Scarlet Records has inked a new deal with Belmondo Entertainment/Entertainment One Distribution for the North American distribution of its releases and extensive catalog. Belmondo/Entertainment One will acquire both physical and digital rights for the Italian label's roster, which includes many acclaimed international acts such as REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE (featuring former STRATOVARIUS mastermind Timo Tolkki), SKYCLAD, ROYAL ...
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Sonic Shocks conducted an interview with guitarist Matias Kupiainen of Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS at the Hard Rock Hell IV festival, which was held December 3-5, 2010 at Pontins in Prestatyn, North Wales, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below. STRATOVARIUS will release its thirteenth full-length studio album, "Elysium", in Asia ...
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Video interviews with bassist Jari Kainulainen (STRATOVARIUS, EVERGREY), keyboardist Mikko Härkin (SONATA ARCTICA, KOTIPELTO) and drummer Uli Kusch (MASTERPLAN, HELLOWEEN) about their new SYMFONIA project can be viewed below. SYMFONIA features former members of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA. The band entered Studiomega in Varberg, Sweden on November 25 to begin recording 12 songs ...
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Fan-filmed video footage of Brazilian singer André Matos' (ANGRA, SHAAMAN, VIPER) November 19, 2010 performance at SESC in Santo André, Brazil can be viewed below (courtesy of Joel Oliveira Jr.). "Mentalize", the second solo album from André Matos, was released in Europe on February 1, 2010 via SPV/Steamhammer (three days earlier in Germany). The CD ...
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Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS will release their thirteenth full-length studio album, "Elysium", in Asia on January 12, 2011 via JVC and in the rest of the world on January 14, 2011 through earMUSIC/Edel. A single with two new songs will be released on November 26 to coincide with the start of the "7 Sinners World ...
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Video interviews with Brazilian singer André Matos (ANGRA, SHAAMAN, VIPER) and Finnish guitarist Timo Tolkki (STRATOVARIUS, REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE) about their new SYMFONIA project can be viewed below. SYMFONIA features former members of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA. The band will enter Studiomega in Varberg, Sweden on November 25 to begin recording 12 songs for ...
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SYMFONIA, the new melodic metal project featuring former members of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA, will enter Studiomega in Varberg, Sweden on November 25 to begin recording 12 songs for its debut album, which is scheduled for a March 25, 2011 release. SYMFONIA has signed a four-album deal with the biggest Japanese metal and ...
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Alex Landenburg (pictured below; AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR, MEKONG DELTA) has commented on his new gig as the stand-in drummer for STRATOVARIUS after the band's regular drummer, Jörg Michael, was diagnosed with cancer and had his entire thyroid removed. "I will be stepping in for Jörg Michael on the first part of the upcoming tour with ...
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Swedish keyboardist Jens Johansson of multi-national melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS has issued the following update: "Dear STRATOVARIUS fans, I am afraid we have some quite terrible news. News of the worst imaginable kind. It's about our friend and [German] drummer Jörg Michael [STRATOVARIUS]. "Jörg has cancer. "He recently discovered a lump on his neck, went to ...
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Since it first worked with SENTENCED back in 1993, Century Media Records has been known for delivering first-class Finnish metal from the likes of TURISAS, FINNTROLL, POISONBLACK, TIMO KOTIPELTO, NORTHER, THE MAN-EATING TREE, KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI and the label's latest signing, INSOMNIUM. Now Century Media has teamed up with the Finnish Metal Expo, Inferno (Finland's leading ...
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SYMFONIA, the new melodic metal project featuring former members of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA, will enter Studiomega in Varberg, Sweden later this month to begin recording its debut album for a spring 2011 release. A press release reads as follows: "They are all legends among the melodic metal community. By sheer coincidence, they ...
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Finnish hard rockers ANCARA have commenced work on their fourth album for a 2011 release. No further details are currently available. "Nicole", the latest video from ANCARA, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's third album, "Chasing Shadows", which entered the official chart in the band's home country last October at position ...
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A dozen or so Finnish metal musicians will take part in the seventh annual "Dimebag Beyond Forever Tour", set to kick off in late November. The 10-date trek will honor the legendary PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was shot and killed on stage on December 8, 2004. The musicians will perform for free and ...
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Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS are putting the finishing touches on their thirteenth full-length studio album, "Elysium", at 5-by-5 studios in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, Finland. The CD will be released in Asia on January 12, 2011 via JVC and in the rest of the world on January 14, 2011 through earMUSIC/Edel. A single with two new songs ...
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RASKAS JOULU (Heavy Christmas) — a Finnish project which celebrates Christmas and its music tradition mixed with metal — will be touring again this year. Taking part in this year's event are the following musicians (Note: Not all musicians will participate in each concert): Singers: * Jarkko Ahola (TERÄSBETONI, NORTHERN KINGS) * Ari Koivunen (AMORAL) ...
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Former STRATOVARIUS and REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE mainman Timo Tolkki will release his long-awaited book, "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years", on October 1 via Goldenworks. Tolkki is most well-known for his music and thought-provoking lyrics. In many of his songs lies just a hint of the pain he has suffered that has shaped him into the artist ...
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Former STRATOVARIUS and REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE mainman Timo Tolkki will release his long-awaited book on October 1. In a March 2010 online posting, Tolkki stated about the upcoming book, "After a lot of thinking, feeling and getting some distance to my [recently completed] book, I have come to a conclusion that much of the book was ...
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Finnish musician/producer Timo Tolkki (REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE, STRATOVARIUS) has clarified the comments he made in a recent interview in which he was quoted as saying that he "could not even imagine in [his] wildest dreams" that the remaining members of STRATOVARIUS "would continue the band without [him] with the same name." He added in ...
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Iron Maiden Argentina FC recently conducted an interview with Finnish musician/producer Timo Tolkki (REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE, STRATOVARIUS). A few excerpts from the chat follow below. Iron Maiden Argentina FC: What can you us advance [about] "Trinity" [the forthcoming third and final album from Tolkki's post-STRATOVARIUS band REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE]? There are differences between "Trinity" and ...
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Finnish progressive metal outfit ANTHRIEL will release its debut album, "The Pathway", on September 17 via Lion Music. The CD was produced by Timo Niemistö and was mixed by Jussi Kulomaa at MSTR Studio. The mastering duties were handled by Henkka Niemistö at Chartmakers. The album cover art and layout was created by Jan Yrlund ...
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Former STRATOVARIUS leader/guitarist Timo Tolkki has released the following statement: "Due to my private problems, the lack of interest in REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE [Tolkki's post-STRATOVARIUS band] shows by the promoters, and the current situation in the music industry that affects to everything including the production budgets, it has become impossible to continue the band. "We have ...
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Long-running Finnish "dark metal" band THROES OF DAWN has announced the addition of keyboardist Henri Andersson to the group's ranks. According to THROES OF DAWN, "Andersson has been playing live with the band since the beginning of 2010 when the band started touring after the release of our fifth full-length album, 'The Great Fleet Of ...
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"Desolation: White Wolf", the new video from the Finnish symphonic folk metal band KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI, can be viewed below. The clip was once again directed by Timo Puustinen of CopperSky. "Desolation: White Wolf" comes off KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI's second album, "Betrayal, Justice, Revenge", which was released on April 26 via Century Media Records. The CD's first ...
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Lion Music has announced the signing of progressive metallers ANTHRIEL. The band's debut album, "The Pathway", is scheduled for release on October 15. With a style that is sure to appeal to fans of the likes of SYMPHONY X, ADAGIO and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, "The Pathway" is "an absolute monster offering, possessing an exceptionally high standard ...
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earMUSIC/Edel has set a June 25 release date for the reissue of STRATOVARIUS' highly acclaimed 2000 studio album "Infinite". The LP will also be available as a two-CD deluxe digipak featuring over one hour of extra material (three B-sides, two live tracks and two demo versions). "Polaris", the 2009 comeback album from STRATOVARIUS, was reissued ...
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7Hard has announced the signing of MINUETUM for the release of the band's debut album, entitled "Haunted Spirit". The CD, featuring Jason Mercury (ex-OUTLOUD) on guitar, and Ignacio Lopez (SELIGER, LORD KRAVEN) on bass and Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND, REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE, OUTLOUD) as a guest musician on guitar, was produced by Katsionis and mixed and mastered ...
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REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE, the band led by former STRATOVARIUS mastermind Timo Tolkki (guitar; ex-STRATOVARIUS), has set "Trinity" as the title of its forthcoming third album, tentatively due in the fall via Napalm Records. The CD, which is once again being engineered by Santtu Lehtiniemi, follows a more "power metal" direction than its predecessor, last year's "Age ...
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Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen will donate his guitar to the city of Bologna during the inauguration of Music Italy Show —Italy's most important trade fair featuring musical instruments, publishing, backstage equipment, DJ and discography — on Saturday, May 15 at 11:30 a.m. The Commissariat of Bologna (Mayor) will be present to accept this honor, ...
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REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE/ex-STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki will be interviewed by Dave Pattenden at the Ultimate World Guitar Exhibition festival in Bologna, Italy on My 15 for the forthcoming TV series "Metal Evolution". The series will air in the spring of 2011 in the U.S. on VH1 Classic and other networks in the world thereafter. Commented Pattenden: ...
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"Polaris", the 2009 comeback album from Finnish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS, will be reissued as a two-CD digipack on May 21 via earMUSIC/Edel. In addition to the original album, the package will include a bonus disc containing 75 minutes of live material recorded during the "Polaris" tour and spanning the band's entire history. The track listing ...
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