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Asia hadn't released an album of new music since 1985, so changes were to be expected. But changes for the better – well, that was a pleasant surprise. Aqua found the band infused with new energy, represented by a younger generation of arena rockers in bassist/vocalist John Payne and guitarist Al Pitrelli. Although Payne doesn't invite comparison to John Wetton or Greg Lake (his voice tends to get rougher as it gets louder), he gets the job done and turns out to be a pretty good songwriter in the bargain…

Gianluca De Rossi (Keyboards & vocals), David Guidoni (Percussions) & Guglielmo Mariotti (Bass, guitar, mandoline & vocals) consist in the spinal column of the current Italian trio Taproban. The name of the band has been inspired by the former name of the island of Ceylan, today known as Sri-Lanka. Still led by GianLuca De Rossi, Taproban associates the Latin words "Strix" (Witch) and "Stigma" (Brand), to create the title of its fourth effort: "Strigma". Published in the year 2013 on the Musea label, the latter is introduced by a beautiful painting, melting the female gender with fire. The three epic pieces reveal themselves as true Seventies-tinged gems, a true delight for all Progressive rock lovers out there.

Disguised Masters was created more as a sinful pleasure for the die-hard fans, rather then a strange, marketable album, for which the band is usually known. Only a few of the tracks should even be considered metal. Arcturus, being the eccentric bunch they are, instead provide listeners with one new track, "Deception Genesis," which is very similar in style to La Masquerade, and a series of techno/hip-hop/industrial remixes from the aforementioned album. Don't misunderstand, it is an interesting album, just very different. For the most part, it is an instrumental album, minus the new track, the re-recording of Aspera Hiems Symfonia's "Du Nordavind," and the gangsta-rap remix of "Master of Disguise" (who knew Garm had it in him!). This makes a challenging listen for those new to Arcturus and their brand of brain-numbing madness, better known as symphonic metal.

Imagine the cave where music was born. In the introduction to their 9th studio album "HUMAN. II: NATURE.", NIGHTWISH take us all the way back to this ancient place and time when bashing rocks became rhythm and voice turned into harmonies. In the course of the millennia, this amazing cultural achievement evolved via Bach and Beethoven into blues, rock and heavy metal – a mental journey that the Finns trace in their upcoming full-length’s first song, ‘Music’.

There's really no other place like San Diego. The weather's balmy all year, there's 70 miles of the finest coastline California has to offer, it has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the US and - most importantly - it's currently THE epicenter for heavy psychedelic rock. Bands such as Earthless, Astra and Radio Moscow have paved the way for an astounding number of bands, creating a tight knit community of musicians. On this session Denmark's Jonas Munk (Causa Sui) joins forces with San Diego native Brian Ellis (who's not only a prime mover in the psychedelic scene, but has also been active in California's jazz and funk circuits for several years), and an assemblage of prime musicians from the area, including members of Astra, Psicomagia, Monarch, Radio Moscow and Sacri Monti.

There's really no other place like San Diego. The weather's balmy all year, there's 70 miles of the finest coastline California has to offer, it has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the US and - most importantly - it's currently THE epicenter for heavy psychedelic rock. Bands such as Earthless, Astra and Radio Moscow have paved the way for an astounding number of bands, creating a tight knit community of musicians. On this session Denmark's Jonas Munk (Causa Sui) joins forces with San Diego native Brian Ellis (who's not only a prime mover in the psychedelic scene, but has also been active in California's jazz and funk circuits for several years), and an assemblage of prime musicians from the area, including members of Astra, Psicomagia, Monarch, Radio Moscow and Sacri Monti.