The Rock Tribune

NIGHTWISH TO RELEASE IMAGINAERUM ON JANUARY 10, 2012 ALBUM CONCEPT IS TIED TO A CORRESPONDING FILM BAND TO PLAY TO US SHOWS IN JANUARY

Posted in Artist Watch, News with tags Imaginaerum, Nightwish, Stobe Harju, The Rock Tribune, TheRockTribune.com on October 10, 2011 by Randy

New York, NY: Fans of dramatic, symphonic, Euro metal have something to look forward to when the cold, dark, dreary winter sets in. Finnish superstars Nightwish will release their new album Imaginaerum on January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records and it will serve as a welcome beckon of warmth and light in an otherwise dark season! The album is the band’s first since 2007’s Dark Passion Play, which was then- new singer Anette Olzon’s debut.

The band examined its catalog when sitting down to write what would become Imaginaerum. The songs for the album were written between 2008 and 2010, after the Dark Passion Play tour cycle ended.

At that point, Nightwish knew they wanted to do something different, new and unique, which is exceptional for a band whose career has been defined by words like different, new and unique!

The band consciously wanted to do something so big, crossover, detailed, innovative and, well, “nuts,” that it would leave the band, and hopefully the people experiencing it, completely awestruck. It would be a situation where fans and/or critics would either love it or hate it, but they’d be left awestruck nonetheless. That’s when the band realized another dimension, namely video, was necessary for the project.

Instead of a concept album, the band set the album to a film.

“The original idea I had was to film 13 short stories related to the songs with a connected storyline, shot by Stobe Harju,” keyboardist/songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said. It was Harju’s idea to turn the 13 stories and visions into more of a connected cinematic piece –essentially, a film. It would have a clear plot, script, dialogue and real actors in an ambitious effort to create something wholly unique.The film was shot in September of this year.

The movie is based on the album and its 13 tracks, honoring the original ideas, but having evolved radically from the initial plan. Holopainen said,” Still, it was important from the very beginning that the album would work as its own individual piece of art, as well. It is a thematic album about life itself, about imagination, love, goodness and beauty, with a touch of darkness and melancholy, which are strongly included in all of those things mentioned.” As if we could expect anything less from Nightwish!

The band will have but a small part in the film. A 2012 premiere date is being eyed.

Imaginaerum: an audiovisual testament of what Nightwish have always been about.

The track listing for Imaginaerum is as follows; note that track 12 is broken down into four parts.

01. Taikatalvi

02. Storytime

03. Ghost River

04. Slow, Love, Slow

05. I Want My Tears Back

06. Scaretale

07. Arabesque

08. Turn Loose the Mermaids

09. Rest Calm

10. The Crow, the Owl and the Dove

11. Last Ride of the Day

12. Song Of Myself

Song 1: From A Dusty Bookshelf

Song 2: All That Great Heart Lying Still

Song 3: Piano Black

Song 4: Love

13. Imaginaerum

In other Nightwish news, the band will play a one-off show at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles on Jan. 21 and the band will then set sail on the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise, which heads for the high seas on Jan. 23 in Miami, Fla.

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DREAMING DEAD: California Death Metallers To Unleash New Full-Length Artwork And Track Listing Revealed

Posted in All Metal, News with tags DREAMING DEAD, Midnightmares, The Rock Tribune, TheRockTribune.com on October 7, 2011 by Randy

California death metal trio DREAMING DEAD are readying to unleash their long-awaited new full-length entitled Midnightmares. The follow-up to their 2009 Within One opus, was recorded from June through September of this year. All guitars and bass were tracked at the band’s own studio in downtown Los Angeles while the drums and vocals were tracked at Architeuthis Sound, (where Midnightmares was also mixed). The final product is nothing short of immense. Midnightmares offers up nine tracks of crushingly elaborate death metal anthems as led by band leader, vocalist and guitar priestess, Elizabeth Schall.

DREAMING DEAD have continued their ascent to the mightiest of metal’s ranks with their sophomore release, Midnightmares. Retaining many of the extreme metal elements of Within One, Midnightmares showcases a more refinedDREAMING DEAD, playing with greater precision and offering an even deeper and more provocative musical experience.

As an added bonus, Midnightmares features cover art by renown metal artists Travis Smith, known for his striking work on records from Death, Sadus, Katatonia, Opeth, King Diamond and so many others. Check it out HERE.

Commented Schall and Mike Caffell (drums, vocals), of the release: “With Midnightmares, we wanted to record an album based around the concepts of night and, obviously, nightmares. We shaped our lyrics as such, and wrote music to capture both the violent, chaotic nature of dreams and the quiet tranquility of the night. We also crafted the album to flow as a whole, symbolizing the progression of an evening into night, and then into dawn; as if the songs couldn’t exist without one another. And, yes, we’re still bringing the speed and brutality.”

Midnightmares Track Listing:

1. Wake

2. Corpse Mountain

3. Overlord

4. Exile

5. In Memoriam

6. Lapse

7. Into The Depths

8. Midnightmares

9. Departure

Members Schall, Caffell and bassist Juan Ramirez have honed their characteristic aural assault of black metal, death metal, and thrash on a nationwide basis for the last four years, sharing the stage with the likes of Morbid Angel, Nile, Immolation, Krisiun, Monstrosity, Master, and Dying Fetus. This Midnightmares-era sees DREAMING DEAD sowing the seeds of such time spent on the road, and those picking up the new album or catching the band live will no doubt be struck at how much further DREAMING DEAD have taken their groundbreaking metal stylings.

Midnightmares will be released on October 31, 2011 as a digital download via the band’s official WEB SITE. Stay tuned for further details. In the meantime, check out the demo version of the title track at THIS LOCATION.

In related news, Schall recently demoed Roland’s new CUBE-80XL amp. If you missed it the first time, check out the video HERE.

http://www.dreamingdead.com

http://www.myspace.com/dreamingdead

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KAURA to Host Official ‘That Which Defines Us’ Record Release Show this Sunday, October 9th at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, CA

Posted in Artist Watch, News with tags KAURA, That Which Defines Us, The Rock Tribune, The Viper Room, TheRockTribune.com on October 7, 2011 by Randy

California natives KAURA and The Viper Room in Hollywood, CA are throwing a special record release show on Sunday, October 9^th in celebration of the release of their latest album, That Which Defines Us. Doors open at 8pm and KAURA performs at 11pm. Entry is $10 with a flyer. The Viper Room is located at 8852 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA. See below for more local appearances coming up soon!

KAURA recently released their new album, That Which Defines Us, on September 20^th, 2011. Produced by singer Malcolm Guess, That Which Defines Us is a testament of dedication, taking over two years to record with the assistance of rock luminaries such as Sylvia Massey (Tool, System of a Down, Danzig), Ken Andrews (Failure, A Perfect Circle) and Michael Romanowski (Dredg). Central to the album’s sound were instruments that the band collected on their travels to India, Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, Laos, and Nepal.

KAURA (pronounced kay-aura) were born from the vision of infusing the aggressive power of hard, melodic rock with the haunting and ethereal sounds of ancient instruments. “We were really drawn to the sounds of these instruments because they are not traditionally heard in modern rock music,” explains guitarist Ben Rojas. Drummer Benjamin Jones adds, “We have always strived to create our own unique voice and incorporating these instruments helps us do that and create a really expansive depth of sound.”

UPCOMING SHOWS:

10/9 The Viper Room, West Hollywood, CA @ 11pm
11/2 King King, Hollywood, CA – Day of the Dead Show @ 11pm
12/7 The Viper Room, West Hollywood, CA @ 11pm

For more information about KAURA, please visit these sites:

www.kaura.com

www.twitter.com/kauraband

www.facebook.com/pages/KAURA/34203763931

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EXHUMED: Legendary Goregrinders To Kick Off North American Tour Later This Month

Posted in All Metal with tags All Guts, EXHUMED, No Glory North American Tour 2011, The Rock Tribune, TheRockTribune.com on October 5, 2011 by Randy

Goregrinding metal gods EXHUMED are readying to kick off the second leg of their Back From The Dead And Ready To Party North American Tour later this month. Set to commence on October 27 in Amarillo, Texas, the band will be touring in support of their All Guts, No Glory full-length released in July via Relapse Records.

Commented vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey of the oncoming trek: “We’re fully chuffed to hit the road with Goatwhore and Havok on the second leg of our Back From The Dead And Ready To Party North American tour. It’s been way too long since we’ve played out on the East Coast. I can promise you a full-on autopsy holocaust doss of epic proportions! We’ll be playing a ton of stuff from the new record, as well as all the moldy oldies the slaughtercult has come to expect, so come on out, grab a beer, and get ready to rage! See you there!”

EXHUMED All Guts, No Glory North American Tour 2011

w/ Goatwhore, Havok

10/27/2011 Sorority House – Amarillo, TX * w/ Death Angel
10/28/2011 The Roxy – Oklahoma City, OK
10/29/2011 FuBbar – St Louis, MO
10/30/2011 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL
10/31/2011 I-Rock Nightclub – Detroit
11/01/2011 Alrosa Villa – Columbus, OH
11/02/2011 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
11/03/2011 Wreck Room – Toronto, ON
11/04/2011 Les Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC
11/05/2011 Rock Cafe Le Stage – Trois-Rivieres, QC
11/06/2011 L’Agitee – Quebec City, QC
11/08/2011 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
11/09/2011 Europa – Brooklyn, NY
11/10/2011 Championships – Trenton, NJ
11/11/2011 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
11/12/2011 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
11/13/2011 The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall – Charlotte, NC
11/14/2011 Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/15/2011 The Brass Mug – Tampa, FL

11/16/2011 The Engine Room – Tallahassee, FL
11/17/2011 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
11/18/2011 Korova/Goregrowler’s Ball – San Antonio, TX w/ Suffocation
11/19/2011 The Juggernaut – Gallup, NM *
11/20/2011 Orpheum Theatre – Flagstaff, AZ *

* = no Goatwhore

All Guts, No Glory marks EXHUMED‘s first new record in almost eight years and offers up 11 choice cuts of grinding death metal combined the raw ferocity of their legendary Slaughtercult album with the wild ambition of 2003’sAnatomy Is Destiny. As crimson concertos such as “Dis-assembly Line,” “As Hammer To Anvil,” and “Funereality” illustrate, All Guts, No Glory is EXHUMED‘s finest moment to date.

Check out “I Rot Within” HERE.