Category: General News

MIDAS FALL REVEAL LATEST TRACK ‘BRUISE PUSHER’ / ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES

Taken from forthcoming album ‘Evaporate’

Scottish duo Midas Fall (Elizabeth Heaton and Rowan Burn) release their fourth album, ‘Evaporate’, on 27 April.

“Bruise Pusher”, the opening track from the album, is a visceral display of ferocious beauty which alternates between Elizabeth Heaton’s delicate vocals and a savage cacophony of guitar, drums and synths, to create a disconcerting atmosphere.

“Bruise Pusher is about living in a volatile environment, constantly anticipating the underlying tension erupting into something hideous and unsettlingly familiar”, says Heaton. “The song started with just a simple piano melody, so to develop the track we used a lot of guitars with rumbling, saturated reverbs and gradually added heavy synths to create textured, expansive choruses.”

Produced and recorded by Elizabeth Heaton, ‘Evaporate’ shimmers with a dark, gothic grace, conjuring stunning soundscapes at every turn. The album will be released worldwide by Monotreme Records on April 27th on CD and digital formats, as well as a limited pressing of 500 LPs on 180-gram vinyl (200 black and 300 clear blue/black).

Pre-orders of the album are available from the Monotreme Records web shop: http://monotremerecords.limitedrun.com/products/610709-midas-fall-evaporate-album-cd-180g-vinyl-lp-or-digital-download-pre-order

The band have also announced UK tour dates for May to support the release of the album.
04/05 Evil Eye, Liverpool
 
05/05 Cavern, Exeter
 
06/05 The Vault, Leicester
 
08/05 The Star Inn, Guildford
 
09/05 Aatma, Manchester
 
10/05 Bannermans, Edinburgh
 
11/05 13th Note, Glasgow 
 

 

YES Release Fly From Here – Return Trip featuring Trevor Horn on Vocals on 25th March

On 25th March prog icons, YES, will release a brand-new mix of their album Fly From Here – Return Trip, featuring the Drama line-up and new lead vocals by Trevor Horn, to coincide with their 50th Anniversary celebrations.

Fly From Here – Return Trip can be pre-ordered via Pledge Music here:

https://yesthedramalineup.pmstores.co/

The original 2011 release of Fly From Here featured the band members who appeared on Drama: Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, Geoff Downes, plus Benoit David on lead vocals with Trevor Horn in the role of Producer.

The addition of Trevor’s lead vocals has produced a genuine sequel to Drama. Fly From Here – Return Trip was developed as a labour of love for all involved and the new vocals were recorded over the last two years amidst other commitments. Trevor began re-recording the lead vocals the day after he guested with YES at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016 and within 24 hours the rest of the band had joined him at his studio. Additional overdubs by other members have also been added.

In addition to remixing parts of the album, Trevor has added personal liner notes and the sleeve design features the painting by Roger Dean originally used on the inside of the 2011 edition.

Trevor Horn says: “I really enjoyed listening to Alan and Chris playing together again. Finishing off the album was a labour of love.”

Fly From Here – Return Trip also contains a previously unreleased song, ‘Don’t Take No for an Answer’ recorded in 2011, with Steve Howe on lead vocals. Additionally, the full-length version of ‘Hour of Need’ is included. This has previously only been included as a Japanese bonus track.

“It is great to have the original Drama line up playing Fly From Here plus several other songs Trevor had a big part in writing.” Comments Steve Howe.

Geoff Downes adds: “It’s quite amazing what Trevor has done with the album and the way it has turned out. It is most refreshing and adds a whole new dimension to the original recordings from 2011. I think the fans will appreciate it as a genuine sequel to the Drama album, and embrace it as a valuable part of our YES50 celebrations.”

Track Listing:-

Fly From Here – Overture

Fly From Here Pt 1 – We Can Fly

Fly From Here Pt 2 – Sad Night at the Airfield

Fly From Here Pt 3 – Madman at the Screens

Fly From Here Pt 4 – Bumpy Ride

Fly From Here Pt 5 – We Can Fly (Reprise)

The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be

Life on a Film Set

Hour of Need (full length version)

Solitaire

Don’t Take No for an Answer

Into the Storm

The album is a long-awaited treat for all YES fans and following Chris Squire’s passing in 2015, represents the last chance for fans to hear a follow-up to the classic YES release Drama which reached number 2 in the UK album charts in 1980.

The album is available to pre-order now exclusively via Pledge Music, plus some extra Roger Dean images and Pledge offers, and fans will be able to collect their orders, or buy direct for the first time, when YES attends the 50th Anniversary Fan Convention at the London Palladium on 25th March 2018 as part of their eagerly anticipated March 2018 UK tour. Trevor Horn will be guesting with Yes at the London Palladium [both shows] and Paris. Please see the tour dates below.

MARCH 2018 (UK & Europe)

 

Tues 13th Bristol            Colston Hall
Wed 14th    Sheffield       City Hall
Fri 16th        Glasgow       SEC Armadillo
Sat 17th        Manchester   Bridgewater Hall
Sun 18th       Gateshead    Sage
Tues 20th      Birmingham  Symphony Hall
Wed 21st    Brighton       Centre
Fri 23rd        Liverpool       Philharmonic Hall
Sat 24th        London       Palladium
Sun 25th        London       Palladium
Tue 27th        Tilburg       013
Wed 28th      Antwerp       De Roma
Fri 30th         Paris       Olympia

 

UK Tickets available from BookingsDirect.com 24hr Ticket Hotline 0844 249 2222 (subject to fees). Also available from venue box offices and select authorised ticket agencies.
Front row, Meet & Greet & VIP packages are available from YESWORLD.com
There is no support.   Please see ticket for start time.

 

DBA Release second Lyric Video for Skin Deep featuring Marc Almond from Album Scyscraper Souls

DBA (Downes Braide Association) release the second track from their recently released album Skyscraper Souls. Skin Deep featuring Marc Almond. The track is available now from iTunes or as part of the album.

Guests on Skyscraper Souls include Marc Almond, Andy Partridge (XTC), David Longdon (Big Big Train), Matthew Koma, Tim Bowness and Kate Pierson.

Chris Braide has worked with a multitude of artists including Marc Almond (featured on this track), Lana del Ray, Paloma Faith,
David Guetta, Beyonce & Sia the list is endless.

Geoff Downes has played keyboards with The Buggles, Asia and YES.

Transparent Blue vinyl – LP www.tinyurl.com/DBA3vinyl
 

Melodic Revolution Records is thrilled to sign International prog band TEN JINN for a multi-album deal.

“Sisyphus” was originally released in Europe in early 2017 as a digital-only release by Ten Jinn, however, there has been a large demand for a CD release and even a vinyl release. The CD is set for an early spring (2018) release.

About The Album

Sisyphus is an eight-part programmatic work that tells the story of the founder and King of Corinth after whom it is named. Because of affronts to the gods while alive, Sisyphus was condemned in death to spend eternity in Hades rolling a boulder to the top of a mountain, only to have it roll back down each time he completed the task; this also speaks to the essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus,” by Albert Camus, who used the myth as a means to comment on the senseless, repetitive drudgery of modern life.

Originally written as a classical work (a symphonic poem for string orchestra and piano) the Ten Jinn production involved reworking the piece to include the addition of rock instrumentation. We got the idea to add vocals to make it more consistent with earlier Ten Jinn albums, and the plan was then to fill out the record with other new material; however, at one point during the process we decided to do an instrumental mix and use it as a “flip-side,” instead, because we wanted to include a version that was representative of the original idea, which had its own unique “flavor.”

https://soundcloud.com/melodicrevolutionrecords/sisyphus-radiomix-part-i-by-ten-jinn

The Band

John Paul Strauss: Lead and backing vocals, Keyboards

Mark Wickliffe: Drums, Bass & backing vocals

Ken Skoglund: Guitars & backing vocals

Mike Matier: Guitars

A Statement from John Strauss

I have known about Nick Katona of Melodic Revolution Records for a while now, having seen him at RosFest for several years in a row (donning his signature top hat with a classy presentation of product second to none). However, it was only during the 2017 iteration that I finally had a chance to speak with him at great length. What I found was a passionate, intelligent man; a kindred spirit in attitude towards life in general, and music in particular.

I went to his website and checked out a number of the artists on his label. What I found was an eclectic offering of artists all with one thing in common – superior musical talent. Along with a laid-back, yet serious, approach to getting this music heard, I thought that his label would be the perfect partner for Ten Jinn. So, I handed him a promo copy our new record Sisyphus, we spoke again a while later and decided to work together. I speak for myself, and rest of the band, when I say that I am very excited about our upcoming CD release of Sisyphus on MRR, and hope this will be the first of many more to come.

Follow Ten Jinn
Website:
http://www.tenjinn.com
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Ten-Jinn-380683175392072/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/ten_jinn

 

MIDAS FALL SHARE LATEST TRACK ‘SOVERAINE’

This April, Midas Fall, the Scottish duo comprised of Elizabeth Heaton and Rowan Burn — will release their fourth studio offering, ‘Evaporate.’

A visceral display of ferocious beauty straight from the desperate, savage cacophony of album opener “Bruise Pusher” to the heavenly crush of final track “Howling At The Clouds,” ‘Evaporate’ conjures stunning soundscapes at every turn. Captured in Argyll, Scotland, the album shimmers with a dark, gothic grace, delicate, and brutal in equal measure.

As a precursor to its release, the ethereal post-rock outfit have shared the poignant sounds of “Soveraine” for public feasting.

“Writing ‘Soveraine’ was like entering new territory for us and a big deviation from our last album,” notes Heaton of the weighty track. “It was born from an improvisation with just cello and vocals but turned into the type of song we had wanted to write for a long time. We wanted to show restraint with the guitars and drums and instead layer in instruments to culminate in a subtle but powerful and atmospheric ending. The song centers around the theme of resentment and trying and failing to let go.”

Midas Fall’s ‘Evaporate’ will be released worldwide by Monotreme Records on April 27th on CD and digital formats, as well as a limited pressing of 500 LPs on 180-gram vinyl (200 black and 300 clear blue/black).

Preorder the album now – http://monotremerecords.limitedrun.com/products/610709

Listen to the title track:

BLACK MOTH SHARE VIDEO FOR ‘SISTERS OF THE STONE’

Following this month’s UK tour, Black Moth have shared a new video for the track ‘Sisters of The Stone’, described by vocalist Harriet Hyde as ‘an anthem for wronged women’. The video by Noomi Spook, ‘depicts glimpses of female power, lovingly hunted and excavated from the swathes of old footage of the Stepford Wives advertising domestic bliss to dead-eyed sex dolls selling automobiles. Noomi paints a picture of the wild woman in all us’, adds Harriet.

While their first 2 albums were released by New Heavy Sounds, Black Moth will have their latest / third studio album issued worldwide via Candlelight Records on March 2nd 2018, the result of an alliance between Candlelight and NHS.

Produced by Andy Hawkins (Hawk Eyes, Maximo Park) with Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir) handling the mix, this 10-track affair sees the Leeds / London outfit – vocalist Harriet Hyde, guitarists Jim Swainston & Federica Gialanze’, bassist Dave Vachon and drummer Dom McCready –  further honing the various elements of their sound to make the hooks more barbed and the focus more collective.

What’s for sure is that ‘Anatomical Venus’ is the heaviest Black Moth album to date, taking the signature Mothic sound – a dark and heady swirl of garage rock, mind-blowin’ psychedelia and amplified over-drive – down a more targetted path, effectively opening a new chapter in a career that stretches back to an inaugural single in 2010 and a debut album, ‘The Killing Jar’, in 2012.

For ‘The Killing Jar’ and its 2014 follow-up, ‘Condemned To Hope’, the band brought in Jim Sclavunos (a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994) to handle production and mixing duties, and the results immediately connected with fans and media alike…

“Like Electric Wizard meets Band Of Skulls, in a dungeon” is one press description that sticks in the mind, with other points of reference including Black Sabbath, the Stooges, PJ Harvey, Melvins, Kyuss and Patti Smith; however, with ‘Anatomical Venus’ Black Moth are seeking to forge their own path, both musically and conceptually. 

 

GLEB KOLYADIN, THE VIRTUOSO IAMTHEMORNING PIANIST, DEBUT SELF TITLED SOLO ALBUM – OUT TODAY – NEW VIDEO FOR “STORYTELLER” FEAT. JORDAN RUDESS OF DREAM THEATER

With the debut self-titled album from Gleb Kolyadin (iamthemorning) released today on Kscope, the Russian virtuoso pianist premieres a new video for the song “Storyteller” which features special guest Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater

Gleb comments on the song and the Kolyadin/Rudess collaboration “Storyteller is the final point of this musical journey.  After passing through intricate corridors and stairs, the character finds a secret room where he comes to understand himself and everything that is happening with him. The room is a real mystical location in which time and space are intertwined. 

I think no one could play the solo part better than Jordan. His rocking piece is the true magic. I’m happy that everything turned out the way it did: his part was the most important detail that breathe new life into the track.”

Gleb Kolyadin is an emotive exploration of self-identity; a story of two parts with interweaving leitmotifs. The album’s central concept weaves through an elaborate tonal and thematic structure, built around the extraordinary rhythm section of Gavin Harrison and Nick Beggs, which is accented at its focal points by guest appearances from Steve Hogarth, Jordan Rudess, Mick Moss and Theo Travis.

The album is a collaborative piece with each musician recording their own parts separately, starting with Gleb recording himself on grand piano in Moscow Winter-Spring 2017 at the famed Mosfilm studio. The album was mixed and engineered by Vlad Avy, who also previously worked on the two Iamthemorning records.

Gleb Kolyadin is available on CD / LP and digitally and is available HERE

Follow Gleb Kolyadin: https://www.facebook.com/iamthemorningpage/

Charlie Barnes (Bastille Live Member) – new album, single and live dates

Charlie Barnes has announced ‘Oceanography’, his second album for Superball Music. The follow up to 2015’s post-pop monster ‘More Stately Mansions’, ‘Oceanography’ finds Barnes in a different place in his life. The past two years have seen huge change for the musician, he has spent the majority of his time on the road as a touring member of Bastille, performing on some of the biggest stages in the world and travelling all over the globe as well as getting married and relocating from Leeds to the Midlands.

In contrast to his previous LP – largely recorded in one place with producer Oceansize guitarist Steve Durose – ‘Oceanography’ is a story of snatched moments after tour rehearsals, late nights spent in far flung studios from Wales to Virginia, ideas sent back and forth over email and put down in fits and starts while on the road. At points it seemed like it would never come together, so it’s some achievement that it not only matches the attention-grabbing maximalist prog-pop of ‘More Stately Mansions’, but builds and expands on that record’s foundations.

“The last few years have been totally bonkers,” admits Barnes. “I was rarely at home, so I was doing a lot of arrangement work in dressing rooms and hotels on a tiny keyboard. I eventually took to carrying recording gear around with me so that I could make the best use of any free time.”   

Barnes had consciously decided even before joining Bastille that he wanted to make an album more honed and streamlined, so it is that much of ‘Oceanography’ is built around pop hooks that although vast in sonics are earworm tight in their structure. There is a more consistent palette of sounds used throughout, with songs comfortable in shifting between newer synth explorations and reverting to long-held influences Oceansize and Amplifier – shining particularly prominently on tracks like Ruins and Maria.

However, there’s no getting away from the impact that working with one of the UK’s biggest touring bands has had on his work. For one thing, Dan Smith himself pops up on backing vocals on Will & Testament – a track that arguably stands out in its pared-down synthetic feel compared to the string-tinged rock grandiosity of much of the rest of the album. Smith’s inclusion came after he’d asked to hear what Barnes had been working on while out on tour with them, but his mark on the album is more diffuse that a guest cameo: “Being with Bastille during the making of their second album, I got to hear how some of those songs took shape over time, from small changes to entire reworks” he says. “I think that helped me to be a bit more cut-throat with my own songs and try to streamline things a bit.”

Charlie has also shared the first single & video to be taken from  ‘Oceanography’ which is due out on Superball Music on the 9th of March.

‘Oceanography’ will be released on Superball Music on the 9th of March 2018 and can be pre-ordered now from here.

A full-band UK tour will also take place ahead of the album’s release.

Some words from Charlie on the new tour –

“I’m fully blown kid-in-sweetshop excited about these upcoming dates.  It’s going to be a little bit different to anything I’ve done before, so expect to see some new faces (well, one new face…), and the occasional support slot from another familiar face (my face, doing something else).  These will be my first live performances with a band since my mate Alex’s wedding a couple of years ago where we played a load of (superbly curated) cover versions (Biffy, Wheatus, Bowie…), so I’m definitely feeling the nerves about getting back to frontman duties.  It’ll be okay.  Right?  Come and say hello.  We’re very clean.”

Tour dates are listed below – 

·       March 7th – Leeds, Oporto (with The Society Pages)
·       March 13th – Glasgow, Bloc
·       March 14th – Leicester, The Cookie (with The Society Pages) 
·       March 15th – London, Islington Academy 2 
·       March 22nd – Sheffield, West Street Live

PARADISE LOST TO RELEASE ‘HOST – REMASTERED’ IN MARCH – AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME

On March 16th, Britain’s cult metallers Paradise Lost will release a remastered version of their legendary seventh studio album, ‘Host’ and a first-ever pressing of the songs on vinyl. Originally released in 1999, ‘Host’ earned Paradise Lost their reputation as West Yorkshire’s musical chameleon, as it saw the band moving further away from their previous death metal roots to a melancholic and catchier electropop sound.

Singer Nick Holmes comments: “With the ‘Host’ album we wanted to take the ‘One Second’ concept further and make a very dark album with even more subtlety. It was a bold leap from all our previous albums, a leap too far some would say, but for me, the new remastered version really shows it’s still one of the band’s strongest albums in terms of song writing, atmosphere and sheer misery.”  

The album will be available as digipack and in three different vinyl colours (black, clear and mint) for the first time ever. Pre-order started yesterday, you can get your copy here:

http://nblast.de/ParadiseLostHostNB

Pre-order digitally and receive ‘So Much Is Lost’ instantly, here: https://smarturl.it/HostRemastered

The band’s latest doom metal monster ‘Medusa’ is now in stores and has been featured in a number of end of year lists for 2017 in the likes of Metal Hammer, Decibel and Rock Hard Italy.

http://nblast.de/ParadiseLostMedusaNB

You can catch the band live on their upcoming UK tour or on the following festivals:
15.02.  UK       Colchester – Arts Centre
16.02.  UK       Portsmouth – Wedgewood Rooms
17.02.  UK       Bristol – Thekla
18.02.  UK       Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
20.02.  UK       Belfast – Limelight 2
21.02.  IRL       Dublin – Tivoli
 22.02.  UK       Glasgow – Classic Grand
23.02.  UK       Manchester – Gorilla
01.04.  D         Munich – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
04.04.  BG       Sofia – 12 Years of Tangra Mega Rock
04. – 07.07.     D         Ballenstedt – Rockharz Open Air
11. – 14.07.     E          Vivero – Resurrection Fest
 20./21.07.       FIN      Laukaa – John Smith Rock Festival
08. – 11.08.     CZ        Jaromer – Brutal Assault
10./11.08.       NL        Leeuwarden – Into the Grave
15.08.  D         Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze
PARADISE LOST are:
Nick Holmes | vocals
Greg Mackintosh | lead guitars
Aaron Aedy | rhythm guitars
Steve Edmondson | bass
Waltteri Väyrynen | drums

Neal Morse releases video for ‘Livin’ Lightly’

Neal Morse will be releasing his latest solo album, ‘Life and Times’, February 16 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY on all digital outlets, as well as CD and vinyl.

Premiered in Germany last week, here is the second video clip for the song Livin’ Lightly:

Born in 1960 to a musical Californian family, Morse played in many bands during his youth. He learned and mastered several instruments along the way. In 1995, he wrote and recorded ‘The Light’ with his new band, Spock’s Beard. It was an album grounded strongly in the then-unfashionable progressive rock genre. The album and title song became modern prog classics, and began to bring Morse and the band global recognition. In 2000, he also joined forces with Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Pete Trewavas (Marillion) and Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) to form Transatlantic.

Neal Morse’s solo work has focused almost entirely on music with a strong message of redemption, beginning with 2003’s ‘Testimony’ – a two-disc musical account of his spiritual journey–and most recently with The Neal Morse Band’s ‘The Similitude of a Dream’ , based on John Bunyan’s classic allegory ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Pre-orders are now open at Radiant records website here

You can watch the first video from the album, He Died At Home, here: