Award-winning, legendary guitarist Michael Schenker releases a new studio album entitled "Spirit On A Mission" in the UK on Monday 23rd March. Released by in-akustik, the album of all-new material features Schenker’s Temple of Rock band - ex-ScorpionsHerman Rarebell (drums) and Francis Buchholz (bass), ex-Rainbow’s Doogie White (vocals) and Wayne Findlay (guitar, keyboards).
The new album features twelve 12 classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlight Schenker’s distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Rarebell and Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the Scorpions’ 1979 album Lovedrive.
Michael remembers how he came up with the name of the new album - "A while ago I was asked how I wanted to be remembered, and I said ‘as a spirit on a mission, spreading the joy of music from a place of pure self expression."
Scottish vocalist Doogie White, who co-wrote the album with Schenker, soars across every song, and stamps his personality with every note and phrase, while Wayne Findlay adds a new level to Schenker’s classic sound with his Dean 7-string guitar and keyboard arrangements.
Spirit On A Mission is a rapturous, explosive collection of brand new songs steeped in shades of dark and light. Musically and lyrically, the new album shows a re-energised guitarist at the top of his game, surrounded by some of the best musicians in rock.
The new album was recorded at Kidroom Studios, Muenster, Germany; the same studio where 2013’s Bridge The Gap album was recorded. The album was produced by Michael Voss and Michael Schenker, and engineered by Voss.
"After the Bridge The GapJapan Tour in March 2014, I started to put new material together for what was to become the Spirit On A Mission album," says Schenker. I went to the recording studio in June 2014 to put down the song arrangements and we finished recording in November."
During the recording of the new album, the original recordings and guitars were stolen from the recording studio. Did this impact on the recording process of the new album?
"Yes we got robbed (some guitars and some music) and got very upset about it," recalls Schenker. "Fortunately it was just performances and not compositions. We caught up and performed the music better than before. It forced us to work extra hard and longer but it made it stronger."
For Schenker, the songwriting and recording process for Spirit On A Mission was very different from the 2012’s Bridge The Gap album.
Says Schenker - "I already knew ahead of time that I wanted to take Spirit On A Mission to the next level by adding more 7-string guitar on some songs to get more of the low heavy sound, and on other songs to keep it very fast and energetic with melodic vocals and a couple of mid tempo’s with more of my writing like in my UFO days."
"Doogie did an amazing job with his melodies and singing," adds Schenker. "Even though we had our instruments, music and equipment stolen from the recording studio, we had to re-record a lot of his vocals again, but when we did it the second time around, it got even better."
"I asked Wayne to come up with a few cool guitar riffs on his 7 string. I added my parts to it and the outcome was very unique. Again, with the addition of Doogie’s vocals, we entered a whole new place that was an extreme pleasurable experience."
The writing process and overall concept for Spirit On A Mission proved to be a fulfilling experience for Schenker and his band.
Says Schenker - "I always write in the same way but this time, especially driven by a precise concept." The picture was album balance for me and combine many years of emotions in one. I wanted lots of double bass drum to keep the fast songs rolling like a train with lots of energy covered with interesting elements, a couple of my UFO days-type of mid tempos and the 7 string low sound to get a very wide range of sounds and emotions."
Michael’s Temple of Rock shared ideas and collaborated in a bigger way on the new album.
"All songs were co-written by Doogie and myself, "recalls Schenker. "Wayne co-wrote five songs. I originally wanted to write the album as a group effort, but I had this concept that needed to be focused on differently. However, Herman and Francis did very well by adding there amazing Rock You Like A Hurricane rhythm section parts that gave it all it needed.
The new album also sees guitarist and keyboard player, Wayne Findlay, takes on a bigger role.
"Wayne has been with me (MSG) since 1999," says Schenker. "In 2004, I met Dean Guitars and they built me a 7 string. I played it for a while but thought it was too much of a sidetrack from what I was doing."
"I always liked that low sound and asked Wayne to look into developing it on the 7 string. A couple of years ago we started to use a bit of Wayne’s 7 string guitar on Bridge The Gap as a slow introduction. Wayne looks like a Neptune (Ocean God) and he loves the ocean. I saw this as an opportunity to have Dean build him a Trident Guitar in order to make his character complete. I wrote a little piece about Wayne called Neptune Rising on the Bridge The Gap album and now on Spirit On A Mission Wayne was ready to co-write five songs, and has now become an essential part of Temple Of Rock."
"Coincidentally," says Schenker, "former Scorpions members Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz and myself were out of the loop of rock’n’roll around the same time, but for different reasons. When we recorded 2013’s Bridge The Gap album, we had not played together since the Scorpions’ Lovedrive album (1979). Sprit On A Mission is the second Temple of Rock album to feature the former Scorpions rhythm section.
Former Rainbow singer Doogie White is described by Schenker as an "extremely creative individual with a fantastic range and a voice that never stops". "How many people do you know that can sing nine shows in a row, without a day off and still have a voice with a range like his?" says Schenker. "He’s a real trooper."
What are Schenker’s favourite songs from Spirit On A Mission, and why?
Says Michael – "I love Live and Let Live because it has everything. I love Vigilante Man because it’s heavy and melodic with a great tempo and sound. Something Of The Night turned out to be a fantastic outcome especially with that spooky Howler sound I developed awhile ago. Saviour Machine is an epic. Rock City, Bullet Proof, Restless Heart - I love the fast melodic stuff, and the other 7 string songs with a touch of ’70s rock."
What are Schenker’s overall plans to promote the new album? Does he plan on touring the album by relentless touring and playing summer festivals?
"Promotion is definitely the next step," says Schenker. "and tour-wise, including Festivals, we will play wherever we can to promote "Spirit On A Mission". I want to make Temple Of Rock its own entity. Right now it is still using the Michael Schenker platform but eventually I want it to stand on its own feet as ‘Temple Of Rock’.
1. LIVE AND LET LIVE
2.COMMUNION*
3. VIGILANTE MAN
4.ROCK CITY
5.SAVIOUR MACHINE*
6.SOMETHING OF THE NIGHT
7.ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
8.BULLETPROOF*
9.LET THE DEVIL SCREAM*
10.GOOD TIMES
11.RESTLESS HEART
12.WICKED*
Bonus Track on Deluxe Edition + Vinyl Edition:
Searching For Freedom (Instrumental)
All songs produced by Michael Schenker and Michael Voss
Engineer: Michal Voss
All songs are written by:
Music - Michael Schenker
Lyrics - Doogie White
Except* Music and Lyrics by
Michael Schenker, Doogie White, Wayne Findlay
We are kicking off 2015 with two CHASTAIN reissues which are due in stores and through big box retailers on 2/10/2015. However, if you order directly from the Divebomb Records store they are SHIPPING NOW!
Also each reissue, when purchased directly from us, comes with a limited cover art magnet. The magnets are limited to 100 units and are on a first come first served basis.
International customers we are offering a combined shipping offer as well. We can ship both reissues in a the same jewel case for the price of one CD.
David T. Chastain has gained a reputation over the last 25 years as a powerful, progressive guitarist whose music has been centered around his melodic and technically fluent fret board mastery. Besides David's virtuoso style the other major attribute to CHASTAIN's instantly distinct sound is vocalist Leather Leone's superior and ultimately commanding presence. Divebomb Records is excited to announce it has teamed up once again with CHASTAIN to reissue two more critically acclaimed albums - The 7th Of Never (1987) & The Voice Of The Cult (1988) from their catalog.
Ever since his recording debut in 1983 David Chastain has been wowing fans with his innovative and technically superb guitar playing. The 7th Of Never and The Voice Of The Cult are perfect examples that David T. Chastain was not just a great player, but also a talented songwriter and band leader with an exceptional group of collaborators to help make his melodic visions a reality.
These limited edition releases are newly remastered from original albums mixes and contain brand new interviews with David T. Chastain and Leather Leone. Full lyrics and archival photos add to these all expansive and updated reissues.
HOUSE OF LORDS vocalist JAMES CHRISTIAN has posted a few comments to his Facebook page inbetween vocal sessions for the next HOL studio CD.
The comments read as follows:
“Just sitting here in my studio going over vocal tracks for the NEW HOL 2015 CD.
I never realized it before, but I actually have a ritual when recording and producing the songs. I close my studio door (NEVER LOCK) in case of an emergency. But this evening my daughter opened the door and I was literally in a musical trance rocking out to our own music. She turned and walked away without a single word. Well all I can say is that it feels so great to be that invested in the music. After all the years of recording, it still does so much for my well being and happiness.
“Jimi BJ and Chris, Are playing their ASS OFF, and the SONGS?, well they inspire me. It's gonna be a great one!!”
“It is an extension of Precious Metal but a bit more intense. The song lyrics are deeper in thought. Inspired my my great guitar player JIMI BELL and his classic riffs, BJ is the rock and Chris is the foundation. There really is no formula, Just guys writing the kind of music that we have loved for so many years. If you liked Precious Metal, You will fall in Love with this one.”
James also discussed the possible title for the new album:
“Working Title For the new CD is "Indestructible" Because of out total dedication to the music we love nothing could break us. We are shooting a video for the song with the same title. I think it is an appropriate title and also shows a band that will not back down. We have been through a lot, and people have created turmoil where there was none. So to them I say, HOL after all these years is "indestructible"”
Long suffering fans of mega-guitarist JOHN SYKES finally have light at the end of the tunnel, with the guitarist/vocalist's website uploading a brief sample of tracks from his upcoming 2015 studio album. The message on John's site reads:
"Hey JS fans, firstly we would like to thank you for your patience with waiting for news, we are proud to release a sample selection of John’s latest music. We hope this will give you an insight into some of the music to look forward to, we know it’s been quiet on the social media side but we appreciate all your support, it really means a lot!"
Please take a listen share and don’t forget to follow us via all of our channels, we hope you enjoy these!
Boston rocker Scotty Dunbar has issued a new single, which is now avaiable for purchase via iTunes & Amazon. The single is one of five newly recorded solo tracks that Dunbar will release individually over the next six months or so.
Dunbar states: "I chose to go with the cover of 20th Century Boy as the first single to be released as my solo band and I have covered this song many times live. We also had such a blast recording it."
Dunbar is also the lead vocalist of the group D.M.K. This past December D.M.K. released a Christmas single "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". The song peaked at # 2 on Amazon's "Top 100 Hot New Releases Chart" and also remained on the charts for the entire month of December. D.M.K.are set to begin recording a EP the first week of Febuary. The band will also begin a tour which kicks off April 2nd at the world famous "Whisky A Go Go" in W.Hollywood, CA and will be serving as the support act that night to: Michael Sweet of "Stryper" & Mike Tramp of "White Lion"
The year 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of STATIC IMAGE, a melodic rock band based in the "Rhine-Main-Area" in Germany.
As a surprise to all band members for the first time lost and forgotten 30 year old live concert-footage was just recently digitally transferred and edited for a band-video celebrating the anniversary on YouTube with the bands favorite song "I Don't Just Wanna Dance“.
4 of the 5 Bandmembers are doing well and are located but the 5th bandmember the US-Singer of the band can´t be found. That's where we need YOUR help folks.
We need to track down vocalist Sean-Matthew Perry. His age must be now around 54 (+/-2 years) and could be located in Columbia Mo. There was talk online somwhere that he might now be recovering from a stroke.
1985 - 2015; 30 Anniversary Video of Static Image featuring Sean-Matthew Perry on vocals: http://youtu.be/OX6D7JhFs74
Static Image was a rock band based in Seeheim-Jugenheim (Germany) 1985. Unbelievable 30 years later the old (antique) betamax videotape of a Gig at Kulturhalle Seeheim was finally transferred to a digital format and then edited for a Video-clip featuring the favorite song of the band named "I Don't Just Wanna Dance." Version with On-Screen-Lyrics (Version mit Song-Text-Einblendungen): http://youtu.be/ILgbzQlU6P0
LineUp:
Guitar: Andreas Debus
Drums: Gerald Kloos
Vocals: Sean-Matthew Perry
Keyboards: Mathias Will
Bass: Bernd Zeißler
BONFIRE Announce New Album / New Line-Up / New Label / New Management / and European Tour 2015
Hans Ziller - founder, guitarist, composer and mastermind of the band BONFIRE and Claus Lessmann (Vocals) have separated after nearly 30 years.
The band has not recorded a new studio album since 2011, although there was many internal calls and talk of recording a new Bonfire CD in 2014, it never materialized. Claus Lessmann just could not or would not start recording a new album and never gave any explanation to the band. So, why should this be the end of a nearly 3 decades-long success story?
Quote Hans Ziller: "I originally formed the band under the name Cacumen in the early 80s, I then brought Claus Lessmann on board eight years later and we changed our name to BONFIRE. I think we simply owe it to our fans to go on. I see no reason to retire just because the lead singer of the band cannot or does not want to sing "and Hans continues:" Bonfire is my life's work, I can look back on the band in a variety of lineups and with many successful years, ECHO - nominations, Golden Record, countless concerts worldwide, more than 1 million records sold, and above all I want to stay loyal to our fans who stayed with us through the years. "
Anyone who knows Mastermind Hans Ziller cannot rest his head easy with this. In recent months Bonfire has composed many new songs and the new BONFIRE-Formation has found itself. With a partially new outfit of PAUL MORRIS (ex-Rainbow) for the keyboards. Ronnie Parkes on the bass (former bassist Uwe Kohler pursues a solo project) . Of course, the familiar face of Bonfire drummer Harry Reischman is still there. A second guitarist is still being sought.
And finally the kicker: Ziller QUOTE: "David REECE (ex-Accept) will be the new singer. With David I share not only a total musical agreement, but also a personal friendship. After the many years of the band's internal conflicts, it was also important to me to have musicians around me I can trust and with whom it is fun to be on stage. To just play only the old songs and nothing new, fighting and arguing in the backstage area, is not what I want in my band. It is also dishonest to the fans and makes you sick in the long run and I just don't want that anymore. David Reece is a highly professional and an energetic singer who will revive the classic Bonfire songs. Old and new members will add a spark to the old Bonfire sound while still remaining loyal to its roots."
Currently, the band is in the studio working on the new BONFIRE-album with producer Alessandro Del Vecchio.
The CD will be released in mid-May worldwide by 2015.
With new artist management and new concert agency, BONFIRE will go on a European tour in May.
The first BONFIRE shows will be headlining with special guests ELA and BATTLE BEAST also summer festivals abroad have already been confirmed.
As posted to the band's Facebook page, here is the new AUTOGRAPH song, their first all-new song in 25 years.
"Here it is…The first NEW song from #Autograph in over 25 years. 2015 brings a new chapter for Autograph, starting with this new song, “You Are Us, We Are You”. The track is written and recorded by the band’s new lineup, Simon Daniels, Steve Lynch, Randy Rand, and Marc Wieland."
Available for download on iTunes & Amazon, Jan 15th!
UK rockers FURYON will release their second album, “Lost Salvation“, on February 23 via Dream Records/Cargo Records in UK/EUROPE. What’s to be expected is more explosive guitar riffs and solos in well-crafted song form. Expressive vocal delivery and melodies to scream along to. A possibly darker album still with progressive elements and a grungy edge. US/CANADA/JAPAN release date to follow.
“Lost Salvation” track listing:
01. All That I Have
02. Lost Salvation
03. These Four Walls
04. Scapegoat
05. Resurrect Me
06. Left It With The Gods
07. Good Sky
08. Dematerialize
09. What You Need
10. Wiseman
“Lost Salvation” was recorded in Atlanta, US and Brighton, UK and mixed and produced by Rick Beato (Shinedown, Fozzy) & Ken ‘GL’ Lanyon. The album artwork was designed by Matthew Vickerstaff of Darkwave Art & Design (Textures, Pentagram, Bloodbath, etc.).
FURYON recently released the ‘These For Walls‘ video (http://youtu.be/TbLwSS4BkWI), premiered by CLASSIC ROCK UK. On the current issue of Classic Rock Magazine an exclusive covermount is presented. ‘Lost Salvation EP‘ featuring 4 new tracks from the band. Exclusive review on the Album and interview bringing FURYON news bang up to date.
Quotes:
The terms edgy vocals, iconic riffs and jaw-dropping solos have been used to describe their sound and we couldn't agree more. The song writing and musicianship on this record is absolutely stunning. The production is first class. The vocals are truly world class. Overall this presents a band who should expect no limits in terms of their potential success. (Rock Today UK)
They bring in levels of progressive as well as classic rock influences and have developed their own sound that will have you ready to rock in no time. (Music Junkie Press)
Monstrous modern melodic heavy rock stuff that features a massive riffing and Matt Mitchell’s superb vocal performances. (Heavy Paradise)
Their style mixes modern rock metal with a stoner tinge a la Alter Bridge through massive riffing, rock god soloing and Matt Mitchell’s laid back but soaring vocals. Striking the perfect balance between heart pounding rock and attention grabbing melodies. (Battle Helm)
FURYON are:
Matt Mitchell – Vocals
Alex “Nickel” Bowen – Bass
Lee Farmery – Drums
Luca Faraone – Guitars
Tiago Rosado – Guitars
Video of ALICE COOPER's annual New Year's Eve gala benefiting the Maui Food Bank.has surfaced online. The event which was organized by famed Cooper manager Shep Gordon was held in a ballroom at the Wailea Mariott in Maui, Hawaii.
Alice's powerhouse band, comprised of drummer Glen Sobel, bassist Chuck Garric, and guitarists Nita Strauss and Damon Johnson (filling in for Tommy Henriksen), acted as house band backing up an eclectic line-up of special guests, including Steven Tyler (AEROSMITH), NunoBettencourt (EXTREME), Dexter Holland and Kevin 'Noodles' Wasserman of THE OFFSPRING, producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, MOTLEY CRUE, THE CULT), 'Weird' Al Yankovic, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons of the DOODIE BROTHERS, among others.
The event, which was hosted by actor Tom Arnold, has been an ongoing charity show raising money for various organizations for several years now. The night culminated with all artists joining together onstage for a rendition of "Revolution" by THE BEATLES.
(Note: Nielsen Music’s comprehensive 2014 year-end music consumption report will be available shortly)
Overall On-Demand (Audio+Video) Streams
2014 – 164 Billion
2013 – 106 Billion
+54%
“Digital music consumption continues its robust growth, with On-Demand streaming up 54% over last year and 164 billion song streams being played in 2014 ,” says David Bakula, SVP Industry Insights, Nielsen Entertainment. “Although overall music sales are showing declines, Vinyl album sales were up 52% in 2014, shattering last year’s record-setting total by more than 3 million LPs. In 2014, Vinyl album sales accounted for more than 6% of all physical albums sales.”
Vinyl Albums
2014 – 9.2 million
2013 – 6.1 million
+52%
*This is the highest year for vinyl sales since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan first began tracking music sales. Vinyl album sales have increased (year-over-year) for the past nine consecutive years.
Overall Albums
2014 - 257 million
2013 - 289.4 million
-11%
Digital Albums
2014 - 106.5 million
2013 - 117.6 million
-9%
**41 percent of all albums sold in 2014 were downloads (same in 2013)
Digital Songs
2014 – 1.1 billion
2013 – 1.26 billion
-12%
BILLBOARD’S 2014 TOP SELLING ALBUMS & DIGITAL SONGS, COMPILED BY NIELSEN MUSIC
Though the precise cause of death has not been confirmed, Golub had been battling a rare brain disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy that caused him to inexplicably lose his eyesight in 2011.
Over his career, Golub released 12 solo albums and three more as the leader of the instrumental band, Avenue Blue. He played alongside Stewart from 1988-1995, on four albums and five world tours.
Golub was born in 1955 in Copely, Ohio, and started playing guitar at an early age. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and joined singer James Montgomery's band while in Boston. He began working with Squier after moving to New York in 1980, and in 1988 released his first solo album, Unspoken Words, for Gaia Records.
He continued to play as a session musician for many pop and jazz artists, including Tina Turner, Vanessa Williams, Peter Wolf and Bill Evans, releasing a number of his own albums over the years.
Golub made the news in 2012, following his loss of eyesight, when he fell off a New York City subway platform onto the tracks ahead of an oncoming train, escaping narrowly with only minor injuries. The name of his final release, 2013's Train Keeps a Rolling, was inspired by that event.
A tribute concert for Golub featuring a number of his friends and collaborators will take place Jan. 21 at B.B. King's Blues Club in Manhattan, helping to raise funds on behalf of Golub and his family. Tickets are available here."
