Oliver Shanti, also known as Oliver Serano-Alve, is a New Age musician, best known for his work with the bands "Oliver Shanti & Friends" and "Inkarnation". "Oliver Shanti & Friends" is a collaborative New Age project led by Oliver Shanti together with his wife Margot Vogl and ever changing lineup of guest musicians from all over the world. Also a part of first regular lineup keyboard player Veit Wayman left in 1998. The project existed till 2003 and was effectively dissolved following the escape of Oliver Shanti during his prosecution.
Originally forming as Pilate in the early 2000s, the Toronto-based rock quartet Pilot Speed changed their name to such in mid-2006 to avoid possible lawsuits as their music spread internationally from their native Canada, especially due to the "litigious nature of the United States" (as taken from a message on the band's website). Pilate were born in 2000 after vocalist and New Zealand native Todd Clark left the music program at the University of Western Ontario where he'd been studying and placed an ad online for potential bandmates. Bassist Ruby Bumrah, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, answered the call, bringing with him fellow alums Chris Greenough (guitar) and Bill Keeley (drums). Citing influences like Crowded House, Radiohead, and U2 for Pilate's especially sweeping brand of melodic rock – not so dissimilar to acts like Keane, Coldplay, and Snow Patrol – they released the six-song EP For All That's Given, Wasted in the summer of 2001. It quickly sold out its initial pressing and established the guys as players in the Canadian music scene.
Grammy-nominated extreme power metal pioneers DragonForce will release their monumental new album and Napalm Records debut, Warp Speed Warriors, on March 15, 2024! The iconic unit is known for their masterful, unparalleled and lightning-fast signature guitar solos that influenced a whole genre. The band around virtuoso guitarists and founding members Herman Li and Sam Totman are highly inspired by a myriad of heavy metal styles, fantasy realms and video games.
Warp Speed Warriors, produced by Herman Li, Sam Totman and Damien Rainaud - and mixed and mastered by the latter - is a matchless, innovative listening experience that continues the band's legacy with songs that will, without a shadow of a doubt, become instant classics in and beyond the DragonForce canon.