JOHNNY O’NEIL announce the release of the EP “LIVE at the Southern Theater”. This follows up his debut album TRUTH OR DARE. The EP was recorded live at a show the band performed at the iconic Southern Theater in Minneapolis on December 11th, 2021. The EP features five songs that provide a snapshot of Johnny and his band’s history, ranging from a song initially recorded by Johnny’s former band Dare Force, “Let Me Play,” the lead track from Johnny’s first solo album, “Snake In the Grass,” to three brand new tracks from Johnny’s upcoming second album: “Take Me Down,” “Tell Me Your Story,” and a remake of the Thin Lizzy classic, “Don’t Believe A Word.”
Fans can download the new live EP for free directly from Johnny’s website: http://www.JohnnyONeil.com or it can be streamed from your favorite platform.
Johnny O’Neil talked about the recording of their second full length album, “We are currently in the studio recording our second album. While we have “officially” been a band since late 2020 and performed live over the past year-and-a-half, the new album represents the maiden voyage of my full band in the studio. As such, we all are discovering more about each other as musicians, band mates, and dear friends. My first solo album, “Truth Or Dare” set a high bar to meet with the second album, this time featuring my whole band.”
Johnny O’Neil is excited to announce a show on March 6th supporting The Winery Dogs at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, MN. Show info and tickets can be found at https://bnds.us/2kqa3x
ARTIST: Johnny O’Neil ALBUM: LIVE at the Southern Theater
Take Me Down
Don’t Believe A Word
Tell Me Your Story
Let Me Play
Snake In The Grass
Band Members: JOHNNY O’NEIL: All Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitars JOHN FUNK: Guitars BENNY CRAIG: Bass JOACHIM BAECKER: Drums and Percussion
Live Mix Engineer: Michael Tienken Final Mix Engineer: Brian Bart Co-Produced by the Blood Brothers: Johnny O’Neil & Brian Bart Executive Producer: Johnny O’Neil Back Cover Photographer: Blake Bogdanovich Graphics and Design: JoB Visuals
Watch below Johnny O’Neil “LIVE at the Southern Theater” promo music video.
Paul Crook — Meat Loaf‘s longtime producer, music director, and guitarist — recently announced the brand new release, Paradise Found: Bat Out of Hell Reignited, a new LP helmed by Meat Loaf’s official band, The Neverland Express — featuring alumni Justin Avery, (keyboard, vocals), Tom Brislin (orchestration), Steve Buslowe (bass), Paul Crook (guitar), Randy Flowers (guitar), David Luther (saxophone), Lyssa Lynne (“Stop Right There!”), John Miceli (drums) — plus American Idol Season 13 winner Caleb Johnson providing lead vocals. Today, the album is finally out through Deko Entertainment and Crook’s label, Crooked Media, LLC.
Paradise Found reimagines the sound, passion, and fury of the original Bat Out of Hell, the 1977 release by Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman, which remains in the top five best-selling albums of all time. It includes all seven songs performed in their original order. The song arrangements have developed over decades of touring and now the listener can hear these re-envisioned versions.
As Crook states on the album: “The music is timeless, and we play it virtually note for note. The wall of sound that fans experience when seeing us live is captured in this recording. Meat Loaf fans will be pleased. We’re hoping this release introduces Meat and Jim to a whole new fan base.”
“This album has been a labor of love for us,” continues Crook. “Meat Loaf’s passing has left a huge hole in the hearts of millions around the world. We are committed to keeping the legacy alive by celebrating this incredible music. I felt there was no better way to honor our boss and Jim than to release our tribute to Bat Out of Hell on this special 45th anniversary.”
The LP’s first single “All Revved Up With No Place To Go” dropped this past October, almost 45 years to the date of the official release of the original Bat Out of Hell album. Later, Deko + Crooked presented the record’s next single, “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad,” alongside a behind-the-scenes making-of video. Alongside the LP drop today, Deko + Crooked share the record’s focus track, “Bat Out Of Hell.”
Speaking on the single, Crook wrote:
“Jim Steinman’s Rock masterpiece. The most dramatic motorcycle crash song ever written. Bat Out Of Hell, the album, was released in 1977. It remains in the top 5 best sellers list of all-time. It was developed from a musical, Neverland, a futuristic rock version of Peter Pan, which Steinman wrote for a workshop in 1974. After the album was mixed to 2 track, they then had to speed-up that tape to get the songs to fit onto a vinyl record. This made Meat’s voice sound different, higher. The end result haunted Meat Loaf his entire career. Ticket buyers wanted to hear that voice….this always bothered him. Jim mentioned that the intro chords were inspired by ‘Jailhouse Rock.’ I never get tired of performing this song. The music is both fun and challenging to play.
The song was originally recorded in the key of E. Our re-recorded version was recorded in the key of F (the key that it now lives in on the original 1977 pressing). The arrangement is completely different from the original. All of Meat Loaf’s songs have developed into something completely different from their original recordings. This is the LIVE arrangement. The version, we, the Neverland Express have been performing with Meat Loaf for decades.”
All things Paradise Found: Bat Out of Hell Reignited can be purchased HERE. Listen to the LP now via all DSPs.
Bat Out of Hell Reignited – TRACKLISTING
Bat Out Of Hell
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth
Heaven Can Wait
All Revved Up With No Place To Go
Two Out of Three Aint Bad
Paradise by the Dashboard Light
For Crying Out Loud
Deko Entertainment is very excited to be part of this amazing release. As President Bruce Pucciarello states, “This new rendition of Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell by his touring band, the Neverland Express, generates an elevated energy as American Idol winner Caleb Johnson’s voice connects with perfection to Meat’s legacy. Close the windows…you’ll be singing along loudly.”
Crook continues, “I’m happy we are able to release this album with Deko Entertainment. I’ve been friends with Charlie Calv (Deko partner) since high school, having played in separate local cover bands as kids. He’s a successful musician in his own right, currently playing keyboards with Angel, so he and his partner Bruce take a true artist first approach to running their label. The fact that they are big Meat Loaf fans makes this extra special.”
In addition to the new LP, the celebration continues live, in concert: Celebrating Meat Loaf with the Neverland Express + Caleb Johnson is a live concert performance of Bat Out of Hell in its entirety, plus other Meat Loaf hits. Created & produced by Paul Crook, this is the only show that was officially endorsed by Meat Loaf.
2023 performance scheduling is underway, including a very special six-show UK tourMay 20-27, 2023. View the full list of dates below and purchase tickets HERE.
Photographer credits: Veronica Mullen, Whitehouse Photography, Ant Genna
Cybergrind group THOTCRIME have shared two remixes of their D1G1T4L_DR1FT album track Motherfucker Unlimited, by both Ari Liloia and exjaynine. Motherfucker Unlimited (remixes) is available on all streaming platforms now and showcases further electronic elements to THOTCRIME’s eclectic sound of grind, mathcore, hyperpop and more.
Speaking on the remixes, Malady Jane (guitar) comments: “Both artists took a very upfront and confrontational song and took it in very different directions, but their respective takes carry the same energy. Ari’s more ambient and contemplative approach really lends itself to stewing in the emotions in an organic and ethereal way, where exjaynine really hits you over the head with the aggression and outright onslaught. Both are amazing and different takes that convey the same feeling.”
THOTCRIME’s prolific output to date has seen the band generate a buzz in online music communities and garner praise from Bandcamp Daily in the publication’s profile on the burgeoning cybergrind movement at large. D1G1T14L_DR1FT, the follow up to 2020s ønyøurcømputer, sees THOTCRIME continue to gleefully abandon genre convention in favour of boundless individuality and invention. Of the 13 tracks, THOTCRIME boast features from Carson Pace of The Callous Daoboys, Katie Davies of Pupil Slicer, Aki McCullough of Dreamwell and diana starshine.
THOTCRIME is: Hayleyy Sparxx – Vocals K. Salmon – Producer Malady Jane – Guitar Dot Homler – Drums
Following the success of their debut album “Unohdan sinut” (2021), Finnish black metal punks QWÄLEN will be releasing their second album, “Syvä Hiljaisuus”, on March 10th 2023 via Time To Kill Records.
The band is now sharing the video for the album track “Maailma Täyttyy Kuolleista”. Watch/listen at THIS LOCATION.
“The closing track of the album. A song that many did not expect from Qwälen. Alliance with the dead is the end of humanity. The video is an interpretation of the song’s theme, which is translated “World fills up with the dead”, through mysticism, nature and peoples blind will to participate in all this. Video was shot in the autumn of 2022 at Hailuoto with a production team consisting of long term professionals of media-field, friends and extras”.
Album tracklist:
01. Sairaus (Intro) 02. Kutsu Minua Saatanaksi 03. Kuolleiden Kukkien Keolla 04. Syvä Hiljaisuus 05. Tähdet Tippuvat 06. Lopulta Kaikesta Joutuu Luopumaan 07. Kaksi Hautaa 08. Maailma Täyttyy Kuolleista
QWÄLEN became what it is in 2017. The band members share a passion for playing music in its various raw manifestations and their band backgrounds include Kürøishi, Nistikko, Dumathoin and Akma among many others. Punk background bleeds into the music connecting QWÄLEN’s interpretation of black metal into how the genre started decades ago. Simplicity, rawness, speed and honesty. These values were present in the beginning and the same values still hold true. Punk background especially shows live as the chaotic energy of hardcore punk clashes with the ritualistic nature of black metal.
Lyrical themes in the first album focused on self-portrayal, dealing with loss, building anew along with finding alternatives in abandonment, misanthropy and Satan. The second album ponders the sheep-like nature of humanity, the inevitability of destruction, the acceptance of being faulted and surrendering to a greater force.
The second album was recorded at Waiting Room recording studio in Tampere with Mikael Neves who has worked with the likes of Death Toll 80k and Tryer. Mikael also handled mixing duties. Mastering was done by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios. The new album reflects QWÄLEN’s vision and world more clearly than ever. Like a dirty knife. Painful and infectious.
Stockholm based alternative rockers AD MELIORA surprise their fans with their new single “Death on the Shore”.
The bands explain: “‘Death on the Shore’ is the 4th release from Ad Meliora, after the attention-grabbing debut EP ‘The Void, The Time, The Path’ and the well-acclaimed singles ‘No Yellow Bricks’ and ‘Lenses’. The song narrates the feeling of frustration and desperation when something we care deeply about, and for what we’ve passed a great deal of struggle to make work, collapses inevitably in front of you. Named after the Spanish common saying ‘tanto nadar para morir en la orilla’ (so much swimming to die on the shore), the song reflects, in its verses, on feelings raging from holding yourself to whatever you can, to try and accept your fate when realizing it’s inevitable. The chorus, with its atmosphere of epic tragedy, shows us the encounter between will and fate.”
Is not a cliché that AD MELIORA is a band difficult to tag. While their sound is rooted in alternative metal, their influences come from a wide range of styles, from prog to hardcore, including postrock, groove, and many more. This makes AD MELIORA‘s music a mix where you can find extremely catchy choruses to sing along and instrumental sections that blow your head away.
After a couple of releases and 2 years of touring in Scandinavia, AD MELIORA could grab attention in the Swedish underground scene and they are ready to take a step forward in the European circuit. Proof of this is the new release “Death on the Shore” which shows their maturity level peak in songwriting.
AD MELIORA’s debut EP The Void, The Time, The Path (2021) was released to a storm of attention throughout the metal and rock world, garnering significant acclaim from press.
It’s a rarity that a band has longevity, but GRAND DESIGN always hit home, with multiple albums being crowned Album Of The Year. Well look no further than 2023, with the release of a new video single, Tuff It Out and a new album, Rawk to follow. Many will identify with Tuff It Out lyrics, especially during these uncertain times. Musically the song is genius with crunching chords, powerful vocals, and a full arena vibe. Vocalist Pelle Saether about the first single from the upcoming album: “Tuff It Out has a bombastic rhythm that will blow your mind! The lyrics is all about workin’ for the weekend 😊”.
GRAND DESIGN, the Swedish AOR/melodic rock sensation, are back with their long- awaited 6th album Rawk that will hit the streets on Friday April 21, 2023. The album was produced by Pelle Saether and recorded at Studio Underground Sweden between January and September 2022. This album is the perfect follow up to their last album V (2020). Rawk has that signature GRAND DESIGN sound that has made them one of the top artists in the Swedish melodic rock scene. The 11 songs on the album are packed with unforgettable choruses, shredding guitar work and a superb production.
Erik Grawsiö from Swedish act Månegarm and Veith Offenbächer from German act Dawn of Destiny appear as guests on one of the albums highlights, Carry on my wind.
Again the whole band have put in 100% and we have a great feeling about this album! Rawk is available to pre order on CD/VINYL here: https://www.gmrmusic.se/shop and pre-save on all Digital Platforms here: https://orcd.co/rawk
Tracklist CD Rawk:
1: Tuff It Out 3:35 2: God Bless Rawk n Roll 3:45 3: Love or a Fantasy 4:28 4: Your Luv is Drivin’ Me Crazy 4:10 5: Desperate Hearts 4:38 6: Dangerous Attraction 4:33 7: We Were Born To Rawk n Roll 4:17 8: Carry On My Wind 5:49 (feat Erik Grawsiö, Månegarm and Veith Offenbächer, Dawn of Destiny) 9: Give It All Up For Luv 4:47 10: Get Out 4:44 11: In the H.E.A.T. of the Nite 5:15
Line-up:
Pelle Saether: Lead/backing vocals Dennis Vestman: Rhythm guitars, backing vocals Dan Svanbom: Solo/rhythm guitars, backing vocals Stefan Westerlund: Bass guitar Joakim Jonsson: Drums
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Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 