Tag Archives: Frontiers

New single from Graham Bonnet out now ahead of new studio album in May

Music news, Rock music, , , , , , ,

Former Rainbow, MSG and Alkatrazz lead vocalist, Graham Bonnet, has announced his forthcoming studio album will be released on 13th May. Ahead of the album, a new single and video, ‘Imposter’, is out today (8th March).

On the album, entitled Day Out In Nowhere, Bonnet is joined by his regular bandmates Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Conrado Pesinato (guitar) along with keyboardist Alessandro Bertoni and drummer Shane Gaalaas.

Bonnet: “In a similar way to the first two [GBB] albums, this new record reflects different eras of my career, but with a contemporary twist,” states Bonnet. “I’m also delighted to be playing with original band members Beth-Ami Heavenstone, who has been my constant partner on and off stage since we met in 2012, plus Conrado Pesinato, whose innate musical style elicits some of my best songwriting. They were also both involved in the album production, which helped make the whole process seamless.”

The album also features guest contributions and co-writing credits from the likes of Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore), John Tempesta (The Cult, White Zombie), Mike Tempesta (Powerman 5000), Roy Z (Halford, Bruce Dickinson).

One particularly significant guest is current Deep Purple keyboard player, Don Airey, who, of course, played alongside Bonnet on the classic 1979 Rainbow album, Down To Earth.

Bonnet: ” I’m very excited to be playing on an album again with Don. Aside from being my long-time friend and former bandmate, he is one of the most incredible musicians I have ever had the pleasure to play with, he’s a ‘real’ keyboard player and a classically trained pianist.“

The album follows his three recent critically-acclaimed albums: The Book in 2016 and Meanwhile, Back in the Garage in 2018, plus a  2020 reunion album with Graham Bonnet’s Alcatrazz entitled Born Innocent.

DAY OUT IN NOWHERE
TRACKLISTING
1  Imposter
2  12 Steps to Heaven
3  Brave New World feat Roy Z
4  Uncle John
5  Day Out In Nowhere
6  The Sky is Alive
7  David’s Mom
8  When We’re Asleep feat Mike Tempesta & John Tempesta
9  It’s Just a Frickin’ Song feat Don Airey
10  Jester feat Jeff Loomis, Kyle Hughes
11  Suzy

Released by Frontiers on 13th May 2022

https://www.facebook.com/grahambonnetmusic

Related posts:

Michael Schenker Fest at Shepherds Bush Empire 2017

Graham Bonnet Band at Giants of Rock, Minehead 2016

Graham Bonnet Band at The Garage, Islington 2014

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow at Birmingham Genting Arena 2017

Deep Purple at the O2, London 2015

Loud, proud and still going: new album from Nazareth due out on 15th April

Music news, Rock music, , , , , ,

Veteran Scottish hard-rock band, Nazareth, have released a new single, ‘Strange Days’, ahead of a brand-new studio album out on 15th April.

Surviving The Law is the band’s twenty-fourth album since Nazareth formed in 1968 in Dunfermline. After the departure of founding vocalist, Dan McCafferty, in 2013 – for health reasons, there were some questions about the band’s future viability with new vocalist, Linton Osborne, joining and then rapidly leaving after less than a year. However, with the arrival of new lead singer, Carl Sentance, the band found a new lease of life. Sentence has brought a real energy to the band and Nazareth continues to be a popular live draw and their 2018 album, Tattooed On My Brain, picked up dozens of favourable reviews.

The band today are founding member, Pete Agnew (bass), Carl Sentance (vocals), Jimmy Murrison (guitar) and Lee Agnew (drums). All four members have contributed their share of song-writing and, like the previous album, this latest one has been produced by Yann Rouiller at Sub Station in the band’s home town of Dunfermline, Scotland.

Surviving The Law – tracklisting:

1  Strange Days

2  You Gotta Pass It Around

3  Runaway

4  Better Leave It Out

5  Mind Bomb

6  Sweet Kiss

7  Falling In Love

8  Waiting For The World To End

9  Let The Whisky Flow

10  Sinner

11  Ciggies And Booze

12  Psycho Skies

13  Love Breaks

14  You Made Me

Released by Frontiers: 15th April 2022

http://nazarethdirect.co.uk/

New album from Ronnie Romero-fronted melodic metal trio The Ferrymen

Music news, Rock music, , , , ,

The Ferrymen are a melodic metal outfit fronted by Ronnie Romero who was hand-picked by Ritchie Blackmore for the latest revival of the Rainbow franchise a few years ago. Following up their 2017 self-titled debut and 2019’s A New Evil (reviewed here) the band have announced a new album out in January One More River To Cross. Meanwhile, they’ve kicked things off with the release of a brand new single ‘One Word’.

Delivering their own brand of melodic power metal, The Ferrymen were formed by Swedish guitarist/songwriter/producer Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Allen/Lande, Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall), singer Ronnie Romero (Lords of Black, Sunstorm, Rainbow) and drummer Mike Terrana (Rage, Axel Rudi Pell, etc).

The Ferrymen’s One More River To Cross is released by Frontiers on 21st January 2022.

Cover artwork is once again provided courtesy of Stan W. Decker.

facebook.com/theferrymenofficial

Album review: The Ferrymen – A New Evil

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow at Birmingham 2017

‘O’ the new album from Orianthi released 6th November

Music news, Rock music, , , ,

Fans of guitar whizz Orianthi can look forward to a new album. Released on 6th November on the Frontiers label ‘O’ will be Orianthi’s first studio album in seven years and follows her recent signing to the Italian based rock/metal label.

“It is a very inspired album, with things kept pretty raw. I didn’t overthink it,” explains Orianthi. “Marti [Frederiksen, producer, mixer, co-songwriter] and I wanted to create a unique sound and vibe with every track and we experimented a lot with synths and different guitar tones. Lyrically, a lot of this record comes from life experience and other people’s stories. It’s going to be so fun to play these songs live!”

‘Impulsive’ a single and video from the forthcoming album was recently released.

The Australian vocalist/guitarist first came to public attention back in 2009 when ‘According to You’ became an international hit for the then 24-year old. She soon became a go-to player for a number of the best known rock celebs, including Alice Cooper, Carlos Santana and Steve Vai and was also slated to appear as part of Michael Jackson’s planned series of concert dates at the O2 until the singer’s shock death put an end to that.

“I am thrilled about this new chapter with Frontiers!” she adds. “Their passion and enthusiasm for music is such a great reminder of why I love creating music. I couldn’t be more excited to release my upcoming album with them.”

Line-up:
Orianthi Panagaris (Guitars, Vocals, Programming)
Evan Frederiksen (Drums, Bass)
Marti Frederiksen (Percussion, Programming, Bass on Track 3)

‘O’ is released on 6th November 2020 by Frontiers

https://iamorianthi.com/

News: a Blue Öyster Cult reissue plus a brand new fortieth anniversary live album

Music news, Rock music, , , , , , ,

Back in April 2016, on the 40th anniversary of their Agents of Fortune album Blue Öyster Cult marked the occasion by performing the album in full for a televised concert at Red Studios in Hollywood.  Frontiers music is now releasing the recording in CD, vinyl, DVD and Blu-Ray formats.

On the recording BÖC’s original core duo of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald ‘Buck
Dharma’ Roeser and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom are joined by Richie
Castellano on guitar/keyboards plus the long-standing rhythm section of bassist
Kasim Sulton and drummer Jules Radino. Founding member Albert Bouchard also appeared as a special guest on selected tracks.

Originally released in 1976 Agents Of Fortune was BÖC’s fourth album, going on to
achieve platinum status in the States on the strength of songs such as ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,’ the band’s biggest hit and a staple of classic rock station playlists. Here in the UK Agents of Fortune has featured in numerous publications’ lists of the greatest rock/metal albums of all time, including the likes of Kerrang! and Q magazine.

Frontiers are also reissuing BÖC’s thirteenth studio album Heaven Forbid. Released in March 1998, it was the group’s first full studio set containing original material since Imaginos a decade earlier. Science fiction author John Shirley contributed
heavily, writing lyrics for all except two of its new songs, while a live version of ‘In Thee’ (from 1979’s ‘Mirrors’) was also included.

40th ANNIVERSARY AGENTS OF FORTUNE 2016 live album and HEAVEN FORBID
both released 6th March 2020 by Frontiers Music

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http://www.blueoystercult.com/

Heavy metal: album review – Quiet Riot ‘Hollywood Cowboys’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , ,

This review was originally published by Get Ready To Rock here

“After nearly ten years since the loss of his friend and co-founding member and bandmate Kevin DuBrow, and with careful consideration, soul searching and with the blessings and support of Kevin DuBrow’s family, Frankie has moved forward with the band to bring the fans a new record!” announce Quiet Riot as they release their latest album Hollywood Cowboys.

Always best known for their 1983 smash album Metal Health which included the hit cover of ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ a song that finally brought the delights of Slade to an American audience, the band is now led by drummer and long-term member Frankie Banali who was part of the Metal Health line-up and has played on every subsequent Quiet Riot release since. Banali is joined by bassist, Chuck Wright, who’s been part of the band, on and off, since the early 80s and guitarist, Alex Grossi, who has been with Quiet Riot since 2004. Vocals are, once again, handled by James Durbin, who also sang on the band’s last studio album (2017′s Road Rage).

With a smoother and more melodic feel than the raunch of DuBrow’s vocals, Durbin a former American Idol frontrunner, has himself now left the band it’s been reported. There are some decent songs on this album and some powerful but hummable fast-paced hard rock. It includes one or two surprises as well. The slower, smouldering, bluesy feel of ‘Roll On’ is actually one of the real treats on the album.

Former lead singer Kevin DuBrow was such an essential component of Quiet Riot that debate will always be a matter of debate among classic-era fans as to whether, without him, it’s really Quiet Riot or not. Nevertheless, this latest release to bear the band’s imprint is an album of likeable, if somewhat generic, 80s-influenced heavy metal.

Released: Frontiers 8th November 2019

QUIET-RIOT-hollywood-cowboys_800x800

https://quietriot.band/

Melodic metal: album review – The Ferrymen ‘A New Evil’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

This review was originally published by Get Ready To Rock here

Although the name may conjure up images of a Gerry & The Pacemakers tribute act playing package tours to provincial theatres, The Ferrymen are actually a European metal outfit fronted by Ronnie Romero on vocals who, of course, was chosen by Ritchie Blackmore to perform that same task when he embarked upon his return to the rock world and the resurrection of the iconic Rainbow brand.

A New Evil is the follow-up to The Ferrymen’s self-titled debut which was released in June 2017. Polished, well-produced melodic metal of the type that has become almost synonymous with the Frontiers label, the album makes its presence felt in dramatic but not entirely unpredictable fashion. Orchestral-style flourishes and spooky-sounding choral introductions lead us into thunderous hard rock. Romero’s Dio-esque vocals are well-suited to the material, all of which is written by Swedish guitarist, Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall), who delivers all the guitar, bass and keyboards parts on the album. The third member of the trio is drummer Mike Terrana (Rage, Axel Rudi Pell) whose furious drumming (deservedly high in the mix throughout the album) provides a perfect counterpoint to the lush but intensely powerful instrumentation delivered by Karlsson.

While the album can seem a tad predictable at times it does exactly what it says on the tin and delivers classy-sounding melodic metal, appealingly memorable song-writing and flawless vocals. Fans of classic-era Dio et al will really warm to A New Evil right down to the cover art – and won’t be at all disappointed by what’s inside.

Released 11th October by Frontiers Music

TheFerrymen_600x600

https://www.facebook.com/TheFerrymenofficial/

Related review:

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow at Birmingham 2017

Metal: album review – Sascha Paeth’s Masters of Ceremony ‘Signs of Wings’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

This review was originally published by Get ready To Rock here

UK audiences may not be too familiar with German-born Sascha Paeth but the multi-instrumentalist and producer has had a hand in many, many dozens of albums for an extensive roster of bands over the past three decades. These include the likes of Avantasia, Kamelot, Rhapsody and Epica.

Now Paeth has put together his own band: “Finally, I am putting my energy into a metal project of my own. It is the sum of my experiences over the years and a bit of a revival of what I was doing in the past.”

The musicians that he’s recruited are Felix Bohnke on drums, André Neygenfind on bass, Corvin Bahn on keyboards and American singer Adrienne Cowan. Style-wise it explores a variety of different textures from the melodic to the more straight-ahead metal. Cowan’s powerful range certainly suits the mix of styles on the album from the full-frontal assault of ‘The Time Has Come’ to the symphonic Blackmore-esque ‘Weight of the World’ to the delicate piano-driven ballad ‘The Path’. All of the album’s eleven tracks are either written by Paeth alone or co-written with lead singer, Cowan, and demonstrate a good ear for creating catchy but powerful songs.

Production-wise it’s as polished as anything you’d expect from the Frontiers stable and Paeth and the record label seem perfectly suited to one another.

Powerful, melodic and inventive Signs of Wings is a piece of well-crafted European metal that’s worth seeking out.

Released: Frontiers 13th September 2019

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https://www.facebook.com/saschapaethsmastersofceremony/

Hard rock: EP review – Animal Drive ‘Back To The Roots’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

This review was originally published by Get Ready To Rock here

Following their well-received 2018 debut, and to give impatient fans something ahead of a promised new album, Croatian hard rockers Animal Drive have recorded a covers EP. The four-track EP comprises covers of Roxette’s ‘The Look’, Whitesnake’s ‘Judgement Day’, Skid Row’s ‘Monkey Business’ and Warrant’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.

Although formed in 2012 the band it took the band some six years before they released their debut album Bite! The polished professionalism of Animal Drive’s hard rocking debut, which drew comparisons with the likes of Whitesnake and Skid Row, showed the wisdom of their decision not to rush straight into the studio. However, given the positive impact of their first album I can fully understand why they now feel the pressure to get something into the hands of newly-won over fans, while they await the arrival of a follow-up. A covers EP makes perfect sense, therefore, but why these four songs in particular? Lead vocalist Dino Jelusic explains, “People used to, and still do sometimes, compare Animal Drive to Skid Row and their “Slave To The Grind” era. That song (Monkey Business) opens the “Slave To The Grind” album and it’s a monster jam, so it felt like a logical fit. Of the other covers on “Back To The Roots”, Jelusic continues, “the other three songs are “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Warrant, “Judgement Day” by Whitesnake and “The Look” by Roxette. I’ve always wanted to cover “The Look” in a heavy way, so it was cool to finally do it. We are big Whitesnake fans and had to go for one of their more epic jams. The Warrant song is one of their absolute best and shows what a great songwriters Jani and the band are, plus it’s a great fit for a heavy band to cover.”

The biggest surprise in terms of the choice of material is the inclusion of late 80s pop hit ‘The Look’ here given a hard rock makeover. It was clear from the songwriting on the debut album , however, that Jelusic has an ear for a catchy melody. And no-one can deny the catchiness of this particular little ditty when it was first released. Once Jelusic’s Coverdale-esque vocals and the band’s trademark polished, melodic hard rock sound is applied the band transform it into a great, great rock song. ‘Judgement Day’ is a fairly faithful if slightly more rocked-up cover of the Whitesnake original and their version of Skid Row’s ‘Monkey Business’ is hardly a million miles away from the original, either. However, both tracks demonstrate that these young guys can really play and celebrate two of their biggest influences as well. The ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ cover is more of a departure from the original and, once again, really gives Animal Drive a chance to do the magic with their trademark sound.

If you are tempted to purchase something from Animal Drive I would definitely recommend you start with their album Bite! but if you have it already and are clearly won over and hungry for more then this EP is worth checking out.

Released by: Frontiers 5th April 2019

http://animal-drive.com/

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Related review:

Album review: Animal Drive – Bite!

 

Metal: album review – Spirits Of Fire ‘Spirits Of Fire’

Album reviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

This review was originally published by Get Ready To Rock here

Spirits Of Fire is the new outfit fronted by ex-Judas Priest singer Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.

A supergroup of sorts the project brings together Owens (ex-Judas Priest, Iced Earth), guitarist Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death) and drummer Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord).

Hailed as “classic Priest meets Savatage” guitarist, Chris Caffery, says: “My influences for writing on this record were the bands that we were and are still in! I wanted to write songs that Priest, Savatage, Testament, and Fates Warning fans would like. But, I wanted them to have a personality of their own as well. To give it a vibe that was Spirits of Fire.”

And do they achieve that? There’s a satisfyingly Judas Priest-like vibe to the Spirits Of Fire album and it’s a great slice of classic heavy metal: well-written songs, powerful vocals, dynamic riffs and a thunderous rhythm section. Opening with a furious ‘Light Speed Marching’ it nicely sets the template for the album as a whole and showcases Owen’s considerable vocal range. Title track ‘Spirits Of Fire’, which ended up also providing a name for the band itself, is another furious assault with some nice soloing from Caffery.

Just like on a classic Priest album where you will typically find the odd slower number, here we get the excellent ‘A Game’ and the anthemic ‘Alone in the Darkness’ the latter of which closes the album, both tracks taking the tempo down while sacrificing none of the heaviness.

The whole Spirits Of Fire project has been masterminded by LA-based producer Roy Z who has worked with the likes Bruce Dickinson, Halford and Tribe Of Gypsies and does a sterling job on production duties here. Eleven tracks of classic, polished heavy metal – this debut from Spirits Of Fire is well worth checking out.

Released: 22.2.19 by Frontiers

https://www.facebook.com/SpiritsOfFireBand/

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