Metal Hall of Fame inductee Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999) is featured as special guest vocalist on the new single ‘Atlas (War Between the Gods)’, released 2nd May by Manchester (UK) hard rock / melodic metal band Absolva.

The single is the fourth taken from Absolva’s upcoming album ‘Justice’ which is set for release on 16th May. The band members have worked with Bayley for many years principally as his backing band in the live arena since 2013 and also for studio albums since 2016’s ‘Infinite Entanglement’ trilogy. 

Absolva frontman Christopher Appleton says “We’ve talked about asking Blaze to do a guest vocal for us but always wanted to wait until the right song came along. With ‘Atlas…’ as soon as it was written, we knew immediately this was perfect for Blaze. The style, his voice, and the subject matter are all just right and despite knowing him as friend and colleague for so many years, it’s still a genuine honour to have him singing on our album’ 

There is an accompanying animation music video with ‘Atlas (War Between the Gods)’ which can be seen here.

Other guest vocalists featured on the album are Ronnie Romero (renowned for his work with Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group and Elegant Weapons), Stu Block (formerly of Iced Earth, more recently with Annihilator) and David Marcelis (Lord Volture / Thorium). Each brings a distinctive style which melds beautifully with the trademark Absolva big harmony guitars and infectious choruses. Separate from the ‘Atlas…’ track the album carries a theme based around the blockbuster Western movie ‘Tombstone’.

Absolva have been touring heavily again this year on tours with Blaze Bayley, with Ronnie Romero and also Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. 

Several more shows/festivals are booked for later in the year. Fans can stay updated on the latest news and tour information by visiting the band’s official website www.absolva.com and social media channels.

About Absolva: Absolva is a British hard rock / melodic metal band, formed in 2012 by Christopher Appleton (lead vocals, lead guitar). Known for their powerhouse performances and mesmerising lead guitars, the band has gained a loyal following worldwide, not least by a hungry attitude & commitment to touring. The band has been equally consistent with its recorded output; the upcoming studio release is their seventh & they also have two live albums to their name. Luke Appleton (guitar & backing vocals), Martin Mcnee (drums) and Karl Schramm (bass) who recently left for personal reasons, complete the line-up on the latest album.

Manchester, UK-based hard rock / melodic metal band ABSOLVA are thrilled to announce the release of a new single ‘Find My Identity‘, taken from their forthcoming album ‘Justice‘. 

The single is released 7th March 2025, together with a music video which can be viewed now HERE . Guest vocalist is Ronnie Romero, renowned for his work with Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Elegant Weapons & more.

‘Find My Identity‘ is taken from the forthcoming new Absolva album ‘Justice‘, set to be released on 16 May 2025, promising to be a remarkable addition to the band’s weaponry. The album features collaborations with additional guests; the legend Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden frontman 1994-1999), powerhouse Stu Block formerly of Iced Earth & more recently Annihilator, and the formidable David Marcelis of Lord Volture & Thorium.

Absolva frontman Christopher Appleton says “This is a big milestone for Absolva. We wanted to create something that reflects the growth of the band but also catches the atmosphere of the classic western movie Tombstone. Regarding guest vocalists, we’ve toyed with the idea for several years but only wanted to do it when the time was right. That time is now.”

Ahead of the album release Absolva are on tour as follows:

Special guests with Ronnie Romero:
6 UK, Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill
7 UK, Bradford, Nightrain
8 UK, Oldham, Whittles
9 UK, Newcastle, Trillians
10 UK, Edinburgh, Bannerman’s
11 UK, Stoke, Eleven
12 UK, London, Underworld
15 NL, Uden, De Pul
16 NL, Zoetermeer, Boerderij
17 DE, Cologne, Yard Club
18 DE, Dortmund, Piano
19 NL, Weert, De Bosuil

Absolva headline show:
22 FR, Nancy, Chez Paulette

Special guests with Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons…
27 UK, Norwich, Waterfront
28 UK, Manchester, Rebellion
29 UK, Newcastle, The Grove
30 UK, Glasgow, Garage

Several more shows/festivals are booked for later in the year. Fans can stay updated on the latest news and tour information by visiting the band’s official website www.absolva.com & social media channels.

About Absolva: Absolva is a British hard rock / melodic metal band, formed in 2012 by Christopher Appleton (lead vocals, lead guitar). Known for their powerhouse performances and mesmerising lead guitars, the band has gained a loyal following worldwide, not least by a hungry attitude & commitment to touring. The band has been equally consistent with its recorded output; the upcoming studio release is their seventh & they also have two live albums to their name. Luke Appleton (guitar & backing vocals), Martin Mcnee (drums) and Karl Schramm (bass) complete the line-up.

Manchester-based melodic metal / hard rock band ABSOLVA confirm their headline shows for 2023, in the wake of the recent heart attack of former-Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley. The four musicians normally double-up as Blaze’s backing band and had been due to tour again with him this year until he suffered a massive heart attack at the end of April, effectively wiping out their 2023 diary.

Absolva frontman Christopher Appleton explains… “We couldn’t believe our ears when we got the call to say Blaze was in hospital with the heart attack. It was just two days before we were due to begin the European leg of the Blaze Bayley ‘Unstoppable’ tour. The priority was of course Blaze’s health and I’m very happy he’s since undergone successful quadruple bypass surgery, now going through several months in recovery.”

Absolva’s plans for the year were thereby thrown into chaos and they’ve assembled a headline tour from the remnants of the original Blaze shows. Christopher continues… “Absolva and Blaze Bayley operate as independently as possible, and myself, brother Luke, and the team at the family-owned Rocksector Records take care of business, with myself working particularly as booking agent. So, in the extreme circumstances I needed to roll my sleeves up, hitting the phone and email to get booking Absolva headline shows. Not easy as of course many venues were already fully booked well in advance.”

Eventually, plans have come together and a schedule for UK and Europe has been assembled. “It’s not perfect” adds Christopher’s brother Luke (formerly of American metalheads Iced Earth) “but although some areas will have to wait until 2024, we now have a schedule for 2023 which covers a fair section of what we wanted and of course it will be a huge relief to get out there and play.”

Absolva were formed in 2012, from the ashes of Fury UK, have released six studio albums and two live, forging an enviable reputation as one of the hardest working bands around. They are perhaps best known for the impact of their live performances, connecting with the hard rockers who appreciate the melody whilst equally keeping faith with the metalheads. The band has toured extensively, including home territory UK, Europe and South America, whilst also impressing at festivals such as Planet Rockstock, Stonedead, Bloodstock, WinterStorm, Hammerfest and Burrfest in the UK, plus Headbangers Open Air (Germany), Rock The Coast (Spain), Metal Magic (Denmark), Chania Rock (Crete), Dark River Festival (Finland), Blast From The Past (Belgium) and more.

In addition, the lay-off from Blaze Bayley shows will also present the opportunity to work on some new music and we should expect a new single later in the year and writing for a seventh album has also begun.

Live shows…
12/8 UK, Stockport, Firevolt Festival
19/8 UK, London, Cart & Horses
1/9 UK, Sheffield, Corporation
3/9 UK, Swindon, Victoria
8/9 UK, Skipton, Sound Bar
9/9 UK, Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
10/9 UK Newcastle, Trillians
22/9 NL, Geleen, Café De Meister
23/9 DE, Mannheim, 7-er Club
24/9 DE, Konstanz, Backstage Club
26/9 CZ, Prague, Hells Club
28/9 DE, Oldenburg, MTS
29/9 DE, Siegen, Vortex
30/9 DE, Krefeld, Kulturrampe
1/10 BE, Deinze, Café Elpee
4/11 UK, Oxford, Rabidfest
17/11 UK, Stoke, Eleven (opening for Demon)
16/12 UK, Manchester, Academy 3

Further info available at http://www.absolva.com

Photo Credit: Drew Scott

ABSOLVA’s new music video ‘Stand Your Ground’ is revealed today, featuring a tongue-in-cheek satirical look at the music business, filmed at the fabulous Eleven venue in Stoke-on-Trent. The audio, taken from the band’s ‘Fire In The Sky’ album, was recorded at Rocksector Records HQ in North Manchester and mastered by Ade Emsley, famous for his work with Iron Maiden, amongst others.

The narrative introduces the fictitious character by the name of Timothy Swindler. Frontman Chris Appleton comments “We decided it was about time we take a different approach. Apart from ‘Code Red’ from our debut album ‘Flames of Justice’, our videos have been almost entirely performance based, so we thought why not have a bit of fun with the next one? Gradually the ideas developed into this music business scenario and the Timothy Swindler character emerged. We had an absolute blast shooting the video, our guest actors did a great job, and the guys at Lion Island Media have done us proud.”

Watch the video below.

‘Stand Your Ground’ is from Absolva’s latest album ‘Fire in The Sky’ which is the band’s 6^th studio release, celebrating their 10^th anniversary in 2022. During that year the band toured extensively in Europe and UK, with a fitting climax in December at Planet Rockstock.

Guest actors in the music video…
Tom Atkinson (from Vice)
Stig Chell (from Quiet The Thief)
Gareth Harding (from Quiet The Thief)
Dean Cowen (from The Event)
Tim Cooper (as Timothy Swindler)

In January Absolva confirmed UK tour dates for March 2023, including their flagship show at Camden Underworld on the 11^th. See below for the full UK itinerary, plus European shows. The band plays this tour as special guests of Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999). Tickets are on-sale now and links are available at absolva.com

‘Stand Your Ground’ Tour 2023…
March
3^rd UK, Grimsby, Yardbirds Rock Club
4^th UK, Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
5^th UK, Newcastle, Trillians
9^th UK, Crumlin, The Patriot
10^th UK, Peterborough, The Met Lounge
11^th UK, London, Underworld
12^th UK, Cannock, The Station
16^th UK, Norwich, Brickmakers
17^th UK, Sheffield, Corporation
18^th UK, Blackpool, Waterloo
19^th UK, Stoke, Eleven
29^th Germany, Cham, LA
30^th Austria, Vienna, Viper Room
31^st Czech Republic, Brno, Melodka
April
1^st Czech Republic, Pilsen, Serikovka
2^nd Germany, Erfurt, From Hell
20^th France, Lille, Black Lab
21^st Belgium, Verviers, Spirit of 66
22^nd France, Nancy, Chez Paulette
24^th France, Lyon, Rock n Eat
26^th France, La Rochelle, Crossroad
27^th France, Toulouse, L’Usine A Musique
28^th France, Marseille, Jas Rod
29^th France, Clermont-Ferrand, Chorus

Band members…
Christopher Appleton – lead vocals, lead guitar
Luke Appleton – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Martin Mcnee – drums
Karl Schramm – bass, backing vocals

ABSOLVA get serious with their forthcoming album release ‘Fire in the Sky’ due out on Rocksector Records on 18^th February 2022. Songs such as ‘Addiction’ deals with alcohol and drug problems, whilst ‘Historic Year’ is about the all too familiar effects of the global pandemic.

The first music video, the title track, can be viewed now below.

Frontman Christopher Appleton expands… “Absolva is usually known for the positive themes in our lyrics, yet this time we’ve been drawn toward some darker issues. The pandemic was a rough ride for most people and I personally found it difficult to take, with a mix of effects on my life. Like so many people we suffered the pain of losing a very good friend to the virus and then more generally the negative effects on our music industry as a whole were obviously really bad.”

Nevertheless, the bulldog spirit prevails, not least with the positive energy of album closer ‘Refuse to Die’. Christopher continues… “In the end most of us have things to fall back on and Refuse to Die remembers frantic Friday nights in my hometown Manchester and the wildness of gigs played straight from our hearts. We always strive to savour that energy in our music and performances.”

Certainly, there was much evidence of that energy in Absolva’s live performances in the UK during the latter part of 2021, as special guests with Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden singer 1994-1999). Absolva also double up as Blaze’s backing band.
 
Guitarist Luke Appleton adds… “I don’t have words to describe just how good it was to actually get out on tour. The tour was not without mis-hap – both our manager and Blaze himself caught the virus part-way through, and we had a crash in the band van on the final weekend of the tour, yet ultimately across the tour we were grateful to only have to cancel one show due to Covid-19. The bulldog spirit shines through!”

‘Fire in the Sky’ bears all the hallmarks of classic British metal that Absolva are known for, plus an even greater level of intensity. Recorded at Rocksector HQ (Manchester, England) during 2021, production is handled by Christopher Appleton building on his experience co-producing Blaze Bayley’s successful ‘War Within Me’ album in 2021, and the album is mastered by Ade Emsley (London, England) who has worked with a host of bands, not least Iron Maiden. The familiar team is completed with a striking cover image, renewing the band’s collaboration with the talented Akirant Illustration (Spain).
 
Official release date for the album on CD and digital platforms is 18^th February 2022. The vinyl version is expected July/August 2022, subject to global pressing delays. All bundles are available to pre-order now. More details at http://www.absolva.com

Track listing…
1 Demon Tormentor
2 Burn Inside
3 Addiction
4 What Does God Know?
5 Stand Your Ground
6 Fire In the Sky
7 Man For All Seasons
8 Gall?glaigh
9 Historic Year
10 Refuse to Die

In terms of live shows the band plays in the UK at Hammerfest (Birmingham) on 12^th February, Pentre Fest (N.Wales) on 26^th February, plus Rockin’ The Bowl festival (Sheffield) on 11^th September. In Europe festival appearances are booked for Metal Magic (Denmark) on 7^th July and Mannried Open Air (Switzerland) on 12^th August. Around 40 club shows are also booked for Europe across March-May 2022 which are under review with promoters and venues, depending on travel and health restrictions.