Los legendarios The Who, confirmados como cabezas de cartel del Azkena Rock Festival. Dueños de uno de los directos más salvajes y explosivos que jamás se hayan vivido sobre un escenario, The Who son una de las bandas de rock más poderosas de la historia. La revista Rolling Stone llegó a decir que Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshead y los fallecidos John Entwistle y Keith Moon, componían junto a los Beatles y los Rolling Stone “la santísima trinidad del rock británico”. Los legendarios The Who serán cabezas de cartel del Azkena Rock, que se celebra en Vitoria-Gasteiz los días 17 y 18 de junio, reuniendo a un elenco de artistas con la más pura esencia del rock and roll.

Sigue leyendo

Dos grandes novedades para el Sweden Rock Festival que se va a celebrar del 9 al 12 de junio en la localidad sueca de Solversborg. Por un lado la confirmación de Guns N’ Roses como cabeza de cartel. La banda lidera por Axl Rose está de gira mundial, y aunque el tiempo no perdona, especialmente en lo que a voz se refiere, la verdad es que la nueva formación suena muy bien y DJ Ashba a la guitarra es una auténtica pasada. Por su parte, Gary Moore regresa al festival sueco pero anuncia que va a tocar rock, es decir, parece que al menos durante un concierto va a dejar el blues a un lado, lo que personalmente creo que es una gran noticia. Podemos esperar, por tanto, temas de 1986 hacia atrás.

Con estas últimas confirmaciones, el Sweden Rock Festival queda así, todo un reencuentro de clásicos:

GUNS N' ROSES (US)
One of the biggest rock bands of all time, Guns N' Roses, will bring their "Chinese Democracy World Tour" to Sölvesborg and Sweden Rock Festival in June. The worldwide tour promotes the band's latest album, Chinese Democracy, which debuted at #1 on the charts in thirteen countries including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, as well as the European Top 100 Albums survey. Chinese Democracy was released on Black Frog/Geffen Records in November 2008 and reached 3 times Platinum in Canada, Platinum in Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. The album is Gold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Holland, Sweden, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil and Colombia. In the U.S., the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 2009. Produced by Axl Rose and Caram Costanzo, Chinese Democracy includes 14 tracks. On this tour, singer/main man Axl Rose is accompanied by long-time keyboardist Dizzy Reed, the latter's fellow ivories tickler Chris Pitman, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarists Richard Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba - a musical dream-team and one of the most prestigious SRF-debuts this festival has ever had the pleasure of introducing! Guns N' Roses last played in Sweden in June 2006, when they sold out the Globe arena in Stockholm.

GARY MOORE (UK)
It's finally happening - Gary Moore is coming to SRF TO PLAY HARD ROCK! The guitar legend from Belfast has, obviously, been playing blues (and certain other things) for two decades now. But in Sweden, home of Gary's arguably most devoted fan-base, he is still primarily remembered and cherished for his hard-rock classics. He got his break in 1979, when "Parisienne Walkways" became a hit and he released the "Black Rose"-album as a member of Thin Lizzy. His solo career began "for real" with "Corridors of Power" (1982), and subsequent releases, in particular the Celtic-inspired "Wild Frontier" (1987), made Gary famous in many countries and idolized in Sweden. His subsequent blues records also sold very well in Sweden to begin with, but his personal and emotional hard-rock songs remain the greatest favorites among Swedish fans. "Empty Rooms", "Out in the Fields", "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "After the War", to name but a few. Now, after more than 20 years, classics as these, and the occasional Thin Lizzy-nugget, will once more echo across the plains.

SLAYER (US)
The hardest of the hard in the 80s, historically one of the most important bands in extreme metal. From the beginning, Slayer stood out as the spearheads of thrash - along with Metallica, obviously - and their debut "Show No Mercy" (1983) was their then record label Metal Blade's biggest seller at the time. Even more successful, not to mention influential, were albums like "Hell Awaits" (1985), "Reign in Blood" (1986) - often regarded as the pivotal thrash release - and "Seasons in the Abyss" (1990). Opinions are divided concerning the following era in Slayer history, with its experimental albums sans super drummer Dave Lombardo. The man returned to the band in 2002, after which Slayer have released two more albums and last year's "World Painted Blood" in particular has been heralded as a definite return to form. Now, in 2010, Lombardo, singer/bassist Tom Araya and guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman will finally appear at SRF - rejoice, all ye who have waited and pined! This will probably be their only show in Sweden this summer with a full setlist, since the band will be given an evening slot with at least 90 minutes of stage time.

BACHMAN & TURNER (CAN)
Traditional, though intensely heavy rock with a deadly groove - the recipe for the success of Canada's first internationally renowned hard rock act Bachman-Turner Overdrive, creators of such albums as "Not Fragile" (1974) and hits like "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", "Takin' Care of Business", "Let It Ride" and "Roll on Down the Highway". The band's classic front-duo consisted of guitarist and chief song-writer Randy Bachman and bassist Fred Turner, a.k.a. "the man with the Harley-Davidson voice". These two were permanently separated after Bachman's departure from BTO in 1991, but nearly two decades later, the duo Bachman-Turner have reunited and is currently working on their first common album since 1984! And their festival debut will take place on SRF. Where else?

W.A.S.P. (US)
Blackie Lawless & Co is one of those bands that Sweden, and not least the SRF-crowd, never seems to get enough of. When W.A.S.P:s eponymous debut arrived in 1984 Sweden was one of the regions where the band's glam-laden heavy metal caused the biggest sensation, and where their spectacular horror show rattled the parental generation the most. Since then, W.A.S.P. have kept releasing albums that remain popular to this day, but obviously that earliest period is still very special to the band's fans. Now here's a reason for them to cheer - W.A.S.P's setlist at SRF 2010 will consist mostly of songs from the two first albums "W.A.S.P." and "The Last Command" (1985)! Nothing but golden oldies like "I Wanna Be Somebody", "Wild Child", "Blind in Texas" and "LOVE Machine" throughout the show - how's that for a great gift to every devoted W.A.S.P.-fan out there?

RICK SPRINGFIELD (AUS/US)
Melodic rocker Rick Springfield got his first hit as a solo artist in his native land Australia as early as 1971, but after moving to Hollywood the following year fiasco followed fiasco for several years before he finally got his break in 1981. But that break was a double one: as a musician with mega-hit "Jessie's Girl", and as an actor in soap opera "General Hospital". More US-hits followed, including "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Human Touch", but in 1985 Springfield took a time-out to be with his family after which Europe more or less lost track of him. However, to his fellow Americans (he is an Australian-American citizen since 2006) he is still a well-known character, and melodic rockers of all nationalities hold him in such high esteem that he should actually be considered a quite reputable addition to SRF 2010.

DANZIG (US)
Glenn Danzig has reached massive commercial success not just once, but thrice: he formed horrorpunk pioneers Misfits, who've been a standing influence on scores of punk and hard rock bands ever since their formation in 1977. In 1983 it was time to develop things with Samhain, a band that fused Misfits punk rage, dark heavy metal, plus brooding goth and new wave-vibes. In Samhain Danzig would form a musical partnership with bass player Eerie Von and guitarist John Christ - both of whom followed Glenn when the band Danzig was formed in 1987. The line-up was completed by drummer Chuck Biscuits and the rest, as they say, is history. With eight full length albums and tons of hits - "Mother", "Twist of Cain", "Devil's Plaything", "Dirty Black Summer", "How the Gods Kill" among others - in their catalogue Danzig will finally be making their debut at Sweden Rock Festival.

RATT (US)
They brought down the house at SRF 2008 - now Ratt, one of the biggest glam metal-bands in history, return to Sweden and the festival. In the 80s, the band were the main competitors of Mötley Crüe, creating a multitude of classic tracks like "Round and Round", "Lay It Down", "You're in Love" and "Wanted Man". Then came an extended period during which Ratt came and went with ever-changing line-ups, none of which came close to the stature of the original band. Order was restored in 2007, when the band resumed touring with three of the five classic members, including vocalist Stephen Pearcy. And in April 2009 Ratt signed a new record deal with Roadrunner, where their highly anticipated comeback album "Infestation" will be released Spring 2010. No doubt about it anymore, the band is back and they're hungry again!

OPETH (S)
With a groundbreaking hybrid of death metal and progressive rock with a 70s flavour, Opeth from Stockholm rank among the most influential and exciting metal bands of our time - and not only the Swedish ones. The band debuted with "Orchid" in 1995, but it wasn't until their fifth album "Blackwater Park" (2001) was released that they got their true break. Since then they have released another four studio albums, each more successful than its predecessor - with the latest one, "Watershed" (2008), even the American audience started to take serious notice of Opeth. In their home-country, and among progressive listeners in general, Mikael Åkerfeldt & Co are without a doubt one of the hottest bands around at the moment, and it's more than just a guess that their appearance at SRF will draw a very, very large crowd.

U.D.O. (D)
Former Accept-vocalist Udo Dirkschneider is one of the most acknowledged characters in hard rock and never fails to bring down the house at SRF. No wonder - heavy metal doesn't get much better than the immortal Accept-classics everybody wants to hear and nobody gets tired of, along with the best pieces from U.D.O's own catalogue, twelve studio albums strong to date. The latest of which, "Dominator", has been lauded as one of the band's finest for many years, and here is something that maybe isn't mentioned often enough - that a U.D.O.-concert is not only a good place to rediscover old fave-tracks, but to discover new ones as well. U.D.O. will headline wednesday june 9th at the festival.

SABATON (S)
Sabaton is without a doubt one of the most talked-about Swedish metal bands of today - in their home country they may even have superseded the mighty Hammerfall as the most popular defenders of traditional, 80s metal-values. Ever since the band's explosive Swedish breakthrough with "Primo Victoria" in 2005, their popularity has kept increasing with succeeding albums "Attero Dominatus" (2006) and especially "The Art of War" (2008). The latter even led to Sabaton being invited to perform in Turkish TV, thanks to the song "The Cliffs of Gallipoli". There's no doubt that the band is one of the fastest growing stars in the Swedish hard rock heavens, and their return to SRF has been eagerly anticipated - to put it mildly.

D-A-D (DK)
After ten studio albums D-A-D is one of Denmark's biggest rock bands of all time, with a very characteristic sound influenced by both country and punk. The quartet peaked commercially in the late 80s-early 90s with the albums "No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims" (1989) and "Riskin' It All" (1991), containing classics like "Sleeping My Day Away", "Bad Craziness" and "Laugh 'n a ½". But that does not mean that D-A-D should be labelled as has-beens, since many claim that their most recent outputs "Scare Yourself" (2005) and "Monster Philosophy" (2008) represent a second golden age. Not least in Sweden, where brothers Jesper and Jacob Binzer (vocals/guitar and guitar, respectively), Stig Pedersen (bass) and Laust Sonne (drums) have been established as a great cult band for many years.

MAGNUM (UK)
British pomp-rockers Magnum enjoy a massive cult status in Sweden, where the band earned their all-time biggest chart-success when the "Wings of Heaven" album made it to #2 in 1988. Many a Swede wept bitterly when Magnum, debuting with "Kingdom of Madness" in 1978 and also responsible for such monumental records as "Chase the Dragon" (1982) and "On a Storyteller's Night" (1985), decided to call it a day in 1995. Not surprisingly, the band's return to Sweden at SRF 2002 was a triumphant success, later cemented with more seminal records, including "Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow" (2007) and "Into the Valley of the Moonking" (2009). Guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin remains at the helm, with competent assistance from keyboard-wiz Mark Stanway, bassist Al Barrow, drummer Harry James (of Thunder repute) and - lest we forget - ever-soulful vocalist Bob Catley.

NAZARETH (UK)
In the mid-70s, Scottish Nazareth was once of the biggest names in hard rock. They ingeniously mixed rugged, rocky tunes like "Razamanaz", "Hair of the Dog" and "Woke Up This Morning" with poppier covers like Joni Mitchells "This Flight Tonight" and the Everly Brothers "Love Hurts". The latter one gained its greatest momentum in Nazareth's version, as one of the greatest rock ballads of all time. The band has been a major influence on the likes of Hanoi Rocks and Guns n' Roses - in fact, Dan McCafferty is Axl Rose's role-model as a singer - and remains a very popular live-act, as they have proved numerous times at SRF. In 2008, they released the impressive "The Newz", their first studio album since the passing of drummer Darrell Sweet in 2009. Today, Nazareth consists of original members McCafferty and Pete Agnew (bass), the latter's son Lee Agnew on drums, plus long-time guitarist Jimmy Murrison.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (US)
They have been named one of the instigators of crossover thrash, and they are definitely one of the genre's most classic bands. Suicidal Tendencies was formed in Venice, California in 1981 and released their eponymous debut two years later. The band gradually developed their very own variety of thrash, firmly rooted in savage hardcore and punk and crowned by the provocative and rap-like lyrics of main man Mike Muir. At their commercial peak - with current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo in the line-up - they released certified gold albums as "Lights Camera Revolution" (1990) and "The Art of Rebellion" (1992), and 2010 will hopefully also see the arrival of the first new album in many years from one of metal's most furious acts. They will definitely make their highly anticipated debut at SRF.

SAGA (CAN)
Few artists have combined the progressive with the hit-oriented as successfully as Canadian quintet Saga. The group debuted in 1978 and peaked commercially in the early 80s with such albums as "Worlds Apart" (1981) and "Heads or Tales" (1983), particularly in Germany and Puerto Rico (!). "Full Circle" (1999) heralded something reminiscent of a second golden age for the band, since both this and consecutive albums are held in high esteem by old and new Saga-fans alike. The departure of singer Michael Sadler in 2007 was a potentially devastating blow to the band's career, but happily the audience has reacted positively to new front-man Rob Moratti as well as "The Human Condition", the first Sadler-less Saga-album in history - the band's twentieth studio product to date!

Y & T (US)
San Francisco's Y&T caused a sensation within the metallic underground when they released "Earthshaker" in 1981. The album, and its successors "Black Tiger" (1982), "Mean Streak" (1983) and "In Rock We Trust" (1984) are all timeless classics with an equally melodic and aggressive heavy metal-sound and songs from the top drawer and then some. Sadly Y&T never played in Sweden during this golden age, so the expectations were immense when they finally arrived at SRF in 2003. The performance was a resounding success, which repeated itself on the band's return the following year. And now guitarist/vocalist Dave Meniketti, bassist Phil Kennemore and guitarist John Nymann, accompanied by (relatively) new drummer Mike Vanderhule, will return to the scene of this double triumph - at about the same time as Y&T's first new album in 13 years (!) sees the light of day.

MASTODON (US)
Mastodon from Atlanta is one of the prime acts within the so called New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Their progressive yet brutal music is influenced by Pantera as well as Neurosis and Thin Lizzy (!), extremely well-played and featuring sometimes psychedelic, sometimes downright intellectual lyrics. The band's full-length debut "Remission" arrived in 2003, followed by their breakthrough album "Leviathan" (2004). Since then Mastodon have also released "Blood Mountain" (2006) and "Crack the Skye" (2009), establishing themselves as one of the hottest metal bands of our time. If you like your metal hard, progressive and delivered with intense aggression on stage, Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds (guitar/vocals), Bill Kelliher (guitar) and Brann Dailor (drums) is the band for you!

STRATOVARIUS (FIN)
One of the most influential bands of what is now referred to as power metal, Finnish Stratovarius, debuted in 1989 and got their domestic break with their fourth album "Fourth Dimension" (1995). The following releases "Episode" (1996), "Visions" (1997), "Destiny" (1998) and "Infinite" (2000) established the band as international heavy metal stars, but the following years brought an uneven production and internal strife leading to the band briefly disbanding in 2008. Shortly afterwards, former guitarist and main-man Timo Tolkki sgned over the rights to the name Stratovarius to his former colleagues, and May 2009 saw the release of the band's first album with new guitarist Matias Kupiainen, "Polaris". The new Stratovarius, completed by singer Timo Kotipelto, keyboardist Jens Johansson, drummer Jörg Michael and bassist Lauri Porra, now make their first appearance at SRF - something to look forward to for power metal-fans.

FATES WARNING (US)
Fates Warning, along with Queensrÿche and Dream Theater, are the most important pioneers in the history of prog metal. The band was formed in Hartford, Connecticut in 1983 and has released ten studio albums since 1984. The most successful one is "Parallels" from 1991, recorded by the band's classic line-up: guitarists Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti, bassist Joe DiBiase, drummer Mark Zonder and vocalist Ray Alder. This line-up effectively disbanded in 1996, but will nonetheless be just the one performing at Fates Warning's SRF-debut in 2010. In other words, "Eye to Eye", "Point of View", "We Only Say Goodbye" and the other fan-faves will be performed by all their original creators - no fan of melodic, professional and exciting metal should miss this opportunity.

ANVIL (CAN)
Better late than never! Lauded documentary "The Story of Anvil" has given a tremendous career-boost to one of the most underrated bands in heavy metal history. Anvil formed in Toronto in 1978, and their most acclaimed albums, "Metal on Metal" and "Forged in Fire", arrived in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The band had a huge influence not least on the growing thrash metal-movement spearheaded by Metallica and Slayer, but the big break eluded Anvil themselves. Still the band, centered around vocalist/guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, refused to give up or compromise, and now they are finally rewarded for their obstinacy. Pending the release of Anvil's fourteenth studio album "Juggernaut of Justice" public expectations are higher than ever, and SRF-attendees are guaranteed a breathtaking display of superlatively brutal, traditional heavy metal.

UNISONIC (D)
How heavy metal-fans have waited, and pined! Now classic Helloween-vocalist Michael Kiske finally returns to the realm of metal, in a new project with prolific producer and Pink Cream 69-bass player Dennis Ward. The two have previously released two albums with the AOR-inspired Place Vendome, but this is the first time Kiske joins a heavy metal-band - and even marks his actual return to the live-stage - since his departure from Helloween in 1993. Unisonic also consists of Ward's partner in crime from Pink Cream 69 and Place Vendome, Kosta Zafiriou, on drums, plus guitar-king Mandy Meyer (Asia, Krokus, Gotthard etc.), and their debut album will be released before the festival.

STEEL PANTHER (US)
In America, hair metal was long considered extinct - then came Steel Panther and showed just how wrong this was! Said Los Angeles-quartet have been around for roughly a decade, under different monickers - they released their debut "Hole Patrol" both in 2003 as Metal Shop, and in 2005 as Metal Skool. As Steel Panther, they debuted in 2009 with "Feel the Steel", and this album has made the public take serious notice. For the acclaimed music, reminiscent of glam/hair metal heroes like Poison, Slaughter et al, but even more for the ironic (?) lyrics. Titles like "Asian Hooker", "Stripper Girl" and "I Want Pussy" indicate, correctly, that the lyrics of Steel Panther would make a gangsta-rapper blush!

MOTHER'S FINEST (US)
Mother's Finest from Atlanta are most famous for the funk/disco classic "Baby Love" off "Another Mother Further" (1977), but are also one of the earliest and best examples that colour makes no difference for how hard you can rock! In the 80s, the band supplanted their radio-friendly approach for uncompromising, raw and funky hard rock, and mainstream listeners lost sight of them for good. Among hard rock connoisseurs, however, albums like "Iron Age" (1981) and "Black Radio Won't Play This Record" (1992) are heralded masterpieces, and Mother's Finest have also proven themselves as an extraordinary live act supporting the likes of Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath, REO Speedwagon and Aerosmith. Bassist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay and vocal duo Glenn Murdock and Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy constitute the band's core trio, and the latter's voice must be heard to be believed! In short, this is the band you didn't know you needed - but trust us, you do!

BEHEMOTH (PL)
Polish Behemoth is a band that lives up to its name. The bands hybrid of death and black metal truly sounds like a beast, especially on stage: the quartet's touring schedule is constantly filled to the brim, so it is a well-oiled machinery that comes to set our stage on fire. The band last visited us in 2005, and has since released the critically acclaimed albums "The Apostasy" (2007) and "Evangelion" (2009). Behemoth recently won a massive nine (!) categories in the British magazine Terrorizer's yearly readers' poll - including the category of best live band of 2009. According to the interview with frontman Nergal in Sweden Rock Magazine #68, there's a logical explanation to the band's constant hunger for being on stage: - We're addicted to the touring and the adrenaline. We can't help it. We feed off the energy of the audience. Prepare to be mauled.

ALDO NOVA (CAN)
Canadian AOR-hero Aldo Nova is best known internationally for the hit single "Fantasy", that propelled his debut "Aldo Nova" (1982) to double platinum status in the US. "Monkey on Your Back" off "Subject" (1983) was a decent hit as well, but Aldo Nova retired as a solo artist after his third album "Twitch" (1985) sold alot less than the previous two except in - Sweden! He has since gained greater recognition as a professional composer, creating massive hits for artists like Céline Dion and Clay Aiken. Over the years, he has also released a few more solo albums, for instance the superb, guitar-oriented "Blood on the Bricks" (1991) where he wrote most of the songs together with Jon Bon Jovi. Apart from being a fantastic song writer he is also known for being a marvelous guitar player. His new album "Too Much Sex", due for release in early 2010, finally brings him to Sweden and Sweden Rock Festival!

WATAIN (S)
Swedish Watain is one of the most influential and successful black metal-bands of today, and when they make their Sweden Rock Festival debut it will be a memorable occasion in more ways than one. As if it wasn't enough that their fourth album has a preliminary release date set for the days just before the festival, making this a golden opportunity to debut some coveted new material, the band has also promised a special tribute to the most revered and important black metal-act of all time: Bathory. Bathory-founder and only real member Quorthon passed away on June 7th 2004, and to honour the memory of his creations Watain will deliver a set consisting of 45 minutes of their own black metal magic, and 45 minutes of their own choice of Bathory classics. Raise the dead!

RAVEN (UK)
Raven from Newcastle is one of the most legendary and long-lived bands from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Centered around brothers John (vocals, bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar) they delivered well-crafted and, for its time, delightfully brutal music on their first three, classic albums "Rock Until You Drop" (1981), "Wiped-Out" (1982) and "All for One" (1983). And excepting a more melodic, US-courting period in the mid-80s, Raven have continued to deliver bona fide heavy metal, disregarding musical tends - to the delight of their fans. An accident in 2001, severely injuring Mark Gallagher's legs, forced the band to take an extended, but in 2009 they returned with the new album "Walk Through Fire". And in 2010, it gives us great pleasure to welcome one of the great names of British metal to their SRF-debut!

JORN (N)
Norwegian Jørn Lande is one of today's most renowned hard rock vocalist in the traditional, blues-inspired vein associated with David Coverdale, Paul Rodgers, Joe Lynn Turner et al. His resume includes noticeable stints in Vagabond, Ark, Beyond Twilight and especially Masterplan, but he is arguably most famous for his own project Jorn, which so far has released five self-composed studio albums since 2000 - the latest being "Spirit Black" (2009) - all packed with classic hard rock in the spirit of Whitesnake, Rainbow and Thin Lizzy. Since Lande is also a charismatic front-man it is hardly surprising that Jorn have gathered a loyal, consistently growing fan-base, not least in Sweden.

ALESTORM (UK)
Scotsmen Alestorm have swiftly become one of the most talked-about new metal bands of our time. They debuted in 2008 with "Captain Morgan's Revenge", an album of the folk metal persuasion and with a pirate image that would have gained an appreciative nod from the legendary Running Wild (RIP). Album number two, "Black Sails at Midnight", arrived promptly the following spring, and it hasn't taken Alestorm very long to find an audience, by touring heavily but also because their music is quite impressive, musically and from its entertainment value. For those who have longed for a band combining tough heavy metal-riffs with Celtic rhythms, and with a singer (Christopher Bowes) who sings about pirates with a bona fide Scottish accent, their patience has now been rewarded.

BIGELF (US)
Bigelf from Los Angeles has enjoyed massive cult status in Scandinavia since the release of their full-length debut "Money Machine" in 2000. The band's heavy, psychedelic and progressive hard-rock is dominated by front-man Damon Fox' grandiose keyboard-work and influenced by Beatles and Pink Floyd as well as Black Sabbath and Atomic Rooster. Though their second album and major-label debut "Hex" (2003) sadly didn't produce the global breakthrough Bigelf had hoped for, their loyal fan-base remained by their side and Bigelf's return with "Cheat the Gallows" in 2008 was met with the same well-deserved praise as their previous releases. And after supporting Dream Theater in both Europe and the US, Bigelf is arguably hotter than ever when they return to SRF after nine years.

Esta claro que este 2011 que se nos viene encima va a ser un año de giras importantes. Los últimos en confirmar que se lanzan a la carretar en una gira mundial han sido los Judas Priest. Lo ha anunciado su guitarrista K.K. Downing a través de su página web y además ha lanzado un giño muy especial a Accept, con quien ha adelantado que coincidirán en unos cuantos festivales. Esto es lo que cuenta Downing:

Sigue leyendo

The Who interpretará su mítico doble álbum "Quadrophenia" (1973) al completo y varios de sus temas clásicos durante una nueva gira por el Reino Unido, Irlanda, Francia y Holanda, que comenzará en Dublín el próximo 8 de junio. El grupo tratará de replicar el éxito obtenido durante su reciente tour norteamericano con la última puesta en escena de la ópera-rock "Quadrophenia", dirigida por su propio cantante, Roger Daltrey.

Sigue leyendo

Qué se puede decir de AC/DC que no esté ya dicho. Quizás una de sus asignaturas pendientes ha sido el dejarnos un disco oficial en directo a la altura del Highway to Hell o del Back in Black.

El If you want blood you’ve got it de 1978 nos dejaba varias de sus premisas, aunque era breve (un solo vinilo) y no alcanzaba el mejor disco de la banda: Highway to Hell. Así que tras la muerte de Bon Scott en febrero de 1980 tuvimos que esperar hasta el Bonfire (1997) para escuchar algo en directo de una de sus mejores épocas.

Pero la espera se hizo más llevadera en 1992 con la publicación de este AC/DC Live, eso sí, con Brian Jonhson como cantante. Los temas de esta grabación están estraídos de diferentes conciertos que realizaron durante la gira de presentación de su último trabajo, The Razors Edge, entre 1990 y 1991. Durante ese Tour visitaron más de 20 países y dieron cerca de 150 shows.

El comienzo de los 90's fue el segundo renacer de AC/DC, que arrasaban por donde pasaban y encabezaban el cartel del festival de Donnington en 1991, por aquel entonces el reino del heavy. De hecho, ese histórico concierto se editó en vídeo y es uno de los mejores documentos gráficos de esta banda australiana junto con el Live in Paris de 1979.

Sin embargo, AC/DC estuvieron a punto de cometer el mismo error que con el el If you want blood you’ve got it: publicar un directo en un solo vinilo. Es más, lo hicieron, lo que ocurre es que un mes después sacaron a la venta un doble CD con el título de Live (special Collectors Edition) que es el que nos ocupa.

En muchas partes he leído que definen este AC/DC Live como una especie de recopilación de greatest hits en directo. No estoy para nada de acuerdo ya que hecho de menos muchos temas del Highway to Hell o clásicos como It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock’n’roll, Riff raff, etc.

Esta grabación comienza con Thunderstruck, el single de The Razors Edge que tiene ese punteo de guitarra tan peculiar. Back in black es un clásico de la banda y una muestra de que había vida después de Scott, algo que muchos dudaron por aquel entonces.

En Sin city, otra de las habituales en directo, es sencillo apreciar el concepto roquero de la banda, con dos guitarras, las de Angus y Malcolm Young sonando al unísono de forma pesada. Who made who es un tipo de canción diferente en lo que es el estilo AC/DC. Fue la banda sonora de la película y el arranque está muy bien acompañado por Angus, aunque no me gusta como resuelven la canción en directo.

Heatseeker es puro rock’n’roll a las máximas revoluciones posibles. Fire your guns nos trae más ritmo con más aceleraciones. Jailbreak es uno de los temas más largos y el momento de lucimiento para Angus Young. El sonido más primigenio y mas blues nos lo ofrece The Jack, un tema sin desperdicio.

The Razors Edge es quizá una de sus composiciones más elaboradas. Si no fuese por la voz y el sonido de las guitarras poca gente podría imaginar que se trata de AC/DC. Es un tema muy notable. Tras otro clásico; Dirty deeds done dirt cheap llega el momento de otro de los singles y quizá una de sus canciones más comerciales, que sirvió para acercar a todo tipo de público a la banda: Moneytalks.

El segundo CD arranca con la oscura Hell bells y por el camino nos encontramos con That’s the way I wanna rock’n’roll, en la que intuímos unos teclados, y que es verdadero rock con unos cambios de ritmo notables. High voltaje es otra de mis preferidas; una especie de boggie que parece sonar un tanto ralentizado respecto a la versión de 1975.

You shook me all night long es lo más cercano a una balada que han podido hacer AC/DC con permiso de Let me put my love into you. Comienza el reprise final con Whole lotta Rosie, que es uno de los himnos por excelencia del grupo australiano, aunque se nota una falta de sentimiento por parte de Jonhson. Supongo que es lo que tiene no sentirse cómplice de haber compuesto esa letra.

Let there be rock son 12 minutos de rock a los que sigue un breve homenaje a Bon Scott agrandado por el clásico Highway to hell. Y para terminar toda la pólvora. Primero la de TNT y luego la de su eterno final de concierto: For those about to rock, con las ventitantas salvas de cañones.

En cuanto a las ediciones, ya hemos dicho que en principio se publicó como un simple vinilo-CD, que se sigue vendiendo, y un mes después AC/DC Live se convirtió en edición especial en doble CD. Mucho mejor esta última opción.
De esa gira de The Razors Edge se editó también un vídeo titulado Live in Donnington, que recoge uno de sus shows más míticos, en Donnington en 1991.

Aunque quizás no es la mejor grabación en directo que podían hacer, sí es la mejor que tienen. Más que suficiente.

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock - Live Donington 1991



* Brian Johnson - Lead Vocals
* Angus Young - Lead Guitar
* Malcolm Young - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Cliff Williams - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Chris Slade - Drums, Percussion

CD 1
1. "Thunderstruck" (Young, Young) (from The Razors Edge) - 6:35
2. "Shoot to Thrill" (from Back in Black) - 5:23
3. "Back in Black" (from Back in Black) - 4:28
4. "Sin City" (Young, Young, Bon Scott) (from Powerage) - 5:41
5. "Who Made Who" (from Who Made Who) - 5:16
6. "Heatseeker" (from Blow Up Your Video) - 3:37
7. "Fire Your Guns" (Young, Young) (from The Razors Edge) - 3:41
8. "Jailbreak" (Young, Young, Scott) (from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap) - 14:43
9. "The Jack" (Young, Young, Scott) (from T.N.T) - 6:58
10. "The Razors Edge" (Young, Young) (from The Razors Edge) - 4:35
11. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (Young, Young, Scott) (from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap) - 5:03
12. "Moneytalks" (Young, Young) (from The Razors Edge) - 4:30

CD 2
1. "Hells Bells" (from Back in Black) - 6:01
2. "Are You Ready" (Young, Young) (from The Razors Edge) - 4:34
3. "That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" (from Blow Up Your Video) - 3:57
4. "High Voltage" (Young, Young, Scott) (from T.N.T.) - 10:33
5. "You Shook Me All Night Long" (from Back in Black) - 3:55
6. "Whole Lotta Rosie" (Young, Young, Scott) (from Let There Be Rock) - 4:31
7. "Let There Be Rock" (Young, Young, Scott) (from Let There Be Rock) - 12:17
8. "Bonny" (traditional Scottish ballad in memory of Bon Scott) - 1:03
9. "Highway to Hell" (Young, Young, Scott) (from Highway to Hell) - 3:53
10. "T.N.T." (Young, Young, Scott) (from T.N.T.) - 3:48
11. "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (from For Those About to Rock We Salute You) - 7:18

Pertenece a la gira de The Razors Edge - 1990

The Brew vuelven a España para presentar su nuevo álbum, 4º en su carrera, titulado “The Third Floor”, aparecido en Agosto de 2011 y distribuido ahora tambien en España por Indigo Records. Con esta nueva gira por 14 ciudades españolas, completarán la que iniciaron el pasado mes de Noviembre por otras 12. Entre las ciudades elegidas figuran Barcelona, Salt (Girona), Tarragona, Lleida, Madrid, Toledo, Ponferrada, Ourense, Lugo, Alicante, Murcia, Alcázar de San Juan (Ciudad Real), Miranda de Ebro (Burgos) y Monzón (Huesca).

Sigue leyendo

El Bilbao BBK Live suma seis nuevas incorporaciones a su cartel con la confirmación de las actuaciones delas bandas: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Vintage Trouble, James Bay, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Marmozets y Bear’s Den. Esto es lo que nos cuentan desde Last Tour Internacional:

Sigue leyendo

La banda británica The Who prevé retirarse de los escenarios en 2015 con una gira que conmemorará su 50 aniversario, según publica la revista New Musical Express. El guitarrista Pete Townshend, de 68 años, desveló los planes del grupo responsable de temas populares como My generation (1965) durante la presentación del documental Sensation, que narra la creación de la ópera-rock Tommy (1969).

Sigue leyendo

Cuatro nuevos artistas se suman a Azkena Rock Festival en una nueva tanda de confirmaciones compuesta por Imelda May, The Scientists, Los Brazos y The Milkyway Express. Así, el cartel del festival, que se celebrará el 17 y 18 de junio en Vitoria-Gasteiz, sigue completándose tras las incorporaciones de The Who y Danzig. 

Sigue leyendo

Ya está a la venta en las tiendas The Who Quadrophenia: Live In London. Se trata del último show que ofrecieron durante su gira Quadrophenia and More Tour que entre  2012 y 2013 les llevó por Europa y Estados Unidos. En este caso se trata del concierto que ofrecieron en el estadio de Wembley de Londres el 8 de julio de 2013. La edición de lujo consta de DVD, Blu-Ray, doble CD de audio y una edición remezclada del álbum Quadrophenia.

Sigue leyendo

El 9 de octubre va a llegar a las tiendas Live In Texas ’75, un show de The Who grabado el 20 de noviembre de 1975 en Houston con Pete Townshend. Roger Daltrey. Keith Moon y John Entwistle como protagonistas. 117 minutos de concierto con imágenes restauradas y sonido Dolby Digital en el que no faltan algunos de sus temas más clásicos:

Sigue leyendo

El 15 de noviembre saldrá a la venta la edición de lujo del clásico de The Who en directo, Live At Leeds. La Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition. Incluye 4 CDs de los que la mitad pertenecen a la grabación del Live At Hull. En realidad para el Live At Leeds se grabaron dos shows: uno en la Universidad de Leeds y otro en Hull el 14 y el 15 de febrero de 1970, si bien problemas técnicos en el concierto de Hull, en donde el bajo no llegaría a registrarse, obligaría a publicar el concierto de Leeds. En el segundo CD nos encontramos con el disco Tommy tocado íntegro. Ahora ya tenemos todos y este es el tracklist de este histórico trabajo:

Sigue leyendo

El músico y productor Tony Platt, conocido por su trabajo con  Cheap Trick, Bob Marley o Iron Maiden, visitará Madrid el 24 de junio; Barcelona, el 26, y en Bilbao, el 28; para impartir un seminario de producción musical, organizado por la Fundación Autor. A lo largo de la sesión formativa, los participantes podrán conocer con detalle el proceso de grabación y producción de algunos de los discos míticos de la música popular, de la mano de uno de sus protagonistas.

Sigue leyendo

La formación original de The Hellacopters actuará en el Azkena Rock el próximo viernes. La banda sustituirá a Primal Scream, que cancelaron su show en el festival por problemas de salud. The Hellacopters, junto a Danzig, serán los cabezas de cartel el viernes 17 de junio. Esta banda sueca de garaje rock constituye una confirmación de primer nivel para el festival, donde ya tuvimos el placer de contar con ellos en 2003. En esta ocasión, regresan como sustitutos de lujo de Primal Scream, que anunció anteayer su cancelación tras un accidente de su vocalista.

Sigue leyendo

La primera edición del Rock In Way Estrella Galicia, que tendrá lugar los días 9 y 10 de septiembre en Monte do Gozo, en Santiago de Compostela, ya tiene cerrado su cartel. Y será un cartel de lujo, más aún tras la última incorporación de The Charlatans.

Sigue leyendo

Cada vez tengo más claro que hay cuatro tipos diferentes de discos en directo. El primero podría ser ese CD tradicional con la interpretación y grabación de un show en una fecha más o menos reciente. Un ejemplo podrían ser los directos de este año de UDO Live in Sofía, Motorhead - The Wörld Is Ours - Vol 2: Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else, Y&T Live at the Mystic, Saxon Heavy Metal Thunder Live: Eagles Over Wacken, Iron Maiden En Vivo, Black Country Comunión Live Over Europe, Michael Schenker – Temple Of The Rock – Live In Europe, Peter Frampton - FCA! 35 Tour, Asia – Resonance, Pretty Maids It Comes Alive - Maid in Switzerland, Mr Big Live From The Living Room o Coldplay Live 2012.

Sigue leyendo

Hace unos días se cumplió el 12 aniversario de la muerte de uno de los mejores baterías de la historia: Cozy Powell. Por diferentes circunstancias no había podido subir esta entrada en su momento, pero me niego a esperar otro año para realizar un sentido homenaje a este hombre, poco conocido por muchos, pero para mí uno de los auténticos mitos de la música rock desde los setentas hasta su muerte. No me voy a poner en plan Wikipedia, sólo recordar que le empezamos a conocer en los primeros Rainbow de Dio y después con Graham Bonnet. Luego dio el salto a la nueva banda de Michael Schenker, pasó por la mejor época de Whitesnake, consiguió cambiar el nombre de los míticos Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Powell) y en sus últimos años fue miembro activo de Black Sabbath y la banda de Brian May.

Sigue leyendo

Tras anunciar el cierre de su cartel, el Azkena Rock Festival anuncia la distribución de los artistas por días y, al mismo tiempo, pone a la venta las entradas de día y activa el precio de bono definitivo. The Who será el indiscutible cabeza de cartel de la jornada de sábado. La legendaria banda británica, una de las más destacadas en la historia del rock, celebrará sus 50 años de carrera con una de sus míticos y poderosas actuaciones en Mendizabala. Ese mismo día, el Azkena Rock recibirá a artistas de la talla de Imelda May, Radio Birdman o Refused, entre otros.

Sigue leyendo

Desde luego que quede claro que esta no es mi lista. Es una de esas encuestas que realizan medios especializados. En este caso los oyentes de Radio Planet Rock que han elegido los 40 mejores discos en directo de la historia. Yo por mi parte comienzo a matizar:

Ningún disco de Scorpions, solamente por eso ya es como para pensárselo. Me tengo que pegar de nuevo con quienes prefieren el Live & dangerous de Thin Lizzy sobre el Life-Live. El Pulse de Pink Floyd antes que el Delicate sound of thunder??? Frampton comes alive demasiado arriba para mi gusto. Qué pintan tres discos de Rush entre los 40 mejores y encima ninguno de ellos es el Show of Hands??? Genesis entre los 10 primeros??? Y entre los veinte primeros Yes y Jethro Tull, pero de qué rockeros hablamos??? El The song remains the same de Led Zeppelin el 17; infamia. El Fantasia de Asia mejor que el Live in Moscow, de qué???? Por lo demás la lista me parece bastante equilibrada e interesante. Aquí os la dejo.

01. THIN LIZZY - Live & Dangerous
02. DEEP PURPLE - Made In Japan
03. UFO - Strangers In The Night
04. THE WHO - Live At Leeds
05. AC/DC - If You Want Blood, You Got It
06. IRON MAIDEN - Live After Death
07. PINK FLOYD - PULSE
08. PETER FRAMPTON - Frampton Comes Alive
09. KISS - Alive
10. GENESIS - Seconds Out
11. STATUS QUO - Live!
12. YES - Yessongs
13. JETHRO TULL - Bursting Out
14. HAWKWIND - Space Ritual
15. CHEAP TRICK - At Budokan
16. WISHBONE ASH - Live Dates (1973)
17. LED ZEPPELIN - The Song Remains the Same
18. QUEEN - Live Killers
19. RUSH - All The World's A Stage
20. RUSH - Exit Stage Left
21. LYNYRD SKYNYRD - One More From The Road
22. MOTÖRHEAD - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
23. HUMBLE PIE - Rockin' The Filmore
24. URIAH HEEP - Live 1973
25. LED ZEPPELIN - How The West Was Won
26. QUEEN - Live at Wembley '86
27. ASIA - Fantasia
28. RORY GALLAGHER - Irish Tour '74
29. WHITESNAKE - Live in the Heart of the City
30. ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - Live at Fillmore East
31. SLADE - Slade Alive
32. METALLICA - S&M
33. THE ROLLING STONES - Get Yer Ya Ya's Out
34. FREE - Live
35. RUSH - Rush In Rio
36. THUNDER - 20 Years And Out: Hammersmith Apollo July 2009
37. RAINBOW - On Stage
38. "Woodstock" soundtrack
39. DAVID GILMOUR - Live in Gdansk
40. JUDAS PRIEST - Unleashed In The East

Por Fran Cea

Se me hace muy complicado intentar explicar las sensaciones vividas en el concierto que John Fogerty dió el pasado día 5, como fecha exclusiva en España,  en el festival Músicos En La Naturaleza de Hoyos del Espino. Las razones son obvias. Por un lado ese nerviosismo que se vive cuando te enfrentas a una leyenda de la historia de la música por primera vez, con el aliciente de lo poco que este se prodiga no solo por nuestro país sino por Europa. Y por otro lado al comprobar, canción a canción, como no se trata de un artista que esté arrastrando su leyenda o mostrando una cierta dejadez sino que, como pudimos corroborar los más de 12.000 asistentes a la cita con el casi septuagenario (69 años cumplidos)  músico de Berkeley se encuentra en un momento tanto físico como musical que prácticamente ninguno de sus coetáneos (quizás Neil Young es el único a su altura) es capaz de igualar.

Sigue leyendo