Life After Death for Richard Christy As He Returns with Charred Walls of the Damned

Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel adds: "We are very happy to welcome Richard Christy and his band Charred Walls of the Damned to the Metal Blade Family. In addition to his duties on the Howard Stern show, Richard has had a great career in metal. He has put together a really great new band with some of metal's most talented artists and we can't wait to have everyone hear it." - more on this story

Terra Incognita: The Crossover Novel and Progressive Rock CD Set For Release

Glass Onyon reports: ProgRock Records has joined forces with internationally bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson for a groundbreaking crossover novel and progressive rock project, Terra Incognita. Anderson has created an incredible fantasy universe with sailing ships, sea monsters, and the crusades. The first novel, The Edge Of The World, hits stores on June 2, 2009 from Orbit Books.

Anderson says, "My work work has always been heavily influenced by music, especially progressive rock - but Terra Incognita truly takes this into new territory." Anderson developed and expanded one of the novel's storylines to form the basis of an epic rock CD, under the band name "Roswell Six." He and his wife, bestselling author Rebecca Moesta, wrote all the lyrics to the songs.

Accomplished keyboardist and composer Erik Norlander (Rocket Scientists) came aboard at the beginning of the project to write the music and produce the recordings and to helm the production. His wife Lana Lane, the "Queen of Symphonic Rock," provides the female lead vocals. Bassist Kurt Barabas (Under The Sun) and Executive Producer Shawn Gordon from ProgRock Records round out the members of "Roswell Six." - more on this story

Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music Revisited

conqueroo reports: Although it may have shocked some people at the time, Ray Charles' fascination with country and western music was anything but an overnight development. As a child in Florida, he'd listened to the Grand Ole Opry's radio broadcasts through the Southern skies. Thus his 1962 gold-certified album Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music and its encore Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volume 2 represented a lifelong dream — and may have transformed country music along with it.

The two albums, which featured the hits "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Take These Chains From My Heart" and "You Don't Know Me," will be reissued together in an expanded reissue titled Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2 by Concord Records on June 2, 2009. New liner notes by musicologist Bill Dahl are included alongside original notes by Rick Ward and Charles' longtime recording supervisor Sid Feller.

The reissue release is part of Concord's ambitious Ray Charles reissue program that launched this year. A 17-time Grammy winner, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee and #10 in Rolling Stone's Greatest Artists of All Time, Charles has sold more than 10 million CDs in the SoundScan era alone. - more on this story

Your Demise Promise To Deliver Hardcore 2.0 in August

Our Caps Lock Key Is Like Crack To Us Records reports: EARACHE RECORDS is pleased to announce the signing of UK hardcore act, YOUR DEMISE to a North American licensing deal. YOUR DEMISE plays a style of metallic hardcore popularized by bands such as HATEBREED and EARTH CRISIS and combines it with elements from all over the musical landscape, including elements of drum n bass. This eclectic combination creates a sound that is more modern, more rule-breaking and more refreshing than that of the typical hardcore band. With the August 11th North American release of their debut album, IGNORANCE NEVER DIES, YOUR DEMISE will usher in the era of "Hardcore 2.0"

The "Hardcore 2.0" moniker isn't just about the music, either. YOUR DEMISE has overcome insurmountable odds to get to where they are now and have lived truly hardcore lives that would make lesser men weep. Equipment theft? Check. Multiple line-up changes? Check, and make that twelve. Motorway breakdowns? You bet, including a time when the side door of their tour van literally fell off in the fast lane of a major European freeway. Finally, there's the story of how the band spent 24 hours solitary confinement in a Belgian prison, but that one is best saved for later...

On the signing of YOUR DEMISE, EARACHE U.S. Label Manager Al Dawson says "YOUR DEMISE is the best new british act going today and we couldn't be any more thrilled to add them to our roster. We're completely over the f*cking moon about these guys because they've got great songs and a large reputation for doing whatever it takes to break through and become a success. We here at EARACHE intend to do everything in our power to build on their substantial UK/European buzz and take them to the next level in a North American market that is thirsty for bands that are heavy and bring something unique to the table." - more on this story

Closure In Moscow Hitting The Road With Emery, Maylene and The Sons Of Disaster

PR reports: First Temple, the debut full-length album from Melbourne, Australia natives Closure In Moscow, cracked the Billboard New Artist Chart with its first week of release. With this comes the announcement of a 7-week North American tour alongside Emery, Maylene and The Sons Of Disaster.

Kicking off July 16th, the run with Emery will be the first full US tour for the Aussie's although they've been busy since their arrival in the States. Upon completion of the album in March, Closure In Moscow hit the road with Dance Gavin Dance for a 3-week trek that stayed mainly to the West Coast, including performances at high-profile festivals SXSW and Bamboozle Left.

Last month, the quintet joined up with The Sleeping for several dates in the Northeast including Bamboozle, and this month, both bands will accompany Madina Lake through the Northeast and Midwest. "Touring and living in America has been one of the greatest experiences in our lives," expressed guitarist, Manny Zennelli. "From getting over here to just day to day life, to the amazing shows we have been playing. Touring here is surreal, to think that on the other side of the world we can play shows and have the crowd sing along with us absolutely blows our minds. We love what we have seen so far of America and are extremely excited to see the rest on the upcoming Emery tour." - more on this story

Jay Brannan In Living Cover

PR reports: Jay Brannan announces the release of In Living Cover, a 9-track album composed of 7 cover songs and 2 originals, on July 7 (Nettwerk). Brannan will celebrate with a month-long US tour that kicks off in his home city of New York on Wednesday, July 8 at Joe's Pub.

Brannan has always enjoyed singing other people's songs, but never expected to release a covers album. "Expressing myself through my songs is one of the main reasons I write music, so singing other people's words felt a little fraudulent or 'uncool,'" he explains. "Over time, I learned to appreciate songs that speak to me, whether I like the melody or think the lyrics are funny or ironic…or if it's a song that meant something to me at a certain point in my life or has a personal story behind it. The covers on this album are ones that I chose for those reasons. I started performing them on YouTube and at my live shows. People continued to ask for them in properly recorded form, so I decided it was time to put this album together…not just of covers, but of covers that have become a part of what my audience might consider my 'repertoire.'"

Some of these tracks on In Living Cover include Joni Mitchell's "All I Want," Ani DiFranco's "Both Hands," The Cranberries "Zombie," Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" and live audience favorite, The Verve Pipe's "The Freshmen." The album isn't only covers; it opens with a brand new original track, "Beautifully," and closes with "Drowning," the first song he ever wrote at the age of 19. - more on this story

Former Lab Rat Hip-Hopper Kelly Warner Goes Legit with Indie EP

PR reports: Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and one-man production team, Kelly Warner of Hotel Eden, releases his debut EP entitled A Way Back Home now available on CD, iTunes and other major digital retailers.

Formerly half of the visionary but now historic hip hop duo, The Lab Rats, Warner infuses his DJ/electronic background with organic instrumentation and songwriting. The results? A natural creation of poetic, irreverent pop tracks.

With comparisons to Peter, Bjorn & John, Feist, Kings of Convenience and Beck, Hotel Eden's ever-evolving vision is elegantly portrayed in the airy five-track EP. The EP opens with "Tell Me Where You've Been" a modern, piano-centric contemplation of time and the human condition and has already been selected for Columbus Alive's (Warner's local weekly arts and entertainment newspaper) 2009 compilation CD of best new music. Warner penned the piano-powered second track, "A Way Back Home," following a visit to the Pacific Coastline where he was awed and influenced by the ocean's intensity. Another side of Warner's artistry is displayed on "Here," the release's most up-tempo, psych-infused roller. Track four, "The Take Home," sinks deeply into the hero's empty pockets with possibly the coolest bass line since Archie Bell and the Drells' funky R&B classic "The Tighten Up." In contrast, the closing ballad "Never Go," is an endearing song desperately written to a lover. It's a beautiful recording that features acoustic and pedal steel guitars, piano, and subtle percussion that brings a soothing end to a first stay at Hotel Eden. Throughout the EP, Warner takes his listeners on a musical journey weaving in and out of his past craftship and through a fresh, new arena of everything Hotel Eden stands for. - more on this story

Fink Set Revolutionary Release

PR reports: Ninja Tune Records is proud to announce the release of Fink's third full-length album, Sort Of Revolution - the last record of a three-album deal with the legendary British independent label.

Being released on CD September 8, the album will be available through all digital retailers well upfront on May 26. As an exclusive, Sort of Revolution is available now through the iTunes music store, where Fink is their Indie Spotlight Artist.

Certainly one of the more understated of the world's singer-songwriters, the Bristol, UK-born Fink, aka Fin Greenall, is an uncompromising artist with an astounding stage presence. With live accompaniment by Guy Whittaker on bass and Tim Thornton on drums, Greenall has played over 300 shows in the last three years (supporting the likes of Zero 7 and the legendary Massive Attack). - more on this story

The Word Alive Set Release

Fearless reports: The Word Alive are gearing up to release their debut EP, Empire, produced by Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, There For Tomorrow) on July 21.

Their debut EP is packed with raw screams of anguish and technical instrumentation that deliver exactly what their hungry fan base has been waiting for. TWA vocalist, Tyler 'Telle' Smith expresses, "The album reflects the journey we've been through and the hard work we've put into it. Every member is very proud and extremely happy with the way the album turned out. We want to be in this band for a long time and inspire a lot of people with our music along the way."

Being fresh out of the studio, they're gearing up to hit the road with Sky Eats Airplane, In Fear and Faith, and Eyes Set To Kill. This tour is set to kick off May 21 in Dallas, TX and wrap up after a nationwide run on Jun 21 in Albuquerque, NM. The Word Alive has also shared the stage with monumental hardcore bands like The Devil Wears Prada, blessthefall, and Greeley Estates.

To learn more about The Word Alive, and listen to "Battle Royale" a brand new track from their upcoming EP please visit - www.myspace.com/thewordalive

Schlock Rock Coming From Mungolian Jetset

PR reports: Smalltown Supersound is proud to present you to the exotic schlock tastes of Mungolian Jetset. With the album We Gave It All Away...Now We Are Taking It Back, out August 18, 2009, the Mungolian collective mixes all of their work, remixes, covers, collaborations and originals into not just one, but in true prog rock manner, two albums (each counting in at 59:15,) as they are intended to be heard.

The flavors cover everything from house and disco inspired cheekiness via shameless dabblings with soft rock/Norwegian west coast, balearic, dub and ambient, psychedelia and techno, all melted into one giant wormhole of sound. Imagination is pretty much the key to Mungolian Jetset's aural ingredients.

One of their spokesmen, Paul "Strangefruit" Nyhus, keeps insisting they operate as channelers for a parallel world of Mungsters, an ancient breed of intergalactic travelers in sound, working within the time-space continuum. Throughout their history it has become clear that they are not just a band hell-bent on producing the spaciest jazz ever heard, but that the Mungolian Masterplan is much darker and insidious, evolving to produce increasingly distinctive yet completely mind-absorbing beats to underpin a whirling vortex of sonic chaos, psycho-acoustic bass warping and lavish and unbridled costumery. Legends of their remixing skills abound throughout the known world and, some might say, beyond. Defining a Mungolian Jetset remix is close to impossible, yet the beat is what immediately lets you know that you've arrived in the state of Mung. They probe the track carefully, and locate the Mungolian zone within it, before shaking it into a trance-like psychedelic wormhole that snakes through the souls of disco and bucket brigade dub.

So, apart from all of this gibberish, what kind of album is We Gave It All Away...Now We Are Taking It Back? - more on this story

Israeli Rockers Behind The Sun Set Debut

Submitted News reports: Behind the Sun are proud to release their debut studio album to the world on June 11, 2009. After a busy few years including countless live shows in the band's home country of Israel, the self-produced EP "Pre-Dawn Light", the single "Sour Days" which received radio play on a number of Israeli radio stations and was also included on domestic and international compilations including "Israel Unleashed" (JMG Music group), the band have finally finished the definitive statement of their unique musical style and vision. A year and a half in the making, the album features 12 original songs produced by the band and Solstice Coil keyboardist/producer Shai Yallin.

Behind the Sun hail from the edge of the vast Negev desert in the south of Israel. The music and lyrics on this disc speak of their personal trials and tribulations living in this heavenly but harsh land. Their self titled debut album contains: heavy, electric, tube driven riffing, powerful and soulful vocals, and a rhythm section delivering intense, driving percussion and energy. All this blended with progressive styles and sensibilities and Behind the Sun's own skeptical, cynical, but in the end positive philosophy as written word and amplified sound.

The album will be released to the world with a special album release show in at the Sublime Tel Aviv on June 11, including several special guest musicians. The album will be available for sale both domestically in local music shops and also to international listeners via Amazon.com. In the weeks leading up to the release show Behind the Sun will be making a series of promotional radio appearances on the following Israeli stations: Radio Tel Aviv 102FM, Radio Kol-Ha-Campus 106 FM, Radio Voice of the Negev 106.4 FM and Radio One 89.1 FM. - http://www.myspace.com/behindthesunmusic

. The Return of Will Hoge

Will Hoges vocal intensity speaks volumes and is enough for a lost soul to wrap their heart around and find their way through a dark period. The best artists on the planet instill their art into our lives- it comforts, reminds, haunts and gives us the will to live. (5 stars) - Read the full The Return of Will Hoge review

. Sinner - Crash and Burn

There is just a single point to stress about this umpteenth Sinner offering: its title analyzes the band's attempts at another record perfectly. This is nothing but a painful Crash & Burn. - Read the full Sinner - Crash and Burn review

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