Tuesday, August 30, 2011

News Update for Wednesday 31st August, 2011

Former Toto singer FERGIE FREDERIKSEN tells the world that "Happiness is the Road" in his new album
Frontiers Records is particularly pleased to announce the release of FERGIE FREDERIKSEN new album “Happiness is the Road” for a release on October 14th in Europe and October 18th in North America.



Mostly known for being the former vocalist of TOTO (The “Isolation” era), Fergie has been involved in a lot of other outstanding musical projects too. Trillion, LeRoux, Frederiksen/Philips, Mecca, Frederiksen/Denander and David London (solo album, under pseudonym) are simply a few worthy of mention. In 1999 he debuted as a solo artist with “Equilibrium”, an album which garnered great reviews in Europe and Japan. In short Frederiksen is certainly one of the most esteemed singers in the Melodic Rock scene and his vocal abilities have blessed some real masterpieces of this music.

In June 2010, Frederiksen announced he had been diagnosed with liver cancer. The following months were obviously very difficult for the singer who used music and the recording sessions of this album as a therapy to regain confidence in himself and his strengths. He also found the time and energy to collaborate with Jim Peterik (ex Survivor) on the songwriting of the album’s title track, a real motivational manifesto for a positive approach to life. Fergie says “It was hard doing the sessions. I had side effects of the drugs, after the operations and then with the pills I'm taking. I had to stop many days and just go home to bed to try and do it again the next day. It has been a huge victory for myself. When I was first diagnosed with cancer I wanted to stop recording. It didn't feel like I could do it. But my friend Alex Ligertwood said I need to finish it. He was right of course and I thank him for the tough love. I am proud that I did.”

About one year later, in the summer 2011, Fergie had two great things to share with the World: the first being the completion of the recording of the new album and the second is the positive results to the cures he was under, with the cancer now being close to be defeated. “I am feeling great right now” tells Fergie. “I am close to cancer free. Not what all the doctors thought would happen and they are almost as excited about it as I am. I seem to be an exception to the rule. I am very glad to be because the alternative sucks big time”.
The new album musically shows a different side of Fergie. “It’s hard to compare this new album with Equilibrium” continues Frederiksen, “That was a CD that I co-wrote most of the songs, so I guess you could say I was more connected because of that. In the same breath I must say that this cd is very important because of where my world is at right now. The title song, 'Happiness Is The Road,' is the saying I have lived by for the past few years even before I became ill. It means a lot to me to have other people examine it's meaning. If you think about it real hard, you will find joy and love in your life you have been missing. At least I hope people do. The songs a real good songs. Being I co-wrote only one, it is a change for me but a good one. It is what it is, a cd with good songs and hopefully good vocals. Thanks to Serafino at Frontiers for his vision.”
“Happiness is the Road” is a story of love and passion to tell and of course of so many great songs expertly produced by Dennis Ward (House of Lords, Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome and Angra) and written by Jim Peterik (ex Survivor), David Roberts (Bad English), Mark Baker (Signal, House of Lords), Robert Sall (Work of Art), Joe Vana (Mecca), Dennis Ward and more.



Fergie Frederiksen is involved in raising awareness of Hepatitis C, a disease he has been struggling with himself. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States. Fergie has arranged benefit shows for the American Liver Foundation, with the cause of fighting Hep C. He went through a successful treatment in 2005, which he is fighting for other patients to receive too.

Well, the future is once again bright for Fergie, so keep going on in your life as “Happiness is the Road”.
Happiness Is the Road includes the following songs:
Angel (Mirror To Your Soul); Elaine; First To Cry; Follow Your Heart; Happiness Is The Road; I Still Believe In Love; Lyin’ Eyes; Love Waits For No One; Writing On The Wall; The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be; The One; The Saviour.

The first single from the album “Angel” can be exclusively listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Records webradio www.frontiers.it/webradio

Fergie Frederiksen - Vocals
Dennis Ward - Bass Guitar, Guitars, Keyboards and Background Vocals
Dirk Bruinenberg - Drums
Nathan Eshman - Guitars
Eric Ragno - Keyboards

Produced by Dennis Ward


The Melodic Rock Sexy Diva ISSA is back with a Storming second album!
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the worldwide release of the second ISSA album entitled “The Storm” on October 14th in Europe and October 18th in North America.




Since her debut “Sign of Angels”, the Norwegian Rock Diva has often been compared to such music stars as Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne and Amy Lee (Evanescence). Issa however has created her own style and approach to Melodic Rock, by mixing her peculiar and unique melodic sensibility with a rocking attitude which is unseen in today’s Pop singers.

Not metal and certainly not easy listening Pop, Issa’s music has everything and more to appeal to the vast masses: real rock with a commercial sheen.

Unlike the debut self-titled album, the “The Storm” has Issa taking a shot at songwriting and together with the Martin brothers (Vega, House of Lords, Khymera, Sunstorm), she offers up tracks on the new album like “Invincible”, “We’re on Fire” and “The Storm”, the album’s title track. Issa explains “The songs I wrote on this album show more of my personality and direction. Some of them have been written straight from my life and it’s exciting for me to finally show some of my own work for the first time. I knew Tom and James Martin through the last album on which they wrote some fantastic tunes. We’ve worked together a lot since then and these songs are very personal to me. “Invincible” especially is a song that I feel very close to.”
Songwriting contributions also came from Robert Säll (Work of Art), Randy Goodrum (Steve Lukather, Toto, Steve Perry), Daniel Palmqvist, Johannes Stole (Xorigin), Daniel Flores, Sören Kronqvist (Crash the System, Sunstorm), Chris Laney, Magnus Karlsson (Place Vendome) and more !

The Storm” shows a different side of me continues Issa. “I’ve had the most life changing year of my life and this also reflects on the new album in many ways. It’s a more honest performance from me and I think every song captures a feeling or something we all can relate too: everything from the fun times to the deeper side of us. I think its so important to have an album that can touch more than one feeling.”




Produced by Daniel Flores, The Storm shows that Issa is a solid Rock Music star and a true uprising Rock diva, who is set to alight hearts and minds of Melodic Rock fans for the years to come !

“The Storm” includes the following tracks:
Looking For Love; Please Hold On; Take A Stand; Invincible; Two Hearts; Black Clouds; You're Making Me; Gonna Stand By You; We’re On Fire; Too Late For Love; What Does It Take; The Storm. Includes bonus videoclip: Looking For Love.
The first singleLooking for Love can be listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Records webradio www.frontiers.it/webradio
Weblinks: www.frontiers.it / www.myspace.com/isabelloversveen

ISSA Issa (Isabell Oversveen) Lead vocals
Guitars - David Sivelind
Bass - Johnny Trobro, Daniel Flores, David Sivelind
Drums and keyboards - Daniel Flores

Guitar solos: David Sivelind (The Storm), Robert Säll (Looking For Love), Christian Wolff (Too Late For Love / We’re On Fire), Mats Lindfors (Take a Stand), Christopher Vetter (Black Clouds / You’re Are Making Me), Gabriel Forsman (Gonna Stand By You), Daniel Palmquist (Two Hearts).
Produced by Daniel Flores


Def Leppard and Motley Crue announce UK tour



This year's upcoming holiday season, UK fans will be treated to something special: Def Leppard is coming home for a UK arena tour -- and they're bringing Motley Crue along with them!
To top it all off, Special Guests Steel Panther will warm up the crowd each night on the tour.

Joe Elliott said: "I can’t tell you enough how thrilled I am to announce this tour. We always strive to make our shows an event and to have Motley Crue and Steel Panther along for the ride makes this an event that just can’t be missed for rock fans across the UK."

Nikki Sixx had this to say about the tour: "Motley Crüe is excited to do some destruction with long time peers Def Leppard on tour this holiday season. We have never toured together so hopefully there will be some de-virginizing of each-others fans and in the end one f*cking wild party together!"
Presales for the shows, which are listed below, start this Thursday, September 1st, followed by the general sale on Friday, September 2nd and will be available at Live Nation.
DEC 6: Birmingham, LG Arena
DEC 8: Nottingham, Echo Arena
DEC 9: Glasgow, SECC
DEC 11: Manchester, MEN Arena
DEC 13: Sheffield, Motorpoint Arena
DEC 14: London, Wembley Arena


Official websites:
http://www.defleppard.com
http://www.motley.com/


Primal Fear shares 'Unbreakable' update



Ralf Scheepers of German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR has finished laying down vocals for the band's forthcoming studio album, "Unbreakable", which is scheduled for a January 2012 release on Frontiers Records. He states, "I know that every musician will always praise his new work as his best so far, but what the whole team have created here is simply outstanding! I am sure you guys will love what you hear."
"Unbreakable" is being recorded at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany.
The CD, which is being produced by Mat Sinner and engineered by Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN), will feature the following songs:

* Blaze Of Glory
* Marching Again
* And There Was Silence
* Night Of The Jumps
* Give 'Em Hell
* Born Again
* Where Angels Die
* Bad Guys Wear Black
* Strike
* Metal Nation
* Conviction
* Raise Some Hell


Regarding the musical direction of the new PRIMAL FEAR album, Scheepers recently stated in an interview, "You can really expect an album which is somehow skipping back again to the very basics of PRIMAL FEAR, with very rough metal riffs and screaming vocals and good melodies on it. So people can really expect a pure PRIMAL FEAR album with melody and beating drums and very harsh guitars." He added, "Of course, every musician will somehow advertise his own album, but I'm really convinced that people will like this one, because it's got very catchy hooklines and it's a really 'bang-your-head' metal album."

"When you look back on the [PRIMAL FEAR] back catalog, from the very first album to this album now, I think there were quite some changes — on 'Seven Seals', for instance, and also when we came [out with] 'New Religion'. We somehow now have a combination in between a good, bombastic sound with more back-to-the-basics guitar riffing stuff. Also we have two ballads on it, which are not [really] ballads. There's one mid-tempo song with some acoustic guitars in it and one song which has a little bit more keyboards. It's still not an acoustic-guitar ballad— it's still with drums and stuff — so I think it's a pretty tough album [overall]."

Official weblinks:



Chickenfoot confirm UK release date of new album




Highly anticipated would be an understatement... Chickenfoot – guitar hero Joe Satriani, drummer Chad Smith, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and frontman Sammy Hagar – have announced details of their second album Chickenfoot III, the follow-up to 2009’s award-winning eponymous debut album.

Following weeks of online rumours and escalating hype, the band themselves have finally set the record straight in an official announcement which cnfirms the album’s title, release date, and full track listing.

Chickenfoot III (not IV as previously implied) - UK Limited Edition Fan Pack is set for simultaneous worldwide release on Tuesday September 27th. The album, which was produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica), will come complete with specially designed 3D packaging.
The Fan Pack comes with two exclusive bonus tracks - "Down The Drain" (Live in Phoenix) and "Oh Yeah!" (Live in Phoenix) - plus a 132-page magazine dedicated to one of the worlds greatest supergroups. The Fan Pack magazine is 100% Chickenfoot-approved and contains exclusive interviews with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith talking about their new album, plus their respective careers as part of some of the biggest bands in rock.

The Fan Pack also tells the story of the making of the band's new video, how they created a 3D album cover, an overview of their solo careers and the story behind each and every song on the new record. The magazine is also packed with rare shots of the band, an exclusive muso section as well as a Guitar Pick Pack, 3D glasses and a 3D CD digital book pack with postcards.
The non-Fan Pack version of Chickenfoot III, will be available on CD, CD & DVD Deluxe Edition & 12" Vinyl. Due for release on Monday October 24th.

Check out this promo link for the album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXafvx8Tn1g&feature=player_embedded

Band website:
http://www.chickenfoot.us/



Magnum - Evolution more album details



MAGNUM "Evolution" - celebration of the last 10 years since the reunion
Hugely influential British melodic hard rock group MAGNUM are set to release "Evolution", on Steamhammer / SPV, on November 14th (Germany November 11th, USA/Canada end of November) which comes in a high value ecol book , and have confirmed 3 exclusive UK dates November/December 2011.

The line up of guitarist / songwriter / producer Tony Clarkin, vocalist Bob Catley, keyboard player Mark Stanway, bassist Al Barrow and drummer Harry James, have excelled themselves on ‘Evolution’, one of the strongest and most unusual best of albums in their illustrious (near 40 year) history to date.

‘Evolution’ contains eight songs from their previous comeback albums which were partial re-recorded and fully re-mixed , two from their much acclaimed "The Visitation" album (which cracked the Top 20 in Germany and made it to #3 in the UK Rock Charts as well as high chart entries in Sweden and Switzerland) and two totally new recorded songs.

"Evolution": Re-recorded ..... great! - Re-mastered ..... even better! - Re-visited.....go for it!

Tracklisting "Evolution":
1. THAT HOLY TOUCH : 4.47
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar & some vocals (remixed)
Originally on “Breath Of Life”


2. JUST LIKE JANUARY : 4.38
Re-recorded drums, bass & guitar (remixed)
Originally on “Breath Of Life”

3. BRAND NEW MORNING : 5.52
Re-recorded bass, guitar & some vocals (remixed)
Originally on “Brand New Morning”

4. IMMIGRANT SON : 5.31
Re-recorded bass & guitar (remixed)
Originally on “Brand New Morning”


5. WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER : 6.48
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar & some vocals (remixed)
Originally on “Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow”


6. OUT OF THE SHADOWS : 6.38
Re-recorded drums, bass, guitar (remixed)
Originally on “Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow”


7. ALL MY BRIDGES : 4.40
Re-recorded bass & drums (remixed)
Originally on “Into The Valley Of The Moonking”


8. BLOOD ON YOUR BARBED WIRE THORNS : 6.50
Re-recorded bass (remixed)
Originally on “Into The Valley Of The Moonking”


9. THE VISITATION : 5.48
Taken from “The Visitation”


10. WILD ANGELS : 5.40
Taken from “The Visitation”


11. THE FALL : 5.38
New recording


12. DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? : 6.49
New recording


Website links:

http://www.magnumonline.co.uk/



Guitar Guru RICHIE KOTZEN To Release New CD

24 HOURS – To Release 11.11.11 On Headroom-Inc.

 FIRST SINGLE “24 HOURS” AVAILABLE ON ITUNES SEPTEMBER 1st


HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 30, 2011) – After 2 years of extensive international touring, guitar virtuoso, singer/ songwriter Richie Kotzen is back to unleash his new album 24 HOURS, releasing November 11 on Headroom-Inc.

24 HOURS reflects the guitar style’s that has defined his career as a virtuoso, while taking it to another level of playing. “I feel like I have reached a new level of soloing on the opening track 24 HOURS,” explains Kotzen. “I stopped using a guitar pick on electric a few years ago and my playing has evolved in a different way. Some of the solo lines I play on the song 24 HOURS, and others as well, are lines I would have never been able to play with a guitar pick. So I would say

24 HOURS is an album that has been in the works since Kotzen started playing guitar. The guitar virtuoso burst onto the heavy metal scene as a teenager with a lightning-fast guitar techniques. With his talents Kotzen has played with some of the best musicians; securing such major collaboration with the band Mr. Big and renowned jazz great Stanley Clarke as well as his own solo projects. “I have been lucky in the sense that I have been able to play with guys who I could learn from,” explains Kotzen. “The biggest musical lesson for me was playing in a band with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. Obviously these guys are jazz musicians and I am not, but I learned so much from the time we recorded and toured together. My favorite rock bassist is Billy Sheehan and we were in Mr. Big together for 3 years which was awesome.”


24 HOURS was recorded and produced in Kotzen’s studio Headroom-Inc. 24 HOURS will be released on 11.11.11.
Expect the first single, title track '24 HOURS' to hit airwaves sometime soon.

For more information go to www.richiekotzen.com.




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