Twitter icon
Facebook icon
LinkedIn icon
Google+ icon
YouTube icon
RSS icon

Donate to Support MR

Melodic Essentials

Advertisement

Advertise with us!

AOR Blvd
Alien Productions
Jump back to navigation

Site Links

You are here

Home ›
Wed
06
Sep

SHAKRA Back With 'Snakes & Ladders' Nov 10

Artist: 
Shakra
Friday, November 10, 2017
Categories: 
News Feed
 
On November 10th, SHAKRA will release their new studio record "Snakes & Ladders". As in the game with the same title, the goal is to climb to the top. This is what SHAKRA as a band also have in mind. It’s been almost 2 years since "High Noon" was released, the comeback album with former leadsinger Mark Fox back on the microphone. "High Noon" made it to #2 in the swiss album charts and also entered the german charts.
 
The haunting melodies, the distinctive voice of Mark Fox, the striking guitar riffs from Thomas Muster, the emotional solos from lead guitarist Thom Blunier and the irrestistible grooves from Drummer Roger Tanner and bass player Dominik Pfister are all typical SHAKRA trademarks, which can be found again on "Snakes & Ladders". The opener "Cassandra‘s Curse", which lyrically is about the current world affairs, is a perfect example of all the trademarks mentioned above. Heavy riffs, an atmospheric verse and a powerful refrain.
 
The kickass rock song "Friday Nightmare" is followed by the title track "Snakes & Ladders": Up & down and the game’s going on. Sometimes you win, sometimes you fall. Sometimes everything just goes smoothly, but there are times when you gotta try again and again to reach your goal. Just roll the dice – at some point you will be where you wanna be!
 
"Together with ‚Cassandra’s Curse‘, ‚Something You Don’t Understand‘ is one of the best songs I’ve ever written", says a very proud Thomas Muster. The song is a great 80s inspired powerballad with an enthralling melodie and simple grooves that will stick in your head for sure.
 
All in all there are 12 brandnew SHAKRA tracks on "Snakes & Ladders", Shout out some singalongs to "The Seeds", feel the blues in "Rollin", listen to the straight Rock‘n’Roll song "Medicine Man" or just rock out to "I Will Rise Again" and "Fire In My Veins". We are sure every SHAKRA fan will be more than happy with the album.
 
So SHAKRA are definitely back on track! And by the way, "Snakes & Ladders", their 11th album so far, includes the Snakes & Ladders game on CD and Vinyl.
 
On November 10th the dices are rollin‘ – with SHAKRA and "Snakes & Ladders"!
 
LINE-UP
 • Mark Fox – vocals • Thom Blunier – guitar • Thomas Muster – guitar • Dominik Pfister – bass • Roger Tanner – drums • 
 
TRACKLIST
01 Cassandra’s Curse 02 Friday Nightmare 03 Snakes & Ladders 04 Something You Don’t Understand 05 The Seeds 06 Rollin‘ 07 M edicine Man 08 I Will Rise Again 09 Open Water 10 The Race Of My Life 11 Fire In My Veins 12 The End Of Days
 
Tags: 
Shakra
Mark Fox
Share & Add Comment
 
Wed
06
Sep

JK Northrup & Johnny Edwards Years Packaged as GYPSY SOUL

Artist: 
Gypsy Soul
Friday, October 20, 2017
Categories: 
News Feed
 
The Band:
Johnny Edwards: Lead vocals (ex Foreigner and King Kobra)
JK Northrup: Lead Guitars (ex XYZ and King Kobra)
Justin McDaid: Rhythm Guitars
Larry Hart: Bass (ex King Kobra)
Glenn Hicks: Drums
 
Produced by: JK Northrup at Alien Productions Studios except songs 8-9-10-11 Produced by Ronnie Montrose
Mastered by: JK Northrup at Alien Productions Music Studio
 
Track List: 1-Fat City  03:38 / 2-Fire And Water 03:35 / 3-Winners And Losers 04:02 / 4-Ready For The Rain 04:36 / 5-Sheila 03:44 / 6-Candy Apple Red 03:16 / 7-She’s Waiting 04:07 / 8-Survival In The Streets 04:35 / 9-Dancin’ Feet  03:09 / 10-Burning In Her Fire 03:36 / 11-Rough Life 04:34 / 12-The Kid Is Back In Town 03:59 /  13-Outside Looking In 03:39 / 14-The West 04:19
 
The Northrup Years
 
In 1987 four musicians were brought together by the legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose  and their shared manager. Those four were guitarist JK Northrup, Lead vocalist Johnny Edwards, bassist Larry Hart and J K’s long-time friend and drummer Glenn Hicks. Within two weeks they were rehearsing writing and in the studio recording with Ronnie Montrose, who was producing their first demo. It was immediately evident that there was a lot of electricity with the band! Drawing on such influences as Bad Company, Whitesnake and Humble Pie The band’s energy was powerful.
 
Almost immediately several major labels such as Geffen, Atlantic and MCA were coming to the shows and rehearsals showing great interest in signing the band. John Kalodner himself put the band into the studio to record a further six songs.
 
Although an agreement was not reached with any of the record labels the band recorded and demoed many songs over two years. They added a fifth member; rhythm guitarist Justin McDaid and continued playing, writing and showcasing until 1989 when they disbanded resulting in Edwards joining Foreigner and J K Northrup joining up with Paul Shortino for two albums.
 
This collection of 14 songs are a small portion of songs they wrote but they capture the spirit of what a great they actually were. Many of the songs were later performed and recorded by Foreigner, “Ready for the Rain”, “King Kobra”, “Burning in her fire”, “Wild Horses”, “Fire and Water”, “The Kid is Back in Town and “Rough Life” were recorded on the classic album “Back on Track” by Shortino and Northrup.
 
During 1988 JK Northrup, Johnny Edwards and Larry Hart were recruited by legendary drummer Carmine Appice to write, record and perform the King Kobra III album.
 
This is a classic case of a band that should have been a multi-platinum success and these songs we have here are a reminder of what a great group of musicians and prolific songwriters they are.
 
 
Tags: 
JK Northrup
Johnny Edwards
Ronnie Montrose
Gypsy Soul
Share & Add Comment
 
Wed
06
Sep

PINK CREAM 69 Deliver 'Headstrong' Album Nov 10

Artist: 
Pink Cream 69
Friday, November 10, 2017
Categories: 
News Feed
 
Pink Cream 69 return with their new release, 'Headstrong' on November 10th, 2017! Hear new single, 'We Bow To None': 
 

Pre-order HEADSTRONG here: http://radi.al/Headstrong
• Frontiers: http://www.frontiers.shop
• iTunes: http://radi.al/HeadstrongiTunes
• Amazon: http://radi.al/HeadstrongAmazon
• Google Play: http://radi.al/HeadstrongGooglePlay
• Spotify: http://radi.al/HeadstrongSpotify

HEADSTRONG marks the 30th Anniversary of the German hard rockers Pink Cream 69. And what better way to celebrate than by adding yet another gem to their already spectacular discography! Produced by bassist (and renowned producer) Dennis Ward, HEADSTRONG sees the same line-up from 2013's well received 'Ceremonial' album return to deliver fans another hard rocking set of quality songs on their 12th studio album overall. As a special treat, the new release includes a bonus live album featuring songs from across the band's catalogue.

Dennis Ward says: "When we released our first album in 1989, we were proud to be a 'guitar band' that yielded powerful guitar riffs and soaring vocal melodies. Since the release of 'Ceremonial' it became evident to us that we had to take a step back to be able to make 2 steps forward so we made a 'master plan': resurrect our earliest form of songwriting incorporating these riffs and melodies, reducing the amount of keyboards and keeping the production to a minimum of sonic layers in order to be as true as possible to our sound - the sound of fat and crunchy guitars. I feel that the new album is a high-energy recording that redeems us as the powerful Rock n' Roll band we used to be. After weeks of cross checking the production, listening to the CD in my car, I take great pride in saying 'mission accomplished'. We look so very forward to presenting our new 'baby'."

TRACKLISTING:

Studio Album:
1. We Bow To None
2. Walls Come Down
3. Unite And Divide
4. No More Fear
5. Man Of Sorrow
6. Path Of Destiny
7. Vagrant Of The Night
8. Bloodsucker
9. Whistleblower
10. The Other Man

Bonus Live Album (Recorded In Ludwigsburg (2013):
1. Special
2. Talk To The Moon
3. Break The Silence
4. Do You Like It Like That
5. The Spirit
6. Livin' My Life For You
7. Wasted Years
8. Welcome The Night
9. Shame

PRODUCED BY: Dennis Ward

BAND MEMBERS:
David Readman – vocals
Alfred Koffler – guitars
Uwe Reitenauer – guitars
Dennis Ward – bass
Chris Schmidt – drums

Pink Cream 69 Links:
• Official Website: http://www.pinkcream69.de/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkCream69Official/

Tags: 
Pink Cream 69
David Readman
Dennis Ward
Share & Add Comment
 
Wed
06
Sep

FICTION SYXX 'Tall Dark Secrets' Now On iTunes & Digital

 
Share & Add Comment
 
Wed
06
Sep

JAN AKESSON'S SHADOW RAIN Now On iTunes & Digital

 
Share & Add Comment
 
Tue
05
Sep

ANVIL Australian Tour November 2017

 
The demigods of Canadian Metal ANVIL return to Australia this November to celebrate their 40th Anniversary! It’s time for a heavy metal celebration!
 
“the honesty and passion that this trio conveys through its music is absolutely priceless” – Get Ready To Rock
 
With 16 albums under their belt and their 17th one on the way, ANVIL pride themselves as being one of the most hardworking bands on the plane. The 2009 rockumentary Anvil – The Story of Anvil detailed the story of band that somehow fell into obscurity. However this award winning feature gave them a second wave of popularity, and resulted in the band playing the infamous Download Festival plus supported our very own AC/DC on tour! This is a band that had everything, lost it all but never gave up. To quote Lips – “This is the Rocky Balboa of heavy metal”. They provide witness to the power of the human spirit, played to a heavy metal soundtrack.
 
 
“They can shred with the best of them, and on this night, proved that metal has no age.” - Zumic
 
Original members Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow on vocals/guitar and Robb ‘Robbo’ Reiner on drums once again bring the madness to Australia alongside Chris Robertson on bass. This is your chance to rock on to all your favourite ANVIL classics – Metal on Metal, March of the Crabs, Forged In Fire, Mothra plus more!
 
“the band cranked one great song after another” - Sleazeroxx
 
On the live front, an ANVIL show is an endless party. With headbanging and sing-a-longs from start to finish, there is a smile on everyone’s face. Combined with the witty banter and theatrics from Lips and the phenomenal pounding of drums by Robbo, an ANVIL show is everything you’d expect and then some. This is classic metal and pure entertainment.
 
“Lips was strutting through the crowd playing his guitar surrounded by headbangers” – Metal Obession (Melbourne Show Review)
 
The return of ANVIL is a celebration for the ages. Their humility, love for their fans and passion for music is second to none. Long live Rock ‘n’ Roll – long live ANVIL!
 
“they remain a glowing advertisement for old-school metal and its principal values of fun, friendship and getting hammered. The dream lives.” – The Guardian
 
ANVIL AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
Wednesday 8th November – BRISBANE – Crowbar
Friday 10th November – SYDNEY – The Bald Faced Stag
Saturday 11th November – MELBOURNE – Prince Bandroom
Sunday 12th November – ADELAIDE – Fowlers Live
Tuesday 14th November – PERTH – Rosemount Hotel
 
TICKETS
Presale - Wednesday 6th September 9am (local time)
Onsale - Friday 8th September 9am (local time)
From - https://metropolistouring.com/anvil/
 
Share & Add Comment
 
Tue
05
Sep

REVERTIGO Pairs Swedes MATS LEVEN & ANDERS WIKSTRÖM

Artist: 
ReVertigo
Release Year: 
2018
Categories: 
News Feed
 
Frontiers are proud to announce the signing of ReVertigo, the Stockholm, Sweden based duo of Mats Leven (vocals) and Anders Wikstrom (guitar). Their debut album will be released in early 2018.
As close personal and musical friends for nearly 30 years, ReVertigo is the next chapter in an ongoing collaboration between the two culminating with their self-produced new album.
 
Anders says, 'Mats and I always had an idea of creating something that would celebrate the fact that we really enjoy working together, but with busy separate music careers, it wasn't until 2016, we sat down and concentrated on new songs with a firm plan'
 
Adds Mats, 'The fact that we, besides writing for other international artists, hadn't done a proper album together in 25 years also gave the writing and recording process of ReVertigo a purpose.'
 
In September 2016, a three song demo found it's way to Frontiers Music Srl, who decided to sign the band on the spot. In between touring activities with Candlemass, Treat, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the pair finalized the 11 songs featured on the debut album. All the instruments on the album are played by Mats and Anders, except for the drums, which were performed by their dear friend Thomas Broman (Great King Rat, Michael Schenker Group, Electric Boys). 'Both of us have a strong mutual vision, that's why we choose to play and sing most of the instruments and parts on the album ourselves,' says Mats. Peter Mansson is responsible for the mixing duties, which took place at Mir Studios in Stockholm and Svante Forsback mastered at Chartmakers in Helsinki.
 
ReVertigo's music itself is a blend of heavy, yet melodic songs paying tribute to their favorite albums and artists from the 70's, 80's, and up to present day filtered through the chemistry that comes to life when Mats and Anders join forces.
'I love when you get that teenage excitement together over a song idea, and how you hear a finished gem in your head, hence the bands name ReVertigo,' says Mats.
'We might not be reinventing the wheel, but we're certainly putting on fresh tires,' tells Anders.
 
ReVertigo's debut album will be released worldwide in early 2018 through Frontiers Music Srl, with multiple singles and videos preceding the release of the album.
 
 

 

Tags: 
ReVertigo
Mats Leven
Anders Wikström
Share & Add Comment
 

Pages

Search form

Facebook Feed

Facebook

TWITTER NEWSFEED

LATEST NEWS

Degreed - Curtain Calls (Album Review)

April 01, 2026

LOU GRAMM - Released (Album Review)

March 24, 2026

TYKETTO - Closer To The Sun (Album Review)

March 17, 2026

CREYE - Creye IV, The Aftermath (Album Review)

March 10, 2026

GENERATION RADIO - Take Two (Album Review)

March 05, 2026

GIANT - Stand And Deliver (Album Review)

March 05, 2026

HEARTS OF FIRE - Signs & Wonders (Album Review)

March 05, 2026

BERNIE LaBARGE Deluxe Edition of 'Barging In' Out Now On MRC

March 01, 2026

EDGE OF THE BLADE Deliver Album 5 on MRC

February 12, 2026

BARLOW/MINTO 'Our Restless Nature' (4CD Set) Showcases AOR Legends

February 12, 2026