ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has checked in from the road:
“Just wanted to write a thank you to all the fans on the last leg of the tour. You guys were amazing every single night, no matter where in the world we were. It was a truly special run, and one that will remain high in my memories for years to come.
We will start song writing in the fall this year and will continue that, and the subsequent production for the new album, in between and around upcoming tour plans for the remainder of 2012-2013. Busy, focused, and energizing times lie ahead, but we are stoked and ready! Count on it!
I’m currently in South America, hanging with friends, and taking care of some personal business here. Home sweet home is just around the corner, and I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! AHHHHH!!!!
I’d also like to say good luck to Freddie Vidales, we had a lot of fun through the years and I wish him all the best for his future. We totally understand his decision and support it 100%. Best to you brother!
Until next time, thank you once again… take care, and I wish you all the very best life has to offer!”
Iced Earth’s complete tour schedule can be viewed at this location.
According to an update at his official website, former MEGADETH guitarist MARTY FRIEDMAN’s two most recent albums, BAD D.N.A. and Tokyo Jukebox 2 will be released in Europe as a deluxe two-disc set.
The site adds: “The set will feature an all new design and booklet as well as a bonus track (not available elsewhere), the Guitar Karaoke Version of the song, ‘Bad D.N.A.’, so for the first time you can hear in detail everything that is going on underneath Marty’s lead guitar, and add some yourself if you are so inclined. This is the first ‘backing track’ Marty has released outside of Japan.”
The European release will be through Verycords, a French label with distribution by Warner Bros. The release dates are May 7th in France and the UK and May 11th in the rest of Europe.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Allstars tour kicked off its tour of South and Central America this past Thursdya, April 19 at Jockey Club in Asunción, Paraguay. The band played a two-hour show featuring the biggest hits from all the musicians involved, including DEF LEPPARD‘s “Pure Some Sugar on Me” and “Animal”, KISS‘ “Rock and Roll All Nite”, SKID ROW‘s “I Remember You” along with several GUNS N’ ROSES hits such as “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child O Mine”, with Sebastian Bach singing.
Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.
Comprised of musicians from some of the biggest bands in recent rock history, the Rock ‘N’ Roll Allstars is a live show unlike any before. Bandmembers include:
* Gene Simmons (KISS)
* Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
* Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N’ ROSES)
* Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N’ ROSES)
* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N’ ROSES, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA)
* Glenn Hughes (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH)
* Ed Roland (COLLECTIVE SOUL)
* Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL)
* Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS)
* Billy Duffy (THE CULT)
Promoter Gabe Reed hosted a press conference on March 1 at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California to officially announce the Rock ‘N’ Roll Allstars tour. Also attending the press conference were Simmons, Sorum, McKagan, Clarke, Bach and Hughes, among others.
“This is going to be a great time, a time for us to pay tribute to the fans,” Simmons said. “This is an important honor to step on sacred holy ground with a project like this, and all of it is for the fans. It harkens back to the old days of rock and roll, the ‘Legends Of Rock’ when Chuck Berry, Little Richard, all of them got together to put on the best show possible for the fans. . . We’re trying to follow a great trend in rock and roll, and we’re going to have a great time. So stay tuned.”
Commented Bach: “For me to be the singer in Gene Simmons‘ first-EVER side project is amazing to me! Dreams come true, indeed. If you would have told me when I was a boy that some day Gene Simmons, Glenn Hughes and myself would be in a band together, my reply would have been, No, we will not,’ and I would have been wrong, haha!! We are gonna rock the best of KISS, DEEP PURPLE, GUNS N’ ROSES, SKID ROW and DEF LEPPARD!”
Added Hughes: “It’s going to be quite a spectacle. For me, this collective of rockers is a fan’s dream come true. It’s a great lineup with players from a lot of great bands.”
“We’ll play all the biggest hits from each band,” Sorum, who is one of the tour’s organizers, said. “It’s going to be a good time. The hits will keep coming.”
“If you look at who’s been doing something a long time, if you look at who is still around, they’re usually the best guys to hang with,” McKagan said. “I wasn’t the easiest one to get into the camp, but this is going to be great.”
According to Musica Metal, EPICA singer Simone Simons was hit in the face by a flying drumstick that slipped out of drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek‘s hands during the opening song of the band’s April 17 concert at Alcatraz in Milan, Italy. Simone briefly left the stage to regain her composure before returning a few moments later to finish singing the track “Monopoly On Truth” with no problems and no apparent injuries.
Two separate fan-filmed video clips of the incident can be seen below.
01. Karma
02. Monopoly On Truth
03. Sensorium
04. Internal Warfare
05. Serenade Of Self-Destruction
06. Sancta Terra
07. Delirium
08. Blank Infinity
09. The Obsessive Devotion
10. Storm The Sorrow
11. The Phantom Agony
————————-
12. Cry For The Moon
13. Unleashed
14. Consign To Oblivion
Artist: LA STRANGE Album: QUEEN OF DISGUISE Label: ALL OUT MUSIC (2011) Promotion: ATOMIC STUFF
1. Control
2. Addicted to some thoughts
3. Enjoy all their lies
4. Far away
5. Give in to me (Michael Jackson cover)
6. The perfect husband
7. In the silence
8. Keep goin’ on
9. Queen of disguise
10. You finally knocked me down
“When you live for years, hiding constantly behind a mask, at some point you need to express all those feelings that you kept secretly for so long. For some reason you want to, and you need to share your ghosts. Music has always been my favourite way of escape, and I think it’s the best vehicle to find balance between reality and dreams” – Angela Castellani (LA Strange)
LA Strange sings about her own experiences, her intimate feelings and her past. Sometimes they are a little explicit as they deal with such important themes like domestic violence, but they always truthful and sincere. Born in a little village in northern Italy, La Strange is an Italian rock singer. Her strong motivation, natural talent and passion together with a powerful stage presence and un-ending commitment to her music are her main qualities.
So now we know a little about the history of the artist and the foundations for the music, so, what’s the album like? We are basically listening to extremely expressive melodic rock with so many different elements of passion, musical interaction, layers and textures, and the most expressive vocals ever to take a stand on a rock album. From song to song you are taken on a journey into super-expressions and lyrics which can evoke emotions that you didn’t even know were there. Eventually you’ll come to LA Strange’s version of ‘Give In To Me’, a Michael Jackson cover that the singer wanted to record both in tribute to his untimely death and because it was his music that inspired her the most during her childhood and she has really given this track a new light. I fell for ‘The perfect husband’ with the haunting melodies and obscure riffs. The lyrics feel very much of ‘Megalomania’ by Muse with the haunting array of tones of expressions. ‘In the silence’, ‘Far away’, and ‘Enjoy all their lies’ all share beautiful powerful melodies and textures, far beyond that of simple expression. The expressive tones in the vocals of ‘Enjoy all their lies’ reminded me of the diversity in ‘Nina Simone’s’ vocals with their subtle little changes making them even more beautiful than the last passage.
A wonderful album to listen to and become a part of!
According to the UK’s Daily Star, GUNS N’ ROSES plan to mix boozing with playing golf when they get time off from touring the UK next month. The rockers still like a big night out balanced with some fresh air on the greens.
Keyboardist Dizzy Reed told me: “Everybody is better than me at golf but it’s good to get out there in the air. It’s rock ’n roll escapism. Mind you, some acts say golf and relaxation keeps them sane, but I use booze for that. Jagermeister I’m pretty fond of. If I stick with one thing I am pretty good. If you mix it then you go weird.
“Everyone in the band is responsible these days when it comes to excesses like alcohol and drugs, but when we are a month into a tour it’s always good to knock back a couple of drinks and enjoy it.”
Guns N’ Roses will be playing the UK in May. The reunited THIN LIZZY will be opening all shows which include:
May
19 – Capital FM Arena Nottingham – Nottingham
20 – Echo Arena Liverpool – Liverpool
23 – Metro Radio Arena Newcastle – Newcastle
25 – The SECC – Glasgow
26 – The LG Arena – Birmingham
29 – Manchester Arena – Manchester
31 – The O2 Arena – London
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
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ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has checked in from the road:
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 