Finnish goth rockers, The 69 Eyes, brought their show to Nashville Tennessee for the second time in history on 3/31/24. Although Nashville is dubbed the Music City, one would not expect to find the Finnish rockers here. Nonetheless, they were, and the fans loved it.
The band was born out of the love for goth, punk, and glam music back in 1989. Lead vocalist Jyrki once said that the band name itself was symbolic of “A strange and dark union between Elvis and Elvira”. A mixture of vampires and rock ‘n roll, The 69 Eyes have been rocking fans for 35 years, and there is no sign of slowing down in sight.
Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel began to play through the speakers and the anticipation of the band coming out was evident on the crowds’ faces. The band emerged onto the stage to immediate applause, and their first song of the night, Devils, was served to the masses as the first dose of goth infused rock n roll. A staple in their set, Feel Berlin, followed up and set the tone for the night as fans danced with horns held high.
Songs such as Blach Orchid, Death and Darkness, Never Say Die, and Wasting the Dawn kept the crowd smiling and hungry for even more as the euphoria of The 69 Eyes music permeated the venue. I love the Darkness in You was playing and Alice Cooper/Beasto Blanco bassist, Chuck Garric was seen in the crowd with intense concentration as the song played. It is known that Garric is a fan of The 69 Eyes.
The night ended as most do with the band, their anthem Lost Boys, gave a hard rocking farewell until next time to Nashville. The band is still on tour and set to play on till April 13, 2024, when the tour ends in Clifton New Jersey.
As always, keep your nose clean, your circle lean, and horns held high! -Erik
Undoubtedly, INTELLIGENT MUSIC PROJECT stands out as one of the most compelling rock projects in the music world over the last 12 years. During this time, the project has gifted their fans with 7 albums featuring the participation of world-famous, top-notch musicians, and they show no signs of slowing down.
Just a few days ago, Intelligent Music Project announced their eighth album, named “Miracles Beyond,” which will be officially released on May 15th this year. And it comes as no surprise that once again, there will be first-class rockstar presence.
How cool is it that the first song starts with the leading vocals of John Payne (ex-Asia) and Carl Sentance from Nazareth, the second song continues with the great Joseph Williams from TOTO, and the third one is presented by the producer’s favorite, Richard Grisman – one of the most beautiful rock voices in the UK.
And there’s more – the entire rhythm section is represented by two Grammy nominees: one of the best living drummers on the planet, Simon Phillips (TOTO, Protocol, The Who, Judas Priest) and Ernest Tibbs on the bass. Of course, these musicians maintain the high level of the album throughout its entirety, ensuring an exceptional listening experience from start to finish.
“The album’s dedicated to free spirits – the driving force of the progress of humanity. It’s a testament to the spirit of collaboration and the power of music to transcend boundaries. Musically, we offer a good example of what a super-group product should sound like. It’s great to have all these musicians on board again. This is Simon Phillips’s 6th album with us, John Payne’s 5th, and Joseph Williams’s 4th. Such a star turnout is a special privilege for me, which again shows that we have another world-class product!” says Milen Vrabevski, MD, producer, songwriter, founder of the project, and the mastermind behind the band.
The songs in “Miracles Beyond” traditionally flow into each other to demonstrate the unity of ideas. With tracks that explore themes of resilience, hope, and the limitless potential of the human spirit, “Miracles Beyond” is more than just an album – it’s a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. From the pure hard rock songs to the soul-stirring ballads, every song on the album resonates with emotion and authenticity.
The album is divided into two parts: the Producer’s part and the Band’s part.
“I am happy to offer my vision on the album’s topic in tracks 1-11. For the second time the band composes music without me: the last three tracks are written by our guitar player Bisser Ivanov in partnership with our main vocalist Slavin Slavchev and my music producer Ivo Stefanov,” adds Dr. Vrabevski.
This unique approach in creating the album enriches the music with diverse perspectives on the central theme. Each section offers its interpretation, presenting a rich tapestry of musical ideas and insights. This division not only adds depth to the album but also provides listeners with a dynamic journey through varying viewpoints and sonic landscapes.
One of the most impressive aspects of the album is undoubtedly the stunning arrangements – perfectly crafted, adding a layer of sophistication and depth to the music, making the album a truly unforgettable listening experience. And it wouldn’t sound the same if there weren’t the live instruments of Intelligent Music Strings Orchestra and the amazing voices of Sofia Gospel Choir in the song that gives the album its title, “Miracles Beyond.”
The impeccable sound of the album is further enhanced by the masterful touch of Bob Katz, whose expertise has graced two Grammy Award-winning albums in his illustrious career. His meticulous mastering adds the final polish to the already outstanding sound, elevating the album to new heights of sonic excellence.
Listen to the first single of the album, named “Shine for You,” to preview the musical journey that awaits:
Intelligent Music Project is a Bulgarian supergroup with an exceptionally international line-up, created in 2011 by Bulgarian businessman, philanthropist, and arts patron Dr. Milen Vrabevski, who is not only the project’s producer but also the composer of the band’s music and lyrics.
Intelligent Music Project is a creative mix of melodic, hard-rock songs with progressive hooks, driven by catchy guitar riffs and keyboards, often combined with interesting symphonic textures and complex musical arrangements.
The lyrics of Intelligent Music Project’s songs carry a positive and motivating message, with an emphasis on themes from everyday life, through which the author offers key advice about success based on his personal experience and vision. Through the language of music, Dr. Vrabevski aims to bring to the forefront basic values that can serve as a solid foundation for young people on their path to becoming mature adults leading meaningful lives.
So far, the band has released 7 albums – “The Power of Mind,” “My Kind O’Lovin’,” “Touching the Divine,” “Sorcery Inside,” “Life Motion,” “The Creation,” and “Unconditioned.”
Intelligent Music Project was the Bulgarian representative to the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song Intention.
Besides the aforementioned musicians, over the years, the band has seen a stellar lineup, including John Lawton (Uriah Heep, Lucifer’s Friend), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Michael Schenker’s Group), Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Toto, Stevie Wonder, and more), Tim Pierce (Joe Cocker, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, and more), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Black Sabbath), and Todd Sucherman (Styx).
Finland’s melodic black/death metal project NEMUS ANIMA has announced their second full-length album titled ‘The God Of Forest,’ which is scheduled for release on June 1st.
Today also marks the release of the band’s first single and lyric video, ‘Talking Dead’, watch it below.
‘The God Of Forest’ album tracklisting and cover art are as follows:
1. Talking Dead 2. Don’t Breathe 3. The Smith 4. Wisps In The Cosmos 5. River Of Skeletons 6. Decaying 8. Weightless
Nemus Anima is a one-man melodic black/death metal project formed in Autumn of 2023 in Vaasa, Finland. That’s when Topi Karhunen started to write his first debut album Hatred Embodiment. He had played in a few metal bands before but now was the time to write his own music under his own conditions.
Topi’s main instrument is guitar but he also recorded vocals, bass, synth/orchestration by himself and did drum tracks on a computer.
Nemus Anima’s style is melodic black/death metal with atmospheric synths and orchestrations. The music style was not planned it just came out naturally.
It’s not too black metal nor too melodic. Darkness and melancholy are the core of Nemus Anima.
Nemus Anima will always remain as a studio project. Topi has no desire to get back on stage nor play in a band any longer. But he will never stop writing new music.
Skumlove are excited to announce the release of their new video “EGO”. The band has been a staple in the Los Angeles Music scene since the late 90’s. Able to sell out their first handful of shows in Los Angeles, with an All-Star lineup with members from Fear Factory, Sx-10, Skinny Puppy and Professional Murder Music to touring through the Midwest and Canada supporting such acts as StaticX, Danzig, Type O Negative, Combichrist and Ministry. Skumlove’s music embodies multiple genres covering rock, industrial, metal and post punk.
Once again, Skumlove have teamed up with Industrialism Films for the release of their official video for their latest song EGO. (Prior videos collaborated were for The Dark and reimagining of Judas Priest’s Turbo Lover)
The genius eye of Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films collaborating with singer Skum has created a story as old as time in this new video.
Showing the arrogance and the ego it takes to be a cult leader.” A story about a devious cult leader taking advantage of his followers only to lead them to their demise. The video plays out with an Avant-Garde, noir feel not usually seen in current music videos.
The song itself was actually the first song Skumlove ever wrote in 1998 only making it to the demo stages and was played live a few times where a handful of copies reached the public. Fast-forward to 2023 where the band began to write again bringing the song a new life with producer and engineer Alex Crescioni adding a darker and creepier sound.
With the help of Maor Appelbaum the song was mastered to perfection. “ the song took on a whole new life of its own, a fresh resurrection, if you will. We did what we did and let Alex interpret it in his own way, and it turned out better than we planned.”
Skumlove have released two full albums, “ Songs of Lust and Corrosion” & “Sinister Minister” along with multiple singles and EP’s.
The band has come back very strong from a hiatus and in 2023 filled venues all through the West Coast and released multiple singles that have pushed the band to the next level.
SKUMLOVE: Skum Love – Lead Vocals Robyn Sin – Guitars M. Loebig – Bass James “Jas” Dillon – Drums
Pirosaint’s drummer, Ignacio Orellana has launched his new company, Aceite Diablo.
Aceite Diablo is the culmination of a long journey that started more than a year and a half ago. Its products are a blend of devilish spices turned into a sinfully delicious oil created in Hell’s Kitchen, NY.
Ignacio Orellana have commented:
‘I’m located in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, where there are a big number of restaurants around with a variety of cultures. My family and I enjoy going out to eat at different restaurants and learning about new foods and flavors. After tasting many foods, we decided to create a product that would complement flavors from other cultures, while adding a little spice to it. Our product doesn’t change the original flavor of the food, but instead, adds a kick!
We only work with approved products to ensure that our customers consume only high quality spices. All of our ingredients are FDA approved, therefore our product is safe and delicious!’
Pirosaint’s latest album ‘know Thyself’ was released in 2021 via Digmetalworld and distributed worldwide via MVD Entertainment Group. The band is currently in the writing process for their upcoming album.
Florida melo-death act THE ABSENCE release their self-titled album through Listenable Insanity Records and stream it in its entirety via Metal Injection. The feature can be found here.
The album is available on all major platforms and the bands Bandcamp page.
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 