Serenity redefine sound on upcoming album The Last Knight (Europe dates inside)

I remember that I first saw Serenity live the time they opened up for Morgana Lefay in 2007. They played a sort of progressive metal with lots of heartfelt melodies and lyrics that spoke from my heart.

After the show I had the chance of speaking to Georg Neuhauser and get some autographs of nearly the whole band. That experience lead me to follow Serenity through more symphonic times and now they are about to send a new album out to the world called "The Last Knight".

The album talks about the life of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I..

The first appetizer sounds like a much heavier form of the band's sound yet some of the above mentioned heartfeltness is still to be found in there. All in all it's more based on riffs and the refrain hangs on my mind. The newfound power in the music is a kicker and teases me a lot towards the new material. "The Last Knight" will be out on January 31, 2020. Pre-Order is available here.

Also make sure to show up to the coming tour.         

SERENITY on Tour:
w/ Rage
05.02.20 DE - Mannheim / MS Connexion Complex
06.02.20 DE - Hamburg / TBA
07.02.20 DE - Siegburg / Kubana
14.02.20 IT - Milan / Legend's Club
15.02.20 DE - Memmingen / Kaminwerk
16.02.20 DE - Nuremberg / Hirsch
18.02.20 CH - Pratteln / Konzertfabrik Z7
19.02.20 AT - Vienna / Szene
20.02.20 SK - Kosice / Collosseum
21.02.20 SK - Zvolen / Dom Kultury Zsr
22.02.20 CZ - Prague / Nova Chmelnice
23.02.20 DE - Bochum / Zeche

w/ Ad Infinitum, Dynazty, Victorius
01.04.20 DE - Munich /Backstage
02.04.20 DE - Berlin / Nuke CLub
03.04.20 DE - Weinheim / Cafe Central
04.04.20 DE - Essen / Turock
05.04.20 NL - Haarlem    / Patronaat
07.04.20 NL - Enschede / Metropool
08.04.20 BE - Aarschot / De Klinker
09.04.20 DE - Rüsselheim am Main / Das Rind
10.04.20 CH - Luzern / Schüür
11.04.20 AT - Wörgl / Komma

Check the band's Facebook for updates on these shows.

Crossing Rubicon perform in a wrestling arena

Does Wrestling and Metal music have something in common? A lot of people agree. What's certain is that there are many cooperations out there between the fightting and the music gangs.

This particular one is a appetizer to the new Crossing Rubicon record. The music video was filmed in partnership with the forthcoming documentary about famed ECW wrestling star Justin Credible that will also feature the track.

This is how the new Crossing Rubicon record sleeve for "Seeing Red" will look like.

Musically it gave me a strong reminder to the classic times of metal music. Especially the drumming picked my interest. It's build the way it used to be in those times holding a basic pattern that is held straight forward. Throughout the duration there are variations of this pattern but it doesn't leave the trace.

The whole song is packed in a modern sound shell but without the mastering set to high. The volume level is kept on a moderate level. This makes it more enjoyable in my eyes.

The track is part of Crossing Rubicon's new album, Seeing Red, that has been pushed back to August 9th. The band, which features a former All That Remains member, also announced that pre-orders for the album are now live on iTunes. Also keep a eye on Facebook for future updates on liveshows etc.

Onydia brings a surreal dream to life

Shortly before we leave 2018 behind many of us think of what the new year (hopefully) will bring. First let me wish all of you out there a good and safe going over into the new year.

New releases are already knocking on our door. The name of the band Onydia was created from two greek words, oneiro(dream) and diafanìs (transparent),”the display of a surreal dream in the real world, a mystical dream, our emotions when creating art.”

The album art of Onydia's upcoming album "Reflections", (c) by Onydia, used with kind permission

 After the release of the latest single Dyaphany and the videoclip for the song A New Safe Path, the female prog metal band is ready to release their debut album Reflections via Revalve Records on February 1, 2019.

Reflections is an imposing opera of modern female prog metal consisting of 8 tracks that range through melodic and evocative passages emphasized by the sweet and powerful voice of Eleonora Buono, to reach complex instrumental and guitar solo steps that surprise the listener!

You can preview the whole album with 30 seconds samples from the website of Revalve Records. Preorders are open starting January 11th online at the subpage created by the record company holding more details of the upcoming record.

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)

Over Nemesis take a catseye look across the stars

Album covers can be something that catches your attention. Some of them may call a emotion or a memory in your heart or your mind.

This time around the cover of Sludge metallers "Over Nemesis" packed me with it's mysterious and big eyes on it looking into a misty surrounding, maybe into a sky or something. It reminded me of the eyes of a cat. I love cats and their eyes share a beauty and look into a different world.

A look at the cover of "Wink". It has been integrated into a nice full background picture that could be a cotinuation of the initial print. (c) by Over Nemesis, used with kind permission

That's maybe something that connects to the music of the band that also leads into another place. Fans of the Black Label Society should feel home very quickly. So don't hesitate and have your own look "Across the stars". The use of "yeah" at the vocals reminded me of older days and was a warmly welcomed cheer up on this very Monday. Thanks for that!

This one is a teaser for the full album "Wink" coming August 31st 2018. The album is available for presale on the webstore of Music-Records.
Alternatively you can also pick it up once it's out from

► the stand of the band as a digipack CD

► On 150 digital platforms for download

► Distribued in Europe, USA, Asia & Oceania as physical edition

Tracklist :
1 - Saint Bâle
2 - Vault of Blindness
3 - Mario and Sergio
4 - Across The Stars
5 - She Become Calypso
6 - Inside
7 - This Man
8 - Tears
9 - Light Of Hopes
10 - Until The End

Keep a eye on the band through Facebook.

Lebowskii hand new EP for special price

Just recently Grip Inc. came back to my mind. Having looked through their releases I asked if any band out there would have taken up their path...

Looks like my question has been answered. The preview track of the coming EP of Lebowskii shoots out the same agressive yet very detailed look towards sharp, compact riffage rounded out with some own nice ideas that shine every here and there. The drumming also goes in that direction going a bit abroad the standard pattern every here and there. Thankfully the vocals are rough but not to over screamed.

In addition to that the band has set up a special pre-order price with their label Music Records from France. From January 16th till February 15th, "Liquidators" will be available as a Digipack hardcopy for 4,50 € instead of 7€ on the webstore of Music-Records.

Lebowskii Liquidators promo banner, (c) by Lebowskii, used with kind permission

Lebowskii will be on tour to promote their new EP in 2018 and 2019. Make sure to check their Facebook account for details.

Hail Sagan take a stand against bullying and abuse

Bullying is a crime and not a normal way of treating others! It is a shame that this society doesn't seem to care about this important subject and most of all it is hard for victims to defend themselves or to protect against such attacks. That's the way I look at things and I'm glad there seem to be more people in the world of music who think that this topic needs to be expressed and talked about.

Female fronted Los Angeles hard Rock band Hail Sagan has taken a stand and brings this important matter up to the front in their video for the song "Dark Cloud". 

In a statement the band has clarified what can be seen in the video. Amery says "It's been a great experience being able to broach the subject of bullying and abuse with the lyrics of this song. We took it one step further and created a video with director Matthew Crum and DP Kenny Keeler that visually enhanced the sensitive subject matter.  

We chose to mask the members of the band in an effort to show the world that anyone can be a part of this, you never know who will be under there, maybe even a fan or someone who needs music to save them." 


At the moment you still have the chance to order the first EP that includes the song "Dark Cloud" directly from the band via Pledgemusic. If you order, you'll receive one of the limited edition copies on CD along with a signed print and a download of the songs. There's a second option which offers a signed copy of the record as well.

Make sure to follow the band via Facebook ,Twitter or Instagram so you won't miss out on all the further band activities.

Idlewar bring back fun of straight forward rock classics

Ok, today's music often is held in a more complex way. Things have become more diverse and multi-layered when it comes to the sound. I like that but I'm also a big fan of the old straight forward style of the old days.

This band called Idlewar has brought some of it back to me. Their newest video creation "On our knees" has this straight forward formula with it that brings up the topic and expression directly upfront. You can feel it through the punch and the clear guitar riff all along with the lyrics that this one speaks out a message to you.


This is the second insight into the upcoming album titled "Impulse" wich is set to drop on 30th September 2016 via PHD. The band has also booked a UK tour this November/December. Dates can be seen in the flyer below.

The tourposter for the Idlewar UK Tour 2016, (c) by Idlewar, used with kind permission

For rock fans wanting to hear more from Idlewar right now, the band's Pledge campaign will end next week. Pledge now to  pre-order and unlock 2 instant music downloads ('Criminal' and 'On Our Knees'), receive the album before it's officially released plus grab an Idlewar Impulse access pass exclusive offer.

In the meantime check out the band's website, Facebook and Twitter account.