Swedish glam rockers VELVET INSANE, together with Rasmus Harnesk, have launched a charity project SAVE THE NOIZE. The single will be released 23/4 digital, and you can pre-save it here: https://orcd.co/save-the-noize
The project is in benefit of the “Musikerförbundets” crisis foundation and involves some of the biggest nordic artists within the genre of rock & hardrock, coming together to record a song where all the income goes to the previously named foundation. The idea was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has stricken hard against everybody, not to say the least against musicians in Sweden and around the world.
SAVE THE NOIZE is a modern and socially relevant hardrock song. A big refrain, catchy melody and power, is the focus to give the feeling of musicians and culture creators in Sweden as well as around the world, coming together for a common cause. To support and help each other. Listen and make a difference! – Velvet Insane
Line-up: Jesper Binzer (D-A-D) Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper, Solo, Roxie 77, Casablanca) Guernica Mancini & Majsan Lindberg (Thundermother) Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) Åge Sten Nilsen (WigWam, Solo, Ammunition) Peo Thyrén (Noice, Easy Action, Sha-boom) Martin Sweet (Crashdiet, Sweet Creature) Tony Harnell (Solo, Starbreaker, Lovekillers, Westworld, TNT) Nina Söderquist – (Solo, Heartwind) Georg Härnsten Egg (Dynazty, Joe Lynn Turner) Marcus Berggren Jimmy Strimell (Ex. Dead By April) Love Magnusson (Dynazty, Joe Lynn Turner) Matti Alfonzetti (Skintrade) Scarlet Eric “Cat Casino” Bäckman (Deathstars) Olof Wikstrand (Enforcer) Danny Rexon (Crazy Lixx) Dag “Hell” Hofer (Bullet) Jens Westin (Corroded) Trond Holter (Wig Wam, Jorn) Wildness Rasmus Harnesk Wiklund & Jens Werner (Veritas) Mikael Blanc (Degreed)
American blackened death metal icons PESSIMIST (ft. Kelly McLauchlin of POSSESSED, I AM MORBID, etc.) will be issuing their first three albums on vinyl for the first time ever! ‘Cult of the Initiated,’ (1997) ‘Blood for the Gods,’ (1999) and ‘Slaughtering the Faithful’ (2002) will all contain never-before-heard bonus tracks and other extras as well, such as new layouts and rare, archival band photos. The release dates are as follows:
‘Cult of Initiated’ – Due on May 14, 2021 ‘Blood for the Gods’ – Due on June 11, 2021 ‘Slaughtering the Faithful’ – Due on July 16, 2021
Founding member and guitarist Kelly Mclaughin comments, “About the reissues, there is so much to say – the albums sound amazing! They have all been remastered, and it’s the best they have ever sounded. ‘Cult’ features completely new artwork, and will be a 25th-Anniversary release. Each reissue includes previously-unreleased bonus tracks, even the song order has been updated. All the reissues feature new layouts, rare and never-before seen band pics from early eras of the band. Some will be surprised to see our newly-revamped Pessimist logo, as well. Everything has been done to make these reissues something really cool and special for the fans, and absolutely the best they can be.”
One of the premiere bands to emerge out of the early Baltimore, MD death metal scene, with their 1993 demo Dark Reality, PESSIMIST played their first shows opening for national acts Incantation, Deicide, and Malevolent Creation. In 1995, the band self-released the EP Absence of Light on cassette and landed gigs opening for Testament, Forbidden, Suffocation, and Napalm Death.
In 1997 PESSIMIST signed to Lost Disciple Records and released their debut CD Cult of the Initiated, which charted on CMJ Top 40 Loud Rock Charts, and received acclaim from around the world. The band continued to play shows in the Mid-Atlantic region, opening for Cryptopsy, Nile, Gorguts, Dying Fetus, Vader, Monstrosity, and festival appearances at Milwaukee Metalfest XII, New England Metal and Hardcore Fest – and the band’s first European tour with Fleshless (Cz) in 1999.
PESSIMIST released their second CD, Blood For the Gods, in 1999, which soared into the CMJ Top 30 and received the prestigious “Pick of the Issue.. 10 Fucking Skulls” in SOD Magazine. PESSIMIST became recognized for their unique brand of brutal and technical Black/Death Metal, with old-school thrash influences, an emphasis on quality songwriting, powerful live shows and a dark, evil sound.
In 2001, the band traveled to Tampa, FL to record with producer Erik Rutan, for their third CD, Slaughtering the Faithful, which featured a re-vamped lineup and a faster, more extreme musical direction. More shows followed with Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, Krisiun, Immolation, Cannibal Corpse, Dark Funeral, festival appearances at March Metal Meltdown, New England Metal and Hardcore Fest, and November to Dismember.
PESSIMIST returned in 2008 with the Evolution Unto Evil CD, a compilation of rare/live demo recordings and tributes to Kreator, Death, Megadeth, and Possessed, which was co-released on Pathos Prod and Deathgasm Recs. This was followed by appearances at New England Deathfest and Hostile City Deathfest. In 2009, the band returned to Europe for their second European tour with label-mates Pandemia (CZ).
In between downtime with the band, founder/guitarist Kelly McLauchlin had also been a member of bands such as UNHOLY GHOST, DIABOLIC, filled in live with ANGELCORPSE, and had later joined Death Metal legends POSSESSED, touring with the band from 2011-2013.
In 2018, PESSIMIST returned to the stage at Maryland Deathfest, headlining Las Vegas Deathfest, Rage of Armageddon Fest (NY), and Ruinfest (CA), and in 2019 released a new single, Keys to the Underworld, which featured studio drummer Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Suffocation) and bassist Kelly Conlon (Monstrosity, Death).
Now, in their latest incarnation, the current PESSIMIST lineup includes founder/guitarist Kelly McLauchlin (I Am Morbid, Possessed, etc.), new bassist recruit Andrew Bowen (Carnal Necrosis) ,and vocalist Ivan Alison aka “The Evil One” (Black Mass).
The band is currently writing music for the next full-length album, Keys to the Underworld.
After recently signing with Napalm Records and Napalm Events, German based melodic death metal unit HIRAES is set to drop its first sonic monster with ultimate strength: Their long-awaited, phenomenal debut offering, Solitary, will be released on June 25, 2021 via Napalm Records.
HIRAES impressively combines the full force of all four instrumentalists formerly of DAWN OF DISEASE (Lukas Kerk, Oliver Kirchner, Christian Wösten and Mathias Blässe) with the powerful vocals of Britta Görtz (CRITICAL MESS, Ex-CRIPPER) to create an exciting new melodic death emergence. Brutally rising like a thunderous maelstrom comprised of boisterous riffs and blaring, relentless drums, and backed by massive vocals and a chorus that causes goosebumps with its heavy and meaningful lyricism, today, the five-piece has unleashed the furious first single “Under Fire”. Together with a highly explosive official music video, HIRAES is ready to take their monumental sonic attack out into the world.
HIRAES on the new single: “We are more than proud to finally present you our first single. “Under Fire” is a monumental melodic death metal neckbreaker that combines a mixture of very different elements of our music: from catchy and melodic-melancholic parts to groovy headbang passages and fast up-tempo drumming – there’s something for everyone here. Together with the very cool video, “Under Fire” is guaranteed to blow you away!”
HIRAES already established its own remarkable identity built upon a smashing femme vocal attack, intense melodies and charging guitars, led by guitarist Lukas Kerk as main songwriter. An atmospheric, instrumental intro introduces the album opener “Shadows Break”, whilst showcasing the impressive vocal onslaught of seasoned frontwoman Britta Görtz shortly after. “Grain Of Sand” sets the next exclamation mark while delivering an unrelenting attack of smashing riffs along with an inexorable vocal performance, followed by standouts such as brutal “1000 Lights”, razor-sharp “Eyes Over Black’‘ and fast-twitching title-track “Solitary”, proving that HIRAES don’t decelerate for a second.
This massive melodic death metal assault leaves no scope for weakness and serves an exciting take on the genre with hymnlike melodies, enthralling drums and guitar riffing as well as breathtaking hooklines. Topped with the distinctive and versatile performance of Britta Görtz, this powerful new formation and its debut, Solitary, is a must have for fans of bands like INSOMNIUM, AT THE GATES, ARCH ENEMY and AMON AMARTH.
HIRAES say about the album: “Our debut album Solitary is the result of the collaboration of five musicians who burn with passion for melodic death metal. With its incredible emotional energy, it will captivate fans of the genre in no time. Hymn-like melodies and catchy riffing meet versatile drumming and the very varied growls of our singer Britta. The result is a unique blend of the best that melodic death metal has to offer. Rounded off by stunning sound, refined at Fascination Street Studios under the direction of Jens Bogren, and strong artwork by Costin Chioreanu, we are really more than satisfied with our first album. We can’t wait to finally present Solitary to the metal community on June 25, 2021!”
Solitary Tracklisting: 1. Shadows Break 2. Under Fire 3. Grain Of Sand 4. 1000 Lights 5. Eyes Over Black 6. Outshine 7. Solitary 8. Strangers 9. Running Out Of Time
Napalm Records is beyond proud to join forces with Germany’s hottest and most explosive thrash metal engine, DESTRUCTION! The band has signed a worldwide record deal with the premier rock and metal label and is set to release new music later this year.
Since their debut EP, Sentence Of Death (1984), the German foursome with legendary founding members Marcel “Schmier” Schirmer on vocals/bass and Michael Sifringer on guitars, DESTRUCTION have turned heads and broken necks with their incredibly honest and uncompromising thrash metal power. Starting as a trio and releasing an imposing amount of records in this constellation, for their latest energizing and most successful, chart-breaking output to date, Born To Perish (2019), these pioneering favorites transformed into a quartet to fuel the furious beast with highly energetic riffs and blasting drums even more!
United with insanely talented Randy Black (drums) and Damir Eskić (lead guitars), and teaming up with Napalm Records, DESTRUCTION will embark on the next heavy and always thrashing chapter of a yet impressive career. New exciting things to come very soon – stay tuned!
DESTRUCTION’s Schmier on the signing: “Well, this decision was a long way coming! We are super excited to join the Napalm family, because I have been a fan of the label and their philosophy for a long time. I’ve followed their impressive history and great work for many years and have recommended Napalm Records to other bands and friends before. So now it was finally time for us to move on and be a part of their roster of fantastic artists. A strong and fresh partner for these crucial years of our career is an important step for us!
We were using the time well to prepare new releases for our faithful fans worldwide, more news about that very soon!”
Napalm Records A&R Sebastian Muench states: “I am absolutely excited to work with such a legendary band as DESTRUCTION! I watched them play live in Frankfurt when I was 14 years old, and now working together as a team on new album releases is a dream come true! Welcome to the Napalm family!”
Guitar virtuoso PAUL GILBERT will release his brand-new album, Werewolves of Portland, on 4 June 2021 via The Players Club.
Check out the new song ‘A Thunderous Ovation Shook the Columns’ from the album, here:
Paul Gilbert: “I also wrote not one, but TWO songs about the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich. One is ‘A Thunderous Ovation Shook the Columns’, which is a line that I saw when I was reading about the audience’s reaction to the debut performance of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony. They liked his symphony! So, fortunately, did Joseph Stalin, who had made no secret that he did NOT approve of some of Shostakovich’s earlier music, and that he’d better write something more pro-state, or be sent off to a ‘work’ camp in Siberia. In these days of culture battles, I thought, today’s cancel-culture people still have nothing on Stalin.”
Track list
Hello North Dakota!
My Goodness
Werewolves of Portland
Professorship of the LeningradConservatory
Argument About Pie
Meaningful
I Wanna Cry (Even Though I Ain’t Sad)
A Thunderous Ovation Shook The Columns
Problem-Solving People
(You Would Not Be Able To Handle) What I Handle Everyday
Gilbert is a formidable force. From his time in LA metallers Racer X to helping form Mr. Big, one of the era’s most revered names. His distinguished solo career has seen him putting out 15 acclaimed records and has been asked to guest on albums from such diverse names as Todd Rundgren, Bowling For Soup, Glenn Hughes and MC Lars. He also toured with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in 2007 (G3) and two years later with Richie Kotzen and George Lynch (Guitar Generation). This is not to mention a lengthy tenure as a much-in-demand teacher and instructor. This began when he was still a teenager, being hired in 1985 by the prestigious Guitar Institute Of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles.
Legendary producer Max Norman was interviewed live on The Metal Voice on April 13 2021. Norman discussed his Ozzy Osbourne album productions (Blizzard of Ozz, Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon, Speak of the Devil and Tribute) in detail.
Also during the interview Max Norman spoke about his work on the Lita Ford’s new Album, ” I’m actually doing Lita Ford’s new record right now. Occasionally I do some interviews and I asked her if it is ok to talk about it and she said ok just don’t tell them the title. The album sounds really great, it is a very modern sound and a whole concept thing and I think everyone is going to enjoy it, it’s actually really good. All kudos to her she has been making it for a few years now. I am just at the fourth mix right now. The album is a pretty enclosed concept. The style is pretty modern but they do quite a lot of guitar harmony stuff. It’s a pretty modern sound, it’s not like an old school thing. This is a new kind of sound for me, the drums are very new. I always very pleased when I hear mature artists like Lita coming out with fresh music. Sonically it is pretty amazing. “
In 2019, Lita told Neil Turbin from The Metal Voice that her new album will include a song called “Monsters”, which was inspired by infamous cult leaders like Charles Manson and David Koresh. “It’s just really dark and nasty stuff — brainwashing people and all the stuff [Koresh] did, and got all those people to drink Kool-Aid,” she said. “But then again, it could be someone like your attorney, or it could be someone like your mom who is the monster in your life. It could be your manager. You never know who the monster in your life is gonna turn out to be.”
Ford’s last release was 2016’s “Time Capsule”, a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.
Some of Max Norman most notable Production and Engineering credits include
Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Diary of a Madman (1981), Speak of the Devil (1982), Bark at the Moon (1983), Tribute (1987) Y&T – Black Tiger (1982) Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction (1992), Youthanasia (1994), Hidden Treasures (1995) Coney Hatch – Outta Hand (1983), Friction (1985), Best of Three (1992) Savatage -Power of the Night (1985) Grim Reaper – Rock You to Hell (1987) Loudness – Thunder in the East (1985), Lightning Strikes (1986), Soldier of Fortune (1989) Armored Saint – Delirious Nomad (1985) Malice – Licence to Kill (1986) Lizzy Borden – Visual Lies (1987) Death Angel – Act III (1990) Fates Warning – No Exit (1988), Perfect Symmetry (1989) Megadeth – Rust in Peace (1990) Annihilator (band) – Set the World on Fire
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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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