Prog Metal news & releases(Ministry Of Lost Souls)

^summer in the USA is in....July/June?

Drew wrote: Great job delivering the good news!!

Anubis Gate

Queensryche

Queensrÿche Salutes The Troops With American Soldier

Concept Album Inspired By Veterans’ Stories Examines The
Consequences Of War From The Soldiers’ Perspective

Album Available March 31 From Atco/Rhino;

U.S. Tour To Begin April 16 In Seattle

Queensrÿche envisions war through the eyes of a soldier with the band’s twelfth studio release, the epic concept album AMERICAN SOLDIER. The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group’s singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts—from World War II to Iraq—Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war. AMERICAN SOLDIER will be available from Atco/Rhino on March 31 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital).

Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton (guitar), Ed Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) recorded the album in 2008 over the course of nine months. The idea for AMERICAN SOLDIER, Tate says, came from hearing stories from fans that are veterans, as well as his own father, who served in both Korea and Vietnam. "My father was a career military man, but until very recently he never spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true of a lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand what it means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans have endured made me want to share their stories with the world. This is an album about the soldiers, for the soldiers, as told by the soldiers themselves."

Those stories resonate at the heart of AMERICAN SOLDIER, imbuing each song with vivid details about both the emotional and physical impacts of war, evoking war zone battles ("Middle Of Hell"), sacrifice ("The Killer"), loss ("If I Were King"), the longing for home ("Remember Me"), and adjusting to society after returning from war ("Man Down!").

Making the album, Tate says, was an enlightening process. "I was surprised to learn how little has changed through the generations. I spoke with a Vietnam vet whose experience wasn’t all that different from a soldier who fought in Somalia almost 30 years later. But what surprised me the most was how antiwar most soldiers are. To me, that makes their sacrifices even more moving."

Soon after the release of AMERICAN SOLDIER, Queensrÿche will launch an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The shows will be presented in three suites, with the band performing sets from AMERICAN SOLDIER, Rage For Order, and Empire. The first date of the tour will be April 16 at Snoqualmie Casino in the band’s hometown of Seattle.

AMERICAN SOLDIER

Track Listing

1. "Sliver"

2.  "Unafraid"

3.  "Hundred Mile Stare"

4.  "At 30,000 ft."

5.  "A Dead Man’s Words"

6.  "The Killer"

7.  "Middle Of Hell"

8.  "If I Were King"

9.  "Man Down!"

10. "Remember Me"

11. "Home Again"

12. "The Voice"

progrocker2244 wrote: Nice chart! Looking Good!

*Just released*

With “Throughout Time” LAST WARNING return after 8 years of silence but intense work. They represent the history of Italian Progressive Metal and with this new album they reach new levels of emotion with a music that is an intense mixture of Progressive Metal with the presence of majestic symphonic elements, oniric atmospheres and lyrical music.
If Dream Theater, Queensryche, Rush, Crimson Glory could be points of reference of their sound, be sure that in their music you will find many more facets that will carry you in a magic vortex of feelings.
Recorded at the well-known Zenith Recording in Lucca (Labirinth, Skylark, Shadows Of Steel).

Edited by progmetalhead - January 22 2009 at 09:07

^^eagerly anticipated, Steve...

Aeon Zen are pleased to unveil the cover for their upcoming album "A Mind's Portrait" to be released on 1st May 2009 on Time Divide Records.



The cover was designed by Mattias Norén, who has created artwork for the likes of Kamelot, Mind's Eye, John Petrucci and many many more.

The tracklisting of the album is:

1. Existence (featuring Andi Kravljaca (Silent Call) & Matt Shepherd (Timefall))
2. Time Divine (featuring Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind) & Matt Shepherd)
3. Blinded Rain (featuring Andi Kravljaca)
4. Hope's Echo Pt. I (featuring Andreas Novak (Novak/Mind's Eye)
5. Hope's Echo Pt. II (featuring Andreas Novak)
6. A Mind's Portrait
7. The Circle's End
8. Heavens Falling (featuring Cristian Van Schuerbeck (All Too Human))
9. Into the Infinite (featuring Nils K. Rue)
10. Goddess
11. The Demise of the Fifth Sun (featuring Elyes Bouchoucha (Myrath))

"A Mind's Portrait" to be released on 1st May 2009 on Time Divide Records.

Official Press Release : Across Tundras "Herds of the Fathomless Valleys" Current mood:  awake Hello friends, Across Tundras started recording a batch of songs about 8 weeks ago with no set agenda, minus one song that we had to finish for a split 7" with fellow rockers US Christmas. The original thought was to take some of the songs from these recordings sessions and self release them on a limited CDR EP. It became apparent when we started mixing and sifting through all the material that there was much more than a EP worth of well recorded, cohesive songs. So we decided to properly press and release this new CD (plus a few covers and new versions of old songs) ourselves and call it "Herds of the Fathomless Valleys." "Herds of the Fathomless Valleys" (credit Washington Irving) is ten songs of epic, crushing panoramic rock and haunted folk that spans over seventy minutes. The tracks were recorded @ Headley Grange USA and are the first AT recordings with "The Nashville Sound," aka "The Dixie Earthmovers," along with longtime contributor Shannon Murphy on vocals. The production and performances are some of our best yet. Look for a late February release date and a special pre order soon! Here is the tracklisting (not neccesarily in this order) : 1) Tectonic Shifts 2) Lake Bottom Blues 3) Badlands II 4) Julia Dream (Pink Floyd) 5) Plain Old John's Song 6) Weary Travelers Rest 7) Ramblin' II 8) Death Dealing Man 9) Blackbird, Blood Red Sky (single version) 10) Where the Wild Roses Grow (Nick Cave) + secret bonus track

I should be ashamed for plugging a band using this thread but on this occasion I'm not going to be.