Mars Hollow: in the studio with Billy Sherwood for album #2

10T Records is excited to announce that Mars Hollow will soon be entering the studio to begin work on the follow-up to their best-selling self-titled debut CD with veteran producer and musician Billy Sherwood (YOSO, Circa;, YES, World Trade and solo artist fame) at the helm. Sherwood will be serving as producer, engineer and mixer on the project.

“To say we’re stoked would be the understatement of the century,” says Mars Hollow bassist Kerry Chicoine. “We’re all die-hard fans of Billy’s incredible musical career and his cutting-edge production techniques, and to think we’ll be recording under his watchful ears...well, I’m still pinching myself -- hard!”

“Great guys... great musicians what more can you ask for in a band?” says Sherwood of working with Mars Hollow. "It's going to be rockin'!"

Sessions are scheduled to begin in early November 2010, sandwiched between Sherwood’s upcoming sessions with progressive rock legend John Wetton. The official release of Mars Hollow’s highly anticipated, as yet untitled, sophomore effort is planned for spring of 2011.

Lunatic Soul II details revealed

October 25th, 2010 has been set as the release date of the second album of Lunatic Soul, a project conceived by Riverside's singer and bass player Mariusz Duda. The white album, a continuation of 2008's black album, constitutes the second and last part of the diptych about the journey through the underworld.

Mariusz Duda: It will again be a story about a journey through a place that exists somewhere in-between, enriched with new motifs and retrospections. A sort of a road movie about a lost soul. Musically speaking perhaps more intense and unsetting than the first part but with the predominance of certain space and lightness that can be--I hope so--associated with the colour white. Hence, the album is a sort of a continuation but certainly not a repetition.

The majority of the instrumental parts are played by Mariusz Duda himself. However, the guest musicians appear this time as well, for instance already known from the previous album Maciej Szelenbaum (keyboards, flutes, quzheng) or Wawrzyniec Dramowicz from Indukti (drums). The new album will be released in Poland by Mystic Production, and in the rest of the world by (known for their work with such bands as Porcupine Tree or Anathema) the British label Kscope. Soon, the first single "Wanderings" will be released.

1. The In-Between Kingdom
2. Otherwhere
3. Suspended In Whiteness
4. Asoulum
5. Limbo
6. Escape from ParadIce
7. Transition
8. Gravestone Hill
9. Wanderings

New Djam Karet!!!!

Djam Karet - The Heavy Soul Sessions

1. Hungry Ghost 8:32
2. The Red Threaded Sexy Beast 12:42
3. The Packing House 12:56
4. Consider Figure Three 9:48
5. Dedicated To KC 9:48
6. The Gypsy And The Hegemon 10:55
TOTAL TIME: 64:52



Ukab Maerd - The Waiting Room

1. The Cave 23:35
2. White Light, No Heat 11:28
3. God's Elastic Acre 18:16
4. Sati & The Trainman 11:14
Total Time: 64:42

http://www.djamkaret.com/present.php for more details, including credits and so forth…

AGALLOCH: new album announced, tour dates to follow

Just as AGALLOCH's last three releases — Pale Folklore, The Mantle and Ashes Against The Grain — all differed from each other, Marrow Of The Spirit is unlike anything Agalloch has ever produced before. The first album to feature new Agalloch drummer Aesop Dekker (also in Profound Lore acts Ludicra and Worm Ouroboros) includes guest appearances by cellist Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid, Asunder, Amber Asylum), Jeffrey Neblock (Vindensang), and Nathan Carson (Witch Mountain, Two-Ton Boa, SUNN 0)))).

Recorded and mixed on analog through the means of exquisite vintage gear within the months of July and August in Portland, Oregon at Audible Alchemy Studios with Steven Wray Lobdell (Faust guitarist) and mastered and manifested in San Francisco, California at Trakworx Studios with Justin Weis (Ludicra, Slough Feg, Hammers of Misfortune), the six time-stretching songs that encompass Marrow Of The Spirit come across as their own distinct identities amongst themselves. At over an hour in length, Marrow Of The Spirit is Agalloch’s darkest, bleakest, most dense, detailed and aggressive album to date and in turn is the most accomplished album of their career.

Marrow Of The Spirit track listing:

01. They Escaped The Weight Of Darkness [3:41]
02. Into The Painted Grey [12:25]
03. The Watcher’s Monolith [11:46]
04. Black Lake Nidstang [17:34]
05. Ghosts Of The Midwinter Fires [9:40]
06. To Drown [10:27]

Agalloch has announced a West Coast tour with Austrian industrial/neo-folk/martial ambient act Allerseelen. The trek's kick-off concert on December 17 in Agalloch's hometown of Portland, Oregon will also serve as the record-release show for Marrow Of The Spirit.

The dates are as follows:

Dec. 17 - Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan (w/ AERIAL RUIN)
Dec. 18 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s (w/ ALDA)
Dec. 21 - Los Angeles, CA @ [to be announced]
Dec. 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall (w/ DISPIRIT)

Divine Baze Orchestra announces Lovecraftian new album for October

Who are The Divine Baze Orchestra?

The Divine Baze Orchestra is a quintet from Uddevalla, Sweden. The band has played together since 2003, and have been through a lot over the years. Member changes, countless concerts, a record deal and the following debut album, booking agencies and management contracts have all played their part in shaping the band to who they are now.


What do they sound like?

The Divine Baze Orchestra play progressive art rock with one foot in the 70's psychedelic dream land and the other in the strong melodies of modern rock.


Why should you care?

The band's debut Once We Were Born received praise all over the continent, with profound music sites like progarchives.com and blogcritics.org among others describing the album as a "mature and diversified debut", that "knocks many of the major prog players out of the ring".

Now, the experienced quintet has announced the release of their greatly anticipated sophomore album Dead but Dreaming due late October, on Transsubstans/Record Heaven.


What is the new album about?

The lead singer and guitarist Oliver Eek describes Dead But Dreaming as a tribute to H.P Lovecraft, the late legendary fantasy writer. "The lyrics", Oliver continues, "are heavily inspired by Lovecraft's work, especially the "Cthulu" suite, and deals with themes such as cosmic horror and forces that exceed the power of humanity."

The five members' great musical talent is apparent, with complex arrangements that never limit themselves to genre, but at the same time accurately follows the different themes in the lyrics.


Find out more:
http://thedivinebazeorchestra.com
http://myspace.com/thedivinebazeorchestra

Agents of Mercy - new album info

Agents Of Mercy are back with a new full-on studio album titled DramaRama.

In it's true retro-spirit it is rehearsed and recorded "live" in Varispeed Studios in Sweden, with very few overdubs...12 songs written by guitarist Roine Stolt & singer Nad Sylvan - the concept was "to find the roots of our inspiration and the sounds we love" so there's the obvious late 60's and early 70's feel.

12 titles that focus more on melody, storytelling and drama than "technical delivery" - not withstanding the fact that the band house some of the most skilled hi-profile musicians in the present prog scene.

Huge rumble and swoosh from drums, fuzzy grinding & thunder bass, Wurlizer piano, Hammond swirls and adventurous moog ornaments, Telecaster twang and vintage Vox tubes - all there to support our swinging psychedelic-dramadelic 60's tripback.

Plenty of symphonic rewards for the diehard fans of TFK or Transatlantic style prog - closer to Retropolis than Rainmaker- but yet more scaled down happy classic rock,glam & pop too. It borrows from the theatrical rock - film noir - the oddity of young David Bowie - to the energy Mahavishnu Orchestra. The new album is a big leap towards a more complete classic (prog) rock band feel - where the 1st album stayed firmly in very pastel and mellow contemplating, but yet demanding modes.

DramaRama is an independent release from Stolt's own label, designed to operate freely and adapt in this new dawn of recorded music - so buy it from us and support more new adventurous recordings from this team.


The band consists of:
Nad Sylvan (Unifaun) VOCAL & KEYBOARDS
Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, Flower Kings) GUITARS
Jonas Reingold (Flower Kings, Karmakanic) BASS
Lalle Larsson (Weaveworld, Karmakanic) KEYBOARDS
Walle Wahlgren - DRUMS


Titles:
The Duke Of Sadness
Last Few Grains Of Hope
Peace United
Journey
Gratitude
Meet Johnnie Walker
Cinnamon Tree
The Ballad Of Mary Chilton
Roger The Tailor
Conspiracy
We Have Been Freed
Time
( final running order tba)

Running time: 72 minutes
Comes in nice digipak - Artwork by Silas Toball (again)

THE TANGENT: new album and gig news

Quite a few Tangent goings on at the moment. Firstly, to thank everyone who has bought "A Place On The Shelf", and to let everyone who hasn't got round to buying know that…

A Place On the Shelf is STILL available from our website www.thetangent.org - a whole album of previously unreleased pieces including our version of a large Stravinsky piece, plus a whole new 20 minute long epic, described by some as the best track we ever did. Reviews of this have been few, but highly enthusiastic, and thanks to anyone who wrote one of them…

THE NEW ALBUM

Yes, we're recording again, heavily into the composition at the moment. Our next album is currently called "COMM" and is shaping up nicely for release in early 2011 we hope. We're agreed to work once again with Ed Unitsky on the sleeve for this one, after 2 albums with other artists, and that's something you may want to look forward to. We don't deliberately make CONCEPT albums as you may know, but we do have themes in our records, and it looks like the theme of this one is all about communications (and lack of them)…

GIGS:

The Tangent now have a few gigs coming up, mostly in the UK. We've recently had a very successful trip to Italy where we headlined a festival in Parma - the first review of which states that the audience were "blown away by their enthusiasm". There's some photos at the website and the facebook site of course.

THE TANGENT with UNITOPIA in the UK
weekend of Fri/Sat 22nd 23rd October.

Yup, these two Insideout bands will play together, firstly in London at the LUMINAIRE on FRI Oct 22. Then on the Saturday it's up to the CRS at the WESLEY CENTRE in Maltby, Rotherham, Yorkshire. This is a "No headline, No support" equal billing set of shows. Unitopia will OPEN proceedings in London, The Tangent will OPEN in Rotherham

THE TANGENT at the PEEL. Saturday November 13. The "House Of Progression" at the Peel in Kingston, LONDON, is now London's only dedicated progressive rock music venue and we are delighted to be playing our first gig there. This will be a full length set (around 2 hours we hope)…

THE TANGENT in BELGIUM. Sunday November 14 at the SPIRIT OF 66 at Verviers. The band return to a favourite haunt for a brief foray into Europe.

NEXT YEAR we are planning on returning more to Europe, and hopefully cracking that elusive American Festival date. Anyone who can help us with these goals, please get in touch, and - well until the next time, thanks for listening.

K2 signs with Magna Carta; new album due in September

California-based Progressive band K2 has signed to Magna Carta Records and has released the first single “Widows Watch” from their upcoming release Black Garden. Black Garden is scheduled for release world-wide on September 21, 2010.

K2 is a true progressive rock band that combines influences of Genesis, Yes, ELP and UK. With vocals reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, bass recalling Yes’ Chris Squire and keyboards from Ryo of Spock’s Beard that bring to mind Rick Wakeman and Tony Banks, K2 is a prog lover’s dream.

Black Garden, K2’s first release on Magna Carta Records, is an instant Prog classic featuring skillful instrumentation, haunting vocals and a rich lyrical backdrop that tells the story of ancient Oceania. Black Garden describes the epic journey of the ancient Polynesians sailing over a third of our world before settling the islands of the South Pacific. And they did it more than 2000 years before Columbus sailed.

Jaquess took on the challenge of writing this ancient tale after visiting the South Pacific and Hawaii and being inspired by the islands’ beauty and history. He was fascinated by the story of how man first came to inhabit the islands so dense with splendor and seemingly cut off from the known world.

The early explorers had only small boats to cross the ocean’s vast emptiness drenched in molten sunlight during the day and veiled in complete darkness by night with only the stars and moon to guide them. The Polynesians travelled across the great expanse of the Pacific Ocean from the Asian mainland to find the mystic islands looming on their horizon after months of confinement on their small vessels.

K2 realizes this imagery in both their lyrical and musical approach to this album. K2 captures the essence of these travelers’ amazing journey where the abundant natural majesty found on the islands was only matched by the danger they faced every day both on land and sea.

Release Date: September 21, 2010
1) Black Garden 6:25
2) Passage to the Deep 11:37
3) Widows Watch 6:38
4) Encounter or Absence 7:12
5) Storm at Sunset 11:06
6) Summer's Fall 2:13
7) Path of the Warrior 10:44


K2 on the Magna Carta website: http://magnacarta.net/K2/index.html
K2 “Widows Watch” single on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/29t6zbn
K2 “Widows Watch” single on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/2bd8pdq
K2 Official website: http://www.myspace.com/k2ken

Magma - Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré info

(from the press release)

One of music's most innovative and eclectic ensembles, Magma, will be releasing the final installment to their most recent epic trilogy. Titled Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, Magma's new opus will be released internationally on November 5, 2009 on Seventh Records. This marks the second trilogy by the legendary French band, the first being Theusz Hamtaahk. Magma was founded in Paris in 1969 by drummer Christian Vander, who derived his inspiration from a "vision of humanity's spiritual and ecological future" that profoundly disturbed him. Vander was a self-taught musician, who received some tips from drum legend Elvin Jones. In the course of Magma's first album, the band tells the story of a group of people fleeing a doomed Earth to settle on the planet Kobaïa. Later, conflict arises when the Kobaïans, who are descendants of the original colonists, encounter other Earth refugees. A distinguished aspect of Magma's music is that Vander actually invented a constucted language, Kobaïan, in which most lyrics are sung. Later albums told different stories set in more ancient times; however the Kobaïan language remained an integral part of the music.

"In its message, as in its genesis and its making, Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is an intimate epic, an occult stride forward, a quest for the sublime. Initiated in 1975, its composition beholds its whole fulfillment after more than three decades. It is the testimony of an unwaveringly timeless inspiration, of which the expectant present asserts itself beyond history. Connecting wide and contrasted scenes, it sets its coherence within its very dynamics, playing with chiaroscuro, between choral splendor, operatic jubilation and hurricane of spirits beyond graves.

As much a seraphic liturgy as it is a telluric opera, Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré comes as the final closure to a second trilogy, following upon that of Theusz Hamtaahk, in Christian Vander’s corpus. This is a music reaching out from a time before man time. Born at the heart of nebulas, fed on mineral glow, and riding crypts capped with a cosmic vault." Bruno Heuzé

When asked if the name Magma is part of Kobaian or does it refer to lava? Christian Vander replied, "Yes, it refers directly to lava. Back in 1966, I had written a piece and I was already in a band with Bernard Paganotti, who became a bass player. Already, I was searching for the right word. The tune I wrote back then was called Nogma. I was looking for the word Magma, but didn't know it was what I was looking for. One day the band didn't have a name at the time, and they were standing in front of a fairly well-known club in Paris. The club management told me if you don't have a name, you can't come and play tonight. So we went for coffee, at the shop next door. I thought deeply, you know, and the word Magma came out. At the same time, I founded Univeria Zekt. I wrote this down on the receipt from the coffee shop and kept it."

When asked where the music of Magma is derived, Christian explained to George Allen and Robert Pearson that "the music and the lyrics come up at the same time. If I am singing, and if it has to be in Kobaian, they come up in Kobaian. Sometimes there is a word that is maybe French or English and I leave it in because it is there, and it's natural. The lyrics come at the same time, parallel to the music. For pieces like Mekanik, they were not written in one shot or one session. I had to run a tape recorder to be able to capture it instantly- it goes very fast. I sing with new words that I don't know, and when I am improvising further, the same words come back, even though I don't know them. But I didn't learn them, they impose themselves on me."

Considered by many to be musically pioneering and imaginative, Magma makes extensive use of the choral format, their album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh being particularly reminiscent of the classical composer Carl Orff, while Wurdah Ïtah reveals connections to Béla Bartók's piano music and "Les Noces" by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. Reportedly, Christian Vander is also highly influenced by the work of jazz legend John Coltrane. "I am always listening and attentive to what they do," says Vander. "I am open to listen to what they do. But for my work, it is still Coltrane who actually gives me the real material to work on, to be able to move on."

Magma's new CD also comes with a 57-minute DVD, "Phases", as a testimonial to the intensity of the ensemble's work during its recording.

Featuring:
Stella Vander vocals, percussions
Isabelle Feuillebois vocals
Hervé Aknin vocals
Benoît Alziary vibraphone
James Mac Gaw guitare
Bruno Ruder Fender Rhodes
Philippe Bussonnet bass, piccolo bass
Christian Vander drums, vocals , piano, Fender Rhodes, keybords, percussions
also featuring : Emmanuel Borghi : piano - Himiko Paganotti, Antoine Paganotti , Claude Lamamy, Marcus Linon, Pierre-Michel Sivadier : backing vocals

For more information on Magma visit:
www.seventhrecords.com
www.myspace.com/magmaofficial
seventh@seventhrecords.com

Taylor's Universe news

Highly acclaimed Danish prog act Taylor's Universe have spent most of this year in the studios, recording what will become the band's 10th album. The title of the album is Artificial Joy, and according to the band's leader/composer Robin Taylor, this release will contain some of his most inspired music heard in several years. Newcomers among the players are guitar ace Finn Olafsson (from legendary 60s/70s group Ache) as well as saxophone wizard Jakob Mygind.

Line-up for Artificial Joy:

Jakob Mygind saxophones
Carsten Sindvald clarinet/saxophone
Finn Olafsson electric guitar
Michael Denner electric guitar
Robin Taylor vintage keyboards, electric guitar, percussion
Flemming Muus Tranberg fretless bass
Klaus Thrane drums

with
Louise Nipper voice

Time of release: Later this fall (if nothing goes wrong).

The Enid News

Major bits of Enid news...rather than try to summarise, I'm providing RJG's words for you to absorb and process. There's a lot going on...I hope dearly it comes to fruition:

JOURNEYS END - But Not The End Of The Story

This may be the last major concept album from The Enid, but not the "last album". After this comes "Virtuoso", and "Fand Grosse". Along side that, the ongoing "Redux Project" - A five year plan and a legacy. My bid for immortality!

Journey's End is the certainly our most optimistic and thought provoking album. Allegorical in nature, it deals with our place in the cosmos, the nature of eternity and the final question - the journey into the shadows - the inevitable path we must all tread.

Although Journey's End contains many of the creative ingredients of the "FarOut" project which I finally abandoned in 2006, it is not that album by another name. It has a very different concept and is much more sanguine than FarOut would have been had it ever seen the light of day.

As the album nears it's compositional end, I too am gradually nearing mine. There is no escape from the slow silent killer we call diabetes. For me it is now or never.

VIRTUOSO - A Bridge Too Far?

For the last two years I have made a serious effort to regain my piano technique - as it used to be in 1969 when, if the plans of my parents had been adhered to, I would have attempted to be in the final of The Leeds International Piano Competition.

One of the ways I have been doing this, is by creating exciting virtuoso arrangements for solo piano of certain pieces by The Enid - most notably "Childe Roland". Now the rest of the band and I are experimenting with "all live" - unplugged chamber versions of some of our most enduring pieces across the decades.

FAND GROSSE - THE DEFINITIVE VERSION FOR TWO BANDS

Plans are afoot to team up with Secret Green and do monster performances of Fand in a special extended arrangement for both bands. More news as things progress.

REDUX PROJECT - The Definitive Enid

Over the next five years The Enid will endeavour to record all of our past studio albums in enhanced arrangements and available in 5.1 surround sound. These will become the "director's cut" - the definitive Enid.

DOWNLOADING THE ENID - Coming Soon

Soon you will be able to download The Enid's Music. There will be no charge for this service. Instead we ask for donations to "The Enidi" based what you feel is deserved and ability to pay.

http://www.theenid.com/

New Anekdoten collection

(from the page at KScope Records)

"It's been almost 18 years since the four of us started rehearsing together in a small house in the village of Djurås. Ever since then Anekdoten has been an ongoing part of our lives. ...”

Anekdoten are considered one of the leading bands in contemporary progressive rock. Their intensive, dark, dynamic and original music has also appealed to metal, goth and post-rock fans all over the world.

Anekdoten was formed in 1991 by Anna Sofi Dahlberg, Nicklas Barker, Peter Nordins and Jan Erik Liljeström and the line up has remained intact ever since. Together they have released 5 studio albums on their own Virta label and 3 live albums in Japan, selling over 85,000 albums in the process.

Chapters is a 2CD set which mixes tracks from the band’s 5 albums along with rarities and unreleased tracks.

Jan Erik explains the choices of tracks, “On the first CD you'll find our favourite songs from our 3 most recent albums. As a bonus we finally did a proper recording of a tune we wrote in 1998 called "When I Turn". The song was not included on from From Within because we couldn't play the piano properly. For this release we asked Per Wiberg of Opeth to help us out, so now we can finally release this baby into the world.

“The second CD mostly contains material from our early years. The disc kicks off with perhaps the most legendary Anekdoten song, the epic "Sad Rain", which previously only has been available in Japan. There are also demo versions of three songs from the Nucleus album. The creative atmosphere that surrounded these recordings made them far too good to lie gathering dust in the archives. Rounding things up are demos of Pieces" and "Prince Of The Ocean" songs that would be reworked, but not necessarily improved, for our most recent studio album A Time Of Day. All songs have been carefully (re-)mastered by Hans Fredriksson at Audiosense."


CD 1
1. RICOCHET
2. THE GREAT UNKNOWN
3. FROM WITHIN
4. IN FOR A RIDE
5. THE WAR IS OVER
6. MONOLITH
7. A SKY ABOUT TO RAIN
8. EVERY STEP I TAKE
9. GROUNDBOUND
10. GRAVITY
11. WHEN I TURN (Previously unreleased)

CD 2
1. SAD RAIN (Alt. mix)
2. WHEEL
3. THE OLD MAN & THE SEA
4. NUCLEUS (demo)
5. BOOK OF HOURS (demo)
6. THIS FAR FROM THE SKY (demo)
7. 30 PIECES (demo)
8. PRINCE OF THE OCEAN (demo)

Abigail's Ghost new release updates

The highly anticipated follow-up to 2007's Selling Insincerity is well on its course for arrival in May 2009. Reserve your copy of the band's second album d_letion today. All pre-ordered copies will be autographed by the band and will be delivered before the record's official street date.


Head on over to Abigail's Ghost website and pre-order your album today:

http://www.abigailsghost.com/store

Nektar announce new album release - Fortyfied

Nektar announces the release of a new double live album to celebrate 40 years of Nektar music. Track listing is scheduled to be as follows:

Disc 1:
Tab in the ocean..14mn 39s
Cryin’ in the dark..5mn 46s
King of twilight..4mn 18s
Dream nebula Pt 1..4mn 33s
Desolation valley..5mn 18s
Waves..3mn 11s
Remember the future Pt 2..18mn 48s
Doctor kool..10mn 11s
King of the deep..9mn 8s

Disc 2:
Where are you now.. 9mn 41s
Day in the life of a preacher..5mn 26s
Mr H..9mn 17s
Recycled Pt 1..17mn 29s
The debate..8mn 20s
Man in the moon..8mn 45s

http://www.nektarsmusic.com/nn/home/home_new.asp

Jeremy Irons to feature on New Touchstone album - Wintercoast!

TOUCHSTONE are proud and highly honoured to announce that the internationally-renowned actor Jeremy Irons is making a very special guest appearance on their new album, Wintercoast, due for release soon.

Jeremy Irons has won a raft of high profile awards, including an Academy Award® (Oscar) for Best Actor, a Screen Actors Guild Award, two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, among others. He also won an Annie Award for voice acting in The Lion King. He is shortly due to appear at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway, having returned after 25 years, co-starring with Joan Allen in a new play "Impressionism," written by Michael Jacobs.

To tie in with this announcement, you can now pre-order Touchstone’s new album Wintercoast by clicking the link below and not only will you get the album before it hits the shops and online outlets, you will also receive a limited-edition print which will include album artwork and narrative, autographed by the band. Please note numbers are strictly limited.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/corky.h/touchstone.htm

The Rebel Wheel: new album teaser available

This in from basist Gary Lauzon:

"...here is the first part of the 35 minute epic, this is a 6min instrumental. I had fun playing bass on this, enjoy!

Part 1/7 of The Discovery of Witchcraft

Gary"

Pallas: demos up!

http://www.pallas.f2s.com/

"It's unclear whether this is a 're-imagining' or a straightforward sequel, but the new Pallas album sees the band returning to the extended musical themes and narrative arc of 'The Sentinel' album.

It's twenty-five years since the Crystal Dome vanished beneath the ocean waves. East no longer threatens West, but already the lessons learned from that confrontation have been forgotten.

Humanity has found new ways to express its darker side, and growing insecurity and diminishing resources have exposed fresh divisions.

Has the time come for The Sentinel to rise again?"

4 demos for the new project have been posted for your aural pleasure :-)

DREAM THEATER: new album details announced

Progressive metal veterans DREAM THEATER have announced BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album – their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's Systematic Chaos — in October of last year.

Roadrunner will release the record on June 23. In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, the titles of which will be revealed at a later date. Six weeks prior to the June 23 street date, Roadrunner will release one cover song per week through digital retailers.

Drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci are once again at the helm as producers, while Paul Northfield mixed the record.

The band will embark on a world tour in support of the album beginning in Europe throughout June which will be followed by the second edition of the band’s PROGRESSIVE NATION tour featuring Zappa Plays Zappa, Pain Of Salvation and Beardfish throughout North America in July/August.

A video for the first single, "A Rite of Passage" will be shot in late March.

The track listing for BLACK CLOUDS & SILVER LININGS is as follows:

1. A Nightmare to Remember
2. A Rite of Passage
3. Wither
4. The Shattered Fortress
5. The Best of Times
6. The Count of Tuscany

More Saga news/info

Courtesy of InsideOut Music:

The first studio album with new singer Rob Moratti, The Human Condition, will be released in time for the upcoming European tour.

Tracklist:

1. The Human Condition
2. Step Inside
3. Hands Of Time
4. Avalon
5. A Number With A Name
6. Now Is Now
7. Let It Go
8. Crown Of Thorns
9. You Look Good To Me

Pure Reason Revolution: new album available for pre-order

Due out in the UK on the 9th of March, Amor Vincit Omnia is the new release from the UK's Pure Reason Revolution. There is a special edition 2 disc version available as well.

Details follow:

Disc: 1
1. Les Malheurs
2. Victorious Cupid
3. i) Keep Me Sane/Insane
4. ii) Apogee, iii) Requiem for the Lovers
5. Deus Ex Machina
6. Bloodless
7. Disconnect
8. The Gloaming
9. AVO

Disc: 2
1. Deus Ex Machina (Live at NEARfest, video)
2. Victorious Cupid (Live at NEARfest, video)
3. Les Malheurs (Live at Rockpalast, video)
4. The Gloaming (Live at Rockpalast, video)
5. Documentary (video)