Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the upcoming release of Swedish hard rock/traditional metal worshippers Vypera's second album, Race Of Time. Today, the band release a video for the new single, "Riding On The Wind", which can be viewed below.
Vypera, consisting of lead singer Andreas Wallström, guitarists Christoffer Thelin and Cederick Forsberg, bassist Andreas Andersson, and drummer Johan Pettersson, are hard rockers to the core. Emerging from the fruitful Swedish rock and metal scene, they are yet another high quality musical offering from, arguably, the new center of the rock n' roll universe. Their debut album, 2022's Eat Your Heart Out, was a headbanging, fist-raising salute to the great '80s metal/hard rock scene whose musical altar the band worships at.
Vypera, originally known as Madhouse, formed in Sandviken, Sweden in 2016 and soon set out on crafting original material to reflect the rock 'n roll and metal spirit that burned within the band. They began writing music that they felt traveled on the same good ol' road where their influences like Rainbow, Icon, King Kobra, London, Triumph, W.A.S.P., and the like had originally started. Their musical signature is that aforementioned classic hard rock/metal style played with immense pride... and joy.
"Hey You"
"Riding On The Wind"
"Mary Jane"
"Stormwind"
"Vicious"
"No Place For A Dreamer"
"Trying Hard To Run Away"
"Fool's Game"
"Speedin'"
"Daytona"
"Slave To Love"
"Riding On The Wind" video:
"Hey You" video:
Lineup:
Andreas Wallström - Vocals
Christoffer Thelin - Guitars
Cederick Forsberg - Lead Guitars
Andreas Andersson - Bass
Johan Pettersson - Drums
German symphonic metal band, Xandria, recently released their new studio album, The Wonders Still Awaiting. Today, the band share the official singthrough video for the single, “My Curse Is My Redemption”. Watch below:
"Two Worlds"
"Reborn"
"You Will Never Be Our God" (feat. Ralf Scheepers)
"The Wonders Still Awaiting"
"Ghosts"
"Your Stories I'll Remember"
"My Curse Is My Redemption"
"Illusion Is Their Name"
"Paradise"
"Mirror Of Time"
"Scars"
"The Maiden And The Child"
"Astèria"
“My Curse Is My Redemption” lyric video:
“Two Worlds” video:
"The Wonders Still Awaiting" video:
"Ghosts" video:
"You Will Never Be Our God" video:
"Reborn" video:
Xandria are out on a European tour with symphonic metal greats, Delain. Compelling the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, France and Germany in April and May, this package promises an unforgettable experience!
Xandria lineup:
Ambre Vourvahis - Vocals
Marco Heubaum - Guitar
Robert Klawonn - Guitar
Tim Schwarz - Bass
Dimitrios Gatsios - Drums
Melbourne, Australia-based progressive metal band, Teramaze, will release their new album, Dalla Volta, on April 27 via Wells Music and on July 7 in North American through Screaming Crow Records. Pre-order the album here.
Today, the band release a video for the album opener, "Navigate In Solitude". Watch below.
A message states: "Teramaze fans will love the new song, 'Navigate In Solitude'. This track features the band's signature heavy guitars, complex rhythms, and emotional vocals. The track not only showcases their impressive musicianship, but songwriting skills, whilst also offering a fresh and exciting sound. It is also one of the first Teramaze songs that all members brought something to the songwriting table. Guest "Scream Vocalist" Erick Wight (from USA) added such a powerful performance to the song. I think all fans, old and new will really love this track."
The album features not only new songs, but also reimagined versions of some of their classics. Dalla Volta blend together old and new sounds to create something truly unique. You'll be transported to another dimension with their mind-bending riffs and complex time signatures.
Tracklisting:
"Navigate In Solitude"
"Chaos In The Way"
"These Crystal Walls"
"Shadows II" (Re-Imagined)
"The Heist"
"Waves" (Piano Version)
"Broken" (Piano Version)
"Weight of Humanity" (2017 Demo Version)
"From Saviour To Assassin" (2017 Demo Version)
"Fight or Flight" (2017 Demo Version)
"Are We Soldiers" (2017 Demo Version)
German metal legends Helloween performed at Monsters Of Rock 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 22nd at Allianz Parque. Fan-filmed video of their entire set is available below.
The setlist was as follows:
"Dr. Stein"
"Eagle Fly Free"
"Power"
"Ride The Sky"
"Heavy Metal (Is The Law)"
"Forever and One (Neverland)"
"If I Could Fly"
"Best Time"
"Future World"
"I Want Out"
Helloween will return to the US and Canada this spring as part of their ongoing United Forces world tour alongside supporting special guests, HammerFall.
The trek will commence on May 13 in Dallas, Texas and wind its way through a total of thirteen cities, the journey drawing to a close on June 3 in San Francisco, California.
Fans can expect an epic night of Helloween hits spanning the band’s legacy as well as tunes from their latest album, Helloween, marking the first time tracks from the album will be performed live for US and Canadian audiences.
Tickets are on sale now. Secure yours today, here. See all confirmed dates below.
Dates:
May
13 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
16 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
18 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
20 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
21 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
23 - Toronto, ON - History
24 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
26 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera
27 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
30 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
June
1 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
2 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
3 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
Heretic Plague’s “Briefcase Full Of Cutlery” video is available for streaming below. The song is found on the English grindcore duo’s caustic debut album, Context Is A Stumbling Corpse, out now on Selfmadegod Records.
Born on the fractured and hope-starved shores of the UK, Heretic Plague blends a wide range of influences into a savage cocktail of extremity, the band was created by guitarist/bassist Adam Watts, an original member of cult UK grind band Beef Conspiracy, joined by his former bandmate Tom Bradfield who provides vocals and beats for the project. Bradfield is also a member of the bands Repulsive Dissection, Twitch Of The Death Nerve, Infected Disarray, and operates the label Grindethic Records. Together, the duo introduces a vile brew of death-infused grind with horror aesthetics in the vein of Nasum, Cryptopsy, early Brutal Truth, and Pig Destroyer.
Context Is A Stumbling Corpse was recorded at Grindethic HQ, mixed and mastered by Tom Bradfield, and completed with artwork and layout by Bradfield and Midjourney
The new video for “Briefcase Full Of Cutlery” was filmed at Mill Hill Music Complex, with photography and direction by the band.
With its release, Bradfield states, “‘Briefcase Full Of Cutlery’ was one of the first tracks written by the band and the all-out death grind assault made it an obvious choice for our first promo clip. What do you keep in your briefcase? Well Heretic Plague keeps a selection of fine vintage cutlery, perfect for a bit of the old ultraviolence, and just the right fit for the average eye socket.”
Forty-five years young, British hard rock royalty, Girlschool, come out swinging with their 14th studio album, WTFortyfive?, a deliciously dirty declaration that age is a number that shows how much real raw attitude you have when it really counts. WTFortyfive? is set for release on July 28 via Silver Lining Music.
Lead single, “Are You Ready?”, sets the pace; a racy, raunchy, fun-saturated shape-shifter co-written with Alcatrazz’s Joe Stump that shows Girlschool’s leathers may still carry the well-baked battle scars of decades gone by, but their songs and attitude are as fresh, fun, heavy and catchy as ever before.
“The first new Girlschool music in nearly a decade! Powerful, heavy and with a great groove, this is the first single from our WTFortyfive? album! We think you’ll like it... Are You Ready? We are!" - Girlschool
As a nod to their fellow partners in crime, Girlschool release today the animated video for “Are You Ready?”, the video sequel to Alcatrazz’s “Don’t Get Mad… Get Even (feat. Girlschool)” taken from the upcoming Alcatrazz’s album Take No Prisoners (set for release May 19 via Silver Lining Music). Watch the “Are You Ready?" video, by Natalia Jonderko Śmiechowicz, below.
With WTFortyfive?, Kim McAuliffe (guitar/vocals), Denise Dufort (drums), Jackie Chambers (guitar/backing vocals) and Tracey Lamb (bass) leave the grit under their finger nails and the scuzz on their crusty leather boots as they riff and stomp their way through 12 statements of intent showing major attitude, some great melodies, and a consistent crunch to every guitar.
There’s the addictive mototörcharged scuzz of “It Is What It Is”, the Wandsworth via Sunset Strip sway of "Bump In The Night”, the youthful, punky romp of “Up To No Good” and the smart, sassy, rock ‘n’ roll hooks of “Believing In You”, with McAuliffe’s vocals sounding as sharp and raucous as ever. And if THAT isn’t enough, their raunch roars and rolls alongside Biff Byford (Saxon), Phil Campbell (Motörhead), and Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) on a cracking cover of “Born To Raise Hell”! So throw away your inhibitions and join these spectacularly wild women on the most glorious of rock ‘n’ roll rides. Lemmy knew, so should YOU!
WTFortyfive? will be released on 12” Vinyl, CD Digipak, Digital Download and Streaming and Special D2C bundles. Pre-order here
Head over to girlschool.tmstor.es for a chance to win a Girlschool WTFortyfive? custom made real leather jacket. T&Cs apply.
Tracklisting:
"It Is What It Is"
"Cold Dark Heart"
"Bump In The Night"
"Barmy Army"
"Invisible Killer"
"Believing In You"
"It’s A Mess"
"Into The Night"
"Are You Ready?" (feat. Joe Stump)
"Up To No Good"
"Party"
"Born To Raise Hell" (feat. Biff Byford, Phil Campbell & Duff McKagan)
Finnish death metal 3-piece, Fearmonger, has released its debut album, Singularity. Listen on Spotify, here. The band combines old-school HM-2 type filth with modern death metal, adding elements of grindcore and deathcore on top.
Fearmonger is a Helsinki-based trio consisting of Eetu Vehkaoja (bass, vocals) Roope Hokkanen (drums) and Atte Karm (guitar, vocals). The band was formed at the beginning of 2020, and the debut EP Ikaros was released in June 2020. Ikaros revolved around Covid-19 lyrically, while Singularity is thematically based around the rise of machines and artificial intelligence, as well as the impending doom of mankind, which have become more timely subjects than the band even anticipated when setting out to make this record with ChatGPT making its way to the mainstream and ChaosGPT gaining interest in wiping out humanity.
The EP was closer to the grindcore the band set out to make in the beginning, but for the debut album, baritone guitars and guttural vocals turned the boat around in a bit different direction, while still keeping some of the grindier style, perhaps most apparent on the track “Measures”, clocking in at 32 seconds.
“The bulk of the songs were composed fairly quickly, but the last year was spent on replacing the weakest songs to make the album more cohesive. We thought we stumbled upon something special with the sound of the album, so we wanted to make sure it’s the best it can be. The slammier direction and filthy breakdowns really opened some doors and allowed us to drop the more basic tracks completely from the record. The worst thing the album could have been was boring, so at less than 22 minutes, it checks all the marks we wanted to check." - Atte Karm
Singularity was made completely in-house, so to speak, with Atte Karm recording, mixing and mastering the self-released album and Eetu Vehkaoja directing and editing both music videos released this far. The album will be available on CD and cassette, in addition to streaming services. The physical releases can be pre-ordered here.
Tracklisting:
"Zenith Of Existence"
"Mechanic Convergence"
"Open The Gates"
"Measures"
"Mobilize"
"The Final Frontier"
"The King"
"The Colossal Price Of Hubris"
Having recently obliterated three venues during its almost instantly sold-out introductory U.K. headline tour, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, the extreme metal band founded by Simon Neil (BIFFY CLYRO) and Mike Vennart (BIFFY CLYRO live guitarist and solo artist, ex-OCEANSIZE),has shared a new music video for its debut track "Harvest". Directed by Nick Suchak, the clip features electrifying live footage from all three shows on the tour and captures the band's visceral and unpredictable onslaught.
EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, which recently signed with Roadrunner Records, also features the legendary Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MR. BUNGLE) on drums, with Naomi Macleod (BITCH FALCON) rounding out the live lineup on bass.
Bursting with aggression, "Harvest" sees Vennart's inventive, barbed riffs complementing Neil's feral vocal attack, with Lombardo's battering ram rhythms anchoring it all.
Commenting on the release, the band exclaimed: "Empires fall, States rise, Bastards sing…it's 'Harvest' time, motherfuckers!"
The idea behind EMPIRE STATE BASTARD emerged when Simon and Mike would spend downtime on tour sitting at the back of the bus sharing the heaviest, most avant-garde or the most sickeningly confrontational music they could find. When thoughts turned to making their own sonic wasteland, Simon already had the band name in mind, leaving Mike with a particularly grotesque challenge: what music could he write that would live up to the name?
It took around a decade to find both the time and ferocity to make it happen. With Mike writing the songs and recording all guitars, and Simon focused on vocals and lyrics, they eventually emerged with a collection of songs which adventurously probes almost every dark crevice imaginable from the myriad sounds of metal and genre-adjacent extremity.
EMPIRE STATE BASTARD's terrifying tourist trail visits slamming hardcore in the vein of SIEGE; frenetic, visceral thrash in SLAYER's ballpark; the claustrophobic sludge of MELVINS; the freeform vocal dexterity of Mike Patton; and the gargantuan stoner riffs of SLEEP. It's a band that’s rooted in the tradition of metal's forefathers, but informed by more recent waves of leftfield aggression.
Up next, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD is slated for a run of festival sets confirmed for this spring and summer at U.K.'s Download (June 9),France's Hellfest (June 18),U.K.'s 2000trees (July 7),Norway's Malakoff (July 21) and U.K.'s ArcTanGent (August 17).
Neil previously told NME that working on other projects, including EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, got him "through not touring — just knowing I can spend the year making new music."
He added: "I like putting myself in these positions where I'm like, 'I should never be doing this, so this is what I'm going to do.' I don't just want to do the same shit. Every time between records, I want to do something that's fucked up and off the wall. It brings me back to BIFFY, and I'm more in love with it now than I've ever been."
Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.
DISTURBED has shared the official music video for the song "Unstoppable". The track is taken from the band's eighth full-length album, "Divisive", which arrived last November via Reprise.
About "Divisive", DISTURBED singer David Draiman noted: "Partisan tribal warfare has become a part of our regular existence nowadays. It's one big battle of the cliques. The whole idea of the record is to be a wakeup call for everyone. Our society has become addicted to outrage. Music is the best cure for what ails us though. If only everyone reached out and used it. There's no better environment to forget about all of this shit than live music. We can be together and realize we have more in common than not. Recognize what's happening and let's make a change for the better."
Guitarist Dan Donegan added: "Whatever it takes, we've got to pull it together. We've always tried to take negative topics and spin them in a positive light. From touring around the world, we've seen the power of music as the universal language to bring everyone together from all walks of life. We can still play songs to unite people, and it's a pretty powerful feeling."
"Unstoppable" storms out of the gate on a jackhammer guitar riff, pummeling drums, and the band's signature staccato vocal phrasing in lockstep with a pulsating rhythm. This barrage crashes into a skyscraping stadium-ready refrain, "There's no escape. I am unstoppable."
Draiman elaborated: "'Unstoppable' is definitely one of the heavier tracks on the record. The groove builds into a bombastic animal. It's truly the fight song."
"We always have a big rock anthem on every album," Donegan commented. "We love to write empowering songs for motivation. We're avid sports fans, and that's definitely part of it. It's an in-your-face track, for sure."
"Divisive" pulls no punches as a precise, pummeling, and powerful hard rock opus. In early 2022, the quartet cut these ten tracks with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. After Donegan shared initial ideas with the rest of the group, they locked in like never before with the groove as the backbone. Drummer Mike Wengren bolted down some of the strongest and boldest rhythms of their career punctuated by John Moyer's punchy bass. Together, the musicians collectively conjured the focus and fire of their seminal early output augmented by airtight songcraft and a heightened level of musical chemistry that could only be forged by years of writing and touring together.
As a result, "Divisive" finds DISTURBED at their most dynamic, defiant, and dangerous. Breaking ground, it also notably marks the first time the band included a guest feature on an album, boasting the epic emotionally charged duet "Don't Tell Me" with HEART's Ann Wilson. Meanwhile, the likes of "Bad Man" and "Divisive" rank amongst the band's heaviest material. At the same time, they infuse the likes of "Won't Back Down" with uplifting melodies.
DISTURBED initially set the stage for the record with "Hey You", which came out in July 2022. The song spread like wildfire across airwaves, emerging as their 15th No. 1 single at rock radio.
The DISTURBED members subconsciously rallied around a shared vision for what would become "Divisive". After a period of dormancy in the midst of the global pandemic, the group finally congregated in early 2022. Dealing with the same frustrations for nearly two years, the guys followed a collective muse without question.
"We wanted to get heavy again," exclaimed Dan. "We'll always be melodic, but there's more attitude now. We're showcasing David's animalistic side again. It touches on our early days with modern elements."
David added: "After 25 years, we've begun to anticipate each other's direction. We were all hankering to get back to chunky goodness," he laughed.
In order to do so, the band tapped Fulk as producer. With members based around the country, they chose Nashville to record, cutting ten tracks in spring 2022.
"Once we finally did get in a room together, it felt so good," Dan recalled. "It was nice to get the ball rolling and have that outlet in the studio again. Throughout our lives, music has been our therapy — as it is for most people."
Fittingly, the group kicked off this phase with the opener "Hey You". Powered by menacing electronics, a bone-crushing riff, and undeniable chorus, it marked their 15th No. 1 hit at radio, completing their quickest rise to the top and setting the tone for what was to come.
"It's the quintessential rallying cry," noted David. "It's like, 'Hey you, do you realize what you're doing? Do you see you're your own worst enemy? How are we making mountains out of mole hills everywhere we go and looking for enemies where there are none?' It was the perfect way to start."
Then, there's "Bad Man". Ominous string orchestration echoes around a jagged riff as the verses snake into an incisively infectious chant. Pressing down on the whammy pedal, Dan rips a screeching cinematic guitar lead rife with razor-sharp shredding.
"From a lyrical perspective, says David. "There's no shortage of evil maniacs on the planet who take advantage of their positions of power and have unchecked narcissism and egomania that fuels their decisions though. There was damn sure plenty of inspiration in current world events."
On "Don't Tell Me", DISTURBED joins forces with none other than Wilson for an epic duet. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record. Clean guitar soundtracks the story of a long-term relationship in the middle of its last gasp. David and Ann engage in a call-and-response before locking into a skyscraping harmony as the solo reaches for the heavens.
"It was very personal to me," admitted Dan. "I was going through my divorce, and I wanted to touch on the fact I was in a very long marriage to a wonderful woman. She's a great mother to my kids. We were together for 18 years. Even though the marriage was in a tough spot, it was hard to leg go, because we'd invested so much into each other. I felt like listeners could relate to it."
"In my humble opinion, I think Ann is probably the greatest female rock voice of all time," David stated. "She's untouchable. We had connected on Twitter, and I sent her the song. She agreed to jump on it, and it was humbling to work with her. She was totally pro. Her vocals are mind-blowing. It was a gift. Out of ten tracks, we needed to take at least one left turn," he smiled.
The album reaches its cathartic conclusion with a final knockout blow on "Won't Back Down". As the guitars toss and turn, the chorus assures, "I won't back down from this fight."
They've never backed down though. Instead, DISTURBED has dominated hard rock on its own terms. Thus far, they have notched five consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200, occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land Of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence", to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards.
In the end, DISTURBED still wields the power to unite.
"We have a lot left in us," concluded Dan. "I know for certain I'm not done. We're always going to need an outlet for our personal sanity. I feel inspired every time we do a record. We bring the best out of one another. I'm just excited for what the future holds."
According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.
On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.
DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.
DISTURBED's 36-date "Take Back Your Life" spring/summer 2023 North American tour will kick off at Montreal's Bell Centre on April 27. The tour, produced by Live Nation, will feature support from THEORY OF A DEADMAN in Canada and very special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN and JINJER in select markets in the United States. "Take Back Your Life" will be DISTURBED's first full tour since 2018.
Cloak have released a video for "The Holy Dark", the new single from their upcoming album, Black Flame Eternal, out May 26 via Season Of Mist. Pre-order on Bandcamp, and watch the new clip below.
In an era that is designed to beat down and weaken the individual, Black Flame Eternal is an album that represents strength, empowerment, and total opposition. With mounting pressure to engage in modern societal tribalism, Cloak invokes a spiritual rebellion that exists beyond good and evil with album number three.
“All of our albums are created with a spiritual focus, dealing with how we see life, death, and everything in between. I think the earlier records dealt more with the mysteries that surrounded delving deeper into the world of dark spirituality, whereas the new material has taken what we’ve learned and used it to move forward with force,” says Cloak frontman Scott Taysom of the record’s underlying philosophy. “Black Flame Eternal is a statement of spiritual empowerment in every sense. For the first time we want people to grasp on to this sentiment, instead of keeping it completely personal within our world of Cloak. The themes and the sheer power can be felt much more within the songs that this album contains.”
“Our goal is complete spiritual liberation, which is where true power and freedom exists,” he adds. “We’ve reached a point in history where people are forced to pick a side or to join a team, so to speak. Cloak stands in complete opposition to this. We aim to be a giant middle finger in the face of the empty modern world.”
Tracklisting:
"Ethereal Fire"
"With Fury And Allegiance"
"Shadowlands"
"Invictus"
"Seven Thunders"
"Eye Of The Abyss"
"The Holy Dark"
"Heavenless"
"Black Flame Eternal"
"The Holy Dark" video:
"Invictus" video:
"Seven Thunders" lyric video:
While Cloak might rage against societal conventions, the Atlanta quartet embraces the rebellious and time-tested traditions of heavy metal. Whether it be the conjuring the chaotic spirit of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain and Dissection, summoning the deep, dark and sensual groove of Danzig, or evoking the raw speed and raucous energy of Motörhead, the influence of metal’s founding fathers is deep within Cloak’s DNA. Cloak’s charm, however, does not merely lie within its romanticism of the past, but rather is the way each of these genres has shaped Cloak’s own personal identity. And with Black Flame Eternal, the record sees Cloak continue to strengthen its own unique established sound.
Cloak is:
Scott Taysom - vocals/guitar
Max Brigham - guitar
Billy C. Robinson - bass
Sean Bruneau - drums
Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, in which he performs an acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "For The Greater Good Of God", featured on the band's 2006 album, A Matter Of Life And Death. Watch below:
Predatory Void have released a video for “Funerary Vision”, featured on their debut album, Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being, out now via Century Media Records. Watch below:
Predatory Void came to be when guitarist Lennart Bossu (Amenra, Oathbreaker) found himself writing material that wasn't really suited for Amenra. Lennart gathered a group of likeminded people living in the area of Ghent (BE) - including the versatile vocalist and tattoo artist Lina R - and soon after, the band was born, with Tim De Gieter (bass; Amenra, Doodseskader, Much Luv Studio), Thijs De Cloedt (guitar; Cobra The Impaler, ex-Aborted), and Vincent Verstrepen (drums). Predatory Void played their first show at the renowned Soulcrusher Festival (NL) alongside artists such as Ihsahn, Envy, Cave In and Heriot, creating a buzz within the scene. With an album's worth of material already written, they signed to Century Media Records for their worldwide debut.
With their signing announcement, Predatory Void also revealed their plans to perform said debut record - Seven Keys To The Discomfort Of Being - in full at Roadburn Festival 2023. The band comments: "We feel privileged to be granted the opportunity to present our debut album, 'Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being', in its entirety at Roadburn, one of the institutions that set the standard in the world of underground heavy music. The album contains some things that will be difficult to recreate live elsewhere, so this will definitely be a unique occasion. It will also be one of our very first live shows ever, so we can't imagine a better and more exciting start for a new band."
“Grovel”
“*(struggling..)”
“Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep”
“Seeds Of Frustration”
“The Well Within”
“Shedding Weathered Skin”
“Funerary Vision”
“Endless Return To The Kingdom Of Sleep” video:
Lineup:
Lina R - vocals
Lennart Bossu - guitar
Tim De Gieter - bass
Thijs De Cloedt - guitar
Vincent Verstrepen - drums
The Defiants recently announced their return with a new album, their third overall, Drive, on June 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch a video for the new single, "19 Summertime", below, and pre-order / save the new album here.
Formed by Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel, and Rob Marcello, who are all current or former members of beloved rockers Danger Danger, The Defiants' latest opus is yet another impeccable slice of melodic hard rock.
Best known for being the D2 vocalist on four studio albums over the course of 12 years, Paul Laine came back to work with his former bandmates Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello, who are the other two pillars of The Defiants, for the band’s self-titled debut in 2015.
The guys reunited at the suggestion of Frontiers' President & Head of A&R, Serafino Perugino, who really wanted these current and former Danger Danger members to offer fans of that band some new music. The resulting album was pleasing not only to the D2 fans, but also to ALL the fans out there who are into the classic sound of the era from which D2 emerged.
The Defiants' debut album was greeted with a great acclaim as a glorious return to the “in your face” melodic hard rock that enraptured millions of fans back in the '80s and '90s and is currently enjoying a renaissance here in the 21st century. Within the first two weeks of its release, the album entered Billboard's Heatseekers Chart in the Top 50. Also that same year, the album claimed the #1 position on Classic Rock Magazine’s ranking of best AOR albums of the year.
Their follow up album, Zokusho, was released to critical acclaim in 2019 and needless to say, it had all the ingredients to continue to thrill The Defiants' fans. A big melodic rock album with huge choruses, hooks, and soaring guitars and vocals.
Now, after another four year wait between albums, The Defiants return with Drive, perhaps their greatest musical achievement... so far.
Tracklisting:
"Hey Life"
"Go Big Or Go Home"
"19 Summertime"
"What Are We Waiting For"
"Miracle"
"Against The Grain"
"So Good"
"Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore"
"Another Time, Another Place"
"The Night To Remember"
"Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now"
"19 Summertime" video:
"Hey Life" lyric video:
The Defiants are:
Paul Laine: Vocals
Rob Marcello: Guitar
Bruno Ravel: Bass
Van Romaine: Drums
- Written by Paul Laine and Bruno Ravel
- Produced by: Bruno Ravel
IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson is taking part in a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates. The concerts are being performed by a symphony orchestra consisting of more than 80 instrumentalists conducted by Paul Mann, a close friend of Jon's, and assembled especially for the occasion with members of OSESP (Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo) and some of the country's main symphony groups. They are appearing alongside Kaitner Z Doka (JON LORD, IAN PAICE, DON AIREY) on guitar, Bernhard Welz (JON LORD, DON AIREY) on drums, John O'Hara (JETHRO TULL) on keyboards, Tanya O'Callaghan (WHITESNAKE) on bass and Mario Argandonia (SCORPIONS) on percussion.
Fan-filmed video of Dickinson performing a cover of DEEP PURPLE's "Burn" during the April 15 concert at Vibra São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.
In a video announcing the "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" shows, Dickinson said: "So I'm really excited to be doing this Concerto For Group And Orchestra all around the place — around Europe and in Brazil.
"Well, what is it exactly? Well, it's about a 45-minute piece of classical music that was written by Jon Lord from DEEP PURPLE involving a group; in this case, it was DEEP PURPLE," he explained. "And it's like a meeting of minds between a rock and roll band and an orchestra, and they play slightly separately, they play together. I'm basically just the singer in the part of the Concerto that is the singing part; that's basically part one of the show. Part two, we kind of really let our hair down a bit. There's a couple of more classical interactions between the band that's more instrumental, and then we do five PURPLE songs with the orchestra and the band, so 'Perfect Strangers', 'When A Blind Man Cries', obviously, 'Smoke On The Water', 'Hush' and 'Pictures Of Home', which is a rarity and it's amazing with the orchestra. And then we're also gonna do something a little bit special. We've done an orchestral arrangement of my version of 'Jerusalem' and also 'Tears Of The Dragon' with the orchestra and the band. So, those two are gonna be in there at end — no particular order at the moment. So it's a really good, amazing evening of fantastic playing by incredible musicians. And that's what it is — it's music."
Bruce previously performed "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2021 in Győr, Hungary with DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover and the Győr Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he performed at the 50th-anniversary celebration of "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2019 at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
When the Quebec City concert was first announced, Dickinson said: "As many people know, DEEP PURPLE have been a major, ongoing influence in my life since I was a teenager, and down the years, I have been fortunate enough to become good friends with all of the band, most especially in my collaborations with Jon Lord."
Added Mann: "My long collaboration with Jon Lord, and in particular his innovative, genre-defying 'Concerto', has been one of the greatest joys of my musical life. Jon's spirit will definitely be with us."
During a September 2018 spoken-word gig in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dickinson talked about his friendship with Lord. He said: "Jon Lord was a wonderful gentleman, and we were close friends. And he sadly died of… He had pancreatic cancer, but he survived for a year and a half — much against what everybody had said would happen. And actually, at the end, he didn't die of pancreatic cancer — he died, unfortunately, of some terrible blood collapse that happened with him, possibly as a result of treatment. But we had all kinds of crazy plans, including me going out on tour with him, singing DEEP PURPLE songs with an orchestra, which he was planning to do; that was one of the things we were planning to do. But it all got interrupted and canceled, and [it was] obviously very sad. He was a wonderful man."
Lord died on July 16, 2012 at age 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Lord, who was known for his keyboard virtuosity and his reinvention of the Hammond B-3 organ sound, co-wrote such PURPLE classics as "Smoke On The Water" and "Child In Time", among others. Lord and drummer Ian Paice were the only original members to last through the band's initial run from 1968 to 1976. He was on board for their 1984 reunion and stayed on through to his 2002 retirement from the band, after which he worked primarily in the classical field.
Europe guitarist John Norum released his latest solo album, Gone To Stay, in 2022. Below is the official video for the new single, "Calling". It was directed by Patric Ullaeus.
The Berlin-based symphonic metal band Dying Phoenix takes us into the world of George R.R. Martin (Game Of Thrones) and his seven kingdoms.
"Dead Faces Blue" takes the listener to the Great Wall and its brave Night's Watch and at the same time, upon closer listening, it is the title track from the upcoming album, Winter Is Coming. The album will be released on May 26th via El Puerto Records. It is written by vocalist Pat St. James and producer Oliver Palotai (Kamelot).
With the special mixture of three different vocal characters, Dying Phoenix form an exceptional constellation in symphonic metal. The powerful tenor of singer Pat St. James, the powerful voice of soprano Erica Bianca, and the exceptional voice of Moran Magal form the basic framework of this band. The voices are carried by the instrumentalists Lea Ciara Czullay on guitar, Lucas Zacharias on drums, Rhavin Grobert on bass and Moran Magal, who handles the keyboards and pianos. The album was produced by Oliver Palotai (Kamelot), who also composed the songs. The lyrics were written by St. James and Palotai.
Tracklist:
"Valar Morghulis" (Intro)
"Weaver of Lies"
"Who Owns the North"
"Saturnine Days"
"Mother of Dragons"
"All Men Must Die"
"Dead Faces Blue"
"All for the Throne"
"Attack the Wall"
"Deep Down Below"
"The Wild"
"Valar Dohaerys" (Outro)
"Weaver Of Lies"
"Mother Of Dragons"
Line-Up:
Pat St. James – Vocals
Erica Bianca – Vocals
Moran Magal – Vocals, Keyboards, Piano
Lea Ciara Czullay – Guitars
Rhavin Grobert – Bass
Lucas Zacharias - Drums
Fan-filmed video of Marty Friedman's entire April 10 concert at the Irving Plaza in New York City can be seen below.
The former MEGADETH guitarist spent most of March and early April touring the U.S. as the support act for QUEENSRŸCHE.
Marty's run of shows with QUEENSRŸCHE wrapped on April 16 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.
Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.
Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.
Øâåöèÿ
Vypera![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Ãåðìàíèÿ
Àâñòðàëèÿ
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
Ôèíëÿíäèÿ
ÑØÀ
Áåëüãèÿ
Èòàëèÿ
