STRATOVARIUS will be in Mexico, Circo Volador, Mexico City on January 28th, 2012. This will be the last ever show with drummer Jörg Michael who, after 15 years with Stratovarius, has decided to leave the band for personal reasons.
Jörg joined the band in 1995 and the first Stratovarius album he played on was Episode (1996). He played on nine albums and performed nearly 1,000 shows with the band.
“The rest of us just has to accept Jörg’s decision with a lot of sadness and wish him all the best for the future. But we can also assure that the band will still go on“, says the singer Timo Kotipelto.
The band and Jörg are not going completely separate ways though, since Jörg will still be working for the band with his booking agency Twisted Talent Concerts.
“Our long journey of over 15 years together has not ended yet, as Jörg remains among our background forces – and we couldn’t be more happy about that. Not only has he been a great drummer but also a close friend and a true professional. We’re honoured to have Jörg by our side for this farewell Tour. We can’t wait to rock with our ‘German Steamroller’ one last time! These shows will be unforgettable for all of us,” Kotipelto continues.
The first in a series of video “diaries” featuring behind-the-scenes footage from ENGEL‘s current European tour as the support act for PAIN can be seen below.
ENGEL is the Gothenburg, Sweden-based quintet featuring guitarists Marcus Sunesson (THE CROWN) and Niclas Engelin (PASSENGER, ex-GARDENIAN, IN FLAMES), vocalist Mangan Klavborn, drummer Jimmy Olausson (ex-MARIONETTE) and bassist Steve Drennan (AMON AMARTH, LOCUS).
ENGEL played two shows with <Hellmans Drengar, the all-male choir from Gothenburg, Sweden, at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg on September 9 and September 10.
The band recently recorded two songs with Hellmans Drengar. One of the tracks, “In Darkness”, was released as a single.
ENGEL‘s second album, “Threnody”, was released in Europe on November 8, 2010 and in the U.S. on January 11, 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD was issued in Japan on April 20, 2010 via Avex.
ENGEL recorded “Threnody” at PUK studio in Gjerlev, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HIMSA, SICK OF IT ALL).
The band was previously signed to SPV Records which issued ENGEL‘s debut album, “Absolute Design”, in 2007.
KILL RITUAL, the new band featuring former members of IMAGIKA, DARK ANGEL and ELDRITCH, has finished mixing its debut album, “The Serpentine Ritual”, at KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque‘s’s Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque also plays a guest guitar solo on the track “Coat Of Blood”. Guitarist Steve Rice engineered the CD, which was tracked at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California and Fossil Studios in San Jose, California.
According to a press release, “The Serpentine Ritual” “finds KILL RITUAL unleashing 10 tracks of straight-up metal that is both modern and classic while retaining the legacy of their past bands.”
“The Serpentine Ritual” track listing:
01. The Serpentine Ritual
02. Torn Down
03. Time To Kill
04. Ambush
05. Old School Thrasher
06. Coat Of Blood
07. Cold Hard Floor
08. Law Of The Land
09. The Day The World Dies
10. Prisoner Of The Flesh
KILL RITUAL is looking for a suitable label to release “Serpentine Rituals”. Interested parties can contact the band at killritualmetal@gmail.com.
Formed in late 2010 by former IMAGIKA lead guitarist Steven Rice and drummer Wayne De Vecchi, KILL RITUAL is completed by former ELDRITCH guitarist Roberto Proietti, former DARK ANGEL bassist Danyael Williams and Bay Area vocalist Josh Gibson.
Commented Steven: “After the demise of IMAGIKA, Wayne and I decided to form a new band that would bring life to the music we had been working on after IMAGIKA called it a day. We had a goal in mind of writing music that reflected our influences from thrash, classic, progressive, power, whatever-kicks-ass metal and this required bringing in experienced players that have been there and done that. We were lucky enough to come in contact with Roberto and Danyael, who had the kind of pedigree and experience we were definitely looking for.
“Having both been in bands that have released numerous albums worldwide and toured extensively, they are a perfect fit for this new band. The missing element was, of course, vocalist Josh, who came into the band with the work ethic, experience and attitude that is essential as a vocalist to help the songs take on a life of their own. His unique and identifiable vocal style is the change we needed from our past projects as we definitely had the idea of KILL RITUAL taking a new direction from our collective past bands and I think we have achieved that. I mean, what’s the point of rehashing what you’ve already done? I feel the four rough demo tracks [we have released] show this and are only a hint of what’s to come.”
KILL RITUAL is:
Josh Gibson – Vocals Steven Rice – Lead Guitar Roberto Proietti – Guitar Wayne De Vecchi – Drums Danyael Williams – Bass
Troy Stetina is an American multi artist, Guitar player, writer and producer but he is best known for his career in teaching guitar. With his track record of writing more than 40 rock and metal instructional methods, he is really one of best guitar teachers in the world! He also operates his recording studio, Artist Underground, and he plays guitar in his band, “Second Soul” .
I was lucky to have an interview with him and ask him some questions that you may like to know about him.
* Hello Troy, How are you doing? How’s the rocking going? Any SHOCKING news?
Doing well. Let’s see, SHOCKING news? Maybe so… my band Second Soul is finally ready to play live again! That’s pretty shocking, if you consider how long I’ve been trying to get this band going…
* Do you remember the first song or tune that you tried to learn on Guitar? That was an exciting moment for all of us!
Yes! It was Firehouse by Kiss, the first song I attempted to learn by ear… picking out the single notes of that riff.
* I believe You are one of most successful men in the world, what is your secret and how do you feel when you are looking to the past and you see your self here in this situation?
Thanks. I don’t really think about it. It just is what it is. I was fortunate to have the opportunities that came my way and I applied myself. So I feel successful there, but also unsuccessful at the same time. I mean, as a guitarist, musically speaking, sure. And yes, success came for me in the form of music education. Things just clicked and the opportunities were there… I was in the right place at the right time. But as a recording artist, something always went wrong, bad timing, wrong people, whatever. It’s not just about the music, a lot of things have to line up together to make it happen. I gave up on that side of things in the 90s. Then more recently, things started aligning and I gave it another shot. Still, there has been one delay after another. At this point Second Soul may be poised to tour, if all goes well. I would love to be able to reach my audience as a performer, but it’s very expensive to tour and I don’t know if the US market will support us.
As far as a ‘secret’ all I can say is to follow your inspiration and keep your hope alive. Things come in their own time I guess. Maybe also, be careful how you measure success. As long as you keep moving in the direction of your dreams, that IS success. But it’s been a challenge to keep that perspective at times.
* Wikipedia said that you are influenced by Randy Rhoads and Van Halen, but I can see you use some Malmsteen technique in your methods, would you tell me more about which guitarists and musicians influenced you in your career?
Sure. Back around ‘84 when I became aware of Yngwie, I was already into classical music — Bach, Vivaldi, Paganini’s 24 Caprices and so on. I learned quite a bit of Malmsteen’s first album and even covered “Far Beyond the Sun” in a band I was playing with at the time. I liked how he did longer runs. Never heard anyone do that before him. I also picked up on Paul Gilbert a bit in the mid 80s. But I was always more interested in playing actual classical music on electric guitar, rather than playing neo-classical metal. My favorite musician of all time is Ludwig Von Beethoven. I did an electric version of the final movement of his Appassionata piano sonata. An excerpt from that appeared in Fretboard Mastery. The rest of it will probably go onto a new guitar record I’ve been thinking about recording.
Troy Stetina
* Can you tell us about your students and the feed back that you get from them? I know you have millions of fans and students around the world, but can you mention some of them who are now successful guitar players or in great bands?
I get emails from a lot of players who learned from my guitar books. Some are in successful bands. Mark Tremonti is the most successful musician I’m aware of, who learned from my stuff. But there are others here and there. The most compelling story to me of influencing someone actually came from a doctor in Italy. He was depressed and suicidal, having trouble getting through medical school, and had taken some time off to figure out what to do with his life. He played guitar a little on the side, too. So on a whim, he picked up one of my books and started playing it to pass the time. After a few days he said he noticed he was making a significant improvement, something he never thought he would be capable of, and this inspired him. After a few weeks of this progress, he began to believe in himself again and decided to make another attempt at medical school. He graduated and is now a practicing doctor… and he credits my work as having saved his life! THAT means the most to me of all.
* I know that you wrote more than 40 Rock and Metal instructional methods and they sold over 1 million copies, can you tell us which of them are most attended? And what is the reason that most of the young people around the world who want to play guitar use your methods?
Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar became the most popular… I’ve heard a lot of people in the US call it the “shredder’s bible.” It became well known on word of mouth on the internet, I think because it works. There were a lot of groundbreaking ideas presented in that book. I remember coming across a conversation online about guitarists talking about “inside” and “outside” picking on the web, using these terms as established terminology of guitar technique. I smiled because I had invented those terms and here they are now part of the lexicon of guitar! That was an awesome moment, and I kind of marvel at that stuff because I never set out to do that… only to share my journey as a guitarist trying to master the instrument myself.
Also the core Metal Lead Guitar methods (vol 1 and 2) did very well. Again, they worked. No one before those books had systematized learning metal like that. At the time it was revolutionary to simply apply rhythm notation to Tab. But that was the perspective that best communicated what I knew I had to teach, so that’s how I did it. My philosophy is, “whatever works.”
Overall I think that the books became very successful because I was really a musician first and a teacher second. So I was a musician who could really do it, and just happened to have the ability to also analyze what I was doing and explain it. As a result, the music in the methods stood the test of time. If the music sucked, or I just wasn’t a good enough performer, those methods wouldn’t have done so well. I boiled down everything I knew to help others achieve everything I could, and did so without holding anything back… I think that comes through.
* “A roadmap to becoming the musician you’ve always wanted to be!” that is what is said about “Sound and Story” DVD on your web, and also it mentioned Mark Tremonti and Michael Angelo Batio as guests, can you tell us more about that? And would you tell me how it happened that the amazing Michael Angelo Batio made an appearance on the DVD?
Yeah, I think it’s a very concrete thing about developing technique and creative expression. You need to follow some very specific principles and I’ve identified what they are and how to approach it. I think seeing that bigger picture is very helpful in the journey. Regarding Mike Batio, he actually lives very near me here in Wisconsin, but I had never met him until Mark Tremonti brought us together for a warm-up/jam/sharing session backstage at an Alter Bridge concert. Mike and I did live solo performances with Alter Bridge once here in Milwaukee. Mark brought us up one and a time and then we played a cover tune together with the band. So Mark, Mike and I have been getting together and jamming here and there. Mark just loves to play guitar. He invited us to do video guest lessons on his “Sound and Story” DVD. It was a natural thing for me to ask them both to do guest spots on mine. Brings a wider perspective.
* Let’s talk about your band, Second Soul, I read about your meeting with Mark Tremonti and the story of the formation, but is there any more that you would like to tell us? The bands debut album, “Beyond the Infinite” was released in February 2011, tell us more about that, especially if you have any particular memories of the recording process?
The band actually was on the verge of a record deal in 2007. But I went through a difficult divorce and had to prioritize my kids. So everything fell apart. After that was over, the three of us came back together and finished the record on our own. I’m very proud of the Second Soul album. I produced it in my own limited studio, but it sounds as good as anything. It very much conveys my ideal musical vision… strong yet melodic vocals with a lot of emotion, lyrics that dig deep emotionally, and a powerful musical delivery. It’s also something that has a lot of depth musically. What I keep hearing is that on first listen, people often notice that it’s good, but it’s not so much a “front loaded” appeal. As they listen more, it grows on them and they hear more and more within it. Although there are a lot of pretty intense guitar moments on the record, it all takes a back seat to the songs. It really is a band effort and not a “Troy Stetina” guitar thing. That was intentional. I consider myself a musician first, and a guitarist second. And a teacher last!
Second Soul CD release show, DVD masterclass
* “I never started teaching because I thought ‘hey, I’d like to teach!’…” that’s what you said. Now how do you see yourself in next 10 years? A guitar player or a guitar teacher?
Oh, as a player for sure. That’s all that is left I think. I’ve touched on my potential as a guitarist at moments, but never fully put myself out there as a performer. That is the unrealized part of me for sure.
Troy with his red PRS Guitar
* Can you tell us about the guitars and backlines that you use? I read that you ripped apart your Jackson because it was so ugly!
I’m using PRS guitars these days, although it’s ironic you mentioned that Jackson… it’s been sitting unused for years until just the other day when I pulled it out to repaint the thing! Mark got me into PRS and they are nice instruments. So I got one a few years back. Then the company was kind enough to give me a second one… it’s the one pictured on the cover of my Fret12 “Sound and Story” DVD and put up an artist page at http://www.prsguitars.com/artists/profiles/troystetina/index.html
* If you want to suggest one of your guitar methods to a beginner, which of them would be the important one? And what’s your main suggestion to young people who want to start learning guitar?
If someone likes rock and metal, start with Metal Rhythm Guitar Vol 1. Pace yourself. There is a saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” That’s true for guitar technique. Enjoy it and get lost in the music. Also, maybe find a teacher to help you through it if you have any doubts about if you are doing things correctly. After that one, progress into Vol 2 and maybe pick up Total Rock Guitar. If lead is your interest, also progress into Metal Lead Guitar Primer, followed by Vol 1. Around that time, you would be ready to supplement it with Speed Mechanics, Fretboard Mastery and the Fret12 “Sound and Story” DVD. That’s a lot of material. But then again, we are talking about pro-level shred and mastery of the instrument. It’s gonna take a number of years. Find music that inspires you and enjoy the journey!
* We had a talk and I told you that Metal music is illegal in Iran, and also there are more countries here in the Middle East where MetalHeads can’t show what they truly believe in public, do you have a message for fans in countries like Iran?
Yes… I admire your enthusiasm and willingness to hang on to what you believe and pursue what inspires you! Music truly is the world’s best hope to cross borders, cross cultures and show humanity what we have in common. I believe the world becomes a better place when we share our inspiration and creativity and thoughtfulness.
Thanks for giving me your time. Wish you all the best
Thank you, Mohsen! All the best… /Troy
To join the Second Soul email list, for shows, guitar workshops, news, etc: Click Here
For more information visit the official website of Second Soul: www.second-soul.com
The cover artwork for “Under The Grey Banner”, the new album from Swedish power metallers DRAGONLAND, can be seen below. Due on November 18 via AFM Records, the third part of the “Dragonland Chronicles” trilogy features musical actor Fred Johanson in the role of the antagonist, with all three singers from AMARANTHE — Elize Ryd, Jake E and Andy Solveström — also making appearances.
DRAGONLAND‘s fifth album was recorded at several different studios, with Jacob Hansen adding his magic touch to the mix at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark. Twelve songs were recorded during the sessions, and the music itself is based on a deep and emotional story, picking up where the band’s second album, “Holy War”, left off nine years ago.
“Under The Grey Banner” track listing:
01. Ilmarion
02. Shadow Of The Mithril Mountains
03. The Tempest
04. A Thousand Towers White
05. Fire And Brimstone
06. The Black Mare
07. Lady Of Goldenwood
08. Dûrnir’s Forge
09. The Trials Of Mount Farnor
10. Throne Of Bones
11. Under The Grey Banner
12. Ivory Shores
“Fire And Brimstone” is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.
The visual artist from million-selling PC game “The Witcher”, Damian Bajowski, will provide artwork for the album; not only will he be responsible for the cover, but will also make illustrations for the various locations in the saga.
Commented guitarist Olof Mörck: “To say I am excited about this album is a grave understatement!
“We were more than thrilled when both Damian Bajwoski and Fred Johanson accepted to contribute to this album. To have the album fully illustrated with majestic scenes and vistas from the story, and to have such a powerful and convincing voice in the role of the antagonist will lend a lot of credibility and depth to the final project! Our singer friends from AMARANTHE also appear in minor roles, further developing the universe the story is set in.
“We really feel that our ambition to give our fantasy story a touch of depth, credibility and maturity paid off well! Lending influences from classical mythology, the best fantasy movies, video games and books, we feel that fans of the style who normally finds fantasy power metal to be too over the top and ridiculous could wholeheartedly enjoy this. We also have some further surprises for you before the actual album release, to keep your eyes open and your senses wary!”
DRAGONLAND recently parted ways with guitarist Nicklas Magnusson and bassist Christer Pedersen. Taking over bass duties is Anders Hammer (NIGHTRAGE) and sitting behind the drums is Morten Lowe Sorensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION, AMARANTHE). Previous drummer Jesse Lindskog will handle second-guitar duties in the future.
DRAGONLAND 2011 is:
Vocals: Jonas Hedigert
Guitars: Olof Mörck
Keyboards: Elias Holmlid
Guitars: Jesse Lindskog
Bass: Anders Hammer
Drums: Morten Lowe Sorensen
DRAGONLAND‘s fourth album, “Astronomy”, was released in November 2006 via Century Media Records.
Finnish television channel TV4 conducted an interview with keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH after the first media listening session for the band’s new album, “Imaginaerum”, which was held on Monday, October 10 at Finnvox studios in Helsinki. You can now watch the chat below (in Finnish, with English subtitles). A report from the event can be found at Metal From Finland.
Fans of dramatic, symphonic Euro metal have something to look forward to when the cold, dark, dreary winter sets in. Finnish/Swedish superstars NIGHTWISH will release “Imaginaerum” in North America on January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records and it will serve as a welcome beckon of warmth and light in an otherwise dark season! The album is the band’s first since 2007’s “Dark Passion Play”, which was then-new singer Anette Olzon‘s debut.
The band examined its catalog when sitting down to write what would become “Imaginaerum”. The songs for the album were written between 2008 and 2010, after the “Dark Passion Play” tour cycle ended.
At that point, NIGHTWISH knew they wanted to do something different, new and unique, which is exceptional for a band whose career has been defined by words like different, new and unique!
The band consciously wanted to do something so big, crossover, detailed, innovative and, well, “nuts,” that it would leave the band, and hopefully the people experiencing it, completely awestruck. It would be a situation where fans and/or critics would either love it or hate it, but they’d be left awestruck nonetheless. That’s when the band realized another dimension, namely video, was necessary for the project.
Instead of a concept album, the band set the album to a film.
“The original idea I had was to film 13 short stories related to the songs with a connected storyline, shot by Stobe Harju,” keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said. It was Harju‘s idea to turn the 13 stories and visions into more of a connected cinematic piece — essentially, a film. It would have a clear plot, script, dialogue and real actors in an ambitious effort to create something wholly unique.The film was shot in September of this year.
The movie is based on the album and its 13 tracks, honoring the original ideas, but having evolved radically from the initial plan. Holopainen said, “Still, it was important from the very beginning that the album would work as its own individual piece of art, as well. It is a thematic album about life itself, about imagination, love, goodness and beauty, with a touch of darkness and melancholy, which are strongly included in all of those things mentioned.”
The band will have but a small part in the film. A 2012 premiere date is being eyed.
“Imaginaerum” track listing (note that track 12 is broken down into four parts):
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. Ghost River
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose the Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove
11. Last Ride of the Day
12. Song Of Myself
Song 1: From A Dusty Bookshelf
Song 2: All That Great Heart Lying Still
Song 3: Piano Black
Song 4: Love
13. Imaginaerum
“Imaginaerum” release dates:
Finland: November 30
Europe: December 2
Australia: January 6
North America: January 10
Japan: January 11
New Zealand: January 16
A track-by-track breakdown of the album by Tuomas Holopainen can be found at Metalhammer.co.uk.
Regarding the “Imaginaerum” cover artwork, which can be seen below, Holopainen said, “Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album, but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel‘s finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what ‘Imaginaerum’ is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal.
“I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, ‘all this waiting for you, and you only’ feeling.
“All you need is the courage to enter.”
NIGHTWISH‘s new single, “Storytime”, will be released in Europe on Friday, November 11 via Nuclear Blast Records.
On the topic of the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon wrote on her official blog, “I think it’s a great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. [2007’s] ‘Dark Passion Play’ is a great album and this one, too, so I don’t know yet which one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style.”
NIGHTWISH will kick off the “Imaginaerum” world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Chief Shock Video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Ads
Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 