As shared by Greg Walker yesterday (owner of Syn-Phonic), we learned that "Francesco Di Giacomo (the beloved tenor singer of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso) passed away today from the result of a car accident. Details are sketchy about what caused the accident but it may be health related. Here is the posting on the internet and the English translation:

"'É morto il 21 febbraio 2014 a Zagarolo, in provincia di Roma, per un incidente stradale avvenuto in via Valle del Formale. Nel tardo pomeriggio Di Giacomo era alla guida della sua auto di cui pare abbia perso il controllo schiantandosi, poi, contro un'altra autovettura che proveniva in senso contrario. Di Giacomo è deceduto durante il trasporto all'ospedale di Palestrina. La sera stessa è stato annuncíato l'accadimento e ricordato da Fabio Fazio durante la diretta televisiva del Festival di Sanremo seguito dal cordoglio del pubblico."

So... we almost came back in October... and then things went sideways again. I'm beginning to feel like a crab (and my friends 'n' family would agree that I've been crabby, to say the least). Anyway, aside from the myriad of items already posted, here's a quick catch up on some other items that we found worth mentioning (or felt we oughta mention for various reasons) -- beyond the usual album release date stuff and band announcements for festivals (which, if we didn't post to news, we just plugged into the appropriate page):

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It's been a long time coming, but Bigelf are at long last pleased to announce that they will release their brand new fourth studio album entitled Into The Maelstrom on the 4th of March 2014 throughout North America. Frontman and mastermind Damon Fox had this to say:

"I think ITM is the best Bigelf record yet and I believe it is a real game changer for the band. It's gonna put us over the top! Psychedelic cinematic landscapes and melodic prog-doom set the stage for the new album, I cannot wait for fans (old and new) to experience all of its apocalyptic color."

UK prog band Pallas launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo for their next album, wearewhoweare.

The band write in their December newsletter: "As you will all know we've been around for some time, long enough to tell some sorry stories about being hitched to record companies over the past quarter century. As we were writing and starting to record the next album we made the decision to became our own cottage industry and not have to fit in with other peoples' ideas of who we are. We are Pallas and we are who we are - that's where the album title comes from!

Fabio Zuffanti (La Maschera di Cera, Hostsonanten, solo) has just released a video for "La Certezza Impossibile", taken from his upcoming solo album La Quarta Vittima due on January 15, 2014. View the video here.

The video is directed by Simone Besutti & Davide Colombino and is the first single from the upcoming album that is to be released on AMS Records. The album will contain seven powerful and labyrinthine songs performed by Zuffanti – a group of highly-talented musicians whose experiences run the gammut. The concept for the album was inspired by The Mirror In The Mirror: a book of gothic and surreal tales, written by Michael Ende.

Italian prog rockers Empirical Time have released their debut Songs, Poems And A Lady through Ma.Ra.Cash. Records; recorded at Prosdocimi Recording Studio and mastered by Ronan Chris Murphy.

"It seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years”, recites the first verse of "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal," the opening track of the disc. The listener is soon left with a question: Who is this mysterious woman? The woman behind the cover, the "lady" of the title? This will be a question that the listener will arise for the duration of the disc, which leads him to imagine and try to decipher the identity and the features of this elusive lady who, like diamonds, "has got a thousand faces." It is perhaps a divine entity that, in fact, is not affected by the passage of time? It is perhaps the cold and motionless corpse of a young girl: "No motion Has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees." Or a young lover, "as fresh as a rose in June”? Or is the synthesis of all this?

...Transatlantic's Cover Of Yes Classic!

Next year will see the inaugural Progressive Nation At Sea cruise, presented by Sixthman, Del Fuvio Brothers and InsideOutMusic, running from the 18th -22nd February 2014. As previously announced, progressive-rock super-group Transatlantic will take to the stage at this special event, for a grand finale encore alongside the legendary Jon Anderson, where they will play a selection of classic Yes material. In celebration of this, PN14 are extremely pleased to reveal an exclusive stream of Transatlantic's cover of "And You And I" taken from the second disc of the band's forthcoming album Kaleidoscope due out next year. You can check that out here: www.progressivenationatsea.com/premier

Tigermoth are proud to handle the distribution of The Rockfield Files; the first ever official live Frost* DVD. This highly anticipated release finally captures a live Frost* performance at the world-famous Rockfield Studios near Monmouth, Wales. Fans of the band have been waiting many years for a live DVD, the wait is finally over...

The Rockfield Files features the band (Jem Godfrey - Keyboards/Vox, John Mitchell (It Bites/Arena/Kino) – Guitar/Vox, Nathan King (Level42/It Bites) – Bass and Craig Blundell (Dr oKtopUs) – Drums) performing tracks from the classic Milliontown and Experiments In Mass Appeal albums PLUS a Godfrey/Mitchell acoustic session and an exclusive interview.

With Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons and Mike Keneally
August 11 - 15, 2014 At Cambria Pines Lodge In California's Scenic Central Coast Area

From August 11-15, 2014, musicians of all ages and levels will converge in California’s scenic Central Coast for the G4 Experience with guitar virtuosos Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, and Mike Keneally. This unique music camp that combines entertainment, education and a vacation experience will be held at the picturesque Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria, California, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

New Studio Album Out January 21 In North America

'Worldwide Plagues' North American Headlining Tour To Launch April 2; Sabaton And Revamp To Support

With the release of new studio album Plagues Of Babylon approaching, metal titans Iced Earth have launched a video teaser to preview the album and their upcoming 'Worldwide Plagues' headlining tour. The video can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4QeOBChcDw

Galahad are glad to be recording again, as they were mixing tracks for their upcoming EP, Seize The Day (the first of several planned EPs during 2014) earlier this month.

About the EP, the band say: "'21st Century Painted Lady' is based upon 'Painted Lady' which was written and first recorded in the mid 1980s but has now been given a major overhaul and now includes a second verse which should have but didn’t appear on the original version!

After completing an intense touring schedule throughout this year, Dirk Serries solo will go into hibernation mode for recording his follow-up to his acclaimed second Microphonics album. The album is currently scheduled for a late 2015/early 2016 release. Meanwhile there're some exciting new projects on the horizon.

But for now all eyes and ears focused onto January 23rd 2014, this is the release of Dirk Serries & Teun Verbruggen's Art Of Cosmic Musings first album on Tonefloat. A limited double vinyl to be released on the day of their first concert at the renowned CC Luchtbal Theatre in Antwerpen, Belgium.

Continuing a theme, "Mr H and Mr B are proud to announce the release of a 5-track mini-album entitled Arc Light. A 'little brother' to their album Not The Weapon But The Hand. The album features 4 new tracks and a new version of "Intergalactic" featuring guitars from Aziz Ibrahim, who also plays on two of the new tracks.

Track list below:

Steve Rothery announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign - here - to finance his upcoming first solo album. On November 25, he wrote in the Marillion e-newsletter, "A very exciting day for me today and not just because it's my birthday ;-) After twenty eight years of talking about doing a solo album, the time has finally arrived! Today is the official launch day of the Kickstarter campaign for my solo album The Ghosts of Pripyat.

The quartet of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Pete Trewavas and Roine Stolt - collectively Transatlantic - will release their next album on January 27, 2014. Entitled Kaleidoscope, it marks the supergroup's fourth studio release. Doesn't seem possible that their first release, SMPTe, was released 13 years ago! But then again, there was that eight year gap between album number two, Bridge Across Forever... I know there is something snarkier I could say there ... and album number three, 2009's Whirlwind.

Nevertheless, Kaleidoscope is on the horizon, and the band are set to tour the US, Canada and South America in February, and Europe in March. Once again they'll be joined by Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlöw as a 5th touring member.