December 2023

Metal Hall Of Fame 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
         METALLICA’S BLACKENED® WHISKEY TO SPONSOR
ANNUAL 2024 METAL HALL OF FAME GALA
BLACKENED®, the award winning whiskey from Metallica, will be a sponsor of the 2024 Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala, January 24, 2024, at the Marriott Delta Garden Grove, Anaheim, CA. BLACKENED® will have a special branding experience and will include a free sampling event for all Metal Hall of Fame Gala attendees ages 21 and over. The Gala will be hosted by radio Icon Eddie Trunk, and entertainment personality  Cathy Rankin.“BLACKENED® was created as a way for us to connect with our fans and whiskey connoisseurs,” said Metallica drummer and co-founder Lars Ulrich regarding BLACKENED’s® release of their commemorative 72 Seasons Batch, “This batch does exactly that. We know our fans have been waiting a long time for new music, and we want to celebrate this release with them in every possible way we can. This album is as much theirs as it is ours, and we’re excited to unveil this commemorative release of BLACKENED®.”2024 METAL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:
SEBASTIAN BACH
TIM “RIPPER” OWENS
CARLOS CAVAZO
PENELOPE SPHEERIS
BIOHAZARD
ALL STAR JAM
SURPRISE GUEST APPEARANCES!!

 “What an honor to have Metallica’s BLACKENED® Whiskey take part in our Annual Gala,” says Metal Hall of Fame Founder/CEO Pat Gesualdo. “Metallica Inducted our dear friends, and their original record company founders, the late Jon and Marsha Zazula into the 2018 Metal Hall of Fame, and it’s great to have their whiskey brand take part in the Gala.”Limited tickets are available for the free BLACKENED® Tasting Experience, which is included in the price for a reserved table for the Gala. Tickets are available at the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-annual-metal-hall-of-fame-gala-tickets-771963873727?aff=oddtdtcreatorABOUT THE METAL HALL OF FAME
The Metal Hall of Fame is a non profit, volunteer organization dedicated to forever enshrining the iconic musicians and music industry executives responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they continue to inspire fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.  The Annual Metal Hall of Fame Celebrity Gala has included many historical Hard Rock and Heavy Metal moments. For example, our idea to join with Sharon and   Ozzy Osbourne to have former Ozzy drummer Lee Kerslake accept his Platinum Record Awards for the “Blizzard of Ozz,” and “Diary of A Madman.” Having  Metallica Induct Megaforce Records Founders  Jon and Marsha Zazula. Inducting Judas Priest at Wacken Open Air. Inducting Triumph, and members of Kiss and Iron Maiden, among others for the 5th Year Anniversary Bash. Having the Don Airey surprise Induction for Black Sabbath co-founding member Bill Ward (Especially after not seeing each other since recording on Black Sabbath’s 1978 album “Never Say Die!). Inducting Anthrax at Heavy Montreal. Having Kathy and Kelle Rhoads Induct their brother Randy Rhoads. Having Wendy Dio Induct Ronnie James Dio. Slayer’s Kerri King Induction for the Metal Blade Records Anniversary. Having Paul Stanley Induct KISS manager Doc McGhee. Having Brian May of Queen Induct Joe Satriani. These are just some of the Legendary memories that the Metal Hall of Fame has shared with Heavy Metal fans throughout the world. 100% of proceeds from Metal Hall of Fame events go to preserving Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Music for future generations, and also bring free music programs to help special needs children and wounded veterans in health facilities and community centers. 
ABOUT SWEET AMBER DISTILLING CO.
Established in 2018, Sweet Amber Distilling Co. is a producer of hand-crafted spirits. Helmed by Co-Founder and CEO John Bilello, Sweet Amber launched with the creation of BLACKENED® – a masterful collaboration between late whiskey luminary Dave Pickerell and rock icons Metallica, which is now available in all 50 states and parts of Canada, with plans to expand rapidly. Sweet Amber is a nimble, dynamic organization that is completely virtual, allowing a greater flexibility, efficiency, and geographic coverage across the U.S. with depth of experience in the spirits and music industries. 

For more information, please visit:
www.metalhalloffame.org, or call 973-263-0420

SONATA ARCTICA Unveils New Single/Lyric Video, “A Monster Only You Can’t See;” Clear Cold Beyond Preorders A

SONATA ARCTICA Unveils New Single/Lyric Video, “A Monster Only You Can’t See;” Clear Cold Beyond Preorders Available Photo by Jaakko Manninen Watch SONATA ARCTICA’s “A Monster Only You Can’t See” video HERE. Finnish melodic metal titans SONATA ARCTICA deliver the perfect soundtrack for the cold season with their stormy new opus Clear Cold Beyond, set for release on March 8th, 2024 through Atomic Fire. In advance of the release, today the quintet is pleased to unveil epic new single, “A Monster Only You Can’t See;” a song about friendship and never leaving anyone behind.   Frontman Tony Kakko elaborates, “We all may have, in our group of friends, that one person who seems to be a magnet for all kinds of problems, many of which they may not even see themselves. Maybe you’re that one? You might be an asshole, but you’re our asshole and we can see through all that, see the real you, and help. And when children arrive to the scene, they all fit under that same umbrella. Don’t worry. We’ll kick your butt up that hill.” Watch SONATA ARCTICA’s lyric video for “A Monster Only You Can’t See” HERE. Stream/purchase the track HERE.   Stream previously released single “First In Line” at THIS LOCATION.   Clear Cold Beyond will be available on digipak CD, jewel case CD (US), 2XLP on multiple color variants, and digitally.   Preorder the album in the physical format of your choice, presave it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive “A Monster Only You Can’t See” and “First In Line” instantly at sonataarctica.afr.link/clearcoldbeyondPR.
Clear Cold Beyond Track Listing: 1. First In Line 2. California 3. Shah Mat 4. Dark Empath 5. Cure For Everything 6. A Monster Only You Can’t See 7. Teardrops 8. Angel Defiled 9. The Best Things 10. Clear Cold Beyond Bonus Tracks (digipak + vinyl only): 11. A Ballad For The Broken 12. Toy Soldiers [Martika Cover]   Subscribe to Atomic Fire Records on YouTube HERE and listen to “A Monster Only You Can’t See” as well as other new tracks in the AFR New Releases playlist on Spotify HERE.   Following their trip through various acoustic landscapes during the pandemic, Clear Cold Beyond contains ten tracks reviving SONATA ARCTICA’s penchant for power metal-esque songwriting. From high-speed anthems such as “First In Line” and “California” to emotion-laden tracks like “The Best Things” and the closing title track, the record offers something for each and every SONATA ARCTICA fan. The album’s artwork, reminiscent of the art adorning early releases, was created by Niko Anttila. Additionally, the band returned to mixing engineer Mikko Karmila (1999’s Ecliptica, 2012’s Stones Grow Her Name). Final mastering was handled by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Korpiklaani, Delain, The 69 Eyes, Deathstars) who has also been part of other SONATA ARCTICA productions.   “This could have been SONATA ARCTICA‘s self-titled album in the way it reflects both the timish band’s power metal urgency and some kind of Broadway musical storytelling magic.” — Rock Hard (IT), Emanuele Biani   “This is the album fans have been asking for for 20 years. Frozen Finnish fury. This band hasn’t been this vital in two decades. Sensational stuff.” — Fistful Of Metal (UK), Bruce Turnbull   “Beautiful, oldschool and versatile: A very cold album that fills you with a lot of familiar warmth at the same time.” — Rock Hard (DE), Simon Bauer   SONATA ARCTICA: Tony Kakko – vocals Elias Viljanen – guitars Pasi Kauppinen – bass Henrik “Henkka” Klingenberg – keyboards Tommy Portimo – drums
http://www.sonataarctica.info http://www.facebook.com/sonataarctica http://www.instagram.com/sonataarcticaofficial http://www.twitter.com/SonataArctica http://www.atomicfire-records.com http://www.facebook.com/atomicfirerecords http://www.instagram.com/atomicfirerecords http://www.twitter.com/atomicfirerec      

TARJA SHARES VIDEO FOR “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU” FROM HER LATEST ALBUM DARK CHRISTMAS 

WATCH “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU” VIDEO
LISTEN TO “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU”
TARJA SHARES VIDEO FOR “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU” FROM HER LATEST ALBUM DARK CHRISTMAS — WATCHWith Christmas only being a little more than two weeks away, Tarja treats us with the release of the video for the single “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” taken from her recently released album Dark Christmas. In this rendition, Tarja captures the essence of Christmas with soaring vocals that effortlessly traverse the realms of emotion. She puts her own twist on Mariah Carey’s iconic track, infusing it with her signature blend of classical and rock influences.As B-sides, the single contains Tarja’s “Last Christmas,” as well as the song “O Christmas Tree,” taken from the “Dark Versions” of 2017 release From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS I YOU” HERE.With enchanting and captivating renditions of well-known Christmas carols, such as Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” classics such as “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty The Snowman,” and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” as well as Tarja’s brand new original song “Dark Christmas,” it’s the perfect album for those who want to embrace the holiday spirit while exploring a more mysterious side of the season. “It was fascinating to dive into this new world. You will appreciate these Christmas songs with our spooky arrangements truly sound in a way they never did before. It was my pleasure to team up once again with Jim Dooley and Tim Palmer. I hope you will dig in our take of a Dark Christmas spirit,” says TarjaACCESS THE ALBUM DARK CHRISTMAS HERE.
FORMATS:
1CD Digipak / 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g, 45rpm) / Ltd. 2LP Gatefold (Green Splatter 180g, 45rpm) / digitalDARK CHRISTMAS TRACK LISTING:
“The First Noel”
“Frosty the Snowman”
“Holy Night”
“Dark Christmas”
“Jingle Bell Rock”
“White Christmas”
“All I Want For Christmas Is You”
“Wonderful Christmastime”
“Last Christmas”
“Jingle Bells”
“Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
“Angels We Have Heard On High”
TARJA ONLINE:
[www.tarja-fromspiritsandghosts.com]Website
earMUSIC ONLINE:

IMMINENCE ANNOUNCE FULL U.S. 2024 TOUR

IMMINENCE ANNOUNCE FULL U.S. 2024 TOURAfter appearing in North America for the very first time, making their live debut in the market a complete success story with the entire tour being sold out in 48 hours, venues upgraded not only once, but twice due to enormous demand, and closing in on tickets sales up to 1,500 visitors per show, Imminence arealready announcing a full U.S. tour during spring 2024, including major festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple! Get tickets here.The Swedish alternative metalcore outfit has, during the last few years, established their own highly unique brand and pushed the genre beyond extents of anyone’s expectations. With the distinct use of classical string arrangements blended with the influence of ferocious Scandinavian metal, the sound and visual universe of the quintet stands out as one of the most innovative and exciting acts on the market today.Featuring vocalist and violinist Eddie Berg, guitarists Harald Barrett and Alex Arnoldsson, drummer Peter Hanström, and bassist Christian Höijer, Imminence have opened a new release cycle with three singles since June 2023. The new tracks “Come Hell or High Water,” “Desolation,” and “Heaven Shall Burn” have quickly achieved millions of streams and achieved a rapid growth in social media following, furthermore given the band great attention during this year’s festival season where Imminence have performed at Wacken, Summerbreeze, Tuska Open Air, Reload, shared stage with genre pioneers Architects, and much more.To honor the recent live premiere in North America 2023, Imminence took the opportunity to release the brand new single “Death By A Thousand Cuts” just before the tour.The cycle of the previous album Heaven In Hiding closed with an exclusive Deluxe Edition release, including the single track “Jaded” (2023), shortly thereafter Imminence continued to gain viral attention on all social media platforms, partially due to the remarkable “Live In Studio”-recordings, and experienced an impressive growth of +100,000 followers and millions of streams over the course of just a few months this year.With four full length studio albums, over 220,000,000 streams, over 570, 000 combined online followers, and closing in on 900,000 monthly Spotify listeners, Imminence upswing continues into 2024.

From Sweden with love.

IMMINENCE ON TOUR:
4/23 — Dallas, TX — The Studio At The Factory
4/24 — Austin, TX — Empire Garage
4/26 — Albuquerque, NM — Sister Bar
4/27 — Phoenix, AZ — The Nile
4/28 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues
4/29 — Sacramento, CA — Aces of Spades
4/30 — Portland, OR — Revolution Hall
5/1 — Seattle, WA — The Neptune
5/3 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Grand At The Complex
5/4 — Denver, CO — Marquis Theater
5/6 — Madison, WI — Majestic Theatre
5/7 — St. Louis, MO — Hawthorn
5/8 — Nashville, TN — Eastside Bowl
5/10 — Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome To Rockville*
5/12 — Atlanta, GA — Terminal West
5/13 — Charlotte, NC — Neighborhood Theatre
5/14 — Richmond, VA — Broadberry
5/15 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
5/16 — Philadelphia, PA — Theatre of Living Arts
5/17 — Harrisburg, PA — HMAC
5/18 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple*
*Festival Appearance

LORD OF THE LOST Reveals Cover Version of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms”, Featuring Anica Russo

LORD OF THE LOST Reveals Cover Version of Cutting Crew’s
“(I Just) Died In Your Arms”, Featuring Anica Russo
Listen HERE


Full Covers Album Weapons Of Mass Seduction Out December 29, 2023 | Pre-Order NOW
[Photo Credit: Jan Season/Moritz Högemann]
Shortly after revealing an exciting new music video for Roxette’s “The Look”, featuring German pop star Blümchen (a.k.a. Jasmin Wagner) as a duet partner, LORD OF THE LOST have unveiled a cover of another legendary 80s classic, Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms“!

The new song off of LORD OF THE LOST’s upcoming first full covers album Weapons Of Mass Seduction, out December 29, 2023, features a guest appearance from rising singer-songwriter Anica Russo, who also took part in Germany’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 preliminary round Unser Lied für Liverpool (EN: Our Song for Liverpool) alongside LORD OF THE LOST. “(I Just) Died In Your Arms”, Featuring Anica Russo, is now available on all streaming services worldwide.

Representing Germany at the ESC finals in May 2023 brought LORD OF THE LOST to the attention of mainstream media across Europe (with features from BILD, The Sun, BBC among others), exposing their artistic universe to much wider audiences, and was one of the main highlights of the band’s most successful year to date – together with the late 2022 release Blood & Glitter, which charted at #1 (Official German Album Charts). Check out the new cover single “(I Just) Died In Your Arms”, featuring Anica Russo, and pre-order your version of Weapons Of Mass Seduction now!        

Chris Harms on “(I Just) Died In Your Arms“:     
“When we heard Anica’s great voice for the first time in the run-up to the German Eurovision preliminary round, we immediately wanted to do a duet with her. Anica was our clear favorite and we are very happy about it, and we are very happy to have realized this wish in our ESC year!”

Anica Russo comments:             
“When two completely different worlds come together and something harmonious and unique is created – that’s the magic of music. I am grateful that LORD OF THE LOST invited me to be part of their album, in line with the Eurovision motto: United by Music!”              

ABOUT ANICA RUSSO: 
Anica Russo is an independent musician, pop artist and songwriter with Croatian & Italian roots, based in Berlin. With over 120,000 followers on social media and more than 30 million streams, the 23 years old artist has already established a strong presence. Anica Russo has collaborated with and supported renowned artists like Paul Russell, Adam Lambert and Zoe Wees. Her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 national final with her song “Once Upon a Dream” highlights her international potential, further recognized by a nomination for the upcoming German Songwriting Awards.
Listen to LORD OF THE LOST’s cover of Cutting Crew’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms”, feat. Anica Russo HERE
A year after the release of their successful #1 charting album, Blood & Glitter (Official German Album Charts), LORD OF THE LOST are back with a covers album, Weapons Of Mass Seduction, set to be released on December 29, 2023 via Napalm Records. The exciting new offering features plenty of genre-crossing tracks and wraps up the busiest year in the band’s history so far. In addition to storming the charts with their latest studio album, huge highlights include representing Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May, providing direct tour support for Iron Maiden (again!), winning over mainstream media internationally, several sold out headline shows and a summer full of big festival appearances. 

LORD OF THE LOST state:           
“During the production of our last album, Blood & Glitter, while recording our Roxette cover ‘The Look’ in Finland, it had already become clear that we had opened Pandora’s box. The energy and fun of covering the songs of beloved and respected colleagues and idols was something we were determined to continue. So even before the release of Blood & Glitter we started working on this ‘covers album’ project, which for us is the perfect dessert to Blood & Glitter, before we embark on the adventure of reinventing ourselves again for a new studio album.”
Get Your Copy of Weapons Of Mass Seduction NOW!
Weapons Of Mass Seduction features a wide range of songs from different eras and genres performed in true LORD OF THE LOST style, all surprisingly fitting for the band and hence forming a cohesive collection of covers. Classic heavy metal track “Turbo Lover”, originally by Judas Priest, meets modern pop hits in songs such as Sia’s “Unstoppable”, Bishop Briggs’ “River” and Zella Day’s “High”. Ultravox’ “Hymn”, followed by Michael Jackson’s legendary “Give In To Me” and Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know”, expand the multifaceted selection even further. With added rougher elements such as heavier vocals, Bronski Beat’s captivating 80s electro pop hit “Smalltown Boy” gets a dark makeover in the hands of LORD OF THE LOST. An emotional version of The Pretty Reckless’ “House On A Hill” closes Weapons Of Mass Seduction impactfully.

The covers album comes in various different formats. The deluxe boxset includes a third CD with 10 acoustic tracks, exclusively available in this format. A special 2CD edition of the new covers album provides a cross-cut of covers previously released or already covered live over the course of LORD OF THE LOST’s career. Among them are the Roxette cover “The Look” feat. Blümchen – already known from Blood & Glitter“Children Of The Damned”, a homage to Iron Maiden, with whom LORD OF THE LOST experienced intense times during the last two years, and the cover of the Finnish ESC song “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä – sung by Chris Harms completely in Finnish.
 
Weapons Of Mass Seduction Tracklist:
CD 1Shock To The System (Billy Idol Cover)Unstoppable (Sia Cover)Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat Cover)Turbo Lover (Judas Priest Cover)Hymn (Ultravox Cover)Give In To Me (Michael Jackson Cover)River (Bishop Briggs Cover)Somewhere Only We Know (Keane Cover)(I Just) Died In Your Arms (feat. Anica Russo) (Cutting Crew Cover)High (Zella Day Cover)House On A Hill (The Pretty Reckless Cover) 
CD 2The Look (feat. Blümchen) (Roxette Cover)Ordinary Town (Celebrate The Nun Cover)Cha Cha Cha (Käärijä Cover)Judas (Lady Gaga Cover)Children Of The Damned (Iron Maiden Cover)Wig In A Box (Hedwig and the Angry Inch Cover)Bad Romance (Lady Gaga Cover)The Most Radical Thing To Do (The Ark Cover)This Is The Life (Amy MacDonald Cover)It’s A Sin (Pet Shop Boys Cover)Ordinary World (Duran Duran Cover) 
CD 3 – Ltd Deluxe Edition onlyStarman (David Bowie Cover)Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon (Neil Diamond Cover)The Days Of Pearly Spencer (David McWilliams Cover)Hey You (Pink Floyd Cover)I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night (The Electric Prunes Cover)Where Do You Go To My Lovely (Peter Sarstedt Cover)Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) (The Byrds Cover)In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) (Zager & Evans Cover)All I Have To Do Is Dream (The Everly Brothers Cover)Perfect Day (Lou Reed Cover) 
Weapons Of Mass Seduction will be available in the following formats:              3 CD Boxset, incl 2 CD 6 pages Digisleeve (Ltd Deluxe Edition) and CD 3 incl 10 acoustic songs, exclusively available in the Deluxe Box + pink Sweatband with black logo, sharped patch and sticker – Napalm Records Mailorder and LORDSHOP exclusive – strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide2 LP RECYCLED COLOR Vinyl – Die Hard Edition incl Slipmat, record butler and 12 inch booklet – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide2 LP RECYCLED COLOR Vinyl incl 12 inch booklet – LORDSHOP exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide2LP Gatefold RECYCLED BLACK Vinyl2 CD 6 pages Digisleeve (Ltd Deluxe Edition), 12p booklet1 CD 6 pages Digisleeve, 12p bookletCassette (PINK w/ Black print) – Napalm Records Mailorder and LORDSHOP exclusive – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwideDigital Album
[3 CD Boxset, incl 2 CD 6 pages Digisleeve (Ltd Deluxe Edition) and CD 3 incl 10 acoustic songs, exclusively available in the Deluxe Box + pink Sweatband with black logo, sharped patch and sticker]
LORD OF THE LOST live:

LORDFEST 2023:
09.12.23 DE – Hamburg – SOLD OUT!
 
BLOOD & GLITTER Shows:
13.12.23 FI – Helsinki
14.12.23 FI – Jyväskylä – LOW TICKETS!
15.12.23 FI – Tampere – SOLD OUT!
 
15 Years Of LORD OF THE LOST Tour 2024:
22.03.24 DE – Nuremberg
23.03.24 DE – Munich – LOW TICKETS!
24.03.24 IT – Trezzo sull’Adda
26.03.24 CH – Pratteln
27.03.24 FR – Grenoble
29.03.24 ES – Barcelona
30.03.24 ES – Madrid
02.04.24 FR – Paris
03.04.24 LU – Luxembourg
04.04.24 DE – Frankfurt
05.04.24 DE – Cologne – SOLD OUT!
06.04.24 NL – Amsterdam – LOW TICKETS!
17.04.24 CZ – Prague
18.04.24 HU – Budapest
19.04.24 AT – Vienna
20.04.24 DE – Stuttgart – LOW TICKETS!
24.04.24 DE – Berlin
25.04.24 PL – Warsaw
26.04.24 PL – Krakow
27.04.24 DE – Leipzig
 
BACK TO EUROVISION:
10.05.24 SE – Malmö
Special show one day before the ESC Grand Final

Festivals 2024:
29.01. – 02.02.24 US – Miami / 70000tons of Metal
06.06. – 08.06.24 PL – Gdańsk / Mystic Festival
14.06. – 06.06.24 UK – Donington Park / Download Festival
09.08. – 11.08.24 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz Festival
10.08. – 11.08.24 DE – Hildesheim / M’era Luna
14.08. – 17.08.24 DE – Dinkelsbühl / Summer Breeze
24.08.24 DE – Wuppertal / Feuertal Festival
06.09. – 08.09.24 DE – Festival Mediaval (Exclusive Acoustic Show) / Selb
29.11. – 30.11.24 DE – Plage Noire / Weissenhäuser Strand
 
Tickets available here: http://tour.lordofthelost.de
 
LORD OF THE LOST are:
Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar
Pi Stoffers – Guitar
Class Grenayde – Bass
Gared Dirge – Piano, Synths, Percussion, Guitar
Niklas Kahl – Drums
 
LORD OF THE LOST online:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TIKTOK
NAPALM RECORDS