A week or so ago, I got the chance to see the Backyard Babies live in Paris. After having announced they would be on an “indefinite hiatus” after this tour, this gig kind of felt like “the last gig”. Are they breaking up? That’s what everyone was asking each other.

The band played songs from all the albums, from “Fill Up This Bad Machine” and “Electric Suzy” from their debut album (Diesel & Power) to songs from their last one (Backyard Babies), like “Abandon” and “Nomadic”, as well as their version of “Babylon” (cover from Faster Pussycat). It was a long and diversified set.

After this awesome gig, I waited around to ask singer Nicke Borg the question everyone wanted to ask. First time, he just looked and said “Ahn, I don’t know… I don’t know.” Second time, he said there were some plans for after the tour.

“There will be some things happening, but nothing I can really say now. Nothing with the Backyard Babies, anyway.”

In an interview, Nicke had said he wanted to “pick up on everything I left. Ideas, projects, song writing partners and stuff that has nothing to do with music. I don’t have a special plan. I’m finishing my home studio and just want to get off the road and pick up where I left.

For many years, my life was a band. Just now, last couple of years, I felt I needed to realize it was just a band. Now my life is my life and my band is what I do. It’s been great, but these days it’s not my whole entire life.”

This statement is a little in contradiction with what guitarist Dregen said a while ago: “if the hiatus lasted for a year, that would be an absolute maximum”.

“We don’t speak with each other about that.” – said Nicke. “Dregen is gonna work with music, he’s a musician.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get anything from the guitarist, so the question remains: will they break up? Anyway, let’s hope not!

I might over-do this but, YEY! Ratt are back with a new album, and this sample sounds really good. The song is called “Best of Me” and will be featured in their new album “Infestation” which will be released in April this year. If you want to check out the sample, head on over to www.amazon.com

And not to be forgotten: They will join the bands on this years Sweden Rock Festival, so you might want to consider buying a ticket for it.

The End Records, under exclusive license from Sony Music Entertainment Germany, is pleased to announce the North American release of Helloween’s long awaited album UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary, out March 30th.

Helloween, one of the most eminent melodic metal bands worldwide and – along with the Scorpions and Accept – Germany’s ultimate metal export, got their start exactly 25 years ago. A total of eleven headlining world tours took the band all over the globe, and their sensational show at the Monsters Of Rock in Castle Donington in front of more than 100,000 metalheads. Spectacular tours alongside Iron Maiden, Dio and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as their MTV Headbangers Ball US tour with Anthrax and Exodus remain unforgotten. Helloween have sold more than five million record! s and garnered 14 gold and 6 platinum awards globally, receiving two gold records in Germany. Now Andi Deris (vocals), Michael Weikath (guitar), Sascha Gerstner (guitar), Markus Großkopf (bass) and Daniel Löble (drums) have set out to prove that their great anthems ooze that special Helloween flair even with totally new arrangements.

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary is Helloween’s ‘thank-you’ to millions of fans old and new and will prove their exceptional position on the international metal scene. Instead of putting together a regular greatest hits compilation featuring their most successful tracks to celebrate this anniversary, the five band members completely rearranged the greatest melodies they had written in the course of their career to date. The album features Supercharge’s exceptional saxophonist Albie Donnelly, Hellsongs’s vocalist Harriet Ohlsson, pianist Matthias Ulmer, plus the 70-piece Prague Symphonic Orchestra and the choirs of! the Gregorian singers!

As a special surprise, Helloween have come up with ‘The Keeper´s Trilogy’ a stunning 17-minute medley of the songs ‘Halloween’, ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ and ‘The King For A 1000 Years’, recorded in cooperation with the Prague Symphonic Orchestra and likely to send shivers of delight down the spine of every Helloween fan.

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary sees Helloween commemorate their 25th anniversary in their very own way. “We aren’t one of those bands who like to celebrate themselves,” says Weikath. “We wanted to say thank you in a special way to all our fans who have followed us through the past 25 years – to us, this album stands for an official celebration. We had a lot of fun recording our most important tracks in an entirely new ‘outfit’ and with new arrangements. Now we can’t wait to find out how our fans will react.”

Watch the video for “Dr. Stein”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yUihyOKxww

UNARMED – Best Of 25th Anniversary Track Listing:
01. Dr. Stein
02. Future World
03. If I Could Fly
04. Where The Rain Grows
05. The Keeper’s Trilogy
06. Eagle Fly Free
07. Perfect Gentleman
08. Forever & One
09. I Want Out
10. Fallen To Pieces
11. A Tale That Wasn’t Right

www.myspace.com/helloween
www.helloween.org
www.twitter.com/helloweenorg

Veteran guitar legend Joe Satriani, one of the world’s most renowned instrumental artists, recorded Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock! on May 27, 2008 at The Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France. The brand new live two-disc CD and DVD will be released on February 2, 2010 through Epic Records. Finally, available for viewing is the trailer for the release (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnHoYg57Tzk). Check it out!

You can also enter your chance to win an amazing prize pack from Mr. Satriani. Go here: http://web.epicrecords.com/satrianisweepstakes/ for your chance to win the following prizes… A signed Ibanez guitar, a Vox Satchurator pedal, a Planet Waves guitar strap, the entire Joe Satriani discography (CD & DVD), and more!

Dr. Steel received this eye-catching press release being circulated by the lovely people at Earache Records:

Read more »

It’s been four years since the passing of front man Dave Lepard of CRASHDIET and RockEyez.com has done an exclusive interview with Lisbeth Hellman, Dave’s Mother. You can read the entire interview at http://www.rockeyez.com

Sad day, and I can still remember the chat session me and Him had at really late hours before he went missing. I still listen to his songs and its still awesome as it was 4-5 years ago. Remember him well, and remember him forever. I will re-release my interview with him again this year, it will be published (again) tomorrow.

Dr. Steel’s friends at Trinity Records HK are glad to announce:

Singapore’s originators of Vedic Metal, RUDRA, have already released the full version of their music video “Hymns from the Blazing Chariot”. It is taken from their best album to date “Brahmavidya I: Transcendental” which is released by TRINITY RECORDS HONG KONG (www.trinityrecords.com.hk) in Asia and America. If the teaser gave you high expectation about it, you won’t be disappointed as the director and the band have seen to it that the music video will clearly portray what the song is all about and they also make sure that it will be of the highest quality.

It’s like watching a well produced short film with a very good storyline and a very informative content about Vedic literature while still showcasing the band’s aggressive and technical nature.

You can watch the video in high definition here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVvDOTxEb_Q

Here’s some info about the video:

Rudra – Hymns from the Blazing Chariot
Official Music Video Film

Directed by Jacen Tan © Hosaywood 2009
Filmed & Produced in Singapore

‘Hymns’ is a heavy metal re-imagination of the ancient Sanskrit text, The Bhagavad Gita.

In desperation, Arjuna turns to his charioteer and mentor, Krishna for advice. Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and reveals the nature of the Self.

For Rudra’s music: http://www.myspace.com/vedicmetal
For more films: http://www.hosaywood.com

Members:

Kathir – Bass / Vocals
Devan – Guitars
Vinod – Guitars
Shiva – Drums

Band: RUDRA

Myspace: www.myspace.com/vedicmetall
Website: www.rudraonline.org

Ofter the success off their documentary, Anvil unleashes their metal too the North American citizens. Anvil have been trying to get fame since the beginning, when it all started back in the early 80s. Touring with other awesome bands, their fame was declined, by some mysterious force and they went into cult status and was almost forgotten.
The band, in particular Kudlow and Reiner, was the subject of the 2008 documentary film “Anvil: The Story of Anvil”, directed by the screenwriter and former Anvil roadie Sacha Gervasi. Upon its release, the film garnered critical acclaim from many major publications, and has since brought the band renewed recognition, including opening slots with AC/DC and Saxon. Appearances at major heavy metal festivals, including Download and Loud Park, also followed the release of the film.

Below you can see 2 videos:

Source:
Wiki
Blabber
Website
Myspace (tour dates)

(New York, NY) Veteran guitar legend Joe Satriani, one of the world’s most renowned instrumental artists, recorded Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock! on May 27, 2008 at The Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France. The brand new live two-disc CD and DVD will be released on February 2, 2010 through Epic Records.

This very special recording captures Satriani’s stirring performance with memorable songs such as, “Surfing With The Alien”, “Flying in a Blue Dream”, along with recent hits like “Super Colossal” and “I Just Wanna Rock.” The quality of music by the 15-time Grammy nominee is unquestionable, yet the extraordinary editing and artful stage lighting makes this Satriani “live” DVD a pleasure for the new viewer, as well as the long-time fan. The Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock! DVD will also include a very special bonus in-depth interview with Satriani as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.

The new year will find Satriani out on the road as part of the “Experience Hendrix” tour. Joe will join fellow musical peers, Billy Cox, Sacred Steel & Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Ernie Isley, Brad Whitford, Doyle Bram Hall II, Living Colour, Hubert Sumlin, and Chris Layton, on a full U.S. tour beginning March 4th in Santa Barbara and continuing throughout the month.

Joe commented “I finally get to pay tribute to my hero the right way, on stage with an amazing, once in a lifetime, line up of musicians!”

Over the last two decades, Satriani has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star “G3” guitar extravaganza. Of his 14 solo albums two went platinum and four gold with 15 Grammy nominations between them. In 2009, Satriani joined with former Van Halen front man Sammy Hagar, former bassist Michael Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, to form the stand out rock collaboration, Chickenfoot. Their debut self-titled album was recently certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America with over 500,000 in album shipments.

Saw it today on blabbermouth.net :

BACKYARD BABIES will go on indefinite hiatus following their upcoming European tour. “We will take a well-deserved break,” the band’s frontman Nicke Borg, 36, told the Aftonbladet newspaper. 

Over the course of its 20-year career, the BACKYARD BABIES has churned out six studio albums, various collections and live recordings in addition to touring incessantly in support of each release. 

“I have spent 20 years on the road and am happy with it,” Borg told Aftonbladet. “For me, its time to pursue another way of life, with a bit more security. Plus I am extremely creative and want to work all the time. There is so much I want to do that I, unfortunately, did not have time for when I was constantly on tour.”

To celebrate two decades together, BACKYARD BABIES will embark on the “Them XX Tour” in January/February. In addition, they will release a deluxe 120-page book titled “Them XX” containing private photos, three CDs and a DVD-documentary that conveys the 20 years of the BACKYARD BABIES story.