Metal Blade 30th Anniversary Show Announced

I guess Lizzy Borden was originally announced as performing but they have since announced that they will not participate.  That's too bad--if ever a band was associated with Metal Blade through thick and thin, it has been Lizzy Borden.

KNAC.COM - News - Metal Blade 30th Anniversary Show Announced

Death Metal Hates Your Politics - The Atlantic Wire

Just in case anyone was wondering.  I know I wasn't...


Death Metal Hates Your Politics - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

Steve Harris solo album announced!

Looks like Steve Harris of Iron Maiden now as a solo/side project in the works, with an album called "British Lion" slated for a September release.

Track listing as follows:


1. This Is My God
2. Lost Worlds
3. Karma Killer
4. Us Against The World
5. The Chosen Ones
6. A World Without Heaven
7. Judas
8. Eyes Of The Young
9. These Are The Hands
10. The Lesson


The officiate website can be found here, although it's pretty sparse at the moment.

Queensryche Parts Ways With Geoff Tate

Sad news, but hardly unexpected after events of the last couple of weeks.

Possibly for the best.  Geoff hasn't been into the music for a long time.  Now he can make the music that appeals to him and the band can try and resurrection some interest in Queensryche.

Exclusive: Queensryche Parts Ways With Geoff Tate | Billboard.com

New Katatonia Song Available For Download

Inner Rush

A short documentary from the might National Film Board of Canada:

Rush receives Governor General Performing Arts Awards

OTTAWA—Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston will present the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Friday, May 4, 2012, at 6 p.m. Their Excellencies will also attend the National Arts Centre gala in Ottawa, on Saturday, May 5, 2012, which will feature outstanding performances, evocative film portraits and personal tributes made by special guests.
This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. Created in 1992, under the auspices of the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, the GGPAA are presented each year to Canadian performers whose extraordinary lifetime achievements have contributed significantly to the enrichment of Canada’s cultural life.

There's a nice photo of the boys with their shiny news medals here

Congratulations to Rush for yet another honour--now if only the cretins at the Rock And Rock Hall of Fame would pull their heads out of their asses and catch up with the rest of the world....

Ottawa Bluesfest: Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden is playing Bluesfest again this year.

Check out the details here:

Ottawa Bluesfest: Iron Maiden

Alpine Fault - Iraena's Ashes (2011)

This is the year I intend to be good and keep up with finding and reviewing new music, and what better way to start with one of the best bands I've heard in a long while.  Alpine Fault is from New Zealand (a first for me) and their debut album, Iraena's Ashes, is a concept album inspired by the true story of the mysterious disappearance of Iraena Asher.

Now, I'm a sucker for real life mysteries, and when I checked out the band's website and read the background of the album, I started digging into the Asher case (how many truly educational metal albums have you heard lately), and while knowing the story is not necessary to appreciate the CD, it really does enhance the themes of loss and melancholia that weave throughout both music and lyrics.

Musically, they cover a lot of ground. There's shades of Fates Warning and Dream Theater in there (it especially evokes similar imagery to the "Scenes from a memory" release), and just enough Opeth to provide contrast.  In less capable hands, the violin playing could have become a gimmick, but the band integrates it so well that it just seems...right.  One talented violinist achieves more than an entire phalanx of synthesizers.

While Nadia Vanek's vocals are near perfect, the big surprise is Ant Royle (guitars and vocals), who has a great voice himself--plaintive without over-emoting.  Together they manage to wring every drop of pathos from the music.  The guitar work is stunning--as complex as you'd expect from a prog-metal band, but as with the violin there's no sense of flashy gimmicks.

Top it off with some amazing cover art, courtesy of  Lady Symphonia, and a kick-ass first video directed by Adrian Pagano, and it's really, really hard to believe that this is a debut effort.  If there was any justice in this world, Alpine Fault would be huge.

Here's the video for "I'll See You Soon", a wise choice for the band to introduce themselves with.

Former Visions Of Atlantis-singer Nicole Bogner passes

A sad start to the year, Nicole Bognor, singer on the first two Visions Of Atlantis CDs, has passed away after a long, unspecified illness.

Full story here:
http://loudwire.com/former-visions-of-atlantis-singer-nicole-bogner-passes-away-at-27/