Italian progressive metal band, LAST UNION, featuring Mike LePond (Symphony X) on bass, Uli Kusch (ex-Helloween, ex-Masterplan) on drums, and as guest James LaBrie (Dream Theater) on vocals, have announced the release of their debut album 'Twelve' on December 21, 2018 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. The effort was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, best known for his work with ARCH ENEMY, SYMPHONY X, DEVIN TOWNSEND, ANGRA and OPETH, to name a few.
The album artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard (Avantasia, Rage, Threshold).
Track List:
1. Most Beautiful Day
2. President Evil (Feat. James LaBrie)
3. Hardest Way
4. Purple Angels
5. The Best Of Magic
6. Taken (Feat. James LaBrie) - Radio Edit
7. 18 Euphoria
8. A Place In Heaven (Feat. James LaBrie)
9. Ghostwriter
10. Limousine
11. Back In The Shadow
12. Taken (Feat. James LaBrie)
13. President Evil (Feat. James LaBrie) - Video Version
Strong and positive reactions to their music spurred Scarpeccio and Tiberi on to take the first of many bold steps. The first was to invite drummer Uli Kusch(ex-Helloween, ex-Masterplan) to join the fold, who expressed interest in joining the band as a full member rather than just a touring drummer after hearing the music. A similar scenario played out with Symphony X bassist Mike LePond and LAST UNION was officially born.
The icing on the cake, however, was getting Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie to sing on three tracks.
LAST UNION is:
Elisa Scarpeccio - Vocals
Cristiano Tiberi - Guitars
Mike LePond - Bass (Symphony X)
Uli Kusch - Drums (ex-Helloween, ex-Massterplan)
Feat. James LaBrie on vocals (Dream Theater)
The quiet city of Tolentino in the Marche region of Central Italy not only boasts a rich historical background, it is also the place progressive metal band LAST UNION calls home. Founded by vocalist Elisa Scarpeccio, guitarist Cristiano Tiberi and keyboardist Claudio Feliziani in 2007, the band - originally known as Blazing Ice - embarked on their journey in the ppursuit of sharing their thoughts and feelings about life, and ultimately their art, with the world. With the assistance of professional session bassists and drummers, the trio established themselves on the Italian scene with a string of shows that helped them evolve and refine their craft. Over the course of 20 shows, LAST UNION presented songs that would eventually make the final cut for their debut album.
The art of six-stringer shredding has unquestionably come back to forefront in modern day hard rock and heavy metal music. And talented guitarist Lou DiBello will soon be leaving his own mark on the genre, with the release of his album, ‘Heat Wave.’ The album features input from current or former members of Manowar (guitarist Ross “The Boss” Friedman) and Symphony X (bassist Mike Lepond), and is chockfull of headbanging rockers and six-string showcases, especially the tune “Full Throttle,” which can be sampled here:
"Heat Wave is my 4th solo release and by far my best effort to date,” explains DiBello. “The fact that I worked with such a great group of people was key, most notably singer Carsten Schulz, bassist Mike LePond, and legendary guitarist Ross ‘The Boss’ Friedman. It was a real honor to have Ross play dueling leads and harmonies with me on the epic track ‘Blood on the Cross,’ and he gave me valuable advice along the way as well. The record is a nice blend of hard rock/metal with vocals as well as instrumental tracks with a real emphasis on good songs with great guitar playing, as opposed to just great guitar playing. All out rocker ‘Let Me Hear You Scream - Rock & Roll!,’ as well as instrumental tracks ‘Full Throttle’ and my take on the Michael Schenker classic ‘Into the Arena’ are a few of the highlights.”
DiBello - who is an honors graduate from Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, California - has been a veteran of the Central Illinois music scene since the late ‘80s. Additionally, he has played over 2,500 paid performances, 600 in last 5 years alone, plus countless opening slots for acts like .38 Special, Slaughter, LA Guns, Molly Hatchet, Foghat, Quiet Riot, Survivor, Black Crowes, Blue Oyster Cult, and more. As an instructor, DiBello has given over 25,000 private lessons, and started one of the first streaming guitar lesson websites."
The guitarist also feels he has a lot to offer in the areas of instruction and collaboration with other artists, as he is a flexible player in a range of styles and enjoys playing in many different settings. Also, he is looking to place his music for licensing for TV and film.
“I love playing guitar! I am blessed to continue to pursue my passion and I am looking forward to further successes in this ongoing journey.”
Line-Up for ‘Heat Wave’:
Lou DiBello - Lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar
Carsten Schulz - Vocals
Bobby Whiles - Drums
Mike LePond (Symphony X) - Bass guitar (Blood On The Cross/Drop Deadly/Into The Arena)
Ross "The Boss” Friedman (Dictators, Manowar) - Lead guitar (Blood On The Cross)
This episode of the podcast features interviews with Mike Lepond from
Symphony X, Joseph Troll of Black Trip and Tomislav Crnkovic of
Viathyn.
The interview with Mike Lepond starts at almost 28 mins into the
episode. During the interview he announces that Symphony X have
started recording their next album. Other topics include his new
Silent Assassins solo album, Gene Simmons, Kiss, Dio era Black
Sabbath, Alan Tecchio, Metal Mike Chlasciak, Canada and Heavy
Montreal.
