Search results for 'stratovarius'

News

AMORPHIS Guitarist TOMI KOIVUSAARI Launches Solo Project BJØRKØ

Best known as the driving force behind Finnish metal icons AMORPHIS, guitarist Tomi Koivusaari steps into his own spotlight with BJØRKØ, his long-awaited solo project. A journey 15 years in the making, "Heartrot", the project's debut album, will be released this December through Svart Records. The a...

News

STRATOVARIUS's 'Dreamspace' Lineup Reunites As TIMO TOLKKI'S STRATO

The "Dreamspace" lineup of STRATOVARIUS has reformed, returning under the moniker TIMO TOLKKI'S STRATO. Featuring Timo Tolkki (vocals and guitar),Tuomo Lassila (drums) and Antti Ikonen (keyboards),these members recorded the classic "Fright Night", "Twilight Time", "Dreamspace" and "Fourth Dimensio...

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STRATOVARIUS And SONATA ARCTICA Announce 'Nordic Power Metal Titans' Fall 2023 European Tour

Since putting their mark on the map of heavy music in the mid/late-'90s, Finnish melodic metal whirlwinds SONATA ARCTICA have consistently expanded their following, not only by releasing a colorful range of works (ten studio albums, two acoustic albums etc.),but also by performing countless shows....

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JOE LYNN TURNER Says RITCHIE BLACKMORE 'Wasn't Playing Well' During RAINBOW's Latest Concerts: 'There Was No Fire'

Former RAINBOW singer Joe Lynn Turner has once defended his comments about Ritchie Blackmore's decision to go out and play the band's classic material with a new group of musicians, saying Ritchie "wasn't playing well" and "there was no fire" in RAINBOW's performances. Blackmore stepped away from hi...

Review

Angus McSix and the Sword of Power

Once upon a time, a dead Scottish prince decided to rise from the grave. He travelled back through the depths of hell, drew the mighty sword "Sixcalibur" from its stony prison and then roared back into existence with an album full of giant, fantasy-via-videogame-influenced power metal anthems. Or so...

Review

The Awakening

The role of vocals in KAMELOT — whether handled by Roy Khan and now Tommy Karevik — hasn't required the heavy lifting associated with melodic metal bands of a similar thread, i.e., early HELLOWEEN, RHAPSODY OF FIRE and STRATOVARIUS. The heavily orchestrated quality of KAMELOT's music meant Khan and...

Feature

KAMELOT's THOMAS YOUNGBLOOD: 'I've Never Allowed Someone Else To Dictate My Path'

By David E. Gehlke When KAMELOT was shopping for a record deal in the desolate, unforgiving mid-1990s, founding member and guitarist Thomas Youngblood was thinking long term. Rather than signing with a stateside label that may not understand KAMELOT's brand of melodic metal, Youngblood and company h...

News

JOE LYNN TURNER Has 'Nothing But Good Things' To Say About RITCHIE BLACKMORE

In a new interview with the WHMH FM Rockin' 101 radio station, former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer Joe Lynn Turner was asked about his experience working with the notoriously moody guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man, I've got nothing but good things...

News

RONNIE ROMERO Says He Contemplated Suicide Over Critiques Of His RAINBOW Performances

Ronnie Romero says he contemplated committing suicide twice over Internet critiques of his performances with the Ritchie Blackmore-led RAINBOW, with whom he played live shows between 2015 and 2019. In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled i...

News

RITCHIE BLACKMORE Says DEEP PURPLE's Music Became 'A Bit Monophonic' Before His Final Departure

In a new interview with Long Island Weekly, DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW legend Ritchie Blackmore spoke about his reliance on non-traditional instruments with his medieval and Renaissance band BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, in which he is joined by his wife, singer Candice Night. "I'm not really interested in the mo...

Feature

STRATOVARIUS's JENS JOHANSSON Brushes Off TIMO TOLKKI Reunion Talk: 'You Can't Turn Back Time'

By David E. Gehlke One of the measures by which metal keyboardists are judged, Jens Johansson is well beyond his days of playing underneath his keyboard stand with Yngwie Malmsteen or serving as a finalist for Kevin Moore's open spot in DREAM THEATER. The Swedish Johansson has since settled into his...

News

RAINBOW's JENS JOHANSSON Compares RITCHIE BLACKMORE To A Cat: 'You Never Know What He's Going To Think'

Ritchie Blackmore introduced a new RAINBOW lineup in 2016 that included singer Ronnie Romero, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT) and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn. The l...

Review

Survive

Seven years might seem like a long time between albums, even for a veteran band like STRATOVARIUS, but the poor Finns had been bashing out albums at an impressive rate and touring relentlessly for 30 years when the sturdy but unremarkable "Eternal" came out in 2015. Second only to HELLOWEEN when it...

News

JOE LYNN TURNER Defends His 'Well-Deserved' Opinion Of RAINBOW's Latest Lineup, Says Band's Legacy 'Deserved Much Better'

Former RAINBOW singer Joe Lynn Turner has defended his recent comments about Ritchie Blackmore's decision to go out and perform the band's classic material with a new group of musicians, saying "the RAINBOW legacy deserved much better treatment and respect than it received." Blackmore stepped away f...

News

RAINBOW Singer RONNIE ROMERO Fires Back At JOE LYNN TURNER Over 'Cheap Imitation' Comments

Ronnie Romero has fired back at Joe Lynn Turner over the disparaging comments the former RAINBOW singer made about the most recent lineup of the band. Earlier this month, Turner slammed Ritchie Blackmore for the guitarist's decision to go out and perform classic DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW material with...