DEBUT ALBUM ‘CHRONICLE I: THE TRUTHSEEKER’ RELEASED 6TH NOVEMBER (NEW HEAVY SOUNDS)
‘a stunning example of the band’s complete presentation. While many make the claim to have a balance of sight and sound, Mountain Caller underscore the totality of their talent with the video for “I Remember Everything.’ – KNOTFEST
Heavy, progressive, instrumental three-piece Mountain Caller, who are ready to engage hyper-drive and launch their debut album into the riff time continuum on 6th November (New Heavy Sounds) have shared the epic new video for ‘I Remember Everything’. Guitarist Claire Simson comments,
‘The video for “I Remember Everything” was directed and produced by ridiculously talented friend of the band Tom Le Bon. It tells fragments of the story written in tandem with the album and even features The Protagonist. It’s not a literal dramatisation but the scenes are symbolic parts of the story and the film team did an outstanding job bringing it to life. We are beyond stoked with how it turned out and can’t wait to share it with the world.’
Recorded in January of 2020 at No Studio in Manchester by producer Joe Clayton of Pijn, and mastered by Magnus Lindberg of ‘Cult Of Luna’. For the band, it’s a labour of love; the fruit of three years of jamming, crafting, and conceptualising; a collaborative piece, where each instrument takes centre stage, within a heady mix of chasmic riffs and panoramic, reflective soundscapes.
If one needs a sonic ballpark, think the infectious jamming of Elder and the dynamic cinema-scapes of Mogwai, underpinned by the mantric riffs of Sleep.
Chronicle I: The Truthseeker is a feminist allegory created in tandem with the music. As the band describe it …
‘In The Truthseeker, we join The Protagonist at the edge of the Twilight Desert, compelled by an indefinable but urgent need to set forth on an Odyssean journey to rediscover her memory and her voice. Over the course of 42 minutes, we travel from barren wastelands to mysterious cities, encountering trials of both body and spirit.’
It is indeed a 6 track instrumental journey. Full of winding roads, brooding valleys and strange encounters, all vividly evoked by a canny grasp of dynamics, melody and heavy, but hooky riffs, executed with peerless playing.
Chronicle I: The Truthseeker is the beginning of the Chronicle saga, and also one senses, the beginning of a high-reaching career.
Just in time for Halloween, Chicago prog rockers District 97 present their first animated short film, the epic tale of “Ghost Girl.” Taken from their most recent release Screens, “Ghost Girl” is the musical journey of a little girl who longs to fit in. The only problem? She’s terrorized by malevolent spirits, and nobody believes her—except for her loving but overbearing mother.
Jonathan Schang, District 97’s drummer/primary composer and Ghost Girl Executive Producer states: “For well over a year, I’ve had a vision in my head of an animated short film for Leslie’s and my song “Ghost Girl” from the Screens album. I imagined something that conjured a similar mood to Steven Wilson’s and Owl House Studios’ stop motion videos. Through happenstance I was put in touch with director Christopher Kezelos (Zero, The Maker), who enthusiastically took on the project. Since January, we closely collaborated to bring Ghost Girl and her world to life.
“I never could’ve guessed how much all of our lives would change during the making of this film, but I feel that makes its story of isolation, alienation, and redemption all the more relevant. I hope it captivates music and film fans everywhere this Halloween season and beyond.” Christopher Kezelos, Director says: “When I first heard the song Ghost Girl by District 97, I was instantly drawn into the disturbing tale of a young medium terrorized by evil spirits and the epic highs and lows of this sweeping rock ballad.
“Every line of the song conjured haunting and beautiful images in my mind that I wanted to bring to the screen.
“The song, sung from the protagonist’s point of view, felt very personal. I wanted to portray her story through a diary as she journals her life and shares her intimate secrets with the viewer. Sketches that ebb from dark and gritty to light and calm as she pours her heart and soul onto the page.“I wanted every scene to feel like a beautiful cinemagraph. A memory captured in time, with a hint of motion that draws you into Ghost Girl’s world.
“My hope is that her tale of transformation resonates with audiences struggling with their own demons.”
Following the announcement that Lunatic Soul will release their new and seventh album Through Shaded Woods, through Kscope on 13th November: the band have premiered ‘The Passage’, the first single and video to be taken from the forthcoming album:
Of the new track Mariusz Duda comments “’The Passage’ is a signature piece of the new Lunatic Soul album, on which we enter a mysterious forest full of dynamic, ritual dances. The title “passage” is the destination for the main character, where he is to be cleansed and reborn. “Shaded Woods” are our worst traumas and nightmares, the most difficult moments in our life. Going through them symbolises facing and overcoming them. “Through Shaded Woods” is about reaching a better place in life, about giving yourself another chance.
“Shaded Woods” is also symbolic of our present, difficult times. Let us hope that at the end of this dangerous path we are on, we will have become richer in new experiences, wiser and much stronger, which is my wish for everyone. May this song, as well as the whole album, be like a torch, which not only makes the darkness disappear, but might come in handy when fighting monsters.”
On album number seven Mariusz Duda, the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and mastermind behind Lunatic Soul is extending his musical explorations to include dark Scandinavian and Slavic folk referencing bands like Heilung or Wardruna. Following the heavily electronic sound of previous albums Fractured and Under the Fragmented Sky, Through Shaded Woods is completely devoid of electronics and is the first album in Duda’s discography, on which he plays all instruments.
Mariusz found his inspiration for the album from his childhood home, an area of Poland known for its forests and lakes, ” I think I have always wanted to create an album steeped in nature and woodlands. These bring to my mind freedom, breathing and a dance ritual of coming back to nature, so I wanted the album to include such ritualistic primal dances, shamanic, Slavic and Viking moods. I wanted to mix it all up and put it all together, making “Through Shaded Woods” the most intense, dynamic and the most danceable album in my career.“
Mariusz Duda appears to have put the personal darkness that inspired his previous albums behind him, as more optimistic elements shine through in his new music. The album becoming musically “brighter” as it progresses – from the atmospheric introduction of “Navvie” through to the title track, which leads the listener to a melodious, trance like “Oblivion”, echoing the style of Dead Can Dance.
Through Shaded Woods will be released on CD; 2 CD featuring a bonus disc of 3 additional tracksincluding a 26-minute suite called “Transition 2; black vinyl LP in gatefold sleeve and digitally and is available to pre-order HERE (https://lunaticsoul.lnk.to/ThroughShadedWoods)
UK HEADLINE TOUR FOR 2020 / 2021 CONFIRMED 1st Single – Cocoon released – video here
Jon Gomm, the UK based acoustic guitar virtuoso, has announced the details of his new album The Faintest Idea, due for release on Kscope on 16th October 2020, with this new album he has found new emotional depths in immense melodic pop landscapes.
When most people look at an acoustic guitar, they see exactly that – a wooden box with strings. As one of the pioneers of the modern fingerstyle sound, however, Jon Gomm has a rare gift for turning one instrument into what feels like an entire orchestra…
The Blackpool-born singer-songwriter’s 2003 home-recorded debut, Hypertension, was nothing short of a musical revelation: drumming beats, tapping chords and striking harmonics on his acoustic underneath that warm, soulful voice. Things changed for Jon with landmark single Passionflower racking up 17 million plus views on YouTube and other media platforms in 2012 – with British legend Stephen Fry describing him on mainstream television as someone “playing the guitar in a way I’d never seen it played before” and “an all-round genius”. Follow up album Secrets Nobody Keeps arrived in 2013, further cementing his stature as one of the driving forces behind an acoustic revolution – but now, having signed a label deal for the very first time in his career, he’s managed to truly refine the pop sensibilities and emotive expression within that unmistakable wall of sound. Latest full-length The Faintest Idea is set for release this October.
“I didn’t realise that my songs were worth anything beyond the crazy guitar playing,” shrugs the songwriter reborn, who originally started out on ukulele at the age of two. “When people started getting my lyrics tattooed on them, I had to accept that they’re not doing that because they’re fans of percussive guitar”
Perhaps one of the greatest surprises with The Faintest Idea is how it contrasts the incredible human warmth of Gomm’s acoustic articulation with more icy affairs, thanks to the synth parts and production work from Australian musician Andy Sorenson. Instead of a war between man and machine, the collaboration delicately cross-pollinates simple honesty with more forward-thinking atmospheres. It is a contemporary masterpiece – rich in its sense of paths travelled and roads taken, while also daring to gaze into the unexpected future.
“Andy has taken my raw, intimate solo acoustic performances, and placed them in an artificially expanded landscape of his own creation. I feel like I’m playing a gig, but the venue is a synthetic reality dreamworld. I strum a chord, and it bounces off a cyan cloud releasing a shower of notes, I hit another, and it echoes through a crystal chamber” Gomm muses.
The album earned its title through the notion that all of us, to some extent, are just The Faintest Idea. The singer/guitarist notes how that everything is made out of vibrating strings of probability, and it’s this scientific and spiritual meaning – as well as the more literal translation of total guesswork – that felt like the perfect summation of album number four… “It’s an enigmatic title,” smiles Gomm. “There’s a fine line between a metaphor and a pun, so I guess it dances on that.”
The album is complemented by the delicate hand drawn pen and ink cover art created by Lee Zimmerman.
Often cited as one of the most naturally gifted acoustic artists of the modern age, a one-man band with seemingly no limit to expression, it’s little surprise that the new music drew from the musician’s own experiences over the last five or so years. And while there have been moments of joyous celebration, by his own admission there has also been plenty of personal upheaval “This album has been a long time coming,” he reflects. “I tend to write in a really painstaking way. The last few years of my life have involved a lot of personal trauma – from me and my wife losing a pregnancy, through to losing other people in my life.”
There’s a sense of reinvention that arrives in The Faintest Idea’s 11 tracks – documenting a musician coming to terms with the talents that got him recognised and choosing to evolve into the unexpected. Despite having already gone viral and established himself as one of the modern-day masters of acoustic, this could very well be the release that sees the virtuoso transition to a mainstream audience far removed from the guitar community he’s long been revered by… “People knew I could play, I didn’t need to write an album to make that point anymore,” summarises Gomm. “And being aware of that brought out my music in a better way. The technique side can feed into the ego after a while. This is still acoustic guitar music, but the sound, approach and experiences behind it are totally different. I didn’t need to force myself to follow any musical philosophy when I could just make a beautiful-sounding album that was totally immersive and more emotional.”
Indeed, it’s as immersive and emotional as music gets. And while these are the most expansive recordings of JonGomm’s career so far, it still really just boils down to the magic of one man with his guitar and voice. And what a powerful magic it is.
The Faintest Idea is due to be released on 16th October on the following formats: *CD *Double gatefold LP with D-side artwork etching * Digitally *As a stunning limited edition deluxe 3 disc hardback book edition which will feature: CD1 – The Faintest Idea album CD 2 – The Naked Artist Mix – a stripped back version of the album a DVD containing6 exclusive performances filmed in a medieval church Guitar technique presentations A 35 minute Jon Gomm interview Song description videos The Faintest Idea in high resolution stereo audio. The beautiful book will feature Lee Zimmerman illustrations, song descriptions, handwritten lyrics and full guitar tablature for the song “Check You’re Still Breathing”.
The Faintest Idea – UK & Eire headline tour – tickets on sale now December 2020 Sat 5 – Huddersfield – Parish Pub Sun 6 – York – The Crescent Thu 10 – Trowbridge – Emmanuels Yard Fri 11 – Cheltenham – Frog And Fiddle Sat 12 – Swansea – Sin City
Jan 2021 Mon 4 – Southampton – Joiners Tue 5 – Brighton – Komedia Wed 6 – Bury St Edmunds – Apex Fri 15 – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms Sat 16 – Bristol – Thekla Sun 17 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds Fri 22 – Manchester – The Bread Shed Sat 23 – Liverpool – Leaf Fri 29 – Leeds – Brudenell
Feb 2021 Wed 3 – Runcorn – Brindley Theatre Fri 5 – Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms Sat 6 – Haverhill – Haverhill Arts Centre Sun 7 – Reading – Sub 89 Thu 11 – Cardiff – The Globe Fri 12 – Blackpool – Bootleg Social Thu 18 – Preston – The Ferret Fri 19 – Newcastle – Cluny Sat 20 – Glasgow – Oran Mor Sat 27 – Dublin – Academy 2
March 2021 Fri 5 – London – Bush Hall Sat 6 – Guildford – Boileroom
Clockwork is the second single taken from Fireworker, the new album by Gazpacho.
The new single doesn’t feature on Fireworkerin this form; it is part of the album’s opening track “Space Cowboy”.
ThomasAnderson from the band explains the song is about ” a trip into the mind to uncover the animal that, the main character believes, lives there and how much of him it really controls. As the main character of the song ventures deeper and starts sensing that the animal is near, his consciousness tries to warn him that there are some things better left alone and communicates this through a dream”
Gazpacho have reigned as the kings of atmospheric and affective art rock, no small feat, as the subgenre is full of wonderfully moody, ornate, and emotional artists; yet, none of them manage to achieve the same level of exquisite baroque resonance and hypnotically introspective weight as this Norwegian sextet. Gazpacho never fail to provide awe-inspiring examinations of the human condition, and their latest observation, Fireworker, the follow up to 2018’s album “Soyuz”, is no exception. It is undoubtedly among their greatest achievements, as well as one of the most profound pieces of music you’ll hear in 2020.
Conceptually, the album follows the band’s tradition of blending grand philosophical quandaries, stimulating literary leanings, and haunting personal turmoil. In a way, it acts as the culmination of the themes and techniques that has decorated earlier collections. Fireworker comes across like the overarching umbrella under which all of its predecessors occur.
Fireworker is truly life-changing experience, so you would be wise to turn off all of the lights, clear your mind as best you can, and prepare to meet the Fireworker.
Fireworkerwill be released on Kscope on 18th September, on CD, a gatefold 2LP on 180g black vinyl (3 sides audio, 1 side art etching) and digitally (digital pre-orders receive the title track “Fireworker” as an instant download) and is available to pre-orderHERE
GAZPACHO LIVE
Sadly, due to the current covid-19 situation the band’s European and UK dates scheduled for October 2020 have been postponed to October 2021. Gazpacho are:Thomas Andersen – keyboards, programmingJan-Henrik Ohme – vocalsJon-Arne Vibo – guitarsMikael Krømer – violin, additional guitarsKristian “Fido” Torp – bassRobert R Johansen – drums
Indie-folk artist Jo Beth Young releases a new special improvised single Verticality. The spontaneous mainly live track was made during the recording of her acclaimed album STRANGERS in the Avalon Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset and features lyrics by poet SHIU.
Jo Beth says: Helen Ross (Scottish Violinist) and I were jamming after we had finished recording her parts on Strangers. There was an old piano in the corner of the hall we had booked with a few keys either missing or not working. We improvised a tune and Shiu who was listening wrote these words as a response. We later decided to improvise again and this time leave a mic in the middle of the room. I then sang the lyrics over the top in one take, again just following the flow of the song. It really was a moment of total magic! I had not thought of releasing it as a single, you can hear a few sounds in the room such as the fire crackle and the floorboards! but my backstage group and mailing list supporters really loved it and encouraged me to do so.
The atmospheric video was made by Jo Beth to capture the atmosphere of the poem itself which is now part of SHIU’s book ‘SHIVERS’.
Jo Beth is currently busy in her home studio working on three new projects including a short film inspired by the wisdom of the land and a new album collaborating again with members of her ‘musical family’ including Peter Yates (Fields Of The Nephilim) and Jules Bangs (bass). An announcement regarding the new album will be made later this year.
She is also part of a new collaboration with folk songwriter John Reed and producer Ali Karim NIGHTSONG whose second single will be out this autumn. This week Jo Beth will officially launch the first episode of her WILDNESS RISING PODCAST where she opens up two-way conversations with women in the creative and healing arts. The first episode is with Elfin Bow and can be previewed on the link here. This is part of her long term passion to support and encourage women in the arts and to find new ways to share more meaningful content with audiences away from Social Media.
Dyble Longdon today release Astrologers, the first single to be taken from their forthcoming album Between A Breath And A Breath. Dyble Longdon is a collaboration between iconic vocalist the late Judy Dyble (ex-Fairport Convention, Trader Horne) and Big Big Train multi-instrumentalist frontman David Longdon. Their highly anticipated album Between A Breath And A Breath is released on 25th September on English Electric Recordings.
Astrologers is an original composition with lyrics by Judy Dyble and music by David Longdon. Before her death in July 2020, Judy noted the background to the song: “A horoscope tells a lonely woman that today, the planets will ensure that she will meet the person of her dreams. The trouble is, it seems to tell her the same thing day after day. Ever the optimist, she looks forward to the thrilling event, only to be disappointed time after time. This song is a heartfelt cry of ‘enough!’”
Astrologers features Judy Dyble (Vocals & autoharp), David Longdon (Vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, piano, mandolin, harmonium, theremin, ebows, mellotron, vibraphone, synthesiser, keyboards & marxophone), Dave Gregory (Electric 12 string guitar and twangy guitar), Andy Lewis (Bass guitar) and Jeff Davenport (Drums & percussion). The track was produced by David Longdon, mixed by Patrick Phillips and engineered by Patrick Phillips and Oli Jacobs. The video created by Christian Rios.
This collaboration with David Longdon was something Judy Dyble had wanted for some time. “I first heard David sing with Big Big Train at King’s Place in 2015 and immediately decided that I really wanted to sing with him someday. And here we are with a collaborative album, which I think is wonderful!” she said. David Longdon added: “Judy asked if I would like to work with her. She sent me some great lyrics which inspired the music, over the years we’ve become good friends. Judy duetted with me on The Ivy Gate, which appears on Big Big Train’s Grimspound album. The Dyble Longdon album is a natural development on from this piece.”
About Judy Dyble
Judy Dyble intended to be a librarian but got side tracked into joining with many bands in their infancy, and became one of the pioneers of the English folk-rock scene in the sixties, most notably as a founding member of Fairport Convention and vocalist with cult band Trader Horne.
Judy largely withdrew from the music scene in the early seventies to concentrate on her family and business interests before being invited back to the Fairport fold in 1997 for the 30thanniversary reunion at Cropredy. To Judy’s great relief, her worries, ahead of the event, disappeared as ‘suddenly the years fell away.’
Further anniversary appearances reassured Judy and showed that her passion for music had remained through the years and she made three albums with Marc Swordfish, of Astralasia, as she began a revival of her solo career.
This included numerous guest appearances on albums by a host of artists including, in 2017, Big Big Train, forming a close working relationship with Big Big Train’s multi-instrumentalist frontman David Longdon. Although Judy was seriously ill at the time of recording the Dyble Longdon sessions, her passion for the project helped Judy to give some of the most moving performances of her career.
About David Longdon
David Longdon is best known as the vocalist for multiple award winning progressive rock band Big Big Train, whom he joined in 2009. Since then David has recorded six studio albums with Big Big Train, including 2019’s Grand Tour, and has fronted the band for a series of acclaimed live shows in the UK and Germany.
Prior to joining Big Big Train, David pursued a variety of musical avenues. These included leading Nottingham based band The Gifthorse, playing within Louis Philippe’s band alongside future Big Big Train member Danny Manners, reaching the final two in the auditions to replace Phil Collins in Genesis and performing on The Old Road, 2008’s farewell album by former IQ keyboardist Martin Orford, which brought him to the attention of Big Big Train.
An accomplished producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger, David has also previously released a solo album, 2004’s Wild River. Astrologers – out 25th August from the album Between A Breath And A Breath Release Date – 25th SeptemberCD through English Electric, distributed by RSKGatefold vinyl edition on the Plane Groovy label.
World acclaimed keyboardist Derek Sherinian, (Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion), one of the most significant keyboard players of the modern era, recently announced the release of his new solo album ‘The Phoenix’ on the 18th September 2020, his first since 2011’s ‘Oceana’. Derek comments: “I truly feel that this is my best solo record to date. Simon and I put a lot of energy into the writing, and I am grateful to all of the great players that contributed to this recording.”
Today he launches the video for the album’s second single, ‘Dragonfly’, featuring Sherinian joined by Simon Phillips on drums and Ernest Tibbs on bass. The video was directed by Vicente Cordero (Sons of Apollo, Ritchie Kotzen, Haken), and you can watch it now here:
The album’s first single, Empyrean Sky, which features Sherinian and drummer Simon Phillips joined by Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal on guitar & Jimmy Johnson on bass, and was called a “marvellous voyage of instrumental virtuosity” by Guitar World. Listen now here:
As mentioned, Sherinian has teamed up with drummer extraordinaire Simon Phillips, who not only plays drums but also co-produced and co-wrote the album: “It is always an amazing experience to be able to work with Simon. He’s been a hero of mine for ages, ever since I heard him playing on albums with Jeff Beck and Michael Schenker. And he is such an invaluable part of the way this new record has come out.”
There are a number of top line guests featured on ‘The Phoenix’, as has been the case in the past for Sherinian, on both guitar and bass. Some have become regular contributors to his solo sessions. People such as bassists Tony Franklin (“He’s been on all my albums to date”), Jimmy Johnson and Billy Sheehan (Sherinian’s bandmate in Sons Of Apollo). Plus guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Zakk Wylde. In addition, others are welcomed into the fold for the first time. For instance, there’s master guitarist Steve Vai. “Steve Vai has always been on my hit list. But it was when I played keyboards on the Generation Axe tour of Asia in 2017 that I asked him to play on my record, which he gladly accepted” Also present are Sons Of Apollo bandmate Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Sons Of Apollo) and Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth).
“Kiko and I have known one another for about 20 years. But this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to play with him.”
The album features 8 tracks, including a cover of Buddy Miles ‘Them Changes’, and will be released as a Limited Edition Digipak CD, 180g LP + CD & as Digital Album. Find the full track-listing below. Pre-order the album here: https://dereksherinian.lnk.to/ThePhoenix
1. The Phoenix
2. Empyrean Sky
3. Clouds of Ganymede
4. Dragonfly
5. Temple of Helios
6. Them Changes
7. Octopus Pedigree
8. Pesadelo
Derek Sherinian’s far ranging talents have been much in evidence through the music of Alice Cooper (who once called him “The Caligula of keyboards”), Dream Theater, Black Country Communion and current band Sons Of Apollo. Moreover, proving just how much he is demand to work with rock royalty, Sherinian has also toured and recorded extensively with KISS, and Billy Idol, proving his classic and hard rock pedigree, whilst also being voted #9 in Prog Magazines greatest keyboardists of all time.
Sweden’s Pain of Salvation move another step closer to the release of their upcoming new studio album “PANTHER”, due out August 28th, 2020 worldwide via InsideOutMusic.
Today, the Progressive Metal/Rock innovators launch their new single “RESTLESS BOY”, in the stunning video, scripted/directed by Lars Ardarve and Daniel Gildenlöw and filmed/edited by Lars Ardarve, which can be seen here:
Pain of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlöw commented about the song and video as follows:
“We are happy and proud to present to you our newest video, for the song ‘RESTLESS BOY’, our second single from the upcoming album ‘PANTHER’. Once again, we have worked together with the wonderful and skilful Lars Ardarve, and we had a great time, as always. It’s so rewarding to work together with someone who you know so well since way back and with whom you share a similar mindset and creative drive, and we are all so happy with the result.
Since the video also includes a stage setup, we got to hook up with our amazing crew for the first time in way too long, so it was in many ways the closest we have come to touring this year. Just as with the ‘ACCELERATOR’ video, we shot parts of this video in Skjulstahallen (Eskilstuna), and want to send lots of love and kudos to Lotta Nilsson at IKEG for helping us to arrange this!
‘RESTLESS BOY’ may not be the most expected or given second single, but it felt important to give it that space, because of all that it is. And despite it’s few components, it is a grower. Live with it for a while and you’ll see. Also, it was a song for which a video idea just came to me so naturally. A video where every scene would be a play with time and speed. Experienced time versus reality. That feeling that has been with me through my entire life – that time is emotionally flexible and suddenly just bends around your mind and thoughts.
You see, ‘RESTLESS BOY’ is about myself and everyone else out there who feel that we are going through life at a different speed than our contexts and surroundings. Passion oriented people who daydream and shift pace depending on situation. F1 cars failing to meet the expectations of our small suburban community. Goal rationalists in a method rationalistic system. Panthers in a dog’s world.
This song grew out of the song ‘Full Throttle Tribe’, just like the entire ‘PANTHER’ album did in many ways. The tribe that fills every page of every history book that you have ever read. The spectrum people. The brilliant, the crazy, the fools, the gifted and the troubled. The beautiful restless boys and girls!
The filming was intense and a lot of fun. Long hours and very little sleep. I specifically remember the second day of filming, when we shot all the scenes in the car with Léo driving. I had edited a version of the song that went to half speed between every vocal phrase, so that we could speed up the video between phrases. I heard that odd version of the song so many times that it increasingly started to feel like the normal version. (Lars actually got very hooked on that version, so I might have to make him a special mix.) Anyway, after a long day of sitting in the car and singing while we passed by the different scenes we had set up with Sandrian and Gabriel in dog masks outside the car window (they likely did not feel all that comfortable standing in dog masks in central Eskilstuna, holding an umbrella, but they were troopers), we needed some city night shots, so we headed for Stockholm. I still wonder what that one pedestrian was thinking, looking into our car as we stopped at a red-light well past midnight and I was throwing myself back and forth in the backseat wearing a german shepherd rubber mask that I was apparently trying to get off. Whatever he was thinking, he is probably still thinking it. That’s simply not one of those images you can get off your retinas easily. 🙂
We really hope you like this video – we do, and we are very proud of it. We can’t wait for the world to ease back into something close enough to normality for touring to be possible again. Meanwhile, find comfort in these videos/singles and the upcoming album, and know that due to the lack of touring, a silver lining is that we can keep writing and recording even more new music for you all. Until we meet the next time!”
Previously, the album’s opening track/single “ACCELERATOR” was launched in a video, also scripted/directing by Lars Ardarve and Daniel Gildenlöw and filmed/edited by Lars Ardarve, here:
“PANTHER”, the follow-up release to 2017’s “In The Passing Light Of Day” album, was recorded, mixed and produced by Daniel Gildenlöw with Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Devin Townsend) and comes with a comprehensive artwork-theme with illustrations made by André Meister.
Pain of Salvation – “PANTHER”: Track-listing:
1. ACCELERATOR
2. UNFUTURE
3. RESTLESS BOY
4. WAIT
5. KEEN TO A FAULT
6. FUR
7. PANTHER
8. SPECIES
9. ICON
Next to the standard CD and the Digital Album formats, ”PANTHER” will also be available as limited 2CD Mediabook (Including expanded artwork and the following 4 bonus tracks on a separate disc: “PANTHER (demo)”, “KEEN TO A FAULT (demo)”, “FIFI GRUFFI” and “UNFOREVER”) and as 180g. Gatefold 2LP (Including the 4 bonus tracks on Side D and album on CD as bonus), in the following variations:
Black vinyl – Unlimited
Deep blood red vinyl – 100x copies from IOM Webshop Europe (Sold out!) Transparent blue vinyl – 300x copies from CM Distro Transparent green vinyl – 200x copies from EMP
Lilac vinyl – 200x copies from JPC
White vinyl – 200x copies from Pain of Salvation (Sold out!)
Transparent yellow vinyl – 100x copies from Pain of Salvation (Sold out!)
The pre-order for “PANTHER” in its various formats is available here:
World acclaimed keyboardist Derek Sherinian, (Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion), one of the most significant keyboard players of the modern era, recently announced the release of his new solo album ‘The Phoenix’ on the 18th September 2020, his first since 2011’s ‘Oceana’. Derek comments: “I truly feel that this is my best solo record to date. Simon and I put a lot of energy into the writing, and I am grateful to all of the great players that contributed to this recording.”
Today sees the launch of the album’s first single, Empyrean Sky, which features Sherinian and drummer Simon Phillips joined by Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal on guitar, Jimmy Johnson on bass and Armen Ra on theremin. Listen to the track now here:
As mentioned, Sherinian has teamed up with drummer extraordinaire Simon Phillips, who not only plays drums but also co-produced and co-wrote the album: “It is always an amazing experience to be able to work with Simon. He’s been a hero of mine for ages, ever since I heard him playing on albums with Jeff Beck and Michael Schenker. And he is such an invaluable part of the way this new record has come out.”
There are a number of top line guests featured on ‘The Phoenix’, as has been the case in the past for Sherinian, on both guitar and bass. Some have become regular contributors to his solo sessions. People such as bassists Tony Franklin (“He’s been on all my albums to date”), Jimmy Johnson and Billy Sheehan (Sherinian’s bandmate in Sons Of Apollo). Plus guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Zakk Wylde. In addition, others are welcomed into the fold for the first time. For instance, there’s master guitarist Steve Vai. “Steve Vai has always been on my hit list. But it was when I played keyboards on the Generation Axe tour of Asia in 2017 that I asked him to play on my record, which he gladly accepted” Also present are Sons Of Apollo bandmate Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Sons Of Apollo) and Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth).
“Kiko and I have known one another for about 20 years. But this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to play with him.”
The album features 8 tracks, including a cover of Buddy Miles ‘Them Changes’, and will be released as a Limited Edition Digipak CD, 180g LP + CD & as Digital Album. Find the full track-listing below. Pre-order the album here: https://dereksherinian.lnk.to/ThePhoenix
1. The Phoenix
2. Empyrean Sky
3. Clouds of Ganymede
4. Dragonfly
5. Temple of Helios
6. Them Changes
7. Octopus Pedigree
8. Pesadelo
Derek Sherinian’s far ranging talents have been much in evidence through the music of Alice Cooper (who once called him “The Caligula of keyboards”), Dream Theater, Black Country Communion and current band Sons Of Apollo. Moreover, proving just how much he is demand to work with rock royalty, Sherinian has also toured and recorded extensively with KISS, and Billy Idol, proving his classic and hard rock pedigree, whilst also being voted #9 in Prog Magazines greatest keyboardists of all time.
