Swedish Symphonic Metal Legends THERION Sign Worldwide Contract with Napalm Records! New Album to be Released Later this Year!
Napalm Records is proud to announce the signing of Swedish symphonic metal pioneers THERION! Following the release of limited vinyl reissues of the band’s critically acclaimed classic albums, ‘Secrets Of The Runes’, ‘Lemuria’, ‘Sirius B’, and ‘Gothic Kabbalah’ in autumn 2022, THERION is now joining forces with Napalm Records for the release of their new full-length later this year. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming album!
THERION states:
“After almost 30 years of being signed to Nuclear Blast Records, it felt like it was time to try something new when we were out of the contract. Napalm Records is one of the biggest and best metal labels around and they have shown interest in THERION for many years, so when the time came to look around for a new label, it felt natural to start negotiating with them. We came to terms and now we are thrilled to start working with them and have great confidence that they will do an amazing job with the coming final album in the Leviathan trilogy.”
Sebastian Münch, A&RNapalm Records on the signing:
“As a lifelong fan, it is with great pleasure that we announce the signing of THERION. As innovators of Operatic Metal, the band created timeless masterpieces with the albums ‘Theli’ and ‘Vovin’. Recently, with the releases of ‘Leviathan I & II’,Christofer started to tell a new musical story and a journey that we are very happy to walk together. Welcome to the Napalm family!“
Progressive rock trio POH HOCK have released their new EP, ‘Gallimaufry’, which is out today on the group’s Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms.
The new record features the singles “Fragile Space” and “I Don’t”, and is the follow up to the project’s 2019 debut ‘Ātma’.
Commenting on the release of the new EP, POH HOCK shares:
“The dictionary definition [for Gallimaufry] is ‘a confused jumble or medley of things’. This EP is a collection of songs mixed with many different genres, and the title perfectly sums up the soundscape of the record. It is less guitar-centric and more focused on experimentation with songwriting, as well as a learning experience on different writing styles. This was also a more collaborative effort between Joey, Zak and I compared to my first EP, ‘Atma’. There are also guest musicians on every track, and it was fun working with all of them!”
POH HOCK, formerly the guitarist for the now defunct Native Construct, spoke with Metal Sucks about his favorite shredders under the age of 30. Check out the story HERE
If you are looking for innovative, complex, and moving music, then look no further than the work of POH HOCK KEE. Best known as the lead guitarist for metal bands Native Construct (defunct) and presently Replacire, the Boston-based artist would release his debut solo effort, 2019’s ‘ĀTMA’ EP, showing a whole new side to his musical proclivities.
Now four years later, POH HOCK returns with ‘Gallimaufry’, a new EP that explores even more diverse avenues and eclectic soundscapes.
MMXX is the new album by Italian prog act ifsounds, the album features 48 minutes of music within five new tracks. The official releases date is April 28th but MMXX is available to Pre-order now!
Watch the Official teaser video here
The Story of MMXX We’re living the most surreal, creepy and tragic years of modern era history. This album tries to translate in words and music the sensations, the emotions and our sense of loss of these strange days. MMXX is the latin notation for 2020, the year that changed our lives forever. MMXXII stands for 2022, and our sense of loss gets worse and worse.
MMXX was recorded in two years. It was a great challenge because of its structure and its complex arrangement including a rock band and a choir, merging several styles together.
An ambitious and insightful choral album for the Italian band, flagship of the American label MRR. Their seventh work is an album full of polyphonic and contemporary prog-rock
Lino Giugliano – piano, organ, synth and keyboards Dario Lastella – guitars, bass guitar, synth and vocals Lino Mesina – drums Italo Miscione – bass guitar Runal – lead vocals Ilaria Carlucci – lead and backing vocals
Guest Musicians: Claudio Lapenna – vocals on MMXX and piano on Kandinsky’s Sky Nadezhda Chalykh – vocals on MMXX Mariano Gramegna – vocals on MMXX Giovanni Liberatore – vocals on MMXX
Written and produced by Dario Lastella, except MMXXII (music by Lastella – Mesina – Giugliano) Arranged and performed by ifsounds Mastered by Steve Kitch – audiomaster.co.uk
New US progressive rock group, Ascher, release their debut album ‘Beginnings’ today, March 16th. The album, containing five instrumental pieces and four songs, clocks in at fifty-seven minutes. From the opening instrumental title track to the bonus track closer, “The Instrumental Divide,” the album flows seamlessly through a sonic landscape of guitar-driven rock, vintage keyboard wizardry, and a lofty hook-laden ballad. The instrumental pieces power through enough time signature and meter changes to keep the die-hard prog fan happy while the thought provoking songs reveal a more grounded down to earth feel.
The band features Doug Bowers (Guitars/Keys/Bass/Vocals), Blake Dickeson (Rhythm Guitars), Rob Perez (Lead Guitar), and Kyle Graves (Lead Vocals).
Beginnings will be available via the band’s Bandcamp page as well as all digital music retailers and streaming sites. Lyrics are also available on Ascher’s Bandcamp page. https://ascher1.bandcamp.com/album/beginnings
To coincide with the release of the album, Ascher has released video for the track, “What the World Can’t Give,” which you can see here:
The band released their first single, “The Great Divide,” in February accompanied by a video.
Doug Bowers (Ad Astra, KDB3, Vertical Alignment) and Rob Perez (Visual Cliff, Bluesyndrome) have been collaborating on one another’s projects for years. A short-lived band formed in 2021 and disbanded in early 2022 yielded many co-written instrumental pieces that never saw the light of day. Toward the end of 2022, Doug began collaborating with guitarist, Blake Dickeson, fleshing out some musical ideas that Blake had developed over the years, Rob was brought in to add tasty lead guitar to the effort. When Rob suggested that the trio revisit some of the unfinished instrumental pieces, it was decided that a band might be the best expression of their growing repertoire. Thus Ascher was born. It quickly became apparent that Doug was not up to singing the melodies he was writing for his lyrics and the search for a proper singer was soon underway. Rob suggested a singer that he had recently encountered. Kyle Graves was writing lyrics for an upcoming album for Rob and Rob felt he would be a perfect fit for Ascher. Rob was right and the band was complete.
Tracklisting:
1. Beginnings (6:03) 2. In the Clear Distance (5:07)
3. The Great Divide (7:44) 4. Ransom For the Righteous (6:19) 5. De Profundis (7:58) 6. Nail Soup (5:27) 7. What the World Can’t Give (6:03) 8. Wheels Turning Now (4:12) https://ascher1.bandcamp.com/album/beginnings
10th March 2023: YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. This is a very important album for the band, says Steve Howe, Yes longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we havent repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, were growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didnt do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again. For Yes, that next thing is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the bands much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.
Today also sees the launch of the first track taken from the album. Listen to Cut From The Stars & watch the video here:
Mirror In The Sky will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by longtime Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:
Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster
Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook
Ltd 2CD Digipak
Standard CD Jewelcase
Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet
Digital Album
The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.
As they were wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Yes received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.
When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone, explains Steve Howe. That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot, he says.
We truly get along as people, says Jon Davison. I feel like everyones focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. Its a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.
There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadnt done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious, says bassist Billy Sherwood. The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, Hey, were working on a second record right now. We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts there was a lot of material around!
Much to everyones delight, including that of longtime-fan Thomas Waber, Yes have pushed into territory they practically invented the prog rock epic albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. I always felt that it would be great to have stuff thats a little bit more epic, he says, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back in to the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is Yes Music. Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes Music.
Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. Whats more, the tracks, like Yes best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howes dazzling guitars, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, Jon Davisons angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwoods deftly dancing bass and Jay Schellens masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.
Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan Whites role when White sadly passed away in 2022. I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan, say Jay. From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alans style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alans presence all over it. It is inside of us. So this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.
Melodic Revolution Records is thrilled to announce the upcoming release Chasing the Lesser Light by US Symphonic Prog band Kinetic Element.
Chasing the Lesser Light is a sixty-minute symphonic prog journey through human’s desire to explore space. From the lunar missions of 50 years ago to the present-day planning for a journey to Mars.
Five songs cover the past, present, and future:
1) First Stage (6:15) – contemplating space travel, as we learn to fly high without wings. 2) Chasing the Lesser Light (19:50) – landing on the moon, and seeing the earth as one world. 3) Radio Silence (9:55) – the perils of space travel, with the emotional impact on an astronaut’s son. 4) We Can’t Forget (11:35) – glancing back at the moon, as we look ahead to mars. 5) Door To Forever (15:18) – reopening the door to space travel, and to become the Starman in the sky.
The cover artwork portrays space travel as commonplace with a man in a business suit and helmet, as he observes an Apollo launch that brought a nation and the world together.
Mike Visaggio: Piano, Organ, & Synthesizers Michael Murray: Drums Mark Tupko: Bass Saint. John Coleman: Vocals Peter Matuchniak: Guitars
Track 2, 5, by Mike Visaggio Track 1, 3, by Peter Matuchniak Track 4, by Mike Visaggio and Peter Matuchniak
All arrangements by Kinetic Element Mixed and mastered by Peter Matuchniak Engineered by Michael Murray, Peter Matuchniak Layout and Graphics, Man in the Mountain
Kinetic Element is a neo/symphonic progressive rock band from Richmond, Virginia that harbors musical roots in classic artists like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, Asia and Genesis and blends those influences with philosophical and spiritually powerful and uplifting lyrics. They are a known act in the prog-rock genre.
Kinetic Element has been invited to perform at the Winters End Festival UK on April 1st, 2023, the band has also performed at many prestigious festival in the past i.e., Prog Day, RoSFest, Progtoberfest, ProgStock, in the USA and Terra Incognita in Canada
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