Gamma Ray

 Today in 2007 Gamma Ray released the album Land of the Free II

Hamburg,Germany Power/Speed Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 1989-present

Gamma Ray ranks alongside Helloween and Blind Guardian as the most popular, and most influential, of the German speed/power metal bands playing today. The similarities between Gamma Ray and Helloween are, of course, not coincidental, as GR founder Kai Hansen played in Helloween in their formative years, leaving after that band's Keeper Of The Seven Keys pair of albums to pursue his own path. Originally he recruited Rob Halford soundalike Ralf Scheepers to sing, but Kai later decided he wanted to sing himself, as he did on the earlier Helloween albums.

Steamhammer

Kai Hansen - vocals, guitar

Henjo Richter - guitars, keyboards

Dirk Schlächter - bass

Dan Zimmermann - drums

Guest/Session

Lara Möller Vocals (choirs)

Wendy Teyssier Vocals (choirs)

Milan Schlächter Vocals (choirs)

Nadine Nottbohm Vocals (choirs)

Henning Basse Vocals (choirs)

1. Into the Storm (3:47)

2. From the Ashes (5:26)

3. Rising Again (0:27)

4. To Mother Earth (5:11)

5. Rain (5:16)

6. Leaving Hell (4:20)

7. Empress (6:22)

8. When the World (5:44)

9. Opportunity (7:14)

10. Real World (5:42)

11. Hear Me Calling (4:14)

12. Insurrection (11:33)

Total Time: 65:16

All songs arranged by Gamma Ray.

Recorded between May & September 2007 at High Gain Recording Studios, Hamburg.

Drums recorded by Tommy Newton

Mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton at Area 51 Studio, Celle.

Cover painting by Hervé Monjeaud.

Japanese bonus track:

13. Blood Religion (live version) (08:11) - recorded in Montreal, later released on "Hell Yeah!!! The Awesome Foursome" live album.

A video was made for "Into the Storm".

Land of the Free II is the ninth full length studio album by Gamma Ray. It was released on November 16, 2007 in Germany, November 19 in Europe, November 21 in Japan and January 15, 2008 for North America. To promote Land of the Free II, Gamma Ray joined Helloween on the 2007/08 Hellish Rock Tour. The song "Into the Storm" is available on the band's MySpace page and its music video on YouTube.

The first-edition CD, released as a Digipak, was limited to 30,000 copies.

Darkspace

 Today in 2005 Darkspace released the album Darkspace II

Bern, Berne,Switzerland Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient

Status:Active

Years active: 1999-present

Darkspace is an ambient black metal band from Bern, Switzerland, formed in 1999. The group is comprised of three members who call themselves Wroth, Zhaaral and Zorgh. Space-age names for an equally space-age project. True to its name, what Darkspace's music describes is the nothingness of space.

Their style is characterized by an ambient surrounding, hazy production and monotonic sounds, which is somewhat uniquely melodic and variable. Mute guitar passages with blast-beats take turns with milder passages and sometimes even completely electronic passages, providing a fitting tribute to the cold, dark and void-like atmosphere which fills their work. Unlike most pure black metal bands, Darkspace at times employs rhythmic sections. This is evident in their first full-length-album, "Dark Space I".

Darkspace borrows a great deal of influence from electronic music, eerie, ambient synthlines which flow from the guitars. Passage with clear electronic clubkicks or total void-like ambience are incorporated into vocal samples alongside the unnaturally lyricless and very alien sounding screams.

Haunter of the Dark

Wroth Guitars, Vocals

Zhaaral Guitars, Vocals

Zorgh Bass, Vocals

1. Dark 2.8 23:39

2. Dark 2.9 10:21

3. Dark 2.10 20:09

54:09

Pressed on black polycarbonate CD.

Red Wine

 Today in 2004 Red Wine released the album Cenizas

Santo Domingo de la Calzada/Logroño, La Rioja, Spain Heavy/Power Metal

Status:Split-up

Years active:1997-2005, 2010

The interestingly-named Red Wine was a Spanish melodic power metal band, founded in 1997 and becoming one of the more well-known traditional metal bands from Spain, alongside Tierra Santa and Dark Moor (both of which are good musical comparisons as well). Even for power metal, the originality factor is low here -- if it weren't for the singing in Spanish, there'd be nothing to differentiate this band from the hordes of current Euro power metal bands, as they employ all of the trademarks of the genre, from the double-bass drum work to the upbeat choruses (often with backing male choirs) to the keyboard flourishes to the soaring vocals (granted, Mario Suarez is a more than capable singer). The musicianship and production are faultless, again par for the genre. As with many in this field, the object here is not to reinvent metal but simply play catchy, enjoyable classic heavy metal, and in that regard Red Wine delivered. They disbanded, appropriately enough, after releasing a covers album entitled The End.

Arise Records

Iván Ramirez Drums

Daniel Martínez Bass, Vocals (backing)

Jesús Zuazo Guitars

Dan Díez Guitars

Iván Crespo Keyboards

Mario Suárez Vocals

1. 806 00:52

2. Miedo-dolor 04:16

3. Salva tu hogar 03:54

4. Lágrima de soledad 03:56

5. Una vida más 04:01

6. Despierta 04:23

7. Fantasma del pasado 04:55

8. Vientos de libertad 04:43

9. Ojos de ley 04:52

10. Negando lo evidente 04:29

11. Mi universo 03:09

43:30

Recorded at Track 6 (Logroño, La Rioja) during summer, 2003.

Mudvayne

 Today in 2002 Mudvayne released the album The End of All Things to Come

Peoria, Illinois Alternative metal, heavy metal, nu metal, progressive metal, groove metal
Status:On Hold
Years Active: 1996-2011
Mudvayne appeared on the worldwide scene in 2000 with one of the most visually striking images in metal and a solid major label debut album in L.D. 50. They were clearly in the heavier end of the nu-metal spectrum, with vocals alternating between hardcore and melodic and forceful downtuned guitars, as well as some subtle but impressive basswork. Two years later they switched pseudonyms and image (going for a sci-fi alien visual, again quite striking) for their next release The End Of All Things To Come. They later dropped the visuals and ended up releasing five albums over the course of their career, ending with the self-titled Mudvayne in 2009.
Epic
Chüd – vocals
Güüg – guitars, vocals
Rü-d – bass guitar
Spüg – drums
1. Silenced (3:01)
2. Trapped in the Wake of a Dream (4:43)
3. Not Falling (4:03)
4. (Per)Version of a Truth (4:41)
5. Mercy, Severity (4:54)
6. World So Cold (5:39)
7. The Patient Mental (4:38)
8. Skrying (5:39)
9. Solve Et Coagula (2:49)
10. Shadow of a Man (3:55)
11. 12:97:24:99 (0:11)
12. The End of All Things to Come (3:00)
13. A Key to Nothing (5:06)
Total Time: 52:23
The End of All Things to Come is the second studio album by the American group Mudvayne. Released on November 19, 2002, the album expanded upon the sound of the band's debut, L.D. 50, with a wider range of riffs, tempos, moods and vocalization.
The band wrote the album's songs in less than a month, drawing inspiration from their self-imposed isolation during the songwriting process, and crafted a more mature sound which drew from jazz and progressive rock influences, as well as elements of death and thrash metal. The album's strong sales led to it being certified Gold by the RIAA in 2003
The album was recorded at Minnesota's Pachyderm Studios during 2002 with producer David Bottrill, who had previously produced albums for groups such as Tool and Silverchair. The band had very little time to make the album, in contrast to the recording of the band's previous album L.D. 50.[4] Drummer Matt McDonough stated "We had all the time in the world to write our first album, but for the second one, we had about a month. I'm amazed how quickly we came up with the material." With the creation of the album's artwork, Mudvayne hoped to create the band's "black album"

Kittie

 Today in 2002 Kittie released the EP Safe

London, Ontario, Canada Heavy metal, nu metal, death metal
Status:Active
Years active:1996–present
Though still a young band, Kittie has already been through a lot in its short career. Inevitably their gender was, and in many cases still is, the focal point of the band, as all-female bands are rare in metal in general and particularly so for nu-metal. Really, the concept of women playing metal should no longer be considered a novelty, and so when judging the band on musical merits, the fact is they are a pretty good heavy nu-metal band, though one that hasn't yet found its own sound. Lineup instability has been an issue (two new recruits to join the Lander sisters core may resolve this), and they've also been at odds with their record label, which also has been resolved as they are no longer on Artemis. It remains to be seen if they can step it up to the next level.
Artemis
Morgan Lander: vocals & guitars
Fallon Bowman: guitars & vocals
Tanya Candler: bass
Mercedes Lander: drums
1. Safe (KMFDM Inc. remix) (4:01)
2. Safe (radio edit) (3:47)
3. No Name (live) (1:59)
4. Severed (live) (3:21)
5. What I Always Wanted (live) (3:10)
6. In Winter (live) (5:06)
7. Pain (live) (4:54)
Total Time: 26:23
Safe is the second EP by Kittie, a Canadian metal all-women band from London, Ontario. It was released in 2002. It is dedicated "In Loving Memory of Dave Williams". The EP sold 25,000 units in the US. It received very little promotion only appearing on 2 major Metal/Rock magazines

Great White

 ((Metal And Punk A,B,C's New Band))

Today in 2002 Great White released the Live album Thank You...Goodnight!

Los Angeles, California Hard rock, heavy Metal, Blues Rock

Status:Active

Years active: 1977–2001, 2006–present

Great White is a hard rock band that formed in 1978 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band was popular during the late 80s, when their cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" became a Top 5 hit in the United States. The band's only constant members have been Jack Russell (vocals) and Mark Kendall (guitar), with the exception of a period between 2000 and 2001 in which Kendall did not perform with the band.

The band continued to release new material into the 1990s, although none of their material charted in the United States. In 2003, the band made headlines when The Station nightclub fire led to the deaths of 100 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island, including the band's guitarist Ty Longley, who had been a member of the band for three years. Great White made a comeback in 2007 with the release of a new album and an accompanying tour

Knight Records

Jack Russell - lead and backing vocals

Mark Kendall - guitar, backing vocals

Michael Lardie - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, producer, mixing

Sean McNabb - bass

Derrick Pontier - drums

"Desert Moon" - 4:58

"Old Rose Motel" - 7:45

"Face the Day" - 6:12

"On Your Knees" - 4:57

"House of Broken Love" - 5:58

"Back to the Rhythm" - 4:34

"Save Your Love" - 5:05

"Play On" - 3:57

"Mista Bone" - 5:50

"Rock Me" - 7:45

"Call It Rock 'n' Roll" - 4:47

"Can't Shake It" - 9:33

"Once Bitten, Twice Shy" - 7:53

Thank You...Goodnight! is a live album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 2002. The album has the subtitle 'The Farewell Concert', because it contains the final performance of the band before disbandment, as announced by singer Jack Russell in November 2001. The concert was held at The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, on 31 December 2001 and for the occasion original guitarist Mark Kendall and Sean McNabb rejoined the band. Russell and Kendall were anyway on the road again under the name 'Jack Russell's Great White' already in 2002. Two new songs, "Back to the Rhythm" and "Play On", are recorded on this album for the first time and reappeared in 2007 on the album Back to the Rhythm.

The album was reissued in 2006 by Californian label Sidewinder Music under the name Once Bitten, Twice Live

Fragile Vastness

 Today in 2002 Fragile Vastness released there debut album Excerpts...

Athens, Attica, Greece Progressive Metal

Status:Active

Years active: 2000-present

Fragile Vastness is a Greek Band, formed in February of 2000 by Babis Tsolakis(Drums, former member of Piranha and Retrospect), Vangelis Yalamas(Bass Guitar, former member of Airged Lahm and Retrospect), Evi Katsamatsa(Piano/Keyboards, a piano teacher), Alex Flouros(Guitars, former member of Sound Of Silence) and Zacharias Tsoumos(Vocals, Tenor at the National Greek Opera).

Their musical influence covers a wide spectrum of different kinds of music, like Jazz, Latin and Ethnic music, but they can be categorized as an progressive rock/progressive metal band. After signing a contract with the record company Sleaszy Rider, they release their debut album called Excerpts..., including the video clip for the song Weep No More, on the November 19, 2002. In the beginning of 2004, Zacharias Tsoumos leaves the band due to obligations and is replaced by George Ikosipentakis. With this synthesis, their second album "A Tribute To Life" was released in 2005.

Sleazy Rider Records

Zacharias Tsoumos Vocals

Alex Flouros Guitars

Evi Katsamatsa Keyboards

Vangelis Bass, Percussion, Laouto

Babis Tsolakis Drums

Guest/Session

Yiotis Kiourtsoglou Fretless Bass

Tanya Nikoloudi Vocals, Piano, Keyboards

Ioanna Mitsoglou Drums, Djembe, Bongos

Themis Nikoloudis Violin

Javier Cadillo Quenacho

George Theodoropoulos Keyboards

1. Little Red Riding Hood 06:35

2. Weep No More 05:21

3. Obliged to Suffer 05:31

4. What a Shame 05:46

5. Flying over Nazca 03:44

6. Parasite 06:52

7. Formula 05:22

8. Blank 06:16

9. Eye to Eye (Obliged to Suffer) 03:33

49:00

A video was made for "Weep No More", produced by Onyx Motion Pictures.

Recording information:

Produced by Fragile Vastness.

Recorded and mixed at Fragile Sound Studio.

Mastering at Mix Studio.