ROX Network Newsblast 5 July 2020

ENTERPRISE EARTH unveil a quarantine-filmed video for their rendition of Lamb Of God's 'Now You've Got Something To Die For.' The cover appears on the band's Foundation Of Bones EP, released last week via Entertainment One (eOne).

Watch 'Now You've Got Something To Die For' here: https://youtu.be/6AxhghbB9MQ

The surprise EP serves as a bridge piece from their latest full-length effort, Luciferous, into the work being laid down for their forthcoming LP and also marks the band's first self-produced output.

Foundation Of Bones features one new song from the band (the title track), two cover tunes - Lamb Of God's iconic 'Now You've Got Something To Die For' and Necrophagist's 'Fermented Offal Discharge' - an acoustic interpretation of 'There Is No Tomorrow' from their Luciferous LP, and an instrumental version of the new track.

Comments ENTERPRISE EARTH guitarist Gabriel Mangold on the band's Lamb Of God cover: "Lamb Of God is one of our collective favorites as we all draw a significant portion of our influence from their catalog. We really wanted to do something off of Ashes Of The Wake and this song seemed to check all of the boxes for us. Straightforward and to the point, this was a ton of fun to cover."

View the band's recently released video for the EP's title track here: https://youtu.be/g9C8CTFdBXA

ENTERPRISE EARTH’s Foundation Of Bones is out now digitally. Preview and purchase the record here: https://EnterpriseEarth.lnk.to/foundationofbones

ENTERPRISE EARTH online:
https://enterpriseearthband.com/
www.facebook.com/enterpriseearthband
twitter.com/eearthband
stagram.com/enterpriseearth/

Neal Morse has announced the release of Sola Gratia, his new solo progressive rock concept album, on September 11, 2020. Originating from a seed planted in his mind about writing a record based on the apostle Paul, Sola Gratia quickly came together at the beginning of 2020. The album sees Neal working with long-time collaborators Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Eric Gillette, Bill Hubauer, and Gideon Klein.

The title Sola Gratia of course has echoes of Morse’s 2007 epic Sola Scriptura, about the life of Martin Luther, but was in fact originally the result of a simple marital misunderstanding: “I was talking to my wife Cherie about debuting this new piece at Morsefest 2020 and she said she thought it would be good for me to do a solo album. However, I thought she said ‘Sola album’ and – because some of the new ideas involved Paul’s aggressive pursuit of the early Christians, I could see a link to some of the themes of persecution in ‘Sola Scriptura.’” The music was recorded ‘virtually’ in April 2020 at the height of the Coronavirus lockdown with long term collaborators Mike Portnoy and Randy George: “It’s the first album we have ever made remotely: I sent them the basic tracks and asked if they wanted to rearrange things, but they just said ‘No, it’s great!’, so they just played to it and sent their parts back over. It wasn’t an easy way to make an album, but creating always has its challenges, no matter how you do it.” As Morse explains, it was this process that decided that Sola Gratia was to be a Neal Morse album, rather than being credited to The Neal Morse Band: “With the Neal Morse Band, the whole band works together on the writing, and while Eric Gillette plays some guitar and Bill Hubauer has added some keyboards on this one, neither of them wrote – or is singing – on this album.

Sola Gratia will be released as a limited CD/DVD digipak (featuring a ‘Making-Of’ documentary), gatefold 2LP + CD, standard CD jewel case, and as a digital album. The cover art was created by another longtime collaborator, Thomas Ewerhard. RADIANT RECORDS EXCLUSIVE: Only available at Radiant, pre-orders will come with an exclusive Sola Gratia download booklet containing Neal's handwritten lyrics, plus his comments on the writing/recording of the album! Look out for the first track release and pre-order opportunities starting on Friday, July 17th! Track Listing: 1. Preface 2. Overture 3. In The Name Of The Lord 4. Ballyhoo (The Chosen Ones) 5. March Of The Pharisees 6. Building A Wall 7. Sola Intermezzo 8. Overflow 9. Warmer Than The Sunshine 10. Never Change 11. Seemingly Sincere 12. The Light On The Road To Damascus 13. The Glory Of The Lord 14. Now I Can See/The Great Commission "Vertigo" Coming Out This September on Magnetic Eye Records!  Early September will see ZAKK SABBATH, the BLACK SABBATH tribute band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Blasko  (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens of the Stone Age), release their spectacular tribute to the Birmingham four, a faithful yet supercharged rendition of BLACK SABBATH's first album. Vertigo Records issued the iconic debut album on a Friday the 13th in 1970, and the world was never the same. Legendarily recorded in a single day in October 1969, the earth-moving self-titled set closed the book on hippie optimism with its dark magic and ushered in a brand new genre, setting the metal template for decades to come. Exactly 50 years later, ZAKK SABBATH celebrate the first chapter in the Sabbath catalog with a reverently rendered tribute, simply titled "Vertigo", which is slated for a release on September 4th, 2020, via Magnetic Eye Records. Faithfully recorded in the spirit of the original, live in the studio and with a film crew documenting the process, the session culminated in a new version of a landmark album that celebrates the greatest heavy metal band of all time and the record that started it all. "We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time", explains Blasko regarding Zakk Sabbath's decision to go studio. "Compared to 'Paranoid', which is almost like a best-of record, the bulk of the material on 'Black Sabbath' is deep-cut, really experimental stuff that was never thoroughly explored, so that was a challenge, not to forget that we wanted to meet our own high standards." Describing the DIY process as "very productive," the three respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, also revisiting various live renditions and "extending a solo here or slowing things down because that's what they tended to do on stage." Today, ZAKK SABBATH are sharing a first track taken from "Vertigo", the title track "Black Sabbath". You can now stream their tribute version of the iconic anthem, Black Sabbath, HERE! ZAKK SABBATH's "Vertigo" won't be available digitally, "to make the release feel authentic to the time when vinyl ruled the earth. It was such a cool time for those of us that grew up during that time. The fan experience with the physical product is irreplaceable with digital and streaming. We wanted to capture that authenticity." "Vertigo" will be available as: Digipak CD CD/DVD hardcover book with the album behind-the-scenes-interviews and making-of limited edition yellow vinyl   Tracklisting: 1) Black Sabbath 2) The Wizard 3) Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / N.I.B 4) Wicked World 5) A Bit of Finger / Sleeping Village / Warning Set to be released on September 4th, the album pre-sale has just started at THIS LOCATION! For More Info Visit: www.zakksabbath.com www.facebook.com/officialzakksabbath www.magneticeyerecords.com AIRFORCE Joins Pitch Black Records New album out on September 4th UK old-school rockers AIRFORCE have joined forces with Pitch Black Records for the release of the band’s new album, their second full-length since reforming in 2016. The new AIRFORCE studio album “Strike Hard” is set for release on September 4th 2020 on CD and Digital. AIRFORCE stem originally from the NWOBHM era back in the 80’s with the band’s style best described as Old School Metal at its best, full of hooks, Riffs and soaring melodies! The band was originally formed in 1986 by Tony Hatton (bass), Chop Pitman (guitars) and legendary drummer Doug Sampson (ex- Iron Maiden). The AIRFORCE line-up now includes the extremely talented vocalist Flavio Lino who recently joined the band on a permanent basis. “Strike Hard” features a number of guest appearances, starting with Paul Di’ Anno (ex- Iron Maiden vocalist) and former AIRFORCE vocalist Ivan Giannini (now of Vision Divine). The CD version of the album features a bonus track which is a cover of “Faith Healer”, a classic Sensational Alex Harvey Band song. This recording includes a guest appearance by the original SAHB guitarist Zal Cleminson. The song “Die For You” is now available for streaming and free download at www.pitchblackrecords.com where pre-ordering information is also available. A video for the same song will be released on the band’s YouTube channel and followed by a series of other videos in the upcoming months. Album track-listing: 1. Fight 2. Die for You 3. Son of the Damned 4. The Reaper 5. Finest Hour 6. Don't Look in Her Eyes 7. I Feel Your Pain 8. War Games 9. Band of Brothers 10. The War Inside 11. Faith Healer (CD bonus) Links: www.pitchblackrecords.com www.facebook.com/pitchblackrecords www.pitchblackrecords.bandcamp.com www.airforceuk.co.uk www.facebook.com/chop.airforce www.instagram.com/airforcebanduk www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fjq1v3Ua2ryPne9GUSKvA TONY HARNELL (the former voice of Norwegian/American band TNT) is racing ahead with one eye in the rear-view fronting ECHOBATS, a new allstar, quarantine inspired project alongside WHITESNAKE/TSO guitarist JOEL HOEKSTRA (guitar), NIGHT RANGER'S ERIC LEVY on keys and the tight, crackling rhythm of MATT (MR.BIG, ACE FREHLEY) STARR's kit and JAMES LOMENZO’s (WHITE LION, MEGADETH) bass. Highway fidelity for self-isolating rockers! ...Featuring cool classic melodies, hi octane rocking and unmistakable vocals to chill out to. “Save Me From Loving You,” mixed by Chris Collier, is the surprise new summertime, 70’s Glam-infused single that brings a Penny Lane-style spark to the pop side of Harnell’s sound with the bite of this banging EchoBats band. Highway fidelity for self-isolating rockers! “The lyrics for ‘Save Me from Loving You’ are ironic for such a happy song! They’re kinda dark; describing someone who’s pretending to be something that looks good to the world while hiding a dark and empty soul. I think, against the happy melodies, it gives it a kind of cinematic mood. “Isn’t there more to you than shine, or are you an empty room”. A friend of mine described the song as Bop-Noir:) I kinda like that! The video for ‘Save Me from Loving You’ is just us using what we had around us in quarantine; I’m in England and had a phone booth nearby and the guys were at home across the US! It was totally off the cuff and fun. The music and melodies are kinda 60’s/70’s, and I went with that for my shots, and Arielle edited the video with that energy and flair.” – TONY HARNELL “Nothing could be more welcome in this paranoid pandemic than a paisley perfect throwback love song. Tony Harnell and his electrified Echobats have crafted a deliciously infectious, instant summer classic. I dare you to find someone to save you from loving this song.” - Lonn Friend, author, Life on Planet Rock "While Echobats members like singer Tony Harnell and guitarist Joel Hoekstra are known for raucous '80s-style hard rock, 'Save Me From Loving You' finds them riding an effervescent '60s pop vibe. The style is classic, the sound a bit more modern, and it makes for a fun summertime tune." - Bryan Reesman “Tony has been innately gifted with a gorgeous tone, pure soulful emotion and a limitless range. Truly a rare and unique voice. No question he is easily one of my favorite vocalists.”- James LaBrie-Dream Theater California born, NYC bred, Tony Harnell’s music journey took off at 21 when he signed his first record deal with Mercury Records. Since then he’s been a fan favorite whether on his own, leading the Norwegian/American hard rock group TNT, or as the front man for the Tony Harmell & The Wildflowers featuring Bumblefoot. A critically-acclaimed vocalist, Grammy winner, and Hall of Fame Inductee in Norway, Tony has sold millions of albums and received numerous gold and platinum awards. With multiple top requested MTV videos, sold out concerts worldwide, and a lifelong passion for music, Tony is considered by fans, critics, and peers alike to be one of the greatest rock voices of all time. “From his early days in TNT, to his various projects and collaborations along the way, he has proved time and time again that he isn’t afraid to take risks and reinvent himself.” -- Myles Kennedy-Alterbridge/Slash For Tony, it’s always been about the music. Growing, creating, becoming the next best version of himself as a singer, songwriter, and performer. In 2019 Tony released two albums. Starbreaker “Dysphoria” and Lovekillers. New York guitarist Joel Hoekstra currently plays for Whitesnake and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Joel is also well known for his work with Cher, Night Ranger, the Broadway show Rock of Ages, his fill in work with Foreigner and annual sets on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. He is also a frequent columnist for Guitar World Magazine. In 2015, Joel released the debut album from his side project Joel Hoekstra's 13 and a follow-up is in the works! He has also released 3 solo albums that YOU should own! For over 30 years, James has recorded and toured with some of the most noteworthy rock icons of our time, including Jerry Cantrell, John Fogerty, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Zakk Wylde (Pride & Glory and Black Label Society), David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Ace Frehley and many more. Thought of as the “go to” bass player for Heavy Rock and Metal, His fluid/aggressive style and at home stage presence have proven to be a perfect match to these musical giants! Born in Brooklyn, New York, James officially started his touring and recording career in the 1980’s band, White Lion. They signed to Atlantic Records in 1986 and in 1987 the album Pride was released featuring the top ten hits, “Wait” and “When the Children Cry”. The album has sold millions of copies worldwide as did their follow up album, Big Game (1989) featured their top 20 hit “Little Fighter“ and a spirited rendition of Golden Earring’s “Radar Love”. James is currently a member of American rock legend John Fogerty’s band. Matt Starr is a drummer, producer & speaker. Matt is currently the touring and recording drummer for guitarist and founding KISS member Ace Frehley. Matt has also worked with Joe Lynn Turner, Paul Stanley, Mr. Big, Michael Des Barres as well as various projects with members of Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Foreigner and others. In the studio he has worked with the following producers: Jimmy Bralower (VP A&R Atlantic Records, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Joan Jett), Toby Wright (Metallica, Alice In Chains, Korn), Mike Chapman (Blondie, The Knack, The Sweet), Dave Bianco (AC/DC, Tom Petty, KISS) and Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray). Eric Levy was born and raised in suburban Chicago, and currently resides in northern California. He’s been a member of classic rock band Night Ranger since 2011, and spent the previous decade touring with jamband Garaj Mahal. In his diverse career, Eric has performed and/or recorded with jazz fusion greats such as Dennis Chambers and Dave Weckl, funk legends like Dawn Silva and Bernie Worrell, and early rockers including Fabian and Wolfman Jack. He’s sat in numerous times with jam bands like Umphrey’s McGee and String Cheese Incident, and performed at arenas and amphitheaters around the globe with Night Ranger.