Author: fgt

Poised for greatness with his former band Biters, then dumped like a jilted bride at the altar, Tuk Smith’s been through the record label wringer. It’s still unclear why his band Biters fell out of favour so quickly and completely, but, to Tuk’s credit, he barely paused for breath before releasing 2022’s excellent Ballad Of A Misspent Youth. 

That album was something, but Rogue To Redemption is something else again, the complete package: pristine pop and rock with a twist of glam and bursting with arena-ready songs.

It’s hard and perhaps wrong to pick favourites, but let’s do it anyway, the lovely Mott The Hoople vibe emanating from End Of An Era is hard not to love. Ditto the sparkling pop of Little Renegade, which motors into view giving off Cheap Trick and Sweet-like sparks. 

That’s only the beginning, though. Put it on repeat and roll on through the summer.

It’s hard now, in a world where Oasis’s name has become a synonym for predictable, stodgy dad rock, to recall the impact the band had when they first loped into view in the mid-90s. The indie charts had become a horrible place, full of vaguely new-wavey pop, the odd emo act and whiney, prepubescent-leaning jangle. Nothing much seemed to have any life to it. 

Then came Shakermaker, a track that contained every single element of Oasis’s defining elements: a deafening swagger, loud guitars, Liam Gallagher’s absurdly over-Lennoned vocals (‘sheyyyiyine’), lyrics that made no sense at all, and a tune you’d definitely heard somewhere else already. Oasis were, in many ways, the Sex Beatles, melodic in a classic 60s fashion with epic power chord guitars. 

Noel Gallagher wrote songs you’d heard before, but recast them for imaginary terraces, while Liam sang in a manner redolent of both John Lennon and John Lydon. And the confidence was marvellous, a cockiness and verve that made you think Oasis were good just looking at them. Their debut album Definitely Maybe didn’t disappoint. 

From opening mission statement Rock’n’Roll Star, whose lyrics were entirely aspirational to the sardonic Kinksery of Married With Children, this was an album with its head in the clouds and its foot in your groin. Every track on it either was a single – Live Forever, Shakermaker, Cigarettes And Alcohol, Supersonic – or just acted like it was. Greater glories were to follow, but this remains a fantastic debut. The anniversary edition includes songs in early versions that weren’t considered good enough to release at the time.

Hailing from Montreal, Canada BornBroken, return with their potent third album Am I Invisible slated for release on September 20, 2024. They have already released the title track as a single and are now following it up with “How Strong You Are” – a motivational anthem that highlights personal strength, resilience, and self-belief. 

The band comments:

“The song encourages listeners to take charge of their destinies and overcome life’s challenges with unwavering conviction. Featuring powerful guitar riffs and a driving rhythm, the track underscores the importance of inner voices and truth in the face of adversity. It is a call to action, reminding fans of their inherent strength and the importance of staying true to oneself amidst life’s battles.”

With lineup changes and their own personal challenges, BornBroken are a testament to resilience as they forge ahead with writing new, more challenging music, taking on new roles within the band and further developing their musicianship.

BornBroken are going back to more of a roots approach with these songs, as they have been focusing on the style of songs that made them get into metal in the first place. Almost like a homage to their idols. They are recommended for fans of Decapitated, Testament, and Machine Head.

Am I Invisible is an album that dives deep into the human experience, exploring themes of existential despair, personal strength, societal division, and the relentless march of time. With each track, BornBroken delivers a powerful message, wrapped in their signature blend of aggressive guitar riffs, dynamic drumming, and emotive vocals.

Those familiar with BornBroken will be surprised by the band’s new direction, although the tried and true structure remains, it comes with a twist of lemon and a dash of spice. They are recommended for fans of Chimaira, Machine Head, Slipknot, Decapitated, and Testament.

The Am I Invisible album is available to preorder on Bandcamp. Pre-save the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Time Pays No Respect”
“Am I Invisible”
“Will You Remember”
“How Strong You Are”
“Conflicting Lies”
“Scabs & Scars”
“7 Mondays”
“Fold”
“Age Of Anger”
“The Day I Die Inside”

“How Strong You Are”:

“Am I Invisible”:

BornBroken Album Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/ All Guitars)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)

BornBroken live and Official New Lineup:
Mike Marino (Bass)
Michael Decker (Vocals/Guitar)
Carlos Ojeda (Drums)
Rob Henx (Lead Guitar) Newest member after recording

“Dark And Velvet Nights” is the most recent single from David Gilmour’s forthcoming album, Luck And Strange, to be released on September 6 via Sony Music.

The single is available to stream here, and the new lyric video follows the previously released music video, both directed by Gavin Elder.

Written by David Gilmour and Polly Samson, “Dark And Velvet Nights” came from a poem Polly had written. David Gilmour: “The music sprang out one day. It was so exciting to have come across this groove. Polly had given me a beautiful poem for our wedding anniversary, which was sitting on the desk right next to me, so I picked it up and sang it on the track, to hear what it would sound like with words. I played it to Polly, and she said, ‘Lovely, great, I’ll need to fiddle with it a bit. So she added a couple of verses, and there it was – very serendipitous.'”

Lyric video:

Music video:

Luck And Strange was recorded over five months in Brighton and London and is Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The record was produced by David and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with ALT-J and Marika Hackman.

The album features nine tracks, including the beautiful reworking of The Montgolfier Brothers’ 1999 song, “Between Two Points” which features 22-year-old Romany Gilmour on vocals and harp, the lead-off track from the album, “The Piper’s Call” and the title track which features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at David’s house. The album features artwork and photography by the renowned artist Anton Corbijn.

Pre-order the album here.

Luck And Strange tracklistings:

Vinyl: Black vinyl, gatefold sleeve and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn

Side One:

“Black Cat”*
“Luck And Strange”
“The Piper’s Call”
“A Single Spark”
“Vita Brevis”*
“Between Two Points”** – with Romany Gilmour

Side Two:  

“Dark and Velvet Nights”
“Sings”
“Scattered”***  

CD: Album plus two bonus tracks. Digipak and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn

“Black Cat”*
“Luck And Strange”
“The Piper’s Call”
“A Single Spark”
“Vita Brevis”*
“Between Two Points”** – with Romany Gilmour
“Dark and Velvet Nights”
“Sings”
“Scattered”***  

Bonus tracks:

“Yes, I Have Ghosts”
“Luck And Strange (original Barn Jam)”*

Blu-Ray – Audio Only: Album in Dolby Atmos and high-resolution stereo mixes plus four bonus tracks. Digipak and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn

“Black Cat*
“Luck And Strange”
“The Piper’s Call “
“A Single Spark “
“Vita Brevis”*
“Between Two Points”** – with Romany Gilmour
“Dark and Velvet Nights”
“Sings “
“Scattered”***

Bonus tracks (In Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res stereo):

“Yes, I Have Ghosts”
“Luck And Strange (original Barn Jam)”*
“A Single Spark (Orchestral)”*
“Scattered (Orchestral)”*

Deluxe LP & CD boxsets will be announced in the coming weeks.

All songs Music: David Gilmour. Lyrics: Polly Samson.

Except:
*Music: David Gilmour.
**Music: Mark Tranmer. Lyrics by Roger Quigley.  
***Music: David Gilmour. Lyrics: David Gilmour, Charlie Gilmour and Polly Samson.

Produced by David Gilmour and Charlie Andrew
Engineered by Matt Glasbey, Charlie Andrew, David Gilmour and Damon Iddins
Mixed by David Gilmour, Charlie Andrew and Matt Glasbey
Additional engineering by Andy Jackson and Luie Stylianou

“Between Two Points” lyric video;

“The Piper’s Call” lyric video:

“The Piper’s Call” video:

David Gilmour will be performing live this fall in Rome, London, Los Angeles, and New York. The live band features Guy Pratt on bass, Greg Phillinganes and Rob Gentry on keyboards, Adam Betts on drums, Ben Worsley on guitar, and Louise Marshall with Hattie and Charley Webb on vocals. See davidgilmour.com for more details.

When iconic Norwegian vocalist Gaahl, revived Trelldom he did the only thing that could ever be expected from this exceptional artist: the unexpected. Hardly anybody could have predicted the stylistic shifts and the twists and turns of the forthcoming new full-length: …by the shadows….

A few weeks back, Trelldom opened their set at this year’s edition of Bergen’s Beyond the Gates festival followed the introduction via ‘By the Shadows’ with the new opening track “The Voice Of What Whispers”. This avant-garde jazzy yet relentlessly driving song conjured looks of confusion, fascination, and even rapture onto many faces in the crowd. Now the band releases “The Voice Of What Whispers” as the third single in the shape of an equally unexpected yet fascinating video. 

Who would have thought to see a Japanese horror style clip from a Norwegian band with deep roots in the black metal scene?

…by the shadows… has been chalked up for release on September 13, 2024 via Prophecy Productions. Preorder here.

Trelldom are the brainchild of Kristian Eivind Espedal, who is better known under his artist’s name Gaahl. The Norwegian became one of the leading figures of the Nordic black metal scene after joining the notorious Bergen outfit Gorgoroth in 1998. For many years, the vocalist was pigeonholed for his extreme vocals and attracted many, often dark rumours about his person.

Tracklisting:

“The Voice Of What Whispers”
“Exit Existence”
“Return The Distance”
“Between The World”
“I Drink Out Of My Head”
“Hiding Invisible”
“By The Shadows”

“The Voice Of What Whispers”:

Lineup:
Kristian Eivind Espedal – vocals
Kenneth Kapstad – drums
Stian Kårstad – guitars, bass, electronics
Kjetil Møster – saxophones, clarinet, electronics

Italian progressive metal masters DGM have announced the release of their new studio album, Endless, out on October 18, 2024, via Frontiers Music Srl.

Preorder here.

The new single and accompanying video “The Great Unknown” are out today.

Guitarist Simone Mularoni comments on the new record and on the single, by saying: “Endless” is the band’s first real concept album. And it’s also the first DGM album that includes many more dynamic and acoustic moments than the past. If until now we have always pushed on the accelerator and on the power, this time we have chosen to include many more reflective moments, mixing the most classic progressive rock with parts that are typically in the DGM style.

“The Great Unknown” is certainly the perfect trailblazer and “bridge” between the tradition of our sound and the new path taken.”

With Endless, DGM reach the 12th Album milestone: not often bands can evolve and present two stunning albums in a relatively short time frame, but this is exactly what DGM have done, offering a new album which is a substantial departure compared to the acclaimed “Life” which was released in late 2023.

Endless is a concept album that chronicles one man’s imaginative journey to understand the choices that shaped his life. Through vivid storytelling, the album explores the eternal question – how might life be different if I had taken another path?

The first part of the album represents the protagonist’s self-reflection on his current circumstances. He grapples with uncertainty over the decisions that led him to where he is and wonders about the phantom lives he has not lived. The middle section looks back on some pivotal moments. With the clarity of hindsight, the character imagines alternative timelines springing from hypothetical choices.

The listener feels the anguish and regret over missed opportunities. In the final act, our hero reaches the end of his vision quest. Though older and wiser, he remains plagued by the inexplicable ‘why’ behind life’s meandering road. Themes of fate and free will collide in the album’s lingering last notes.

Ultimately, Endless transcends one man’s story through the universality of its concept. We all have moments where we wonder about the paths not travelled. By exploring the plurality of possibilities, this album encourages self-forgiveness and living fully in the journey ahead.

Musically, Endless offers a different side from the band which exposes a lot of different influences ranging from ‘70s progressive rock (from Kansas, to Yes and Jethro Tull) even with a dash of Italian progressive rock (think Banco or PFM).

Different instruments such as violins, flutes and sax, peep out in the songs but still the band does not lose their contemporary metal trademark and offers their most mature, relevant and absolutely stunning album ever.

Tracklisting:

“Promises”
“The Great Unknown”
“The Wake”
“Solitude”
“From Ashes”
“Final Call”
“Blank Pages”
“…Of Endless Echoes”

“The Great Unknown” video:

Lineup:
Simone Mularoni – Guitars, keyboards
Marco Basile – Vocals
Emanuele Casali – Keyboards, flute
Fabio Costantino – Drums
Andrea Arcangeli – Bass

(Photo: Matteo Ermeti)

The Chris Slade Timeline is on the road in support of their new album, Timescape, out now via BraveWords Records. The band’s upcoming dates are listed below:

August
31 – The Booking Hall – Dover, UK

October
12 – La Grande Ourse – St Agathon (22), France
26 – Duerfkessel – Koerich, Luxembourg

November
29 – Ferret – Preston, UK
30 – Y Muni – Pontypridd, Wales

The Chris Slade Timeline’s Timescape contains completely original new tracks and some of Chris Slade’s favourite covers. Purchase/stream the album here.

Timescape tracklisting:

Disc 1:
“Sundance”
“We Will Survive”
“Joybringer”
“Living The Dream”
“Freedom Song”
“Back With A Vengeance”
“Questions”
“Time Flies”
“End Of Eternity”

Disc 2:
“The Razors Edge”
“Free”
“Blinded By The Light”
“July Morning”
“Thunderstruck”
“Big Gun”
“Hells Bells”
“High Voltage”

“Back With A Vengeance” video:

Trailer:

The Chris Slade Timeline is:

Paul “Bun” Davis – vocals
Stevie Gee – vocals, bass
James Cornford – guitar, vocals
Mike Clarke – keyboards, guitar, vocals

*Andy Crosby play bass on “Sundance”, “Back With A Vengeance”, “Questions”

About Chris Slade:

Slade started his career at the age of 16 with Tom Jones before he changed his name to Tom Jones, this included World tours and recording throughout the 60’s.

Chris Slade was a founding member of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in January of 1971. He was to spend seven years with the band, recording eight albums and achieving three UK Top Ten singles in the process: “Joybringer” (No. 9, October 1973), “Blinded By The Light” (No. 6, September 1976 & a multi million selling #1 in the USA) and “Davy’s On The Road Again” (No.6, June 1978). After ‘Earthband’ he spent two years with Uriah Heep, a Year with Gary Numan, and a year with David Gilmour in 1984.

He later teamed up with Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers and bassist Tony Franklin to form The Firm. They produced two excellent albums for Atlantic in 1985 and 1986 that gave them a few radio hits including “Radioactive” and “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

Then Chris joined Gary Moore, taking over from Cozy Powell just four days before the start of the 1989 After The War tour. It was at one of Gary Moore’s gigs in The UK that Malcolm Young saw Chris Slade play. After the tour it was Chris’s intention to put together a band with ex-Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay. But the call from AC/DC scuppered those plans as he was destined to tour and record with them over the course of the next five years, playing on their acclaimed Razors Edge album, and giving a killer performance on their concert DVD Live From Donington.

After his stint with AC/DC Chris joined the prog-rock band Asia, who (even with the many personnel changes over the years) had still been managing to churn out some excellent music. Chris recorded with them on their 2000-2004 studio recordings, Aura and Silent Nation, and put forth his ‘trademark’ energy-filled live performances on all the subsequent tours that ensued over five years in total.

In the 21st Century, for a period of five years, Slade played drums for German guitarist Michael Schenker before forming The Chris Slade Timeline in 2012.

The town in Northern England where late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis grew up will host the first ever ‘Joy Division Day’ next month.

On September 7, Macclesfield in Chesire will celebrate the town’s links to the iconic band with tours of important locations and a performance by Joy Division tribute band Transmission at the Cinemac cinema.

The celebration is the brainchild of local man Trevor Stokes, 57, a fan of the band and their late singer, who died by suicide in May of 1980.

Stokes tells the Guardian: “I want the young to embrace Joy Division. The old fan will come, because they’re hardcore, but the young fan is the one I really want to embrace Ian’s memory, and his music and his lyrics, and I hope that’s what Joy Division Day will help them to do.”

Stokes leads regular tours around his hometown and says “up until now, nowhere near enough” had been done to recognise the town’s contribution to the arts, adding Macclesfield “has never got behind Ian in the right way, and never got behind Joy Division in the right way, and our music heritage and our youth culture in the right way”.

The tours will feature 12 stops, including the singer’s grave and a famous mural in his honour.

Curtis’ bandmates knew that their friend was battling depression in the months before his death. One month earlier, on April 7, he had overdosed after taking a quantity of the phenobarbitone pills that he’d been taking to attempt to manage his epilepsy.

Curtis was found dead in the kitchen of his marital home by his wife Deborah around mid-day on May 18.

He was 23-years-old.