OPETH's Mikael Åkerfeldt & PORCUPINE TREE'S Steven Wilson Form STORM CORROSION!

Storm Corrosion is the long-discussed and highly anticipated collaboration between two of the modern progressive Rock scene's most innovative and multi-talented artists: Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson. The pair will release Storm Corrosion on April 24 via Roadrunner Records.

A little background information on the genesis of this project: Åkerfeldt and Wilson have been friends since the late '90s, when Wilson co-produced Opeth’s revered 'Blackwater Park' album. Over the years, they’d often spoken of working on a project together, but it wasn’t until recently that they managed to make something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson’s home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.

The sound of Storm Corrosion can best be described as enchanting, orchestral, ambient, epic (half the album’s tracks clock in around the 10-minute mark) and nothing short of surprising to the NEW ear. However, the musicians’ respective fan bases will be primed to appreciate the NEW output, with Wilson’s recent solo album, 'Grace for Drowning', and Opeth’s 'Heritage' having brought them to a logical place to understand Storm Corrosion. This eponymous collection is almost viewed as one side of a musical triangle.

Says Wilson, “If you'd asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, 'Expect the last thing you would expect.' But actually, now that Heritage and Grace for Drowning have come out, I don't think it's going to be that much of a shock to people, because it's almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way. If anything, it's even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even more dark, twisted and melancholic… but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as 'Heritage' and 'Grace for Drowning', which indeed it does because it was written during the same period.”

“Some of the music on this record I think is the most beautiful music I have participated on ever,” adds Åkerfeldt. “There's some magical sections on there. Musically I think we've created something earthy, a bit frightening, exhausting, profound and rather intense. All at the same time. I can safely say I don't know any other band or artist that sounds anything like Storm Corrosion. I guess that was also one of our goals, so to speak.”

Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R, Monte Conner welcomed Storm Corrosion to the Roadrunner family, commenting, “I am honored to have the Roadrunner logo on the Storm Corrosion album. Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have demonstrated time and time again that they are two of the truest and most important artists working today, and it is not often that I get to work with musicians of this caliber. This album is a beautiful piece of work that will appeal to fans of Steven and Mikael’s past records, while at the same time exploring new avenues for both artists."



Related links:
Storm Corrosion on Facebook

MASTODON Unleash Tour Video For Their Upcoming North American Trek With Opeth & Ghost!

This is one tour that Rock fans will be talking about for years to come and if you miss it, you'll be terribly sorry. Mastodon and Opeth will be embarking on a co-headline tour this spring, which kicks off April 4 in Portland, Maine and runs through May 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. It's the first time these two titans of progressive and forward-thinking hard Rock have hit the road together and it's going to be one for the ages. Ghost will serve as the opener of the tour, which has been christened the "Heritage Hunter." Here is the official tour video from Mastodon!



Dates for this momentous trek are as follows. Pre-sale ticketing begins on February 1, with public on sales to follow on February 3.

April 4 – State Theater – Portland, ME
April 5 – Orpheum Theater – Boston, MA *
April 6 – Metropolis – Montreal, QC *
April 7 – Sony Centre – Toronto, ON *
April 9 – Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
April 10 – The Dome – Wallingford, CT
April 11 – Roseland – New York, NY
April 13 – Riviera Theater – Chicago
April 14 – Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
April 15 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
April 16 – TN Theater – Knoxville, TN *
April 18 – Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
April 19 –Palladium – Dallas, TX *
April 20 – Backstage Live – San Antonio, TX *
April 21 – Concrete Street – Corpus Christi, TX *
April 23 – Fillmore – Denver, CO *
April 25 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
April 26 – Gibson – Hollywood, CA *
April 27 – Fox Theatre – Oakland, CA *
April 28 – Grand Sierra Resort – Reno, NV
April 30 – Paramount Theater – Seattle, WA *
May 1 – Orpheum – Vancouver, BC *
May 3 – Edmonton Events Centre – Edmonton,AB *
May 4 – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB
May 5 – The Odeon – Saskatoon, SK
May 6 – Burton Cummings – Winnipeg, MB *
May 9 – The Fillmore – Washington, DC *
May 10 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
May 11 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC *
May 12 – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA

*Denotes Opeth close the show

Stay tuned for more information!







Related links:
Go here to purchase tickets!
Official site of Mastodon
Official site of Opeth
Official site of Ghost

Design For MASTODON & Win Some Cash!

Opeth & Mastodon Announce Tourdates For Co-Headlining "Heritage Hunter Tour", Ghost to Support!

This is one tour that Rock fans will be talking about for years to come and if you miss it, you'll be terribly sorry. Opeth and Mastodon will be embarking on a co-headline tour this spring, which kicks off April 4 in Portland, Maine and runs through May 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. It's the first time these two titans of progressive and forward-thinking hard Rock have hit the road together and it's going to be one for the ages. Ghost will serve as the opener of the tour, which has been christened the "Heritage Hunter."

About the tour, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, in his trademark deadpan wit, stated, "We're touring North America together with Mastodon soon. Nice! One of the very few Metal bands of today that I genuinely like. Good people too! Ghost are coming with us as well, and they are one of the hottest NEW bands to come out of Sweden in recent years, and I dig them too. I sound like an old fart, don't I? Well, I am.”

He continued, "Yet, am I right in thinking that this tour, this line up, is pretty decent? Would you all agree? Not complete s---, is it? Hope to see y'all out there! What are we playing? Not sure yet, but considering the company, maybe we'll have to pull out the big guns from time to time. In order to keep up, I mean."

Opeth released 'Heritage' in September 2011, garnering critical acclaim from Rolling Stone ("a career record that reimagines prog as actual Rock N' Roll"), Pitchfork ("a pretty, well thought out collection"), AV Club ("wholly absorbing"), Decibel (which featured the band on the cover, in somewhat of a tradition for the band and the magazine), PopMatters ("Opeth still continues to make especially phenomenal music") and more.

Dates for this momentous trek are as follows. Pre-sale ticketing begins on February 1, with public on sales to follow on February 3.

April 4 – State Theater – Portland, ME
April 5 – Orpheum Theater – Boston, MA *
April 6 – Metropolis – Montreal, QC *
April 7 – Sony Centre – Toronto, ON *
April 9 – Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
April 10 – The Dome – Wallingford, CT
April 11 – Roseland – New York, NY
April 13 – Riviera Theater – Chicago
April 14 – Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
April 15 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
April 16 – TN Theater – Knoxville, TN *
April 18 – Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
April 19 –Palladium – Dallas, TX *
April 20 – Backstage Live – San Antonio, TX *
April 21 – Concrete Street – Corpus Christi, TX *
April 23 – Fillmore – Denver, CO *
April 25 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
April 26 – Gibson – Hollywood, CA *
April 27 – Fox Theatre – Oakland, CA *
April 28 – Grand Sierra Resort – Reno, NV
April 30 – Paramount Theater – Seattle, WA *
May 1 – Orpheum – Vancouver, BC *
May 3 – Edmonton Events Centre – Edmonton,AB *
May 4 – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB
May 5 – The Odeon – Saskatoon, SK
May 6 – Burton Cummings – Winnipeg, MB *
May 9 – The Fillmore – Washington, DC *
May 10 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
May 11 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC *
May 12 – Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA

*Denotes Opeth close the show

Stay tuned for more information!







Related links:
Go here to purchase tickets!
Official site of Mastodon
Official site of Opeth
Official site of Ghost

Mastodon Announces Design Contest - Details Available!

Mastodon, renowned for the ability to stray away from convention, have successfully masterminded their own string of complex concept albums, including 'Remission', 'Crack The Skye' and the 2011 released 'The Hunter'. In celebration of 'The Hunter', featuring the track "Dry Bone Valley", Mastodon and fine artist Tim Biskup are inviting fans and artists to submit a design inspired by 'Dry Bone Valley' to be featured on Mastodon's official website!

1) Mastodon's Choice:

One winner will have their design displayed on on Mastodon's official website and as the band's official Facebook profile picture for one month. In addition, the winning submission will be promoted across the social media channels of Warner Brothers Records and the winner will receive $1,000.

One runner-up (as selected by Mastodon and Tim Biskup) will have their submission featured in a gallery on Mastodon's Facebook page and will receive $500.

2) People's Choice:

The highest voted artist will have their submission featured in a gallery on Mastodon's Facebook page and will receive $500.

- Submit by: February 29, 2012
- Vote: March 1, 2012 - March 7, 2012
- Winner(s) Announced: March 14, 2012



Related links:
Click here for more information & contest rules
Mastodon's Official Site

Mastodon - Video Premiere Of 'Dry Bone Valley'!

This past September, Atlanta's Art Rock masters Mastodon released their fifth studio album entitled "The Hunter" via Reprise/Warner Bros. The reaction of the public so far has exceeded the bands expectations. The album actually debuted at the No. 10 spot on the Billboard charts after moving 39,000 units in its first week, marking their highest charting release to date.

Yesterday, the band premiered a video for their song "Dry Bone Valley". If you haven't seen it, get your eyes ready and crank it up to 11!

As previously reported, Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost will be teaming up for a U.S. tour in April. This is what Troy Sanders (Vocalist/Bassist of Mastodon) said when asked about Mastodon's plans for the immediate future:

"We go to Australia take part in the Soundwave Festival, which is going to be lovely… Take a short break. Do a North American tour with Opeth and Ghost. And then take another break and come back over here for the European festival season."

'The Hunter' Track listing:

01. Black Tongue
02. Curl Of The Burl
03. Blasteroid
04. Stargasm
05. Octopus Has No Friends
06. All The Heavy Lifting
07. The Hunter
08. Dry Bone Valley
09. Thickening
10. Creature Lives
11. Spectrelight
12. Bedazzled Fingernails
13. The Sparrow
14. The Ruiner (limited-edition bonus track)
15. Deathbound (limited-edition bonus track)

Related links:
Mastodon's Official Site
Crack the Skye
Mastodon on MySpace
Mastodon on YouTube
Mastodon on Twitter
Adult Swim Singles Program

Mastodon Confirms North American Tour With Opeth & Ghost!

Last week, we reported that there was a rumor going around that Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost might be teaming up for a U.S. tour in April. Today, we are stoked to inform you that Troy Sanders (Vocalist/Bassist of Mastodon) has confirmed that this historical tour will happen! When asked about Mastodon's plans for the immediate future, Sanders said, "We go to Australia take part in the Soundwave Festival, which is going to be lovely… Take a short break. Do a North American tour with Opeth and Ghost. And then take another break and come back over here for the European festival season."

As we previously mentioned, this tour makes total sense! Why? Well, Mastodon and Opeth are considered two of the most important bands within Progressive Metal, while Ghost has been picking a lot of steam lately and a tour with Mastodon and Opeth would get them in front of thousands of fans that haven't been able to experience this amazing Swedish melodic Metal band out.

Additionally, Mastodon and Opeth released NEW albums last year around the same time in September of last year, so they are both within a similar tour cycle since they need to promote the hell out of their NEW relases.

Stay tuned for more information!







Related links:
Official site of Mastodon
Official site of Opeth
Official site of Ghost

Mastodon, Opeth & Ghost To Tour Together?

During the last few days, there has been a rumor going around that Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost might be teaming up for a U.S. tour in April. While we can't confirm this news yet, we think its a pretty obvious tour. Why? Well, Mastodon and Opeth are considered two of the most important bands within Progressive Metal, while Ghost has been picking a lot of steam lately and a tour with Mastodon and Opeth would get them in front of thousands of fans that haven't been able to experience this amazing Swedish melodic Metal band out.

Additionally, Mastodon and Opeth released NEW albums last year around the same time in September of last year, so they are both within a similar tour cycle since they need to promote the hell out of their NEW relases.

Stay tuned for more information!







Related links:
Official site of Mastodon
Official site of Opeth
Official site of Ghost

Top 10 Music Videos of 2011 According To Guitar World!

With 2011 coming to an end, it is that time of the year in which all the media outlets within Music world reveal all their "best of 2011" lists. Today, Guitar World Magazine unleashed their top 10 for music videos that caused impact in 2011. Here you go!

10) Behemoth - "Lucifer"



9) Five Finger Death Punch - "Under and Over It"



8) Radiohead - "Lotus Flower"



7) Opeth - "The Devil's Orchard"



6) Steel Panther - "If You Really, Really Love Me"



5) Primus - "Tragedy's A' Comin'"



4) Rammstein - "Mein Land"



3) Megadeth - "Public Enemy No. 1"



2) Mastodon - "Deathbound"



1) Foo Fighters - "Walk"



Related links:
Guitar World