WASTEFALL To Release 'Meridiem' EP In April

 

"Meridiem", the long-awaited new EP from reactivated Greek progressive metallers WASTEFALL, will be released on April 12. You will be able to purchase it via iTunes, Amazon MP3, Deezer, Google Play, Xbox Music and many other digital stores. You will also be able to obtain a copy through the official WASTEFALL site, which is going to be launched very soon. Limited physical copies will be available sometime after the digital release.

"Meridiem" EP track listing:

01. Recycle The Elite
02. Hearts In The Gutter
03. Vulturnus
04. The Poetics Of Flight
05. Revolution Jar

WASTEFALL will film a video for the song "Hearts In The Gutter" on March 23-24 with the LensOrama visual team. The final clip will make its online debut on April 12.

WASTEFALL will kick off the "To The South" Greek tour on April 19 in Kalamata.

WASTEFALL recently amicably parted ways with keyboardist Christos Kyrkilis. The group stated: "Since Domenik [Papaemmanouil, guitar/vocals] is more than efficient, he is going to take charge the
keyboards concerning the studio recordings. It's better for the
chemistry of the band to remain as a quartet."

Since drummer Kostis Papalexopoulos is still in exile in London, WASTEFALL recruited Konstantinos Galimis (AGNOSIA, ex-RAVENCULT) as his replacement.

WASTEFALL's third album, "Self Exile", was released in 2006 via Sensory Records. The CD was mixed and mastered by Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, TNT, JORN LANDE) at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark.

FATES WARNING announces US tour this winter; set to enter studio in April for new album

FATES WARNING announces US tour this winter; set to enter studio in April for new album

The wait is over, and one of the premier bands of the American progressive metal movement is back! FATES WARNING are proud to announce that they will enter the studio in April to begin tracking on a new studio album - their first album of new material in nine years, and their first studio release for InsideOut Music. The U.S. run will launch November 15 in Joliet, IL and wrap December 14 in Seattle, WA. The band's 11th studio album is set for a fall release, and will feature founding guitarist Jim Matheos, classic lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitars), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek. Tickets for the band's long-awaited winter tour will be available for purchase starting March 27 - please see below for all FATES WARNING US tour dates (European and South American dates will be announced soon), and check venue websites for complete details: FATES WARNING tour dates Nov. 15--Joliet, IL--Mojoe's Nov. 16--Detroit, MI--Harpos Nov. 17--Louisville, KY--Diamond Pub & Billiards Nov. 18--Cleveland, OH--Peabody's   Nov. 20--Toronto, ONT--Mod Club Nov. 21--Poughkeepsie, NY--The Chance Nov. 22--Hartford, CT--Webster Theater Nov. 23--New York, NY--The Studio @ Webster Hall Nov. 24--Clifton, NJ--Dingbatz            Nov. 26--Amityville, NY--Revolution Nov. 27--Lancaster, PA--Chameleon Club      Nov. 30--Spartanburg, SC--Ground Zero Dec. 1--Atlanta, GA--Masquerade       Dec. 3--Houston, TX--Scout Bar Dec. 4--San Antonio, TX--Backstage Live Dec. 5--Dallas, TX--Trees Dec. 7--Phoenix, AZ--Rocky Point Cantina Dec. 8--San Diego, CA--Brick By Brick Dec. 10--Los Angeles, CA--The Whisky Dec. 11--San Francisco, CA--DNA Lounge Dec. 13--Portland, OR--Hawthorne Theater Dec. 14--Seatlle, WA--Studio Seven FATES WARNING online: http://facebook.com/FatesWarning http://www.FatesWarning.com/

PORTNOY, KOTZEN, SHEEHAN Project Gets Name; Debut Album Due In May

 

THE WINERY DOGS, the new project featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), will release its debut album in May in Japan via Victor Entertainment. Release dates for other territories have not yet been announced.

THE WINERY DOGS' CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER. Sheehan previously stated about the effort: "I'm really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It's a] really cool, unique record."

At the end of 2011, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio in 2011, their
vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to
blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.

During an interview that aired on the July 13, 2012 edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, "I love John personally, and we get along great — he's a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an
album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar
and move forward and get them done, and John's kind of just a 'wait, wait, wait' guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, 'Look, let's do something.' And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he's an
unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a
phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think
people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he's really capable of."

When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, "It's a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early '70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It's in that vein; it's kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But
on top of it all you've got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so... And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing."

FATES WARNING To Enter Studio In April, Tour U.S. In The Fall

 

One of the premier bands of the American progressive metal movement is back! FATES WARNING will enter the studio in April to begin recording its new studio album — its first collection of new material in nine years, and its debut
release for InsideOut Music. The band's 11th studio CD is set for a fall release and will feature founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek.

FATES WARNING will embark on a U.S. tour in November. The trek will launch November
15 in Joliet, Illinois and wrap December 14 in Seattle, Washington.
Tickets will be available for purchase starting March 27.

FATES WARNING tour dates

Nov. 15 - Joliet, IL - Mojoe's
Nov. 16 - Detroit, MI - Harpos
Nov. 17 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub & Billiards
Nov. 18 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Nov. 20 - Toronto, ONT - Mod Club
Nov. 21 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Nov. 22 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
Nov. 23 - New York, NY - The Studio @ Webster Hall
Nov. 24 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
Nov. 26 - Amityville, NY - Revolution
Nov. 27 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
Nov. 30 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
Dec. 01 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Dec. 03 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
Dec. 04 - San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live
Dec. 05 - Dallas, TX - Trees
Dec. 07 - Phoenix, AZ - Rocky Point Cantina
Dec. 08 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
Dec. 10 – West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Dec. 13 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Dec. 14 - Seatlle, WA - Studio Seven

FATES WARNING tapped Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, TRANSATLANTIC, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) to sit behind the kit for their first-ever visit to South America as special guests for QUEENSRŸCHE on April 14, 2012 at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. Multi-camera
fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The "Parallels" lineup of FATES WARNING played a number of shows in 2010 in support of the released special edition of the album, which was made available through Metal Blade Records. In addition to remastered audio, there is a second audio disc of live
and demo material. The package also includes a DVD with nearly three
hours of material, including a complete live show from the 1992 "Parallels" tour and a documentary on the making of "Parallels" which includes live, studio, and current day interview footage with all the band members, Terry Brown (producer) and Brian Slagel (CEO of Metal Blade Records).

FATES WARNING's latest CD, "X", was released in 2004 on Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2000's "Disconnected" was recorded at Carriage House studios in Stamford, Connecticut and features cover artwork by renowned record-cover artist Ioannis (DREAM THEATER, SEPULTURA, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, KING CRIMSON, BIOHAZARD, VOIVOD, UFO, OVERKILL).

AYREON reveals new album title

AYREON reveals new album title

It's been quiet in the AYREON camp for the past couple of months, but Arjen Lucassen has broken his silence to reveal that the title of the eagerly anticipated forthcoming new album will be The Theory Of Everything, and that it will be a double album! Aiming for a tentative release at the end of this year, Arjen had this to say about the album's progress: "I've finished recording demos of the music, and am now about halfway finished with the lyrics. It's going to be a double album, so there is a lot to write! It's extra challenging as well, because lyrically I've left the old AYREON universe behind and have to create a new one from scratch. I'm really excited about the line-up and how everything is PROGressing so far." Watch out for more information on the forthcoming new AYREON album later in the year! Arjen Lucassen online: www.arjenlucassen.com www.facebook.com/ArjenLucassenOfficial www.twitter.com/arjenlucassen