RHAPSODY OF FIRE Unleash Colossal, New Video Single ‘Diamond Claws’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo: Massimo Battista]

May 31, 2024 will see symphonic melodic metal overlords Rhapsody Of Fire release their hotly-anticipated, new studio epos ‘Challenge The Wind’ via AFM Records. A new music video for their latest colossal single, “Diamond Claws” (now available on https://rhapsodyoffire.bfan.link/diamond-claws), is premiering today! Watch the band’s new clip below, and pre-order your album copy now at https://rhapsodyoffire.bfan.link/challenge-the-wind.

For more than thirty years, Rhapsody Of Fire have been able to rely on one thing: there’s nothing half-hearted about this band. The Italian masters of their craft can look back at an impressive catalogue of 14 studio albums, three EPs and two live recordings to date, all marked by lots of heart and soul, passion and a virtually inexhaustible wealth of ideas. Since 1993, mastermind and founder Alex Staropoli has been hailed as the creator of the film score metal genre and his band as one of the most charismatic acts worldwide. In addition, Staropoli has enlisted a highly creative first-rate guitarist in Roby De Micheli, who joined the fold in 2011, contributing lots of gritty metal riffs and virtuoso solos to contrast the band’s symphonic orchestral style.

‘Challenge The Wind’ will mark Rhapsody Of Fire‘s most fast-paced rager to date, as the composer and keybordist Staropoli recently revealed: “Compared to all previous Rhapsody Of Fire releases, the current album consists exclusively of up-tempo numbers, not a single ballad in sight. None of our other records have featured as much pure, unadulterated metal as ‘Challenge The Wind’!” 

In support of their forthcoming album, the band is gearing up for a busy touring schedule in 2024, with many more shows to follow soon. Find all upcoming Rhapsody Of Fire dates listed below!

‘Challenge The Wind’ was produced by Alex Staropoli and mixed by Seeb Levermann (Orden Ogan), who is responsible for the homogeneous sound of the ten songs’ elaborate arrangements. As all of the band’s first single releases prove, one can be sure: Rhapsody Of Fire’s fast-paced adventure is set to continue with undiminished intensity! Pre-order ‘Challenge The Wind’ HERE!

‘Challenge The Wind’ tracklist:

  1. Challenge the Wind
  2. Whispers of Doom
  3. The Bloody Pariah
  4. Vanquished by Shadows
  5. Kreel’s Magic Staff
  6. Diamond Claws
  7. Black Wizard
  8. A Brave New Hope
  9. Holy Downfall
  10. Mastered by the Dark

Rhapsody Of Fire Live:
05.05.2024 (MX) EL CONDE, Foro 360
07.05.2024 (CO) BOGOTA, Astor Plaza
09.05.2024 (BR) SAO PAULO, Caricoa Club
10.05.2024 (CL) SANTIAGO, Blondie
11.05.2024 (AR) COMUNA 1, El Teatrito
18.05.2024 (IT) TREZZO SULL’ ADDA MI, Live Club
29.06.2024 (FR) CLISSON, Hellfest
13.07.2024 (BG) MOGILOVO, Midalidare Rock in the Wine Valley 2024
19.07.2024 (FI) PERUNKA, John Smith Rock Festival
07.11.2024 (SE) MALMOE, Plan B
08.11.2024 (SE) GOTHENBURG, Surr Arena
09.11.2024 (SE) STOCKHOLM, Fryshuset Klubben
10.11.2024 (SE) GAVLE, Centralteatern

For tickets & live updates, visit: https://www.rhapsodyoffire.com/tour

Rhapsody Of Fire is:
Giacomo Voli (vocals)
Alex Staropoli (keyboards)
Roby De Micheli (guitars)
Alessandro Sala (bass)
Paolo Marchesich (drums)

For More Info Visit:
https://www.rhapsodyoffire.com
https://www.facebook.com/rhapsodyoffire
https://www.instagram.com/rhapsodyoffireofficial
https://rhapsodyoffire.bfan.link/challenge-the-wind

ICY STEEL to Release “The Wait, The Choice And The Bravery” Album on May 20th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
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Coming out on May 20th is the new work by ICY STEEL “The Wait, The Choice And The Bravery” for Wanikiya Record/Promotion, in digital and Audio CD formats! A journey into the fantastic world of the band! Pure Metal! Ready to immerse yourself in the world of Icy Steel.

ICY STEEL BIO:

PART I:
The band was officially born in January 2005 from an idea of the singer/guitarist Stefano Galeano, whose love for heavy metal has always deeply influenced his artistic and musical training. Since the band’s beginnings, Stefano has pursued the project solely on the strength of his spirit, recording multitrack demos of songs using drum samples, which turned out to be proved to be an essential part of the band’s formation, even when there was not yet anything effective and established.

After this period of stagnation, fate had it that drummer Alessandro Oggiano contacted Stefano, and after a few rehearsals he officially became part of the first incarnation, albeit incomplete, of Icy Steel, making a very important contribution.
Subsequently, Alessandro contacted his friend Alberto Eretta to offer him to become the band’s guitarist; the feeling between him and the other two members proved to be strong from immediately, and the band began to be no longer just an idea, but something really concrete.

The next step was to find a bass player to complete the line-up, and that position was later filled by Roberto Ladinetti, the last missing gem. All that was missing was a name for the band, triumphant, epic, exciting and punchy at the same time. It was unanimously opted for ‘Icy Steel’: the cold epicness of the north and the hardness of steel.

PART II:
As time went on, Alexander and Albert left the band for personal reasons. I their places were taken by Carlo Spiga on drums and Simone Spissu on guitar. Carlo stayed with Icy Steel for a year, during which the band participated in various concerts opening for big names such as Pino Scotto (historic singer of Vanadium), and after which he decided to leave to pursue his artistic career in Germany.

Simone stayed for another few months, in which he gave a lot of help both live and in the studio, and then left the lineup and continued with his own musical projects.

The next members were Claudio Sechi, who participated in the recordings of the second album ‘As The Gods Command’ and helped the band for a long time before leaving the place to Flavio Fancellu; and Pietro Bianco on guitar.

With this line-up, Icy Steel opened concerts for other important bands in the international metal such as Labyrinth and Raven.

PART III:
On May 11, 2013, they participated in the Metalitalia Festival, performing on the same stage as. Uriah Heep, Destruction, Vicious Rumors, Demon, Sadist and many others; and they had the opportunity and honor to perform the song ‘Metal Warriors’ by Manowar accompanied by Kenny “Rhino” Earl (Manowar’s own historic drummer on the album ‘The Triumph of Steel’) behind the skins.

From then on, a succession of events began for the band, between changes of lineup, more concerts and new albums, in fact in October of the same year bassist Roberto Ladinetti left the band and his role was taken by Carlo Serra; while the guitarist Pietro Bianco left the line-up in 2017, which subsequently saw other guitarists such as Daniele Diana, Marco Scanu and finally Andy Mornar, with whom the band released the single ‘Inner,’ and with whom the band recently finished the release of the latest album ‘The Wait, The Choice And The Bravery,’ with Mornar himself serving as producer as well.

In the period from 2013 to 2017, Icy Steel churned out 2 albums (‘Through The Ashes’ and ‘Guest On Earth,’ featuring prestigious guests from the metal scene international scene such as Steve Di Giorgio, Rhino, Ralf Scheepers, Mike LePond, Ross The Boss, etc.) and had an intense live activity that led them to share the stage with bands of the caliber of Manilla Road, Dragonforce, Mago de Oz, Dark Tranquillity, Vision Divine (with drummer Mike Terrana in the lineup) and many others…

More information at https://www.facebook.com/TheIcySteel

OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME Drop Painful New Single / Video ‘Veil Walker’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Oli Duncanson

Southhampton metalcore quintet Our Hollow, Our Home have unveiled a deeply personal new single / video ‘Veil Walker’,  their second since their return with a brand new line-up..

Stream here: https://arisingempire.com/veilwalker

Vocalist Gaz King comments: “Lyrically, ‘Veil Walker’ is an opportunity to say goodbye to my sister Yasmin, who died of cancer back in 2020. This was just a few days before the pandemic started, and the absolute unthinkable happened. Mandatory isolation nationwide meant only those in the closest circle of loved ones could attend funerals, and as a further injustice, loved ones couldn’t comfort each other like they’re meant to during such emotional times. I was living in Glasgow at the time, which meant I wasn’t able to travel to attend the funeral; I didn’t get to carry her casket alongside my family. I didn’t get to really say goodbye. However, I have taken great solace knowing I was able to be with her in her most final moments.

“Our Hollow, Our Home have never been a band that shy away from talking about grief, and just like those other songs before ‘Veil Walker’,  we dedicated it to everyone who has had to watch their loved one suffer while the world stood still.”

‘Veil Walker’ follows previous single ‘Downpour’, which was released along with the new line-up announcement in 2023. Now fronted by phenomenal vocalist Gaz King (ex From Sorrow To Serenity, Nexilva), his wide dynamic range, pitched screams and powerful cleans bring many exciting fresh elements to Our Hollow Our Home‘s trademark sound.

This month the band head out to Europe with Crystal Lake and ten56. 

Dates:                                         
31.05 – DE Berlin, Mosh City
01.06 – DE Mulheim, Schanz 
02.06 – DE Dresden,  Parkhotel
03.06 – DE Hannover, beichezheinz
05.06 – DE Oldenburg, Amadeus
06.06 – DE Hamburg, Logo 
07.06 – DE Dortmund, Summer Radness
08.06 – NL Leeuwarden, Into The Gave
09.06 – DE Trier,  Mergener Hof

The level of relatability, coupled with their relentless touring with the likes of A Day To Remember, Asking Alexandria and Blessthefall and high profile slots at festivals like Graspop, Nova Rock, Summerblast and Jera On Air, has seen the band command an ever growing army of highly dedicated followers; they have over 115,000 monthlies and 50M streams on Spotify, have been viewed over 9 million times on Youtube and have over 29,000 Instagram followers and 107,000 on Facebook and 2017’s debut album Hartsick reached the top spot of the Itunes chart for rock and metal in the UK, as well as placing in the top ten in the USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Italy and Germany.
 
They were also boosted by their hugely popular cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ in 2017, which was picked up by BBC Radio One’s Greg James and subsequently topped the iTunes UK rock and metal chart, and racked up over 300,000 plays on YouTube on its first week of release.
 
For a band who have handled their own operations internally without the help of major label or industry backing till today, that is a mightily impressive number, and testament to the devotion Our Hollow, Our Home have to their craft. But it’s more than just the numbers that are impressive, it’s the way in which those people have connected with the band. Be it their lyrical content, their staunchly DIY approach, their high energy live shows or their down to earth attitude, Our Hollow, Our Home have connected with their audience in a way that cannot be forced or faked.

Our Hollow, Our Home are:
Gaz | vocals
Tobias | guitar/vocals
James | guitar
Matt | bass
Kieran | drums

Our Hollow, Our Home online:
https://www.facebook.com/ourhollowourhome
https://www.instagram.com/ourhollowourhomeuk
https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhollowourhome
https://twitter.com/ohohofficialuk
https://hollowsupply.co/

Legendary South African Heavy Rockers NINE Release Re-Recorded Version of Classic Track ‘Not Your Fault’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
(Photographer: Andy Lund)

South African legendary heavy rock band NINE, known for their unique blend of alternative funk-infused heavy rock, is thrilled to announce the re-release of their classic track “Not Your Fault” via Mongrel Records. This newly re-recorded version showcases the band’s enduring musical prowess and brings fresh life to a fan-favorite song and will be included on their Re-Activate EP set for release later this year.
 
Formed in 1992 in Athlone near Cape Town, Nine consists of Farrell Adams (vocals), James Reynard (guitar), Grenville Williams (bass guitar), and Jerome Reynard (drums). The band’s distinct fusion of Cape, African, and international sounds reflects their roots in the dying days of Apartheid South Africa, where they aimed to break down barriers between different cultural and musical paradigms.

“Not Your Fault” is a powerful track inspired by a killer guitar riff created by James Reynard. This disco-inspired riff instantly energizes listeners, prompting them to dance and move like it was a House of Pain song. Farrell Adams explains that the song’s message focuses on helping people let go of unnecessary guilt and baggage that they might carry through life.
 
The writing process for ‘Not Your Fault’ was a highly collaborative effort, as is characteristic of Nine’s creative style. The band’s unique approach allowed the song to evolve and mature through live performances. Now, with their technical and musical skills at their peak, Nine re-recorded the track at Blackhole Studios with Chris Tait, fulfilling a vision shared with producer Andy Lund (RIP) and the band. The song is dedicated to the memory of Andy Lund—musician, songwriter, producer, photographer, friend, and remarkable soul who left Earth too soon. Andy played a pivotal role in producing the record and was key to making the entire process possible.

Buy and stream Not Your Fault at https://orcd.co/not-your-fault

Though the song was lauded by hardcore fans, the original recording from the band’s infancy was technically flawed. This re-recording of “Not Your Fault” is an opportunity for both the band and their fans to appreciate the track in its full glory.
 
Nine has always been a band that defies categorization, blending influences from rock, funk, hip hop, dissonant neo-soul, jazz, and reggae. Their rise in the South African music underground scene in the 90s was marked by critical acclaim and appearances at major festivals such as Oppikoppi and Up The Creek. Over the years, band members have also collaborated with other notable South African artists such as Jack Parow, Arno Carstens, and Godessa.
 
The re-release of “Not Your Fault” is set to captivate both longtime fans and new audiences, inviting listeners to experience Nine’s musical journey through a refreshed take on a classic track.

More information at https://www.facebook.com/Ninetheband

PANIC IN MARCH Release New Single ‘Elidia’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
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Turin-based PANIC IN MARCH release their single “Elidia” today, available on all online streaming platforms through the record label Volcano Records & Promotion.

The entirely instrumental track takes the listener on a journey of approximately four minutes through progressive, post-rock, and even stoner and metal influences, creating a sonic itinerary that, despite the absence of sung lyrics, manages to evoke emotion and captivate. Panic In March is a trio hailing from the Piedmontese capital, already quite active in the local scene, despite the many challenges that come with choosing such a niche genre as instrumental music.

“Elidia” is the first of a trilogy of tracks to be released through Volcano Records & Promotion in the coming weeks. Like the other upcoming songs by Panic In March, this track has been produced and mixed by Alessandro Liccardo (Hangarvain).

Elidia is available on all digital platform at https://music.imusician.pro/a/Plv6sTa9

Further info at
http://www.volcanopromotion.com
http://www.facebook.com/panic-in-march

QUINN SULLIVAN Releases Spirited Single ‘Rise Up Children’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on May 3, 2024
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo credit: Jim Arbogast

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Quinn Sullivan has just released “Rise Up Children,” the new single from his forthcoming album, ‘Salvation,’ due out June 7th via Provogue/Mascot Label Group. This vibrant track features catchy melodies that inspire a spirit of togetherness and resilience, inviting listeners to connect through the universal language of music. “I wrote Rise Up Children when I was reflecting on the world we live in today,” Quinn shares. “It’s a song about young people taking control of their future, which is happening more and more every day.”

“Rise Up Children” is the latest in a series of recent releases from Quinn that have showcased his deepening artistry and emotional range. On the deeply personal “Half My Heart,” Quinn delves into the profound pain of separation, capturing the sorrow of a romantic relationship that has recently ended. On “Dark Love,” he explores the complex dynamics of a toxic relationship. And on the album’s title track, “Salvation (Make Me Wanna Pray),” he uses B3 organ and wah-wah pedal to merge classic rock and soul with contemporary flair.

Stream/download “Rise Up Children” HERE

Quinn’s journey in music has been marked by a steady progression and a deepening of his artistic expression. Known for his exceptional guitar talent from a young age, Sullivan has earned acclaim for his performances and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music. His previous album, ‘Wide Awake,’ showcased his ability to blend his musical influences and skills in a way that pushed his creative boundaries. The album was well-received, highlighting Quinn’s capacity for storytelling and musical exploration.
 
Since ‘Wide Awake,’ Quinn has continued to evolve, taking his music on the road and gathering new experiences that inform his work. His recent involvement with the new ensemble Trouble No More, sanctioned by the Allman Brothers Band to carry on their live-performance legacy and introduce their music to a new generation, has further enriched his sonic palette. This collaboration infuses his work with a taste of the timeless soul and depth of classic rock.

Quinn is currently on a nationwide tour to support his new album, performing at various venues across the US, including intimate music rooms and the renowned City Winery locations. The release of “Rise Up Children” follows Quinn’s notable appearance at Panic en la Playa, where he performed with Trouble No More and guest starred with Eric Krasno and The Main Squeeze. For more information and to purchase tickets for Quinn’s upcoming performances, visit https://quinnsullivanmusic.com.

Tracklist:

  1. Dark Love
  2. Salvation (Make Me Wanna Pray)
  3. Rise up Children
  4. Don’t Wanna Die Today
  5. Once Upon a Lie
  6. Better in Love
  7. Leave no Love Behind
  8. I Can’t Stay (& You can’t Go)
  9. Nothin’ Gonna Change my Mind
  10. Eyes on Me
  11. Half my Heart
    Bonus Track: Eyesight to the Blind

Quinn Sullivan – Tour Dates
May 18 – The Music Room, West Yarmouth MA
May 30 – Jimmy’s, Portsmouth NH
May 31 – Jimmy’s, Portsmouth NH
June 6 – Portland House Of Music, Portland ME
June 7 – City Winery, Boston MA
June 9 – City Winery Loft, Philadelphia PA
June 12 – City Winery, Chicago IL
June 13 – City Winery, St Louis MO
June 16 – City Winery, Nashville, TN
June 18 – City Winery, Atlanta GA
June 22 – Funky Biscuit, Boca Raton FL
June 25 – Ram’s Head, Annapolis, MD
June 28 – City Winery, Pittsburgh PA
June 29 – The Hamilton, Washington DC
June 30 – City Winery Loft, New York NY
July 13 – Peach on the Beach Fest, Atlantic City, NJ
Aug 1 – Roots Rock Revival, Big Indian NY
Aug 2 – Daryl’s House Club, Pawling NY
Aug 3 – Daryl’s House Club, Pawling NY
Sep 13 – The Spire, Plymouth, MA
Sep 21 – The Music Room, West Yarmouth MA
Nov 16 – The Music Room, West Yarmouth MA

More information at https://quinnsullivanmusic.com/