SCORPIONS have released the second in a three-part series of short documentaries — directed by Thomas Noehre — focusing on the making of the band's 19th studio album, "Rock Believer". Check it out below.
When the series was first launched, SCORPIONS said in a statement: "For our new album 'Rock Believer', we all came back together in the studio like in the old days and captured that journey on camera. Maybe you discover some unreleased music snippets from our new album in it…"
Last month, SCORPIONS released the official music video for their new single, "Peacemaker". The track, which features music courtesy of guitarist Rudolf Schenker and bassist Pawel Maciwoda and lyrics by singer Klaus Meine, is taken from "Rock Believer", due on February 25, 2022.
Asked in a new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on "Rock Believer", Meine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we're very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of 'Return To Forever' in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good."
Speaking about the "Rock Believer" album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: "Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he's a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.
"So many people said rock is dead. It's not dead," he continued. "It's always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it's great to play around the world in over 80 countries we've played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that's so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let's see what's happening."
Asked if "Peacemaker" is representative of "Rock Believer" as a whole, Klaus said: "It is an uptempo rock song, and this album really rocks. There are some heavy songs on the album, like when you think about 'China White' and 'Animal Magnetism', there's a track on the record that is really in the best way of those songs. There are many uptempo songs and, believe it or not, there are even faster songs than 'Peacemaker'. [Laughs] There's also a very beautiful ballad on the album, and I'm sure there are fans out there especially love the SCORPIONS ballads, and they will enjoy this record as well very much. 'Peacemaker' is the appetizer for what the album is all about. It rocks."
"Rock Believer" was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
"The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions," said Klaus. "We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the '80s."
SCORPIONS' new album will mark their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.
SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.
Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce "Rock Believer" was to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."
According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP features "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.
SCORPIONS will kick off their "Rock Believer" world tour in March 2022 in Las Vegas where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows In Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen's new band MAMMOTH WVH.
SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.
A new band called Petit Brabancon was just unveiled today.
The group's line-up features DIR EN GREY vocalist Kyo, L'Arc-en-Ciel drummer yukihiro, MUCC guitarist Miya, Tokyo Shoegazer guitarist antz and THE NOVEMBERS bassist Hirofumi Takamatsu.
Petit Brabancon's first release will be a double A-side single titled Koku / Kawaki that will hit digital platforms on December 24th. It will contain three tracks, all composed by Miya, with lyrics by Kyo.
The band will make its live debut at the popular annual MAVERICK DC GROUP event JACK IN THE BOX, which will be held at Nippon Budokan on December 27th this year.
NONPOINT has released the official music video for its new song "Back In The Game". The track is taken from the band's latest EP, "Ruthless", which was also made available today (Monday, December 27).
With the roar of one word "independence", NONPOINT has transcended the underground and taken its rightful place in metal history. Even now they continue to change the rules with their newest song "Back In The Game", which keeps the NONPOINT tradition of inviting you in close, kicking you in the chest, then imprisoning an infectious lyric like "'cause you're looking at a one-man death squad" into your mind knowing it will never escape. This song and official video go live across all streaming platforms December 27 at midnight along with the remaining songs from the "Ruthless" EP. This follows NONPOINT's independent label plan of delivering music to its fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.
NONPOINT singer Elias Soriano stated: "This song sums up our view on how we approached independence from the very beginning. We will be small but mighty. Like the song says, 'I may be one man, but I'm a death squad.' We give everything we've got with ultimate absolution."
Now with the success of NONPOINT's new independent label 361 Degrees Records, the band continues to add to its story as it partners with Amuse Music distribution, an independent music distribution company which helps independent artists stay independent with an unbelievable team that helps them grow beyond their reach.
In 2021 alone, NONPOINT's song "Ruthless" reached #16 on Billboard's Rock chart and was featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotify with over 1.6 million combined subscribers, SiriusXM Octane's Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd Top 30 and Loudwire Nights. "Ruthless" was also the featured track on AEW's nationally televised event "Blood And Guts" on TNT in May 2021. "Ruthless" has reached over 3.5 million streams. Now NONPOINT's fan-voted cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry", at over 1 million streams, has quickly become a fan favorite, from the crowd applause at shows to their support and momentum online.
NONPOINT's touring in 2022 continues with January dates throughout the country, along with an appearance on the ShipRocked cruise.
"Ruthless" EP track listing:
01. Back In The Game
02. Get Better
03. I Don't Care
04. Ruthless
05. When Doves Cry
NONPOINT launched its independent record label 361 Degrees Records LLC in January of this year. They filmed the process of starting the label and making new music in a docu-series titled "A Path To Independence" that can be seen on the band's YouTube and official web site.
NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.
NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.
Periphery‘s master behind the kit, Matt Halpern, stopped by Sweetwater Studios for a playthrough of “Marigold“, off the band‘s 2016 album, Periphery III: Select Difficulty. Watch the video below:
Melodic death/doom metal band Coldbound recently revealed that Lindsay Schoolcraft (ex-Cradle of Filth) will be the guest lead vocalist for the band's upcoming album. They have posted video of Lindsay recording some of her vocals for the album. Check out the clip below.
Lindsay comments: "Thank you for welcoming me to the realm of Coldbound. I’ve so far had a wonderful experience being the guest lead vocalist on this double album. I very much look forward to its release in the future!
Many of you in the metal world know me from my seven years with Cradle of Filth. I am also the main composer for Chamber Black Metal band Antiqva and have lent out my voice and playing to many songs and albums over the years. Mainly for voice, harp, and piano.
This will be my first guest feature where I am the lead singer on a full album. Pauli and Meiju approached me after they heard my Juno Nominated album, Martyr, and felt I would be a good fit for crafting melodies and lyrics.
I’m honoured to be part of this project with such a talented line up and list of guest musicians and singers. I can not wait to see how it all comes together. It’s really forming into something special."
Band founder Pauli Souka further stated: "To work with someone like Lindsay is a true blessing, as she shows immense professionalism and a superb attitude. I am definitely excited to share with all of you the results of this one-of-a-kind collaborative experience."
Coldbound released the single “Slumber Of Decay”, which marked the metal comeback of Liv Kristine (Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes) and Meiju Enho (Ensiferum) back in February. Check out the official video below.
Drummer Sebastian Lanser of modern progressive outfit Obsidious has released a drum play-through video for the band's latest single, "Sense Of Lust" .The track is taken from the group’s upcoming debut album, which will be released in 2022 via Season Of Mist, for which more details will be revealed shortly.
Lanser comments on the play-through: "Hi everyone! This is my playthrough of Obsidious´ latest single 'Sense Of Lust.' Quite a heavy and straightforward song compared to our first single, 'Iconic'. Nonetheless, I really enjoy the simplicity and heaviness. Hope y´all do as well!"
The videos for both "Sense Of Lust" and "Iconic" can be seen below.
Obsidious' music consists of modern riffs, strong decisive energetic melodies, virtuosity and epic unison lines. They love music that’s heavy, catchy, fast, and wild. The brand new album is currently being recorded and will be released via Season Of Mist early in 2022.
"Look what Santa brought," exclaims Hypocrisy frontman Peter Tägtgren. "On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Hell Over Sofia, which was released in October 2011, and for Christmas, we started uploading high-quality videos of this live concert to our YouTube channel. We hope you enjoy them... again! Watch the first part now."
Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years Of Chaos And Confusion was filmed live at Blue Box Club in Sofia, Bulgaria on February 27th, 2010. The aforementioned first part, which can be seen below, contains three songs: "Let The Knife Do The Talking", "Weed Out The Weak", and "Fire In The Sky".
Exactly one month ago, on November 26th, Hypocrisy released their 13th studio album, Worship.
It has been eight long years since the last record, and Hypocrisy fans can feel the itch. Worship is 11 tracks of precise, ferocious musicianship. Commonly inspired by the fusion of the modern and the ancient, Hypocrisy has once more found a way to combine innovative ideas with classic sound in order to deliver something metalheads can enjoyably consume with awe and brutal vigor. As usual, all recording and mixing took place at Tägtgren’s Abyss Studio AB in Sweden while mastering was completed by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers Audio Mastering. Designed by artist Blake Armstrong (Kataklysm, In Flames, Carnifex), Worship’s artwork speaks to the history of the relationship between humanity and extraterrestrials.
Worship tracklisting:
"Worship"
"Chemical Whore"
"Greedy Bastards"
"Dead World"
"We're The Walking Dead"
"Brotherhood Of The Serpent"
"Children Of The Gray"
"Another Day"
"They Will Arrive"
"Bug In The Net"
"Gods Of The Underground"
"Dead World" video:
"Chemical Whore" video:
"Children Of The Gray" video:
Hypocrisy in 2021 is:
Peter Tägtgren - vocals, guitars
Mikael Hedlund - bass
Reidar Horghagen - drums
Thomas Elofsson - session guitarist
Guitarist Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) has shared a live jam video of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", taken from his new Christmas album, 'TWAS. Check it out below.
Gilbert’s 17th solo album features a dozen recordings, two of which are new, original compositions. The global release date for digital and CD is November 26. The LP will follow on December 10. Pre-order here.
Gilbert: "Many will agree that in recent times, challenging events have been pouring down upon our heads like an Exploding Waterfall of Molasses. At least it sometimes feels like that to me. But while I was jamming Christmas songs with my friends, playing an assortment of red, green, and white Ibanez electric guitars, I felt like life was THE BEST. I hope that this music can put a smile on your face as well.
"Ten of the songs are classics. I was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs. As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my guitar take over, as it sings better than I do."
He continues: "'Three Strings For Christmas' refers to the 3-string guitar that I used on my double-neck. I tune the strings in octaves, which allows me to play ridiculously fast arpeggios, and very little else (which is why I have a normally strung guitar for the other neck.) 'Every Christmas Has Love' was written quickly, inspired by my panic-driven mental state of album making. When I know that the recording sessions are coming, my brain shifts into survival mode, and melodies start popping out. Then I take all the chords I learned by listening to 70s AM radio, and build a song. The lyrics are nice too. I'll be printing those in the liner notes of the album. Merry Christmas to all. And to all, a good night."
Gilbert formed a band of Portland, Oregon's finest jazz and blues musicians for these sessions. The players are Dan Balmer (guitar), Clay Giberson (keyboards), Timmer Blakely (bass), and Jimi Bott (drums). He reflects, “All brought supreme musical goodness to these arrangements and performances. They certainly steered me to make wiser musical choices than I would have made on my own. And as you will hear, my metal guitar instincts still breathe fire when they get the chance.” The album was recorded in Jimi Bott's studio, who also engineered and mixed the recordings. The approach was to record two songs every day, for six days, delivering the collected body of work.
Gilbert: "All songs were recorded live, although I think Jimi snuck some cowbell overdubs in. If anything should be added to a live track, I believe cowbell is the right choice."
Tracklist:
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
"Frosty the Snowman"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"The Christmas Song"
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Every Christmas Has Love"
"Three Strings for Christmas"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
"Silver Bells"
"Winter Wonderland"
In the wake of their recently released, acclaimed, debut LP, States Of Chaos, Hyderabad, India-based death metal crew Godless has issued a new drum playthrough video for the album’s “Fluxion.”
States Of Chaos shows Godless unleashing eight intense and unfaltering tracks of their thrash-laced death metal which pummel the listener into submission, while thematically exploring psychological trepidation and terror, phantasmagorias, and nightmare-inducing dreamscapes. The result is a uniquely vicious-sounding record that takes no prisoners, delivered by one of India’s most promising young metal acts.
Engineered by Godless’ Abbas Razvi, the drums on States Of Chaos were recorded at Wind Horse Recording Studios, the guitars and bass recorded at Infinity Studios, and the vocals recorded at Hydrozoa HQ. The completed tracks were sent to Poland’s Hertz Studio (Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated) who handled mixing and mastering, and the album was completed with artwork and design by New Salem and photography by David Dawson.
States Of Chaos was surrounded by vast critical acclaim from fans and media alike, including hitting #2 on the Bandcamp best-sellers list for death metal and #1 on the thrash list as an independent release.
Godless’ new drum playthrough presents one of the album’s primary singles, “Fluxion,” in an altered instrumental delivery, focusing on the pummeling percussive execution by drummer Vishesh Singh.
Denmark’s Rambuk has just released the single “Death Of The Chosen” together with a music video. This is their third single from their upcoming album Chains and it is one of the fastest and fiercest songs they have written.
Rambuk’s first EP Beneath The Corpses was released in November 2020 and now the time has come for Rambuk’s first full length record Chains. The album will be released early 2022 and is a huge leap forward for the band: Chains is bigger, fiercer, has better production (helped by Cabal’s Chris Kreutzfeldt) and most importantly it is pure heavy metal. While the album musically preserves the legacy of the EP, the lyrics explore everything that binds humans and humanity.
Live, the band is dedicated to give their all and energize the crowd to the fullest extent. As their first concert since the corona lockdown, Rambuk performed on High Voltage in Copenhagen for a full audience on October 29, and are looking forward to more concerts in 2022.
DREAM THEATER's official YouTube channel has uploaded the band's cover of the holiday classic "O Holy Night". The track was recorded during a soundcheck at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon on June 9, 1993 and was released three years later on a very rare fan-club-only Christmas CD.
Last year, DREAM THEATER released a medley of holiday classics called "The Holiday Spirit Carries On". The proceeds of the song, which was made available via Bandcamp, went to support the band's road crew which was unable to work in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
DREAM THEATER's latest LP, "A View From The Top Of The World", came out in October. It was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap. The artwork for "A View From The Top Of The World" was created by longtime DREAM THEATER collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR).
DREAM THEATER — comprised of Petrucci, singer James LaBrie, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini — was in the middle of a sold-out world tour in support of its 2019 last release "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of "Scenes From A Memory" when a global pandemic brought the world to a stop. The musicians found themselves at home, with LaBrie in Canada and the rest of the group in the States. As fate would have it, they'd just finished construction on DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) — a combination live recording studio, rehearsal space, control room, equipment storage, and creative hive. With LaBrie in Canada, he initially wrote with the band via Zoom on a monitor in DTHQ. In March 2021, he flew down to New York, quarantined, and recorded his vocals face to face with Petrucci.
Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson joined RAVEN on stage on November 4 at The 44 Sports Grill & Nightlife in Glendale, Arizona to perform a cover of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Hell Bent For Leather" and the RAVEN original "Seek And Destroy". Video footage and photos of his appearance can be found below.
RAVEN drummer Mike Heller is Ellefson's bandmate in THE LUCID, which released its self-titled debut album in October via SpoilerHead Records.
"The Lucid" was produced by Heller and mixed/mastered by Lasse Lammert.
RAVEN's latest album, "Metal City", was released in September 2020 via SPV/Steamhammer.
Considered part of the "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" movement of the early '80s, RAVEN is perhaps best remembered for its trailblazing tours in America in the early '80s that gave groups like METALLICA and ANTHRAX their first taste of the road.
RAVEN's albums "Rock Until You Drop", "Wiped Out" and "All For One" virtually invented both the speed metal and power metal genres, with the band consistently pushing the envelope while retaining its unique sound and attack — both in the studio and in their true element: onstage.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson was accused of grooming an underage girl through videos and online messages. David has denied the allegation and has repeatedly said the woman in question had been a willing, consenting adult at the time of their virtual sexual encounter. Ellefson accompanied his denial with an alleged screenshot of a statement from the woman with whom he was supposedly involved at the time. In it, the woman admitted to recording the alleged intimate communications she had with Ellefson and called herself "naïve" for sharing them with a friend without the musician's permission.
David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.
In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.
David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis nearly a decade ago.
Thanks Mike Gaube's Headbangers capturing some live video of David Ellefson jamming "Hell Bent For Leather" and "Seek and Destroy" with us tonight in Glendale, AZ.
Italian bass master and composer Alberto Rigoni (Natural Born Machine, Vivaldi Metal Project) will release his new album, Songs For Souls, on January 15th, 2022 in memory of his Father.
Alberto has posted online a stunning performance video for "L'Origin du Monde", featuring Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning). Check it out below.
Alberto Rigoni on "L'Origin du Monde": "Composed by myself and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and featuring Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder, 'L'Origin du Monde' is one of the songs of my upcoming album, Songs For Souls, out on January 15th in memory of my father. Happy Christmas!"
Jordan Rudess adds: "I co-wrote a song with Alberto Rigoni and I think it turned out beautifully. He originally sent me a lovely bass track and I let the inspiration flow and came up with the rest!"
Just recently, Rigoni announced Jordan Rudess, Mark Zonder, Fabrizio Leo, Marco Sfogli, Tommaso Ermolli, Enrico Taddei, Alessandro Bertoni and the legendary guitarist Jennifer Batten, joining the Songs for Souls album line-up.
In case you missed, also watch Jennifer Batten's promo for Songs for Souls below. Pre-order / fund Songs For Souls, available in digital and digipack CD at this location.
Cradle Of Filth drummer Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka has shared drum cam footage of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name" performed live in New York City on October 11th. Check it out below.
Fan-filmed video of the band performing "Hallowed Be Thy Name" on October 1st in Dallas, Texas is also available.
Cradle Of Filth released their new album, Existence Is Futile, on October 22nd via Nuclear Blast. The album consists of 12 new tracks with a total playing time of 54 minutes.
Tracklisting:
"The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders"
"Existential Terror"
"Necromantic Fantasies"
"Crawling King Chaos"
"Here Comes A Candle… (Infernal Lullaby)"
"Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War"
"Discourse Between A Man And His Soul"
"The Dying Of The Embers"
"Ashen Mortality"
"How Many Tears To Nurture A Rose?"
"Suffer Our Dominion"
"Us, Dark, Invincible"
"Sisters Of The Mist" (Bonus track)
"Unleash The Hellion" (Bonus track)
The New Black guitarist / Who Brought The Dog frontman Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz kept himself busy during lockdown with more musical experimentation. He recently released a full album of '80s-inspired synth wave tunes under the moniker SixMixSix, and is gearing up to release a new album, ROAR!, via RetroSynth Records. It will be released on January 7th, 2022.
The video for first single, "Hate Me In Return", featuring The New Black vocalist Fludid is streaming below.
SixMixSix released a live album recorded this past summer in Würzburg, Germany at the annual Umsonst & Draussen festival. It is available for free download here.
"This is just a document about our very first show EVER! So have fun with this historical grain of sand."
Live @U&D WÜRZBURG by SIXMIXSIX
Tracklist:
"The Howler"
"Plains Of Eidolon"
"Antarktos"
"Fortuna"
"Evening Star"
"Heart Of Deimos"
"Continuity"
"Cambion Drift"
"Star Winds"
"Azathoth"
The New Black is a hard rock band hailing from Würzburg, Germany, launched in 2007 by Schwarz and guitarist Christof Leim. They have released four albums to date via AFM Records: The New Black (2009), II: Better in Black (2011), III: Cut Loose (2013) and A Monster’s Life (2016).
Inspired by the Magic The Gathering card game, Planeswalker is the new power metal band founded by Helion Prime guitarist Jason Ashcraft and newly added Gloryhammer vocalist, Sozos Michael.
Today, the duo is unveiling the music video for their second single, "The Spark", from their forthcoming debut album, Tales Of Magic, due out on January 21. Watch below.
Tales Of Magic includes guest performances from Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers), Heather Michele (ex-Helion Prime), Taylor Washington (Paladin), R.A. Voltaire (Ravenous), and more.
Tracklisting:
"Tales Of Magic"
"The Spark"
"Shadow Of Emeria"
"Blackblade"
"The Forever Serpent"
"Oath Of The Gatewatch"
"A Million To One" (KISS cover)
Two Minutes To Late Night is back with another cover, this time taking on King Diamond's "Halloween". Watch below.
A message states: "Ho Ho Ho happy haunted days! Last year we covered a King Diamond Christmas song for Halloween, and this year we're doing the opposite. Please enjoy our 52nd bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. Become a Patreon patron today and get access to exclusive rewards like patches, t-shirts, even custom songs! Plus, you get to see every cover we make before it publicly premieres."
Official video footage of German thrash metal gods, Kreator, performing "Phobia" at Bloodstock 2021 can be viewed below.
Says the band: "It is always a pleasure returning to the UK for Bloodstock Festival, and so as a treat to our hordes worldwide, 'Phobia' from our Bloodstock 2021 set is now streaming on Bloodstock's YouTube."
Kreator recently announce a very special re-release of their 2001 masterpiece, Violent Revolution, for its 20th anniversary. The reissue of Violent Revolution is scheduled for a January 21 release through Nuclear Blast Records and it will include a huge selection of assorted live bootleg recordings, grouped together under the name Bootleg Revolution.
Listen to "All Of The Same Blood" (Live at Wâldrock) from the upcoming release:
The 20th-anniversary edition of Violent Revolution will be available in various formats, including Digital Album, CD Jewelcase, CD Digipak, Double LP, Cassette, and a limited Edition 4LP+2CD Boxset, which will also include an exclusive Kreator comic book called Graphic Violence - Chapter 1.
To give you a taste of the Bootleg Revolution material, which has been recorded in countries like Brazil, Korea, and Istanbul & on German Festivals like Wacken and Waldrock - check out the visualizer video for "Reconquering The Throne" (Live In Istanbul), below.
This Violent Revolution re-issue will be available in the following formats:
- Digital Album "Bootleg Revolution"" (Live In Brazil, Korea, Wacken / Live In Istanbul / Live At Waldrock)
- 2 CD Digibook incl. Live Bonus CD (Brazil, Korea, Wacken)
- 1 CD Jewelcase
- 2 LP Gatefold
* Gatefold Solid BlackGatefold Solid Red
* Marbled Clear/Red (EMP Exclusive)
* Splatter Red/Black
- Box Set
* 2 CD Digibook (Album & Live Bonus)
* 2 LP (Album)
* 2 LP" (Live Bonus; Brazil, Korea, Wacken)
* 1 CD Slipcase" (Live In Istanbul), 1CD Slipcase" (Live At Waldrock)
* 20-page Comic Book "Graphic Violence - Chapter 1"
Pre-order Violent Revolution in a format of your choice, here. Listen to Violent Revolution on a digital service of your choice, here. Pre-save Violent Revolution on a digital service of your choice, here.
Listen to the single "Servant In Heaven - King In Hell"" (Live In Brazil), here and watch a visualizer below.
Violent Revolution tracklisting:
"Reconquering The Throne
"The Patriarch
"Violent Revolution
"All Of The Same Blood
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell
"Second Awakening
"Ghetto War
"Replicas Of Life
"Slave Machinery
"Bitter Sweet Revenge
"Mind Of Fire
"System Decay
Live Bonus:
"Violent Revolution" (Live in Brazil)
"Reconquering The Throne" (Live in Brazil)
"Extreme Aggression" (Live in Korea)
"People Of The Lie" (Live in Korea)
"All Of The Same Blood" (Live in Korea)
"Phobia" (Live In Korea)
"Pleasure To Kill" (Live in Korea)
"Renewal" (Live in Korea)
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell" (Live Brazil)
"Terrible Certainty" (Live in Korea)
"Riot Of Violence" (Live in Korea)
"Terrorzone" (Live in Brazil)
"Betrayer" (Live in Brazil)
"Lost" (Live in Brazil)
"Coma Of Souls" (Live in Brazil)
"Flag Of Hate" (Live at Wacken)
"Tormentor" (Live at Wacken)
Bootleg Revolution tracklisting:
"Violent Revolution" (Live in Brazil)
"Reconquering The Throne" (Live in Brazil)
"Extreme Aggression" (Live in Korea)
"People Of The Lie" (Live in Korea)
"All Of The Same Blood" (Live in Korea)
"Phobia" (Live In Korea)
"Pleasure To Kill" (Live in Korea)
"Renewal" (Live in Korea)
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell" (Live Brazil)
"Terrible Certainty" (Live in Korea)
"Riot Of Violence" (Live in Korea)
"Terrorzone" (Live in Brazil)
"Betrayer" (Live in Brazil)
"Lost" (Live in Brazil)
"Coma Of Souls" (Live in Brazil)
"Flag Of Hate" (Live at Wacken)
"Tormentor" (Live at Wacken)
"Violent Revolution" (Live in Istanbul)
"Reconquering The Throne" (Live in Istanbul)
"Extreme Aggression" (Live in Istanbul)
"People Of The Lie" (Live in Istanbul)
"All Of The Same Blood" (Live in Istanbul)
"Phobia" (Live in Istanbul)
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell" (Live in Istanbul)
"Terrible Certainty" (Live in Istanbul)
"Riot Of Violence" (Live in Istanbul)
"Betrayer" (Live in Istanbul)
"Flag Of Hate" (Live in Istanbul)
"Tormentor" (Live in Istanbul)
"The Patriarch" (Live at Waldrock)
"Violent Revolution" (Live at Waldrock)
"Reconquering The Throne" (Live at Waldrock)
"Extreme Aggression" (Live at Waldrock)
"People Of The Lie" (Live at Waldrock)
"All Of The Same Blood" (Live at Waldrock)
"Phobia" (Live at Waldrock)
"Pleasure To Kill" (Live at Waldrock)
"Renewal" (Live at Waldrock)
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell" (Live at Waldrock)
"Flag Of Hate" (Live at Waldrock)
"Tormentor" (Live at Waldrock)
"Reconquering The Throne" (Live In Istanbul) visualizer:
"Servant In Heaven - King In Hell" (Live In Brazil) visualizer:
As the 21st century was born, so Kreator underwent what was nothing less than a seismic creative rebirth. By this time, the iconic German band had released nine studio albums in the 1980s and '90s, which had established them as one of the most important metal names of these decades. In the first period, they had helped to shape and pioneer the thrash scene through such releases as Pleasure To Kill (1986), TerribleCertainty ('87), and Extreme Aggression ('89). During the following decade, the band had opened up exciting horizons of experimentation on albums like Coma Of Souls (1990), Renewal ('92), and Endorama ('99). Now, though, it was time to move into a fresh era, as vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza explains. “During the 1990s, we were definitely experimenting with what the band was doing. But (drummer) Ventor and I decided that for this album – our first of the new millennium – we wanted to go back to the sort of sound that we had at the start of Kreator. In other words, to get back to the reason why we began the band in the first place.”
There were some significant changes for this album, one being the fact that the band signed to SPV/Steamhammer. There was also a new guitarist introduced, as Sami Yli-Sirniö (who had made his reputation with Finnish band Waltari) took over from Tommy Vetterli. The latter (also known as Tommy T. Baron) had joined in 1996 and played on the Oucast (1997) and Endorama albums.
As usual, it was Petrozza who did all the writing for the album.
The producer for this album was Andy Sneap, who was now making a name for himself as one of the pre-eminent masters of this art in the modern metal world. Pre-production was done in Essen at KKS Studios, before the band went to Area 51 Studios in Celle, near Hamburg where they recorded the drum and bass (handled by Christian Giesler).
The album title came from something Petrozza had read. “In a book, I came across a comment that John F. Kennedy said (in 1962). This was: 'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.' I thought 'Violent Revolution' would make a good title for an album. So, I kept it in my mind for this record. I think 'Violent Revolution' is a title that makes a real impact."
For the cover, Kreator turned to Andreas Marschall, who had done such a striking job on the 1990's Coma Of Souls album sleeve.
Violent Revolution was released in September 2001, and became the band's highest-charting album to that point in Germany, as it reached number 38. “We knew we had a good album, so in that way, it wasn't a surprise to see this do so well in the chart. But however good you might think your album is, you can never be certain how people will react to what you've done, and whether you can pick up new fans, as well as satisfy the older ones. So, I suppose there was an element of us being pleasantly surprised when we got into the Top 40 for the first time. But I have to give a lot of credit to our label. They knew exactly how to market and promote the album, and showed we had made the right choice in signing to them.”
Violent Revolution is without question an excellent album. While in some ways it does hark back to the glories of the band's earlier days, nonetheless it does not sound at all nostalgic. The performances and production values are very much part of the contemporary era, and the strength of the compositions themselves are of the highest values. Rising to the challenge offered by a new generation of ambitious metal bands, Kreator proved they were far from being a spent force. Unlike so many of their peers, here was a band who still had so much creativity to offer, and were also clearly excited themselves by what they were doing. And when you hear the band themselves enjoying the entire process, then you know this is a bona fide revitalization.
“I feel this is one of our strongest albums,” says Petrozza with conviction. “We took what we'd done on 'Coma Of Souls' and 'Extreme Aggression' but this wasn't a case of repeating it. No, we added in modern metal elements to the sound as well. It was a new era for Kreator. A rebirth if you want to put it that way. And the start of what I would call our second career.”
Kreator's Violent Revolution lineup, 2001 (pictured at top):
Mile Petrozza - Vocals, Guitars
Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitars
Christian Giesler - Bass
Ventor - Drums
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