Bassist Eddie Jackson (pictured below) of Seattle progressive metal veterans QUEENSRŸCHE will throw out the first pitch at Seattle Mariners' home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 26.
The new self-titled album from the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, will be released on June 25 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.
"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.
Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen will guest on "Oscar's Guitar Shop" on LaTalkRadio.com to discuss his current album, "Spellbound", touring, and his autobiography titled "Relentless: The Memoir". The Malmsteen interview will be broadcast live on Friday, June 28 at 2 p.m. PST and explore his career, guitar techniques, and discography.
Sponsored by Music Connection magazine, "Oscar's Guitar Shop" is a one-hour talk show featuring the finest guitarists in the music industry. Discussions include music, gear, hot licks, and the creative process.
Los Angeles-based four-piece rock band LETLIVE will release its new album, "The Blackest Beautiful", on July 9 via Epitaph Records. The CD is now available for streaming in its entirety at this location.
The group has premiered the first new song, "Banshee (Ghost Fame)", in the form of a powerful video. Additionally, fans who pre-order "The Blackest Beautiful" at LetliveStore.com will receive an instant download of "Banshee (Ghost Fame)".
"This song explores the tragic humor in entertainment as an industry as opposed to an art," explains LETLIVE's inimitable vocalist Jason Aalon Butler. "Sonically this track was a pretty suitable representation of the record's sonic spectrum. We also employed some elements of groove that we have always been fans of."
Named #1 on Kerrang!'s list of "The 50 Greatest Rockstars in The World Today," Jason Butler, along with cohorts Ryan Jay Johnson (bass), Jean Nascimento (guitar) and Jeff Sahyoun (guitar), organically meld hardcore, punk, metal and even elements of jazz and R&B, on "The Blackest Beautiful", creating a progressive, indelible sound that walks the line between aggressive and melodic and crosses a gamut of genres with an intensity that's rarely found in music today.
"The mindset was certainly a holistic one when regarding this record," Butler adds. "The vibe developed on its own as we wrote it. While we certainly indulged particular tastes, stylistically, as individuals, we made sure that the product culminated as something we could all enjoy. Essentially we all got to explore elements we had always wanted to and somehow found a way to marry them tastefully on one album."
Produced by the bandmembers themselves with the help of longtime co-conspirator Kit Walters and mixed by pop guru Stephen George (MARY J. BLIGE, MICHAEL JACKSON), "The Blackest Beautiful" features eleven politically, socially and personally conscious songs like "The Priest And Used Cars", which refers the tragic costs of poisonous zeal, "Virgin Dirt", about self-sabotaging relationships, and "27 Club", a personal tale of living life selflessly or selfishly.
Five long years since their last release, Milwaukee metal band MISERY SIGNALS will return on July 23 with its new album, "Absent Light".
Foregoing the traditional record label release model, MISERY SIGNALS launched an Indiegogo campaign in March to work directly with fans to crowd-fund the new album by offering unique funding packages that included handwritten lyrics, vinyl box set, music lessons, listening parties and more. By May, the band had not only reached their funding goal, but had surpassed it by double the amount. The support was a definite sign that fans were eagerly awaiting new music from the seminal band.
"We were floored by the excitement from the people supporting the album," guitarist Ryan Morgan says. "It's a good feeling to have an audience matching the enthusiasm we are putting into it's creation — and they haven't even heard it yet! It'll all come together when they get to hear how insane this album is."
An exclusive audio preview of a new album track, "Reborn: An Execution", is available below.
MISERY SIGNALS will kick off its record-release tour in July, with dates running through mid-August.
In the course of three full-length albums, MISERY SIGNALS' unique style of aggressive riffs, bright guitar melodies and progressive time signatures have become a significant influence on bands in the genre. Their groundbreaking 2004 debut, "Of Malice And The Magnum Heart", placed the band at the top of their genre for their talent and impeccable musicianship. Following up with the release of "Mirrors" in 2006, the band continued to cultivate a dedicated following with the addition of Karl Schubach on vocals. Their latest release, "Controller", hit heavy and hard with crushing energy appeasing old and new fans alike. After a year of world touring, in support of "Controller", and with the departure of longtime members Stu Ross and Kyle Johnson, the remaining members put the band on pause to focus on other interests and side-projects. With a revitalized lineup and an overflowing passion to create music again, MISERY SIGNALS is ready to be back in full force.
Canadian technical death metallers GORGUTS will release their fifth album, "Colored Sands", on August 30 in Europe and September 3 in North America via Season Of Mist. The effort will be made available will be available as a digipak CD limited to the first pressing, regular black LP, transparent clear LP and red/yellow colored LP.
"Colored Sands" track listing:
01. Le Toit Du Monde 02. An Ocean Of Wisdom 03. Forgotten Arrows 04. Colored Sands 05. The Battle Of Chamdo 06. Enemies Of Compassion 07. Ember's Voice 08. Absconders 09. Reduced To Silence
GORGUTS guitarist/vocalist Luc Lemay previously told Zero Tolerance magazine about "Colored Sands": "It's a whole concept album, so I've been reading books for a year a year and a half for the lyrics to know what I'm going to talk about.
"The lyrics process is very hard for me. First, I'm French, and then I need to educate myself on the topic I'm going to talk about. I'm not going to educate myself on the Chinese invasion of Tibet with a Wikipedia thing.
"I bought piles of books. I feel the same way I did at the conservatory when I was writing classical pieces. It takes months and months, the pieces you just can't get it out of your system. You need to become a sponge, you need to get soaked with the topic. So far so good I'm very very happy with what we've done.
"In the first place I wanted to write the whole album about the rituals of mandalas made with sand. One day my girlfriend's little daughter colored in a coloring book a mandala for me and I wondered what a mandala was, I liked the word. I searched on the Internet and found out this is a Tibetan thing and then it clicked, this is gonna be it, but I didn't have any clue, I wasn't very educated on the Tibetan culture. This mandala thing gets so complex, you could study it for 25-30 years before you know exactly what you're talking about, so I said, 'Okay, I'll take it from a different angle.' It's not a National Geographic documentary either. It's very poetic and very epic. This is my vision. I have no pretension about telling 'truth'; it's how I feel about these people."
The band has also announced a string of headlining shows leading to and from this year's Hopscotch Festival. the U.S. trek, which begins on September 5 in Springfield, Virginia, will travel through Hopscotch before ending on September 8 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
War On Music Records in 2011 released on vinyl the GORGUTS albums "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001) and "Obscura" (1998). These records were largely regarded as pioneering works in the technical death metal genre, and set the standard for the decade to follow.
GORGUTS' current lineup is as follows:
* Luc Lemay (NEGATIVA) - Vocals, Guitar * Kevin Hufnagel (DYSRHYTHMIA, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, BYLA, EUCLID STREET, THE FIFTH SEASON, GREY DIVISION BLUE) - Guitar * Colin Marston (DYSRHYTHMIA, BEHOLD... THE ARCTOPUS, BYLA, KRALLICE, INDRICOTHERE) - Bass * John Longstreth (DIM MAK, ORIGIN, THE RED CHORD, SKINLESS, POSSESSION, ANGELCORPSE) – Drums
British rockers THE JOKERS will release their second album, "Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive", on September 2 in Europe and September 10 in North America via Steamhammer/SPV.
A snippet of the CD's first single, "Radio", which will be made available digitally on June 24, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.
Even if music fans on the other side of the Atlantic may beg to differ: the best and most authentic rock bands still come from the U.K. The country with its long tradition of legendary groups such as THE WHO, FREE, MOTT THE HOOPLE, THE FACES and LED ZEPPELIN continues to be an ideal breeding ground for promising acts in 2013. So it comes as no surprise that THE JOKERS also hail from the U.K. The four-piece — consisting of brothers Paul (guitar) and Simon Hurst (bass) and their two colleagues, Wane Parry (vocals) and Chris Poole (drums) — has succeeded in successfully transporting classic rock music into the present without denying the illustrious past of this musical direction or lacking a contemporary and topical approach.
THE JOKERS first came to public attention in summer 2009 when their debut album, "The Big Rock' N' Roll Show", was released independently, achieving remarkable sales within a few months. Countless shows in seedy clubs and shady joints followed, the four musicians having only one target: to make THE JOKERS popular and to grow as artists.
"We're a hard-working band. We like to play as often as we can and keep learning all the time," Paul Hurst explains. "Everything about THE JOKERS is honest and authentic, our sole aim is to be successful and make people happy."
Over almost two years, THE JOKERS spent a total of five months working on "Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive" with producer Andy Macpherson (ERIC CLAPTON, THE WHO, BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, THE BUZZCOCKS). The result is bound to delight all rock music fans. Hurst says: "We have grown perceptibly in the past 24 months and are now ready to present an album which bears its title with justification. Rock 'n' roll is an attitude, it stands for freedom, tolerance and self-fulfilment. 'Rock 'N' Roll Is Alive' reflects all these aspects perfectly."
Adds SPV/Steamhammer A&R representative Olly Hahn: "THE JOKERS have the right feeling for melodies and together with their dry but punchy hard rock sound, it's a combination not to miss. I'm really happy that the band decided to join the SPV family!"
Bulgarian death metallers ENTHRALLMENT have tapped guitarist-turned-producer James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY, TESTAMENT, CANCER, KONKHRA, DISINCARNATE) to master their fourth album, "The Voice Of Human Perversity", for a late 2013 release. The CD was recorded at Murder Sound Studio in Bulgaria and will feature the following track listing:
01. Screams Etched Within The Crags 02. Rats Before The Worms 03. Mummified Ante Mortem 04. Rove In Hell 05. Stench Of Burnt Down Sanctuary 06. Madness Coloured In Light 07. Tones Of Gladness 08. Tool Of Suicide
ENTHRALLMENT's last album, "People From The Lands Of Vit", came out in April 2012 via the American label United Guttural Records. The cover art, entitled "Hell", was a creation of Bulgarian artist Stefan Stefanov.
According to a press release, "ENTHRALLMENT's music can be described as brutal-yet -technical, early-'90s-era death metal. All instruments play a major role in the formation of every intense song. The string section is totally heavy and sick, delivering riff after memorable riff. Driving percussion blasts and pounds and ultimately reinterprets shredding riffs into headbang inducing hooks while intensely pissed off guttural vocals deliver the sadistic sermon. Their sound has been compared to SUFFOCATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEVOURMENT."
"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, sold 155,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 11 via Vertigo/Universal Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"
Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort is accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".
Several versions of "13" are available for order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and the aforementioned "Super Deluxe Box Set", which contains the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.
"13" track listing:
01. End Of The Beginning (8:05) 02. God Is Dead? (8:52) 03. Loner (4:59) 04. Zeitgeist (4:37) 05. Age Of Reason (7:01) 06. Live Forever (4:46) 07. Damaged Soul (7:51) 08. Dear Father (7:20)
Deluxe-edition bonus tracks:
09. Methademic (5:57) 10. Peace Of Mind (3:40) 11. Pariah (5:34)
Total running time (with bonus tracks): 68 minutes, 42 seconds
The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.
Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single, "God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."
Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."
Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."
SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.
A 25-minute MetOnTour video recap of METALLICA's appearance at the band's sophomore Orion Music + More festival, which took place June 8-9 in Detroit, Michigan, can be seen below. The footage includes METALLICA frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich taking part in the pre-show meet-and-greet; plus performances of "I Disappear" in the tuning room, and "Carpe Diem Baby" and "The Day That Never Comes" from the show. This was only the second time that "Carpe Diem Baby" had been performed live. It was also only the second time that "The Day That Never Comes" had been played over the past two and a half years.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo said on the ground at the festival that he was eager to bring the show back to Detroit in 2014. "We've got to come back here, you know," he said. "This is a great place. This city needs it. The weekend has been a blast and I can't wait 'til next year. I've already got ideas for next year, so we're looking forward to it."
As previously reported, METALLICA played a surprise set on June 8 under the name DEHAAN, playing their entire 1983 debut disc "Kill 'Em All" from front to back.
The band's headlining set the following night, which closed out the festival, featured rarities like "Carpe Diem, Baby", "I Disappear" and "Disposable Heroes" alongside the band's more traditional hits and live favorites.
The members of METALLICA were also spotted hanging out at their personal lifestyle exhibits, with James Hetfield seen at his custom car display, Trujillo overseeing the skateboarding at the Vans Vert Ramp, and drummer Lars Ulrich premiering a clip from the upcoming movie "Metallica Through The Never" alongside director Nimród Antal.
The Metallica Museum displayed the bass that Cliff Burton played at his final concert before his 1986 death in a Swedish bus crash, as well as other instruments, stage props and vintage concert flyers.
Robert Trujillo played two other sets during the course of the weekend, first with a reunion of funk-rockers INFECTIOUS GROOVES and then with his own TRUJILLO TRIO.
Spokesperson Charlie Walker of promoter C3 Presents said that around 20,000 attended the first day, with possibly more showing up on Sunday. As for whether Orion will return to Detroit next year, he replied, "We'll go through this one, wrap it up, see what the feedback is . . . Then we'll sit down and try to get a grip on what to do next."
A total of 37 groups, including the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, DEFTONES, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, RISE AGAINST and BASSNECTAR, performed on Orion's five stages.
THE JOY FORMIDABLE was unable to perform their show after arriving late in Detroit due to travel issues.
James Hetfield personally introduced the SILVERSUN PICKUPS and watched their set from the side of the stage.
Cliff Burton's father Ray was in attendance for METALLICA's surprise "Kill 'Em All" performance on Saturday.
Detroit native Bob Seger was rumored to be showing up to sing his classic "Turn The Page" with METALLICA. Although the band played the song, Seger was a no-show.
Philip Anselmo, legendary frontman of PANTERA and DOWN, will release his career-first solo album, "Walk Through Exits Only", on July 16 via his own Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). "Walk Through Exits Only" will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.
Produced by Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at Philip's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair, with his band THE ILLEGALS — guitarist Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL) and drummer José Manuel Gonzales (WARBEAST) — "Walk Through Exits Only" is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album's eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from "Battalion Of Zero" to "Usurper's Bastard Rant", to the album's title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.
"Walk Through Exits Only" track listing:
01. Music Media Is My Whore 02. Battalion Of Zero 03. Betrayed 04. Usurper Bastard's Rant 05. Walk Through Exits Only 06. Bedroom Destroyer 07. Bedridden 08. Irrelevant Walls And Computer Screens
The song "Bedridden" is now available for streaming using the SoundCloud widget below.
"It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record," Anselmo explained about the project. "It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. On this album, there isn't any wordplay, there isn't any hidden message, it's all right there in front of you."
The genesis of "Walk Through Exits Only" proved both comfortable and natural for its architect. In fact, everything began to slowly come together in the frontman's New Orleans home back in 2010.
"It started right there in the fucking black bedroom where I haunt," he smiles. "When I get an itch, I've got to scratch it. The sole idea at the beginning was to be unorthodox. It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record. I've always believed there are different elements of groove. It's definitely not a cemented science. It's an angry album that only I could do. I don't see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I'm screaming about. I tried to portray it as personally as I possibly could."
Gonzales puts it best. "I think it's going to put the rock 'n' roll back in extreme music," he says. "That combination is very different. For as extreme as it is, it's controlled chaos."
"It's meant to be very unpredictable," Anselmo affirms. "When I hear enough of the same thing, I want to rebel. That was a key factor. Right when you think you've got it pegged, it goes in a different direction. That's what keeps things interesting."
In order to harness that unpredictability and realize his vision, he enlisted the talents of longtime friend Houston-based shredder Montazeri. Filling the seat behind the kit is Gonzales, who entered the fold at the tender age of 19. Back at Anselmo's studio Nodferatu's Lair, they recorded in spurts between DOWN's own rigorous recording and touring schedule. In the process of those intense sessions alongside engineer Stephen "The Big Fella" Berrigan, the record was born.
"There's nobody like Philip," says Montazeri. "For years, I've always wanted to do something completely original and meaningful with him. I'm just trying to bring something pure to this. Nothing gets in the way of this band's purity. When all of us get together, it's automatic. If I have an idea, Philip always welcomes it. We share a love for extreme music, and I feel like we've got an unbreakable bond."
Gonzales agrees, "These guys pushed me to limits I didn't even know I could be pushed to. We've been able to create something really special together."
The world's proper introduction to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS came on the "War Of The Gargantuas" split with WARBEAST at the top of 2013. The two songs included on the split — "Conflict" and "Family, Friends, and Associates" — were only a separate and small taste of what was come to come on the full-length though.
In many ways, "Walk Through Exits Only" embodies the same underground spirit and ethos that Anselmo has proudly possessed for his whole life. Since his career began, he consistently shined light on what was happening beneath the typical "surface" of music, whether by inviting MORBID ANGEL, EYEHATEGOD, CROWBAR, or NEUROSIS onto a PANTERA tour or donning a DARKTHRONE or MAYHEM t-shirt on television or in a major publication. He's gone against the grain, past the tides, and right through the exits. Now, that sentiment pipes through loud and clear on the record's viciously vital title track.
"It does create an unorthodox approach to things," Anselmo continues. "The hook is a powerful line. Why make music the 'right' way? There really aren't any fucking rules. You've got to simply take what’s there and make it your own."
The opener "Music Media Is My Whore" lays all speculation to rest with its focused pummeling. About the title, he laughs, "I've gotten my share of fucking licks from the media over the years. I figured I'd give them one back. Lyrically, there was always something driving me though. I couldn't put my finger on it for the longest time, but it's very reality-based. I didn't mince any words."
"The message comes across in a crazy way," adds Montazeri. "That goes for the entire record though. There's no similarity between this and any other band. It breaks from tradition."
Not only does "Walk Through Exits Only" break from tradition, it lays the groundwork for a new road.
"Fuck another chapter," concludes Anselmo. "This is a whole new book. Some might call it ambitious. I say it's natural. I can do anything I want with this, and I will. I want people to take that unpredictability with them. If you're in a younger band, I want you to realize you don't have to play by the fucking rules. I want everyone to see that there's a lot more to the story than they'd ever realized when it comes to me. You can't and won't be able to tell what comes next from the kid. You can't pin me down unless it's in my own fucking corner which will be painted black and say, 'Reserved for Philip H. Anselmo.' You're very welcome to do that."
Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT mastermind/percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan at this year's Download festival, which took place June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
As previously reported, Crahan spoke with Kerrang! magazine about the band's continued delay in recording a follow-up to 2008's "All Hope Is Gone" after the death of bassist Paul Gray in May 2010. The SLIPKNOT co-founder explained: "We haven't written an album in five years because we wrote one, we toured it for two years, and Paul died, and it's been three years. What do you want from me? Nothing. When I come back, when we come back, it will be time, you will understand, we will understand, and it will be right. We'll be the first band that could be off for five years and come back like we never were gone. So that's what it's all about."
Crahan also spoke about returning to England to headline the Download festival for the first time since Gray's death. Crahan said, "We take tonight as seriously as we did as the Astoria (in London) the first time we came over (to the U.K.). It's always been our way, it always will be our way."
He added, "I don't give a fuck about playing for the fans, I don't give a fuck about playing for myself, I don't give a fuck about the stage — any of it. All I care about is playing with my brothers . . . This is what I signed up for. This is what I started. This is my dream. And it's not just me; it's my bros and me playing what we were born to do."
SLIPKNOT has performed live over the past two years, but is not likely to begin recording a new album until 2014.
Crahan recently revealed that he plans to make a documentary on eating disorders and has asked for people to come forward and tell their stories. Crahan said, "Why eating disorders? My path through life has brought me into contact with a number of women and men suffering from these terrible diseases and I feel compelled to do what I can to help."
On June 9, RockEyez conducted an interview with Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
Frontiers Records has just released Karlsson's solo album under the title "Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall".
Karlsson started his cooperation with Frontiers Records in the year 2000 when his band LAST TRIBE was signed by the Italian label. After two more records with this group, Magnus was asked by Serafino Perugino, Frontiers Records label president, to write and produce some of their artists. This started a successful journey of collaborations with some of the greatest singers and musicians in the hard rock/metal world. The list includes the successful ALLEN/LANDE trilogy, STARBREAKER, BOB CATLEY, KISKE/SOMERVILLE and the list goes on and on. He finally joined the German heavy metal icons PRIMAL FEAR in 2008 and with them he toured the world and recorded two successful albums that climbed high on the charts in several countries.
This time, Magnus created his own album with his strongest melodic metal and hard rock set of songs ever and invited both old and new friends to sing them. The list includes Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ADRENALINE MOB), Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, GAMMA RAY), Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER), Mark Boals (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THE CODEX), Rick Altzi (MASTERPLAN, AT VANCE), Mike Andersson (STAR ONE, FULL FORCE), Rickard Bengtsson (LAST TRIBE), Herman Saming (A.C.T.), David Readman (PINK CREAM 69, VODOO CIRCLE). Rounding up the line-up on the album is Daniel Flores on drums.
"I've had the honor to collaborate with some of the greatest singers and musicians in the world," says Magnus. "Artists who have made my life richer with their magical music. On this album, I got the chance to write tailor made songs for some of my absolute favorite singers. I was thinking, what would I really like to hear from this or that guy, and then I wrote the songs. It’s like if I'm missing a song with my favourite singer in my record collection, then I just make that song for him! I listen like a fan and I write like a fan, well…I am a fan!"
"Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall" track listing:
01. Free Fall (lead vocals: Russell Allen) 02. Higher (lead vocals: Ralf Scheepers) 03. Heading Out (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson) 04. Stronger (lead vocals: Tony Harnell) 05. Not My Saviour (lead vocals: Rick Altzi) 06. Us Against The World (lead vocals: David Readman) 07. Our Time Has Come (lead vocals: Mark Boals) 08. Ready Or Not (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson) 09. Last Tribe (lead vocals: Rickard Bengtsson) 10. Fighting (lead vocals: Herman Saming) 11. Dreamers & Hunters (lead vocals: Mike Andersson) 12. On Fire (lead vocals: Magnus Karlsson)
Four of the songs can be sampled in the YouTube clip below.
Fresh from their appearance at Download festival, KATATONIA, the Swedish purveyors of dark rock/metal, have been revealed as very special guests on PARADISE LOST's "Tragic Illusion" 25th-anniversary tour in October alongside LACUNA COIL.
Concurrently, also celebrating their own 10th anniversary for their masterful sixth album "Viva Emptiness", KATATONIA will perform the album in its entirety each night to make these shows even more special.
Originally released in 2003, "Viva Emptiness" is regarded by many, including the bandmembers themselves, as being among KATATONIA's finest albums. The CD cemented the band's reputation as a major force, combining refined metal with doom and gloom angst-laden rock.
To coincide with the shows and the album's 10th anniversary, "Viva Emptiness" will be entirely remixed and remastered by David Castillo, plus enhanced with new artwork courtesy of Travis Smith, for a re-release on November 4 via Peaceville.
Comments KATATONIA guitarist and founding member Anders Nyström: "Sometimes after an album has been out for a while, I always get the question if there's something we would have wanted to change or done differently, and 99% of the time I say 'no,' because we have happily moved on! But there's been one particular album that would in fact echo with a loud 'YES' to that question. Dear friends, that would be the album you know as 'Viva Emptiness'…
"Truth to be told, this album's session was so full of obstacles that it compromised the end result with a subpar production, undeservedly affecting the musical quality of the album. We have always, and still truly love the songs we wrote on 'Viva Emptiness' and regularly continue to incorporate some of its classics in our live repertoire, even to a point where we notably realized they sound better on a live record than on the original studio album. So up until now, it's just been a dream of ours to go back and drag the album out of its 'misery' by treating it with what it so desperately has been longing for all these years: a complete remix and remastering.
"This year, time is approaching 'Viva Emptiness' with a 10th anniversary, so is there really something to celebrate? Oh yes, indeed! Our long lost mission objective will finally be completed! The album may now take that climb, in terms of audio quality, to be right up there proudly positioned beside its younger 'album brethren' — 'The Great Cold Distance', 'Night Is The New Day' and finally 'Dead End Kings'. We will give 'Viva Emptiness' the sound and production the songs always deserved by having our long time studio rat and collaborator David Castillo work his magic at his Ghost Ward studio. Secondly, another longtime collaborator of ours, namely Travis Smith, will give the artwork an enhanced continuation of the original theme that will keep the visual aesthetes at bay! And last but not least, the crowning of the celebration: We will take 'Viva Emptiness' with us on the road and play the album live in its entirety while performing as 'very special guests' to our 'tragic idols' in PARADISE LOST, celebrating their own 25th anniversary tour this fall. Viva 'Viva Emptiness' fulfilled!"
KATATONIA with PARADISE LOST and LACUNA COIL:
Oct. 30 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton Oct. 31 - 02 ABC, Glasgow Nov. 01 - The Ritz – Manchester Nov. 03 - Camden Roadhouse, London
London, U.K.-based rockers NEONFLY will be the main support act in Germany for legendary rocker ALICE COOPER as part of his "Raise the Dead" 2013 tour. The dates are as follows:
Jul. 29 - Saarbrücken, GER @ Saarlandhalle Jul. 30 - Hanau, GER @ Amphitheater Aug. 04 - Lichtenfels, GER @ Schützenanger
This adds up to a knockout package of summer shows for NEONFLY that already includes the main stage at the Masters Of Rock festival in Czech Republic on July 12, and an exclusive headline show in Hamburg, Germany at the Rock Café on July 10.
In spring of this year, the band set off to HOFA Studios in Germany to record their second album with producer Dennis Ward (UNISONIC, PINK CREAM 69, ANGRA, PRIMAL FEAR, KROKUS). The CD is currently being mixed, with a release date soon to be confirmed.
Comments NEONFLY guitarist and songwriter Frederick Thunder: "Alice Cooper is one of the most established and legendary acts in the music industry. Who hasn't heard of Alice Cooper? How many people can say they've never played air guitar — or real guitar for that matter — over the riff of 'Poison' or 'School's Out'? It's an absolute honor and pleasure to have the opportunity to share the stage with Alice. Enough said!"
"All Hope Is Lost", a brand new song from DEATH DIVISION — the heavy, technically aggressive and melodic band founded by bassist Jerry Montano (HELLYEAH, DANZIG, NOTHINGFACE), drummer Tim Yeung (MORBID ANGEL, DIVINE HERESY, HATE ETERNAL, NILE), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and lead guitarist Rick Di Marco — can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.
DEATH DIVISION has been confirmed for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, HELLYEAH, DEVICE and NEWSTED.
DEATH DIVISION is managed by Dave Mustaine's son, Justis Mustaine.
In a recent interview with the Colorado Springs, Colorado radio station 94.3 KILO, Mustaine stated about DEATH DIVISION: "One band that I did hear recently that I really liked was the opening band on Gigantour. It's an unknown band. The bass player from DANZIG and the drummer from MORBID ANGEL formed this band called DEATH DIVISION. And they're opening up Gigantour. My son manages them and if Tradecraft [Mustaine's label imprint] could sign anybody, I would sign them. They're that good. When I heard them, I said, 'Well, who's their label?' And Justis said they don't have a label. And I said, 'Really? Well, you know what? They can open Gigantour if they want to.' And they're on it. And the band's got one of the best guitar players I've heard in a very, very, very long time."
DEATH DIVISION has been working with Eclipse Media on the group's official logo and artwork.
For more information, visit the DEATH DIVISIONFacebook page.
