Followers

Saturday, February 25, 2012

DELAIN Joined By Former AFTER FOREVER Guitarist


Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers DELAIN have issued the following update:

"Recently there have been some developments at the guitar department of DELAIN. Our band demands a huge amount of time and energy from our band members. Since our guitar player Timo [Somers] has a lot of musical activities besides DELAIN, we want to give him the time and space to pursue this as well. Until
now, that was not possible, but recently we received a huge

reinforcement in the band. Guitarist Bas Maas is joining in our group to relieve Timo for some shows this year. Some of you may know Bas from DORO or his previous band AFTER FOREVER. We want to give Bas a warm welcome in DELAIN. He will join us at our European tour, and a couple shows this spring. See you all on the road!"

DELAIN's third album, "We Are The Others", will be released later in the year via Roadrunner Records. Described as "the band's most powerful, most atmospheric and intoxicating album to date," the CD was helmed by producer Jacob Hellner — renowned for his work with RAMMSTEIN, CLAWFINGER and APOCALYPTICA — while the vocals were tracked with the Epicentre team of Fredrik Thomander and Anders Wikström (SCORPIONS, BACKYARD BABIES).

A new video interview with DELAIN frontwoman Charlotte Wessels about "We Are The Others" can be seen below (courtesy of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine).

DELAIN previously stated about "We Are The Others": "As you might expect from us, this album again offers some interesting collaborations, both in musical and visual terms.

"This record features none less than FEAR FACTORY shouter Burton C. Bell as a guest singer, and visual artist Glenn Arthur provided the cover artwork [see below].

"We met Burton at the Wacken Open Air festival a year ago and stayed in touch afterwards. When we were working on [the song] 'Where Is The Blood', we didn't hesitate to contact him for cooperation. He's done such an
amazing job on the song turning the song into a most violent duet; his
exceptional, raw voice fits perfectly to this song!

"The cover artwork was created by Glenn Arthur, a California-based visual artist whose work is inspired by art nouveau design and steampunk imagery. Charlotte [Wessels, vocals] is a big admirer of Glenn's work and she dedicated multiple blogs to his art.

"For the artwork of 'We Are The Others', we gave Glenn the lyrics to the song as inspiration.

"We're incredibly happy with how the cover turned out."

Added Charlotte: "From the first time I saw [Glenn's] work, I've been imagining it as cover artwork; something in the way his work is both esthetically very delicate, but always with a dark
undertone, fits our music very well."

"We Are The Others" track listing:

01. Mother Machine
02. Electricity
03. We Are The Others
04. Milk And Honey
05. Hit Me With Your Best Shot
06. I Want You
07. Where Is The Blood (feat. Burton C. Bell)
08. Generation Me
09. Babylon
10. Are You Done With Me
11. Get The Devil Out Of Me
12. Not Enough

At first glance, some songtitles on "We Are The Others" may sound mysterious and conspiratorial, but there is a very serious
background: The lyrics to the title track were inspired by the hate
crime against a British girl named Sophie Lancaster in 2007. She and her boyfriend were beaten comatose by a gang of youths, because of their goth looks, and Sophie later died from her injuries. This tragedy sent shockwaves throughout the world.

Commented Charlotte: "Sophie's story hit close to home for us, being part of a subculture ourselves
but it's in no way an individual case; people are discriminated against — all the time, to the point of violence — based on their cultural or
ethnic background everywhere.

"'We Are The Others' is our own 'outsiders anthem' for everybody who, deliberately or not, diverts
from the norm. Whether it's by looking different, acting different, or
choosing a different path in life then is expected from you."

DELAIN will embark on a European headlining tour in April with support from TRILLIUM, the metal project masterminded by American singer/songwriter Amanda Somerville.

THERION Announces '25th Anniversary Tour', New Studio Album

Swedish progressive/experimental metallers THERION will celebrate their 25th anniversary by embarking on a European tour in September/October. The trek, aptly dubbed the "25th Anniversary Tour", and will include the following dates:

Sep. 28 - NL - Eindhoven - Effenaar
Sep. 29 - NL - Groningen - Oosterpoort
Sep. 30 - B - Antwerp - Hof ter Loo
Oct. 01 - F - Paris - Bataclan
Oct. 04 - E - Madrid - Heineken
Oct. 05 - E - Barcelona - Razzmatazz 2
Oct. 06 - E - Bilbao - Rock Star
Oct. 07 - F - Toulouse - Bikini
Oct. 09 - F - Lyon - Transbordeur
Oct. 10 - CH - Pratteln - Z7
Oct. 11 - I - Trezzo d'Adda - Live Club
Oct. 12 - D - Glauchau - Alte Spinnerei
Oct. 13 - CZ - Zlin - Masters of Rock Café
Oct. 14 - CZ - Prague - DK Vlatvska
Oct. 15 - PL - Krakow - Club Studio
Oct. 16 - PL - Warsaw - Stodola
Oct. 17 - H - Budapest - Club 202
Oct. 19 - RO - Bucharest - Arenele Romane Tent
Oct. 20 - GR - Thessaloniki - Apothiki Mylos
Oct. 21 - GR - Athens - Gagarin 205

More shows will be added later.

In other news, THERION is currently working on its as-yet-untitled new studio album, to be released in September, shortly before the tour kicks off.

THERION's latest CD, "Sitra Ahra", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of
release. The CD landed at position No. 44 on the Top New Artist Albums
(Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and
developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top
100 of The Billboard 200.

"Sitra Ahra" was released in North America on October 26, 2010 through Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed at the legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm by Lennart Östlund (LED ZEPPELIN, ABBA). The cover artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard, who worked on all of the band's most recent releases in addition to collaborating with EDGUY, AVANTASIA, RAGE and HAMMERFALL, among others.

Grey Lady Down News

From the folks at Grey Lady Down:


Hi all

Just a quick line to let you know that Grey Lady Down will be hitting the road again in March for our first gig of the year... we're playing a double header with our good mates Crimson Sky at South Street Arts Centre in Reading on Saturday March 31st. Also on the bill is special guest John Mitchell who plays with just about every prog band ever!

South Street

Crimson Sky + Grey Lady Down + John Mitchell

Rock

Saturday 31 March, doors 7pm

Prognitive Development presents Crimson Sky and Grey Lady Down, who bring their own distinctive brands of progressive rock to South Street Arts Centre.

Formed in 2002, Crimson Sky launch their 10th anniversary stage show in Reading with a new line-up ahead of the release of the much-anticipated "New Horizons" EP, a follow-up to 2009’s popular "Misunderstood" album. Having previously shared the bill with such prog luminaries as Touchstone, Darwin’s Radio and Magenta at the Cambridge Rock Festival and the Peel at Kingston, the band is back in full force with its signature sound, and will be presenting new material as well as old favourites.

Seminal 90s prog band Grey Lady Down have reformed after a ten year hiatus. Regulars at London's Marquee and Astoria theatres, they were the first independent prog band to undertake a full scale tour of the USA in the 90s and their second album "Forces" was voted Classic Rock Society’s runner-up album of 1995. They celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2012 with a number of high profile shows throughout the UK. A new album, the band’s fifth studio release, will be released later in the year.

They are delighted to be joined by very special guest John Mitchell and MC Rob Ramsay from Tinyfish.

Tickets are just £10 and are available from www.readingarts.com/southstreet or on 0118 960 6060. The post code is RG1 7LA.

We expect to be playing a significant amount of new material at the show. Three new songs together adding up to nearly 30 minutes in length are now virtually complete - '24', 'Cold Black Heart' and one as yet as untitled. Rehearsals next month should certainly get them into a gig worthy shape! This also means that the new album which we hope to record later in the year is just about half written now...

We also have another show lined up for Sunday July 15th at the Robin 2 in Bilston with Solstice and Credo - more on that nearer the time.

You can find more information on our activities either at www.greyladydown.net or on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greyladydown - please sign up!

Most of our albums are now sold out, although we do still have copies of 'The Crime' and 'Star-Crossed'. We are however hoping to reissue many if not all of them to coincide with the release of the new album. In the meantime, all of them are available to download either at www.cdbaby.com or on iTunes.

Looking forward to seeing a good many of you in Reading on Saturday March 31st. Thanks for listening!

Best Wishes

Jules, Mark, Martin, Piers, Sean & Steve.

John Baker of MARS HOLLOW and Lisa LaRue of 2KX - wedding and contest details!!!

John Baker (Mars Hollow) and Lisa LaRue (Lisa LaRue 2KX) were married in a private ceremony on February 16, 2012 in Las Vegas!!! No, Elvis was not there.

A fun video showing pre-ceremony, the wedding itself, and other fun footage will be available as an online event for fans to watch very soon!! In addition, Mars Hollow and Lisa LaRue 2KX will be sponsoring TWO SEPARATE CONTESTS: one for the guys, and one for the gals. Since the wedding had only invisible guests, and friends and fans will be viewing as a special online event, here's how the contest will work:

GUYS: You have a chance to virtually catch Lisa LaRue's garter which John Baker is tossing out to one of you; you will also win a copy of the latest Mars Hollow CD "World in Front of Me" and the latest Lisa LaRue 2KX CD, "Fast and Blue." All you have to do is correctly answer the question below, email your answer by April 1 to the following email address: ukbthpo-BAKERLARUE@yahoo.com Winning entry for the guys will be chosen randomly by the groom and announced April 5, 2012. YOU MUST PUT "GARTER" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

GALS: You have a chance to virtually catch Lisa LaRue's tossing bouquet, and also win a copy of the latest Mars Hollow CD "World in Front of Me" and the latest Lisa LaRue 2KX CD, "Fast and Blue." All you have to do is correctly answer the question below, email your answer by April 1 to the following email address: ukbthpo-BAKERLARUE@yahoo.com Winning entry for the guys will be chosen randomly by the bride and announced April 5, 2012. YOU MUST PUT "BOUQUET" IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

The question is: What is the name of the song and artist for Lisa LaRue and John Baker's first dance?

The contest will open FEBRUARY 20, 2012 by watching the clip of the first dance which will be available on both Lisa LaRue and John Baker's Facebook pages, as well as www.lisalaruemusic.com

Pallas European Tour - Live Loreley DVD - Live Loreley mp3 album/download and FREE XXV Megamix

Scottish Proggers Pallas are kicking off 2012 with a European Tour to pick up where they left off in 2011 with storming performances at the High Voltage and Hard Rock Hell Festivals. Last year also saw the release of their highly acclaimed album XXV and a number of UK and mainland European shows.

The Tour dates are

Feb 24th The Classic Grand Glasgow with Special Guests Comedy of Errors

Feb 25th The Peel (House of Progression) Kingston upon Thames with Special Guest Matt Stevens

Feb 26th The Robin 2 Bilston with Special Guests Credo

Feb 28th Galery Pratteln Switzerland

Feb 29th Das Rind Russelsheim Germany

March 1st W2 Den Bosch Netherlands

March 2nd The Boerderij Zoetermeer Netherlands

March 3rd Spirit of 66 Verviers Belgium


To coincide with the tour Pallas will be releasing a live DVD and mp3 CD recorded at their show closing performance at the 2010 Loreley Night of The Prog Festival. The DVD and CD will be available at the live shows and from the Pallas website http://www.pallasxxv.com. Also as a special treat for fans the band have created a special edit of 3 tracks from XXV (Alien Messiah, XXV Part I and XXV Part II) that is available as a FREE download from the above website. On their return from Europe the band will be continuing work on the follow up to XXV and it is hoped that the album will be ready for release towards the end of this year.