Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Update 3/31/05

[Deathstroke]

Welcome to the 14th installment of the 2006 HR/HM Update.

I thought we'd start off this week with a look at Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. He's appearing on the third season of Deadwood playing a bodyguard. My guess is that it's a one shot thing, but there was no information available on exactly how many appearances he'll be doing.
http://www.anthrax.com/nfws/images/scottDeadwood.jpg

Album Of The Week

I've been playing it constantly since I got my hot hands on the disc to do a review for the Rock Is Life.com (http://www.rock-is-life.com) website. It's just a phenomenal piece of melodic rock done by one of the great purveyors of the genre. I'm speaking of the brand new Frontiers Records release from ex-Survivor keyboardist Jim Peterik, Above The Storm. I've been playing it two and three times a day at work and home and it just keeps getting better. It'll take some doing to find it if you don't order online, but if you like melodic rock, you won't be disappointed. You can read my review of the album HERE! (http://www.rock-is-life.com/2006reviews/abovethestorm.htm)

Stand out tracks include:

Live Life
Burning With A Reason
At This Time Of Night
Hiding From Yourself

My personal favorite is the song I turned into the theme for the youth league basketball team I coach on our march to the championship, "Stand And Be Counted."

Comings and Goings

The frontman for Therion has quit the death metal side project Demonoid. Story Link (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50133)

Seven Witches guitarist Jack Frost has added yet another band to his list of projects. He's joined the British band Marshall Law.

Stone Sour has split with drummer Joel Ekman.

Drummer Derek Roddy has left Hate Eternal.

Online CD Reviews

Cannibal Corpse - Kill (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=665)
Rammstein - Rosenrot (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=664)
Sodom - Sodom (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=663)
Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=662)

This Week's Rock N' Roll Interviews

Joe Satriani (http://www.metal-temple.com/interview.asp?id=289)
Bassist Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Armored Saint, more!) (http://www.fullinbloommusic.com/joey_vera.html)

Former Lynch Mob vocalist Oni Logan. (http://www.sleazeroxx.com/interviews/loganint.shtml)

Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford (http://www.rockdetector.com/interviews/artist,33344.sm?id=87)

Here's a 43 minute MP3 audio interview with Queensryche singer Geoff Tate. (http://streamos.rhino.com/download/rhino/podcasts/queensryche-extended.mp3)

Former Alice Cooper guitarist Kane Roberts. (http://www.rockeyez.com/interviews/int-roberts_kane.html)

Kittie vocalist/guitarist Morgan Lander (http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4476)

INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - Singer Glenn Hughes. (http://www.rockdetector.com/interviews/artist,3653.sm?id=88)

MUSIC SAMPLES OF THE WEEK

Check out these Melodicrock.com CD Showcases for the Hydrogyn album Bombshell (http://www.melodicrock.com/showcase/hydrogyn-bombshell.html) and the Last Autumn's Dream CD Winter In Paradise. (http://www.melodicrock.com/showcase/lastautumnsdream-winterinparadise.html)

Here's a couple of MP3 samples to check out!

Venom - "Antechrist" (http://www.melodicrock.com/audio/Venom01.mp3)
Rage - "No Regrets" (http://www.melodicrock.com/audio/Rage05.mp3)

You can check out two full length tracks from the Leatherwolf online. The songs are "Derailed" and "Dr. Wicked (Rx O.D.)." The first song is pretty good, but I didn't care much for the second one.

CD & DVD NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Swedish band Wolverine will release their new album Still on June 26th through Candlelight Records.

The track listing for the CD is:

01. A House Of Plague
02. Bleeding
03. Taste Of Sand
04. Nothing More
05. Sleepy Town
06. Liar On The Mount
07. Hiding
08. This Cold Heart Of Mine
09. And She Slowly Dies

Theatre Of Tragedy's new album Storm will be released in North America via Candlelight Records on June 27th.

The brand new studio album from All That Remains will called The Fall Of Ideals. It's due out on Prosthetic Records on July 11th.

Def Leppard's 12th studio album is due out May 23rd and will be entitled Yeah!. Check out the artwork below:
http://www.defleppard.com/news/images/2006_03_31.gif

Here's the details on the Alice Cooper DVD/CD package Live In Montreux 2005 due in the US on May 3rd. Story Link (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50233)

Unearth's III: In The Eyes Of Fire will hit shelves August 8th from Metal Blade Records.

The European release for the new Saxon live album The Eagle Has Landed Pt. III is set for June 6th via Steamhammer/SPV. It will be released in the US on June 27th. Details. (http://www.roadrun.com.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50303)

Powerman 5000 has signed with DRT Entertainment and will release their new album Destroy What You Enjoy in mid July 2006.

The new album from Godsmack will be called IV. It's due out April 25th through Republic/Universal. The exclusive Best Buy version will contain the bonus track "Safe And Sound," while the exclusive Target version has the bonus track "I Thought."

The track listing for the poor schlubs who just get the regular album is:

01. Livin' In Sin
02. Speak
03. The Enemy
04. Shine Down
05. Hollow
06. No Rest For The Wicked
07. Bleeding Me
08. Voodoo Too
09. Temptation
10. Mama
11. One Rainy Day

Century Media Records will release the new Strapping Young Lad album The New Black in July.

A new Cinderella compilation called Gold is due out April 25th. The track listing and other details are here. (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50406)

The track listing for the upcoming Cheap Trick album Rockford (due June 6th on Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big3 Records) is:

01. Perfect Stranger
02. If It Takes A Lifetime
03. Come On Come On Come On
04. O Claire
05. This Time You Got It
06. Give It Away
07. One More Day
08. Every Night And Every Day
09. Dream The Night Away
10. All Those Years
11. Decaf

[Deathstroke]

CD & DVD NEWS OF THE WEEK (continued)

Former Lynch Mob vocalist Oni Logan has a solo album out called Stranger In A Foreign Land. The track listing below contains an MP3 sample for you to check out.

01. When Will You Hear Me (http://www.melodicrock.com/audio/OniLogan01.mp3)
02. The Long Road
03. Bring Back The Days
04. Stranger In A Foreign Land
05. Blue Jean
06. The Monster In The Sea
07. Walking Through A Winterland
08. Damaged
09. My Part Of Town
10. I Remember Hollywood
11. Foolish Minds

Here's the artwork:
http://www.melodicrock.com/onilogan-strangerinaforeignland.jpg

The new Axel Rudi Pell album Mystica will be released June 2nd on SPV Records.

01. The Mysterious Return (Intro)
02. Fly To The Moon
03. Rock The Nation
04. Valley Of Sin
05. Mystica
06. Living A Lie
07. The Curse Of The Damned
08. Haunted Castle Serenade (Opus #4 grazioso e agresso)
09. Losing The Game
10. No Chance To Live

The cover art:
http://www.axel-rudi-pell.de/arp_mystica_frontweb.jpg

Frontiers Records will release two Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) solo albums on March 19th in Europe.

The first is the reissue of his album Instant Clarity.

The track listing:

01. Be True To Yourself
02. The Calling
03. Somebody Somewhere
04. Burned Out
05. New Horizons
06. Hunted
07. Always
08. Thanks A Lot!
09. Time's Passing
10. So Sick
11. Do I Remember A Life?
12. A Song Is Just A Moment (Originally a Japanese Bonus Track)
13. I Don't Deserve Love (New Bonus Track)
14. Sacred Grounds (New Bonus Track)
15. Can't Tell (New Bonus Track)

The artwork:

http://www.melodicrock.com/michaelkiske-instantclarity.jpg

The brand new Michael Kiske solo album Kiske is also due March 19th. The track listing below contains four audio samples to check out. (The samples are actually quite mellow, but decent nonetheless. "Painted" is the best one.)

01. Fed By Stones (http://www.frontiers.it/portals/0/kiske_01fedby.mp3)
02. All-Solutions (http://www.frontiers.it/portals/0/kiske_02allsolutions.mp3)
03. Knew I Would (http://www.frontiers.it/portals/0/kiske_03knew.mp3)
04. Kings Fall
05. Hearts Are Free
06. The King Of It All
07. Sing My Song
08. Silently Craving
09. Truly
10. Painted (http://www.frontiers.it/portals/0/kiske_10painted.mp3)
11. Sad As The World

The artwork:
http://www.melodicrock.com/michaelkiske-kiske.jpg

[Harry]

Jeez. ANOTHER Strapping Young Lad album?

[Deathstroke]

Jeez. ANOTHER Strapping Young Lad album?


I'm not really a fan of the band, but hey if you don't like them, you are free not to buy the album. :D

[Harry]

Actually, City's one of my favourite albums of all time. I was just commenting on the six year break between albums, and now we get three in what feels like two years.

[Deathstroke]

Actually, City's one of my favourite albums of all time. I was just commenting on the six year break between albums, and now we get three in what feels like two years.

Creativity burst I guess.

[DWEarhart]

Creativity burst I guess.

Don't forget the solo albums Devin Townsend records in between Strapping Youn Lad's downtime, plus the other two or three he produces for other bands. He's producing the new Gwar.

Gene has a side project as well, and Byron is still with Fear Factory, and Jed has a project line up. I can't recall what, but I read about it on his MySpace page.

These guys are machines.

[Deathstroke]

Here's some supplemental information that I didn't want to wait for next week to post.

The cover art for the upcoming Metalium DVD Metalian Attack - Part 2
http://www.metalium.de/pics/coverdvd2.jpg

Imagika has signed with Crash Music, Inc. and will release their new album My Bloodied Wings in North America on July 11th. The track listing below contains a full length clip of the song "Forever Darkened."

01. The Tongue Of Nyx
02. Hunter's Moon
03. Second Coming
04. Throw The Horns
05. Heart Of Icarus
06. Weaken
07. The Darkest Of All Secrets
08. Inhuman
09. One More Day
10. Forever Darkened (http://www.imagikametal.com/imagika-my-bloodied-wings-forever-darkened.mp3)
11. My Bloodied Wings

Roadrunner Records will release the new Black Label Society album Shot To Hell on July 3rd.

Europe will start recording a new studio album soon for a targeted October/November release.

The Irish folk metal band Cruachan has a new album tentatively due out in June from Black Lotus Records. The title of the CD is The Morrigan's Call.

01. Shelob
02. The Brown Bull Of Cooley
03. Coffin Ships
04. The Great Hunger
05. The Old Woman In The Woods
06. Ungoliant
07. The Morrigan's Call
08. Teir abhail Ru
09. Wolfe Tone
10. The Very Wild Rover
11. CuChulainn
12. Diarmuid And Grainne

[Spike-X]

Def Leppard's 12th studio album is due out May 23rd and will be entitled Yeah!. Check out the artwork below:
http://www.defleppard.com/news/images/2006_03_31.gif



Nooooo!!!!

Please let this be an April Fool's prank...

[Deathstroke]

Nooooo!!!!

Please let this be an April Fool's prank...


It's not an April Fool's prank. That's the cover for the album of covers.

[Spike-X]

It's a covers album? Dare I even ask what songs they will be butchering?

[DonC]

"Exclusive bonus songs" suck. Literally. If they were good enough, they would be on the actual album.


So does that Def Leppard cover.

[Deathstroke]

It's a covers album? Dare I even ask what songs they will be butchering?


Track Listing Link (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=50392)

[Spike-X]

"Hanging On The Telephone" - originally recorded by THE NERVES in 1977, and BLONDIE in 1978 - never realised Blondie's version was a cover.

"No Matter What" - originally recorded by BADFINGER in 1970 - Nooooooooo!!!

"Stay With Me" - originally recorded by FACES in 1971 - see above

[Hiromi]

It's a covers album? Dare I even ask what songs they will be butchering?

Keep in mind the band started out as a Thin Lizzy cover band, so this isn't exactly new territory for them.

[Deathstroke]

Here's the cover art for the Nightwish DVD/CD End Of An Era

http://www.nightwish.com/images/news/eoae.jpg

[DonC]

Am I the only one amazed 'Stroke hasn't mentioned that Operation: mindcrime II comes out on Tuesday?

[Deathstroke]

Am I the only one amazed 'Stroke hasn't mentioned that Operation: mindcrime II comes out on Tuesday?

Probably, but what might amaze you even more is that I HAVE IT ALREADY!


Forgive the Stuart Scott impression, but

BOO YAH!

And I'll have a review of it next week. Can you feel the excitement?

[Core]

Forgive the Stuart Scott impression, but

BOO YAH!

And I'll have a review of it next week. Can you feel the excitement?

Not to spoil your review, but I take it by this post that you like it.

Safe assumption?

[Deathstroke]

Not to spoil your review, but I take it by this post that you like it.

Safe assumption?


The Boo Yaa was refering to the fact that I have the disc in my possession, not that I've listened to it.

I won't listen to it until at least tomorrow.

I've done a pretty good job of avoiding listening to anything from the album so that I can hear it in order for the first time as I get set to take notes for the review.

[Core]

The Boo Yaa was refering to the fact that I have the disc in my possession, not that I've listened to it.

I won't listen to it until at least tomorrow.

I've done a pretty good job of avoiding listening to anything from the album so that I can hear it in order for the first time as I get set to take notes for the review.

You've got more self-restraint than I would, if I were to have an advance copy.

In any case, I look forward to the review.

[Deathstroke]

You've got more self-restraint than I would, if I were to have an advance copy.

In any case, I look forward to the review.

It's less about restraint than it is about having the time to do it yesterday.

[Deathstroke]

Here's the artwork for the new Cheap Trick album Rockford.

http://www.melodicrock.com/cheaptrick-rockford.jpg