ALTERIUM, the new Italian power metal quintet led by Nicoletta Rosellini (ex. Kalidia, Walk in Darkness), has inked a worldwide deal with AFM Records / Soulfood Music!
Born in late 2022, ALTERIUM consists of Nicoletta and former bandmates Paolo Campitelli (guitars) and Dario Gozzi (drums) from Kalidia, soon joined by Alessandro Mammola (guitars, also in Draconicon) and Luca Scalabrin (bass, also in Altair).
Nicoletta says:“I am finally happy to present you Alterium, my new power metal adventure. In the past months, we have poured our hearts and souls into crafting a debut album that harmonizes captivating melodies, powerful guitar riffs, and thunderous drums. The result is a strong debut album that we are eagerly anticipating to share with all of you. We are also filled with enthusiasm to share the exciting news we joined forces with AFM Records! Our music and vision align perfectly with their understanding and belief, making this collaboration truly thrilling. We take immense pride in sharing the label’s roster with an array of renowned exceptional bands.”
“After the first contact with Nicoletta, we at AFM were immediately hooked. Alterium is uncompromising power metal paired with a powerful voice performed by a powerful woman!” Jochen Richert, CEO at Soulfood Music, comments. “Nicoletta, well remembered by many fans as Kalidia’s front woman, is bursting with energy and this is fully expressed on their debut album. It was clear from the start that we would embark on a journey together. We are absolutely convinced of the success of Alterium, so we will bring in all our label power.”
After Kalidia parted ways, Nicoletta decided to take a different approach and finally unleashes her whole potential as both a singer and a songwriter. Under the guidance of producer Lars Rettkowitz (Freedom Call), ALTERIUM have finished the recordings of a bombastic debut album. The band’s first full-length will also feature a cover of the Sabaton classic “Bismarck”. Watch out for ALTERIUM, when they will take the power metal scene by storm with a triumph of powerful sounds, big riffs, explosive drums, majestic choirs and captivating grooves!
From L-to-R: Jeroen Paul Thesseling, Steve Di Giorgio, Jennings Smith, Yuma van Eekelen
Recently QUADVIUM issued an update, after a couple of years of radio silence, about the bass duo’s commencement on the debut album. Now the bassists, Steve Di Giorgio (Testament, Death) and Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura, Pestilence), bring to light the other musicians that will complete the quartet. Launching a band with two predominantly fretless bass players is no common occurrence, and the duo felt they needed to take very special and deliberate time to get the right alignment with who’s participating and what will be the end result – meaning the right sound & composition to represent this rare vision.
Staying the course, and some will notice from those long-ago press releases from Quadvium, the recognizable friendly face of Yuma van Eekelen (Our Oceans, Pestilence). The drummer has in fact been a major presence the whole time, Yuma’s agreeable dedication in helping find the final member and contributing with massive effort to the arrangements of the songs is no understatement. On chops alone, the band is lucky to cooperate with such a masterful drummer, but Yuma’s vision and chemistry is invaluably equal to the foundation towards this undertaking.
And with immense pleasure, we’d like to introduce, the final member… Jennings Smith (Myth Of I, Kaathe)…!!
The guitarist/composer has taken the little seed of an idea and cultivated it into a sprawling kickass garden. The technical prowess of Jennings can be seen in his many videos on Instagram for Myth Of I and his solo material – we suggest you go and have a look! He has brought to this band a level of musicality and compositional energy and vision we only dreamed of. And the result of hours/days/weeks/and pretty much one year since the discovery and ingression to the band, is a presentation of just what we imagined we were looking for! Jennings understood the concept of writing for a dual-bass driving effort in this unique quartet format. With his song writing mastery and very impressive bass chops (also check his playthrough videos on bass!), we can safely say this time that we have a solid lineup and a varied offering of songs we are excited to show you.
The composing phase is coming to a close with the last couple of ideas that will round-out the content for the first album. The band enters the preproduction phase with some final arranging and preliminary tracking in Amsterdam during the end of August. Final tracking and fine tuning will be ongoing through the rest of this year, as we also navigate and organize around many busy touring schedules. Plans, at this point, for the album release, foreseeable in the first half of 2024!
QUADVIUM lineup: Jennings Smith – guitar Steve Di Giorgio – bass Jeroen Paul Thesseling – bass Yuma van Eekelen – drums
Quick progress updates and exclusive video peeks into the workings will be posted up on the band’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Quadvium
++++++
Please Note, STEVE DI GIORGIO is available for studio sessions as well as session bassist for tours. For further information, please contact tarja@splitscreenproduction.com.
The fretless guru, STEVE DI GIORGIO doesn’t need any longer introductions, as he is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, being the bassist of TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, STEVE DI GIORGIO is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 30 years of touring the world.
Japanese Thrash Metal rising force SATSURIKU ROBOT has officially inked a deal with Wormholedeath Records for the release of their highly anticipated debut album, “No Thrash Metal, No Life!” The album is set to unleash its sonic assault on September 8th, 2023, captivating metalheads worldwide with its raw power and relentless energy.
Originating from the bustling streets of Tokyo, Japan, SATSURIKU ROBOT emerged in September 2020 when founding members Hide on guitar and Yuuki on drums joined forces. The lineup was solidified in December 2020 with the addition of the ferocious vocalist Ken The Metal★ and the skilled bassist Kazuya. Their shared passion for Japanese Robot Animation and subculture became the creative fuel that ignites their music.
SATSURIKU ROBOT’s unique moniker derives from the Japanese term “Satsuriku,” meaning slaughter, massacre, and butchery, capturing the essence of their aggressive sound. Their music style blends the fierce elements of Thrash Metal and Hardcore Metal, resulting in a sonic onslaught that commands attention.
The band made its initial impact in 2022 with the release of their first music video, “Satsuriku Robot,” and their debut EP, “First Contact,” recorded earlier that year. Following their successful debut, SATSURIKU ROBOT stormed the live music scene, delivering an electrifying performance in Tokyo on June 19, 2022. The year ended on a high note with the release of their second music video, “R.I.P,” on December 30, 2022, solidifying their presence in the metal community.
Now, with a worldwide deal signed with Wormholedeath Label in April 2023, SATSURIKU ROBOT is poised to catapult their career to new heights. “No Thrash Metal, No Life!” represents a significant milestone for the band as they unleash their ferocious brand of metal upon the global stage, captivating fans and critics alike.
Prepare to be taken on a sonic journey that combines the best elements of Thrash Metal and Hardcore Metal, brought to life by the formidable talents of Kenichi Hayashi on vocals, Hideaki Kaiho on guitar, Kazuya Okano on bass, and Yuuki Fujimoto on drums.
Tracklist:
THRASH NEVER DIE
ROBOT IN THE PANDEMIC
MAD THRASHER
殺戮ロボット – SATSURIKU ROBOT ver.2
CARRY ON
EPISODE ZERO
NO THRASH METAL, NO LIFE! ver.2
To stay connected with SATSURIKU ROBOT and explore their captivating music, please visit the following links:
Sea of Rust” is the most gloomy and one of the slowest songs of CAVERN DEEP’s new album “Part II – Breach” which is available on Bonebag Records now. The song is the 5th on the band’s concept album and synopsis is as follows:
The Sea. Dead. Acidic. This is ground zero. It knows all. It was here above the greatest of cities they broke through. Drawn by the greed of kings and queens and their ever-growing thirst for the primal energy beyond their realm. It was they who forced the few remaining to take refuge in a distant cold world, destined to wither away in subterranean darkness. Everything is lost. Sunken. All but rust. The engineer gives up a sigh as she from afar witness the being floating above the red watery mass towards the pulsating rift at the horizon. It is starting to shed.”
VANDENBERG and Music Theories Recordings have presented a third recording pre-release. View the lyric video for “Light It Up” below. Adrian Vandenberg shares, “I’m not a 100% sure, but I think it was Shakespeare who wrote that it’s ALWAYS a good time to rock your ass off and LIGHT IT UP!’
The band’s new studio album titled SIN will be released globally on August 25. Prior to “Light It Up,” Music Theories Recordings presented “Sin” as the second reveal from the forthcoming release. Adrian Vandenberg shared, “Sin. Just a tiny, three letter word but one with a very comprehensive meaning. Everything in between a little white lie and a murder. So, it deserves a powerful, heavy, epic song to do it justice.”
The first reveal in February was “House On Fire”. At the time of release, Vandenberg offered, “Like every other band or artist we were forced to ‘hold our horses’ when we found ourselves playing our part in one of those Hollywood ‘Outbreak’ style movies these past Covid years. Without having auditioned for a role. You’ll understand we were extremely eager to ‘break out of the stables’ with a loud bang, so we thought it’d be more than appropriate to ‘set the world on fire’ with this new track! House On Fire’!”
Every album paints a picture. Instead of utilizing a brush and canvas, Vandenberg paints with towering vocals, earthquaking rhythms, and the iconic and instantly recognizable fretwork of guitarist and namesake Adrian Vandenberg. Joined by vocalist Mats Levén, drummer Koen Herfst, and bassist Randy van der Elsen, the influential axe-slinger delivers a vibrant, visceral, and vital vision on the group’s fifth full-length offering, SIN, brought to life in broad strokes of anthemic hard rock and airtight metal and produced by Bob Marlette [Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie]
“For me, music is very much like a painting,” affirms Adrian. “You have your ups, downs, lights, and shades. One song might make you want to jump on the table and party your brains out. Another song will inspire you to think. Either way, you’re thrown into a landscape, which my favorite albums still do to me. You could be in your car or at home with your headphones plugged into a sound system, and you’re in a different world.”
Track list
Thunder And Lightning
House On Fire
Sin
Light It Up
Walking On Water
Burning Skies
Hit The Ground Running
Baby You’ve Changed
Out Of The Shadows
Exploding out of The Netherlands and onto the global scene with 1982’s self-titled Vandenberg, the Dutch phenomenon notched an international hit in the form of “Burning Heart,” paving the way for seminal releases such as Heading For A Storm [1983] and Alibi [1985]. The band canvased the United States, Europe, and Japan alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Rush, Scorpions, Michael Schenker, and many others. Sought out to join Whitesnake, Adrian famously ripped the legendary lead on the 1987 recording of the #1 smash “Here I Go Again,” which adorned the 8x-platinum Whitesnake and ended up touring the world’s largest arenas for a year-and-a-half when the 1987 album went through the roof in terms of sales. He co-wrote the entirety of 1989’s platinum Slip of the Tongue and spent the ensuing tour sharing axe duties with none other than Steve Vai. In addition to playing guitar on and cowriting Restless Heart from David Coverdale & Whitesnake, he performed hundreds of shows as part of the band for some twelve years. Speaking to the breadth of his output, he notably penned and recorded “A Number One” as the theme for his hometown Dutch football team FC Twente. 2013 saw him launch the acclaimed Vandenberg’s MoonKings, releasing MoonKings [2014], MK II [2017], and Rugged and Unplugged [2018].
Vandenberg as a band roared back to life with the comeback LP, 2020. Among many highlights, “Freight Train” gathered 1.6 million Spotify streams, while the record attracted praise. In its wake, Vandenberg welcomed Mats [Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Yngwie Malmsteen] to the fold. “He’s an amazing singer,” notes Adrian. “I’d heard him online, and we got in touch. It’s funny because his mom brought the first two Vandenberg records back to Scandinavia from England when he was in his early twenties—and he was a fan. He’s a workaholic like me. We picked up after COVID and put the new album together. The spark is definitely there. On top of that, Koen and Randy lay down the most solid concrete, grooving foundation that I could ever wish for. I’d say it’s one notch heavier than 2020,” he smiles.
Recorded in Holland and Los Angeles with Marlette, Sin represents a natural evolution for Vandenberg. Scorching pinch harmonics light up the first single “House On Fire” as the groove underlines a chantable chorus from Mats. “In one way, it’s a party song, because it keeps you tapping your foot,” Adrian exclaims. “Mats added a different darker twist with his lyrics. It also envisions a person who’s frustrated about the things other people have. This person can’t control their anger and sets the place on fire.”
The energetic VELVET INSANE have truly become a band to reckon with on the Swedish and international rock scene. Hard touring, an endless driving force, collaborations with other artists and much more.
Today, 10 years ago, the band was founded when guitarist Jesper Lindgren met singer Jonas Eriksson for the first time and plans for an over the top Glamrock band were put into action.
This 10 year anniversary is celebrated with a new single from the upcoming album High Heeled Monster. The single, “Sweet As It Can Be” is a swinging party song with all the ingredients that an anthem by Velvet Insane has.
“The song is us and everything we are to. 100% both in lyrics and music. This is one of my personal favorites on the album: the lyrics, the powerful sax solo, the hooky chorus, the twangy guitars. It’s a great song to sum up 10 years.” – Jesper Lindgren
The 10 years have included tours that have taken the band around Europe, the USA, Japan and Australia.
Recordings, chart positions and musical meetings with well-known musicians such as Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Dregen & Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper), Jesper Binzer (D-A-D), Harpo and many more.
“Getting to travel the world, meet the Audience and do your thing is a great privilege. These 10 years have contained both ups and downs, member changes, weird situations, fantastic stories, incredible meetings musical and much, much more.
We truly love what we do and we look forward to many more years to come.”
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
