Riot News
Due to complications arising from treatment for Mark's illness, he remains hospitalized in San Antonio and will not be healthy enough to appear as scheduled.
Mike, Tony, Bobby and Don have, at the strong urging of Mark's family, decided to perform the shows without Mark on guitar.
We are receiving updates on his condition several times daily, and Mark is currently undergoing procedures to stabilize him. His father, in addition to several dedicated friends of the band and the family, are at Mark's side constantly as doctors work to restore him to health. In accordance with the family's wishes, no further details are being released at this time.
While we are saddened by these developments, Riot's music has been Mark's lifeblood for over 30 years. We have struggled with idea of performing without him, and we are continuing to prepare with heavy hearts, but the entire Riot organization has agreed on the importance of bringing our music to the fans who have supported us for so long.
Please watch this site for news on Mark's recovery, and we ask that friends and fans pray for the best possible outcome.
Thank you for continuing to support Riot during this difficult time, and we will see you at the shows.
Mike, Tony, Bobby and Don
Evergrey News
Swedish Metallers EVERGREY will be releasing their long awaited two disc greatest hits collection tomorrow on SPV/Steamhammer. This exclusive deluxe package features previously unreleased songs, live tracks and an extensive booklet.
Since the band arrived on the scene with their first album in 1998, progressive melodic metallersEVERGREY have brought out eight studio albums and one live release. All of them made the top 20 in their native Sweden and the last two made the top 10. On top of that, their DVD "A Night To Remember" was number 1 for four weeks and nominated for a Grammy in Sweden. Their last single "Wrong" received a gold award in April 2011 for over 10.000 sold copies in Sweden.
TRACKLISTING:
CD 1
01. The Masterplan
taken from "In Search Of Truth"
02. Blackened Dawn ( Live )
taken from "A Night To Remember"
03. Rulers Of The Mind
taken from "In Search Of Truth"
04. A Touch Of Blessing
taken from "The Inner Circle"
05. Frozen
taken from "Glorious Colission"
06. For Every Tear That Falls ( Live )
taken from "A Night To Remember"
07. More Than Ever
taken from "The Inner Circle"
08. Blinded
taken from "Recreation Day"
09. Faith Restored
taken from "The Inner Circle"
10. These Scars
taken from "Torn"
11. Broken Wings
taken from "Torn"
12. Words Mean Nothing
taken from "Solitude, Dominance & Tragedy"
13. Wrong (live) 03:12 (unplugged - previously unreleased)
CD2
01.The Great Deceiver
taken from "Recreation Day"
02. Monday Morning Apocalypse
taken from "Monday Morning Apocalypse"
03. Wrong
taken from "Glorious Colission"
04. Waking Up Blind ( Live )
taken from "A Night To Remember"
05. Solitude Within
taken from "Solitude, Dominance & Tragedy"
06. Recreation Day
taken from "Recreation Day"
07. Still In The Water
taken from "Monday Morning Apocalypse"
08. Leave It Behind Us
taken from "Glorious Collision"
09. Fear 04:15
taken from "Torn"
10. When The Walls Go Down ( Live )
taken from "A Night To Remember"
11. Frozen (live) (unplugged - previously unreleased)
DISCOGRAPHY:
1998 The Dark Discovery
1999 Solitude-Dominance-Tragedy
2001 In Search Of Truth
2003 Recreation Day
2004 The Inner Circle
2005 A Night To Remember (live)
2006 Monday Morning Apocalypse
2008 Torn
2011 Glorious Collision
2011 A Decade And A Half (best of)
Beyond The Bridge News
"The Old Man and the Spirit" is an ambitious concept album dealing with the polarity of human sensuousness and superhuman awareness. Two main characters interpret the music on this theatrical and challenging record: "The Spirit", who is the personification of all wisdom and awareness that is unachievable to mankind but that lacks of the ability to feel, and her opponent "The Old Man": a bon vivant who has lived through all highs and lows of human sensations. These two characters are interpreted by the two band singers: a female Dilenya Mar and a male Herbie Langhans.
But the operatic and cinematic setting of the album was put together by the bands' two masterminds: guitar player Peter Degenfeld and the classically trained ivory tinkler Christopher Tarnow. "From the beginning it was our intention to do an album presenting one big piece of music" tells Degenfeld. "One of the very first things that came about were the two characters together with the basic content of the story. Basically before the notes were written, we knew what each song had to sound and feel like and what the lyrics had to say. With these restrictions we started the songwriting process. In the end writing songs under these self-imposed limits turned out to be just great".
While "The Old Man and The Spirit" is undoubtedly a demanding musical statement, Beyond The Bridge are determined to make their steps to bring their music on tour. "We put a lot of effort into the goal of creating the studio sound on stage and we have already rearranged some parts to make them more suitable for live performances", explains Degenfeld.
Beyond The Bridge's line-up is rounded out by bass player Dominik Stotzem, Fabian Maier on drums and Simon Oberender on keyboards and guitar. Simon also took care of the album production at the famed Gate Studios (owned by the famed producer Sascha Paeth, who mastered the album).
While at first listen the album will easily appeal to the Progressive Rock / Metal audience, thanks to the virtuosity displayed in the playing and the compositional design, the album can be easily enjoyed by all who are looking for songs that can excite the listeners. "The music is touching. It will even touch you in a different way each time you listen to the album", concludes Peter Degenfeld. "The lyrics are inspiring and ambiguous. This encourages to dig deeper into the spiritual journey of the "Old Man".
BEYOND THE BRIDGE are:
Herbie Langhans - Vocals
Dilenya Mar - Vocals
Peter Degenfeld - Guitar
Christopher Tarnow - Keyboards
Dominik Stotzem - Bass
Fabian Maier - Drums
Simon Oberender - Keyboards/Guitar
Produced by Simon Oberender at Gate Studio
Malice News
Legendary US metal band MALICE signed a worldwide deal with SPV / Steamhammer. Original members Jay Reynolds (guitars), Mick Zane (guitars) and Mark Behn (bass) entered the Silver Cloud Studios in Los Angeles together with new singer James Rivera (Helstar) and new drummer Pete Holmes (Black N´Blue) to re-record some of their classics plus 4 new songs. The producer is Joe Floyd (Warrior) who also was involved in producing records of Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford. The album is scheduled for a May 2012 release.
"We were all amazed at the great crowd responce and turn out for the gigs we played in 2011 , and it feels great to
have a well known label like SPV behind us, be in the studio with a veteran line up and have a killer producer...... there will no longer be an abscence of MALICE !!" comments Jay Reynolds.
The band can't wait to go on tour and dates will be announced soon. Bass player Robert Cardenas (Agent Steel) , who also recorded the new tracks in the studio, will step in for Mark Behn on the live front.
SPV / Steamhammer A&R / Product manager Olly Hahn comments: "Malice was always underrated. With their two albums "In The Beginning" and "License To Kill" they created timeless US Metal and it´s time to let all the younger fans know about this and show the older fans that Malice is still capable to write songs in the name of metal. I'm very happy that the band decided to be part of the growing SPV / Steamhammer family."
MALICE was formed in 1981 and released two albums: In The Beginning (1985) and License To Kill (1986) and one EP Crazy In The Night (1988). They also were part - and the only band with two songs - of the first legendary "Metal Massacre"-Sampler in 1982. Malice toured in the US, Canada and Europe with bands like Alice Cooper, WASP and Slayer. Most memorable gig was in 1982 when Malice played in Los Angeles at the Troubador Club - support act was an unknown band called....... Metallica.
English Dogs Return
Legendary Punk Rockers ENGLISH DOGS have reformed and are ready to move 'Forward Into Battle" for their first North American tour since 1985. The tour kicks off February 10th in Baltimore and criss crosses the country winding up on February 25th in Santa Clara, CA. Support on the tour comes from The Casualties, Toxic Holocaust and Havok.
Founding member and Drummer Pinch cannot wait to return to North America:
"Touring this lineup from this period in ENGLISH DOGS history has been long overdue and I'm pumped to be playing our best album with them. It's exciting to know that ENGLISH DOGSlegacy has been significant enough to influence some of today's best bands, and I'm honored to be touring with them. This is a perfect thrash punk bill, guaranteed to rip it up every night. If you don't feel this one, you really are undead!!!"
Guitarist Gizz Butt added:
"It's an understatement to say I feel blessed that I've been reunited with my old ENGLISH DOGS partners Pinch and Adie and that this tour has been given to us. I hoped for years it could happen but started to accept the chance had gone. The legendary USA tour we did in 1985 was a distant memory until YouTube bought it back and the man responsible for filming it uploaded the songs. I've been in some big bands since then, noticeably THE PRODIGY, but despite the number one singles and albums there was definitely something missing. I'd go out on tour then feeling I'd lost something. While we've been rehearsing for this tour I've found exactly what it was. There is a daring excitement, a youthful energy, a wildness that actually feeds the spirit that is contained in these songs that were crafted by teenagers feeling the need to fuse together punk rock and heavy metal and find a music form that suited THEM. So 2012 , WE ARE BRINGING IT BACK HOME !!!! USA and CANADA , HELLO AGAIN, THIS IS THE ENGLISH DOGS AND THIS TIME LET'S TRULY GO FORWARD...INTO BATTLE XXXXXXXXXX"
ENGLISH DOGS formed in 1981 and their first release was "To The Ends of The Earth" 12 inch, featuring four tracks of crossover punk/metal that had never been heard in the UK and the foundation of a soon to emerge UK thrash scene. This was released on Rot Records, a small label from the midlands, and once again charted highly in the indie charts, proving that the DOGS had tapped the vein of their fans musical craving. Next up was the ambitious "Forward Into Battle" full length LP, showcasing the bands metal leanings more furiously and becoming an influence to such bands as Metallica and Sepultura, both already leaders of this exciting hybrid. Mixed with the ever increasingly violent live scene, the band called time on their gigging soon after the LP release in 1986, even though they had completed a successful coast to coast tour of the USA for the first time. Since then the band has reformed with various lineups and also been involved with many side projects.
Fast forward to present day and The lineup of Pinch, Gizz and Adie, having recruited a pair of manic tattooist twins, Craig and Ryan Christie from Dana Point, CA , are once more going "Forward Into Battle" around the United States, ably supported by the freshest talent on the American Punk and Thrash scenes, both of which were heavily influenced by the ENGLISH DOGS' legacy. The wheel has fully turned, and the "Forward Into Battle 2012" US tour is going to complete the punk/thrash union, born over 2 decades previous.
Prong News
PRONG will be touring throughout 2012 supporting their forthcoming release "Carved Into Stone" which will be released in April on Long Branch Records. The initial dates have been confirmed, and they include one headlining date and two shows supporting Bay Area Thrashers Testament on two dates in February, followed by a string of headlining gigs in March.
PRONG are putting the final touches on their Long Branch Records debut with producer Steve Evetts. PRONG (whose lineup includes bassist Tony Campos and drummer Alexei Rodriguez) has taken a major step forward in their constantly evolving brand of sonic schematics.
"Carved Into Stone" is quintessentially PRONG. It stretches into the band's earliest and dirtiest foundations on which the band was founded on New York's Lower East Side to the present as a staple of today's post-metal and rock scenes.
Christian Mistress News
Today CHRISTIAN MISTRESS has released the another song from their forthcoming album Possession entitled "Black to Gold".
Olympia, Washington's traditional heavy metal band, CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, will release their Relapse Records debut album.entitled Possession onFebruary 28, 2012. The album is currently available for pre-order from the Relapse Web Store and on iTunes.
Possession, was recorded with former The Fucking Champs guitarist Tim Green at Louder Studio(Melvins, Saviours) and mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering. A complete tracklisting plus a stream of the track "Haunted Hunted" can be accessed via the band's official Band Camp page.
CHRISTIAN MISTRESS (Christine Davis: vocals, Oscar Sparbel: guitar, Ryan McClain: guitar, Jonny Wulf: bass, Reuben Storey: drums) formed in 2009, while the band's 2010 LP, Agony & Opium, received international critical acclaim for its unflinchingly authentic take on American heavy metal.
Crown Jewel Defense
After touring across Europe with the likes of All Time Low and The Darkness, California's CROWN JEWEL DEFENSE are gearing up for their first ever North American tour. CJD will be opening up for British Rockers The Darkness on their first North American tour in almost six years. The tour kicks off February 3 in Boston, Massachusetts at Paradise and runs through February 25 wrapping up in Seattle, Washington at The Neptune Theater.
Front man Taylor Hood commented on the upcoming tour:
"Being able to do the UK tour with The Darkness was such an honor, and now supporting them on their US tour is more than a dream come true. Getting to play shows with a band like them that was and is so influential on me as an artist is like sitting in a master class on rock n' roll, and working and writing with Justin is still unbelievable."
Only in its first year of existence, Crown Jewel Defense has already started turning heads. The response from the group's dynamic live show has been positively overwhelming. California-based CROWN JEWEL DEFENSEcan best be described as a smorgasbord of sound, drawing inspiration from varied sources from Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot to Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
Noticed as a force to be reckoned with by producer Elvis Baskette (Alter Bridge, Story of the Year, The Classic Crime, Escape the Fate), CROWN JEWEL DEFENSE, the brainchild of songwriter, lead guitarist, front man Taylor Hood, was on its way to the studio merely weeks after the first listen.
The album, due out this year, will be preceded by an EP, on label Hero Stone Records. Whether a heavy hitter or a pop enthusiast, there are zero excuses to NOT have a listen to this musical kaleidoscope, described by Kerrang! magazine as metallic lines of shredding guitar around a polished and hook-laden power-pop base.
Susan Surftone
Portland, OR, January 12, 2012 - Acme Brothers Records announces Susan SurfTone West Coast tour dates. SurfTone will tour in support of the new full-length album titled, Shore. The live line-up features Susan SurfTone on lead guitar, Brian Goodman (drums), Kim13 (organ), Dan Ferguson (bass) and Avory Gray (organ/percussion).
BUST Magazine wrote "Susan SurfTone's new album, Shore, is helping me get rid of those wintertime blues....Her bouncy track "Chance" made me want to grab a surfboard, while the blistering guitar solo on "Subduction" made me want to learn a few chords. But it's "Compression" that has me pressing repeat." And AfterEllen enthused "File Under '60s surf-rocking sounds making you crave hanging 10." Record Collector News specializing in vinyl releases will include a review in February/March 2012 print issue.
Susan SurfTone founded the band Susan and the SurfTones in 1993. In 2000 she moved to Portland, Oregon. Shore is her first solo album. SurfTone has long been one of the only women lead guitar players fronting an instrumental surf band. She began playing guitar when she was nine years old and once her guitar teacher turned her onto The Ventures "there was no turning back."
She has toured extensively throughout Europe and has a particularly enthusiastic following in both Italy and Germany (where OmOm Music and Gee-Dee Music have respectively released her music). SurfTone and her bands have toured with acts like Lords of Altamont (USA), The Balboas (USA), The Aqua Velvets (USA), The Surf Coasters (Japan), The Looney Tunes (Germany), Huskey and the Sandmen (Finland), Pollo Del Mar (USA), The Cadillac Hitmen (USA) and many others.
COLUMBIA/LEGACY RECORDINGS RELEASING
THE FIRST OF "BEAR'S SONIC JOURNALS":
BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY FEATURING JANIS JOPLIN LIVE AT THE CAROUSEL BALLROOM 1968,
RECORDED & PRODUCED BY OWSLEY STANLEY ("BEAR")
Long Awaited Release of Seminal Concert Recording from Mythic Soundman's "Sonic Journals" Available Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Columbia/Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the release of Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968, a previously unavailable live concert recording of Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin, recorded June 23, 1968 by legendary soundman Owsley Stanley, a/k/a "Bear," who supervised the mastering of this release before his fatal car accident on March 12, 2011, in his adopted homeland of Australia. The release of the album marks the one-year anniversary of his passing and is dedicated to Bear.
"Care was taken to preserve and ensure the integrity of the music as well as to present an accurate snapshot of the masterful talent of one of the greatest singers of her generation and one of the hottest live bands in the San Francisco scene," wrote Bear's widow, Sheilah Stanley, in her dedication to Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968. "This is Bear's vision - how he heard the band live, and how he wanted to transmit that to you... this truly is Bear's presentation of this phenomenal band and inspirational music."
Cited by San Francisco rock scribe Joel Selvin as "truly one of the fathers of today's concert sound systems," Owsley Bear Stanley "supervised the sound at the Carousel Ballroom, a former big band dance palace at the corner of Market and Van Ness in downtown San Francisco that, for a few brief, glorious months in 1968 was operated by a collective formed by the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Big Brother and the Holding Company, a social/musical laboratory experiment akin to inmates running asylums, whose six-month run may well have corresponded with the height of the whole '60s Haight-Ashbury/San Francisco thing...."
An essential and pivotal figure in the San Francisco counter-cultural scene, from beatniks to hippies to beyond, Bear began mixing live sound with the Grateful Dead in 1966 and ran the sound system for the Carousel until Bill Graham took over and rechristened it the Fillmore West in the autumn of 1968. From his first days with the Dead, Bear would record the shows he was involved with as way to improve his live system set-ups. Bear's "sonic journals" are generally regarded as the gold standard for live concerts from the psychedelic era.
"What is key about these moments captured by Owsley is that they're a true representation of what this mythic band really sounded like live," notes rock scribe Jaan Uhelszki in her essay on Janis and Big Brother's enduring ability to astound and surprise, "the rough magic, the explosive synergy, the dangerous frisson of boundaries being demolished between artist and audience....these 14 songs are a testament to what a force of nature Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company was during these two nights at the Carousel Ballroom. Showing them at the zenith of their considerable power, it so fortunate that this recording was ever made-only two months before their break up. This is one of the few living documents of that propitious and monumental pairing."
"He viewed these recordings as windows into the past," wrote Bear's son, Starfinder Stanley, in his notes for Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968. "So this is not just a live recording of Janis Joplin singing with Big Brother and the Holding Company. This is an auditory portal that...can transport you back to the short-lived but incredible world of the Carousel Ballroom in 1968."
BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY FEATURING JANIS JOPLIN -
LIVE AT THE CAROUSEL BALLROOM 1968
tracklisting
1. Combination Of The Two
2. I Need A Man To Love
3. Flower In The Sun
4. Light Is Faster Than Sound
5. Summertime
6. Catch Me Daddy
7. It's A Deal
8. Call On Me
9. Jam - I'm Mad
10. Piece Of My Heart
11. Coo Coo
12. Ball & Chain
13. Down On Me
Bonus Track:
14. Call On Me (Saturday Show-June 22, 1968)
Riotgod News
RIOTGOD's sophomore album "Invisible Empire" will be released in a little over three weeks via Metalville Records. In conjunction with the album's release, RIOTGOD has just confirmed a string of North American tour dates which can be found below.
RIOTGOD began in spirit through the conversations of Monster Magnet's Bob Pantella and Jim Baglino while out on tour as early as 2006.
While touring with Monster Magnet provided them with some great times and afforded them the opportunity to perform around the world, each communicated a desire to express their own musical ideas.
During their time off the road, the pair began exploring the possibilities of creating their own band . Bob began to lay down some ideas to get the ball rolling come 2007.
Bob while recording ideas that would become many of the songs on RIOTGOD's first CD, also sought out musicians that would fill out the guitar and vocal slots for the then nameless band. Contacted first was Garrett Sweeny for guitar.
For the vocals, many possible names had been discussed, including some notable voices familiar via other established bands yet in the end the local NJ connection would lead to Mark Sunshine.
RIOTGOD did its first mini-tour in 2009, hitting the road with fellow NJ rockers The Friends of Bill Wilson. RIOTGOD would visit the US mid-west and Canada, playing venues such as Chicago's Double Door, Detroit's Blondies, Toronto's Bovine Sex Club as well as some lesser known colorful establishments along the way.
RIOTGOD is now back - with their second album. More straight, more rock, more stoner - more RIOTGOD.
Lita Ford News
Legendary female metal icon LITA FORD has signed a worldwide deal with SPV/Steamhammer. Her new album entitled "Living Like A Runaway" is tentatively set for a May 2012 release. Best known for her work with The Runaways and her solo career, featuring hit singles "Kiss Me Deadly" and the Billboard charting duet "Close My Eyes Forever" with Ozzy Osbourne, LITA is ready to make a return to the throne as the queen of metal:
"SPV gets who I am, my work, and what it takes to bring this project to life. I'm very excited to have them on my team," says LITA.
LITA spoke about her work with Gary Hoey on the album and the meaning of the album's title:
"Gary Hoey and I wanted to approach this record by getting back to basics. We want to strip away all the electronics and plug-ins and keep it to vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. Going back to basics is going back to what punk, metal and The Runways was for me.
"Living Like A Runaway" means freedom and empowerment. To do what I want and to pursue my dreams while answering to no one."
SPV A&R Representative/Product Manager Olly Hahn commented on the signing of LITA FORD:
"When I bought "Dancin'On The Edge" back in 1984 I never thought that I would ever sign Lita Ford to a label. But a dream of mine came true and it's a huge honor for us at SPV/Steamhammer to have one of the leading women in Rock n'Roll on our label."
Liquid Landscape News
A LIQUID LANDSCAPE from The Netherlands has been a live act for several years and shared the stage with bands like Karnivool (AUS), Anathema (UK), Thrice (US) and Riverside (Poland).
During the past year the band also was a finalist at the prestigious annual Dutch Grand Prize contest and on top of that they had 3 sold out Noorderzon gigs, featuring a stunning visual show.
With all the material they had written, the band reached out to Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Helmet). Forrester liked the material a lot and he agreed on mixing the album and doing some production work as well.
'Nightingale Express' is a concept album. This inspired moviemaker Lex Vesseur to make a short movie with music from the album. He also made the artwork and the visuals for the live show. So both the music and the film return in an interactive rock show with a live VJ.
Washed up, tired and staggering across a beach in the early hours of the morning. Somewhere in the twilight between desperation and surrender, there is still a glimmer of hope. That sense that everything will be alright, no matter what the odds are.
This is what A LIQUID LANDSCAPE sounds like.
Track Listing:
1. Nightingale Express (12:40)
2. Wanderer's Log - You (0:51)
3. June Fifth (4:08)
4. Phases (4:53)
5. The Unreachable (4:59)
6. Wanderer's Log - Me (0:58)
7. Thieves of Time (6:01)
8. Out of Line (4:35)
9. Come on Home (5:22)
10. Wanderer's Log - Storm (2:36)
11. Secret Isle (5:10)
70,000 Tons of Metal
News from Germany!
While 70000TONS OF METAL, The World's Biggest Floating Heavy Metal Festival is steaming at full speed course West through the Mediterranean Sea, they received news from their European Scouting Party. After passing through Frankfurt am Main, where they made friends with some new hopefuls that go by the name of SAPIENCY, they continued further East to the city of Fulda to meet the EDGUY! Having a feeling that there is still more in store for them, the Scouting Party continues moving East...
Make no mistake, 70000TONS OF METAL is not your grandma's cruise. It's also not one of the cruises that share the ship with normal cruise guests. This is an all heavy metal cruise! Can you imagine that? A whole luxury cruise ship full of metalheads? And since there is no backstage area you will have the opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It's like everyone has a backstage pass!
So far 37 out of a total of 40 bands on board are known:
ALESTORM
AMORPHIS
ANNIHILATOR
ATHEIST
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHANNEL ZERO
CHILDREN OF BODOM
CORONER
CROWBAR
DARK FUNERAL
EDGUY
ELUVEITIE
EXCITER
GOD DETHRONED
GRAVE DIGGER
HAMMERFALL
IN EXTREMO
KAMELOT
KATAKLYSM
MOONSORROW
MY DYING BRIDE
NIGHTWISH
ORPHANED LAND
OVERKILL
PESTILENCE
PRETTY MAIDS
RIOT
SAMAEL
SAPIENCY
STRATOVARIUS
SUFFOCATION
TANKARD
THERION
TRISTANIA
VENOM
VIRGIN STEELE
WHIPLASH
70000TONS OF METAL will sail Monday, January 23, 2012 aboard the Royal Caribbean "Majesty of the Seas" from Miami FL to George Town, Cayman Islands and will not return you to the real world for four days until Friday, January 27, 2012.
Ticket prices start at US$666 plus US$289 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board entertainment, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals at the dining rooms, most on-board restaurants and even 24 room service!
Belle Histoire News
InVogue Records has announced the signing of Cincinnati, Ohio's Belle Histoire. Their brand new EP, I Can Tell, will be available digitally February 14, 2012. The band will hit the studio to record their debut full- length starting March 1, 2012 with a projected summer release date. "I'm really excited to bring in a VERY talented band that is very different from anything I've ever released before. I think people from all genres can appreciate the extreme talent behind Jane's voice and how the band showcases it," said InVogue owner Nick Moore.
Opera Diabolicus
OPERA DIABOLICUS is the brainchild of composer/musician David Grimoire and lyricist Adrian de Crow. The idea sprung to life when the two of them met randomly at a stage play of Umberto Eco's book The Name of the Rose at a theatre in Gothenburg the year 2006. Both of them were very intrigued by the story and they ended up talking about how interesting it would be to make a theatrical and dark metal musical based on that kind of a story. The conversation between them that took place in Gothenburg that bleak December night planted the seed that soon should grow to be the concept of OPERA DIABOLICUS - The concept of combining the dark elements of music and theatre in alliance with musical excellency.
The music could be described as dramatic and dark doom metal with atmospheric, epic and progressive elements. If you're into bands like Candlemass, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Memento Mori, Therion, Notre Dame, Dimmu Borgir and Kamelot this is definitely the band for you to keep your eye on.
The upcoming album features among others; Snowy Shaw (NOTRE DAME, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, THERION), Mats Levén (KRUX, THERION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and Niklas Isfeldt (DREAM EVIL) on vocals, daemonic voices and ghoulish sounds. Snowy Shaw has also contributed with his well known drums of doom which gives yet another warranty of quality to the music. The album is produced and mixed by none other than Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND) at his Sonic Train Studio.
Tracklist
1. Overture
2. The Gates
3. Bloodcountess Bathory
4. The 13th Guest
5. In Memoriam
6. Mythos Lamia
7. Forbidden
8. Stone by Stone
Venrez News
VENREZ TO SUPPORT DEBUT ALBUM 'SELL THE LIE' BY OPENING TOUR FOR FUEL
In order to expand your audience, it's always helpful for an up-and-coming rock band to open for a veteran act. Venrez has just secured a month's worth of dates that will undoubtedly help introduce them to the masses - opening for Fuel on a US tour that runs from January 21st to February 18th.
With Venrez's debut full-length, 'Sell the Lie,' set for release on February 28th, 2012, audiences will be able to get a sneak preview of the album before it hits the streets. Comprised of singer Steven Berez (whose last syllables of his first and last name serve as the group's nom de plum), guitarists Jason Womack and Alex Kane, bassist Michael Bradford, and drummer Ed Davis, the Los Angeles-based group cites such wide-ranging outfits as Tool, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Alice In Chains as their influences.
"We are really looking forward to opening these dates for Fuel, as they have scored many rock radio hits over the years," explains Berez. "We also feel that their fans will relate to the music/vibe that Venrez puts across - it's going to be a hell of a way to kick off the New Year!"
The Venrez/Fuel tour will visit such cities/states as Daytona Beach (Florida), Huntington (New York), Baltimore (Maryland), Dallas (Texas), and Biloxi (Mississippi), among other rock n' roll hotspots.
"Venrez live is a very special rock show," adds Berez. "All the members are amazing players and showmen. We go on feel a lot, and every live show is slightly different than the other - much like a Rolling Stones or Aerosmith concert. It's big, in your face, captivating, and sexy as f*@k!"
Throughout January and February, rock fans will be able to experience an extremely potent double bill, blazing its way across the States.
Leslie West News
LESLIE WEST HONORED WITH ALTRUISTIC GESTURE
FROM THE VEHICLE PRODUCTION GROUP
Legendary Guitarist Receives New MV-1 Enabling West To Tour
FIRST POST-AMPUTATION PUBLIC PERFORMANCES ANNOUNCED
WITH RETURN TO THE ROAD JANUARY 31
New York, NY - The Vehicle Production Group, a brand new American car company that designs, engineers, and distributes specialty vehicles, has altruistically gifted a brand new MV-1 to Leslie West. Faced with the challenges of touring following the June, 2011 amputation of his right leg above the knee, the MV-1 is the first mobility vehicle designed from the ground up for wheelchair accessibility, and this act of kindness has solved the major obstacle that derailed the guitarist's prior plans to return to the road.
The MV-1 is not an aftermarket conversion. The vehicle is the only factory built mode of transportation that meets or exceeds the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) direct from the factory. The fully boxed, body-on-frame design provides unrivaled strength, safety, and durability, and the MV-1 meets or exceeds all of the requirements set by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The Vehicle Production Group has partnered with AM General to assemble the MV-1 at their state-of-the-art plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, the former home of the Hummer H2. This new product is the only vehicle made in America with a factory installed Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel system option.
West received the vehicle from The Vehicle Production Group on December 22, 2011. The guitarist shared, "This is nicer than any guitar I have ever owned, and I've had some pretty incredible instruments including my own Leslie West Dean Signature Series. I was speechless. People would be proud to own this vehicle. The gestures made collectively by Fred, Brian and Steven, are the most generous I have experienced in my life." Fred Drasner, Chairman of The Vehicle Production Group LLC added, "From my days at Woodstock, to the release of Unusual Suspects, I always thought Leslie West was the best. When I heard his tour was cancelled because of a lack of accessible transportation, I was thrilled to be in a position to help him get back on the road. For me and his millions of fans, that is where he should be. All of us at VPG are extremely proud to be a part of getting Leslie safely back on the road in comfort and style in his new MV-1".
West is a guitar god. From the Sixties through today, he has been revered by artists and fans alike. He has been in command of one of the biggest, boldest electric guitar tones known to humankind from the 1969 Woodstock Festival that placed his band Mountain in to historical lore through his current release Unusual Suspects. At age 66, West continues to remain current, as witnessed by the assemblage of legends joining him on the album which include Billy Gibbons, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa and Steve Lukather, alongside Kenny Aronoff. West shared, "These guys don't show up to play on everybody's albums. They're stars in their own right and fantastic players - everyone with their own sound and style, and about as far from 'the usual suspects' as it gets."