Heavy doom/metal trio WOLFNAUT, hail from Norway, and this will be the band’s 4th album, though the 2nd under their altered name from Wolfgang. Return Of The Asteroid is a good album start to finish, with some cool different sounding songs, aside from the heavy rockin’ cuts which stand out like the opener “Brother Of The Badlands”, “My Orbit Is Mine”, the faster paced “G.T.R.”, and “Something More Than Night” (something in that guitar break reminds me of Thin Lizzy). Best cut here tho’ is the slow haunting ballad “Arrows”; pretty unique atmospheric track. 9 tracks in all, ending with the 10-minute+ slow, dark epic “Wolfnaut’s Lament”.
*Return of the Asteroid will be released on black vinyl, limited colored vinyl, CD and digital on April 21st through Ripple Music. For more info, check out the band bio / press release below.
WOLFNAUT (formerly known as Wolfgang) started life in the mid-1990s in the town of Elverum, a two-hour drive northeast of the Norwegian capital Oslo. Their energetic live shows and debut album, ‘Welcome to the Cactus Mountains’, went down a storm in their hometown, and the album even garnered a solid review in Kerrang! WOLFNAUT reformed again in 2013, and the band released its second album, ‘Castle in the Woods’, to raving reviews in 2016. The band’s aptly titled third album “III” was released in 2022. “III” brought the Norwegian trio’s blend of catchy tunes and heavy stoner riffs to a larger international audience. For their fourth album, WOLFNAUT has teamed up with US-based label Ripple Music to spread the word even further.
“Return of the Asteroid” is the slightly darker and doomier cousin of “III”. Wolfnaut’s penchant for writing catchy rockers is still very much alive and well on songs like “Brother of the Badlands”, “My Orbit Is Mine” and “G.T.R.”, but “Return of the Asteroid” also sees the band developing their love for more dynamic songs. There is more of both light and shade on Wolfnaut’s fourth long-player, which can clearly be heard on offerings like “The Mighty Pawns”, “Crates of Doom” and “Wolfnaut’s Lament”. The album even introduces a first for the band: a ballad! “Arrows” was originally released on “Castle in the Woods” in 2016, but the band didn’t feel that the hard rock approach on the original recording did the song justice. Stripped down to its core elements, the song now has a new lease on life.
“Return of the Asteroid” was recorded at Audioskop studio, Sofiemyr, Norway. Production was handled by the band, with invaluable help from engineer extraordinaire Bjørn Barstad. Swedish sound wizard Karl Daniel Lidén (Greenleaf, Lowrider, Dozer, Demon Cleaner) was enlisted to mix, master, and put the finishing touches to the album. Eminent graphic designer Mirko Masala created the visuals. With a career now spanning 25 years, four albums and countless live shows, WOLFNAUT is ready to spread the word of Norwegian stoner rock to an even wider international audience. Now part of the Ripple Music family, expect to see the band somewhere on the road in the not-so-distant future.
TRACKLIST: 1. Brother of the Badlands 2. My Orbit Is Mine 3. The Mighty Pawns 4. Crash Yer Asteroid 5. Arrows 6. G.T.R. 7. Something More Than Night 8. Crates of Doom 9. Wolfnaut’s Lament
WOLFNAUT: Tor Erik Hagen – Bass Ronny «Ronster» Kristiansen – Drums & Percussion Kjetil Sæter – Guitars, Vocals & Piano
Australia’s OCEANLORD are ready to release their debut album Kingdom Cold on May 26. The heavy doom trio have recorded 6 tracks, full of haunting tales, thick guitars, slower tempos, with melodies and solid vocals and production. Check out the first single/video “2340” (and read the story behind it). Six massively heavy and cool songs, including favorites “Isle Of The Dead” and “Come Home”.
*Available for pre-order on CD and translucent blue vinyl. Check out the press release and links below!
Behold! Hark! From the dark depths of the southern oceans, Australian doom trio OCEANLORD have conjured an eldritch monster of an album with their tentacled debut “Kingdom Cold”.
Frying guitars with an extra helping of thick fuzz and a crusty top deliver a tasty doom sound. Songs that range from very slow via slow to mid-tempo with occasional outbursts of energy also stand firmly on the rock solid ground of this classic metal genre. OCEANLORD display traces of the American, British and Swedish schools of thought with the clean vocals slightly tilting towards the latter.
Yet below the surface of all the time-honoured elements traditionally associated with doom, there is an extra layer of darkness lurking in these tracks. A foreboding sense of dread, madness, and unspeakable horrors is creeping in to replace the well-worn theme of melancholia usually accompanying the style. This sets OCEANLORD clearly apart from most of their peers. This is no accident, as the Australians are very openly inspired by the horror genre and the writings of New England author Howard Phillips Lovecraft in particular.
OCEANLORD came into being in Melbourne in 2019 when bass-player Jason Ker joined guitarist and singer Peter Willmott for a serious drink to ponder work, family, mortality, and the hellscape of corporate existence. When the conversation turned to music, the connoisseur of black, death, and progressive metal, Peter, found common ground with Jason, an acolyte of alt-rock and grunge in early heavy metal and doom. Jon May, with his history of punk and rockabilly in Perth followed by country-folk and swamp-blues in Melbourne, did not appear the most obvious choice for the drum-stool, but he brought a secret passion for everything slow and heavy, not to mention a van and good gear.
In the rehearsal room, the initial sound was primal and ponderous, with a glimpse of melody under thick, sludgy riffs. Stoner doom was the answer to save their souls from the slow soul-death of the modern corporate drone. Basement writing sessions began, riffs started flowing, and in 2020, the trio released a demo that caused a stir throughout the doom-underground.
During Melbourne’s dramatic 263 days of pandemic lockdown, Peter built a home studio and in 2022, OCEANLORD tracked their debut release. So beware of this monstrous record: “Kingdom Cold” takes doom to even darker depths than ever explored before!
Tracklist 1. Kingdom 2. 2340 3. Siren 4. Isle of the Dead 5. So Cold 6. Come Home
Line-up Peter Willmott – guitar, vocals Jason Ker – bass Jon May – drums
Recording by Peter Willmott at Studio R’lyeh, Melbourne, Australia Mix & Mastering by Esben Willems at Studio Berserk, Gothenburg, Sweden
URIAH HEEP”s Chaos & Colour has been out for some time now, and has been received enthusiastically and with great reviews from fans. Phil Lanzon, has been a major part of the Heep songwriting team since he joined the band as keyboard player. On Chaos & Colour Phil, along with founder/guitarist Mick Box, have delivered 6 awesome new Heep tracks. In this exchange Phil answers my questions pertaining to the band’s latest album, as well as what else he is up to. *Check out the links below!
With the pandemic and time away from each other and stage, was there more songwriting going on prior to recording Chaos & Colour? Was there an abundance of songs & ideas to choose from this time around?
Yes there was plenty of that. Mick and I wrote songs remotely during the pandemic. It was unusual but worked really well. There are songs and ideas left over, maybe for the next album, who knows.
You worked again with Jay Ruston. Was that an easy decision?
Yes it was easy. Our working relationship worked really well with Living the Dream so we wanted that to continue with Chaos.
Russell & Simon Pinto contributed 4 songs to Chaos & Colour. Was there some tough decisions in cutting down the number of songs?
Well there is always tough decisions when choosing the final songs. Especially as others band members are contributing; which we all feel has made for a great combination of material.
Chaos & Colour is a great follow up to Living The Dream, but I think a bit of a step up with more varied tracks trhoughout. Was there any deliberate move to try and include more progressive moments or ballads?
I personally always feel that there should be a prog section within a Heep album, specifically to keep variety in the material and also take the listener on a journey. It is a Heep feature that makes an appearance on many Heep albums from the early days to today.
Can you give me a bit of insight into some of the tracks- lyrically or recall on how it all came together…
I’ll keep it short. We always keep a strict eye on our lyrics that they don’t stray into the ‘norm,’ which is a pitfall of many artists, so we use the basic premise of positivity and the knowledge that there is good everywhere. You just gotta find it!
You seem to have a few new keyboard sounds on this album, such as on “Fly Like An Eagle”. I get a bit of Dream Theatre feel in there. Can you touch on any new sounds, approaches or equipment?
Not a great deal of new sounds, I was just messing around with a mini-moog style sound and decided it worked for the track.
“Age of Changes” is a fantastic track (my early favorite). Can you touch on this song?
I wrote this lyric based on my first childhood sweetheart. A story I’m sure will resonate with so many. We go through so many changes in our lives but the first real awakening to that fact hits most of us in the school yard.
You guys recently completed the 50th anniversary tour. How did You enjoy the shows? Any highlights or favorite moments in the set for you?
We all enjoyed the tour, it was a huge success as far as we are concerned and made a whole lot of Heepies very happy. The acoustic show was well received and was a joy to perform.
Phil, in your time awaiting the next Heep tour – might you be working on another solo project, book, or any guest appearances anywhere?
I am at the moment trying to sell my Musical, I mean, musical theatre. It is a full length musical about Ellis Island New York in 1917. The script is with an American producer as I write.
What are you listening to these days? Any current (new) favorites?
Nothing new at the moment. I am immersed in my artwork right now. Check out my Instagram.
German hard-rockers CZAKAN return with their first new album in 30 years titled Unreal, due to be released April 14. The band’s 1989 debut State Of Confusion was recently reissued, an album that sold 25 thousand copies in Germany upon it’s original release.
Unreal is straight out of that class of great ’80s hard-rock & aor, think fellow German bands like Scorpions, Frontline and Bonfire, as well as the likes of Dokken and Firehouse. Guitar driven rockers, with keyboards, harmonies, cool solos, 14 tracks. First run through and I like this; like a lost favorite ’80s heavy melodic rock album, with excellent tracks like – “City Nights”, “Under The Gun”, “Living In A Nightmare”, and “Show Me All Your Love”, sounds excellent. Not a duff cut here! If this was an ;80s album, it’d be tough choosing a first single, but lead off rocker “Free Line” will is an excellent choice!
Line Up: Michael Schennach – Vocals, Oliver Güttinger – Guitar, Tom Fein –Keyboard, Randy Arcachon – Drums, Frank Schrafft – Bass
L-R: Tommy Wolffe (Bass. Vocals), Bobby Deuce (Guitar), Angus Pike (Drums) Photo Credit: Megan Kay
Toronto’s Deadwolff have released their 3rd single from their upcoming debut full length album Heavy Rock N’ Roll, due out at the end of March. The metal trio also plays a release party for the album on April 7 in Toronto, and will undertake a tour of North America (see below). *Check out the new track below, as well as the press release and links for more info on the band and Heavy Rock N’ Roll.
A blend of hard rock, punk, and metal, Deadwolff set themselves apart from other bands with their take on the New Wave of Heavy Rock and Roll. Recommended for fans of Judas Priest, Motorhead, and W.A.S.P, Deadwolff‘s is a revival of foot-tapping, beer-drinking, headbanging tunes, and more. They are touring across the United States and Canada this May and June in support of their forthcoming debut full-length “Heavy Rock N’ Roll” due out on March 31st via Golden Robot Records.
May 8 – Outer Limits Lounge – Hamtramck, MI 9 – Liars Club – Chicago, IL 11 – Whittier – Tulsa, OK 12 – Double Wide – Dallas, TX 13 – Black Magic Social Club – Houston, TX 14 – Valhalla Tavern – Austin. TX 15 – Faust Tavern – San Antonio, TX 17 – The Edge – Tuscon, AZ 18 – The Blooze Bar – Pheonix, AZ 19 – Tower Bar – San Diego, CA 20 – Red Dwarf – Las Vegas, NV 23 – Destructive Warehouse – Fresno, CA 24 – The Knockout – San Francisco, CA 25 – On the y- Sacramento, CA 26 – Shea’s Tavern – Reno, NV 27 – Knucklehead – Los Angeles, CA 30 – High Water Mark – Portland, OR 31 – The Cherry Pit – Seattle, WA June 1 – Sunny Chibas – Squamish, BC 2 – The Cambie – Vancouver, BC 3 – Kami Inn – Kamloops, BC 4 – Canmore Hotel – Canmore, AB 6 – The Palamind – Calgary, AB 7 – Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB 9 – Bulldog – Winnipeg, MB 10 – Atmos – Thunder Bay, ON
YES have announced the release of a brand new album, and follow up to 2021’s The Quest. The band’s 23rd studio album – Mirror To The Sky comes out in May, including 9 tracks, and featuring Roger Dean artwork. It is also features the lead off single / video “Cut From The Stars”, and is the first to feature Jay Schellen (ex Hurricane, Asia feat John Payne, Unruly Child) as YES’ fulltime drummer, taking over for the late Alan White . *check out the video below, as well as more info on Mirror To The Sky from the press release.
YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,” says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.
As they were wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Yes received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.
“When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone,” explains Steve Howe. “That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot,” he says.
“We truly get along as people,” says Jon Davison. “I feel like everyone’s focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. It’s a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.”
“There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious,” says bassist Billy Sherwood. “The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, ‘Hey, we’re working on a second record right now.’ We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!”
Much to everyone’s delight, including that of long-time fan Thomas Waber, Yes have pushed into territory they practically invented — the prog rock epic — albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. “I always felt that it would be great to have stuff that’s a little bit more epic,” he says, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. “They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back into the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction — what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is ‘Yes Music.’ Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes Music.”
Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.
Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role when White sadly passed away in 2022. “I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alan’s style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”
‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:
Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster
Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook
Ltd 2CD Digipak
Standard CD Jewel case
Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet
Digital Album
The Blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.
British band White Spirit, who’s 2022 album Right Or Wrong featured previously unreleased tracks sang by the late Brian Howe (Bad Company), have posted a new video for the instrumental track of the song “Rock ‘N’ Roll”. This instrumental version is the Japanese-only bonus track. A great ’80s sounding fast paced rock track, love the synths throughout this. Check out the clip below (and others via their new youtube channel). Right Or Wrong featured a number of name players such as Neil Murray (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath) and Russell Gilbrook (Uriah Heep), as well as guest singers Jeff Scott Soto, Lee Small, and Steve Overland, all joining guitarist Mick Tucker and keyboardist Malcolm Pearson.
The band have recently announced their touring line-up, which (besides Tucker & Pearson), includes drummer- Kyle Hughes (Graham Bonnet Band), bassist- Steve Ireland, guitarist- Micky Crystal (Tygers Of Pan Tang), Lead singer- Alexx Stahl (Bonfire, Purple Rising, Viron), plus backing singers Ian Gillson, Linzi Hunter and Jackie Fox. As well, the band are signed on to play the Dominion Festival in the UK, May 7. White Spirit are currently finishing up work on an EP to be completed in March, which will include a pair of older songs, plus 2 new ones, and is being produced by Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall).
If you haven’t checked out Right Or Wrong from White Spirit, I recommend it; a classic ’80s style hard-rock album (see my review elsewhere here). Looking forward to the new songs, and possibly a vinyl release of Right Or Wrong.
Russell Gilbrook joined URIAH HEEP in 2007, and made an immediate impact with his drumming performance on Wake The Sleeper. Coming up to fifteen years since the release of that first album, Heep’s brand new album is titled Chaos & Colour, and Russell Gilbrook has not only given the band a strong boost of once again, but has also contributed 4 songs to the new album! Along with longtime friend and guitarist Simon J. Pinto, Russell also co-wrote the band’s newest single “Hurricane”. In this interview Russell answers my questions pertaining to the amazing new Uriah Heep album, his writing contributions, and more. Enjoy the read, and check out the new Heep album, as well as the links below.
You’ve contributed 4 excellent tracks to the new Uriah Heep album, co-written with Simon Pinto. First, can you tell me a bit about Simon and how you came to work & write with him?
I’ve known Simon for around 30 years and played in quite a lot of bands with him. He really understands my approach to drumming and rock music in general. He’s a great player and I knew the chemistry would work between us when it came to a writing process.
How did you and Simon write together — who came up with musical ideas, lyrics, etc…?
We got together and I gave him all my ideas of feels, grooves, chord progressions etc.. and he did his own research and familiarized himself with the Heep back catalogue and we slowly built up the songs from those initial ideas.
We wanted to write songs that had a storytelling element and wanted the music to help tell these stories.
Was there an abundance of songs to choose from for Chaos & Colour, more so than previous albums? How was it all cut down (producer’s choice?) And was there anything put to tape that wasn’t included?
Because of the lockdown situation, everyone was able to put down a lot of ideas. We had a lot of time on our hands. All those ideas were brought to the table during our two weeks of pre-production and we picked what we felt were the strongest ideas for the next album. Our producer, Jay Ruston, also had a say on which ideas he would like on the album.
The 11 songs were agreed and recorded in Chapel Studios over the three-week period.
Are there any plans to work on / record your songs that didn’t make the album in the future or with another project (solo or with Simon)?
Yes! All ideas that didn’t go on this record are saved and may be used for either a future Heep record or another project somewhere down the line.
Hurricane sounds like it will be a great live track. I know it might be a ways off, but have you guys discussed what songs from Chaos & Colour you’re probably going to include in the live show?
Well, we have no idea at this time what will make the live set but I’d definitely love to see it in there. What tends to happen is when we rehearse for touring the Chaos & Colour album, we’ll try out various songs from the album to see which ones we think will fit well with existing Heep songs.
You’ll Never Be Alone is an epic piece! Can you talk share a bit of what influenced this song lyrically and musically?
The story is about a child’s dream where fairies are luring and kidnapping children but this one particular child realizes that there is a problem and alerts the parents who then come to find the lost children and take them from the fairies’ grasp and when it seems like all the children are safe and well, the initial verse structure repeats, suggesting that it is a recurring dream and the fairies are up to their usual tricks. If you close your eyes and focus on the music, it really accentuates the story in a dramatic and magical way. It was really important for us to match the lyrics with the music, making it such an epic track!
Can you give me a bit of insight into Hail The Sunrise (a great catchy chorus), and Fly Like An Eagle (just an awesome hypnotic, progressive sort of song)?
Hail The Sunrise is going back to ancient times of how people erected these sacred formations and the blood, sweat and tears and long journeys that went into the process of moving the stone from one place to another, all for what they believed in. The dedication and devotion that ensured the formations at places such as Stonehenge, Gurung Padang and Gobekli Tepe stood through the ages is astounding and difficult to even comprehend! We wanted the chorus to be quite anthemic to represent the elation these people must have felt when these structures were completed and in use.
Fly Like an Eagle… On the surface it’s about meditation but it also touches on the indigenous cultural tradition of ‘Vision Quest’ – A spiritual journey to receive knowledge from the spirit world. The song was written to be uplifting journey for the listener, so hopefully, everyone gets those feelings from it.
Of the other tracks on the album from with Davey or Mick & Phil – what are a few of your favorites?
Save Me Tonight by Davey and Jeff Scott Soto is a killer, high energy track! We had no doubt Dave would bring something like this to the table after ‘Grazed By Heaven’. I also really enjoy Silver Sunlight by Phil and Mick. The dynamic changes within that song and the big melodic chorus are exactly what Heep fans love, but all in all, I think every track on the album has it’s strengths and the album has something to offer everyone.
There’s that cool little exchange between you w/ Mick and Davey, back and forth on “Freedom To Be Free”. A pretty intense instrumental section. Can you recall a bit about that song and section came together?
The song was written by Mick and Phil and we agreed that it would be great to have Davey do a bass solo in there. We played a musical phrase and Davey basically answered it. What that tends to do within a song is give it a bit of a cool musical expression to add a bit of interest. It’s the proggy part of Heep coming out, I suppose!
How did you approach this album playing-wise — anything different?
As a band, no, nothing different really. The song ideas determine ways to play and in the pre-production weeks, we try out a range of different approaches for the playing and find which works best. For me personally, the way I tackle the songs is pretty organic – When I hear the first demos I can already hear what the song needs and as I come from a session background and have played a load of different music styles I tend to have quite a few ideas on the spot and as a result, the drum parts come together pretty easily.
Prior to the release of this album you played on the White Spirit album. Can you tell me a bit about this project? How you got involved and all? Any plans to perform with the band live or on anything in the future?
Actually, Dave Ling (Classic Rock journalist) recommended me to Cliff Evans (Guitar) and Mick Tucker (Guitar) as they were looking for a drummer for the project. They sent over the rough demos and said that I was free to do my own thing on it. Unfortunately, due to the Heep schedule, adding in other touring responsibilities is quite difficult, however, I never say never if there is a gap in the Heep dates, I’ll be out there playing! I’m very happy with the outcome of the album and the songs are really good! It’s a great album, with awesome artists collaborating on it. I’d recommend people go check it out if they haven’t yet.
You’ve been in Heep now for 15 years. Have you ever sat and gone through the band’s Entire catalogue? And do you have a few favorite albums, and/or a few favorite tracks that might be considered ‘deep cuts’ or hidden gems in the Heep repertoire?
I wouldn’t quite say I’ve sat and gone through every album! Haha, but when we have rehearsal time to put together a new set, we tend to go back in the archives and find tracks which the band hasn’t played for a while, such as ‘Love Machine’, ‘Shadows of Grief’, ‘Wiseman’ and ‘Against the Odds’. As for albums that I love, ‘Wake The Sleeper’ is special to me because it’s the first album I played on, just a few weeks after joining the band and ‘Look At Yourself’ is such a Great early album for Heep that has the fantastic ‘July Morning’ and title track. Special mention goes to ‘Chaos & Colour’, of course as It’s my first contributions to the writing.
What sorts of music do you listen to at home (in car or at the gym)? Anything new you’ve been into lately? btw – Do you still buy albums – physical copies or mainly download or stream?
I like a varied amount of music – My car playlist is a bit of a joke actually! Haha
My car favourites go from the likes of Saxon and Judas Priest to Billy Joel and Oscar Peterson.
I’m really enjoying the new Ozzy album ‘Patient Number 9’ at the moment – I’m listening to it a lot in the car.
To be honest, I mainly stream because I only really get to listen to music in the car or in the tour bus. Unfortunately, streaming is the easiest way to access music in these cases.
Can you give me Russell Gilbrook’s Top 10 (favorite) Albums from your youth?
I struggle to name my top ten favourite albums from my youth! I have too many, but I can list 10 albums that I really like in general?
Lee Aaron, once the ‘metal queen’ restarted her career in 2016, following 12 plus years of no recording. In the 80s and early 90s she’d released 7 hard-rock albums, and had a number of hits, before venturing into other projects and musical styles. Aaron returned to rock full-time, first guesting on Sean Kelly’s ‘Metal On Ice‘ (a companion to his book of the same title) where she re-recorded “Metal Queen”, and then in 2016 with her first full album titled Fire And Gasoline, on Big Sister Records. Backed by Sean Kelley (guitar), John Cody (drums), and Dave Reimer (bass), Fire And Gasoline featured the singles “Tom Boy”, “Bad Boyfriend”, and the title track.
Aaron’s music was still rockin’, but comes across now with a more mature sound and production, with plenty of catchy tunes on subsequent albums. Whether you followed her or not in the ’80s, she has something new with an element of fun in her music these days; most welcome in such serious times.
Diamond Baby Blues followed in 2018, and featured 2 excellent singles in “Diamond Baby” and “American High”. That album also included covers of Deep Purple’s “Mistreated” and the Linda Ronstadt hit “You’re No Good” (originally written & recorded in the ’60s, and later covered by Van Halen).
2019 saw the release of Live In Germany on CD & DVD, that had been recorded on her band’s 2017 tour. And despite the pandemic, Lee Aaron has kept up recording & releasing new music at a pace that very few do these days. Radio On! came out in 2021, and featured the standout “C’mon”, as well as favorites “Vampin'”, “Radio On”, as well as the ballad “Twenty One”.
December of last year saw the release of Lee Aaron’s latest – Elevate. And there’s no shortage of good tracks, with her fourth studio album of rock songs since 2016 (not to forget her Christmas album in 2020). Lead by the first few singles “Trouble Maker” and “Rock Bottom Revolution”, Elevate includes a fine range of rock and pop-rockers with “The Devil U Know”, “Highway Romeo”, “Spitfire Woman”, and the title track closing this disc out. “Freak Show” is one song with a chorus I’m sure will sink in with many; that or the ballad “Red Dress” would make fine singles.
Lee Aaron’s return and rejuvenated recording career continues to turn out very good albums, that may be a bit distant from any ‘metal’ tag, but should still appeal to those who will dig her knack for coming up with good songs, and her vocals which remain as clear and strong as they were decades ago; kinda hard to tell that she’s aged at all. Great album cover! Available on vinyl & CD!
URIAH HEEP has a new single out from Chaos & Colour, which is to be released on the 27. The rocker “Hurricane” was written by (drummer) Russell Gilbrook, along with friend & guitarist Simon J. Pinto, who has played with Les Binks (Les Binks’ Priesthood), and also worked with Adam Wakeman, Brian May, and Sam Smith among others. “Hurricane” is an outstanding heavy rocker and sounds like it should make an excellent fit in to the band’s live show.
The anthemic and epic “Hurricane” carries an underlying historical and mythological theme. Co-writer and drummer Russell Gilbrook explains: “Simon (Pinto) and I wrote the song about how our ancestors looked at storms and how these can be interpreted as being messages from the Gods… Their power is awesome and a great inspiration for a rocking track!”
Founding member Mick Box comments: “Music and lyrics are of paramount importance to me… I used to hate those ‘80s MTV million dollar videos as they created such a visual image that all calls to imagination were lost because you didn’t have to think. I think the power of music and lyrics are that they do certain things to certain people.”
Chaos & Colour is an album which bristles with explosive classic rock guitars, supreme harmonies, and Heep’s famously generous keyboard foundation. “One Nation, One Sun” is a journey of soaring balladic contemplation, “Fly Like An Eagle” takes the listener on a journey of meditation, whilst “Closer To Your Dreams” is a battle cry for all rockers to get out there and do it, with Shaw imploring that “So many have tried but slipped away/Now it’s time for you to have your say.” During the entire album, Bernie Shaw’s timeless vocals sit expertly beside the band’s phenomenal artistry (Mick Box – guitar, Phil Lanzon – keyboard, Russell Gilbrook – drums, Dave Rimmer – bass), rounding out exceptional performances throughout.
Outsider Rock 