Polish black metal legends, Behemoth, have released a video trailer for “The Unholy Trinity” European tour, scheduled for April 2025. Find the clip below.
Says Behemoth: “Legions of Europe! It’s that time again… We are beyond thrilled to announce that we’ll be bringing together the blasphemous forces of Behemoth, Satyricon and Rotting Christ for ‘The Unholy Trinity’ European tour.” 🔥
Tickets are on sale now. Dates are listed below.
Tour dates:
April 4 – Gasometer – Vienna, Austria 5 – Zenith – Munich, Germany 6 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany 8 – Halle 622 – Zurich, Switzerland 11 – Olympia – Paris, France 12 – O2 Brixton Academy – London, England 13 – 013 Poppodium – Tilburg, Netherlands 15 – E-Werk – Cologne, Germany 16 – Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, Germany 18 – B-K – Stockholm, Sweden 20 – Inferno Metal Festival – Oslo, Norway* 22 – Ice Hall – Helsinki, Finland 23 – Palladium – Riga, Latvia 25 – Orbita Hall – Wrocław, Poland 26 – Ragnaroek Festival – Lichtenfels, Germany* 27 – O2 Universum – Prague, Czech Republic
Swedish death metal band, Demonical, is gearing up to release its first ever live record, Victorious Death – Live In Latin America, on August 30 (CD/MC/Digital) and September 27 (LP) via Agonia Records. The album constitutes tracks recorded during a tour of the eponymous region in September 2023, and is led by the single “Sun Blackened” (Live), available now on streaming platforms. Watch its music video below.
The audio received a full-scale treatment featuring mixing at Wellbay Studios with Johan Hjelm, and mastering at Pentagram Music Studios by George Emmanuel (Lucifer’s Child, ex-Rotting Christ, ex-Necormanita). The album artwork was created by Chris Kiesling.
Demonical mastermind Martin Schulman commented: “After eighteen years and several hundred shows world-wide it’s finally time for the first Demonical live full-length! We are very proud of this album – which was recorded during our ravishing Latin America tour in September last year – as it catches us in the raw and brings forth our Swedish death metal darkness in a pure and relentless way. We would like to thank our fans and followers for the support and dedication during all these years. You are the best, this album is for you!”
Demonical was spawned in 2006 by then-former Centinex members, Martin Schulman (bass), Ronnie Bergerståhl (drums) and Johan Jansson (ex-guitars & ex-vocals), with a mission to return to the roots of death metal. The now-five piece has made good on that promise with a vengeance, traversing a HM2-beaten path of melodic, Swedish death metal, replete with darkness and brutality. Their last release, 2023’s Into Victory, crowns a discography of seven studio albums and three EPs, interlaced with regular tours. The last of them, Titans Of Darkness Tour, has seen the band journey across Europe with Inquisition in spring 2024, with majority of shows sold-out.
“Towards Greater Gods” “We Conquer the Throne” “Into Victory” “Aeons Of Death” “The Order” “Fallen Mountain” “Wrathspawn” “Unfold Thy Darkness” “Sun Blackened” “My Kingdom Done” “All Will Perish” “By Hatred Bound” “Välkommen Undergång” “Somebody Put Something in My Drink”
LP tracklisting:
“Towards Greater Gods” “We Conquer the Throne” “Into Victory” “Aeons Of Death” “The Order” “Wrathspawn” “Unfold Thy Darkness” “Sun Blackened” “Välkommen Undergång” “Somebody Put Something in My Drink”
“Sun Blackened” (Live) video:
Lineup:
Charlie Fryksell – vocals Eki Kumpulainen – lead guitars Johan Haglund – rhythm guitars Martin Schulman – bass Ronnie Bergerstahl – drums
Kreator have issued the following update in regards to their Klash Of The Titans 2024 co-headlining tour with Testament, and special guests Possessed.
“Starting next month, we are bringing Klash Of The Titans back to North America with thrash metal masters Testament and one of our favourite bands in the world Possessed. Alongside our standard VIP packages, we also have a VERY special additional VIP guitar offering for these shows, where you can get an exclusive stage-played guitar, signed by Mille. These are some of our biggest shows in the US to date. Make sure you have tickets to join us for a tour of pure metal madness. Hail to the Hordes!”
September 12 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort 13 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Centre 16 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo 17 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre 18 – Vancouver, BC Canada – Vogue 20 – Calgary, AB Canada – MacEwan Hall 21 – Enoch, AB Canada – River Cree Casino 22 – Saskatoon, SK Canada – Coors Event Centre 24 – Winnipeg, MB Canada – Burton Cummings Theatre 26 – Maplewood, MN – Myth Live 27 – Chicago, IL – Radius 28 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center 29 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
October 1 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora 3 – Toronto, ON Canada – History 4 – Montreal, QC Canada – MTelus 5 – New Haven, CT – College Street 6 – Boston, MA – House of Blues 8 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 10 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theatre 11 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Casino 12 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz 13 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle 15 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live 16 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live 18 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Lawn) 19 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec 20 – Dallas, TX – The Factory 22 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium 23 – Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque Convention Center 24 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Palladium 27 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
Rotting Christ have released a video for “The Sixth Day”, the track featured on the band’s new album, Pro Xristou. Check out the new clip below:
Rotting Christ have stood the test of time. While their name has caused plenty of gatekeepers to clutch their pearls, Sakis Tolis and has brother Themis have risen from Greece’s blackened catacombs to one of metal’s most formidable bands.
This year, Rotting Christ are celebrating 35 years of evil excellence with their 14th album. ΠΡΟ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ (Pro Xristou) is bound to hold a revered place in the band’s heretical history. Always true to their name, with Pro Xristou (“Before Christ”), the band pay tribute to the last of the Pagan kings by offering up more towering, gothic, melodic black metal.
“This album was inspired by the might of ancient pagan wisdom”, says Sakis. “It’s a tribute to those who resisted the coming of Christianity, which destroyed all the values, traditions and knowledge of the ancient world”.
Tracklisting:
“Pro Xristou (Προ Χριστο?)” “The Apostate” “Like Father, Like Son” “The Sixth Day” “La Lettera Del Diavolo” “The Farewell” “Pix Lax Dax” “Pretty World, Pretty Dies” “Yggdrasil” “Saoirse” “Primal Resurrection” (Bonus Track) “All For One” (Bonus Track)
“Pro Xristou” lyric video:
“Primal Ressurection” animated video:
“Yggdrasill” video:
“La Lettera Del Diavolo” video:
“Pix Lax Dax” video:
“The Farewell” video:
“The Apostate” video:
“Saoirse” video:
“Like Father, Like Son” video:
Rotting Christ invite you to partake in a monumental crusade across Europe. Frontman Sakis comments: “Dear Metal brothers & sisters, we can proudly announce that we celebrate our 35 years of existence with the release of our new album Pro Xristou & some special shows on European soils this Autumn. Together with the Scandinavian Pagan Metal Kings Borknagar and French diabolical horde Seth we promise to perform a hell of a show every night! Thanks for your attention and look forward to seeing you all in the battlefield!”
The Greek forebearers will share stages with Norway’s progressive black metal giants Borknagar, whose profound musical narratives have sculpted their undisputed place within the genre. Alongside them, France’s Seth will bring their own brand of fervent intensity and atmospheric ferocity to the mix. Together, they stand as a triad set to invigorate and bewitch audiences across the continent.
Borknagar: “We are honoured and incredibly exited to announce our upcoming co-headline tour across the European lands with our brothers in music, and true legends, Rotting Christ! In 2022, during the aftermath of the Corona pandemic, we teamed up for a highly successful tour across the North Americas as a part of the Devastation On The Nation festival tour. Now, armed and ready with the new respective albums, Fall and Pro Xristou, it’s time to team up once again for a epic European adventure. This one shall be for the books- powerful, passionate and legendary!”
Seth: “Sharing the stage for a whole month with thy mighty Rotting Christ is thrilling! This will be our third European tour in over 25 years and definitely the biggest journey that we’ve ever had! We can’t think of any better band on Season of Mist roster to promote La France des Maudits!”
“I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”
Those were the words of Evan Rachel Wood when she named Marilyn Manson as the man who had allegedly abused her during their relationship in the late 2000s. Wood’s explosive statement, posted on Instagram in February 2021, preceded an avalanche of allegations levelled against Manson from former partners, lovers and associates, amongst them Game Of Thrones actress Esme Bianco and Manson’s former assistant, Ashley Walters (Bianco and Manson have since settled; Walters’ lawsuit is set to be heard in court in June 2025). The allegations ranged from the concerning to the downright shocking, including numerous accounts of rape, violence and intimidating behaviour.
There’s one particular part of Wood’s statement that stands out this week: “the many industries that have enabled him.” Today, Manson – real name Brian Warner -has released his first single in four years, As Sick As The Secrets Within. The track comes courtesy of veteran metal label Nuclear Blast, who announced that they had signed Manson back in May.
Tonight, the singer will return to the stage as he sets out on a North American tour as main support to US metal arena-fillers Five Finger Death Punch. It comes in the wake of numerous legal battles relating to those allegations, some of which are very much still ongoing (just last month, Bianca Allaine Kyne revealed herself as the Jane Doe behind one lawsuit). The tour will put him back in major venues in front of thousands across the coming months, officially cementing his comeback.
It all speaks to something unsettling: too much of the music industry remains complicit in failing to protect women. In a climate where violence against women is being declared a ‘national emergency’ in some countries, seeing artists, promoters and labels scramble to rehabilitate Manson sends a loud and shameless message.
“He’s back on stage, back in the saddle!” said Five Finger Death Punch’s Zoltan Bathory in an interview with SiriusXM’s Jesea Lee in April when discussing the band’s decision to bring Manson on tour. “He’s also sober and clean, so we’re always gonna support that.”
Lovely sentiment, but it misses the point: Marilyn Manson’s absence from the music industry hasn’t simply been a self-imposed exile so Warner can battle his own demons and get back to his best. He’s been accused of serious offences by a significant number of women in allegations that span decades. Money that Manson earns over this next chapter of his career could literally go straight into fighting some of his accusers in court. The implications of where that positions his potential enablers are dire.
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Was it inevitable that Manson would return to music? Probably: despite what much of the Internet would have you believe, so few artists are genuinely, irreversibly ‘cancelled’, even when their list of alleged misdeeds are as stark as his. But to see it all roll out so casually, so easily and in the kind of timespan that isn’t even out of step with your average veteran rock star’s album cycle (Manson’s last LP was released in 2020) is depressing all the same.
You’d hope someone involved in these decisions would pause for thought about the message it sends to platform Manson so readily again, when he could yet be found guilty of some of those alleged offences. If he is, it will reflect brutally on those involved in his imminent return.
Metal Hammer twice reached out to a representative of Five Finger Death Punch’s management company, 10th Street Entertainment, to request comment on the band’s decision to tour with Manson in the midst of the numerous allegations and ongoing lawsuits related to them. We received no response. Upon request for comment from Nuclear Blast, we were simply informed that the label had signed Manson and had no other comment to offer. Marilyn Manson has denied all allegations against him.
Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N’ Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.
Coming to vinyl for the first time, 1996 The Dep Sessions – originally released in 2004 after circulatiung for years as the Eighth Star bootleg – and the following year’s follow-up, Fused, will both be re-released on October 4 via BMG.
Streams of two tracks from the albums have already surfaced. Gone is the opening track from 1996 The Dep Sessions, and finds Iommi and Hughes joined by current Deep Purple man Don Airey and Geoff Nichols on keyboards, with Jimmy Copley on drums and bassist Neil Murray.
Meanwhile, Fused highlight Saviour Of The Real features the Black Country duo working alongside drummer Kenny Aronoff, with Bob Marlette on bass and keyboards. Marlette also produced, engineered and mixed the album.
The Fused tracklist also contains three tracks not present on the original domestic release: Let It Down Easy, which was a bonus track in Japan, The Innocence, which was only available ojn the iTunes version of the album, and Slip Away, which was exclusive to the RealPlayer Music Store, which was a thing back then. Full tracklist below.
1. Gone 2. From Another World 3. Don’t You Tell Me 4. Don’t Drag The River 5. Fine 6. Time Is the Healer 7. I’m Not the Same Man 8. It Falls Through Me
Black Sabbath: Fused tracklist
1. Dopamine 2. Wasted Again 3. Saviour of the Real 4. Resolution Song 5. Grace 6. Deep Inside a Shell 7. What You’re Living For 8. Face Your Fear 9. The Spell 10. I Go Insane 11. Slip Away (Bonus Track) 12. Let It Down Easy (Bonus Track) 13. The Innocence (Bonus Track)
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Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour graces the cover of the new issue of Prog, which is on sale now!
Nine years after David Gilmour released his last solo album he is about to release Luck And Strange. That evocative guitar tone, those emotive solos, that distinct voice – all those components that make up a great Gilmour album are all in place. He tells us all about his upcoming release, and that he’s already planning a follow-up, plus we asked 30 of his peers, collaborators, fellow musicians and fans in the prog world to pick their favourite David Gilmour performance.
Also in this issue Thijs van Leer tells us all about the new Focus album, 12; Gryphon recall 1974, a year that saw them release two great albums and tour with Yes; Fairport Convention’s Dave ‘Peggy’ Pegg looks back over his career as he gets ready for Cropredy Festival; and we track down former ELO bass player Michael de Albuquerque.
Elsewhere, we have the latest from Tim Bowness, Jadis, Azure, Kavus Torabi, Rendezvous Point, Evergrey and Alcest; we review the new album from Leprous and catch Yes, Saucerful Of Secrets, Caligula’s Horse and more in the live arena.
We also have a free sampler from Spirit Of Unicorn Music with fantastic music from Yes, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Focus, John Wetton and loads more. And there’s also four great David Gilmour postcards too!
Also in Prog 152…
Focus – the Dutch prog legends reveal the secrets of their latest album Focus 12.
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Tim Bowness – a brand-new label and a contemporary sound for new release Powder Dry.
Azure – the young UK proggers tells us all about the concept behind Fym.
Gryphon – the band reminisce over 1974, the year of the Gryphon, when they released two records and embarked on a tour with Yes.
Kavus Torabi – the Gong/Knifeworld leader discusses the trials and tribulations behind his current solo album, The Banishing.
Evergrey – the Gothenburg prog metallers give Prog a guided tour of their hometown.
Jadis – the UK prog rockers return with another fine collection in More Questions Than Answers. We find out more.
Alcest – French blackgaze duo go back to basics on the otherworldly Les Chants De l’Aurore.
Rendezvous Point – the Norwegian quintet step out of the Leprous shadow with Dream Chaser.
Michael de Alberquerque – former ELO bassist Michael de Albuquerque reveals where he’s been hiding all these years!
Dave ‘Peggy’ Pegg – with Cropredy Convention just around the corner, Fairport bassist Dave ‘Peggy’ Pegg looks back on an impressive musical career.
The Curator – Alistair Murphy, aka The Curator, opens up on a prog world full of Soft Machine, VdGG, Gryphon and the photographer Olive Edis.
Plus new and reissue reviews of Leprous, Yes, Tim Bowness, Fish, Meer, IQ, Steeleye Span, ASIWYFA, White Willow, Threshold, Nektar, Magic Fig, Soft Machine, Returned To Earth, Ritual, IZZ and loads more…
This month we attended Soundle Weekend and we’ve seen gigs by Saucerful Of Secrets, Yes, Tool, Caligula’s Horse, Jan Akkerman, Nektar and more…
* Prog is still on sale in the UK in most supermarkets and newsagents, even during current Covid-related restrictions, so you should have options on the high street. You can use our store finder to find your nearest stockist. Delays are possible as stores prioritise the delivery of different lines of stock.
* The easiest option for everyone would be to go digital. You can get single digital issues from the Apple Store, from Zinio and all manner of digital magazine retailers.
* Subscribe to Prog. We are now accepting subscriptions from the rest of the world. Subscriptions available here.
* In North America, Prog is available is branches of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, although new issues do not go on sale until a couple of weeks after they’re published in The UK.
Swedish prog metal quintet Opeth have announced that they will release their latest album, The Last Will And Testament, through Moderbolaget/Reigning Phoenix Music on October 11.
At the same time the band have shared the first new music from the album. You can listen to first single §1 below.
The Last Will And Testament is a concept album set against a post-WWI backdrop about the reading of a late father’s will to his surviving family and the shocking family secrets it unveils and the impact this has on his twin children. Throw in a mysterious polio-ridden, orphaned girl and you have an intriguing tale.
“I love this record,” Åkerfeldt exclaims. “I have to say it (write it). Maybe I’m proud even? There are some familiar ingredients in there I suppose. Most of our music has sprung from the same source, so I guess it’s not much of a shocker if it’s going to sound like ‘us’. I’m a bit in awe of what we did with The Last Will And Testament. It feels like a dream. There is some ‘coherence’ and ‘songwriting skills’ I hope, but what do I know? I tend to favour the ‘strange’ over the ‘obvious,’ but I feel like I’m in the minority, and that’s fine. So…fair warning! Don’t expect an instant rush (as per usual), but if you do “get it” (have you got it yet?) right away, that’s ok too!”
The Last Will & Testament marks a debut for Finnish drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who had previously drummed with Paradise Lost and Bodom After Midnight, and who replaced stand-in drummer Sami Karppinen of Therion, who in turn had replaced longstanding drummer Martin Axenrot, who left the band in November 2021.
“Seeing and hearing him record his bits was otherworldly and what went through my head was something like: How can a human being play this stuff?” Åkerfeldt enthuses. “The older cats (myself, Mendez, Fred, and Jocke) did our bits in due time. We did them well (I like to think) and the alcohol concentration in our blood was mostly quite low as the red light was on. We’re professionals, you see! Rockfield Studios treated us well and we love that place! Stefan Boman recorded and mixed it all (CAPTURED it on TAPE… kind of…). Miles Showell did the master at Abbey Road Studios and then we (myself and Stefan) took him for a curry in Covent Garden. Travis Smith has done this odd-masterpiece-artwork that put ‘clothes’ on the music.
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“All in all, we hope we’ve put together a nice little morsel of information for you to nibble on when it’s raining out. Thank you for your time. Thank you for reading. Thank you for listening. Thank you for giving us a respectable past. I’ll thank you for our future in the actual future, OK?”
The Last Will And Testament, Opeth’s fourteenth studio album was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). The album was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Boman (Ghost, The Hellacopters), engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (Killing Joke, Robert Plant), and Opeth, with Boman, Åkerfeldt, and the rest of Opeth mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. Strings were arranged by Åkerfeldt and Dave Stewart (Egg, Khan) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London.
You can see Travis Smith’s stunning new artwork for The Last Will And Testament, evoking memories of The Shining‘s eerie Overlook hotel photo, below.
Opeth, who headline Bloodstock Festival next weekend and tour North America throughout October, have also announced European tour dates for February 2025. You can see the full list of European dates below.
Fans who pre-order the new album will receive a special ticket pre-sale code for the European tour! That offer will end on Tuesday, August 6 at 2pm BST. Tickets go on general sale on Friday, August 9 at 10am local time.
Opeth: Last Will And Testament 01 – §1 02 – §2 03 – §3 04 – §4 05 – §5 06 – §6 07 – §7
(Image credit: Press)
Opeth European Tour Dates 2025
Feb 9: FIN Helsinki Ice Hall Feb. 11: SWE Stockholm Cirkus Feb 12: NOR Oslo Sentrum Scene Feb 14: DEN Copenhagen DR Koncerthuset Feb 15: GER Hamburg Docks Feb 17: GER Cologne Palladium Feb 18: GER Berlin Tempodrom Feb 19: GER Munich Muffathalle Feb 21: FRA Paris L’Olympia Feb 22: NED Amsterdam AFAS Live Feb 23: BEL Brussels Ancienne Belgique
Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.
Bryan Adams has started his own record label, Bad Records, and its first release is a vinyl 7″ single featuring two songs the Canadian star co-wrote for Kiss before he was an international star.
Working with longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Adams worked on Rock And Roll Hell and War Machine for Kiss’s Creatures Of The Night album in 1982, the year before his breakthrough album Cuts Like a Knife.
“I was thrilled to work with them back then,” says Adams. “I was a broke songwriter, it came at the perfect time. While sitting with the band, Gene played me this fantastic bass riff, which ended up being the backbone of War Machine. I was trying to think of a theme that could possibly match the riff and came up with the title, which was actually an homage to a comic book character.
“Rock And Roll Hell was actually Jim’s song that had been released a few years earlier with Bachman Turner Overdrive. I suggested that we re-write it with Kiss as the themes of hell and war were both strangely forefront in my mind at the time. It’s incredible to think those themes are unfortunately playing out for real in the world today, but I’m very grateful to the Kiss guys for giving me the chance back then.”
Adams has also filmed a video for Rock And Roll Hell, which was shot on the roof of London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall during his So Happy It Hurts Tour residency in May. The single is available on streaming platforms now, while the vinyl edition will ship on August 30. It’s available to pre-order now.
Adams kicks off a run of shows in his home province of Quebec today (August 2), with mainland European dates beginning in Germany next month. He will finish the year in India and the UAE. Full dates below.
Aug 02: Lévis Festivent, QC, Canada Aug 03: Rimouski Parc Beauséjour, QC, Canada Aug 04: Mani-Utenam Festival Innu Nikamu, QC, Canada Aug 06: Chicoutimi Zone Portuaire de Chicoutimi, QC, Canada Aug 07: Joliette Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay, QC, Canada Aug 09: Rouyn-Noranda Festival Osisko en Lumière, QC, Canada Aug 10: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Festival de Montgolfieres, QC, Canada
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Sep 05: Berlin Messe Berlin – Summer Garden, Germany Sep 30: Paris Zenith, France Oct 01: Luxembourg Rokhal, Luxembourg Oct 03: Brussels Forest National, Belgium Oct 04: Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, Netherlands Oct 05: Dusseldorf PSD Bank Dome, Germany Oct 06: Hamburg Barclays Arena, Germany Oct 08: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany Oct 09: Stuttgart Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Germany Oct 10: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany Oct 11: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland Oct 13: Brno Winning Group Arena Brno, Czech Republic Oct 14: Budapest MVM Dome Budapest, Hungary Oct 16: Limassol Tsirio Stadium, Cyprus Oct 18: Istanbul Fenerbahçe Ülker Sports Arena, Turkey Nov 04: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany Nov 06: Bolzano Sparkasse Arena, Italy Nov 08: Dornbirn Messequartier Dornbirn, Austria Nov 09: Milan Mediolanum Forum, Italy Nov 10: Basel St. Jakobshalle, Switzerland Nov 12: Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi, Spain Nov 13: Murcia Palacio De Deportes, Spain Nov 15: Bilbao Bizkaia Arena Bec!, Spain Nov 16: A Coruña Coliseum, Spain Nov 18: Madrid Wizink Center, Spain Nov 19: Porto Multiusos De Gondomar, Portugal Nov 20: Lisbon Meo Arena, Portugal Nov 23: Braga Altice Forum Braga, Portugal Nov 24: Lisbon Meo Arena, Portugal Dec 06: Schladming Planai Stadion, Austria
Dec 10: Bhoirymbong Rbdsa, Shillong, India Dec 12: Gurugram Backyards Sports Club, India Dec 13: Mumbai Nesco, India Dec 14: Bengaluru Terraform, India Dec 16: Hyderabad Gmr Arena, India Dec 19: Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, Yas Island, UAE
Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazinesince 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.
Born into a family of musicians, including a mother who sang in church, Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan didn’t ‘discover’ music in a sudden, Damascene revelation. Practically from birth he was immersed in old blues, folk, funk and soul, much of which would eventually feed into his own music with Rival Sons.
In retrospect he agrees that everything he’s listened to has influenced him. “And that includes the music that I can’t stand,” the singer says, “all the shitty pop music, it’s all informed who I am as an artist.”
Selecting a neat list of 10 life-changing records, therefore, wasn’t easy.
“I’m telling you, music was always really exciting to me,” he enthuses. “And there was no creative flashpoint where I discovered it. I always sang, there was always music in the house, my family are all musical, we have friends who’d have parties and everybody played music – all of my parents’ friends were musicians.”
These days his trips back home are just as tuneful: “When we get together now we have these long, beer and whiskey-fuelled hours of jam sessions. We play everything, old blues standards, torch songs… We have fun.”
“I got into this when I was really young. My mum used to sing Joni Mitchell songs and my father would play guitar. So it always felt like home. And her narrative on this record specifically, it’s a breakup record; there’s a couple of happy songs but it’s a very introspective record. It is unplugged but there’s still a lot of fantastic instrumentation, and more than that there’s a lot of space – breathing space. She had a very bare bones, honest, naked style of narrative. That was a huge influence on me.”
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Joni Mitchell – River (Official Music Video) – YouTube
“On one side you had Otis Redding, and on the other side you had Jimi Hendrix. Talk about a fantastic record! I got that one when I was about 12. It was a live recording, and knowing that this was really happening, and it wasn’t just made in the studio, left a huge impression on me. The performances from both artists are amazing. I listen to Otis Redding a lot, but even Jimi Hendrix; some people said he was a horrible singer, but I don’t think so. I always thought his cadence and his flow was very graceful. There was something very shimmery about the way Jimi Hendrix sang.”
Wild Thing (1967) (Monterey Pop Festival) – YouTube
“I’d pick all of ‘em if I could. The first one I heard was probably The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. It’s very stripped down, it’s acoustic, songs like The Times They’re A Changin’ had a huge impact on me. But with Bringing It All Back Home you’ll have a song like It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), which is so intense. It felt like lightning when I heard it as a kid. And the production on that whole record is just fantastic. I’m highly influenced by Bob Dylan, not just as a lyricist. It’s a study in truly just aspiring to be yourself. He did that more than most. Even though he was very mysterious I think he was just trying to live his life and be good at it.”
Prince – Sign O’ The Times
“It’s just fantastic. He was of course highly influenced by everything from Jimi Hendrix, Funkadelic, Parliament, Sly And The Family Stone… and he was obviously a highly individual entity from beginning to end, but with all of these influences that he wore on his sleeve. The writing was so good. I remember hearing the title track on the radio when I was only in fifth grade or something, and that blew my mind. I got my money together and went out and bought the cassette. You had that song which was really heavy, and the other accompanying single U Got The Look – which was way more of a classic funky Prince song. Wonderful.”
Sly And The Family Stone – Fresh
“I’m a big fan of Funkadelic, and I’m a huge Sly And The Family Stone fan which leads me onto this next one. Fresh is an incredible record. It had a huge influence on me; basically listening to the sound of a band start to lose its mind! That’s a big one. I went much further from there and explored all their records, and they’re all fantastic, but there’s a certain darkness to Fresh that’s so subtle and so appealing. Songs like In Time, Babies Makin’ Babies…that entire record is mind-blowing to me. I love it.”
“This was my first Van Morrison record. I think I was about 19, I’d been singing in bands since I was 12. Everybody loves Brown Eyed Girl but Astral Weeks was the one they had at the record shop, so I got it. And it blew my mind; the amount of space and the flow of consciousness on that record. I can’t overstate his influence on me as a writer and vocalist. When it comes to the blue-eyed rock’n’roll singers, if Van Morrison had wanted to stay in rock’n’roll – instead of venturing off and doing Astral Weeks and all these other records – he could’ve crushed these other guys with one hand. But he just decided he didn’t want to be a rock’n’roller.”
“I can’t pick out a specific one, but Leonard Cohen’s entire collection has had a huge impact on me. I love the way he turns a phrase, the way he writes lyrics, and as he got older, I love the way his voice changed and became so authoritative and deep. There are these artists whose voices change so much with age; people like Leonard Cohen, John Prine, Joni Mitchell was another… I love that. There’s nothing better than an old voice, it sounds like bone or something.”
Leonard Cohen – Dance Me to the End of Love (Official Video) – YouTube
“He’s a [Indian-born] violinist, and that album had a profound influence on me. That’s still a record I put on. People know him as the electric violin player who did In Your Eyes for Peter Gabriel, and other Peter Gabriel songs and film scores as well. But it is an amazing record, [Indian tabla player] Zakir Hussain is on that record. It’s a different side of my music taste, it’s very reflective, it’s all instrumental; there are no vocals. It’s incredible.”
Nina Simone – The High Priestess Of Soul
“But I also thought of Baltimore or Nina Simone Sings The Blues… all of her records. Her energy and delivery was completely different from anyone else’s. From those old bluesy, soulful female singers, Nina Simone is the big one for me. I listen to her all the time; she’s in my regular rotation, no matter what I’ll always go back and listen to her. I go back to her much more than, say, Aretha Franklin – who is fantastic of course, but the production style was more manufactured, whereas Nina Simone is so wild and so dark. She sounded like a caged animal that could break through at any time.”
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
“I grew up on blues music, coz we always had that around the house – from the old Chicago to the delta blues… Led Zeppelin’s first record was the first thing I’d ever heard from them. My sister had a cassette which she’d borrowed from a boyfriend of hers, and I’d just steal this music. I’d take it coz I always thought ‘I need this more than she does’ or ‘he does’! The whole record was good, I liked it, but what I really liked was Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. It stuck out because it’s a ballad, and I went ‘fuck! This is good!’ That song got a lot of play from me.”
The feature originally appeared on the Classic Rock website in 2015.
Led Zeppelin – Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Official Audio) – YouTube
Polly is deputy editor at Classic Rock magazine, where she writes and commissions regular pieces and longer reads (including new band coverage), and has interviewed rock’s biggest and newest names. She also contributes to Louder, Prog and Metal Hammer and talks about songs on the 20 Minute Club podcast. Elsewhere she’s had work published in The Musician, delicious. magazine and others, and written biographies for various album campaigns. In a previous life as a women’s magazine junior she interviewed Tracey Emin and Lily James – and wangled Rival Sons into the arts pages. In her spare time she writes fiction and cooks.
