An opinion no one asked for, but you’re getting anyway:
“All She Wrote” would have made a much better opener for @FireHouseBand’s debut album in 1990 than “Rock On the Radio.”
I wonder what @PerryRBass would think.
Tag: video
My favorite Slovakian power metal band, Signum Regis has released another single from their upcoming album, Beyond Spacetime, “Back To Zero.”
It’s actually an old song, written by original Signum Regis drummer LudÄk StruhaÅ, but with updated lyrics from bassist Ronnie Kƶnig’s brother Tommy. Featured vocalist is Tasos Lazaris. I think it’s really kick-butt:
It’s been four years since the debut of hard rock supergroup Iconic, featuring Joel Hoekstra and Michael Sweet on guitar, legendary Tommy Aldridge on drums, Marco Mendoza on bass, and frontman Nathan James. Their album Second Skin was an insta-buy for me after only hearing the debut single, “Nowhere To Run.”
So it was great news to hear the band had reunited for a sophomore release, which came out this past Friday, titled, appropriately enough II. This isnāt a full Retrophisch Review, just first impressions from a single listen-through, plus a few re-listens from the released singles.
The TL;DR version is: if you liked the first album, youāll like this album.
Itās really just more of the same, only more more. And this is in no way a bad thing. These are all incredibly talented musicians, and to have them all together in one band, even if itās only for album releases and maybe a one-off live show, is a real blessing. The elder statesmen in the group have lost none of their fastball, as Hoekstra and Sweet trade off blistering riffs and solos, while Aldridge and Mendoza ably hold down the rhythm section with all their trademarks. And how can you not think Nathan James was born to front hard rock bands with a voice like that?
I am a little disappointed that Sweetās vocals werenāt featured more on this second album, as they were on the first. However, I can totally understand if either the material didnāt lend itself to that end, or he himself chose not to. Michael has been very forthcoming in interviews and online that he considers himself a guitarist first, and a vocalist second. Having just seen him live with Stryper a couple of weeks ago, he certainly looks like heās having the time of his life when heās shredding. And heās certainly having fun on this album.
There have been five singles released up to release day, and you can find videos of them on YouTube. Of the five, āHeart of Stoneā is my favorite, both for the song, and the comics motif used:
And to show how people’s musical interests vary, even within a single album, there has not yet been a video released for any of my three favorite songs from the new album:
- Far Away
- Open My Eyes
- Nothing Left for Me
If you miss the hard rock music of the ā80s, and want something from utter craftsmen of the genre, then this is an album for you.
My favorite Slovakian power metal band has a new single out, and music video to accompany it. Ronnie Kƶnig, the bandās founder and bassist:
“As most of our fans know, we started working on the Beyond Spacetime album with an incomplete line-up. We didn’t have a permanent singer, so we decided to approach it the same way we did with the Exodus album back in 2013, by inviting guest singers. However, then life happened and arranged everything for us in a very special way: during the recording process, we reconnected with two of our former singers, Mayo Petranin and Jota Fortinho, and together we decided it would be amazing to welcome both of them back into the band. To celebrate and highlight this reunion, we did a brand-new song featuring both of them singing together. The title of the song is āEchoes of Glory.ā This reunion isn’t just for this one track ā it’s for the years to come! The line-up you see in the video is the one that will also play live.”
Mayo was the bandās lead singer when I first learned of Signum Regis, and itās great to see him back in the fold. Hereās āEchoes of Gloryā:
Stryper is releasing a new album this fall, Throne of Thorns, and have a released a music video of the title track:
It’s just amazing how these guys haven’t lost their fastball. You can hate them all you want, but you cannot deny they’re still bringing it from a talent perspective.
This is pretty great. Love Seth’s enthusiasm. That transition at 4:20 is <chef’s kiss>.
If, like me, you were working today and missed the second running of the Wienie 500, never fear. Courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the full replay is on YouTube. It’s like one long dad joke with double entendres, and it is GLORIOUS.
In the ’80s TV show Airwolf, Jan-Michael Vincent’s character, Stringfellow Hawke, played the cello. So it’s only natural that someone (in this case, Samara Ginsberg), has arranged the show’s ’80s-techno theme song for the cello. Eight, in fact:
I’m a third of the way through @JosephLoconte’s incredible The War For Middle-Earth (yes, I’m calling it incredible even though I haven’t finished with it yet, because what I’ve read so far is incredible). This interview with @AndyAndrews is fantastic: