Archive for the New Music Category

HELLYEAH ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM BAND OF BROTHERS

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , , on February 15, 2012 by Randy

New York, NY – February 2012 – Hard rock supergroup HELLYEAH is back with a their third album, entitled Band of Brothers. The album, the band’s first effort for their new label home, Eleven Seven Music, was recorded in Dallas at drummer Vinnie Paul’s home studio, VP’s Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (Godsmack, Evanessence), who also served as engineer.

Having produced track after track of heavy-hitting, in-your-face, feel good rock and roll on their previous two albums (2010’s STAMPEDE and 2007’s self-titled debut), Band of Brothers sees HELLYEAH taking a slightly different musical direction. Drawing on their former bands’ collective metal roots for inspiration, the influences and style of Mudvayne, Pantera, Damageplan and Nothingface are immediately recognizable in tracks such as “Band of Brothers,” “War In Me” and “Rage Burn,” while the party anthem “Drink, Drank, Drunk” retains the essence of earlier HELLYEAH.

Frontman Chad Gray comments, “I’m really excited about what we’ve done on this new album. I’ve always separated Mudvayne and HELLYEAH as much as I could, even though it was my voice. Melodies, lyrics and just the overall style of writing were different. With Band of Brothers, I just quit being afraid of who I am in relation to this band. I think we’ve all really gotten back to the original roots of what we’ve done individually and brought it together on this album. As an artist, as long as you’re painting with your own brush, no one can compare or challenge you. I just painted with a bigger, heavier brush than I had with HELLYEAH in the past. I think this is what fans have always expected to hear from us, and now were giving it to them.”

Vinnie Paul echoed the sentiment in a recent interview: “On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock ‘n’ roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It’s heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I’m excited about it.”

Jeremy Parker said, “It’s impossible not to have a good time jamming this record.  It has the anger and violence of Pantera and Mudvayne, but a party vibe that can

only be HELLYEAH!”

Band of Brothers is set for worldwide release in early June. HELLYEAH will be announcing North American tour plans soon. They are confirmed to tour Australia and Japan in the coming months. Dates are as follows:

Feb 25             Brisbane, AUS          RNA Showgrounds

Feb 26             Sydney, AUS            Showground

Feb 28             Melbourne, AUS       The Forum

Mar 01            Sydney, AUS             The Metro Theater

Mar 02            Melbourne, AUS       Showgrounds

Mar 03            Adelaide, AUS           Bonython Park

Mar 05            Perth, AUS                Claremont Showgrounds

Mar 31            Jakarta, IND             Carnaval Beach Ancol

Apr 02             Nayoga, JAP              Diamond Hall

Apr 03             Osaka, JAP                Big Cat

Apr 05             Tokyo, JAP                O-East

Apr 06             Tokyo, JAP                O-East 

https://www.facebook.com/hellyeahband

http://hellyeahband.com/

BRITISH INVASION: STARSEED DEBUT’S PEACE MACHINE 2/21 ON AOL WITH CD LISTENING PARTY :: SONG PREVIEWS ALL MONTH LONG

Posted in Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , on February 8, 2012 by Randy

New York, NY – (February 7, 2012) –U.K. based hard rock band, Starseed, is preparing to hit the US like a roundhouse kick of rock with their debut of Peace Machine on February 21, 2012.  AOL Music will be holding a full CD listening party for the entire week. Additionally, throughout the month of February leading up to the release, fans will be able to preview select tracks from the album at Pastepunk.com today, February 7th, Loudwire.com on February 10thSkullsNBones.com and HearEvil.com on February 14th and on Revolver.com on February 20th.

Starseed, who includes Russell Spence (Vocals, Guitars), Gerald Gill (Guitar, Vocals), Peter Wicker (Guitar), Murray McChlery (Bass, Vocals) and Andrew Spence (Drums, Vocals), produce some of the most satisfying melodic hard rock. Epic energy, powerful, and riff driven rock with electrifying stage shows, their music grasps many elements of the post grunge scene drawing influences from early Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains to the power and torment of Soil. More recent comparisons include the tenacity and energy of Stone Sour and intense melody of Alter Bridge.

Many members of the band were raised in Africa (South Africa and Zimbabwe) until re-locating to the U.K. where Starseed completed the current lineup and achieved success. Starseed has played major festivals alongside Rage Against The Machine, Rob Zombie, and Linkin Park. Most recently, they performed at the 2011 Download Festival.  With these achievements, Starseed are also proud endorsees of PRS Guitars, Blackstar Amps, Tama Drums, Roland, Sabian Cymbals, Rotosound Strings, Protection Racket and TC Electronic. Their reception by fans and media in the US has been extremely positive and welcoming.

For more information and to keep up to date on Starseed, visit:

www.myspace.com/starseedrock

www.facebook.com/starseedrock

www.planetstarseed.com

www.twitter.com/starseedrock

www.youtube.com/starseedrock

OPETH’S MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT + PORCUPINE TREE’S STEVEN WILSON TEAM UP FOR STORM CORROSION

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News with tags , , , , , , on February 7, 2012 by Randy

(New York, NY): Roadrunner Records is pleased to announce the signing of Storm Corrosion.
 
Storm Corrosion is the long-discussed and highly anticipated collaboration between two of the modern progressive rock scene’s most innovative and multi-talented artists: Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson. The pair will release Storm Corrosion on April 24 via Roadrunner Records.
 
A little background information on the genesis of this project: Åkerfeldt and Wilson  have been friends since the late ’90s, when Wilson co-produced Opeth’s revered Blackwater Park album. Over the years, they’d often spoken of working on a project together, but it wasn’t until recently that they managed to make something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson’s home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.
 
The sound of Storm Corrosion can best be described as enchanting, orchestral, ambient, epic (half the album’s tracks clock in around the 10-minute mark) and nothing short of surprising to the new ear.  However, the musicians’ respective fanbases will be primed to appreciate the new output, with Wilson’s recent solo album, Grace for Drowning, and Opeth’s Heritage having brought them to a logical place to understand Storm Corrosion. This eponymous collection is almost viewed as one side of a musical triangle.
 
Says Wilson, “If you’d asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, ‘Expect the last thing you would expect.’  But actually, now that Heritage and Grace for Drowning have come out, I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a shock to people, because it’s almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way.  If anything, it’s even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even more dark, twisted and melancholic… but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as Heritage and Grace for Drowning, which indeed it does because it was written during the same period.”
 
“Some of the music on this record I think is the most beautiful music I have participated on ever,” adds Åkerfeldt. “There’s some magical sections on there.  Musically I think we’ve created something earthy, a bit frightening, exhausting, profound and rather intense.  All at the same time.  I can safely say I don’t know any other band or artist that sounds anything like Storm Corrosion.  I guess that was also one of our goals, so to speak.”
 
Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R, Monte Conner welcomed Storm Corrosion to the Roadrunner family, commenting,  “I am honored to have the Roadrunner logo on the Storm Corrosion album.  Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have demonstrated time and time again that they are two of the truest and most important artists working today, and it is not often that I get to work with musicians of this caliber.  This album is a beautiful piece of work that will appeal to fans of Steven and Mikael’s past records, while at the same time exploring new avenues for both artists.”

DRAGONFORCE REVEAL DETAILS OF NEW ALBUM :: THE POWER WITHIN TO BE RELEASED APRIL 17 :: IT’S THE FIRST ALBUM TO FEATURE NEW SINGER MARC HUDSON

Posted in Artist Watch, New Music, News, Releases with tags , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2012 by Randy

(New York): London-based metal superstars DragonForce have revealed details of their forthcoming new album. Entitled The Power Within, this 10-track monster marks the band’s fifth studio album and its first with new singer Marc Hudson behind the microphone. It will be released April 17 by Roadrunner Records in the U.S.

DragonForce guitarist Herman Li said, “The last two years have been the most fun we ever had making an album. Through writing, jamming and touring together, we have built this incredible energy and it has been fully captured on the new album.”

Li also claims the album boasts the fastest song the band has ever recorded. He continued, “This time around we’ve really brought our metal side to the surface and made some of the best music of our career. From the fastest song we’ve ever recorded to the slower songs, and some things you would never expect from us, this is by far the most diverse DragonForce album yet.”

The full track listing for The Power Within is as follows:

1. Holding On

2. Fallen World

3. Cry Thunder

4. Give Me the Night

5. Wings of Liberty

6. Seasons

7. Heart of the Storm

8. Die By the Sword

9. Last Man Stands

10. Seasons (Acoustic Version)

There will also be a digital special edition featuring the bonus tracks “Cry Thunder (Live Rehearsal),”  “Heart of the Storm (Alternative Chorus Version)” and “Avant La Tempête (Instrumental).”
Look for exciting US tour announcements coming soon.

http://www.dragonforce.com