When at the end of 2023 Jane’s Addiction announced a UK and European headline tour featuring the band’s original members, frontman Perry Farrell looked forward to the run of dates in his usual charismatic, ringleader-ish style. “It has been far too long, my Jane’s Addiction family,” he said. “We can’t wait to see your faces again… Togetherness – roll on 2024!”
The problem with families is that some really don’t get on. For Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins, their much-anticipated reunion (14 years since they’d last been on stage together) turned into a world of fighting, sniping and emotional tug-of-wars with a central character who thought everyone else was plotting against them. Togetherness? Not so much.
Footage from their show at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday September 13, where Farrell bodychecked Navarro and then attempted to throw a punch at the guitarist, made for some of the most shocking rock viewing of the year, immediately went viral, and put a question mark over the future of one of the most influential bands of their era.
Jane’s Addiction Boston 9-13-2024 Perry Farrell Flips Out – YouTube
Look back on Jane’s Addiction’s tumultuous 2024 now, though, and you wonder if it could have been any other way. From the off, Jane’s were a band whose explosive alchemy was built on tension, the very sound they made – a mix of glammy swagger alongside riffs that pinballed from metal to funk to hard rock – born from the fact they were each coming at it from a different angle. It had started so well.
Their comeback show at London’s intimate Bush Hall in May crackled with the exhilarating energy of their early days, even if fans couldn’t help but notice Farrell’s vocal delivery was a little on the thin side. But that felt like a minor gripe in the face of the euphoric vibes in the room. It was the first gig back, people assumed, and he’s easing himself in.
They soon had the wind in the sails, receiving rave reviews for a slot at Bearded Theory festival, and more headline performances across the UK and Europe. By the end of that jaunt they were enthused enough by the experience to unveil the first new song by the original quartet in more than three decades. Introducing Imminent Redemption, the band said: “Welcome to the next chapter of Jane’s Addiction. Imminent Redemption is only the beginning.”
It was the beginning of something, alright – but it was of the end. The friction was starting to show. In one interview, Farrell revealed that they had recorded two new songs, but had also started arguing again. In another, more telling line, this time talking to Esquire, he outlined a current pet peeve of his. “Some of these musicians, they don’t care,” he said. “They’ll play loud. And if they think that the crowd loves you, they’ll play even louder.”
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It’s hard not to assume Farrell was referring to his JA bandmates – one purported reason for his meltdown in Boston is that he constantly felt they were drowning out his vocals. Unfortunately, the problems that led to the complete breakdown of Jane’s Addiction probably couldn’t have been solved by turning down an amp a teeny bit. From the off, the US leg of the tour was troubled. It began in Las Vegas on August 9, but almost didn’t begin at all.
In a revealing podcast interview with Rare Form Radio, the band’s bass and guitar tech Dan Cleary said Farrell had quit the band backstage over a row about visuals and on-stage dancers (Farrell apparently wanted some razzle-dazzle, the rest of the group wanted to keep it music only). The singer was persuaded to stay, but the cracks were showing.
The shows continued, some good, some bad, some very bad, with Farrell seemingly losing his way during certain songs. Which brings us to that fracas in Boston, which occurred midway through the song Ocean Size, Farrell perturbed that Navarro was playing a solo when he thought he should be singing. In front of a confused audience it was broken up by members of the band and crew, but Farrell went in for afters backstage.
Cleary later shared an audio clip of Farrell saying to his wife Etty that his bandmates were “trying to fuck my show up”, before a scuffle can be heard between guitarist and singer, this time Farrell’s punch connecting. It was a blow that would signal the end of Jane’s Addiction
#313 – Beantown Beatdown: The End of Jane’s Addiction – YouTube
Well, sort of. Amid the various statements flying round in the aftermath – one from the band declaring that the tour could no longer go ahead due to Farrell’s behaviour, one from Farrell apologising, one from Etty raising the issue of the on-stage volume – Jane’s Addiction snuck out a second new single. A contemplative ballad titled True Love, it now looks like being the final word for the original line-up.
But maybe this is the way it was always meant to end for the one, true version of Jane’s Addiction. Their volatility is part of what made them so great. And by god they went out with a bang.
Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleagues Ted Kessler and Chris Catchpole. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he’s interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more. Radiohead was only for eight minutes but he still counts it.
“A lot of bands were bigger than us, but few can claim to have such a diverse catalogue of music… I know it’s all been worthwhile”: Gryphon’s Dave Oberlé looks back
(Image credit: Press/Julian Bajaert)
As a founder member of Gryphon, percussionist and vocalist Dave Oberlé was responsible for helping to bring quirkiness and curiosity to the band’s musical output. Inspired by medieval and renaissance music, jazz, rock and folk, he’s remained a constant within the band alongside Brian Gulland. He’s also guested on albums by Steve Howe, Wire and Gandalf’s Fist. In 2020 he looked back on a life that even led to him working on a metal magazine.
Dave Oberlé is mostly known for being one of the founder members of Gryphon, who were among the truly individual bands on the progressive scene in the 70s. Formed in early 1972, they released five studio albums before splitting up in 1977. While they never enjoyed major commercial success, Gryphon’s unique, quirky musical affectations were well received. They also toured incessantly, including the US with Yes in ’74.
The percussionist/vocalist has been part of the reactivated band since their reunion in 2015, during which time they’ve issued two more albums – 2018’s ReInvention and the recent Get Out Of My Father’s Car! And they continue to attract new fans.
Away from Gryphon, Oberlé contributed to the debut album from Wire, 1977’s Pink Flag, adding backing vocals on the track Mannequin. And he was also one of the guest vocalists on 2014 Gandalf’s Fist album A Forest Of Fey. Two years later, the band invited him back to sing on Pastor Simon from the album The Clockwork Fable.
Apart from his musical activities, Oberlé was the first advertising manager of Kerrang! Magazine, playing a key role in establishing it as the premier heavy metal publication in the 1980s. He was also, until recently, one of the directors of Small Blue, a computer software company.
Do you come from a musical family at all? Well, my mother played the piano, and that had an influence on me. I recall standing next to her as she played both classical and contemporary stuff.
What was the first instrument you played? When I was four or five years old, I found a pair of meat skewers in a wooden box and started to use them as makeshift drumsticks. From there I was hooked on the idea of being a drummer.
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What appealed to you about becoming a percussionist? You mean apart from the joy of hitting things? I had a good sense of rhythm, which I probably inherited from my mother, and from there I got into how musical sounds were constructed.
Did you have any lessons? None at all. I’m completely self-taught. When I was nine my parents bought me a snare, and that was my first proper drum. I recall there were always lots of complaints from Mum and Dad about how loudly I was hitting that snare. Most kids were asked to turn down the stereo or the radio. I was told to dampen the sound of the drum!
When I joined Gryphon I didn’t even know I could sing
Who are your vocal heroes? I never really had any. To be honest, when I joined Gryphon I didn’t even know I could sing. I mean, I knew I could carry a tune, but I’d never tried it in public before. Brian Gulland was a trained chorister and had perfect pitch, so he seemed the obvious choice as the band’s vocalist. However, it turned out that I had a decent voice, and that’s why I ended up doing most of the vocals on our first, self-titled album [1973].
What was your first band? I was in quite a few at school. One of them was with Philip Nestor, Gryphon’s original bassist. I was 13 or 14 at the time and we didn’t even have a name. I suppose the first proper band I had were called Juggernaut. That was with a bloke called Ray Rhoades; we played heavy rock with progressive moments. We were together in 1968, so just a couple of years before Gryphon started.
How did Gryphon get together? Brian Gulland and Richard Harvey [mandolin, keys, recorder] were studying at the Royal College Of Music in London. They had an interest in folk, medieval and renaissance music, which is what inspired them to form the band. Graeme Taylor joined them two or three months later, and they got me involved a short time after that.
You had an unusual sound. How was it developed? We had no plan – it just happened. You could do that sort of thing in the early 70s. The world was our oyster. We began as a folk band, playing all the usual bars and venues on that circuit. The Gryphon album was mostly made up of folk songs and medieval dances. Juniper Suite was the sole original band composition. That set us off on the path we took.
Do you feel your albums in the 70s captured what the band were about? The wonderful thing about this band was that we never recorded an album that sounded like its predecessor. So Midnight Mushrumps [1974] didn’t sound like the debut, and Red Queen To Gryphon Three [also 1974] was nothing like the first two. We set out to make every album totally different to what had come before. There was no formula involved.
I believe that was part of our appeal: the ability to make our records self-contained, as it were. Yes, you did run the risk of losing some fans along the way, but you also gained new ones.
You toured the USA with Yes. Was that a career highlight? Absolutely. We went from playing 1,000-to-1,500-capacity venues to performing in the biggest stadia around, before 40,000 fans or more. It was definitely career changing. We were promoting Red Queen To Gryphon Three at the time, and it got a really good reception.
It wasn’t a good period for us… we were under pressure to become more commercial, which wasn’t our style
I think the biggest show on that tour was the Houston Astrodome [on December 2, 1974]. Yes headlined, with the Mahavishnu Orchestra second and us as the openers. But the greatest thrill was doing Madison Square Garden [on November 20]. When we came offstage, there was a neon sign flashing across the venue which said, ‘New York Welcomes Gryphon.’ I recall thinking to myself, ‘We’ve made it!’ We did a lot of dates on that tour in a very short space time, and sometimes it would involve travelling a few hundred miles overnight to the next city. It was exhausting but worthwhile.
Why did Gryphon split up in ’77? To some extent it was down to punk coming along. That was such a game-changer for us. People no longer wanted to see a band all dressed up and with a big light show – all they wanted were four blokes onstage with one light bulb.
But you’d just signed a new deal with the Harvest label… Yes, we left Transatlantic, who had put out our four previous albums, and released Treason for Harvest. But that wasn’t a good period for us. We were managed by Brian Lane, who also represented Yes, and were under a lot of pressure to become more commercial, which wasn’t our style at all.
Mike Thorne was the producer for Treason; not only did he produce the Sex Pistols but also effectively discovered them. We could see there was an imbalance between what we were doing and what the Pistols were up to. It hammered home that our time was up.
Looking back, if we had started two or three years earlier, then the band may possibly have established itself more and been able to ride out the storm the way Yes, Jethro Tull and Genesis all managed. We were just a little too late coming to the party.
You guested on the first Wire album the same year. How did that come about?
Ironically, that was through Mike Thorne. He produced the Pink Flag album and asked me if I’d like to sing on it, and I was happy to.
During the 80s, you were Advertising Manager for Kerrang! – how did you adapt to that change in circumstances?
I’d always been interested in keeping up with what the music press was writing. Having come out of a band, it was a big shock to suddenly have to find a job. I worked for Melody Maker, then Sounds and finally I was involved with the launching of Kerrang!. I’m extremely proud of my role on that magazine. We had fantastic success, even if we were treated by the publishers as some sort of pariahs. They never seemed to appreciate how much money we were making for them. There was another big plus in being employed: it meant I got a regular income. Anyone who has been in a band will know how perilous that existence can be, and you can struggle to make any money.
There was no desire to go back to being a full-time musician… I was enjoying having money in my pocket
When the neo-prog movement sprung up, thanks to bands like Marillion and Pallas, did you start to feel like you wanted to play regularly again?
The arrival of those bands didn’t really have much impact on me. I was playing drums for local acts in pubs ; nothing too serious, but it meant I was keeping my hand in. However, there was no desire from me to go back to being a full-time musician. As I said, I was enjoying having money in my pocket.
Your old Gryphon pal Richard Harvey became a very successful composer for films and TV shows. Did that ever appeal?
Not at all. It’s a lonely existence. You sit in front of a computer composing the music for images you see on the screen, and you’re all alone. The only time you’ll get to hear what you write being performed is when an orchestra play it in the final version of the movie or TV show. Richard works alongside Hans Zimmer a lot these days, and he’s taken to doing live performances to break the monotony of being cooped up composing. That sort of life could never have any appeal for me.
What prompted the one-off Gryphon reunion for a show at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 2009?
At the time we had a Gryphon page on the internet; it was our only media outlet. Someone in Portugal set it up for us, and we were amazed to find it had more than 200,000 hits. We had no idea the band were still so popular – for us it was a revelation. So, as there was never the chance to do a farewell gig once we’d decided to call it a day in 1977, it was felt we should get back together and see how it went.
Was it hard work to get back into the Gryphon mindset for the gig?
We’d booked the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and immediately wondered if it was a bad mistake. Would anyone actually buy a ticket to see Gryphon? To our delight we sold out the venue. But we had to work very hard to make sure the band were up to the task.
We brought in Jonathan Davie, who played bass on Treason, and Graham Preskett to help us out: two excellent musicians. And we spent a month rehearsing. It was really like being in boot camp – but it was necessary, because our music is very complex and it had been so long since we last played together. However, it was all worthwhile, because the gig was a massive success. Better than we could ever have expected. And as a result, there were discussions about doing a new album. That seemed to all of us to be a logical move. The enthusiasm we all felt for the band was undeniable and the plan was to take it to the next stage.
Why didn’t it go any further at the time?
The simple answer is that none of us had the time to devote. Richard was doing his musical scores and the other guys also had projects taking up their time. But there were no problems between us at all, and we kept in touch regularly.
This article first appeared in Prog 117 (Image credit: Future)
You had a computer software company, didn’t you?
My partner Sally had the company, really. I was a director, but very much in the background. I never got actively involved. It takes all my ingenuity just to turn on a computer – ha!
We were all suddenly available. As I said, all of us had been talking anyway, so as soon as the opportunity arose we were in complete agreement it should happen.
You’ve also guested on two albums from Gandalf’s Fist. How did that come about?
I was asked by Dean Marsh from the band if I’d do some vocals for them. As it turns out, Dean is a big fan of Gryphon. I like Gandalf’s Fist and the way they operate, so was happy to help them out. It was a fun thing to do. I get on very well with Dean and also Stefan Hepe. They seem to be very self-contained and understand how to make the band financially viable, and in this day and age that’s vital.
Have you had any other offers to guest on albums?
I did guest on Martin Orford’s solo album, The Old Road [2008]. It was nice to be asked alongside others such as John Wetton, John Mitchell and David Longdon. I’m on the title track. It was Martin’s last album before he retired from music. Honestly, he’s a kid compared to me, so I hope he’ll return to action before too long. Look, if I can still do it at my age, then there’s no excuse for him to remain inactive!
I don’t do anything aside from work on Gryphon stuff. It takes up all of my time, because there’s so much to do these days.
Gryphon are now very much a cottage industry, aren’t you?
We are. We’ve formed ourselves into a limited company, and do everything ourselves. In the 70s, bands had managers, labels and booking agents – for better or for worse. The prog world was very different back then, and there was so much money involved. Of course, having all these people working on your behalf meant you could sometimes lose track of where all the money went.
Now we have it all under our own control. We put out albums on our own label. We manage ourselves and book all the gigs. This way we know what’s happening and when. Is it better for the band than the way it was all those years ago? Yes, it is. Why would we need anyone else to look after our affairs? It would have been impractical in the 70s, but the more experience you get being in a band, the more you appreciate having the ability to make your own decisions. There were some terrible choices made on our behalf in the past. Now, we only have ourselves to blame if anything goes wrong.
We’re mainly an instrumental band and that means there are no language barriers
You have a global fanbase. Why do you think you appeal to so many different nationalities?
Because we’re mainly an instrumental band, and that means there are no language barriers. You’re right; we have fans everywhere – that’s something social media has highlighted. Looking at our Facebook page, it’s amazing how far our reach is. It would be wonderful to play in countries we’ve never been. That sort of thing keeps us all fresh. A new challenge.
What would you say is Gryphon’s biggest achievement?
I would have to say the fact we’ve been able to make every album different and individual. A lot of bands were bigger than us, but few can claim to have such a diverse catalogue of music. When I look back at that alone, I know it’s all been worthwhile. I may not have a mansion or a yacht, but in Gryphon we’ve always been truly creative.
Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term “thrash metal” while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.
As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles County, several of the area’s most iconic landmarks have come under threat – among them, the Hollywood Bowl.
The Sunset Fire, one of six major fires in LA, broke out on Wednesday evening and spread rapidly. Its location in the famed Hollywood Hills puts it close to the Bowl, as well as such popular tourist attractions as the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign.
“Due to the Sunset Fire, we have received evacuation orders and all Hollywood Bowl staff have safely evacuated the premises,” the famed concert venue announced on X. “We extend our deepest gratitude to the firefighters who are working tirelessly to protect our community.”
At time of writing, the Sunset Fire had burned more than 60 acres in approximately six hours. Firefighters have enlisted water dropping helicopters to help battle the blaze.
A little bit further away, the famous clubs of the Sunset Strip – including the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour – have canceled their shows out of an abundance of caution. Thus far, the fires have claimed five lives and more than 2,000 structures, with over 100,000 residents evacuated from their homes. Pacific Palisades and Altadena are among the other hard hit areas.
The Hollywood Bowl’s Famous History
The Hollywood Bowl opened in 1929 and quickly established itself among the premiere outdoor venues in all of America. Its distinctive shell-like stage design and picturesque location in the Hollywood Hills helped make it a beloved location for concertgoers and performers alike.
The hard rocking, traditional minded outfit, who put on the annual Muskelrock festival, are part of an award winning documentary surrounding the eclectic life of guitarist Hampus Klang. It is in Swedish, with English subtitles.
Entitled Party Queens, after the breed of chickens he raises and exhibits, the film is about living your dream: someone who finds happiness in two completely different worlds. Filming started in the summer of 2022.
After a year of screenings at various film festivals around the world, it was posted on YouTube last month. Among other things, it was shown at Tempo Dokumentärfestival, Seattle Film Festival and DocFest in San Francisco and Norrköping Film Festival.
A short discussion into the making of the film is available below:
Dragonknight has released a lyric video for “Pirates, Bloody Pirates!”, third single taken from the debut album “Legions” to be released on January 17 by Scarlet Records.
A crew of proud seafarers, all boasting more gold in their dreams than in their purses, set their sails for distant lands and uncharted waters, driven by rumours of riches beyond imagination. Pirates, the same “bloody pirates” they’d scoffed at in taverns and whispered about in hushed tones, soon closed in upon them. These villains did swoop, their cutlasses sharp and their laughter sharper still. The sailors, once so bold and boastful, found their boots suddenly far heavier than their spirits.
Dragonknight is a new conceptual band baptized by a bunch of seasoned Finnish metal veterans, skillfully forging a smooth and fresh rendering of the classic North European power metal style through soaring melodies, thunderous rhythms, and epic orchestration, fused with crushing riffs – an unforgettable sonic journey of legendary proportions.
The eleven anthemic chapters of the first record Legions tell of heart-wrenching battles, strong-willed warriors and the beauty of glorious death, but also the treasure hunts gone awry, conquest, and the inner power to rise from the hopeless pit of despair yet again in the face of adversity – hear the armies and swords clash, seafaring vessels creak and the wings of the serpents soar.
Produced by Dragonknight; mixed by Mikael Grönroos at Crownhook Studio; mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers West, and featuring the flashy artwork courtesy of Tommi Aaltonen, Legions will be released in the following formats:
– digipack CD – vinyl LP: 300 marbled red – digital
Artwork by Tommi Aaltonen:
Tracklisting:
“Ascendance – Through Sea And Fire” “The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords” “The Imperator” “Pirates, Bloody Pirates!” “Defender Of Dragons” “Storm Bringer” “Astarte Rise” “Dead Kings In The Grave” “Sword Of The Northern Lights” “The Revelation” “Return To Atlantis”
“Pirates, Bloody Pirates” lyric video:
“The Legions Of Immortal Dragonlords”:
Dragonknight: Lord Gryphon Lord Kharatos Lord Solarius Lord Othrakis Lord Salo Khan
Blacktop Mojo has just issued a video for “Like Wild Horses” – track two from the Pollen Unplugged Sessions, filmed live at Rosewood Studios in Tyler, Texas.
The video for “Red Enough” (Unplugged) – the initial track from the Pollen Unplugged Sessions, can be seen below.
In live news, Shaman’s Harvest and Blacktop Mojo will be coming to The UK on a very eagerly anticipated and long awaited tour! Confirmed dates are as follows:
March 5 – Bristol, UK – Fleece 6 – Southampton, UK – The 1865 7 – London, UK – O2 Academy Islington 8 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute2 12 – Manchester, UK – Rebellion 13 – Glasgow, UK – Cathouse 14 – Newcastle, UK – Anarchy Brew 15 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation 19 – Belfast, UK – Limelight 2 20 – Dublin, Ireland – The Academy 21 – Cork, Ireland – Cyprus Avenue 23 – Swansea, UK – Sin City 26 – Buckley, UK – The Tivoli 27 – Derby, UK – Hairy Dog 28 – Norwich, UK – The Waterfront 29 – Brighton, UK – The Arch
For further details, visit Blacktop Mojo on Facebook.
“This song is this record.” exclaims vocalist Ethan Harrison on single “Echoes Of War” out today. “The keystone that holds the entire thing together. The culmination of everything we took into the studio and of everything we hoped to accomplish with Tragedy Of The Commons creatively. This is the foundation of the new Great American Ghost.”
A strong statement that fits the intense track, serving as the final preview of Tragedy Of The Commons out January 31 on SharpTone Records. Screeching and squealing guitars pierce the barrage at the center of “Echoes Of War,” and Harrison carries a hauntingly hypnotic hook. Great American Ghost’s metalcore roots push through industrial influence to create pure chaos, lined with lyrics about about disbelief in the concept of free will.
Upholding an uncompromising vision with clear intention, Great American Ghost know exactly what they want to say about their community, the greater world around them, and humanity as a species. Tragedy Of The Commons offers a powerful statement on exploitation, oppression, and scarcity. On the Will Putney produced record, Great American Ghost transmit their message without filter delivered through a combination of basement-born hardcore spirit, staggering metallic precision, polemic lyrical provocations, and unexpectedly arresting melodies.
Tragedy Of The Commons is available for preorder through Sharptone Records.
Great American Ghost have a hometown headline show in Manchester, New Hampshire on December 14 at Jewel Music Venue. The band will join Bleed From Within and After The Burial on a European tour next fall.
Great American Ghost is Ethan Harrison (vocals), Grayson Stewart (guitar), Anthony Laur (bass) and Niko Gasparrini (guitar).
Tracklisting:
“Kerosene” “Echoes Of War” “Lost In The Outline” “Forsaken” “Ghost In Flesh” “Writhe” “Genocide” “Hymn Of Decay” “Chapel Paralysis” “Reality//Relapse” “God Is A Loaded Gun”
The brand new Evick single, “Your Last One”, combines a classic feel with a fresh, modern edge.
While he is best known for commanding the stage as Bret Michaels’ lead guitarist and music director for over two decades, Pete Evick spent many years before that on the road and in the studio with his band Some Odd Reason, signed to Sol 3 Records under legendary producer Richard Gotterher and industry pioneer Scott Cohen. That band later evolved into Evick, finding a home with Dreamscape Records in Los Angeles. Throughout his career with both acts, Evick created several guitar-driven pop-rock singles that gained nationwide FM radio play, including “Spin,” “Debbie,” “This Ain’t The Life,” and “Savanna.”
Born in 1972, Evick’s sound bridges two eras – deeply rooted in ’80s hard rock while equally influenced by ’90s alternative, creating a signature style that sits comfortably alongside Bon Jovi, Poison, Matchbox 20, and the Goo Goo Dolls.
Though Evick releases have become rare, 2022 saw the band issue “My Best Days,” an uplifting power-pop single that paid homage to the Bon Jovi sound of the ’80s, garnering significant fan attention and FM radio airplay. Now, Evick returns with “Your Last One,” an emotionally charged track that revisits their classic ’80s / ’90s sound released through Vanity Music Digital.
The song’s verses, written a decade ago, weave autobiographical elements with nostalgic references to John Mellencamp, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen classics. The elusive chorus finally came to Evick in an unexpected moment – during the celebration of life for his longtime friend and industry professional, Robert Junior Jones. This timing followed a difficult year marked by the loss of several friends, including rock legend CJ Snare of Firehouse.
“Out of nowhere after ten years, the chorus came to me in an instant,” Evick says. “I’m not one to believe in this kind of stuff, but let’s just say Junior Jones has been given a writing credit on this song.”
The chorus of “Your Last One” resonates with universal significance: “So if you have a bucket list / You better get all those things done,” Evick sings. “And if there’s someone that you’re thinking of / Don’t forget to send your love.”
It’s a powerful message in a world full of uncertainty, with a hook and melody that will evoke memories of cherished days gone by – while urging you to treat every moment like it’s your last.
“Your Last One” is out now and can be streamed on Spotify and downloaded on Apple Music. Listen below:
Heavy Load guitarist and vocalist Ragne Whalquist had died at the age of 69.
Heavy Load’s three albums released between 1978 and 1983 kick-started the Swedish metal wave and are often considered the first metal band to use the Norse Viking history as a theme.
Always a sight, in his trademark fox tail epaulets, alongside brother Styrbjörn, on drums, the cult act is cited by many Swedish bands, past and present, as an influence. After decades of inactivity, they reunited in 2018 and played some high profile festivals, including Sweden Rock and Keep It True.
In ’23 they issued their first new album in 40 years, Riders Of The Ancient Storm. Recorded once again at their own Thunderload Studios (home to the legendary Candlemass debut, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, as well as albums by Hammerfall and Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force), at the time of his death, Ragne and his little brother were in the process of recording Heavy Load’s fifth album.
The intention is now to complete the record and continue as a band.
Finnish melodic metal band Unén have shared their new single and accompanying visualizer video, “Sky”, out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
Lead singer Stina Girs comments on the track: “A dream of a secret door leading to a world where no one judges, there is no concept of time, you can be everything you want and fantasies are real. You dare to let go of reality. This is all what Sky is about.”
Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, Unén are a modern melodic metal band, whose music also incorporates elements ranging from progressive to pop, blending intensity with sensitivity in its sound.
Unén was originally founded in late 2021, laying the foundation for the band’s musical style. In 2022, Unén focused on composing and refining production independently, resulting in the release of two self-published tracks. However, after a rollercoaster year, there was a need to change the lineup to accelerate production.
The word “Unén” was derived from the band’s original idea that lyrics would be based on the world of dreams. However, due to lineup changes, this concept took a different direction, but the name remained.
In the beginning of 2023, there was a shift in Unén’s lineup due to the change of lead singer, which notably accelerated all activities. The band members coming together was a series of fortunate coincidences and determined searches, including encounters with old acquaintances. The right people had found each other.
Unén released their first single “Made of Stone (cover)” in May 2023 with the new lead singer, Stina Girs. She became known during the IDOLS competition in 2011 and subsequently released two albums as a solo artist. The original song by Evanescence inspired this evolved lineup of Unén to showcase their unique sound and overall direction. Following this, the band focused solely on creating their own songs.
All members of Unén bring their own expertise and input to the band. Every song created is a sum of its creators, and there is no specific leader. The band members are united by their passion for making music, even though their day jobs are completely different.
Unén signed with Frontiers Music in February 2024, thus enabling the band to achieve the channel they sought to release their music to the world.
