So yesterday Rhapsody released a mysterious number '7' on their facebook page. Today they released the number '6'
So I guess you could say that the most logical explanation is that tomorrow will be five, the day after will the four and so one... and when zero comes, hopefully they will release some sweet news like a North American tour... or details on the new album since the first one is pretty unlikely.
Today we get another peek of Epica's highly anticipated live CD/DVD, Retrospect coming out on November 8th via Nuclear Blast Records. This song is the title track off of the band's first album The Phantom Agony.
Retrospect is taken from a mass live they did earlier in the year in March and it features a full orchestra behind them. This is definitely Epica at it's peak of epicness.
So Rhapsody (the real one with Luca Turilli) posted this picture and nothing but this on their facebook page today.
7? Yes, 7. Best guesses are that it has something to do with the release of their new album which Luca announced would be coming out in the summer of 2014. So 7 more months, or the album comes out in July?
My favourite comment was made by S.C.
Anyways, stayed tuned I guess for more news! Ascending to Infinity was a near perfect album so I have great hopes for this one!
So Chthonic's new official video for Next Republic off of their newest 2013 album Bu-Tik is just live footage and isn't all that exciting (except for the hot bassist if you dig Asian chicks) but the music is mighty. So raise your fists in the air and start chanting "TAIWAN! TAIWAN! TAIWAN!"
Also, according to Bing translate from their facebook page, the band will be releasing a live DVD come November.
Mayan (or MaYaN if you desperately need it to be stylized that way), the side project of Mark Jansen of Epica also featuring a few ex-members of After Forever, announced two or so weeks ago that their second album entitled Antagonise will be released on January 31st of next year. Today, the track list was revealed as well as this pretty sweet album art. The album will also feature singers such as Floor Jansen (Nightwish, ReVamp) and Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion).
Mayan, formed in 2010, released their debut Quarterpast in 2011 which was an majestic yet apocalyptic display of great symphonic orchestrations covered by death metal grunts and screams. Here's the track War on Terror in case you haven't heard it yet.
Children of Bodom, who are in the midst of touring Europe with (on selected dates) Decapitated and Insomnium, have just announced their North American Tour that will span from mid February to the end of March.
Support comes from Tyr, who released their newest album Valkyrja in September, and it was rumored that Hypocrisy was going to hop on the tour too although that rumor has been denied. So it seems like another main support band might jump on. Hmm... who could possibly end up on this bill... As I looked through Nuclear Blast bands, I could see Kataklysum jump on since their winter North American tour with Sepultura was cancelled however they are touring Europe right before Children of Bodom sets out so maybe not so possible.
Whoever the third support may be, is this worth going to? Are the days where Janne and Alexi would get drunk and duel for hours over? Do they just get drunk and... suck now? I can't tell how their live shows have been these days since I've never seem them however, the band did release a fair comeback with their most recent album from June, Halo of Blood.
Here's the poster and dates.
As we near the release of Timo Tolkki's Avalon's second metal opera, Timo will be announcing on his official site one by one the 12 person cast which will lead up to the first single and video.
Last week it was announced that Simone Simmons of Epica would be featured in Avalon II and boy was that great news. She will be a very powerful female appearance in Avalon II, something that didn't suit the female voices from the first Avalon opera such as Elize Ryd.
This week the drummer for Avalon II was announced which will be Tuomo Lassila, the original drummer for Stratovarius. Tuomo was with Stratovarius until their fourth album Fourth Dimension. Aw isn't Timo sweet calling up his old friends although actually, Tuomo has drummed for Timo's older solo works.
Anyways, this week wasn't the biggest news (for me at least) but stay tuned every week for Timo's announcement!
I'm pretty late on this scoop but Epica announced a few (and by few I mean six...) days ago that they're entering the studio to record their 6th album.
Mark Jansen (guitar) comments "We wrote about 18 new tracks for the album which we all will be recording. This puts us in a luxury position since we will be able to choose the best of these tracks for the album! So far the songs contain all known Epica elements, it is a balanced mix between old and new influences. We are extremely happy with all the material and can't wait to put it out there!!"
Epica doesn't have a date for the album yet but since they've scheduled a release show with Insomnium on April 30th, I reckon it'll be around that time.
Meanwhile Epica is getting ready to release their live CD/DVD, Retrospect on November 8th via Nuclear Blast Records. The album/video was recorded/shot earlier this year in March with a full orchestra behind them.
Here's an early-released track from Retrospect, Unleashed.
Japan is the home of many great power metal bands, even in the mainstream such as X Japan and Versailles. I find that the attitude of lots of Japanese rock music is similar to that of power metal. The Wizard happens to be an anime geek (but then again, what power metal nerd isn't?) and I always seem to get a nice surprise out of the soundtrack of an anime.
Airing series right now NouCome, short for Ore no Nounai Sentakushi wa Gakuen Love Comedy wo *breath* Zenryouku de Jama Shiteiru, has a pretty sweet power metal ending. So watch for some very poppy power metal tinged Japanese rock.
A few days ago, US (but European sounding) power metal act Armory released the release date for their second album Empyrean Realms. Today they released a teaser video for the album and boy does it sound great! Really like how some of the solos and instrumental sections are turning out.
Yes you heard that right, Xandria have announced on their official website the departure of their vocalist Manuella Kraller due to her decision to "continue a different musical path". Their new vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen comes from the Dutch progressive metal band Ex Libris.
Xandria had released a fantastic album, Neverworld's End in 2012 creating a fierce symphonic metal masterpiece that easily ranks where favourites such as Oceanborn and Wishmaster by Nightwish stand.
But the question now is whether they will be able to follow up from such a great album with Dianne. Manuella's performance on Nerverworld's End was certainly very powerful. After listening to her her performance with Ex Libris, I do think that Xandria's next album has great potential!
Here's the track Daughter of Corinth off of Ex Libris' EP Medea from 2011, a collection of demo's from their upcoming album of the same name which is planned to be released in early 2014. I suggest you give the whole EP a shot and get a taste of Dianne and Ex Libris.
In case you've never listened to Neverworld's End, here's Valentine and listen to the whole fucking album!
Armory is a power metal band from Massachusetts but I don't necessarily want to label them as USPM... Sure they're American but their sound is much closer to European counterparts such as Sonata Arctica and Edguy.
After releasing a great debut in 2007, The Dawn of Enlightenment, the band has been hard at work and have finally announced a date, on RateYourMusic.com (I know it's a weird source but people actually use that website including myself), for their highly anticipated second album, Empyrean Realms. That date is November 12 everyone so remember to mark it down. Only if you want to hear some great power metal though...
And now enjoy the great cover for Empyrean Realms which seems to be a pirate ship sailing through space, beyond the planets towards a vortex of purple glory... (?)
If this band is foreign to you, then please check out their first album The Dawn of Enlightenment. Here's the epic Faith and Steel from it.
Symphonic metal enthusiasts have been getting wet to the Tarja Turunen (Tarja, ex-Nightwish) and Floor Jansen (ReVamp, Nightwish, etc) duo performing Over the Hills and Far Away, the Gary Moore cover that appeared on Nightwish's 2001 EP, at this years Metal Female Voices Festival.
It's a fan shot video but it's still something exciting if you're a Nightwish worshipper (which should be everyone).
Metal Female Voices Festival, held in Belgium had many great bands in their lineup this year including Tarja, Kobra and the Lotus, Leaves' Eyes, ReVamp and more.
Now I’m a
bit late picking this album up in the course of the 2013 year however I was
very glad that I stumbled upon Dreamtale’s newest tale, World Changed Forever, one about the battle between two
civilizations. In fact, this is my first encounter with the band and my first
impression is one that will remain with me. Dreamtale gave me everything that I
would've wanted from a great modern power metal band.
The intro-track
was the perfect fantasy opener, unveiling the journey ahead of us with theatrical
vocals, music box and other magical instrumentation. All energy breaks loose
with the start of Island of My Heart.
From the flicks of keyboard in the beginning, reminiscence to Century Child-era Nightwish could certainly
be felt. The next passage of keyboards definitely had an electronic/trance aspect
to it, a rather new trend to power metal. Annoying? No. Definitely a little cheesy
but it adds to the catchiness and enjoyability factor. After a guitar solo, the song goes to a spoken
word interlude returning to the fantasy like instrumentation of the intro track
before going into heavy riffing. The riffs are simplistic but powerful and hard
hitting. By the time the great chorus returned, Island of My Heart may have become one of my favourite songs of the
year.
The trance
keyboards return again on track number three Tides of War and then again heavily on the main riff of Join the Rain. Dreamtale shows what
modern power metal is at its finest yet also displays the same ambition that its
great ancestors possessed.
We Have No God made me smile with its jolly attitude of medieval/folk
melodies and rhythms and The Heart After
Dark had the same medieval feel plus the featuring of the mighty
harpsichord. The middle section of My
Next Move had the same style shifting the album’s style to a Rhapsody like one.
The title
track is a grandiose mid-journey ballad with great symphonic moments and a soaring
solo. My Next Move starts out as
speedy traditional power metal and the middle section gets epic with solos and
leads not to mention the epic chorus. Dreamtale dips into all styles of power metal
throughout this album and honestly does a great job of all of them.
The journey
ends with Destiny’s Chance, celebration
of glory. The energy is kept in on this ending track but you can feel the fiery
emotion held in, burning into the future.
By the end
of this album, you’re exhausted from fighting a quest alongside Dreamtale,
track after track. Although it does slightly drag, your times on the journey
are well remembered. World Changed
Forever didn't exactly change my world forever but it certainly changed my
2013 year. The album’s full of catchy hooks but ultimately, glorious times.
In case you haven't checked it out yet (like myself...), give a listen to Wisdom's new album, Marching For Liberty, released on September 27, or at least take a look at that marvelous album cover.
Excluding the absolutely epic 45 second choral intro, here's my favourite track, Take Me to Neverland.
Some more epic folk influenced metal band news from today. Is it viking metal? Nope! Samurai warriors Whispered announced today on their facebook that the release of their second album Shogunate Macabre, planned to drop on November 25th, has been delayed to January of 2014. Were they too busy raiding villages and doing all that other samurai stuff to release an album? The band's actually hoping to release the album worldwide and not just Scandinavia after they "caught some serious attention from some major party". So stop crying and be glad for the band.
Fingers crossed that they won't end up releasing the album a million years after like Wintersun's Time 1. You can also stream the official video for their amazing single Jikininki. It has everything you want, blast beats, wicked riffs, blazing solos and motherfucking koto.
Be on alert for this album come January because I'm sure it's going to be great!
Alestorm, your favourite pirate metal band, has released their single, In the Navy, a cover of the original by disco group Village People. They've done a few of these covers and this one's pretty bad but hell, it's never bad to get a load of Christopher Bowes and the rest of the pirate ship's drunken fun. The music video's a teaser from their upcoming live DVD Live at the End of the World, filmed in Australia and New Zealand from their 2013 tour there in January.
Live at the End of the World will be released on November 15th via Napalm Records.
I gave a listen to Kaledon release from April of this year, Altor: The King's Blacksmith. I had heard that it was very worthy 'less popular' power metal release from this year so I was pretty curious as to how the album would play out, especially being a newcomer to the band. It started out as B-side Stratovarius but I did enjoy the second half of the album.
Also, easy on the samples, Kaledon. Getting a little corny with those blacksmith sounds.
The new Death Angel, The Dream Calls For Blood dropped yesterday. I think the last track Territorial Instinct / Bloodlust is pretty worthy of a medallion of epicness... That guitar lead at the beginning had me pumping my fists in the air but that riff before the end... YES.
