Fan-filmed video of DARK ANGEL's entire April 22 performance at the Hell's Heroes festival at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas can be seen below.
DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin was unable to make the Hell's Heroes show and was replaced at the gig by Laura Christine, wife of DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan.
DARK ANGEL is continuing to work on material for its long-awaited comeback album. The band's first CD since 1991's "Time Does Not Heal" will feature the lineup that has performed sporadic live shows since reuniting in 2013: Hoglan, Durkin, Eric Meyer (guitar), Ron Rinehart (vocals) and Michael Gonzalez (bass).
This past February, Hoglan said during a Twitch livestream from his home that he and his DARK ANGEL bandmates were "in the process" of making a new album. "That's actually one of the reasons I can't be doing TESTAMENT stuff this year. Because, [with] DARK ANGEL, we are writing a record, we are moving forward," he said. "Just a week and a half ago, two weeks ago, I just had Mr. Eric Meyer from DARK ANGEL in this room. We were jamming it out, we wrote a new DARK ANGEL song.
"I've been moving forward with writing. We have gigs coming up, so this year, it won't be heavily, heavily, heavily DARK ANGEL, but now that my schedule's open, I can commit a little harder to some DARK ANGEL gigs," he explained. "We do intend to be in the studio before the end of this year. So I have a lot of work ahead of me, and so does Jim Durkin. He's been sending over songs, riffs, stuff like that, [which has been] super exciting. We're all of the same mindset of making this just the most absolutely kick-ass DARK ANGEL record that we can."
DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — 1989's "Leave Scars" and the aforementioned "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.
Swedish heavy metal band Lion’s Share has made a new song, “Throne Of Steel”, available on streaming services and digital service providers.
Lion’s Share singer Nils Patrik Johansson commented: "This is a real favorite of mine. Pure metal from start to finish. In my book it's our best song since 'We Are What We Are'. Lyric wise it's also pretty interesting since it's about the fact that everything seems to be a quest for power. To be on top of the throne. With that said we'd better add that the lyrics were written before Russia invaded Ukraine."
In late 2018, Lion’s Share released a new five-track EP, plus its complete catalog - remastered with new artwork - on streaming services and digital service providers for the first time. The band have since released a few more digital singles, some of which will and some of which won't end up on the forthcoming full-length album.
Lion’s Share guitarist Lars Chriss added: "I've always been a fan of lead guitar players like George Lynch and Randy Rhoads who play a little bit ”outside of the box” with some unexpected notes. I wanted to experiment a little bit myself and came up with a pretty ”crazy” solo, which I still think fit the song."
Both Johansson and Chriss remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep Lion’s Share as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.
"We are aware our fans want a new album and the plan was to release one in 2020, but we all know what happened then. We had just started playing live again with a couple of headline shows in Germany in March and were gearing up towards a new album and tour. Since we think it's very important to tour behind a new album, we just have to wait until things go back to “normal” again". Until then, we plan to release a new single every 2-3 months and keep building our fan base."
The Lion’s Share catalog features appearances by members and ex-members of KISS, Megadeth, King Diamond, Hammerfall, Symphony X, Chimaira, Therion, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Candlemass. Mixers include top engineers such as Jens Bogren (Arch Enemy, Opeth, Symphony X, Amon Amarth) - Niklas Flyckt (one-time Grammy Award winner and four-time nominee) and Ronny Lahti (Roxette, Europe, Glenn Hughes).
Lion’s Share has toured with bands like Motörhead, Manowar, Dio, Saxon, Iced Earth, Nevermore, U.D.O. (ex-Accept), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and has played many of the major rock and metal festivals.
Italian power/progressive metallers, Secret Sphere, have released a new video, featuring a live studio session performance of "The Scars That You Can't See".
The original studio version of "The Scars That You Can't See" appears on the album, Archetype. Watch the video below:
Lineup:
Roberto Messina - Voice
Aldo Lonobile - Guitars
Andrea Buratto - Bass
Gabriele Ciaccia - Keyboards
Marco Lazzarini – Drums
THE CHOPHOUSE BAND, the band led by former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, performed last night (Saturday, April 23) at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida. It was a benefit event for the Goldner Conservatory, a professional conservatory that offers the highest caliber of artistic education to students of all ages.
Professional violinist Carl Schmid, who is part of Jason's backing band, shared photos and video of yesterday's concert and included the following message: "METALLICA was the second band I ever saw when I was a kid-I went to Giants Stadium in New Jersey, where I saw them with GUNS N ROSES and FAITH NO MORE opening the show. My ears are still ringing from that show-it had to be the loudest event I've ever been at. And it was my first taste of Rock N Roll. Until then I was an awkward 13 year old kid playing Mozart and Bach. I came home from that show and told my parents I wanted to be like those guys. They were mortified. A couple years ago, just by a random (or not) coincidence, I got to meet Jason Newsted and he invited me up to his place to play. We played a couple shows together, and then Covid hit. He took a two year hiatus, and then about 4 months ago we got back together.
"Last night was incredible - we played for an oversold out Maltz Theater in Jupiter, and got to raise a whole bunch of money for some deserving kids to attend music school. It was just a few years ago that I came crawling back into recovery with literally a bag of clothes, and very little desire to live, much less play. The gifts I've received, the amazing Grace I've been shown and felt, is just incredible. It's been a pretty challenging month for me, but last night was just another reminder that anything is possible in recovery. Anything."
Earlier this week, Newsted spoke to the 98.7 The Gater radio station about the Maltz Jupiter Theatre concert, saying: "During my COVID downtime, I was in upstate New York. I wrote about 35 new songs during that. I brought it back to my boys. I was sending them the tapes, the demos, sending it up to them to learn them… And that's what we're going to do at the Maltz. We're playing a couple of songs that people are familiar with, inspired by Johnny Cash and stuff, but most of it is all new original music from THE CHOPHOUSE BAND. I'm not playing any acoustic guitar anymore — it's just Les Pauls and SGs and stuff now. Some of it's a little quieter but most of it's not."
Elaborating on the musical direction of the new THE CHOPHOUSE BAND material, Jason said: "THE CHOPHOUSE BAND started out as almost a bluegrass-tinged thing, and now it gets to some places that are as heavy as anything else that I'd been involved with — VOIVOD, Ozzy [Osbourne], METALLICA, NEWSTED band; any of that stuff — it gets to those places now."
Adding that he "loves" singing, Newsted said: "Now since the last time anybody saw THE CHOPHOUSE BAND, we have a vocal group within the band. Now there are four singers in the band. I have two singers from New York — a female and male singer — that are coming down to join us. And so I'm singing eight or 10 songs, and they're singing the rest, but I do background vocals and stuff now. So I can actually really concentrate on playing the guitar and then singing that background stuff. And there's screaming and some [growling] also. So I still haven't lost that. And it lets people know that there's still one foot in that place. You can take the boy out of the metal [but] you can't take the metal out of the boy; it's just the way it's always gonna be. So I'm excited for people to be able to witness what we have been working so hard at. I put a lot — a lot — of energy into these new songs."
Newsted also revealed that THE CHOPHOUSE BAND will enter the studio on May 5 to begin recording its debut album. Asked if he will release the LP himself, Jason replied "yes" before clarifying, "Actually, it's possible — very possible — that I'll be back into the Q Prime fold [METALLICA's longtime management company] with that kind of backing, like a real-deal thing."
Named after Jason's four recording studio facilities around the U.S. and featuring a fluid roster of players, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND began in 1992 when Newsted founded The Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco.
THE CHOPHOUSE BAND is led by Newsted, playing guitar and performing lead vocal, accompanied by close friends/musicians of all walks and styles.
Jason previously told the Palm Beach Florida Weekly about THE CHOPHOUSE BAND: "We all get along great because there's not money involved. They've got their own bands, their own families, their own gigs. We do benefit gigs, six a year, and that's it. I record and write and play songs the whole rest of the time. They could all run circles around me musical theory-wise. They could tell you everything they're playing, and all the relating chords. I surround myself with the badasses, and they make me look really good. I'm playing cowboy chords the whole time, and they're doing their fancy shit to make me look good. I just concentrate on singing, and getting across the things I want people to hear."
Jason left METALLICA back in 2001, but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.
Eight years ago, Jason shelved NEWSTED, the heavy metal project he operated between 2012 and 2014, saying that it cost him "an awful lot of money — hundreds of thousands of dollars." He added: "I couldn't continue because the business is such a harsh thing now and so different than what I had known."
Metallica was the second band I ever saw when I was a kid-I went to Giants Stadium in New Jersey, where I saw them with...
MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro has shared behind-the-scenes video from the rehearsal sessions for the 2022 leg of the band's "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES. Check out the 11-minute clip below.
The 49-year-old Brazilian musician, who lives in Finland with his wife and kids, and his MEGADETH bandmates kicked off the 2022 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year" on April 9 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Last month, MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo discussed the band's setlist for the 2022 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year" during a bassist roundtable video chat with Knotfest's Ryan J. Downey. "You have to take into account that Dave's [Mustaine, MEGADETH frontman] been through a lot with his voice, so a lot of the songs that we pick are predicated on [the fact] that he is healing correctly," the bassist said at the time, referencing Mustaine's recent battle with throat cancer. "So that's part of it as well. But it's a long road ahead. We're always swapping in songs. We've got a whole pile — they're all sitting, waiting to be let loose. That's the great thing about being in this band, is that there's just an inexhaustible catalog.
"I don't know how to say this delicately, so I'll just say it. The truth of the matter is when you go to see a lot of your favorite bands — let's be the fan guy; okay, let's go to see our favorite band… I remember when JUDAS PRIEST was doing all of 'Nostradamus'," he continued. "It was a good record, but it wasn't 'Hell Bent For Leather'. And I've gotta say that people wanna hear the songs that they love. Why wouldn't you play them for 'em?
"So that's the problem with a band like MEGADETH," James added. "And there are bands, as we move along — all bands, as you move along, you start just getting this giant catalog. And how do you get enough in there to give the core fans what they really want as opposed to the esoterics? You try and throw a thing here and there, but you've gotta keep the hits, man."
LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.
In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past nine years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.
LoMenzo played his first show with MEGADETH in nearly 12 years last August in Austin, Texas. The concert took place three months following Ellefson's dismissal from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter.
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the group's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
LAMB OF GOD performed without singer Randy Blythe and bassist John Campbell at the band's concert Friday night (April 22) in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The show at the Resch Center was part of "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with MEGADETH, TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES, which kicked off on April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Blythe, who previously missed the band's concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan four days ago after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, was replaced at the Green Bay gig by Joe Badolato, vocalist for New Jersey deathcore outfit FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY. Filling in for Campbell was former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, who previously stepped in for LAMB OF GOD guitarist Willie Adler during LOG's January appearance on the ShipRocked cruise.
At the Grand Rapids concert, LAMB OF GOD used three stand-in singers: Mark Hunter of CHIMAIRA, as well as TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy and IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén. LAMB OF GOD then canceled its concert Thursday night (April 21) at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana when Hunter himself fell ill.
On Friday, LAMB OF GOD released the following statement: "Green Bay - unfortunately, Randy will not be able to perform but we WILL see you tonight! Our brother Joe Badolato from FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY will be stepping in to handle vocal responsibilities this evening. We expect Randy to return to our show on Sunday in Sioux Falls."
When the Fort Wayne cancelation was announced, Hunter clarified in a tweet that he didn't "blow his voice" singing for LAMB OF GOD in Grand Rapids but was actually forced to spend all day in the ER after "a genetic condition flared at the worst time."
No reason was given for Campbell's absence from the Green Bay concert.
LAMB OF GOD is continuing to tour in support of its latest, self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe.
Building on the success of last year's debut album, The Natives Are Restless, released on High-Vol Records, Louisville, Kentucky rock group Native Sons has dropped new music. "Drama", the first single from their forthcoming album Shadow Head, is now available on most streaming services with an accompanying video, which can be seen below.
Native Sons' performance of "Drama" delivers powerful lyrical content mixed with their modernized yet old-school sound to draw listeners of all demographics. "Drama" is a straightforward rock song with southern and blues-rock elements that come together to create an undeniable catchiness and groove.
"Drama" showcases singer Ashton Blake's soaring, Ronnie James Dio-esque vocal style. The song explores its namesake—the sign of the times topic of living in a drama-fueled world. Describing the song's context, Blake said, '''Drama' was inspired by learning about a conversation where a 'friend' was working hard to create animosity. It is about people creating drama and being dramatic instead of living."
Native Sons teamed up with veteran engineer Dave Barrick (Kentucky Headhunters, Black Stone Cherry) to record the track. Discussing the recording process, bassist Jim Quiggins said, "We had these killer new songs, and we wanted to track them live, so we decided to head to Glasgow, Kentucky, to Dave Barrick's studio. Dave engineered, mixed, and mastered the song and provided a great creative space."
Overcoming numerous challenges, including the passing of High-Vol Records founder and CEO Bill Chavis last fall, Native Sons has continued to perform live, developing a reputation for high-energy shows while writing and recording new, original music. Their next concert is May 15th at Wampus Cat Music Festival in Sanford, North Carolina.
Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Wild Frontier". Check it out below.
Johansson previously shared his solo performance of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Over The Hills And Far Away".
Progressive metal quartet OU (pronunciation: “O”) will release their debut album, one, on May 6 via InsideOutMusic. The band recently released the singles "Travel" and "Mountain", and have now followed up with "Farewell". Check out the official video below.
Hailing from Beijing, China, the group combine a variety of elements and influences (Devin Townsend, The Gathering, Radiohead to name a few), to create their extremely unique sound.
Formed by drummer and songwriter Anthony Vanacore, the idea behind OU came from each member having a long history of playing in local house bands and seeking new challenges in their growth as musicians. Vanacore would go on to recruit talented guitarist and fellow house band veteran Jing Zhang, as well as highly sought-after bassist Chris Cui, with the three of them laying the initial groundwork for the song structure and creative approach. OU recruited highly talented singer Lynn Wu to front the project, who brings with her ethereal vocals that contrast with the dynamic and engaging music, delivering a powerful and soaring sound. On their debut, OU set out with only one clear goal in mind, and that was to make certain that every song had its own unique identity.
one will be available as Ltd. Edition CD Digipak, 180g Gatefold LP Edition and as Digital Album.
Orange Goblin performed at the UK's Bloodstock Open Air 2021 on August 15th on the Ronnie James Dio stage. Pro-shot video of the band's full show is available below.
The setlist was as follows:
"Sons of Salem"
"The Filthy & the Few"
"The Man Who Invented Time"
"Saruman's Wish"
"Some You Win, Some You Lose"
"Your World Will Hate This"
"Scorpionica"
"The Devil's Whip"
"They Come Back (Harvest of Skulls)"
"Quincy the Pigboy"
"Red Tide Rising"
Orange Goblin will be performing a small number of club shows in the US when they travel over in May to perform at Desertfest New York. This year marks 20 years since Orange Goblin first came to the USA when they toured with Alabama Thunderpussy back in 2002. Since then they have been back numerous times, but not since the short tour in 2019. Orange Goblin are very excited to play these dates and are bringing some cool friends with them to support. Details are as listed:
May
11 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA (with HTSOB)
13 - Desertfest at Knockdown Center - New York, NY
14 - The Middle East - Boston, MA (with Telekinetic Yeti)
15 - Reverb - Reading, PA (with The Atomic Bitchwax)
Finnish cello-rock quartet, Apocalyptica, have released the video below, featuring their performance of "I'm Not Jesus" at Graspop Metal Meeting 2016 featuring vocalist Franky Perez.
Apocalyptica recently partnered up with some of the biggest names in rock music to deliver their new single, “I’ll Get Through It”. The song, written for the band by American award-winning songwriter Diane Warren, features Franky Perez – guest vocalist in Apocalyptica’s 2015 record Shadowmaker – as well as Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath on bass guitar. The track can be found on all digital streaming platforms. Buy/stream here, and watch the official music video below.
The song was born out of a visit Geezer & Franky paid to their friend Diane, who had already written the track “Not Strong Enough” for Apocalyptica, included in their 2010 record 7th Symphony. “Franky & I were visiting my friend, Diane Warren, at her studio. She played us this song, saying that she thought it would work well with Frankie’s voice. He gave it a try on the spot. We loved it. Franky then suggested sending it to Apocalyptica. They loved it, and the rest is history,” comments Geezer.
Franky Perez shares the same feeling of enthusiasm upon hearing the track for the first time – “I knew this song was special from the moment Diane Warren played it for Geezer and me. So much so, that I framed the lyrics from the session the very next day. They have been hanging on my wall ever since. This song speaks to me lyrically which made for an honest performance. Musically, there is no better collaboration than Geezer and Apocalyptica to do the song the justice it deserves. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”
“I’ll Get Through It” marks the first collaboration between Apocalyptica and Franky Perez since he sang on Shadowmaker, which adds to the excitement for the members of Apocalyptica, according to Perttu Kivilaakso: “We are more than thrilled working with our great and talented friend Franky Perez again! It’s been a while since our previous collaborations in Shadowmaker- album and tour, and we are also highly awaiting for getting back on road with him this April all across the States!”
Perttu also adds, about the song – “’I’ll Get Through It’ – is a meaningful and beautiful song by an incredible songwriter Diane Warren, with whom we’ve also had the pleasure of working with before. We can’t wait for you to hear the final result… falling in love again with Franky’s sensual performance, Geezer’s earthshakingly powerful bass, and our wistfully haunting cellos, among the inevitable presence of all the rhythms and groove!”
“We hope you’ll enjoy the track as much as we do! Gonna be a blast performing it also live!”
The progressive/power metal group Immortal Guardian has unveiled the music video for their new single, “Ozona.” The song is the first new music from the group since last year's release of their critically-acclaimed concept album Psychosomatic. “Ozona” is available for download/streaming on all digital music platforms. The band is also now more than halfway through their current nationwide tour alongside video game-inspired shredders Powerglove.
“A few years, while we were on the road, we broke down in the middle of nowhere in a lil’ Texas town called Ozona,” explains guitarist Gabriel Guardian. “We had no way of getting home, and no money to resolve our problem. We just wished and wished we could get home somehow…. While we waited, we decided to write a song about our experience because we knew that we weren’t the only ones going through times like this. This song is for all the traveling souls just trying to find their way back home.”
Immortal Guardian's current tour with Powerglove has the band once again taking the sounds of Psychosomatic on the road following two lengthy tours that dazzled metal fans nationwide during the second half of 2021.
The newly-released music video for “Ozona” is but a small taste of the new territory that Immortal Guardian plans to take their sound in 2022. More information on additional new music and touring in 2022 will be revealed in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio.
Wardruna are releasing an official music video for the streamed live performance of "Fehu". Einar Selvik says, "‘Fehu’ is a song inspired by ancient runic poetry. The word itself refers to cattle/livestock and wealth and the song discusses the duality of wealthiness. "Fehu" was originally released on the album Runaljod - Yggdrasil in 2013. It has been a permanent song in our live-set ever since the release and thus, it feels great to finally release a live version of the song."
The release date of Kvitravn: First Flight of the White Raven has been moved to June 10. A statement from Einar is as follows; "Due to a very unfortunate production issue, we are forced to move the release date of First Flight Of The White Raven in all of its formats to June 10. On a more positive note and due to popular demand, we will make the DVD available as a standalone item and offer the concert as VOD (Video-On-Demand) through our World and US online-shops." He continues, "The DVD presale starts April 22 along with a new digital single and video from the upcoming release. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and we are grateful for your understanding."
An immersive audio arrangement that underscores the experiential paradigm shift and masterful musicianship of their superlative and boundary-pushing virtual live experience First Flight of the White Raven of March 26, 2021. This new release captures their special set list consisting of songs from Kvitravn and a selection of favourites from the discography, and will be released on a 2LP, as well as 2CD that also features the original studio album track listing. To mark the event’s exceptional impact, it will also be available as a limited Boxset Edition including 2LP (black), 2CD, DVD with livestream performance and bonus documentary material and three videos (only available in the boxed set), flag of the CD album cover, certificate of authenticity for the box and an exclusive autographed card signed by Einar Selvik. Preorder at wardruna.com.
"Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven is an audio-visual ‘live-in-studio’ recording that was broadcasted online, as the release show of the Kvitravn album. It was recorded in a time when it was not allowed to perform in front of an audience, which made it very important for me that the recording itself truly captured the energy of a live performance. What you hear is what we performed in that moment in that room. No re-recordings or autotune was done in the afterwork. Just like for a regular concert, the set list was carefully put together with a selection of songs from all our albums, including a handful of songs from the new album, which we performed for the very first time. On the day of recording, we all stood together in the same room for the first time in over a year. Everyone came focused and well prepared and the energy felt like no time had passed. I hope you will agree!” - Einar Selvik
To celebrate the announcement, Wardruna are also sharing the track and virtual live performance video for "Solringen" about which Einar Selvik says;"Solringen is a song originally released on the album Runaljod - Yggdrasil (2013). Even though it quickly became a popular track amongst our listeners, it wasn’t until late 2019 we first got around to performing it live. When taking the song from the studio to the stage, I really felt it needed a slightly different approach, more specifically adapted for the concert format"
Selvik continues; "In earlier tradition the women of the household on a farm had the task of going out into the fields around midsummer and wake up the elves dwelling there with rhymes and songs to encourage them to ensure growth and good crops. These songs and traditions have now mostly passed into oblivion. The initial idea behind "Solringen" is that new songs might wake them once again.”
Tracklisting:
Audio (with translations):
"Synkverv" (Turn-sight)
"Kvitravn" (White Raven)
"Skugge" (Shadow)
"Grá" (Grey)
"Fylgjutal" (Speech of the Fetch)
"Munin" (Memory)
"Kvit hjort" (White Stag)
"Viseveiding" (Song-hunting)
"Ni" (Nine)
"Vindavlarljod" (Song of the wind-bred)
"Andvevarljod" (Song of the Spirit-weavers)
Audio from virtual live performance:
“Kvitravn”
“Skugge”
“Solringen”
“Bjarkan”
“Raido”
“Voluspá”
“Isa”
“UruR”
“Grá”
“Vindavlarljod”
“Rotlaust Tre Fell”
“Fehu”
“Helvegen”
Lips Turn Blue, the Upstate NY band that releases its debut album on MIG Music on May 4, has released its new music video, "Pray For Tomorrow:. Although written and recorded with the band’s late vocalist and co-writer, Phil Naro before the current conflict in the Ukraine, the compelling video was created to reflect that tragedy and others dominating the news today.
“’Pray For Tomorrow’ is a song we have had for a while now and was written when conflicts around the world started becoming a main focus in the news; then the pandemic hit, and recently the focus has been on the war in the Ukraine,” says guitarist and Lips Turn Blue founding member, Don Mancuso. “When it came time to do the video, we decided to that situation could be addressed in a powerful way using this song.”
In addition to Mancuso, the band (nicknamed LTB) also includes keyboardist Eric Bieber, bassist Mike Mullane, drummer Roy Stein and newest member, singer/ instrumentalist Iggy Marino. The debut album and subsequent videos were the last projects original singer Phil Naro was able to complete before passing away in May 2021 from cancer.
“This is the second of only two videos we have with Phil Naro. We were working on the song when things in the world started going awry and Phil’s own health concerns allowed a song like this to give him comfort.” adds Eric Bieber, who, in addition to his skill as a classically trained keyboardist and longtime professional performing musician, recently retired as a physician and hospital executive administrator.
The group will grant a limited time usage license to any legitimate organization raising funds for Ukrainian refugees. “If this video can help bring awareness to the plight of the Ukrainian people and raise money for them that is the least we can do as artists,” says bassist Mike Mullane.
“Pray For Tomorrow and this video is very timely for the world right now,” says Bernd Ramien, A&R & Director of Catalog Marketing for MIG (Made-In-Germany-Music GmbH), which signed the band soon after only hearing a few tracks from the debut album. “It speaks of hope and we all need some hope right now in our lives…”
The group is currently booking tour dates to coincide with the album’s release.
Based in Hannover, Germany but distributed worldwide, MIG Music has released albums by an extraordinary roster of acts that includes: Joe Jackson, Sheila E, Jack Bruce of Cream, Roger McGuinn, Ron Wood, Muddy Waters, Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, Weather Report, Nash Albert, Pat Travers Band, Vanilla Fudge, Richard Thompson, George Thorogood, Public Image Ltd, and many others.
Brian May has shared a new and innovative video of “On My Way Up,” one of the highlights of his second solo album, 1998's Another World. The clip marks the release of a multi-format, meticulously repackaged deluxe edition of the album in Brian's Gold Series, featuring the remastered original album alongside remixes, rarities and live tracks in the 2CD and box set formats.
"On My Way Up" shows Brian in reflective mood in his home attic as he leafs through old photographs of himself and memorabilia from his stellar career. As the uplifting, feel-good track plays, we see a clever combination of new and historical video and still images of the Queen guitar hero. Static artifacts, photos, and souvenirs are transformed into living images which reflect his passion for so many projects in different areas across distinct periods in his life until we find Brian today, surrounded by those things that portray his current sensibilities – stereoscopy, astronomy, animal protection, nature spaces while Brian sings and plays along with its message of positivity and personal growth.
A regular feature of Brian’s solo concerts, “On My Way Up” is an optimistic belter originally commissioned for the 1994 Series 2 of the ITV comedy drama series Frank Stubbs while work on Queen’s Made in Heaven album proceeded. Backing singers Cathy Porter and Shelley Preston help the melody reach a high, in tune with the character of Stubbs as a lead figure in the series.
“The central character of this song is someone who is basically a loser,” says May, “but has total belief and a kind of insane optimism, and he's going somewhere, you know, 'Man, I'm on my way' kind of thing. So that's what the song was. It became imbued with different things once I got going on the track, but it's basically funny. It's funny, and it's optimistic and loud.”
He adds that while he was creating the song, “I had a moment of belief and joy thinking, 'Yeah, I actually can do this, it's going to be fine. It's a very joyful song, and that's one of the forces which propelled me through the album and made me want to release it and makes me want to release it now.”
Watch the video below.
The 15-track rarities collection in the new edition of the album, titled Another Disc, also features Brian's live version of “On My Way Up,” as performed in Paris in 1998, and a new guitar version, of which he says: “It's nice to just pick up the guitar and sing it with a guitar, so there's a couple of those versions on there. I particularly like the one of “On My Way Up” because it's very kind of rude. It's just raw, and I've done nothing to it apart from playing.”
The new “On My Way Up” clip is the latest in a series of videos highlighting the reissue of a landmark album in May's solo career. These also include a Bri-Art lyric video for his version of Buddy Holly's “Maybe Baby,” one of the rarities on the second disc, and another short film in which he talks about revisiting the island of El Hierro, where the memorable front cover image for Another World was captured.
In his new Another World 2022 album liner notes, Brian notes how far we have all travelled since the album’s release in 1998, but also that the exploration feels very appropriate at this time. “It seems perhaps that in 2022 we ARE in Another World,” he writes, “but if it’s not quite the world we asked for, perhaps we can still reach that perfect world… in our dreams. JOIN ME !!!”
Lucifer have returned with a monumental new offering. The band released their latest record, Lucifer IV, last November via Century Media. Today, they have unveiled a new visualizer for the song, “Orion”, from the aforementioned record.
A cosmic, stargazing affair that offers soaring vocals, punchy drum sequences, and mystifying guitar riffs - fans can check out the visualizer for “Orion” below.
Speaking on the track and the visualizer for “Orion”, Johanna comments: "We've been meaning to pick 'Orion' as a single all along for its emotional impact but opted for the harder rockers first. This heavy heartbreaker rocks no less but is a lot more melancholic and wistful. It's a song about two people colliding briefly, then drifting apart again and about the loneliness you sometimes feel within your existence. You're born alone and you will pass on alone. In the end, we are all just particles revolving around each other in the universe, each one of us a lonely star in the night sky. The idea came to me when I read in Marianne Faithfull's autobiography about her relationship to Mick Jagger and the aftermath."
Furthermore, Lucifer announce that their latest album, Lucifer IV will be available as coloured vinyl for the first time.
Lucifer IV will be available in the following colors:
- Ltd. transp. orange (available at all outlets)
- Ltd. glow in the dark (limited to 500 units/band exclusive)
"Archangel Of Death"
"Wild Hearses"
"Crucifix (I Burn For You)"
"Bring Me His Head"
"Mausoleum"
"The Funeral Pyre"
"Cold As A Tombstone"
"Louise"
"Nightmare"
"Orion"
"Phobos"
"Crucifix (I Burn For You)" video:
“Bring Me His Head” video:
“Wild Hearses” lyric video:
Lineup:
Johanna Platow Andersson – Vocals
Nicke Platow Andersson – Drums
Linus Björklund – Guitar
Martin Nordin – Guitar
Harald Göthblad - Bass
For the last two years, the thousands of Swedish metal fans who would gather once a year in Tyrolen to celebrate their heroes on stage at the annual Muskelrock festival have fallen silent. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the venue was forced to cancel their event in both 2020 and 2021.
It was in this dark time when the mighty metal legend, Thor, released his ode to the festival “This Is Musclerock” as the lead-off track on his album, Alliance. The track featured a stellar, unmistakable vocal from fellow metal behemoth John Gallagher of the groundbreaking metal act Raven. Together, these twin suns of classic metal united with one voice to call for a revival of the Muskelrock festival as well as the Musclerock genre that Thor himself helped to pioneer. And now the two appear in a brand new video for the track.
Thor shares these thoughts, “Some call me The King of Musclerock. As the proponent of the genre Musclerock, a precursor to Heavy Metal, I am happy that Cleopatra Records in coordination with Fistful Of Metal are releasing the new video for the song ‘We Need Musclerock.’ I am excited to be joined by the legendary John Gallagher of Raven on this one. This anthem is a tribute to the famous Muskelrock Festival held each year in the mountains of Tyrolen in Alvesta, Sweden. I was happy to help launch the Muskelrock festival with promoter Jacob Hector in 2009. Now it has become one of the greatest Metal festivals in the Universe. Thousands of Muscular Metal fans will gather from all over the world to herald the name of Thor and be entertained by feats of strength and a large roster of top bands. Thanks to Ted Jedlicki for directing/editing this exciting video and John Leibel for writing a great tune. So I say to all of you... SKAAL!”
Be sure to check out Alliance, which features stellar guest appearances from the likes of W.A.S.P.'s Chris Holmes, Raven vocalist John Gallagher, Danko Jones, Anthrax's Neil Turbin, Ross “The Boss” Friedman and many more.
Order the CD and vinyl here. Order/save the digital edition here.
Tracklisting:
“We Need Musclerock” feat. John Gallagher (Raven)
“Niflhel (Realm Of The Dead)” feat. Björn Strid (Soilwork)
“The Ultimate Alliance” feat. Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.), Ross “The Boss” Friedman (Manowar), Nina Osegueda (A Sound Of Thunder) & Fang VonWrathenstein (Lords Of The Trident)
“Ode To Odin” feat. Dan Cleary (Striker)
“We Will Fight Forever” feat. Neil Turbin (Anthrax)
“Because We Are Strong”
“Rock Around The World” feat. Danko Jones
“Queen Of The Spiders” feat. Frank Soda (The Imps)
“Power Hungry”
“Bounty Hunter” feat. Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs) & Dennis Post (Warrior Soul)
“Battlements” feat. Trevor William Church (Haunt)
“Thor vs. The Juggernaut (War Of The Gods)” feat. Sean Peck (Death Dealer)
“Generation Now” feat. Joey Killingsworth (Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre)
“After The Laughter” feat. Martin Gummesson (Thundermaker)
“Good Stuff” feat. Al Harlow (Prism)
“Congregate” feat. Joey Roads & Sheldon Byer (Roadrash)
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