In the video below from AXS TV, Sammy Hagar heads on down to Cabo San Lucas, where he visits his infamous Cabo Wabo Cantina. There, he takes the stage with bandmates from The Circle - including musicians like Van Halen's Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham - to play "I Can't Drive 55".
Sammy Hagar & The Circle recently released their new album, Crazy Times. In the track-by-track video below, the band discuss the song, "Be Still":
A message from Hagar states: "The kind of singer I am I have to relate to the lyrics that's why I've always written my own lyrics 99% of the time. But when I read these words it was like the song I hadn't written yet I felt that close to the lyrics so the music came easy. I love this song."
Crazy Times is available via UMe on CD/Digital. It will be issued on vinyl on October 28. Order the new album here.
Tracklisting:
"Intro: The Beginning Of The End"
"Slow Drain"
"Feed Your Head"
"Pump It Up"
"Be Still"
"You Get What You Pay For"
"Crazy Times"
"Funky Feng Shui"
"Father Time"
"Childhoods End"
"2120" (bonus track)
"Father Time" - Acoustic Demo (bonus track)
JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined country legend Dolly Parton on stage last night (Saturday, November 5) at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony to perform her classic song "Jolene". Also appearing with them as part of a "super jam" performance were some of the other Rock Hall inductees, including Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox and DURAN DURAN's Simon Le Bon.
Video of the performance can be seen below, courtesy of the YouTube channel Jrodconcerts Media.
Back in February, when PRIEST's third nomination for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was announced, Halford told Billboard that, "I must do a duet with Dolly Parton! … If Lionel [Richie] and PRIEST get in, I think we'll both be dancing on the ceiling together."
Halford had previously revealed he is a huge fan of Dolly, and had planned to take a photo with her at the ceremony.
"I'm going to force her to, even if she doesn't know who I am," he told Metal Crypt in June. "I'm going to see what table she is sitting at. I'm just going to run to the table and do the devil's horns thing. Tongue out, horns up, behind Dolly Parton's head. It's the only way to do it. I can't smile sweetly. I've got to stick my tongue out and my horns up."
Halford told Rolling Stone earlier in the year that he had no issues with Dolly being inducted into the Rock Hall.
"If you look at everyone in the Hall, it makes perfect sense to have Dolly Parton in there," he said. "I think it's just this 'rock and roll' thing. Should it be called the Music Hall Of Fame? I don't know. It started out with rock and roll, and roll and roll is everything and anything. It's just a phraseology."
Rob also talked about the possibility of sharing the stage with Dolly at the end of the night, saying: "I was onstage last weekend with Larry The Cable Guy! [Laughs] It was at Alice Cooper's blast for his great institution the Solid Rock Foundation. If I could stand alongside my buddy Larry and sing 'roll, baby, roll' [from THE DOORS' 'Roadhouse Blues'], I can certainly stand next to Dolly Parton on my left and Lionel Richie on my right."
PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Parton, DURAN DURAN, Richie, Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.
Lords of black metal, Imperium Dekadenz, raise darkness from the depths of southwestern Germany’s Black Forest once more and proudly announce their new album, Into Sorrow Evermore, to be unleashed on January 20 via Napalm Records. Immersed in the void, they approach themes of depression, death and desperation, luring the listener into their sorrowful reality of existence. True to the beginnings of the genre, Imperium Dekadenz stick to their roots and leave their own haunting mark on the genre, claiming their rightful place in the upper echelons of black metal.
Today the first single "Memories... A Raging River" is released along with an official video. The song acts as a brutal and atmospheric exclamation mark showcasing Imperium Dekadenz’s unique style. Inspired by the Norwegian second-wave black metal bands of the 90s, the band has developed their own ambient sound with a strong emphasis on melodic structuring in their songwriting that immerses their compositions into grim and desolate soundscapes.
Imperium Dekadenz on "Memories... A Raging River": “A look at a time that left no traces and was irretrievably swept away as if by a raging stream. Brachial guitar lines meet melancholic, filigree melodies, shaken by poignant, touching cries from an endless abyss. Resolutely we step into an approaching darkness.”
Sink into darkness and watch the video for “Memories... A Raging River” below.
On their new album, Imperium Dekadenz continue their unique journey with dark, ambient sounds, luring the listener into suffocating spheres of black metal. Opener and title track “Into Sorrow Evermore” starts off with classic tremolo-picked black metal guitars and hard-hitting drums, building a gloomy atmosphere with the thrilling sound of vocalist Horaz spurring the album’s immersion. “Truth Under Stars” lures with pummelling blast beats accompanied by tragic guitar melodies as deep growls complement them to envelop the signature grim mood of the band. “Aurora” showcases melancholic pianos, accompanied by trudging drums as icy guitars swoon with a distorted but lush melody, building up to a serene guitar solo that cries its sorrows to the sky. The influence of various metal genres can be witnessed in songs like “Elysian Fields” and “Awakened Beyond Dreams”, while in between, “Forest In Gale” ensures characteristic style devices in mid-tempo speed, inducing a shift before delivering drama and dynamics. “November Monument” is a gloomy, slow doom inspired piece with steady drums that march on and guitars delicately plucking chords heavy with emotion, capturing the feeling of the approaching winter when November arrives. Imperium Dekadenz closes the album with "Memories... A Raging River", rightly encompassing all vicious vibes of the album into one final song. The album’s flow mimics life itself, beginning with high energy that slowly fades into melancholy as it lives on.
Imperium Dekadenz state: “In the dark and cold season, in a world that threatens to sink into its rising shadows, our new album ‘Into Sorrow Evermore’ rises from the fog of uncertainty. Melancholic, powerful, poignant, a reflection of the isolation and upheaval of recent years, but also a shadowy dream of what may come. Once again, we are happy to share our world and fill hearts. Into the darkness we strive, guided by our dreams, driven by the relentless time!”
Into Sorrow Evermore will be available in the following formats:
- Wooden Box Edition: 6 Page Digisleeve, Bonus Demo CD “Promo 2005”, Coverflag, Pendant, Patch (limited to 300 worldwide)
- 2 LP Gatefold White (limited to 300 worldwide)
- Tape Edition - GREY with gold print (limited to 100 worldwide)
- 2 LP Gatefold BLACK
- 6 Page Digisleeve
- 6 Page Digisleeve & Shirt
- Full Digital Album
Extreme metal pioneers, Venom Inc., performed at the 2022 edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival. Watch professionally-filmed footage of the band performing "Black Metal", "To Hell And Back", And "Buried Alive" below:
Watch "Teacher's Pet", "At War With Satan" and "Sacrifice" from the same show below:
Venom Inc. recently released their new album, There’s Only Black, via Nuclear Blast. Almost 40 years after their inception, the revitalized 1989 - 1992 Venom lineup of guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and vocalist/bassist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, and the new addition of drummer Jeramie 'Warmachine' Kling have returned with one hell of a follow-up to their acclaimed debut, Avé, and show no signs of slowing down.
"How Many Can Die"
"Infinitum"
"Come To Me"
"There's Only Black"
"Tyrant"
"Don't Feed Me Your Lies"
"Man As God"
"Burn Liar Burn"
"Nine"
"Rampant"
"The Dance"
"Inferno"
METALLICA celebrated the life, legacy, and achievements of Megaforce Records founder Jon "Jonny Z" Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula with a special show last night (Sunday, November 6) in Hollywood, Florida.
The show, which took place at the 7,000-seat-capacity Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, saw the Bay Area metal legends play songs exclusively from their first two albums, 1983's "Kill 'Em All" and 1984's "Ride The Lightning", both of which were originally released on Megaforce. Support at the gig came from British/American metallers RAVEN, who were also originally signed to Megaforce.
METALLICA's setlist was as follows:
01. Creeping Death
02. Ride The Lightning
03. Motorbreath
04. No Remorse
05. Trapped Under Ice
06. The Call Of Ktulu
07. Phantom Lord
08. Am I Evil?
09. Metal Militia
10. For Whom The Bell Tolls
11. Whiplash
12. Fade To Black
13. Seek & Destroy
Encore:
14. Fight Fire With Fire
15. Bliztkrieg
16. Hit The Lights
When the concert was first announced in September, METALLICA said in a statement: "Jonny gave us our first break in New York, released our first albums on his Megaforce Records label, and put us out on the road for our first real tour. With Marsha by his side, Jonny was a mentor, a manager, a label head, and a father figure to us all.... we would not be where we are today without the two of them. Sadly, we recently lost both Jonny and Marsha, just a little more than a year apart.
"We'll be cooking up a special setlist for you full of songs from our days with Jonny and Marsha at Megaforce. Our main touring partner from that time, RAVEN, will be joining us to add to the celebration and bring back the memories."
A portion of the proceeds from this show are being donated in Jonny and Marsha's name to MusiCares, a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community offering preventive, emergency, and recovery programs to musicians and industry professionals. Additionally, All Within My Hands once again supported Feeding South Florida with a donation following the show.
Jonny Z died in February at the age of 69. Jonny died of complications of the rare neuropathic disorder chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP),chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and osteopenia, his family said. Marsha passed away of cancer in January of last year.
Megaforce is widely credited for launching the career of METALLICA by releasing the band's first two albums, 1983's "Kill 'Em All" and 1984's "Ride The Lightning", before METALLICA landed a major label deal with Elektra. Megaforce's roster has also included such artists as ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, Ace Frehley, MINISTRY, KING'S X, STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH and RAVEN.
Born in 1952, Jonny began his extraordinary journey as a renegade youth who went from living on the streets of the Bronx in New York City, to later working on Wall Street, and eventually (and unexpectedly) transitioning into the music business and discovering METALLICA, ANTHRAX and others.
After Wall Street, Jonny Z began selling records at a flea market store in 1981 to put food on the table for his family. Dubbed Rock N' Roll Heaven, the store eventually blossomed into a major record store that influenced the heavy metal movement as we know it today. In the winter of 1982, Jonny Z received an unexpected demo tape from unsigned underground band called METALLICA. Eager and determined to have the music heard by the entire world, Jonny and Marsha founded Megaforce the following year and released "Kill 'Em All". Through this release, Megaforce cemented its position as the de-facto music label in America for heavy metal.
Jon's acclaimed autobiography, "Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness. As Lived By Jon Zazula", was released in October 2019. The book tells the story of how the Zazulas ended up signing a band that shaped the sound of heavy metal for decades to come.
"It's all a blessing when you work hard and you stay smart and you go into the game and then eventually something comes your way and you're ready for it. And you're able to jump upon it and ride it," Jonny told Variety. "We were very fortunate, Marsha and I, that we have them to choose as a band that became the biggest band in the world. Not to mention a bunch of other great bands that made history."
“It’s the ultimate ragga-rocking, dancehall-shaking, dutty-winding, head-banging, horn-waving creation… yes party people the ’Dreds dem back!” – Benji Webbe / Skindred
Next year, Skindred – one of the UK’s most exciting live acts – celebrate their 25th anniversary with the release of their brand new album, Smile, their eighth long-player and their first for Earache Records, with whom they signed a global four-album deal last year.
Ahead of that comes the first single to be taken from Smile, the floor-quaking sonic blast that is "Gimme That Boom". A hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners, ragga-metal anthem, the song deals with the selfish entitlement that’s become so prevalent in this age of instant gratification, based on a frustrating encounter lead singer Benji Webbe had with an overfamiliar fan.
“I was out shopping one day and I could hear someone building up asking me for a picture,” the frontman recalls. “The person didn’t care who I was with or what I was doing - they just wanted their picture. In this day and age, people want you and they expect to get you on tap, constantly giving you that ‘boom’ so they can get their Instagram likes up. It’s important to remember that people can't give you that ‘boom’ all the time. People think because they follow you on social media, they own you.”
Featuring a technicolour video, shot in the neon-lit wonderland that is God’s Own Junkyard in East London, "Gimme That Boom" is an incessant earworm which gives Skindred’s legions of fans a first full flavour of what to expect from the upcoming album. The band did however tease another new track from it in their astounding set at Download Festival earlier this year when they debuted the pop-reggae masterpiece that is "L.O.V.E (Smile Please)" and saw tens of thousands of rock fans skanking with delight in the sunshine.
These two sides of the album, ranging from joy to rage and love to fury, suggest that Smile is going to be hailed as the band’s masterpiece; an album that brings together all facets of Skindred’s music – from reggae to metal, rock to pop, dub to electro – into the most mind-expanding and potent collection of songs, designed to melt stereos around the world when it’s released next summer.
Skindred are currently on a massive European arena tour as special guests of Volbeat. The tour rolls into the UK and Ireland in December with dates as follows:
December
12 – 3Arena - Dublin
15 – OVO Hydro - Glasgow
16 – First Direct Arena - Leeds
17 – Cardiff International Arena - Cardiff
19 – Motorpoint Arena - Nottingham
20 – OVO Arena - Wembley
Skindred have also just been announced as next year’s headliners of both Dominion Festival in Durham May 7th and Takedown Festival in Portsmouth April 8th, 2023. For more details go to this location.
Canadian rock band Toque, featuring Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz - both of whom play in Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators - along with Cory Churko (Shania Twain) and Shane Gaalaas (Michael Schneker Group), has shared a video for their new single, "Can't Stop It".
In live news, Toque will be performing aboard the 2023 Monsters Of Rock Cruise, which sails April 29th to May 4th, going from Port Canaveral, Florida to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to the Private Isle of Labadee. Other bands confirmed for the boat include: Tesla, Extreme, Faster Pussycat, Great White, Junkyard, Stryper, Tora Tora, and Winger, to name but a few.
Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the signing of Spanish progressive metallers, After Lapse, to the label for the release of their upcoming album, Face The Storm, on December 9. The band's melodic progressive metal approach will surely be music to the ears of discerning prog fans around the world.
The release of the title track follows their first single and video, "Come Undone". Watch the music video for "Face The Storm" below.
After Lapse was initially formed in 2018 by drummer Roberto Cappa, keyboardist Pablo Sancha, and guitarist Arturo Rodríguez who had all previously played together in the band Delyriüm for many years. After a few member changes in the early years of the band, After Lapse settled into their current lineup in 2021 and soon after caught the attention of the Danish agency/management firm Intromental Management, who immediately signed on to represent the band upon hearing the demos the band had recorded at that time.
Over the course of 2021 and well into 2022, After Lapse kept writing and recording music for what would become their debut album, Face The Storm. When Frontiers Music Srl was passed demos that the band was working on from their management company, they were thrilled with what they heard and moved quickly to sign the band for the release of their debut.
After Lapse's musical influences vary from progressive metal bands like Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Pain Of Salvation, Haken, etc. to power metal bands like Kamelot, Angra, etc., but they are also their own entity unto themselves and not merely the sum of their influences. But those influences do speak to the categorization of the band as 'melodic prog metal' and gives fans a good clue as to what to expect from debut album Face The Storm.
Face The Storm tracklisting:
"Thrive
"Where No One Cares"
"Come Undone"
"Face The Storm"
"Beyond The End"
"The Lie"
"Through This War"
"More"
"Facta Non Verba"
"Heal"
"Along The Way"
"Face The Storm" video:
"Come Undone" video:
Lineup:
Rubén Miranda – Vocals
Jorge Escudero – Guitars
Pablo Sancha – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Javier Palacios – Bass
Roberto Cappa – Drums
Guest musicians:
Pedro J. Monge (Vhäldemar) – guitar solos in “Where No One Cares”
Carlos Lozano (Persefone) – guitar solo in “More”Alicia Avilés
Valero – cello in “Along The Way”
GWAR performed "Berserker Mode", from their latest release, The New Dark Ages, during their performance at the 2022 edition of Bloodstock Open Air festival. Watch professionally-filmed footage below:
During their recent tour, the band featured many new album tracks in their live set, including fan favourite "The Cutter", a heavy metal burner featuring a special guest appearance from Halestorm lead vocalist and undercover Scumdog, Lzzy Hale. GWAR recently released their music video for the track, directed by MyGoodEye.
Of the video, GWAR frontman Blothar had the following to say: “Lzzy Hale is wonderfully talented. Few realize she is also an undercover Scumdog who came to Earth with the rest of GWAR aeons ago under her true name Clitaurus Maximus of the Maximus clan. We are delighted to have her voice and image on this work of absolute genius.”
Lzzy Hale herself said the following about her alliance with the almighty GWAR; “I, Clitaurus Maximus The She Bull… hereby declare, 'The Cutter' as my FIRST feature in a MOTHERFUCKING GWAR SONG! Thank you so much to these interplanetary warriors for the much-appreciated bloodletting, and for giving this lil’ beast the opportunity to rear her three ugly heads!”
Get your first look at the bloody spectacle of "The Cutter" below:
THREE DAYS GRACE has shared the official music video for "I Am The Weapon". The song is taken from the Canadian band's latest album, "Explosions", which arrived on May 6 via RCA Records.
THREE DAYS GRACE drummer and keyboardist Neil Sanderson told the Toronto Star the title of the album refers to the crackling tension simmering in our souls.
"This whole record, there was definitely a common thread going through it of everybody having that boiling point inside of them," he explained. "It's not necessarily a boiling point out of anger and frustration, but it's … the need to express yourself and be yourself, and to say what you want and do what you want.
"[The] 'Explosions' [title track] represents that boiling point of something ticking inside of you that's going to come out and explode. I don't know if that's always the best option, if it turns into something that's destructive — and then a song like 'So-Called Life' contemplates the fact that you're at that point and either you are going to explode or you're going to find something to take the edge off, fill that void, distract you or kind of calm you down, whatever that is."
Regarding how he and his bandmates were affected by the pandemic, Sanderson said: "In some ways, we got fairly lucky. We toured so much in 2018-2019, just constantly — we did a lot of stuff in Europe and Russia — and we decided that we were going to take 2020 off of touring. Obviously, it ran into 2021 and, by that time, we had figured out some different techniques to collaborate remotely. So we were able to do a pretty good job of efficiently co-writing over the Internet."
The multiplatinum record-breaking band from Ontario, Canada has amassed billions of streams and millions of album sales, sold out arenas on multiple continents, and reached unprecedented heights, earning a staggering 17 total No. 1 entries on the Mediabase Active Rock chart and sharing the record for most #1 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart with 16. The band's veritable arsenal of No. 1 hits includes "Chalk Outline", "The High Road", "Misery Loves My Company", "World So Cold", "Good Life", "Break", "Never Too Late", "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Just Like You" and "Home".
LA-based alternative rock collective Beauty In Chaos presents their surprise single - "Bloodletting". This is a dark, spooky New Orleans-infused rendition of the Concrete Blonde track, featuring BIC vocalists Whitney Tai, Kat Leon and Tish Ciravolo in a nod to the original song.
More than just a slight sonic departure from their previous releases, this track has BIC curator Michael Ciravolo taking the lead vocal, highlighting his New Orleans drawl, front and center. Ciravolo has also enlisted saxophone extraordinaire Mars Williams of The Psychedelic Furs to add some amazing jazz inspired avant-garde vibes to this incredible song.
“I always loved this song, as Johnette’s lyrics painted an eerily realistic picture of my hometown. On a recent trip there, I found myself walking through some dark side streets in the French Quarter with my BIC producer Michael Rozon and the freaky sights and sounds had this song ringing in my head. I heard a saxophone wailing from a distant club and that inspired this cover idea. Fortunately for me, my friends Tim Palmer and Richard Fortus had just produced the latest Furs album and kindly made an introduction to Mars. I’ve always loved what he plays with one of my favorite bands and he thankfully agreed to be part of this,” says Michael Ciravolo.
Ciravolo adds: “Well, this video is certainly very different from our most recent single ‘Afterlife'. We wanted a very tongue-in-cheek (or would that be fangs-in-neck?) mix of Eyes Wide Shut and Lost Boys… focusing more on a loosely-based storyline than just a simple band performance with it all being in good campy fun!”
The L.A. Maybe has just released the official music video for their new song, "Down To Fight". Directed by Ace Blankenship, it's available to view below.
Heavy blues rock band Bourbon House has filmed a video for their new single, "Blue Magic". Directed and edited by Jocelyne Berumen at Cyclops Girl Productions LLC, the clip was filmed in Chicago, IL and features performances by Lauren Leonesio and Nick Ng.
Bourbon House recently announced a lineup change with the following statement:
"Bourbonites, please welcome Alec Martin to the Bourbon House family! He’s an incredibly gifted drummer we’ve been writing new songs with behind the scenes. Can’t wait to get him in the studio in December. You best believe these will be the best songs we’ve ever written."
Jackyl vocalist Jesse James Dupree and Run DMC rapper Darryl McDaniels have collaborated on a new song called "Just As God Made Me". The pair have also released a video for the track, which can be seen below.
This isn't the first time Jesse James Dupree and Darryl McDaniels have worked together, as McDaniels made a guest appearance on "Just Like A Negro", which appears on Jackyl's 2010 album, When Moonshine And Dynamite Collide.
In live news, Jackyl will resume their 30th Anniversary Tour later this month. Confirmed shows are listed in the official poster.
ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has released the official Zoe Katz-directed music video for the song "Prism Of Doubt". The track is taken from Jerry's latest solo album, "Brighten", which came out in October 2021. The LP has received praise from critics, including Kerrang!, which called it a "vivid, contemporary self-portrait of one of the most distinctive voices in hard rock. A long-overdue show of individual brilliance." Classic Rock proclaimed it "his best yet. The work of a songwriter who is happy within his life, it spans a broad arc of styles." The Sun commented: "A rich, organic album... 'Brighten' is brilliant."
"Brighten" is Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. Co-produced with film composer Tyler Bates and Paul Fig (longtime engineer),the LP got its beginnings just before the pandemic hit. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on select bass tracks, Greg Puciato contributing to backing vocals and drummers Gil Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney). Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) handled the mixing of "Brighten".
This past spring, Cantrell completed the "Brighten" U.S. tour. Jerry's band for the trek consisted of Bates (guitar),Puciato (backing vocals),Sharone (drums),George Adrian (bass),Michael Rozon (pedal steel) and Jason Achilles (keyboards). The set includes songs from Cantrell's latest solo album, "Brighten", along with favorite hits from Jerry's catalog.
Jerry's new effort marks his first full-length release since "Degradation Trip", the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.
Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two previous solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".
ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.
Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of Gary Moore's "Empty Rooms", taken from the Victims Of The Future album, reelased in 1983. Check it out below.
Johansson: "This version is based on the live version from Live At Isstadion 1987 during the Wild Frontier Tour."
Johansson previously shared his solo performance of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Over The Hills And Far Away".
Finnish metallers Oceanhoarse checked in at the end of October with the following update and video:
”Ozztober is here again! This year we picked a true pinnacle of Ozzy’s extensive catalog of songs: 'No More Tears'! To make an epic song choice even more special, we had a privilege to join forces with not just one, but two true masters of their craft – the keyboard wizard Suvimarja Halmetoja (Humavoid) and the living legend of Finnish metal: Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun). Shout out to Suvimarja for arranging all the orchestra-parts and playing ’em live – sounding just like on the record, and Jari for nailing Ozzy’s sinister lyrics and feeling 100% on his vocals!”
Jari Mäenpää comments:
“Ozzy’s music has played a big part in my life, especially albums like Bark At The Moon, No Rest For The Wicked and No More Tears. We chose the title track from the last mentioned, 'No More Tears'! This song has always been my favourite Ozzy song. It's a monster! Mysterious, dark and epic. Ozzy's legendary vocals and melody lines in this song are simply brilliant. It was an absolute pleasure singing it with such great musicians!”
Last week (November 4), The Offering released their sophomore album, Seeing The Elephant, via Century Media Records. For a preview of the record, a video for the new single "My Heroine" - a tragic love song that utilizes huge metal riffs, atmospheric eastern Indian rhythms and melodies, power chorus rock vocals and classic guitar solos - can be viewed below.
"My Heroine" was directed by the band's own Nishad George (guitar), who commented on the clip as follows: "The band and I have always wanted to have a music video with something more cinematic. James (co-director, and director of our other recent video, 'Wasp') and I ended up concluding that we as the musicians would just be B-roll over great acting. There's a beautiful, personal, colorfully written story told in Alex's lyrics, and we spent a lot of time together dissecting his concept and how to best display it.
The result was something more of a sensory driven visualizer, like a screen that runs in parallel with the music's emotion. We had two great actors come in and get into the dirt of all the emotions, blood, crying, anxiety - they did a phenomenal job. The entire crew even got a little teary watching them act out the final scene of the video together."
Alexander Richichi (vocals) adds: "'My Heroine' is an archetypal tale of love and tragedy. Set in the backdrop of today's stresses and temptations. When we lose the ones we love, what else do we have to live for? This song explores that kind of dependency, that pain, that need for love, and the reality of losing it."
Seeing The Elephant is available in the following formats:
- 300x transp. red LP available at CM Distro Wholesale EU and cmdistro.de
- Black LP
- Standard CD Jewelcase
- Digital album
British hard rock legends URIAH HEEP will release their 25th studio album, "Chaos & Colour", on January 27, 2023 via Silver Lining Music.
The official Natalia Jonderko Śmiechowicz-directed music video for the LP's first single, the buoyant and blistering "Save Me Tonight", can be seen below.
URIAH HEEP guitarist Mick Box commented: "'Save Me Tonight' is another powerful melodic rock track which we have chosen to be the first single as well as the opening track of the album. It is made for rock radio and will surely be included on our new setlist in 2023."
Adds bassist Dave Rimmer: "'Save Me Tonight' comes from a place of frustration and helplessness, living through these unprecedented past couple of years but hanging on to this raging hope that we would all meet again. Once again, collaborating with Jeff Scott Soto has been a natural and very creative experience and the perfect platform for me to express these feelings and to carry on the HEEP legacy."
"Chaos & Colour" is an album which bristles with explosive classic rock guitars, supreme harmonies, and HEEP's famously generous keyboard foundation. It is, unsurprisingly, an album that found its extra thrust during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was as bizarre for URIAH HEEP as it was for humanity in general.
"The album title reflects that we were in chaotic times with being locked down, tours being cancelled, businesses folding, and all the chaos that was thrown into the world," explains Box, "and as far as I could see it, the only color people had was through music. It helped so many people get through those difficult years, using that strength and power which music has, to make those bad times not quite so bad."
There were still the looming specter of protocols and rules to follow in the middle of 2021, as the world tried to find its feet. HEEP slowly found their way into Chapel Studios in London during the summer of 2021 as restrictions were tentatively lifted, working once again with Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, COREY TAYLOR, BLACK STAR RIDERS).
"Jay was completely on board with what we are trying to achieve in the studio," says Box. "We're a band that has a fantastic heritage and to carry on that tradition it was vitally important that the band recorded in the studio all playing at the same time. Jay understood that and he pulled out the best of us as a band, as well as individual players, while getting us some amazing sounds."
Led by Box, it is no surprise that themes of light, love and, ultimately, positivity are constant through the album eleven tracks. "One Nation, One Sun" is a journey of soaring balladic contemplation, "Fly Like An Eagle" takes the listener on a journey of meditation, while "Closer To Your Dreams" is a battle cry for all rockers to get out there and do it, with Shaw imploring that "So many have tried but slipped away/Now it's time for you to have your say." During the entire album, Bernie Shaw's timeless vocals sit expertly beside the band's phenomenal artistry, rounding out exceptional performances throughout.
Produced by Ruston and engineered by Pieter Rietkerk, "Chaos & Colour" is a superb album of quality hard rock from the pioneers of the genre who continue to create top class material. Old fans will be reinvigorated whilst new fans will surely find "Chaos & Colour" an exceptional discovery.
Following the intense disruption to live music caused by the pandemic, URIAH HEEP is ecstatic to be back on the road and continue to bring its live show across Europe this winter.
"Chaos & Colour" will be available to pre-order from November 8, in black and colored vinyl configurations, as a standard CD digipak, a deluxe CD packaged in a hardcover book with URIAH HEEP's "Chaos & Colour" signature patch and in digital formats.
"Chaos & Colour" track listing:
01. Save Me Tonight
02. Silver Sunlight
03. Hail The Sunrise
04. Age Of Changes*
05. Hurricane
06. One Nation, One Sun
07. Golden Light
08. You'll Never Be Alone
09. Fly Like An Eagle
10. Freedom To Be Free
11. Closer To Your Dreams*
12. Save Me Tonight (Demo)**
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