product: Vice - 3 Fingers Up

release date: 13.09.2019

format: CD

territory: world

The Bavarian Party Metal Band VICE has released it’s first album „MADE FOR PLEASURE“ through the major label BMG Ariola (today Sony Music) in 1989. Countless media appearances and stories as well as extensive touring helped to break the band all over Europe. As a direct result „Made For Pleasure“ and the follow-up „Second Excess“ sold more than 100.000 copies.

27 years later VICE returned with a new album and a new line-up. „Veni Vidi Vice“ – released in November 2017 - marked the first chapter of the new band era.

In 2019 the „VICE-Autumn-Party-Tour“, side-by-side with bands like AXXIS and HARDLINE, will be backed up by the new album „3 Fingers Up“ which contains 9 brand new highly energetic songs, a storming cover version of the JOAN JETT/DESMOND CHILD classic-track „I Hate Myself For Loving You“ as well as a new version of the band classic „Made 4 Pleasure“. „3 Fingers Up“ was produced by Chris Limburg and mastered by Andy Knote (Toyco Studios).

VICE 2019: Mario „Mitch“ Michel (vocals), Chris „Yps“ Limburg (guitar), Jürgen „Bam Bam“ Wiehler (drums), Sebi Weininger (bass)

product: KARO - Heavy Birthday II & III

release date: 18.06.2019

format: 2-CD

territory: world

Berlin-based hard rock outfit KARO put out their only album release “Heavy Birthday“ in 1988. Praised by critics and fans alike their melodic but somehow rough style was met by great songwriting and musical talent. It has since been an open secret that KARO recorded more than thirty songs between 1987 and 1989 of which only ten ended up on their debut. Whereas Robert „Karo“ Straub played keyboard in Morgenrot and Lutz Salzwedel (v) fronted Karusell, both having German lyrics, Salzwedel later on put out several records under the name of Dan Lucas and recently won The Voice Of Germany Senior, it was the talent of Erich Holstein (g) that literally ignited the band KARO. Soon after recordings in Berlin and Frankfurt with producers Peter Hauke and Andy Lunn took place.

Recordings in London followed. Especially working on the songs “One Of A Kind“, “Sister Sister“ and “Wanna Be Loved“ in London with producer Tony Platt, who then already had worked with AC/DC, was quite an experience for the band and obviously brought attention, too. The idea of going there for production was to give the band more of an international sound. KARO right away played support shows for Meat Loaf but was dropped by the label in 1989.

The idea to put out “Heavy Birthday II & III“ as a double-decker CD was born. All tracks featured on any Karo release have been recorded within those three years of activity. With Holstein and Bosien having passed away already, this is the ultimate legacy of KARO. „This way KARO comes full circle“, says „Karo“ Straub.

product: Tarchon Fist - Apocalypse

release date: 16.08.2019

territory: world

format: CD & digital

Tarchon Fist was created at the end of March 2005, after the split of the band Rain, the memorable Italian metal group, whose mastermind was Luciano “Lvcio” Tattini (g). This event coincided with the coming of Marco “Wallace” Pazzini (b, Basic Dreams). The name TARCHON FIST was the “logical evolution” of the “Rain” band. Tarchon being an ancient Etrurian king, hero and then also a god. The god of storm. Whereas “fist” underlines the band’s power and impact on stage. By the end of 2005, a video clip was produced. Thanks to this video, the band put out two albums on an Italian label, their self-titled debut in 2008 and “Fighters“ in 2009. Line-Up changes and many shows followed. October 2013 “Heavy Metal Black Force” came out.

Remembering the first decade, the band released “Celebration 2005-2015” in December 2015 with a new song called “Celebration” and a best of. In July 2017 the EP “Proud to be Dinosaurs“ came out.

Since 2010 the band's line-up has been solid except for new drummer Giacomo “Jack” Lauretani (2016). So from 2010 until today, the band toured all over Europe. In August 2018, after 13 years of activity with albums, EPs, video clips and tours, the band performed a show at the mighty Wacken Open Air! On their previous albums e.g.Tom Naumann (g, Primal Fear) or Robb Weir (g, Tygers Of Pan Tang) guested.

“Apocalypse”, the concept album, their first ever, is scheduled for August 16, 2019, via the German label “Pride & Joy Music” and showcases artwork by Stan W. Decker (Megadeth, Avantasia a.o.).

The tale has nothing to do with the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle. It combines motives from literature, history, mythology and many pre-Christian cultures. It is a story that is based on the dualism of human beings: Nobody is born bad. Nobody good. Personal choices lead us towards the former or the latter. And although there cannot be one without the other, it still seems that evil takes root more easily in our soul. It is always evil that "makes the first move".

Tarchon, deified king and hero of popular Etrurian culture (from which the band began its journey almost 15 years ago) will appear in the guise of the "Lord of Light" and the forces of good. In the course of this long war, he is be accompanied by creatures that actually existed but are considered extinct today.

Darkness, on the other hand, is represented by Manth, the demonic divinity of the Felsinean cult guarding the underworld. He can make use of any kind of fantasy creature associated with evil which are found in the most disparate cultures in the history of mankind.

product: Glasya - Heaven's Demise

release date: 12.07.2019

release territory: world

format: CD

Glasya was founded by Hugo Esteves in 2016 with one main purpose, to create a musical project that would combine full orchestral arrangements with metal. He was already familiar with symphonic metal, but he wanted to do it in a more dramatic and cinematographic way. So later that year, Hugo invited Bruno Ramos, former drummer of My Deception, and they started writing together.

They needed to integrate the symphonic elements, so Hugo contacted Davon Van Dave, a Dutch-Portuguese keyboard player, who had been member of two well-known Portuguese bands, Urban Tales and Shadowsphere, that toured with bands like To/Die/For, Beseech, Rotting Christ and, with their albums being at the top of the metal charts in Portugal, and was the ideal person to reach out for.

With Davon Van Dave on board, the next step was to find the right voice. They heard about a Portuguese Nightwish tribute band, Nightdream, and after listening to their singer’s voice and seeing her performance they immediately invited her: Eduarda Soeiro, being a classical performer and trained singer, right away became the face and voice of Glasya.

The band line-up was finally complete when Bruno Prates (b) and Manuel Pinto (g), former members of Enchantya, both being talented musicians and experienced performers, came on board.

With all the members having different influences, from classic to progressive, they were creating a very stylish and distinctive sound which offers symphonic, ethnic, slow emotional songs and powerful metal riffs, of course.

In 2018 the band released the song "Heaven's Demise" to the world in advance and it made quite a buzz among the press, creating great expectations on their upcoming debut album.

Later that year, at The Pentagon Audio Manufacturers Studios, Glasya started to record the album with Fernando Matias, who is a member of Sinistro, and has worked with bands like Moonspell, Bizarra Locomotiva, Gwydion. The upcoming album “Heaven’s Demise” features four guests, the voices of Paulo Gonçalves (Rasgo), Flávio Lino (Deadlyforce and “The Voice” Portugal show contestant), Nélson Raposo (a film and series voice-over professional), and the beautiful violin of Inna Calori.

This year, Glasya releases their debut album through Pride & Joy Music and are scheduling their tour to play the main metal festivals.

product: Bonfire - Live On Holy Ground Wacken 2018

release date: 14.06.2019

formats: CD, DVD & LP

territory: world

German Hard Rock band BONFIRE for a couple of decades has been one of the busiest touring bands and consistently also is a regular guest at numerous big European Metal festivals. On August 4^th, 2018 the Ingolstadt based group once again set a highlight performance at the world’s biggest Heavy Metal festival: Wacken Open Air.

The show in Wacken was filmed and will now be released on June 14^th, 2019 as DVD, as CD, as LP and digital under the name “Live On Holy Ground 2018”. The main film offers a superb ‘best of’ journey through time and includes BONFIRE’s own classic hits like „Ready 4 Reaction“, „Sweet Obsession“ and „American Nights“. The DVD version with “Praying 4 A Miracle” (radio edit), “Locomotive Breath” (radio edit), “Sweet Obsession” (2019) and “American Nights” (2019) offers four bonus video clips which are also included on the CD, LP and digital as audio files. The first pressing of all three physical formats was handsigned by the band.

Filmed & recorded live at Wacken Open Air on August 4th, 2018

Mix & Mastering: Tom Müller (Flatliner Studios)

Produced by: Hans Ziller

Additional Recordings by Rolf Munkes at Empire Studios

Virtual set extensions for American Nights by Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!

Locomotive Breath – Byron Mansylla, AVMS

Artwork design: The Digital Dictators

DVD information: FSK12, Playing time: 60:09 min, , Full screen: 4:3, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital, NTSC, Full HD, Region Code: 0

BONFIRE are: Hans Ziller – Lead, Rhythm-Guitar, Backing Vocals; Alexx Stahl – Lead Vocals; Ronnie Parkes – Bass, Backing Vocals; Frank Pané- Lead, Rhythm-Guitar, Backing Vocals; André Hilgers – Drums, Percussion

Additional Musicians: Tim Breideband, Harry Reischmann – Drums; Paul Morris, Fredrik Bergh, Alessandro DelVecchio – Keyboards; Mike Gerhold – Backing Vocals

product: Floating Worlds - Battleship Oceania

release date: 17.05.2019

format: CD & digital

territory: world-JP

It all began around 1998, when two long time friends who used to spend their summer vacation together, Andreas V. – guitar and Vagelis Lekos – bass, decided to form a band, eventually named “Floating Worlds”, after various changes.

After a lot of failed attempts to record their first songs, they succeeded in completing their first album, titled “Only A Dream, Can Kill A Dream…” in the autumn of 2007. Following the completion of the recordings, the obvious need to promote the new record through live performances, made the search for permanent band members imperative and finally the first gig of the “Only A Dream… Tour ’10 – ‘12”, took place on May 2010.

This tour came to an end after 17 gigs in July 2012 with a lot of lineup changes, of which the most important and crucial for the future of the band, was the taking over of the male vocals by Jon Soti, on November 2011.

The band entered the studio in December 2012, in order to record their second full length studio album, entitled “Below The Sea Of Light” which was released on October 1st 2013.

In February 2014, the premiere show of the “Sea Of Light Tour ’14 – ‘15” took place in Athens, Greece. The milestone of this period definitely was the first European tour of FLOATING WORLDS in March 2015, simultaneously with the return of Sophia Assarioti on keyboards and female vocals and the taking over of the bass by Mike Papadopoulos.

In November 2015, the “Sea Of Light Tour ’14 – ‘15” ended with four memorable shows in Serbia and immediately afterwards, the group entered a two year period of composing the songs of their third album entitled “Battleship Oceania”, the recordings of which were completed in the end of 2017 with Nikitas Mandolas on drums.

“Battleship Oceania” is going to be the first concept album from FLOATING WORLDS, narrating the story of a legendary battleship and its crew. Through the unexpected revelations and events that take place as the story evolves, the listener takes a close look at the ugly face of war, the manipulations of vain people interested in power and money and the obscure role of global media but he also has the opportunity to witness the self-sacrifice for the greater good, the sincere repentance and the greatness of forgiveness.

In order to celebrate the completion of this long task, the band performed a small number of shows, for the first time in Russia, in March 2018. “Battleship Oceania” is set to be released on May 17th 2019.