Active on YouTube since 2016, Joe and Dave, better known as Melodicka Bros, are an Italian musician duo known for covering popular songs in a style opposite from the original version. Check out their acoustic cover of the Nightwish hit "Élan" below.
"Élan" is taken from the 2015 Nightwish album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
Nightwish recently checked in via social media with an update on their new album, which is currently in the works.
"It’s a wrap! 1065 takes of orchestras, choirs and special guests recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Our sincerest thanks go to everybody involved, musicians, singers and technicians alike. Your passion and dedication never ceases to amaze us. Very special thanks to Mr. James Shearman for wonderfully filling the massive shoes of our long-time orchestral arranger, Mr. Pip Williams. Onwards!"
Abbey Road Studios in London, England is the most famous recording studio in the world, renowned for its creativity and technological excellence. It is a global icon that for the last 90 years has been the musical home to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald, Kate Bush, Oasis, Radiohead, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, and Adele, to name a few.
Back in April, Nightwish announced they will not be touring in support of their next studio album. The follow-up to 2020's Human. :II: Nature. is due for release in 2024.
Says Nightwish: "As the Human :ll: Nature - World Tour is drawing to a close, we feel now is the time to tell you of our plans for the next phase in our journey. After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be “hanging up our spurs” for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won’t be touring the next album.
The reasons for this decision are personal, but, we all agree, vital to the wellbeing and future of the band. Be assured that we still love working together, and this decision has nothing to do with Floor's pregnancy or our other individual projects.
However, an album of 12 new songs will see bright daylight in 2024, as will 3 music videos! The band is positively hyped beyond words over this new upcoming musical adventure."
Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared a cover of The Marbles hit, "Only One Woman", taken from the band's 1968 album, Alien. Check it out below.
The Marbles were an English rock duo that consisted of Graham Bonnet and Trevor Gordon, who operated between 1968 and 1969. Their only well-known singles were "Only One Woman" and "The Walls Fell Down". They also became associated with the Bee Gees members Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb at that time.
"Only One Woman" reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1968. The duo disbanded in 1969. Shortly after their split, in 1970, they released their only self-titled album.
Johansson has released A Tribute To The Moore, dedicated to music and guitar legend Gary Moore, via Spotify and Deezer. It is a compilation of covers Johansson has shared via YouTube over the past two years.
"Over the Hills and Far Away"
"Wild Frontier"
"Nuclear Attack"
"The Loner"
"Out in the Fields"
"Murder in the Skies"
"Thunder Rising"
"Running from the Storm"
"After the War"
"Empty Rooms"
"Emerald"
Strap on your bullet belts and gird up your loins! American power metal quintet Judicator has a sweet and sassy new track out, a cover of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”, presented with a crimson music video. This track was recorded during the same time period as their last album The Majesty Of Decay (Prosthetic Records) and is a majestic send-off to guitarist Balmore Lemus and drummer Jordy Elcess, who are featured in the music video and have since departed from the band.
Vocalist John Yelland explains the track in more detail:
“‘Mandy’ combines the tenderness of Barry Manilow’s 1978 hit with the ominous soundscape of Panos Cosmatos’ 2018 film of the same name. I like to think of this song in terms of the relationship between Red (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough) in ‘Mandy’ (2018). Although the lyrics don’t totally match the circumstances of these characters, the love and regret expressed certainly relate and resonate.”
Judicator is known primarily for historical topics that stretch across seven albums since its inception in 2012. They cover everything from Napoleon Bonaparte to the renowned Byzantine general Belisarius and have, on occasion, also grappled with heavy themes like cancer, relationships, and death. Whatever they write about, the common thread in all their albums is an exploration of both the human heart and condition.
“Mandy” fits in well with Judicator’s heavy metal style, it will soothe you, make you smile, and entice you to sing along. The single artwork is very low-fi compared to what they usually release. During the filming of the music video, they took some photos that were thematic to film ‘Mandy’, and the final result features iconic items like a chainsaw and a pyramid of Cheddar Goblin mac & cheese boxes.
Whether this is the first encounter with Judicator or one of many, they are sure to impress with their brand of experimental power metal. They are recommended for fans of Blind Guardian, Scanner, and Iron Savior.
TWISTED SISTER's Dee Snider joined JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE on stage this past Friday (November 10) at The Sands.Rocks festival at Planet Hollywood in Cancún, Mexico to perform a few songs, including a cover of the AC/DC classic "Highway To Hell". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.
In a recent interview with Greece's RockPages.gr, Dee was asked if he thinks he will ever release another solo album. The 68-year-old singer responded: "Don't hold your breath, because I'm feeling like I'm done. I'm feeling like I'm done. Now I said that after 'For The Love Of Metal' [2018], and then COVID hit and I called Jamey [Jasta, Dee's collaborator and producer] up and Jamey Jasta said, 'I wanna do another record.' But right now I'm feeling very comfortable in who I am, what I am, what I'm doing and how I'm spending my life. I'm not feeling this urge. And it helps that those last two albums, 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar' [2021], and then the live record 'For The Love Of Metal Live!' [2020], really, I feel, put an exclamation point on the end of my career. I think, thanks to Jamey Jasta encouraging me to get back to true metal, real metal and what I'm really about. My last two records are very powerful, the performances are there, everything's there and as a legacy, I like seeing those albums at the end of my recording career."
Elaborating on his reasons for not wanting to make another solo album, Dee said: "I'm always very honest, even to the point where I get in trouble with other bands for being too honest, but I've also listened to people being honest about me.
"The end of TWISTED SISTER, as much fun as it was and whatever, but our last record is a Christmas record. And it was fun, and I'm not ashamed of it — I loved it. But then I went and left TWISTED and I did a solo album. Someone challenged me to do a mainstream rock record, 'We Are The Ones' [2016], and it's a good record, but it wasn't really Dee Snider. It was an attempt to do something more mainstream. So, it could have ended with those records and I would have felt that that was really not the way I'd like to go out. It's because of 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar' that I feel good about walking away and saying, 'Yeah. Take that. That's Dee Snider. Remember that. I was 65 years old or whatever. That's Dee Snider. And good night.' So those records are very important to me."
A year and a half ago, Dee told a fan that his performing days are likely behind him and that he plans to concentrate on non-music-related projects. After the fan, who recently moved to Springfield, Illinois, asked the aging rocker whether he ever tours in the area, Snider said: "No, I don't tour anymore. I don't even think I'll do any more shows. I'm focusing on writing, directing, and producing. Sorry man."
In 2016, TWISTED SISTER embarked on one final trek, titled "Forty And Fuck It", in celebration of its 40th anniversary. These shows featured the band's "core lineup" of Snider, guitarist Jay Jay French, guitarist Eddie Ojeda and bassist Mark Mendoza, along with drummer Mike Portnoy. The band's last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED's longtime drummer A.J. Pero.
During an August 2017 appearance on the "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show on SiriusXM, Snider stated about TWISTED SISTER's decision to call it quits: "Basically, the level of intensity that I performed at with TWISTED SISTER, I had to stop while I could still deliver that before I could no longer deliver that. The headbanging, the thrashing, all that energy… Where Alice [Cooper] always seemed like a crotchety old dude, and he's crawling around the stage, that works great for a 72-year-old dude now. But what I did does not work for [someone in his 60s]. I mean, it's just too fucking hard to stay in the shape. Just to keep that going just got harder and harder. I said, 'I wanna stop while people are still smiling and not looking at me saying, 'Oh, remember when he was good?'"
TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.
Snider's last two solo albums, 2018's "For The Love Of Metal" and 2021's "Leave A Scar", were both released via Napalm Records.
In 2021, Dee told Ultimate Classic Rock that producer Jamey Jasta helped him find his place in the modern heavy metal scene.
"As I said to Jamey, 'I love contemporary metal. I just don't know where I fit in,'" Snider recalled. "He said, 'Well, I know where you fit in.' He helped me find the sweet spot. Then I found the team, and then I found the band, and then I found my spot. We come to ['Leave A Scar'], and now I'm, like, 'Okay. Now, I know what we're doing and I can join this party and participate in it fully and not be along for the ride,' so to speak."
Snider published his first fictional novel, "Frats" earlier this year. He has described the book as "a period piece/coming of age story set on Long Island, NY in 1972/73 inspired by true event." But he quickly clarified: "No it's not my story."
Billy Idol Rewind: A Twitch Livestream Event was held back in July, and today, Idol shares the video for "Eyes Without A Face" from the session. Watch below:
Billy Idol: State Line documents the rock legend’s April 2023 show at the famed Hoover Dam - the first ever concert performed at the location. The film is set to make its theatrical debut in the US on November 15 and in the UK on November 14. North American wide release cinematic dates on sale on Friday, October 27. Tickets and additional info on film screenings can be found here. Watch a video trailer below.
Billy Idol: State Line highlights the history and significance of Hoover Dam and includes performances from two unique sets of Billy Idol’s iconic hits: a full band concert at sunset with special guests that electrified and illuminated the surrounding Black Canyon and an acoustic duo set on the roof of the powerhouse at the foot of Hoover Dam straddling the Colorado River, directly on the Nevada/Arizona state line.
David Coverdale is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his Deep Purple debut this year with a special version of The Purple Album, Whitesnake’s tribute to his three-year tenure with the legendary group.
Check out "Soldier Of Fortune" (DC & Hook City Strings - Official Video 2023 Remix) below:
This newly remixed, remastered, and expanded edition of 2015's The Purple Album album features previously unreleased recordings, including the very demo that secured Coverdale’s spot with Deep Purple.
In the video below, Coverdale unboxes The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition:
The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition is out now as a 2-CD/Blu-ray set and a 2-LP set on resplendent gold vinyl. Order both versions here.
Coverdale recorded The Purple Album with guitarist Reb Beach, bassist Michael Devin, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (on his first Whitesnake album), and drummer Tommy Aldridge, reappearing on a Whitesnake studio album for the first time since 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue. The band cherry-picked gems from Burn (1974), Stormbringer (1974), and Come Taste The Band (1975), delivering inspired takes on fan favorites like “Lay Down Stay Down,” “Lady Double Dealer,” and “You Keep On Moving.”
The 2-CD/Blu-ray version of The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition goes beyond the original with the addition of live recordings and concert videos from The Purple Tour (“The Gypsy,” “Mistreated”), official music videos (“Sail Away,” “You Fool No One”), and an assortment of previously unreleased material, including six alternate mixes of album tracks. The Blu-ray also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the album’s making and a song-by-song commentary by Coverdale.
An exciting addition to the upcoming collection is the four-song demo Coverdale submitted to Deep Purple, hoping to become the band’s next singer. Recorded in 1972 with his former band, The Fabulosa Brothers, the reel-to-reel tape was extensively restored after Coverdale stumbled upon it among his late mother’s belongings. In the album’s liner notes, Coverdale says: “I had no idea my Mam had the tape…For me, to open my Mam’s trunk of personal items, 30 years after her passing, was a gift from Heaven.” The collection also features several demos Coverdale recorded while working on songs for Deep Purple’s 1974 album Stormbringer.
2-CD/Blu-ray tracklisting:
CD1: 2023 Remix
“Burn”
“Lay Down, Stay Down”
“Love Child”
“Holy Man”
“The Gypsy”
“Lady Double Dealer”
“Might Just Take Your Life”
“Mistreated”
“Stormbringer”
“Sail Away” (Interpolating “Elegy For Jon”)
“You Keep On Moving” – featuring the Hook City Strings
“Lady Luck”
“Coming Home”
“You Fool No One” (Interpolating “Itchy Fingers”) Dedicated in loving memory to Jeff Beck
“Soldier Of Fortune”
CD2: The Purple Tour Five Live
“Burn”
“The Gypsy”
“Mistreated”
“You Fool No One”
“Soldier Of Fortune”
Alternative Mixes:
“Holy Man” (Unzipped) *
“Stormbringer” (Punch In The Nuts Mix) *
“Love Child” (Alternate Mix) *
“Soldier Of Fortune” – featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings *
“Soldier Of Fortune” – featuring The Hook City Strings *
“Soldier Of Fortune” (Instrumental) – featuring The Hook City Strings *
The 1972 DC Purple Audition Tape Featuring The Fabulosa Brothers:
“Everybody’s Talkin’” *
“Get Ready” *
“Lonely Town, Lonely Street” *
“Dancing In The Street” *
1974 DC Demo Ideas For The Stormbringer Album *
Blu-ray:
Purple Music Videos:
“Lady Double Dealer”
“Stormbringer”
“Sail Away”
“Soldier Of Fortune”
“The Gypsy”
“Soldier Of Fortune” – featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings*
“Soldier Of Fortune” – featuring The Hook City Strings*
Purplesnake Videos:
“Lay Down, Stay Down”*
“Holy Man”*
“You Keep On Moving”*
“You Fool No One”*
Live Clips:
“Burn” – Live “Atlantis” Video
“Burn/Stormbringer” – Live In The Still Of The Night
“Soldier Of Fortune” – Starkers In Tokyo
The Purple Tour Five Live:
“Burn”
“The Gypsy”
“Mistreated”
“You Fool No One”
“Soldier Of Fortune”
The Purple Album: Behind The Scenes*
The Purple Album: Song-By-Song*
* Previously Unreleased
2-LP Track Listing
LP1:
Side One
“Burn”
“Lay Down, Stay Down”
“Love Child”
“Holy Man”
Side Two
“The Gypsy”
“Lady Double Dealer”
“Might Just Take Your Life”
“Coming Home”
LP2:
Side One
“Stormbringer”
“Sail Away” (Interpolating “Elegy For Jon”)
“You Keep On Moving”
“Lady Luck”
Side Two
“Mistreated”
“You Fool No One” (Interpolating “Itchy Fingers”) Dedicated in loving memory to Jeff Beck
“Soldier Of Fortune”
Canadian alt-metal band SPIRITBOX has collaborated with Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion on her new release "Cobra (Rock Remix) Feat. Spiritbox". The official visualizer for the track can be seen below.
Megan Thee Stallion is a three-time Grammy-winning recording artist, philanthropist, entrepreneur and ever-evolving cultural icon. From earning two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits with the "Savage (Remix)" featuring Beyoncé, and "WAP" with Cardi B to releasing her dynamic latest album "Traumazine", Megan has proven unstoppable. She graduated from Texas Southern University in December 2021, earning her degree in Healthcare Administration and with aspirations to open assisted-living facilities in her hometown.
Megan has been recognized for her musical achievements, including three Grammy wins, nine BET Awards and back-to-back Billboard Music Awards for "Top Rap Female Artist". Additionally, she has been honored for her advocacy efforts, having received the 2022 Special Achievement Award at The Webby Awards and the Trailblazer Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee also awarded Megan the 18th Congressional District Hero Award in Houston for her humanitarian work.
In October 2020, following a powerful and politically charged performance on "Saturday Night Live" that demanded justice for Breonna Taylor, Megan published her monumental "Why I Speak Up For Black Women" op-ed and accompanying visual with The New York Times. It resulted in Megan being recognized as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
She recently launched the Pete And Thomas Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on uplifting and assisting women, children, senior citizens and underserved communities in Houston, Texas and across the world. The organization focuses on three core pillars that include education, housing, and health and wellness.
Long Island, NY metal wrecking crew Extinction A.D. have announced their most confrontational release yet with upcoming EP Ruthless Intent, due out January 12, 2024 via Unique Leader Records. Preorder here.
The band has also dropped their vicious new single and accompanying music video “Prodigal Scum” to usher in the news. Matching raw, personal introspection with circle-pit-ready ferocity, the track is a perfectly brutal example of the band’s no-holds-barred combination of metal, hardcore and punk.
From its inception, the band knew the Ruthless Intent EP would capture a more visceral energy than their previous releases.
Speaking on the EP’s creation, they explain: “From the beginning of putting this EP together, we knew there was something a little more visceral than usual and we really leaned into it. Not just the lyrics but the delivery and not just the arrangements and pacing of the songs, but the sonic quality. The entire thing is confrontational.”
“Prodigal Scum” mirrors that intensity, combining Extinction A.D.’s signature ruthless riffage with deeply personal themes.
Vocalist Rick Jimenez shares: “I’ve never been shy about my feelings of the outside world and how the broader picture of humanity affects me, but it’s not very often that I speak about my individual little world in Extinction A.D. Prodigal Scum is a full on personal life experience and something that was empowering to put on tape and also into the video."
The Ruthless Intent EP promises four tracks of Extinction.A.D.’s signature metallic hardcore punk rock fury. Featuring previously released single, "Morality Bait" - a scathing evisceration of those exploiting morality for personal gain - along with today's release of "Prodigal Scum" and two further tracks - "Under The Hood" and "Living To Desecrate".
Extinction A.D. will be bringing Ruthless Intent to stages worldwide all throughout 2024. Stay tuned for more sonic devastation from Long Island's brutal elite soon.
Tracklisting:
“Prodigal Scum”
“Under The Hood”
“Living To Desecrate”
“Morality Bait”
THE GEMS, the new Swedish rock band featuring former THUNDERMOTHER members Guernica Mancini (vocals),Emlee Johansson (drums) and Mona Lindgren (bass),will release its debut album, "Phoenix", on January 26, 2024 via Napalm Records.
The official music video for the trio's third single, "P.S.Y.C.H.O.", can be seen below.
THE GEMS' first-ever single, "Like A Phoenix", released in June 2023, isn't just a songtitle; it's a prophecy, a prediction, and a promise. Straight away it gained a remarkable amount of Spotify streams and YouTube video views, and reached No. 2 on rock radio airplay charts in Germany in no time.
Breaking free from the confines of THUNDERMOTHER, Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren united under the banner of THE GEMS in early 2023, inspired by legends such as LED ZEPPELIN and IRON MAIDEN.
THE GEMS comment on "P.S.Y.C.H.O": "'P.S.Y.C.H.O' is a fast and fun party track, with a chorus that will drive you crazy in the most magnificent way. We're all bound to bump into some energy vamps so why not propose a toast in their honor? And who begins a song with insane drum fills soaked in flanger? WE DO! Maybe we are the psychos ourselves?! Watch the music video to get some clues…"
THE GEMS added about "Phoenix": "'Phoenix' marks the beginning, the rise of THE GEMS. This album takes you on a journey through one of our toughest times. Through this creative process we were able to really dig deep and let go of a lot of emotional baggage, and find true happiness in music again. The new found freedom our band has been given us shines through on this album. We couldn't be prouder of what we've accomplished, and the true rock n roll sisterhood and community we've built through these few months of our existence. 'Phoenix' is the perfect album for anyone going through a tough time, having the rug pulled out under you and somehow finding the strength to rebuild. You'll get the full range of emotions, masterfully produced by our dear friend Johan Randén, who we also wrote some of the songs with.
"We hope people will love 'Phoenix' and really enjoy the epic ride this album will take you on."
"Phoenix" track listing:
01. Aurora (interlude)
02. Queens
03. Send Me To The Wolves
04. Domino
05. Silver Tongue
06. Undiscovered Paths
07. Maria's Song (interlude)
08. Ease Your Pain
09. Running
10. Renaissance (interlude)
11. Like A Phoenix
12. P.S.Y.C.H.O.
13. Kiss it Goodbye
14. Force Of Nature
15. Fruits Of My Labor
16. Like A Phoenix (acoustic version)
Captivating, chanting intro track "Aurora" allows vocalist Mancini's distinctive, strong and bluesy vocals shine, and sets the scene before the catchy rock'n'roll anthem "Queens" roars as a celebration of feminine power. Standing up for oneself, fighting back and rising above are some of the main lyrical themes of "Phoenix", which "Send Me To The Wolves" is an outstanding example of. The song's storyline champions overcoming and not giving in to oppressors, before "Domino" takes THE GEMS' grooviness to the level of legendary classic rock bands of the 1970s. With emotional tracks like "Undiscovered Paths" and "Fruits Of My Labor", THE GEMS bring significant depth and variety to the album, distancing themselves from their history. Stunning interlude "Maria's Song", featuring violinist Maria Jern, fades into the touching ballad "Ease Your Pain" — giving extra space to the exceptional guitar work of Lindgren. Following track "Running" shines as a surefire future hit with more impressive guitar work and Johansson's hard-hitting drums, before the beautifully stripped down acoustic version of "Like A Phoenix" — backed with acoustic guitar by producer Johan Randén — wraps up THE GEMS' debut album.
"Phoenix" was mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (SOILWORK, HANK VON HELL, FIREWIND) and its artwork was created by ex-THUNDERMOTHER member Giorgia Carteri (SOILWORK, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).
THE GEMS made their live debut on March 22 at Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden as the support act for THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA.
THE GEMS see Lindgren returning to her original instrument, the guitar.
THE GEMS' live performances include material from THUNDERMOTHER's last two albums, 2020's "Heat Wave" and 2022's "Black And Gold", both of which featured songwriting contributions from Guernica and Emlee.
In February, it was announced that Mancini, Johansson and Lindgren were exiting THUNDERMOTHER and would form a new band together. At the same time, guitarist Filippa Nässil revealed that she would continue with a new THUNDERMOTHER lineup featuring singer Linnéa Vikström (THERION, AT THE MOVIES) and returning bassist Majsan Lindberg. Filippa has also since recruited Joan Massing (HONEY CREEK) as THUNDERMOTHER's new drummer.
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