earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based rock branch of Edel Group, has set an August 27 release date for “Act I”, the new concert CD, DVD and Blu-ray from former NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen. The effort was recorded on March 30 and March 31 at Teatro El Círculo in Rosario, Argentina. Each of the two shows featured a different setlist with the exception of five songs, including three tracks from Tarja‘s time with her previous band (“Nemo”, “The Phantom Of The Opera” and “Over The Hills And Far Away”).
In other news, Tarja is in pre-production for her third solo album, which is expected to be released sometime next year. She says, “I have 25 songs where to choose the best ones for the album. Some of the musicians are already working on them with me.”
Turunen‘s latest project, HARUS, in December released a CD/DVD/Blu-ray, entitled “In Concert – Live At Sibelius Hall”.
The first output of HARUS features traditional and emotional music from Finland presented together with more international repertoire.
Tarja‘s sophomore solo album, “What Lies Beneath”, sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 24 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
“What Lies Beneath” was released in North America on September 14, 2010 via The End Records.
Bison B.C. will be embarking on a short tour of western Canada at the end of June and beginning of July. The tour follows plans to record their third album for Metal Blade Records. Recording officially began on June 2nd with acclaimed producer Sanford Parker at Soma and Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. Parker is best known for his work with bands suchs as Yob, Pelican, Rwake, Yakuza, Nachtmystium, Zoroaster, Unearthly Trance, and more. Needless to say, Parker is more than qualified to put-to-tape the raw, furious energy that is Bison B.C.
Vocalist/guitarist James Farwell discusses the process thus far: “After slaving over these songs since last summer we have finally set up a hobo camp in Chicago to record with Sanford Parker. First at Electrical Audio then to Soma. Feels good to be away from home to make this record; new environment, new places to drink, it’s good for us. It’s also exciting because this will be our first recording with our newest idiot, Matt Wood, playing drums. Special thanks to Matt for topping up our idiocy.”
What does Matt think of all this? “In keeping with my idiot life it seemed very natural to join these other idiots, and make a mother fucker of a record”.
For updates on the recording process, make sure to go “like” and frequent Bison B.C. on their facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/bisonbc
Catch Matt Wood, James Farwell, Dan And, and Masa Anzai at the shows listed below after they emerge from the studio.
Bison B.C.
06/29 Fernie, BC The Northern
06/30 Calgary, BC Republik
07/01 Edmonton, AB Pawn Shop (Canada day show!)
07/20 Vancouver, BC The Vogue w/ 3 Inches Of Blood
Randall Amplifiers has welcomed Ola Englund to the Signature Amp Series with his soon-to-debut, Mike Fortin-designed “Satan” amplifier.
Nothing can prepare you for the brutal aural assault of Satan. It’s punishing, muscular all tube power will bring you to your knees, gain be damned! It is truly an amp that will come to define what metal is and will be for generations. Satan is voiced and tailored to Ola‘s seven-string style and will stay tight and clear with all seven-and eight-string guitars. Hell ascends in 2013.
Ola Englund is known for his blog, OlaEnglund.com, and YouTube channel which show off metal amps and how they sound in a pro recorded environment. He plays in the bandsSIX FEET UNDER, FEARED and SCARPOINT and is currently on the road with SIX FEET UNDER. Ola is using a Randall RV412S cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s being driven by the Fortin hardwired prototype of Satan. Production versions of Satan will be available Q1 of 2013.
Randall Amplifiers is owned by US Music Corp., located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
With the release of the band’s new album, “The Lord Of Steel”, only days away, MANOWAR has revealed that the exclusive pre-release of its 12th studio album will be a limited edition with exclusive artwork.
“Metal Hammer has shown a great understanding for MANOWAR and the special bond to our fans. They understand that we always strive to do something special for our Manowarriors and with great enthusiasm they have put a special magazine together,” said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio. “The ‘Metal Hammer Steel Edition’ and ‘The Lord Of Steel – Hammer Edition’ are a perfect match!”
“The Lord Of Steel – Hammer Edition” will first be released digitally on June 16 on www.thekingdomofsteel.com and in a limited variant “Steel Edition” of Metal Hammer #233 on June 26, exclusively from Metal Hammer U.K.
For the “Metal Hammer Steel Edition” featuring “The Lord Of Steel Hammer Edition”, go to this location (international shipping options available).
“The Lord Of Steel” — which was mixed and mastered at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands with the help of longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper — is blazing with pure power, untamed energy, and a sound as raw and wild as a force of nature. Track titles like “Annihilation” and “Hail, Kill And Die!” set the tone for a record that is packed with surprises. In contrast to the 2007 release “Gods Of War”, this new album is not a concept album, yet each song tells a different story, retaining the MANOWAR vision of righteousness, honor and everything MANOWAR fans have come to know and love.
MANOWAR fans should expect to have “their heads completely blown off,” said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio in a recent interview, and explained that “this album is all about brutality and raw power!”
“We were talking about a concept album but then got inspired to go in a different direction. This is where we are right now,” explained DeMaio. “I’ve been doing research on getting the best microphones and pre-amps for the guitars. The bass sound is death defying. We’ve done a lot of work on drums too, giving Donnie [Hamzik, drums] room to stretch out. And Eric [Adams, vocals] will simply sound bigger than life, as always.”
“The Lord Of Steel” will include the track “El Gringo”, which will also serve as the theme song for the After Dark Action franchise film “El Gringo”, an action western starring Scott Adkins (“The Expendables 2”, “The Bourne Ultimatum”), Christian Slater and Yvette Yates (“Without Men”).
“El Gringo” marks the first time MANOWAR has written a song specifically for a movie. The song depicts the struggle of a hero torn between his moral code and financial gain, and the challenge of being true to oneself and the real values in life — a recurring theme in MANOWAR‘s music.
“Everyone loves action movies! Our music, along with ass-kicking visuals and a great story, are a perfect match, not to mention a chance to actually see the music come alive on screen,” said MANOWAR bassist and composer Joey DeMaio. “‘El Gringo’ has been a great experience, the team at After Dark Films has been a pleasure to work with, and we are ready for more!” he continued.
When asked about the long gap between MANOWAR‘s last CD and upcoming effort, DeMaio said, “I know that a lot of people don’t wanna wait another five years for a MANOWAR record, but we hope that people are gonna think that it was worth waiting the time. Because, you know, you go to a restaurant and you order dinner, if the waiter walks in the kitchen and comes back out two seconds later and puts the dinner on the table, I really don’t know what you’re gonna get. Every now and then I like McDonald’s, too — it doesn’t mean something fast is not good — but we’re not a fast-food restaurant with MANOWAR. We think it’s quality, so we hope you’re gonna feel the same way.”
MANOWAR will headline several European festivals this summer, celebrating their new album and the 10th anniversary of one of their most popular records, “Warriors Of The World”.
Artist: Dr. Acula
Album: Nation
Label: Victory Records
Release Date: 19 June 2012
1. Be Careful What You Wish For
2. Heavy
3. Keep on Running in Place
4. The Party Is Over (Locked On Target)
5. Ironic Enclosure
6. Dressed For Transylvania in the Boiling Weather
7. Nation
8. Robot People from Hell
9. Suburban Superstar (Strung Out On Strong Island)
10. Areola 51
11. Citizen’s Arrest
12. Thinner
Founded in 2005, this American Metal-core band from New York had to date previously released 4 studio albums and 2 EP’s with ‘Nation’ being their fifth instalment to the ever progressing style that is Metalcore. With many different musical backgrounds in grindcore, hardcore, metal and hip-hop, Dr. Acula are hoping to tread new waters with sound and direction.
Using film clips and samples as a standard setting is nothing new on this market as many metal bands have done this for years; yet combining growls with high speed rhythms within each other is pretty interesting in places. Musically track to track you are given blasts of Metal in its rawest form, then into blast beats and gallops before melodies take over and sweep you from under your feet.
With the dual vocalists they really have opened up many vocal combinations that couldn’t have been done anywhere else like that in ‘Keep On Running In Place’ and ‘Dressed For Transylvania In The Boiling Weather’ however with all the other things going on behind the vocals there really is that feeling of distraction looming over me as everything sounds like everything else.
The tracks are short and sweet and straight to the point like most of the “core” type metal bands do these days, yet as for definition, I’m not really hearing anything special or new here other than the radio type edits and sequences. Onto the intro’s of ‘Robot People From Hell’, ‘Suburban Superstar (Strung Out On Strong Island)’ and ‘Areola 51’ during the first 8-10 seconds you could actually be listening to the same track as they all sound very similar to each other. This repetitive state of being is becoming an annoyance in music today and just shows how unimaginative bands are becoming with technology taking over a huge part of the improvisational aspects of writing.
All in all there is really nothing I haven’t heard before everywhere else, and yet you do almost feel compelled to listen on hoping that something more happens.
In terms of Metalcore, I am inclined to say Dr. Acula are becoming one of the better bands out there and if you really cannot live without any of the “Cores” then this will be right up your alley.
BEHEMOTH has recently completed a series of shows and festivals throughout Europe. The shows were a massive success and featured some of the band’s most intense stage production to date. To sample what these shows were like, check out this bootleg of “Lucifer”, live in Pratteln, Switzerland:
BEHEMOTH front man Nergal adds the following: “We are back home recharging our batteries before striking back at Hellfest and Graspop! Things are intense and it feels great to be raging across Europe with renewed show and refreshed set list! Unfortunately, we were kind of cursed when it came to weather forecasts on this European trek. One show in Austria had to be cancelled due to a massive thunderstorm. Nevertheless, we kept on conquering. Eight shows completed. A perfect warm up before summer. Hail to everyone who was there to support us!”
Live photo courtesy of Shelley Jambresic
In other news, BEHEMOTH has recently announced that they are among the acts confirmed for the Barge To Hell cruise December 3rd-7th. For more information, the entire line up, and to book a room, visit http://www.bargetohell.com
In other news: BEHEMOTH – announce more summer dates
Polish black/death metal kings BEHEMOTH have just announced their upcoming live appearances during the summer / festival season. Make sure to come out and celebrate some black/death magick!
BEHEMOTH live:
JUNE
16.06.12 Hellfest FR
24.06.12 Graspop BEL
28.06.12 Fire walk with me NOR
29.06.12 Stejnkier fest NOR
30.06.12 Tuska fest FIN
JULY
07.07.12 Gateaway SWE
08.07.12 Roskilde DEN
AUGUST
10.08.12 Bloodstock UK
16.08.12 Summerbreeze GER
17.08.12 Gothum Fest SWE
19.08.12 Motocultor FR
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 ) 