DEATH DEALER guitarist / producer Stu "The Hammer" Marshall is featured in three new videos where he walks through some of the early demo soloing in a series of face melting videos for the upcoming 3rd Death Dealer cd currently being written and set for 2017 release.
Stu "The Hammer" Marshall is known for his stints as guitarist in Australian heavy metal bands Dungeon and PainDivision, guitarist & producer for his all star international recording project Empires of Eden, half of the guitar wall of sound in power metal band Death Dealer alongside legendary guitarist Ross the Boss.(Manowar co-founder); the six string shredder in Blasted To Static alongside vocalist Jeff Martin (the voice of Racer X) and as riff master in the new upcoming Australian power metal band Night Legion.
Stu not only has been behind the controls for the recordings of all Empires of Eden, Death Dealer and Blastic To Static albums but has mastered albums for critically acclaimed bands: Vanlade - "Rage of the Gods", Zephaniah - "Reforged" and Corners of Sanctuary - "Metal Machine".
For the latest Death Dealer news, visit the band official Facebook page::
DANGERANGEL release a new video out of their critically acclaimed new album ‘All The King’s Horses’ available worldwide via MelodicRock Records. ‘Devil’s Waltz’ is the 5th official video out of the new album and is available today December 11, 2016 via YouTube.
‘All The King’s Horses’ was released earlier this year in CD and Special Edition CD/DVD versions and it’s available at retailers worldwide as well as through the most prominent streaming services, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Prime Music and Google Play Music.
Two years after part three in the trilogy that marked the albums “Cobblestone Street”, “Museum” and “Nomad”, MIKE TRAMP is back with a brand new album entitled “Maybe Tomorrow”. The album is without doubt one of the Danish singer/songwriter’s finest albums so far, and the nature of the music is deeply personal and rooted in himself.
Mike Tramp explains: “When people ask me, why I have made a new album and what it’s about, I find myself dumbfounded or even lost for words. Cause to me, what I do is who I am. It might have taken me quite a while to reach this place where I feel so at home, and also where I belong. A place where my music is simply an extension of who I am. It might not sound that interesting or mysterious! But in what other way can I express that my songwriting and music is the truthful life of Mike Tramp”.
“I don’t want to be anything else or try anything new. I am a torchbearer of my heroes and an offspring of my inspirations. I have not only moved away from the past, but I have grown and I have made my stand. When I listen to “Maybe Tomorrow”, I don’t just see myself, I now also see my faithful audience that have grown with me, and that is the best feeling of them all.”
Mike Tramp have recently finished another one of his massive US tours, and will be touring Europe extensively in support of “Maybe Tomorrow” – without doubt still one of the most hard-working men in the rock’n’roll industry!
“Maybe Tomorrow” was recorded at Medley studio, Copenhagen. Once again with his trusted partner Soren Andersen behind the knobs and on Guitar.
This is now the 6th studio album in a row together with Soren Andersen.
Also similar to the “Nomad” album, the same band was used: Morten Hellborn, Drums. Jesper Haugaard, Bass. Morten Buchholtz, Hammond organ & Piano. No other people were part in creating and recording this album.
‘Maybe Tomorrow’ will be released worldwide on limited edition blue colour LP (500 copies), black LP, CD and digital on February 24th 2017
All members of TOTO have been busy over the last few months working with SONY on new remasters of their entire catalogue – along with a promised box set to celebrate the band’s upcoming 40th Anniversary in 2018.
Newly unearth tracks, rarities and even new material is all inbound, with Steve Lukather stating that working on the old material has inspired the guys to get working on new material, hitting the studio in January!
Here’s what Luke had to say on the remasters: “It is all 192 Resolution sonically from raw un EQ'd tapes w/ NO compression and the EQ is just right and CLEAR and huge. Like never before. Not even close! Truly remarkable difference on the old stuff.” And “Mind Blowing-This is your life week Re-Mastering 11 Toto albums+… HUGE thanks to Elliot, Gavin and Rueben! 1st 3 like never before!”
On his Facebook page, Luke goes further in depth:
“It is all from the ORIGINAL album mixes but reshaped EQ wise but NO compression added at all!! We are hearing subtle parts that were buried in the old mixes on the early albums. Remember we had to mix for Vinyl back then and there were sonic rules we HAD to deal with that were a drag. Elliot Schiener, Gavin Lurrsen and his co -mastering engineer Rueben did some amazing things. It’s like a blanket was taken off the speakers on our 1-3 records and just a tweak here and there from Toto IV on.
We found a 5.1 mix of IV Elliot did yrs ago that was never released... SO many treats/ surprises will be in there as well, some great liner notes on all 11 SONY albums and photos and personal stuff... and it is like we re-mixed the early stuff, the first 3 albums, but we didn't! It's SO clear and hi fi! This was an amazing experience.
It has inspired us to write the NEW music we start on Jan 9th - March. Many surprises and ' treats' will be included. Out 2018 but we will tour 2017 as well. Some festivals in Europe and then the USA. A surprise is coming there as well. It is all working us up to the 40th Anniversary in 2018. 2 year world tour to follow. That’s all for now. Happy Holidays to you all…”
"Due to irrevocable circumstances, I am deeply saddened to announce that I have made one of the most difficult decisions in my life...... I have officially left Magnum...
I apologise to anyone who was maybe hoping to see me personally over the next few days, but sadly I will NOT be there. However, I should like it known, that, I am and will remain extremely proud to have been a small part of it all for the past 36 years or so and wish the band and organization all the best for the future. I will of course firmly remain in music and hope to see many of you a little further down the road, sincerely - Mark Stanway."
The Athens, Georgia-based melodic metal band THEOCRACY will release their new album "Ghost Ship" on October 28th in Europe and North America through Ulterium Records. Information on different editions and formats will be announced soon.
With Ghost Ship, Theocracy perfects the lively and fully-realized sound of As the World Bleeds, delivering 10 muscular and streamlined tracks that never lose focus and combine for one memorable journey. You like midtempo singalong anthems? Try the “Ghost Ship” title track. Thrashy rhythms and intensity? “The Wonder of It All” should be to your liking. Emotional ballads with huge melodic hooks? Go “Around the World and Back.” Or if you prefer epic, progressive tracks that do all these things and more, 10-minute album closer “Easter” is sure to be a favorite. Each song on Ghost Ship stands alone and has a unique signature, but every moment sounds unmistakably like Theocracy.
“So many kids were coming up to us after shows and telling us their stories,” says Theocracy vocalist Matt Smith. “A lot of them were searching for purpose and a place to fit in, and having grown up as an awkward and unpopular kid myself, their words really stuck with me. I started thinking about what a band of misfits Jesus’ disciples were: fishermen, tax collectors, and people of little consequence in the eyes of the world. Sometimes the ones most people don’t see, or choose to look straight through the ghosts of society, as it were, dead to the world end up having the biggest impact. That’s where the title and idea for Ghost Ship came from: all the misfits, the uncool, the outcasts, there is a place where you do fit in. Although Ghost Ship is not a concept album, this is a recurring theme, particularly in the title track and ‘Castaway.’”
"Ghost Ship" track listing:
01. Paper Tiger
02. Ghost Ship
03. The Wonder Of It All
04. Wishing Well
05. Around the World and Back
06. Stir the Embers
07. A Call To Arms
08. Currency In A Bankrupt World
09. Castaway
10. Easter
While fans wait for a new Work Of Art album; here's something very cool to check out - this is a great album!
The Swedish melodic metal band ENBOUND just released their new album "The Blackened Heart" in Europe and North America through Inner Wound Recordings and in Japan through Bickee Music.
The song "Get Ready For" can be streamed at YouTube:
ENBOUND is: Lee Hunter [Lars Säfsund - Work of Art] - Vocals Swede - Bass Marvin Flowberg - Guitars Mike Cameron Force [ex. Zonata] - Drums
"The Blackened Heart" contains a nice mix of heavy and up tempo songs, all with their own strong and grasping melodies. Enbound prove with "The Blackened Heart" that they can handle any angle of melodic metal. Like on their debut album, the characteristic powerful arrangements remain with the fantastic and emotional vocals from Lee Hunter on top.
The album was mastered by Jacob Hansen [Amaranthe, Volbeat, Primal Fear] and guests on the album includes Linnéa Wikström [Kamelot, Therion] and Mike LePond [Symphony X].
AOR Heaven will issue albums from Alien singer JIM JIDHED and Swedish Melodic Rock band SWEET MARY JANE on january 27.
Jim Jidhed - “Push On Through”
Jim Jidhed, the singer of the band Alien singer, will release his 6th solo album on January 27.
‘Push On Through’ is a heavier record than the previous ones. It still has the mark of AOR to it, but also a straight hard rock feeling at times. Producer Daniel Flores, who had a vision for this album, really nails that vision sound wise. Jim’s voice is stronger than ever at 53, and here all his experience, feeling, heart and soul come together in a very powerful way.
Jidhed was born 1963 in Gothenburg, Sweden. He began playing and singing around the age of ten, and formed his first real band when he was 12-13 years old. At the time he was 16 he started a group called ‘Glamour’, and it was with this band things began to get more serious. 1982, at the age of nineteen, Jidhed released his first ever single with the band ‘Glamour’. The label was named ‘Polar’ and the woman who signed the band was Marie Andersson, daughter of Stickan (ABBA ) Andersson.
In 1986 Jidhed wrote a musical and played that in the spring of ‘87. At the same time, in December ’86, he teamed up with a new Swedish band that took the name ‘Alien’. Alien released two singles during ‘87, ‘Headstrong’ and ‘ I’ll Survive’, and by the fall they recorded ‘Only One Woman’ at ‘Polar’ studio. Alien recorded their first album early in ’88, at ‘Sound City’ studios in Los Angeles, and just a bit later that year they got a huge hit with ‘Only One Woman’ and headlined a big tour the full spring and summer. For personal reasons Jim left the band in the fall of 1988.
Between 1989 and 2005, the Swedish born singer released five solo albums until he and the original members from Alien teamed up once more, after over twenty years. They released a single, ‘Ready to fly’, and began playing some selected shows, performing (the songs of) their debut album. They decided to write a new album, and released ‘ Eternity’ in 2014.
Jim released his fifth solo album in December 2015, titled ‘Tankar i vinternatten’. It’s kind of a Christmas record, but with Swedish lyrics more into to the depth of things surrounding Christmas, and the state of mind of people around that time of year.
This year 2016, Johan Nyhlén - a true fan of Jim, Alien and the AOR genre - introduced Jim to producer Daniel Flores. Daniel had wanted to work with Jidhed for a long time, and now the two of them hooked up. ‘Push On Through’ is an album that, from the beginning, was meant to sound different from anything Jim has done in the past. And for sure, Daniel has made that happen. Daniel, who played the drums on the album himself, produced a heavier and tougher sound.
Further, on the release you find Ken Sandin (Alien) playing the bass, guitars were performed by Michael Palace and Philip Lindstrand, and Rolf Pilotti took care of the backing vocals. Jim's son Robin Jidhed was both the engineer and sounding board when Jim recorded his lead vocals.
Sweet Mary Jane was formed in the summer of 2012 in Sundsvall, Sweden, by Tomas Nässlin (ex, Roulette), Per Olof Åsberg (ex-Airborn) and young talents Alexander Olsson (ex-Anacondah) and Andreas Sparby (ex-L.A.C.K.).
They wrote the song “Fire in your eyes” with Tomas Lundgren from Roulette that Nässlin had kept in touch with from his time in the band. Later on Tomas Berggren (ex-Razamanaz) stepped up to take over the vocals. Tomas is the brother of Stefan Berggren who is known from Berggren Kerslake band, Grand Slam and also Snakes In Paradise.
The wide variety of musical influences really shows a great AOR sound that the band is really proud of. Lars Chriss of Lions Share produced their debut album “Winter In Paradise”.
