NIGHTWISH – release new single 'Élan' on February 13
2014-12-08 - Finland-based symphonic metal storytellers NIGHTWISH are currently working on their upcoming new album, which is set for a release in spring 2015 via Nuclear Blast.
Today NIGHTWISH announces the release of their first single called 'Élan', which will be out on February 13, 2015 via Nuclear Blast.
“Oh, while I live to be the ruler of life, Not a slave, To meet life as a powerful conqueror, and nothing exterior to me will ever take command of me.” - Walt Whitman
Commented NIGHTWISH keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen: “This beautiful quote from my hero Uncle Walt was the starting point for writing 'Élan'. The underlying theme of the song is nothing less than the meaning of life, which can be something different for all of us. It´s important to surrender yourself to the occasional 'free fall' and not to fear the path less travelled by. 'Élan' is a wonderful teaser for the full-length album, giving out a little taste, but revealing very little of the actual Journey of Grandeur to come…”
NIGHTWISH also revealed the famed evolutionary biologist and writer, Professor Richard Dawkins as a guest on their eighth studio album.
The yet-untitled new studio album will be the first one to feature Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen.
Longtime drummer Jukka Nevalainen will sit out on the recording sessions due to health issues; Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN a.o.) will replace him.
Check out all previous “making of album 2015” trailers:
Taken from the album 'First Chapter' - Out on January 23 in Europe and January 27 in North America
The song is available from today as Instant Gratification Track for all those who will be preordering the album on iTunes: http://geni.us/Level10iTunes
As their previous effort It Begins released in 2013 on Sony / Columbia - this new album will be produced by Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper), at Spitfire Studios in Los Angeles.
BLACKRAIN is the first French hard rock act to launch such crowd funding campaign via Pledge. The band is currently looking for a new management as well as a new label.
In France BLACKRAIN has toured as headliner as well as opener for Alice Cooper, Scorpions, Papa Roach, Motorhead, Airbourne, Europ, and Gotthard. On February 7th, they will play at Chateau Rouge, in Annemasse, together with The Treatment. More shows will be announced soon.
OSTROGOTH Guitarist Whiteshark Presents His Successor
Pragmatic and realistic as he is, WhiteShark had immediately a scenario for the future from the day he was diagnosed with cancer. Ostrogoth never had to organize auditions to start looking for another guitarist. From day one WhiteShark told the rest of the band "I want that guy to be my successor... when the time comes."
And time has come. “That guy” is GEERT ANNYS.
In the ‘80s Geert was part of Belgian bands Stainless Steel, Thunderfire and Universe and spent some time in Neo-Prophet several years ago, but he is best known for his work on the debut album by melodic hard rock band Mystery.
Ostrogoth have a new CD coming out on January 23rd, 2015, though Belgian cult label Empire Records. ‘Last Tribe Standing’ is their first official release since 1987.
iDENTITY will be available in three formats: as a Digipak including DVD featuring recordings from Alpha Tiger’s performance at the Bang Your Head festival in June 2013, as a jewel case and as a gatefold vinyl LP.
Release Dates in 2015 are: Scandinavia January 14th, GermanyJanuary 16th, EuropeJanuary 19th and USAJanuary 20th!
Following the advance release of ‘Lady Liberty’ in early summer 2014, Alpha Tiger have shot a video to support their new single ‘We Won’t Take It Anymore’. The band are also planning a number of spectacular release shows to follow the album launch entitled ‘Alpha Tiger & Friends’, which are scheduled to feature a number of the group’s pals.
ALPHA TIGER live 2015
23.01. D-Berlin - Cassiopeia
24.01. D-Leipzig - Hellraiser
06.02. D-Lindau - Club Vaudeville
07.02. D-Cham - LA
13.02. D-Essen - Turock
14.02. B-Kortrijk - Metal `til Midnight Festival
04.-06.06. D-Geiselwind - Out & Loud Festival
Booking Agency: M.A.D., Berlin Germany
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The symphonic metal band SLEEPING ROMANCE just released a brand new digital single entitled "Fire & Ice". The digital single also includes two additional tracks: a "cinematic version" of "Fire & Ice" as well as a re-recorded version of the track "December Flower" from their debut album "Enlighten". The digital single is available at iTunes, Spotify and Bandcamp.
"Fire & Ice" track listing
01. Fire & Ice
02. December Flower [Chamber music version]
03. Fire & Ice [Cinematic version]
***UPDATED: FULL ALBUM NOW PREVIEWED AND SAMPLED***
Revolution Saints is the newest power trio to arrive on the scene and features guitar skills by Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake), bass and co-lead vocals by Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees, Shaw/Blades) and drums and lead vocals by Deen Castronovo (Journey, Bad English). The album is available for pre-order at Amazon in standard CD at http://geni.us/RevSaintsAMZReg and deluxe edition with bonus DVD at http://geni.us/RevSaintsAMZDlx. Fans who order the album digitally via iTunes athttp://geni.us/RevSaintsiTunes will receive an automatic download of 'Turn Back Time.' 'It's a fun record. It's not safe. It is a musician's record,' states Castronovo.
Revolution Saints have released an EPK discussing the new project that can be seen here:http://youtu.be/xOKjuLhUkKs.
Here at MelodicRock.com I'm going to go through the album Track By Track with our own exclusive teaser Soundbytes!
Back On My Trail – A dramatic album opener that rocks as intended. Upbeat and driven by a thumping beat and some hard edged, but melodic guitar riffs.
Deen bursts through the speakers with power and authority in his own natural tone, which is a combination of the sweet tone of Steve Perry and the power of Jeff Scott Soto.
He lets rip a few notes that simply stun. And his drumming is quickly simply insane. There are drum fills and progressive twists throughout the song.
A terrific guitar solo with numerous flourishes throughout shows what a master Doug Aldrich is, while Jack Blades’ bass truly thumps away.
The song itself is a powerhouse melodic hard rocker that sounds like Journey meets Night Ranger, but with the sonic edge that Doug brought to Whitesnake. Harmonies abound and the chorus is simple, but memorable and gets better with every listen.
The classy song is written, like much of the album, by Alessandro Del Vecchio who also produces and contributes keyboards and piano. This is easily Ale’s most accomplished work to date.
Turn Back Time is co-written by Alessandro and Jack Blades and is an easy choice for the first single. The feel good anthemic and uptempo melodic rocker sees Deen and Jack share lead vocals, with Deen doing his finest Journey style melodies and everyone joining in to take the chorus over the top.
Some more tasty guitar soloing and an infectious foot thumping beat makes the song a clear winner.
Deen again is a monster on drums. How does he do it? Hear the song in full with the newly launched video:
You're Not Alone - Alessandro Del Vecchio’s piano opens the first ballad of the album. It’s only a matter of seconds before the power of this song is on display.
Arnel Pineda and Deen share lead vocals in a very recent era Journey-esque track that features layers of keyboards and rich musical depth.
It’s a big power ballad that reminds me heavily of the more dramatic songs off the LRS album (also written by Alessandro)
It’s a big and powerful ballad where vocals are the emphasis and there’s plenty of them!
Locked Out Of Paradise is a monster melodic hard rock tune. It’s one of the heavier album tracks and is maybe the most powerful song I have heard Deen Castronovo appear on since Hardline. The drumming is stunning, while the vocals are pure Perry-goes-metal.
The chorus gets better and better and the song structure is such that it takes the classic melodic hard rock format, but modernizes it. Doug’s guitar playing is sublime from start to finish.
Way To The Sun - An acoustic guitar and a soulful vocal greet the start of the next track. Another ballad? Not sure I’m ready for that, but that vocal! Then 1 minute in, the song bursts to life, with the full power of the band in action. The chorus is beautiful – harmony vocals, a powerful drum rip, an authoritative guitar riff.
Neal Schon guests on the track with a typically soulful flurry of guitar chords that is pure Journey.
Interestingly, Deen asked Alessandro to sing the chorus with him so Ale could be on the same track as Neal. That’s coolness for you.
The track continues building throughout, so by this time it’s in full epic mode, with vocals, guitars and harmonies. Beautiful track.
Dream On is a song written by Erik Martensson, Johan and Kris Becker, Alessandro and Jack Blades. The combined collaboration works, as this is a brilliant pure melodic rock stadium anthem, with Deen sounding like a raspier Escape/Frontiers era Steve Perry.
The chorus is pure ear candy and the energy infectious.
Erik Martensson’s writing influence here is undeniable. Melodic bliss.
Don’t Walk Away is another ballad and to be honest, at first I thought it was too early for another ballad, but once again, that fear is dismissed with the first note Deen sings. Wow, this guy has soul and passion that’s been kept hidden for too long.
The song starts as a soft piano ballad, with Deen and Alessandro featured together until the chorus sees a full band accompaniment. And what a chorus. A hit single in any other era.
A monster Alessandro song that is pure Journey. The end of the song is simply epic and some of the notes Deen hits are insane. This song features some big big vocals and a great guitar solo too.
Here Forever is another ballad, but like each slower track before it, it is different once again and stands on its own. I love this track. Soulful, powerful and emotional. It’s more rock then ballad and Deen’s voice is outstanding once again. Definitely reminds me of Journey.
Strangers To This Life – it’s time to fire proceedings back up again. Deen goes full Perry for this moody rocker that might have sounded pretty comfortable on Journey’s Trial By Fire.
Better World is another upbeat melodic rocker that has a strong European feel and a good mix of Journey too. The verse and bridge-to-chorus is pure Journey, while the chorus is more Euro-melodic rock, with keyboards a plenty. Of course there is a tasty Aldrich solo and some rolling bass thumping from Jack. Alessandro takes a writing credit with Magnus Karlsson on this one.
How To Mend A Broken Heart is a ripping version of the brilliance Eclipse track. This has all the energy of the original and Deen sounds brilliant singing it. That rasp in his voice is a joy! For those that don’t know Eclipse, let this be an introduction to the fabulous Swedish band.
A sparse piano ballad to close the album. While another ballad might not be on the menu for some, In The Name Of The Father is a stunner almost worth the price of the album alone. Deen’s vocals send a shiver down the spine as just his voice and a piano deliver the first half of the song. There’s orchestral backing and then the full band chimes in. Truly a magnificent, epic ballad and the song itself (from Alessandro on his own) is brilliant. Steve Perry would be proud…
UK rockers FURYON to release their 2nd album, “Lost Salvation” via Dream Records/Cargo Records. The UK/EURO release will drop on January 26th 2015 and feature 10 killer new songs. The album will be available in stores and at all popular digital outlets. US/Canada release date to follow.
On Christmas Eve, on CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE‘s website FURYON‘s first new video ‘THESE FOUR WALLS‘ will be Premiered.
FOLLOWING THIS ON THE FORTHCOMING MAGAZINE ISSUE#206 An EXCLUSIVE FURYON 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!
‘Lost Salvation EP‘ tracks:
1. These Four Walls
2. Lost Salvation
3. Scapegoat
4. Dematerialised
The song ‘These Four Walls‘ will be also featured on the ‘Ones to Watch‘ CD, which will go out on all copies of the Classic Rock Magazine UK.
“Lost Salvation” was recorded in Atlanta, US and Brighton, UK and mixed and produced by Rick Beato (Shinedown, Fozzy) & Ken ‘GL‘ Lanyon.
FURYON are:
Matt Mitchell – Vocals
Alex “Nickel” Bowen – Bass
Lee Farmery – Drums
Luca Faraone – Guitars
Tiago Rosado – Guitars
ECLIPSE anticipated new album “Armageddonize” out on Frontiers Music Srl in February
Stockholm-based Hard Rockers ECLIPSE will release their fifth album “Armageddonize” on February 20th in Europe and February 24th in North America via Frontiers Music Srl. Recorded and produced by the band’s main songwriter and singer Erik Mårtensson and lead guitarist Magnus Henriksson, this new release sees the quartet ready to unleash 11 monster slices of melodic, yet hard-hitting, Rock on their ever growing fan base!
In the second half of 2014, ECLIPSE teamed up again to write their new studio album. The bar was set high and the initial goal was to top their latest album and the result was achieved brilliantly with the aptly titled “Armageddonize,” an album where the band rocks from start to finish like there is no tomorrow!
Says guitarist Magnus Henriksson: "No ECLIPSEfan will be disappointed. I guarantee that! Eclipse fans are very open minded and have always embraced the fact that this band is constantly evolving for the better. We have some surprises on ´Armageddonize´ that the fans might not expect. We became better songwriters on each album we did and Erik on this one sings better than ever. It´s incredible how he keeps getting better. I thought we had heard the best from him, but no. You´ll be surprised to hear how damn good he sings!"
With “Armageddonize,” ECLIPSE are showing that they are not anymore the brightest hope for Melodic Hard Rock music, but a truly solid and hard as a rock reality. They are still young, ambitious and full of energy. ECLIPSE music is not a revival, and it’s not nostalgic. Still… it’s by far the best you can have today if you love rock music with energy, great songs, and want to hear a band that has the ambition to be on top of the world!
With the release of their fourth album "Bleed And Scream", ECLIPSE gained a solid reputation and a steady following with this album that took their melodic Hard Rock roots in a more contemporary direction. Producer and main songwriters Erik Mårtensson and Magnus Henriksson strongly improved their skills by writing and producing a vast amount of bands and projects, from the successful W.E.T. albums (together with singer Jeff Scott Soto and Robert Säll from Work of Art) to Toby Hitchcock, Giant, Jimi Jamison, Dalton, Adrenaline Rush just to name a few. This has gained Mårtensson a reputation as one of the top producers/songwriters in this genre today.
Concludes Magnus: "We started as a band with all kinds of influences, but I think on our third release ´Are you ready to rock´, we started to work more on the songwriting and the ´ECLIPSE´ sound finally took its shape. I think you can hear that most distinctly in the song ´How to mend a broken heart´. That style of songwriting is very Eclipse and it rubbed off a lot on the W.E.T. sound as well, particularly on songs like: ´One love´ and ´Walk away´. On ´Armageddonize´ our style is chiseled out and it sounds more Eclipse than ever. We´ve got our own unique sound now. No other band sounds like Eclipse today and we wanna see where we can take this band. I know we´ve got so much more in us. The sonic blast is here to stay!!"
Enjoy an EPK trailer of the album following this link:
"Armageddonize" track listing includes:
1. I Don't Wanna Say I'm Sorry
2. Stand On Your Feet
3. The Storm
4. Blood Enemies
5. Wide Open
6. Live Like I'm Dying
7. Breakdown
8. Love Bites
9. Caught Up In The Rush
10. One Life - My Life
11. All Died Young
ECLIPSE will support the release of the new album with an extensive European tour, which will kick off with a show at the Debaser in their hometown, Stockholm on March 4th. More shows are planned in Sweden, UK, Spain and Italy, where the band will appear at the Frontiers Rock Festival on April 11th. All confirmed dates are available at www.facebook.com/EclipseSweden/app_123966167614127
Don’t miss the ECLIPSE show and get ready to be "Armaggeddonized"!
PAT TRAVERS BAND Returns in January with a Killer Live Recording of the Iridium, NYC show of 2012 on Frontiers Music Srl
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the release of PAT TRAVERS BAND’s newest live album entitled “Live at the Iridium NYC” on January 23rdin Europe and January 27th2015 in North America.
Toronto-born Pat Travers, is truly a swaggering hard-rock axeman - he picked up his first guitar after a Jimi Hendrix performance in Ottawa. His debut album was released in 1976, and while his most successful releases like "Makin’ Magic" and "Crash And Burn" are now more than 30 years old, he never consigned himself to the nostalgia circuit.
In 2012 Pat Travers Band made a comeback with a new lineup - which saw the return of drummer Sandy Gennaro behind the skins - and a new record “Can Do”, released the following year. A great release which saw Travers and his band playing better than ever! In the tour that lead up to the release of that album, he picked the right venue for this celebration of a new live CD, "Live at the Iridium NYC".
Pat says: “The two shows that we played at the Iridium Club in February 2012 marked the first time I ever really felt totally comfortable and “at home” in “The Big Apple”. The people at the Iridium just made us feel like we were honorary New Yorkers. It was awesome. Having done an extensive European tour at the end of 2011, a Caribbean Cruise Ship gig and a bunch of concerts at the beginning of the year the band was on fire. So being able to record a set at the Iridium in New York City was the perfect venue and time to capture the PTB at their smoking best. We were fortunate to have Jon Paris join us on “Blues Harp” for two classic tunes and he just tore it up and showed us all how the Blues is really done”.
Presenting all the highlights of his career and combining the individual talents with the chemistry of being on the stage, you can feel an energy that is tangible on this recording, an enjoyment that is infectious, and, quite frankly, you owe it to yourself to catch this band whenever and wherever you can.
“Live at the Iridium NY” tracklisting includes: Rock And Roll Susie; Gettin’ Betta; Crash And Burn; Heat In The Street; Josephine; I’ve Got News For You; Ask Me Baby; I La, La, La Love You; Lone Wolf (Kirk solo) / Red House; If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day; Spoonful; Black Betty.
PAT TRAVERS BAND:
Pat Travers: Guitar, Vocals
Kirk McKim: Guitar, Vocals
Rodney O’Quinn: Bass Guitar, Vocals
Sandy Gennaro: Drums
Jon Paris guest on “Blues Harp” on “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” and “Spoonful”.
REMASTERED/EXPANDED VERSION OF JUDAS PRIEST'S CLASSIC 'DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH' ALBUM ANNOUNCED
New York, NY - December 10, 2014 - Coming off an era which saww several Judas Priest albums that have gone down as some of the greatest in the entire history of heavy metal (namely, 1980's 'British Steel' and 1982's 'Screaming for Vengeance'), the band from Birmingham knew that their next release had to 'deliver the goods,' to cement their standing as the leaders of metal. And deliver they did, with their platinum-certified 1984 release, 'Defenders of the Faith,' which spawned such headbanging classics as 'Freewheel Burning,' 'Jawbreaker,' 'The Sentinel,' 'Some Heads Are Gonna Roll,' and 'Love Bites.'
And on March 10, 2015, a newly expanded three-CD version of the album will be unleashed via Columbia/Legacy, which includes the original ten-track album remastered by producer Tom Allom, and a complete live recording from the 'Defenders' tour, recorded at the Long Beach Arena in California, on May 5, 1984.
The 21-track concert (split up over two discs) perfectly balances the then-new material from the group's ninth studio offering overall, including such classics as 'Metal Gods,' 'Breaking the Law,' 'Sinner,' 'Electric Eye,' 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown),' 'Victim of Changes,' and 'You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,' among many others.
As the band states in the liner notes to the reissue, "It's 30 years since we released 'Defenders of the Faith' - we're very proud to say it has become a classic that's beloved by Priest fans throughout the world"
Judas Priest continues to 'defend the faith' to this day, as the group recently issued their seventeenth studio album, 'Redeemer of Souls,' which sees the band's popularity amongst metalheads remain as strong as ever, as it debuted higher than any other previous Priest release (at #6 on the Billboard 200). And on the group's current tour, quite a few classics from 'Defenders' are being performed for the first time in years.
And soon, fans will get a chance to re-experience vintage Judas Priest, with the 'Defenders of the Faith' reissue.
CD1 'Defenders of the Faith' Re-Mastered
1. Freewheel Burning
2. Jawbreaker
3. Rock Hard Ride Free
4. The Sentinel
5. Love Bites
6. Eat Me Alive
7. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
8. Night Comes Down
9. Heavy Duty
10. Defenders of the Faith
CD2 Live at Long Beach Arena, California 5th May 1984
1. Love Bites
2. Jawbreaker
3. Grinder
4. Metal Gods
5. Breaking the Law
6. Sinner
7. Desert Plains
8. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll
9. The Sentinel
10. Rock Hard Ride Free
CD3 Live at Long Beach Arena, California 5th May 1984
1. Night Comes Down
2. The Hellion
3. Electric Eye
4. Heavy Duty
5. Defenders of the Faith
6. Freewheel Burning
7. Victim of Changes
8. The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)
9. Living After Midnight
10. Hell Bent For Leather
11. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
Reunited TNT vocalist Tony Harnell has just posted an update to his Facebook stating that there will be NO new TNT music in 2015!!!
He states: "No news or updates yet, except to let you all know there won't be any newTNT music released in 2015. I'll hopefully have other news to report soon..."
That's going to be a huge disappointment to fans who were expecting the team to get stuck into new music aftyer Tony returned to the band earlier this year.
Canadian classic hard rockers MOXY signs with Escape Music to release the 40th Anniversary CD+DVD in Europe/UK. A release is scheduled for March 2015.
The MOXY 40th Anniversary package will include: Live DVD/CD from the Sound Academy in Toronto as well as a Re-Record of the best of from the first 3 albums: MOXY I, MOXY II and Riding High.
This is what founding member Earl Johnson had to say: ‘It has been a long career for MOXY and what better way to celebrate the music for our 40th anniversary then with this unique package which will be made available through Escape Music in 2015. It gives me great pleasure to see these classic songs come to life with some fresh blood and a brand new recording. We didn’t just re-master the songs like a lot of people are doing today but instead we stripped them down, built them back up and re-recorded them to be more contemporary sonically with the recordings of today.’
MOXY current line-up:
Earl Johnson (Lead Guitar) Nick Walsh (Lead Vocals) – Slik Toxik, Famous Underground Alexis Von Kraven (Drums) – Metal Machine, Exorcism Rob Robbins (Guitar, Background Vocals) – Steel Lily Oscar Anasetti (Bass, Background Vocals) – Rabid Hole
The promo clip for ‘MOXY 1974-2014: 40 years and still RIDING HIGH‘ can be viewed below:
When MOXY first exploded onto the scene in 1974 with their hit song ‘Can’t You See I’m a Star’ They were destined to become part of the alumni of heavy hitting Canadians making a mark in the U.S.A. MOXY renegotiated a new contract with Polydor of Canada for distribution in affiliation with Mercury Records who reissued the self-titled debut album in North America and worldwide in 1976.
Just a year after the first album for Canadian fans, it was just three short months later that the reissued copy of the first MOXY album was released in the U.S., MOXY II received international press coverage for the band. Most reviews predicted success for the band and comparisons were made to Aerosmith, Rush and Deep Purple.MOXY II was also highly acclaimed on its release by Geoff Barton of the UK music publication SoundsMagazine, who made the album available to its readers for the special price of only £1.50. Geoff Barton would later refer to MOXY as the Canadian Led Zeppelin.
MOXY saw success touring the U.S. with the likes of such artists as Boston, Styx, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Rainbow just to name a few.
Mr. Big will celebrate 25 years as a band with a huge Japanese only exclusive box set to be released on ***NEW DATE*** JANUARY 28.
Details of this 18CD + 2 DVD set have been sketchy so far, but I have uncovered a little exclusive information!
First of all – the label blurb reads:
“Special box set release from MR. BIG commemorating the 25th anniversary of the band's career. Consists of 18 CDs and 2 DVDs, including unreleased studio takes, rare tracks, live tracks, and plenty more (subject to change).
Japanese original release. Features hardcover packaging (30cm x 25cm) with a slip case.
Contains lots of reproductions of their tour collectibles such as laminated pass, flyer, and ad materials for press. Comes with lyrics and a Japanese description.
*The DVD disc is encoded for region 2 (Japan, Europe, and Middle East), and no subtitles are included.”
One other description: “precious sound, live recordings, rare footage, archive the Goods…”
Ok, now to add to that – I have confirmed that the box is still being compiled but will feature only material from the band’s reunion in 2009 onwards!
It will feature (amongst other things), quote: “Live stuff from two tours, rarities, demo's etc…”
Quite frankly, this could be the best box set ever released (and the biggest!).
The set is VERY limited in numbers and is priced at approx US$260. I need one!
You can pre-order with confidence from CD Japan, who I use all the time via this link:
