2021 has been a fantastic year for HARDCORE SUPERSTAR with three singles released to critical acclaim, surpassing over 750,000 Spotify plays and 250,000 YouTube plays as well as the band playing sold out shows all across Sweden!
With 2022 now upon us, the band are building on this phenomenal success by kicking off the New Year with the release of their new single “Forever And A Day”, a stomping, attitude laden anthem about standing up for yourself and everything you believe in, that is destined to be both a live classic and an instant fan favourite!
There are many highlights on the horizon for HARDCORE SUPERSTAR in 2022, with a world tour being booked along with numerous festival appearances, including a return to the prestigious SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL… and let’s not forget the release of their highly anticipated new album “ABRAKADABRA” in March.
2022 is destined to be the year of HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, Catch Them If You Can!!!
The new MARILLION album, “An Hour Before It’s Dark”, to be released on March 4th, 2022. First single available now.
“An Hour Before It’s Dark” – Whether it’s the last hour you were allowed to play outside as a child before you had to go home, a reference to the fight against time in relation to the climate crisis or the last minutes in a person’s life, Marillion once again put their finger on the pulse of time. Be it social, political, or personal issues, Marillion have never minced words and have always found a way to combine them with their own unique sound, known for incredible songwriting, melodies and top-notch musicianship, while swimming against the tide, not bending to norms and limitations.
The first single “Be Hard On Yourself” from the upcoming album couldn’t be a better example of this. Listen to “Be Hard On Yourself” here: https://Marillion.lnk.to/BeHardOnYourself
“Despite the seemingly bleak contemplations across this album – the virus, our mortality, medical science, care, AND Leonard Cohen (ha ha) – the overall feeling of the music is surprisingly upbeat. I think the band are as on form as they ever were really, and the addition of Choir Noir has added another new soul and colour to things”
Like its predecessor, 2016’s critically acclaimed and chart-topping album “F*** Everyone And Run (F E A R)”, “An Hour Before It’s Dark” was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, which also provided the perfect backdrop for the carefully chosen selection of behind-the-scenes footage in form of a documentary on the making of the album and a performance of “Murder Machines” from Real World that will be released together with the album.
SCORPIONS have shared the title track for their new album Rock Believer. Listen here.
Commenting on the advance release of the title track of their latest album, due out on February 25, Klaus Meine, both singer and author of the lyrics, says, “Over the years, we’ve heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world that prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world. We’ll see you someday somewhere out there, because we’re Rock Believers, just like you.”
The song is a fundamental commitment to rock music, composed by a band in the style of their outstanding, globally successful recordings of the 1980s.
Meine says, “The new material sees us return to our roots. We simply wanted to reactivate the original SCORPIONS’ DNA — great riffs, strong melodies. We tried to transport that live feel to the studio with all five of us playing in one room again at last. Having Mikkey Dee in the band is like a shot of fresh energy and real fun.”
Due to the pandemic, the recording sessions planned in America had to be canceled and relocated to Germany.
Matthias Jabs says, “In a way, the situation was a blessing in disguise for us.” The band had already hired a studio in Los Angeles, but their plans were thwarted by fate. Instead, the musicians found themselves stuck at home, three of them only a stone’s throw away from the legendary Peppermint Park Studios in Hanover, and as soon as travel restrictions were relaxed, Pawel Maciwoda and Mikkey Dee were able to join them from Poland and Sweden respectively.
“And everything suddenly felt like it had back in the 1980s, when the five of us rocked together, hanging out at the corner pub in the evenings and talking about our music,” Jabs reminisces.
“We had already started to talk about a new album back in 2018,” recalls Rudolf Schenker.
The new single “Rock Believer” is the album’s exclamation mark and credo. The video will follow on January 18.
The spectacular single cover was designed by Klaus Voormann, Grammy winner (“Best Record Cover 1966“) and also creator of the artwork of the award-winning Beatles album Revolver.
In March and April 2022, the band are set to perform at the Planet Hollywood Resorts & Casino in Las Vegas as part of their residency, followed by a European tour scheduled to kick off with a number of shows in Germany in June 2022, with more concerts around the world in the pipeline.
Listen to the previously released “Peacemaker” here.
Alex Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of Rush, he’s been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there – taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is ENVY OF NONE.
The new band, also featuring Coney Hatch founder/bassist Andy Curran, accomplished producer and engineer Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, will be releasing their self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. Its 11 tracks – which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock – throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when singer Maiah Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is – by the admission of her own bandmates – what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making… “I sent over an early version of the song Shadow,” explains Andy Curran. “When I played what she’d done back to the others they were like, ‘Who is this crazy talented person?!’”
The album’s first single, Liar, is out now. Its industrial beats, driving fuzz bass and atmospheric guitars concoct a seductive swirl indeed – thrilling in ways closer to the darker art rock of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle than anything these musicians have been known for prior.
“Maiah became my muse,” continues Alex Lifeson. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like Liar and Look Inside. After hearing her vocals on Never Said I Love You, I felt so excited. I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!”
“One of my favourite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like Enemy, and then tracks like Kabul Blues, that sound completely different to anything else.”
The album closer, Western Sunset, which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honour a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him. “I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Alex Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
It’s a book you’ll almost certainly want to be reading. Envy Of None’s self-titled album is due for release on April 8 via Kscope.
Envy Of None track listing 1. Never Said I Love You [04:06] 2. Shadow [03:21] 3. Look Inside [04:44] 4. Liar [03:13] 5. Spy House [02:23] 6. Dog`s Life [04:36] 7. Kabul Blues [03:12] 8. Old Strings [05:15] 9. Dumb [04:19] 10. Enemy[04:16] 11. Western Sunset [02:25]
The album will be released on the following formats and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE
German Heavy Rock’n’Roller CROSSPLANE have signed a worldwide contract with the German record label El Puerto Records! A new album will be released on April 22, 2022, followed by an extensive tour with J.B.O.
Crossplane: „We are thrilled to start a new chapter with a new label. We are excited to work with the really dedicated people at El Puerto Records. Everybody seems to live and love music with every vene. The new album is done and deserves the best environment to be released. We feel that a great new team is born.”
Label founder Torsten Ihlenfeld explains: “We are absolutely stoked about the next addition to the El Puerto Records family! Metalheads, Rockers and Rollers – please welcome CROSSPLANE! You want your metal loud, dirty and with a maximum dose of Rock ‘n’ Roll, then CROSSPLANE is your bull’s-eye-shot, the cold beer after a hard day at work, the double whiskey-shot you start your weekend with – they are CROSSPLANE and they play Rock’n’Roll! Welcome aboard guys!”
«We’re CROSSPLANE and we play Rock ‘n‘ Roll!» So much for a ballsy announcement by these kerosin-oozing hellhounds of heavy sounds! Their touring/gig schedule is an impressive proof of this cocky confidence. The characteristic CROSSPLANE sound consists of rude Punk attitude, raw Rock, Metal chunks and a hefty helping of groove. Of course, the band’s whole recorded catalogue is brimming with these highly explosive ingredients – produced by Waldstreet & Denroad (Grip Inc., Sodom, Moonspell, to name a few) and frontman Marcel „Celli“ Mönnig for the most part. A tried and tested path that led them to Wacken in 2015!
The guys have included a first audio sample. There are story videos, performance videos, lyric videos, and many more. For two years there has been another category: the lockdown videos. Crossplane’s Message: Rock’n’Roll Will Never Die (on Youtube).
Line-Up: Marcel ‚Celli’ Mönnig – Vocals / Guitar Alexander ‚Alex’ Störmer / Guitar Andrew Barrett – Bass Guitar Mark ‚Bridgeman’ Brückmann – Drums
With the characteristic combination of folk tones, acoustic guitars and a singing voice that is both rough and fragile at the same time, MARTIN RUBASHOV paints cinematic sceneries for the listener of being a seeking wanderer in the deep forest of the Swedish forests of Hälsingland. In the distance, the sun falls through the pines that create a warm contrast against the dark trees. The ground is covered with cold muddy moss and the dew lies like unshaded smoke over lingonberry and uprooted trees. You hear the sound of something moving in the dark. Eyes are watching you vigilantly from the crowns of the trees and you can sense something or someone insidious through the light morning fog. The environment is timeless, as a world of your own imagination in a dull future dystopia, with a shimmering streak of hope twined as a golden thread in the dark web.
Big trees, massive mountains and deep waters are some of the factors that frequently lure Martin Rubashov into the forest. The tangible awareness of being a small part of something bigger helps him to stay close to the feeling of what is truly and authentic. In 2018, Martin Rubashov released his latest album ‘The Nature Script’. In 2020, Martin Rubashov returned with the single release ‘Lights of July’ featuring Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), the single was followed up with the singles ‘Goblin‘ (sept 24th) and ‘Pillars‘ (Nov 12th).
On January 21st, Martin Rubashov releases his fourth full-length album ‘Members of the Green Phlox‘. The upcoming album will be acoustic and dream-like with the sounds of nature weaved into the soundscape.
Martin Rubashov describes the album: “I started recording the album in the beginning of the pandemic and I had no clue of which direction I would go musically, but I felt that I wanted to collaborate with great talented people even if we couldn’t work together in the same studio. My parents have had a tableware at home for several years called “Green Phlox”, and I felt so strongly that I would like to sit in the woods with all the talented musicians that I collaborate with and drink a cup of coffee or two in that particular tableware. All the songs is about longing for nature, all the thoughts and memories and about nurturing what you have. The hunt to catch something you don’t really know if you need and that the hunt sometimes leads you back to yourself and your right elements.”
Martin continues: “The feeling of landing on a cold but inspiring and encouraging world, inside a warm pine forest.” He continues “I’ll use my twelve stringed guitar a lot more and I have written the majority of the material, I still haven’t left the forest and I’ll stay here when it comes to my music. I want to widen my view more. Wander deeper into the forest. Build sounds to connect the songs and record more of nature to tie into the lyrics that take place here.”
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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 ) 