Posted in Press Releases

ENSIFERUM, THE highly visual troupe who’ve long been a market leader when it comes to stirring, armour-plated anthems, will have their fifth studio album released through the Spinefarm label on August 27th 2012.

Titled ‘Unsung Heroes’ and produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, Sentenced, Apocalyptica, etc.), this is the hour-plus follow-up to 2009’s ‘From Afar’, and sees the Finnish five-piece – founded in 1995 – pushing their signature sound to bold new heights of drama and excess.

A cinematic experience from first note to last , ‘Unsung Heroes’ takes the listener on a journey of genuine light & shade, with the 16 minute-plus ‘Passion Proof Power’ showing that when it comes to the epic statement, Ensiferum are very much in the front-line, swords at the ready.

“We’ve tri...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Universal Music Catalogue’s new “Re-presents” label takes well known and loved albums from decades gone and releases them in a new form. This release is Swing Out Sister’s 1987 album ”It’s better to travel”. The album spent 21 weeks in the charts and reached the number one spot. The album contained two top ten hit singles – ”Breakout” which reached number 4 in the charts spending 14 weeks in the charts, and ”Surrender” which spent 8 weeks in the charts and reached number 7. The album achieved platinum sales status and earned the band two Grammy nominations (‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo’ for Breakout.).
Despite the band’s subsequent releases failing to achieve much chart success, the band managed to release ten albums plus two live al...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Ben Glover comes from Glenarm, Co Antrim, a small coastal village 30 miles from Belfast, Northern Ireland and splits him time between there and Nashville, Tennessee, where he recorded his latest album. This new album (his fourth) was originally planned to be a five song EP, but the sessions went so well that more tracks were written and recorded and a full length album created.
Ben Glover has toured or performed with artists including Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Mary Gauthier, Jason Mraz and Tift Merritt. His songs have been used in feature films such as “Finding Joy,” hit webisode series “Adults Only,” and as the theme song for BBC N.Ireland sports programme ”The Championship”...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Blackmore’s Night is the medieval folk rock band formed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and his singer wife, Candice Night. Playing folk rock and taking medieval influences such as stage outfits as well as traditional songs, the band blend these with an electric guitar based rock sound which gives the bands quite a distinct sound. Ritchie Blackmore plays the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, mandola, and hurdy gurdy, while Candice Night is equally versatile, performing the vocals as well as plaing pennywhistles, tambourine, and Renaissance woodwind instruments. Along with the rest of the band they play Renaissance fairs in the US and also do their own tours...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”The Kinks at the BBC” is as the name suggests, an album of material by The Kinks that has been primarily taken from the BBC archives. It’s a pretty impressive collection – Five CD’s, one DVD and a book, and at just under £40 is pretty good value when you look how much is included.

The collection was put together from the BBC archive material and also by inviting contributions from fans. The BBC often used to wipe tapes after they were broadcast which has meant that many classic programmes were lost for ever. However, thanks to fans recording broadcasts at home a lot of gems have been reclaimed here for this set.

The collection spans a long period of time – from 1964 to 1977 (plus a few bits from 1994) and includes interviews as well as live performances...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Hard rock n’ roll, or American punk/pop-rock influence? Its not easy to exactly draw the line in the music of Solity.

Solity’s first album came out in this april, but despite the fact that its the debut disk of these guys, in the style there is an explicit feeling of determinism and professionalism.

Soft melodies for the hard music
Songs can not exactly classified- its a kind of nowadays really „in vogue” style, mixing the different melodies of eras and areas. Solity follows the trend pretty well, but they spread some extra spice by adding soft and hard effects as initial sounds inside the tracks. These are those sides, where blues, boogie, or different soft rock n’roll elements could appears, not only additional.
Basic is the American style with the Swedish feeling…

„Booze, b...

Posted in Interviews

En gång lämnade jag KB strax efter att huvudakten gått på scen. Inte för att det var ett dåligt band men efter supportbandets rasande framfart tedde sig kvällens affischnamn som ett blekt och sömnigt viskollektiv.
Vilket huvudbandet var tänker jag inte tala om men de som stal showen, som spelade skiten ur publiken, som gjorde kvällen extra minnesvärd var ”The Forsaken”.
Nu har de efter åtta års tystnad ruskat liv i sig och idag släpper de come-backplattan ”Beyond Redemption” på Massacre Records.

Under uppehållet har Stefan Holm lämnat och Calle Fäldt tillkommit i sättningen. Han och Patrik Persson sköter tillsammans gitarrlirandet. Det är också han som får föra bandets talan idag och som bjuder på kaffe i hemmet i skånska Staffandstorp...

Posted in Press Releases

Universal Music Catalogue’s “Re-presents” label takes well known and loved albums from decades gone and quite literally re-presents them in a fresh, new form. Each 2CD package features the original album as it was in its entirety and will be crammed full of other exciting material including original B-sides, alternative mixes, extended versions and edits – many of which have never before appeared on CD – A sure way to whet the appetites of seasoned fans and new discoverers to these classic records alike.

Swing Out Sister’s 1987 chart-topping debut ‘It’s Better To Travel’ is a warmly organic collection of electronic pop that sets itself apart with its use of real strings and horns as well as lead singer Corinne Drewery’s much-loved and recognisable vocals...

Posted in Press Releases

Swedish indie-troupe Simian Ghost’s latest album, “Youth”, received substantial critical acclaim when it hit the shops in March. The latest single to be taken from the record “Automation” is a true highlight from that record, a blissed-out slice of perfect pop, with hushed vocals leading into a twinkling and memorable chorus. If the sun ever decides to come out this Summer, then the band might just try and claim credit.

Simian Ghost’s success begain last year when the band, a live trio led by Sebastien Arnstrom, toured Sweden and shared stages with the likes of Mount Kimbie, SBTRKT and Niki and the Dove to name but a few...

Posted in Press Releases

Chris Helme, who first rose to prominence as the front man of John Squire’s post-Stone Roses band ‘The Seahorses’ will release his brand new solo album on August 27th. Still rightfully remembered for the anthemic Britpop classics Love Is The Law and Blinded By The Sun – songs that evoked everything the 90’s stood for, the excitement, the culture and the bands that provided a voice in a period of political and social imbalance. Present day societal context may well in fact mirror those times but the man himself, now, appears cut from an entirely different cloth.

Helme’s is an enviable back catalogue, bolstered further by his acclaimed works with The Yards, but it’s The Rookery’s knack for melody and imaginative, intricate, three-way guitar interplay that brings each track to such l...