Cocoon Beautiful Thingz

James LaBrie, known internationally as the vocalist for progressive metal icons Dream Theater, embarks on uncharted waters with his fourth solo album, titled 'Beautiful Shade of Grey'. The new endeavor sees him traverse personal maturation, loss, a myriad of complex relationships, and most importantly - LaBrie's burning passion for music. On paper, the latest studio offering from the Canadian singer first took shape shortly after the global pandemic began to emerge. But in reality, LaBrie formed a bond with his fellow collaborator, bassist Paul Logue, nearly a decade earlier. On 'Beautiful Shade of Grey', the end goal isn't creating something that meets a certain genre characterization, but rather being informed by decades of finding beautiful expression across a wide swath of musical artists, and knowing that veering away from familiar habits is a part of creative growth.

winds up sounding more like Back in '72 than its immediate predecessor, Seven, largely because Bob Seger threaded reflective ballads and mid-tempo laments back into his hard-driving rock. He doesn't shy away from it, either, opening with the lovely title track. And why shouldn't he? These ballads were as much a part of his success as his storming rockers, since his sentimental streak seemed all the more genuine when contrasted with the rockers. If anything, might err a little bit in favor of reflection, with much of the album devoted to introspective, confessional mid-tempo cuts. There are a couple of exceptions to the rule, of course — "Katmandu" roars with humor, and his cover of "Nutbush City Limits" shames Tina Turner's original — but they are the only full-throttle rockers here, with "Black Night" coming in as a funky, swaggering cousin. It's the exact opposite of Seven, in other words, and in its own way, it's just as satisfying. Occasionally, it might be a little too sentimental for some tastes, but it's all heartfelt and he's written some terrific songs here, most notably the album's heart of "Jody Girl" and "Travelin' Man." Seger had started turning inward, searching his soul in a way he hadn't since the since-disowned Brand New Morning, and in doing so, he was setting the stage for his first genuine blockbuster.

Originally intended as a side-project, Subsignal were founded back in 2007 by former Sieges Even members Arno Menses (Vocals) and Markus Steffen (Guitars). The first result of this collaboration was a song called ‘A Wallflower On The Day Of Saint Juliana’ which eventually appeared under the title ‘Eyes Wide Open’ on the 2007-Sieges Even-output ‘Paramount’. After Arno and Markus had left the band in the summer of 2008, they immediately started to look for adequate musicians to turn the project into a functional ‘real’ band. The first to join was Ralf Schwager (Bass), who was known for his work with German progmetal outfit Dreamscape. The line-up was completed by the Dutch drummer Roel van Helden (Sun Caged) and keyboarder David Bertok (also Dreamscape).

Wily Bo Walker teams up with guitar maestro E D Brayshaw again to work on a new album 'Stone Cold Beautiful' for release in 2015. Wily Bo weaves an album of cinematic storylines and EDB lays down magnificent and timeless guitar solos. Some fine guest musicians make appearances on the album tracks including the beautiful backing vocals of Kareña K. “Just do yourself a favour, go out and get it, I'll be playing tracks from it forever I think… it's one of those album that just grabs you. E. D. Brayshaw's guitar is phenomenal, Wily Bo Walker's vocals are to die for and the musicianship on it is astonishing. Just a fantastic album!" ~ Richard Dunning, Blues on the Radio.