Separating from producer Kevin Shirley for the first time in three records, Beth Hart chose to work with Rob Mathes and Michael Stevens for 2015's Better Than Home. A change in producers helped Hart change direction, letting her depart from the down-and-dirty blues belting she specialized in throughout her time with Shirley, reconnecting slightly to her singer/songwriter beginning while emphasizing deep soul roots. Despite opening with the tight Memphis groove of "Might as Well Smile," most of the album is grandly introspective – majestic brooding ballads with a clear debt to early Elton John.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly re-mastered and includes a companion DVD of Sky at Westminster Abbey, (the first ever DVD release of this classic concert). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay.
Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the next release in the continuing series of reissues of the entire catalogue by the legendary classical rock band Sky. Formed in 1979, Sky brought together the worlds of rock and classical music in a highly successful and inspiring way. Sky’s line-up remained the same for this, the band’s fourth album "Sky 4: Forthcoming” released in April 1982. Another successful chart album, "Sky 4: Forthcoming” has now been remastered and includes a companion DVD of Sky’s live set for the BBC TV programme "Night Music”, broadcast in July 1982 (the first ever release of this classic television appearance). The original album artwork is fully restored and the booklet features a new essay.
What many promise, but few can guarantee is what the loud and proud WHITESNAKE have always delivered and with their 12th studio opus The PURPLE Album once again their hard core fans are about to be surprised again by the ‘SNAKE. Recorded & mixed by legendary frontman and Whitesnake founder David Coverdale with Co-Producers Michael McIntyre and Snake guitarist Reb Beach and at Hook City Studios in Reno Nevada, ‘The PURPLE Album’ draws on the songs from the three DEEP PURPLE Mark 3 and 4 studio albums featuring Coverdale. “BURN”, ”STORMBRINGER” and “COME TASTE THE BAND”.
Scaled smaller than 2012's double-album Privateering, Tracker also feels suitably subtle, easing its way into being instead of announcing itself with a thunder. Such understatement is typical of Mark Knopfler, particularly in the third act of his career. When he left Dire Straits behind, he also left behind any semblance of playing for the cheap seats in an arena, but Tracker feels quieter than his new millennial norm. Some of this is due to the undercurrent of reflection tugging at the record's momentum. Knopfler isn't pining for the past but he is looking back, sometimes wistfully, sometimes with a resigned smile, and he appropriately draws upon sounds that he's long loved. Usually, this means some variation of pub rock – the languid ballad "River Towns," the lazy shuffle "Skydiver," the two-chord groove of "Broken Bones" – but this is merely the foundation from which Knopfler threads in a fair amount of olde British folk and other roots digressions.
Aggressive, meticulous, passionate, righteous — all distinguishing traits that have come to symbolize the fundamentals of metal/hardcore pioneers PRO-PAIN. Since their crushing 1992 NAIRD-nominated debut album "Foul Taste Of Freedom", PRO-PAIN have become a staple in the diets of heavy music listeners around the globe. Their successful and enviable career has perpetually prospered throughout its course, and yet they still manage to find room to improve, and more importantly, impress. Each and every PRO-PAIN album is a paragon of intensity, inspiration, honesty and unwillingness to compromise. Their latest (and fifteenth) studio effort, titled "Voice Of Rebellion", is a testament to those very same qualities. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Corey Williams at Sound Lounge Recordings in Venice, Florida, "Voice Of Rebellion" features 14 punishing tracks which are sure to satisfy die-hard fans and new fans alike. Production credits are shared by Williams and PRO-PAIN mainman Gary Meskil.
Another Country is the twenty-ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart. It was released on 23 October 2015 through Capitol Records. It was produced by Stewart and Kevin Savigar. Stewart released his twenty-eighth studio album, Time, in 2013. The album contained eleven songs written or co-written by Stewart. Commenting on Time, Stewart stated, "I've found that the only way to write songs is to be as personal and honest as possible, And when my last album was so well-received it gave me the confidence to keep on writing, and to examine and write about different things. It also gave me the freedom to experiment with different sounds like reggae, ska and Celtic melodies."
German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN will release their tenth studio album, "Beyond The Red Mirror", in Europe on January 30, 2015 and in North America on February 3, 2015 via Nuclear Blast. Four and a half years in the making, the follow-up to 2010's "At The Edge Of Time" was recorded at Twilight Hall Studio in Grefrath, Germany and produced by Charlie Bauerfeind (SAXON, HAMMERFALL, HELLOWEEN). The CD showcases BLIND GUARDIAN's collaborative work with three different classical choirs: one from the Czech Republic (Prague), one from Hungary (Budapest), and one from the United States (Boston). Two grand orchestras — each featuring 90 musicians — also lend their brilliant talents to the new recordings with absolutely spellbinding results. Transporting listeners via a mysteriously powerful red mirror into an otherworldly dimension that includes tyrants, gods, and the Holy Grail, the ten songs comprising "Beyond The Red Mirror"'s story lines revolve around the young protagonist we first met twenty years ago in the 1995 tracks "Bright Eyes" and "And The Story Ends".
For better and worse, Trivium haven't made the same album twice since 2005's Ascendancy. In keeping with their own tradition, they tossed out plenty to reinvent themselves on Silence in the Snow. Drummer Nick Augusto has been replaced by drum tech Matt Madiro, and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette takes the chair previously inhabited by David Draiman on Vengeance Falls. Vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy makes great strides in his quest to become a rock singer. It's true that he's been moving in this direction since Shogun, but for this date he worked with vocal coach Ron Anderson. His voice is enormous and his delivery clean throughout. In the past, the guitars provided the melodic focus in Trivium's songs, but here Heafy's singing claims that role…
Swedish death metal veterans GRAVE will release their new album, "Out Of Respect For The Dead", on October 16 via Century Media. The CD's eerie artwork was again created by Costin Chioreanu, who has been responsible for the band's last three albums as well as the "Morbid Ascent" EP. Chioreanu is also known for his collaborations with such acts as AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST and ARCH ENEMY.