MICHEAL SCHENKER Talking About His 50th Anniversary In New Album Trailer

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 14, 2021
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Michael Schenker will release his new MSG album, “Immortal”, on January 29th, 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The album title is a perfect statement describing Michael Schenker’s legacy and to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a musician.

Today, the band reveal their fourth album trailer in which Michael Schenker talks about this anniversary.

ICYMI: 
‘Drilled To Kill’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/bcrU9ZS6CZA
‘After The Rain’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kLMn1nPqANM
‘Sail The Darkness’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/8lss0xI2HaA
Trailer #1: https://youtu.be/cDQ9VICJZyc
Trailer #2: https://youtu.be/gcWTT_nKp0w
Trailer #3: https://youtu.be/Dj20y-_SsnY

Michael Schenker 
“50th Anniversary – IMMORTAL” 
performed by the current MSG/Michael Schenker Group
 
with special guest DORO
28.10.2021 UK – Leeds, O2 Academy                            
29.10.2021 UK – Newcastle, O2 City Hall                             
30.10.2021 UK – Wolverhampton, KK Steel Mill                           
31.10.2021 UK – London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/michael-schenker-tickets/artist/890401

Michael Schenker
“50th Anniversary – IMMORTAL”
performed by the current MSG/Michael Schenker Group

02.11.2021 NL – Zoetermeer, De Boerderij
03.11.2021 CH – Pratteln, Z7
04.11.2021 IT  – Turin, Audiodrome
05.11.2021 ES – Barcelona, Razzmatazz 1
06.11.2021 ES – Madrid, La Riviera

Tickets: https://www.dragon-productions.eu/bands/michael-schenker/

Pre-order ‘Immortal’ album here: http://nblast.de/MSG-Immortal

The album was predominantly recorded at the Kidroom Studio in Germany, with Michael‘s long time partner Michael Voss who co-produced the album and also sings on two tracks. The cover artwork of  „Immortal“ wascreated by Zsofia Dankova(POWERWOLF etc.).

„Immortal“ will continue the tradition of the previous two MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST records  „Resurrection“ and „Revelation“ featuring a big list of friends and guests. The album’s main vocalist will be uprising Chilean born talent Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW etc.), along with Michael Voss (MAD MAX etc.),  Ralf Scheepers(PRIMAL FEAR) and Joe Lynn Turner (ex-DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW etc.) singing on two tracks each. Besides Michael Schenker himself, the album was recorded with Steve Mann (keyboards), Barry Sparks (bass, DOKKEN etc.), as well as the three drummers Bodo Schopf,  Simon Philipps (ex-TOTO) and Brian Tichy (ex-WHITESNAKE). The newest addition to the record is keyboard player Derek Sherinian (ex-DREAM THEATER, ex-KISS etc.), who plays on the album’s opening track, featuring German power machine Ralf Scheepers on vocals. 

„Immortal“ will feature ten tracks, including the magnum opus “In Search Of The Peace Of Mind”. „I wrote this song when I was 15 years old, it was my first ever written piece of music which I recorded with SCORPIONS on our first studio album „Lonesome Crow“ in 1970, getting released in 1972. We re-recorded this song for my 50th anniversary as a celebration and it turned out to be an epic; with an extra extension at the end of the song, which turned out absolutely fantastic with Simon Phillips on drums, doing his usual amazing stuff.“ The result is a true highlight and features even more surprises: „Gary Barden sings the first verse,  continued by Ronnie Romero – and in the end we have Ronnie, Doogie White and Robin McAuley screaming their heads off, as a tribute to my 50th anniversary. Absolute amazing. Thanks to the guys for doing this!“

The limited first edition of this upcoming MSG album will feature another unique extra: „It will include the MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST – Bang Your Head – Blu-ray, which was recorded during our headline show in Balingen/Germany two years ago: Unfixed, raw, pure and great! There’s a couple of small mistakes, but because the show and recording went so well, I decided to keep it the way it went on the night. It’s live, magic and pure.“

WICKED SMILE Release Single + Video ‘Killer At Large’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 14, 2021
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(Photo : Cassidy Paris)

Australian heavy rockers WICKED SMILE have roared into 2021 with a brand new single titled ‘Killer At Large’. This follows on from their 2020 debut ep titled ‘Delirium’ to very favourable reviews.

The new single is again produced by Paul Laine (The Defiants) and mastered by Bruno Ravel (The Defiants/Danger Danger).

Guitarist Stevie Janevski goes on to say, “last year was all about giving the world a ‘taste’ of what we’re about. We’re a five piece kick ass heavy rock band and I think we made our presence known with the release of our Delirium ep”.

The new single ‘Killer At Large’ will no doubt be another talking point with its bombastic wall of sound. Vocalist Danny states, “this is my favourite song so far. It’s heavy, yet melodic and the song fits in perfectly with what we’re about. The energy from the entire band is amazing”. 

Watch the video below.

Wicked Smile is fronted by charismatic powerhouse lead vocalist Danny Cecati (ex Pegazus & Eyefear) with Stevie Janevski (ex Black Majesty & Cyclone Tracy) & Dave Graham(ex In Malice’s Wake) on guitars, Glen Cav (ex Virtue) on bass and Jason Tyro on drums.

All of the boys in Wicked Smile were overwhelmed by the positive response from the underground rock and metal community. The band received great support from Internet Radio who played the band’s songs, with some stations putting them on heavy rotation. Steve Price at ARfm radio called the band “kickass Australian rock with killer vocals”. Wicked Smile were Number 1 on 97 Underground, Power song of the week on the Nite Flight Rock Show and the Number 1song on the Friday Night Rock Show.

Vocalist Danny says “I’ve really enjoyed putting my stamp on these songs. It’s allowed me to put my heart and soul into them and really capture the emotion of the lyrics. We cover important issues such as government and decision making in the song ‘We Fall’ and discuss the human state of mind in ‘Daze Of Delirium”. Another talking point is the track ‘Stronger’ which was written by Stevie to highlight the issue of bullying in schools and in society as a whole.

Songs like ‘Love’s Got A Hold On You’ sound huge. Our shows are loud and proud!” 

Fans of bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Skid Row, etc. should feel at home, with the band drawing major influence from seventies and eighties heavy rock and heavy metal. 

A recent WEBFEST live appearance via the New Wave Of Classic Rock Group was applauded, with many calling Wicked Smile the pick of the bunch.

Lookout there’s a Killer At Large!

*Wicked Smile will release their full length debut album mid 2021.

EPHEMERALD Release Debut Album In February, New Single Out Now

Posted by metalshockfinland on January 14, 2021
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Ephemerald

Finnish symphonic death metallers EPHEMERALD are releasing their debut album on February 19th 2021 and now they present new single from the upcoming album.

Listen to “All There Is” on music services:Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3oGaaWE
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3bK56wG
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/191773462
Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/165341181
Amazon: https://amzn.to/38IPYxQ
Bandcamp: https://ephemerald-metal.bandcamp.com/

The song represents a calmer, almost ballad-like atmosphere with acoustic guitars and clean vocal harmonies. Lyrics are about the importance of living in the moment; yet people are often more prone to clinging onto the past or their fearful assumptions of the future, thus refusing to see and accept the world as it is.

EPHEMERALD was formed in 2016 by Joni Snoro (ex-Frosttide), Lauri Myllylä (Voidfallen), Vesa Salovaara (Vorna) and Juho Suomi (Apocryfal). Later they joined forces with Tuomo Sagulin (Mechanik Project). The band creates epic yet furious and straightforward metal music from the hearts of its creators.

Preorder the album: http://bit.ly/Ephemerald_Pre-order

ABIOTIC Launch “Grief Eater, Tear Drinker” (Ft. ex-The Contortionist vocalist)

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 14, 2021
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Recently re-emerged technical death metal outfit ABIOTIC are back with their third full-length, Ikigai. Set for release on Friday, February 12th, 2021 via The Artisan Era. 

While going on hiatus does not necessarily mean a group’s best days are behind them, often this rings true, yet Abiotic eagerly buck that trend with their finest effort yet on Ikigai. Abiotic states, “We also leaned on some classical and eastern style instrumentation, along with some progressive and jazzy elements.”

Ikigai also boasts numerous killer guest spots from musicians such as Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder), Chaney Crabb (Entheos), Brandon Ellis (The Black Dahlia Murder), Scott Carstairs (Fallujah), Jared Smith (Archspire), and Jonathan Carpenter (ex-The Contortionist). Abiotic have dug deep and hit a new apex and the end result of their evolution is astounding on Ikigai.

Yesterday the band partnered with Toilet Ov Hell to premiere “Grief Eater, Tear Drinker” which features guest vocals from former The Contortionist vocalist Jonathan Carpenter. The launch of today’s single is paired with an eye-popping music video that is bound to blow you away. 

*You can check out Abiotic – “Grief Eater, Tear Drinker” HERE

Toilet Ov Hell comments
“This song is everything I like in technical death metal. It’s intermittently heavy and soaring with mystical, mysterious melodies, driven by lightning instrumental work (plus a wonderful guest spot from vocalist Jonathan Carpenter), a dense composition yet easy to follow with new details unfolding on subsequent listens. It carries trace elements of Arkaik and Rivers of Nihil, but as a whole, it’s another thing entirely. Between this, “Souvenir of Skin,” and “Smoldered,” Ikigai is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting release.”

Pre-orders for Abiotic – Ikigai are now live
Label Store: https://www.theartisanerastore.com/category/abiotic
Bandcamp:  smarturl.it/Abiotic-Bandcamp

VOYAGER Cover Aussie Modern Classic “This Boy’s In Love” by The Presets

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 14, 2021
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
photo by Carving A Giant Photography

Australia’s premiere synth-prog outfit VOYAGER have played to their strengths and have covered the Australian modern classic “This Boy’s in Love,” originally by Electronic duo The Presets. Fusing together Voyager’s signature epic electro progressive power prog metal with a huge pop song, the VSets version is sure to be a hit! You can watch Voyager’s performance video of the song at THIS LOCATION.

The band comments on the cover: “The Presets song is one of those songs that I heard and thought ‘I wish I’d written this.’ At the time it came out it was so fresh in Australia, and so bizarre that it became so popular because it’s really very much Euro Style Dark Synthie EBM. Given that a lot of Voyager songs start out as electronic ideas, this semi-obscure modern Australian classic was a no brainer to cover. We hope you enjoy!”

Moreover, Guitarist Scott Kay recently taught fans how to play a riff from the band’s song “Colours” in the latest installment of Guitar World’s “Sick Riffs” series! In addition to the play-through, Kay also includes the tablature. Watch and learn at THIS LOCATION.

The song is taken from the band’s 2019 release, ‘Colours in the Sun,’ which can be downloaded and streamed HERE.

‘Colours in the Sun’ was recently the winner of The Independent Music Award in the Rock/Hard Rock Album category. The record was released in November of 2019 and landed a coveted #1 placement on the Australian Independent Albums chart! ‘Colours in the Sun’ also debuted at #7 on Independent Label Albums as well as #27 on Official iTunes Australia.

Moreover, the band has reissued 2017’s ‘Ghost Mile’ as a digipak version, which contains three bonus tracks which were recorded during the VOYAGER show at ProgPower in 2017. It can be ordered HERE.

ICYMI: Earlier this year, VOYAGER‘s music video for “Runaway” was exclusively premiered via ‘Eurovision – Australia Decides!’ Following an application via the Song Portal, the band finally received recognition for submitting a track and were paid tribute on the live television broadcast that aired on Saturday, February 8 on the Gold Coast. The video is now available worldwide and can be seen at THIS LOCATION.

IMMORTAL GUARDIAN: Cover ‘Into The Pit’ with Metal Mike Chlasciak & Leandro Caçoilo

Posted by aliblackdiamond on January 13, 2021
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The first of many IMMORTAL GUARDIAN collaboration covers, this is the band’s version of the classic song ‘Into The Pit‘ by Rob Halford’s band FIGHT. For the cover video, Immortal Guardian collaborated with Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford, Sebastian Bach, Testament, Pain Museum) and Leandro Caçoilo (Viper, Eterna, Seventh Seal, HardShine, Dirty Dogs, Caravellus).

“This is the first of many covers, so let us know what you would like to hear next and who you would want us to collaborate next!”

Check out the video:

Cover Video Line-up:
Immortal Guardian: Carlos Zema – Vocals, Gabriel Guardian – Guitar/Keys, Joshua Lopez – Bass, Justin Piedimonte – Drums
Special guests: Metal Mike Chlasciak – Guitar, Leandro Caçoilo – Vocals
Produced by: WidowMaker Studios

After winning over new audiences with their acclaimed 2018 debut full-length “Age of Revolution” and touring relentlessly alongside fellow shredders such as Marty Friedman, Powerglove, and Exmortus, IMMORTAL GUARDIAN gathered in Las Vegas last year to begin recording their second album. As the spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent pandemic began to ensue, each member of the band retreated to their respective hometowns. With shutdowns around the world being enforced, the band completely scrapped the record that they had been working on and were heavily inspired to write and create a new thematic record about their emotions surrounding current events. 

“Psychosomatic” is a product of the extraordinary events of 2020. The result is a truly multi-national record, with guitarist/keyboardist Gabriel Guardian remaining in Las Vegas, vocalist Carlos Zema recording his vocals from his home in Brazil, new drummer Justin Piedimonte joining the band from his hometown in Montreal, Canada, and new bassist Joshua Lopez remaining in IMMORTAL GUARDIAN‘s native Texas. 

The group, founded by Gabriel Guardian, whose uncanny ability to play guitar and keyboard simultaneously has been showcased on MTV’s “Amazingness” along with his unique dual-instrument covers of classics by the likes of Iron Maiden, Pantera, and Guns N’ Roses have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and have been built upon the band’s following through multiple self-released EPs before signing with M-Theory Audio for the 2018 release of their first full-length record, “Age of Revolution”. The band has also performed live alongside some of the biggest names in metal, including Judas Priest, Dragonforce, Kamelot, Symphony X, Sonata Arctica, Slayer, Metal Church, Soilwork and Steve Vai, and in countries such as Brazil and Russia, and during high-profile performances at ESPN’s X Games, South By Southwest and the Fun Fun Fun Fest. 

“Psychosomatic” is the next step in IMMORTAL GUARDIAN’s evolution while still capturing the band’s exhilarating trademark melding of melodic power metal with progressive/shred tendencies. 

Digital pre-save, CD and limited-edition purple vinyl pre-orders for “Psychosomatic”, which will be released by M-Theory Audio on February 12, 2021 are available now at http://smarturl.com/immortalguardian.

Second single ‘Lockdown’:

Track Listing:
1. Psychosomatic (5:33)
2. Read Between The Lines (6:01)
3. Lockdown (4:12)
4. Phobia (6:13)
5. Clocks (5:12)
6. Self-Isolation (0:39)
7. Goodbye To Farewells (5:50)
8. Candlelight (5:24)
9. Find A Reason (7:00)
10. New Day Rising (5:56)
Album Length: 52:06

Album cover art by Nathalia Suellen (Secret Sphere, Almah, Dark Moor).

For more info:
M-theoryaudio.com 
ImmortalGuardian.net
Facebook.com/igmetal
Instagram.com/immortal_guardian
Twitter.com/igmetal