On December 19th LEÒNIDAS released their debut single ‘As Loud as You Can’ digitally on all major streaming platforms. The track features two well-known musicians from the hard rock and heavy metal Italian scene: Francesco Marras (Screaming Shadows, ex Tygers of Pan Tang) on guitar and production, and Daniele Ledda (Twilight-Zone, ex Screaming Shadows) on vocals.
Leònidas delivers a melodic, powerful Hard & Heavy sound, combining energy, technique, and strong melodies, aimed at fans of the genre’s most authentic roots.
“As Loud as You Can” marks the first step of a project that promises to stand out for its personality and sonic impact.
Robben Ford returns in exceptional form withTwo Shades of Blue, a record defined by its sophistication, taste, and timeless musicality. The album will be released on 27 March via Provogue/Artone. To celebrate the news, he has revealed the first single from the album, Make My Own Weather. Watch the video HERE.
The album opens exquisitely with the brittle groove of Make My Own Weather. “That’s one of my favourite straight-up, slamming blues things I’ve ever written,” says Ford. “It’s about a guy reclaiming his freedom. I tried to create the rumble of a motorcycle with the rhythm guitar.”
Robben Ford is a man in motion. Scan the five-time Grammy nominee’s back catalogue – a half-century hot-streak that darts between jazz, rock, fusion and blues – and you’ll find a musician in a constant state of metamorphosis. Spin new album Two Shades Of Blue – a transatlantic modern classic that shapeshifted as the sessions unfolded – and you’ll feel the risks taken and rules broken. “I have that curse,” smiles the 74-year-old guitarist. “I don’t have two records that sound the same…”
With a new album around the corner, Robben feels at the top of his game right now. To be released 27 March 2026 on Artone/Provogue, Two Shades Of Blue is not the album Ford was planning to make – but it’s all the better for it. Tracked in the US and UK with two different crack-squad bands, this album paints with his inimitable palette, from the low-slung funk-blues of lead single Make My Own Weather to skyscraping instrumentals that even test the limits of a player ranked amongst the 100 Greatest Guitarists Of The 20th Century by Musician Magazine.
From his early days, Ford was a special talent. The 60s saw him backing Mississippi harp wizard Charlie Musselwhite and stretching those skills across Los Angeles with jazz giant Jimmy Witherspoon, before he fell in with the fearless adventurism of saxophonist Tom Scott’s esteemed ’70s fusion outfit, The L.A. Express.
That lineup’s blazing skills saw them recruited by Joni Mitchell for two classic albums (“the most formative two years of my musical life”), before Ford stepped out with rock royalty on George Harrison’s Dark Horse tour. That collaborative streak would continue throughout his career, from Bonnie Raitt to Bob Dylan. “I’m out there on the bandstand and this rocket ship takes off,” he recalls of his mid-’80s debut with jazz talisman Miles Davis. “For my solo, I put my head down and played every note I knew, as fast as I could. I look up, and Miles just goes: ‘Yeah’. And I’m like, ‘OK, he likes it’.”
Two Shades Of Blue was loosely sparked by Ford’s move to London, where his antennae picked up the echoes of a sadly departed British blues-boomer. In the same period, having launched the Robben Ford Guitar Dojo with partner Milam Kelly Roberts, he felt the burning urge to explore the instrument’s outer limits.
“The way this album started, I planned it as a tribute to Jeff Beck,” he recalls. “Meanwhile, the Guitar Dojo had reinvigorated my playing, so writing instrumental music became fresh for me again. I didn’t own a Stratocaster, so I literally went out and bought one for this project. Then Daniel Steinhardt from That Pedal Show put together a new pedalboard for me, along the lines of what Jeff Beck was using. I wanted to do something different, set myself a challenge.”
Loading into Eastcote Studios with engineer George Murphy, the chemistry is palpable, with Ford’s guitar and vocals leading a first-call band that takes in drummer Ianto Thomas (Mark Knopfler), keys man Jonny Henderson (Otis Grand), bassist Robin Mullarkey (Paloma Faith) and a brass section comprising of Paul Booth (saxophone), Ryan Quigley (trumpet) and Trevor Mires (trombone). “Great cats,” smiles Ford. “London has been incredible for finding musicians. This place is loaded, even better for me than Nashville or LA.” The album also features the incredible talents of bassist, Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones), Keyboardist Larry Goldings and Gary Husband on drums for the instrumental songs, The Fire Flute, The Light Fandango and Feeling’s Mutual.
“I still love to play,” he considers. “I’ve kept writing better music and become more acquainted with what it is to make a record. The fact that I’m all over the place musically has confused some people over the years. But I always need a change. I always want to do something different. And I’ve been that way since the very beginning…”
Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from The Metal Voice interviewed long time Guitarist of April Wine Brian Greenway about the bands upcoming Tour with Triumph and touched on may other topics as well. Watch the full interview below.
When asked how it feels for April Wine to be continually asked to get on these big tours (BTO, Uriah Heep, Triumph) ” I was really pleased it was like hey, we’re getting a shot at this again. April Wine’s always had a good record for being a good opener.”
When asked about the legacy of Myles Goodwin
“The songs that he wrote, his voice on the radio, his voice and songs in the shows, people applauding, that’s his legacy.”
When asked about the crowd reaction at the shows
“It’s many generations that are liking the shows. We’re into our 50th year. It’s got to be three generations of fans and I see them and sometimes in meet and greets, they say well my parents played the music around the house. And I say, Well, say thank you to your parents.”
When asked if the younger fans actually care or know that there are no original members left in the band
” I don’t know if they care. Some of them do. You read the posts, right? You get instant feedback on social media. Uh, but I think it’s the older people saying it’s not the original band rather than the young people saying, “Hey, I just want to see the band. I want to hear the songs. The business has turned into people (artists) who don’t want to retire. People love playing. This is what they do, you know? And you can still physically do it. Why not be able to do it? It’s the song list that’s important. You know, why should those songs just fade away and die without and you’re still capable of doing it? I think it’s great that you can go see bands. It might not be the same guys in the band, but it sure sounds like it.”
When asked about his thoughts on going out on tour with a new Triumph plus band
“Yeah, they uh Well, that started with the Stanley Cup games, right? And uh and Phil X and the other two guys (Todd Kerns, Brent Fitz).were with them. Last night there was a little blurb from Rick Emmett about how he’s so out of shape for touring. It’s been 30 years. And I go, “Man, this is a big thing that’s been offered to you, you know, get yourself ready.” We’ve been doing it non-stop, so we’re ready. But if they’re not ready, it’s going to kill them. You know, even at a nice arena tour, and they are playing 90 minutes a night, but we’re only doing two or three shows in a row. Also they didn’t help each other well by saying they might not be at every show.”
When asked how they were asked to go on this Triumph tour
“We had a phone call saying, “Are you guys interested?” Well, let’s look at the numbers. Let’s look at what’s going on. And uh and all of a sudden it became a real big deal there. Tickets were selling faster. All great big NHL arenas. We haven’t done that in a long time, especially in the US. I think we’re going to hopefully increase our fan base there (USA). People will be able to see us again, too, that would not normally come to see us in a smaller place or places we haven’t been. It’s great between Triumph and us. The music is perfect together. “
When asked about how many minutes they can perform as special guest on this tour
“We have 50 minutes. For a setlist it comes down to the three big albums, First Glance, Harder Faster, Nature of the Beast and a little bit of Power Play and sprinkled in, in Canada some of the the classic old stuff.”
When asked if April Wine will be ever writing new music
“I would like to, but the legalities right now of Myle’s (Goodwin) estate and who owns it, so it sort of stopping that from happening because we don’t know where that’s going.”
Fans of classic Canadian rock n’ roll must be overjoyed with not only the announcement of Triumph’s first North American tour in decades, but that they will have another one of the Great White North’s top rock bands supporting these spring dates: April Wine.
Running from April 22nd through June 6th, the tour will hit all the spots that both Triumph and April Wine amassed legions of fans over the years; Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, St. Louis, San Antonio, New York, etc. Tickets are now on sale for all the shows, and can be ordered via this
Comprised of members Brian Greenway (guitar), Richard Lanthier (bass), Roy Nichol (drums), and Marc Parent (lead vocals, guitar), this will not be the first time April Wine and Triumph have shared the stage before. Longtime fans may recall a show at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas on February 18, 1977, which served as Triumph’s major American debut and a significant breakthrough for the band.
RAINBOW – THE TEMPLE OF THE KING 1975 – 1976 is the most comprehensive collection of the opening phase of Rainbow’s career to date, and is the first in a series of anthology sets covering the career of legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. The 9-CD set, newly mastered by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham, is housed in Deluxe 7” packaging featuring a 24-page booklet featuring memorabilia, photos and sleeve notes by music writer Rich Davenport.
The set spans the band’s first two years and includes their debut album, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow; their breakthrough record, Rising and the extended German concerts that were compiled as part of the double live album On Stage.
The final two discs comprise rare recordings, many of which are featured on CD for the first time, including band rehearsals, single edits, and rough mixes.
Rainbow was initially formed as a Ritchie Blackmore solo project in the early months of 1975, after a Deep Purple tour of the previous year. On that tour, they were supported by the American band Elf. The singer of Elf, Ronnie James Dio, left an impression on the already legendary guitarist Blackmore. Blackmore asked him to sing on a cover of the song Black Sheep Of The Family. The sessions went so well that a full album began to take shape, with Blackmore and Dio collaborating on original songs. Blackmore had such foresight in this project, he solely financially funded the work and thus began the mystical musical world of Rainbow. The resulting record, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, was recorded between February and March 1975 at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany. With Blackmore’s composing prowess and Dio’s mystical lyrics, the band was set to take fans to a new level.
The album’s unusual stylistic blend of hard rock and classical music was partly inspired by Blackmore taking up the cello to help him break free of the confines of conventional guitar chord progressions. Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow was a top 15 hit in the UK and top 30 in the US, and was such a positive experience that in the Summer of 1975, that Blackmore left Deep Purple to commit himself fully to Rainbow.
Recruiting bassist Jimmy Bain, keyboard player Tony Carey and ex-Jeff Beck Group drummer Cozy Powell, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow undertook their first tour. By 1976, the band’s name had been shortened to Rainbow, and a second album, Rising, was recorded in February of that year once again at Musicland. Rising, with its iconic sleeve of a fist holding a rainbow in a mystical scene, only features six tracks, including two epic compositions on side two, one of which, Stargazer, is widely regarded as a Rainbow classic and a landmark in hard rock. The original musical stylings are often touted as the 1st neo-classical metal band. It was the perfect melding of Ritchie’s guitar wizardry and Ronnie’s soaring powerful vocals.
Taking the album on the road in 1976, the band added Deep Purple’s Mistreated to their setlist, and song lengths were stretched to include improvisational sections. The band recorded shows in Germany and Japan, which were edited and compiled as the live album On Stage, released in the summer of 1977. Three of the German shows from Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Nürnberg are being released together for the first time outside of Japan on The Temple Of The King 1975 – 1976.
By the end of 1976, Rainbow had established itself as one of the cornerstones of British rock, and, under the leadership of the never-predictable but ever-astonishing guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, would become synonymous with some of the most loved and popular Rock songs of the seventies and eighties. To be continued….
RAINBOW THE TEMPLE OF THE KING 1975-1976 TRACKLISTING
CD ONE: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Man On The Silver Mountain Self Portrait Black Sheep Of The Family Catch The Rainbow Snake Charmer The Temple Of The King If You Don’t Like Rock ‘n’ Roll Sixteenth Century Greensleeves Still I’m Sad
CD TWO: Rising Tarot Woman Run With The Wolf Starstruck Do You Close Your Eyes Stargazer A Light In The Black
CD THREE: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live In Köln 1976 – Kölner Sport Halle 25.9.1976 – Part 1 Kill The King Mistreated Sixteenth Century Greensleeves Catch The Rainbow Man On The Silver Mountain
CD FOUR: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live In Köln 1976 – Kölner Sport Halle 25.9.1976 – Part 2 Stargazer Still I’m Sad Do You Close Your Eyes
CD FIVE: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live in Düsseldorf 1976 – Düsseldorf Philips Halle 27.9.1976 – Part 1 Kill The King Mistreated Sixteenth Century Greensleeves Catch The Rainbow
CD SIX: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live in Düsseldorf 1976 – Düsseldorf Philips Halle 27.9.1976 – Part 2 Man On The Silver Mountain Stargazer Still I’m Sad
CD SEVEN: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live in Nurnberg 1976 – Nurnberg Messezentrum Halle 28.9.1976 – Part 1 Kill The King Mistreated Sixteenth Century Greensleeves Catch The Rainbow Man On The Silver Mountain
CD EIGHT: Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Live in Nurnberg 1976 – Nurnberg Messezentrum Halle 28.9.1976 – Part 2 + Rarities Stargazer – Live in Nurnberg 1976 Still I’m Sad – Live in Nurnberg 1976 Do You Close Your Eyes – Live in Nurnberg 1976 Getaway (Kill The King) – Studio Rehearsals for 1976 World Tour* Mistreated – Studio Rehearsals for 1976 World Tour* Sixteenth Century Greensleeves – Studio Rehearsals for 1976 World Tour* Catch The Rainbow – Studio Rehearsals for 1976 World Tour*
CD NINE: Rarities The Temple Of The King – Bolivian Mono Mix Man On The Silver Mountain – Mono Edit Man On The Silver Mountain – Stereo Edit Tarot Woman – Rough Mix Run With The Wolf – Rough Mix Starstruck – Rough Mix Do You Close Your Eyes – Rough Mix Stargazer – Rough Mix A Light In The Black – Rough Mix Stargazer – Pirate Sound Tour Rehearsal Starstruck – Mono Edit Starstruck – Stereo Edit
Eclipse Records is excited to announce the signing of an exclusive worldwide deal with OBEY THE SUN, a grunge metal band from Hungary. Hot blooded, headstrong, and unapologetic; they give us a hard dose of grit and a blast of attitude with massive riffs, thunderous rhythms, raw soulful vocals, and a desert-soaked feel. The band recently wrapped up production of their second EP album entitled Desert Ritual which will be released via Eclipse Records on April 3, 2026. The album was produced by Attila Horváth (Subscribe, Al Di Meola, Macklemore) the legendary ASH Sound Studio.
Get a sense of the band by watching their “Land of the Dead” music video from their debut EP L.I.R.A. on YouTube:
“Signing with Eclipse Records feels like the beginning of a new chapter for Obey The Sun” says vocalist Tamás Orbán-Ducos. “From the very first conversation, I knew we were on the same page. Their passion for heavy music and their support for emerging artists really stood out to us. We’re beyond excited to release Desert Ritual through Eclipse in 2025, because this record captures everything we’ve become as a band. It’s darker, groovier, and more personal than anything we’ve done before. We can’t wait to share it with everyone and to see where this partnership will take us next “. Guitarist Péter Szmolnik adds “The moment we all signed it together at rehearsal was simply unforgettable. Sharing that moment with our close friends and families was pure happiness. It still feels unreal to think about, and it reminds us every day that all the effort and persistence were worth it. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s coming next with Eclipse and our new Desert Ritual EP.”
Desert Ritual track listing 01. You Lil’ Shit 02. Cosmic Haze 03. Hellhounds 04. Another Chance
(Cover art: Péter Szmolnik)
Desert Ritual, the latest EP from Obey the Sun, is a heavy, atmospheric blast of grit-n’ groove, featuring a feel rough as sludge with a desert-soaked finish. The songs burst with soulful vocals, massive riffs, thunderous rhythms, and an overall attitude that’s chock full of stunners, starting with “You Lil Shit,” spiced with a groove guitar in delicious alternative dissonance and a strong traditional vocal, both that rasp harder and sweeter measure to measure. Later in the track, we get two bass breakdowns, the second even fatter than the last, and the song ends like a hot rocket right in the rock pocket. “Cosmic Haze” is not just an excuse to get our Floyd on, as it features funky syncopation that quickly turns to nuclear, addictive riffing. The breakdown is a clinic of delicate fingerpicking, and when Tamás goes soft and a bit eerie with his vocal, we don’t know whether it sounds more like ethereal whispers or a shovelful of precious stones and grave soil ticking across the lid of some unholy casket. “Hellhounds” is a masterpiece in dynamics, and it climaxes to inventive chord progressions that give off a wonderful disequilibrium, similar to being on edge watching a Black Mirror episode right before the big moment when all is explained. Moreover, “Another Chance” features a pristine traditional vocal, slowing gaining razz and sass, riding the bass like some magnificent war horse straight into a haven of Krisztián’s hummingbird 16ths that slash magnificent trusses and crossbeams in geometric madness. Desert Ritual was produced, engineered, and mastered by Attila Horvath at Ash Sound Studio, the legacy of the former Supersize Record Studio. The album and singles feature art by Péter Szmolnik. It is scheduled for release on April 3, 2026.
Pre-Save or Pre-Order Desert Ritual at this location.
Obey the Sun lineup Tamás Orbán-Ducos (vocals), Péter Szmolnik (guitar), Gergő Kelemen (bass), Krisztián Nagy (drums)
Former YES vocalist JON ANDERSON has teamed up with his current label, Frontiers Music Srl, to re-release two albums from his illustrious career, 1997’s ‘Earth Mother Earth’ and 2011’s ‘Survival & Other Stories.’ Both titles will be available on cd and vinyl as well as streaming and digital download on March 27th. Vinyl copies of both titles are available for pre-order now as part of the Record Store Day Essentials Program. ‘Earth Mother Earth’ is available on green vinyl and ‘Survival & Other Stories’ is available on gold marble vinyl.
Pre-Order ‘Survival & Other Stories’ HERE Pre-Order ‘Earth Mother Earth’ HERE
In addition, JON ANDERSON also shares a new visualizer for “Time Has Come,” taken from his album ‘Earth Mother Earth,’ available to view below.
For more information: Jon Anderson’s official website HERE Band Geek official website HERE Jon Anderson YES Epics and Classics: Website HERE Facebook HERE Twitter – @JonYesEpic Instagram – @jonandersonyesepicsandclassics TikTok – @JonAndersonYESEpic YouTube 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
Kimmo Kuusniemi's Ancient Streaming Assembly - 'Perpetuae Memoriae', ft. Tuomas Rounakari + Steve Di Giorgio - Click image to watch the video
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 