Archive for Black Star Riders

Black Star Riders – The Killer Instinct (Deluxe Edition)

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , on 8th March 2015 by Mickelrath

Black Star Riders
The Killer Instinct
Hard Rock
Released: 20th February 2015
Via Nuclear Blast Records

So the second record from the old school rockers is here – “The Killer Instinct”, released on the 20th February 2015 via Nuclear Blast Records, is the follow up to 2013’s “All Hell Breaks Loose”. The album is produced by Nick Raskulinecz, and recording took place in Nashville, Tennessee in September 2014. This is also the first BSR album to feature bassist Robbie Crane. The first single to be released from the album is the title track, “The Killer Instinct”.

The album is a refreshing change of pace from the first album, and it doesn’t seem to be as hastily put together. There is a lot of really nice tunes that are just easy to listen to. I wasn’t to keen on the production style of the first album, but here I think everything works, each song flows nicely in to the next and it’s just a really pleasant experience to hear. The riffs are tight and solos are easy on the ear. The music more emcompasses your head rather than penetrating your hearing. I just get lost in the sounds that this album makes. I bet this would sound amazing on vinyl.

I can’t really fault this record. The only thing I can think of is that, it’s a bit too familiar to older rock n roll, and all it does is remind you of all the bands that have been before. Not that this is really a bad thing, but it can be distracting if you are coming in to this record expecting something fresh and new. Also, some of the riff and solo choices seem a little lazy, but a few bad moments, not even songs, doesn’t spoil this for me. Genuinely all this paragraph was my nitpicking, not actual problems.

I have to say, if I were to recommend songs to sell you this album, the first would have to be “Finest Hour”. This is just a great upbeat rock tune that makes me smile everytime I listen to it.  It has a solid riff and a really catchy chorus. Also I’m really feeling the tune “Sex, Guns & Gasoline”, again a great little riff and it’s got a funky rhythm and again it’s really quite catchy. Also, since I got the “Deluxe Edition”, there are some really nice acoustic renditions of the songs on the album. “The Killer Instinct (Acoustic)” is actually better than the electric version, in my opinion.

In summary, this is a fantastic rock record that I don’t really have anything against. It’s better than the first album, full of great riffs and solos, it’s catchy and fun. Also I recommend getting the “Deluxe Edition” to get all of the bonus content, because the acoustic reworking is really nice. This has been my favourite album of the year so far!!

5/5

Mick Birchall

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Black Star Riders: new album and UK tour

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , on 9th January 2015 by Pieni

photo blackstariders_zpsfaf9cb25.jpg

Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, the sophomore album by all-star Black Star Riders will hit the stores next month (on the 20th in Europe, 23rd in the UK and 24th in North America), courtesy of Nuclear Blast. Its title-track, “The Killer Instinct”, saw the light of day as a single three weeks ago, along with a lyric video:

The full track list is as follows:

1. “The Killer Instinct”
2. “Bullet Blues”
3. “Finest Hour”
4. “Soldierstown”
5. “Charlie I Gotta Go”
6. “Blindsided”
7. “Through the Motions”
8. “Sex, Guns & Gasoline”
9. “Turn In Your Arms”
10. “You Little Liar”

Also a UK tour is getting close, with Swedish legends Europe:

Mon 2nd Mar – DUBLIN Olympia Theatre
Tue 3rd Mar – BELFAST Ulster Hall
Thu 5th Mar – GLASGOW O2 ABC
Fri 6th Mar – GLASGOW O2 ABC
Sat 7th Mar – NEWCASTLE O2 Academy
Sun 8th Mar – LEEDS O2 Academy
Tue 10th Mar – NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Wed 11th Mar – CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
Fri 13th Mar – MANCHESTER O2 Academy
Sat 14th Mar – WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall
Sun 15th Mar – EXETER Great Hall
Mon 16th Mar – BRISTOL – O2 Academy
Wed 18th Mar – BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy
Thu 19th Mar – NORWICH UEA
Fri 20th Mar – LONDON Shepherds Bush Empire
Sat 21st Mar – LONDON Shepherds Bush Empire

www.blackstarriders.com
www.facebook.com/BlackStarRidersOfficial
www.twitter.com/BlackStarRiders
www.youtube.com/BlackStarRiders

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Jettblack announce release date for compilation album Black Gold

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 15th July 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

UK rockers Jettblack have announced 19th August as the release date for their new compilation album, titled Black Gold. The 13 track collection will includes covers of three hard rock anthems (originally recorded by Motorhead, Heart and AC/DC), as well as a brand new song, Red Horizon and to top it all off guest appearances from members of Deep Purple and Black Star Riders/Thin Lizzy. And if that’s not enough, the new Jettblack single – a revised version of Black Gold, a track from latest Jettblack studio album, Raining Rock, out now via Spinefarm, will be featured on the compilation. Will Stapleman, vocalist and guitarist for Jettblack, commented:

We’re very happy to have a lot of our bonus material finally released on a physical format, but we didn’t want this album to be all about the past – which is why we recorded the three new tracks. We loved working on the Heart and Motorhead covers, but it was especially satisfying to get a version of Red Horizon down on tape. We’ve had this song since the Raining Rock album, and you’ll hear the full version on JB studio album number three – the version here is acoustic, but I think it shows what a big song for us this will be…

Black Gold track listing:

1) ‘Black Gold’ (feat. Damon Johnson) – new edited version.
2) ‘Feel The Love’ (feat. Ian Paice of Deep Purple) – from the ‘Raining Rock’ sessions, previously digital only.
3) ‘Weapon’ – from the ‘Raining Rock’ sessions.
4) ‘Fade Away’ – from the ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’ sessions.
5) ‘Let Me Put My Love Into You’ (AC/DC cover) – previously only available on a cover-mounted CD.
6) ‘Red Horizon’ (acoustic) – previously unreleased.
7) ‘Barracuda’ (Heart cover) – previously unreleased.
8) ‘Name In Vain’ (Motorhead cover) – previously unreleased.
9) ‘War Between Us’ (acoustic) – previously digital only.
10) ‘Not Even Love’ (acoustic) – previously digital only.
11) ‘Sunshine’ (acoustic) – previously digital only.
12) ‘Prison Of Love’ (acoustic) – previously digital only.
13) ‘Black Gold’ – full album version.

The new edit of Black Gold has been released today as a single via Spinefarm Records.

On the live front, Jettblack have just embarked on a string of UK festival appearances; these include Scar Fest in Stoke-On-Trent on 25th August.

Jettblack online:

http://facebook.com/jettblackuk
http://twitter.com/jettblackuk

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Sister annoucned additional UK shows, plus appearance at Hard Rock Hell VII

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , on 12th July 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Swedish sleaze punks Sister have announced two additional shows at the end of their European tour with Wednesday 13 in November. The Swedish outfit will play an intimate London headline show at Upstairs at The Garage on 30th November. Tickets are available from this location.

After the amount of success the band had in March, Sister are more than eager to return. The band stated:

In November it’s time for the UK again. The tour last March with our new friends in Wednesday 13 was a truly great time and the crowds really made a big impact on us. It was two memorable weeks for sure so it’s awesome that we got the opportunity to return once again this year!

See ya in November! /SISTER

Sister will also make an appearance at Hard Rock Hell VII which takes place at Hafan Y Mor in Pwllheli between 28th November and 1st December. They’ll join Black Star Riders, Airbourne, Nazarath, Michael Monroe and a host of others. More info and tickets here at this location.

Sister online:

http://www.sisteronline.net
http://www.facebook.com/sisterband
http://www.youtube.com/sisterofficial
http://www.twitter.com/sister_official

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Black Star Riders discuss signing to Nuclear Blast

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 16th May 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Black Star Riders, the new band featuring Thin Lizzy members Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Scott Gorham and Marco Mendoza together with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper/Megadeth), have announced All Hell Breaks Loose as the title of their debut album on Nuclear Blast Entertainment recently and in anticipation of the release, Nuclear Blast sat Scott Gorham and Ricky Warwick in front of a camera to ask them more about the signing. Find out why the band ended up choosing Nuclear Blast to release their new album All Hell Breaks Loose, below:

Black Star Riders online:
facebook.com/BLACKSTARRIDERSOFFICIAL
BLACKSTARRIDERS.com
twitter.com/BLACKSTARRIDERS

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Black Star Riders, featuring Thin Lizzy members, announce UK tour dates

Posted in Featured, News with tags , , , , , , , on 24th April 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Black Star Riders, the new and exciting band featuring Thin Lizzy members Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Scott Gorham and Marco Mendoza together with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Megadeth), have announced their first UK headline tour. The tour will support the release of their debut album All Hell Breaks Loose which will be released in the UK through on Nuclear Blast on the 27th May 2013.

The band already released their debut single Bound For Glory, which was premiered on BBC Radio 2 and can be listened to below.

The band are set to take the UK and Ireland by storm on their 2013 tour, playing most of the debut album and some Thin Lizzy classics. Confirmed headline and festival appearances for Black Star Riders in 2013 include the below dates (with loads more to be announced):

Friday 22nd Nov             O2 Academy, Bournemouth
Saturday 23rd Nov          O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Monday 25th Nov           O2 Academy, Bristol
Tuesday 26th Nov           Junction, Cambridge
Wednesday 27th Nov      UEA, Norwich
Friday 29th Nov              Hard Rock Hell 6, Wales – FESTIVAL CO-HEADLINE
Saturday 30th Nov          Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Sunday 1st Dec              Solus/University, Cardiff
Monday 2nd Dec            O2 Academy, Oxford
Thursday 5th Dec           Ironworks, Inverness
Friday 6th Dec                Picturehouse, Edinburgh
Saturday 7th Dec            O2 Academy, Newcastle
Sunday 8th Dec              O2 Academy, Leeds
Tuesday 10th Dec           The Assembly Rooms, Leamington Spa
Thursday 12th Dec          Rock City, Nottingham
Friday 13th Dec              Ritz, Manchester
Saturday 14th Dec          Academy, Dublin, EIRE

Tickets for headline shows are priced from £22.50 to £25.00 London (subject to booking fees) and Dublin is priced at 25 euros. Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Thursday 2nd May, with tickets for the London show available from Live Nation or Ticket Master.

VIP Packages available for all shows – including meet and greet and special acoustic performance – available from April 29th via the VIP package link at the band’s official website. Special Guests will be announced at a later date. The album will be released as a standard CD and also as a special edition digi-pak featuring a bonus track Right To Be Wrong and a Making of DVD.

A 24-minute compilation of behind-the-scenes video reports from the band’s studio time in Los Angeles can be viewed on below:

Black Star Riders online:

www.facebook.com/BLACKSTARRIDERSOFFICIAL
www.BLACKSTARRIDERS.com
Twitter.com/BLACKSTARRIDERS

 

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