Sonic Perspectives

“Pioneer,” an adjective to be used carefully. Many wish they were, most are not. DIAMOND HEAD – the Stourbridge, England-born New Wave Of British Heavy Metal pioneers – return to the world stage with a new album. The Coffin Train, DIAMOND HEAD’s eighth studio album, is a glorious testimony to Brian Tatler and Rasmus Bom [...] The post DIAMOND HEAD’s Guitarist Brian Tatler: “Our New Album ‘The Coffin Train’ is Very Guitar Orientated and It’s Sonically a Better Sounding Album Than Its Predecessor” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

There no much you can say at this point about American rock singer Jeff Scott Soto that hasn’t been said before, time and time again. A declared Freddie Mercury fan, and best known for being the vocalist on Yngwie Malmsteen‘s first two albums and the lead vocalist for Journey on their 2006–2007 tours, Jeff also [...] The post JEFF SCOTT SOTO Talks New Album: “With SOTO I Decided to Establish My Heavier Side, This Band is a Collective Effort and Much Different From My Solo Output” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

In an age where music is available instantly and bands appear and fade just as quickly, the power and resiliency that is Overkill who’s initial social media was stuffing show flier ads under windshield wipers in the 80s, has remained as resolute as ever, and even more so. It’s with over 30 years under their leather [...] The post OVERKILL’s Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth: “We Have Always Felt Proud of Ourselves About Sounding as OVERKILL at the End of the Day, But Each Song in the New Record has its Individual Personality” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

JOHN ARCH, the unmistakable voice of the first three Fates Warning records, left the music industry in 1987 after just four years of the touring cycle. It would be over seventeen years before Arch would enter the recording studio again. Though he did appear with his former band-mates during a 1994 Fates Warning concert, and [...] The post JOHN ARCH Reveals the Secrets Behind his Ageless Voice: “I Don’t Smoke, I Rarely Drink, I Don’t Do Drugs, and I Mountain Bike” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

There was a time in which genuine power was felt erupting from the sonic landscape that is now referred to as “old school” death metal. As with most newly developed forms of art, at its genesis it was filled with a fresh and vibrant energy and was virtually unsaturated by musicians. It was the mighty [...] The post POSSESSED’s Leader JEFF BECERRA Talks New Album ‘Revelations of Oblivion’: “Death Metal is About Doing Whatever the F*ck You Want and Having Artistic Freedom” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

The word “legendary” has been used to a large extent when introducing classic rock artists, but in Uli Jon Roth’s case, there isn’t a more appropriate adjective. He had a pivotal role in the Scorpions’ early years, being the lead guitar player on four amazing studio records and the legendary live album Tokyo Tapes. He [...] The post ULI JON ROTH Recalls His Exit From SCORPIONS: “Nothing Would Have Made Me Stay When I Decided to Leave” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

For the past many albums, progressive rock band Big Big Train have excelled in telling stories of the English countryside and its people. Formed 20 years ago, the band underwent many personnel changes especially over the past decade, until they finally reached their current all-star lineup. With new recording Grand Tour they are ready to [...] The post BIG BIG TRAIN’s Greg Spawton Talks New Album: “In Europe, GRAND TOUR goes back to the 17th century as a concept of getting out into the world and finding yourself and discovering things about history, so we liked that concept for the album.” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Albums born from personal tragedies are not new in the music business – from Pink Floyd’s The Wall to Sting’s Soul Cages, from Bowie’s Blackstar to Swallow the Sun’s When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light, death seems to force musicians to tap into their wells of creativity with even more focus and drive [...] The post LORD DYING’s ERIK OLSON Reflects on New Album Creative Process: “We Wanted to Challenge Ourselves and Think Outside the Box” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Los Angeles based, US Heavy / Power metal legends Steel Prophet are back with a new massive sounding heavy metal album The God Machine, released two weeks ago. Five years after the release of their latest album Omniscient the band recruited the all-star Heavy Metal singer / producer R.D. Liapakis of Mystic Prophecy / Devil’s [...] The post STEEL PROPHET’s Mastermind STEVE KACHINSKY On New Singer R.D. LIAPAKIS: “He’s A Great Singer and I Don’t Think Our Fans Can Be Dissatisfied with His Performance” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Mark “Truey” Trueack created a stir in the prog world with the band Unitopia from down under, which he created with Sean Timms. After he and Timms went their separate ways, rather than form a new band per se, Truey went on to create a collective of rotating musicians called United Progressive Fraternity. First enlisting [...] The post UNITED PROGRESSIVE FRATERNITY’s Mark Trueack: “If You Can Get the Message Across Quickly, and Complex Music to Support It, That’s the Best of Both Worlds” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Whitesnake, the mega-platinum legendary rock n’ roll band founded and formed by Deep Purple singer David Coverdale are embarking on their 2019 world tour, which will feature songs from the new studio record to be released in May 2019 on Frontiers Music SLR entitled Flesh & Blood alongside their biggest hits and songs from one [...] The post WHITESNAKE’s JOEL HOEKSTRA: “The Choruses of Many Songs On The New Album Beg to be Sung by the Crowd” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

At this point in time, Judas Priest is not just a band, but a British institution. One of the forefathers of the movement that came to be known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they are now more popular than ever. Having been through ups and downs in the music industry, lineup changes [...] The post IAN HILL of JUDAS PRIEST on the Follow Up to Firepower: “We Have a Lot of Unused Material that Was Very Solid and Could End up on Our Next Album” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

With a career that spans back to the early 80s, Minnesota-based singer Lance King has gained global recognition for his impeccable timbre, mile-wide range, and towering persona while fronting such luminary bands as Pyramaze and Balance of Power. Fresh off the release of his second solo album, ReProgram, King was a good enough chap to [...] The post TALKING PERSPECTIVES: “Unknown Band Deserving A Bigger Audience / LANCE KING – ReProgram / DEVIN TOWNSEND – Empath” (Episode No. 23) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

At 68 years of age, and soon to be 69, Steve Hackett seems unstoppable. Coming off of a tour celebrating the Genesis classic Wind and Wuthering, he recently released his 26th studio album, At the Edge of Light. In his own words, the new effort is more than just a collection of tracks. “I love [...] The post STEVE HACKETT Reflects on His Recent Album: “I Wanted to Include Friends From All Over the World and Celebrate What’s Best on All Corners of the Earth” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer John Mitchell wears many hats, but he wears them all well. A member of such mainstay progressive rock bands as Arena, It Bites, KINO, and Frost*, Mitchell‘s more recent project Lonely Robot has turned many heads since its 2015 debut album, Please Come Home. April 26th will see the release [...] The post ARENA / LONELY ROBOT’s Mastermind John Mitchell: “I Like Making Music, I Think It’s What I’m Good At” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

It’s not every day that you get to chat with a couple who not only share their lives, but also amount to unbelievable musical pedigree. Jane Getter has a 20 year career as a solo artist, and has performed with a myriad of world renowned artists including Ursala Dudziak, The Roots The Jam, Kenny Garrett, [...] The post JANE GETTER And ADAM HOLZMAN Talk Upcoming Album: “My Upcoming Record Will Be a Natural Progression From “ON”, with a Better Balance Between Instrumental Passages And Sung Tunes” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Familiar to any friend of melodic, heavy sounds Iron Savior is the band around mastermind Piet Sielck, a staple in the power-metal scene of the last decades. In 1996 the multi-talented artist, who made a mark among others as a guitarist and producer, founded this solo project. The line-up carousel rotated steadily, but over the [...] The post IRON SAVIOR’s Piet Sielck: “Patrick Is a 100% Power Metal Drummer and That’s What We Need in IRON SAVIOR” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Call it hyperbole if you wish, but with prog-rock in America often associated with older bands and often equally experienced fans I don’t think there are many bands more important to the next wave as New Jersey’s own Thank You Scientist. And coming from a Pennsylvania resident you know I mean business when I actually [...] The post THANK YOU SCIENTIST’s Tom Monda and Ben Karas: “We Weren’t Specifically Looking for a Nude Senior Citizen BUT…” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Recently released Exumer‘s fifth full-length album entitled Hostile Defiance, is exactly what its title suggests: A 42-minute full on attack, the thrash faction hold nothing back as they unleash hell as only they can, yet with more variety and dynamics than ever before. While the album’s title is overtly belligerent, the lyrical content is far [...] The post EXUMER’s Mem Von Stein: “It Doesn’t Matter How Much of a Extreme Metal Fan You Are, You Will Always Like DIO or Early AC/DC” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Queensrÿche is a name that had long been synonymous with innovation and excellence before egos and power struggles derailed them from their once-trailblazing path. Now in their seventh year of the post-Tate era, the Seattle natives are bringing their revitalized sound to fans who, after nearly a quarter-century, at last feel like they can trust [...] The post QUEENSRŸCHE and FATES WARNING @ The Aztec Theater – San Antonio, TX (March 22nd, 2019) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.