innish power metal heroes Sonata Arctica are
creeping up on the Oct. 7 release of The Ninth Hour, which also
happens to be their ninth studio album. The hyper-melodic outfit
have just unveiled the music video for the empowering new single
“Life.”
The song opens up with a bed of lush synths and a spotlight guitar
melody before the slightly energetic mid-tempo kicks
emphatically guide the folksy licks that follow. Scenes of gorgeous
greenery and a massive tree enter the fold, setting the tone for the
natural wonder that “Life” details. An elderly woman is then seen
caressing a toddler, which fades to a woman leading someone in a
field as they join hands. The clip also fades back to the woman and
toddler who link hands as well, furthering the powerful imagery
before the uplifting chorus takes over.
“I tried desperately to have at least one positive, uplifting song
on this album and maybe this is it,” remarked singer Tony Kakko. “I
always struggle writing positive lyrics, that’s the thing. We’ve
been called ‘happy metal’ many times because of the melodies and so
on, but lyrics are usually something that do not walk the sunny side
of the road. They contrast the music. ‘Life’ anyway, is telling
people to find good things in life, find the things hurting and
causing harm and replacing them with positive things with help of
friends. Go out and be together with people, share experiences,
live. I know it’s a dumb thing to say, but life is better alive.”
Pre-orders for The Ninth Hour can be placed through the Nuclear
Blast webshop or
digitally here.
Catch Sonata Arctica on their North American tour this fall, which
kicks off on Nov. 6 in Charlotte, N.C. A full list of stops can be
found at our 2016 Guide to Rock +
Metal Tours.
Past News
TODD RUNDGREN
NEW ALBUM ‘STATE’ & US TOUR
Prolific musical experimenter, premier league pop craftsman, tireless producer,
runt, wizard and true star Todd Rundgren will release his new studio album
‘STATE’ on the Esoteric Antenna label via Cherry Red on Tuesday, April 9th.
‘STATE’ is Rundgren’s 24th solo studio album (and that’s not including the 2
albums he recorded with his first band the Nazz, and the 9 albums he recorded
with his band Utopia!).
Todd’s latest musical vision is a fusion of rock, soul, r’n’b and electronica
that is at once danceable, groundbreaking, spiritual, challenging and
infectious.
The full tracklisting of the album is:
TODD RUNDGREN: ‘State’
Imagination
Serious
In My Mouth
Ping Me
Angry Bird
Smoke
Collide-A-Scope
Something From Nothing
Party Liquor
Sir Reality
To coincide with the release of ‘STATE’ Todd will set out on a world tour, which
will touch down the US in May.
The full list of shows is:
May 05 – Woodstock, N.Y., Bearsville Theater
May 08 – Norfolk, Conn., Infinity Hall
May 10 – New York, N.Y., The Gramercy Theatre
May 11 – Philadelphia, Pa., Trocadero Theatre
May 12 – Huntington, N.Y., The Paramount
May 14 – Kent, Ohio, The Kent Stage
May 15 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Rex Theater
May 16 – Columbus, Ohio, Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
May 18 – Cincinnati, Ohio, Bogart's
May 19 – Chicago, Ill., Park West
May 20 – Minneapolis, Minn., Varsity Theater
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Todd Rundgren began playing guitar as a
teenager, going on to front The Nazz, the quintessential `60s psychedelic pop
group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut
Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything? on which he played all the
instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that
catapulted Todd into the limelight prompting the media to dub him “Rock's New
Wunderkind.” It was followed by such landmark LPs as Todd, The Hermit of Mink
Hollow and A Wizard A True Star.
In 1974, Todd formed Utopia, who were on the cutting edge of progressive rock in
the 70s and developed into a very tidy power pop outfit into the 80s.
Rundgren's career as a producer has included seminal albums by The New York
Dolls, Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Hall And Oates and one
of the best selling albums of all time, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell. Sealing his
reputation as rock's Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics
for Joe Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's Up Against It (the
screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their
third motion picture), as well as the score for Dumb and Dumber and a number of
television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story.
Todd’s annual musical summer camp, this year celebrating his 65th birthday and
dubbed Toddstock v6.5, takes place near New Orleans on June 17-22.
SAXON PREPARE TO DELIVER THEIR LATEST ALBUM
SACRIFICE, ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2013
With a storming new stomp in their boots and a renewed, lithe swagger to
their legendary sound, Saxon will release “Sacrifice”, on Tuesday,
February 26th, 2013 through UDR. Taking a sharper, re-invigorated
approach to the production, on this, their 20th album, Saxon have
produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest and most inspired songs for
many-a-year, and a more than worthy successor to their last album “A
Call To Arms”.
“Less tricks, more power!” roars frontman and founding father Biff
Byford, “my brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid
to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”
The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced by
Byford with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann. It
fairly bristles with muscular metallic intent, Paul Quinn’s and Doug
Scarratt’s guitar work the best it’s ever been, while Biff’s vocals
sound fresher and livelier. The songwriting too harks back to a classic
era in Saxon’s history, with the likes of ‘Warriors Of The Road’,
‘Wheels Of Terror’ and ‘Stand Up And Fight’ evoking the halcyon days of
yore with a contemporary twist, the classic Saxon sound absorbing the
snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as
Megadeth, as evidenced by the crunching title cut ‘Sacrifice’.
“It’s certainly been done from a more early ‘80s thrashier perspective,”
explains Biff, “and it’s not just guitars bashing away willy-nilly,
they’ve got a fresh drive, purpose and perspective.”
Besides the new material, Saxon will also be adding some unique
recordings of revisited classic to certain formats of the release, also
produced by Byford and mastered by Andy Sneap, including an orchestrated
version of ‘Crusader’ and an acoustic version of ‘Frozen Rainbow’.
“From the songs to the production, I wanted to focus on the raw aspects
which made us great in the first place,” concludes Biff, “And living in
that rawness, combined with some great classic Saxon-songwriting, has in
my opinion made Saxon fresher than ever.”
Confirmed track listing:
01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made In Belfast
04. Warriors Of The Road
05. Guardians Of The Tomb
06. Stand Up And Fight
07. Walking The Steel
08. Night Of The Wolf
09. Wheels Of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue
Bonus Disc:
01. Crusader (Orchestrated version)
02. Just Let Me Rock (Re-recorded version)
03. Requiem (Acoustic version)
04. Frozen Rainbow (Acoustic version)
05. Forever Free (Re-recorded version)
Formats:
Formats:
• a limited edition deluxe digibook (including a bonus disc featuring
the revisited classic tracks)
UDR 0150 CD
• a standard jewel case CD
UDR 0152 CD
• a vinyl LP picture disc
UDR 0153 LP
• a Direct to Consumer (D2C) fan package (available exclusively for
online order from online retailers)
UDR 0156 D2C
• a digital download
UDR 0155
Alex Young's "Christmas Kiss" is a special Holiday medley produced to
provide relief, raise kid's spirits and brighten the holiday for those impacted by hurricane Sandy.
Funds raised through purchase of this song will provide toys and
blankets for children, through the holiday season, whose lives have been turned upside down by this terrible storm.
Blackmoore's Night to release A Knight
In New York
Ritchie Blackmore’s musical career is
branded by an uncompromising faithfulness to his own musical ideals: he
already distinguished himself as an ambitioned rock musician in Deep
Purple and Rainbow. For the past 15 years, Blackmore‘s Night has shown a
marked contrast to the two previously successful bands, making him one
of the few musicians who has successfully formed and performed in three
different musical genres. With “A Knight In York“, the third Blackmore’s
Night DVD release, Ritchie, Candice Night and their band of minstrels
take their devoted audience on a musical journey through the ages.
Recorded live on 30th September 2011, “A Knight In York“ will be out on
29th June 2012 (UK: 2nd July) on UDR/EMI and features identical track
listings in the following formats: Special DVD + CD digipack deluxe
edition; CD jewel case (audio), DVD, BluRay, double vinyl LP & digital
formats, plus a special limited edition “Fan Package” (details to follow
at www.udr-music.com).
THE BAND
Ritchie Blackmore: Electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, mandola,
hurdy – gurdy
Candice Night: Lead vocals, Renaissance wood winds, pennywhistles and
tambourine
Earl Grey of Chimay: Bass, rhythm guitar
Bard David of Larchmont: Keyboards and vocals
Squire Malcolm of Lumley: drums and percussion
Gypsy Rose: Violin and harmony vocals
Minstrel Albert: Various medieval woodwinds
Special Guest: Autumn
FORMATS
• DVD + CD + Blu-ray Digipack (CD rack size)
UDR0235 DVD+CD+BR
• CD (Jewel Case) - UDR 0204 CD
• Double Vinyl LP 12“ (Gatefold) - UDR 0205 LP
• Digital (audio) - UDR 0207
• Digital (video) - UDR 0208
• D2C - UDR 0209 BOX
TOUR DATES
10/25/12 US Tarrytown, NY - Music Hall
10/26/12 US Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater
10/28/12 US Wilmington, DE - World Café Live
11/02/12 US New York, NY - Concert Hall
TRACK LISTING
01 Locked Within The Crystal Ball
02 Gilded Cage
03 The Circle
04 Journeyman
05 World Of Stone
06 The Peasant‘s Promise
07 Toast To Tomorrow
08 Fires At Midnight
09 Barbara Allen
10 Darkness
11 Dance Of The Darkness
12 Dandelion Wine
13 All The Fun Of The Fayre
14 First Of May
HEAVY METAL THUNDER – THE MOVIE
SAXON TO RELEASE “HEAVY METAL THUNDER – THE MOVIE” ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER
20TH, 2012
The silver eagle has finally landed for audiences worldwide!
After enjoying a limited “Fan Club Only” UK release, Heavy Metal Thunder
– The Movie, Saxon’s wonderfully unfiltered and intimate account of
their ascent to the upper echalons of heavy metal, will finally enjoy an
international release this December. The double-disc set features the
soon-to-be-celebrated story of Saxon, while the second disc is packed
with bonus features including a full-length performance (on St. George’s
Day) from April 23rd, 2008. Rivetingly honest, and including the frank
memories of every musician who has played in the band, Heavy Metal
Thunder – The Movie pieces together the earliest incarnations of Saxon,
from frontman Biff Byford’s teenage years in the coalmines of Yorkshire
and Son Of A Bitch (the first incarnation of Saxon) all the way through
to top 10 hits and world tours. “Our music was more sort of machinery
banging together, wheels turning, machines making noise,” says Biff of
those early, industrial days, “It’s what Heavy Metal is all about. Heavy
Metal is all about hard, big sounds bashing your skull in. I used to
work in factories where big machinery made lot of noise and I used to
sing along to the noises they made.”
It is a documentary which looks for all the world as though it’s a
superbly crafted script, as much a tale of pure, honest, working class
triumph as just another Rock n’ Roll story. Heavy Metal Thunder – The
Movie shows every facet of Saxon on their journey without once diluting
the true characters who make up the band. “We basically played every
dump and shithole that there is in England over a period, probably just
short of eight years,” laughs Biff. “You know classic cliché of transit
van, up and down and we used to play more or less every night. One gig
might be a good paying gig and the other one might be no money or ten
quid but it was an obsession, you had to play every day.” These
wonderfully naïve young men sought nothing more than a great gig, a good
time and maybe a nice girl, before suddenly finding themselves on tour
in the US, exposed to the sorts of things which (quite frankly) Barnsley
simply didn’t offer in 1980. And from that point, Heavy Metal Thunder –
The Movie, takes the viewer on a journey on a Rock n’ Roller of a
journey encompassing it all from triumphs to tears to tea-bags and
beyond.
Nothing is forsaken and nothing skipped. Despite the fact that to this
day there remain problems between the Byford/Quinn and Oliver/Dawson
parties, everyone tells the full unedited Saxon story with heartfelt
honesty and integrity.
“We do have a great legacy,” says Byford, “whether you joined the band
in 1994 or (as) an original member. There’s a legacy there and I’ve
tried hard to not let people demean it and to spoil it and you have to
look after that thing that is Saxon.”
Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie will entertain, engage and charm fans
and non-fans alike. That’s a truth as honest as the film itself…
