GRAND MAGUS – to release new album »Sword Songs« on May 13th!

PermalinkGrand Magus Leave a comment

GRAND MAGUS - to release new album on May! - 2016-02-12

2016-02-12 – Swedish riff lords GRAND MAGUS have announced their new studio album: »Sword Songs«. The 8th studio album will be released on May 13th through Nuclear Blast.

This stunning new cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist Anthony Roberts.

Mastermind JB commented:
“We put all of our sweat, blood and tears into this new album and I think that you can hear that. For me, “Sword Songs” is the best GRAND MAGUS album ever! The new songs are faster and more aggressive than on “Triumph And Power” – and we have also included some more extreme and harder stuff. I’m convinced that there are some future classics on the disc!”

»Sword Songs« was produced by Nico Elgstrand at Studio Supa in Stockholm, Sweden. Guitars, vocals and bass were recorded at Studio Supa, too. Drums were recorded with Roberto Laghi at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album was mixed by Roberto Laghi (Oral Majority Records, Gothenburg) and mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Chartmakers, Helsinki).

The tracklists are as follows:

01. Freja’s Choice
02. Varangian
03. Forged In Iron – Crowned In Steel
04. Born For Battle (Black Dog Of Brocéliande)
05. Master Of The Land
06. Last One To Fall
07. Frost And Fire
08. Hugr
09. Everyday There’s A Battle To Fight
Bonus Tracks (digipak only)
10. In For The Kill
11. Stormbringer (Deep Purple Cover)

Guns N’ Roses to Reunite for Coachella, Possible Stadium Tour

PermalinkGuns N' Roses Leave a comment
  • The band will headline this year’s Coachella as well as take dates in Vegas — possibly before heading out on a 20-plus date stadium tour.

    Guns N’ Roses, with original members Axl Rose and Slash, will headline the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., set for April 15-17 and April 22-24, according to multiple sources. The reunited band is also negotiating with promoters to play as many as 25 football stadiums in North America in the summer of 2016, and is scheduled to be one of the first acts to play the new Las Vegas Arena, set to open April 6. Guns N’ Roses is said to be asking as much as $3 million per show, with tickets topping out in the $250-$275 range.

    Representatives for the band, as well as Coachella producer Paul Tollett and agent Ken Fermaglich at United Talent Agency, could not be reached for comment. Executives at AEG, which will operate the new Vegas arena, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The band’s first album, Appetite for Destruction, is the biggest-selling debut in U.S. history, with 18 million sold. It spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and launched the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

    They have sold 44.5 million albums total in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The last show Axl Rose and Slash played together was on July 17, 1993 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. Guns N’ Roses’ most recent tour, which only included Axl Rose from the original lineup, took place primarily in South America and The Joint in Las Vegas, grossing $15.2 million. Billboard’s confirmation via insiders comes on the heels of two rumor-inducing hints dropped over the past week, the first a cryptic update to the Guns N’ Roses website and the second during screenings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where footage of a concert crowd was shown with GN’R music overdubbed.

    Though longtime fans may be understandably wary after the decade-plus wait for Chinese Democracy, which became a totem of sorts to frontman Axl Rose’s sometimes unpredictable behavior, this reunion bears no sign of that record’s bumpy road. Coachella has a pedigree for coaxing much-loved acts out of retirement, or being the linchpin to plans that had already been simmering. The fest has previously hosted the reunions of Rage Against The Machine in 2007, My Bloody Valentine in 2009, Pulp in 2012 and Outkast in 2014 — not to mention Tupac’s posthumous return to the stage in 2012. Guns N’ Roses will arrive a year after two other legendary acts, AC/DC and Steely Dan, headlined the 2015 edition. Last year’s edition drew 198,000 to the California desert, generating $84.2 million in revenue, according to Boxscore.Source: http://www.billboard.com/

MOTÖRHEAD’s LEMMY Dead At 70

PermalinkMotorhead Leave a comment

 

  • MOTÖRHEAD mainman Lemmy died earlier today at the age of 70, it has been confirmed.

    The surviving members of MOTÖRHEAD said in a statement: “There is no easy way to say this… Our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from The Rainbow which had recently made its way down the street, with his family.

    “We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words.

    “We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please… play MOTÖRHEAD loud, play HAWKWIND loud, play Lemmy’s music LOUD. Have a drink or few. Share stories. Celebrate the LIFE this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself. HE WOULD WANT EXACTLY THAT.

    “Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister 1945 -2015. Born to lose, lived to win.”

    Ozzy Osbourne said in a statement: “Lost one of my best friends, Lemmy, today. He will be sadly missed. He was a warrior and a legend. I will see you on the other side.”

    Lemmy dealt with some serious health issues recently, forcing the indulgent rock legend to scale back on alcohol and kick his cigarette habit. Though Lemmy had made some positive steps forward, he had been struggling with poor health in recent months, leading to MOTÖRHEAD’s touring schedule being disrupted. The rock icon recently claimed that he was doing just fine and was people to stop asking about his health.

    He told Classic Rock: “I’m sick of the fucking, ‘Are you going to die?’ line of questioning. It’s getting really old, that question. I’m alright. I’m going out there and doing my best. “I have good days and bad days but mostly I’ve been doing alright. The last tour of the States was very good.”

    Lemmy, who turned 70 years old on December 24, told Classic Rock he had no intention of retiring. He said: “It’s when you get to 60 when everything starts to go pear-shaped. Everyone thinks that becoming an older guy is easy, but you never consider it fully. It comes as quite a shock. But the thing is, I don’t want to give in to it.”

    Lemmy previously said that he didn’t expect to still be here at 30. “I don’t do regrets,” he said. “Regrets are pointless. It’s too late for regrets. You’ve already done it, haven’t you? You’ve lived your life. No point wishing you could change it. “There are a couple of things I might have done differently, but nothing major; nothing that would have made that much of a difference. “I’m pretty happy with the way things have turned out. I like to think I’ve brought a lot of joy to a lot of people all over the world. I’m true to myself and I’m straight with people.”

    Asked if his illness has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy said: “Death is an inevitability, isn’t it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don’t worry about it. I’m ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn’t complain. It’s been good.” Source: http://www.blabbermouth.net/

monstersofrockrainbow2015poster_638

RITCHIE BLACKMORE: Second Rock Show Announced For 2016

PermalinkDeep Purple, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore Leave a comment
  • Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at what will probably be four shows next year in Europe. The first two announced concerts in Germany so far will take place at the Monsters Of Rock festival on Friday, June 17, 2016 at Freilichtbühne in Loreley and on June 18, 2016 at Festplatz am Viadukt in Bietigheim-Bissingen. Tickets for the Monsters Of Rock festival go on sale on November 6. Blackmore recently told Billboard.com about his plans to revisit RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE classics: “I’m now 70, so I just felt like playing some rock ‘n’ roll for a few days. We’re going to do four or five dates” — most likely in England, Germany and Sweden — “of just playing the old rock stuff, PURPLE stuff and RAINBOW. I’m doing it for the fans, for nostalgia, and the singer I found is very exciting; he’s a cross between [Ronnie James] Dio meets Freddie Mercury. So this will mean exposing a new singer to the masses, and I’m sure he’ll become pretty famous because of his voice.” Blackmore declined to reveal the other musicians that will participate in the shows because contracts are still being negotiated, but said that none will be known names from his previous groups. He plans to film and record the performances for future release. Blackmore quit rock and roll in 1997 to form a medieval folk band called BLACKMORE’S NIGHT with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night. Since then, BLACKMORE’S NIGHT has released nine studio albums, with a new CD, “All Our Yesterdays”, having arrived on September 18. Over the past few months, RAINBOW has been the frequent subject of reunion rumors, with singer Joe Lynn Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — repeatedly claiming that Ritchie was “itching” to play rock music and insisting that he was in talks with the guitarist about a renewed collaboration. Source: http://www.blabbermouth.net/

Former OBITUARY Bassist FRANK WATKINS Dies At 47

PermalinkObituary Leave a comment

 

  • Former longtime Obituary bassist Frank Watkins died earlier today after a battle with cancer. He was only 47 years old. Watkins joined the band in 1989, shortly after the release of their landmark debut, Slowly We Rot and remained in the band until 2010. He had been playing with Gorgoroth since 2007 under the name of “Bøddel” which means “Executioner” in Norweigan. Watkins also ran Back From the Dead Productions, which helped promote bands. Source: http://www.metalinjection.net/

Rammstein: Back On!

PermalinkNews Leave a comment

The frontman Lindemann hinted in June 2015 for Rocksverige that Rammstein was in the process of writing new material. Finally they broke the silence of the past six years on their Facebook page. The fans have something to look forward to.

  • “We go down into the basement and start again with producing an album and you have to go through this… I don´t wanna say hell, but sometimes it´s really hard to consider yourself in this band situation. Six different persons with different egos and ideas and tastes. Is it worth it these days? They´re (fans) gonna download it and as you say, they consume it so fast, but I know there´s a lot of fans longing for new material so…”Till Lindemann in an interview with Rocksverige.se

 

 

Iron-Maiden-Tour-630x420

Iron Maiden Announce ‘Book of Souls’ 2016 World Tour Dates

PermalinkIron maiden Leave a comment
  • Iron Maiden have started filling up their 2016 tour calendar as they prepare to return to the road for what promises to be a lengthy series of dates in support of their latest release, the two-LP set The Book of Souls. The band is rolling out its concert announcements in stages, with Australia and South Africa the first territories to be publicly added to the schedule. Maiden are booked to begin its Australian dates in late April, concluding with a show in Perth on May 14, then heading to South Africa for a pair of performances on May 18 and 21. Supporting the band will be the Raven Age, a group led by George Harris, son of Maiden bassist Steve Harris. As previously reported, those shows look likely to be prefaced by an American leg earlier in the year. According to the band’s site, Maiden will start its tour with three U.S. shows in February before moving on to Mexico, Central and South America (including their first-ever concert in El Salvador), then returning to North America in late March for dates in the U.S. and Canada. The Book of Souls tour also promises to bring the band’s “long-awaited return” to Japan, as well as their first-ever shows in China. The tour’s ambition befits the sales reception that’s greeted The Book of Souls, which debuted at No. 4 during its first week on the U.S. charts, continuing an impressive commercial resurgence that’s seen their last six albums move successively higher debut totals. Unsurprisingly, singer Bruce Dickinson says fans can expect to hear plenty of material from the new LP during the upcoming shows. “Three songs off the new album is not enough. There’ll maybe be four or five,” he told News.com. “Some of the classics that we haven’t played for a couple of tours, we can bring some of those back. There’s a few songs people have been demanding for a couple of years, we might make a few people happy, they might get what they want. But you can’t do all of the tunes. … With the reaction to the new album, the excitement over it, and the last few albums, we’ve pretty much dismissed the idea of Iron Maiden being a nostalgia band; it’s just not the case.” Iron Maiden 2016 World Tour 4/29 – Christchurch, Australia 5/01 – Auckland, Australia 5/04 – Brisbane, Australia 5/06 – Sydney, Australia 5/09 – Melbourne, Australia 5/12 – Adelaide, Australia 5/14 – Perth, Australia 5/18 – Cape Town, South Africa 5/21 – Johannesburg, South Africa Source: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/

Queensryche’s ‘Guardian’ Video From ‘Condition Human’

PermalinkQueensryche' Leave a comment

Queensrÿche

 

  • Queensryche’s new album, Condition Human (due Oct. 2 on Century Media), examines gritty aspects of the human experience, like enduring love, heartbreak, fury and bewilderment.

    Throughout its career, Queensryche has explored the human condition in its lyrics. The 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime told the fictional story of a junkie who becomes a political assassin in hopes of saving America, only to be betrayed by the revolutionary who promised him redemption. 1994’s deeply introspective Promised Land was fueled by the band’s disillusionment and confusion stemming from feeling unsatisfied after achieving commercial success.

    2009’s American Soldier weighed the emotional difficulties experienced by personnel in the armed forces, like isolation, post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. With such a history behind it, it’s not too surprising that Queensryche’s new album, Condition Human (due Oct. 2 on Century Media), examines gritty aspects of the human experience, like enduring love, heartbreak, fury and bewilderment.

    “Each song individually is its own story, which does not have to directly relate to the next song,” explains singer Todd La Torre. “However, each song is harmonious to a larger picture, which is the human experience, mortality and how each of us perceives the world around us based on our own observations and experiences, thus shaping human behavior.”

    The songs are “all about experiences that we had had recently in our travels around the world doing shows for the last few years,” adds drummer Scott Rockenfield. “Some songs there’s personal aspects to ’em, and some are observations that we have seen with people and events, so we started to realize that a lot of this is about the human condition … [But] we’re not trying to sell anything here by any means. It was more observation.” For instance, the track “Guardian” “touches on the empowering qualities of strength in numbers, and how people can rise up to create real change,” says La Torre. “Movements are evident across the globe in varying degrees, ranging from ideological perspectives and how they relate to cultures, socioeconomic differences and its effects, human rights, etc. It is an anthem that supports people standing up for rights and values that may be infringed upon on the micro and macro level. It’s a single thread that surrounds a multifaceted topic of being human, human relationships relating to others and the world that surrounds us. Good, bad or indifferent, change is possible, but is only as strong as its relativity to perception, which perhaps is the very foundation and basis for the initiation of change.”Source: http://www.billboard.com/

Read the entire article here