Billy Morrison and Ozzy Osbourne release stripped down version of Gods of Rock 'n' Roll

It's amazing to hear that music that comes with less overload when it comes to instruments or production can win so much. There's far more room for the music to breathe it's life and soul in all of those moments when you otherwise may turn your attention on other elements.

Photo credit: Jane Stuart @JaneStuartPhotos

Billy Morrison and Ozzy Osbourne released a ballad called "Gods Of Rock 'n' Roll" some time ago. By the time of it's initial release the song was already a impressive hymn but now that a stripped down version has been put out it has become something like a all time classic for me. It's one of those tunes that sticks in your mind once it reaches the listeners ears. Along with the lyrics it creates a moment that lasts in your mind. The meaning of the songs talks more intensively to the listener.

This version comes accompanied by Fred Coury's beautiful orchestration performed by a 57 piece Orchestra and an acoustic guitar solo by Steve Stevens.

Check the player below or head over to https://ffm.to/ozzy-billy-gods-stripped for a overview on streaming sites that offer the song, too. The Vinyl Edition that holds a double A-Side drops on July 4th 2025.  

CD Review: The Tronautas - Olovörgo (Doom, 2018)

Is it all just doom and gloom in this world? At least when it comes to the music of The Tronautas I feel a ray of light shining into my flat.

The cover of the EP shows that a band with own ideas is going to blast your ears. (c) The Tronautas

These three guys come from the far away country of Mexico. What they share with us is a bold and impressive pack of doom metal in various tempos. What stands out are the vocals that come around a bit broken like those Ozzy Osbourne presents to the audience.

The bass guitar also shines bright with it's constant ripping. These bass sounds stand out a bit and there are many times you'll spot them. Not too many bands do it this way. The dark tonality of the drums fits properly forming the shell for the music with a good groove.

From all of the tracks "Eternal Gloom" got me quickly with it's constant re-calling refrain. I thought more than just once that it fits so well to the world we're living in these days. Happily it made me feel comfortable knowing that I'm not the only one out there feeling this way.

The other offerings from this EP are differently. The last track "To destroy a beautiful thing" stands out with it's bold sound and it's two big parts each forming a different atmosphere. The opener "Last days" is hard to get by through it's slow and dark woven riffs. Few melodic guitar glimpses show up every here and there. This may need more rounds to come to fruition in your mind.

"My god" goes all the way up and down with it's constant riffing guitar. The spoken sample surprised me while the overall sound is bright and pushing.

Finally if you're after classic doom songs filled with slightly modern effects rounded out with parts needing closer re-listening this EP is it. Just hand some bucks to the band on Bandcamp and you're having great new noise. Plus like 'em on Facebook to stay up to date for further updates.

Amoriello (feat. Vinny Appice) honour Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio passed away already eight years ago. So far I've not heard a tribute track honoring his work and passion for music properly. Until these days I learned that Amoriello put out one that fits with it's bold performance, finetuned melody and strong lyrics. This band features former members of Black Sabbath, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, TNT, Loudness, Dokken, Impellitteri and Cacophony.

Besides the impressive list of band's those musicians have played in it comes with one member I'd like to point out. I'm speaking of longtime Dio drummer Vinny Appice who also contributed something special to this song. He performs a thunderous drum solo for 16 bars and provides his typical grooves to this track which alone remind me a lot of the time he used to play in Dio. He always puts out a signature with his playing technique and that can be heard on "Battle Song" very well.

"Battle Song" is part of the second AMORIELLO release from H42 Records on 12inch vinyl. The album is announced to be released on December 2018 (vinyl / digital). You can find more details on the release formats on the website of the label. (pre-order starts on 29th October 2018). Or connect with Facebook to be notified further.

The cover of the upcoming Amoriello album.

The exact member list for the album goes like this:

Guitar – Thomas Amoriello
Vocals – Nick Z Marino (Yngwie Malmsteen), Mark Boals (Ex Yngwie Malmsteen), Mike Vescera (Ex-Yngwie Malmsteen)
Bass - James Amelio Pulli (Impellitteri), Neil Murray (Ex Whitesnake), Phil Soussan (Ex-Ozzy Osbourne), Bjorn Englen (Ex Quiet Riot)
Drums – Vinny Appice (Ex-Dio), Kenny Stavropoulos (Ex-Le Mans), Shane Gaalaas (Ex-MSG), John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen), Atma Anur (Ex-Cacophony)
Keys – Michael Troy (Ex Yngwie Malmsteen)

In the studio with Airbourne, Black Sabbath and Megadeth

2013 is promising to be quite a massive year when it comes to fresh new albums from bigger Metal bands. Luckily nowadays through youtube many bands are offering studio reports on their website's that keep you informed about what's currently going on while they are recording. So you don't need to wait until the new album is out to hear something from it because these report's often do feature shot audio snippet's from the recording sessions.

Let's start with Airbourne. Airbourne's Album "Black Dog Barking" will be out on 2013/5/17. Here's the studio update for you to check out:





Next in line for todays's topic are the Heavy Metal pioneers Black Sabbath. Their new album is entitled

"13". It's going to be released in June 2013 in the old line-up Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi und Geezer Butler doing their first record together since1978. Here is what they have to say about the recording process.

The finish for this studio round up comes from Arizona/USA thrashers Megadeth who are in the studio to blast our ears with a new record called Super Collider which is set for release in June 2013. Megadeth's Super Collider is the first release through Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, through Universal Music. There are already four updates out there so I'll put here the newest of them. The rest can be found on their youtube channel. 


Update 2013/02/18: The band has released another cool studio update yesterday, so I'll put it up here as well. Sounds very, very heavy and cool. Can't wait to hear the album.