DIO AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK Celebration to Honor RONNIE JAMES DIO’s 80th Birthday

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 29, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

RONNIE JAMES DIO would have turned 80 years old on July 10. To celebrate this historic day, the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood will host AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK, a special event for Dio family, friends, and fans, on July 7 from 7-9PM PT. The event will be open to the public with limited capacity. Click here for more details. 

AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK will be hosted by one of Dio’s dear friends, SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, who will spend the evening in conversation with some of Dio’s musical collaborators and friends, with a full list to be announced soon. The complete conversations will be featured in a special ‘Trunk Nation LA Invasion,’ airing on SiriusXM Volume (channel 106) on Friday, July 8th at 2pm ET, with replays over the weekend and available anytime on the SXM App. 

AT THE RAINBOW IN THE DARK also falls on the eve of Rhino’s release of Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition, an expansive 40-track boxed set of Dio’s classic debut that will be available the following day (July 8) in 4-CD and digital formats.

Additionally, the iconic Dio music videos from the album (“Holy Diver,” “Rainbow In The Dark,” “Stand Up And Shout”) have all been newly remaster and upgraded to HD. Click here to view now.

Among the greatest heavy metal singers of all time, Dio’s career spanned five decades, touched millions of fans and pioneered his signature “devil’s horns,” one of the most popular hand gestures in the world. Dio also provided vocals, lyrics, and melodies for some of the most iconic rock albums of all time with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, before establishing his own band Dio as a metal force with their 1983 debut Holy Diver.

The new Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition comes with two versions of the original album. The first is a new mix of the album made by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot). He used the original analog tapes to remix all nine tracks on the album. The second is a newly remastered version of the original 1983 mix. The Super Deluxe Edition also features unreleased live performances and outtakes, along with a selection of rarities from the era.  

In addition, Barresi’s new mix of Holy Diver will also be released on July 8 as a 2-LP set on 180-gram vinyl. It includes the original nine tracks, plus the 1983 B-side version of “Evil Eyes” as a bonus track. Side four is decorated with an etching of the legendary demon Murry that graces the album’s iconic cover. The vinyl is kept in a gatefold sleeve that shows off newly commissioned artwork by longtime Dio artist, Marc Sasso. The same artwork is also used for the 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition.

After departing Black Sabbath in early 1982, Dio began composing songs that would eventually appear on the album. After writing both “Holy Diver” and “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” Dio then assembled an amazing group of musicians, two familiar faces and one fresh recruit, with drummer Vinny Appice (Dio’s Black Sabbath bandmate), bassist/keyboardist Jimmy Bain (Dio’s Rainbow bandmate) and guitarist Vivian Campbell joining him to record the Holy Diver album.

In the illustrated liner notes that accompany the Super Deluxe Edition, music journalist Mick Wall shares the album’s creation story, including the making of its crown jewel, “Rainbow In The Dark.”

Holy Diver: Super Deluxe Edition goes beyond the original album with a previously unreleased recording of the quartet performing live in 1983 at Selland Arena in Fresno, California during the Holy Diver Tour. Wyn Davis mixed the concert recording, which spotlights live versions of songs from Holy Diver (“Stand Up And Shout” and “Rainbow In The Dark”), Rainbow classics (“Man On The Silver Mountain” and “Starstruck”), and Sabbath staples, (“Children Of The Sea” and “Heaven And Hell.”)

The Super Deluxe Edition also revisits the Holy Diver recording sessions to uncover unreleased outtakes for several album cuts, including unheard takes for “Invisible,” “Straight Through The Heart,” and a version of “Rainbow In The Dark” that boasts an alternative guitar solo. There’s also an early version of “Evil Eyes,” a song that would resurface on Dio’s 1984 follow-up album, The Last in Line. A selection of rarities rounds out the new collection with mono and stereo 7” single edits for “Rainbow In The Dark” and a version of “Evil Eyes” that was released in 1983 as the B-side to “Holy Diver.”

HOLY DIVER: SUPER DELUXE EDITION
CD Track Listing

CD1: Holy Diver (2022 Joe Barresi Mix) *
CD2: Holy Diver (2022 Remaster)

  1. “Stand Up And Shout”
  2. “Holy Diver”
  3. “Gypsy”
  4. “Caught In The Middle”
  5. “Don’t Talk To Strangers”
  6. “Straight Through The Heart”
  7. “Invisible”
  8. “Rainbow In The Dark”
  9. “Shame On The Night”

CD3: Live at Selland Arena, Fresno, CA, 1983 

  1. Intro *
  2. “Stand Up And Shout” *
  3. “Straight Through The Heart” *
  4. “Shame On The Night” *
  5. “Children Of The Sea” *
  6. “Holy Diver” *
  7. “Heaven And Hell” – including guitar solo *
  8. “Rainbow In The Dark” *
  9. “Man On The Silver Mountain” *
  10. “Starstuck” *
  11. “Man On The Silver Mountain” – reprise *
  12. “Don’t Talk To Strangers” *

CD4: Outtakes, Singles & B-Sides
Tracks 1-7 unreleased

  1. “Evil Eyes” – Wyn Davis remix *
  2. “Don’t Talk To Strangers” – Take 1 (Joe Barresi mix) *
  3. “Invisible” – Take 1 (Joe Barresi mix) *
  4. “Invisible” – Take 3 (Joe Barresi mix) *
  5. “Rainbow In The Dark” – Alternative Guitar Solo Version (Joe Barresi mix) *
  6. “Straight Through The Heart” – Take 2 (Joe Barresi mix) *
  7. “Straight Through The Heart” – Take 3 (Joe Barresi mix)*
  8. “Rainbow In The Dark” – 7” Mono Edit
  9. “Evil Eyes” – 1983 Version. B-Side of “Holy Diver”
  10. “Rainbow In The Dark” – 7” Stereo Edit

* previously unreleased

HOLY DIVER: 2022 Joe Barresi Mix
2-LP Clear Vinyl Track Listing

LP1: Side One

  1. “Stand Up And Shout”
  2. “Holy Diver”
  3. “Gypsy”
  4. “Caught In The Middle”

LP1: Side Two

  1. “Don’t Talk To Strangers”
  2. “Straight Through The Heart”
  3. “Invisible”

LP2: Side One

  1. “Rainbow In The Dark”
  2. “Shame On The Night”

Bonus Track

  1. “Evil Eyes” – 1983 Version. B-Side of “Holy Diver”

LP2: Side Two
Etching

ERJA LYYTINEN Announces “Waiting For The Daylight” Album, ‘Bad Seed’ Single + Music Video Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 29, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Finnish blues-rock slide guitarist and singer songwriter ERJA LYYTINEN will release her ninth studio album Waiting for the Daylight on Tuohi Records on Friday October 7th 2022. Featuring nine original songs, the highly anticipated new album is available to pre-order from https://erjalyytinen.com/waiting-for-the-daylight.

The first single from the album Bad Seed is released today, Wednesday 29th June 2022, and is available to buy and stream from https://ffm.to/pjjq61y.

For musicians, the last two years have been a period of reflection and soul searching. What to do with oneself in the absence of life on the road? And would live music ever be able to return to the way it was pre-pandemic? Artists and music fans alike waited for that glimmer of hope and the return of some semblance of normality. Written largely during the pandemic era Erja Lyytinen’s new studio album Waiting For The Daylight encapsulates these emotions.

With time on her hands, Lyytinen was able to pause, dig deep and fully process her feelings. Some of which she had been carrying for a long time. This journey of self-exploration proved to be a source of inspiration for the artist’s latest offering. Carrying on from the gifted guitarist’s last two studio albums, Stolen Hearts, and Another World, respectively, Lyytinen continues to explore themes such as love, loss, heartbreak, and sometimes even revenge. Events transpiring around the world occasionally fed into the storyboard of Lyytinen’s song writing.

The album was recorded during the first half of 2022, between Erja’s hectic touring schedule, with the bulk of the sessions taking place at The Hollywood House in Helsinki, Finland. Lyytinen was joined in the studio by long-standing bass player Tatu Back and drummer Iiro Laitinen. Having played on every one of Lyytinen’s albums since 2008, Harri Taittonen features once again on Hammond and keyboard.

Waiting For The Daylight illustrates a new chapter in Erja’s musical and artistic trajectory. The album was proudly produced by Lyytinen herself. Subsequently, Erja simultaneously explored sounds on the periphery of the blues-rock genre. She fearlessly pushed herself and the band further than previously before. 

During her formative years, Erja was schooled on the sounds of the 60s and 70s by her mother, and with her latest offering, she pays homage to rock greats such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heap. With its heavy groove, atmospheric textures, and passionate delivery the title track is a testament to this. The song Waiting For The Daylight also features perhaps one of the artist’s most mesmerising and emotive solos to date. Lyytinen further showcases her chops during the album’s hook-laden opening number and lead single, Bad Seed.

The artist pours her heart and soul into the cathartic number Last Girl. Erja describes the latter a cross between Satriani meets Iron Maiden. Says Erja, “The song talks about bullying in schools and how you can be left out of a friendship group. I always put something of my own in the songs as well, so it became a very important song on many levels.”

Just as the title dictates, at approximately seven minutes long, The End of Music concludes the release to great effect. “The song talks about missing being back on stage and the audience, as many of us musicians did during the pandemic,” explains Erja.

For Erja and her fans alike, the new studio album and her return to touring the UK is worth the wait. 

TRACK LISTING

Bad Seed (5:13)
Last Girl (5:28)
Run Away (5:00)
Waiting For The Daylight (6:12)
Never Really Had You (5:15)
Diamonds On The Road (4:25)
You Talk Dirty (6:17)
Love Bites (3:58)
The End of Music (6:55)

LINE-UP

Erja Lyytinen – Vocals, Guitars, Violin, Keyboards
Harri Taittonen – Keyboards, Hammond
Tatu Back – Bass
Iiro Laitinen – Drums

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Recorded and mixed by Matias Kiiveri at Hollywood House in Helsinki Finland 2022
Guitars and vocals recorded at Sniper´s Studio by Erja Lyytinen
Solo guitars for Track 6 recorded at E-Studio, Sipoo Finland by Lauri Hämäläinen
Assefa Abdissa percussion (on Diamonds on The Road)
Mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers

Produced by Erja Lyytinen
Executive producer Erja Lyytinen for Bluesland Productions
Photographer and digital design by Antti Karppinen, Alias Creative
Graphic design by Jan Yrlund, Darkgrove Design

All songs, lyrics, and music by Erja Lyytinen
Record label: Tuohi Records

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK

BAD SEED
I wanted to make a track that you could dance to. This track has a fat groove and instantly makes you want to move. In the solos, two guitars vary. A regular guitar and a slide guitar have a conversation. It’s one of my favourites on the album and our first single release.

LAST GIRL
This song features my most developed and well-rehearsed guitar chops! Perhaps you could say it’s like Joe Satriani meets Iron Maiden. I wanted this song to be like one of those 80´s guitar hero songs, and I pushed myself to play differently. It is a very up-tempo song with a lot of intensity and funky elements. The song talks about bullying in schools and how you can be left out of a friendship group. I always put something of my own in the songs as well, so it became a very important song on many levels.

RUN AWAY
One day I was playing with my new guitar and the melodic guitar part on the song started to form. In the choruses, it turns into a rock/pop song. It was cool to write a slide solo on this one.

WAITING FOR THE DAYLIGHT
This song has a deep meaning to me, as I have lost a few friends to long term illnesses. In the song, I am describing how a lovely creature comes to you, taking you sweetly away from your earthly pains on your last day. There´s a huge guitar solo on this track which grows towards the end with a guitar harmony accompanying the lead guitar. I was trying to express the deep story through this grandioso solo and big backing vocals in the end.

NEVER REALLY HAD YOU
This is a heart-breaking blues ballad about long lost love. It starts from a small and growing track to a big number. It’s one of those songs that brings a tear to your eye.

DIAMONDS ON THE ROAD
This is one of the bluesiest songs on the album! It paints a picture of a single Mom taking care of their child, where their man has gone out to play with another woman. Mom is planning a little revenge and goes out to confront the bad weather. The song speeds up towards the end as she is determined to reach her goal following the diamonds on the road like Hans and Gretel in the forest. There is lots of crazy slide guitar on this one.

YOU TALK DIRTY
This song was originally released for the first time 20 years ago on my first recording. I thought the song had potential, so we made a new arrangement for it, and it became quite a tough number on the album. I have always liked War Pigs by Black Sabbath and this song has similar elements. In the intro through using Whammy, I vary between C and D major chords to create this moaning effect.

LOVE BITES
This is a story about love, or how the lack of it makes you feel physically uncomfortable. It gets into your skin, and it makes you feel like you never want to fall in love again, as illustrated in the first verse. This could be a Ray Charles song with a punky attitude. I also wrote violin parts for the song and the C-part has a bit of a Tori Amos vibe, with a grand piano playing expressively in the background.

THE END OF MUSIC
This song has a southern rock vibe. My band and I played this one live in the studio. It is probably the earthiest song on the album. It’s very relaxed and a perfect ender for the album. The song talks about missing being back on stage performing in front of an audience. It could also be about missing your love, how love ends and because of that, how the melody and music ends, too. 

TOBIAS SAMMET´s AVANTASIA Announce New Studio Album “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 29, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Credits: Kevin Nixon

Tobias Sammet is back , with passion, magnificient energy and a musical monument with epical deepness. A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society marks AVANTASIA’s ninth album and will be released on October 21st, 2022 via Nuclear Blast.

Pure magic, fascinating the listeners with the artistry combined of Metal, Classic Rock  and any other ingredient that is required to be AVANTASIA. No one puts more lifeblood into their songs than AVANTASIA does.  

Tobias Sammet about the new album:

“From the first song ideas back in 2018 / 2019 to the production, orchestration, keyboards, arrangements, details, I have been personally involved so deeply in every little aspect and detail of this album, that you can’t get an album any more personal or closer to my vision than this one. I had the time, nothing else to do in the past two and a half years, it was a slow movement life with music and my Mysteryhausen studio serving as a portal to another world, full of music and quirky encounters with my muses keeping me sane and hopeful. I am super proud of the album, some of my best songs, some of my most emotional and extreme vocal performances, some of the strongest guest performances ever. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome and when you’ll hear it, you will know why!”

A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society is presenting eleven magical and powerful songs featuring numerous prestigious guest stars. An adventure that captivates the audience with freshness, briskness, sophistication and enchantment.

Get a first taste in watching the lyric video of the first single taken from the upcoming new album „The Wicked Rule The Night“  featuring PRIMAL FEAR front man, Ralf Scheepers.

The album was produced by Tobias Sammet with AVANTASIA guitar player Sascha Paeth. Artwork of the cover was done by Swedish illustrator Alexander Jansson.

A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society Track listing:
1. Welcome to the Shadows
2. The Wicked Rule the Night
3. Kill the Pain Away
4. The Inmost Light
5. Misplaced among the Angels
6. I Tame the Storm
7. Paper Plane
8. The Moonflower Society
9. Rhyme and Reason
10. Scars
11. Arabesque
Playing time: 53:58min

AVANTASIA live

24.06. ES Cartagena – Rock Imperium Festival 
30.06. ES Barcelona – Rock Fest
08.07. FI Tampere – Sauna Open Air 
09.07. FI Oulu – Rock in the City 
11.07. NO Oslo – Sentrum Scene 
13.07. SE Gävle – Gefle Metal Festival 
21.07. DE Fulda – Domplatz 
23.07. CH Pratteln – Z7 Summer Nights 
03.08. DE Wacken – Wacken Open Air 
04.08. DE Ludwigsburg – KSK Music Open 
19.08. CZ Moravsky Krumlov – Rock Castle 
26.08. DE Coburg – Schlossplatz 
03.09. DE Gelsenkirchen – Nine Lives Open Air Festival 

ENTHEOS Announce July / August Tour Dates with OCEANO

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 28, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

ENTHEOS will support Oceano on a short run of live dates this Summer. The nine-date journey runs from July 29th in West Chicago, Illinois through August 7th in Columbus, Ohio. Additional support will be provided by Worm Shepherd. Find tickets HERE. See all confirmed dates below.

ENTHEOS w/ Oceano, Worm Shepherd:
7/29/2022 WC Social Club – West Chicago, IL
7/30/2022 Skyway Theater – Minneapolis, MN
7/31/2022 Emerson Theater – Indianapolis, IN
8/02/2022 Cafe 611 – Frederick, MD
8/03/2022 Preserving Underground – Pittsburgh, PA
8/04/2022 Empire Underground – Albany, NY
8/05/2022 The L – Horseheads, NY
8/06/2022 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
8/07/2022 Ace of Cups – Columbus, OH

Originally formed in 2015, since 2020, ENTHEOS‘ lineup has been stripped down to core founding members drummer Navene Koperweis (Fleshwrought, ex-Animals As Leaders) – who has now also taken on guitar duties – and vocalist Chaney Crabb, and they’ve never been more vital. Armed with a sound that amalgamates death metal, groove, grunge, electronica, slam, gothic rock, jazz, prog and more, they are a wholly unpredictable beast that has evolved over the course of their career.

The progressive death metal genre is a diverse movement, but even within this, ENTHEOS stands out as a unique entity. Taking their name from a Greek word that translates to “the god within,” the band’s philosophy can be drawn from its meaning. “The English word ‘enthusiasm’ is derived from this word. We chose this name originally because of both the enthusiasm that we felt for embarking on this new journey as a band and our collective belief in ‘the god within’ – the idea that reality manifests itself from within us.” Their debut EP Primal was dropped in 2015, first full-length The Infinite Nothing following in 2016, with their most recent release – 2017’s more progressive-oriented Dark Future – being their deepest and darkest record, lyrically influenced by the suicide of a close friend of Crabb’s. In support of these records, the band has toured with the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Veil Of Maya, Revocation, The Contortionist, Intronaut, Goatwhore, Between The Buried And Me, and many more, building a steady following and carving out a niche for themselves.

The band has completed work on their Metal Blade debut, produced by the band’s Navene Koperweis.The album is currently being mixed by Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, Nile) with more info to be revealed in the weeks to come. In the meantime, fans can watch a teaser video from Navene Koperweis and Chaney Crabb now at: youtu.be/pQ7hWWMiQJk

DEVIN TOWNSEND Reveals “Lightwork” Release Date & Cover + New UK Dates for Rescheduled ‘Lightwork Tour’ 2023

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 28, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend

DEVIN TOWNSEND and InsideOut Music are very pleased to announce that the new studio album ‘Lightwork’, produced by Devin and Gggarth Richardson (Biffy Clyro, Rage Against The Machine), will be released on October 28th, 2022. The front cover artwork was designed by long-time friend and designer Travis Smith.

The album will be accompanied by a companion record called ‘Nightwork’, available as part of the limited-edition versions of the release. More details on the formats will follow in the coming months, along with pre-order details.

Devin is also pleased to announce the addition of no less than seven UK shows as part of the rescheduled European Lightwork Tour 2023:

March 28th – Bexhill-on-Sea, De La Warr Pavilion
March 29th – Bristol, Academy
March 31st – Manchester, Academy
April 1st – Nottingham, Rock City
April 2nd – Newcastle, University
April 4th – Wolves, KK’s Steel Mill
April 5th – Norwich, UEA

Watch a trailer for the upcoming tour, including a sneak peek at some new music, HERE.

Tickets already purchased will remain valid on the new dates.
Tickets for the “Lightwork Tour 2023” are now on sale and available at: www.hevydevy.com/tourdates 

KING’S X Announce First New Studio Album in 14 Years “Three Sides Of One”, Launch New Single ‘Let It Rain’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on June 28, 2022
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

The legendary KING’S X, comprised of Dug Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, are pleased to announce the release of their 13th studio album ‘Three Sides of One’ on the 2nd September 2022. With the announcement comes the first new music from the band in 14 years, with the release of the album’s heavy first single ‘Let It Rain’. Listen to the track here. 

During 2019, the members congregated at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, CA with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin to bring ‘Three Sides of One’ to life. Despite consistent touring, they hadn’t cut a new LP since 2008. Nevertheless, the guys picked up where they left off. Creative confidant and collaborator Wally Farkas rolled through, and they channelled their incredible chemistry on tape.

‘Three Sides of One’ will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork.

Pre-order here.