Source: Bravewords.com
Due to the unrest currently taking place in Ukraine capital Kiev, AMARANTHE‘s management has decided not to let the group perform there on December 14th.
“Management have in consultation with the promoter found a new concert date, 14th of February 2014 – if state then stabilized. We apologize to our Ukrainian fans and donate at the same time our thoughts are with those affected by the unrest.”
‘Invincible’, the third single from Amaranthe’s sophomore album, The Nexus, is out now, accompanied by a video directed by Patric Ullaeus. The video was shot on location in Hollywood, Las Vegas, the Nevada desert and the Grand Canyon, amongst other locations, and it’s certainly the most ambitious Amaranthe clip to date.
Comments guitarist Olof Mörck: “‘Invincible is probably my favourite Amaranthe song so far, and it’s very exciting to see it finally becoming a single and a video! We had an absolute blast shooting it, and this time we flew in Patric Ullaeus and his crew to some kick-ass locations around the USA. People have come to expect elaborate videos from Amaranthe, but this one certainly takes the cake!”
Amaranthe recently announced their first ever headline tour of Europe, stating: “We are very excited to bring a special, full-length set to our fans throughout the continent! This tour finally includes our first dates in the UK in support of The Nexus. Joining us on this tour are two amazing up-and-coming Swedish bands – DEALS DEATH and SMASH INTO PIECES. For full list of dates check the poster (below) or Amaranthe.se.”
Source: Bravewords.com
Sony Music will release legendary international hard rockers SCORPIONS‘ new offering, MTV Unplugged, today, December 2nd, on 2CD, DVD, Blu-ray and in various other digital and physical configurations.
Check out the video for ‘Dancing With The Moonlight’ from the release below:
On September 11th and 12th, 2013 and as part of their massive 38-date Farewell World Tour, Klaus Meine (vocals, guitars), Rudolf Schenker (guitars, vocals), Matthias Jabs (guitars), Pawel Maciwoda (bass) and James Kottak (drums) played two fantastic acoustic sets in the Lycabettus Theatre, Athens and made history in the process; it is the first ever open-air show in the history of MTV Unplugged.
Throughout its two-and-a-half hours, the show features an impressive range of brand new songs and classic tracks. As vocalist Klaus Meine recalls; “We played here many years ago. It is a beautiful place. I can remember that even back then the fans climbed onto the surrounding rocks. Of course we played some of the greatest classics this time, but we also performed a few new songs as well as material that we had never played live up to then. Those are songs which are very popular with the fans but which somehow never made it onto the set lists.”
The Scorpions evidently enjoyed this musical rollercoaster ride through their own history. It is equally obvious that both rock songs and power ballads display their class and style even when rendered as acoustic versions. The melodies maintain their timeless compositional appeal and the quality of the performance showcases the band at their very best.
The show opens with ‘Sting In The Tail’, arranged in a Cajun style. This song, taken from the eponymous album of 2010, bears witness to how deeply the Scorpions are rooted in rock ‘n’ roll and blues. The same applies to the set of classics that follow, such as ‘Pictured Life’, ‘Speedy’s Coming’ or the hymnal ‘Born To Touch Your Feelings’ There are even more nuggets from the sheer endless stock of hits such as ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ ‘Still Loving You’ ‘Big City Nights’, ‘No One Like You’ ‘When The Smoke Is Going Down’ and ‘Wind Of Change’– as well as a few welcome surprises to dazzle the connoisseur. ‘When You Came Into My Life’, where Rudolf Schenker plays a sitar, is one of those tracks which the Scorpions had never before played live, as are ‘Where The River Flows’ and ‘Passion Rules The Game’. They also perform ‘Love Is The Answer’ a ballad for which Rudolf Schenker took over as lead vocalist – a feat that does not happen very often. And immediately after this, Klaus Meine surprises us with the world premiere of ‘Follow Your Heart’ in this exceptional set of two dozen songs.
‘MTV Unplugged’ by the Scorpions is released on 2ND December 2013, available as double CD, DVD, Blu-ray and in various other digital and physical configurations.
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
‘Sting In The Tail’
‘Can’t Live Without You’
‘Pictured Life’
‘Speedy’s Coming’
‘Born To Touch Your Feeling’
‘The Best Is Yet To Come’
‘Dancing With The Moonlight’
‘In Trance’
‘When You Came Into My Live’
‘Delicate Dance’ (Matthias Solo)
‘Love Is The Answer’ (Rudolf Solo)
‘Follow Your Heart’ (Klaus Solo)
Disc 2
‘Send Me An Angel’
‘Where the River Flows’
‘Passion Rules The Game’
‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’
‘Hit Between The Eyes’
‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Band’
‘Blackout’
‘Still Loving You’
‘Big City Nights’
‘Wind Of Change’
‘No One Like You’
‘When The Smoke Is Going Down’
Check out the trailer for MTV Unplugged below:
‘In Trance’:
Pre-order each format of MTV Unplugged via the links below:
For LA KISS fans; the 25 Days Of KISSmas starts today (December 1st). They will be giving away special items and experiences each day on Facebook and Instagram. Go to this location for daily updates.
KISS’ new Arena League Football franchise LA KISS will unveil their replica jerseys this Tuesday, December 3rd, by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley before the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Mighty Ducks National League Hockey Game. The jerseys will be available for purchase on that day at the Honda Center Team Store and at lakissfootball.com.
The LA KISS are excited to have the creative genius of Paul Stanley behind the key elements of their uniform, specifically the flame designs incorporated into their jersey this season.
“We’ll share this as soon as it’s finalized or we may unveil these on a special date in January, more to come. For our helmet, we’re speaking with a variety of companies to incorporate a chroming process into a design that will pull our overall look together with some flair, a lot of flair. It’s KISS after all.”
The LA KISS has announced their full schedule of home games for the team’s upcoming inaugural season at Honda Center in 2014. The team’s first home game kicks off in Week 4 of the 2014 season against Portland. The full schedule of home appearances and opponents is as follows:
Week 4 – Sat. April 5th at 7pm PST vs. Portland
Week 5 – Sat. April 12th at 7pm PST vs. Cleveland
Week 7 – Sat. April 26th at 7pm PST vs. San Jose
Week 8 – Sat. May 3rd at 7pm PST vs. Spokane
Week 11 – Sun. May 25th at 5pm PST vs. Arizona
Week 14 – Sat. June 14th at 7pm PST vs. Portland
Week 16 – Sat. June 28th at 7pm PST vs. Spokane
Week 17 – Sun. July 6th at 5pm PST vs. San Jose
Week 19 – Sat. July 19th at 7pm PST vs. San Antonio
The rest of the band LOSTPROPHETS have made a statement via their official facebook page following the news (as previously posted) this week of former frontman Ian Watkins‘ admission of child sexual offences:
“Earlier this week, we learned that the allegations of child sexual abuse against Ian were true, and that he would not be contesting them in court. Until then, we found them extremely difficult to believe and had hoped it was all a mistake. Sadly, the true extent of his appalling behaviour is now impossible to deny.
Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not. We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge. But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour, and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted.
We are heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It’s still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way. Our hearts go out to Ian’s family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them. We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he’s done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities.
In a new interview with Mitch Lafon, drummer Allan Schwartzberg discusses his work on the KISS albums The Elder and Animalize. The interview was conducted on April 18th, 2013:
In conjunction with KissFAQ’s month-long NovElder retrospective back in December 2012, key Music From The Elder contributor Tony Powers went on record for the first time about his “odyssey” with KISS. Check out an excerpt from the interview below:
KF: How did you become involved on the Music From The Elder project?
TP: “There was a bar/restaurant in New York called the Cafe Central. It was on 74th and Amsterdam in Manhattan. A lot of showbiz people used to hang out there: writers, actors, producers, director — names you would know. And we met there. Paul was aware I had recorded ‘Odyssey’. I’m not sure if I had done the video by then, but he knew the song and he really liked it. And he asked me if they could use it on the album and of course I said yes. I was quite flattered. And then he wanted me to come to Toronto with him to help finish this other song. I did that and I played piano for them on ‘Odyssey’.
KF: While acknowledging he likes the song, Paul has criticized his vocal performance on ‘Odyssey’. Do you remember any hesitation on his part, and do you recall any talk of Gene singing the song?
TP: “I’m sorry, that I don’t remember. I do remember Paul, even then he struggled with the lead. But I thought he did a great job. No, I don’t remember anything about Gene being considered to do the lead vocal. He quite well might have been.”
KF: The song is very sophisticated musically — there are interesting chord changes and musical twists. The lyrics also have a cinematic quality. Tony, I’ve always wanted to ask you: What was your inspiration for writing this song?
TP: “I have always been fascinated by the concept of time. To me, physics and time are very interesting things, very interesting topics. I’m writing a script right now that’s got a lot to do with that. As far as ‘Odyssey’ is concerned, it was just the thought that there are many times that exist in the same time. And everything — past, present, future — happens at the same time. And what we consider to be time is an illusion. I guess I was just dwelling and thinking on that. I’m pretty sure it just started with the very first line of the song, ‘From a far off galaxy I hear you calling me.’ It just came quickly after that. And the lyrics to the chorus always knock me out. I just loved it.”
KF: The Elder came out in 1981. Do you remember when you actually wrote ‘Odyssey’?
TP: “I think I wrote it in ’79 or ’80 and I wrote it in my apartment in Manhattan on Riverside Drive and 77th. I remember sitting at the piano and writing it. And I remember being knocked out by where it was going, where it was taking me.”
KF: Paul has said, “Me singing it was just tragic.”
TP: “He doesn’t think the vocal suited him, I understand that. I feel for him. A person wants to feel like he did his best work and put his best effort into it. I thought he did terrific. I really did. I think he wasn’t as loose as he wanted to be, maybe. I don’t know what it was. I know that he didn’t think it suited him upon hearing it later on.”
Swedish heavy metal superstars SABATON have uploaded a video from this year’s Sabaton Cruise 2013, which took place November 28th aboard the Silja Galaxy on the Baltic Sea.
Sabaton are returning to the US and Canada in 2014 as direct support to American metallers ICED EARTH on their Worldwide Plagues North American tour. Opening each show of the six-week trek on their maiden North American tour will be Dutch heavy metallers REVAMP.
Checking in from Sweden, Sabaton bass player Pär Sundström states: “We are really looking forward to return for the first Sabaton full North American run since 2011. Three great bands on tour together, this will for sure be fantastic!”
Tour dates:
April
4 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection
5 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
6 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
7 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
10 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
11 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom
12 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
14 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
15 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial Theater
16 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
17 – Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero
18 – New York, NY – Best Buy Theater
19 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
21 – West Springfield, VA – Empire
23 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
24 – Orlando, FL – House Of Blues Orlando
25 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
26 – Saint Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
28 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
29 – Dallas, TX – Trees
May
1 – Tempe, AZ – Club Red
2 – West Hollywood, CA – House Of Blues Sunset
3 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
5 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Concert House
6 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
7 – Vancouver, BC – The Venue
9 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room
10 – Calgary, AB – Republik
11 – Regina, SK – Riddell Centre
12 – Winnipeg, MB – Park Theatre
14 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
15 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
16 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
