Sonic Perspectives

Talent surely runs in the family when it comes to Rufus Miller. His interest in electric guitar came from his father Dominic, an accomplished musician with several solo albums, who has been collaborating with Sting since 1991. Slowly but surely, Rufus started to learn basic chords and to play grunge songs, which to this day [...]

One of the most enduring metal acts on the planet, MEGADETH has been recording a new album in the last few months, and updates have been given by their main-man Dave Mustaine from time to time. While the new songs are being honed in the studio, the band’s bass player, Dave Ellefson, aka “Junior”, is [...]

The new chapter of SUNSTORM is here! Originally designed to showcase a musical style similar to singer Joe Lynn Turner’s Melodic Rock/AOR roots, the band now has a new face on the front-man’s seat, in the form of LORDS OF BLACK and RAINBOW singer Ronnie Romero. His debut with the group, “Afterlife” was recently released [...]

Very few people who are called an “icon” in the metal community deserve such title, but Geoff Tate is surely worthy of that denomination. Tate fronted the prog metal pioneers Queensrÿche from the band’s inception through the peak of their success with albums like “Operation: Mindcrime” and “Empire”, all the way to a controversial exit [...]

Coming from Hanover, Human Fortress has been flying the flag of power metal and taking no prisoners since their inception in 1997. After several lineup changes and eight albums, things seem a little bit more stable since Brazilian singer Gus Monsanto joined them in 2013. The band recently put out an album entitled “Epic Tales [...]

Smith/Kotzen, the collaboration between guitar giants Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, has been teased with cryptic posts on social media in the last few months. More recently, three singles have been revealed: “Taking My Changes”, “Scars” and “Running”, which carry both players’ early influences on their sleeves. On March 26th fans will be able to [...]

The unstoppable creative force known as Magnus Karlsson is back with a new project that stands out from the previous work he has done before. This time, his impressive mastery focuses on creating a symphonic metal opera under the Heart Healer moniker, which is set to release its debut album titled “The Metal Opera by Magnus Karlsson” on March 12, 2021. [...]

For decades John Young has played with an amazing array of rock’s best musicians and performers, making a living as full-time professional musician in esteemed company. From Asia to The Scorpions to The Strawbs to Bonnie Tyler and much, much more, he has covered a wide terrain while being one of the nicest guys you’ll [...]

“This album is all about growth,” she continues. “Every cloud has its silver lining, and there’s always light at the end of a dark period.” “If you look for it,” she adds. Anneke van Giersbergen is no stranger to facing daunting odds with a self-assured smile. Indeed, she penned one of her former band’s most [...]

In his in spare time between work with Yes and Asia, Geoff Downes began a new project with noted singer songwriter Chris Braide. Ten years later, the fourth release from the Downes Braide Association (DBA), “Halcyon Hymns”, is a beautifully textured album, as colorful as the Roger Dean cover art which adorns it. You can [...]

Over the course of five decades Steve Lukather has placed an indelible stamp on pop culture. Alongside his tenure as the only member of Toto to never take a hiatus from the band, he has performed on thousands of albums as a session musician. Amongst these musical contributions are some of the most successful, influential [...]

Earlier in the month, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2021 list of nominees. Among the illustrious group of artists was heavy metal favorite; Iron Maiden! It was a long-overdue recognition for the band as they are arguably one of the world’s biggest metal bands, selling over 100 million albums worldwide during [...]

Bayley Alexander Cooke, (widely known as Blaze Bayley), is a survivor. From his early days with WOLFSBANE, through his tenure with IRON MAIDEN and his prolific solo career, he has faced more than the usual share of hardships. A motorbike accident, the loss of loved ones, and criticism from the IRON MAIDEN fanbase who never [...]

Drummer Jason Rullo, from the internationally acclaimed prog metal band Symphony X, is venturing into new territories. His new band 3 Rules, with Ron Sanborn on guitar and Artha Meadors on bass, is focused on instrumental music with no boundaries. The end result can sometimes be heavy, melodic or jazzy, depending on what goes through [...]

Owner of one of the most distinctive voices in rock, Eric Martin has had an unstoppable career. Best known as the longtime vocalist for the Los Angeles-based hard rock group Mr. Big, he found chart-topping success with the band in the early ‘90s with the ballad “To Be With You.” Since his early efforts with [...]

Steven Wilson may have originally made a name for himself through his band Porcupine Tree but his subsequent solo career has seen his influence and impact grow exponentially. Having made music with a variety of projects and bands over the past three decades, Wilson has long pushed his edge of being a big fish in [...]

Todd La Torre, vocalist for Queensrÿche, will be releasing his debut solo record, “Rejoice in the Suffering”, this Friday February 5th via Rat Pak Records. As global touring came to a sudden and unexpected halt earlier this year, Todd used the pandemic downtime to put the finishing touches on his debut solo record. He and Craig [...]

Not many can say they had a stellar 50 year career in any line of work, let alone one in a competitive market such as the music business. Michael Schenker is a survivor, who went through every trend, fad and style through the years, and remained a respectable force in the guitar realm. From his [...] The post MICHAEL SCHENKER Talks Upcoming MSG Album and Career: “I Declined OZZY OSBOURNE, DEEP PURPLE and Many Other Bands for The Only Reason To Be Myself” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Joel Hoekstra does know how to keep himself busy. Aside from being one of David Coverdale’s gunslingers in Whitesnake, he has done tours with Cher and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2015 he created a solo project entitled Joel Hoekstra’s 13, and released the debut album “Dying to Live”. February 12th sees the release of the band’s [...] The post JOEL HOEKSTRA Reflects on Upcoming JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 Album: “It’s a More Focused Album This Time Around” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Accept are back with another killer record, the aptly titled “Too Mean to Die”. Since their reformation in 2010, now with Mark Tornillo on vocals, they have experienced quite a resurgence, with a string of very successful albums, beginning with 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”. “Too Mean to Die” follows the same tradition of their [...] The post ACCEPT’s WOLF HOFFMANN Reflects on The Importance Of Releasing New Material: “We Never Want To Be A Nostalgia Band And Live Off Of Our Past” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.