Released today and described as heavy psychedelic pop, Photogenic Love is the 3rd single from the upcoming 4th Fierce And The Dead album (out early 2023). This track brings to mind Faith No More, Tame Impala, Smashing Pumpkins, LCD Soundsystem, Flaming Lips, Gorillaz and MGMT and once again features vocals from TFATD bassist Kevin Feazey.
TFATD guitarist Steve Cleaton says of the release “I think this track is a good example of the creative process we used on many of the newer songs. The circumstances of the last couple of years, of course, meant that we couldn’t practice together that much. Rather than let this get in the way of writing new material, we decided to employ wholly different methods, and often different instruments, than we have done in the past. I really enjoy playing this one, the melodies stand out, and I think kev did an excellent job on the singing!! I hope listeners like it too!!”.
Stuart Marshall, drummer added “The song covers a fair amount of ground in terms of sonic dynamics. Evolved during a new online writing process, that collaboratively evoked different influences from genres including, 70’s rock, 80’s pop and post rock. It’s a vocal ear-worm and a song we hope to hear people singing along to at shows”.
A big departure from the band’s previous sound, I think this is a fantastic new direction and sounds like 90’s pop mixed with fuzzy psychedelica, almost like A-ha met with the Gorillaz and asked Billy Corgan to join in the fun. It sees The Fierce And The Dead taking the next step in their journey and is, to my ears anyway, bloody fantastic and their best song yet!
“You ain’t progressive if you ain’t progressing, innit…?”
Glass Hammer’s Steve Babb put out the call two weeks ago for fans that would like to video their first reactions to All Alone, track number four from the band’s new album, At The Gate.
“Our fans are very loyal,” says Babb. “It seemed like a fun idea to include them this time! There are a few cool cameos as well; Jon Davison (Yes), Jon Beagley (Life In Digital), Dave Kerzner (Sound Of Contact), Prog-rock reviewer Pete Pardo (Sea Of Tranquility), and more.
All Alone is one of our heavier tunes, but there’s plenty of progginess in the track. The rhythm is really infectious—which I thought made it a good song for reaction videos. Heads are bobbing non-stop throughout!”
Vocalist Hannah Pryor fronts the band on All Alone, with some help from Steve Babb, whose vocals bookend the song.
You can order the album from the band’s website here:
Described as heavy psychedelic pop, Photogenic Love is the 3rd single from the upcoming 4th Fierce And The Dead album (out early 2023). This track brings to mind Faith No More, Tame Impala, Smashing Pumpkins, LCD Soundsystem, Flaming Lips, Gorillaz and MGMT and once again features vocals from TFATD bassist Kevin Feazey.
TFATD guitarist Steve Cleaton says of the release “I think this track is a good example of the creative process we used on many of the newer songs. The circumstances of the last couple of years, of course, meant that we couldn’t practice together that much. Rather than let this get in the way of writing new material, we decided to employ wholly different methods, and often different instruments, than we have done in the past. I really enjoy playing this one, the melodies stand out, and I think kev did an excellent job on the singing!! I hope listeners like it too!!”.
Stuart Marshall, drummer added “The song covers a fair amount of ground in terms of sonic dynamics. Evolved during a new online writing process, that collaboratively evoked different influences from genres including, 70’s rock, 80’s pop and post rock. It’s a vocal ear-worm and a song we hope to hear people singing along to at shows”.
Biography:
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. Their music has been championed by Kevin Cole of KEXP, Stuart Maconie on BBC 6 Music and Steve Davis on his Interesting Alternative Show.
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. 2022 dates have included festivals in the UK, Holland and Italy. They have released 3 studio albums alongside 4 EPs and 3 live albums.
Frost* are set to hit the road in the UK later this year, for their much anticipated live-return. The band will be celebrating the release of their 2021 album ‘Day And Age’, and in advance of these tour they have launched a brand new video for the track ‘Skywards’. Watch it now here:
Jem Godfrey comments: “It will have been 5 years and 3 days since we last played in the UK when we go onstage in Wolverhampton on November 27th so we figured we’d do something special. To that end Craig Blundell has re-joined the band and we’ll be playing Milliontown, Black Light Machine, Hyperventilate and a few other classics from the repertoire to celebrate alongside a good chunk of the new album. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Frost* returned in 2021 with ‘Day And Age’, the band’s fourth record and first new studio album in five years. It features Jem Godfrey joined by John Mitchell & Nathan King, as well as 3 guest drummers: Kaz Rodriguez (Chaka Khan, Josh Groban), Darby Todd (The Darkness, Martin Barre) & Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mister Mister). The album also features actor Jason Isaacs.
‘Day And Age’ was recorded over the course of 2019 and 2020, featuring 8 tracks and striking cover artwork by Carl Glover of Aleph Studios (Steven Wilson, Marillion, Steve Jansen). The album is available on Limited 2CD (including a bonus disc of instrumentals), Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD (with etching on Side D), and as Digital Album. Order now here: https://frost-band.lnk.to/DayAndAge
Frost* was formed in 2004 by keyboard player and singer Jem Godfrey, Released in 2006 the band’s debut album “Milliontown” was an instant success and is regarded by many as a classic in the modern prog rock genre featuring John Mitchell on guitar, John Jowitt on bass and Andy Edwards on drums. The band quickly followed it up with “Experiments In Mass Appeal” in 2008, in many ways the antithesis of “Milliontown” featuring a much more stripped back sound, more concise songs and a new band member and singer in the form of Dec Burke.
The live album “The Philadelphia Experiment” followed in 2009 and the a long gap followed before 3rd album “Falling Satellites” was released in 2016 with a new line-up of Nathan King on bass and Craig Blundell on drums, plus returning guitarist and singer John Mitchell on guitar who also co-wrote much of the album with Jem Godfrey.
Karisma Records has announced that the 11th November will be the release date for the third full-length album from Norway’s Progressive Pop/Rockers OAK. Titled “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise”, it is an album in which the band has decided to write about the important, but controversial , subjects of suicide in particular and mental health in general.
Knowing that music as an art form is very open to interpretation, and knowing how emotive the subject matter is, OAK wanted to be sure that the message comes across clearly, and consequently sought advice from experienced scholars on the matter.
And, with the release of the single “Dreamless Sleep”, Karisma Records has given us a first taste from “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise”. It can be downloaded or streamed from a variety of services at:
OAK originated as a folk-rock duo, which expanded into today’s lineup of Simen Valldal Johannessen on vocals, piano and keys, Øystein Sootholtet on bass, acoustic and electric guitars, Sigbjørn Reiakvam on drums, percussion, programming, keys and guitars, and Stephan Hvinden on lead, rhythm and slide guitars. The fact that OAK’s members come from diverse backgrounds, which range from classical piano, to electronica, to prog and hard rock, with references to both the alternative scene as well as the progressive rock scene, has allowed OAK to create a unique sound.
Musically, OAK’s upcoming “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” is the band’s most dynamic album yet, demonstrating a wide range of influences. There are some sharper edges, and some surprising twists and turns to be found amongst the familiar Oak territory. Interestingly, after the release of their previous album “False Memory Archive”, the band set out to write some shorter songs for a change – and ended up with their longest songs yet!
“The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” was recorded in Ljugekroken and was mixed at the Ghostward Studio by David Castillo (KATATONIA, LEPROUS OPETH, etc.). It was mastered by Tony Lindgren at the Fascination Street Studio, and, as with their other albums, “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” offers subtle hints to both past and future songs in the Oak universe.
Tracklisting on “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” is as follows:
1. Highest Tower, Deepest Well
2. Quiet Rebellion
3. Dreamless Sleep
4. Sunday 8 AM
5. Demagogue Communion
6. Paperwings
7. Guest of Honour
“The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” will be available in CD, Digital and Limited Edition white vinyl formats, and can now be pre-ordered from:
‘The Years Roll By’ is the first of two music videos from the band’s new concept album.
The Years Roll By is the opening track on Glass Hammer’s At The Gate concept album —set for release on October 7th, 2022.
Bandleader Steve Babb said the following about the new album: “At The Gate completes our sword and sorcery inspired trilogy that began with 2020s Dreaming City. We followed that up with last year’s Skallagrim—Into The Breach.”
For the uninitiated, he went on to explain. “It’s the story of a scarred and battered thief, Skallagrim, who’s had his memory stolen along with the love of his life. He’s got to fight unimaginable horrors and slay hideous creatures and sorcerous villains if he’s ever to reclaim either. Finally, at the end of the last album, his memory is returned, but he finds himself cursed to wait one thousand years for a chance to find his lost love! At The Gate picks up at the end of his tale as he prepares to face the ultimate challenge of his life—to finally rescue his girl and defeat the evil being who has imprisoned her.
“Of course, as with any Glass Hammer concept album, there is more to it than a simple plot. On the surface, it appears to be about magic swords and heroes, but it’s actually a story about confronting evil, how to survive it, and how to face despair and heartache.
And most importantly, it’s about why the pursuit of profound and lasting joy in an often joyless world is worthwhile, even when all available evidence suggests it cannot be found.”
Babb says he chose to open the album with a ballad. “…something ethereal, something reminiscent of what our fans call classic Glass Hammer. The Years Roll By fits the bill, I think. Of course, there’ll be plenty of metal and prog on the new album. The next music video I plan to release hits really hard!”
Watch the video here:
Autographed copies of At The Gate are available for pre-order on the Glass Hammer Store website. www.glasshammer.com
Legendary Italian progressive rockers Banco del Mutuo Soccorso celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2022, with the release of possibly their most ambitious concept album since their debut. “Orlando: Le Forme dell’Amore” will be released on the 23rd September 2022, and today they launch the second single ‘La Pianura Rossa’. Watch the lyric video here:
Vittorio Nocenzi comments:
“’La pianura rossa/Red plain’ was actually the very first song composed for this new album some 9 years ago as we started conceiving and writing ‘Orlando : le forme dell’amore/The shapes of love’. That is the reason why this song has a very special meaning to us. It was originally titled “The War” as it describes the battle for water between Christians and Saracens in a dried out Mediterranean Sea. A parallel with the story narrated in the Ludovico Ariosto’s poem Orlando Furioso. This second single comes ahead of the album release on the 23rd September and after such a long time since the beginning of this journey we are so excited to have all our fans to listen to this new material.”
Listen to the first single ‘Cadere O Volare’ here:
Vittorio Nocenzi has been working on this new album’s musical concept for years together with his son Michelangelo and lyricist Paolo Logli. Narrating a real XVI century poem through different songs and describing the facts and the ideals was a mountain to climb.
The result of the immense work in the studio is fully represented in an epic album that will set new parameters for progressive rock fans. Undoubtedly Banco has always been strongly related to their roots, but “Orlando: Le Forme dell’Amore” is a definitive proof of how traditional prog rock can evolve in a modern new blend of sound and spirit.
The choice of singing the tracks on this album only in Italian (as before on “Transiberiana”) confirms the band’s will to stay loyal to what they’ve been doing from the very beginning. In order to help the fans understand and follow the lyrics better on a track by track basis, English translations of the lyrics will be included in the artwork, along with the original Italian lyrics. In addition to that the band will post a detailed explanation of the whole concept and the album’s narration on their website. The album will be available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD & Digital Album. Pre-order now here: https://bancodelmutuosoccorso.lnk.to/Orlando-LeFormeDellAmore
As mentioned, the band celebrate their 50th anniversary, with the bands first two albums originally released in 1972. The band is already celebrating this occasion with an intensive live tour. Look out for more information in the coming months.
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett is pleased to release ‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’, the visual document of his 2021 UK tour celebrating the classic Genesis live album. Available today as CD/Blu-ray, CD/DVD & Digital Audio (vinyl will be released 25th November), it sees Steve and his band perform ‘Seconds Out’ in full & in sequence, as well
as a selection of solo material including tracks from his most recent studio album ‘Surrender of Silence’.
To celebrate, they are launching a clip of their performance of ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’. Watch it now here:
‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’ is available as Limited 2CD + Blu-ray & Limited 2CD + DVD, both including 5.1 surround sound, behind the scenes documentary & promo videos. Steve Hackett and his band comprise Roger King, Rob Townsend, Jonas Reingold, Nad Sylvan & Craig Blundell, and they were joined by Amanda Lehmann as special guest on the night.
12. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) 00:08:20
13. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 00:05:10
14. Musical Box (Closing Section) 00:02:51
15. Supper’s Ready 00:24:49
16. The Cinema Show 00:10:35
17. Aisle Of Plenty 00:02:03
18. Dance On A Volcano 00:04:24
19. Los Endos 00:06:35
In September and October 2022, Steve Hackett & band will present their ‘Foxtrot at Fifty’ 25-date tour in the UK. Full list of dates below. To buy tickets go to HackettSongs.com
Tickets for Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited – Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights are on sale from hackettsongs.com and myticket.co.uk
About Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Hackett’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the classic Selling England By The Pound.
After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Hackett’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Hackett is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.
Hackett’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his later studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Hackett has explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Hackett celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which he realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra.
The lockdown enforced by the 2020 global pandemic has proven to be a particularly creative period for Hackett. He began by releasing Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of 2019’s hugely successful tour celebrating that Genesis classic together with the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums. Lockdown also gave Hackett the opportunity to write and record two new studio albums, the UK Classical Chart hit Under A Mediterranean Sky and the forthcoming Surrender of Silence.
Five years after his last release Human Not Machine, Kalin Tonev is back with new material, which will result in a full blown album somewhere in 2023 (title TBA). This time Tonev has chosen to enter the vast territories of vocal music, introducing different singers in his music. The forthcoming new production promises a great variety of sound, style influences, form and arrangements, still retaining in its body several instrumental tracks (the core of Kalin’s previous work) under the big hat of progressive rock. The first single – SIDES – features Nikola Zdravkov as a vocalist.
Having released his first project – TravelHouse (with it’s sole album ‘Mind Mapping’ – 2008) and his solo album ‘Machine Years’ (2017) – both received good reviews in the main progressive rock sites and radio stations ( Prog Archives, Prog Radar, Morow, Friday Night Progressive, Aural Moon, Delicious Agony,etc.), and still being the author and presenter of the only one progressive rock radio show in Bulgaria (Oasis – part of the Bulgarian National Radio program Horizon), Kalin Tonev is one of the important local prog rock figures.
The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, recently announced the release of their 13th studio album ‘Three Sides of One’ on the 2nd September 2022, representing their first new music in 14 years.
Today the band are pleased to launch the video for, ‘All God’s Children’, the third track taken from the forthcoming album, “Three Sides Of One”.
When asked about his thoughts on the song and subject material, Tabor, simply answered; “I have nothing to say about it. The song is what I have to say about it”.
‘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.
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.”
King’s X background:
Along the way, they architected a catalog 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.
