CD/DVD Releases: Newsbits Part 1: While We Were Sleeping...
Here's a compendium of a few news items shared with us via site itself (vs email), but um… trapped in the "queue" while we were in summer-to-fall hibernation:
July 24, 2014: New Music Video From Holotropic: Slovakian prog/extreme metallers Holotropic released first lyric video to a song "Traveller" from their record Permeate. The video can be watched here.. The song features guest sitar playing by Miloslav Kollar (Rainbow Eminences) and visuals by Alex Wald (Symbiosis). The record was recorded at M2 Recording Studios with producer Milan Malik and is due to be released in August 2014.
On October 26, 2014, Holotropic followed up with: Permeate is a record combining many layers of modern (not only) metal music into one compact album. It includes influences from progressive, technical metal as well as atmospheric and eerie side of the genre with a pinch of oriental melodies. It is a concept record, musically and lyrically, drawing from the nature of change, broadening of horizons, psychonautics as well as scientific theories from psychology, behavioral science and psychiatry."Permeate is self-released by Holotropic and can be streamed in its entirety on holotropicband.bandcamp.com.
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September 7, 2014: New Corvus Stone Album With Sean Filkins, Phil Naro And Timo Rautiainen: Timo Rautiainen (best known to the Rock and Metal world for his work with Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus) sings two songs on the new Corvus Stone album Corvus Stone II (Melodic Revolution Records). The album will be released at the beginning of October. [Digital release Sep 30; physical release date October 31 - in either case, out now! -ed.]
The album includes other special guest singers as well. Phil Naro (ex-Talas) and Sean Filkins (ex-Big Big Train) are both showing their talents on the new album.
The album will also feature a very special tribute to Deep Purple as there is a song called "Purple Stone" included.
Corvus Stone musicians playing on the album: Colin Tench (guitar), Pasi Koivu (keyboards), Petri Lemmy Lindström (bass) and Robert Wolff (drums).
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September 16, 2014: Echo Us Memoirs Published, As &Aagrave; Priori Memoriaé Hits Stores: A recent series of articles runs through Ethan Matthew's distant past until the forming of Echo Us, his eventual hospitalization in Nov 2001, and the transition that bolted his music in a new direction: Echo Us Memoirs on 2001
"I had lost complete contact with everyone. I was letting myself out of the house through the front window - I spent 2 weeks in the inpatient mental ward, which is essentially a glorified prison. They ran every test and practice they could, from speaking and personality tests all the way to Rorschach diagrams. I was close to having ECT done, but they couldn't find a big enough excuse, and thus just stuck me on anti-psychotic medication while I still was coming down off a massive binge of psychedelics"
"Echo Us was born under peculiar circumstances, and it's time to let the cat out of the bag after almost 15 years of silence," says Ethan.
Earlier in 2014 Echo Us signed a worldwide deal with Germany's Dust On The Tracks Records for the release of its fourth full-length album, II:XII, À Priori Memoriaé. The album is now available on digipak through SPV, and worldwide partners. À Priori Memoriaé is the last in a trilogy series started with 2009's The Tide Decides, and as such, represents the close of a journey through some of the strangest and most beautiful music produced by the former Greyhaven guitarist and composer.
II:XII, À Priori Memoriaé continues the Echo Us tradition of combining disparate musical elements seldom seen, from rapid-fire instrumental bravado and developments set apart by choral arrangements, concert harp and woodwinds. Dust On The Tracks writes about the release:
"It is somehow a return to the concept albums that dominated the progressive rock of the 1970s - the album is one the best progressive rock albums of the century. Such a production made up of wonderful melodies, clever dramaturgy and compelling dynamics, is something that even the top of the class Mike Oldfield was not able to achieve through decades of work, including after his album Ommadawn.
Again, the vocals of GRAMMY-nominee Henta take center stage in the videoclip for "Nightlight".
On the 18th of September an all-new video for the cut "Chrysalis" will become available as well. [Found here -ed.]
In the October issue of Germany's Eclipsed! Magazine, Echo Us will feature an alternate arrangement from À Priori on the insert CD - The cut is also featured within the album's promo trailer, while not being on the released album. Fans [were] encouraged to spot the alternate arrangement by September 28th and those who [emailed] Echo Us with the name of the track [received] the two non-album cuts from À Priori Memoriaé in the digital format of their choice. Fans can read and watch here..
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October 16, 2014: Arjen Lucassen And Edu Falaschi On The New Anthropia Album: Edu Falaschi (Almah, ex-Angra) and Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, etc.) joins the guest list of the new Anthropia album, coming early 2015.
On November 18, 2014, Anthropia updated with: The new Anthropia album will be released on March 15th, 2015 (anniversary of H. P. Lovecraft's death) via Adarca Records. It will be a concept album, based on the Cthulhu Mythos.
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October 16, 2014: Consider The Source Releases Single From New EP: NYC based "Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Prog Fusion Trio", Consider The Source, has just released the single from their first studio release in 4 years. The new EP entitled World War Trio (Part 1) - Put Another Rock In That Bag consists of just one EPic prog rock composition (approx 25 minutes), broken up into 6 parts. The single, which is available for free download, is the first part of the piece.
You can check out the album and download the single for free at www.considerthesourcemusic.com. The single can be heard on their YouTube channel here: youtu.be/HZr98k1u9K0.
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October 21, 2014: Synthetic Dream Foundation - "What Wonder Held For Ransom": The Synthetic Dream Foundation has a brand new animation video for their track "What Wonder Held For Ransom," out now on Mythical Records. The track is part of the experimental classical music label's newest compilation Odyssey Of Rapture Vol 2, along with 14 other composers' work. You can view the video on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Xv1SBTNhw
The video represents 6 months of work, and was created under the artistic direction of cinematographer Samantha Bouquin. It combines motion tracking, 2d animation, as well as 3 dimensional animation graphic design elements. The Synthetic Dream Foundation is known world-wide for their animated videos, but is also becoming increasingly known as an indie classical artist who fuses contemporary classical music with down tempo and glitchy electronics, as well as guest female soprano vocals.
The full track list for Odyssey Of Rapture Vol. 2 is as follows:
1. Elizabeth Fawn - "Fairy Rings" (02:46)
2. Symfony - "Lulling Lullaby" (03:28)
3. The Synthetic Dream Foundation - "What Wonder Held for Ransom" (02:47)
4. Natasha Nightingale - "Lights in the Fog" (02:53)
5. Lauren Krothe - "Synchronicity" (02:46)
6. Abandoned Toys - "Birthing of the Unicorn" (03:38)
7. Phanatos - "The Stars, the Lady and the Dew (Part 1 & 2)" (05:04)
8. Samantha Bouquin - "The Salem Witchcraft Trials" (02:31)
9. Rasplyn - "Circle Round" (07:31)
10. David Emanuél Brunzél - "Maison Dans L'arbre" (02:41)
11. Melisande Mourning - "A Delicate Balance" (03:06)
12. Ephemeral Mists - "Firefly Painted Landscapes" (05:40)
13. Peter Levics - "Proletariat Sonata Nr.3" (03:07)
14. Harnes Kretzer - "Onomatopoeia" (04:54)
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November 8, 2014: Existence "Live In Montreal" CD Release: In 1999, Existence released the album Small People, Short Story, Little Crime to great critical acclaim from the specialised press. [We reviewed it here -ed.]
The Live The Experience tour and the many shows that followed until 2002 presented a band in top shape who proudly restored the "concept album” genre to its former glory!
15 years later, Black Pearl Productions is happy to announce the release of the Live In Montreal (BP011CD) album recorded on October 12, 1999. This document, which was rediscovered in the band’s vaults, was recoded using a Sony MiniDisc player/recorder plugged directly in the sound board for the sole purpose of the band’s own review.
Still, the quality of the 2-track, 16-bit recording was such that it was decided to enhance the overall sound using the latest audio technology available, even if no mixing of individual instruments was possible.
The result is a unique CD with a raw sound yet real, with no studio overdubs or any other sort of polishing, revealing the true power of Existence live. Most tracks were preserved for the album of 74 minutes in length, pure Existence!
Live or relive The Experience! www.blackpearl.ca/Existence.htm
Tracks:
1.No Hero
2.The Journey
3.Autumn Brain
4.Rebirth
5.The Last Battle
6.Business As Usual
7.In The Kingdom Of Madness
8.Another Fine Day Of…
Musicians:
Gérard Lévque : drums
éric Martin : bass
Gaston Gagnon : guitar
François Beaugard : violin
Alan Charles : piano, guitar, voice
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November 17, 2014: "Art Lines" By Mario Tomic: Internationally recognized and reknown progressive rock guitarist Mario Tomic from Toronto, Canada has released a new album Art Lines. The music album is in a instrumental progressive rock musical genre.
Read a review of the album in the music magazine Prog Sphere - www.prog-sphere.com/reviews/mario-tomic-art-lines - and also visit the musician's official webpage at mariotomic.webs.com.
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November 20, 2014: 0N0 - "A Farewell to Conscious Shores": To celebrate the ancient festival of Samhain 0N0 released a new single "A Farewell To Conscious Shores." Here is the YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBzONAR5Gas.
After years of activity as a one-man project it is the first recording of the actual three-piece lineup which already played its very first live show. The song is a preview from the new album that is scheduled for 2015 and presents the band in its typical form which combines various genres like Industrial, Death Metal, Doom Metal with more experimental, ambient and psychedelic moods. The final shape of the recording was moulded by Milan Malík. He reamped the guitars in his M2 studio, helped with the mix and provided mastering. The lyric video was created by Slovak designer recently residing in Amsterdam, Lenka Hámošov´. The single is available at 0N0's bandcamp page with the older recordings as well: ono0110.bandcamp.com. More info about the upcoming album and live shows will be published on: www.facebook.com/ono0110.
