FRONTIERS RECORDS - New Releases: December 2017

20 November 2017

By Alex Woodhouse

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Alex Woodhouse News, News

NEW ALBUM RELEASES OUT 01.12.17

OPERATION: MINDCRIME – ‘The New Reality’

‘The New Reality’ is the third and final chapter in the musical trilogy from iconic metal vocalist Geoff Tate.

Its release comes just over a year after the release of the second chapter, entitled ‘Resurrection’, and two

since the first, ‘The Key’. Operation: Mindcrime is a creative platform that continues in the spirit of the historic

Queensrÿche album of the same name, spawning concepts as grand as the music, and intertwining the

intensity of Tate’s iconic past with his former band and the provocative, progressive mindset that has made

him one of music’s most resolute forces and frontmen. Joined by a cast of musicians – Kelly Gray, John Moyer,

Simon Wright, Scott Mercado, Scott Moughton, Brian Tichy and Mike Ferguson, whose talent and resumés

speak volumes for the quality of musicianship on display here, ‘The New Reality’ is another fine progressive

rock/metal entry from Tate. Geoff Tate sold over 25 million records at the helm of Queensrÿche, the band he

fronted for 30 years from their inception through 2012, earning three Grammy nominations, five MTV Music

Video Award nominations and one MTV Music Video Award along the way. The landmark concept album

‘Operation: Mindcrime’ thrust Tate’s unique social consciousness, style and expertly crafted lyrics into the

spotlight in 1988, and was followed in 1990 by ‘Empire, the album that delivered Queensrÿche to arena

headlining status and sold more than 3 million albums on the back of hit singles and radio staples such as

‘Silent Lucidity’ and ‘Jet City Woman’. By the time the band released ‘Promised Land’ in 1994, Geoff Tate was

was acknowledged as one of the greatest frontmen in hard rock and a driving force behind one of the most

innovative bands in the genre. From these albums through to 2009’s overlooked gem, ‘American Soldier’, an

ambitious concept album that explores the consequences of war as told through the voices of veterans, his

thirteen album tenure with Queensrÿche was marked by exploration, intrigue, bold risks and gratifying results.

‘The New Reality’ continues that musically adventurous tradition.

Audio : ‘Wake Me Up’

PRETTY BOY FLOYD – ‘Public Enemies’

‘Public Enemies’ is EXACTLY what you would expect from these seasoned veterans of The Sunset Strip!

A fun record meant to be played at maximum volume to help you forget your worries. As founder/guitarist

Kristy Majors puts it: “Staying loyal to our 1980’s roots, ‘Public Enemies’ is a true follow up to our classic

‘Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz’.” Not too long ago, when rock was about having a good time, letting your

hair down and creating chaos and anarchy, four guys got together in Hollywood and formed a band.

NYC based Majors hooked up with west coast front man Steve Summers and laid the foundation for their

dream band. They worked, wrote songs and played and played and played. They chose the name Pretty

Boy Floyd because it seemed to describe them – four tough teens armed with guitar licks and angst setting

out to conquer the world. As the new millennium rolled in, a generation of young fans who weren’t even born

when the band first emerged began to wonder what they had missed out on back in the sleaze rock heyday

of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Original and new fans alike found common ground – a love of the band’s music,

sleazy shows and fun times. Never mind the critics, or what trends may have come and gone, Pretty Boy Floyd

continues to record and tour the world winning new followers both young and old.

Audio : ‘Girls All Over The World’

EISLEY / GOLDY – ‘Blood, Guts And Games’

Singer David Glen Eisley and guitarist Craig Goldy (Resurrection Kings, ex-Dio), both formerly of Giuffria,

have joined forces again in a partnership that sees the duo bring back the signature sound that launched their

careers in the early ’80s. Having been on a recording hiatus for over a decade following the release of a 2001

solo effort, Eisley says that “in late 2014 Craig made a surprise visit to my house and simply stated ‘Enough

of this my friend…time for you to get up off your ass and come back to work!’ He was so adamant, I relented

and agreed to join him on stage in the San Diego area. It all seemed to go well and the next thing I knew we

were in the UK playing together again in Nottingham. We had been discussing writing some material for a

potential album ever since, but where to take it? That was a big question, but had a simple answer. A deal was

struck with Frontiers and we are happy to say that ‘Eisley/Goldy’ are bringing you a new record. Funny how

things happen in this crazy world of Rock & Roll!” Of the first single to be released from the album, Goldy says

“‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’ is a song that I know is very close to Dave’s heart, because of a very special

loved one, who is still in search mode for that ‘one and only’, yet still gets kicked around during that quest!

For me, this song can indeed be about anyone who is searching for a special someone, or it can also be about

the internal search we all feel at times while trying to uncover what special purpose or calling in life we are on

this planet for. That search, though originally generated from the heart, can often become as treacherous as a

hunter in the wild!” Eisley/Goldy are joined on the album by drummer Ron Wikso, whose resumé includes

The Storm, Foreigner, Cher, David Lee Roth and more. Original Giuffria bassist Chuck Wright is also featured,

while original Giuffria drummer Alan Krigger appears in ‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’ video.

Video : ‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’

JONO – ‘Life’

Jono are an incredible progressive rock band from Sweden that are a must hear for all fans of the genre.

The group started as a solo project of singer Johan Norrby (hence the moniker ‘JoNo’), before being joined by

guitarist Stefan Helleblad (also a member of Dutch symphonic sensations Within Temptation), drummer

Nicka Hellenberg (who plays on Within Temptation’s ‘The Unforgiving’ and has a veryimpressive resumé),

keyboard player Johan Carlgren and bassist Janne Henriksson. Second guitarist Leo Olsson joined the band

in 2015. Perhaps best described as melodic rock with symphonic and progressive elements, their music is

built on strong melodies and bombastic arrangements, with the dynamics and a contemporary, fat sound

being important additional ingredients. Their music has been said to show the influence of greats such as

Queen, Supertramp, Kansas, Journey, Meat Loaf and Sparks, but above all the group has received praise

because of its unique sound. The band themselves say: “We are very thrilled and proud about our cooperation

with Frontiers, a label that is home to so many great artists we truly respect and admire. This is an excellent

opportunity to reach the international markets we’ve been aiming for. We can’t wait to release this album,

and of course hit the stage to be heard and seen by a wider audience and meeting with our fans.

See you all out there!”

Lyric Video :

RAINTIMES – ‘Raintimes’

Raintimes is a new melodic rock project featuring two talented young Italian musicians, Pierpaolo ‘Zorro’ Monti

(Charming Grace, Shining Line) and Davide Barbieri (Wheels of Fire, Charming Grace), partnered with singer

Michael Shotton (Von Groove). The band line-up on their self-titled debut album is completed by Sven Larsson,

Andrea Gipponi and Ivan Gonzalez. A guaranteed delight for all AOR lovers, Monti says: “‘Forever Gone’ is a

special song that I began writing during the sessions for my Shining Line debut. I continued writing it with the

idea of making an album in the style of [US supergroup] The Storm, so I asked Davide to add a few parts to

complete its structure and recorded the first demo the same day. We were very excited about the final result!

‘Raintimes’ is a sort of tribute to my love and admiration for The Storm. I have played their two albums to death,

especially ‘Eye Of The Storm’. Their tempos, steeped in pure melodic class, are the perfect crossroad between

AOR and Melodic Rock. The choice of Michael Shotton as frontman was based not only on his talent, but also

because I wanted to give a strong personality to the album and make the music more personal and original.”

A fun fact for melodic rock aficionados out there: the duo of Monti and Barbieri (together with Dave Zublena)

penned the song ‘Love Gets Through’ from the First Signal album ‘One Step Over the Line’, which was

released on Frontiers in June 2016.

Audio : ‘Swan’

Lyric Video : ‘Forever Gone’

NEW ALBUM RELEASES OUT 26.01.18

RICK SPRINGFIELD – The Snake King

AMMUNITION – Ammunition

MIKE LEPOND’S SILENT ASSASSINS – Pawn And Prophecy

LIONE – CONTI – Lione Conti

LABYRINTH – Return To Live

DELTA DEEP – East Coast Live