When three legendary Bay Area thrash metal groups embarked on the tour together, it is evident that the concert venues would be packed and sold out. This kind of tour has waited for years and decades in Finland until it became a reality in 2020. All the three bands, Death…
Geoff Tate discusses the “Empire 30th Anniversary” tour, Operation: Mindcrime, Avantasia, Trinity, and much more.
Geoff Tate is known as a man with a big voice. Throughout his 40-year career, the former Queensryche vocalist has seen and experienced many ups and downs in the industry. In the late ’80s / early’ 90s, Queensryche sold millions of copies of the OPERATION: MINDCRIME and EMPIRE albums, and…
DREAM THEATER – James LaBrie discusses “Distance Over Time -Scenes from a Memory” tour, the early days of Dream Theater, solo career and more
JAMES LABRIE INTERVIEW AND LIVE PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJALA Dream Theater is undoubtedly one of the most important and successful progressive metal bands in the world. Founded in 1985, originally under the name of Majesty, the group has managed to retain its popularity despite the numerous lineup changes. The current…
Best of 2019: Marko Syrjälä
BEST ALBUMS OF 2019 WHITESNAKE FLESH & BLOOD David Coverdale and his snakes return with FLESH AND BLOOD. The album is the band’s most fresh and vital album since SLIP OF THE TONGUE (1989). The renewed line-up sounds just fantastic together. Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra make a great guitar…
BLACK STAR RIDERS – bassist Robbie Crane and guitarist Christian Martucci discuss ANOTHER STATE OF GRACE, Scott Gorham, a new lineup, and the evolution of the band.
INTERVIEW AND LIVE PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJALA Black Star Riders released their fourth album ANOTHER STATE OF GRACE in February 2019, and now, eight months later, the band returned to tour in Finland. Since the previous visit more than two years ago, Black Star Riders have gone through many changes.…
Magnum announces new album “The Serpent Rings”, and new tourdates
MAGNUM “The Serpent Rings” Release Date: January 17th, 2020 Tracklisting: 01. Where Are You Eden? 5:37 02. You Can’t Run Faster Than Bullets 5:40 03. Madman or Messiah 5:18 04. The Archway of Tears 6:21 05. Not Forgiven 5:48 06. The Serpent Rings 6:47 07. House of Kings 4:47 08.…
RANDY BLACK discusses joining Destruction, and his past work with Annihilator, Primal Fear, W.A.S.P, and more
Randy Black is a Canadian drummer, who currently plays with the German thrash metal legend Destruction. Randy officially joined the band in August of 2018, and his debut album with the group, “Born to Perish,” came out one year later. Randy has been living in Berlin, Germany since 1998. There…
CYHRA – guitarist Euge Valovirta discusses the formation of the band, the second album and more
Cyhra is one of these new so-called supergroups, consisting of the former members of widely-known metal groups. The band was originally formed in 2017 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The current line-up is: vocalist Joacim “Jake E” Lundberg (Amaranthe), guitarist duo of Jesper Strömblad (In Flames) and Euge Valovirta (Shining), and drummer…
RICHIE SCARLET – Discuss Return of the Comet, upcoming Solo album and working with Ace Frehley, Corky Laing’s Mountain, and Alice Cooper Group members
INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ Richie Scarlet, also known as “The Emperor of Rock and Roll,” is a New York native musician, songwriter, and producer. Richie started his career as a solo artist in the early ’80s, and he was a founding member of the former Kiss guitarist Ace…
Legendary bassist Billy Sheehan discusses Sons of Apollo, The Winery Dogs, Mr.Big, tour life and more
Billy Sheehan is an American bassist, best known for his work with Talas, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, and Sons of Apollo. Sheehan has won the “Best Rock Bass Player” readers’ poll from Guitar Player magazine several times, and his unique bass playing repertoire includes the use…
Children of Bodom announced the final show with the current line-up
CHILDREN OF BODOM – THE END OF AN ERA Finland’s perhaps best-known metal act, Children Of Bodom, will be playing their final show with the current line-up this coming December. ”A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom” will take place at the Black Box in Helsinki Ice Hall on December 15th.…
SODOM releases “Out Of The Frontline Trench” EP in November
Release Date: November 22nd, 2019 Format: – Digi CD EP, 12” Vinyl-EP, green transparency, printed inner sleeves The close relationship between a metal band and its fans can be measured by – among other things – how long they make their supporters wait for new songs. So looking at it from…
Drummer Les Binks discusses his career, time with Judas Priest, and the future.
LES BINKS INTERVIEW BY MARKO SYRJALA Les Binks is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979. Binks performed on two Priest studio albums, STAINED CLASS, KILLING MACHINE, and live album UNLEASH THE EAST, which just turned forty years old. Before the Priest…
ZAL CLEMSINSON discusses new band Sin’ Dogs, SABH, Nazareth and more
ZAL CLEMINSON Sin’ Dogs is a new band, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. The group is fronted by legendary Zal Cleminson, best known for his prominent role in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB). A self-taught Cleminson started his musician career in the late ’60s with the Glasgow-based band Tear Gas.…
UGLY KID JOE – Vocalist Whitfield Crane discusses the past, present, and the future of his career, and more
WHITFIELD CRANE INTERVIEW AND LIVE PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJALA Ugly Kid Joe is a hard rock band from California, fronted by vocalist Whitfield Crane. The group was initially formed in 1987, and to date, they have released four full-length albums, two compilation albums, and two EPs. Ugly Kid Joe’s best-selling…