Posted in Interviews

I spoke to Seeb from Orden Ogan to talk about their new album and touring plans…..

Festivalphoto: OK for anyone who hasnt listened to Orden Ogan before, can you tell us a bit about the band?

Seeb: We’re melodic power metal sort of band with orchestrations. We’ve got our new record ”To the end” coming out on AFM records. It’s our third album.

Festivalphoto: Your new album, ”To the end” is due for release at the end of October. Can you tell us a bit about the album?

Seeb: It’s got a loose kind of concept about let’s say after the end of the world, so the world is not five to twelve anymore but twelve to five, and its basically another ice age, and a lot of the songs are loosely connected with this ice topic but it can also be metaphorical – emotional coldness and whatever...

Posted in Press Releases

The waiting is (almost) over! Sziget tickets are already available at some
official retail partners, while the renewed Sziget central ticket webshop will
open on 7 November. Till then, please make sure you vote at the European
Festival Awards!

Sziget organizers are happy to report that the ticket sales period has officially started
today, so some of the official sales partners already have fresh new Sziget tickets on
their shelves. This year the Sziget team decided to change the service provider of the
central e-ticketing system and the renewed webshop will celebrate its debut on 7
November. The development of the webshop is ongoing, so if you have any technical
feedback, please send them to the ticketing helpdesk.

7 November is a big occasion, as the voting for the European Festival Award...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Ratpack Records/Playground

To DOKKEN or not to DOKKEN… In the wake of what surely will be the last (Don) DOKKEN album, remaining originals George Lynch, guitars, Jeff Pilson, bass, and “Wild” Mick Brown (doubling in both versions) do a version of their own, scantily clad as T&N (“Tooth and Nail” as you have already gathered). On the vocal front many apparently wanted in as they are joined by Tim “Ripper” Owens, Doug Pinnick, Sebastian Bach, and Robert Mason (WARRANT). The drumming is for some reason augmented by WHITESNAKE and FOREIGNER hot shot Brian Tichy. Is this a temporary cash in, an act of defiance or a true return to form?

Opener “Slave to the Empire” sure reminds me of the opener “Empire” on the latest DOKKEN effort...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Magic Circle Music/Playground Music

12 studio albums on, MANOWAR are still at war, not far away from their warrior looks and still ageing. This album has already been out, as a Hammer Edition, which Joey Demaio, bass, explains with the fact that many movies have two versions, and that MANOWAR are no different. As a surprise, they have written two songs as homage to Ennio Morricone and the Sylvester Stallone movie The Expendables. Nuff said, since you all know what to expect, let´s check this eagerly awaited disc out.

The title track opens the disc, as it should be, and in doing so proves itself to be a surefire hit...

Posted in Press Releases

Rainbow are set to release Deluxe Reissues of On Stage and Long Live Rock N’ Roll this November.

Rainbow, lead by the guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, became synonymous with some of the most well regarded and popular charting Rock songs of the seventies and eighties. From ‘Stargazer’ and ‘Man On A Silver Mountain’ to ‘All Night Long’, ‘Long Live Rock And Roll’ and ‘Since You Been Gone’, each year in the decade of Rainbow was marked by some of the best songs and performances captured both on record and in concert.

Passing through the band were some of the best the genre had to offer...

Posted in Interviews

Blodarv från danska ön Bornholm är black metal. Black metal sprungen ur ideologi, övertygelse och säregen begåvning. Dessutom stinker det ordentligt på deras spelningar!

På Bornholm bor det drygt 40 000 människor och jag tar mig dit på knappt en-och en halv timme med färjan från Ystad. Hugin, som bildade Blodarv är född och bosatt på ön. Vi har stämt möte i foajén på mitt hotell via mail och när han undrade hur han skulle känna igen mig svarade jag att jag förmodligen är den enda som bär en Mayhem-tröja, varpå han replikerade något i stil med:
– Du kommer att förstå vem jag är.
Det gör jag direkt jag ser honom och hade gjort i vilken folksamling som helst då han rör sig med remarkabel pondus och utstrålar en öppenhet som är ovanlig...

Posted in Press Releases

The fans have had to wait for 8 years but on Monday (22nd) the new WINTERSUN Album ”TIME I” will finally be released via Nuclear Blast!
To shorten the wait, the band is currently streaming the whole album on their homepage and they have also revealed all lyrics to the songs.

Direct link to the stream: http://www.wintersun.fi/album-stream

The band will also be headlining the HEIDENFEST tour 2012.
Here you can find all info, dates, running orders and more: www.heidenfest.eu

“TIME I” track listing:

1. When Time Fades Away
2. Sons of Winter and Stars
I Rain of Stars
II Surrounded by Darkness
III Journey Inside a Dream
IV Sons of Winter and Stars
3. Land of Snow and Sorrow
4. Darkness and Frost
5. Time

The bonus DVD includes:

1. Land Of Snow And Sorrow (Live At Rehearsals, Helsinki)
2...

Posted in Press Releases

We at Nuclear Blast are extremely excited to welcome extraordinary Swedish rockers, FREE FALL, to our ever-growing family!
Commented the band: ”We believe that the deal FREE FALL made today with Nuclear Blast will be a significant step towards our quest to liberate people through Freedom Rock; World domination through Power and Volume!”
FREE FALL features well known Swedish musicians Mattias Bärjed (guitar, SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES) and Ludwig Dahlberg (drums, INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY) who set out to create their own style in rock music: FREEDOM ROCK!
The bands debut album, ’Power & Volume’ is scheduled for an early 2013 release. A first impression of what their freedom rock is all about will be due on November 30, 2012 when the band releases the 7″ single of the albums title track...

Posted in Press Releases

Californian up-and-comers HOLY GRAIL – vaunted for their innovative ’NWoBHM’ mixture of styles and talked about as L.A.’s most exciting metal band of the past two decades – have recently inked a European deal with Nuclear Blast Records!
The band sent a greeting message to all their fans in Europe: http://bit.ly/QShPKn

With their upcoming second studio album entitled “Ride The Void”, HOLY GRAIL will be vaulted to new heights of glory! The record is set to be released in Europe via Nuclear Blast on the 21/01/13 as a limited CD version incl. bonus track, a black 2LP version and a strictly limited clear 2LP version.

The track-listing reads as follows:

01. Archeus
02. Bestia Triumphans
03. Dark Passenger
04. Bleeding Stone
05. Ride The Void
06. Too Decayed To Wait
07. Crosswinds
08...

Posted in Press Releases

Helsinki Vampires, THE 69 EYES, have just confirmed a UK Date to add to their already extensive European 2012/2013 tour for February 12th at Islington O2 Academy!

After the spectacular release of latest studio album ’X’, which hit the Finnish charts on position #4 and #47 in Germany in its first week, singer ’Jyrki’ said,

”Twenty years and ten albums later: THE 69 EYES’ loyal fanpires are standing strong! Our new album is as timeless as ever. Just goth’n’roll. Thank you people and see you on tour soon!”