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German pioneers of European gothic metal, CREMATORY, showcase another facet of their manifold spectrum with the release of their heart-wrenching cover version of ‘When The Children Cry‘, along with an atmospheric audio-visual.

CREMATORY is well known for their harsh wave of industrial metal and gothic dimness – but this cover version proves that they are maintaining versatility in the latest stage of their long career. Connie Andreszka’s powerful vocal range combined with soft plugging guitar lines, make this offering a real stunner. Especially in dark times, the popular track originally performed by White Lion regains significance, reveals a light in the night and appeals to the people’s hope.

The black and white music video presents both their passion for music and the melodic side of CREMATORY‘s musical identity. Their latest release Unbroken connects all shades – on the one hand underlining the significance of strength and determination, while on the other, remaining faithful to the darker and existential roots of the scene the band was born in in the 90s. CREMATORY pursue their conquest towards the dark Parnassus of gothic metal finesse, their spirit unbroken ready to face the challenges of life.

CREMATORY about ‘When The Children Cry‘:
“To shorten the time without live music caused by the Coronavirus, we recorded this cover version of White Lion‘s ‘When The Children Cry’, to show that we are still here for our fans and supporters. A beautiful addition to our recently released album ‘Unbroken‘ (release date: march 6th via Napalm Records)!”

Inga Söder (Voice Of Finland): backing vocals on tracks 5,6, 8

CREMATORY are touring heavily next year – get the chance to see them live on stage:

Tour Dates:

w/ Vlad in Tears, Elephants in Paradise, Dust in Tears
15.01.21 DE – Berlin / Nuke Club
16.01.21 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser
17.01.21 DE – Frankfurt a.M. / Nachtleben
29.01.21 DE – Munich / Backstage Club
30.01.21 DE – Lindau / Club Vaudeville
31.01.21 CH – Bern / Gaskessel
13.02.21 DE – Zwickau / Club Seilerstrasse
14.02.21 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof
26.02.21 DE – Kaiserslautern / Kammgarn
27.02.21 DE – Erfurt / From Hell
12.03.21 DE – Hagen aTW / Stocks
13.03.21 DE – Hamburg / Logo
14.03.21 DE – Cologne / Helios37
About CREMATORY:

One of the pioneering acts of the potent European goth metal scene in the 1990s, CREMATORY began as a strict death metal unit in 1991 before adding goth and industrial elements into their arsenal. During their 28-year-long career, the band around Markus Jüllich has released 14 studio albums, three live albums, various compilations and splits, has played hundreds of shows around the globe – and they are still hungry for more.

Line up:
Felix Stass – Lead Vocals
Markus Jüllich – Drums
Katrin Jüllich – Keyboards
Rolf Munkes – Lead Guitar
Connie Andreszka – Guitars, Vocals
Jason Matthias – Bass

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The harsh wave of the electrifying synergy of industrial metal and gothic dimness hits stronger than ever before: German pioneers of European gothic metal, CREMATORY, release their third single, ‘Rise And Fall‘ off the upcoming album, ‘Unbroken‘, to be released via Napalm Records on March 6, 2020.

‘Rise and Fall‘, as well as the expressive music video, showcases both melodic and mercilessly heavy side of CREMATORY‘s musical identity. They are spinning a web between their boundary-breaking origins and the newer, matured and more experienced approach the band developed while reflecting on own presence in the scene for the last 29 years. The single was created with OneSaidZero (Co-Production), who was also responsible for the remix of ‘Unbroken‘.

While profiting from the signature sound trademarks – such as Felix Stass‘ raspy vocals or the guitar-based brutality harmonized with melodic keyboard-samples – ‘Rise and Fall‘ strikes with its undeniable power and musical strength, like a phoenix of fire and ashes, uniting the industrial and gothic influences of this German sextet.

In this way, this melodic, heavy and empowering anthem of hope and rebirth connects all of the major goals CREMATORY set for their upcoming release: on the one hand underlining the significance of strength and determination, while, on the other, remaining faithful to the darker and existentially roots of the scene the band was born in in the 90s. Like the dichotomies between hope and despair, so does the vocal duet in ‘Rise and Fall‘ emotionally highlight the continuous, yet equally engaging battle of life forces, as well as the human struggle to find the way back into the light.

Accompanied by the equally impressive video, with ‘Rise and Fall‘, CREMATORY pursue their conquest towards the dark Parnassus of gothic metal finesse, their spirit unbroken ready to face the challenges of life.

CREMATORY about ‘Rise and Fall‘:
“‘Rise and Fall‘ symbolizes the “Tear of Time” of the new age! With this song we have managed an absolute banger! I am sure that this track will be the new CREMATORY anthem!”

Tracklisting:
1. Unbroken
2. Awaits Me
3. Rise And Fall
4. Behind The Wall
5. The Kingdom
6. Inside My Heart
7. The Downfall
8.My Dreams Have Died
9. I Am
10. Broken Heroes
11. A Piece of Time
12. Voices
13. Abduction
14. As Darkness Calls
15. Like The Tides

CREMATORY are touring heavily this spring – get the chance to see them live on stage:

Tour Dates:
/w Vlad in Tears, Elephants in Paradise, Dust in Tears

09.04.20 DE – Hamburg / Logo
10.04.20 DE – Berlin / Nuke Club
11.04.20 DE – Hagen / Stocks
12.04.20 DE – Cologne / Helios37
01.05.20 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser
02.05.20 DE – Munich / Backstage Club
08.05.20 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof
09.05.20 DE – Kaiserslautern / Kammgarn
21.05.20 DE – Frankfurt a.M. / Nachtleben
22.05.20 DE – Erfurt / From Hell
23.05.20 DE – Zwickau / Club Seilerstrasse
30.05.20 DE – Lindau / Club Vaudeville
31.05.20 CH – Bern / Gaskessel
12.06.29 DE – Hanover / Subkultur

About CREMATORY:

One of the pioneering acts of the potent European goth metal scene in the 1990s, CREMATORY began as a strict death metal unit in 1991 before adding goth and industrial elements into their arsenal. In their 28 year long career, the band around Markus Jüllich released 14 studio albums, three live albums, various compilations and splits and played hundreds of shows around the globe – and they are still hungry for more.

Line up:
Felix Stass – Lead Vocals
Markus Jüllich – Drums
Katrin Jüllich – Keyboards
Rolf Munkes – Lead Guitar
Connie Andreszka – Guitars, Vocals
Jason Matthias – Bass

Official Website

Napalm

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Welcome to the panopticon of darkness: German gothic pioneers CREMATORY continue to perform the tightrope act in the somber void with their brand new first single, ‘The Downfall‘, along with an artful black and white lyric video.

The first single introduces not just a new chapter, but prepares fans for their upcoming fifteenth album, ‘Unbroken‘, to be released on March 6th via Napalm Records.

‘The Downfall‘ offers the powerful reincarnation of the sinister CREMATORY universe: Opening bell-bright, devilish sounds in addition to Felix Stass’ rough and scratchy vocals underline the night-black narrative. Dark yet melodic guitar lines mixed with staccato rhythms make this song a true eye-opener and emphasize that the band is right back in the middle of the musical black ceremony. Welcome insanity that CREMATORY has written!

With ‘Unbroken‘ the German pioneers of gothic metal present 15 energetic tracks boasting brutal riffs, deep growls and tight drum grooves – proving their diversity even after almost 30 years in the business. In addition to the concise influences of Neue Deutsche Härte, Unbroken appears as a bravura-piece in an industrial guise.

CREMATORY states:
“Yes, we’re back with gothic rock’n’roll at its finest: A tough mixture of gothic and metal in a classifying CREMATORY kind of style. Those who liked our old hit “The Fallen” will love our new single “The Downfall”. Just the right song as an appetizer for our new album and the following tour in April.”

Pre-Order ‘Unbroken‘ Here:

Track listing:

  1. Unbroken
  2. Awaits Me
  3. Rise And Fall
  4. Behind The Wall
  5. The Kingdom
  6. Inside My Heart
  7. The Downfall
  8. My Dreams Have Died
  9. I Am
  10. Broken Heroes
  11. A Piece Of Time
  12. Voices
  13. Abduction
  14. As Darkness Calls
  15. Like The Tides

CREMATORY are touring heavily this spring – get the chance to see them live on stage:

Tour Dates:
09.04.20 DE – Hamburg / Logo
10.04.20 DE – Berlin / Nuke Club
11.04.20 DE – Hagen / Stocks
12.04.20 DE – Cologne / Helios37
01.05.20 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser
02.05.20 DE – Munich / Backstage Club
08.05.20 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof
09.05.20 DE – Kaiserslautern / Kammgarn
21.05.20 DE – Frankfurt a.M. / Nachtleben
22.05.20 DE – Erfurt / From Hell
23.05.20 DE – Zwickau / Club Seilerstrasse
30.05.20 DE – Lindau / Club Vaudeville
31.05.20 CH – Bern / Gaskessel

About CREMATORY:
One of the pioneering acts of the fertile European goth metal scene in the 1990s. CREMATORY began as a strict death metal unit in 1991 before adding goth and industrial elements to their arsenal. In their 29 year career, the band around Markus Jüllich, released 14 studio albums, three live albums, various compilations and splits, played hundreds of shows around the globe and they are still hungry for more.

Line up:

Felix Stass – Lead Vocals
Markus Jüllich – Drums
Katrin Jüllich – Keyboards
Rolf Munkes – Lead Guitar
Connie Andreszka – Guitars, Vocals
Jason Matthias – Bass

Official Website
Napalm
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Instagram

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Review: Carl Dixon – Unbroken

AOR Heaven (November 29th 2019)

Reviewer: Peter Scallan

Carl Dixon is better known as silver throated singer of Canadian melodic rockers Coney Hatch. They were the classic example of critical success and had three magnificent albums in the 1980s. The last of these was the humungous ‘Friction‘, which to this day is still one of my favourite albums. I did see Coney Hatch in 2014 at Firefest to coincide with their comeback album ‘Four‘. However, I must confess, I haven’t really kept up with Carl’s solo career, so I was intrigued to get this one to review.

Opening with ‘Can’t Love a Memory‘, this is a pacey, melodic rocker that illustrates just how much influence Dixon exerted over the Coney Hatch sound. And the man hasn’t lost his voice either! Great start! The intro of keyboards and guitar are reminiscent of Journey for the next number. Called ‘Bowl Me Over‘, once the song kicks in properly it is another riff-lade melodic rocker and I am back in 80s heyday of melodic rock. The clean guitar intro belies the pacey melodic rocker that is ‘Nothing Lasts Forever‘. Lyrically the song is obviously a biographical song about Carl’s days in 80s with Coney Hatch and takes me back to my own days in the 80s with Moritz when I lived in London.

‘Every Step of the Way‘ has an almost contemporary rock intro but then kicks into a great staccato guitar riff with overlayed lead licks. Another well-arranged and executed melodic rocker with great light and shade. There is a harmony vocal intro to ‘Summer Nights‘ but the song doesn’t turn into the poppy summertime melodic rocker I anticipated. Instead what get is a more complexly arranged number which ebbs and flows with a number of changes of beat which work well. Next up is ‘All My Love and Hopes for You‘, which is a ballad. For me this is possibly the weakest song on the album and just doesn’t really get going, albeit there is a pretty catchy chorus. Maybe one that will grow on me with a few more listens.

‘This Isn’t The End‘ opens with an archetypal Coney Hatch guitar riff and continues in that vein and could easily sit on Outa Hand, Coney Hatch’s second album. Another great melodic rocker. Continuing in that vein, ‘Drive Just Drive‘ opens up a like a track from ‘Friction‘ and is another powerful melodic riffing rocker. However, the chorus is a little weak for me compared with the rest of the song. Good none the less! Next song, ‘Roll the Dice‘, just picks up from the last song and delivers another solid slice of melodic rock with some nice guitar work too.

With a sequenced keyboard intro and guitar lick over it, ‘Keep the Faith‘ is more 80s AOR than straight forward melodic rock. Again, this song didn’t quite gel for me until after a couple of listens, but once it did it really grew on me. Last but by no means least, is the title track ‘Unbroken‘. This strangely sounds a little like Eden’s Curse with the guitar playing, especially the harmony guitars. A mid-paced rocker it fittingly brings the album to a close.

This is a great album, but unlikely to make Carl Dixon many new fans. There are some great songs here, but it lacks a little in consistency. However, there are no fillers. If you like Coney Hatch and you are looking for a new fix, then my advice would be to get a hold of this and you won’t be disappointed.

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Dixon’s solo debut ‘One’ (1993), appears to have been a pretty obvious move for a man of his standing (at least from the European perspective). Carl, born in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario had come to prominence in the early 80s as one of the frontmen for the critically acclaimed Canadian hard rock band Coney Hatch.

However, having released three albums between 1982 and 1985, Dixon had become pretty disillusioned with his career at that point; tired of the many frustrations that being on a major label (who don’t appear to care) brings on a touring band trying to get noticed. Ironically, as has been shown time and again, North American bands often appear to be curiously shielded from any success they may be achieving abroad. In Coney Hatch’s case there was another market out there bursting to embrace them in Europe, if only they’d known about it.

After focussing on songwriting for other artists for a while, eventually switching focus from North America, where Grunge was on the brink, to Europe, especially Germany, where Coney Hatch made a much bigger impact, Carl wouldn’t fully learn about it only until Coney Hatch’ performance at the 2014 edition of Firefest, England.

’One’ features fifteen songs, one of them (‘One Good Reason’) a co-write with Brett Walker, another one (‘Taste Of Love’) Aerosmith meets Def Leppard flavored.

Dixon’s first wife Stella ended up adding backing vocals alongside e.g. Mark Santer (Santers) or Mike Shotton (Von Groove). It took a month of recording in four different studios especially focussing on how the guitars sound. The Canadian still is very proud of it and about the fact that people still remember the album.

After being with The Guess Who and April Wine for a while and a horrible car crash in Australia in 2008, he’s back with Coney Hatch leading to the 2013 record ‘Four’ and has released a couple of solo records since. Additionally, he’s having a brand new solo effort by the name of ‘Unbroken’ coming out soon on with he collaborated with Frontline’s Robby Böbel.

After the re-issue of the classic album ‘One‘ in October 2019, November sees the release of the first collaboration between Carl and Robert Boebel, a long-time stalwart on the German music scene with bands like Frontline and Phantom V, among many. The result is the new release, Carl Dixon Unbroken, a powerfully sung and performed album that reaches the heights of AOR Melodic Rock. Memorable hooks, strong melodies, great guitar playing and production, and drumming performed by Mark Santer (Santers) and newcomer Dylan Gowan (Vesperia, Cardinal Street).

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52 years ago in the first summer of love, 1967, a little known act, named Big Brother and the Holding Company, with their ferocious singer, Janis Joplin, took to the stage of what is considered to be the first rock festival, Monterey Pop Festival. This performance astounded crowds and industry folk alike and has gone down in history as one of those magical moments.

Fast forward to 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the second Summer of Love), history is set to repeat one of those ‘had to be there’ moments! Having been taken under the wing of guitar maestro, Myke Gray, Kim Jennett will take to the hallowed grounds of Donnington this June to perform along with Myke, expect to see every jaw dropped and every hand in the air!

The pair started working together in the summer of 2018 and their flourishing partnership looks set for a strong and rewarding endeavour together. Whilst Kim initially started off singing for Myke, he now plays guitar for her in return, such was Mykes enthralment and ore of Kims ability to sing and perform, he wrote her third single especially. Kim’s vocal talents are a formidable force of power and conviction, I dare you to not be astounded!

Already, Kim has supported Black Star Riders, nailed slots at Hard Rock Hell and Winters End Festival, next slots include KK’s Steel Mill then onto Download!

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Thomsen

Thomsen have released a teaser video for their upcoming Unbroken album which will be released on September 19th

 

Line Up
Rene Thomsen – Guitars

Denis Brosowski – Vocals
Ingo Lühring – Bass

Michael Pesin – Guitars

Max Dietzmann – Drums

Guests
Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O.)

Robert Soeterboek (Ayreon, Star One)

Mathias Don Dieth (U.D.O.)

Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell)

Bobby Jarzombek (Halford, Fates Warning, Sebastian Bach, Riot)

David Vincent (Morbid Angel)

Andre Hilgers (Rage, Sinner)

Helge Engelke (Fair Warning, Dreamtide, Thomsen)

www.thomsen-unbroken.de

www.facebook.com/thomsenunbroken