NIGHTWISH Signs New Deal With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have inked a new European deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's new album, "Imaginarium", will be released in December. The U.S. version of the CD will be made available through Roadrunner Records.

Commented NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen: "We are very happy to continue working with the Nuclear Blast family! Our collaboration started on a friendship basis and continues to do so.

"I was utterly happy and relieved to see they truly understood what 'Imaginarium' is all about, and we seem to share similar profound enthusiasm towards it. I feel privileged working with such people who, despite the infinite maze of business they must handle properly, still have a huge heart for
music itself. " Added Andy Siry, head of A&R and label manager of Nuclear Blast: "We are very happy that NIGHTWISH and Nuclear Blast Records can continue as a team.

"NIGHTWISH became the biggest success of our label and everyone in the band, their management and crew also became trustful and close friends. For us, it is a pleasure to work with such highly gifted musicians and a genius like Tuomas Holopainen, as a songwriter and composer. We also thank King Foo Entertainment [NIGHTWISH's management company] for their belief and the great relationship between all of us.

"We are looking forward to the next releases with the band, starting with the upcoming masterpiece, 'Imaginarium', which is another big step for this visionary band, which is simply outstanding and brilliant."

NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to its new album, "Imaginarium", but also planning a movie of the same name. If all goes well, the film will arrive at some point in 2012.

NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginarium" world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.

Pictured below (left to right): Michael Langbein (Nuclear Blast), Toni Peiju (King Foo), Markus Klumpp (Nuclear Blast), Yorck Eysel (Nuclear Blast), Patrick Walch (Nuclear Blast), Andy Siry (Nuclear Blast), Ewo Pohjola (King Foo), Tuomas Holopainen (NIGHTWISH), Markus Wosgien (Nuclear Blast), Uwe Dannenmann (Nuclear Blast), Holger Tiefenbach (Nuclear Blast), Tobias Pfletschinger (Nuclear Blast)

RHAPSODY OF FIRE: 'The Cold Embrace Of Fear' To Receive North American Release In January

Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE will release an epic monument called "The Cold Embrace Of Fear - A Dark Romantic Symphony" in North America on January 25, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was issued in Europe in October.

Commented RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli: "For this special CD we composed a unique song of around 35 minutes divided in seven 'acts.'

"Looking at the title, you can easily imagine that such long and epic song will show the most cinematic and orchestral side of our band, all our passion for the world of cinema we love so much and that always represented our main influence while composing the RHAPSODY's music.

"Essentially it is a long huge song, sounding very symphonic, full of orchestral sections very soundtrack-oriented, narrations and spoken parts. More than in other cases we tried to create a real movie atmosphere with very dynamic musical results, also thanks to the help of the English actors that gave voice to different charachters. You will just need to close your eyes and explore those new emotional dimensions we wrote the music for."

The lyrics of this monumental, epic symphony are based on the "dark secret saga" and represent a new chapter, directly connected to the band's latest album, "The Frozen Tears Of Angels".

Luca: "After the long journey to the icy frozen northlands at the borders of the known world, while facing concrete natural obstacles and the inner demons lying in the depths of their conscience, the five main charachters reach the ancient gothic fortress of Har-Kuun, a real monument of evil trapped between ice and snow, the mystic place where the Erian's book could be finally found.

"'The Cold Embrace Of Fear' tells about the entrance of those bravehearts in the ancestral world of Har-Kuun and the dramatic search for the holy book of the angels, only possible way to understand something more about the dark secret threatening the whole known world. Also in this case I liked to create particular 'bridges' connecting the new chapter of the saga with our modern life on the basis of symbolism, ancient wisdom and spiritual evolution.

"To someone who knows something about modern psychology and the study of the different 'self,' the hidden geometries and gothic labyrinths of Har-Kuun will reveal themselves very clearly."

Once again, legendary actor Christopher Lee was chosen for the spoken parts as a main narrator. "We couldn't imagine to release something like this without his fundamental participation," Luca says. "Sir Lee is one member of the RHAPSODY OF FIRE's family since a lot of time and we love him not only as an actor but also as man. Because of his great and majestic personality he has surely the aura of a king of the ancient times."

RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 52 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.

SOURCE: RNRCOLA

Symphony X To Record New Album For 2010

North America's progressive metal gods SYMPHONY X recently entered the studio to begin laying down the drum tracks for the band's next studio album, tentatively due before the end of the year via their new record label, Nuclear Blast Records. According to the band's webmaster, "the drums and most of the rhythm guitars are all recorded. At the moment, they are fine-tuning the lyrics and melodies, during which time Russ [Allen] will also be recording his vocals.

Jason Rullo of North America's progressive metal gods SYMPHONY X is scheduled to enter the studio today (Thursday, March 18) to begin laying down the drum tracks for the band's next studio album, tentatively due mid-2010 via their new record label, Nuclear Blast Records. The band's

SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo previously stated about the group's new material, "We have over an hour of really good stuff that we really dig; there's more than enough stuff there that we can choose the best songs to go on the CD... but all of the songs are really strong. One is shaping up to be 10 minutes plus.

"I think everyone will like it," Romeo concluded. "It has a little bit of everything."

On November 4, 2008, InsideOut Music released a special 5.1 edition of SYMPHONY X's critically acclaimed album "Paradise Lost". The double-disc package includes a DVD 5.1 mix by Jens Bogren of the entire album as well as two enhanced HD videos for "Set the World on Fire" and "Serpent's Kiss".

SOURCE: RNRCOLA