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.
Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY have shared the official music video for the title track of their latest studio album, "Dying Of Everything". The clip was filmed by Natalie Wood, with additional filming by OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy and Josh "BooBoo" Richardson and editing by Frank Huang (Max Volume Silence).
OBITUARY comments: "As we are working on the setlist, rehearsing the songs and gearing up for the U.S. tour, the band is proud to unveil the new music video for the title track. Filmed during the European tour, we love the fact that it is footage shot night after night in multiple cities and countries. This 'Dying Of Everything' music video is just the way we like it…live, raw and real."
"Dying Of Everything" came out on January 13 via Relapse Records.
Donald recently told Metal Wani about "Dying Of Everything": "Somehow magically all the stars lined up for us. We took a long time writing this record. We don't ever force ourselves into songs; we let the songs find us. But once we really got down to it and started writing and putting the songs together, we were excited right from the beginning. We were, like, 'Holy shit, man. We've got something going on here.' And then, of course, when we were done with the recording, the actual tracking of the songs, we sent it to our boy Joe Cincotta, and he's been our live engineer for 15 years, but he's also done the last three albums with OBITUARY at his studio up there in New York City, Full Force Studios. So, just perfect chemistry we've got going on right now. The band's on fire. I think we played our instruments well. We played clean on this record, which makes engineers' lives very easy. It was very easy, from what Joe said, to produce this album 'cause we handed him product that was heavy but clean and well performed. So [I'm] super, super stoked on this album."
Regarding OBITUARY's long-running working relationship with Cincotta, Donald told Invisible Oranges: "This is our fifth album that we've recorded at our studio, so we've learned a lot over the years. With this one, we knew that we had great songs. We had plenty of time to hone our skills on them and to make sure they were exactly what we want before I even hit record. Drum-wise, I knew everything I wanted. I knew every accent, cymbal punch, fills, small fills, little stops, endings of songs. I knew everything that I wanted. I just wanted to go in there and play it clean.
"When we handed the files over to Joe, we hired him because we trust him because he's a master at what he does," he explained. "All I asked him to do was… I'm proud of my snare drum sound. I love the sound of my drum kit. Just keep it as real as you possibly can and do your magic. I didn't want everything sound replaced. There's no reason to do that with OBITUARY. We play our instruments well, we play them clean, especially the drums. And I tried to keep it as real sounding as a drum kit can sound."
Last year, Decibel Books released "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary", the fully authorized biography of OBITUARY. The book was written by David E. Gehlke, author of "Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records" and "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost".
British death metal legends Benediction have uploaded some live action from their first show in Costa Rica, which took place on April 15th, 2023. Enjoy "Scriptures In Scarlet".
"Scriptures In Scarlet" appears on Scriptures, the eighth studio album from Benediction, released in 2020 via Nuclear Blast.
"Iterations Of I"
"Scriptures In Scarlet"
"The Crooked Man"
"Stormcrow"
"Progenitors Of A New Paradigm"
"Rabid Carnality"
"In Our Hands, The Scars"
"Tear Off These Wings"
"Embrace The Kill"
"Neverwhen"
"The Blight At The End"
"We Are Legion"
Finnish rockers Ode In Black will be releasing their sophomore album Into The Dark later this year via Rockshots Records.
Today, the band is excited to share "Until We Fall", the first single off the record.
The band adds:
"This one was written pretty late in the game, but we always knew it would be the first single. The first version was more the early 2000s riff-oriented, but we hired a renowned producer to do some pre-production, to make it sound heavier. He was from Germany, where heavy pretty much equals Rammstein, so the song got a kind of Rammstein make-over. We had to draw the line in singing in German, since I guess none of us speak German very well, let alone sing in German. Is it even possible, or do they just angrily shout out words like orders? Anyway, the solos were dropped and the song structure was stripped to its bare bones. The result isn’t half bad; the song is heavy and very straightforward. It feels like a massive post-apocalyptic nuclear train that keeps on going full blast from the beginning until it suddenly hits a mountain and reaches its inevitable end.
“I guess the song is about how everything eventually goes to shit, or if not, at least you die. In the end, we’re all dying alone anyway, unless you decide to take all your enemies with you, but maybe that’ll be a different song… In a way, life is just a prelude to death, an extended foreplay of sorts. The song also takes on the duality of man; there are no white or black hats, and nobody’s really a saint or pure evil. It’s all just different shades of gray, and as life goes on, the gray parts slowly start to turn darker. But just like life, the song has got its headbanging moments."
Ode In Black is a rock band from Kuopio, Finland. The band consists of Pasi Mäenpää (vocals), Iiro Saarinen (guitars and backing vocals), Juhani Saarinen (guitars), Ville Puustinen (bass), and Taisto Ristivirta (drums). The band has been in its current line-up since 2015. Ode In Black relies on tight playing, gritty riffs, and catchy choruses. At times, their music may display influences from Finnish melancholic metal, while at other times, they pay homage to ‘80 glam rock.
After releasing their first EP Goodbye in 2014, the band spent the next years touring all over Finland and spreading the word of their melancholic metal. In 2017 the band began working on their first full-length album. In the summer of 2017 the band released two singles “The Sea In Which We Drown” and “The Lone Wolf”. 2018 blasted off with the band’s debut full-length album Seeds Of Chaos.
During the Covid years, the band has evolved heavier and darker than before. Their follow-up album Into The Dark will be released later in 2023.
"Compared to our debut album Seeds Of Chaos this one’s a bit more mature & polished. The songs sound bigger, better, and maybe also a bit heavier. At least that was one of our goals. It’s a step into something new for sure. There are more electronic elements and the songs are way more simple than before due to having done pre-production with an outside producer. But in the end, the songs are written by us and do sound like Ode In Black. I guess it’s growth, or it might be some kind of a tumor, who knows. There’s also a plethora of faster songs than on Seeds Of Chaos. It happened organically; playing the Seeds Of Chaos songs live, we felt that we needed some faster material to cause some serious neck injuries to the crowd. In a way the album’s a step into the dark for us, hence the album title Into The Dark," adds the band.
UNESCO “Artist of Peace” designees The Hu have become a global sensation with their groundbreaking blend of traditional Mongolian throat singing and native instrumentation with modern western rock which they describe as “hunnu rock.” Their namesake, “Hu,” corresponds to the root of the word “human being” in Mongolian and represents their commitment to spread awareness for cultural diversity, respect for nature and equality for humankind throughout their music. To celebrate World Earth Day (April 22), The Hu have announced plans to plant 12,000 Siberian Elm trees in the desert-barren area of Southeastern Mongolia in the shape of their logo--a one-horned leopard, based off an ancient symbol used by the Hun tribes.
The LandArt campaign is in partnership with the environmental institution, SHAMBALE2056 Engineering Campus, LLC, which has been relentlessly working in the area on several restoration projects and eco-friendly irrigation and energy systems. The trees being planted are Siberian Elms due to their strong root system and low water requirements which will help fight the rapid deforestation of the Gobi because of sandstorms and climate change. Digging efforts will begin in May and The Hu will offer fans the opportunity to purchase a tree to help fund the cause, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
To further commemorate World Earth Day, The Hu have shared the English-translated lyric video for their environment-focused single “Mother Nature,” taken from the forthcoming deluxe version of their 2022 album Rumble Of Thunder due June 30 via Better Noise Music.
“Everyone in this world belongs to a mother and this song narrates the similarities between one’s relationship with their mother and the connection between humans and the Earth,” describes The Hu. “In a way, Earth is another mother that bore us to this world. In Mongolia, mothers are highly regarded and respected and we believe that even after death, their soul protects their child as their love is limitless.”
To date, The Hu have amassed over 329 million combined streams across digital platforms, 290 million video views, two Top 5 Mainstream Rock charting radio singles, sold-out worldwide headlining tours and appearances at the world’s biggest music festivals (Download, Coachella, Lollapalooza). For the Rumble Of Thunder: Deluxe Album, which is currently on preorder, the band will add four acoustic renditions and three newly recorded singles featuring guest appearances and English vocals from some of the genre’s top acts including William DuVall (Alice In Chains), Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), LP and DL (Bad Wolves). Preorder now digitally or physically on CD and vinyl at this location.
Catch The Hu on tour this summer across the UK & Europe including festival appearances at Glastonbury, Download and Hellfest followed by a jaunt to North America in the fall for Louder Than Life and Aftershock.
Dates:
June
7 - Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock
8 - Interlaken, Switzerland - Greenfield Festival
10 - Southampton, UK – Southampton Guildhall
11 - Donington, UK – Download Festival
13 - Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy Liverpool
14 - Bristol, UK – O2 Academy Bristol
16 - Landgraaf, Netherlands – Pinkpop 2023
17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
20 - Lille, France – L’Aeronef
21 - Norwich, UK – University of East Anglia
22 - Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow
23 - Newcastle, UK – NX Newcastle
27 - Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp
28 - Strasbourg, France – La Laiterie Artefact
30 - Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter 2023
July
2 - Helsinki, Finland – Festival Helsinki
4 - Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 26
5 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
6 - Aix-les-bains, Framce – Musilack 2023
8 - Madrid, Spain – Mad Cool Festival 2023
10 - Marseille, France – Espace Julien
12 - Munich, Germany – Backstage Werk
13 - Dresden, Germany – Alter Schlachtohf
15 - Wroclaw, Poland – Center Concert A2
16 - Vizovice, Czech Republic – Masters of Rock
17 - Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Park
20 - Bontida, Romania – Electric Castle Festival
22 - Nordfjordeid, Norway – Malakoff Festival
September
23 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
The Devil Wears Prada — Mike Hranica [vocals], Jeremy DePoyster [vocals, guitar], Mason Nagy [bass], Kyle Sipress [guitar], Jonathan Gering [keys, synthesizers], and Giuseppe Capolupo [drums] — will release the deluxe edition of their eighth album Color Decay on May 5 via Solid State. Preorder here.
The expanded version will be available digitally and on vinyl. It will include 10 additional tracks — a treasure trove that features two new songs, acoustic versions of Color Decay favorites, live renditions, and remixes.
Today, the band has shared the video for the additional song "Ignorance."
"This track came about near the very end of the Color Decay sessions," the band shares. "We had almost wrapped the record when Kyle cooked up the original demo for it, and we knew it was something special! We are stoked that it's finally getting released and that we can continue our expansion of the Color Decay universe."
The band continues, "Writing and producing 'Ignorance' was like an experiment in what we can do as The Devil Wears Prada. We are always trying to push our creative boundaries, and this track delivers that with a combination of things you wouldn't expect from us, like an acoustic intro, a guitar solo, and a bunch of hyperpop synths."
April
22 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag
23 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
25 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
26 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
28 - Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore Minneapolis
29 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
30 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
May
2 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
3 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
5 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
6 - Richmond, VA - The National
7 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
9 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
11 - Montreal, QC - MTelus
12 - Quebec, QC - Theatre Capitole
Kingdom Collapse has partnered with Oxide Records for the release of their new single, “Anything” out today, April 21. The band has also released the official music video for the single that features none other than Disturbed’s John Moyer.
The new single has already received early love from SiriusXM Octane, 99.5 KISS San Antonio, LA Lloyd’s Rock 30, and several other national radio stations. Stream “Anything” here.
Alongside the release of their new single, the band has upcoming appearances on several of this year’s biggest rock festivals, including Rockfest and another that is still to be announced.
Kingdom Collapse has been touring viciously, playing with bands such as Three Days Grace, Nothing More, From Ashes To New, Fire From The Gods, Adelitas Way, and more.
Melbourne-based blackened deathcore group Mélancolia share their video for “God Tongue” and unleash hell on debut album, HissThroughRottenTeeth, out now and streaming everywhere via Greyscale Records and Nuclear Blast Records.
Mélancolia’s debut album, HissThroughRottenTeeth immerses listeners in a torturous tale of birth, life and death. HissThroughRottenTeeth follows a fallen deity, cast down from a godly realm and met with the punishment of reincarnating as a human with a wealth of knowledge yet stripped entirely of power.
“Essentially the album is about the pain of existence and how we get no say in coming into this world,” says vocalist and songwriter Alex Hill.
The album traverses different stages of the deity’s miserable existence, doomed to repeat a painful cycle for all of eternity. Mélancolia sink their teeth into their monstrous storyline with eerie passages, guttural deliveries, and grotesque visuals, dispensing pure dread through their music.
After establishing themselves just last year with the single "Horror_Ethereal," the band announced in February their signing to both Greyscale Records for Australia and New Zealand and Nuclear Blast for the rest of the world. Mélancolia may be fresh out the gates but they're miles from the start line as the four-piece have crafted a unique sound that has already catapulted them to new heights.
Mélancolia unveiled their second single [Inure] alongside their album announcement in early March, which invited listeners into Mélancolia’s world of unease and doom, thematically inspired by sadomasochism and how it's often used as a tactic to feel after experiencing a sense of numbness for so long.
"God Tongue" becomes the latest video to shed from HissThroughRottenTeeth, sharing eerie visuals of a mortal monstrosity. The track observes organized religion and condemns those who follow for the wrong reasons.
Mélancolia echo a tormented entity trapped within the claws of despair, angst, and unnerving melancholy. Like messengers of darkness, Alex Hill takes his place at the forefront as vocalist, Joshua Taafe and Billy Morris join the fold as guitarists with Mason Page on drums. Storming through the gates of 2023 with a vengeance, Mélancolia played their first-ever show with Thy Art Is Murder on their Decade Of Hate Australian Tour in January alongside Starve and Justice For The Damned.
New York City's Tanith - Russ Tippins (guitars, vocals), Cindy Maynard (bass, vocals), and Keith Robinson (drums) - have released their new album, Voyage, via Metal Blade. The album was recorded and mastered on 24-track analog tape and has never been digitized from recording to pressing. Also, fans will recognize Tippins from NWOBHM legends, Satan.
Today, the band has shared the video for "Flame". "To us, 'Flame' is a standout track," the band says. "Firstly, it's written in a major key, which isn't too common in metal these days, and, Cindy plays keys on the intro! Although the lyrical theme is pretty dark, we made sure to keep the music upbeat and positive. We really had the best time making this video at Saint Vitus... enjoy!"
Voyage is available digitally, on CD, and via multiple vinyl variants. Order here.
Tracklisting:
"Snow Tiger"
"Falling Wizard"
"Olympus by Dawn"
"Architects of Time"
"Adrasteia"
"Mother of Exile"
"Seven Moons (Galantia Part 2)"
"Flame"
"Never Look Back"
One Desire have released Live With The Shadow Orchestra, a live concert extravaganza featuring the band performing with a symphony orchestra, The Shadow Orchestra (Wasa Sinfonietta), led by conductor Ville Mankkinen.
”What makes this whole thing special is that it is rather like watching a movie than watching just a regular live show. We really took the long road with this production,” says guitarist Jimmy Westerlund.
Watch a performance of the song, "Rio", below, and order/save Live With The Shadow Orchestra on CD+DVD, Blu-ray, Limited Edition Color LP, and Digital here. Please note, the LP release date will be August 4.
Combining energy, powerful vocals, fantastic guitar solos, and catchy choruses, One Desire is one of Finland's most prominent rock bands. They have released two internationally acclaimed albums, their self-titled debut and follow-up, Midnight Empire, and performed several European tours.
Filmed in Vaasa, Elisa Stadium in the summer of 2022, Live With The Shadow Orchestra was aired on YLE TV in Finland in late December of the same year and will now be available on CD/DVD, Blu-ray, and Vinyl on April 21. The audio will also be available on all digital music platforms.
One Desire is currently working on the recording of their upcoming third studio album.
CD/LP tracklisting:
"Never Gonna Stop"
"Apologize"
"Heroes"
"Through The Fire"
"After You’re Gone"
"Rio"
"This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins"
"Shadowman"
"Whenever I’m Dreaming"
"Hurt"
"Buried Alive"
DVD/Blu-ray tracklisting:
Intro
"Never Gonna Stop"
"Apologize"
"Heroes"
"Through The Fire"
"After You’re Gone"
"Rio"
"This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins"
"Shadowman"
"Whenever I’m Dreaming"
"Hurt"
"Buried Alive"
"Down And Dirty" (credits)
"Rio" live video:
"Never Gonna Stop" live video:
"Through The Fire" live video:
Lineup:
André Linman - lead vocals, guitars
Jimmy Westerlund - guitars, vocals
Ossi Sivula - drums
Jonas Kuhlberg - bass
Johnny Nordström - keyboards, background vocals
Geir Rönning - guest vocals on "Hurt"
Wasa Sinfonietta Symphony Orchestra
Finland's Stratovarius performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in 2022. Professionally-filmed footage of the band performing the tracks "Black Diamond", "Unbreakable", and "Hunting High And Low", can be viewed below:
Stratovarius released Survive, their first album in seven years, in September 2022. It is available here.
Tracklisting:
"Survive"
"Demand"
"Broken"
"Firefly"
"We Are Not Alone"
"Frozen in Time"
"World on Fire"
"Glory Days"
"Breakaway"
"Before the Fall"
"Voice of Thunder"
Legendary Connecticut-based power-thrashers, Sacred Oath, have posted a live video for “Return Of The Dragon” in advance of their summer dates in the northeast US. The band is currently on their 35th Anniversary Tour celebrating 35 years since the release of their cult-classic debut, A Crystal Vision.
“We’re looking forward to a handful of dates this summer,” says singer Rob Thorne. “It’s about all we can manage, but it will be great to get out there again and perform for the Oathbangers. We’re headlining all the shows so we‘ll deliver a good 100+ minute set. Lots of cuts from “Crystal”, Darkness”, “World On Fire”, “Ravensong” … pretty much everything, and of course “Return Of The Dragon”."
Dates are scheduled for New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island beginning Saturday, April 29 at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, NY. Ticket and venue information can be found on the band’s website, here.
ATREYU has released a music video for the song "God/Devil". The track is taken from the band's latest EP, "The Hope Of A Spark", which came out on April 14 via Spinefarm. The clip was directed by ATREYU bassist Marc "Porter" McKnight.
"God/Devil" laments a loss of identity, self and faith, a desperate cry for help from a higher power when the greatest power is already within.
"'God/Devil' represents the intense feeling of hopelessness that leaves us as humans feeling so helpless and scared that we reach for anything that will help us alleviate the pain/sadness we are going through," said ATREYU. "When life shows its saddest darkest side, we desperately reach for anything we can grasp to help us, and 'God/Devil' is the audible version of that."
The four-track EP embodies everything that ATREYU has come to be, to mean, to represent, marking the beginning of the next chapter in the band's story, with assorted pieces of an expansive puzzle still taking shape, form, and focus.
Produced by longtime collaborator John Feldmann, the new music explores reflection and rumination on the pressures, pleasures, and pains of modern life with each track representing a snapshot of deeply personal lived and shared experiences.
"The overarching concept is essentially about the seasons of life," frontman Brandon Saller explains. "Everyone goes through the same things, the ups, and downs of life. The emphasis really is the importance of at least respecting those, and finding the positives and the lessons from even your lowest moments."
The opening track "Drowning" was written as a collective effort from each bandmember who poured their own experiences, be it familial health problems that guitarist Dan Jacobs was shouldering to Saller's first encounters with feelings of anxiety, or McKnight's long-running fight with depression. The second track, "God/Devil", laments a loss of identity, self, and faith, a desperate cry for help from a higher power, when our greatest power is one we need to find within, following, "Capital F", which was inspired by Saller's observations of the human plight he saw in his local community.
"We draw strength from each other and give each other the space and support to be the best, most creative person we can be," Jacobs explains. "And together, right now, that makes us the best band we've ever been."
ATREYU will kick off "The Hope Of A Spark" headlining tour on April 27 in Sacramento at Ace of Spades with a one-off date supporting KAYZO on May 6 in Los Angeles and concluding on May 21 in Denver at the Gothic Theatre. All dates are with special guests POINT NORTH, WITHIN DESTRUCTION and LYLVC.
ATREYU ushered in a new movement in heavy music. Their music seamlessly intertwines with formative experiences for a diverse legion of dedicated listeners, many of whom started their own bands. They've broken into the Top 10 in the Billboard 200 more than once; two of their albums, "The Curse" and "Lead Sails Paper Anchor", are certified gold with two million albums sold worldwide and an encompassing 600 million streams. Their most recent album, "Baptize", has clocked 65 million streams alongside a Top 10 at rock radio hit with "Warrior" featuring Travis Barker.
Where once the band was heralded as the early innovators of the nascent metalcore scene, their place in heavy music's diverse and boundary-breaking scene has never felt more relevant, with inspirations of pop-punk, hardcore, thrash, '80s rock, and more melding into a unique and varied sound that has never felt more relevant than in today's increasingly genreless world.
With a 20-year career and eight acclaimed albums in the rear-view mirror, ATREYU in 2023 is focused only on the present and the future, and a mission to continue shaping and defining the rock and metal scene, just as they have always done since their emergence from Huntington Beach in Southern California.
AXS TV has reissued the video below, in which Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles, and Sammy Hagar perform "Hotel California" in Las Vegas. Felder was the lead guitarist for The Eagles from 1974 to 2001.
Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir recently announced the lineup for the eighth annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure benefit concert on Saturday, May 13.
In celebration of the event's return home to the Fillmore in San Francisco for the first time post-Covid, Sammy's brought together a star-studded lineup that's heavy on music icons from The City by the Bay (in alphabetical order): Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Chris Isaak, Vic Johnson, Taj Mahal, Don Was, Bob Weir, Nancy Wilson + surprise guests.
Sammy and Bob will reteam to host the event for a third time, in addition to performing. Benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF's Benioff Children's Hospital, Acoustic-4-A-Cure 2023 is set to deliver true once-in-a-lifetime musical moments and collaborative jams that the concert event has become synonymous with.
Sammy Hagar said: "I'm thrilled that we're back for an eighth year and back home at the Fillmore in San Francisco where it all began. Most of all I'm so grateful to my friends and partners who lend their unconditional support year after year. We're able to produce an arena level show at an intimate venue and keep the ticket prices affordable because these incredible artists donate their time and deliver unbelievable performances so all of the profits can go directly to an incredible cause. That's my kind of philanthropy!"
Now in its eighth year, Acoustic-4-A-Cure has quickly become one of the year's hottest tickets, with legendary artists performing acoustic sets, epic collaborations, and impromptu jams from the stages of intimate and storied San Francisco venues like The Fillmore. The benefit was created by Bay Area rock legends Sammy Hagar and James Hetfield, whose vision was to raise needed funds and awareness for the pediatric cancer research by throwing a must-see concert for fans and donating all the proceeds to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. In past years, artists including Michael Anthony, Billie Joe Armstrong, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Jerry Cantrell, Kevin Cronin, Melissa Etheridge, Mick Fleetwood, Dave Grohl, Sammy Hagar, Taylor Hawkins, James Hetfield, Vic Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Tommy Lee, Taj Mahal, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Pat Monahan, Linda Perry, Chad Smith, Adam Sandler, Joe Satriani, Joe Satriani, Rick Springfield, Bob Weir, Nancy Wilson have lent their support with truly remarkable performances.
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront of scientific discovery, with more than 150 experts in 50 medical specialties serving patients throughout Northern California and beyond. The hospital admits about 5,000 children each year, including 2,000 babies born in the hospital.
UCSF Medical Center is recognized throughout the world as a leading academic medical center that provides innovative treatments, uses advanced technology, fosters collaboration among clinicians and scientists, and employs a highly compassionate team of doctors, nurses and staff.
Pennsylvania progressive death metal band Rivers Of Nihil had quite a year in 2022. After the release of their fourth album, The Work, towards the end of 2021, the group spent the majority of their time burning the candle at both ends with a frenzied tour schedule including headline runs of the U.S. and Europe and in support of The Contortionist, but once the latter tour wrapped up, they were short a band member.
For personal reasons, founding member and lead vocalist Jake Dieffenbach and the band went their separate ways. The split took place just three days after the recording of a live video and audio session for Audiotree’s new 'From Nothing' series. And while initially the band wasn't sure how to approach the release with the departure of a founding member and lead singer — or whether to release it at all — they decided to move forward with it to honor Dieffenbach's contributions to the group over the years and mark the beginning of a new chapter.
So, for Audiotree’s second installment of 'From Nothing', presented to you is the end of an era and the beginning of something new for Rivers Of Nihil. The session features live performances and interviews diving into the band's creative process and recent work. Check it out now here.
Guitarist Brody Uttley comments; "We’ve been big fans of the Audiotree catalog for many years now, so when Austin from Audiotree asked us if we’d be interested in being part of a new series they were doing we said ‘yes' immediately."
"Additionally, you will notice that Jake is performing with us. This shoot took place just a few days before our split with him as our vocalist, so rather than burying this project (since we are now no longer working together), we decided to release it as a finale to the chapter of the band that he spent with us."
"The time when this was filmed was one of the most strenuous in our band, both from a personal standpoint and simply because we were playing so many shows at that time nonstop. The morning that we filmed the Audiotree piece we had driven through the night from the previous gig to arrive in Chicago early enough to film with Audiotree in the morning and still make it to our show later that day with The Contortionist."
"This is the most accurate picture of our band working ourselves to the bone. A lot of what is said in the documentary still applies to where things are going, but this video definitely captures the essence of where the band was at, in late September of 2022."
"Finally, we just wrapped up a recording session that birthed a ton a new music that you will be hearing much sooner than you think, featuring our previous bassist / backup vocalist Adam Biggs as the new lead vocalist (and bassist) as well as Andy Thomas’ first appearance on record with us as a member of Rivers Of Nihil. We will be continuing as a four piece and we simply cannot wait to show you what this sounds like."
Catch Rivers Of Nihil live this summer when they hit the road with Between The Buried And Me and Thank You Scientist. Tour kicks off on June 16th in Charleston, SC at Music Farm and wraps up on July 31st in Winston-Salem, NC at The Ramkat. Tour dates below.
"We’re super honored and excited to be a part of the upcoming Parallax II 10th anniversary tour! BTBAM are one of my all-time favorite bands so you know the Rivers boys and I will be bringing our A-game and a setlist full of our best material (maybe even some new stuff). We’re also stoked to share the stage with the uber-talented Thank You Scientist, so I think it’s safe to say this will easily be one of the best prog-metal shows of the year, so don’t miss out," says vocalist / bassist Adam Biggs.
Rivers Of Nihil with Between The Buried And Me and Thank You Scientist:
June
16 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
17 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
18 - Philadelphia, PA - Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
20 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
21 - Albany, NY - Empire Live
22 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *Rivers Of Nihil only
23 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
24 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
25 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
27 - Millvale, PA - Mr Smalls Theatre
28 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic
29 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
30 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
July
1 - Minneapolis, MN - The Lyric at Skyway Theatre
2 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman
3 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
5 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
6 - Billings, MT - Pub Station (Taproom) *Rivers of Nihil only
7 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
8 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall
10 - Vancouver, BC - The Vogue Theatre
11 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
12 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
13 - Sacramento, CA - Ace Of Spades
14 - Bakersfield, CA - 1933 *Rivers Of Nihil only
15 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
16 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory - North Park
17 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theatre
19 - Odessa, TX - The Ector Theatre *Rivers Of Nihil only
20 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center
21 - Dallas, TX The Factory in Deep Ellum
22 - Houston, TX Warehouse Live
23 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
25 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag
26 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
28 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
29 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham
30 - Atlanta, GA - Heaven at The Masquerade
31 - Winston-Salem, NC - The Ramkat
Âåëèêîáðèòàíèÿ
Bruce Dickinson
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif){kind=small}
Øâåöèÿ
Ãåðìàíèÿ
ÑØÀ
Ôèíëÿíäèÿ
Ìîíãîëèÿ
Àâñòðàëèÿ
Èòàëèÿ
