Italian prog-rockers BLIND GOLEM have a new album coming out. Wunderkammerwill be released November 22, on Andromeda Relix Records. This is the follow up to 2021’s debut A Dream Of Fantasy. Wunderkammer includes an interesting cover version choice. For more details check out the press info below. Artwork is (again) done by Rodney Matthews. And the first single/video is the song “Born Liars”!
Description: organ, wah-wah heavy Les Paul guitar, massive choruses: all the classic ingredients that made Blind Golem debut album such an intriguing cult classic in 2021 for lovers of bands like Uriah Heep, Magnum, Rainbow, are back in full force for second album “Wunderkammer”, 11 songs showing a more developed personality and also featuring a great cover version of one of Heep’s more obscure songs, the “Demons and Wizards” outtake “Green Eye”. Cover art is once again an impressive painting by the great Rodney Matthews! Influences for the Album: Uriah Heep, Magnum, Lucifer’s Friend, Rainbow, Black Bonzo
Blind Golem is a project born out of a lifelong passion for classic hard rock, with a big Hammond organ, screaming wah-wah guitars, massive choruses. The original seed comes from members of the seasoned hard blues band Bullfrog (5 albums) joining with members of the tribute band Forever Heep, dedicated to the classic Uriah Heep repertoire, that played several times as a backing band for Ken Hensley himself, founding member of Heep. In 2021 the band released its first collection of original material, “A Dream Of Fantasy”, which featured Hensley himself on keyboards and slide guitar. The album got enthusiastic reviews especially from fans of that specific and immortal sound, the marriage of Hammond organ and big guitars. After several shows, including a prestigious appearance at the prestigious Porto Antico Festival in Genoa, the band entered the studio to produce it’s album of original material, showing a clear growth in personality, still maintaining firm roots in the classic, powerful and melodic sound of the first album. As an homage, the album features a strong cover of the most obscure Uriah Heep deep cut, “Green Eye”, an outtake from the 1972 classic ‘Demons and Wizards’ sessions. Cover art was made once again by none other than the legendary Rodney Matthews, responsible for countless classic covers for bands like Thin Lizzy, Nazareth, Magnum, Diamond Head, etc. The members of Blind Golem all come from experienced bands, having released several albums with Bullfrog, Rocken Factory and Forever Deep, and played thousands of shows through the years backing rock legends like Don Airey, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Bernie Marsden, and opening for Uriah Heep, John Lawton, Uli Jon Roth, Dan Baird, Doug Pinnick. Like the first album, ‘Wunderkammer’ is released by Andromeda Relix Records and it will also be issued on splendid double LP, in a gatefold package, in the near future.
Band Line-up: Andrea Vilardo, lead vocals. Simone Bistaffa, Hammond Organ, Piano, Keyboards. Silvano Zago, Guitars. Francesco Dalla Riva, Bass, Lead & Backing Vocals. Walter Mantovanelli, Drums.
the track “Fighting” has been released as the first single & video from the forthcoming TRAPEZE release Lost Tapes vol. 2, on Metalville. The track, featuring Mel Galley and Glenn Hughes,, along with Don Airey (keyboards) and Ted McKenna (drums). It comes from.sessions for the first PHENOMENA album.
MusicOnVinyl has reissued Heep’s 1985 album Equator in a limited, color vinyl edition. Equator was the last to feature singer Peter Goalby and keyboard player John Sinclair. See info below!
Limited edition of 1000 numbered copies on smoke coloured 180-gram audiophile vinyl. Equator is the sixteenth studio album by the British rock band Uriah Heep, released in 1985. It marked a departure from their earlier progressive rock sound towards a more commer- cial and accessible style, incorporating elements of pop rock and AOR (album-oriented rock). It peaked at #79 in the UK albums chart. The album features a lineup consisting of Mick Box (guitar), Lee Kerslake (drums, vocals), Trevor Bolder (bass guitar, vocals), Phil Lanzon (keyboards), and Peter Goalby (vocals). This album was the last to feature Kerslake and Goalby before their departure from the band. Singles on the album include “Rockarama” and “Poor Little Rich Girl”.
A new TRAPEZE album is set for release – Lost Tapes vol. 2. Like Vol. 1, which came out last year, Lost Songs vol. 2 features previously unreleased recordings from the band’s career. The band’s guitarist was Mel Galley (RIP), who was also the band’s only constant member from beginning to end, in a band that was also known for the other ‘name’ players that were there from Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Dave Holland (Judas Priest), and Peter Goalby (Uriah Heep). Galley was also songwriter (along with his brother Mel) and shared vocal duties. His son, Marcus Galley is a graphic designer and has created a number of album covers, most notably and recently the last year’s Lost Tapes vol. 1, and the forthcoming ‘Lost Tapes vol. 2‘. Both album covers share a theme of old tape boxes, quite cool and retro looking. I haven’t seen the rest of the packaging for vol. 2 yet, but vol. 1 comes in a brilliant package. Below is my exchange with Marcus Galley on his involvement & work on these Trapeze projects, his favorite cuts from these releases, a bit about his other work, and a bit more. I’ve included a couple of galleries featuring some of Marcus’ other designs, and links at the bottom.
Pre-Order TRAPEZE Lost Tapes vol. 2 (available on CD & vinyl) HERE or HERE
Can you tell me a bit about your own work (own your own company?) – what all does it entail aside from the few album covers I see you credited on?
I set Mammoth Creative Works up in 2010 but had been in the design industry a long time before that. MCW is mainly focused within the music industry, where I design tour and general merch, posters etc for a lot of bands. Also book covers, album artwork, skateboard graphics, different sports brands… I’ll do anything that I find interesting really.
Prior to the Trapeze covers, you did a couple of others. Any brief recall on 1 or 2 of those?
I’d done a lot of covers before the recent Trapeze ones. A couple of which were also connected – the Phenomena albums created by my uncle, Tom Galley. Dad, a bunch of the Whitesnake and Trapeze guys and some great guest artists also played on those. Amongst the most recent, I’ve done 5 or 6 over the last couple years for a new label that specialize in 100% eco-friendly vinyl presses, they’re putting some great music out, and have a couple HUGE releases lined up for this autumn… but I can’t talk about that yet. I’ve done a bunch of reissue covers for albums originally out in the 80’s / 90’s. It’s always fun revisiting old artwork and of course advancements in printing and computing mean you can clean up images and really go to town.
Lost Tapes Vol. 1 had such a cool retro cover concept. What inspired that whole idea, and the details involved? and can you tell me about the process involved in achieving that cover?
Thank you! I’ve got a real thing for good packaging design, and as soon as we came up with the title for the album I had the idea in my head what I wanted to do. We always had reel to reel tapes around the house and there’s some gorgeous utilitarian design on those. I took various ideas from a few. Budget unfortunately wouldn’t allow for what we really wanted to do – The idea was to house the two 12″s in a box and have loose photographs, info sheets etc enclosed, make it look like something that had been lost in the loft for years. It’d be nice to do that one day, maybe with Vol. 2 in there too. It was good looking through our photo archive here and picking which of Carl’s images to use.
Did you have a pretty firm mental picture of how you might’ve wanted either cover to look before you got started? And did you have any input from anyone else involved in the projects?
Pretty much. I did insist it was pressed on clear orange vinyl to carry the logo theme on, same as Vol. 2 being on a clear smoke grey to replicate a tape reel. I work very closely to Tom on these, and luckily, he trusts me to come up with something half decent! Tom’s very artistic too and has a great vision (sometimes too grand!) I’m pretty bloody minded when it comes to anything Trapeze related, so I’ll always stick to my guns on the look.
Lost Tapes vol 2 is a very different cover, but also very retro, and as you mention it retains that ‘tape box’ theme. I presume you’ve seen plenty of those from old recordings, etc… did you have specific recollections, photos and tapes that you might’ve used for inspiration, ideas….?
There are a few Japanese brands that had the best packaging, they just do stuff like that better over there. I’ve got folders on hard drives full of images that I know I can use on something one day. I think Vol. 2 is based on bits from three or four different ones. Of course, I’m not going to tell you which, where’s the fun in that!
Aside from the tape boxes, was there any other old LP covers that had any influence of how either ‘Lost Tapes’ covers look?
Without giving it away…yes. There’s a nod to two Trapeze albums inside Vol. 2. I recreated a couple pieces of artwork imagining how they’d look if you were to visit today. You’ll have to buy the album to see! Of course, there’s the logo used on Volumes 1 & 2, based on the logo from the self-titled album, I’ve always liked that logo, so we just recreated something similar.
As you are attached to Trapeze very personally, can you tell a bit about how much it meant to have these recordings finally released and being such a big part of it? And do you have any favorite tracks from Lost Tapes Vol 1 ?
It’s a weird mix of emotions to be honest. I’ve heard these songs in every incarnation from being hummed on the dog walk, played on a guitar sat in front of the TV etc, so I don’t get that same ‘wow!’ as someone else hearing the tracks for the first time will get, but that doesn’t take it away from the fact that I’m a fan, and it’s great to give people something new (to their ears at least) to listen to. I’d buy the album’s if I had to (I’ve had to buy all the Trapeze ones again over the last few years, as we never really had copies in the house, they were always given away to friends). Favorites from Vol.1, ‘Goin’ Home’ for sure, Hot Wire being my favorite Trapeze album. It’s the album that sounds like Trapeze should, given the influences at the time.
Favorite tracks off Vol.2, I just put the masters on now to listen again. I’d say ‘Can You Feel It’, ‘Turn It On’ & ‘Midnight Flyer’, but they’ve always been favorites anyway. They sound like Trapeze should sound, a great groove. The couple gigs I played drums for my dad, we did ‘Way Back to the Bone’ and ‘Coast to Coast’ in the set. We were just about to start rehearsing for another couple gigs when he got taken ill, so that was a shame we never got to play those. There’s a CD here in my office that he sent with the 24 songs to learn that were going to be in the set.
As one who creates album covers – do have a short list of some of your favorite album covers or favorite artists (album designers)
A short list!?!?! are you kidding!?!? I’ve always bought records; I’ve spent a fortune over the years on albums just because they had a great cover, so to narrow it down is a tough call, and definitely not a short list. Barney Bubbles could do no wrong in my eyes, a huge inspiration. Hipgnosis, Stylorouge, tDR (of course), Vaughan Oliver, Peter Saville, all absolute genius. I could go on all day…but they’re the first names that come to mind.
Might we see either of your Trapeze album covers be used in official merch for fans? (t-shirts, posters)
I hope so! Prints are a thing I’d particularly enjoy to do, mainly due to the size and unlimited colors you’ve got to play with, especially of the two reimagined pieces I mentioned a few questions ago for starters, but we’ll definitely do shirts. They’ll have to be slightly different to the Vol. 2 cover, that nine color screenprint would come out super expensive! Merch based on old promo bits has always appealed to me, there was a cool raglan / baseball shirt and coach jacket I’d like to make available at some point.
The Warriors one there is a giant poster to mark the anniversary of the film, there’s a t-shirt and a double-sided picture disc too – MG
Canadian singer/songwriter RICK LABONTE And The Band of Brothers have a new single (and video) out. A rockin’ tune with a easily likeable and memorable title and chorus – “Born Ready” was written & produced by Rick. It features plenty of guitar, a bit of harmonica (from Rick), and special guest Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion, Planet X) on Hammond organ. The new song is one of a few Rick (and The Band of Brothers – Tim King, John Kersey, Paul Richard) have recently recorded, with the songs likely being part of a new album for 2025. *Check out the video below, as well as more info and links in the description. “Born Ready” is also available on all streaming services. Also check visit www.ricklabonte.com for further news, releases, interviews, etc…
The Keep & The Spire is the 2nd album from THEIGNS & THRALLS, lead by Kevin Ridley of folk-rock act SKYCLAD. Quite a mix of folk, celtic, rock, and metal – like you go to see your favorite Irish folk band at the local pub and a classic metal band joins them! Very unique, with memorable tunes and choruses, and some big rock & metal guitar performances and solos. Cool album: now I gotta check out the debut from 2022. Love the cover art. *Check out the press info below, as well as videos, and links.
“The Keep & The Spire” is the second album from the band, but it is the first album to be recorded as a band – though there are a few guest musicians on it. The title is taken from the song ’Theigns & Thralls’ and refers to the keep and the spire being considered as the twin towers of control (i.e. the state and religion).
Kevin Ridley started writing new material for this album as soon as the first album was released and had a few tracks together when he was contacted by Per Ablinsson (the Swedish lyricist) about the possibility of working together. This was something different for him because, while he has worked with lots of different musicians, he normally writes the lyrics. But he thought it was an interesting idea and decided to give it a go. This changed the shape and feel of the album, in that (after some discussion). Per quickly, came up with some lyrics that had strong Anglo-Saxon or Viking themes.
Ridley then had the idea of combining some of these lyrics to form a ‘suite of tracks’ (something he had never done before), so that these songs would take up the whole side of an album. Those songs became ‘The Maldon Suite’, and the album could be viewed as ‘The Maldon Suite’ and other songs. A lot of the other album tracks are based on poems and ideas that Ridley had for a while, like ‘The Harrowing’ and ‘Interrogativa Cantilena’ (which he did with Korpiklaani). And, as they didn’t want to make the whole album dark and serious, they added a few more up-tempo and fun tracks like ‘the Seeker’, ‘The Mermaid Tavern’ and ‘The Grape And The Grain’.
Pushing the boundaries of their sound, Theigns & Thralls cements their position in the global music scene. The new album not only reflects their artistic growth but also offers fans a deeper and more immersive experience.
The new album “The Keep And The Spire” is due out on September 20th, 2024, and will be available on CD / VINYL (Black and Orange/Marble editions) from Rockshots Records.
Track Listing The Battle of Maldon Suite 1. Overture 2. A Single Beam 3. Fight And Lay Your Bones 4. The Battle of Maldon 5. Aftermath 6. Pagan Song 7. The Harrowing 8. The Seeker 9. Now My Life Is Done 10. The Grape And The Grain 11. Interrogativa Cantilena 12. The Mermaid Tavern
With URIAH HEEP’s 55th Anniversary coming up, the band have decided to wind things down with the upcoming ‘The Magician’s Farewell’ tour starting next year. Watch Mick Box’s announcement below.
STRYPER’s new album When We Were Kings‘ is now out. These guys seem to sound better with age, and the title track and video are classic! *Check out the clips already posted, as well as the press info and 40th anniversary tour dates.
The legendary, long-running metal band STRYPER has released its twelfth studio album ‘When We Were Kings’ alongside a new single, “Rhyme of Time.” STRYPER’s current lineup includes original members Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, and Oz Fox, along with bassist Perry Richardson.
“The new single ”Rhyme of Time” is definitely a rock ballad with dark overtones musically, but lyrically it’s a love song. It definitely has its own signature sound compared to all the other songs on the album in the best of ways. Very excited about this one.” – Michael Sweet.
With ‘When We Were Kings’ STRYPER feel they are creating their finest and most powerful music yet.
About ‘When We Were Kings,’ Sweet adds:”We couldn’t be more excited about this new album. I feel that it really captures our classic sound, but also captures our most recent sound. We’ve definitely grown as a band and evolved quite a bit so it’s important to have both. We’re 40 years into our career and releasing the best music of our career.”Looking ahead, STRYPER is also working on a Kickstarter-funded documentary film directed by Chris Atkins. With career album sales exceeding 10 million worldwide and a history of Billboard Top 40 hits, STRYPER continues to record, tour, and perform for devoted fans globally.
Paul Di’Anno, who sang on the first few IRON MAIDEN albums has recorded a new version of the Maiden classic “Wrathchild”, as a duet with ZP Theart (Dragonforce). It also features Cliff Evans (Tank) on guitar, and Russell Gilbrook (Uriah Heep) on drums. The song is part of an upcoming retrospect release of Di’Anno’s post Iron Maiden recordings titled The Book Of The Beast.
Another band new to me, but this is a great intro. DANGER ZONE from Italy, is another band that dates back to the 80s, but returned in the last decade. An easily likable hard rock release, with a bit of AOR, some keyboards, but really guitar driven & heavy, with a number of good riffs. The band’s melodic rock doesn’t soften much, and I like the vocals, kinda reminds me of Biff from Saxon at times. These guys wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the 80s LA ‘metal’ scene. Standout tunes being the first single “Evil”, lead off track “I Like It”, big 80s type anthem “I Don’t Care”, and closing rocker “Straight Down The Line”. Lots of cool stuff to check out here. Well worth checking out.
*Check out the videos, press info below, links…..
Danger Zone, one of the most popular, veteran Italian Hard Rock bands, began their musical journey in the early 1980s. After releasing several demos and undergoing numerous line-up changes, they debuted with their EP, “Victim Of Time,” in 1984 and four more studio albums to follow (“Line Of Fire” recorded in 1989 but released in 2011); “Undying” (2012), “Closer To Heaven” (2016) and “Don’t Count On Heroes” (2019).
The pandemic in 2020/21 hindered the band’s ability to fully promote their album, leading to a temporary hiatus. They reconvened in 2022, resuming live performances and writing sessions. During this time, they decided to return to a sound reminiscent of the golden era of American melodic hard rock, characterized by catchy choruses, loud guitars, pounding drums, and dreamy keyboards. This new chapter in their musical journey is encapsulated in their upcoming album, “Shut Up!” set for release on September 20, 2024, by Pride & Joy Music.
Outsider Rock 