Niva

Sat
03
Sep

NIVA Gets Heavier on 'Atmospherical'

Artist: 
Friday, October 28, 2016
Categories: 
News Feed

In the realms of melodic metal, Sweden's Lion's Share has been synonymous with class and quality for over two decades. Not least thanks to a succession of great vocalists: Andy Engberg (220 Volt, Sorcerer, Section A), Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors, Wuthering Heights, Civil War et al)... and who else? Oh yes - Tony Niva, the vocal powerhouse from Lion's Share's seminal fourth album ”Entrance” (2001).

NIVA MUSIC GROUP in co-operation with AOR Heaven now will release the new and sixth album by NIVA on October 28.
 
Tony Niva started singing as a young boy in the mid-80s, inspired by the likes of Dio, Joe Lynn Turner and Geoff Tate. After cutting his teeth in classic acts like Swedish Erotica and Axia, Tony formed his own outfit NIVA whose debut album ”No Capitulation” arrived in 1994 (featuring Ian Haugland of Europe/Glenn Hughes fame behind the kit). Despite the quality of this melodic affair, NIVA folded shortly afterwards. After graduating from the university, Tony joined Lion's Share long enough to record the aforementioned ”Entrance” and left the music scene again shortly afterwards. However, in 2011 Tony tried out for the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest with the song ”Janitor of Love”. With limited success, on paper. Creatively the result was so satisfying that Tony extended his collaboration with his new songwriting team. NIVA's comeback album ”Gold From the Future” was released in Japan in the fall of 2011. (On the European and American market, the album was released under the moniker Oxygen and entitled ”Final Warning”.)

"I've been focusing on my career in the IT business, so I didn't make much music between 1994 and 2011", says Tony. But after that second NIVA album, I made two more: ”Magnitude” in 2013 and ”Incremental IV” in 2014. And after that, I thought I might as well release what I recorded in 1995 as the intended follow-up to ”No Capitulation”: ”Relievin' Rain” (2015). Now, however, I'm back with a whole new incarnation of NIVA. On this new album, I wanted to broaden my horizons. Different production, a heavier sound. So I've been working with Lars Chriss, my old pal from the Lion's Share days.

Lars Chriss, now a highly renowned producer with the likes of Overland, Chris Ousey, Radioactive, Seven and Lugnet on his resumé, has lent his producing, song-writing and guitar-playing skills to NIVA's sixth outing, ”Atmospherical”. Don't let the title fool you - NIVA has definitely moved away from the AOR-ish, comparative softness on previous works.

"This is more of a melodic metal sound", Tony agrees. "It rocks harder, it's more riff-based and the keyboards are less prominent."

Obviously. Besides Lars and Tony himself, former Lion's Share luminaries Kay Backlund (keyboards) and monster bassist Andy Loos (also of Glory, Seven, Covered Call fame - to name but a few) have also lent their considerable skills to the creation of ”Atmospherical”. The album even includes a stellar remake of Lion's Share 1988 debut single, ”I'm on a roll”. So the Lion's Share reminiscence is very much intentional.

Line-up: Tony Niva - Lead vocals; Lars Chriss - Lead and rhythm guitars, Drums; Andy Loos - Bass; Kay Backlund - Keyboards (Dressed To Kill, Wall Of Bricks, Spirit Of The Night, Déj-  Vu, I’m On A Roll, Evil Rose, Raise Your Voice); Fredrik Bergh - Keyboards (The Mountain, Play Our Songs, Forbidden Lover); Nigel Bailey - Backing vocals (appears courtesy of Frontiers Records Srl); Mick Devine - Additional backing vocals (Evil Rose, Wall Of Bricks); George Bailey - Additional backing vocals (Dressed To Kill)

Sound clips in advance:
NIVA - Deja Vu (Edit)
NIVA - Dressed To Kill (Edit)
NIVA - Forbidden Lover (Edit)

Web: www.niva.se
 
 
Fri
08
Aug

NIVA – Incremental IV (Review)

information persons: 
section name: 
SCORE
content: 

 

85%
Produced By: 
Tony Niva
Running Time: 
39
Release Date: 
2014
Released: 
Europe
Musical Style: 
AOR / Melodic Rock
Label: 
AOR Heaven
Artist: 
Score: 
85
Friday, August 8, 2014
Categories: 
Reviews
Tony Niva follows up his very good 2013 release Magnitude with the oddly titled Incremental IV record.
 
Following exactly where the last album left off, Incremental IV is more of the same – high energy, melodic rock-n-pomp, with high pitch vocals and plenty of those fluffy Scandinavian harmonies.
This is a very good sounding record with a great clear mix. Makes things so much easier to enjoy with the rhythm section pounding away with vocals gliding over the top.
I do think that Niva’s vocals are of the style that will appeal to some, but not to all; they are a bit over the top when going for notes on the higher end of the scale.
 
Best tracks here include the opening anthem Don’t You Know; the fast moving AOR of Crush; the slightly darker Better Just Forgotten and the AOR anthems The Reason Why and Play The Game.
The ballad Travel Back In Time is a good change of pace and is accompanied in like by the mid-tempo All By Myself.
 
Fans of Grand Illusion and Final Frontier should definitely add Niva to their list to check out – the bands have a lot in common aside from the vocal style.
A very good sounding record that will appeal to all fans of Niva and most pomp/Scandi AOR fans.
 
Thu
03
Jul

NIVA NEW OPUS INCREMENTAL IV OUT ON AOR HEAVEN AUGUST 29

Artist: 
Friday, August 29, 2014
Categories: 
News Feed
        
The history of NIVA began in Skövde in the mid 80’s and the place was the TBV Music House – this was an inspiring environment for many youths to discover their creativity in a lot of ways, especially regarding the chance to discover their musical abilities.
It was also here where a young Tony Niva set his path to be able to sing and write music, and also for the first time to sing through a microphone! It didn’t take long before an offer occurred. The band Zanity got Tony as their singer and their first demo ”Time Out Of Mind” got a lot of attention.
 
After appearing in a lot of bands around in Sweden  – for example  Vanessa, Swedish Erotica, Malibu Band and Tracy Goes Crazy, Tony got the opportunity to sing for Axia – a band situated and rehearsing in Skövde.
It was an ideal situation both musically and socially for the band and it didn’t take long before a Swedish tour started – both with Axia and later on with a cover band called ”Under Cover”. After some touring, the band drifted apart, and up from the ashes of Axia, NIVA was formed. The band recorded their debut album ”No Capitulation” and got a record deal with Zero Records in Japan in 1994. After recording an up to this date not released follow up album, NIVA was disbanded (1995). For a brief period in 2001, Tony was a member of the metal-act Lion’s Share and who released the album “Entrance” in the same year.
 
Moving forward to 2011 and a song called ”Janitor Of Love” written for the Swedish Eurovision song contest. This time collaboration partners are Roger Ljunggren and Marcus Persson and even if the song did not make it through, the musical work goes so smoothly, they decide to make another three songs for a demo, just to see if there is any interest for a band in the vein of AOR/Melodic Rock. And it sure is – Marquee Avalon signs with NIVA and after 16 years the band lives up and releasing the album ”Gold From The Future” in Japan, September 2011.
Tony did not settle down because of this, so after some negotiations a British based label released the album in Europe – now under the moniker Oxygen – Final Warning.  The album gets a lot of attention in both Europe and in the United States.
In 2013 NIVA released the CD Magnitude through AOR Heaven for the European market and now 2014 the sophomore album entitled “Incremental IV” is ready.
 
“Incremental IV” was produced and mixed by Marcus Persson at CM Music Skara, Sweden with executive producer Tony Niva and mastered by Börjesson, Ear Hear Studio Stockholm. Artwork design by Matthias Norén.
 
 
Line-Up: Tony Niva – Vocals, Roger Ljunggren – Guitars, Marcus Persson – Keyboards, Jan Stal – Bass, Bengan Andersson – Drums
 
Track list: 1. Don’t You Know, 2. Crush, 3. Better Just Forgotten, 4. Magnitude, 5. The Reason Why, 6. Travel Back In Time, 7. Play The Game, 8. Only You, 9. Lost And Found, 10. All By Myself, 11. Coming Back To You
 
Sound clips in advance:
 
 
 
Subscribe to Niva