News Update #1 - Pink Floyd, The Red Masque, Hawkwind, Pendragon, Quidam...
Date: Sunday, April 01 @ 16:38:45 UTC
Topic: Album Release News


Sucked into the work-vortex again this March - my own brand of March Madness, as it were - we (well, I) re-emerge in April. What have we missed? Quite a bit it seems. So here's a quick rundown of some of the more notable of the news items that hit our inbox (and have been sitting there):

During the madness that was March, a friend and I fell into a minor Pink Floyd kick. Not so much that we were listening to the whole oeuvre from Piper... to the latest immersive reissues, but for one, our texts back and forth were peppered with lyrics, song titles or album titles in attempts to be "cute." But I had forgotten that we here at ProgressiveWorld.net were already part of a Feb/Mar newscycle that had some Pink Floyd news. As my friend said, it's "Think Pink Month"... and part of that, naturally, was...

Pink Floyd Lifts The Curtain On The Wall "InTheStudio" Part 2: North American syndicated Rock radio show "InTheStudio" is back with Part 2 of its deconstructive look at Pink Floyd's The Wall with the release of the highly anticipated Pink Floyd The Wall "Immersion” seven-disc box set.

The gloves come off and no punches are pulled as The Wall's architect Roger Waters, singer/guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason reveal the personal walls that separated them from each other during and immediately following The Wall.

Roger Waters admitted to "InTheStudio" producer and host Redbeard that in 1980 Pink Floyd had been guaranteed one million dollars per night to perform The Wall on a stadium tour. "And I refused to do it outdoors," Waters tells Redbeard. "How can you do a show, that's about the alienation you feel about doing stadium shows, in a stadium?"

Apparently Waters has reconciled that personal dilemma, because Friday [March 2] in Santiago, Chile he [... embarked] on a 56 show tour of The Wall in the Americas which includes multiple stadium stops (nine times in Buenos Aires Argentina alone). And when the tour starts the North American leg May 1 in Houston, Roger Waters will perform in the end zones in San Francisco, May 11; Los Angeles Coliseum, May 19; Chicago's Wrigley Field, June 8; two nights at New York City's Yankee Stadium July 6 - 7; and Philadelphia on July 14.

Stream the interview online

"InTheStudio" affiliate station list and broadcast schedule

[Source: InTheStudio]

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The legendary British band Pendragon once again triumphed at the Classic Rock Society The Best Of Year Awards. During the Saturday ceremony in Wath the musicians received awards in the most important categories: Best Drummer - Scott Higham, Best Keyboards - Clive Nolan, Best Live Gig - Pendragon at the CRS, Best Track - "This Green & Pleasant Land," Best Album - Passion. Congratulations!

As previously announced, Metal Mind Productions will release a brand new DVD by Pendragon. Out Of Order Comes Chaos DVD will be available on April 23rd in Europe and June 19th in USA (via MVD) and contains a show recorded in Katowice during the Polish leg of the tour promoting the band’s most recent album Passion. For the first time in their career, live material will be released also on a Blu-Ray.

Nick Barrett: "We've tried to do material that we haven't played very much before, particularly in Poland, and for the DVD we've changed the set drastically so that people don't buy the new DVD and it's just got the same songs as the last one."

[Hmm.. out of order comes chaos, eh? Sounds like my March -ed.]

[Source: Metal Mind]

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Born in 2004 in the wake of the ambitious Dante trilogy on Relapse Records, Dirk Serries conceptualised Fear Falls Burning as a follow-up to his vidnaObmana moniker. Unleashing a maelstrom of hypnotically pulsating guitar drones, the project would [in] turn develop a tireless live activity and spawn a dizzying array of releases, most of them on vinyl. On 2008's Frenzy Of The Absolute, today widely considered a classic, the project reached its peak, fusing its by then trademark sound with live drums and guest musicians from the realms of the contemporary underground metal scene.

At the same time, Frenzy Of The Absolute marked the end of Fear Falls Burning. Over the course of its four years, Serries’ ongoing search for the essence of his sound had resulted in the founding of a new project called microphonics. Harking back to his more intimate, minimalist ambient phase, it represented a sum and summary of his past and present embodied his musical personality more fully than any of his previous aliases. Clearly, Fear Falls Burning had fulfilled its mission and reached its point of destination.

And yet, with the end in sight, Serries has resurrected Fear Falls Burning for a concluding album statement entitled Disorder Of Roots, and a last salute. On June 2, 2012 at the Paradox Club in Tilburg, Fear Falls Burning will return for a gig involving three of the guest musicians on the record - Tim Bertillson (drums), Frank Kimenai (electric bass) and Michiel Eikenaar (vocals).

To anyone who's been part of the journey, the event will present a welcome occasion to bid Fear Falls Burning a well-deserved and final farewell. Visitors will receive a free 7-inch with an additional exclusive track.

Disorder Of Roots will be out on April 6th 2012 on CD and 2x10" on Tonefloat - The Netherlands.

Listen to the album preview on soundcloud.

Concert information:

Date: June 2nd 2012 - Paradox, Telegraafstraat 62, Tilburg - The Netherlands.

Reservations : click here (the page is in Dutch, click on 'reserveren' to fill in name + address + number of tickets - payment is at the boxoffice on the day of the concert).

Tracklisting for Disorder Of Roots:

1. The Roots Rebellion
2. Virtue Of The Vicious
3. Chorus Of Dissolution
4. I Provoke Disorder

Credits:

Fear Falls Burning: electric guitars, effects, amplifiers
Phil Petrocelli (Jesu, Jarboe): drums
Frank Kimenai (Anaphylactic Shock, The Spades): electric bass, amplifier
Tim Bertilsson (Switchblade): drums
Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna): drums
Michiel Eikenaar (Nihill, Dodecahedron): vocals
Mastered by James Plotkin

[Source: Dirk Serries newsletter]

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According to CBC News, legendary Canadian rockers Rush have won a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. The bandmembers were among the laureates announced Tuesday, March 6, in Calgary. Each laureate receives a cash award of $25,000 from the Canada Council ForThe Arts and a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.

According to Amazon.co.jp and HMV.co.jp, Rush's long-awaited new album, Clockwork Angels, will be released in Japan on May 23 via Warner Music. The band started work on the follow-up to 2007's Snakes & Arrows in late 2009 with the production team of Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Stone Sour) and engineer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Dream Theater).

Two songs from Clockwork Angels that were previously digitally released, "BU2B" and "Caravan," were reportedly re-recorded for the forthcoming CD due to a record label change in the middle of the making of the album.

[Source: Blabbermouth.net]

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Onward, the new studio album from legendary mavericks Hawkwind, will be released on April 30 via Eastworld Recordings. Recorded at Earth Studios, the eagerly awaited follow-up to Blood Of The Earth (2010, Eastworld) "encapsulates the band in full creative flight with a lavish collection of new music featuring soundtracks for Internet warfare, mantra's for self-realization and electrical systems checks," according to a press release.

Onward will include luxurious packaging across multi-formats, with exclusive bonus live tracks taken from the Hawkwind vaults, demonstrating the prowess of the late Jason Stuart's exceptional keyboard playing.

Onward track listing:

01. Seasons
02. The Hills Have Ears (guest guitarist: Huw Lloyd Langton)
03. Mind Cut
04. System Check
05. Death Trap
06. Southern Cross
07. The Prophecy
08. Electric Tears
09. The Drive By
10. Computer Cowards
11. Howling Moon
12. Right To Decide (bonus track)
13. Aerospace Age (bonus track)
14. The Flowering Of The Rose (bonus track)
15. Trans Air Trucking
16. Deep Vents
17. Green Finned Demon

The band is currently working on a new multimedia live show for forthcoming dates.

Hawkwind features Dave Brock on vocals, guitar and synthesizer, Richard Chadwick drums and vocals, Tim Blake on keyboards and theremin, Mr. Dibs on vocals and bass and Niall Hone on bass, synthesis, sequencing and guitar. /p>

[Source: Blabbermouth.net]

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Quidam Are Back With The Breathtaking And With No Doubt Their Best Album To Date!, according to a press release from Rock-Serwis.

Saiko is the sixth full-length studio album by Quidam. It contains that unique kind of music which takes time to make its listeners fall in love with each and every sound. More than ever before, the musicians put strong emphasis on creating specific atmosphere on their latest release. The lack of elaborate compositions and minimalistic approach only intensifies the meaning of each sound.

The album abounds in sparse and tasteful musical arrangements and splendid details which become even more prominent after several listenings. The musicians skillfully create a certain mood by serving us fabulous and a bit astonishing mixture of various musical influences and inspirations. And yet it contains no artificial ingredients that could ruin the original flavor of Quidam’s music.

Saiko is the end result of enormous creativity of the six mature musicians who possess exquisite artistry as well as courage to explore simpler musical forms that ultimately help create the mood. That’s why sometimes a single sustained note when used in the right place at the right time can be more fascinating than hundreds of notes.

Quidam’s characteristic airiness in sound, noticeable earlier on Alone Together, can also be heard on Saiko. Subtle piano parts, flute pieces and guitar solos are hard to forget.

Quidam’s new album is mature, optimal, dynamic, sparing, atmospheric and, above all, beautiful.

Saiko means meeting with the renewed and clearly transformed band which is full of instrumental verve!

Song lyrics written by Bartek Kossowicz and Maciek Meller perfectly correspond with the music. Their unique structure relates to the poetics of everyday life, boldly reaches for slang elements and neologisms which help create a distinct and emotional world of Saiko.

It is worth noting that after quite a long break Quidam has finally returned to writing lyrics in their native Polish language. English lyrics appear only in song titled "Fall" featuring guest vocals by talented Polish vocalist Natalia Grosiak (who leads two projects, Mikromusic and Digit All Love).

English translation of the lyrics is included in a special insert added to this very elegant deluxe digibook edition of the album.

Saiko was produced by Robert Szyd³o and mastered by Marcin Bors (they both are very well known from their collaboration with Polish top rock acts).

Impressive album artwork was once again designed by Micha&ł Florczak (known for designing both Alone Together and Strong Together artwork).

[Source: Rock-Serwis]

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Philadelphia avant prog band The Red Masque will be heading into the studio in late April to begin recording their new album, tentatively titled Mythalogue. Initial tracks will include: "The Dark Salt Sea," "The Wendigo," "The Song for Icarus," "The Minotaur," and "The Labyrinth" (an improv). The new album will be produced by acclaimed producer and musician Bob Drake. The album will be recorded and engineered by Mike Potter at Orion Sound Studios in Baltimore. (For more on Bob Drake click here)

Mythalogue is a thematic album using world mythology as inspiration. Lyrical content can be found on the band's discography page on their website at www.theredmasque.com/music.html.

A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to raise funds for the new album. The money that the band is asking for will help fund the recording / mixing costs associated with the recording. The Red Masque are asking for $1,500 in donations to help fund Mythalogue. The total recording costs will actually be more than $1,500 dollars, but this amount would greatly help the band fund the project without having to rob their collective savings accounts :). If the band receives funding over this goal, it will be put toward associated costs (like mixing costs, rehearsal room rental etc.).

Please click on this link to contribute to our campaign fund: www.kickstarter.com/projects/368221863/fund-the-red-masques-new-album-mythalogue

We need to reach our goal by Friday Apr 27, 6:00pm EDT.or we will not receive any funding through Kickstarter.

We've included lots of very exciting and unique incentives to those who choose to donate (from private concerts from the band to original artwork to free music). We hope you will help us reach our goal!

Please visit our Kickstarter campaign online and view a video from the band talking about the album as well as to get more information about the campaign.

Video Updates: We will also be taking the video camera into the recording studio with us and posting updates as we go along. We'll be posting these updates on our Kickstarter page as well as on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/The.Red.Masque

THANK YOU! The Band wishes to thank every person that donates to this fund drive. We love you! (Even if Cthulhu does not!).

BONUS Pay-What-You-Want Download Now Available: As an added bonus / thank you present, we've made our second album, Feathers For Flesh (2004), available as a pay-what-you-want download off of our site. Enjoy! http://www.theredmasque.com/feathers-for-flesh.html.

UPDATE - March 25: We have are at over 40 percent funding after a week's fundraising. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far and if you have not yet, please consider helping us reach our modest goal.

[Source: The Red Masque]

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Storm Corrosion is the long-discussed and highly anticipated collaboration between two of the modern progressive rock scene's most innovative and multi-talented artists: Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson. The pair will release Storm Corrosion on May 8, but you can pre-order it in two deluxe packages starting today (March 9).

The Storm Corrosion Special Edition Blu-ray/CD Set & Collector's Edition Double LP Bundle is $50, and includes the album on 180-gram black virgin vinyl, in a gatefold jacket with exclusive artwork; a digital download of the entire album in high-quality FLAC files; the Blu-ray/CD version of the record, which offers the album on CD; a Blu-ray disc containing a 5.1 audio mix of the entire album, two exclusive demo tracks, and five instrumental tracks; a 24" x 36" fold-out poster; and a separate 12" x 12" poster autographed by both Mikael Åkerfeldt and Steven Wilson.

The Storm Corrosion Collector's Edition Double-LP Set is $35, and includes the vinyl version, the digital download, and the two posters.

Storm Corrosion track listing:

CD

01. Drag Ropes (9:52)
02. Storm Corrosion (10:12)
03. Hag (6:28)
04. Happy (4:53)
05. Lock Howl (6:09)
06. Ljudet Innan (10:20)

Blu-ray:

01. Drag Ropes
02. Storm Corrosion
03. Hag
04. Happy
05. Lock Howl
06. Ljudet Innan
07. Drag Ropes
08. Storm Corrosion
09. Hag
10. Happy
11. Lock Howl
12. Ljudet Innan
13. Drag Ropes (demo)
14. Hag (demo)

A little background information on the genesis of this project: Åkerfeldt and Wilson have been friends since the late '90s, when Wilson co-produced Opeth's revered Blackwater Park album. Over the years, they'd often spoken of working on a project together, but it wasn't until recently that they managed to make something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson's home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.

The sound of Storm Corrosion can best be described as enchanting, orchestral, ambient, epic (half the album's tracks clock in around the 10-minute mark) and nothing short of surprising to the new ear. However, the musicians' respective fanbases will be primed to appreciate the new output, with Wilson's recent solo album, Grace For Drowning, and Opeth's Heritage having brought them to a logical place to understand Storm Corrosion. This eponymous collection is almost viewed as one side of a musical triangle.

Says Wilson, "If you'd asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, 'Expect the last thing you would expect.' But actually, now that Heritage and Grace For Drowning have come out, I don't think it's going to be that much of a shock to people, because it's almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way. If anything, it's even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even more dark, twisted and melancholic... but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as Heritage and Grace For Drowning, which indeed it does because it was written during the same period."

"Some of the music on this record I think is the most beautiful music I have participated on ever," adds Åkerfeldt. "There's some magical sections on there. Musically, I think we've created something earthy, a bit frightening, exhausting, profound and rather intense. All at the same time. I can safely say I don't know any other band or artist that sounds anything like Storm Corrosion. I guess that was also one of our goals, so to speak."

Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R, Monte Conner, welcomed Storm Corrosion to the Roadrunner family, commenting, "I am honored to have the Roadrunner logo on the Storm Corrosion album. Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have demonstrated time and time again that they are two of the truest and most important artists working today, and it is not often that I get to work with musicians of this caliber. This album is a beautiful piece of work that will appeal to fans of Steven and Mikael's past records, while at the same time exploring new avenues for both artists."

[Source: Blabbermouth.net]

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Eagle Rock Entertainment is set to release -- for the first time in the U.S. -- Deep Purple's Total Abandon: Australia '99 on CD on April 24. Recorded April 20, 1999 at Melbourne Park, the 12-song 76-minute blockbuster, until now, was only available domestically as a DVD in the 2008 Around The World Live boxed set (also released by Eagle Rock Entertainment).

Total Abandon is a major boon for Deep Purple fans as it musically traverses decades with material mostly from the '70s and the '90s. Lead guitarist Steve Morse, at this point in the band's glorious career, had fully integrated himself into the mix, positively shining on songs from both eras. The lineup of vocalist Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Jon Lord, drummer Ian Paice and guitarist Morse are in rare form: the almost nine-minute-each jam-happy versions of "Pictures Of Home" and "Smoke On The Water" are just two highlights of many. Besides favorites like "Black Night," "Smoke On The Water" and "Highway Star" the band reached into its enormous catalog for an incredibly satisfying evening that included opener "Ted The Mechanic" and "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming," both off guitarist Morse's album debut with the band, Purpendicular, in 1996.

Touring in support of 1998's Abandon album, the "A Band On World Tour" had Deep Purple criss-crossing the globe like the true road warriors they remain today.

Total Abandon: Australia '99 track listing:

01. Ted The Mechanic
02. Strange Kind Of Woman
03. Bloodsucker
04. Pictures of Home
05. Almost Human
06. Woman From Tokyo
07. Watching The Sky
08. Fireball
09. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
10. Smoke On The Water
11. Black Night
12. Highway Star

[Source: Blabbermouth.net]

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Art Of Infinity – Live at Planetarium Bochum, November 3rd 2012: The German electronic duo Art Of Infinity stands for over 10 years of sophisticated studio productions. At Planetarium Bochum Art Of Infinity will make their stage debut. The two musicians Thorsten Sudler-Mainz (keys, vocals) and Thorsten Rentsch (keys, guitar and percussion) cooperate again with the most different guest musicians and singers on their fourth album Raumwerk (release 2012). Apart from compositions from the first three albums the main focus of the concert program in Bochum will be on the new release. In addition to keyboard player and guitarist Matthias Krauss further surprise guests will be on stage under the starry sky. The fascinating combination of Ambient, Art rock and Pop is Art Of Infinity’s unmistakable trademark.

Tickets: www.planetarium-bochum.de

A new video "Utopia (edit)" by Art Of Infinity is now online on YouTube. "Utopia (edit)" and the 18 minutes long original track "Utopia" appeared on Art Of Infinity's Endless Future in 2008. An emotional sound and the majestic voice of guest singer Eva Wolf is all over "Utopia." This is the main track of the high acclaimed third album by German band Art Of Infinity.

[Source: Art of Infinity]

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Brief notes:

  • Dimension Act signed with Progrock Records and released their debut album, Manifestation Of Progress, March 7th, 2012

  • Metal Mind Productions will release second live DVD by Believe on April 30th in Europe and June, 19th in USA (MVD). This outstanding art-rock act was formed by guitarist Mirek Gil - the former leader and composer of Polish prog-rock legend Collage. The material entitled Seeing Is Believing was recorded in November 2011 in Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice, Poland. During this unique evening Believe -- in the line-up of Mirek Gil - guitars, Karol Wróblewski - vocal, Satomi - violin, Vlodi - drums, Przemas - bass guitar and Konrad Wantrych - keyboards -- primarily presented material from their last studio album World Is Round (Metal Mind Productions, 2010). The audio version of the track "AA" is a foretaste of this DVD and is now available at Metal Mind Productions' YouTube channel

  • Decibel Magazine's "Deciblog" is hosting an exclusive premiere of a track from Fire Make Thunder. Get a first listen to the first track on the album,,"Cold Call," here. An exclusive video interview featuring Chairman and CEO of Metal Blade Brian Slagel talking to the often elusive duo of Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos is available for viewing courtesy of GuitarWorld.com here. In the interview OSI and Slagel discuss the recording process of the new album, the origins of OSI and much more

  • You can now listen to the first track promoting SBB's newest, self-titled release. "Ameryka" is available at this location.







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