Author Archives : Dana

STYX TO RELEASE THEIR FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN 14 YEARS, “THE MISSION,” DUE OUT JUNE 16TH

Welcome one and all to The Mission, Styx’s sonically sweet 16th studio album and its most ambitious, most challenging, and most rewarding release to date. Please take note of the official stardate, as The Mission has duly been set for liftoff June 16th on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. Fans can pre-order the album at any of these online retail outlets and Styxworld.com.

The first single, Gone Gone Gone, was released today at radio and online retail outlets. A video premiered on Billboard.com and can be seen below.

The planets truly aligned for The Mission, and I couldn’t be prouder,” says vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw, who co-wrote the album’s storyline with longtime collaborator Will Evankovich (Shaw/Blades, The Guess Who). “It’s our boldest, most emblematic album since Pieces Of Eight.”

As founding guitarist James “JY” Young continues, “In the 40th anniversary year of our release of our biggest selling album of all time, Grand Illusion, it just seemed truly appropriate to save our new studio album until this year. Needless to say, I’m very excited.”

Indeed, The Mission is an aurally adventurous 43-minute thrill ride that chronicles the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs of the first manned mission to Mars in the year 2033. From the hopeful drive of Gone Gone Gone to the stargazing machinations of Locomotive to the rough-riding blaze of glory that permeates the hard-charging Red Storm to the elegiac optimism of the closing track Mission to Mars, the album succeeds in delivering the greater good from a band that continues to fire on all cylinders, 45 years after signing its first recording contract.

“The album feels simultaneously comfortable and new,” observes Gowan. “It’s both entertaining and charming, and a natural progression of our sound.” Concludes Panozzo, “THE MISSION is a sincere and honest representation of how Styx built upon where we were in the 20th century in order to go somewhere new in the 21st century.” And that’s the gist of The Mission, Styx’s bold sonic voyage into an exciting new frontier with the goal of discovering how the universe’s mysteries unfold—and then creating the perfect soundtrack to accompany it.

Track listing for The Mission:

CD/Digital:

1. Overture
2. Gone Gone Gone
3. Hundred Million Miles from Home
4. Trouble at the Big Show
5. Locomotive
6. Radio Silence
7. The Greater Good
8. Time May Bend
9. Ten Thousand Ways to Be Wrong
10. Red Storm
11. All Systems Stable
12. Khedive
13. The Outpost
14. Mission to Mars

Vinyl:

1. Overture (Side A)
2. Gone Gone Gone (Side A)
3. Hundred Million Miles from Home (Side A)
4. Trouble at the Big Show (Side A)
5. Locomotive (Side A)
6. Radio Silence (Side A)
7. The Greater Good (Side B)
8. Time May Bend (Side B)
9. Ten Thousand Ways to Be Wrong (Side B)
10. Red Storm (Side B)
11. All Systems Stable (Side B)
12. Khedive (Side B)
13. The Outpost (Side B)
14. Mission to Mars (Side B)

FORMER PANTERA BASSIST REX BROWN DEBUTS NEW SINGLE “CROSSING LINES”, ALL NEW LP, “SMOKE ON THIS…,” OUT JULY 28TH

Multi-platinum selling artist Rex Brown has debuted an all new single titled Crossing Lines, exclusively via Loudwire.com. Rex Brown will release Smoke On This… on July 28th, 2017 via Entertainment One Music (eOne Music). Listen to Crossing Lines below.

“My motto these days is ‘Shake some s–t up,'” Brown declares about the new LP. “I’ve had my ups and downs, like anybody in this business. I wanted to feel like a true artist again, where I can write and record songs without worrying about any of the bulls–t.”

Crossing Lines is also available on all streaming platforms and as an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre order the LP today will the the track as a download instantly. The artwork and track listing are available below as well for the first time along with both digital and physical pre orders options.

Brown continues, “We’re not going to necessarily cater to metal fans, but the guys who grew up with Pantera, a lot of them love all the same stuff that I grew up on, too. This is just something else I’m doing for fun, man. And musical Freedom. Fun has to come into it or I’m not going to do it. I’ve had a tremendous career and now I feel like I’m thirty years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed.”

“I’ve got so much more in me,” Brown enthuses. “I’m just getting my feet wet.”

Brown’s solo debut strips away any boundaries and preconceived notions, reveling in a newfound freedom to express all of the various shades of the man whose name is out front. The song Fault Line helped him find his voice. “That was the very first one I sang. After I got that one, I knew that I could do it, and Lance was my biggest motivator in finding that voice. Up until that point I just wasn’t sure.”

From there, there’s the brilliantly straightforward Lone Rider, the monstrous In Through the Out Door vibe of Crossing Lines, the Pink Floyd reverence of Best of Me. Get Yourself Alive is something of an ode to Strawberry Fields Forever, but with a swift-kick of rock n’ roll. It’s rich in nuance, with Indian tandoori and layers of vocals. The extremely catchy Grace is “something you would never expect to hear off a Rex Brown record and that’s exactly why I did it. It’s just a really great song, period. Bottom line.”

Lyrically, the songs are both personal and universally relatable. Buried Alive is a deeply moving and confessional song about the loss of Dimebag Darrell. “I drowned myself in cases of whiskey after he died. I was drowning in that black water and I had to find me, ya’ know? It’s one of those songs that really kind of just came out. ‘You’re on your own now, Jack. What’re you gonna do?’ The whole record is really cathartic.” Conversely, What Comes Around Goes Around could be about “your mailman, your neighbor, or your wife. It’s saying, ‘you made your bed, lay in it. I’m clean on my side of the street, how’s your’s going.”

Rex’s solo album is full of mojo and the force of character, determination, and nerve. He tracked lead vocals, rhythm guitars, and bass, working with his primary collaborator and old friend, Lance Harvill, a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter, on the album’s songs. “Lance was & is, my main man on this. Everything we did was finely tuned, both musically & brotherly.”

Drums were tracked by Christopher Williams, himself no stranger to diverse tastes, from funk music to punk. His talent has been utilized by country music star Lee Greenwood, the reconstituted Blackfoot and most recently, power metal legends Accept. The album was produced by New Yorker turned Nashville transplant Caleb Sherman, a multi-instrumentalist with work on records by Little Big Town and Porter Block, among others. “Caleb produced the project from a musician’s standpoint,” adds Brown. “Not just a typical producer’s standpoint, which was something I definitely needed. Between Caleb and Lance, we were a force to be reckoned with. They really pulled out the best in me.” Peter Keyes, known for his work with Lynyrd Skynyrd can also be heard on a few tracks. All bass tracking came from Rex himself as well.

Smoke On This… track listing:

1. Lone Rider
2. Crossing Lines
3. Buried Alive
4. Train Song
5. Get Yourself Alright
6. Fault Line
7. What Comes Around…
8. Grace
9. So Into You
10. Best Of Me
11. One Of these Days

Pre-order physical copy here and digital here.

Who is Rex Brown? To the industry, fellow musicians, and a legion of fans around the world, he’s the bassist for Pantera, one of the biggest hard rock and metal acts of the past few decades, alongside Nirvana and Metallica. They had Number One albums with minimal support from traditional commercial outlets and went platinum several times over. Pantera rode a groundswell of underground loyalty, earned through several years of blood, sweat, and road beers. Five major label albums, countless international tours, and a series of carnage-filled home videos cemented a legacy as large as their massive riffs and the band’s insatiable appetites for mayhem, authenticity, and brotherhood.

MONTE PITTMAN POSTS “OBLITERATED” VIDEO FEATURING BILLY SHEEHAN AND RICHARD CHRISTY

Having released his new album, Inverted Grasp of Balance, last year via Metal Blade Records, Monte Pittman is now launching a performance video for the album track Obliterated, featuring drummer Richard Christy and bassist Billy Sheehan (both of whom played on the album), watch it below.

There are great guitarists, great vocalists and great songwriters, but Monte Pittman is one of the elite few who can truly lay claim to all three titles. With his fourth full-length, Inverted Grasp of Balance, he has once again raised the stakes, delivering a riveting collection of full force metal that showcases his continuing evolution, undoubtedly expanding his devout – and ravenous – fan base. The record also features powerhouse drummer Richard Christy of Charred Walls Of The Damned/Iced Earth/Death fame and virtuoso bassist Billy Sheehan, famous for his work with a plethora of talented artists – including David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and, more recently, Winery Dogs. The skill of all concerned explodes from the speakers

To preview and purchase Inverted Grasp of Balance, please visit, metalblade.com/montepittman.

Monte Pittman online:

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

JUDAS PRIEST TATTOO EXHIBITION ANNOUNCED FOR LONDON AND BRIGHTON

Judas Priest have collaborated with Parliament Tattoo Studio in London to bring together an exhibition of hand painted leather biker jackets, inspired by the band’s albums and song titles.

The artwork is by some of the world’s greatest Tattoo artists, and Rob Halford is taking time out from recording in the studio with the band to open the exclusive showcase on April 27th 2017. After the public exhibition, the jackets will be moving to Brighton, to be shown at the Brighton Tattoo Convention on May 13th and 14th.

Following the events, the jackets will be auctioned off online along with a signed certificate of authenticity from Judas Priest to benefit both The Teenage Cancer Trust and the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund – both extremely worthy causes close to the hearts of Judas Priest – the exhibition hopes to raise as much money as possible for the two charities.

For more information, please visit parliamenttattoo.com/judaspriest.

MEGADETH ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

Megadeth have announced some North American tour dates, see the itinerary below. Special guests, on the tour, will be Meshuggah, Tesseract and Lillake.

The dates are as follows:

Jun. 23 – Big Flats, NY @ Tags Summer Stage
Jun. 25 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
Jun. 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Jun. 28 – Portsmouth, VA @ Portsmouth Pavilion
Jun. 29 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
Jun. 30 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live

Jul. 5 – Windsor, ON @ Colosseum at Caesar’s Windsor (Megadeth and Meshuggah only)
Jul. 7 – Saint Charles, MO @ Family Arena
Jul. 8 – Oklahma City, OK @ The Zoo Amphitheater
Jul. 9 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
Jul. 11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

The band recently completed a month-long U.S. tour with Amon Amarth, Suicidal Tendencies, Metal Church and Butcher Babies.

GUITARIST RITCHIE BLACKMORE RECORDS TWO SONGS WITH RAINBOW SINGER

Ritchie Blackmore has recorded two tracks with new Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero, according to reports.

Blackmore reactivated Rainbow with the Lords Of Black singer in 2015, also bringing in Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, Blackmore’s Night drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau.

They played three shows together last year and have further dates planned this summer in the UK – and although he’s been in the studio with the singer, Blackmore says there are no plans for an album.

Blackmore tells Japan’s Burrn! magazine (via The Highway Star), “We were recording until yesterday in the studio at our home. We recorded some songs for Blackmore’s Night and two songs with the new singer for Rainbow.”

He continues, “I wrote one new song, and also recorded one of the old ones. Ronnie, who is in Madrid now, added his vocals and sent it back. Rather than make an album, we may release as singles.”

His wife and Blackmore’s Night vocalist Candice Night adds: “It first started as a 20th anniversary thing for Blackmore’s Night, re-recording some old material, but we came up with new songs. We have no plans for release right now, we were just having fun, but we may release when the right time comes – but not right now.”

Blackmore surprised the rock world when he introduced Romero in the new-look lineup, with the guitarist explaining why he chose the singer rather than a vocalist from the band’s past.

He says, “When I heard him, he seemed like the right guy to sing the Dio era songs of Rainbow. He is versatile, he can sing like Freddie Mercury or Ronnie James Dio or Graham Bonnet. The reason I did not ask Joe Lynn Turner is because I thought European fans wanted to hear the Dio lineup of Rainbow. I was very surprised that tickets sold out in 15 minutes. It was nice to know so many people wanted to hear Rainbow at this time.”

Last November, Eagle Rock Entertainment released Rainbow’s Memories In Rock: Live In Germany on DVD and Blu-ray, while Live In Birmingham 2016 will be out on June 9th.

Rainbow’s run of four UK shows will get underway at London’s Stone Free Festival on June 17th.

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow UK tour 2017:

Jun 17: London O2 Stone Free Festival
Jun 22: Manchester Arena
Jun 25: Glasgow SSE Hydro
Jun 28: Birmingham Genting Arena

additional source: Classic Rock via teamrock.com