Former Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his weekly cover, this time performing an epic rendition of the Deep Purple classic, “Child In Time”.
Swedish power metal champions, Majestica, invite fans to embark on an electrifying journey with their new single, “A Story In The Night”, from their new album, Power Train, set for release on February 7.
A blistering showcase of speed, melody, and storytelling, “A Story In The Night” is a power metal anthem that captures the heart-pounding essence of the genre. The track, clocking in as one of Majestica’s most dynamic works to date, is accompanied by an epic music video that brings the song’s vivid narrative to life with striking visuals and cinematic flair.
Frontman Tommy Johansson comments: ”Fast, extreme, melodic and fast – 4 words that really describes the new single ’A Story In The Night’ perfect.The fastest song on the new album, filled with guitar solos, glorious melodies and epic power metal vocals that tells a tragic story…in the night.”
Watch the video below, and stream the song on all platforms here.
When it came to the process of recording and putting all the pieces together, the band did not change a lot compared to the last projects. Again the music was written, recorded, and produced by Majestica themselves.
“Like our previous albums this one is also produced by ourselves, and we recorded most parts in our new place Majestic Studios. For mixing we went back to Jonas Kjellgren as we have been very happy with the sound of A Christmas Carol and Metal United,” says bassist Chris Davidsson.
Regarding the amazing artwork for Power Train, Chris explains: “For the artwork we teamed up with Jan Yrlund / Darkgrove design. It invites you to join this majepic ride of the Power Train, imagine standing there on the platform eagerly waiting, and you hear ”all aboard”!”
Power Train contains ten brand new tracks and will be available in the following formats: CD Jewel (incl. booklet), Vinyl, and digital.
Power Train tracklisting:
“Power Train” “No Pain, No Gain” “Battle Cry” “Megatrue” “My Epic Dragon” “Thunder Power” “A Story In The Night” “Go Higher” “Victorious” “Alliance Anthem”
“Power Train” video:
Majestica have already confirmed some festival appearances, including 70000 Tons Of Metal 2025, which takes place one week before the release of the album and where fans can have justified hopes that Majestica will also play a few new tracks from Power Train live.
Following their triumphant return with the release of the first single, “Oathbreaker”, after nine long years since their last album, Cold Inferno, Italian melodic death metal titans Disarmonia Mundi have unleashed a second crushing track, entitled “Adrift Among Insignificant Strangers”.
Both singles serve as the first two harbingers of Disarmonia Mundi’s forthcoming sixth full-length album, offering an intense preview of what is to come. Stay tuned for more news and releases in the weeks ahead.
Pick up “Adrift Among Insignificant Strangers” here
Last year Sammy Hagar announced that The Best Of All Worlds, his critical and commercial hit summer 2024 tour, will launch this April as The Best Of All Worlds Tour – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
There is no denying that Sammy Hagar is a rock ‘n’ roll marvel, reports Las Vegas Review-Journal. But you wonder how long the 77-year-old Red Rocker can keep such an accelerated pace.
He wonders that, too, and is making allowances to keep rocking in ‘25 and beyond.
He’d just played a sound check before a set at a new Las Vegas rock club and is mentally mapping a nine-show spree this spring on the Strip. He also wrapped a 33-date world tour in August.
“I don’t think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that, because I don’t want to piss my fans off,” Hagar said after sound-check at Caspian’s Cocktails & Caviar at Caesars Palace, where he was the surprise (well, unbilled) guest at their recent grand-opening party. “I’ll go out and do a one-off show and do things like that, but the residency is going to give me a good extension of my career. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Regarding the Vegas residency, Hagar adds: “With this, I don’t have to travel, I don’t have to unpack and pack and get on an airplane every day. You know, at my age, it hurts my shoulders to do all this. And I have to perform. I’m a performer, at the end of the day.”
The Best Of All Worlds Tour – The Residency will reunite the rock powerhouse band of Sammy, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff with a new “only in Las Vegas” setlist running April 30 through May 17, 2025. The tour represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this band of brothers deliver one of the most legendary hits-packed live shows of their careers.
This highly anticipated residency will showcase Sammy’s career-spanning hits, from seminal breakouts with Montrose, his iconic solo hits, and a deep dive into his tenure with Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and everything in between. Presented in partnership by Live Nation and MGM Resorts International, the residency will be custom-designed for Dolby Live, giving fans an intimate, high-energy concert experience in the 5,200-seat entertainment venue.
“I’m so looking forward to this residency and being able to stay in one place so we can get the sound and production completely dialed in,” said Sammy Hagar. “It also allows the band to experiment with the setlist every night – that’s why it’s going to be exclusive to Las Vegas. Instead of traveling all day on tour when there’s no time to rehearse and make changes. I plan on digging deeper into the Van Halen catalog, and my solo career, Montrose and Chickenfoot, as well. The fans are in for a lot of surprises.”
The Las Vegas residency follows on the heels of the chart-topping success of The Best of All Worlds tour, which sold out amphitheaters and arenas across North America and Japan. Together with the release of The Collection II, the 2023 box set featuring newly remastered versions of the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era of Van Halen: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995), fans were reinvigorated by their arsenal of hits, many which hadn’t been played live since the band’s 2004 reunion tour. Musician Rai Thistlethwayte will also return on keyboard and backing vocals to round out the band of brothers and deliver an exclusive new hits-packed live show.
The Best of All Worlds tour received universal raves from fans who’d been waiting 20 years to experience it live again, and critics who universally praised it.
“The crowd remained on their feet for most of the show, singing along or holding up their phones to capture the moment. The musicians seemed to be having just as much fun. Hagar, alongside Anthony, made it clear that the tour was not just a performance but a ‘celebration’ of Van Halen’s enduring legacy. ‘It’s a celebration of the music and the people who supported that band,’ Hagar said. And the fans couldn’t agree more.” – USA Today
“Now this is going to be an amazing tour! If you’re ever going to play the Van Halen music, this tour you put together is going to be a massive celebration of all the music. I get emotional just listening to it.” – Howard Stern, The Howard Stern Show
“Sammy Hagar sounded ageless as he celebrated Van Halen and more in Phoenix. Joe Satriani did a great job of channeling Eddie Van Halen (and more). The phrase ‘guitar hero’ is obviously overused, but Satriani more than lives up to the title. He’s a total badass on guitar, as he reminded us repeatedly without necessarily making it all about him.” – Arizona Republic
“Sammy Hagar’s Best of Both Worlds Tour — which also features former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and drummer Kenny Aronoff — brought an infectious energy to PNC Music Pavilion. Hagar and Anthony’s bond was palpable on stage… The crowd turned out in full force to hear Van Halen-era songs like ‘Right Now,’ ‘Best of Both Worlds,’ and ‘Why Can’t This Be Love,’ alongside Hagar’s solo classics. Their performance proved that age is just a number when the music is this good.” – Charlotte Observer
2025 Vegas Residency Dates:
April 30 Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM
May 2 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 3 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 7 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 9 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 10 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 14 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live @ Park MGM
Still shouting at the devil 44 years later! Happy birthday MÖTLEY CRÜE (who formed on January 17th, 1981).
23 years ago today (January 17th, 2021) JASON NEWSTED announced that he was leaving METALLICA.
HEAVY BIRTHDAYS
Happy 62nd Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, IRON SAVIOR, HELLOWEEN) – January 17th, 1963
Happy 76th Michael Kevin “Mick” Taylor (JOHN MAYALL’S BLUES BREAKERS, THE ROLLING STONES) – January 17th, 1949
Happy 72nd Fernando Von Arb (KROKUS) – January 17th, 1953
Happy 50th Eirik Saltroe (THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) – January 17, 1975
Happy 40th Simone Johanna Maria Simons (EPICA) – January 17th, 1985
Happy 43rd Ektor Alex Varkatzas (ATREYU) – January 17, 1982
HEAVY RELEASES
Happy 30th UNCLE SLAM’s When God Dies – January 17th, 1995
Happy 25th DISMEMBER’s Hate Campaign – January 17th, 2000 SENTENCED’s Crimson – January 17th, 2000
Happy 14th Birthday DESULTORY’s Counting Our Scars – January 17th, 2011 SILENT STREAM OF GODLESS ELEGY’s Navaz – January 17th, 2011
Happy 11th AXEL RUDI PELL’s Into The Storm – January 17th, 2014 CHROME DIVISION’s Infernal Rock Eternal – January 17th, 2014 NASHVILLE PUSSY’s Up The Dosage – January 17th, 2014
Happy 5th ANTAGONIST A.D. – Through Fire (EP) – January 17th, 2020 BLEED THE SKY – This Way Lies Madness – January 17th, 2020 BRITISH LION – The Burning – January 17th, 2020 KAOTEON – Kaoteon – January 17th, 2020 MARK MORTON – Ether (EP) – January 17th, 2020 ODIOUS MORTEM – Synesthesia – January 17th, 2020 SONS OF APOLLO – MMXX – January 17th, 2020
Classic Rock is reporting that Rush guitarist, Alex Lifeson, has revealed he and longtime bandmate Geddy Lee jam on a weekly basis – but they have no plans to resurrect the Canadian prog icons with a new drummer to replace the late Neil Peart.
Speaking exclusively in the brand new issue of Classic Rock in an interview to celebrate 50 years of Rush, Lifeson said that he and bassist/vocalist Lee still play together and even record their jams.
“It’s good to jam with friends as you get older,” says the guitarist. “I need to play. Once a week I go to Ged’s – it’s in the calendar – keep my fingers moving, play Rush stuff, new jams. We do record it, but I couldn’t even begin to tell you where it’ll go.”
Rush played their final show on August 1, 2015 at the of the R40 tour, and Neil Peart died in 2020. Lee and Lifeson reunited in 2022 to play at a pair of shows in London and LA in honour of late Foo Fighrers drummer and Rush fan Taylor Hawkins. They peformed three Rush songs: the “Overture” part of 2112 plus “Working Man” and “YYZ”, with various drummers sitting in, including Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Tool’s Danny Carey and former David Bowie drummer Omar Hakim.
“The energy was fantastic around that show, I know, and some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don’t,” says Lifeson. “For forty years Rush included Neil, and I don’t think putting some new version together would have the same magic.
“After those two gigs and the months of prep Ged and I went through, I was excited by the response and to be in the dressing room again with so many fellow artists in Wembley and LA I respected and felt a kinship towards. But after a few weeks that wore off and it occurred to me that despite all the pain of loss, Rush went out on a high note playing as well as ever with one of our best stage shows on R40. I guess I’d rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top Rush tribute band.”
Read more at Classic Rock, and purchase the new issue of Classic Rock magazine here.
In 2023, after an illustrious cult career spanning more than 20 years, German melodic black metallers, Dark Fortress, came to an end.
The Germans have made one final offering to their fans with Anthems From Beyond The Grave – Live In Europe 2023, a recording during the band’s final European run, The Cosmic End Tour, in 2023. The album is out new via Century Media and official live video for “The Silver Gate”, the opening track from 2008’s Eidolon, has been released.
“I never thought Dark Fortress would have a live album,” says V. Santura (guitars). “The technical situation – we had multi-track recordings of two shows [Rotterdam and Bochum] – allowed for Anthems From Beyond The Grave to happen. I didn’t even listen to the recordings for months after the tour. When I finally did, I thought, ‘Holy shit!’ We sounded incredible, and I’m hardly ever happy with our shows. All of our hard work had finally fallen into place on that tour. When Century Media heard it, they said, ‘We’ve gotta release it – it’s too good not to!’ If this is our end and it definitely is, then it’s a fitting end to Dark Fortress.”
Anthems From Beyond The Grave – Live In Europe 2023 can be ordered here.
Formats:
– Ltd. CD Digipak – Gatefold black 2LP & LP-Booklet – Digital album
Tracklisting:
CD Intro “CataWomb” “The Silver Gate” “Isa” “Pulling At Threads” “Crimson Tears” “Cohorror” “Self Mutilation” “Chrysalis” “Ylem” “Insomnia” “Evenfall” “Baphomet”
2LP/Digital Album
Intro “CataWomb” “The Silver Gate” “Isa” “Pulling At Threads” “Crimson Tears” “Cohorror” “Self Mutilation” “Chrysalis” “To Harvest The Artefacts Of Mockery” “Ylem” “Insomnia” “Evenfall” “Baphomet” “Sycamore Trees” (Outro)
“The Silver Gate” (Live In 2023) video:
“Pulling At Threads” (Live In 2023) video:
Dark Fortress’ march to the grave was inevitable. The journey from signing with American independent Red Stream Records in 2001 to The Cosmic End Tour (with The Spirit and Asphagor) in 2023 was circuitous, full of highs and lows and rife with raw potential. Ultimately, Dark Fortress ended life after releasing their lauded final album, Spectres From The Old World, in 2020. By all metrics, self-imposed death is better than zombie-lurching into oblivion.
Dark Fortress 2023 Lineup:
Morean – Lead Vocals V. Santura – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals Asvargr – Guitar Hannes Grossmann – Drums Michael Zech – Bass Linus Klausenitzer – Keyboards
Polish death metal legion Vader will have new editions of Black To The Blind and De Profundis out through Nuclear Blast on March 14.
Black To The Blind remastered will be out on digipak CD and red/black sunburst vinyl. The 1997 album was originally released through System Shock and features 10 tracks at a compact 28 minutes.
De Profundis will be available on transparent yellow vinyl. The band’s second full-length album was originally released July 1995 through Croon Records.
Gene Simmons Band, the touring act around KISS singer/bassist, Gene Simmons, recently announced a string of 2025 tour dates. The Demon has even more dates to his tour – including stops in Northfield, OH, Uncasville, CT, and Temecula, CA.
Simmons’ tour dates can be found below, and tickets are available via genesimmons.com.
Tour dates:
April 3 – House Of Blues – Anaheim, CA 4 – Pechanga Resort Casino – Temecula, CA 5 – The Event at Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, CA 8 – Muckleshoot Casino Resort – Auburn, WA 10 – The Great Saltair – Magna, UT 11 – Paramount Theatre – Denver, CO 25 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL 26 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore 28 – The Moon – Tallahassee, FL 29 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL 30 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
May 3 – Beaver Dam Amphitheater – Beaver Dam, KY 5 – Basie – Red Bank, NJ 6 – Wellmont – Montclair, NJ 8 – Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, PA 9 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY 11 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT 14 – MGM – Northfield, OH 15 – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON 17 – The Horseshoe – Hammond, IN 18 – Hard Rock – Rockford, IL 20 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN 22 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX 23 – Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX 24 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
Simmons is featured on the soundtrack for the 2024 film, Regan, performing the jazz standard, “Stormy Weather”, written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. The official video for the song can be found below.
About Reagan:
From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, Reagan is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds. Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first caught the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, this film offers a perspective as unique as it is captivating.
Dennis Quaid brings to life a story that transcends the boundaries of a traditional biopic, offering a profound exploration of the enduring impact of the power of one man who overcame the odds, sustained by the love of a woman who supported him in his journey.
Tulsa-based metalheads Blind Oath have released a new single, “Riteous Hunt”, accompanied by a black & white cartoon/storyboard lyric video. The track features appearances by four of the underground’s iconic female vocalists: Stacey Savage of Savage Master, Madeline Michelle of Blood Star, Deborah Levine of Lady Beast, and Amy Lee Carlson of Sölicitör.
The song was recorded and mixed by Night Demon guitarist Armand John Anthony. Eventually available via Bandcamp, the epic single will be accompanied by a limited-edition, 8-page comic.
In the throwback video below from AXS TV, late rock legend Meat Loaf tells Dan Rather wild stories behind his hits “Bat Out Of Hell”, “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, “I’d Do Anything For Love”, and more.
Meat Loaf died in Nashville, Tennessee on January 20, 2022 at the age of 74. No official cause of death was released.
