Albanian CROSSBONES– who entered the Alpha Omega Studios in late 2018 to record their new album – have revealed the first details of the upcoming effort: the title “The Awakening” and the coverart! The album is set to be released still before Summer on ALPHA OMEGA Records. More details will be unveiled soon.
CROSSBONES is the most recognized metal act in Albania and the only band from the mid 90’s that still keeps going, today stronger than ever. Their new album “WWIII” is making quite a buzz since its launch in January 13th 2017. The news has spread throughout 3 continents, Europe, USA and Australia in about 100 webzines and portals with great reviews. The album was produced, mixed and mastered by Tommy Talamanca (Sadist) at Nadir Music Studios. “WWIII” combines American thrash metal influences with a dark sound and typical Est European sonorities. The result is an album created with the intention of hit hard the ears of the listener without losing melodic passages and “catchy” riffs, and where the recurring use of both English and Albanian languages marks a new way in the European post-thrash genre. Among countless gigs and performances, CROSSBONES have played with Rock and Metal giants such as Ian Paice, legendary drummer of Deep Purple and as a direct support act for Greek Black Metal legends of Rotting Christ. Furthermore the band has headlined many concerts and festivals in Italy, Greece, FYROM, Montenegro, Kosovo, toured in Baltics (Estonia and Latvia), Ukraine and headlined Balkan Metal Meeting 4 Tuzla/Bosnia, April 27-28 2018, and more.
Artist: WHITESNAKE
Album: “Flesh & Blood”
Label: Frontiers Records
Release date: 10th May 2019
Tracklist
1. Good To See You Again
2. Gonna Be Alright
3. Shut Up & Kiss Me
4. Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
5. Always & Forever
6. When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)
7. Trouble Is Your Middle Name
8. Flesh & Blood
9. Well I Never
10. Heart Of Stone
11. Get Up
12. After All
13. Sands Of Time
It’s been eight years since “Forevermore”, the previous studio release with new material by the legendary WHITESNAKE. In the meantime the band has remained very active, touring extensively, releasing a series of reissues of their most celebrated albums from the 80’s (“Slide It In”, “1987” and “Slip Of The Tongue”), a couple of live albums (“Live In Japan”, “The Purple Tour”), in addition to a collection of acoustic takes (“Unzipped”) and a compilation of revisited classics from Coverdale’s days in Deep Purple (“The Purple Album”).
Although the music industry has changed enormously since WHITESNAKE began its journey more than forty years ago and considering that nowadays bands publish records less often, for them it was inevitable to think of a studio release with fresh material to justify a new tour. In this context is that the USA-based band, steered by iconic British vocalist David Coverdale, announced a few months ago the release of “Flesh & Blood”, their thirteenth studio effort that will be published next May via Frontiers Records.
The album opens with ‘Good To See You Again’, immediately delivering a powerful guitar riff and the unmistakable voice of Mr.Coverdale. For his 67 years, I must say that his voice remains at a high level. The rhythm and the melody are infectious, but without indulging into excesses, with a vibe that reminds the sound of “Slide It In”. One the other hand, ‘Gonna Be Alright’ has a more flirtatious tone, with prominent keyboards courtesy of Michele Luppi. This song brings us back to the “hair metal” era of WHITESNAKE, but without losing their integrity and relevance.
‘Shut Up & Kiss Me’ was the first single, including a wild videoclip. It is easy to understand this decision, as the song immediately stands out as one of the catchiest on the album. It is a track that meets all the requirements to become a classic: danceable beat, playful guitars plus an irresistible vocal line. ‘Hey You (You Make Me Rock)’ has a slower tempo, but its supper heavy riff and anthemic chorus compensate for this. The instrumental interlude in the middle section, which includes a superb guitar solo, adds some layers to an album that so far remains within the safe limits of hard rock.
‘Always & Forever’ brings up a more melodic and lighter approach that feels slightly out place, with a feel-good pop sound that makes it a bit forgettable. ‘When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)’ is the compulsory power ballad, a correct track in general terms, but that does not reach the heights of classics such as ‘Is This Love’ and ‘The Deeper The Love’. With ‘Trouble Is Your Middle Name’ they retake some of their energy and rock attitude, setting a party mood with an effective chorus that becomes a bit repetitive with time. These are perhaps the weakest moments of the album.
The title track ‘Flesh & Blood’ injects some freshness into the album, featuring great work by guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra. It’s a song full of reminiscences to seventies rock music, with a sound inspired by bands like Led Zeppelin. ‘Well I Never’ continues within the field of hard rock, with chunky riffs and a superb work of the legend behind the drumkit Tommy Aldridge, another veteran of a thousand battles that, luckily for us, refuses to call it a day. ‘Heart Of Stone’ is a song with a darker and melancholic tone, showing the more bluesy side of Coverdale’s vocal range.
‘Get Up’ is one of the most energetic tracks on the album, with a frenetic pace compared to the usual standards of the band. Once again, the guitarists take the spotlight, showing off in both riffing and soloing. With ‘After All’ they make an interesting experiment, stepping into acoustic territories just like Coverdale did in the early 90’s with Jimmy Page. The result is more than satisfactory, and adds diversity to the record, preparing us for a glorious finale. I’m talking about ‘Sands Of Time’, an epic track full of sonic influences from Middle East, closing the album with an amazing guitar solo, as it should be.
“Flesh & Blood” is a successful comeback album for WHITESNAKE, after so many years without publishing new studio material. It’s a fairly entertaining record, full of rock and roll attitude, containing more than one stadium anthem that will spin in your head from the first listen. Perhaps as a whole it does not reach the magnificence of their most celebrated works, but it has enough merits to fulfill the expectations set for one of the most iconic hard rock bands. Without taking too many risks, Coverdale manages to incorporate some innovative elements in the songwriting process, allowing him to extend the legacy of this bona fide musical institution.
Long known for their work in the progressive and underground metal scenes in bands like WARLORD, SHADOW GALLERY, AMARAN’S PLIGHT and FATES WARNING, guitarist GARY WEHRKAMP and drummer MARK ZONDER are exploring darkness in a brand new light with their new band, ZONDER/WEHRKAMP (aka ZW Band).
The collaboration results in the album “If It’s Real” which resonates with a tenebrous emotional intensity wrapped in a more melodic, ethereal sound and philosophical take on progressive hard rock.
In the last two decades Zonder and Wehrkamp have co-written nearly 100 songs together for various projects and toured together for a reunion of Zonder’s seminal cult band Warlord. When the two were approached by a metal label to record a moodier, less traditional prog-metal album, they ran with the idea.
“We have spent a lot of time over the years doing traditional over the top prog and have some really great stuff, but when we were asked to do something different by the label, we dug in and really started to push the envelope on the production side of things,” said Zonder.
While the label situation wasn’t right, the organic result of their studio sessions was music that–while not as heavy or as fast as their previous bands–still contained a thematic and sonic link to their progressive roots with a brooding depth and complex instrumental performances.
From songs like the title track that delves into mental anxiety and suicide to cuts like “It’s Not the End” with a message that brings the listener back from the brink, “If It’s Real,” delves into how we cope with simply being alive and, many times, alone in our own minds.
“This album traces the journey of the human condition through an array of emotions ranging from painstaking pitfalls to glimmers of hope,” said Wehrkamp.
While Zonder/Wehrkamp takes the two musicians on a different path, their musical pasts are very much influences on their current project.
One of the most influential drummers in metal history, Zonder burst onto the scene with Warlord in 1982 and went on to play drums with prog-metal heavyweights Fates Warning for eight albums starting in 1989. With periodic Warlord shows on the European festival circuit, involvement in the bands Slavior and Spirits of Fire and stints with artists like Graham Bonnet and Arch/Matheos, Zonder maintains a steady presence in the metal world. Since 1993, Wehrkamp has been one of the guitarist/keyboardists in the innovative progressive metal band Shadow Gallery, which released six studio albums between 1992 and 2009 on labels like Magna Carta and Inside Out.
Having made critically acclaimed records and toured the world playing to hundreds of thousands of hardcore metal fans, Zonder and Wehrkamp are betting the departure from their musical roots will still generate enthusiasm from long-time followers because the soul and authentic creativity they’ve always delivered is the driving force behind this music, too.
“This album isn’t about doing something different for the hell of it,” said Wehrkamp. “It’s about challenging ourselves to step outside our own self-imposed boundaries and expectations and dare anyone who pushes play on these songs to do the same. This record is all about introspection and discovery. And we want our fans to take the trip with us.”
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY celebrated the return of frontman Pepper Keenan with the release of their latest studio album »No Cross No Crown«, on January 12, 2018 (Nuclear Blast). Since then the group has been touring around the globe relentlessly, and now the band is set to return to European shores in June & July 2019 – roughly a year after their last visit. On the forthcoming trek, the quartet will not focus on their latest offering but on songs from their classic record »Deliverance«, which saw the light of day 25 years ago, and was their first studio album featuring Pepper Keenan as frontman. A few select festival appearances will round off C.O.C.’s journey across the continent. All dates can be found below, tickets are on sale now!
The formation of the beast we now call EXODUS began in Richmond, CA in 1979, and although many started their journey as fans a few years down the line, there is no debating that the early 80’s was a time for major growth in the world of thrash metal, especially in the Bay Area of California.
Day In The Dirt was perhaps the ultimate example of the Bay Area thrash metal underground scene in 1984. A plywood stage constructed in a Berkeley, CA park where SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and EXODUS played to a frenzied crowd of headbangers. It was also evident from this show, and others like it, why EXODUS was so influential on the Bay Area scene and thrash metal in general. With the eventual release of their first album »Bonded By Blood«, the band would take their music and their live show to new heights of insanity in the years that followed.
Take a trip back to that incredible time in thrash metal history with the recently unearthed live recording of ‘No Love (Live At Day In The Dirt 1984)’, and listen to the raw power of the original »Bonded By Blood« line-up of the band that started it all… EXODUS!
In celebration of their 40 year reign, EXODUS is proud to release the single ‘No Love (Live At Day In The Dirt 1984)’. Check out the track stream here:
(Photographs: Brian Lew)
Gary Holt comments, “Day In The Dirt was almost like the Bay Area thrash metal Woodstock, our own underground version on the legendary Day On The Green shows we all attended so many times. What happened that day at Aquatic Park in Berkeley has gone down in Bay Area lore as an epic day for the underground thrash scene. The brainchild of the late great Wes Robinson, we were fortunate to have been a key part of such a great show. It was Rick Hunolt‘s second EXODUS show as well I believe!”
Nuclear Blast Records is proud to announce that the German thrash-legends DESTRUCTION have signed a new record deal with the label.
Founded in 1982, DESTRUCTION soared to the top of the national thrash metal movement, with albums like »Infernal Overkill« and »Eternal Devastation« tucked away in their impressive heavy metal arsenal. Even the band’s later work such as or »The Antichrist« are glorious moments in thrash, highlighting why DESTRUCTION are part of the “Big Teutonic 4”…and still touring the world with great success.
After the latest successful Nuclear Blast releases “Day of Reckoning” (2011), “Spiritual Genocide” (2012), “Under Attack” (2016) and the newly recorded Best-Of “Thrash Anthems II”, the band have decided to sign a new deal with the label so that the formidable pairing can continue to produce even more greatness.
Mastermind Schmier states: “Somehow this came by surprise and I know that sounds weird but we were so focused and excited about finishing the new album, that the paperwork did not really matter to us at that time! When we did realize that our contract with the label is due, it took us only some minutes to negotiate a new deal!
We are a part of the NUCLEAR BLAST family now since more than 15 years, we feel at home here, we trust each other in this monkey business and also many people that work for the label we call our friends.
So this re-signing is something that came very easy and natural. Working with the best label in METAL is still an honor cause they supported us thru the good and the bad times! DESTRUCTION 2019 are stronger than ever, the new line up is killing & we will have more news about the upcoming record very soon – please stay tuned dear metalheads!”
Nuclear Blast Head-Of-A&R Andy Siry adds: “We are really happy and proud, that the almighty DESTRUCTION re-sign with Nuclear Blast. It is a honour for us to work with these guys. The whole band became very good friends over the years. So we are looking forward to release the upcoming new thrash metal classic – stay tuned!”
More info about the upcoming new studio album will be released next week. Stay tuned!
