Norwegian magical and enchanting voice, LIV KRISTINE is set to re-release her “Enter My Religion” album for the first time on vinyl on August 19th via Allegro Talent Media/ Plastic Head/ Zyx Music.
In 2021 LIV KRISTINE’s EP “Have Courage Dear Heart” was released and now we present the re-release “Enter My Religion” of the charismatic and nature-loving Norwegian. The album will be released for the first time as a vinyl with an extra single, as a cassette with two bonus tracks and as a double CD with unreleased tracks and demo recordings.
The album was remastered at ANDY CLASSEN’s Stage One Studio. Not only the sound has been refined; also the cover and the photos, which were taken during a special photo session in the studio of KAI R JOACHIM from that time. The photo material shows a special depth and authenticity of the experienced artist, moreover, she hows herself in a very personal light – sometimes delicate and up close, or completely different – as a woman – absolutely self-confident in the whole large cosmos.
The songs were also adorned with universal influences. Sitar sounds introduce the title track, which comfortably gets under your skin with its insinuating melody arcs and LIV KRISTINE’s delicate voice. The opener “Over the Moon” (PETER TÄGTGREN) hints at powerful metal, but then develops into a driving pop song. “Fake a Smile” is an airy ballad, with LIV KRISTINE’s voice charmingly taking center stage and setting the tone for most of the songs on the album. The title track “Enter my Religion” is a mid-tempo anthem with a wise appeal to your inner self, your self-esteem, happiness and creativity. The pace continues with “All the Time in the World”. Straighter and more guitar-driven is “My Revelation“. Pleasing harmonies are in the foreground in the warm and soothing composition “Coming Home”.
‘Streets of Philadelphia’ – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’s theme song to the Oscar-winning movie was interpreted as a tribute. The arrangements being technically based on the original, LIV KRISTINE adds new and softer accents to the track. “You Take Me Higher” is extraordinarily different and more dance-oriented, with a subtle drum’n’bass overlay.
With “Trapped in Your Labyrinth” and “Fake a Smile” LIV KRISTINE spoils her listeners with profoundly sensual ballads and rock songs. The fairy-like singing, accentuated by piano sounds, envelops music lovers in a web of security, melancholy and longing. “Enter My Religion” convinces as a spicy and varied album. The blond Norwegian succeeds in creating a fine album with romantic touches, which never slips into kitsch. Simply authentic, profoundly philosophical, surprising and absolutely LIV KRISTINE – luminous and enlightening.
LP, Tape, CD: 1 Over the Moon 2 Fake a Smile 3 All the Time in the World 4 My Revelation 5 Coming Home 6 Trapped in your Labyrinth 7 Blue Emptiness 8 You Are the Night 9 Enter my Religion 10 Streets of Philadelphia 11 You Take Me Higher 12 For a Moment
Demotracks CD 1 Over the Moon 2 Trapped in your Labyrinth 3 You Are the Night 4 Streets of Philadelphia 5 You Take Me Higher 6 Stjernenacht (unreleased) 7 Woman in Me 8 One Thought Closer (unreleased)
Atlanta black metal outfit CLOAK will be joining ACID WITCH on the road starting tomorrow, May 24, in Cleveland, OH until May 28 in Pittsburgh, PA. There will also be a very special Philadelphia, PA show on May 25 in which the band will be supporting VIO-LENCE, CORONER, and EXCITER at Underground Arts! The full run of shows and ticket links can be found below!
In addition, CLOAK is now announcing the “Poisonous Pandemonium” summer co-headliner with BEWITCHER. The run kicks off on June 26 in Detroit, MI and will conclude in Boise, ID on July 1 before the band takes the stage at Northwest Terror Fest!
CLOAK will be supporting 2019’s ‘The Burning Dawn,’ which was named one of the Best Albums of the year by Metal Insider (#6), A&P Reacts (#8), Treble Zine (#11), and others.
The album can be streamed, downloaded, and ordered HERE.
CLOAK (w/ ACID WITCH): 5/24 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop [TICKETS] 5/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts (Supporting VIO-LENCE, CORONER, + EXCITER) [TICKETS] 5/27 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus [TICKETS] 5/28 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Funhouse [TICKETS]
CLOAK (w/ Bewitcher): 06/26: Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary 06/27: Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel 06/28: TBA 06/29: Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive 06/30: Salt Lake City, UT @ Ace’s High 07/01: Boise, ID @ The Shredder 07/02: Seattle, WA @ NW Terror Fest*
JOE BOUCHARD is best known as a former member of Blue Öyster Cult. The original lineup sold millions of albums for Columbia Records, with such classic songs as “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” and the #1 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart “Burning for You.” He contributed to songwriting and lead vocals on some of their greatest songs, such as “Hot Rails to Hell”.
Bouchard releases his second single “In the Golden Age,” from the forthcoming album American Rocker due out on June 3 through his brother’s (Albert Bouchard) and his imprint Rockheart Records and Deko Entertainment (ADA/Warner Music Group). Joe had this to say about the release, “ ‘In the Golden Age’ is a high energy rocker that sets the pace for the entire album. The song started out inspired by the old ‘60s TV show Route 66. I updated the theme to be about the early shows of Blue Öyster Cult when we began playing big shows on the West Coast of the U.S. Yes, my life in the ‘70s was an endless highway with adventures at every turn. Ya dig? It was all good and exciting!”
The new album American Rocker sees the return of Mickey Curry (Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Alice Cooper) on drums, and sees Bouchard taking a look back at the heyday of the ‘70’s with BÖC on tracks like “In the Golden Age,” and “Rocket to Fame.” As Joe states, “American Rocker is a musical journey of my life as a rock star. I feel lucky to live a life of music, and to be fulfilling my wildest dreams.” Joe Bouchard will be joining his brother, Albert Bouchard, for select shows in North America and their first ever Bouchard Brothers UK Tour this summer.
UK Tour August 9: Glasgow (Hard Rock Café) August 10: Edninburgh (Bannermans) August 11: Blackpool (Waterloo) August 12: London (Underworld) w/Angel August 14: Nuneaton (Queen’s Hall) August 15: Hull (Wrecking Ball) August 17: Newcastle (Trillians) w/Angel August 18: Stoke (Eleven)
American Rocker Tracklist: 01. “My Way is the Highway” 02. “In the Golden Age” 03. “Deadly Kisses” 04. “Love Out of Thin Air” 05. “Off Season Hotel” 06. “Hounds of Hell” 07. “Conspiracy” 08. “Rocket to Fame” 09. “The Devil’s in the Details” 10. “Katherine” 11. “Hey There Suzi Dear”
FORMOSA have released the new digital single “Her Mama”. The official video for the song can be watched below.
Sunglasses on, water ice ready, ears open here comes: “HER MAMA”
Formosa present their new summer hit just in time to turn up the boom box at the quarry pond and sing along loudly. Ande Braun from Kissin’ Dynamite provides the extra kick with a juicy guitar solo that will melt away even the last popsicle. For the vocals, Formosa got support from Thorsten Rock (The Legendary) for this song. The result is an energetic party rock song with a guaranteed catchy tune.
For the video, the band went to the south of Germany to the beautiful Lake Constance. After the band had often complained about the strain of their video shoot in the past, this time the boys were on fire. Drummer Paris Jay commented: “What could be more awesome than shooting a whole day across Lake Constance on a boat?” Ande from Kissin’ Dynamite was also easily inspired by the boat trip and delivered the most epic images for posterity with his guitar solo on the top of the boat. Watching the video, one has no choice but to be carried away and wallow in holiday feelings. So here’s a tip: put on a cold beer and watch the film!
LINE-UP Nik Bird – Bass/Vocals Nik Beer- Guitars Paris Jay – Drums
Finnish Prog Metallers FIREPROVEN will release their farewell album “Epilogue” on May 27th. Today the band tells more about the album stunning coverart and its background + inspirations!
Petri Lampela (www.petrilampela.com), who created the coverart, had this to say: “The album cover is basically about ends and beginnings. It depicts a scrap dealer in a post-apocalyptic setting who has stopped to take a look at a city on the horizon. The city consists of five skyscrapers that represent the members of the band and their future. It’s both sunset and dawn.”
Band’s guitarist Janne Väätämöinen adds: “The post-apocalyptic world seen in cover art has always fascinated me from cult films like Mad Max. Petri designed a magnificent cover, which is a work of art in itself, but also has symbolism hidden in it. Each viewer understands the image in their own way and it is hoped that the future does not look like what appears in the image.”
Earlier the band unveiled the in-depth track-by-track:
THE MAZE Nuutti: The lyrics of the song are based on my experiences of school bullying. I have unraveled the feelings I experienced as a teenager and what insights those experiences ultimately led me to. All bad events may not be bad, although at that moment they may be incomprehensible painful. Some things are never forgotten and carried through life. However, there is a perspective on them in constant motion. It is important to note that every human being is capable of the extreme cruelty but also goodness.
Nuutti about the composition of the song: In The Maze’s composition, I combined elements familiar from video games with progressive metal, and a shark also influenced by the direction of melodic death metal. I created contrasts between the different parts in order to the listener’s ears would not become numb to repeating the same mood for too long. I feel that music needs to address the widest possible spectrum of emotions. These influences are born with strong musical experiences from my life all the way to elementary school from songs of Nintendo games.
THE ADDICT Nuutti: The idea for the lyrics came to me after analyzing my daily activities. Where do we draw the line between everyday habits and addiction? Many things have the potential to improve your life, but alternatively might lead you in the wrong direction. It’s always about the perspective and whether you’re working consciously or are driven by impulses. Addiction is often seen as a negative phenomenon, but underneath you might find what your subconscious is trying to tell you. Is there something in the shadows that wants to be seen or heard? The Addict was originally a fully electronic song. We pulled the whole package through a prog metal filter and found ourselves creating something completely new. The song combines synth wave, djent and shamanistic atmosphere which eventually transports the listener to a trance-like state. It feels like the song itself had told us which form it wanted to take.
KING Janne: There is, in fact, quite a number of different approaches when it comes to the story behind this song. So, it’s kind of a survival story, but I won’t reveal more because I want the listener to be able to understand it the way they hear it. Sanna and Nuutti assisted with the songwriting, and Ilari’s tense keyboard parts brought the distinctive Fireproven sound to the song. In addition, there’s an awesome guitar solo, which was super fun to play.
HAUNTED Janne: Needless to say which band influenced the main riff of the song. So, I’m a huge fan of Metallica but I was actually listening to Cirice by Ghost when the songwriting process started. However, I wanted to bring in a new perspective with elements of some groovy djent in the bridge. In the verse you can hear some influences of Slayer’s riffs, but I added ambient guitars to create a more atmospheric sound, and Ilari added some pretty great synth tracks in it. The vocal harmonies of this song might remind you of Alice in Chains songs. As for the lyrics, there are many angles on how they can be understood. Together with Sanna, we got to create these amazingly visual lyrics, the atmosphere which emphasizes the name of the song, ‘Haunted’.
TIME TO HEAL Janne: I wanted to write a thrash metal song in an odd time signature. Time to Heal is a pretty funny song as its main riff is a Slayer type guitar riff which goes to nine and the drums go to four, so the first beat of the bar always changes its place. The lyrics take a strong stand on the current situation of the world, that is, wars and the climate crisis. Pressing pause and giving our home planet some time to breathe would be the only deliverance of mankind.
DREAM CATCHER Nuutti: Dream Catcher is a combination of groovy, even blues-like soundscape with pop nuances that are joined together with a Gothenburg metal style arrangement. The lyrics cover an immigration crisis by way of a fictional story. It’s been a while since it was written but from one point of view you can see how it portrays the crisis in Ukraine, and the people forced to leave their homes.
GRACE Nuutti: The first version of Grace was very different from its final form. We edited the song quite a bit and in the end it became a collaborative composition of me, Janne, Juha and Sanna. In the song there are elements from melodic death metal to a more progressive expression. You can even hear a hint of classical minimalism in the verses. The lyrics tell a story about an inevitable death and the fragility of life, as well as the urge to avoid thinking about these subjects.
WAVES OF EXTINCTION Nuutti: The writing of the song started with a mainriff, where I was interested in combining a video-like atmosphere with a cadence in odd meters. I managed to make many versions of the song before as it turned out which direction I want the atmosphere and structure to carry. The song is very story-like in structure. After the initial explosion, one travels through the electronical parts towards darker moods and eventually the tension is released in the chorus. The key to the song is the power of collaboration. Sanna rewrote most of the melodies and Janne also put his spoon in the soup, after which we all made the song look Fireproven together.
Nuutti about the lyrics: Climate change and its effects serve as a strong inspiration for the lyrics of the song. The recitation takes place in two timelines, in the first of which the great destruction has already taken place and is lived in a post-apocalyptic world. In another timeline, we are in a moment where we idealistically want to save the planet, but action for great change is insufficient. The song is not intended to entice the listener into gloom or to lose faith in change. It is only a review of the current topic in a storytelling form.
Sanna: The variation in the moods and dynamics of Waves of Extinction, combined with odd meters, seemed to be heard at first glance. The topic of the song is also very important to me. Nuutti composed a masterpiece that made it easy for me to compose vocal melodies for the song. I’ve certainly never used my voice in this way in a single song before. At times in the recordings, we laughed at this banging from the delicate mood through the low growls to the high clean vocals and from there to the even higher screams, but the end result is definitely worth it. The song sounds 100% to us.
UNITY Nuutti: Unity is a story about whales’ journey around the ocean. Whales are unique beings that have their own diverse language. Sanna wrote some of the lyrics. Whales are close to her heart, too, so our co-operation worked seamlessly. The journey of the whales is a metaphor for the chance of freedom we all should have no matter the circumstances.
In January 2022, FIREPROVEN announced that after this album they will be disbanded, thanking their loyal fans releasing “Epilogue” which will remain their last effort, as a band.
“Hello everyone! We hope that 2022 has started well for you guys. Sadly, we have to announce that Fireproven will no longer continue. There are number of reasons that led us to this decision but we’re all still good friends, and will continue to keep it that way. We’re going to release our last album later this spring but all shows will be cancelled. We want to thank you all for your love and support during these years. None of this would have been possible without you guys listening to our tracks and showing us your love. Peace and love! Stay healthy!”
Check out the earlier released singles from the album: ‘Waves of Extinction’ (2021)
“Epilogue” Album line-up is: Sanna Solanterä – lead singer Janne Väätämöinen – guitar and backing vocals Juha Väätämöinen – bass and vocals Ilari Hannula – keyboards Nuutti Hannula – drums
FIREPROVEN is a progressive metal band from Finland. The band is known for their long, imagery songs, as well as their energetic live shows. Their first album ‘Future Diary’ got great scores in multiple reviews, and International Music Video Contest rewarded their music video Shine for the best director of photography. The band’s unique sound has already inspired people in Europe and overseas. The band decided to take things to the next level by hiring a new lead vocalist Sanna Sola back in December 2019. Fireproven pride themselves on their technical abilities and musical versatility, breaking boundaries with their uniqueness.
NEAR DUSK, the hard riffin’ mile high stoner rock, psychedelia and heavy blues drenched band, return with a brand-new single, ‘The Way It Goes’, which is out now on all digital platforms via Iron Head Records / Golden Robot Records.
‘The Way It Goes’ is the first single lifted from Near Dusk’s forthcoming sophomore record and crosses all borders of modern rock ‘n’ roll. With woody riffs throughout, this track is about someone who’s destined to let you down every time.
Laden with heavy woody riffs, slow driving tempos, and plenty of fuzz to go around, Near Dusk is fronted by guitarist and vocalist Matthew Orloff, low end soldier Kellen McInerney, and rhythm heathen Jon Orlof. The band maintains an original style while crossing all boundaries of classic stoner Rock.
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 