News Bytes For September

• A U.K. reunion tour in February/March 2010 is now planned with Jobson, Wetton, Marco Minnemann on drums (from UKZ) and Greg Howe (Victor Wooten, Vitalij Kuprij, Michael Jackson) on guitar.
• Opeth front man Mikael Åkerfeldt is planning to record a singer/songwriter styled solo album according to the Finnish rock mag Sound. He says that discovering Nick Drake has really expanded his musical world view and made him understand the power of such acoustic simplicity. He says he could well make it an Opeth album but this time he wants to do everything by himself and record the songs at home. There is no set date of release. (PA)
• On September 1, 2009, Livgren suffered a stroke early in the day. His condition was reported as "serious, but stable. By September 4, family members called his condition positive and said his progress in recovering was encouraging. Livgren underwent surgery and received two stents in his carotid arteries. The area of his brain in which the stroke-causing clot formed deals with language and other high-end skills. Livgren's family says his face did not have the "sagging" often found in stroke victims, he recognized family members, and would squeeze their hands in recognition. The family established the Kansas band website as the only authorized source for information on Livgren's recovery.

Abigail's Ghost To Release DVD In 2010 From ROSFest

The band has announced plans to release a DVD entitled Abigail's Ghost Live_RoSfest_2009 in January of next year. It captures the band's May 2009 performance at ROSfest and includes a set list that spans both albums.

The DVD will also include a Photo Gallery of the concert and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of d_letion. There is a preview clip of the DVD posted on YouTube.

Preview Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly6S3CQ_g3I

Shadow Gallery To Release New Album In October

The Shadow Gallery new album Digital Ghosts will be released October 26th (Europe) and November 3rd (North America) via the InsideOutMusic label.
SHADOW GALLERY, widely considered a major and innovative force within the realms of progressive rock and metal, have returned with their 6th studio effort “Digital Ghosts”.
After the tragic passing of lead singer Mike Baker in October 2008, “Digital Ghosts” introduces new lead singer Brian Ashland and not only sees the entire band once again sharing additional vocal duties but also features guest vocal appearances by Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) and Clay Barton (Suspyre) to compliment the release. With “Digital Ghosts”, Shadow Gallery's members Brendt Allman, Carl Cadden-James, Gary Wehrkamp, new addition Brian Ashland and returning drummer Joe Nevolo (who appears on two songs of the record) have focused their powerful energies on creating a seamless blend of progressive, metal, and symphonic rock as a transcendent work of musical art that advances the boundaries of these genres into new directions.
Guitarist / Keyboardist Gary Wehrkamp comments on “Digital Ghosts” as follows:
“As a band, we are thrilled to have new music to share with everyone. This album is a dedication to our wonderful fans, and also to the memory of our singer and friend Mike Baker.
We had to deal with a few tragic events during the course of this recording, but pressing on we approached the production the way we always do: Trying to provide our very best. We had a terrific time making this record and hope all the emotion and love we put into it endures, transcends and touches every one who is ready for it.
You can expect some shades of a new direction on this record. We had long been trying to incorporate more prog elements and the time was right to stretch out a little bit, while remaining true to the heavy and powerful rock based songs that have been a staple of SHADOW GALLERY since the earliest days”.

The track-listing for the album reads as follows:
SHADOW GALLERY – “Digital Ghosts”:
1. With Honor
2. Venom
3. Pain
4. Gold Dust
5. Strong
6. Digital Ghost
7. Haunted
Two small first video teasers for “Digital Ghosts” can be viewed on the band’s youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/shadowgallerymusic
More details as well as music samples for “Digital Ghosts” will be available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, please visit:
http://www.shadowgallery.com
http://www.myspace.com/officialshadowgallery
http://www.insideout.de