TRICK OR TREAT will release the new album “Ghosted” on April 25th through Scarlet Records.
Following the success of their previous campaign for “Creepy Symphonies”, culminating in the release of the live album “A Creepy Night (Live)”, the band is ready to haunt their fans with more vibrant and infectious power metal anthems.
Produced by the legendary Simone Mularoni (Domination Studio), “Ghosted” promises to deliver their signature mix of spooky themes and melodic power metal energy. Adding to the excitement, the record will feature a special guest vocalist yet to be revealed.
Stay tuned for more updates from your favorite spooky metal neighbors!
Iconic American Rock Guitarist Ronnie Montrose will be saluted by a stellar rock star line-up whose own careers were influenced by the legendary and powerful Montrose sound at Ronnie Montrose Remembered (RMR). This celebratory concert highlighting Montrose’s legacy is one of the most talked about shows at NAMM, featuring his greatest hits from Montrose, Edgar Winter, Van Morrison, Gamma and more.
Hosted by Marci Wiser from KLOS and KITS Live 105, the show performers at time of press include: David Ellefson, Megadeth; Stacey Blades, L.A.Guns; Troy Luccketta, Tesla; Brad Lang, Y&T; Doug Aldrich, Whitesnake/Dio/Dead Daisies; Lorraine Lewis, Vixen, Femme Fatale; Keith St John, Montrose; Mitch Perry, Edgar Winter Group; Tony Montana, Great White, Slash; Sean Mcnabb, Dokken, Great White; Matt Starr, Mr Big, Ace Frehley; Jimmy Degrasso, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper; Randy Jackson, Zebra; Robbie Lochner, Jack’s Great White; Andrew Freeman, Last In Line/ Offspring; Jimmy Paxson, Stevie Nicks; Ed Roth, Glenn Hughes Band / Robby Krieger, Les Warner, The Cult; Miles Schon, Puddle of Mudd; Katja Rieckermann, Rod Stewart; Rick Brandt, L.A. Philharmonic; Myke Grey, UFO, Bruce Dickenson; Mike Vanderhule, Y&T: with still more to be announced. New top-tiered names are being added to the line-up literally every day.
According to Keith St John, who is the heart behind the show, this year brings RMR to a beautiful new venue with a more intimate VIP-style reserved seating. The Ronnie Montrose Remembered VIP NAMM JAMM is set for Friday Jan. 24 th at House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. at 400 Disney Way. Doors open at 6 p.m. with opening acts at 6:00 and RMR at 7:30. Tickets will range from $75 to $225, depending on location and package chosen. With limited seating, this show will sell out. Tickets are available on the House of Blues website through Ticketmaster with fees included. Full ticket and package information can be found at RonnieMontroseRemembered.com.
“I want to give those who appreciate Ronnie the chance to get together in a loving dynamic concert setting where we can all really dig in and enjoy each other through the commonality of Ronnie’s music,” St John says. “Our past memorial concerts have been the highlight of many folks’ NAMM experience, where so many top-billed musicians really love to perform these songs that helped shape their own style and sound.”
Montrose influenced many of the musicians on stage today. Brad Gillis of Night Ranger says that Ronnie’s soulful tasty rendition of Town Without Pity was over the top with the debut Montrose album “Extraordinary” and “one of my favorite all-time records”.
David Ellefson of Megadeth chimes in calling Ronnie “a feisty and fiery guitar player, who had many textures to his artistry.” He goes as far to say “the first Montrose record was one of the greatest hard rock albums to identify that the ‘70s were here. For me and my generation it’s a staple of our record collections, and it was a real pleasure to play with Ronnie in Montrose from 2007 to 2009.”
Sharing the stage with Ronnie Montrose for the last 13 years of his life, Keith St John strives to bring the essence of Ronnie’s music back to the 1970s, when Montrose was on top of the charts with Sammy Hagar as vocalist, and tunes such as Rock Candy, Bad Motor Scooter and Rock the Nation were first hitting the airwaves. When St John teamed up with Montrose, they continued to entertain until right before his passing, performing at festivals, arenas and clubs around the world. St John wrote many unreleased tunes with Montrose. He is also known as a lead performer with the popular Raiding the Rock Vault residency in Las Vegas and as a member of the bands Burning Rain, Kingdom Come and Lynch Mob.
RMR will feature surprise cameos, speakers, video clips and other raw footage, showcasing Montrose’s career. The show aids struggling musicians through the non-profit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, providing financial assistance to career musicians facing illness, disability and age-related problems.
Tickets can be found at Home | Ronnie Montrose Remembered or on the House of Blues Anaheim website. Different packages include sound check, meet and greets, signed posters, back stage photos, guitar pics, T-shirts and more. For up-to-date performer lists go to the Ronnie Montrose Remembered Facebook page and visit St. John’s Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/keith_st_john
EUPHROSYNE will release their follow-up to the much-acclaimed debut EP Keres, on March 21st 2025 Morus will see the light of day!
Setting a stride in the artistically unbalanced year 2021 has been, Efi Eva (vocals) and Alex Despotidis (guitar) united forces under the banner of Euphrosyne. Based in Athens, Greece they shared a common vision for creating dark and adventurously melodic music, constantly breaking the barriers of what post-black metal presumably is.
Morus is an experiential concept album inspired by the true story of the loss of Alex Despotidis’s Mother from cancer in 2017. The narration begins with the realization of death and the feelings surrounding it until the final embrace, continues with the existential question “What happens after all comes to pass” and the depiction of pain and suffering. It moves forward towards the acceptance of the image of the person who is losing the battle and the last journey forward to the Asphodel Meadows, the section of the ancient Greek underworld where the majority of souls were sent to live after death. The music has been written by Alex Despotidis and the lyrics by Efi Eva, the mixing and mastering by Psychon (Septicflesh), and the artwork, as well as the photoshooting of the band, by Dimitris Tzortzis.zis.zis. zis.
Morus is an experiential concept album inspired by the true story of the loss of Alex Despotidis’s Mother from cancer in 2017. The narration begins with the realization of death and the feelings surrounding it until the final embrace, continues with the existential question “What happens after all comes to pass” and the depiction of pain and suffering. It moves forward towards the acceptance of the image of the person who is losing the battle and the last journey forward to the Asphodel Meadows, the section of the ancient Greek underworld where the majority of souls were sent to live after death. The music has been written by Alex Despotidis and the lyrics by Efi Eva, the mixing and mastering by Psychon (Septicflesh), and the artwork, as well as the photoshooting of the band, by Dimitris Tzortzis.
Track list 1. Morus 2. July 21th 3. Valley Of White 4. Eulogy 5. Funeral Rites 6. Mhtera 7. Asphodel 8. Lilac Ward
BONG-RA are the central project from Jason Köhnen (THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE, CELESTIAL SEASON), who over the past 25 years has used the alias to craft a diverse body of consistently challenging experimental work as one of the primary acts to meld underground Metal with electronics. The ever-evolving entity now returns with a new album, “Black Noise“, set for release on February 21st 2025.
A unique hybrid of glitch-laden electronica, metallic rebellion and anarchic energy, the album’s nine tracks redefine boundaries while maintaining the raw, unfiltered chaos that has characterized BONG-RA since the beginning:
All music, sound engineering & visuals by Jason Köhnen.
Jason provides deeper insight into the creation of the new album:
“BONG-RA has always balanced between the Metal and the Electronica universes and blending elements of both music genres to complement the rawness, aggression, anarchy and energy contained in both. “Black Noise” is a word play on the term “White Noise.” Instead of being “a constant background noise” or “meaningless or distracting commotion”, the script is flipped to the opposing meaning of White Noise’s definitions.
BONG-RA had been placed on a hiatus since around 2021 when the last album “Meditations” was released. This was a second album (after the 2018 “Antediluvian” album) that ventured into the realms of Doom/Jazz and Metal. The concept of these albums transformed into THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET which found a home on DMP (for the more-extreme compositions) and Denovali Records (for the more “traditional” Jazz compositions). The connection with DMP re-awakened the BONG-RA project to re-invent a new glitch metal electronica hybrid.“
As an initial gateway into this unrelenting album BONG-RA present first single, ‘Dystopic‘, accompanied by a gripping video. Blending the raw power of underground Metal with unrelenting electronic aggression, the track fuses distorted guitars, polyrhythms, and confrontational vocals into a grim Industrial Metal onslaught.
Jason comments on the first unveiled song/album opener:
“For the album, the songs are mostly composed “beat driven,” as I still have the formula to start with the rhythms first when diving into the BONG-RA project. It’s still a natural reflex, I guess. The guitars are in most cases also rhythmical additions to the songs more than “old-school riffing”. I think this gives it that industrial feel. A lot of noise loops were composed to add to the atmosphere and the glitchiness of the overall sound. A lot of detail was put into the textures that lie in the compositions; I think it gives the album its specific chaotic sounding vibe.“
“Black Noise” will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital on February 21st. The vinyl version is released in partnership with Netherland’s Tartarus Records who’s also doing a tape version of the album. Two specially designed t-shirts will accompany the launch. Pre-orders are possible via the label’s EU, US, and Bandcamp shops.
BONG-RA live dates – playing alongside THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID – are already confirmed for 2025:
Jason Köhnen began his musical journey in 1988 as the vocalist/bassist for BLUUURGH…, an underground Dutch Crust/Death Metal/Grindcore band. Following the release of an EP and LP, in 1991 he founded the Death-Doom band CELESTIAL SEASON, gaining widespread recognition as a prominent name in the genre outside the renowned ‘Peaceville 3′.
In 1996, Köhnen shifted from Metal to electronic music, creating the project BONG-RA and pioneering the intense Breakcore genre of electronica. His 1998 debut album led to a Peel Session in 2002, and established BONG-RA as one of the first acts to fuse Extreme Metal with electronics. The experimentation deepened with releases like the 2007 “Grindkrusher” EP, featuring BOLT THROWER samples, and collaborative releases with noise artist Maruosa in DEATHSTORM and the neo-classical Doom project WHITE DARKNESS.
Beyond BONG-RA, Kohnen co-founded THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE and later THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION, releasing a series of cult albums up to 2013. Over his 30-year career, he has collaborated with notable artists such as VENETIAN SNARES and IGORRR, performed at major festivals including Glastonbury and Dour, and toured globally, sharing the stage with legendary acts like APHEX TWIN, MINISTRY and THE PRODIGY.
After a brief hiatus, during which BONG-RA explored Doom, Electronica and Jazz – including via 2018’s “Antediluvian” and 2022’s “Meditations” – Köhnen is now returning to his Metal and Grindcore roots. A deal with Debemur Morti Productions, also home to his Doomjazz project THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, has been reached.
BONG-RA now prepares for a new era as a live three-piece featuring guitarists Attila Kovacs and Botond Fogl. This freshly rejuvenated vehicle for Metal/breaks fusion will debut in early 2025 with a new record “Black Noise” and an upcoming tour.
The Metal Voice House Band Release EXCALIBUR The Song, For some Christmas Cheer.
Singer Giles Lavery (Warlord, Alcatrazz, Jack Starr) teams up with The Metal Voice Podcaster, Editor, Jimmy Kay and producer (Paul Di’anno’s Hell over Waltrop, Jack Starr) multi- instrumentalist Thomas Mergler release the Epic EXCALIBUR song in time for a bit of Christmas cheer.
As a kid I used to write lyrics all the time hoping that one day my words would become an international hit song. So after watching the Excalibur movie sometime in 1981 I ran home and quickly wrote down the Excalibur lyrics. Forty three years later I posted the original lyrics on social media as a cute retro thing. Meanwhile Giles Lavery my close friend saw this post and texted me right away saying this needs to be a song… Lavery contacted producer and friend Thomas Mergler and the rest is history.” Jimmy Kay
Giles Lavery Added, “the concept of the video an homage to the fun of Iron Maiden comical Holy Smoke video. We also thought why not share some Christmas cheer right before the holidays and bring some smiles to everyone’s faces.
The Metal Voice House Band is Giles Lavery, Thomas ‘Rockt’ Mergler and Jimmy Kay
Excalibur Song by Giles Lavery -Vocals, Back Vocals and Melodies Thomas ‘Rockt’ Mergler- Music, Guitars, Bass, Drums & Producer Jimmy Kay- Lyrics and Keyboards
Excalibur Video by Jimmy Kay-Editor Giles Lavery- Camera Nicole Leitzbach- Camera
MOONLIGHT HAZE will release the new record “Beyond” in springtime 2025 through Scarlet Records.
Lead by sensational frontwoman Chiara Tricarico (currently live member of Avantasia and special guest on the “Highlights From The Revenge Of Odysseus” 2022 Manowar EP), Moonlight Haze has joined forces with extraordinary producer Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Kamelot, Beyond The Black) for their upcoming fourth studio album – expect nothing but sheer metal excellence.
Moonlight Haze has also renewed the contract with Scarlet Records, the record label that launched their career in 2019 – with over 5 million streams accumulated so far, a firm partnership forged in the stars and destined to the moon!
«We’re very looking forward to showing you what we’ve been working on during the last couple of years! We were beyond excited to be working with the legendary Sascha Paeth on the production of our fourth album and now we’re very happy to reveal we’ll be joining forces with Scarlet Records once more… It’s gonna be huge!» – (Chiara Tricarico – Moonlight Haze)
Moonlight Haze are: Chiara Tricarico – vocals Marco Falanga – guitar Alberto Melinato – guitar Alessandro Jacobi – bass Giulio Capone – drums and keyboards
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 ) 