
The group have released a music video for the track “Remedy” featuring Warren Haynes. Watch the new clip below:
Real blues is the music of life experience. It is simple, but contains multitudes - feelings and knowledge accrued over decades. Collectively, the trio of musicians that make up Supersonic Blues Machine (SBM) have experienced more than three typical lifetimes. These world-class musicians have banded together in Supersonic Blues Machine, bonding in their love of this uniquely American genre and motivated by a desire to help its spirit evolve.
Fabrizio Grossi (bass/producer/engineer/wordsmith) worked his artistry in his birthplace - Milan, Italy - before migrating to London, Canada, New York, and currently Los Angeles. Texan Lance Lopez (guitar/vocals) accrued at least one lifetime of experience before he was out of high school while playing bars in Louisiana and Florida. College came in the form of tours with R&B legend Johnny Taylor and blues masters Lucky Peterson and Bobby Blue Bland. Kenny Aronoff (drums) has a resume that spans four decades and reads like a “who’s who” of roots rock legends, including John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Eric Clapton, Jack White, Billy Gibbons, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, and Dr. John.
SBM stems from Fabrizio Grossi’s desire to return to his roots. “The blues is what makes me tick. It is the main ingredient of any successful musical recipe,” he explains. “It is like pasta in Italian food. You can add all the ingredients you like and any sauce, but the pasta is the core of the dish. I’m the chef and blues is my pasta.” Aronoff calls it “a blast from the past aimed at the future.” Says Grossi, “You will feel B.B. King’s presence on stage even though we might be wearing space suits.”
Grossi found a magical connection with Kenny Aronoff when the two toured as the rhythm section of Toto guitarist Steve Lukather’s side Jam band “Goodfellas.” The next step came when Lance Lopez contacted Grossi about working on the Texas guitar whiz’s new solo project. While they were recording, Grossi got a call from Billy Gibbons, whom he had met on a Los Angeles session. The ZZ Top guitarist had known Lopez as a young blues prodigy, and strongly suggested Grossi and Lopez join forces. It was the Reverend Billy G’s blessing that helped birth Supersonic Blues Machine, and a stronger imprimatur for a nascent blues-rock project would be hard to find.
The first tune recorded for the Supersonic Blues Machine project was “Running Whiskey,” written by Gibbons, Grossi, and Tal Wilkenfeld. It features Gibbons on guitar and vocals and helped forge the sound of this new blues-rock supergroup. “It had the twist on the blues that infuses all the other songs on the record,” says Grossi.
The guest guitarists on Supersonic Blues Machine’s debut West of Flushing South of Frisco are not a random selection of famous names, but more like members of an extended family. “I have worked on projects with Warren Haynes (guest and co-writer on “Remedy”), and when he tours anywhere near Dallas, he will always have Lance sit in,” Grossi explains.
Lopez and Chris Duarte (“That’s My Way”) have been friends for years, and the SBM guitarist grew up with guest Eric Gales (“Nightmares and Dreams”). Walter Trout (“Can’t Take It No More”) is yet another member of this blues fraternity who, despite battling health issues, was anxious to contribute to the project. Finally, Grossi describes Robben Ford (“Let’s Call It a Day”) as the “classiest guy” he knows. “All these people light up the room when they walk in,” he says.
European and North American tours are planned. “It was important for us to do this with people who can eventually join us live on stage when we tour,” says Grossi. “Every night will see different guests appearing. It will be like The Who’s Magic Bus tour.”
Supersonic Blues Machine marks a new page in the story of three creative musicians with a history of lending their prodigious talents to others. “Here, the artist is us, no boss to follow or established identities to be maintained,” says Aronoff. “We’re writing our own book, and when you have been blessed and enriched by having collaborated with so many significant artists, your vocabulary gets richer.” Adds Lopez: “We’re mixing all the shades of the blues with our personal sound.”
An anonymous sage once said, “We used to sing because crying didn’t seem to help much.” The blues is not just about experience. It is about creating catharsis to help people through the hard times. “Everyone on this record has fought through their own personal demons,” says Grossi. “This is the redemption record.”
Frontiers Music Srl will release JORN's new album, "Heavy Rock Radio", on June 3.
One of the greatest rock singers of our time, Jorn Lande returns with a unique album of covers of classics from artists and bands that have meant something special to him, and helped forge this talented man's own unique style.
The official video for Jorn's version of "Live To Win", which was originally recorded by KISS frontman Paul Stanley, can be seen below.
Through Jorn's extensive career, which includes more than 40 albums of mostly original songs, he has also recorded great versions of several rock classics such as THIN LIZZY's "Are You Ready", UFO's "On And On", DEEP PURPLE's "Perfect Strangers", and many more. Jorn also recorded a successful Ronnie James Dio tribute album, released in 2010. Every song JORN covers is treated with the utmost respect and "Jorn-ized" accordingly. A good example is his heavy sounding version of "I Walk Alone", first released by Tarja Turunen (ex-NIGHTWISH).
"Heavy Rock Radio" is not an ordinary album of cover songs; it is truly a songbook of hits. Featured — among others — are great versions of the EAGLES' "Hotel California" and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", which gets the Jorn style treatment to become very powerful and epic, without losing its commercial touch. More great classics included are John Farnham's "You're The Voice", QUEEN's "Killer Queen", and two absolute melodic rock evergreen gems in JOURNEY's "Don't Stop Believin'" and FOREIGNER's "Rev On The Red Line".
The original concept of the album was to create a sort of jukebox of radio hits, but to avoid leaning too much on the pop side of rock, JORN decided to blend the track listing with a few more up tempo rock tracks as well, such as "The Final Frontier" by IRON MAIDEN ("probably the closest you get to anything commercial with IRON MAIDEN," says Jorn), "Live To Win" by Paul Stanley (a song which was also featured on the popular television series "South Park"), and a few hard rock classics show up as well from DEEP PURPLE ("Stormbringer"), DIO ("Rainbow In The Dark") and BLACK SABBATH ("Die Young") to complete the mix.
Jorn says: "The most important thing was to treat these songs with respect towards the original versions. My goal was always to think that the original artist would be honored and find my version relevant. At the same time, my intention was never to try to compete with the original song and artist, but make it a strong alternative version to enjoy. At the same time, it is a well-deserved homage to these artists and bands who influenced me strongly, and I have wanted to record these songs for quite some time but was always too busy writing and recording my own songs to make it happen. Originally, I had a list of 40-50 songs I wanted to do, but I had to strip it down to about 15 songs before deciding on the final tracklist. This means that there are some unfinished business musically, and I will most likely record more of these songs in the future."
Since releasing the critically acclaimed Dracula "Swing Of Death" album last year, Jorn has also been working on an album of brand new songs, which will be the follow-up to the 2013 JORN album "Traveller", to be released in early 2017.
Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief press statements, and his innovative and creative skills have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide and being a frequent entry on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention is his years with MASTERPLAN, with whom he recorded three albums. Claimed to be the biggest selling Norwegian musical export, since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade, and there are no signs of him slowing down yet.
The title "Heavy Rock Radio" came quite naturally, as the sound of this album feels like if it's tailor made for any rock radio station, and while Jorn's voice can be enjoyed on more than 40 albums in different rock and metal styles, this record is a special treat which will tide over all the fans waiting for the new original album which is being worked on at the moment.
"Heavy Rock Radio" track listing includes:
01. I Know There's Something Going On02. Running Up That Hill03. Rev On The Red Line04. You're The Voice05. Live To Win06. Don't Stop Believin'07. Killer Queen08. Hotel California09. Rainbow In The Dark10. The Final Frontier11. Stormbringer12. Die Young
Recording lineup:
Jorn Lande: VocalsTrond Holter: GuitarFrancesco Iovino: DrumsThomas Bekkevold: BassAlessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards
Except as follows:
"Rainbow in the Dark"
Jimmy Iversen and Tore Moren - guitarNic Angileri - bassWilly Bendiksen - drums
UK metallers, Haken, have released a video for the track “Earthrise”, featured on their fourth full-length studio album, Affinity. The follow-up to their 2013 album The Mountain was released on April 29th.
Since releasing their Restoration EP in 2014, Haken have been making waves on the live circuit, including appearances at high-profile festivals such as Hellfest, Ramblin' Man Fair, Be Prog! My Friend and Cruise to the Edge as well as supporting the likes of Between The Buried & Me and The Neal Morse Band, a double headline UK tour with Leprous, and their first North American headline tour.
Recorded during the winter months of 2015, Affinity marks a new approach to the song-writing process for Haken, as vocalist Ross Jennings explains; "It is the most collaborative we have ever been on an album. We wanted to develop and expand our sound by having every member contribute initial ideas from the very beginning of the process. It naturally takes longer to filter through the mass of material and fit it all together coherently, but this approach has helped to create something completely fresh whilst maintaining the core elements of Haken's sound."
The band once again called upon Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Between The Buried And Me) for mixing and mastering duties. "He is a wizard in this department! We are always confident his mix will bring out the best from our performance and this is no exception," remarks keyboardist Diego Tejeida.
Like much of Haken's previous music, Affinity is full of surprises and “The Architect”, the album's centrepiece, is no exception. Blasting through a dizzying array of instrumental insanity coupled with down-tempo atmospheric tenuity, Haken welcomes friend and Leprous frontman Einar Solberg mid-song for a spot of guest vocals! Just one of many twists and turns throughout this 60-minute musical lobotomy, Haken's Affinity will open up a new dimension in this UK sextet's trajectory.
Affinity is available on Limited Edition Digipak (incl. bonus disc with instrumentals), 180g Gatefold 2 LP Edition (incl. album on CD), Standard CD Jewel Case, Digital Download and Deluxe Digital Download (incl. instrumental version of the album as bonus).
Tracklisting:
“affinity.exe”
“Initiate”
“1985”
“Lapse”
“The Architect”
“Earthrise”
“Red Giant”
“The Endless Knot”
“Bound By Gravity”
“The Endless Knot” lyric video:
“Initiate” video:
The band have confirmed their first European tour dates:
May
26 - London, England - The Garage
27 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
29 - Paris, France - Divan du monde
30 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
31 - Lyon, France - Marché Gare
June
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Razz 2
3 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
4 - Spain - Minnuendo Festival
6 - Milan, Italy - Legend Club
7 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
8 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage
9 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal
10 - Berlin, Germany - Maschinenhaus
11 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresija
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Bryggarsalen
15 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
16 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Spillestedet Stengade
17 - Hamburg, Germany - Logo
18 - Cologne, Germany - Gebäude 9
19 - UK - Stone Free Festival
UGLY KID JOE's video for the song "Under The Bottom" can be seen below. The track features a guest appearance by MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell, who also appears in the clip.
"Under The Bottom" is taken from UGLY KID JOE's latest full-length album, "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be", which was released in North America in October 2015 via Metalville/UKJ Records. The CD was recorded at JT Studios and Balance Studios in Louisiana with producer (and UGLY KID JOE guitarist) Dave Fortman (SLIPKNOT, GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE).
Whitfield Crane (vocals) and Klaus Eichstadt (guitar) teamed up with Sonny Mayo (guitar), Shannon Larkin (drums), Zac Morris (drums), Cordell Crockett (bass) and Dave Fortman (guitar) to form the now seven-member lineup (a.k.a. "Seven-Headed Monster") and write and record in the studio. The result is the most cohesive sounding UGLY KID JOE record to date.
In addition to the nine newly written original songs, the album features a couple of cover songs, including RARE EARTH's version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", with Australian chart-topping vocalist Dallas Frasca lending her unmistakable vocals behind Crane, and the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades", with a very special guest appearance from Phil Campbell, who lends his signature sound to the timeless track. Campbell also appears on the songs "My Old Man" and the aforementioned "Under The Bottom".
UGLY KID JOE will embark on a 36-date European tour in the fall. Frontman Whitfield Crane says: "You can expect a kick-ass rock and roll show."
UGLY KID JOE released three full-length albums and toured extensively throughout the 1990s before disbanding in 1997. The group reunited in 2010.
Swedish metallers AVATAR have debuted yet another visually stunning music video, for their track "The Eagle Has Landed". Directed by longtime collaborator Johan Carlén, this is the first official music video we've seen from the band from their upcoming album, "Feathers & Flesh", which will be released on Friday, May 13 via Another Century in Europe and Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Canada.
AVATAR vocalist Johannes Eckerström explains: "During the past few months, I've ended up saying 'this is our most ambitious work to date' quite a bit, but this one takes the cake. While still keeping it in the family, we've created yet a new universe for everyone to get immersed in. A fable is a metaphor to explore the human condition and we've taken it one step further, zooming in on one song and what it has to say in and out of itself beyond the frames of the concept of 'Feathers & Flesh'.
"This is the story of five conmen traveling around the land, selling their snake oil to the easily persuaded people of the soil. Often when we want karma to bite someone's ass the most, they always seem to get away. It was fun to play the bad guy for once. I think the visuals and our treatment of the classic one take-concept speaks for itself. This is one of those you'll want to watch over and over again. I know I'm already doing just that."
"Feathers & Flesh" was recorded in Germany, Finland and Sweden in December 2015 with producer extraordinaire Sylvia Massy (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TOOL, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS).
"Feathers & Flesh" track listing:
01. Regret02. House Of Eternal Hunt03. The Eagle Has Landed04. New Land05. Tooth, Beak & Claw06. For The Swarm07. Fiddler's Farewell08. One More Hill09. Black Waters10. Night Never Ending11. Pray The Sun Away12. When The Snow Lies Red13. Raven Wine14. Sky Burial
Carcer City are a progressive metalcore band from Liverpool, England. They have created their own brand of 21st century metal that falls somewhere between Linkin Park, Meshuggah, Bring Me The Horizon, Killswitch Engage, and The Amity Affliction.
Their new album Infinite/Unknown is out this September via Stay Sick Recordings and is the band's first global release. The exact release date, tracklisting, cover art, and more will be revealed shortly.
While the band has been building a formidable reputation for itself, thriving and blossoming in the underground of its home country with the self-released The Life We Have Chosen and The Road Journals, Carcer City are just getting their US legs under them.
Check out the song and video for "Infinite/Unknown”, below:
DREAM THEATER's official music video for the song "Our New World" can be seen below. The clip highlights the band's immersive and interactive live show and captures the prog-virtuosos' transcendent performances from their recent world tour.
"Our New World" is taken from DREAM THEATER's latest album, "The Astonishing", which was released on January 29 via Roadrunner. The CD was made available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard 2-CD set, 4-LP vinyl box set and a limited-edition deluxe box set.
Recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with guitarist John Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (AEROSMITH, RUSH) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating, "The Astonishing" paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It's a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.
DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess told La Grosse Radio about "The Astonishing": "Well, the story is really about hope and it's about the power of music for healing and bringing good energy and good spirit to people. It was a story that was written by John Petrucci. He originally thought of it, the seed of the idea, about two and a half years ago. And a little over a year ago, he presented it to the band as an idea to do our concept album, and we were all very excited about it; it seemed really great. So after he presented it to us, then we started to work on all the music for it."
Regarding the inspiration for "The Astonishing" story, Rudess said: "Well, I think the inspiration comes from things like 'Star Wars' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and 'Game Of Thrones' and all these kind of fantasy, sci-fi stories. And it's something that certainly John, who wrote the story, is into and all of us could really relate to. Especially from a musical point of view, to create the music for it, for me it was like doing a score for a film. So I was very comfortable with all the different genres of music that had to be composed, 'cause it was everything from electronic sounds and music — not so much, but there's definitely electronics throughout the album — and also some more classical type of musical ideas to our usual prog kind of metal mixture."
Asked whether making "The Astonishing" forced the members of DREAM THEATER to step outside their comfort zone, Rudess said: "I think it definitely challenged everybody. It was interesting especially because, stylistically speaking, yeah, it has the prog and it has the metal — the usual components of a DREAM THEATER album — but it also has more than that. We also had to bring in electronic sounds, so I had to have some fun and search for cool sounds and get into that mode, and also there [are] some classical elements, so I was very much in my classical headspace. So it kind of brought more styles out of me that I am used to doing, for the most part, but more than I usually get to do with DREAM THEATER. And then there were some things that I hadn't done that we were learning, some stylistic things that we were learning. There's a section that's almost like a military band section — I had to try to score that — and there's a little tango section, and we were learning a little bit about that. It was an education for us to do this album as well."
"Stay", the new video from Mike Tramp, can be seen below. The clip shows the former WHITE LION singer in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods.
Says Mike: "With this video, I'm opening a new chapter and taking one step further towards being who I am, and distancing myself even more [from] the past. All the packaging [has] been shaved off and it's just me being me."
"Stay" is taken from Tramp's latest solo album, "Nomad", which was released in August 2015 via Target Records. The follow-up to 2014's critically acclaimed "Museum" was Mike's fourth release for Target.
According to a press release, "Nomad" sees Tramp "complet[ing] what he calls his trilogy on his journey to show who he is and where he stands. With 'Nomad', Tramp reaches the final step on the ladder he started climbing (with 'Cobblestone Street'), with a full band album, from first to last song."
Said Tramp: "Without the no-compromise [approach] on 'Cobblestone Street' and 'Museum', I would never have found my way home to 'Nomad'. Each previous album gave me the freedom to follow the songs wherever they wanted to go, and with 'Nomad', my vision was clear as a bell. Once again, I just had to be who I am."
Mike in February 2015 once again squashed any rumors of a WHITE LION reunion, claiming guitarist Vito Bratta had no desire to play music.
"A WHITE LION reunion is impossible," Mike told the Jakarta Globe. "Bratta has shown a negative response [to the idea]. He stopped playing guitar, stopped recording; he is just not interested in music anymore."
Tramp's last attempt to revive WHITE LION resulted in the 2008 album "Return Of The Pride" with new members Jamie Law on guitar, bassist Claus Langeskov, drummer Troy Patrick Farrell and Henning Wanner on keyboards.
"I really love the album but it's just not the sound of WHITE LION," Tramp told Hot Metal back in 2012. "I never really wanted to record under the name of WHITE LION again because so much of the sound and the songwriting came between Vito and I."
He continued: "Writing a new album is not sitting there and baking bread. The idea has to come to you. That works well when it's Mike Tramp writing new songs. But WHITE LION has restrictions. It's known for an image, for a sound and so on. You're limited already and that's tough when you go in to do that. I don't want to be that as a songwriter. Then it becomes a pre-fabricated product, then you get KISS. That's not what I want to do in this case."
Tramp went on to say: "There's a big difference between going up and playing classic WHITE LION songs and presenting new WHITE LION songs. WHITE LION isn't there. The sound of WHITE LION when it came to songwriting was Vito Bratta and Mike Tramp. That can't be changed and that will never happen again."
Tramp will make a number of festival appearances with his band during the summer, including Sweden Rock, Jelling and Nordic Noise, just before he embarks on a massive solo tour around the U.S., culminating with a performance on the Monsters Of Rock cruise.
Portuguese melodic death metal band, Apotheus, have released a music video for their cover of Survivor’s 80's classic, "Eye Of The Tiger". The clip can be seen below.
Apotheus will start recording their new album this year in Scandinavia. Stay tuned for updates.
Tucson, Arizona sludge outfit, North, have spent their entire career, spanning from their formation in 2005 as an instrumental project across various line-up and genre modifications, utilizing compelling visual affects to emphasize their music. The band are eager to reveal a new music video for the single "Primal Bloom”, from their Prosthetic Records debut Light The Way.
Being the first video to feature live performance and staged footage, the trio jested, "We've never been a band that featured ourselves or our image up front, so now the world gets to see how strange we look! "
They continued to reveal the story behind choosing "Primal Bloom" as the video's track stating, "The song itself is one that we singled out, pretty much immediately after it's conception, that was something different for us... something more raw and powerful. From the first time practicing it, we already had visions of a music video behind it. It's something that will pull in someone who has never listened to us before and when they hear it, they will want to hear more."
Directed by Mac Lawton (YungMac Films), watch the new music video for "Primal Bloom" below:
North have carved out a name for themselves in the underground scene by devoting their spare time rigorously touring across the US and Canada with acts including Deafheaven, Pelican, Neurosis, Caspian, This Will Destroy You, Red Fang, Adai, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Alcest, Primitive Man and most recently alongside Intronaut and Scale the Summit.
The trio have announced that they will make their debut appearance overseas on a thirty date trek across Europe with Rosetta in late June. Full tour dates can be found listed below.
"We're ecstatic to go to Europe with our long time friends Rosetta! We first toured with Rosetta back in 2008 on the East Coast and they were very welcoming, awesome guys to tour with", proclaimed North. "It's always been one of our biggest goals to tour the European continent,now that we're finally achieving that goal it's a huge milestone for the band and gives us something tangible to build on. The way is lit."
Tour dates:
June
21 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin 4
22 - Essen, Germany - Panic Room
23 - Berlin, Germany - Tiefgrund
24 - Gdansk, Poland - B90
25 - Warsaw, Poland - Hydrozagadka
26 - Wroclaw, Poland - Firlej
27 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
28 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
29 - Cluj Napoca, Romania - Shelter Club
30 - Bucharest, Romania - Control Club
July
1 - Istanbul, Turkey - Peyote Club
2 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5
3 - Skopje, Macedonia - Havana
4 - Belgrade, Serbia - KC Grad
5 - Zagreb, Croatia - Mocvara
6 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Fuga
7 - Innsbruck, Austria - Pmk
8 - Feldkirch, Austria - Graf Hugo
9 - Lucerne, Switzerland - Sedel
10 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Porno Diesel
11 - Marseille, France - Le Molotov
12 - Toulouse, France -Le Saint Des Seins
13 - Bordeaux, France - Void
14 - Nantes, France - Le Ferrailleur
15 - Paris, France - Espace B
16 - London, UK - The Underworld
17 - Rouen, France - Hipster Cafe
18 - Bocholt, Belgium - JC De Kouter
19 - Utrecht, Netherlands - dB’s
20 - Koblenz, Germany - The Jam Club
21 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
22 - Rokycany, Czech Republic - Fluff Fest
23 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Das Fest
24 - Egna, Italy - Neumarkt @ Point Club
25 - Tolmin, Slovenia - Metaldays Fest
26 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
NWOBHM heroes Savage have released the official video for "Lock N Load”, a track from their 2015 album, 7. Check it out below:
Savage released 7 via Minus 2 Zebra in late 2015. Included with the double-album is a live performance disc titled Live N Lethal. The album can be purchased at this location.
Savage has also announced several upcoming live appearances:
May
21 - Real Time Live - Chesterfield, UK
September
24 - Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival - P60, Amstelveen, Holland
October
15 - British Steel Saturday Night Festival #5 - Fismes, France
The official video for the song "Cry No More" from melodic progressive metal masters LORDS OF BLACK can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's second album, "II", which was released on March 18 via Frontiers Music Srl.
LORDS OF BLACK is the band formed by world-class singer Ronnie Romero, renowned guitarist Tony Hernando and monster drummer Andy C. Their vision was to form a metal band with a modern approach blended with catchy, melodic and progressive elements.
After months of intense and hard work on the songs, LORDS OF BLACK independently released its acclaimed self-titled debut which was co-produced by Roland Grapow (MASTERPLAN, ex-HELLOWEEN). Metal Hammer Spain deemed it "the best metal album released in Spain this year."
LORDS OF BLACK supported the release with a series of very successful live shows, some of them as "very special guest" for high-profile international acts. Then the news of Ronnie Romero joining the new incarnation of RAINBOW broke out. This brought the band to the attention of the international media, with RAINBOW legend Ritchie Blackmore describing Romero's voice as "a cross between Ronnie James Dio and Freddie Mercury."
However, now LORDS OF BLACK are ready to conquer the world with "II", an album which will blow the minds of fans of modern melodic metal. Once again co-produced, mixed and mastered by Roland Grapow, the disc is not only the follow-up to LORDS OF BLACK's outstanding and acclaimed debut album, but is an album with superbly crafted songs that will instantly become absolute metal classics.
"The new album, being the follow-up to a first record that was so greatly received, had to get to a higher place," says Tony Hernando. "After an intense year of writing and producing, along with the live performances, we came up with songs that are still deep and complicated in some arrangements, but have been written with the live performance in mind… The quest was to come up with something that artistically was meaningful for us as musicians and at the same time could catch the attention of the listeners. We really hope you enjoy this new album and come with us for a great ride!"
Tracks like "Merciless", "Everything You're Not", "Insane", "New World's Coming" and "Shadows Of War" showcase the heavy and complex yet very melodic style of the band. The song "The Art of Illusions Part III: The Wasteland" is the conclusion to the trilogy that commenced on the debut album, while the song "Cry No More" is inspired and dedicated to the late, great, Phil Lynott.
"II" track listing:
01. Malevolently Beautiful (Intro)02. Merciless03. Only One Life Away04. Everything You're Not05. New World's Comin'06. Cry No More07. Tears I Will Be08. Insane09. Live By The Lie10. Die By The Truth11. Ghost Of You12. The Art Of Illusions Part III: The Wasteland13. Shadows Of War14. Lady Of The Lake (RAINBOW cover, bonus track CD edition)15. Innuendo (QUEEN cover, bonus track digital edition)
Regarding how he landed the RAINBOW gig, the Chilean-born Romero told Rafabasa.com: "I don't know from how long they had me on their list, but they contacted me some months ago, at the beginning of summer, to tell me about a chance to an audition . I deeply remember that 'day one' and that first 'hi,' been doing your daily activities and receive an email from Ritchie Blackmore himself is quite hard to assimilate, after a few days days, even weeks."
Romero also talked about Ritchie's recent description of his vocal style as "a cross between Ronnie James Dio and Freddie Mercury." He said: "I just think about how lucky I feel, not just to get the gig, but how the hell they found me. Having so many good singers worldwide. From the first contact, I just tried to give my best to get it. I always believed in myself, and with the support of my family and close friends, even more. About his words, I just can be thankful, he put the bar quite high with his description. [Laughs] But I'm also glad with his confidence on me to this huge task."
HELLYEAH's official music video for "Human", the first new track from the band's forthcoming fifth album, "Unden!able", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Robert Sexton, who has worked with SOULFLY, DEATH ANGEL, THE DWARVES and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, among others. Sexton previously collaborated with HELLYEAH on the "Hush", "Sangre Por Sangre (Blood For Blood)" and "Moth" videos.
"Unden!able" will be released on June 3 via Eleven Seven Music. The effort marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit, promising a very special return to their true metal roots.
"Unden!able" was produced in Las Vegas at The Hideout Recording Studio by Kevin Churko (PAPA ROACH, ROB ZOMBIE), and showcases everything that the band’s fans have come to know and love in a more focused, concise, and powerful sound, with Churko co-writing all songs.
The album art by William Felch and Chad Gray features a predatory, gleaming eye with an exclamation point pupil — the ultimate signifier of what’s inside: anger, pain and a hyper-focused, high octane, heavy metal collection for the ages.
Maxwell offered: "There's a lot of new stuff coming out that we've never tried before, and a lot of heavy shit… It's gonna be moody, it's gonna be dark, it's gonna be crushing, it's gonna be heartbreaking, it's gonna be everything. So it's going to be a proper take-off from our last record, but with a lot of new surprises, musically and lyrically. We are moving forward with the path that we've taken with 'Blood For Blood'. It's a really, really savage album, and we’re really excited for fans to hear it."
"Unden!able" will be available just in time for HELLYEAH's upcoming "Hell Pop Tour" with IN THIS MOMENT, which starts on June 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. This run will follow HELLYEAH's "We're All In This Together" headlining tour which also features ESCAPE THE FATE, NEW YEARS DAY and FROM ASHES TO NEW.
Fans who purchase tickets from participating venues for the "We're All In This Together" tour receive a free tour eight-track sampler — comprised of two songs from each band, including "Human".
"Unden!able" track listing:
01. !02. X03. Scratch A Lie04. Be Unden!able05. Human06. Leap of Faith07. Blood Plague08. I Don't Care Anymore09. Live Or Die10. Love Falls11. 10-3412. STARTARIOT13. Grave
Rising metal band DEATH DIVISION has released a new single and video for "The Truth" ahead of upcoming tour dates throughout the Midwest and Southeast U.S. The single is off to a fast start at Active Rock radio, with 24 adds in the first two weeks.
"The Truth" is taken from DEATH DIVISION's new EP, "Angels Of The Black Dawn, Part One", which will be released on June 24. The effort was recorded at the EastWest Studios in Hollywood, California and was produced by DEATH DIVISION bassist Jerry Montano (THE DEADLIGHTS, NOTHINGFACE, DANZIG, HELLYEAH). Mixing and mastering duties were handled by Gus Cryns (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, STITCHED UP HEART, ESCAPE THE FATE, FOXY SHAZAM).
Montano says: "The new EP was written at a time when I was at a serious crossroads in my life. I had just ended a 20-plus-year relationship with alcohol and drugs. I was awakened by the realization of where I was in life as an addict who had fallen and lost it all, including my will to carry on. I had a choice to make, one that many have never come back from. You would be surprised when faced with life or substance abuse and certain death what some would choose."
He adds: "['The Truth'], to me, is about facing my demons, accountability for the past and for hope of a better way forward. In my heart, this song is about redemption."
DEATH DIVISION was formed in 2012 by Montano and lead vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour. Drummer Alex Rivas joined the band in 2015.
In 2013, DEATH DIVISION released its debut independent EP, "We Are The Fallen", and caught the attention of MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine and his son Justis, who were impressed and offered the band the opening slot on Gigantour alongside MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, NEWSTED and HELLYEAH. The following two years have been productive ones for the band, as they have been touring extensively to grow and establish their fanbase. The touring has paid off: they captured the attention of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, who invited the band to take part in his Fear FestEvil show and convention.
"Everything I have learned has led up to this moment, every victory and defeat…is born of the perfect storm," says Montano. "Every life lesson, every tear and drop of blood is in this one."
DEATH DIVISION tour dates:
May 13 - The Looney Bin - Bradley IL.May 14 - The Tree - Joliet, ILMay 15 - Whiskeys - Rockford, ILMay 17 - Opinion Brewery - Minneapolis, MNMay 18 - Rick's Bar - Fargo, NDMay 19 - Rock Point - Mandan, NDMay 20 - Z Bar - Spearfish, SDMay 21 - Shamrocks - Omaha, NebraskaMay 22 - Afterlife - Algona, IAMay 25 - [to be announced] - St. Louis, MOMay 26 - Shots - Rolla, MOMay 27 - The Empourium - Jackson, TNMay 28 - Twisted Spoke - Pekin, ILJun. 01 - Madison Live - Covington, KYJun. 02 - The Dog House - Hagerstown, MDJun. 03 - [to be announced] - Kent, OHJun. 04 - Dillinger's - Bucyrus, OHJun. 09 - Muncheez - Bekley, WVJun. 10 - Drunk Horse - Fayetteville, NCJun. 11 - The Wizard - Hickory, NCJun. 16 - Harmonious Monk's - Jacksonville, FLJun. 17 - Atmosphere - Tallahassee, FLJun. 18 - The Corner Pub - Slidell, LAJun. 22 - [to be announced] - Dallas, TXJun. 23 - [to be announced] - Lubbock, TX
Accomplished comedian Jim Breuer understands that comedy and heavy music have long made for great bedfellows. On his first musical full-length, "Songs From The Garage", Breuer delivers both in his inimitable style with longtime backing band THE LOUD & ROWDY. Due on May 27 via Metal Blade, the CD was produced by VOLBEAT/ex-ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano and features Brian Johnson (AC/DC) on two tracks.
The official video for the song "Thrash", taken from "Songs From The Garage", can be seen below.
Breuer says: "Going into the record, the music had to be killer and have great hooks — that was most important — and I wanted to balance that with something that's funny. I wanted to bring the smile back to hard rock that has a nice punch to it." From crunchy opening romp "Thrash" through the swaggering "Who's Better Than Us?!" to the gloriously deranged excitement suffusing "Sugar Rush", his exuberance is infectious, and he challenges you to keep your ass from shaking and the corners of your mouth twitching while it thunders from the speakers.
Backing Breuer up is THE LOUD & ROWDY with Mike Tichy on drums, Joe Vigliotti on bass, and Metal Mike on guitar. Initially known as the JIM BREUER BAND, without even having a record under their belt, it did not take long to turn a lot of heads. After finding themselves on massive festival stages, the band headed into three different studios to record — Metrosonic Studios Brooklyn, Clear Track Studios and Sonic Debris Recording Studio. With Caggiano on production and guitar duties, the album was filled with eleven musically badass tracks featuring lyrics that are not only funny but also relatable, reflecting Breuer's position in life: "A dad with three kids who loves family life yet is still a metalhead at heart."
The inspiration for all of this comes from Breuer's adolescent immersion in the world of heavy music, falling in love with JUDAS PRIEST and AC/DC, alongside the likes of SCORPIONS, OZZY OSBOURNE, METALLICA and VAN HALEN. The fire to start a band was soon lit under him, though he wouldn't begin his musical career until he was older. Having finally made the album that has been burning to get out of him since his teens, Breuer couldn't be happier with the result. Though he has fulfilled one rock and roll dream with its completion, it certainly does not mean he's about to kick back and leave it at that.
"I plan on making great, funny videos for every song and have videos up during the concerts," he says. "I want pure entertainment when you come see this live, and now my rock and roll dream is to play this not only here in America, but anywhere else in the world that will accept it! I'm taking it one day at a time, living the dream."
"Songs From The Garage" track listing:
01. Thrash02. Raising Teenage Girls03. Old School04. Be a D**k 2nite05. My Rock n Roll Dream *06. Mr. Rock n Roll *07. Who's Better Than Us?! 08. Family Warrior09. Sugar Rush10. Wannabe11. The Unexplained
The Hypothesis, a Finnish band playing modern melodic metal, has released their Origin album. Origin is now available in Spotify, iTunes and other download and streaming services. The Origin –album has already gathered excellent reviews globally and radios around the Europe and US have added The Hypothesis on their playlists. Origin is available on CD and digital.
Tracklisting:
“Shades To Escape”
“Leak”
“End Of Your Days”
“Scarface”
“Exit”
“Atonement”
“Eye For An Eye”
“Weak Story”
“Second Chance”
Swiss heavy metal band, Headless Crown, have released a video for the track “Here Comes The Night”, featured on their debut album Time For Revolution, out now via Massacre Records.
Time For Revolution offers a nice blend of classic heavy metal in the vein of Accept, Iron Maiden, Saxon and Judas Priest. It’s full of powerful music and melodic vocals, but with modern flavors and an up-to-date sound. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Serge Morattel at REC Studio and comes with an artwork designed by the band's guitarist Manu Froelicher.
Tracklisting:
“The World Screams”
“Here Comes The Night”
“Edge Of Sanity”
“Stranded”
“Reach Out For The Light”
“Hellhounds”
“Searching For My Soul”
“Lonely Eagle”
“Be Seeing You”
“Evil Rising”
“Men Or Machines”
Suns Of Thyme have released a video for “Intuition Unbound”, a track from their upcoming sophomore album, Cascades, out on May 27th via Napalm Records. Watch the new video below.
Tobias Feltes (vocals) comments: “This song can roughly be divided in two parts, with the first part being an internal lament and the second being a message from the future self. A dialog between you and an older, wiser you.”
Synopsis director Easton West comments: “The storyline is about a wise forest stewart who leads his apprentice through the land teaching her ancient ways until one morning he finds a supernatural blue seed in the wetlands. The discovery initiates a mystical ritual that transfers his ancient knowledge to his apprentice, inaugurating her as the new keeper of the land.“
The video stars Swiss actor David Bennent (The Tin Drum, A Dangerous Fortune) and actress Sarah Johnson, and was directed by Easton West of Klein and West, a Berlin based production company and ensemble of film creatives whose work crosses over between narrative, documentary and commercial realms.
It’s hard to imagine that something called krautgaze could grow up in any other place than Berlin. In its glittering darkness, the city is a perfect breeding ground for a band like Suns Of Thyme. The five-piece crashes together space rock, shoegaze, psych and Velvet Underground on its sophomore album Cascades.
Cascades was mastered by Brian Lucey, Magic Garden Mastering in Los Angeles (The Black Keys, Marilyn Manson, Arctic Monkeys, Ray LaMontagne, Ghost).
Cascades tracklisting:
“Do Or Die”
“Intuition Unbound”
“Ich Traeum‘ von Dir”
“To Vanish”
“Rush”
“Schweben”
“Deep Purple Rain”
“Val Verde”
“The Field”
“Aphelion”
“Prelude”
“In Dreams Awake”
“Kirwani”
“Kirwani II”
“Do Or Die” lyric video:
Pre-orders for Cascades are available here for European customers, and here for US customers.
SWEET CREATURE is a new hard rock band fronted by Martin Sweet, best known as lead guitarist for Swedish sleaze rockers CRASHDÏET. Together with brother Michael of TOXICROSE on drums, Tin Star of GEMINI FIVE on bass, and longtime songwriting partner Linus Nirbrant from THIS ENDING on rhythm guitar, the group has recorded a full-length studio album due later this year. First out is the single "Not Like Others", the official video for which can be seen below. The clip was directed by Jimmy Johansson of Super Lino Puro Productions.
Martin, who is handling the lead vocals, describes the sound as classic hard rock with gloomy melodies and lyrics.
"I have all these songs that don't necessary fit in to the CRASHDÏET formula, so I figured it was time to work with other musicians," he says. "I've always sung on my own demos so taking on the lead vocals is nothing new to me."
SWEET CREATURE's as-yet-untitled album is currently being mixed at Linus's own Audiogrind Studio. The band has not yet decided on a suitable record label to release the effort.
SWEET CREATURE is:
Martin Sweet - lead vocals, lead guitarMichael Txc - drumsLinus Nirbrant - vocals, rhythm guitarTin Star - bass
Martin Sweet has been a member of CRASHDÏET for over a decade, with four albums and extensive global touring under his belt. Linus, a studio technician and death metal guitarist, has a long history of writing and recording with Martin. They started working on the project as an experiment in 2014 with a goal of recording a simple four-song EP. The project however, was so satisfying that the decision to make an album was inevitable.
The name SWEET CREATURE is taken from Martin Sweet, but it also comes from the devilish character on the single cover art created by A.Fyra. "He's called Vester and lives inside us all,"says Martin.
As for the status of CRASHDÏET, Martin states: "CRASHDÏET is not over. It's just sleeping and recovering from the past ten years of mayhem. Meanwhile, I'm truly excited about SWEET CREATURE."
The official video for the song "Let's Start Something" from Ted Poley can be seen below. The track is taken from the singer's new solo album, "Beyond The Fade", which will be released on May 13 via Frontiers Music Srl. Best known as lead vocalist for melodic rock masters DANGER DANGER, Ted Poley is also an accomplished solo artist, having released two acclaimed releases, "Collateral Damage" (2006) and "Smile" (2007). The story of "Beyond The Fade" starts after DANGER DANGER's acclaimed performance at Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan in 2014, when Ted and the label developed the idea to work together on some new music. The next step was to speak to producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, EDGE OF FOREVER) and with a band that he put together, Ted performed at the second edition of the Frontiers Rock Festival. A few months later, Ted came back to Italy to finish the vocals on the album. Ted says: "I am absolutely thrilled with the way the whole album came out. If I have one quote: 'It's awesome!' My great friend and co-producer Alessandro Del Vecchio brought my sonic vision to life and no request from me was too great for him toward his goal of making 'the ultimate Ted Poley solo album" and he surely delivered on his promise. We had a lot of fun making the album and its obvious when you hear it. You can practically hear my smile while I am singing. We decided to make it sound big and there are a ton of backing vocals (in some cases more than 80 tracks of them!), along with great songs, soaring melodic guitar leads, pounding bass and big drums, all layered with cool keyboards... like a delicious musical cake! Save some room for dessert, I know that you are going to love this one!" With songs penned by the brothers Tom and James Martin (VEGA) and "Hands Of Love" written by Tony Bruno/Joe Lynn Turner, the sound of the record is nothing else but Ted Poley at his best, with immediately recognizable hooklines, amazing guitar work, immaculate production and total '80s attitude! "Beyond The Fade" track listing:
01. Let's Start Something02. Everything We Are03. Hands Of Love04. The Perfect Crime05. Stars06. Higher07. Where I Lost You08. You Won't See Me Cryin'09. We Are Young10. Sirens11. Beneath The Stars
Ted Poley: Lead VocalsIssa: duet vocal on "The Perfect Crime"Alessandro Del Vecchio: Drums, Keyboards, Backing VocalsMario Percudani: GuitarAnna Portalupi: Bass
ÑØÀ
Supersonic Blues Machine![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Íîðâåãèÿ
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
Øâåöèÿ
Äàíèÿ
Ïîðòóãàëèÿ
Èñïàíèÿ
Ôèíëÿíäèÿ
Øâåéöàðèÿ
Ãåðìàíèÿ
