Metallica - Death Magnetic (2008)

Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 10, 2008[1] by Warner Bros. Records. It is the band's first studio album to feature current bassist Robert Trujillo, as well as the first to be produced by Rick Rubin.[2] Death Magnetic is also the band's first studio album released through Warner Bros., although they still remain with Warner Music Group, which also owns Elektra Records, their previous label. The album is the band's fifth consecutive studio album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, making Metallica the first band ever to achieve five consecutive #1 debuts.

Track listing

All lyrics written by James Hetfield, all music composed by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo.
# Title Length
1. "That Was Just Your Life" 7:08
2. "The End of the Line" 7:52
3. "Broken, Beat & Scarred" 6:25
4. "The Day That Never Comes" 7:56
5. "All Nightmare Long" 7:57
6. "Cyanide" 6:39
7. "The Unforgiven III" 7:46
8. "The Judas Kiss" 8:01
9. "Suicide & Redemption" 9:56
10. "My Apocalypse" 5:01

Release

In January 2008, a statement was made by Stereo Warning that the album would be delayed until September of 2008, but was quickly denied by Metallica's management since an album without a defined release date can not be "delayed". The album, which was completed on August 10, 2008, was released on September 12, 2008 and issued in a variety of different packages.

'All Nightmare Long' was used as the theme song for WWE's No Mercy 2008 pay-per-view event.

On September 2, a French record store began selling copies of Death Magnetic, nearly two weeks ahead of its scheduled worldwide release date, which resulted in the album being made prematurely available on peer-to-peer clients. This prompted the band's United Kingdom distributor, Vertigo Records, to officially release the album two days ahead of schedule, on September 10. It is currently unconfirmed whether Metallica or Warner Bros. will be taking any action against the retailer, though drummer Lars Ulrich who was questioned about the leak on a San Francisco radio station responded,
“ We're ten days from release. I mean, from here, we're golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me. Ten days out and it hasn't quote-unquote fallen off the truck yet? Everybody's happy. It's 2008 and it's part of how it is these days, so it's fine. We're happy. ”

He later told USA Today,
“ By 2008 standards, that's a victory. If you'd told me six months ago that our record wouldn't leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that. We made a great record, and people seem to be getting off on it way more than anyone expected. ”

On September 15, 2008, after a reviewer for Swedish daily Sydsvenskan admitted that he preferred an illegal download of Death Magnetic to the official release, a scheduled interview was duly cancelled by Universal Music Sweden. Its president, Per Sundin said:
“ The reviewer is referring to a BitTorrent where someone has altered the original songs. The reviewer explains exactly where one should go in order to download the file that totally infringes on a copyright. It's not only an illegal file, but an altered file. The reviewer also writes that this is how the album should have sounded. File-sharing of music is illegal. Period. There's nothing to discuss. That fact – that Sydsvenskan has a writer that has downloaded this music illegally and then makes mention of an illegal site in his review – is totally unacceptable to us. ”

On the day of the release FMQB radio broadcast The World Premiere of Death Magnetic, which was heard on more than 175 stations across the United States and Canada.The live program from Metallica HQ featured all four members of Metallica talking with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Originally scheduled for a 90 minute broadcast, the show ended after two hours.

Release versions

• Experience 2

Digital download of Death Magnetic at 320 kbit/s, ringtones, two live shows, additional two hours of exclusive "making of" footage, 250 photos. Also includes exclusive Mission: Metallica footage of the writing and recording of Death Magnetic, as well as riffs and excerpts from it, exclusive photos and live tracks.

• Experience 3

A physical copy of Death Magnetic CD.

• Experience 4
  

A box set of Death Magnetic on five 180 gram vinyl LP albums, with five individual sleeves and a Mission: Metallica lithograph. Also includes the same extras as Experience 2 and 3. This set was limited to 5,000 copies.[30]

• The Box Magnetic

A collector's edition white coffin-shaped box, available in three different sizes (M, L, or XL), which includes a Death Magnetic CD in a special carton box, an additional CD with 10 demos of the songs from the album entitled "Demo Magnetic",[31] a DVD of additional "making of" footage not seen on Mission: Metallica, an exclusive t-shirt with the Death Magnetic logo, a flag, guitar picks, a fold out coffin-shaped poster with the members of Metallica,[31] and a collector's credit card with a code for a free download of a performance in Europe in September.[32] This set was limited to 2,000 copies.

[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Magnetic]

Dreamtale - Phoenix (2008)

Phoenix is the fourth studio album by Finnish power metal band Dreamtale.

Dreamtale was founded by Rami Keränen in the early months of 1999. The band first gathered fame by playing as Sinergy's supporting act in Finland, but the biggest fuzz was made when they released their second demo "Refuge from Reality": it was sold out on its day of release!

Most copies of the demo were sold to Japan and it didn't take long before rumors of a hot new metal-band reached record labels' ears. Dreamtale started receiving recording deal offers from all over the world, and in August 2001 a deal with Spinefarm Records was sealed.

In December 2001, Dreamtale started the recordings of "Beyond Reality". After giving the album its finishing touches, Dreamtale went through changes in their line-up: bassist Alois Weimer was replaced by Pasi Ristolainen, and a new singer, Tomi Viiltola, joined the group

"Beyond Reality", which was released in Japan in June and elsewhere during July 2002, sold amazing amounts in Japan and the band gathered a loyal following. The Japanese fans simply couldn't wait to get more, so the recordings of a second full-length album were decided to start as soon as possible.

Recordings for their second album Ocean's Heart were begun in January 2003 at Fantom studios Finland, where the album was then mixed by Samu Oittinen. Finishing touches were added with Mika Jussila's mastering at the famed Finnvox-studios.

Track listing 1. "Yesterday's News" – 3:33
2. "Eyes Of The Clown" – 4:43
3. "Payback" – 4:44
4. "Failed States" – 3:49
5. "Take What The Heavens Create" – 2:53
6. "Great Shadow" – 5:15
7. "No Angels No More" – 3:46
8. "Faceless Men" – 4:16
9. "Firebird" – 3:47
10. "The Vigilante" – 4:46

Personel
* Erkki Seppänen - Vocals
* Rami Keränen - Guitar
* Seppo Kolehmaine - Guitar
* Akseli Kaasalainen - Keyboards
* Pasi Ristolainen - Bass
* Arto Pitkänen - Drums

DragonForce - Ultra Beatdown (2008)

Ultra Beatdown is the fourth studio album by DragonForce, released on 20 August 2008 in Japan through JVC and on 26 August 2008 worldwide through Roadrunner Records [4] and Universal Music.[5] It was the first studio album to feature Frédéric Leclercq on bass. On 4 July 2008 the first single from the album, "Heroes of Our Time", was posted on their MySpace profile.[6] On 8 July 2008, the music video for Heroes of Our Time was released onto their MySpace profile. The songs "Heartbreak Armageddon", "The Fire Still Burns" and "A Flame for Freedom" were all played on 106.1 Rock Radio during a interview with ZP Theart on 15 July 2008.[7] On 14 August 2008 Ultra Beatdown was made available for pre-order in the DragonForce official web store. On 18 August 2008 the album became available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Prior to the album's release, the shortest song (excluding "Invocation of Apocalyptic Evil", the 14-second intro on Valley of the Damned) was the track "Dawn Over a New World", from the second album, Sonic Firestorm. This honour now goes to the special edition track "Strike of the Ninja". This song also holds the honour of being the first and, so far, only unedited song recorded by DragonForce with a length of less than five minutes, albeit due to it being a re-recorded version of "Feel the Fire" by Sam Totman's side project Shadow Warriors.

Track listing
1. "Heroes of Our Time"
2. "The Fire Still Burns"
3. "Reasons to Live"
4. "Heartbreak Armageddon"
5. "The Last Journey Home"
6. "A Flame for Freedom"
7. "Inside the Winter Storm"
8. "The Warrior Inside"


Band members
* ZP Theart – vocals
* Herman Li – guitars, backing vocals, producing, mixing, engineering
* Sam Totman – guitars, backing vocals, producing, mixing
* Vadim Pruzhanov – keyboards, piano, theremin, kaoss pad, backing vocals
* Dave Mackintosh – drums, backing vocals
* Frédéric Leclercq – bass, backing vocals, additional guitars

Guest musicians
* Clive Nolan – backing vocals, additional keyboards

HolyHell - Apocalypse (2007)

HolyHell is a power metal band, formed in 2005, who are being produced by Joey DeMaio of Manowar. The band has delayed the release of their debut album, choosing instead to tour with Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire. In concert, they play a cover of "The Phantom of the Opera" with Eric Adams (Manowar) and Maria Breon on vocals.

Their first single Apocalypse was released on March 23, 2007.
"Apocalypse" is the first studio release (a single) by the US symphonic power metal band HolyHell. It was released on March 23, 2007 by Magic Circle Music.

Track listing

1. "Apocalypse" – 4:06
2. "Resurrection" – 6:30
3. "Phantom of the Opera (Live)" – 6:12
4. "Last Vision" – 5:41

Members

* Maria Breon - Vocals
* Joe Stump - Guitar
* Tom Hess - Guitar
* Jay Rigney - Bass
* Rhino (Ex-Manowar drummer) - Drums
* Francisco Palomo - Keyboards

Gary Moore - Close As You Get (2007)

Gary Moore (born Robert William Gary Moore, 4 April 1952, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish guitarist. In a career dating back to the 1960s, he has played with artists including Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and the blues-rock band Skid Row as well as having a successful solo career. Among many cameo appearances over the years, he performed the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.

In 1973 he released his first solo album, Grinding Stone, billed as the Gary Moore Band. In 1978 his solo career started again with help from Phil Lynott. The combination of Moore's blues-based guitar and Lynott's voice, produced "Parisienne Walkways", which reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart in April 1979; and the Thin Lizzy number two hit album, Black Rose: A Rock Legend.

After a series of rock records, Moore returned to blues music with Still Got the Blues, with contributions from Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. The album was well received by fans and a huge success. Moore stayed with the blues format until 1997, when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats on Dark Days in Paradise; this left many fans, as well as the music press confused. Back to the Blues saw Moore return to his tried and tested blues format.

Close As You Get is a 2007 album by Northern Irish blues guitarist and singer Gary Moore.

Track listing

1. "If the Devil Made Whisky" (Moore) - 2:48
2. "Trouble at Home" (Moore) - 5:00
3. "Thirty Days" (Chuck Berry) - 3:16
4. "Hard Times" (Moore) - 3:04
5. "Have You Heard?" (John Mayall) - 5:49
6. "Eyesight to the Blind" (Sonny Boy Williamson II) - 2:34
7. "Evenin'" (Swain/Royce) - 5:47
8. "Nowhere Fast" (Moore) - 3:38
9. "Checkin' up on My Baby" (Sonny Boy Williamson II) - 5:24
10. "I Had a Dream" (Moore) - 7:16
11. "Sundown" (Son House) - 7:08

Personnel

* Gary Moore - Vocals/Guitar, Dobro on "Sundown"
* Brian Downey - Drums
* Vic Martin - Keyboards
* Pete Rees - Bass
* Mark Feltham - Harmonica on "Hard Times" and "Checkin' up on My Baby"

* Produced by Gary Moore and Ian Taylor
* Engineered and mixed by Ian Taylor, assisted by Jonathan Tayler-Webb.
* Recorded and mixed at Sarm Hookend, except "I Had a Dream" backing track, recorded at Sphere Studios by Franco Cameli, assisted by Joshua Blair.