Tag Archives: steve overland

British band FM to release ‘Brotherhood’

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British band FM will their 15th studio album next month. They’ve released 2 singles/videos so far, both are excellent aor-type rockers. Check out the press info below, as well as the videos, and the links.

It’s no surprise that FM’s upcoming album ‘Brotherhood’ continues to showcase their signature blend of hook-laden AOR and blues-tinged hard rock that solidifies their status as masters of the genre.

‘Brotherhood’ showcases a band at the top of their game with highlights including an infectious anthem “Living on the Run,” anthemic rocker “Don’t Call It Love,” the punchy and powerful “Coming For You,” and the emotionally charged “Time Waits For No One,” all tracks that echo the spirit and melodic strength of FM’s early classics, while being unmistakably fresh and vibrant.

Opening track, “Do You Mean It,” brings a bluesy, soulful vibe that echoes the Doobie Brothers’ classic “Takin’ It To The Streets” sound, setting the tone for the album. ‘Brotherhood’ also features one of FM’s most powerful ballads to date, “Just Walk Away” – a beautifully emotional song that highlights the band’s mastery of melodic rock. Wrapping up the album is “The Enemy Within,” a track that introduces exciting new sonic ideas while retaining the powerful and melodic qualities FM fans love.

Supporting vocals from a female guest choir add warmth and dynamic depth to “Do You Mean It” and “Just Walk Away,” perfectly complementing Steve Overland’s consistently exceptional lead vocals.

Overland comments on the new album: “I am proud of the new album. It is one of our strongest song albums to date. It is another milestone, as it’s FM’s 15th album. It’s very well-paced and has great variation in song styles throughout. The album’s big ballad, ‘Just Walk Away,’ is one of our best. I hope our fans feel the same way as we do about ‘Brotherhood.'”

To promote ‘Brotherhood,’ FM will embark on a major UK headline tour in September 2025 with 14 confirmed shows, followed by European dates in early 2026. Visit FM’s official website for tickets.

To pre-order Brotherhood : https://ffm.to/fmbrotherhood

Track List:

1. Do You Mean It

2. Living On The Run

3. Coming For You

4. Raised On The Wrong Side

5. Love Comes To All

6. Just Walk Away

7. Don’t Call It Love

8. Time Waits For No One

9. Because Of You

10. Chasing Freedom

11. The Enemy Within

FM are:

Steve Overland – Vocals, guitar

Merv Goldsworthy – Bass

Pete Jupp – Drums

Jem Davis – Keyboards

Jim Kirkpatrick – Guitars

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/FMofficial

https://www.fmofficial.com/

fmofficial.com/fmofficial/index.html

FM (UK) release new single from new album

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Photo: Adrian Hextall

British rockers FM have a new single out today from their upcoming album Old Habits Die Hard, which will be released May 3.

“Heartache draws influences from the bands love for bands like free and Bad Company,” says FM’s lead singer Steve Overland. “It’s a straight-to-the-point, classic blues rock track.” ‘This song will probably be in the live set for the 40th anniversary tour as it’s one of our favourites from the album,” explains drummer and founder FM member, Pete Jupp.

Check out the new video for “Don’t Need Another Heartache” below, as well as links, lyrics and ordering in the video description.

 The single is available on all streaming platforms here – https://orcd.co/fmdontneedanotherheartache. 

The album is available to pre-order from –https://orcd.co/oldhabitsdiehard

http://www.fmofficial.com/fmofficial/index.html

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/