December 2023 – Page 6 – 1st 3 MAGAZINE

Jo Below – An Exciting Mix

3rd December 2023

Finnish hard rockers Jo Below have dropped the first single from their upcoming ’New Worlds’ EP.

’Broken Promises’ is a Southern rock-influenced song about a love gone wrong, and it is now available on all major streaming platforms.

In addition to sharing their first new music in two years, Jo Below are excited to announce the release of their third EP, ’New Worlds’. The EP consists of five killer songs that showcase the group’s vast array of influences, from Fleetwood Mac-inspired acoustic pop to modern American-style hard rock. ’New Worlds’ will be released on March 15th, 2024 via Inverse Records.

Jo Below – New Worlds (EP 2024)

Track list:
1. Broken Promises
2. Forever Mine
3. Who Are You
4. Life On The Line
5. The Unknown

EP cover by Olli Vartiainen

Line-up:
Johanna Kari – vox
Roni Seppänen – gtr
Jonne Lindqvist – bass
Olli Vartiainen – drs

http://jobelow.com
https://jobelow.bandcamp.com
http://facebook.com/jobelowband
http://twitter.com/jobelowband
http://instagram.com/jobelowband

DEKKER – Right To The Heart

3rd December 2023

Music News

If you hadn’t heard. American singer-songwriter – DEKKER – is back with “I Know, I Know”, the fifth single to be taken from his forthcoming album ‘Future Ghosts’ (due 16 February 2024).

A bouncy, if melancholic track with a catchy hook and an impulsive beat, “I Know, I Know” sees Brookln Dekker (aka Dekker and one-half of the Anglo-American Indie-Folk duo Rue Royale) succeed again as he gets right to the heart of a sentiment that we all know too well.

With heart-on-sleeve vocals, Dekker spins an ill-fated love story, unravelled at the hands of the narrator’s own self-destructive tendencies. “I know I’m a mess and I’ve lost my key,” Dekker sings,“but please don’t let me go, because with you is where I need to be”.

The fifth track to be taken from his awaited third album ‘Future Ghosts’ (out 16 February 2024), “I Know, I Know” finds Dekker continuing to work with his long-time collaborator Stefan Wittich (drummer/co-producer), and enlisting Zach Hanson (Bon Iver, The Staves, Whitney) in Wisconsin for mixing and mastering.

The single also arrives as the US-based artist has just returned from a successful headline tour in the UK. With a packed-out and energetic show at London’s The Lexington under his belt, along with his first spins on BBC 6 Music, Dekker is continuing to exceed his reputation as an exciting international artist unbound by country or region.

DEKKER – NEW SINGLE: “I KNOW, I KNOW” – OUT 1 DECEMBER 2023

STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE

NEW ALBUM: ‘FUTURE GHOSTS’

COMING 16 FEBRUARY 2024

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Steve Hackett – Becoming Heavenly And Devine

2nd December 2023

Music News

Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release his new studio album ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ on 16th February 2024, via InsideOut Music.

A rite-of-passage concept album with a young character called Travla at the centre of it, ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’s’ 13 tracks have an autobiographical angle for the musician who says about his 30th solo release: “I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time.”

Steve says of the track: “People of the Smoke spins us all back in time to 1950, when bustling post-war London was stifled with smog from trains, chimneys, industry and smokers. I was born into that world! This song kicks off an album following my life’s journey both literally and metaphorically…”

The new album is available to pre-order on several different formats, including a Limited CD+Blu-ray mediabook (including 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit high resolution stereo mixes), Standard CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 180g Vinyl LP & as Digital Album. All feature the stunning cover painting by Denise Marsh. Pre-order now here: https://stevehackett.lnk.to/TheCircusAndTheNightwhale

Full tracklisting is as follows:

1. People Of The Smoke

2. These Passing Clouds

3. Taking You Down

4. Found And Lost

5. Enter The Ring

6. Get Me Out!

7. Ghost Moon and Living Love

8. Circo Inferno

9. Breakout

10. All At Sea

11. Into The Nightwhale

12. Wherever You Are

13. White Dove

Steve will celebrate the release of his new album with two HMV instore events in London & Birmingham, where he will be taking part in a Q&A and signing albums. Find out more details on those here: https://ow.ly/HUaT50Q7paJ

‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ is Steve’s first new music in over two years. Recorded between tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the UK – with guest parts beamed in from Sweden, Austria, the US, Azerbaijan and Denmark. The line-up for ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ includes some familiar faces alongside Steve on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocals. Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums) and Amanda Lehmann on vocals. Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt return as guests on the drumstool, engineer extraordinaire Benedict Fenner appears on keyboards and Malik Mansurov is back with the tar. Finally, Steve’s brother John Hackett is present once more on flute.

Summing up ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’, Steve says: “It’s a lovely journey that starts dirty, scratchy and smoky and becomes heavenly and divine. How can you resist it?”

Steve recently completed his North American Tour where he continued his ‘Foxtrot At Fifty + Hackett Highlights’ run. Next year he will tour the world extensively, including a brand new UK tour ‘Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo’, which will see him return to the legendary Royal Albert Hall. For the full list of dates, head to: http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html

STEVE HACKETT Online:

www.hackettsongs.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Hackett/123101228589

www.twitter.com/HackettOfficial

http://hackettsongs.com/tour.html

INSIDEOUTMUSIC Online:

www.insideoutmusic.com

www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV

www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

www.twitter.com/insideouteu

DISTORTED REFLECTION – Doom Rules

2nd December 2023

Mainly Metal

The official lyric video for the final song “The Eternal Gate” is available NOW:

Τaken from “Doom Rules Eternally” album (Iron Shield Records, early 2024) – Lyric Video by Vangelis Yalamas at Fragile Studio.

LINE UP:

Stelios Pavlou: Drums

Kostas Salomidis: Guitar, Vocals

Vangelis Yalamas: Bass, Synth, Backing Vocals

GUESTS:

Giannis Drolapas: Guitar Solo on “The Eternal Gate”

Ross Friedman: Guitar Solo on “Cassandra”

Nicholas Leptos: Vocals on “Mr. Snake”

Cover Artwork, CD Artwork and Logo Artwork by Tomas Arfert

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Vangelis Yalamas at Fragile Studio

Drums Recorded by Dionisis Christodoulatos at CFN Recordings Studio

https://www.facebook.com/distortedreflectiondoom

Black Heart Saints – Yearning For More

2nd December 2023

Mainly Metal

Black Heart Saints, consisting of Josh LeBlanc (Vocals), Mark Sean (Guitar), Nathan Flores(Drums), and Ian C.G. (Bass), proudly announced the release of their latest single, “Two Drinks In”.

To complement this high-octane release, the band has dropped an exhilarating music video, skillfully directed by the visionary talents of Static Heart Productions.

Black Heart Saints exploded onto the scene with a distinct groove steeped in classic rock and a modern intensity, and a bravado that is clearly backed by talent. With endorsements by some of the most respected rock personalities and critics such as Eddie Trunk, Lou Brutus, and Jose Mangin from SiriusXM Octane, Black Heart Saints stands atop the “new wave of classic rock” pantheon and is destined for a bright future. In recent years, the studio singles “Reach the End”, “Lines”, and “Misery” topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Radio Charts, paving the way for appearances at SXSW Festival, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and serving as the support act for national artists such as Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Ace Frehley, Sevendust, Steel Panther, Pop Evil, Buckcherry, Dirty Honey, and more.

Setting the stage for commercial success early in the band’s career, the band was awarded #1 Best Rock/Metal Act at the prestigious Austin Music Awards, being recognized alongside other local luminaries such as Willie Nelson and Black Pumas. In 2019, their first full-length release ALIVE, drew acclaim from fans and critics alike and led to the now famous “Road to Sturgis Tour.” Putting Black Heart Saints’ charismatic live performance to the test, the band took the stage at the world-renowned motorcycle rally, attended by over 500,000 bikers from all around the globe, and the group earned the respect and devotion of a whole new audience base. This experience catapulted Black Heart Saints to the West Coast where they completed an extensive tour, including a headline performance at the famed Viper Room in West Hollywood, CA.

Although 2020 proved to be a particularly challenging year for the entire entertainment industry due to the global pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, Black Heart Saints quickly adapted to the unprecedented conditions by partnering with distinguished brands Harley-Davidson and Loop.tv for exclusive streaming performances that captured audiences from all around the world. In 2021, the band was named an ‘Artist You Need to Know’ by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Rapidly ascending to perform some of the biggest stages and festivals in the United States, Black Heart Saints have built an impressive resume, and have been recognized as one of the nation’s top emerging rock acts. Highlights to-date include:

• Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Full Throttle Saloon) in 2022/2021/2020

• Upheaval Festival Mainstage Performer 2022

• 2021 Fort Hood Army Base / USO Independence Day Headliner

• Myrtle Beach Bike Rally 2022 Performer

• 2020 Loop.tv Music Festival Performer (over 2 million viewers)

• Official 2020/2019/2018 South by Southwest Artist

• 2019 Austin Music Awards Winner – #1 Best Rock/Metal Act

• Music videos featured in over 5,000+ gyms across the US and Canada

• Buffalo Trace Battle of the Bands Grand Prize Winner

• ESPN X Games Performer

• Named an ‘Artist You Need to Know’ by Rolling Stone Magazine

“I’ve been friends with Brian Perera (President/CEO of Cleopatra Records) for years, and with today’s uncertain musical landscape, it’s great to have a label like Cleopatra Records behind us,”says talent manager, John Gomez. “Brian and his staff are dedicated to rock and very focused in the right places to help bring Black Heart Saints’ music to market, build their audience, and reach new heights,” Gomez adds.

In 2023, their new single “Human Xstacy” charted Top 40 on the Billboard Active Rock Chartsand was produced by Geno Lenardo (FILTER, DEVICE), mixed/mastered by Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns ‘N Roses, Sons of Apollo, Asia), and A&Red by Gene Simmons of KISS and manager John Gomez, which led to Black Heart Saints returning to the road. The band performed a round of shows with Steel Panther in the Carolinas (as direct support) at the end of January, in February opened for Daughtry and showcased at the 10th Annual rock curated event, #HAPPENS, in Las Vegas, then In March, the band was direct support for some shows in Texas with the power trio supergroup The Winery Dogs. On April 22nd, Black Heart Saintsperformed the main stage at Fiesta Oyster Bake in San Antonio with P.O.D. and Saint Asonia, and also opened for the legendary band King’s X in Austin,TX on May 25th and in Houston, TX on May 27th. The band also played the main stage at Upheaval in Grand Rapids, MI in July with Bring Me The Horizon, Lamb of God, Falling In Reverse, Halestorm, Dorothy and many more great bands. Dangerous & dirty, Black Heart Saints gives fans exactly what they want – rock god vocals catapulted over explosive, memorable riffs – leaving legions of the rock ‘n’ roll faithful yearning for more.

Soul Incursion – Some Catchy Riffage

2nd December 2023

Mainly Metal

Finland’s Soul Incursion are ready to release their first EP titled “Eternal Darkness”, an effort that sounds like the aural equivalent of a war tank marching into a battlefield.

In less than twenty-five minutes, the four-piece churn out brutal and vicious death-metal more focused on the pure weight and impact of crushing riffs and pummelling drums than incessant speed or excessive technicality.

Hailing from Helsinki, Soul Incursion was formed in early 2020, when guitarists Oskar and Henri started writing songs in the vein of old school death-metal bands like Pestilence, Death and Demolition Hammer, highlighting a penchant for an unrelentingly heavy, catchy riffage.

The band’s first studio recording, the “Infernal End / Intracranial Form” single was released in late 2021 and found the Finns intertwining fast thrash-inspired riffs with a decimating death-metal attack and some catchy melodies.
With new member Arttu Turunen behind the drum kit, Soul Incursion returned to the studio to record five songs for a new EP and if their previous single suggested the path they might tread, this new EP confirms it and shows that Soul Incursion know how to write some serious and potent death-metal.

Line-up: Aleksi Mattila - Bass & Vocals Henri Hirvonen - Guitars Oskar Bruun - Guitars Arttu Turunen - Drums

https://www.facebook.com/soulincursion

ALEX NICOL – It’s A Man Thing

2nd December 2023

Music News

ALEX NICOL unveils his profound new solo work: ‘Been A Long Year Vol.1 + Vol.2’ on 1 Dec.

An album of two-halves that hold together 10 songs of his distinctive Montreal melancholia, it arrives with the tribute track “Song For Franz” – also out now.

Layered with complex expressions of anger and sadness, “Song for Franz” addresses the way men are conditioned by society to suppress their feelings and the difficulties they face sharing their pain.

“Will this be a story // That ends happily // Like all the movies that I see // Or will the tiny trials add up?” Nicol finds himself questioning here.

While its lyrics are rich with dreamlike imagery of cowboys, movie heroes, and spiritual redemption, the song’s direct inspiration was the loss of Nicol’s own uncle Franz, who took his own life. A crushingly beautiful dedication to his memory, “Song For Franz” serves as a loving tribute but also tells the story of a male protagonist who moves through social conditioning to find exoneration. Expressed through a caricature of toxic masculinity, the song chastises perceptions of male strength and celebrates the bittersweet heartbreak of absolution.

“Song For Franz” follows recent singles “Simple Fires” and “Working On My Tan”, all of which can be found on the new album, ‘Been A Long Year Vol.1 & Vol.2’.

Showing different sides of the same coin, as its title suggests, Nicol’s latest work is made up of two distinct halves. Releasing ‘Volume 1’ earlier this year, it featured tracks including “Hollywood”, “Eye For An Eye” and the Angel Deradoorian-featuring title-track “Been A Long Year”. Together its tracks found an artist focusing on the personally reflective and metaphorical.

And while drawn from similarly thoughtful first-person viewpoints, the songs of its successor, ‘Volume 2’, are far more overt and direct. With songs that comment on the climate emergency, to finding solace in the natural world, to touching tributes to lost loved ones; its songs are noticeably panoramic in their outlook.

Together at last, ‘Volume 1’ and ‘Volume 2’ see Nicol presenting an album-length statement that showcases his deft ability to intermingle the personal and the universal, the minutiae of human emotion and the complexity of global issues. ‘Been A Long Year Vol.1 & Vol.2’ is streaming across all major services now.

ALEX NICOL – NEW ALBUM: ‘BEEN A LONG YEAR VOL.1 & VOL.2’ – OUT NOW
STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE

LISTEN TO FEATURED HIGHLIGHT “SONG FOR FRANZ” HERE

W / https://www.alex-nicol.com
IG / https://www.instagram.com/alnicol__/?hl=en
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/alalalnicol/
Tiktok / https://www.tiktok.com/@alnicol_

« Next

Monthly Archives: December 2023

Jo Below – An Exciting Mix

Finnish hard rockers Jo Below have dropped the first single from their upcoming ’New Worlds’ EP.

DEKKER – Right To The Heart

If you hadn’t heard. American singer-songwriter – DEKKER – is back with “I Know, I Know”, the fifth single to be taken from his forthcoming album ‘Future Ghosts’ (due 16 February 2024).

Steve Hackett – Becoming Heavenly And Devine

Legendary rock guitarist Steve Hackett is set to release his new studio album ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’ on 16th February 2024, via InsideOut Music.

DISTORTED REFLECTION – Doom Rules

The official lyric video for the final song “The Eternal Gate” is available NOW:

Black Heart Saints – Yearning For More

Black Heart Saints, consisting of Josh LeBlanc (Vocals), Mark Sean (Guitar), Nathan Flores(Drums), and Ian C.G. (Bass), proudly announced the release of their latest single, “Two Drinks In”.

Soul Incursion – Some Catchy Riffage

Finland’s Soul Incursion are ready to release their first EP titled “Eternal Darkness”, an effort that sounds like the aural equivalent of a war tank marching into a battlefield.

Line-up: Aleksi Mattila - Bass & Vocals Henri Hirvonen - Guitars Oskar Bruun - Guitars Arttu Turunen - Drums

ALEX NICOL unveils his profound new solo work: ‘Been A Long Year Vol.1 + Vol.2’ on 1 Dec.

Newsletter