All posts by KJ

KINGS OF MERCIA release new single from self-titled debut album

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Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer/Scott Towns

Kings of Mercia, the new group formed by acclaimed rock/metal guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and powerhouse rock vocalist Steve Overland (FM) have announced the release of their self-titled debut album on September 23rd, 2022 via Metal Blade Records. Accompanying the duo on the upcoming album are Matheos’ Fates Warning bandmate Joey Vera on bass, and legendary drummer Simon Philips. 

Kings of Mercia are now pleased to share the new single “Liberate Me”. 

Steve Overland says this about the track: “’Liberate me’ is another great example of what the Kings of Mercia album represents, a high energy, hard rock song about someone who has lived life selfishly and done many wrongs, but as the years take their toll, they begin to regret their past and want to make things right. Once again, it shows off the great individual talents in the band with great performances by all.”

TRACKLIST:
1.Wrecking Ball  3:54
2.Humankind  4:13
3.Sweet Revenge  4:38
4.Set the World on Fire  4:16
5.Too Far Gone   6:07
6.Liberate Me   4:18
7.Nowhere Man   4:20
8.Everyday Angels    3:59
9.Is It Right?   4:03
10.Your Life   6:07

Best known as the founding guitarist for Fates Warning, but with countless other projects under his belt – including Arch / Matheos and most recently Tuesday The Sky – Jim Matheos is incapable of stifling his creativity. In early 2021, he started working on the songs that would become Kings Of Mercia’s self-titled debut album, bringing his distinct style yet doing something a little different. “I started writing without any real idea of what direction I wanted to go in or what I was going to do with the material. The first few songs came together quickly and were a bit more straightforward than I’m used to, and I really liked that idea, kind of going back to my early heavy/hard rock roots.” Not having any pre-conceived ideas of what the record should or would end up sounding like, at least early on, certainly helped, “as did the fact that it’s our first record, so there was nothing to measure it against or expectations to live up to, even if only in my own head.”

Churning out songs, Matheos’ next concern was to find the musicians who would help him realize the material, and his first priority was a vocalist. It was his friend Jeff Wagner who suggested FM’s Steve Overland, and another friend, rock journalist Dave Ling, who put them in touch with each other. “Jim had asked Dave for my contact details, we talked about his idea for mixing the two styles, his heavier background, with my melodic/bluesier direction,” says Overland. “We decided to try a collaboration on one song and see how it worked, we came up with the track “Humankind”, and we both loved it.”. Having already settled on this hard rock direction, it was only once Matheos got the first couple of songs back from Overland that it became all the way clear of the shape the record would take, with the vocalist sending over his parts every few weeks, everything gradually coming together.

Behind the kit for the record is the legendary Simon Phillips (ex-Toto, Derek Sherinian), one of Matheos’ favorite drummers. “I decided to contact him on a whim, not really expecting that he’d be available or interested in this project. But, to my surprise, he liked the music and was able to fit some recording into his schedule. It’s an honor to share a credit with him and I couldn’t be happier with what he added to the record.” Rounding out the group is bassist Joey Vera – Matheos’ Fates Warning bandmate – who brings his trademark style and professionalism to the table. “My old friend and co-worker Joey Vera was a natural choice for bass. Not only did I know he would deliver performance-wise, but it was nice to have a familiar face among the new personalities.” With these players involved it was an easy, stress-free process throughout, making music for the love of it, and coming up with something that sounds familiar yet new, expanding the repertoire of all involved. This means songs like the half-acoustic ballad, half-swaggering “Too Far Gone” or the beautiful “Everyday Angels”, and the soaring “Wrecking Ball”, which opens the record on a high note, all brought to life in dynamic style.
Jim Matheos – Guitars
Steve Overland – Vocals
Joey Vera – Bass 
Simon Phillips – Drums

The album is available on CD, LP, and digital formats.
Pre-order here: https://www.metalblade.com/kingsofmercia/

Watch the video for the first single “Wrecking Ball” here:

Links:

http://www.metalblade.com/kingsofmerciahttps://

http://www.facebook.com/KingsofMercia/

INTELLIGENT MUSIC PROJECT – Release 7th album – Unconditioned

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When the Intelligent Music Project started, the first albums featured the late John Lawton on them, and they were fantastic. As each album has come along new singers and players have come along as well. My initial interest in the band was John, as I was a fan of what he had did throughout his career. Thus, I kinda didn’t totally keep up with each subsequent release. But the latest (and 3rd) with Ronnie Romero (Blackmore’s Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Lords of Black…) I am nicely reminded that I.M.P. is about well written and produced tunes, regardless who’s exactly in it; this is really good from start to finish. I was not sold on the singer as part of Rainbow, but here Romero is more involved that just doing someone else’s material or a band with a set style. With Unconditioned (released July 27), Romero takes on something new and different, less ‘metal’, and really makes this his own thing. Also on here is Nazareth’s Carl Sentance and legendary drummer Simon Phillips. Plenty of great rock tracks, from the cool riff of “Intention”, “Wait For The Night”, and the more aor-ish “And Stars Never Fall” (dig the drum/slide intro). And as with I.M.P, there’s a good variety of tracks, and use of acoustic guitars, piano, harmonies, etc.. , so you get interesting and excellent songs like “Soulmate”, “Madness”, “New Hero”, and “Sunshine Boulevard” (great heavy solo). I see this is Romero’s 3rd album with the project, so I’ve got some back-tracking to do. Contains 14 tracks, so a bit long (10 tracks is long enough for me for almost any album). But a solid collection of songs.

*For more info check out the press release and links below

Superstar Rock Band Intelligent Music Project To Release 7th Album “Unconditioned” Feat. Members of TOTO, Rainbow & Nazareth

Featuring Simon Phillips (TOTO, Mike Oldfield, Pete Townshend), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, MSG), Carl Sentance (Nazareth)

The superstar rock band Intelligent Music Project will release its seventh studio album entitled “Unconditioned” in July – just two months after their biggest adventure, called Eurovision Song Contest.

The legendary Simon Phillips (TOTO, Protocol) returns as percussionist and musical co-producer of the new album, while the lead vocalist on this release will again be one of the most popular names in rock music today: Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, MSG). This will be Romero’s third album with Intelligent Music Project, and for the first time the group has expanded its compositional approach: two of the songs and their arrangements are entirely the work of Ronnie, Biser Ivanov and Ivo Stefanov. For the first time on “Unconditioned,” the band’s lead singer shows off his skills as a lyricist, having penned the words to those two songs. All the other songs and lyrics are once again the creation of Intelligent Music Project’s founder and producer, Dr. Milen Vrabevski.

In honor of the tenth anniversary of the band’s first album, “The Power Of Mind,” the seventh album follows its format and also begins and ends with instrumental tracks written by Dr. Milen Vrabevski in collaboration with Biser Ivanov and Ivo Stefanov.

“‘Unconditioned’ is an album dedicated to unconditional love as a deciding factor in normalizing our modern life. This love has to be focused above all on our children, because they are the future, while we are the ones who need to show them the way and teach them to make bold decisions and to live for the people around them. Only with more such people will the world become a better place” – Dr. Vrabevski about the new album

One hit track from “Unconditioned” is “Intention” – the song the band played as Bulgaria’s representative to Eurovision 2022 in Torino. Besides the Eurovision version, the album will also include the original, longer take, which sticks to Intelligent Music Project’s signature melodic progressive style, as well as a backing track version.  

“Intention” was the first single from Intelligent Music Project’s seventh album. At the moment, the song has more than two and a half million views/listens on both YouTube and Spotify. The song raises the question of every individual’s personal, internal battle with outdated models of belief and behavior that hold them back. Starting from the title itself, the author underscores the simple fact that it is never too late to start down the right path – the path of your own personal growth, of dignified existence and of life with a mission. The song calls us to turn away from our ego, selfishness and a consumerist attitude on life and instead to live for the people around us.

“Finding the right path, however, often turns into a battle with one’s self, so you need a serious intention to truly make a change!” – Dr. Milen Vrabevski, the author of the music and lyrics of “Intention” notes.  

The album’s second single, “New Hero,” came out in early May. The song was accompanied by a striking video that recreated a military atmosphere, where, in sync with the idea behind the album, the main characters were children. In the video’s narrative, it is precisely the children who turn out to be the brave heroes who bring about change.

“Effective action in the present, despite difficulties, is the key to progress. It is crucial for us to know that pretty words get us nowhere. It is easy to stand silently and do what you’re told. The harder but only effective thing is for a person to have their own opinion, their own method of resisting injustice, even if this means they often find themselves alone and misunderstood,” Dr. Vrabevski explains.

In addition to Simon Phillips and Ronnie Romero, the album also includes Carl Sentance (Nazareth), Biser Ivanov on guitar, Ivo Stefanov on keyboards, Slavin Slavchev, Lina Nicole, and Borislav Mudolov-Kosatkata on backing vocals; Dimitar Sirakov on bass; Samuel Eftimov on piano

Order “Unconditioned” here: https://bit.ly/3P09VTw

Links:

www.intelligent-music.com

https://www.facebook.com/SimonPhillipsMusic

https://www.facebook.com/IntelligentMusicProject

https://www.facebook.com/ronnieromeroofficial/

PETER HESSLEIN to release Night Drive 3

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Guitarist Peter Hesslein of legendary German band Lucifer’s Friend has finished a new collection of instrumental tracks for his Night Drive 3 album, to be released on October 14.

Night Drive 3 features 16 tracks, and will be the last in this solo trilogy.

Following the reformation of Lucifer’s Friend in 2015, a live album and 2 new studio albums, Peter released his first solo album titled Night Drive in 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lucifer’s Friend, followed by Night Drive 2 in ’21. Sadly, Lucifer’s Friend singer John Lawton passed away on June 29 of last year, putting an end to the band, with a compilation titled The Last Stand being issued later in the year.

Night Drive 3 features singer Mike Starrs (who replaced Lawton in Lucifer’s Friend in the late ’70s), who ‘guests’ on the album’s last track. Starrs has recently recorded an album with the band Crossover. I am looking forward to hearing his voice on Night Drive 3, and ‘hope’ their may be more to come.

Track Listing:

1 This Way Home
2 Sunset Drive
3 At A Crossroads
4 Driving All Night
5 Going South
6 In The Fast Lane
7 Road of Dreams
8 On The Horizon
9 A Few More Hours
10 No Backseat Driver
11 A Warm Day’s Night
12 Faster Than a Slug
13 Exit Number 9
14 Sunrise Pit Stop
15 A Gnat In My Life
16 Chapters Of My Life

To pre-order –

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/peter-hesslein-night-drive-3-cd/

https://www.facebook.com/Lucifersfriendph

https://www.facebook.com/LucifersFriendOfficial

TROY REDFERN – Releases 2nd single from forthcoming album

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UK blues rocker Troy Redfern, hailed as “the king of slide guitar” recently released “Gasoline” — the second single from Troy Redfern’s forthcoming album The Wings Of Salvation.  As mentioned, the slide guitar summer anthem was officially released Friday August 19th. The upbeat heavy cut comes across as a cool, positive summertime rocker, with a catchy chorus, and filled with Redfern’s trademark slide work.

“With Gasoline I wanted to write a positive, uplifting, good-time rock ’n’ roll tune,” says Troy. “Right now, we’re bombarded with a lot of negative news in the media. Lyrically, I wanted to put something out there that was the opposite to that. The groove of this tune is in 7/8, which isn’t a typical rock ’n’ roll rhythm, but I really love the flow and feel of riffing in this time signature, especially playing slide using the National resonator in a low tuning. The combination sounds huge.”

photo – Adam Kennedy

The single features Dave Marks on bass guitar and Paul Stewart (The Feeling) on drums. “Gasoline” follows the excellent hard hitting anthemic “Come On” single (see below). Both tracks sound like they will be great live numbers. Redfern has amassed a large discography of recordings since 2015’s Back Door Hoodoo, including 6 albums recorded over the past couple of years of lockdown, and notably the critically acclaimed The Fire Cosmic! So, plenty of classic slide guitar driven rock to get into.

Fans can pre-save the “Gasoline” single (released Friday August 19th) from this link – https://bit.ly/3Pofyuc.

Wings Of Salvation features 10 tracks, and will be released September 23rd. Available for pre-order on CD & Vinyl (as well as digital) at – www.troyredfern.com/shop.

Troy is special guest on DARE’s UK tour in October (12 shows).

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/TroyRedfern

https://www.noblepr.co.uk/press-releases/troy-redfern/the-wings-of-salvation.htm

Interview: Troy Redfern British Blues Rocker

https://greatmusicstories.com/2022/07/25/feature-interview-troy-redfern-2/

https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/whats-on/troy-redfern-cosmic-blues-rock-from-a-prolific-musician-9210338/

NESTOR – A new interview on the band’s success, live shows, and a future album

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It’s been well over a year since Nestor dropped their first video for their debut track “On The Run”. The video was a huge – an immediate success, with the retro and hilarious clip now at well over 400 thousand views! The band followed with videos for the tracks “1989” and “Tomorrow” (the latter featuring Samantha Fox). Eventually came the band’s awesome full length album, and numerous live dates in Europe, with the band’s own hometow “NestorFest” being their latest highlight. In this exchange singer Tobias Gustavsson details the band’s last year and what is to come. As a fan, I am looking forward to the band’s debut album getting a major re-release next month, as well as talk of a follow-up album coming in the (hopefully) no-so-distant future.

*Be sure to check out links at the end of this interview…

Kids In A Ghost Town has been quite a  success so far. How has the whole success of the videos, the album, and recognition changed your life directions over the past year? And has it all exceeded any expectations when you put out the album? 

Well it has made life a little more interesting for sure, haha! No but it has absolutely exceeded our expectations. I think we had an idea that the music would be received well when we started working on the songs and everything. But you never know when releasing music, so much has to do with timing, luck and other stuff. But the stars seem to have been perfectly aligned and we are totally overwhelmed by the reception we’ve had! We’re super happy, super humble and it’s been super fun!

As to how life has changed, it’s been kind of weird because we’re all grown up men with families, jobs, and ordinary lives. So in one sense things are kind of normal, during the weekdays. But then we have been out quite a lot on weekends lately, playing festivals all over and that’s a totally different beast! We get to be rockstars for a little while you know! But then it’s back to reality, fixing breakfast for kids, going to our regular workplaces and so on. It’s been kind of good to have this happen now, when we can handle all the things happening and keeping our feet on the ground. If this would have happened when we were young teenagers I don’t think we would have handled it as good – or appreciated it like we do now. It’s like we can really take it in and enjoy it now, if you know what I mean.

You guys have played a lot of shows , festivals, opening slots… I am sure there have been many, but are some of the biggest highlights for each of you? Can you mention any favorite bands [ie Kiss] that  you have got to check out or meet?  [any stories — You have got share stages with a few of my favorites like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Europe…. ] , biggest crowds, etc.. 

Opening for KISS was awesome for sure, they’re real childhood idols to all of us. We also got to meet them briefly backstage and take a picture. But that was about it, no small talk with Gene really you know, haha! But still very cool! Generally, honestly, we haven’t had the time to watch many other bands. We played the same festival as Europe for instance, but different days. So we missed out on that. But we have met a lot of nice people backstage and talked to a lot of cool people, both artists and others! A fun side note was that when we played Atlas Rock a sound engineer passed us after the gig and complemented the live sound. He told us that he’d better step up his game. So we asked who he was there with, and it was the sound guy for Uriah Heep! Haha, nice compliment! (PS, our sound guy Emil is truly the best btw!)

How much of the album is performed in the band’s live show? And is there any ‘new’ tracks or covers included on occasion?

Depending on how much stage time we have, we’ve played pretty much all the tracks from the album. The only one we haven’t aired live yet is We Are Not Ok, but that might change in the future, we’ll see. Just recently when we played our own hometown Falköping and what we called NESTOR FEST, we played the album tracks, and our new single Signed In Blood, AND the two additional tracks that will be included on the Deluxe Edition of our album that comes out at the end of September. One of those is a cover by the way, and a pretty unexpected choice too I would say! It’s an 80s track, but a big pop hit, but our version sort of! And we also did Gary Moore’s The Loner so our guitar player Jonny could shine a little extra too!

Nestor has signed to Napalm Records. How did that come about and what is the plan – including a 2nd album? [Has writing begun for a 2nd album or is there an estimated released date?] 

There will be a 2nd album! Work on that has been started. But as I mentioned, Napalm will release our debut album Kids In A Ghost Town in a Deluxe Edition with 3 additional tracks. The signing with them was pretty undramatic. We had been holding off signing with a label because we were looking for the right partner. And the guys at Napalm seemed to get our thing so we made a deal to work with them, and yeah, the Deluxe version comes out late September. As for the next proper album, when it comes out and so on, nothing has been set yet, but it won’t be another 30 years at least, promise haha!

What might fans expect on a 2nd Nestor album? Anything you guys would like to try differently, cover, or do more of ?

I think that if you liked what we did on the first album, you will like the next one. It’s going to be all centered around the same era, with the 80s music as a stepping stone, sound wise. For us it all comes down to great songs and great melodies. That’s kind of what the 80s was a lot about. But at the same time, we will absolutely look for ways to push boundaries and what Nestor can be, you know. Hopefully it will be awesome, and it definitely won’t be boring!!!

Has there been offers to get on to some tours outside of Europe, such as the UK, Australia , or Canada and the US ? Any plans or wishes to get to certain territories you haven’t played yet? [Would be great to see the band, along with a number of other Swedish acts over here] 

There have been some stuff, offers and suggestions, but these things take time in my experience (from being in the music industry for many years). You kind of have to bide your time and work each region or geographical area one step at a time. With that said, we would love to come over to North America for instance. But at the same time, we want to do it properly from the start, and not, you know, half-ass it. But hopefully we’ll see you soon!

Lastly, from Canada here, curious how familiar you guys are with Canadian bands and if you might have a few favorite Canadian bands and albums?

Oh, Canada! We kind of feel that you’re our northern sibling from another time zone, friendly, uncomplicated and just great people! There are a lot of awesome Canadian acts. Rush for sure is one that comes to mind first, I mean, who doesn’t love Rush! And Big Wreck, do they count as Canadian? They were awesome! And you can’t be an 80s admirer and not mention Saga, or Loverboy! And honestly, Nickelback gets a lot of bad rep, but man, Chad knows how to write songs, right? As for newer stuff, The Weekend has been doing some amazing things lately, also with a bit of 80s touch in a way, right? And best album? Tough one, but Reckless by Bryan Adams – Come on!

Links:

Live photos courtesy of Basse Hellgren, taken at Nestorfest . To see more check out – http://www.rockbladet.se

http://www.nestortheband.com

https://www.facebook.com/nestortheband

https://napalmrecords.com/english/nestor

https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/search/?q=nestor

*thanks to Peter Kjellin

08/’21

Spirogyra: The Future Won’t Be Long – The Albums 1971-1973, 3CD Box Set

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SPIROGYRA was another interesting British band from that golden period of the early ’70s. The band was folk, progressive, psychedelic…Lots of harmonies, soft vocals, acoustic guitars, pianos, synths, flutes, violins and various string instruments.., The band only released 2 singles back in the day, along with these 3 albums, and commercial success eluded them, but they have maintained many followers years later. Plenty of gems among these albums, such as “Cogwheels, Crutches And Cyanide”, “Time Will Tell”, “Dangerous Dave” (a single), “Don’t Let It Get You”, “The Sargent Says”, and “In The Western World”. Very easy going stuff, but lots of stories amongst the songs, and the sweet vocals of Barbara Gaskin, and the distinctive voice of (guitarist) Martin Cockerham. Disc 2 comes with 4 bonus tracks, all outtakes, the best being the upbeat “Melody Maker Man”. Disc 3 contains the bonus track “I Hear You’re Going Somewhere (Joe Really)” – the A side to the band’s 2nd single. The set comes with a 12 page colored booklet complete with photos, liner notes, and interviews telling the band’s story. Well worth picking up if you’re interested, especially considering how much the band’s original LPs go for on Discogs.

*For more info check out the press release, tracklisting, and links below…

• NEW 3CD CLAMSHELL BOXED SET OF THE THREE ALBUMS BY SPIROGYRA RELEASED BETWEEN 1971 AND 1973
• FEATURING THE ALBUMS ‘ST RADIGUNDS’, ‘OLD BOOT WINE’ AND ‘BELLS, BOOTS AND SHAMBLES’. WITH A FULLY
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET

Spirogyra was formed by duo Martin Cockerham and Mark Francis in Bolton in 1968, but the band expanded when Cockerham was a student in Canterbury at the end of 1969. The expanded line-up featured Cockerham (guitar, vocals), Barbara Gaskin (lead vocals), Steve Borrill (bass) and Julian Cusack (violin, keyboards) and secured a contract with B&C Records in 1970. The band’s impressive debut album, ‘St Radigunds’ was issued in 1971 and featured guest drummer Dave Mattacks and Tony Cox on VCS3 Synthesizer.
In 1972 the band’s second album, ‘Old Boot Wine’, was released on the Pegasus label, a “progressive” imprint established by B&C. Prior to the
recording of the album Mark Francis re- joined the group, and the sessions also saw contributions from guest musicians Dave Mattacks (drums), Julian Cusack (violin, keyboards), Rick Biddulph (mandolin), Alan Laing (cello).
With the demise of the Pegasus label, Spirogyra recorded their third album for Polydor. By this time Spirogyra had become a core of Martin
Cockerham (guitar, vocals) and Barbara Gaskin (lead vocals) with Steve Borrill (bass) and guest musicians Dave Mattacks (drums), Julian Cusack
(violin, keyboards), Henry Lowther (trumpet), John Boyce (cello), Stan Sulzman (flute) and Steve Ashley (whistle).
Despite achieving critical praise, Spirogyra failed to enjoy commercial success which ultimately led to their demise. The trio of albums the band
recorded between 1971 and 1973 featured music of innovation and originality and are arguably beyond classification. They remain highly
regarded and are sought after by collectors and aficionados of the Progressive era.
This collection features four bonus tracks recorded during sessions for ‘Old Boot Wine’ and the 1973 single release I Hear You’re Going
Somewhere (Joe Really).

Disc One: St Radigunds

The Future Won’t Be Long
Island
Magical Mary
Captain’s Log
At Home In The World
Cogwheels, Crutches And Cyanide
Time Will Tell
We Were A Happy Crew
Love Is A Funny Thing
The Duke Of Beaufoot

Disc Two: Old Boot Wine

Dangerous Dave
Van Allen’s Belt
Runaway
Grandad
Wings Of Thunder
World’s Eyes
Don’t Let It Get You
Disraeli’s Problem
A Canterbury Tale
Bonus tracks
Counting The Cars
Window
Turn Again Lane
Melody Maker Man

Disc Three: Bells, Boots And Shambles

The Furthest Point
Old Boot Wine
Parallel Lines Never Separate
Spiggly
An Everyday Consumption Song
The Sergeant Says
In The Western World
1) In the Western World
2) Jungle Lore
3) Coming Back
4) Western World (reprise)
Bonus track
I Hear You’re Going Somewhere (Joe Really) (A- side of single)

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/SpirogyraFolk

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/spirogyra-the-future-wont-be-long-the-albums-1971-1973-3cd-box-set/

http://www.alexgitlin.com/npp2/spirogyra.htm

08/’21

SERPICO – The Chosen Four, out now!

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From Finland, Serpico (great name!) has released their 3rd full album – The Chosen Four (cool album cover by Rauli Mard) . A fun set of somewhat ’80s influenced hard rockers. Cool lead off track “Riverbanks” reminds me of early ’80s Kiss (especially that intro). Lots of ‘rock’ here, via anthems “Rock Your Brain”, “I Am A Rocker”, and “Holy Rocks Outta Body” (the latter featuring a nice Chuck Berry sounding inspired intro). All guitar driven rockers, No keyboards! Best cuts being “Midnight Cowboy” and the heavy power ballad “Dark Energy”.

*For more info check out the press bio below …

Finnish rockers Serpico released their latest album  “The Chosen Four” this July 1st, via Rockshots Records. The album was produced by platinum-selling Finnish record producer Anssi Kippo (Children of Bodom, Hanna Pakarinen, Teräsbetoni).

“Warmth of full analog sound is the key word on this particular record. There are many things you have been missing out on in music and in the listening experience, I think. We hope fans will pay full attention to the album and go along with the music. I must say there is no way back from the world of analog recording once you step into it. This is the way we are going to do it from this moment on.” adds vocalist Vee Dour.

“People will definitely notice its high quality in songs, production, the sound & versatility if comparing to nowadays, dull sound world n’ song arrangements. Also, there’s a big difference when doing it all by full analog session, which we did. So, it’s gonna stand out pretty easily from the masses, I think. Although I hope so.” also adds drummer Jani Serpico.

Album pre-order links:
Vinyl – https://bit.ly/TheChosenFourVINYL
CD – https://bit.ly/TheChosenFourCD

Since Serpico‘s inception in 2005, they have released two full-lengths “Rose Tattoo” (2018), ‘Shallow Mistress” (2014), and an EP “Bad Commercial” (2011) along with touring all over Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and England. The band is genuine and unique Rock n’ Roll with big respect for the classic titans.

SERPICO is: Vee Dour – Lead Vocals / Snake – Lead guitars & backing vocals / Andy – Bass & backing vocals / Jani Serpico – Drums & backing vocals.

Tracklisting:
1. Riverbanks
2. Midnight Cowboy
3. Rock Your Brain
4. I Am A Rocker
5. Dark Energy
6. Silent Love
7. Smokin’ Hot Mama
8. Holy Rocks Outta Body
9. The Last Days Of Monopoly

For more info:​
​www.Rockshots.eu​
​www.Serpicoband.com​
​www.Facebook.com/serpicoroxx

08/’21

LONELY ROBOT – A Model Life (John Mitchell)

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The fifth album under the Lonely Robot name is to be released August 26th… I have to admit I wasn’t overly familiar with John Mitchell until his performances on Phil Lanzon’s (Uriah Heep) 2 excellent solo albums (If You Think I’m Crazy, 2017, and 48 Seconds, 2019). His vocals on Lanzon’s albums made me curious about his other work – such as It Bites and Arena. A Model Life is full of fine melodies and well crafted songs & productions from the opener “Recalibrating”, the softer ballad “Species In Transition” (with a cool guitar solo), the excellent title song, and “Rain Kings” (somewhat of a ballad, John reminds me of Peter Gabriel on occasion). But really, this album of 10 tracks has a lot going on, progressive, very modern / fresh sounding, great vocals, and it gets better with each listen, as there is so much going on with differences from song to song.

*for more info check out the press bio and links below…

A lone soldier on the frontlines of creativity, John Mitchell has been at the forefront of forward thinking and progressive rock for decades now. As a member of such revered prog ensembles as It Bites, Arena, Frost* and his own projects Kino and The Urbane, he has become a uniquely vital contributor to the modern scene, while his credentials as a producer for countless contemporary rock acts are unquestionable. But since 2015, John has been operating under name Lonely Robot: a solo project in all but name, it has enabled him to fully express his own musical vision, via some of the most vivid and fascinating music of his career to date. 

Remarkably, Lonely Robot’s catalogue is already four albums deep. From 2015’s cosmic debut Please Come Home and its grandiose follow-up The Big Dream (2017), to the multifarious charms of 2019’s Under Stars and most recent full-length Feelings Are Good (2020), John has cemented his reputation as a prolific and inspirational songwriter. Two years on from his last release, the Lonely Robot is back in action again in 2022. The fifth album to bear the name, A Model Life is John Mitchell’s first communication to a post-pandemic world. 

“The truth is, I only ever intended to make three albums and then stop,” he laughs. “Then we got to the end of the three albums and I had a discussion with the label about maybe not releasing the next one under the name Lonely Robot, but with true Germanic business sense, they said, ‘We have established the brand now!’ So then everyone’s wondering where the guy in the spacesuit has gone! But I don’t really care what it’s called, as long as I get to keep making music. The thing I find most freeing about Lonely Robot is that I can just sit there on my own, get on with it at my own pace and not wait around for other people!” 

If the first four Lonely Robots offered wistful, sci-fi-tinged observations on the state of things, A Model Life is perhaps understandably infused with the anxieties and ominous omens of the real life, present day. As John explains, the new songs have a little more grit under their fingernails than any of their predecessors; even if the relentlessly inventive, melodic splurge of his songwriting remains soundly intact. 

“A lot of shit has happened, and one quite traumatizing thing was that I split up with my girlfriend of 16 years and it hit me very hard,” he says. “Then quite a few people I know died, and that hit me very hard. I thought, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. What happened to the forever ever after, into the sunset? That’s where the title comes from, A Model Life. It’s about what people’s fantasies of what they would like their lives to be, rather than what they actually are. Endless positive affirmation on social media and everything looking pure and white and like an Enya video. So every song is about being pissed off about someone or other. There’s no robots or space or anything!” 

An album that brims with frustration at the state of things, while tugging remorselessly at the heart strings, A Model Life is plainly the most honest and vulnerable Lonely Robot record to date. From opener Recalibrating, which muses on the aftermath of a broken relationship, and Digital God Machine – a sardonic tribute to keyboard warriors everywhere, to the boys-don’t-cry pathos of Rain Kings and the absurdly moving, adoption-themed Duty Of Care, these new songs provide a scattershot but profoundly emotional soundtrack to a restless and uncertain world. 

“Recalibrating is about splitting up with somebody and the nail goes into your head and you realize that there is no second act for that relationship. Digital God Machine is about fucking morons in their bedrooms, typing hate at people like me for writing music and thinking they know better. Then there’s The Island Of Misfit Toys, which is about people that don’t have a sense of belonging. I like the analogy of knackered toys with eyes hanging out, for people who don’t fit in and are socially awkward… a bit like myself! I was thinking about an article I read about how Google go out of their way to employ people on the autistic spectrum, because they’re much better at figures and numbers. One day those people will take over the world!” 

In musical terms, A Model Life marks a notable departure from the synth-fueled futurism of 2020’s Feelings Are Good. Songs like the darkly euphoric Starlit Stardust and the tense sprawl of Species In Transitions are full of punchy riffs and blazing solos, not to mention all the ingenious instrumentation and studio trickery that John Mitchell has made such an essential part of his music. 

“I do think this record is different,” he notes. “There’s lots of weird sounds and soundscapes. I’m just trying to make odd sounds out of things. On Digital God Machine, that’s me beating the shit out of a cello through a distortion pedal. At the risk of sounding like Peter Gabriel, there’s a lot of ethnic elements like marimbas and things I haven’t used before. I was under a self-imposed solo ban for the last Frost* record, so I really went overboard and played too many guitar solos this time. The last album was all about synthesizers, but this one is all about getting back to what I think I probably do best, so it’s all about guitar playing again.” 

Yet another career peak from one of modern prog’s most prolific polymaths, A Model Life hits harder than any previous Lonely Robot record, but with a warmth and wit that few can match. Meanwhile, with long-awaited tour dates tentatively etched into the horizon, John Mitchell declares himself ready and cautiously optimistic for whatever the future holds. 

“There’s a tour in February and some dates in Europe. But if the various hoops we have to jump through haven’t been sorted by then, When we planned this tour it was three albums ago, so I don’t know what I’m doing anymore! [Laughs] I’m really proud of A Model Life, so I might focus on that. I’ve got no idea what I’m going to play because I’ve got far too many songs! I’m sure I’ll put my nose back to the grindstone soon and make another album too.”

Links:

https://lonelyrobot.lnk.to/AModelLifeID

https://www.facebook.com/johnchristianmitchell

johnmitchellhq.com

https://centurymedia.store/dept/lonely-robot?cp=102832_103046_111858

https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnMitchellMusic/about

08/’21

SPIRIT ADRIFT – 20 Centuries Gone

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Austin, Texas based doom-metal act SPIRIT ADRIFT release their 5th album – 20 Centuries Gone. The band started as a project by guitarist/songwriter Nathan Garrett over a decade ago. 20 Centuries Gone features 2 original tracks and 6 covers. The 2 new tracks lead off the disc, “Sorcerer’s Fate” is a good lead off rocker, with influences of Iron Maiden and Metallica, followed by “Mass Formation Psychosis”, which is a bit more dark, and a bit of more of a Sabbath or Black Label Society feel, but dig the guitar sound here. Of the others , I am not much of a fan of a few bands covered, but I do like the band’s take on Thin Lizzy’s “Waiting For An Alibi” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Poison Whiskey” – nicely done! The band’s own songs are the most interesting here, so interested in hearing more of the catalogue.

*for more info and see press release & tracklisting below…

Photo credit: Dave Creaney

SPIRIT ADRIFT expand their prolific catalogue with “20 Centuries Gone”, a collection of two new original songs and six cover songs that span the timeline of the band’s most foundational influences. Featuring artwork by Brian Mercer (Lamb of God, High on Fire, Mastodon), and mixed by Zeuss (Overkill, Crowbar, Municipal Waste), this release is a powerful journey through the past, present, and future of trad-metal’s most exciting new band.

Available on August 19th via Century Media, “20 Centuries Gone” sees SPIRIT ADRIFT put their trademark swagger on classics from Type O Negative, Pantera, Metallica, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd..

SPIRIT ADRIFT mastermind Nate Garrett comments: “I always thought it would be a cool experience to record some songs by bands that are foundational to the DNA of SPIRIT ADRIFT. These choices are obvious and on the nose to me, but maybe unexpected to the fans. That made the whole thing a lot of fun. A band like Lynyrd Skynyrd might not be the first thing you think of when considering SPIRIT ADRIFT’s influences, so the task for me became figuring out how to honor these great songs, but in the distinct SPIRIT ADRIFT style. To make the whole thing even more special, I channeled these influences and wrote a couple of new songs to kick things off.”

Regarding the band’s own track “Sorcerer’s Fate”,  Garret continues, “When I wrote this one, I was obsessing over the film director William Friedkin. I’ve been a fan of his since I saw ‘The Exorcist’ as a kid, but when I discovered the documentary ‘Leap of Faith’, it sparked a much deeper interest in the man and his process. I started watching as many of his interviews as I could find, and I read his autobiography which was just amazing. Friedkin’s life and art are inseparable. His human experience, search for higher truth, and borderline-psychotic level of obsession/perfectionism all coalesce into his artwork. I relate to that on a profound level. This song is about our search for purpose, and humanity’s struggle to understand ‘the mysteries of faith and fate.’  Musically, I would say it’s one of our heaviest and most straightforward songs. Inspired equally by New Orleans sludge, flipped-cap crossover, and Scandinavian metal, but with the distinct SPIRIT ADRIFT sound and approach.”

Track listing:
1.  Sorcerer’s Fate
2.  Mass Formation Psychosis
3.  Everything Dies (Type O Negative)
4.  Hollow (Pantera)
5.  Escape (Metallica)
6.  Waiting for an Alibi (Thin Lizzy)
7.  Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings (ZZ Top)
8.  Poison Whiskey (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

The band is currently on tour, check out their website for dates.

SPIRIT ADRIFT touring line-up:
Nate Garrett – guitar & vocals
Leanne Martz – guitar
Sonny DeCarlo – bass
Michael Arellano – drums

Links:

https://www.spiritadrift.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SpiritAdrift/

https://spiritadrift.lnk.to/20CenturiesGoneID

https://centurymedia.store/product/Y4CE631COMBO/spirit-adrift-20-centuries-gone-transparent-sun-yellow-lp-digital-download

08/’21

BABE RUTH – Darker Than Blue: The Harvest Years (1972-1975) out now!

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BABE RUTH was one of those unique British progressive bands, originally lead by guitarist / writer Alan Shacklock, and featuring the vocals of Jenny Haan. Alan was a member of The Juniors in the ’60s, along with Mick Taylor and the Glasscock brothers. After The Juniors, the band evolved in to The Hi Numbers and The Favourite Sons. Shacklock went on to work with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds before eventually forming Babe Ruth. Following the 3rd album Shacklock left (tho he contributed to Stealin’ Home). The band carried on with Bernie Marsden on guitar for 2 more albums, with the 5th and final album not including any original members! Bassist Dave Hewitt would go on to work with Whitford/St Holmes and Georgia Satellites, Haan recorded a solo single in ’79, while Shacklock went on to a lengthy career as a producer. The original band reformed decades later, even releasing a new album in 2009 (Que Pasa).

This 3 CD set features the band’s first 3 albums, on Harvest Records. The debut First Base is perhaps the band’s most easily recognizable, with the Roger Dean artwork, and classic like heavy rockin’ “Wells Fargo”, as well as their best known cut “The Mexican”, and favorites “Black Dog”, the ballad “The Runaways”, and a cover of Frank Zappa’s “King Kong”. *A few bonus tracks on this one, notably the pop-rock single “Ain’t That Livin'”.

The band followed that up with the album Amar Caballero, and it is quite different than the debut, as the band takes on more influences of soul, r & b, and Spanish music. There’s plenty of strings, flutes, congas, trumpets, sax…. Not overly rockin’, but a pretty interesting album. The cover (created by Hypnosis) features a photo of horses out in the desert (Poco anyone?). This disc features favorites “Gimme Some Leg” (which features a couple of heavy solos from Shacklock), and the funky “Doctor Love”. *Includes the bonus track “If Heaven’s On Beauty’s Side”, which was released as a single in ’74, and it’s the only real hard rock’ track here.

The band’s 3rd album was self-titled, featuring a slightly more interesting cover of bandmembers dressed as characters from another era. And this one is back on track, and the band’s hardest rockin’ with heavy hitters like “Dancer” and “Somebody’s Nobody” – which kicked off this album, as well as “Jack O’ Lantern”, and ‘ “Sad But Rich”. A couple of excellent covers included on this album – Curtis Mayfield’s “We People Darker Than Blue” the theme to “A Fistful Of Dollars” (by Italian composer Ennio Morricone), and Booker T Jones’ “Private Number” (which featured Shacklock sharing lead vocals) was issued as a single (single edit here as ‘bonus’ track). The heavy ballad “The Duchess Of Orleans” was the other single from this album. This last of the trio is the best of the era IMO, and it’s hard to believe it wasn’t a huge charting success for the band. Oh well….but you can check ’em out in this package!

*For more info, check out the press & bio info below…

• NEW 3CD CLAMSHELL BOXED SET OF THE ALBUMS AND SINGLES BY THE BAND BABE RUTH RECORDED FOR THE HARVEST LABEL
BETWEEN 1972 AND 1975
• FEATURING THE ALBUMS ‘FIRST BASE’, ‘AMAR CABALLERO’ AND ‘BABE RUTH’.
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL HARVEST MASTER TAPES WITH AN ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET FEATURING AN ESSAY

Babe Ruth was formed Iin Hatfield in 1970 by guitarist Alan Shacklock and featured vocalist Janita “Jenny” Haan, bassist Dave Hewitt and drummer Jeff Allen. Their unique brand of soulful Progressive Rock soon gained many admirers and in 1972 they signed a contract with EMI Records’ Progressive imprint, Harvest. By this time Jeff Allen had departed and Dick Powell joined on drums. The band’s line-up was also expanded by the arrival of keyboard player Dave Punshon. Babe Ruth stood out from many of their labelmates, partly due to Haan’s vocals and through the band’s ability to generate a soulful edge to their music. Their debut album, ‘First Base’ was issued in 1972 and featured the classic tracks ‘Wells Fargo’ and ‘The Mexican’ (later
covered by Jellybean Benitez in 1984), which gained considerable air play in Canada (where the album gained Gold Disc status) and the USA, but the record inexplicably failed to match this success in the UK. The arrival of Chris Holmes on keyboards and new drummer Ed Spevock in 1974 saw them follow their debut with ‘Amar Caballero’, before the band’s final album for Harvest in 1975, the eponymous ‘Babe Ruth’ which was a hit in the USA and Canada and featured the band’s memorable cover of the theme from the film A Fistful Of Dollars and the Curtis Mayfield composition ‘We People Darker Than Blue’. Soon after the album’s release Alan Shacklock departed the band (to be replaced by Bernie Marsden) and Babe Ruth moved labels to Capitol
Records.


Tracklisting:

Wells Fargo
The Runaways
King Kong
Black Dog
The Mexican (Interpolating Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu)
Joker
Bonus tracks
Wells Fargo (single version)
Theme from A Few Dollars More (B-side of single)
Ain’t That Livin’ (A-side of single)
We Are Holding On (B-side of single)

Lady
Broken Cloud
Gimmie Some Leg
Baby Pride
Cool Jerk
We Are Holding On
Doctor Love
Amar Caballero
a) El Caballero de la Reina Isabella
b) Hombre de la Guitarra
c) El Testament De ‘Amelia
Bonus track
If Heaven’s On Beauty’s Side (A-side of single)

Dancer
Somebody’s Nobody
A Fistful Of Dollars
We People Darker Than Blue
Jack O’Lantern
Private Number
Turquoise
Sad But Rich
The Duchess of Orleans
Bonus track
Private Number (single version

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/bandbaberuth

https://alanshacklock.com/

http://www.baberuthband.co.uk/

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/babe-ruth-darker-than-blue-the-harvest-years-1972-1975-3cd-box-set/

http://www.alexgitlin.com/baber.html

08/’21