Finland make it two in a row. After the brilliance of OD comes the well established melodic rock heroes Brother Firetribe.
Following one of the most bombastic intro’s since Meat Loaf’s I’d Do Anything For Love, BFT hit the ground running with a typically boisterous riff infused opener with Help Is On The Way.
Production seems to be a notch up from the last album and there’s a sense of maturity within the songs.
Indelible Heroes is a wonderful keyboard drenched tribute to the greats that have left us which moves perfectly into the previously released single Taste of a Champion (one of the band’s great songs).
Elsewhere in the album highlights are plentiful as expected - Last Forever and Give Me Tonight both rock along at a fine pace. Then I find that the next couple of tracks don’t quite have the impact hoped for until the mid-tempo Heart Of The Matter corrects course with a great chorus which is followed by the band’s usual foray into classic soundtrack territory – this time covering the John Parr classic Restless Heart in perfect style.
Finishing the record on a high is the double header of the keyboard heavy Big City Dream and the ultra-moody drama of Phantasmagoria, every bit as epic as the title suggests.
The band’s Heart Full Of Fire is still my favourite album but this one might sneak into second place once I’ve lived with it another 6 months or so. It’s packed with the typical guitar/keyboard duelling melodies we have come to expect and demand from these very accomplished musicians. A simple review, but not a simple album. It will take a few listens to blossom, but once it does you can’t take that back.
We were forewarned that these guys were great and something special was on the way. And boy, is this something special or what?
In a year packed with A-Game melodic rock and AOR titles, OD (or One Desire) deliver what will surely be one of the top few debut albums in several years. Europe is of course again responsible for unleashing another glorious AOR masterpiece on us, this time it’s Finland that takes the trophy.
Vocalist André Linman is quite a spectacular find. Powerful, emotional and in control of a wide vocal range – he uses it all here.
If you love keyboards entwined with guitars and a pulsating rhythm section and a sound that brings Def Leppard into the 21st Century mixed with Brother Firetribe, Treat and The Magnificent. It’s the Giuffria style 80s meets 2017.
OD really do have their own thing going on here and it’s one memorable song after another. From the passionate urgency of the fast moving melodies of Hurt; to the quirky hard hitting Apologise to the commercial high energy anthem that’s made for stadium’s Love Injection.
That’s followed immediately by another fast paced melodic gem in Turn Back Time; a monster ballad Falling Apart (which gets better every listen); then the fast and furious keyboard and bass riff of Straight Through The Heart and the hands in the air anthem Whenever I’m Dreaming, which seemingly has two monster chorus hooks, each as good as the other.
Do You Believe then makes it 8 from 8 as far as killer choruses; while Buried Alive is the heaviest track on the album, but also the most keyboard driven. Fabulous!
The band close this monster debut with the heartfelt power ballad This Is Where The Heartbreak Begin.
Another essential purchase for anyone that loves the usual fare served up by these freakish Scandinavians. We have Work Of Art, Eclipse, Brother Firetribe, Degreed, HEAT and now we have OD. Magnificent debut guys.
“Modern rock just dosen’t get any better than this” – Andrew Hawnt, Powerplay Magazine.
In 2016 the band teamed up with Greenwall Management and Gain/Sony Music to reach new heights in their career and it’s a new, more powerful Degreed than ever before ready to take on the world. First single out is 'Shakedown'.
Degreed have shared the stage with greats like Europe, Turbonegro, Millencolin among others and they have been touring and gaining fans all over the world. In the fall of 2010 Degreed released their critically acclaimed debut album “Life, love, loss”
Having recorded the first album with producer Erik Lidbom, the band thought it made perfect sense to do the same on the second album “We Don’t Belong”. This time Erik also introduced the band to multiplatinum and Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Bill Champlin (former singer of Chicago, songwriter for Earth, Wind and Fire etc.) who co-wrote two songs for the album. Bill Champlin also sings a verse on the song “In For The Ride”. “We Don’t Belong” was released on the 2nd of September 2013 and that same month it made “Album of the Month” in Powerplay Magazine. By the end of 2013 the album had received great reviews and also “Album of the Year” by Swedish rock site rocknytt.net.
Degreed’s third album “Dead But Not Forgotten” was released in 2015 and was well received by critics all over the world and the opening track and first video “The Scam” got featured in Classic Rock Magazine.
DEGREED LIVE:
HRH Roadtrip Ibiza – May 12
Sabaton Open Air – August 19
HRH AOR – March 9
More dates to come.
Mr Big's new album, "Defying Gravity" will be released on July 7, 2017 on CD, CD/DVD and Digital.
A vinyl edition will be released as well at a later date to be announced soon.
DEFYING GRAVITY deftly showcases that patented MR. BIG blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm in Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international #1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind." Overall, DEFYING GRAVITY is prime evidence that the only thing MR. BIG remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence.
Original members Eric Martin (singer) (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band’s 1989 self-titled debut, 1991’s LEAN INTO IT and 1993’s BUMP AHEAD) for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on DEFYING GRAVITY due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop.
“It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson,” says guitarist Paul Gilbert. “Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the ‘80s and ‘90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on DEFYING GRAVITY. We basically played live in the studio. Over the years, we’ve all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it’s still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I’ve worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record…both melodically, and on the face-melting stuff.”
DEFYING GRAVITY is the follow-up to 2014’s THE STORIES WE COULD TELL (Frontiers Music Srl), which Ultimate-Guitar.com described as “An exceptional offering of accelerated hard rock from one of the more dominant ‘supergroups’ of the late 1980s, MR. BIG return with a vengeance on THE STORIES WE COULD TELL.”
An official trailer for DEFYING GRAVITY can be seen here:
MR. BIG is gearing up for the launch their latest worldwide tour which starts May 31 in Milwaukee, WI at the Potowatami Casino. For all the latest tour dates, fans should check the band’s official website: www.mrbigsite.com
“2017 is filling up quickly with tour dates all around the world,” proclaims Gilbert. “I can’t wait to play the new songs, and of course our favorites from the old days like ‘Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy’ ‘Just Take My Heart,’ ‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind,’ ‘Wild World,’ and ‘To Be With You.’”
Here’s the complete track listing for DEFYING GRAVITY:
1. Open Your Eyes
2. Defying Gravity
3. Everybody Needs a Little Trouble
4. Damn I’m In Love Again
5. Mean to Me
6. Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)
7. Forever and Back
8. She’s All Coming Back to Me Now
9. 1992
10. Nothing At All
11. Be Kind
Check out MR. BIG at any of the following tour stops (MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED):
The Athens, Georgia-based melodic metal band THEOCRACY and their label Ulterium Records just announced the "Ghost Ship" YouTube contest.
Record a video of yourself when playing or singing the Theocracy track "Ghost Ship" and upload it to YouTube. Send a link to the video to contest@ulterium-records.com to be included in the contest.
The contest will be open until June 20th, and then Theocracy and Ulterium Records will decide two winners: the best performance as well as the most creative submission. Below you can see the prizes for the winners:
#1 Winner [the best performance]
- "Ghost Ship" CD [signed]
- "Ghost Ship" 2LP vinyl edition with black discs [signed]
- A Theocracy t-shirt of your choice
- Contest video posted at the official Theocracy website and facebook page
#2 Winner [the most creative performance/video]
- "Ghost Ship" CD [signed]
- A Theocracy t-shirt of your choice
- Contest video posted at the official Theocracy facebook page
NY/NJ based metal band Dark Sky Choir announce the release of their self titled debut album on May 16, 2017. The record release party will take place on June 23 at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, and will be hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine of That Metal Show. The show is being sponsored by WRAT and WDHA radio stations. Artwork for the project was created by legendary cover artist Ioannis (Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Dream Theater, Dokken, Fates Warning, Skid Row, Sepultura, Yngwie Malmsteen). The album will also feature guest appearances by Chris Caffery of Savatage, and Michael Pinnella of Symphony X.
Track list for this 43 minute release is as follows:
1– DEATH OF A NATION
2- LIKE IT OR NOT
3- WALKING BY MYSELF
4- DIE YOUNG (MAYBE HE WANTED TO)
5- THE END
6- SAILS OF CHARON
7- CRY FOR THE LEGIONS
8- SHOW NO MERCY
9- BEDOUIN CARAVAN
For more information and updates about Dark Sky Choir, go to www.darkskychoir.com
One of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, Diamond Head, will be returning to the States for tour dates in May and in August. From May 17-27, the band - led by co-founding member/guitarist Brian Tatler - will be playing headline shows (and two dates with Ross the Boss, as well as a performance at the Legions of Metal Festival in Chicago with Armored Saint, and an appearance at Rocklahoma in Oklahoma). And then from August 19-25, Diamond Head will return to the US for another festival appearance (Psycho Vegas 2017 in Las Vegas), as well as additional headlining gigs.
“Excited to be back in the US this spring, playing songs from the new album ‘Diamond Head’ along with many classics from Lightning To The Nations, Borrowed Time & Canterbury’.” -Brian Tatler, 5/4/17
As part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, Diamond Head came up in the same scene as eventual global headliners Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. And while Diamond Head did not achieve the same commercial success as the aforementioned bands, they did influence countless subsequent musicians - especially Metallica, as it was a then-teenaged Lars Ulrich that befriended the band early on and became a major fan. Subsequently, Metallica has covered such Diamond Head classics as “Am I Evil,” “Helpless,” “The Prince,” and “It’s Electric” multiple times - on multiple platinum releases.
In addition to performing these classics at their upcoming U.S. shows, expect to also hear material performed off their latest release - 2016’s self-titled offering. Their seventh studio albums overall, the album has become one of their most critically acclaimed of their entire career - as evidenced by Classic Rock Magazine saying, "It just fu*kin' rocks in glorious timeless fashion" and Metal Hammer simply adding, "This is rather excellent."
And soon, many U.S. fans will get to see the legendary Diamond Head on a nearby concert stage.
"When we made 'Kill Em All', it was just Diamond Head and Motörhead" Lars Ulrich - Metallica
"We're a combination of the two heads, Diamond Head and Motörhead. The epic feel is definitely from Diamond Head, while the simplicity came from Motörhead." James Hetfield - Metallica
"I'm influenced by the likes of Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and Brian Tatler".
Dave Mustaine - Megadeth
DIAMOND HEAD LINE-UP 2017:
Brian Tatler - Guitars
Rasmus Bom Andersen - Vocals
Abbz Abberley - Guitars
Dean Ashton - Bass
Karl Wilcox - Drums
DIAMOND HEAD US TOUR 2017: Additional dates to be announced shortly.
W 5/17 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups
Th 5/18 Indianapolis, IN The Headquarters w/Ross The Boss
F 5/19 Rock Island, IL RIBCO
S 5/20 Chicago, IL Legions of Metal Festival w/Armored Saint
Su 5/21 Savage, MN Neisens w/Ross The Boss
M 5/22 Joliet, IL The Forge
T 5/23 Newport, KY Southgate House
Th 5/25 Springfield, MO Nathan P Murphy's
S 5/27 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma Festival
S 8/19 Las Vegas, NV Psycho Vegas 2017 Festival
W 8/23 Portland, OR Bossanova Ballrooms
Th 8/25 Seattle, WA El Corazon
