“2021 wasn’t an easy year. We released new studio album “The Cult”, but we managed to play literally 3 live shows only, as our other festival appearances and the European Tour on which we were supposed to promote new album were either postponed or cancelled. So instead, we did few new studio recordings, including full #RockOutSessions recording, where we played 4 songs from “The Cult” in the live, stripped down versions. We decided to release the video version for free – it’s our way of saying thank you to all the fans who are supporting us in those weird times, who bought the new album. The same material will be later released as Side-B of our special Mini Album, which will be released in the next few months, and which will include few rather big surprises!”.
CRYSTAL VIPER’s latest studio album “The Cult”, as well as Marta Gabriel’s first solo album “Metal Queens” were released in 2021 by Listenable Records.
Italian bass master and composer ALBERTO RIGONI (solo, BAD AS, NATURAL BORN MACHINE, Bassists Alliance Project, Vivaldi Metal Project etc.) will release on January 15th 2022, his new album “Songs for Souls”, in memory of his Father.
Now Alberto has posted online a stunning performance video for “L’Origin du Monde”, featured by JORDANRUDESS & MARKZONDER and ALBERTORIGONI. Video edit by Mark Barret.
Alberto Rigoni on “L’Origin du Monde”: “Composed by myself and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and featuring Fates Warning drummer Mark Zonder “L’Origin du Monde” is one of the songs of my upcoming album “Songs For Souls” out on January 15th 2022, in memory of my father. Happy Christmas!”
Jordan Rudess adds: “I co-wrote a song with Alberto Rigoni and I think it turned out beautifully. He originally sent me a lovely bass track and I let the inspiration flow and came up with the rest!”
Just recently Alberto Rigoni announced Jordan Rudess, Mark Zonder, Fabrizio Leo, Marco Sfogli, Tommaso Ermolli, Enrico Taddei, Alessandro Bertoni and the legendary guitarist Jennifer Batten, joining the “Songs for Souls” album line-up.
“Huldufólk” is the new album by Italian legendary Speed/thrash metallers CELTIC HILLS, the band continues to tell and describe their land, but the intention of this new work is to walk the road in a different way! “Huldufólk” is coming out in 2022 via ElevateRecords.
Band’s singer and guitarist Jonathan Vanderbilt reveals on the album cover artwork:
“The cover was again entrusted to Sheila Franco with the input of drawing a brighter cover, with the predominant green between the green that characterizes the MATRIX movie and the green of uncontaminated nature. A record in the balance between the enchanted world of legends, heroic deeds performed by people who wanted a better world. A record that looks to the past, projecting itself into a future to be built. A passing disc that wants to take past history with it to go further …to draw.”
The tracklisting reads the following: 1 – The Secret of the Grail 2 – Metal Message 3 – After The Eartquake 4 – Hidden Folk 5 – Green Forest 6 – Gate Of Hollow Earth 7 – Living Out Of The Egg 8 – The Sound Of Earth 9 – The Hammer Of Thor 10 – Villacher Kirktag Bonus track Words In Out (remix 2022) Living Out Of The Egg sung by Simone Cescutti
Photo-edit by Pino Magliani
The drummer Simone Cescutti after this job leaves the band to pursue a career as a singer and guitarist with his own band! So, to greet his fans, he sings a song called “Living out of the Egg”. The other texts dedicated to the history of Friuli are “After the Earthquake” which speaks of the strength and courage of the Friulian people in rebuilding the territory devastated by the earthquake of 6 May 1976. “The Gate of Hollow Earth” tells of the legends of the mountains behind the city of Pordenone where there would be a secret entrance to the hollow earth.
The album ends with the track “Villacher Kirktag” which tells of the Beer Festival in the city of Villach in Austria where every first Saturday of August Friulian boys go to party getting drunk and harassing beautiful Austrian girls! The text is sung in English with “notations” in Friulian and Austrian.
The album was produced also this time by Michele Guaitoli singer of Temperance and Vision of Atlantis in the studios of the Groove Factory in Udine and for the realization of the cover again the talented Sheila Franco.
Just recently was announced the guest guitarist, GabrielePala (Karnak, Azure Agony, Goldenseed), playing two solos in the album for the songs ‘Green Forest’ and ‘Gate of Hollow Earth’. In addition to being a very good guitarist, Gabriele is an expert connoisseur of Chapman Stick, an instrument played with the tapping technique.
Earlier Jonathan revealed on “Huldufólk”: “Again this time we will talk about Friuli, and the theory is at work that the location of the American Air Force Base Aviano is used to control an ancient access to the underground world, which has been used by the pagan gods since ancient times. The magical rites of the inhabitants of the mountains and the places where elves, fairies and gnomes once lived among the people are revealed. There are already definitive titles such as The Sound of the Earth in F sharp minor. A text tells how you can use the beneficial energy of the trees at dawn to strengthen your energies, but there will be no lack of historical events that accompany every CELTIC HILLS album.”
2021 was a very positive year for CELTIC HILLS! The reviews of the ‘Mystai Keltoy’ album have been many, published on the major world newspapers and all with an average rating of around 9.
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