Maryland rockers CLUTCH are tentatively set to release their new album, "Book Of Bad Decisions", in September 7. The album was recently completed at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Vance Powell (THE WHITE STRIPES, RED FANG).
CLUTCH have released the first taste from the album "Gimme the Keys", see the lyric video below.
Here's the story behind "Gimme the Keys".
The song is about the band's first tour back in 1991, a time where they began to cut their teeth in the live music business, dealt with show cancellations and incidents on the road. One particular show in a shed surrounded by cornfields in Lawrence, Kansas ultimately turned ugly over a missing microphone and accusations brought by drunk and gun-toting security people at the end of a long day. "Gimme the keys they can keep the guarantee | Gimme the keys and get the hell out of dodge" is a reflection of the mood of that night.
Today's tune "Gimme the Keys LV", taken from the upcoming album "Book of Bad Decisions", enjoy!
Sunday, time to summarize the 22 days of Eurovision Song Contest that I have been stuck in a chair up in the roof.
It has been long days during the rehearsals but pretty fun, lots of laughs, Bamse Stories, light sniping, strange clothes, flypaper, Finish glittering dinosaurs, Pepsis, paper clothing, pyros etc etc, the list could be endless. Anyway, it was a privilege to be part of this karaoke circus!
Photo Pär Källman/SVT
Here are some facts about the vast technical production that goes into Eurovision Song Contest.
First an pretty odd but fun fact is that the venue has sunk 35mm since work started on April 4!
The production features the work of technical director Ola Melzig, with lighting design by Fredrik Jönsson, set design by Frida Arvidsson and Viktor Brattström, video design by Mikki Kunttu, and pyro design by Markku Aalto.
Lighting programmers are Timo Kauristo, Danne Persson, Fredrik Stormby, and Calle Brattberg, with video programming by Neil Trenell, Pekka Martti, and Fraser Walker. Technical partners for the show and broadcast are Litecom, Pixmob, MA Lighting, Green Hippo, Cyberhoist, Live Media Group, Visual Act, and Barco.
The Followspots department where I was included in, are Fredrik Hill, Johan Ilve, Kevin Moorehouse, Robert Holm, Tina Strand, Anna-Maria Ericsson, Katja Aiha, Marcus Brandberg, Robert Löfgren, Victor Svensson, Rebecka Erixon, Michael Hultgren, Janne Sandsten, Stephanie Wennerström and the Followspot caller Q-Lan Wallertz
General
· Total amount of cable: 143km
· 220 people required to run the live broadcast
Lighting
· 1,828 fixtures
· Consumes 854,000W
· 25,300 control channels
· Takes five main and five back up lighting consoles to run the show
· 14 spot operators
· 45 people involved to run lighting during the broadcast
Video
· 900sq-m. of high-resolution LEDs
· 71,000,002 pixel resolution
· 19 media servers to handle all video content
· 12 HDQ 40 projectors (the world's largest video projector)
· 10 High End Systems Moving Mirror Systems (MMS)
· 37 people involved to run video during broadcast
· 3 operators
Sound
· 134 speakers
· 345,000W
· 64 microphones
· 18 IEM systems (In-ear monitor)
· 152 IEM receivers (In-ear monitor)
· 7 sound consoles
· 480 channels in the opto-loop
· 32 people involved to run sound during broadcast
Pyro
· 30 flame units
· 20 CO2 units
· 30 firing positions
· 6 heavy fog outlets
Rigging
· 109 tons of rigged gear in the roof
· 78 Cyberhoists
· 350 rigging points
· 1,397m of truss
Power
· 4,64 megawatts at full capacity
· 10 generators
· 10,000 liters of fuel used every day
· 15km of high-voltage power lock cables
Stage
· Stage weight 65 of tons
· 220sq-m. performance area
· Height 15.5m
· Width 50m
· Depth 32m
· 2,000sq-m. high-gloss surface
· The wall alone is built of 5 ,397 pieces of scaffolding
· 40 stage technicians will handle change overs during broadcast
Broadcast
· 40 cameras in total, 22 for Globe Arena broadcast
· 50 people involved in the broadcast
· 2 directors
· SVT will use CuePilot
· One 2d camera and one drop camera with a 70m drop
Production
· 172 trucks of equipment
· 70 stage hands for load-in, 98 for load-out
Venue
· 10,500 spectators
· Venue has sunk 35mm since work started on April 4
Georgia's contribution Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz - Midnight Gold, here you see all the back followspots in action.
Check out the Video and you can see us working :) I'm nr 4 from the left.
Russia and Sergey Lazarev - You Are The Only One, the white light on Sergey is my beam :)
The Winner Jamala performing the song "1944", also my beam on her!
Jamala performing "1944"
Jamala performing "1944"
Jamala performing with the prize
3 back followspots beams on Russia at the Semi Final
A nice view from the back
Jamala
The ESC Prize 2016 with a back followspot beam lighting it up!
Today's tune "1944" is a song performed by Ukrainian singer JAMALA (Ukrainian: Джамала, Crimean Tatar: Camala). It represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and won with a total of 534 points.
The national juries voted the entry by Australia first with 320 points, and the televote voted the entry by Russia first with 361 points. The televoting result for Ukraine, of 323 points, however, was sufficient, when added to their jury score of 211 points, to put them in first place, with a grand total of 534 votes, leaving Australia second and Russia third.
The lyrics for "1944" concern the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, in the 1940s, by the Soviet Union at the hands of Joseph Stalin because of their suspected widespread collaboration with the Nazis. JAMALA was particularly inspired by the story of her great-grandmother Nazylkhan, who was in her mid-20s when she and her five children were deported to barren Central Asia. One of the daughters did not survive the journey. Jamala's great-grandfather was fighting in World War II in the Red Army at this time and thus could not protect his family.
The song's chorus, in the Crimean Tatar language, is made up of words that JAMALA had heard from her great-grandmother, reflecting on the loss of a youth which could not be spent in her homeland. The song features the duduk and the use of the mugham vocal style.
Jamala represents Ukraine at the Grand Final of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm with the song 1944
Jamala's performing the song 1944 at the Ukraine Eurovision
Monday, New week, time to present "Record of The Week".
"A Message from Dystopia" is the 3:rd release from the Swedish quartet HONG FAUX.
A band that have visited Tune Of The Day more than once, they are almost known as the "house band" nowadays :)
"A Message from Dystopia" is an album with a pretty wide musical palette, well-written tunes and an awesome song craft where the starting point is classic 70s rock, the songs have a grunge-like structure and pop harmonies with some stoner elements and heavy melodies, a great genre mixture where the flow is magnificent without feeling the slightest contrived.
The musicianship between the guys is like they have lived forever together :) The powerful voice of the singer Nik Serén is a trademark of its own, he sings clearly and brilliant. A voice that you will remember, that's for sure. Björn Billgren's guitar sound is Gibson classic and he delivers some real crunchy riffs on the album. The backing vocals are done by the bass player Johan Bergqvist who also sets the ground to the band in excellent way. For the final, an very prominent drumming by Daniel Israelsson (who is now replaced by Jonathan Hummelman who is an excellent replacement to keep the groove going).
"A Message from Dystopia" continues on the path they created on their last album "Hello Neptune". Tracks like "Peter & Anne", "Scars" and "No Exit" are pure rockers and could be songs from the same drawing table as the rest on that album. "Coming Through the Rye" is one of softer tunes on the album, an amazing tune that really grows to a new level live. The latest single/video "From Now to Never More" is a real blast, catchy son of a bitch with an effective hook. The title track and the album closer is an piece of art, soft, quiet, acoustic beauty. The production is very good and sounds amazing on my record player. The album is produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES)
Summary: An album that should be mandatory in every rockers/poppers record collection, "A Message From Dystopia" is really worth listening to, so check it up!
Today's tune "Coming Through the Rye" taken from "A Message from Dystopia" , enjoy!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
2015
11.26 :: The Tivoli / Vinyl Bar / Helsingborg / SWE
11.28 :: Essigfabrik / Cologne / DEU
11.29 :: Markthalle / Hamburg / DEU
12.01 :: Lux / Hannover / DEU
12.02 :: WunderBar / Luckenwalde / DEU
12.03 :: Exil / Göttingen / DEU
12.04 :: Alter Schlachthof / Lingen / DEU
12.05 :: Astra / Berlin / DEU
12.06 :: Batschkapp / Frankfurt / DEU
2016
02.10 :: Badehaus Szimpla / Berlin / DEU
02.11 :: MarX / Hamburg / DEU
02.14 :: Strom / Munich / DEU
02.15 :: Weekender / Innsbruck / AUT
02.16 :: Nachtleben / Frankfurt / DEU
02.17 :: Underground / Cologne / DEU
02.19 :: Bastard Club / Osnabrück / DEU
RUSH have released the second video from their upcoming R40 Live CD/DVD-Blu-ray set. Three weeks after giving us “Roll the Bones,” they have unveiled “Closer to the Heart,” which is embedded below.
Originally released on 1977’s "A Farewell to Kings", “Closer to the Heart is one of RUSHs best-loved songs. It was the first RUSH song to feature a non-member as a songwriter in Peter Talbot, a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. It was issued as a single for Christmas 1977 and was RUSHs first hit single in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 36 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978. "Closer To The Heart" was one of five RUSH songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010.
The live albums A Show of Hands and Different Stages feature performances of the song with jam-style playing after the last verse. On the 1981 live album Exit...Stage Left, the song segues into "Beneath, Between and Behind," and on Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland, it shifts into a triplet feel for the last verse. On the DVD release of the latter album, a polka rendition of the song is played during the end credits.
Although the original recording and most live performances feature acoustic drums, Peart used an electronic drum kit to play the song in concerts from 1984 to 1994.
In September 2014, the R40 box set was announced, which will commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album. The set will include five previously released live video albums, as well as various previously unreleased footage from across the band's career.
On January 22, 2015, the band officially announced the Rush R40 Tour, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of drummer Neil Peart's membership in the band. The R40 Live Tour was scheduled for performances in more than 30 North American cities; the tour started on May 8 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and wrapped up on August 1 at The Forum in Los Angeles.
On April 29, 2015, Alex Lifeson stated in an interview that this would be the final large-scale Rush tour due to his psoriatic arthritis and Peart's chronic tendonitis. However, he did not rule out future projects with the band, including smaller tours and limited performances, and even stated that he would like to work on soundtracks with Geddy Lee.
The Finnish glam rockers SANTA CRUZ is out touring with MUSTASCH, see the dates below. They also have dropped a new video for the latest single and today's tune "Let Them Burn" that is taken from their eponymous 2nd album "SANTA CRUZ", released Mars 2015.
The tune is a heavy catchy glamcore piece :) The video captures the essence of the band’s explosive shows.
SANTA CRUZ formed in 2007 in Helsinki by Archie Kuosmanen and Johnny Parkkonen. The following year, bass player Middy Toivonen joined in. The band released two demos in 2008-2009. After changing a number of temporary drummers, they finally settled for a full-time drummer, Taz Fagerström in 2009 becoming a 4-member band. After a self-released EP of 6 songs titled "Anthems for the Young 'n' Restless", they signed with Finnish Spinefarm Records in 2012 and released their first studio album "Screaming for Adrenaline" in April 2013. Their eponymous 2nd album "SANTA CRUZ" was released in March 2015. The album featured a heavier sound than the previous and the band has described its sound as "glamcore".
Arttu "Archie" Kuosmanen - vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, acoustic guitar (2007–present)
Joonas "Johnny" Parkkonen - lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, backing vocals (2007–present)
Mitja "Middy" Toivonen - bass, backing vocals (2008–present)
Tapani "Taz" Fagerström - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2009–present)
Happy Helloween everybody!
Today's tune is directed by Lars Johnson, edit by Juha Kärkkäinen and the grading & VFX by Iikka Kinnunen. Shot on OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Upcoming Gigs!
October 31, 2015 The Tivoli w/Mustasch @Helsingborg, Sweden
November 4, 2015 Pakkahuone w/Mustasch @Tampere, Finland
November 5, 2015 Rytmikorjaamo w/Mustasch @Seinäjoki, Finland
November 6, 2015 Circus w/Mustasch @Helsinki, Finland
November 7, 2015 Logomo w/Mustasch @Turku, Finland
November 13, 2015 Flustret w/Mustasch @Uppsala, Sweden
November 14, 2015 Trädgårn w/Mustasch @Göteborg, Sweden
November 20, 2015 Rockfeller w/Mustasch @Oslo, Norway
November 21, 2015 Folkets Park w/Mustasch @Halmstad, Sweden
November 27, 2015 Lokomotivet w/Mustasch @Eskilstuna, Sweden
November 28, 2015 KB w/Mustasch @Malmö, Sweden
December 4, 2015 Huskvarna Folkets Park w/Mustasch @Huskvarna, Sweden
December 5, 2015 Allstar Sandviken w/Mustasch @Sandviken, Sweden
December 11, 2015 Liljan w/Mustasch @Borlänge, Sweden
December 12, 2015 Doom Nightclub w/Mustasch @Linköping, Sweden
December 18, 2015 Kulturens Hus w/Mustasch @Luleå, Sweden
December 19, 2015 Folkets Hus w/Mustasch @Umeå, Sweden
New week, a new Monday and a new "The Record Of The Week"
A quartet from Denver US, we find the 20 Buck Spin début "Absolution" with KHEMMIS. A band that bumped into by accident during a bandcamp surf a boring evening when the hole family was watching some reality show! Something that I skip and use that time to listen to music instead and this is something that I just love.
"Absolution" have all the components that's needed to be a listenable record. A slow, heavy doom album with melodic nasty guitar tones that reminiscent of stoner metal and a mix of contemporary sludge. It's progressive and brutal without getting too much in one direction. The riffs are cleaver, where the solos partly sings "classic metal" and the rhythm section doing their job to create a massive heavy and progressive atmosphere. The vocals are mixed between deadly growls and very clean. A terrific way to work out the vocal part on this record. The result is "Absolution" a six track, forty-minute journey of properly crafted tunes that shows a very high level writing skill and musicianships. KHEMMIS music breathe fresh and forge a new brick to what heavy progressive doom rock is in 2015.
Summary: "Absolution" is among the biggest surprises of the year. KHEMMIS have made the best debut album of 2015!
FAITH NO MORE proves that sex, drugs and rock and roll are for the retirements as much as for the kids in the hilarious, trippy clip for "Sunny Side Up," off the latest album, "Sol Invictus".
FAITH NO MORE released the re-united "Sol Invictus" in May, where they sounded as dangerous and unstable as ever on a album. The record marked the band's first since 1997's "Album of the Year" and followed a 15-year hiatus, as well as several years on the reunion-tour circuit.
Today's tune "Sunny Side Up" video is directed by Joe Lynch,
Produced by Sarah Elbert,
Executive Producer Sam Balcomb,
Production Company Rainfall Films
and Cinematography by Will Barrat.
The Cast consists of:
“Mike Patton” - Richard Johnson
“Billy Gould” - Robert Axelrod
"Jon Hudson” - Bruce Nehlsen
“Mike Bordin” - Buddy Daniels
“Roddy Bottom” - Roger Browne
Monday, new week, time to introduce the "Record Of The Week".
Just over a week ago I was at the Concert Hall here in Stockholm and looked at the 25th Anniversary concert, "An Evening with OPETH"
The band really gave a great evening, music divided into two sets, the first part was "Ghost Reveries" is its entirety, amazing and the second with a lot of goodies during their career.
"Ghost Reveries" is an album that I listened a lot back in the days and it's a record that get's played every now and then but got a real reunion of the concert and have been really close among a few others lately. So this "Record Of The Week" is simply "Ghost Reveries".
Here is a of my pictures from the show :)
"Ghost Reveries" is the eighth full-length album by Swedish heavy metal band OPETH. It was released on August 29, 2005. The album is the first album by OPETH to include keyboardist Per Wiberg as a "permanent" member (although Wiberg contributed keyboard work to OPETHs live performances starting around the time of Lamentations (Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire 2003)), and it is the last OPETH album to include drummer Martin Lopez and long-time guitarist Peter Lindgren.
"Ghost Reveries" is so full of life and creativity, something that has always been one of the most strongest things about the band. The album have a magical artful balance between the brutal and melodic sound. Already on the first track "Ghost of Perdition" set's rib for how the album is.
It contains excellent melodies and acoustic parts. The keyboards adds a great environment for the hard and heavy force. Mikael's voice is just stunning, where his great clean singing weighing up to his heavy and hard growl. The album is full of unique melodies and flowing riffs that are masterfully mixed to make this a top record! "Ghost Reveries" is one of OPETHs finest to date.
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band that formed in 1990 in Stockholm. The band, which has been through several line-up changes, currently comprises Mikael Åkerfeldt (vocals/guitar), Fredrik Åkesson (guitar), Martin Mendez (bass), Martin "Axe" Axenrot (drums), and Per Wiberg (keyboards). Since the band's inception, there have been 15 official members, with Åkerfeldt being the one continual member.
Opeth's dominant style of music is Scandinavian death metal, however, the band combines their genre with progressive metal, progressive rock, folk, jazz, and blues, and on average, their songs last around 10 minutes. A notable exception in their catalogue is the 2003 release of Damnation, a predominantly progressive rock record containing no death metal styled vocals, distorted guitars, double bass drumming, or songs over eight minutes in length.
The artwork was created after the completion of the album. Åkerfeldt commented on the artwork, saying:
"I'd been looking for one of the old medieval looking woodcuts, me and Peter went to the Royal library here in Stockholm looking for a evil (yep!) picture, but that was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Couldn't find one. In the meantime I'd received some pics from good ol' Travis Smith. And as per usual with Mr. Smith, he's a genius...the candle pictures just blew me away...that's the cover, fuck the woodcuts! I love it! It's probably the most gothic looking cover we've had, right?"
Today's tune "The Grand Conjuration" was the album's only single. A music video of the song was released, although about half of the song was edited from the video, due to the length of the song. Lopez does not appear in the video, as he was sick and was temporarily replaced by Gene Hoglan
Upcoming Tour dates:
Oct 12 Admiralspalast Berlin, Germany
Oct 13 Stadthalle Wuppertal, Germany
Oct 14 Tivolivredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands Sold Out
Oct 15 Ancienne Belgique - AB Brussels, Belgium
Oct 16 Capitol Offenbach Am Main, Germany
Oct 17 Le Trianon Paris, France Sold Out
Oct 18 Theatre Royal, Drury Lane London, United Kingdom Sold Out
Oct 22 Beacon Theater New York, NY Sold Out
Oct 24 Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA Sold Out
Oct 25 Orpheum Theatre - 2nd show, Los Angeles, CA
Nov 13 Metal Hammer Paradise 2015, Lubeck, Germany
"Engel" (German for Angel) is a song by German Industrial metal band RAMMSTEIN. The song was released as the first single from their second album Sehnsucht. An English version of Engel can be found on US special editions of the Sehnsucht album.
A regular during the Sehnsucht tour, it was used as the last song of the main set in non-festival concerts. In the first months of the Mutter tour, "Engel" appeared in the setlists sporadically, but became a regular again in November, and continued as the last song of the main set until the end of the tour.
When performed on stage, flames shoot into the air, and Schneider's drumsticks would shoot sparks. On the 'Live aus Berlin' shows, Bobolina joins RAMMSTEIN to sing her parts from inside a flaming cage, instead of the usual pre-recorded chorus used in most of the shows. After missing the entire Reise, Reise tour; "Engel" returned to the setlists as the closing song of the Liebe Ist Für Alle Da tour, taking place during 2009 and 2011. This time around, vocalist Till Lindemann sang the chorus instead of Bobo's pre-recorded lines. For the pyrotechnics, Lindemann wears a set of angel wings that shoot flames from the tips and that have sparks go off along them. Engel was the penultimate song on the setlist during the Made in Germany tour.
"Rammstein In Amerika" (DVD & Blu-ray), a lavish package containing a major new documentary about the band, "Rammstein In Amerika"; a short film about the making of their "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" album; and the whole of their legendary Madison Square Garden show.
RAMMSTEIN were formed in 1993 by an assembly of factory-weary proletarians raised in East Germany. They took their name (adding an "m") from the location of a German tragedy where 80 people were hurt and killed as the result of a crash during an American Air Force flight show.
(The literal translation of "ram stein" is a battering ram made of stone.)
See the Live clip below to catch the Engel costume and fire!
Today's tune "Engel" taken from the album Sehnsucht, released April 1997
Rammstein - Engel (Live from Madison Square Garden)
"Roots Bloody Roots" is a song by Brazilian band SEPULTURA. It was released in February 1996 as the lead single from their sixth album Roots. The song is the band's best known and remains a concert staple to this day, usually being performed on encores. A music video was filmed for the single which features the band performing in an underground cave as well as on the streets with a tribe of percussionists. This video can be found on the VHS "We Are What We Are", which was later released on DVD as part of "Chaos" DVD.
The song also appears in live form on the band's live releases Under a Pale Grey Sky and Live in Sao Paulo. Another live version appears on the limited edition digipak version of the band's 2000 album Nation. Former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera has also played the song live numerous times with his other bands SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY. Recordings of their version can be found on the limited edition versions of the albums SOULFLY and PROPHECY, as well as on the DVD "The Song Remains Insane".
The music video was directed by Thomas Mignone and won the Kerrang "Video Of The Year Award" in 1996, as well as a nomination for the MTV Brazil "Best Rock Video" Award. Filming was done in the catacombs underneath the city of Salvador, where the Brazilian slaves were sold. The video is distinguished from other heavy metal imagery by its atypical use of the natural beauty of Brazil, including its traditional capoeira fight, Timbalada percussionists, and indigenous people, as well as native tribes playing the drums in their tribe uniforms. The video also shows scenes of Catholic churches.
Releases
The single was released on 2 CDs and 7” vinyl. The first CD was presented in a card foldout digipak case, while the second was in a standard slimline jewel case. Early copies of the digipak version were embossed with a stamp of the band's thorned ‘S' logo. The vinyl was a strictly limited edition and was red in colour.
Found this when i was searching for the Roots cover, kinda funny :)
SEPULTURA is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, the band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and groove metal genres during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments drawing influence from nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial metal. SEPULTURA has had several changes in its lineup since its formation, with Max and Igor Cavalera departing in 1996 and 2006, respectively. Sepultura's current line up consists of vocalist Derrick Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.
SEPULTURA has released thirteen studio albums to date, the latest being The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart (2013). Their most successful records are Arise (1991), Chaos A.D. (1993) and Roots (1996). SEPULTURA has sold over 3 million units in the USA and almost 30 million worldwide, gaining multiple gold and records around the globe, including in countries as diverse as France, Australia, Indonesia, United States, Cyprus and their native Brazil. SEPULTURA is currently working on a new album, which is due for release around late 2016.
Listen to ”Opeth - The Grand Conjuration" on Spotify 
