Finnish hard/classic/blues rock band MOUNT MARY has a new single out – ”Color of My Tear” (see new lyric video below), from their upcoming 2nd album Diamonds of a Fool (to be released Aug18th). The band has a very ’70s feel, with big riffs, and strong melodies. Well produced guitar heavy songs, which should appeal to fans of Led Zeppelin, Cactus, Mountain (hey, Corky Laing guests on 3 tracks here!), as well as modern day bands like Rival Sons, Dirty Honey, and The Damn Truth. Maria Hanninen’s vocals remind me (at times) of Sass Jordan. A solid album of 9 rockin’ songs, that doesn’t lighten up much, with fave picks being “Diamonds Of A Fool”, “Tohu Bohu” (I like the Hammond organ here), and “Heart’s Astray”. *For more info, credits, and links – see below!
MM released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut 2021. With their new album “Diamonds of a Fool” Mount Mary continues rockin’ in the atmosphere of 70’s hard rock.
The band offers “healing organic rasp, unrestrainedly.” “Diamonds of a Fool” will be released AUg18th,2023, via Emsalö Music
Members of Mount Mary have worked together with many international artists including Ken Hensley, Corky Laing, Billy Cobham, Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe , Bob Margolin, Franz Ferdinand, Johnny Bolin, Conny Bloom, Wigwam, Kingston Wall, Dave Lindholm….just to mention a few
Arranged and produced by Mount Mary Recorded, mixed, mastered by Petri Majuri
Maria Hänninen – vocals, guitar Petri Majuri – guitar Jukka Jylli – bass Otto Haapanen – drums
Arguably Genesis finest album, Foxtrot was released in 1972. It is now being celebrated by former guitarist Steve Hackett, who’s latest tour has included performing the album with his band. Hackett in recent years has toured, performed and released a series of ‘Genesis Revisited‘ live albums celebrating the classic ’70s era of Genesis with Selling England By The Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live At Hammersmith (2020), and last year’s Seconds Out And More. Hackett’s band features singer Nad Sylvan, who does a remarkable job with the Peter Gabriel era songs. Check out the clip of “Wacther Of The Skies” below! Steve Hackett is coming to North America in the fall to perform Foxtrot at 50, looking forward to it. *See dates below. *For more on the upcoming Live release see the press info below….
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett presents his brand-new live audio/visual extravaganza, with the release of ‘Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton’, set for release on the 15th September 2023.
Filmed & recorded live on his 2022 UK tour, in the coastal city of Brighton, UK, this release documents Steve and his band celebrating the 50th anniversary of the much-loved Genesis album ‘Foxtrot’. Played in full, this album features fan favorites including ‘Watcher Of The Skies’ and ‘Supper’s Ready’. The show also features a set of Hackett solo material, including ‘The Devil’s Cathedral’ from his latest studio album ‘Surrender of Silence’, and the powerful ‘Ace of Wands’.
Shot by long time collaborator Paul Green, you can now watch the band perform ‘Watcher of the Skies’ –
Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge & mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, the album is now available to pre-order on Ltd 2CD+Blu-ray & Ltd 2CD+2DVD, both including bonus behind the scenes interviews, as well as 5.1 surround sound. A Ltd Deluxe 180g 4LP edition will also be available, and you can pre-order now here:https://stevehackett.lnk.to/FoxtrotAtFiftyHackettHighlights-LiveInBrighton
Track-listing:
1. Intro / Ace of Wands
2. The Devil’s Cathedral
3. Spectral Mornings
4. Every Day
5. A Tower Struck Down
6. Basic Instincts
7. Camino Royale
8. Shadow of the Hierophant
9. Watcher of the Skies
10. Time Table
11. Get ‘Em Out by Friday
12. Can Utility and the Coastliners
13. Horizons
14. Supper’s Ready
15. Firth of Fifth
16. Los Endos
Steve Hackett & band continue their busy touring schedule with further “Foxtrot At Fifty & Hackett Highlights” dates in North America beginning in October. For the full list of dates, head to: http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html
Steve Hackett is joined live by Roger King, Rob Townsend, Nad Sylvan, Craig Blundell & Jonas Reingold, as well as on occasion special guest Amanda Lehmann.
DIAMONDS ON THE ROAD – LIVE 2023 to be released October 6
Internationally acclaimed guitarist and singer songwriter Erja Lyytinen will release her highly anticipated fourth live album Diamonds On The Road – Live 2023 via Tuohi Records on Friday 6th October 2023.
The album is available to pre-order on Double CD, vinyl and digital HERE. The first single “You Talk Dirty” has been accompanied with a music video and will be released and is out now! The single will be available to stream and download fromHERE.
Some may argue that music is born in the studio, but it comes to life and evolves when performed live on stage. With a live album, there is no safety net. You get one shot at capturing those perfect moments and preserving them forever.
With the pandemic now firmly in our rear-view mirror Erja Lyytinen and her band have been touring relentlessly. With the high-flying Finn in top form, the artist decided to capture the magic of their live performances on their new concert album, Diamonds on the Road – Live 2023.
Speaking about the new live album, Lyytinen said: “When playing live, you’ve got one moment to get it right, and then the moment is gone. There is no correcting stuff later. It is very raw and exciting to play and sing at the same time. The adrenaline runs through your body, and everything around you affects your performance.”
The release marks Erja Lyytinen’s fourth live album, and follows on from Songs from the Road, Live in London, and Lockdown Live.
“Diamonds on the Road was recorded towards the end of our Spring tour in March 2023,” says Erja. “We played ten shows in a row, of which eight were sold out. The band had a good flow going, and the songs were rolling nicely.”
photo- Peter Verstraeten
TRACKLISTING:
CD 1 1. Diamonds On The Road 4:48 2. Rocking Chair 4:00 3. Bad Seed 5:26 4. Black Ocean 7:13 5. Waiting For The Daylight 6:40 6. Väinämöinen Tuonelassa 5:42 7. Last Girl 5:42 8. Never Really Had You 6:32
CD 2 1. You Talk Dirty 6:49 2. Lover´s Novels 5:13 3. Wedding Day 11:35 4. Crosstown Traffic 4:26 5. The End Of Music 10:54
Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, the artist has graced the stages of venues and festivals across Europe and beyond. Unlike Lockdown Live, which captured a key moment in time during the pandemic, Erja Lyytinen’s new double live album highlights the joys of once again being able to perform in front of a sold-out crowd.
“Compared to our previous live recording Lockdown Live, which was filmed and recorded as a streaming gig without an actual audience during the first two months of the pandemic in 2020, this was quite different with an interactive crowd,” reflects Erja. “The show took place at Rytmikorjaamo, Seinäjoki, in the Western part of Finland. On the night of the recording, people were enjoying the live performance, cheering to the solos, dancing, and having a good time together next to each other.”
The first single to be released from the new live album is You Talk Dirty. Speaking about the track Erja said: “You Talk Dirty was originally released for the first time 20 years ago on my first recording.” The song was given a new lease of life on the artist’s last studio album Waiting for The Daylight. However, the track has become a live favorite also for the Queen of the Slide Guitar. “It is my favorite live track. I get to play loud guitar, using my Whammy up and down a whole step-up in the most critical places, to create this heavy doom effect. My guitar playing has gotten heavier since Lockdown Live,” she says.
Over the years, Erja Lyytinen’s sound has evolved dramatically. Beginning with her traditional blues roots, Lyytinen has been simultaneously pushing forward with a hard rock-orientated style of play whilst always keeping that blues sound at the core of everything she does. “My sound has changed since the last live recording. My playing has more of a hard-rock element and edge,” says Erja.
Erja attributes some of those changes to her equipment and repertoire of trusty axes. “Since my last live recording, my live guitar arsenal has grown quite a bit. I have five to six guitars, from Strats and Teles to custom-made guitars, on stage with me. It´s quite cool to dig out the different characteristics of each guitar. I´m using my road-worn Fender Custom Shop guitar on the songs ‘Black Ocean’ and ‘Never Really Had You’. I had the guitar fine-tuned right before the tour and added it to my live arsenal. I feel as though it has been a sin to keep this Strat as my sofa guitar for years!”
The songs featured on Diamonds On The Road showcase the old, the new, the borrowed and the blues. “For the set list of the live album, we had a mixture of my favorite old songs and then a selection of the songs from my latest studio album, Waiting for The Daylight,” explains Erja. “We also recorded a Jimi Hendrix classic, Crosstown Traffic. I made my own version of it by playing the song using slide! It is so cool to play the song, and, on the recording, it is our first encore.”
Diamonds on the Road – Live 2023 includes an exclusive feature not found in the artist’s previous concert albums. “I wrote a song based on artwork by famous Finnish artist Pekka Halonen´s painting ‘Väinämöinen Tuonelassa’. The piece tells the story of the Finnish epic saga, Kalevala, where a shaman called Väinämöinen goes to the Underworld. The song is slightly folk metal and sung in Finnish. It is a cool addition to the set list, making this live recording my first to have a song sung in Finnish,” explains Lyytinen. The new live album showcases Erja and the band doing what they do best, playing concerts for their fans. “I have always loved performing live, but now, I enjoy playing even more and saying this on behalf of my band; I think they do, too. Performing live is stronger, more relaxed, and empowering. I´m grateful to be a guitarist and singer who is giving her best for the audience each night. It’s the best thing you can do with your pants on,” concludes Erja.
*For further information and an up-to-date touring schedule, please visit erjalyytinen.com/tour.
Production Credits Erja Lyytinen: Guitar, Vocals Petri Rahikkala: Keyboards Tatu Back: Bass, Backing vocals Iiro Laitinen: Drums Olli Huttunen: FOH, Mixing Engineer Hertta Hynninen: Tour Assistant Helmi Lind: Production Manager
Recorded by Olli Huttunen at Rytmikorjaamo, Seinäjoki Finland 11th of March 2023 Mixed by Matias Kiiveri in Hollywood House, Helsinki Finland Mastered by Svante Forsbäck, Chartmakers, Espoo Finland Graphic design by Jan Yrlund, Darkgrove Design Cover photography by Denis Carpentier Executive producer Erja Lyytinen for Bluesland Productions
All songs by Erja Lyytinen, except “Crosstown Traffic” by Jimi Hendrix, Published by Universal/MCA Music Scand Ab. Tuohi Records
DIAMONDS ON THE ROAD – NOVEMBER 2023 UK TOUR TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM ERJALYYTINEN.COM/TOUR
The Phenomena projects albums in the ’80s (and ’90s) were created by brothers Tom and Mel Galley (Whitesnake). These albums featured numerous British players and singers (John Wetton, Glenn Hughes, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, and Brian May (among others). Merv Spence had joined a reformed (and short-lived) Trapeze following Peter Goalby’s departure and recorded an album with the band, which remains unreleased. He then went on to replace Trevor Bolder in Wishbone Ash for 1985’s Raw To The Bone, playing bass and singing. He would be credited as Executive Producer on the third Phenomena album Innervision (1992), as well as playing bass & vocals (under the name O’Ryan); he also featured on 1997’a Project X: 1985-1996 (compilation. tracks here were later used as bonus tracks that came with reissues of the first 2 albums). So, this 13 song release features 10 tracks that Merv Spence had recorded & issued under the name O’Ryan in the mid ’90s on the CD Initiate, as well as a few brand new recordings. Hearing these recordings makes me wonder why we haven’t heard more from Spence; these recordings and vocals are excellent, and I gotta think the guy would’ve been a great vocalist in a number of classic British bands. Well worth checking out! For more info check out the press release below, as well as the links to order.
Merv Spence is an Irish musician and former member of Wishbone Ash and Trapeze, as well as an established solo artist. He will be touring to support the release and this album features all of Merv Spence’s covers of the Phenomena tracks, both previously released and newly recorded.
Phenomena is an all-star series of albums created by Tom Galley which saw its debut album sell 1.2 million copies, and its follow-up deliver a #1 hit single ‘Did It All For Love’. Merv Spence is the former rights owner of the Phenomena albums and previously recorded his own renditions of the best-known songs.
Lead singer, musician & music producer Merv Spence said of the release: “‘Phenomena Recovered’ is a very important album for me. A lot of creative blood, sweat and tears went into producing these songs and the results make me feel incredibly proud. I embraced the challenge, and gave it my own signature. I hope ‘Phenomena’ fans will also embrace this production, and I look forward to performing these great songs live, both in a band capacity and solo, acoustically”.
From Israel, musician Avi Rosenfeld has released an outstanding number of albums – somewhere around 60! Battle Of Rock is his third album this year! His latest is a heavy rock album featuring the powerful vocals of Brazilian singer Andre Tulipano of Steel Warrior. (See my review elsewhere). In this interview below Avi Rosenfeld tells us about his influences, his numerous albums, his latest albums, album covers, and more. Check it out, and definitely check out Battle Of Rock. (*Ordering info and various links below.)
First, can you give me a bit of background on your musical start – influences, any early bands you were in, first recordings you made…?
I was passionate about music from an early age. Those were the late 80’s, early ’90’s … I remember watching Pink Floyd’s The Wall and the music and imagery captured my attention, Guns And Roses were rocking on MTV and we as kids tried to imitate them. Dad was listening to Deep Purple, Uriah Heep … and I admit that at an early age we used to say what is this noise? but the right moment had come and all the sounds found their right spot in my ears , and it was like magic. The discovery of a new continent. Since then I was hooked. First recordings I ever made were at the age of 17, with a regular computer sound card with an endless latency which I had to shift from side to side. And first bands came later on, at university times, there are great memories from that time.
You have released 14 albums in the Very Heepy, Very Purple series. Can you tell me how that series of recordings started and what keeps it going?
The love for Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and the passion to create music in that style, I was just curious to see if I’ll be able to pull it off. It was a challenge, and as a musician we gotta have those challenges to keep our music world interesting. There wasn’t a plan to record many of them, just one. But with the musical success of the album came a bigger appetite to do more of it. And along the way I met many super musicians who share the love for this music and can actually play and sing it, which isn’t easy at all. So step by step we recorded all of them, and I guess there are more on the way. The next one is always in the making.
You’ve recorded a huge number of albums. As a songwriter/ guitarist/ producer — how do you manage to keep up this speed of turning out records — with reference to your studio set up, any other day job, connections to other musicians who join you, and where ideas come from to create so much!?
Time is precious and we always get too little of it. But for musicians, artists and any other man who have things and interests that move his soul and he knows that he’s gotta do them, whether he’s gotta write, paint, dance, run or whatever, then he will find the right time for it. I used to create music at night. but gotta keep it quiet since the kids are sleeping in the next room. I usually create the song structures with guitar, and melodies with lyrics, then send them to the other musicians. We record the albums as a collaboration project, each recording at his own studio, then I mix it all together. I find this process kinda fun and that keeps the interest going. The ideas for the songs come from so many possible musical things , for example, melodies or a cool rhythmical groove that I sing or play on guitar, or a riff, or even a nice lyric phrase that sounds interesting. I record those ideas so they won’t be forgotten. Then when I plan to write some lyrics I come back to those recorded ideas and choose one.
You’re largely inspired by the classic ’70s hard rock era, but you’ve done a few very different albums. Can you give me a bit of info or rundown of albums you’ve done?
So there are the Hard Rock albums of “Very Heepy Very Purple” and also few more like “Battle of Rock”, “Very Classic Very Metal”, “Into the Wild”, “After the Battle”, those are the ones where I pay tribute to the bands that created this genre. And my other albums are more Classic Rock oriented, some are heavier, some acoustic, some more personal with my vocals and and many later ones with a real vocalist. I love the albums that I record with amazing powerful vocalists, like Marco Buono, Lain Barbier, Ethel Aldrete and of course the heavier albums that feature super voices. They all feel the music in their hearts and it really shows in the songs.
Your latest release is Battle Of Rock with Brazilian singer Andre Tulipano. What is the concept behind this album, and how did you come to collaborate with Andre T?
This album is again a tribute to Hard Rock and Classic Heavy Metal and the bands that invented and shaped it. Deep Purple, Rainbow, Dio, Iron Maiden and others… Those bands were like the gladiators of rock. And thus “Battle Of Rock”. So I had the songs, but you need someone who can actually sing this style. Especially in this style where you need to sing so high and powerful at the same time. I remember Bruce Dickinson said that after he is singing like that he used to feel like his eyes are gonna pop out and head is going to explode. I wish I could sing like that, but each one should know their limits. I heard Andre on YouTube, singing an Iron Maiden cover I think, and I was blown away with his voice. And it was perfect for the songs I had. A really talented vocalist, and now also a great friend. I love the result of this album.
How long did this album take to put together – from writing to finished recordings? I assume you have a set method/process!?
To tell the truth , I don’t set deadlines for album completions. Good things take time to complete. And this is also part of the fun in this journey. I guess it took about a year to complete everything, but the song’s ideas were already there for a long time. Remember there are lots of musicians involved here and each has his own schedule.
Can you tell a bit about who else plays on this album? Do you have a number of players that you use regularly on various records?
There are many great musicians here, the list is too long to mention all; it’s all detailed on the Bandcamp album page, but I gotta mention Timo Tolkki (ex STRATOVARIUS), who’s plying the guitar solo on “Burn the Light”. He’s a real musical inspiration, right since the day I listened to the album “Episode”, a metal masterpiece! Miguel Angel Seiz play drums on many songs here, and he’s amazing. Giovani Maucieri and Michele Milano play drums on one song each and they are smoking too. The sound of drums is super important for the song as it gives the overall sound of a song. And those drummers got the perfect sound, and of course the best of talent. I love sharing guitar duties with other guitarists and especially when they play a million miles better than me, and Claudio Acampora is one hell of a guitar hero. He plays on three songs on the album. On Bass, among others there are Ernani Junior, Cedric Camus and Milan Pecanac, they are masters of the bass. Victor Hugo Santafe Ossa is a real musical mastermind, check out his keyboard parts on “Send Down the Angels”. And if you love Purple then you gotta love the Hammond organ like I do, Nick Foley is the perfect Hammond Wizard, he knows all the Jon Lord tricks.
“Raven” is an outstanding track on the new album, it definitely has a New Wave of British HM feel to it. What inspired this song musically and lyrically?
“Raven” is all about ’80’s Classic Heavy Metal… It has some influences from Dio, Savatage, Judas Priest in it… .fantasy style lyrics, Dio inspired. Andre is singing like the best of the best, he’s 110% into the character and song… And with that mind blowing guitar by Claudio Acampora is really creates that feeling of “Yeah, this is what I’m talking about”.
There are a few other very good tracks on Battle Of Rock, particularly “Send Down The Angels”, which features a great Hammond solo. Can you provide a bit of detail on this song? Any songs that you’re particularly happy with on this album?
Yeah, “Send Down The Angels” another great fast rocker with a cool groove. War style lyrics with bombs falling down and a band of brothers fighting together. I love the keyboard ideas by Victor Hugo Santafe Ossa. There are a few seconds in the middle of the instrumental section that kinda reminds me of “Phantom of the Opera”. I love all the songs on this album; I find them to be quite good. Each song has it’s own characteristics and influences. You can clearly hear obvious influences here like Rainbow and Iron Maiden, of course, but also the ones like Santana, AC\DC, Rata Blanca… I will leave it up to you to guess which songs relate to each of those influences.
Do you have any plans to perform any of this album live? …Do you perform live much?
Unfortunately, there’s no time for live concerts. A live band is a dedication and you gotta choose wisely what you gonna do in the time that’s dedicated to music, and we already agreed that we’ve got too little of that. So this project is mainly aimed for studio recordings. But who knows what the future will bring.
Your album covers are always very eye-catching. With reference to your albums in general tell us a bit about the whole task of coming up with your final album art? How important is the album art to you when finalizing an album to release?
In times when people actually devoted time to listen to music they also had a visual aspect of an album in the shape of a vinyl LP, CD or even a cassette. They could hold it, feel it and look at it’s cover art. Cover art is a very important part of the album concept. I remember as kids we used to go to the music store and go over all the CDs available and choose one, the cover art would catch your eye. I once bought an album based only on its cover art, without knowing who the musician was, that album was Yngwie Malmsteen’s ‘Trilogy’. What a cool cover, showing him fighting that dragon with his Stratocaster. The Funny thing was that I thought “Trilogy” might be a collection like “Anthology”… and that it would be a good idea to start listening to this cool dragons fighting guitarist with a collection. Man, this was better than his collection. And I have been a fan since then. Most of my cover arts are by artists and I must mention my favorite one “Aquasixio – Cyril Rolando” who is a real genius of art. I also used photos by Haim Rosenfeld as cover arts for a few albums, he’s got a sharp artistic eye, and all of my earlier albums cover arts were paintings by Maya Rosenfeld. And My latest two releases “Battle of Rock” and “Seasons Blues” feature an AI cover art!
What other albums/projects do you have on the Go at present?
There are more of them in the makings. Some Hard & Heavy and a few more Classic Rock oriented. With vocalists and musicians from all over the world that I’m so proud to work with. Talking in the best language of the world – music. Once someone told me I’m gonna break the Zappa record. But it’s really not about the number of albums, it’s all about the music that we, musicians, is burning inside us and we gotta get it done.
Any long term goals as far as albums or styles you’d like to venture into creating or people you’d like to collaborate with?
Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Graham Bonnet, Bruce Dickinson and the list goes on and on… It’s nice to dream. I guess I will continue to write music that will be enjoyable for me to listen to. And continue to have fun on the journey creating it. A Wise man once said, “Life’s a journey, not a destination”. and he said that way long before Aerosmith.
Do you have a big record collection yourself? (Listen to a lot of music?) and Can you give me a ‘Top 10’ of Avi’s favorite albums (from your youth)?
I Had a CD and Vinyl collection, which is at my parents house. And those were other times, when we had the actual time to sit and listen to an album and just do that. Today the main time for listening to music is in the car while driving. And BTW this is also the big test for the mixing of an album sound, it must sound good in the car. So the list might change but I think today’s Top 10 will be , not in this particular order and with the limitation of one album per band:
1. Deep Purple – Machine Head 2. Uriah Heep – Look At Yourself 3. Rainbow – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow 4. Dio – Last In Line 5. Iron Maiden – Powerslave 6. Beatles – Abbey Road 7. Queen – A Night At The Opera 8. Whitesnake – Live… in the Heart of the City 9. Black Sabbath – Heaven And Hell 10.Yngwie Malmsteen – Trilogy, with the best cover art!
US Heavy rock label Ripple Music is releasing a massive CCR tribute set. Check out the first single from it below. ‘Bone Church’ has done an awesome heavy and up to date rendition of the classic “Fortunate Son”, with a fitting video to go with (see it below!). This thing will include over 30 covers. Love the artwork!
Ripple Music announces a December release for their Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute album “Burn on the Bayou”, featuring 32 bands of the Californian heavy label’s roster. Listen to the first single with a rocking rendition of “Fortunate Son” by US stoner metallers Bone Church now!
Set for a December 3rd release,“Burn on the Bayou: A Heavy Underground Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival” will be released in 3xLP format for a total of 29 songs and 3 bonus tracks. The album features covers by Ripple Music bands JPT Scare Band, War Cloud, KIND, Great Electric Quest, High Priestess, Kabbalah, Stonebirds, Thunder Horse, Void Vator, Cities of Mars, Kyle Shutt (The Sword) and many more.
About the compilation, Ripple Music label founder Todd Severin says: “I chose Creedence Clearwater Revival for our first compilation because I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want to do Sabbath, Lizzy or such because bands have such reverence for them that they would turn in their best take on Sabbath or Lizzy. I wanted a band with amazing songs, that the bands could make their own, and boy did they. Plus Creedence Clearwater Revival is rooted in the sludge of the swamp, an aesthetic that plays well to stoner/doom bands. And to really bring out the swamp in the songs, the whole project was mastered by Kent Stump of the legendary swamp rockers Wo Fat.”
Bone Church guitarist Dan Sefcik adds: “As soon as Todd asked who would be interested in a CCR tribute record we jumped on it and immediately said we’d do “Fortunate Son.” Not only is it one of my favorite songs of all time, but the message is as poignant and powerful as it’s ever been. The corrupt political and corporate “elite” deceiving the masses, forcing them to give their lives in furtherance of their twisted agenda, with no regard for humanity. We see it repeated over and over again and it’s as relevant now as ever. We recorded the song on June 28th, 2021 at Dirt Floor Studios here in CT. We wanted to stay true to the original track, because frankly it’s perfect, but we also wanted to expand on it. That’s why we wrote a second piece that continues the story and further focuses on the soldiers who were thrown into the hell that is war. Most importantly we’d like to dedicate the song to all the soldiers and their families who sacrificed their bodies and minds. You will not be forgotten.”
“Burn on the Bayou: A Heavy Underground Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival” was compiled and produced by Todd Severin. Mastered by Kent Stump at Clear Clear Sound, Dallas, Texas. The artwork was illustrated by Cody Kuehl, with layout by Mack Aceves and gatefold art by Joe Mruk at Red Buffalo Illustration.
Texan occult and classic rock collective SUSPIRIORUM (with members of Witchcryer, Destroyer of Light, Runescarred, Hinayana) present the lyric video for their new single and Blue Öyster Cult cover “I Love The Night” exclusively on The Obelisk today. The song is taken from the upcoming CD version of their self-released debut EP Suspiriorum.
SUSPIRIORUM take their cue from bands like Italian progressive and cinematic rock masters Goblin, while expanding their sound further to include inspiration from occult rock pioneers Blue Öyster Cult and Coven, as well as prog rock luminaries Opeth. Their luscious debut 3-track ranges from organ-driven classic rock to ominous synth-infused passages, and adept lead guitar work and catchy riffs, with sultry vocals from Suzy Colca. Highly inspired by the imagery of cult moviemakers Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, and Lamberto Bava, their songs deal with occult rituals, zombies, and Giallo killers in one big celebration of the mastery and exploitation of the history of Italian horror films.
The Suspiriorum EP was recorded and mixed at Red Nova Ranch by Jeff Henson (Clutch, High On Fire, Spirit Adrift, Duel) and mastered by Alberto De Icaza (Clutch, Dead Cross, Crobot). Artwork was created by David Paul Seymour (Conan, Municipal Waste, High On Fire) with CD layout and additional photography and art done by Erik Bredthauer of Necroblanca Photography and Design.
About the song, bassist Joseph Maniscalco declares: “I knew in my heart that BOC was the right band to cover, but I didn’t want to be another band that does, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (an amazing song). It had to be something that spoke to me and spoke to the project. My sort of mission statement for the band’s sound is where horror soundtrack meets classic rock. I listened to the album Spectres and the final track, “I Love the Night” hit me like a wall. ‘I Love The Night’ is a great sentiment about feeling drawn toward horror. When I heard the first mix of our version it came out exactly as I heard it in my head and I cried. I still feel that way every time I hear it and thought the emotional attachment is personal and mine, I hope that people listening can feel the magic I felt or discover some of their own. This song feels anthemic for the outcast horror fan, attracted to the beauty in the dark, and I think it will always feel that way for me.”
Debut EP “Suspiriorum” Available now on Bandcamp – STREAM IT *CD pre-order coming soon
SUSPIRIORUM: Joseph Maniscalco – Bass and Synth Suzy Bravo – Vocals Tim Driscoll – Lead Guitars Steve Colca – Rhythm Guitars Adrian Voorhees – Drums
British metal legends RAVEN have a brand new album out – All Hell’s Breaking Loose. If you like your rock fast and furious, check this out. There’s 3 singles/videos released so far (see below), as well as favorite cuts like “Turn Of The Screw”, “Desperate Measures”, and “Invasion”. Ten tracks that don’t let up from beginning to end. The band has also released a new single/video for the album’s title track (today). Great production, love the sound of this album. Dig the album art courtesy of Andrej Bartulović at All Things Rotten! *For more info check out the press info, videos, and links below…
photo_ Jay Shredder
Prepare yourself for a metal rampage the likes of which you haven’t enjoyed in many a year as New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts RAVEN deliver the electric mayhem of All Hell’s Breaking Loose, their 15th studio album, released June 30th on Silver Lining Music.
The Newcastle pioneers, formed by the Gallagher brothers (bassist/vocalist John and guitarist Mark) and rounded out by drummer extraordinaire Mike Heller have emerged from Heller’s own Heaven And Heller Studios in Los Angeles with 10 crisp, visceral metal classics, each fused with riffs, twists, turns, chaos and more hooks than all the Hellraiser movies combined (think hyperbole, ‘turn-it-UP’ and find out for yourself)!
Among the stand-outs are lead single “Go For The Gold”, with the redline pushed hard by a cavalcade of riffs and furious, percussive madness, yet behind it all a melodic journey that makes it multi-dimensional skull-crushing.
“‘Go For The Gold’” is our first single as it really represents the new album mission statement… 100% full on RAVEN lunacy!!!!”, enthuses John Gallagher. “If you’ve got an initial great riff, you just build from it,… you try not to milk it to death. You want a good structure. You want a good verse with hooks, a good pre-chorus with hooks, a great chorus, and then you want little left turns here and there to spice it up. Otherwise it can sound boring. And if you have too many left turns then it turns into jazz fusion, so it’s a funny line you gotta dance on to have structure but also the chaos part as well.”
Title track “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” twists and turns with accents and flavours buried inside the chaos. “Lyrically the song is about the constrictions of being locked down during the pandemic and the desire and need to ‘break free’ from it all or risking going insane…” explains co-founding member and guitarist Mark Gallagher. “It’s about taking control of your freedom!” Mark exclaims. Meanwhile “Surf The Tsunami” sees Heller gatecrash your eardrums with a furious flurry of his own, before some supreme twister riffs bring on the full metal chaos; “Turn Of The Screw” bounces on the upbeats before smashing you with a thunderous chorus; “The Far Side” has as classic a metal riff as you’ll hear in 2023; “Desperate Measures” is pure ’81-saturated tales of hardship and despair, if you ever wondered what RAVEN at the Marquee were like on a sweaty metal night in ’83; “Edge of A Nightmare” is your portal to paradise, thundering as hard as the opener “Medieval”.
What RAVEN have delivered with All Hell’s Breaking Loose is permission for everyone to remember exactly what it’s like to lose yourself in the healing aural waters of supreme heavy metal music, resplendent in sweat-soaked denim and leather.
“You got three guys with very strong, passionate, opinions,” offers Mark, “and when those are brought together, it’s a case of ‘iron sharpens iron.’”
“We’re very hard on ourselves,” adds John, “it had to be ‘all killer, no filler’. Absolutely every single part of every song had to make sense, had to mean something, and had to be there for a purpose.”
And All Hell’s Breaking Loose makes it clear that RAVEN aren’t messing around in that regard.
ROZARIO is the new Norwegian band, fronted by singer David Rosario. The Norwegian Melodic Heavy Metal band will release their debut album on Pride & Joy Music – To The Gods We Swear on October 22nd, with 3 singles to come before then (the first one is out now!). Produced by Trond Holter (Wig Wam, Dream Police, Holter, Jorn), the album will be released on CD, LP and digitally.
Check out the band’s debut single/video to the song “To The Gods We Swear”. A memorable opening riff, a massive guitar sound, with great lead and big backing vocals. Love the production of this. An excellent song, and a huge sound. Looking forward to the rest of the album!
“This is our first single out and with this song, we salute Norse mythology…maybe not in it’s correct form, but we wish to highlight the greatness and courage that the Vikings stood for. In other words, this is a tribute to the history of Norway and the Norwegian people. Enjoy this salute to the greatest of them all ; Odin and Thor and their conquest for victory.”
Rozario might just be one of the most exiting new bands on the exploding new Norwegian metal scene, and the debut album can be expected later this year. This album is definitely a monster you want to be attacked by. The upcoming album consists of 11 songs that will dig into your soul…and stay there. – *Pre-order the album Here
About the band:David Rosario was looking for someone to record some of his songs with. David had been impressed with guitarist Stein Hjertholm and drummer Per-Helge Bruvoll after seeing several gigs with their band, so he reached out to them. The three of them recorded a 3 song demo, and during this process, the chemistry between them was eminent and the idea of Rozario was born. This was just prior to the pandemic and naturally all activity became very restricted. They used their time wisely and focused on song-writing and finding the direction of the band, with songwriting contributions from all three. Rozario then teamed up with producer Trond Holter (Wig Wam, Holter, Jorn etc.) and started to record what would become “To The Gods We Swear” in his studio in Halden, Norway. During the recordings of this release, the lineup of the band was finalized when young guitar virtuoso Johan Jamtfall & bassist Anders Halsan Engum joined them.
Legendary German prog band ELOY has a new album out – Echoes From The Past. The band, from Hanover, formed in 1969 and is lead by founder/guitarist/vocalist/songwriter & producer Frank Bornemann. Also on board is bass player Klaus-Peter Matziol, who joined Eloy in the mid-’70s, drummer Stephan Emig (who played on the previous album), as well a number of backing singers, and keyboard players – most notably Steve Mann (MSG, Sweet), who’s been on a number of Eloy albums since the mid ’90s. Echoes From The Past is Eloy’s 20th studio album and is a follow up to the band’s previous 2 releases – The Vision, The Sword, and The Pyre (Parts 1 & 2), which are based on the same story (see below).
The new album’s stunning artwork was once again created by Michael Narten, who has done many covers for Eloy, as well as Scorpions and Trumvirat, Eloy has also released a single/video for the song “Fate” (check it out below). Echoes From The Past comes in multiple formats and multiple colored vinyl issues.
Eloy’s debut album was released in 1971, produced by the legendary Conny Plank. Eloy (the album), was a harder guitar driven album, more in tune with the likes of Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and Lucifer’s Friend. But the band would turn towards a much more progressive sound and approach, ala Pink Floyd, releasing such classic albums as Dawn (1976), Ocean (1977), and Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes (1979). The latter could be easily mistaken for a lost Pink Floyd album upon first hearing. During this era Eloy also featured former Scorpions’ drummer Jurgen Rosenthal, and keyboard player Detlev Schmidtchen (who would go on to release a pile of solo albums in the 2000s). Eloy’s ’70s output is some of the most essential progressive rock out there, though harder to come by over here as very few of these albums got issued in North America.
From press release: “The album is the conclusion of a three-part album production on the theme of “Joan of Arc”, and a very spectacular video is also presented for the title “FATE”, which illustrates the whole story of the French heroine from the Middle Ages, who was crowned a saint, in an astonishing 3 minutes with rhythmic force and a rolling beat, as well as a tremendous choral refrain. After the first two albums entitled “The Vision, The Sword & The Pyre (Part 1 & 2)” already brought great success, as well as reaching high chart quotations, “Echoes from the Past” could even surpass this, because on this album the band sounds even more the way their worldwide fan community likes them most. The typical Eloy spirit of sensitive, atmospheric sound waves alternating with powerful, pulsating rhythms rules this album, literally jumping at the listener with every note.“
Outsider Rock 