HAKEN, one of progressive music’s most exciting bands, recently announced details of their much-anticipated fifth studio album titled ‘Vector’, due for release on October 26th, 2018. The album was produced by the band themselves, and recorded & mixed by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery, Devin Townsend Project), with the artwork once again being handled by Blacklake.
Today the band have launched a video for the track “Puzzle Box” which you can watch here:
The band comments: “‘Puzzle Box’ was born from some of the jam sessions we had early on in the writing process. The music has a raw and slightly psychotic nature to it that is brilliantly complimented in Crystal Spotlight’s video. To achieve favourable consequences we suggest taking this dose of Vector at regular intervals throughout the day.”
They recently launched the first of a 3 part interview with band members Ross Jennings, Charlie Griffiths & Rich Henshall discussing how the new album came together. Watch it now here: https://youtu.be/0lMw-2VCztY
The band will embark on an epic tour starting this October in North America, with dates in South American & European tour dates for 2019.
Haken & Leprous with Bent Knee:
October 30th – The Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, MI
October 31st– Opera House, Toronto, ON
November 1st – Astral, Montreal, QC
November 2nd– Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA
November 3rd – Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
November 4th – The Sinclair, Boston, MA
November 6th – Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
November 7th – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
November 8th – The Orpheum, Tampa, FL
November – 9th Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL
November 10th – The Plaza Live, Orlando, FL
November 11th – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
November 13th – Gas Monkey, Dallas, TX
November 14th – Barracuda, Austin, TX
November 16th – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ
November 17th – Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
November 18th – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
November 19th – Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
November 20th – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
November 21st – Rickshaw Theater, Vancouver, BC
November 23rd – Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City, UT
November 24th – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
November 25th – Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS
November 26th – Delmar Hall, St Louis, MO
November 27th – Exit/In, Nashville, TN
November 29th – Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
November 30th – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
December 1st – Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
‘Vector’ will be available as Limited edition 2CD Mediabook (including instrumental versions), Gatefold vinyl 2LP + CD, Standard CD Jewelcase & as digital download. Pre-order now here: https://haken.lnk.to/Vector
1. Clear
2. The Good Doctor
3. Puzzle Box
4. Veil
5. Nil By Mouth
6. Host
7. A Cell Divides
To celebrate the announcement of the new album, the band ran a competition for one lucky fan’s artwork to be etched into the fourth side of the vinyl version of the record. They invited people to submit their own version of the Rorshach test ink-blot which graces the album cover, and the winner was revealed as Shakoor Bukhuth aka SHAUN BEYOND.
Since their inception in 2007, Haken have shown over four previous studio albums, one EP and a live release that they never stand still, merely satisfied to rely on past triumphs. Rather, Haken always look for ways to challenge themselves as musicians and artists, and also to keep the listeners on their collective toes. “We don’t like to make simple music,” laughs vocalist Ross Jennings. “We always aim to defy expectations, and I believe we’ve surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album.”
Their fifth studio record sees the band going in a heavier direction with the music. “We’ve always had a heavy influence”, explains guitarist Charlie Griffiths, “but it was obvious from the riffs that were naturally coming out of us early in the writing process that this would be a more metal album. These are some of the most riff driven songs we’ve ever written.” As is usual, Haken produced the album themselves, but for the first time they have enlisted Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood during the recording and mixing stages. Formerly bassist with Periphery, in the last couple of years he has built a reputation as a fine producer. “We produced the album ourselves, as we always do,” insists Jennings. “But we’re fans of what Adam has done with Periphery, Sikth and Devin Townsend. He has a great reputation for the heavier end of our genre”.
But if this album is musically heavy, then there’s an underlying theme running through the seven songs which is certainly esoteric and fascinating. “The scene is set with the track The Good Doctor, which was a really fun song. Musically it feels like a logical step from ‘Affinity’, but lyrically it’s a bit more theatrical and about as ‘rock opera’ as Haken has ever got”, explains Griffiths. “It’s about a Doctor with an intriguing, perhaps sinister interest in a particular patient. From there the story enters the point-of-view of the patient – who appears to be catatonic, but his mind is sparking with what could be memories, or delusions brought on by the treatment he’s receiving – we leave this up to the listeners to decide. Although we don’t want to give too much away, people who are familiar with our back catalogue will have fun discovering further clues we’ve planted throughout the album. And that’s the challenge for the fans – to find out for themselves their own meaning for ‘Vector’ as an album”.
Los Angeles, CA – “There were two bands in Australia that everyone called ‘the boys’,” says Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson. “There was AC/DC, and there was the Tatts.” Homegrown heroes of the highest order, Rose Tattoo formed in Sydney, Australia in 1976 and quickly became one of the country’s most lauded and celebrated acts. They released album after album of pure, unadulterated riff rock madness scoring hits with songs such as “Bad Boy For Love,” “Rock N’ Roll Outlaw,” “Scarred For Life” and lots more! The group gained international fame when Stateside up-and-comers Guns N’ Roses cited Rose Tattoo as a major influence and covered the band’s “Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll)” on the 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide, which was later re-released on the multi-platinum selling 1988 album, GN’R Lies.
Now on the eve of another major international tour comes this special box set collection, a monster 5CD set that captures these Australian gods at the very peak of their powers from 1980 to 1982. Scarred For Live features all of the band’s best loved hits and many deep cuts as well, all packaged in an attractive box with rare photos and detailed liner notes written by music journalist Dave Thompson based on a new interview with the beloved Angry Anderson.
Track List:
DISC 1: Mount Druitt, Sydney, Australia – January 1, 1980
1. Snow Queen
2. Tramp
3. Astra Wally
4. Sweet Love
5. Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll)
6. The Butcher And Fast Eddy
7. Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw
8. Bad Boy For Love
9. One Of The Boys
DISC 2: Bondi Lifesaver, Sydney, Australia – August 31, 1980
1. One Of The Boys
2. Astral Wally
3. Tramp
4. Movin’ On
5. Remedy
6. The Butcher And Fast Eddy
7. Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll)
8. She’s Gone
9. Snow Queen
10. Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw
11. Oxford St. Nick
12. Going Down
13. Sweet Love
14. Bad Boy For Love
DISC 3: Reading Rock Festival, United Kingdom – August 29, 1981
1. Snow Queen
2. Tramp
3. Astra Wally
4. Sweet Love
5. Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll)
6. The Butcher And Fast Eddy
7. Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw
8. Bad Boy For Love
9. One Of The Boys
DISC 4: Hordern Pavillion, Sydney, Australia – April 30, 1982
1. Out Of This Place
2. Bad Boy For Love
3. Assault & Battery
4. Tramp
5. The Butcher And Fast Eddy
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Is King
7. Manzil Madness
8. One Of Boys
9. Chinese Dunkirk
10. Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw
11. Astra Wally
12. All The Lessons
13. Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll)
14. Money (That’s What I Want)
15. Going Down
16. Suicide City
DISC 5: Wax Museum, Washington DC, USA – December 12, 1982
1. Bad Boy For Love
2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Outlaw
3. We Can’t Be Beaten
4. One Of The Boys
5. The Butcher And Fast Eddy
6. Juice On The Loose
7. Rock ‘N’ Roll Is King
8. Branded
9. Scarred For Life
Catch Rose Tattoo On Tour:
Oct 5 – Marrickville, NSW Australia – Marrickville Bowling Club
Oct 6 – St. Clair, NSW – Australia
Oct 12 – Vermont South, Australia – The Burvale Hotel
Oct 13 – Melton, VIC – Macs Hotel
Oct 19 – Adelaide, SA, Australia – Norwood Hotel
Oct 20 – Wallaroo, SA, Australia – Coopers Alehouse
Oct 26 – Wollongong, NSW, Australia – Waves
Oct 27 – Pittwater, NSW, Australia – Pittwater RSL
Nov 2 – Ravenswood, WA, Australia – Ravenswood Hotel
Nov 3 – Perth, WA, Australia – Charles Hotel
Nov 10 – Central Coast, NSW, Australia – Ettalong Diggers
Buy the 5CD box set: https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/rose-tattoo-scarred-for-live-1980-1982-5-cd/
Well its been a long road of daily diligence, and we’re proud to announce to our loyal listeners that Evership II will be released on October 19, 2018! What took 10 years has been done in 10 months! An exhausted but excited Shane is currently mastering an hour and five minutes of new Evership music before making the drop to the retail machinery the day before the band leaves for New Jersey to perform at ProgStock! The new album has the same stunning artwork style as the debut, by Philip Willis.
Cover art and illustrations by Philip Willis.
Track Listing:
1. The Serious Room (7:52)
2. Monomyth (10:42)
3. Real or Imagined (8:17)
4. Wanderer (7:39)
5. Isle of the Broken Tree (I. Castaway, II. Meadow of Shades, III. My Father’s Friend, IV. Hall of Visions, V. My Own Worst Enemy, VI. The Tree and the Door) (28:24)
Credits:
All words, music, arrangements, production, engineering, programming, recording, mixing, mastering and art concept by Shane Atkinson, with the exception of “Meadow of Shades”, with words and music by Shane Atkinson and Dan Bracken.
Musicians:
Beau West: Lead Vocals
Shane Atkinson: Keyboards, Drums and Percussion, Vocals
James Atkinson: Lead Guitars
John Rose: Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Classical Guitar and Slide Guitar
Ben Young: Bass and Chapman Stick
Joel Grumblatt performed a portion of drums on The Serious Room (Recorded live at RoSFest in 2017)
Jesse Hardin performed a portion of the guitar solo on The Serious Room (Recorded live at RoSFest in 2017)
With:
Additional Backing Vocals: Mike Priebe, Amelia West
Orchestra: Allison Cowan, Asa Graham Hartley, Nicelle Priebe, Gracie Staggenborg and Emily Walsh
Featuring the Charles Heimermann Chorale
THE TANGENT, the progressive rock group led by Andy Tillison, will release their 10th studio album ‘Proxy’ on November 16th, 2018. Recorded during the band’s tour with Karmakanic in 2017/18, which saw them with more chances than normal to work together on the record – hotel writing sessions, van discussions, soundcheck ideas – all of which have allowed the band to make an album that is as organic as they have ever achieved since their formation 15 years ago.
Now they are extremely pleased to launch the first single taken from the album. Listen to ‘A Case of Misplaced Optimism’ here:
Andy comments: “’A Case Of Misplaced Optimism’ is a song of two moods, one of defiant pride and another of wistful regret. It bounces between moody atmospheric grooves and big funky choruses. We wrote it especially, as if this were to be our 45 RPM, 7 inch single in times gone by – the prog rock attempt to have a “hit”. Lyrically it’s a song that looks back on personal life choices frowned upon, even criminalised, in the past – celebrating the changes in society that have made those choices more acceptable and expressing regret for those, who like Alan Turing never lived to see these vital freedoms granted.”
Watch a trailer for the album here, featuring some snippets of brand new music, here:
‘Proxy’ is now available to pre-order as limited CD digipak, 180g vinyl + CD (including several coloured vinyl versions) & as digital download here: https://the-tangent.lnk.to/Proxy
Andy Tillison comments: “Our belief is that Progressive Rock music is still a valid and viable musical form in 2018 and will continue to be so. Our band has always sought to take on board things from the present and add them to that magical mix. We don’t claim to be offering the FUTURE. We just claim to be offering one set of possibilities. Ours. Now.”
‘Proxy’ is a riot of juxtaposing styles, presented in a really direct manner and despite being firmly rooted in the stylistic traits of the Progressive Rock Genre takes some unexpected turnoffs and a major swerve. The albums kicks off with a trademark Tangent prog fantasia based around growling Hammonds, shrieking Synths, whirling guitars and sharp percussive bass – influences of ELP, Egg, Hatfield & the North, Caravan and Camel proudly worn on their sleeves. This 16-minute title track eventually becomes a protest song about the continuing wars that share their name with the song.
But this album features no overall concept. The second track is a sun-drenched Mediterranean fusion instrumental, more Chick Corea than Che Guevara. And the third track is referred to by the band as an attempt to find the missing link between Porcupine Tree and Jamiroquai. By the time we reach the centrepiece epic track ‘The Adulthood Lie’, the rulebook has been left behind and the band are trying to fix the car with whatever is at hand.
The Tangent came of age some time ago now. After 15 years with a constant presence on the periphery of the scene, this album is the next step on the road from a band who have painstakingly revered and recreated the past, with one eye on the future.
The album will be available as a limited CD digipak, Vinyl LP + CD & as digital download. The full track-listing is as follows:
1.Proxy
2.The Melting Andalusian Skies
3.A Case of Misplaced Optimism
4.The Adulthood Lie
5.Supper’s Off
6.Excerpt From “Exo-Oceans” (Bonus Track)
The album features the following players:
Andy Tillison – Vocals, Lyrics, Keyboards, Composer
Jonas Reingold (The Sea Within, Steve Hackett Band) – Bass Guitar
Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Travis-Fripp) – Sax & Flute
Luke Machin (Maschine, Francis Dunnery Band) – Guitar
Steve Roberts (ex Magenta, Godsticks) – Drums
With special guest: Goran Edman (Karmakanic) – Vocals
‘Proxy’ follows the release of 2017’s ‘The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery’ which received fantastic reviews upon release:
“Eloquent, far-reaching prog” – Prog Magazine
“sophisticated and spot on” – Classic Rock
“This is essential listening” – Powerplay
Bad Elephant Music is proud to announce the signing of Swedish progressive rock combo Introitus for the release of their new album, Shadows in early 2019.
The long awaited sequel to 2014’s critically acclaimed album Anima, Shadows sees the band honing their trademark contemporary progressive sound.
Introitus mix their Swedish folk heritage and elements of traditional progressive rock to create a unique musical sound.
Anna from Introitus said: “Introitus has always been well received by the UK progressive rock audience, so releasing our new album Shadows at BEM feels like coming home for us”
“It’s lovely to welcome Introitus to the BEM family”, says David Elliott, BEM’s Label Manager. “I’ve been in contact with Anna and Mats since seeing them play at Summer’s End a few years back. Progressive rock mixed with folk elements has always been one of my favourite mixes, and this is a band that does it really well”.
Shadows will be released on CD and download in 2019.
INTROITUS
Formed in Sweden in 1999 by keyboard player and composer Mats Bender, Introitus are very much a family affair, with Mats wife Anna on vocals, and their son Mattias on drums with daughter Johanna on chorus vocals. They are joined by Par Helje on lead guitar and Dennis Lindkvist on bass and new member (and partner of Mattias) Linnea Syrjala joining them on flutes, accordion and additional keyboards.
They have previously released three acclaimed albums 2007’s Fantasy, Elements in 2011 and their most recent release Anima from 2014. Their performance at the Summer’s End festival in 2015 was widely acclaimed.
Their first release on Bad Elephant Music, Shadows, will see Introitus picking up where they left off with Anima, introducing somewhat darker elements into the music. They mix the wind, and the magic mystery of wild forests of Sweden with hints of 70s progressive rock as they push their musical limits.
Anna had this to say: “The Bad Elephant Music team has from the start been warm and helpful, making our choice for unleashing Shadows on the world an easy one. Releasing our new album with BEM and in the UK feels like coming home for us!”
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