Telergy new album due featuring members of Porcupine Tree, Spock’s Beard, Hawkwind, King’s X, Magellan, Twisted Sister, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Coming soon, more info as we have it.
Composer, Producer, multi-instrumentalist Robert McClung formed Telergy in 2009 with the goal of bringing amazing musicians from all over the world together to tell the stories behind historical events through a wild blend of progressive rock, classical, jazz and world music.
The project’s first album “The Exodus” was released in 2011 to world wide acclaim. The album featured many incredible musicians from a wide range of genres.
The album won the hearts of fans and critics around the globe, and soon numerous notable musicians from all over the progressive rock world and beyond were on board to be involved with the next Telergy album “The Legend of Goody Cole”. Artist’s such as……
Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)
Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard)
Nik Turner (Hawkwind)
Ty Tabor (King’s X)
Trent Gardner (Magellan)
Dee Snider (Twisted Sister)
Emmanuel De Saint Méen (Delusion Squared)
Joe Cairney (Comedy of Errors)
Joel Hoekstra (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Night Ranger)
Laura Sanscartier (Boston Symphony Orchestra, James Taylor)
Mattan Klein (world renowned jazz flutist)
Andy Reiner (The Earth Stringband)
Rory Makem (the Makem Brothers)
Tim Nunes (The Nero Complex)
Adam Nunes (The Nero Complex)
And many, many more…..
“The Legend of Goody Cole” tells the true story of Eunice “Goody” Cole, who was convicted of witchcraft in the small New England town of Hampton, New Hampshire in the year 1656.
After serving the better part of fifteen years in a Boston Jail, Eunice returned to Hampton to find that her husband had died and the town had seized their forty acre farm. Frail and elderly, she was given a small shack on the marshland outside of town to live out her final days.
Upon her death she was hurriedly buried in a shallow, unmarked grave, with a stake through her heart to keep the evil spirits from escaping. Her ghost has been reported to wander the town at night searching for her grave stone.
This captivating tale is brought to life through the powerful, lush, energy filled music that Telergy creates, and transports the listener on a journey they will never forget.
Telergy is a completely independent project that recieves no support from a major record label. Crowd funding is the only way to cover the large costs of mastering and duplication.
A portion of the profits from this album will be donated to the Hampton New Hampshire Historical Society in an effort to update and restore Goody Cole’s currently unmarked memorial stone.
Donate today and become a part of Progressive Rock history!!
After signing with Relapse Records in late 2011, this week Auckland, New Zealand-based death metal horde ULCERATE will enter hometown MCA Studios to harness their anticipated fourth LP.
ULCERATE’s founding drummer Jamie Saint Merat states, “After almost exactly twelve months of exhaustive work we are now in the final stages of preparation for our fourth album. This week we enter the studio to track what has become a violent, monolithic piece of work.”
No question that Scorpions, Germany’s loudest and proudest rock band ever, have done much for heavy metal over the years, and it’s high time a book on them hit the shelves. Well, the wait is over with the arrival of Scorpions: Top Of The Bill, which looks at every song on every album the Teutonic tone-masters ever crafted, beginning with Lonesome Crow back in ‘72 through to the band’s triumphant “retirement” album Sting In The Tail (and beyond into Comeblack – long story!).
Speedy’s Coming, Dark Lady, Catch Your Train, Virgin Killer, Another Piece Of Meat, Animal Magnetism, Lovedrive, Holiday, The Zoo, Blackout, No One Like You, Rock You Like A Hurricane, Still Loving You, Wind Of Change… these are hits and deep album tracks built into the very fabric of heavy metal, and the stories of their making are all here.
Come join Martin as he embarks on conversation and analysis with all of the principals and beyond, including Klaus Meine, Uli Jon Roth, Herman Rarebell, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, along with the likes of David Krebs, Ralph Rieckermann, Francis Buchholz and legendary manager David Krebs.
Price including shipping:
US orders: $33.00 US funds
Int’l orders (all books go air): $44.00 Cdn. funds
Canadian orders: $36.00 Cdn. funds
PayPal happily accepted. Ask if you’d like a PayPal invoice (please indicate what country you are in), or just do yer usual and direct funds to martinp@inforamp.net
Sweet postage savings to be had for multiple orders (or two of pretty much anything). Two is definitely the magic number for Europe.
Or mail payment (personal check in US funds, cash, or INTERNATIONAL money order), to:
Italian progressive metal outfit KINGCROW today unveils a newly completed video for the song “Morning Rain,” the third single to be released from their recently released fifth album, In Crescendo.
Released on February 12th via Sensory Records, In Crescendo has been reaping acclaim from rock and metal critics worldwide, and exposing countless new fans throughout the scene to KINGCROW’s massive sounds. The vibrant visual depiction of “Morning Rain” — the most melodic and emotional track to be found on the nearly hour-long In Crescendo — was written by Devilnax and KINGCROW’s Diego Cafolla, and filmed and directed by Mauro Marani Studio and Devilnax.
Purchase “Death By Fire” online via Amazon.com or iTunes
SWEDEN – Death By Fire, the third full-length album and Nuclear Blast debut from Swedish high-energy heavy/speed metal band, Enforcer, has released today in North America. Death By Fire can be purchased online on Amazon.com at: http://smarturl.it/enfdbfamz, or digitally through iTunes at: http://smarturl.it/EnfDBFiTun.
Enforcer’s latest music video for “Mesmerized By Fire,” taken from the new record, can be streamed on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/PYUJkg2SiZA.
Download the “Mesmerized By Fire” track for free from this location: http://bit.ly/mbffree.
French death/black metal outfit SVART CROWN has set May 21st as the North American release date for their third full-length, Profane.
SVART CROWN is a that band has been willing to break the genre boundaries enhancing lethal grooves in a sadistic manner that won’t leave any listener in a safe and comfy world. The main theme on Profane is full-introspection about humanity sickness and SVART CROWN deliver the soundtrack of a bleak world that has already ended to their eyes with this album. Album artwork was made by designer Stefan Thanneur (RUINS). Profane was recorded, mixed, mastered by Francis Caste (Kickback, Arkhon Infaustus, Phazm) at St Marthe studio in Paris.
Manifestatio Symptoms
Genesis Architect
Intern . Virus . Human
In Utero: A Place Of Hatred And Threat
Until The Last Breath
Profane
The Therapy Of Flesh
Venomous Ritual
Ascetic Purification
Revelatio: Down Here Stillborn
Profane is the follow up the band’s 2010 release, Witnessing the Fall. The album was met with a roaring response from fans and the media around the world. Since then, SVART CROWN shared stages with Shining, Enthroned, Melechesh , Ulcerate , Septic Flesh and more across Europe and North America.
Watch SVARTCROWN’s video for “Into a Demential Sea” from Witnessing the Fall at:
The Heathen Crusade Metalfest 4, which was scheduled for Saturday, March 9th at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN has been canceled.
The following statement was issued by the organizers of the fest:
“Do to unforeseen issues on both sides, the Heathen Crusade Metalfest is canceled. We are extremely sorry for any in convinces this may have caused. For those who have purchased tickets, please email info@vitaltickets.com or log into the vitaltickets.com website and cancel your order. We wish you all the best and all the bands that were supposed to be on the bill. For those who already bought tickets, I will be sending out CDs that we have received from labels and bands personally. Again if you have any questions for me personally you may email me at: contact@heathencrusadefest.com.”
On the 15th of February we were given the opportunity to spend a Friday night watching Orange Goblin headline the O2 Academy Islington in London. It was the last show of their UK & Ireland 2013 tour in support of their latest album A Eulogy for the Damned. We knew it is going to be an epic night of brutal riffage, giant grooves and quite a lot of beer, but still the show turned out to be full of great surprises and lived up to our every expectation.
KAMELOT Announces 2013 North American Headline Tour!
Symphonic metallers KAMELOT will be touring North America this fall in support of their latest disc Silverthorn. The bands Delain and Eklipse will be opening all shows. Tickets for all shows are now available at www.enterthevault.com
“We are really looking forward to getting back on the road for our headline shows in the US and Canada, along with great support acts Delain and Eklipse, this tour will be something very special.” adds KAMELOT’s Thomas Youngblood.
On a recent KAMELOT European Tour, Delain proved to be a great addition as special guests, Delain’s Charlotte Wessels added, “It has been way too long since our last tour with our friends in KAMELOT! We’re hugely looking forward to joining them on tour this Fall, and we’re hugely looking forward to meeting YOU on the road rocking the US!”
In addition to Delain comes the German quartet Eklipse, whose unique style and musical approach rounds out a very diverse and stunning line-up.
For fans hoping to get a little more involved, the band will be offering up VIP packages at several of the tour stops. The VIP experience includes early entry to the show, a meet and greet with the band and an autographed commemorative poster.
KAMELOT North American Headline Tour With Delain and Eklipse:
9/2: Columbus, OH
9/3: Baltimore, MD
9/5: Philadelphia, PA
9/6: New York, NY
9/7: Worcester, MA
9/8: Montreal, QUE
9/10: Toronto, ON
9/12: Chicago, IL
9/13: Kansas City, KS
9/14: Denver, CO
9/15: Salt Lake City, UT
9/17: Seattle, WA
9/18: Portland, OR
9/20: San Francisco, CA
9/21: Anaheim, CA
9/22: Phoenix, AZ
9/24: Dallas, TX
9/25: San Antonio, TX
9/27: Louisville, KY
9/28: Atlanta, GA
9/29: Orlando, FL
Canadian metal band ANVIL will release their new album, Hope In Hell, on May 28th in North America, May 27th in Europe, and May 24th in Germany via SPV / Steamhammer. The 13-song effort will be available in four different formats: as a limited-edition digipak including two bonus tracks, jewel case CD, double gatefold colored vinyl LP, and as a download.
The artwork and tracklisting can be found below:
‘Hope In Hell’
‘Eat Your Words’
‘Through With You’
‘The Fight Is Never Won’
‘Pay The Toll’
‘Flying’
‘Call Of Duty’
‘Badass Rock N Roll’
‘Time Shows No Mercy’
‘Mankind Machine’
‘Shut The Fuck Up’
‘Hard Wired’ (bonus track)
‘Fire At Will’ (bonus track)
These are the first cuts featuring Anvil‘s new bassist Sal Italiano. “We’re really happy with Sal, his style is powerful and amazingly imaginative. It’s a little as if we’d enlisted Steve Harris,” enthuses guitarist/vocalist Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow, who composed the whole album together with drummer Robb Reiner.
“What we do is totally timeless,” says Anvil’s frontman. “We’ve never tried to change our sound or experiment with trends and fashions. We live in our own world and have maintained our individuality and own identity.”
Hope In Hell was produced by Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, AIRBOURNE, ALICE COOPER) at the NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA).
In live news, Anvil will play the Encore Event Center in Freehold, NJ on May 11th.
According to ITV News, a Czech court has acquitted the frontman of US heavy metal band LAMB OF GOD, Randy Blythe, of charges he caused the death of a fan at a concert in Prague three years ago.
The prosecution had accused Blythe, 42, of causing the death of the 19-year old fan by pushing him off the stage at a 2010 concert.
If found guilty of manslaughter, Blythe faced up to ten years in prison. Daniel Nosek’s family was also demanding the equivalent of over $500,000 in damages.
The State Attorney immediately announced his intention to appeal the verdict; he has eight days to put this in writing.
Randy Blythe: “I Am A Free Man. Please Remember The Family Of Daniel Nosek In This Difficult Time”
Randy posted the following via Instagram: “I have been found not guilty & acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man. This photo (shown below) was taken by my friend @aceyslade- it says it all. Please remember the family of Daniel Nosek in your thoughts & prayers in this difficult time. I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support- Randy”
Randy has been acquitted of charges that he caused the death of a young fan in Prague in 2010.
We woke up as we were pulling into the island of Grand Turk, the capital of the Turks & Caico’s Islands Nation. It was a lovely day in paradise.
It was -25oC where we live (and snowing!) a full 50oC degree difference to our day on the island. After a few hours of sightseeing, we had the pleasure of bumping into Peavy from Rage, Sy from Onslaught and saw Delain taking a moment for a photo-shoot on the beach. It was amusing to see the drunks head banging to Manowar in the swimming pool (with swim up bar) at a bar called Jimmy Buffet’s Margeritaville. The local DJ was quite amused at the crowd and did his best to play as many Metal requests as possible as the Black Horde took over the bar, much like we did at South Beach in Miami a mere four days ago!
Looking South from the Southern tip of Grand Turk
The (Metal) Majesty Of The Seas
After a very relaxing time on the island of Grand Turk we were ready to start the second and final leg of our journey home. We boarded MAJESTY OF THE SEAS and the first formal ‘Metal related’ event of the day was Vika Goes Wild at 4:00pm in the piano lounge.
Vika goes wild!
View from the main foyer
Vika, a young pianist played metal songs on the grand piano in the lounge on the first day and the main concourse on the second day. She drew a surprisingly large crowd but I did not instantly recognize the songs which are so radically different in their piano form. Probably the most instantly recognizable was ‘Master of Puppets’ by Metallica. Her performance was a touch of class.
Back into the sunshine of the pool deck for the first electric concert of the day, we got to discover Subway To Sally. (Must see # 7)
This band is absolute huge in Europe, specifically Germany with many albums and hits but they are virtually unheard of in North America. To the best of my knowledge they have never played in North America nor have they ever released an album in North America. In fact, I think in 19 years since they released their debut in 1994 I have never seen a Subway To Sally CD in a store, and yet in Germany they are on Nuclear Blast! The indisputable fact that have one of the most stupid band names in all Metal has likely hurt their global credibility. The crowd was surprisingly small considering they were the only band playing at the time and I know everyone was on board because we had left shore!
Subway To Sally
The fact that the singer sung in German and addressed the crowd mostly in German didn’t help. At one point he asked the crowd if there was anyone from Germany and almost everyone in front of the stage was! Fans from Germany made up the largest percentage of people on the cruise so it was not shocking that they were all there to enjoy their countrymen. Despite being a regional anomaly of a band, I really enjoyed their folk/pagan/viking sound and they should probably get more credit for their pioneering work in this field. All seven of the band members performed admirably including Frau Schmidt the violinist and Bodenski who played some sort if cool, black, electric hurdy gurdy.
The Metal Hurdy Gurdy
Simon plays the Electric Tromba Marina
I enjoyed their music which seemed to be a mellower,more rock oriented version of Blind Guardian mixed with Orden Ogan. I left thinking it might be good to track down an import copy of a Subway To Sally Greatest Hits CD for my collection.
Subway To Sally
My curiosity satisfied with that pleasant surprise, I headed inside from the windy pool deck to see Fatal Smile (Must See #6). This band was a very late addition to the cruise, or at least a late announcement on the last day. Despite having three albums, I had not yet heard this Swedish quartet on several occasions I had seen these four tall, young good looking guys always hanging around in a pack who were obviously a band looking like rock stars. They were not acting like rock stars but they just looked like a band. When Fatal Smile hit the stage in the Spectrum Lounge I made the connection and from the minute the singer opened his mouth I knew I liked these guys. They look good (like a cross between Mötley Crüe and the Black Veil Brides) and their stripped down sleazy 80′s inspired Metal was delivered with fire. Their sound was certainly not the norm on the cruise but I certainly enjoyed their sound made a note to hit the merch boot to grab an album of theirs.
Fatal Smile
Fatal Smile
Rock star action!
Fatal Smile
After Fatal Smile I enjoyed some Turisas for the second time in the large Theater. They had a much better time slot than before (and no conflicting concert either) and as the sun slipped below the stormy horizon, the viking crusaders got the ample crowd going with songs of drinking and piracy, both perfect themes for the cruise.
Turisas
Turisas
Now I had come to my largest conflict of the entire trip; Angra vs. Ektomorf. One one hand I really like Angra and have almost all their albums. I don’t like Ektomorf nearly as much, their uninspired sound is largely derived from mid-years (CHAOS A.D., ROOTS) Sepultura, which is my least favourite era of Sepultura. On the other hand, I had seen Angra at their first show on the boat and I had never seen Ektomorf as they were on my Must See list. The chance of seeing either band ever again is extremely slim as Angra is from Brazil and Ektomorf is from Hungary and doesn’t really tour Canada ever. What to do? In the end you have to follow your heart and while it bothered me to pass up a chance to see a band I had never seen (Ektomorf) and see a band I love (Angra) again. So there is is no write up on Ektomorf (sorry guys!) but here are some pictures of the band performing.
Ektomorf
Ektomorf
My choice was the right one (in my mind anyway) as Angra played a similar set from their previous show. Fabio epitomizes the classical, operatic performing style so well, it was a pleasure to see him and hear him sing. As a treat they brought a guest on stage to do a cover if Iron Maiden’s ‘Wasted Years’, namely Courtney from the popular, all-female, Iron Maiden tribute band, the Iron Maidens. I was disappointed that they choose not to play anything from the debut album ANGELS CRY as were many in the crowd.
Angra
Angra
After Angra, I dropped in on Metal Church who were treating the enthusiastic crowd in the packed theatre to the debut album in it’s entirety. I know it is kind of a trendy thing to do (play a whole album live) but it was nice to hear some of the songs that had probably not been played live in decades. Vocalist Monroe did his very best David Wayne impression and it was impressive to say the least!
Metal Church
Bad Boys of Metal?
It was a real treat for the die-hard fans and I hated to leave early to catch Tyr, but I wanted to see Tyr at least once because I had missed them the first time around. Tyr had been on the boat the first time in 2011 and were still massively entertaining.
Tyr
Despite having a tough break running up against the reunited Metal Church who were playing downstairs, Tyr performed admirably. They included the fan favourite ‘The Wild Rover’, which is always fun. It was good to hear Tyr break away from their usual lyrical theme and play ‘Shadow Of The Swastika’ from their last album, THE LAY OF TYRM. After Tyr I could relax just a bit because I had already seen the next four bands (Doro, Ensiferum, Onslaught, and Helloween) on their first concerts, so instead of another write-up on each artist, I made a few notes for each show.
Doro: Doro held court on the Pool Deck and mixed in a bunch of newer songs into the set including ‘Running From The Devil’ from FEAR NO EVIL, the title track from her new album and the very rare song, ’We Are The Metalheads’, which has never been released on a Doro album. She also thanked fans in about five languages!
Doro
Ensiferum: As much as I hate to admit it, Ensiferum (who were overlapping with Onslaught) are the younger, more charismatic, more fan-friendly band of the pair and so while Onslaught was grinding it out in the trenches upstairs in the small room, Ensiferum entertained a crowd three times the size in the larger Theater. I felt they were a little subdued compared to some of the times I have seen them live but that could just be my perception as the crowd was into it.
Ensiferum
Onslaught: The only British band on the cruise played their 1986 album THE FORCE in it’s entirety and I had almost forgotten how relentless that album really is! They also shot some footage for their upcoming 30th Anniversary DVD!
Onslaught
Helloween: The sound problems and long delays that plagued the last Helloween set were eliminated as the headliners ran unopposed on the pool deck at prime time for another one hour fifteen minute set. The same four songs opened the show, the same choreographed stage moves, the same stage rap, the same sing-along parts…even the same drum solo! Not much changed from the previous gig. Fortunately, the band offered some good song variation in the set. I feel Helloween may be suffering from an undiagnosed case of ‘Iron Maiden Syndrome’. This is a scientifically true, factual and medically documented affliction of Metal deficiency. It is known to strike when a band is legendary and brilliant but is getting old and suffers from any number of symptoms, such as a lack of imagination in song selection, no live spontaneity and limited innovation. I feel blasphemous slagging one if my favourite bands but I felt they could do better. Then they busted out ‘I’m Alive’ and all my grumbling got swept away on the the warm tropical wind. Eventually, Andi Deris relaxed, chatted with the crowd and all was well. Long live Helloween.
Helloween
I was pretty satisfied after seeing one of my favourite bands (Helloween) again and that took us up to midnight and time for Lacuna Coil the last show of the night in the large Theater. On our way to the show we needed to conduct some business. Co-ordinating press duties for Day Five with the friendly and helpful UMC staff (Allison and Andy) took a bit longer than we thought, so we had to miss Lacuna Coil. I had seen them before and the photography and interview arrangements we made were well worth missing Lacuna Coil. No offense to that excellent band intended but wait until you are what we cooked up for Day Five!
UMC President, Andy Pillar, holds a press conference earlier in the day.
It was now 1:00am and I had a big choice to make. Do I do the ‘responsible’ thing and go to bed and get some sleep or…do I stay up until 5:00am, drinking and see Nile (again), Heidevolk (again), Helstar (again) and catch a chance to see Holy Grail and Immolation for the first time on the trip even though I have seen them both before? Naturally, I did what any true Metal warrior would do… stay up late and drink!
My photographer bought me a drink called an ‘Italian Tea’ which consists of 2 shots of vodka, 2 shots of rum, amaretto and a slice of lime to ward off the scurvy. My liver took one for the team as my drink fortified me for a 1:00am, hour long attack of Death Metal delivered with bludgeoning heaviness on the pool deck. I love Nile, I have all their albums and even bought the Ramses EP on cassette back in 1996 but for some reason, sitting in the warm, tropical breeze by the pool sipping on my ‘Italian Tea’, Nile’s skull fracturing tales of Ancient Egypt didn’t have the same impact as the earlier gig in the Theater. The crowd was getting a bit thin but the few hundred in attendance loved every crushing note.
Back in the crowded and lively/drunken Spectrum Lounge Heidevolk entertained the moderately inebriated crowd. When the fans did not cheer loud enough during ‘Saksenland’, the vocalist, Boris asked the crowd if this was a Disney Cruise or a Metal cruise!! He reminded the fans at 2:00am that they could cheer loud as they wanted and not worry about the neighbours! The large drunk Viking fan in chain-mail drinking out of a horn and the dude dressed as the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtle seemed to take it to heart!
Heidevolk shows us a fine example of ‘The Claw’!
The clock was creeping towards 3:00am as Helstar hit the Pool Deck in full flight. It was the third time in about 72 hours I had seen the band and they didn’t really change their set at all which was disappointing. The crowd was getting thin maybe a few hundred diehards and a dozen or so fans asleep (or passed out) on deck chairs in the warm air. But live James Rivera said, ‘No sleep allowed!’ However, it was great to hear cuts from NOSFERATU and REMNANTS OF WAR again as they did their best to wake the dead. Somewhere along the way, between Heidevolk and Helstar, I lost my photographer so I was last man standing… again.
Helstar
Before I had a chance to recover from Helstar it was time to see the young and energetic power/thrash of Holy Grail for the first time on the cruise. Not the best time slot but they have it everything they had for the die-hards at 3:30am in the Spectrum Lounge. The 70,000 Tons tradition of the lounge chair mosh pit continued on as drunken Metallions rolled the wheeled lounge chairs around the floor in some sort of evil (but fun) Metal bumper car ride. The band finished the ripping set with ‘Fight To Kill’ from their debut album.
I must admit I was fading by the time Immolation hit the Pool Deck at 4:00am. Maybe it was the sun, the booze, the lack of sleep but I almost packed it in. However, I felt that if the band could stay up and perform for the fans I should support them. I feel the band got a bit of the shaft playing at 2:00am on Tuesday and 4:00am on Thursday. As a proud owner of the first half-dozen Immolation albums on CD (including the rare STEPPING ON ANGELS) I felt I owed it to the band to support them. To me Ross Dolan ranks up there with the other US, East coast Death Metal titans such as Glenn Benton, Chris Barnes, and John Tardy. The last 100 survivors were running on alcohol fuelled adrenaline at that point as Immolation delivered a minimalist set of spine-grinding, classic Death Metal. I was looking forward to seeing them on tour in North America with Cannibal Corpse in Canada in a few months. The fans were in for a special treat as the band did the World Premier of not one, but two songs! For the first time ever the band played ‘A Spectacle Of Lies’ from the (at the time of writing) forthcoming, new album KINGDOM OF CONSPIRACY and ‘Swallow The Fear’ from the PROVIDENCE EP.
Immolation
Immolation
The New York Death dealers were the perfect prologue to Day Five and the Day of Black Death! As Day Four came to a close it occurred to me that in past few hours we had seen five of the biggest Pagan/Folk/Viking bands from across the globe: Subway To Sally (Germany), Turisas (Finland), Tyr (Faroe Islands), Ensiferum (Finland) and Heidevolk (Netherlands) it was as if Day Four on 70,000 Tons of Metal was a mini PaganFest. Tomorrow promised to be much heavier!
We had now photographed almost every artist, covered 34 of the 41 bands and knocked a few more bands off my Must See list. After being up for 22 hours it was a working holiday indeed and time to hit our cabin for a few precious hours of Viking dreams of home.
On 23rd March 2013, female fronted symphonic metal band Epica are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a special performance titled Retrospect. Joining them on stage will be a 70-piece symphonic orchestra and choir, making it the band’s most ambitious project ever.
It would be nearly impossible to take such a massive line-up on the road. To allow fans across the globe take part in the extraordinary event, Epica has partnered with LiveMusicStage who will broadcast the concert live online in HD quality. The high quality live stream provides an exclusive, social concert experience with a front row view.
“I am looking forward to this show very much. Everything we have done and achieved in these last 10 years will come together on the 23rd of March. With a big orchestra, our music comes to life exactly the way it’s meant to be. Very rarely can we realize all of it and that makes it so special”, says Mark Jansen of Epica.Tickets to watch the live stream at www.livemusicstage.com/epica cost 5 euro until March 7th, after which the pay-per-view will be 7 euro. The concert takes physically place in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. It is expected to sell out soon, so for most of the fans the live stream will be the only way to go. People from over 45 countries are already coming to the show but organizers expect to double this figure with the live stream.
LiveMusicStage is an online venue where the audience can often interact with the bands while participating in high quality live streams. For venues, festivals and other event organizers it’s a platform for broadcasting their gigs and concerts.
Legendary drummer brothers Carmine and Vinny Appice will kick off their first Canadian tour on May 9th, 2013 at This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton, Ontario. “Drum Wars” was created with Vinny Appice and older brother drumming legend Carmine Appice. It is a Rock Drumming Show featuring music from the history of bands the Appice brothers have played with, as well as drum solos, comedy and a massive drum battle finale that tears it up. The brothers will also offer VIP Ticket Packages to fans for this tour. The packages offer concert attendees an opportunity to hang out with two of rock’s legendary icons – Carmine and Vinny Appice. VIP Packages also include admission to the show and sound check prior to the show; photo opportunities at sound check; free Drum Wars t-shirt; autographed Drum Wars photos; photos of VIP ticket holders behind Carmine and Vinny’s drum sets; and VIP commemorative passes. The VIP Ticket packages are limited to 10 per show and can be purchased for $125US through paypal at: http://www.serge.org/drumwarsviptix.htm.
“There is nothing like Drum Wars in rock music. When me and Vinny play together or battle, it’s like thunder!!” – Carmine Appice
Appice Drum Wars tour dates include:
Thursday, May 9, 2013 – This Ain’t Hollywood, 345 James St. N., Hamilton, Ontario – 9:30PM
Friday, May 10, 2013 – The Rockpile Nightclub, 5555 Dundas Steet West, Toronto, Ontario – 8PM
Saturday, May 11, 2013 – Le Petit Campus, 57 Prince Arthur Est., Monteal, Quebec – 8PM
As drummer for Vanilla Fudge, Carmine Appice set the grooves for the groundbreaking band’s 1967 psychedelic debut, inadvertently inventing Stoner Rock in the process. The Fudge had no precedent. The band was totally unique. No rock group, up until that point, had ever so lugubriously s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out well-known pop tunes like the Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” and “Ticket To Ride,” Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” Sonny & Cher’s “Bang Bang” Rod Argent’s “She’s Not There” and, most famously, The Supremes’ Motown classic “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” to such hippie heights. With Mark Stein’s mysterioso wash of Grand Guignol keyboard theatrics, Tim Bogert’s amazing and trippy bass runs, and guitarist Vince Martell’s era-happy soloing, Appice boomed like no other drummer in rock history. Their debut album still stands today as a Hard Rock classic. Vanilla Fudge went on to tour with Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and even had Led Zeppelin as an opening act.
Post-Fudge, Bogert and Appice formed Cactus (seen as an influence on King’s X and Van Halen). Post-Cactus, the rhythm section found Grammy-winning Guitar Hero Jeff Beck to form the first supergroup: Beck, Bogert & Appice (BBA).
One of the premier showmen in rock, Appice became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances, in addition to becoming a highly sought-after session drummer, recording with countless artists throughout his career. In ’76, he joined Rod Stewart’s band, touring, recording and writing two of Stewart’s biggest hits, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and “Young Turks.” He left Stewart to record his first solo album, Rockers, and tour Japan and North America with an allstar band. . In the early ‘80s, he toured with Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent. In the mid ‘80s, he formed King Kobra for two Capitol albums and international touring. And in the late 80s, Carmine played on a Pink Floyd record “Momentary Lapse of Reason and formed Blue Murder with Whitesnake’s John Sykes and The Firm’s Tony Franklin. In the early ‘90s, he pounded away soul-style for The Edgar Winter Group.
As an educator, Carmine was the first to legitimize rock drumming with his landmark book, The Realistic Rock Drum Method, selling over 400,000 copies (now in video format). He was the first Rock Drummer and Rock Musician to conduct instructional clinics and symposiums around the world, a tradition he continues. In appreciation for his universal appeal, Los Angeles was one of four cities that have had “Carmine Appice Day.” In ’91, he was forever immortalized via his induction in cement to the Hollywood’s Rock Walk (next to his idols, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich).
Vinny Appice – Bio
Has powered the rhythm live and in the studio with the bands DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN AND HELL, OZZY OSBURNE, WWIII, AXIS, RICK DERRINGER, and at age 16 performed with JOHN LENNON “live” on stage and in the studio. Vinny has recorded and co-written songs on over 25 albums and CDs many which are multi-platinum records and still selling numerous copies and downloads today! Drumming across the world for over 2 decades and playing before countless fans and selling millions of records his drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks and DVDs including “Wayne’s World 2″, “Heavy Metal”, “Iron Eagle”, “Bedazzled” and recently “Bad Teacher”. He is the author of drum instruction book “Rock Steady” and DVD “Hard Rock Drumming Techniques” and has performed incredible drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about Black Sabbath and Dio with the authors always mentioning his unique powerful drumming style and has become a part of rock drumming history!
In 2006, Black Sabbath was reborn as Heaven And Hell with Vinny again driving the rhythm behind the band with the great Ronnie James Dio on vocals. Three world tours followed as well as a CD titled “The Devil You Know”, the first studio album since 1991’s “Dehumanizer”. The band also released “Heaven And Hell Live in Europe” DVD in 2010 which was the last video recording of the late Ronnie James Dio at the Wacken Festival in Germany. Vinny can also be heard on the recent release of “Dio At Donington”, a live performance of Dio in 1983 and 1987. In 2012, Vinny’s new heavy band Kill Devil Hill featuring mega bassist Rex Brown (Pantera/Down) vocalist Dewey Bragg and guitarist Mark Zavon, toured and released their first CD on SPV Records. The music is a cross between Sabbath, Alice In Chains and some Zep. Vinny is working on the release of a new rock drum instruction book and instructional video.
For more information about Drum Wars, please visit the following web sites:
Sweden’s legendary death metal masters THE CROWN have published the following statement regarding the recording process for the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed album, Doomsday King (2010):
“A lot of things are happening with THE CROWN at this very moment. We are in the middle of recording a true masterpiece. Marko is more or less done with his rhythm guitar work and Magnus has started with the bass stuff. He recorded a bass track for one song today before we all got together and filmed a small ‘jingle’ for our Japanese friends. Only three months until we hit Japan for the very first time. We are extremely excited about this. Hopefully we’ll see YOU there.
Last but not least, we are very proud to announce our new lineup. Yes, we have a new member in the band. His name is Robin Sörqvist and he fits the band more than perfectly. You have probably heard him in the band IMPIOUS before. He’s got the lead guitar skills and the will to kick ass, just as the rest of us.
