CULT OF LUNA have announced their new full-length album, The Long Road North, set for release on February 11th, 2022 on Metal Blade Records. The album marks as a follow-up to this years The Raging River EP, and prove that for over two decades, CULT OF LUNA have forged a sound that has grown incomparable to others – ambitious, epic, visceral, and drenched in emotion.
“The long road north is a long road home. A direction dictated by a call that penetrates rock and echoes through the forest,” states vocalist/guitarist Johannes Persson. “It flows over every lake, accelerated by the wind. When it reaches you, you know it’s time. Time to move forward. You don’t know where it will lead but you put the trust in it. With eyes raised towards the midnight sun it pulls you closer. The road is long and the end is uncertain.“
With 2019’s A Dawn To Fear,CULT OF LUNA delivered a career highpoint, and on 2021’s The Raging River EP, they continued on that journey, one that concludes with The Long Road North, which stands as one of their most dynamic and beautiful works to-date.
As soon as listeners hit play, they are in familiar yet refreshingly new CULT OF LUNA territory, the pulsating rhythms pummeling, and Persson’s savage roar tearing through the layers of guitar. As is the case with every album from the band in recent years, there is a lot of shifting of dynamics and sonic density, and perhaps more so than usual on The Long Road North. “It’s a big sounding album, almost cinematic,” the band states.
Recognized for their apocalyptic live performances that unrestrainedly explore the audience’s imagination, CULT OF LUNA will bring their stunning live show to fans just in time as The Long Road North hits shelves worldwide. Tickets are available at: cultofluna.com/tour
CULT OF LUNA – 2022 Tour Dates with ALCEST & SVALBARD 24/02/22 DK – Copenhagen – Vega 25/02/22 DE – Berlin – Huxley’s 26/02/22 PL – Krakow – Klub Studio 27/02/22 PL – Warsaw – Progresja 28/02/22 CZ – Prague – Roxy 01/03/22 AT – Vienna – Arena 02/03/22 SI – Ljubljana – Kino Siska 04/03/22 CH – Lausanne – Les Docks 05/03/22 DE – Stuttgart – Wizemann 06/03/22 DE – München – Muffathalle 07/03/22 DE – Wiesbaden – Schlachthof 08/03/22 DE – Münster – Skaters Palace 09/03/22 NL – Utrecht – Tivoli Vredenburg Ronda 10/03/22 BE – Kortrijk – Depart 11/03/22 FR – Paris – L’Olympia 12/03/22 UK – London – The Forum / Beyond The Redshift Festival
with CASPIAN & HOLY FAWN 02/10 – LU Esch, Rockhal 03/10 – DE Cologne, Live Music Hall 04/10 – CH Geneva, Alhambra 05/10 – FR Toulouse, Le Metronum 06/10 – FR Biarritz, Atabal 07/10 – ES Barcelona, AMFest 08/10 – ES Madrid, But 09/10 – ES Porto, Amplifest 11/10 – FR Nantes, Stereolux 12/10 – FR Lille, Aeronef 13/10 – FR Strasbourg, La Laiterie 14/10 – NL Zwolle, Hedon 15/10 – DE Leipzig, Felsenkeller 16/10 – PL Wroclaw, A2 17/10 – HU Budapest, Durer Kert 19/10 – GR Athens, Fuzz Club
Swedish Metal legends UNANIMATED have released another single from their upcoming album, ‘Victory in Blood’. The new track, “As the Night Takes Us”, comes off the band’s first studio effort in more than a decade, which will be released on December 3rd, 2021 via Century Media!
“As the Night Takes Us” is available now on digital + streaming platforms, and a lyric video for the single can be found HERE
Victory in Blood’ (Tracklist):
LP1
Side A
Victory in Blood (3:56)
Seven Mouths of Madness (3:30)
As The Night Takes Us (4:14)
The Devil Rides Out (3:13)
With a Cold Embrace (1:08)
Side B
Demon Pact (Mysterium Tremendum) (5:29)
XIII (6:12)
Scepter of Vengeance (3:58)
Chaos Ascends (2:00)
LP2
Side C
The Golden Dawn of Murder (4:20)
Divine Hunger (2:05)
The Poetry of the Scared Earth (6:58)
Satanic Lust (Cover) (only on Vinyl) (3:16)
Side D
Etching
The truly incredible artwork and layout was handled by none other than Daniele Valeriani (Mayhem, Triptykon, Behemoth, Dissection, etc. – just to name a few).
The vinyl version comes in a Ltd. Gatefold 180g. 2LP, with an Etching on Side D, Art Print, and 12-page LP-Booklet. This exclusive vinyl edition also includes a cover version of Brazilian metal legends Sarcófargo, which will be only available in this format. The CD version comes as a 6-panel Pocket Pac (eco-friendly enclosure) with a 12-page CD-Booklet. Also available as a digital album.
VOLTURIAN have released a video for the Roxette cover ‘Fading Like a Flower‘ – latest and final single taken from the debut album ‘Crimson’ (2020).
‘Fading Like a Flower’ is a tribute to the late Marie Fredriksson and her monumental work with the Swedish pop-rock giants.
With this heartfelt homage Volturian closes the successful ‘Crimson’ cycle and is pleased to announce that the recordings of the new album are on their way.
The second Volturian record is expected to be released in spring 2022.
“Weep When You Die” is the alcohol soaked, anthemic new single from Gothenburg’s leading exponents of Street Metal; HARDCORE SUPERSTAR!
Rejoicing in the enormous success and critical acclaim of their first two singles “Catch Me if You Can” and “Dreams in Red”, “Weep When You Die” is a booze soaked anthem described by the bands drummer ‘Adde’ as:
“Just another night at your local watering hole”
Evoking images of a smoke filled saloon, populated by rogues, outcasts and undesirables on the edge of society, “Weep When You Die” shrouds the listener with a hymn like opening before crashing into a pounding rhythm driven by Adde in harmony with bassist Martin Sandvik. Elevating the mood and creating the perfect platform for singer Jocke Berg to deliver his sermon urging people to “live for today” as guitarist Vic Zino conjures up the perfect balance of melody, riffs and scything lead work.
“Weep When You Die” is the third single from the bands highly anticipated new album “ABRAKADABRA” that is scheduled for release in March 2022.
TOUR DATES
November 2021 06 GÖTEBORG, Pustervik 12 UPPSALA, Katalin 13 ÖREBRO, Frimis Salonger 19 MOTALA, Harrys 20 BLOMSTERMÅLA, Folkets Hus 26 HELSINGBORG, The Tivoli 27 TORSHÄLLA, Saga Salongen
December 2021 03 VISBY, Donners 04 JÖNKÖPING, Fabriken 10 KARLSTAD, Nöjesfabriken 11 MORA, Lilla Helvetet 17 MALMÖ, KB 18 STOCKHOLM, Nalen
March 2022 25 VÄSTERÅS, O’Learys 26 ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Solberg
May 2022 20 STAVANGER, Folken 21 OSLO, Vulkan Arena
The great 2017 LIONHEART album “Second Nature” will be released world wide for the first time on 21.01. on Metalville Records. To mark this special event the album has been re-mastered to sound punchier than ever, and now also includes 2 bonus tracks!
In 2017 the album Second Nature hailed Lionheart’s triumphant return to the melodic rock music scene with a collection of powerful and memorable songs featuring the distinctive harmony vocals and harmony lead guitars for which Lionheart were so renowned.
The first Lionheart album to feature the extraordinary talent of Lee Small on lead vocal, Second Nature was released in Japan (on King Records) and Europe. Unfortunately in 2020 the European deal lapsed and the album disappeared from the market outside of Japan.
Now Metalville Records have stepped up to the plate and are releasing a repackaged version of the Second Nature album and, for the first time, globally.
To mark this special event the album has been re-mastered to sound punchier than ever, and now also includes 2 bonus tracks.
The release will also include the remarkable ‘Circle Of Bands’ chart by Tristan Greatrex which has been brought up to date and which was up to now only available in the Japanese release.
TRACK LISTING
Prelude Give me the Light Don’t Pay the Ferryman Angels with Dirty Faces 30 Years On Our Way Second Nature Prisoner Every Boy in Town Time is Watching Heartbeat Radio Lionheart Mary Did You Know (bonus track) Paperback Writer (bonus track) Reprise
LINE UP
Lee Small (lead vocals) – formerly lead vocalist with Shy and Phenomena Dennis Stratton (lead guitar/backing vocals) – formerly guitarist with Iron Maiden Steve Mann (lead guitar/backing vocals) – currently guitarist and keyboardist with Michael Schenker Rocky Newton (bass guitar/backing vocals) – formerly bass player and backing vocalist with McAuley Schenker Group Clive Edwards (drums, percussion) – formerly drummer with UFO, Wild Horses, and Uli Roth
Legendary bassist/vocalists REV JONES has teamed up with Metal Shock Finland to premiere exclusively his new music video ‘Lollygagging‘, taken from his new solo album, “In The Key of Z“, released worldwide on Dark Star Records on October 1st, 2021.
Watch the outstanding video ‘Lollygagging’, here:
For more than three decades REV JONES has been one of the most unique and sought-after bassist/vocalists in hard rock. For his two-handed tapping style and over-the-neck fingering technique BassPlayer.com says “has infused some of the biggest names in hard rock with his incredible energy and musicality”. His new solo album “In The Key of Z” was released worldwide on Dark Star Records on October 1st, 2021. “In The Key of Z” delivers an always- surprising salvo of the crushing riffs, smart songwriting, twisted sense of humor and face-melting, ass-kicking sonic boom that is Rev Jones.
Furthermore Metal Shock Finland‘s Tarja Virmakari had a pleasure to interview Rev Jones, talking about his new video, solo album, his two-handed tapping style and over-the-neck fingering technique and many more.
Hello Rev Jones, and welcome to Metal Shock Finland. Today we’ve a pleasure to premiere worldwide your new cool video ‘Lollygagging’, taken from your new solo effort “In The Key of Z”. Please tell us more about the song itself and the idea behind the video.
RJ: hello thanks for having me & my video here. One of my favorite movie scenes of all times is from “Blazing Saddles” where Burton Gilliam is yelling at the workers for “Lollygagging around like it’s 120 degrees”. So when I started working on my new album I decided I wanted to write a song called “Lollygagging”. I actually wrote the music first, I knew I wanted it to be a Boogie kind of groove with a busy riff but a lazy feel. I also thought it would be funnier if the drums, bass, guitar, & vocals were all the opposite of Lollygagging, meaning lots of notes. So I started working on the music which came almost immediately as did the lyrics. The song was complete in about 45 minutes. It was harder to stop laughing than it was to write it. I knew right away I had to do a video for it. After the album was complete I was out on tour and me & Shawn Berman (video director) started shooting footage. Like always we had no real story board plotted out, we just knew it had to represent all forms of laziness and it had to be humorous. I personally think Shawn did an awesome job creating exactly that. It came out perfect.
We could talk for days about your fabulous long career, but let’s focus on your highlights, what are your greatest memories and collaborations, so far?
RJ: I’ve had the pleasure of playing with so many great iconic musicians in my career that there are way too many memories/stories to mention. Here’s a couple of highlights.
I was always a big UFO & MSG fan and on the first Schenker tour I played on Pete Way was also on the tour, so he would join us onstage for the encore which was “Doctor Doctor”, so here I was onstage doing my Pete Way imitation next to Pete Way & Michael Schenker 2 of my heroes playing a song I grew up on. That’s one I’ll never forget.
Another great memory was in 2009 when I played the 40 year anniversary of Woodstock with Mountain. In the middle of our set Leslie West got married onstage. So there I was standing there onstage at Woodstock next to Corky Lange & Levon Helms watching Leslie West get married, and Levon kept whispering in my ear “I love your bass playing, you should come to our barn and jam with us sometime”. Then Leslie kissed his bride, Corky hit the cowbell, and Rev Jones flew into the air with his head spinning like a helicopter as we played Mississippi Queen.. WOW!
You’re famous for your two-handed tapping style and over-the-neck fingering technique, was it something that developed naturally or is it the result of studying and discovering different techniques?
RJ: A little of both. I’ve always been really into learning no matter what the subject might be, Wrestling, Martial Arts, Boxing, Baseball, Music, Music Production, everything I’ve ever been into I really deeply focused on learning & perfecting. So you add that side of it, along with my choice of musical influences, and I had no choice but to develop into what I have become. I liked all these great players that used 2 handed tapping styles like Tony Levin, Billy Sheehan, Emmitt Chapman, VanHalen, Randy Rhoads, so I automatically used those techniques in my playing right away. I was also really influenced by peoples onstage performances, people like Pete Way, Pete Townsend, Beatles, KISS, Alice Cooper, David Lee Roth, Peter Gabriel, Ritchie Blackmore, Chuck Berry, & Angus Young, they all had great stage presence that added so much to the music and made it exciting to watch. So that influenced the way I have always acted on stage, I always just assumed that you were supposed to show off & me entertaining onstage instead of standing there in one place bored. So that’s how my style developed and evolved into what I am now.
Your new solo album “In The Key of Z” came out a month ago, via Dark Star Records, including 12 face-melting songs with crushing riffs. What can you tell us about the songwriting process, topics and the inspiration behind the album?
RJ: well seeing that it was written & recorded during quarantine, there are a few lyrical inspired themes, but in more of a funny direction. The topics of the songs I write are never too overly serious, I think more of story telling than topics. One thing I always include in my songs is underlying humor, even if its a serious song I like to include some kind of humor. I think that comes from a mixture of my love of movies and Jim Croce songs. Every Jim Croce song has an underlying humor or a funny punchline to it, like “Bad Leroy Brown”, baddest man in the whole damn town, he gets his ass whipped at the end of the song, that’s awesome. Not saying that my songs are like Jim Croce, but that humor is definitely in all my songs.
Now musically when I write I have boundaries, if I like the way it sounds it becomes a song. Whether its Rock, Metal, Country, Pop, Jazz, or even Polka, if it sounds good & makes sense then its a Rev Jones song. I can write riffs all day long and piece stuff together, but if it doesn’t make sense musically to me, I don’t use it. When I think of albums that I loved growing up, the ones I always remember the most had no boundaries like Queen “Night At The Opera” or Judas Priest “Sad Wings Of Destiny” or Led Zep “4”, heavy songs, acoustic songs, piano songs, Good Songs that’s all that matters.
As for the inspiration behind the album, the thought of sharing my music with people and possibly inspiring some of them to create music, That’s my inspiration
How would you describe your musical sound and how it has changed in these past years?
RJ: Well I always think of my sound/style as just Rev Jones. I think there are elements of every style of music in there, it’s not really condemned to one category it just sounds like me.
We all know how Covid has changed our daily lives over the past 2 years, but is there anything we may have learned of this weird world situation?
RJ: Live life to its fullest, you never know what tomorrow brings or takes away.
What about your future plans, what will happen next in the Rev Jones -camp?
RJ: Well I’m currently out on tour with George Thorogood as his guitar tech, we are out for the rest of 2021 and about half of 2022. I’m currently trying to book some Rev Jones dates for the rest of 2022 with myself on bass/vocals, Jeff Martin on drums, and Jack Frost on guitar, nothing is set in stone yet but its in the works. I’ve also been asked to play bass on a possible 2022 tour with ex Black Sabbath singer Tony Martin, that all depends on what happens with COVID.
Now the word is yours, what is your message to our readers and your fans?
RJ: Please keep the music world alive. Go to concerts, buy albums, spread the word about music you love. The only thing that keeps music going is the fans, so its our job to keep it going. That being said please check out my new album “In The Key Of Z” and please like & follow me on my social media pages. Thanks to everyone out there. In the words of Jim Croce “If you dig it, do it. If you really dig it, do it twice”.
REV JONES’ new solo album, “In The Key of Z”, was released worldwide on Dark Star Records on October 1st, 2021. Order it at https://smarturl.it/Revjones.
Rev Jones – ”In The Key Of Z” Produced by Rev Jones Mixed by Shawn Berman Recorded at RevJonesBass Studio, Prairie Sun Recording Studio “Reptiles” “Dead With You” “Good Women That I’ve Stood By” music by Rev Jones , lyrics by Wade Williams & Rev Jones All other songs: music & lyrics by Rev Jones Front Cover Artwork by Bryan Stites All other Artwork by Rev Jones.
Rev Jones = Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Double Bass, Keyboards, Mandolin, Ukulele, Tamborine. Jeff Martin = Drums, Percussions. Lennon Jones = Speaking Voice, Laughing.
Guest Artists Michael T Ross (Lita Ford, Missing Persons, Hardline) = Keyboards track 2 Scott McClellan (Tony Martin) = Guitar Solo track 1 Jack Frost (Savatage, Seven Witches) = Guitar Solo track 2 Robby Lochner (Fight, Jack Russell’s Great White) = Guitar Solo track 3 Ira Black (Metal Church, Lizzy Borden) = Guitar Solo track 4 Tom Potter (Gundriver) = Guitar Solo track 5 Rowan Robertson (Diorites, Bang Tango) = Guitar Solo track 6 Uros Raskovski (Steelheart) = Guitar Solo track 7 Russ Parrish (Steel Panther, Fight) = Guitar Solo track 8 Bill Leverty (Firehouse) = Guitar Solo track 9 Jim Suhler (George Thorogood, Monkey Beat) = 1st Guitar Solo track 10 Paige Harwell (Reckless) = 2nd Guitar Solo & Fills track 10 Kristen Capolino (solo artist) = Guitar Solo track 11
Track Listing
Life In The Key Of Z – 4:24 Turning To Stone – 4:54 Truth Is A Conspiracy Theory – 5:18 1985 (Back In Black Again) – 4:25 Lollygagging – 4:06 Bad Gab (Covid19) – 4:50 U R Y I Breathe – 5:19 Reptiles – 5:11 Dead With You – 4:59 Silly Hillbilly Love Song – 5:10 Life Sure Is Funny – 4:12 Good Women That I’ve Stood By – 5:01
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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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 