The Fierce And The Dead release Golden Thread, the 2nd single from their upcoming 4th album ‘News From The Invisible World’, once again featuring vocals from bassist Kevin Feazey, described as psychedelic metal with a shoegaze feel.
Recent Press:
“A fresh psych-fuzz freakout from one of the UK’s trickiest-to-pin-down instrumental rockers – except their first new music in four years isn’t actually instrumental, featuring vocal contributions from Kevin Feazey for the first time. (A) peak grunge- channeling chorus riff, which takes equal billing with the verse’s shoegaze-worthy washed-out chords.”
Guitar World (Essential tracks of the week) “The work of a truly original band pushing forth and genuinely progressing”
Real Gone
“Be prepared to have that phrase – annoy and irritate your friends with it floating around your brain for days. Surely the sort of hook that makes a good single?” At The Barrier
“Modulates between being a dark, fuzzed-out ripper and an exploratory post- rock/jazz fusion. It’s an exciting track that shows off TFATD’s mastery of post-rock songwriting and excellent mix/master engineering. Highly recommended.” Independent Clauses
Biography:
The Fierce And The Dead are releasing singles ahead of their first album in 4 years with (for the first time) vocals from bassist Kevin Feazey. Their music has been championed by Kevin Cole of KEXP, Stuart Maconie on BBC 6 Music and Steve Davis on his Interesting Alternative Show.
The Fierce And The Dead formed in London in 2010, with all 4 members originally from Rushden, Northants, they mix in elements from psychedelic rock, old metal records, post-rock, prog, broken analogue synths and shoegaze.
They released their breakthrough 3rd album ‘The Euphoric’ in 2018, via BEM records, which was Classic Rock Magazine’s Prog Album Of The Year and 8th in Prog Magazine’s critics choice. Prog magazine included them in their 100 Prog Icons and they have appeared ranked highly in the magazine’s Readers Poll for multiple years and categories, although the band never considered themselves to be deliberately prog. Pre-COVID headline shows in Manchester and London sold out months in advance.
They have toured with Hawkwind, Big Business, Dave Lombardo, Crippled Black Phoenix, Evil Blizzard and Monkey 3 and at festivals in the USA, Europe, and the UK including Freak Valley, Prognosis, Arctangent, HRH, Kozfest, Ramblin Man and Rosfest and will support Kings X in Italy in September 2022. They have released 3 studio albums alongside 4 EPs and 3 live albums.
THRESHOLD return with their 12th full length album ‘Dividing Lines’, which is set to be released on 18th November via Nuclear Blast Records.
‘Dividing Lines’ marks the second album since the return of former vocalist Glynn Morgan, who reunited with the band on their previous effort ‘Legends Of The Shires’ (2017). A darker album than ‘Legends Of The Shires’, the band have described it as “Legends’ darker, moodier older brother”.
Get your first taste of the album with the single ‘Silenced’, which comes with a stunning new video.
Richard West comments on the song: “Silenced is about how we seem to be heading towards less voices, less artists, less venues, less platforms where everyone can be heard. People seem so scared to speak out or debate anything anymore. I know I sound old but I miss the good old days! When freedom of speech goes then society is lost.”
The video was filmed by Sitcom Soldiers in the UK who also filmed the band’s last video ‘Small Dark Lines’. The video portrays a boy coming up against a threatening foe, only defeating them by summoning a mighty scream (unsilenced).
FEATURING GUEST VOCALS FROM HER NAME IS CALLA’S ANJA MADHVANI
London ambient post-rock project VLMV have shared new single ‘The Navigator’ via Nice Weather For Airstrikes. His third musical offering of 2022, VLMV mastermind Pete Lambrou has crafted a timeless piece that showcases honesty and self-reflection via lush harmony arrangements and delicate piano lines. The single comes as a follow up to Steady, Thyself and For Empire in anticipation of their summer album release – Sing With Abandon.
‘The Navigator’ is organic and slow burning with a crushing, instant sense of nostalgia and vulnerability with soaring guest vocals from Anja Madhvani (Her Name Is Calla). The piano was recorded on Adele’s old touring grand piano at Old Chapel Studios in Chichester whilst bassoon and cello loops were created by recording legato notes and processed through a 4-track, reversed and tape-looped to create endless lo-fi drones.
An ambitious yet concise album, ‘Sing With Abandon’ was born as songwriter and producer Pete Lambrou explored navigating life in the pandemic, multiple lockdowns and a country deciding to break up with its loved ones. Lyrically focused on feelings of isolation and separation, from our shared collective human experience to the deeply personal and everything in between, ‘Sing With Abandon’ touches on the isolation found within the communal experience of a country locked down and in crisis.
Formed in early 2015 by songwriter & producer Pete Lambrou (Codes In The Clouds, Monsters Build Mean Robots), VLMV released their debut mini album via Fierce Panda Records in August 2015, along with ‘Remixes & Reworkings’, a digital overhaul of their esteemed debut shortly after. Described as “heartachingly beautiful” by Prog Magazine,, VLMV shared the follow up, ‘Stranded, Not Lost, in 2018, earning a nomination at the Prog Awards alongside critical acclaim.
Hailing from London, VLMV have received widespread praise for their immersive live shows, gaining them slots across the UK and Europe including ArcTanGent, Dunk! Festival, Portals Festival, Post In Paris and many more.
‘Sing With Abandon’ will be release on August 19th via Nice Weather For Airstrikes and can be pre-ordered now
“This album is founded on feelings of isolation and separation that lockdown had on each of us – both on a personal and on a human race level. We’d become a nation – a world-divided. And although I hadn’t tried to represent that in album form, these things tend to slip out. I could never sit down and write a song about the state-of-the-world, but I believe that if you don’t try and force it, whatever is there deep down, will come to the surface in some way.”
The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, are pleased to announce the release of their 13th studio album ‘Three Sides of One’ on the 2nd September 2022. With the announcement comes the first new music from the band in 14 years, with the release of the album’s heavy first single ‘Let It Rain’. Listen to the track here:
Of the new album, dUg Pinnick comments:
“When I think of it, King’s X feels like a couple of old best friends coming together, shooting the shit, and having a good time, it’s instinctual. When I would listen to demo tapes of Jerry and Ty for the record, it gave me a great perspective on how blessed I am to be in King’s X. What they did on Three Sides of One sounded so good. For as familiar as it is, it’s like I’m in a new band.”
Ty adds:
“This time, we sat around, listened to each other’s ideas, and would collectively say, ‘Let’s work on that’. It was the most enjoyable album I’ve personally ever recorded in my entire life, period.”
Jerry continues: “I’ll cherish what we did in my heart forever. Everything lined up perfectly.”
‘Three Sides of One’ will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork. Pre-order now here: https://kingsx.lnk.to/ThreeSidesOfOne
During 2019, the members congregated at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, CA with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin to bring ‘Three Sides of One’ to life. Despite consistent touring, they hadn’t cut a new LP since 2008. Nevertheless, the guys picked up where they left off. Creative confidant and collaborator Wally Farkas rolled through, and they channelled their incredible chemistry on tape.
The full track-listing is as follows:
1. Let It Rain 04:28
2. Flood Pt. 1 03:03
3. Nothing But The Truth 06:03
4. Give It Up 02:59
5. All God’s Children 05:32
6. Take The Time 03:45
7. Festival 03:30
8. Swipe Up 03:46
9. Holidays 03:22
10. Watcher 03:43
11. She Called Me Home 03:57
12. Every Everywhere 02:40
King’s X background:
Along the way, they architected a catalogue of seminal releases. KERRANG! famously scored their 1988 full-length debut, Out of the Silent Planet, with a rare “5-out-of-5-stars.” On its heels, the landmark Gretchen Goes To Nebraska continues to inspire think pieces with Ultimate Classic Rock going as far to proclaim, “no one else has crafted anything remotely like it.” They notably appeared on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and Guitar World christened the self-titled King’s X one of “The 30 Greatest Rock Guitar Albums of 1992” (a year notably highlighted by Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power, Alice In Chains’ Dirt, Megadeth’s Countdown To Extinction, Dream Theater’s Images and Words, and many more). Following Dogman, the group graced the stage of Woodstock 1994 and toured with everyone from Pearl Jam and AC/DC to Mötley Crüe and Iron Maiden. They also attracted one of the most diehard fanbases in music with Ear Candy [1996], Tape Head [1998], Please Come Home… Mr. Bulbous [2000], Manic Moonlight [2001], Black Like Sunday [2003], Ogre Tones [2005], and XV [2008].
Their first full-length studio offering in 14 years, Three Sides of One, represents the culmination of this trip and of a bond forged way back in 1979.
Lonely Robot, the project masterminded by vocalist, guitarist & producer John Mitchell, recently announced the release of their fifth studio album ‘A Model Life’ on the 26th August 2022. Today, sees the launch of the album’s first single, ‘Recalibrating’. Listen to the track now here:
John comments: “A post apocalyptic breakup…the world you once knew has burned to the ground like Nero’s Rome. The only thing for it is to move forward and reset your mind. To ‘recalibrate’ if you will.”
An album that brims with frustration at the state of things, while tugging remorselessly at the heart strings, A Model Life is plainly the most honest and vulnerable Lonely Robot record to date. From opener Recalibrating, which muses on the aftermath of a broken relationship, and Digital God Machine – a sardonic tribute to keyboard warriors everywhere, to the boys-don’t-cry pathos of Rain Kings and the absurdly moving, adoption-themed Duty Of Care, these new songs provide a scattershot but profoundly emotional soundtrack to a restless and uncertain world.
John comments: “Making ‘A Model Life’ was very much a lifeline and indeed wake up call at the end of a particularly personally challenging couple of years. Creating it made me realise that ultimately, life is impermanent and the one true thing that gives me a focus and anchor is and has always been music. Long may that be the case.”
The album will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 2LP+CD & as Digital Album. Pre-order now here:
A lone soldier on the frontlines of creativity, John Mitchell has been at the forefront of forward-thinking and progressive rock for decades now. As a member of such revered prog ensembles as It Bites, Arena, Frost* and his own projects Kino and The Urbane, he has become a uniquely vital contributor to the modern scene, while his credentials as a producer for countless contemporary rock acts are unquestionable. But since 2015, John has been operating under name Lonely Robot: a solo project in all but name, it has enabled him to fully express his own musical vision, via some of the most vivid and fascinating music of his career to date.
Esthesis is a progressive & alternative rock project formed and led by French multi-instrumentalist Aurélien Goude (music, lyrics, keyboards, vocals, guitars, bass and other stuff). The current line up is composed of three other musicians : Baptiste Desmares (lead guitar), Marc Anguill (bass) and Arnaud Nicolau (drums).
Esthesis music is characterized by many influences (british rock, film score, jazz, ambient, metal, electronic music…) and primarily based on emotion and ambiences. After a first sold out EP in 2019 (“Raising Hands”), Esthesis released a highly anticipated debut album in November 2020 (“The Awakening”) in two CD editions, digital and streaming.
Their first tour at the end of 2021 was very well received by the audience, with a dedicated and synchronized light show for each gig. “The Awakening” has been acclaimed by many rock magazines around the world and Esthesis won the Prog Magazine Reader’s Poll in December 2020 (“best unsigned band 2020”).
A new single, Place Your Bets, was released on 15th June 2022, with a brand new music video available on Youtube:
Place Your Best will appear on the band’s second album, due to be released later this year.
Much loved UK progressive rockers Cosmograf, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Robin Armstrong, have released a video for brand new single British Made, from their forthcoming ninth studio album ‘Heroic Materials’.
Watch the video here:
The new album, released through Robin’s own label Gravity Dream on 9th September, 2022, is a conceptual piece, centred around the character William ‘Billy’ May, who looks back on his life at the age of 99 and realises the world has completely changed since he was a young man put into an impossible scenario, defending his country from the air. He no longer recognises much of the modern world but understands that the human race must live in a different way in the future.
The album sees the character wrestling with his memories of the war, and harbouring nostalgia for a past era but he realises that change is essential if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.
“This album is really about change, our refusal to accept it, but also recognising that it’s essential to our survival”, says Robin. “The story centres on a WWII Spitfire pilot who laments a lost golden era, but reflects that the human race must change its ways in order to preserve our existence on the earth.”
The album will also see a special guest appearance from Robin’s ex-Big Big Train bandmate, keyboard player Danny Manners, who plays piano on the 13 min title track, set in three parts.
Heroic Materials will be available on CD, Deluxe Media book edition, vinyl and digital formats.
The second single to be released from upcoming album Firmament due out on Sept. 2nd, 2022.
“Avalon | The Tide” is the second single to be released from Firmament, the recently announced new album by Norwegian art rock trio Dim Gray set for release in early September. The group themselves state that writing it was “where the album really started, as it became a blueprint for the entire record. The expansiveness in its lydian harmonies and modulations, the prevalence of piano and strings, as well as the lyrical themes, all came to influence the rest of the songs.”
Watch the lyric video for “Avalon | The Tide” here:
As with several other tracks on ‘Firmament’, the music was written by guitarist Håkon Høiberg on piano rather than his main instrument, with singer/keyboardist Oskar Holldorff then adding words. Holldorff explains that “the music felt like it was constructed as a story, so I thought the lyric should depict some sort of journey. Avalon, the mythical island from Arthurian legend, felt like an appropriate metaphor for reaching an impossible goal or destination; like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or, as these particular words mean to me, peace of mind. They are about trauma, wanting to forget, and the futility of fighting against the overwhelming forces and inherent dynamics of the world, hence the reference to King Canute and the tide in the second verse. I couldn’t decide whether the song should be called Avalon or The Tide, but when we later wrote ‘Meridian’, which ends the album and suggests a split globe, the joint title was suddenly justified.”
Consisting of twelve vivid and melody-driven songs, ‘Firmament’ is an ambitious artistic statement bursting with life and colour, making for an engaging and constantly surprising journey as it weaves a route from strings-infused chamber pop, through evocative indie-folk and lush electronics and into grandiose art rock. It will appeal musically to fans of artists such as Radiohead, Agnes Obel, Owen Pallett, Susanne Sundfør, Keane and Tears For Fears.
Thematically, the new record explores further the landscape of melancholy and longing that was introduced on the group’s well received 2020 debut, ‘Flown’, a concept record structured like one continuous story with intimate and spatial moments offset with massive colourful soundscapes. Those sensations are now contextualised in the depressions of the modern world, juxtaposed against romanticised ideas of simpler times through childhood memories interspersed with myths and superstition.
‘Firmament’ will be issued via English Electric Recordings, the label run by UK prog titans Big Big Train, and is the first record on the label that is not either by that band or at least one of its permanent members. Holldorff will however be touring as part of the Big Big Train line-up (deputising for BBT keyboardist Carly Bryant) for a set of European dates in September, while Dim Gray have just been announced as the support act for them. The first show is in Aylesbury on 2nd September, the same day that ‘Firmament’ is released.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to play these shows supporting Big Big Train,”enthuses Dim Gray drummer Tom Ian Klungland. “We supported Marillion at a show in Stockholm in May and were delighted by the wonderfully warm reaction we received from their fans. We’re going to try our best to make plenty of new friends amongst the Big Big Train audience and it’s fantastic that the Aylesbury show coincides with the release date of ‘Firmament’. Roll on September!” ON TOUR WITH BIG BIG TRAIN SEPTEMBER 202202.09.22 AYLESBURY (UK) Waterside Theatre 05.09.22 ZOETERMEER (NL) Cultuurpodium Boerderij 06.09.22 BONN (DE) Harmonie 07.09.22 MAINZ (DE) Kuz 08.09.22 BERLIN (DE) Frannz Club 10.09.22 BASEL (CH) Z7, Pratteln 11.09.22 PARIS (FR) Café de la Danse
SiX By SiX is the exciting new trio formed by Ian Crichton (Saga), Nigel Glockler (Saxon) & Robert Berry (3; Emerson, Berry, Palmer), and their eponymous debut album is set for release on 19th August 2022 via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music.
This hugely accomplished trio of musicians is also pleased to announce their first single ‘Yearning to Fly’, and you can watch the video now here:
The roots of SiX By SiX can be traced back several decades to when Glockler and Berry were together as part of Yes guitarist Steve Howe’s continuation of the band GTR. Then there’s the Asia connection, where Crichton and Glockler contributed to sessions and recordings, while Berry was the link for his guitarist friend Pat Thrall joining that band.
Time marches on, paths cross and fate brings these three musicians together, born from a conversation with an industry insider in the UK who connected Ian Crichton in the Toronto area with Robert Berry outside San Francisco, who in turn reached Glockler at his home on the south coast of England.
Powered by Glockler’s dynamic drumming, the result is an expansive guitar-driven pallet, paired sonically with the unique flavour of the Crichton/Berry songwriting collaboration, which they are very excited to present on this debut album.
Ian Crichton comments: “Throughout my career, I’ve been very selective about what to get involved in outside Saga and when opportunities have arisen, I have said ‘no’ far more often than I have said ‘yes’. When Robert’s manager contacted me in 2020 and explained what Robert was seeking to do creatively and how my guitar could be central to the musical vision, I was intrigued. Now it’s over 18 months and many Zoom calls later, but crucially Robert, Nigel and I have also spent plenty of time together at Robert’s base in northern California. We’re three experienced players from three different countries, and with our six hands, we’re here to break the rock music mould. SiX By SiX is a band that we’ve built together and nurtured into a unique style that I’m very proud of.”
Nigel Glockler continues: “When Robert and Ian first approached me about becoming part of this band, I felt very honoured to be asked and absolutely thrilled to be working with a couple of guys I’ve admired for a long time. Robert and I first met during GTR days and we’ve kept in touch ever since. My path has crossed with Ian many times on the road over the years, so once the three of us got together in California it was like a meeting of old friends. Musically it immediately clicked and working within the framework of a three piece allows us to branch out in all directions and really push ourselves. I’m best known as the Saxon drummer, but I’ve always been a massive fan of progressive rock – Genesis and PFM are amongst my favourite bands! SiX By SiX is just the beginning of an exciting journey – bring it on!!”
Robert Berry adds: “After working with the genius of Keith Emerson and losing that musical partnership in 2016 following Keith’s death, I faced a daunting question: whether to bring down the curtain creatively or seek something inspiring which would reach new musical heights. My intuition was to lean into a dramatically more guitar oriented direction. But which guitarist is as impressive as Keith was as a keyboardist? At my manager’s suggestion, an incredible meeting of minds, style and future goals was struck with Ian Crichton. Was it luck, timing or destiny? I think it was all three because 3 is my lucky number. Ian and I were determined to keep this a 3 piece band (there’s that number again) and needed a drummer with a similar mindset and who is a solid, heavy hitter. My friend Nigel Glockler was the perfect fit. And with this extraordinary combination of friendship, musicality, and humor, a Brit, a Canadian and an American have come together as the brand new band SiX By SiX.”
Ian Crichton is best known as one of the founding members of Saga, alongside his brother Jim. Saga went on to sell roughly 10 million albums world-wide and continue to perform around the world. As the driving force behind SiX By SiX, Ian takes a cunning turn, in assembling another potent band but one that focuses on his guitar prowess. This time with established players, each with a celebrated past, refined skills, and unlimited potential.
Nigel Glockler began his career in 1980 as the drummer for the British band Krakatoa. In 1981 he found an opportunity with singer Toyah. By the end of the year, he joined metal legends, Saxon. Except for two brief absences, Nigel has been behind his massive drum kit as an integral part of Saxon ever since.His powerhouse drumming is the engine that drives SiX By SiX’s songs forwards relentlessly.
Robert Berry first gained international attention with San Francisco-based Hush, releasing well-received recordings and then touring the USA. In the mid-1980s Berry’s first solo album garnered positive reviews in the most influential trade publications and attracted the attention of several major labels. At the suggestion of one of those labels, Robert moved to the UK to work with guitarist Steve Howe (of Yes fame) along with drummer Nigel Glockler in an effort to revitalize GTR. When GTR stalled, Robert partnered with British rock legends Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer to form ‘3’. With Emerson and Palmer, Robert achieved a top ten charting single and toured the USA. Robert’s melodic sensibilities complement Ian’s extraordinary guitar and Nigel’s signature drumming perfectly.
‘Collisions’, is the coming together of neo-classical composer and film composer Tom Hodge (Max Cooper, Floex), post-rock composer Ciaran Morahan (Codes In The Clouds, VLMV) and composer and drummer, Ollie Howell. Their musical backgrounds can be heard colliding throughout their self-titled debut offering (released 9th September via Naïve/Believe), creating a new symbiotic relationship with one another. Fusing together their respective styles, they have created an exciting blend that feels expansive and immersive, almost cinematic, whilst still capturing the energy and thrill of a live performance.
To mark the official album announcement, Collisions are pleased to share the epic ‘II’, the first single to be taken from the album. “This was the first piece composed for the record. With a chord pattern taken from the original writing session with an acoustic band, Tom arranged the track and took it into an unconscious electronic direction. The track has the constant idea of movement with bouncy piano melodies and arpeggiated synthesisers incorporated throughout. The track is climaxed by saturated acoustic drums and reverb soaked clarinet complimenting the track’s overall ethereal feel,” says Morahan.
Hodge and Morahan first met in 2009 when Hodge produced a remix for Morahan’s band Codes In The Clouds through London label Erased Tapes. 10 years after their initial introduction, sharing stages and collaborating on other music, they decided to create a record together. Howell’s arrival pushed the project further into a genre-fluid space but a sonically-focused one, resulting in a unique collision of emotive piano, clarinet, ambient analog synths and jazz-infused acoustic drums. The resulting collisions produce a sound that manages to both show individual strengths whilst creating a truly cohesive and immersive sonic landscape. The coming together of their musical identities has formed a strange musical alchemy whilst finding space to be truly authentic to itself. Where there is collision, there is inevitably motion.
The album explores both these spaces in different ways, moving between ‘Collisions’ tracks and ‘Motion’ tracks; the Motions having a freer and more exploratory feel in comparison, finding their way through more spacious musical ideas and searching for newness in this fluid space. The immersive nature of the music is also coupled with a unique visual identity, created by Cath Elliot, through both the live performance and within digital mediums. Each individual part of the music creates a series of seemingly-living particles, colliding and reacting in real time; constantly moving, evolving and pulsating as the music shifts. These generative shapes then morph effortlessly into particle-based metaverse versions of the band members themselves, emerging and performing live as if appearing from the ever-moving ether. This pioneering generative treatment allows the music itself to actually create the striking visual identity of the project in real time, creating a truly limitless series of particle collisions. It is clear from his past records with luminaries such as Max Cooper and Floex that Hodge is no stranger to coruscating sonic exploration, but he has mainly spent the last couple of years on high-profile film and TV projects.
