OPETH will return to the stage this Spring on the second leg of their North American co-headlining tour with Mastodon. The journey will commence April 21st in Montreal, Quebec and make its way through sixteen US and Canadian cities, coming to a close on May 11th in Riverside, California. See all confirmed dates below.
Comments OPETH mainman MikaelÅkerfeldt, “We’re excited to come back to North America for the second leg of shows together with our ‘brothers from other mothers’ in Mastodon. And… hello, Canada! It’s been too long, we know! We’ll soon dust off the ole guitars etc. and get in shape for this run. The last tour was quite splendid; the only downside being the restrictions. We don’t know for sure how it’s going to pan out this time around, but we’re hoping for a bit more freedom to move around. Crossing fingers here. See you semi-soon! Signing off from a rainy, gloomy Stockholm, Mikael (on behalf of OPETH).”
Blabbermouth and Knotfest.com ticket presales will be available Tuesday, February 8th at 10:00am EST through Thursday, February 10th at 10:00pm local time. General on sale date is Friday, February 11th at 10:00am local time. Visit the band’s official tour page HERE for tickets!
Polish female fronted Heavy Metal act CRYSTALVIPER published a lyric video for KINGDIAMOND cover “Welcome Home”. The song was recorded with a special guest, guitarist of the KING DIAMOND band, Andy La Rocque, and was released as a bonus track on the latest CRYSTALVIPER studio album “The Cult”.
“I love KING DIAMOND, his songwriting had and still has a huge impact on me. He’s an amazing vocalist and performer. We’re also friends with Andy La Rocque, who actually co-produced one of our earlier albums” says CRYSTALVIPER front woman, Marta Gabriel. “When we decided to record this cover, we thought it would be cool to invite him to join us, and he agreed, that’s a huge, huge honor! We received an amazing feedback, lot of fans seems to really like our version, so although it came out a few months ago, we decided to revisit it, and do this lyric video” she adds.
CRYSTALVIPER recently also announced release of a special new “long-mini-album” entitled “The Last Axeman” (with a playing time of almost 40 minutes), which will come out on March 25, on Listenable Records. It will include 8 songs, out of which 7 will be exclusive and available on this release only. These include a remake of the early song “The Last Axeman”, brand new song “In The Haunted Chapel”, ARIA cover “Ulitsa Roz” and 4 songs recorded “live in studio” as part of the #RockOutSessions series. 8th song, which is a bonus track, is CRYSTAL VIPER’s version of the classic DIAMOND HEAD song, “It’s Electric”.
#RockOutSessions live in studio was also released on youtube on the Listenable channel – watch HERE . CRYSTALVIPER are genuinely passionate about Heavy Metal and represent the Metal Nation!
“The Last Axeman” is set to be released on March 25th, 2022.
Tracklisting: 1 The Last Axeman 03:49 2 In The Haunted Chapel 04:21 3 Ulitsa Roz (ARIA cover) 05:49 4 It’s Electric (DIAMOND HEAD cover) 03:36 5 The Cult (RockOutSessions) 04:38 6 Asenath Waite (RockOutSessions) 04:45 7 Whispers From Beyond (RockOutSessions) 4:48 8 Flaring Madness (RockOutSessions) 05:04
Discography: The Curse of Crystal Viper (Album – 2007) Metal Nation ( Album – 2009) Legends ( Album – 2010) Crimen Excepta ( Album – 2012) Possession ( Album – 2013) Queen of the Witches ( Album – 2017) Tales of Fire and Ice ( Album – 2019) The Cult ( LISTENABLE Album – 2021) The Last Axeman (LISTENABLE Album- 2022)
CRYSTALVIPER: Marta Gabriel – vocals, guitars AndyWave – guitars Eric Juris – guitars Blaze Grygiel – bass Cederick Forsberg – drums
Exciting news! We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new studio album w/ Frontiers Music. We are looking forward to introducing our newest collection of hard rock music across the globe. A very special thank you to Serafino, Mario & the entire Frontiers Family!
From Frontiers Music srl Twitter timeline:
Autograph has signed to Frontiers and is currently working on a new album! Autograph features vocalist Simon Daniels, guitarist Jimi Bell, bassist Randy Rand, and drummer Marc Wieland. Stay tuned for more news as we have it!
We’re thrilled drummer extraordinaire Brian Tichy has returned to the Daisies fold.
“Well, what a nice way to start off 2022. I’m excited to get behind the drum kit and do some powerful, groovy rocking with my good friends Doug Aldrich, Glenn Hughes, and David Lowy in The Dead Daisies! Looking forward to seeing you all out on tour this year!”- Brian Tichy
Can’t wait to get out and play some showstogether!
Finnish dark metal band Kuoleman Galleria releases their third album “Armon Loppu” on February 18th 2022. Now they present the third and last single before the album release. “Jean Grenier” is a gruesome historical story.
“Jean Grenier is a true story of 17th century poverty and endless hunger that pushed Jean Grenier to make his own solutions. He fell into insanity wearing his wolf skin cloak that gave him a dark freedom which was ripped away from him in the end. Within every human there is a beast that will step in when the situation forces to do so.” – Band backgrounds the single.
SHIELD OF WINGS press forward to their imminent album release with third single and video, “Crushing Hail”. Presented here, in the form of a powerful lyric video and full band playthrough, this single comes from their debut full-length album. “Unfinished” is set to be released on February 11.
Guitarist James Gregor said of the track: “High energy and full of life, ‘Crushing Hail’ is the first track of our upcoming album. It sets the stage for the dynamic and emotional journey housed within the rest of Unfinished. So, bang your heads with us as we go forward, unheeding, through the wind and hail!”
SHIELD OF WINGS will begin the year of 2022 with their Epic Symphonic Metal resurrection, and their debut full-length album, Unfinished.
Each song from Unfinished explores themes of growth through self-examination, regret, sacrificial death and rebirth. From the “Crushing Hail” of the suffering which is inherent in life, the listener is carried through this journey, until the final track expounds upon the realization that we are all, in ways, “The Scarred Clay Reshaping.” With bold, vast orchestral compositions soaring over chugging guitars, SHIELD OF WINGS makes it abundantly clear that they are Unfinished, in more ways than one.
Line-Up: LaraMordian – Vocals Aliyah Daye – Support & Harsh Vocals, Keys James Gregor – Guitar & Orchestrations PatrickEulitz – Drums Alex Luke – Bass Guitar
Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of the highly successful heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has taken to the road once again, but not in his usual way. Dickinson brought his spoken word tour to North America. From his days in boarding school and his time in Samson to joining Iron Maiden and his battle with cancer, Dickinson had more than enough stories to share with devoted fans.
The phrase “Spoken Word Tour” seriously undermines what actually goes on at one of these shows. From the second Dickinson walked out on stage he was bursting with energy. They would have been better off advertising this as Bruce Dickinson’s One Man Show. Dickinson was greeted by thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he entered the concert hall. He wasted no time in making the crowd laugh. He began his show where every good story starts…birth. To be more specific, how he did not want to be born, which he refers to as his first act against authority.
Dickinson quickly moved up the time line to his time in Oundle, an English public school, which to Americans is better known as a private school. Here Dickinson had his second brush with authority and was kicked out for peeing in the headmaster’s dinner, but not before falling in love with music. Believe it or not he did not always want to be a singer, but instead he wanted to sit behind the drum kit. Dickinson continued telling the story of his first band where he played the bongos. It was here however that he treated the audience to their first taste of his a-cappella singing. He belted out a quick rendition of the chorus to Let It Be by the Beatles, which happed to be the song that made him realize “maybe I should be a singer”.
He then went on to talking about his time in the band Samson. He brought the audience to tears describing the hysterically funny adventures he went on with the band; including his purchasing of a life size plastic goose for no reason other than he wanted to. Dickinson’s transition from stories of Samson to Iron Maiden was seamless. Fans roared with cheers as pictures of Iron Maiden flashed onto the screen. Those cheers became even louder as Dickinson began to talk about the ever so famous Rock in Rio.
While Dickinson did his best to keep things light hearted and funny there is no escaping the seriousness that is cancer. He explained what it was like for him to get chemo therapy and radiation. In the end he still had to make the audience laugh by making fun of his own beard, which he grew during his cancer treatment, and then how he lost pieces of it at the most inconvenient times. As Dickinson left the stage for intermission, they played TheWritingontheWall Music video on the big screen for fans to enjoy.
After intermission came the question and answer portion of the night. Before the show, fans were able to write a question to Dickinson and have the opportunity to have him answer it on stage. He brought a nice stack of them out on stage and began to answer different things about flying, accidents on stage with Iron Maiden, and other personal yet appropriate topics. If he did not want to answer a question he just threw it behind him. For the very last question he was asked to sing a bit of the song TearsoftheDragon. As he finished his last note he thanked the audience and left the stage once again being met with thunderous applause.
It is one thing reading about Dickinson’s show and seeing little videos from it, but it is a whole other world being there and experiencing it in person. You can feel the passion that Dickinson has for everything he does and he expressed it well with silly voices, funny faces, and one or two self deprecating jokes which makes him that much more relatable.
Heavy metallers SPIRITSOFFIRE – Feat. Chris Caffery, Steve Di Giorgio, Mark Zonder, and new vocalist Fabio Lione – have unveiled the title track of their upcoming album “Embrace The Unknown”, coming out February 18th on CD/LP/Digital, via FrontiersMusic. (Please note, due to ongoing worldwide vinyl manufacturing delays, the LP release date is March 18, 2022.). Pre-order/save HERE: https://orcd.co/embrace
Heavy metal supergroup SPIRITS OF FIRE first formed in 2017, released their first single in late 2018, and unleashed their debut album in February 2019. Originally formed by Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death, etc.), Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord) and Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Judas Priest), the band’s self-titled debut was met with fan and critical praise upon its release.
As it approaches two years since the release of their debut, Spirits of Fire are now set to return with a new album, ” Embrace The Unknown ” that sees renowned Italian metal vocalist Fabio Lione taking over frontman duties for the band. Production this time comes courtesy of Aldo Lonobile, whose recent work on releases by Archon Angel featuring Zak Stevens, Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate, and his own band, Secret Sphere, makes him the perfect fit for the band.
Once again, the band worked on a set of songs that were primarily put together by Caffery, with Lione and Lonobile adding their own touches to Caffery’s stellar songs. The final result sees a killer musical output that continues in the vein of “classic Priest meets Savatage” sound that the band has pursued since their formation.
With Caffery’s renowned guitar playing, the undeniable power of the rhythm section of Di Giorgio and Zonder, and the world class vocals of Lione, “Embrace The Unknown ” sees SPIRITS OF FIRE pushing their sonic stamp further and further. From the biting riffage of the charging opener “Embrace The Unknown”, the band is firing on all cylinders and prepared to appease the heavy metal gods.
SPIRITS OF FIRE are built to deliver classic in-your-face heavy metal and they have accomplished that goal on every level on “Embrace The Unknown”. From Lione’s soaring vocals, to Caffery’s guitar pyrotechnics, to the propulsive and crushing rhythms of Di Giorgio and Zonder, the performances are stellar from beginning to end. There is no shortage of memorable, metal hymns to raise your fist and bang your head to on this all killer, no filler metal journey.
“Embrace The Unknown” Tracklist:
A Second Chance
Resurrection
Wildest Dreams
Into The Mirror
Embrace The Unknown
My Confession
Sea Of Change
Shapes Of A Fragile Mind
Hearts In The Sand
House Of Pain
Remember My Name
Out In The Rain
LINE-UP: Fabio Lione – Vocals Christopher Caffery – Guitars Steve Di Giorgio – Bass Mark Zonder – Drums
Descending deeper into the vast chasm below, DEATHONFIRE’s upcoming release TheDyingLight, landing on the 18th of February 2022, fully embraces the darkness. Drawing inspiration from the established pillars of extreme metal, the melodic and thrash-infused death metal outfit have cast their sights and sound to the far reaches of the horizon.
Marking the first major milestone in the journey to their upcoming album Burial Hymns, the new 7” The Dying Light sees the unleashing of the tracks “Slave” and “The Dying Light” in a vinyl and t-shirt bundle. “Slave” adheres more closely to the traditional thrash style track. Heavily distorted guitars and dense vocals produce an unyielding dark tonality. Intricate guitar leads and motifs, contrasting cleaner tones and changing dynamics bring a distinctive identity to their music. “The Dying Light” delivers strong groove rhythms with a dark twist, seeing demonic vocals rise from the abyss through the heavy instrumentation.
DEATHONFIRE produces hard-hitting sounds and compelling experimentation while offering a homage to more traditional styles. Unapologetic in their voyage into lesser explored realms, The Dying Light provides a phenomenal prelude for the eagerly awaitedBurialHymns.
Post-metal sludge outfit PYRESHIP will release their new album LightIsABarrier on April 22nd, 2022.
“This album has been in the works for over 3 years, and we are extremely excited to finally release it for you! Recorded live over a couple of days in August 2018 at Red Tree and vocals separately in February 2019 at Dead City (both sessions engineered by Chris Ryan), we finally had our friend Aidan Cunningham mix and master it right at the beginning of the pandemic, but it just didn’t feel like the right time to release it. Now is the time, Coming 04/22/2022!”
Leave all behind and embrace the imagination of PYRESHIP. There’s a stunning ambience that flows through Light Is A Barrier, which also blends with a sense of gravitas. PYRESHIP’s sound is both grounded on earth and soaring through the heavens. Despite the shadowy twists and turns, you’ll find yourself craving more.
Line-up: Steve Smith – Drums George Lusito – Bass Jenny Jordan – Vocals Sam Waters – Guitar/Vocals Cru Jordan Jones – Guitar/Vocals
HOOKERS & BLOW, the now legendary project formed by long time Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed and Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossihave announced a handful of March tour dates to celebrate the recent success of their debut covers album released last August via Golden Robot Records.
These shows will be HOOKERS & BLOW‘s first live performances since the release of their highly anticipated covers album. After teasing their fan base for nearly 2 decades the band finally released their self-titled covers album digitally, on CD as well as limited edition Vinyl last August via Golden Robot Records. Since the release, the band has had 2 tracks on the album chart internationally, with the initial pressing of the limited vinyl selling out almost immediately.
In addition, the album was picked as one of 2021’s Top 50 Hard Rock/Metal releases by Audio Ink Radio, with HUSTLER Magazine naming them “the greatest cover band of all time”. Along with Reed and Grossi, HOOKERS & BLOW current lineup includes Johnny Kelly (Danzig, Type O Negative), Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.), and Nadja Reed.
Supporting Hookers & Blow on each date will be DEAD FERVOR.
2022 Dates are as follows: 3/03/22 – HOOKERS & BLOW – The Tiki Bar – Costa Mesa, CA 3/04/22- HOOKERS & BLOW – The Whisky A Go Go – Hollywood, CA 3/05/22 – HOOKERS & BLOW – Fremont Country Club – Las Vegas, NV 3/06/22 – HOOKERS & BLOW – Lake Havasu, AZ 3/11/22 – HOOKERS & BLOW – The Roadhouse – Idaho Falls, ID 3/12/22 – HOOKERS & BLOW – Salt Lake City, UT
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Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
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