Music shopping anyone?

Despite the fact that I've been too busy (and uninspired) for blogging lately, the truth is that my hunger for music stays the same, maybe bigger than ever! After so many life changes and intercontinental travels back and forward, surprisingly, I found my self buying music again. Yes, I'm still old fashionable to hold in my hands a piece of listenable form of art. That said I must confess my recent passion for special editions and/or digipak releases. If the music industry wants to survive the so called net-music-share crises they should spend more time, effort, creativity and money creating even more alternative art solutions for CD packaging. Doing that they will not only increase value, interest and sells but also create a turn point for this whole mp3 dilemma. Well, if depending on collectors like me, the Compact Disc will stay alive for yet many years ;)

Here is my TOP 10 latest acquisitions in no order of relevance:

TOOL - 10.000 Days (2006, Sony Bmg)
NIGHTWISH - Dark Passion Play (2007, Warner)
HIM - Venus Doom (2007, Warner)
SLAYER - Christ Illusion (2006, Warner)
LIVE - Songs From Black Mountain (2006, Sony Bmg)
SERJ TANKIAN - Elect the Dead (2007, Warner)
RUSH - Snakes & Arrows (2007, Atlantic)
SYMPHONY X - Paradise Lost (2007, Inside Out)
LIMP BISKIT - The Unquestionable Truth - Part 1 (2005, Geffen)
PUSCIFER - 'V' is for Vagina (2007, Puscifer)

Ps.: Tool's 10.000 Days is a great example of audio packing creativity, includes special stereoscopic lenses to enhance artwork experience. Totally worth buying!

Evanescence Fall/Winter 2007 Tour Dates

After supporting Korn on the band’s Family Values tour earlier this year, Evanescence will embark their own headlining tour this fall. Amy Lee and her band’s revised cast of musicians are looking forward to their own gig. “It will be nice to do something special for Evanescence fans,” Lee said. “This time around we will get to spend more time with the audience and play a longer and more diverse set.” Australian rock trio Sick Puppies and Julien-K will join the band on the trek, which is set to kick off in Miami on Oct. 23.

TOUR DATES:

OCt 23 - Miami, FL
Oct 25 - Jacksonville, FL
Oct 28 - Houston, TX
Oct 30 - Dallas, TX
Oct 31 - Hidalgo, TX
Nov 03 - Mexico City, MEX
Nov 05 - Guadalajara, MEX
Nov 07 - Monterrey, MEX
Nov 10 - Los Angeles, CA
Nov 11 - Santa Barbara, CA
Nov 14 - San Jose, CA
Nov 15 - Reno, NV
Nov 16 - Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 18 - Portland, OR
Nov 20 - Boise, ID
Nov 21 - Seattle, WA
Nov 25 - Colorado Springs, CO
Nov 28 - Champagne, IL
Nov 29 - Moline, IL
Dec 01 - Youngstown, OH
Dec 02 - Wilkes Barre, PA
Dec 04 - East Rutherford, NJ

New Ayreon is taking shape

The 7th Ayreon album is almost complete. Fifteen vocalists were invited to join the record sessions at guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen’s Electric Castle Studios in Netherland. Magali Luyten (Virus IV, Beautiful Sin), Simone Simons (Epica), Ty Tabor (King's X), Liselotte Hegt (Dial), Tom S. Englund (Evergrey), Jorn Lande (Jorn, ex-Masterplan), Jonas P. Renkse (Katatonia), Anneke van Giersbergen (Agua de Annique, ex-Gathering), Bob Catley (Magnum) and Arjen himself are among the vocalists who already recorded their parts. The new Ayreon will be a double album featuring 15 tracks with a combined length of nearly 100 minutes. The photo above (by Jean-Luc Cruwels) shows Arjen in a Stream of Passion concert in France last year. Arjen quit the band before start working on the new Ayreon album earlier this year.

Heaven and Hell US Fall Tour 2007

Following the group’s successful spring tour, Heaven And Hell will again wow North American audiences with its bewitching stage set and truly timeless, classic metal as Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice return for a second round of US dates as part of the quartet’s continuing world tour. Set to launch on September 5, Heaven and Hell’s tour will stop in many cities not included on the previous leg and will feature special guest star Alice Cooper on all but one date (*). Queensrÿche will serve as the opening act for all shows. The band is riding high on the success of last year’s Operation: mindcrime II album and tour, which brought the group’s complete Mindcrime saga to the stage in its entirety.

The Heaven And Hell North American Fall Tour will include the following stops:

Set, 05 Binghampton, NY - Broom County Arena
Set, 07 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Set, 08 Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Amphitheatre
Set, 09 Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center
Set, 11 Reading, PA - Sovereign Center
Set, 14 Tampa, FL - St. Petersburg Times Forum
Set, 15 Sunrise, FL - Bank Atlantic Center
Set, 16 Orlando, FL - Amway Arena
Set, 19 Darien Lake, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Set, 20 Hamilton, ONT - Copps Coliseum
Set, 22 Chicago, IL - Sears Centre
Set, 23 St. Louis, MO - Family Arena
Set, 25 Denver, CO - Coors Amphitheatre
Set, 28 Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
Set, 29 Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor
Set, 30 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Oct, 02 Fresno, CA - Selland Arena
Oct, 04 Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
Oct, 05 Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater At The Palms Casino(*)
Oct, 06 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

PLAYLIST for August 2007

Last month I was too busy with my new study program enrollment and I didn't find the time to update my playlist here in my blog and I'm sorry about that. Now I'm back with more 10 essential albums from great musicians and bands for you to check out. My all time playlist for this month is dedicated to great guitarists and instrumental albums. The exception is the band Bad4Good, a bunch of talented kids revealed by the Steve Vai himself. Unfortunately the band split up after the debut, so this is also their ultimate career moment. The album is great, especially for those who are into eighties hard rock scene. In the other hand we have more 4 great albums released in 2005 starting with the excellent comeback release from LOA, the new Arjen Lucassen's project Stream of Passion, the new Frameshift album now with Sebastian Bach on vocals, and finally the return of the shock rock godfather Alice Cooper, kicking ass as usual of course. However, the highlight goes to the British melodic power metal idols Dragonforce whose last album 'Inhuman Rampage' got a special edition a couple months ago through Roadrunner Records in a two-disc CD/DVD featuring a bonus track audio, videos, behind the scenes and live footage. A must have for fans of the genre.

My 2005/2006 Playlist for this month:

Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage
Frameshift - In Absence of Empathy
Life of Agony - Broken Valley
Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds
Stream of Passion - Embrace the Storm

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month

Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien (1987)
Steve Vai - Passion & Warfare (1990)
Bad 4 Good - Refugee (1992)
Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn (1988)
Marty Friedman - Dragon's Kiss (1988)

DevilDriver on Ozzfest

Due to unfortunate circumstances Mondo Generator had to drop off of the remaining dates of Ozzfest 2007. However DevilDriver will now be destroying the 2nd Stage in that now vacant posistion. DevilDriver will join the tour at Thursday's show in Dallas and will perform on all remaining dates of Ozzfest 2007.

Main Stage: Ozzy Osbourne, Lamb of God, Static X, Lordi and DevilDriver. Second Stage: Hatebreed, Behemot, Nile, Ankla, Circus Diablo, The Showdown, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, In this Moment and Chthonic

Click on any of the shows below to get your free tickets!

07/28 - Coors Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
07/30 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Kansas City, MO
08/02 - Smirnoff Music Center, Dallas, TX
08/04 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX
08/06 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, St. Louis, MO
08/08 - Germain Amphitheatre, Columbus, OH
08/10 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL
08/12 - Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
08/14 - Verizon Wireless Music Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
08/16 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
08/18 - New England Dodge Music Theatre, Hartford, CT
08/20 - Tweeter Center, Boston, MA -- No Online Ticket Distribution
08/22 - Tweeter Center, Philadelphia, PA
08/24 - Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA
08/26 - DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
08/28 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
08/30 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL

Infected Mushroom USA tour dates

The Israeli psychedelic trance duo Infected Mushroom formed by Erez Eizen (also known as I.Zen) and Amit Duvdevani (also known as Duvdev) are back in USA for more 12 dates starting next friday July 20th at Pawn Shop in downtown Miami. Infected Mushroom are known for their consistent sonic evolution exemplified by the subsequent albums 'The Gathering' (99), 'Classical Mushroom' (00), 'B.P. Empire' (01), 'Converting Vegetarians' (03), 'IM the Supervisor' (04), and are current promoting their last release 'Vicious Delicious' (07).

20/07 - Miami, FL - Pawn Shop
21/07 - Chicago, IL - Vision
27/07 - El Paso, TX - Club Blu
28/07 - Las Vegas, NV - Empire Ballroom
03/08 - Salem, MO - Big Summer Classic
04/08 - Dallas, TX - The Clubhouse
04/08 - Dallas, TX - Lizard Lounge
05/08 - Baltimore, MD - Virgin Music Festival
10/08 - San Francisco, CA - 1015 Folsom
16/08 - Mariaville (Albany), NY - Camp Bisco
17/08 - Denver, CO - Cervantes
18/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Vanguard

PLAYLIST for June 2007

This month I'll highlight some obscure releases like the original 'The Sense Apparatus' from the Norway band Frantic Bleep along with the amazing 'Francis the Mute' from Americans Mars Volta and 'The Black Sessions' double album from Swedish Katatonia. Moving to a more melodic rock tunes approach we got the solo album from Glenn Hughes (ex- Sabbath) and also Michel Kiske (ex-Helloween) side project Place Vendome. So many awesome releases 2005 brought, don't you agree? Well, as concern to my all time favorites for this month I just want to say that with the Temple of the Dog exception (seminal project with Pear Jam and Soundgarden members) all other bands are live and kickin'. Yeah, even Vendetta (thrash band from Germany) are back after many years of absence. Check them out!

My 2005 Playlist for this month:

Frantic Bleep - The Sense Apparatus
Glenn Hughes - Soul Mover
Katatonia - The Black Sessions
Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Place Vendome - Place Vendome

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month

Bruce Dickinson - Chemical Wedding (1998)
Living Colour - Vivid (1988)
Temple of the Dog - Temple of The Dog (1991)
Vendetta - Brain Damage (1988)
Voi Vod - Nothing Face (1989)

Enjoy!

Slayer and Marilyn Manson US Tour

Slayer has teamed up with Marilyn Manson to tour in 2007 in support of Manson's latest album, "Eat Me, Drink Me" released on June 5. The tour has 25 dates, starting July 25 at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. Each band will be playing full sets with support from Bleeding Through and one as-yet-unannounced band. Slayer continues to tour in support of its acclaimed 2006 album, 'Christ Illusion".

Slayer/Marilyn Manson tour dates:

07/25 - Sound Advice Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
07/27 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, FL
07/28 - Hi Fi Buys Amphitheatre - Atlanta, GA
07/30 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
07/31 - Tower City Amphitheatre - Cleveland, OH
08/02 - Tweeter Center, Philadelphia - PA
08/04 - DCU Center, Worcester - MA
08/05 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
08/07 - Centre de Foire - Quebec, QC
08/08 - Bell Centre - Montreal, QC
08/10 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
08/11 - DTE Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
08/13 - Allstate Arena - Chicago, IL
08/14 - Xcel - Minneapolis, MN
08/16 - TBA
08/18 - Coors Amphitheatre - Denver, CO
08/21 - Sleep Train Amphitheatre - Sacramento, CA
08/23 - Sleep Train Pavilion - Concord, CA
08/24 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Irvine, Los Angeles, CA
08/25 - San Diego Sports Arena - San Diego, CA
08/27 - Cricket Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
08/28 - Journal Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
08/30 - Nokia Theatre - Dallas, TX
08/31 - Reliant Arena - Houston, TX
09/01 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - San Antonio, TX

Concept Albums : Space Theme Part III

Artist: Dol Ammad
Title: Ocean Dynamics
Label: Eletronicartmetal Records
Release Date: August 30, 2006

This is the second official release from Dol'Ammad, the innovative project from Greek mastermind Thanasis Lightbridge, once again plenty of guests and talented voices united in his adventurous aquatic space opera. Its not easy to combine elements from electronic music, opera and heavy metal, but Thanasis seems to be very confident with his hard task showing to the world a multitude of sounds and feelings combined in "Ocean Dynamics". He put together 14 choir voices as the main singer on Dal'Ammad, 7 men and 7 woman (3 Sopranos, 4 Altos, 4 Tenors and 3 Bass) plus Silent Force melodic metal singer DC Cooper who guests on “Aquatic Majesty” track. Despite the fact of many voices to be heard (the choir reminds me some kind of Gregorian chant in most of the record), there are plenty of progressive and instrumental parts, dynamic changes and even some death metal chaotic rhythms in between, letting the listener to be a bit lost in the first auditions. That's the beauty about free of rules music creation, when you least expect you get captured in a surprising and captive experience which might lead you to places you never knew they existed before. And believe me, you will beg to comeback again and again. For the instrumental music journey the keyboard player/composer Thanasis is again very well served with one of the best metal drummers around Europe, Alex Holzwarth from the Rhapsody and Sieges Even fame. The creativity of this two guys together already worth to buy the CD, but this is not the usual symphonic power metal attempt, there are many more soundscapes to explore therefore. So keep your ears (and mind) wild open to enjoy a non-metal fusion track like "Descent", one of the most hypnotizing electronic songs on Ocean Dynamics, definitely one step forward in Thanasis original composition skills. Did I mention that the album is about a fantasy trip inspired by the powers of the sea?

Track Listing: Thalassa Dominion I (4:29) / 02. Thalassa Dominion II (6:20) / Thalassa Dominion III (7:06) / Thalassa Dominion IV (5:12) / Solarwinds (6:10) / Descend (5:26) / Lava (6:01) / Aquatic Majesty (6:06) / Liquid Desert (6:37) / Heart of the Sea (5:49).

Line-up & Guests: Thanasis Lightbridge (Synthesizers, Drums on “Descent”), Alex Holzwarth (Drums & Percussion), DC Cooper (Guest Vocals on “Aquatic Majesty”), Dim (Electric Guitar), Nick Terry (Bass Guitar), Mary Palaska (Soprano), Kortessa Tsifodimou (Soprano, Solo Voices), Alexandra Voulgari (Soprano), Vicky Alexaki (Alto), Sofia Patsi (Alto), Maria Stolaki (Alto), Ntina Strani (Alto), Alexandros Barmpas (Tenor), Panos Iampoultakis (Tenor), Themis Mpasdekis (Tenor), Anestis Papageorgiou (Tenor), Kyriakos Chouvardas (Bass), Petros Moraitis (Bass), Yiannis Tsalouhidis (Bass).

Flower Kings recording "The Sum of No Evil"

The Swedish Prog masters, The Flower Kings, have entered Varispeed Studios in southern Sweden to work on their 10th studio album entitled, "The Sum of No Evil." Varispeed is known for its vintage gear producing a great '70's sound and vibe. "Altogether this album is a definite step back to what we did around Retropolis/Stardust/Flower Power," says main man Roine Stolt, "a more symphonic, melodic style with more keyboard/guitar interplay." To the surprise of a lot of fans, this album also features the return of Hungarian drumming prodigy, Zoltan Csorsz. Look for The Flower Kings’ "The Sum of No Evil" in stores this October with a Europe tour to follow.

Concept Albums : Space Theme Part II

Artist: Space Odyssey
Title: The Astral Episode
Label: Regain Records
Release Date: March 29, 2005

Space Odyssey is a neo-classical metal project formed by the Swedish keyboard player Richard Andersson (from the Majestic and Time Machine fame) and his guitar player friend Magnus Nilsson. The debut album “Embrace The Galaxy” was released in 2003 and after a couple of years and some line-up changes "The Astral Episode" was released. For this second record they invited the young drummer Andreas Brobjér, Magnus took care about the bass lines and Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors) once again surprises us with his superb Dio type of singing. The album is very well produced by Jonas Reingold (Midnight Sun, Reingold, The Flowerkings) and musically is not much far away from Andersson’s other bands and projects, a great mix between Symphony X and Yngwie Malmsteen neo-classical style, but it does feature more heavy guitars and takes sci-fi as a starting point for the lyrics. A third album has already been released last year ("Tears of the Sun") and brought a new singer to the line-up (David Fremberg from Andromeda) and also a new invited drummer Jörg Andrews. Once again the space/sci-fi theme is developed by great musicians from Europe.

Track listing:

1. Through Dreams And Reality
2. Astral Episode
3. Lord Of The Winds
4. Dazzle The Devil
5. Back To The Dark
6. Presence Of Mind
7. Reversation
8. The Seventh Star Fantasy
9. The Finest Of A Good Kind (Japan bonus track)

Line-up & Guests: Richard Andersson (keyboards), Nils Patrik Johansson (vocals), Andreas Brobjer (drums) and Magnus Nilsson (guitars and bass)

RUSH: Snakes & Arrows tour dates

After the release of 'Snakes & Arrows' last may, the Canadian trio is read to begin their world tour next June 13 in Atlanta. The band also have released a MVI 5 edition of 'Snakes & Arrows', a cutting-edge format that features 5.1 surround sound, interactive content and higher storage capacity. In this case, it contains more than 40 minutes of never-before seen footage of Geddy, Alex and Neil in the studio, and offers fans a first look at some of rock music's greatest innovators.

North America Tour 2007

June, 13th Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
June, 15th West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
June, 16th Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
June, 18th Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June, 20th Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
June, 22nd Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
June, 23rd Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
June, 25th Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
June, 27th Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
June, 29th Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
June, 30th Saratoga Springs, NY - SPAC
July, 2nd Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
July, 4th Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake
July, 6th Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center
July, 8th Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
July, 9th Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
July, 18th Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
July, 20th Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
July, 21st Portland, OR - The Amphitheatre at Clark County
July, 23rd Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
July, 25th Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July, 27th Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
July, 28th Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
July, 30th San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
Aug, 1st San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug, 3rd Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
Aug, 4th Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Aug, 6th Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
Aug, 8th Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Aug, 11th Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
Aug, 12th San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug, 14th Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug, 23rd Kansas City, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug, 24th St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug, 26th Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug, 28th Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug, 30th Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Centre
Set, 1st Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Set, 2nd Columbus, OH - Germain Amphitheater
Set, 6th Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheater
Set, 8th Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amph
Set, 9th St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Set, 12th London, ON - John Labatt Centre
Set, 14th Quebec City, PQ - Colisee de Quebec
Set, 15th Montreal, PQ - Bell Centre
Set, 17th New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Set, 19th Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
Set, 21st Ottawa, ON - ScotiaBank Place
Set, 22nd Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre

Concept Albums : Space Theme Part I

Artist: Star One
Title: Space Metal
Label: InsideOut
Release Date: May 21, 2002

Arjen Lucassen is one of those strictly few multi- instrumentalist with unique talent and creativity who sees no limits for his music vision and passion. Knew by his guitar past in the eighties with Dutch fellows from Bodine and Vengeance, he started his solo career in the early nineties, but only with the Ayreon project he began to focus his major influence from the seventies, the concept albums, gaining major attention from public and critic since then. One of his greatest efforts was the 2004 acclaimed masterpiece "Human Equation". In this new millennium he also presented other side projects like Ambeon and Stream of Passion, both of them with female singers in the main vocals. Star One is a Prog-rock project featuring members of Symphony X, Nightingale, After Forever, Gorefest, Masterplan and Shadow Gallery who focuses mainly on the heavy side of Arjen’s music with songs more straightforward and guitar-oriented but still progressive. Many fans simply call it Progressive Power Metal . The name for this project comes from a 70s cult British television series named Blakes 7 in which an artificial planet called Star One is featured. Space Metal isn't a continuous story or a rock opera like the Ayreon albums. Yet it is still very much a concept album. The individual songs are all based on space films such as ‘Outland’, ‘Star Trek: IV’, ‘Star Wars trilogy’, ‘Stargate’, ‘Dune’, ‘Alien’, ‘Blakes 7’, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘2010: The Year We Make Contact’, ‘Dark Star’ and ‘Enemy Mine’. The album is a journey through Arjen's mind and memory, so the listeners can relive those great science fiction space films that made such an impact on him. The limited digi-book edition with bonus disc brings 'Hawkwind Medley' with guest appearance from original Hawkwind singer Dave Brock, a version of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' sung by Arjen himself, plus other mixes and unreleased tracks.
Track Listing: Disc One: Lift-Off (1:13) / Set Your Controls (6:01) / High Moon (5:36) / Songs Of The Ocean (5:23) / Master Of Darkness (514) / The Eye Of Ra (7:34) / Sandrider (5:31) / Perfect Survivor (4:46) / Intergalactic Space Crusaders (5:22) / Starchild (9:04). Disc 2: Hawkwind Medley (9:46) / Spaced Out (4:53) / Inseparable Enemies (4:15) / Space Oddity (4:59) / Starchild Mixed In Dolby Pro-Logic) (9:31) / Spaced Out (Alternative Version) (4:55)
Line-up & Guests: Arjen Lucassen (guitars, keyboards, vocals, bass, mellotron, synths, Solina strings), Ed Warby (drums), Jens Johansson (keyboards), Erik Norlander (keyboards), Gary Wehrkamp (guitar solos), Russell Allen (vocal), Damian Wilson (vocal), Dan Swanö (vocal), Floor Jansen (backing vocals) and Robert Soeterboek (backing vocals).

PLAYLIST for May 2007

Music keeps touching me deeply no matter what happens in my life. Since I moved to Florida a couple of months ago I started to organize my collection again and fortunately I've been able to listen and enjoy great albums that were released in this new millennium. This month I will highlight some of them, but I advice you to keep update checking out the new releases that majority of this bands have already released since then.

My 2005 Playlist for this month:

Grand Magus - Wolf's Return
Hatesphere - The Sickness Within
Masterplan - Aeronautics
Presto Ballet - Peace Among The Ruins
Sentenced - The Funeral Album

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month

Alex Skolnick Trio - Goodbye To Romance (2004)
Adagio - Underworld (2003)
Beseech - Souls Highway (2002)
Evergrey - The Inner Circle (2004)
Filter - The Amalgamut (2002)

Enjoy!

Tool US Tour dates

The Los Angeles art-metal band Tool has been playing all over the world to support its fourth studio album, "10,000 Days," which surfaced in March last year and debuted at the top of The Billboard 200 album chart. They are current touring in America, the kick start was in Las Vegas last April 27th. Tool have several Europe Festival dates confirmed for next August and Setember this year. US & Canada shows confirmed are listed below:

16 Jul Reading, PA Sovereign Center
14 Jul Albany, NY Times Forum Union
13 Jul Portland, ME Cumberland Civic center
12 Jul Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center
10 Jul Montreal, QC Bell Center (Canada)
09 Jul Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum (Canada)
07 Jul Huntington, WV Big Sandy Superstore Arena
05 Jul Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
04 Jul Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
03 Jul Detroit, MI DTE Amphitheater
01 Jul Youngstown, OH Chevrolet Center
29 Jun Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
27 Jun Chicago, IL Sears Center
26 Jun St. Paul, MN Xcel Center
25 Jun Sioux City, IA Tyson Event Center (Gateway A)
23 Jun Ft. Wayne, IN Memorial Coliseum
22 Jun St. Louis, MO Scottrade Arena
20 Jun Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
19 Jun Cedar Rapids, IA US Cellular Center
17 Jun Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium
16 Jun Cape Girardeau, MO Show Me Center
15 Jun Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival
13 Jun Winston-Salem, NC Joel Lawrence Coliseum
09 Jun Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
08 Jun Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
07 Jun Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum
05 Jun Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
04 Jun Duluth, GA Gwinnette Center
02 Jun Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Coliseum
01 Jun Sunrise, FL Bank Atlantic Center
31 May Orlando, FL Amway arena
29 May Tampa, FL USF Sundome
26 May Birmingham, AL Verizon Wireless Music Center
25 May Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center
24 May Baton Rouge, LA River Center
22 May Corpus Christi, TX American Bank Center
21 May San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
19 May Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
17 May Bossier City, LA Centurytel Arena
16 May FT. Worth, TX Ft. Worth Convention Center

Find more about Tool frontman, Maynard James Keenan, in this interview published by AVClub in November last year, where he talks about politics, wine-making, and his fans' interpretation of Tool's music. "But there's more to the 42-year-old singer than his enigmatic stage presence: He's also a pundit, a father, a winemaker, a former Army cadet, and an underappreciated funnyman with a Mr. Show cameo under his jiu-jitsu belt"

Official website

Alien Abduction

I know that everyone will say that I got crazy and lost my mind but I really don't give a damn! I am already used to wear the 'madman hat', so be prepared for what I will tell you now. It's quite unbelievable but I was abducted by 5 alien creatures from outer space for unknown purposes (ok now I have a clue - I will tell you later) and they kept me for about one year (earth time) doing experiences with my mind and thoughts. Fortunately they left my body intact (thank god!) and eventually I made a deal with them to get my release back to earth. Now I'm here, not in Portugal where I lived for about 15 years, neither in Brazil where they took me for the experimental journey last year, but YES in the land of the devil, the great almighty US. Now I have this mission, to spread their music around the world for the sake of my life, and I do want to keep alive and kicking! Some steps I already made on myspace.com (alienoidz keyword) plus an official webspace, but its only the beginning. So, I decide to reborn this blog and keep you informed about their invasion and my good health as well. Hopefully I will start reviewing other unusual projects soon, if 'they' let me do it of course. But one thing is for sure, I have survived in the name of my music passion! What a holy remedy!!! Hope to get you always around for some fresh news from this side of the planet. Cheers

Time off

PLAYLIST for December 2005

My 2005 Playlist for this month:

• As I Lay Dying - Shadows are Security
• Antimatter - Planetery Confinement
• Sieges Even - The Art of Navigating by the Sea
• System of a Down - Hypnotize
• Witchcraft - Firewood

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month

• Abstrakt Algebra - Abstrakt Algebra (1995)
• Anathema - Alternative 4 (1998)
• D.A.D. - No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims (1989)
• Gamma Ray - Heading For Tomorrow (1989)
• Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime (1988)

Enjoy!

Ps.: Always in alphabethical order

Pss.: I'm sorry but is so many bands, so I'll try to avoid repeatitions ;)

Go see OPETH in Spain!

After the worldwide release of the new album "Ghost Reveries" last August, the first one through Roadrunner Records, the band is ready to strike live again in Europe. The new album entered charts in several countries around the world even in the US, where they already finish touring along with Nevermore and Into Eternity, beeing there home country Sweden the best result so far, #9 week 37. This time Portuguese prog-extreme metal fans will have to go to Spain to see Opeth live again next December. MetalBusTour can take you there* from Lisbon or Oporto for about 80€ including ticket for the gig. Contact Sandra Gonçalves for reservations.

Next European Tour Dates with BURST as the open act:

27/11 - Nottingham, Rockcity (UK)
28/11 - Glasgow, Garage (UK)
29/11 - Leeds, Blank Canvas (UK)
30/11 - London, The Forum (UK) / with Akercocke
02/12 - Exeter, Lemon Grove (UK)
03/12 - Oxford, Brooks Uni (UK)
04/12 - Utrecht, Tivoli (NL)
06/12 - Paris, Locomotive (FR)
07/12 - Toulouse, Ramier (FR)
08/12 - Bergara, Sala Jam (SP)
09/12 - Madrid, Arena (SP) *
10/12 - Barcelona, Apolo (SP)
11/12 - Lyon, Le Transbourder (FR)
13/12 - Milan, Rolling Stone (IT)
14/12 - Florence, Flog (IT)
15/12 - Zurich, Abart (CH)
16/12 - Munich, New Backstage (GER)
17/12 - Vienna, Szene Wien (AUS)
18/12 - Budapest, Petofi Hall (HU)
19/12 - Prague, Roxy (CZ)
20/12 - Hanau, Halle 2 (GER)
21/12 - Stuttgart, Die Röhre (GER)
22/12 - Zoetermeer, Boerderij (NL)

EDGUY's Tobias Sammet is not dead !

The rumour that Tobias committed suicide is not true, Tobias is alive and well: “Wow, you turn your computer on, surf the internet and find out that you’re dead before you even realize it yourself. I just felt a little cold and wondered why people around seemed to not pay attention to me anymore. But I’d never thought in a million years that it’s THAT serious”. In other news Edguy have confirmed the release of their new album «Rocket Ride» next January 20th. The EP «Superheroes» is still on the German single charts for the 8th week now. In February, Edguy will start their world tour, according to the band “with the biggest stage production we have had up to now”. Make sure you get your tickets on time.

ROCKET RIDE WORLD TOUR 2006

27/01 - MANCHESTER, MDH (UK)
29/01 - NOTTINGHAM, Nottingham Rock City (UK)
30/01 - LEEDS, University (UK)
31/01 - GLASGOW, Glasgow Academy (UK)
01/02 - NEWCASTLE, University (UK)
03/02 - LONDON, Astoria (UK)
06/02 - PRATTELN, Z7 (CH)
07/02 - MILAN, Rolling Stone (I)
09/02 - MADRID, Aqualung (E)
10/02 - PORTO, Hard Club (P)
11/02 - BERGARA, Sala (E)
12/02 - BARCELONA, Razzmatazz (E)
14/02 - LYON, Transbordeur (F)
15/02 - PARIS, Elysee Mont Martre (F)
17/02 - STUTTGART, LKA (D)
18/02 - KAUFBEUREN, All-Karthalle (D)
20/02 - LANGEN, Stadthalle (D)
21/02 - KÖLN, Live Music Hall (D)
22/02 - OBERHAUSEN, Turbinenhalle (D)
24/02 - LICHTENFELS, Stadthalle (D)
25/02 - OSNABRÜCK, Halle Gartlage (D)
26/02 - HAMBURG, Markthalle (D)
28/02 - GÖTEBORG, Trädgarn (S)
01/03 - STOCKHOLM, Arenan (S)
02/03 - LUND, Mejeriet (S)
04/03 - FULDA, Wartenberg-Oval (D)

Edguy's Portuguese date (10/02/06) will have the British power metal band DRAGONFORCE as the open act.

PLAYLIST for November 2005

My 2005 Playlist for this month:

Firewind - Forged By Fire
Gotthard - Lipservice
Iron Mask - Hordes of the Brave
Nickelback - All The Right Reasons
Slowmotion Apocalypse - My Own Private Armageddon

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month / New millennium favs:

Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)
Dead Soul Tribe - A Murder of Crows (2003)
Kamelot - Karma (2001)
The Hellacopters - By The Grace Of God (2002)
Rammstein - Reise Reise (2004)

Enjoy!

THE RASMUS, new album and Portugal dates

After the release of «Hide From The Sun» last September, the finnish band THE RASMUS are ready to play live in Portugal again. The album was recorded in Bromma, Sweden, and just like the two previous records produced by Martin Hansen and Mikael Nord Andersson. The band's 6th album is certainly their strongest so far, heavier but yet more beautiful than before. Portuguese fans can check them live in Lisbon and Oporto next week. For Lisbon fortunable ones, also at the MTV European Music Awards 2005.

Next Tour Dates:

02.11.05 Madrid, Arena (ESP)
03.11.05 MTV Lisbon, tbc (POR)
04.11.05 Lisbon, Paradise Garage (POR)
05.11.05 Porto, Hard Club (POR)
07.11.05 Barcelona, Apolo (ESP)
09.11.05 Milan, Rolling Stone (ITA)
10.11.05 Metropop Festival Lausanne, (SUI)
11.11.05 Zürich, Kaufleuten (SUI)
12.11.05 Vienna, Planet Music (AUT)
15.11.05 Budapest, Petofi Csarnok (HUN)
16.11.05 Prague, Roxy (CZE)
17.11.05 Munich, Backstage (GER)
18.11.05 Bochum, Zeche Karl (GER)
20.11.05 Berlin, Postbahnhof (GER)
22.11.05 Warsaw, Stodola (POL)
27.11.05 Caracas City Festival Caracas, (VEN)
09.02.06 Essen, Grugahalle (GER)
10.02.06 Boeblingen, Sporthalle (GER)
11.02.06 Mannheim, Mozartsaal (GER)
12.02.06 Cologne, Palladium (GER)
14.02.06 Hannover, Awd Hall (GER)
15.02.06 Berlin, Arena (GER)
17.02.06 Leipzig, Haus Auensee (GER)
18.02.06 Vienna, Gasometer (AUT)
19.02.06 Zurich, Maag Music Hall (SUI)

EPICA live again in Portugal

Europe tour still goes for dutch band EPICA after some cancelations regarding vocalist Simone Simons illness last weekend. The band is releasing a new single entitled «Quietus (Silent Reverie)», the second one from the last album «Consign to Oblivion», and will be touring in South America along side with KAMELOT next december before hiting Europe ground again in January 2006. The sound of EPICA is a combination of scores and elements from metal and rock, somewhere between Nightwish and Within Temptation. The Portuguese date next November 1th at Hard Club (Porto) will also have the presence of dutch band OCEANS OF SADNESS as the open act. Open doors at 20h30, ticket price is 22€

Next tour dates:

27-10-05 Razzmatazz II, Barcelona - Spain
28-10-05 Republica II, Valencia - Spain
29-10-05 Industrial Copera, Granada - Spain
31-10-05 Caraco, Madrid - Spain
01-11-05 Hard Club, Oporto (Gaia) - Portugal
02-11-05 Bilborock, Bilbao - Spain
04-11-05 Jas Rod, Marseille - France
05-11-05 Z7, Pratteln - Switzerland
06-11-05 Centre Socioculturel d'Antoing, Tournai - Belgium
19-11-05 Ten Weyngaert, Brussels - Belgium
20-11-05 Hirsch, Nürnberg - Germany
22-11-05 Marx, Hamburg - Germany
23-11-05 Lindenpark, Potsdam - Germany
24-11-05 Kulturfabrik, Krefeld - Germany
25-11-05 Transilvania, Milan - Italy
26-11-05 Tonbombe, Islikon - Switzerland
28-11-05 Ampere, Munich - Germany
29-11-05 Colos Saal, Aschaffenburg - Germany
03-12-05 Via Funchal, São Paulo - Brasil
04-12-05 Circo Voador, Rio de Janeiro - Brasil
10-12-05 TBC, Belo Horizonte - Brasil
14-12-05 ND Ateneo, Buenos Aires - Argentina
17-12-05 Gabriela Mistral, Santiago de Chile - Chile
18-12-05 Theatre Caupolican, Santiago de Chile - Chile

DORO in "The Path of the Warrior"

German metal singer Doro Pesch (ex-Warlock) recently finished shooting her very first movie in Switzerland and is said to be “very happy with the result”. The movie, entitled "Anuk - The Path of the Warrior", was produced by Swiss director Luke Gasser and is set for a theatrical release in Switzerland, Austria and Germany sometime in 2006. Doro incarnates a respected hunter from the Bronze Age. When suffering attacks from rival tribes, she defends with all force of a true warrior - a paper role that could not be more suitable for Doro personality. Filming underneath negative temperatures she was obliged to learn to handle with arc and arrow and also to lead a canoe. Back to the music business Doro will be present in the soundtrack of the movie with a song in partnership with the Kroke singer, Marc Storace.

GOTTHARD live at Hard Club

They are a great hard rock band from Switzerland. They have released 10 studio albuns since the start in 1992. They have sold more than 2 million album copies worldwide. Gotthard is their name, and they will be playing live at Hard Club (Porto) in the end of this month. The Portuguese rockers The Fire will be responsable to warm up the night, so be sure to get your ticket (12,5€ pre-sale) and go see the show !

Next shows (October):

18.10 Morena/Rom - Stazione Birra, Italy
20.10 Bassano - Transilvania, Italy
21.10 Cesena - Vidia Club, Italy
22.10 Mailand - Transilvania, Italy
26.10 Verviers - Spirit Of 66, Belgian
28.10 Bilbao - Santana, Spain
29.10 Barcelona - Mephisto, Spain
30.10 Madrid - Caracol, Spain
31.10 Porto - Hard Club, Portugal

NIGHTRAGE at "Dark October Fest"

The Swedish melodic death metal band NIGHTRAGE and Portuguese dark atmospheric doomsters DESIRE are the main attractions in this year edition of “OUTUBRO NEGRO” festival. The event will take place at Mercado da Ribeira, Cais do Sodré, in Lisbon - Portugal.

October, 21 (friday)

Desire (Por)
Hyubris (Por)
Hordes of Yore (Por)
Heavenly Bride (Por)

October, 22 (saturday)

Nightrage (Sue)
Shadowsphere (Por)
Thanatoschizo (Por)
Dawrider (Por)

Open doors at 21:30 until 04:00
Tickets for the first day 10€
Tickets for the second day 15€
Tickets for both days 20€.

More information at: Outubro Negro Blogspot.com

PLAYLIST for October 2005

For now on I will be sharing a little bit more about my music tastes. Every month I will post my personal top choices, releases recommendations from this year to my all time favourites. Yes, I listen to a lot of music in a everyday basis, my music collection never stops growing ! So, I'll be filtering up specially for you only the best music I have been listen to every month. You know, I have been collecting music for a long time (thank god for mp3 music sharing!), so this is the time to advice you about what's really exciting pumping up through my speakers ;)

My 2005 Playlist for this month:

Beyond Twilight - Section X
Charon - Songs For The Sinners
Clutch - Robot Hive, Exodus
Darren Smith Band - Keep The Spirit Alive
Freak Kitchen - Organic

My ALL TIME Playlist for this month:

AC/DC - Jailbreak (1984)
Anthrax - Spreading The Disease (1985)
Joey Tempest - Azalea Place (1997)
Led Zeppelin - III (1970)
Whitesnake - Slide it in (1984)

By the way, I can not forget some people from music industry that keeps sending promo stuff. Music promotion is the key to keep alive the music scene, so this time my personal greetings goes to Megamusica (Portugal), Risestar Promotion (Chile) and Sure Shot Worx (Germany). Independent efforts are always welcome too, so I wish luck to the Portuguese fellows THE OTHER SIDE.

Don't forget to check out this new releases:

ANNIHILATOR - Schizo Deluxe (2005, AFM Records)
CIRCLE OF DEAD CHILDREN - Zero Comfort Margin (2005, Earache)
DARKEMIST - Mindseek (2004, Risestar)
MISTRESS - II : The Chronivisor (2005, Earache Records) RE
MISTRESS - Mistress (2005, Earache Records) RE
THE OTHER SIDE - Floating / Walking (2005, Independent)
THE IRON FORCE - Metal Compilation Vol. II (2005, Risestar)

Cheers!

GAMMA RAY, Majestic in Portugal

The german power metal group Gamma Ray are back with their 8th studio album. The 11 new tracks were recorded and mixed at Hansen Studio Hamburg with engineer/producer Dirk Schlächter along with Kai Hansen himself. «Majestic» was mastered at Finnvox Studios, Helsinki (Finland) and was released in Europe last September, 23th. Gamma Ray are one of the best melodic power metal bands from Germany, and they will be presenting the new material live in Portugal next October, 9th at Hard Club (Porto). Swedish Nocturnal Rites and German Powerwolf are the bands invited to warm up the night.

Next concerts:

04.10.2005 Pratteln (Switzerland), Z7
05.10.2005 Lyon (France), Transbordeur
07.10.2005 Bergara(Spain), Jam
08.10.2005 Madrid (Spain), La Riviera
09.10.2005 Porto (Portugal), Hard Club
11.10.2005 Barcelona (Spain), Razzmatazz 1
12.10.2005 Zaragoza (Spain), tba.
14.10.2005 Lichtenfels (Germany), Stadthalle
15.10.2005 Langen (Germany), Stadthalle
16.10.2005 Bonn (Germany), Brückenforum
17.10.2005 Paris (France), Elysee Montmartre
19.10.2005 Oberhausen (Germany), T-Club Turbinenhalle
20.10.2005 Hamburg (Germany), Markthalle
21.10.2005 Osnabrück (Germany), Hydepark
22.10.2005 Kaufbeuren (Germany), All-Karthalle 1
05.11.2005 Porto Alegre (Brazil), Opinião
16.11.2005 Curitiba (Brazil), Master Hall
18.11.2005 Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Lapa Multishow
19.11.2005 São Paulo (Brazil), Olympia
23.11.2005 Guadalajara (Mexico), tba.
24.11.2005 Mexiko City (Mexico), tba.
28.11.2005 Osaka (Japan), Shinsaibashi Club Quattro
29.11.2005 Nagoya (Japan), Bottomline
01.12.2005 Tokyo (Japan), Shibuya O-East
02.12.2005 Tokyo (Japan), Shibuya O-East
03.12.2005 Nagano (Japan), Club Junk Box

YOB - The Unreal Never Lived

Anti-gravity capsules are for losers. Place me in an immersion tank and surround my ass with some doom metal. Who wants to float in simulated space conditions when they can choose to hide from the sun and get suffocated by their own sense of abandonment? YOB aren't an escape. They're metaphysical doom. Sure, you should be scared of evil. It can tailor-make your destruction in a heartbeat. But struggling with your faith, mind, and reason for being placed on this Earth are slower and much more frightening. Which isn't to say they're waiting around for your muscles to atrophy between snare hits (Khanate) or the bass drone to give your bowels a break (Boris). You could do the reference game with them all day, name checking Sleep, Burning Witch, Neurosis, and High on Fire-- even Electric Wizard, Ufomammut, Isis, Melvins, and Black Sabbath wouldn't be out of line. But YOB's The Unreal Never Lived-- four songs-in-50 minutes-- still stands out on its own as epic downtrodden metal with what sounds like seasoned potsmokers throwing in their High Times for some new age religious tracts. Four songs of peristaltic chug would be nothing without at least a few vocals. Vocalist Mike Scheidt has the diversity to growl, bellow, whisper, yell, and hit some high notes like few other metal singers. Be warned, the high notes can get a little nutless in the Dio or Geddy Lee vain, but they probably only last for around a combined 30 seconds. And that's the only goofy thing about YOB... Oh wait, I just read the lyrics. "Quantum Mystic" with its "His message to this world still resounds for all time/ The Unreal Never Lived and the real does not ever die beyond all birth and death/ The real is timeless/ Open the shutter of the mind and it will be flooded with light" is probably about the Indian Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj who answered most of the questions of life with vague "I am" answers. "Kosmos" even tells me, "Peace lives in the space where no one is there." But remember my teachings, my music reviewing students, "Metal is what it is, when it is what it always was." Even with some goofy lyrics, YOB sound like doom, the kind that has you up at night wondering why we even bother holding jobs when we barely get paid enough to pay for our housing and vehicles or why we bother befriending people if they are just gonna turn on us. And those methodical bastards in YOB probably enjoy causing that pain.

-Austin Gaines, 8 September, 2005
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/