Vocalist Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, ex-HELLOWEEN) will guest on the new STARCHILD album, featuring guitarist/vocalist and former SUPARED bandmate Sandro Giampietro. Kiske will be featured on the track ‘Black And White Forever’.
Other Starchild band members include Jens Becker (bass/GRAVE DIGGER, RUNNING WILD), Michael Ehre (drums/GAMMA RAY) and Esmerelda (violin).
The album will be released on April 11th. Stay tuned for more details at Starchildband.com.
After a very silent year in 2013, UNISONIC are working on their second album. Singer Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN ), guitarist MandyMeyer (KROKUS), bassist Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69) and drummer Kosta Zafiriou entered the Hofastudios at the beginning of January for early rehearsals. The second rehearsal occurred at the end of January with guitarist Kai Hansen (GAMM RAY, ex-Helloween) completing the full line up at the follow-up rehearsal.
Before the rehearsals /pre-production sessions Kiske commented:
“I have already written three songs with my friend Sandro Giampietro. I was under so much pressure because I thought I had to do more. Kai is so busy with Gamma Ray… but suddenly Dennis comes up with one great song after the next. It’s amazing. I wasn’t expecting this. He had sent me at least eight or nine tracks – great vocal lines and melodies – it really excites me.”
VANDEN PLAS keyboardist Günter Werno has been enlisted for the new Unisonic album. Ward comments:
“Full force now into the next Unisonic production! I’ve never had such an efficient pre-production/songwriting session in my career. Unisonic is also proud to announce that onboard for this production we will be having Vanden Plas’s own Günter Werno working on the keyboards. I’ve done many many productions with Günter and I’m happy to have him with us. It’s always a pleasure.“
In the second part of an interview with Dead Rhetoric, UNISONIC vocalist MICHAEL KISKE discusses the rumours currently circulating about a possible reunion with his former HELLOWEEN bandmates. An excerpt is available below:
Dead Rhetoric: There’s been some talk lately of a potential reunion between you and the Helloween guys, so I wanted to get your thoughts. Any truth to these rumors?
Kiske: “No. That’s something the Helloween guys are bringing up. They have that in their head for whatever reason…I don’t know why. They have their own singer (Andi Deris). I wouldn’t do that. I’m up for peace, up for talking everything out and getting everything out of our systems. I met up with Michael Weikath a couple of weeks ago in Sweden. He was extremely nice and friendly. It was clear they have changed their mood. They’ve changed their attitude toward me.”
“They really did me a lot of wrong over the years. I don’t want to pass the blame here, but they’ve accused me of doing things that they know very well are not right. They needed some stuff to convince the old fans that it’s good I’m not there anymore, and they went way too far. One of the things that I was really pissed about was this ‘musical direction’ talk, as if I would be the person to tell anyone what kind of music he should do! Everyone who knows me – anyone who really knows me – knows my attitude is totally different. I would always say ‘Do what you believe in. Whatever song is your song, write it, go play it.’ I would never be the person to tell anyone in Helloween the direction we were supposed to go. That was so ridiculous, to blame me for the things that came up. Yes, I was responsible for my own songs, but it was always something the band made work…or not.”
Dead Rhetoric: I talked to Weiki in person when they were here in the States in September and we talked about Chameleon, and how the band was trying to be like QUEEN…
Kiske: “I don’t think we were a band anymore in those days. We didn’t try anything on Chameleon; there were three songwriters trying to make a solo record. We were not functioning as a band anymore. Totally dysfunctional. But about this reunion thing, I’m in Unisonic now. I don’t know how they have suddenly changed their tone and why I should be there for a reunion tour and all. Like I said: I’m fine with making peace, but you can’t undo the past. I’m a typical person. I can easily forgive, but I never forget. If someone betrays me, I tell them, ‘Okay, I forgive you. Go in peace. I don’t trust you anymore. You showed me who you are. I’m not saying you can’t change, but you have to do a lot to convince me you have changed.'”
MAGNUM OPUM ROCKESTRA (under conductor Marcel Heijnen), a 32-piece orchestra accompanied by the METALFORCE 1 rock band and led by vocalists which decisively influenced the metal scene in recent years and decades, kicked off the Christmas Metal Symphony European Tour on December 13th in Trollhättan, Sweden.
Fan-filmed video of vocalist Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, ex-HELLOWEEN) performing the Helloween classics ‘March Of Time’ and ‘I Want Out’ has been posted online:
Other vocalists on the bill include Joey Belladonna (ANTHRAX), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Udo Dirkschneider (UDO, ex-ACCEPT) and Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH) Musical director of the production is Joost van den Broek (ex-AFTER FOREVER).
Tour dates include:
December
17 – Würselen, Germany – Royal Event Center
18 – Bochum, Germany – Ruhrkongress
19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Mala Sportovni Hala
20 – Oberstraubing, Germany – Airport – Great Hall
21 – Balingen, Germany – Volksbank Fair
22 – Milan, Italy – Live Club
Rich Davenport‘s Rock Show this week features exclusive interviews with legendary former UFO bassist Pete Way, Unisonic / Place Vendome vocalist Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Donal Gallagher, brother of the late guitar hero Rory Gallagher, Colin Hay (ex-Men At Work), and is available now for streaming at this link.
Michael Kiske
In the first hour of the show, Pete Way discusses his new role as an ambassador for the charity Prostate Cancer UK, which specialises in raising awareness of the illness, funding research into it, and supporting those diagnosed with it (as Pete recently was). Pete also talks about the recent UFO live album “Hot N Live – The Chrysalis Anthology 1974-1983”, and chooses tracks from the release.
Also in the first hour, former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske talks about the new album from his Place Vendome project, “Thunder In The Distance”, with two tracks from the record. Michael also talks about Unisonic’s current plans for a new album and live dates in 2014.
In part 2 Donal Gallagher, brother and manager of the late guitar legend Rory Gallagher, discusses the new crime-noir themed box set “Kickback City”, which features a crime-themed compilation of Rory’s music, along with “The Lie Factory”, a new novella by author Ian Rankin, illustrated by graphic novel artist Timothy Truman, both of whom are long-time fans of Rory.
And finally, former Men At Work frontman Colin Hay talks about his current solo acoustic tour of the UK.
You can also listen on Wednesday 13th November 22:00-00:00 GMT and Sunday 24th November 15.00-17.00 GMT on http://www.bloodstockradio.com
Former HELLOWEEN frontman Michael Kiske recently spoke with my Global Mind about his forthcoming albums with UNISONIC, PLACE VENDOME and KISKE / SOMERVILLE , and his career with Helloween. An excerpt is available below:
Q: Are you satisfied how everything turned out in your career, or are there some things you are still regret?
Michael: “I must say that even the negative things have turned out good in the end. I learned a lot by it and I’ve grown as a person. There is just one thing I find very sad and that is I think that the Helloween of the Keeper-years with Kai Hansen, Ingo … you know, the Helloween of the Keeper-time was very short lived. I think we just started and then it was over. I think we should have done at least two more records. That’s the thing I find really sad. Bands like IRON MAIDEN, they’ve gone full circle, you know. The have had their peak and they made their best records, they have told the story. They have said everything that they can say musically in my opinion. Helloween of the Keeper-time – because today’s Helloween is a different band – I think the Helloween of that era we never really said everything we had to say artistically and that’s very sad.”
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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Kimmo Kuusniemi's Ancient Streaming Assembly - 'Perpetuae Memoriae', ft. Tuomas Rounakari + Steve Di Giorgio - Click image to watch the video
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