Only a mere 100 of this white LP from Texas death revelers Malignant Altar have been made available in the U.S. and Decibel has got all of them. Pre-order Realms of Exquisite Morbidity now!
The post Pre-Order MALIGNANT ALTAR’s Decibel-Exclusive Colored LP ‘Realms of Exquisite Morbidity’ on Vinyl! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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Everything about this rules, let’s face it. WORM SHEPHERD have been hotly tipped by disciples of deathcore and modern death metal for some time now, not least due to the self-evident excellence of the band’s 2020 debut “In The Wave Ov Sol”. Subsequently snapped up by UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS, the band demonstrated such maturity and ingenuity first time out that it will come as no surprise to fans of this stuff that “Ritual Hymns” is an absolute fucking monster. All hail the fearlessness of youth: WORM SHEPHERD sound ever more like the finished article here, as they weave sick and viscous symphonies of blackened brutality, all rendered in shocking, vivid colors and played with the kind of snarling commitment that simply cannot be faked.

There is plenty of precedent for this stuff, of course. From CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR, to BLEEDING THROUGH and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, extreme metal has embraced the cinematic, the gothic and the symphonic with great enthusiasm over the decades, and WORM SHEPHERD are certainly another variation on that age-old theme. What separates “Ritual Hymns” from most comparable pieces of work is that these songs exhibit a sophisticated sense of fluidity and flow, as if they have been crafted like orchestral movements, rather than just a series of riffs connected with spooky atmospherics.

This band are as thuggish and knuckleheaded as they want to be, however: the likes of “Ov Sword and Nail” and “Blood Kingdom” throw up breakdowns of heroic unpleasantness, but even those more familiar tropes seem to have been manipulated and dragged deeper into their creators’ pitch-black well of inspiration. “The Raven’s Keep” is a particular highlight, from its eerie intro and incremental build to its pitiless blasting and the high-tension, emotional rush of its multi-layered crescendos and moments of sinister respite. Likewise, “A Bird in the Dusk” is wonderfully creepy and theatrical. Six minutes of coruscating shadows, seamless tempo shifts and neo-classical bombast, it’s a genuinely riveting and refined bit of songwriting.

The closing “Winter Sun” is greater still. WORM SHEPHERD have clearly unearthed the true potential of this oft-tapped hybrid: here, eight minutes fly by like a screeching demon, as this band’s glee at realizing their full potential seems to hit a new peak. From white-knuckle battery to a final, lobotomized collapse into suppurating sludge, it’s the kind of bullish tour-de-force that you might expect from scabby-knuckled veterans, rather than from such a fresh force. Nonetheless, “Ritual Hymns” slays, slams and eviscerates from end to end, and WORM SHEPHERD are the very definition of (evil) ones to watch.

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Face the rabid anger of the new Speckmann Project single, “Fiends of Emptiness.” Featuring Paul Speckmann of Master and Abomination.
The post Track Premiere: Speckmann Project – “Fiends of Emptiness” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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In a new interview on A Discussion With Dean Cramer, TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French spoke about record labels’ reputation as crooks who rip off artists at every turn. He said: “Rock and roll, let me be clear, is a criminal enterprise. The record labels are criminals. It’s simple as that. They’re just legal criminals. So when you’re in a cesspool of criminality, whether it’s obvious criminality, in other words, whether it’s blue-collar criminality where someone is threatening your life with a gun or it’s white-collar criminality, you’re dealing with criminals. So you’re dealing with the sleaze, the lowlives, the lying. You don’t believe any of this shit ’cause everyone lies. So you kind of have to get used to it.”

French previously discussed music’s long history of record companies taking advantage of artists in an April 2021 interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice. At the time, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There’s two levels of a rip-off. One is contractual rip-off, which is just — that’s just the nature of the game; that’s how it is, like it or not. And the other is somehow that management’s really taken from you. Now, I’d say most bands don’t understand the record company deals that they sign, and they don’t understand how small the percentages are. I mean, THE BEATLES were making a half a penny a single and six cents an album with the royalties. I think that JACKSON 5, I think most Motown acts were making two, three, four, five cents an album.

“There are clauses all over the contract,” he continued. “I do a talk on this. I said, ‘How much money do you make on a million-selling record?’ And this is by contract — no one’s stealing from you; this is just the way the contract’s written. If you look at a contract back in 1984, and let’s just say, for the sake of this example, the band made a dollar a record, which is very high, but let’s suppose the band got a dollar a record. And you sold a million records, and you have a platinum album on your wall. And friends go, ‘Oh man, a million records. You must be really rich.’ But what does that really mean? Well, in the contract, to begin with, the contract says it’s 15% free goods, which means the record label is allowed to not pay you on 15% of record sales, ’cause they supposedly sent it to the press for reviews, except if you’re on a million-selling record, you’re not sending 150,000 albums out for review, but you can claim that you can. So, they withhold royalties on 15%, which is $150,000. So now your million is basically $850,000. On top of that, there’s a breakage fee of 10%, because… Records haven’t broken since Moby Dick was a minnow, but back when shellac records were made, it was in the contracts; that’s another 10%. So that’s 25% off the top. So right away, you’re not being paid on a million [copies]; you’re being paid on 750,000 [copies]. Then there’s a 20% container charge to make the record or the CD, so they subtract that. So automatically 45% of the royalty-bearing records are now gone, okay? Now you’re [left] with $550,000. Well, suppose you made a video. Then that gets subtracted. Suppose there’s recording costs, which is another $300,000. And then there’s promotion costs for the record, which is probably $100,000 if the record is successful. You’re down to what? $200,000? You take the $200,000 and you send it to your business manager and your manager, they take out 20% and 5%. And maybe the band is left with $100,000, $150,000. A five-man band breaks it up, [and] it’s $30,000 each before taxes. You get the mathematics here?”

French added: “Contracts were designed to make the record companies money. Now, in defense of the label, labels sign a hundred bands, [and] 95 [of them] fail, so they make their money off the 5% that succeed, and they make a lot of money. However, it is the only business in which you pay back the label and then you still don’t own the product. That’s the biggest problem I have with the theory of record labels. If the band wasn’t charged back the cost of making the record, then I’d say, fine, okay. But if you’re making me pay you back and I still don’t own it… You know, Taylor Swift brought this to light to people, and people said, ‘Oh, this is so terrible. Taylor doesn’t own her music.’ No one owns their music. This isn’t new. This is the way it is. It’s the way it’s always been. THE BEATLES don’t own their albums, and THE ROLLING STONES don’t own their masters. A couple of artists do, but generally, 99% [don’t].”

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour. The band’s last-ever concert took place in November of that year — 20 months after the passing of TWISTED’s longtime drummer A.J. Pero.

French’s new “bizoir” — part memoir and part business primer — “Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock ‘N’ Roll”, was released in September via RosettaBooks.

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THE LUCID, the four-piece hard rock band featuring bassist David Ellefson (ex-MEGADETH), vocalist Vinnie Dombroski (SPONGE), guitarist Drew Fortier and drummer Mike Heller (RAVEN, FEAR FACTORY), has released a music video for the song “Deaths Of Despair”. The clip, which was directed by Fortier, can be seen below.

In other news, THE LUCID has announced a short U.S. tour in May. The band will play the following shows, with more to be announced:

May 20 – Clifton, NJ – Dingbatz
May 21 – New Bedford, MA – The Vault
May 26 – West Dundee, IL – Rochaus
May 27 – Westland, MI – The Token Lounge
May 28 – Akron, OH – Empire Concert Club

Last month, THE LUCID filmed four new music videos. Three of the tracks are taken from THE LUCID’s self-titled debut album, which was released on October 15 via SpoilerHead Records.

Ellefson announced the completion of the videos in a social media post in December. He wrote: “THE LUCID knocked out 4 music videos in L.A. over the weekend. 3 songs from our debut album and one that is a total off the wall cover that will see the light of day in a few months. What a great time it was!”

“The Lucid” was produced by Heller and mixed/mastered by Lasse Lammert.

Ellefson previously stated about the LP: “It’s been a real blast making a record with these guys and I must say that it’s refreshing to explore some new musical avenues… to step out a bit from what each of us have done stylistically in our own careers. There was an effortless synergy that came with creating these songs together which is always amazing when working with new people. I’m looking forward to everyone checking it out!”

During a November 2020 appearance on “The Chuck Schute Podcast”, Ellefson stated about how he got involved with THE LUCID: “Drew sent me a track and said, ‘Hey, can you throw a bass on here?’ And I was writing a new ELLEFSON solo record at the time, so my studio ears were on. I was plugged in and ready to go. He sent it over and I was, like, ‘Yeah, this is freaking cool, man.’ I’d seen Drew play, I know his BANG TANGO history and the other stuff he’s done. But this was really cool stuff that spoke to me. And then he called me up and he said, ‘Hey, Vinnie is gonna come in and write some vocals and lyrics and lay down some tracks.’ And it turned into a thing.”

“I love [Vinnie]. I love SPONGE,” David continued. “He’s such a rock star. He’s just a cool guy. And he writes such great lyrics — very trippy lyrics. He’s the type of lyricist I’d never worked with before, so it’s fun with that. And Drew is a great guitar player. Mike Heller — he’s good friends with [MEGADETH drummer] Dirk Verbeuren. And Dirk’s, like, ‘Mike’s awesome.’ They’re good friends. We all met in L.A. We got the songs together and we all met in L.A. in mid-July. I plugged in and banged out 10 songs in two days. And it was fun. Mike was very good in the studio; he really knows his way around.”

As for THE LUCID’s musical direction, Ellefson said: “It’s cool stuff, and it’s very different. It’s, obviously, not thrash metal, hence the name LUCID. [The name] kind of feels like what the music sounds like.”

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH last spring after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson was accused of grooming an underage girl through videos and online messages. David has denied the allegation and has repeatedly said the woman in question had been a willing, consenting adult at the time of their virtual sexual encounter. Ellefson accompanied his denial with an alleged screenshot of a statement from the woman with whom he was supposedly involved at the time. In it, the woman admitted to recording the alleged intimate communications she had with Ellefson and called herself “naïve” for sharing them with a friend without the musician’s permission.

David was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis a decade ago.

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SEVENDUST will celebrate the 21st anniversary of its “Animosity” album by performing it in its entirety on a U.S. tour this March. Support on the trek will come from TETRARCH and DEAD POET SOCIETY.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 14. Very exclusive VIP packages are on sale now at Sevendust.com.

Tour dates:

March 04 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Diamond Ballroom
March 05 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
March 07 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
March 08 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
March 11 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
March 12 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
March 13 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
March 15 – Anaheim, CA – House Of Blues
March 18 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater
March 19 – Denver, CO – The Oriental Theater
March 20 – Wichita, KA – The Cotillion
March 22 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
March 23 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
March 25 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
March 26 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
March 27 – Nashville, TN – Wildhorse Saloon

SEVENDUST previously played all of “Animosity” at a January 2021 livestream event from Opav in Orlando, Florida. At the time, singer Lajon Witherspoon told Midwest Beatdown: “Oh my God. There’s some songs on [that album] that we’ve never played, I think. It’s gonna be fun to get back and do it, and also to play some of those songs we’ve never had the time to play, and to see each other again and to laugh with each other and look at each other, and start jamming and somebody’s back breaks or falls out, because we’re old now.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back and doing ‘Animosity’ and having a good time, and hopefully bringing some type of sense of weird normalcy in this world that we’re trying to navigate through during this pandemic,” he continued. “And I can’t believe it’s gonna be 20-something years since we recorded it. Oh my God.

“So many people have been asking for it, so that was another weird thing. It was, like, ‘We’ve gotta do this,'” Lajon added. “And I’ve kind of gone [back] and listened to the songs, and there were some really cool songs. And what a great time in our careers as young men growing up and just kind of learning about life and the industry and everything that was going on with it. It’s just really cool.”

SEVENDUST’s third album, “Animosity” was released in November 2001 through TVT Records. The disc peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2002 for shipments in excess of half a million copies.

SEVENDUST’s 13th studio album, “Blood & Stone”, was released in October 2020 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018’s “All I See Is War” was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

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ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has shared a performance video of the title track of his recently released solo album “Brighten”. The clip was directed by Sebastien Paquet and Kevin Garcia and was recorded in November 2021 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles as part of the “Brighten” record-release event. It is now available to stream and download everywhere you listen to music. Many of the musicians featured on the record performed with Jerry, including Tyler Bates (“300”, “John Wick”), Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Gil Sharone (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), George Adrian, Vincent Jones and Michael Rozon.

“Brighten” has received praise from critics, including Kerrang!, which called it a “vivid, contemporary self-portrait of one of the most distinctive voices in hard rock. A long-overdue show of individual brilliance.” Classic Rock proclaimed it “his best yet. The work of a songwriter who is happy within his life, it spans a broad arc of styles.” The Sun commented: “A rich, organic album… ‘Brighten’ is brilliant.”

“Brighten” is Jerry’s first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. Co-produced with film composer Tyler Bates and Paul Fig (longtime engineer), the LP got its beginnings just before the pandemic hit. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES) on select bass tracks, Puciato contributing to backing vocals and drummers Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney). Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) handled the mixing of “Brighten”.

Jerry has also announced a U.S. tour that will bring him to cities such as New York, LA, Chicago, Boston, Nashville and Vegas, among many other cities.

A couple of years ago, Cantrell played a pair of sold-out solo shows in Los Angeles joined by an eclectic group of musicians and friends, several of whom appear on “Brighten”.

“It was fun to play tunes I hadn’t performed in years from ‘Boggy Depot’ and ‘Degradation Trip’,” Jerry said. “Tyler Bates not only introduced me to a lot of cool players, he also helped me put the band together for the shows, and performed with me.”

“Brighten” spawned from those gigs.

“It was like an old-school ’70s record where a multitude of musicians played,” smiled Cantrell. “So it’s not a set band. I got to make music with a bunch of people I never had before, along with friends like Duff, Tyler and Gil who I’ve worked with previously.”

Jerry’s new effort marks his first full-length release since “Degradation Trip”, the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.

Jerry’s career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two previous solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell’s first solo album, “Boggy Depot”, was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned “Degradation Trip”. In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including “Spider-Man”, “The Cable Guy”, “John Wick 2”, “Last Action Hero” and “The Punisher”.

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, “Rainier Fog”, in August 2018.

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Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS will embark on a North American tour this spring. The trek will kick off on April 13 in New York City and will make its way through nearly two dozen cities, coming to a close on May 12 in Baltimore, Maryland. Support will come from SYLVAINE and HOAXED.

Comments AMORPHIS: “We are more than excited to announce that we are touring North America in the spring 2022 to support our upcoming album ‘Halo’. We’ve been missing you, live gigs, and touring like never before! We are looking forward to the shows as well as bringing SYLVAINE and HOAXED with us as special guests. Limited amounts of AMORPHIS VIP packages with meet-and-greets are also available. We hope to see you there. Meanwhile, take care, stay healthy, and shine on! “

Tickets go on sale Friday, January 14. VIP packages, including a ticket, meet-and-greet, photo op and exclusive items are now available.

AMORPHIS with SYLVAINE and HOAXED tour dates:

Apr. 13 – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY *
Apr. 14 – The Palladium – Worcester, MA *
Apr. 15 – Club Soda – Montreal, QC *
Apr. 16 – The Opera House – Toronto, ON *
Apr. 18 – Mr. Smalls Theatre – Millvale, PA
Apr. 19 – The Forge – Joliet, IL
Apr. 20 – Skyway Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
Apr. 22 – The Oriental Theater – Denver, CO
Apr. 23 – Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT
Apr. 25 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
Apr. 26 – The Imperial – Vancouver, BC
Apr. 27 – El Corazon – Seattle, WA
Apr. 29 – The UC Theatre – Berkeley, CA
Apr. 30 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
May 01 – The Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ
May 03 – Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
May 04 – Amplified Live – Dallas, TX
May 06 – Center Stage (The Loft) – Atlanta, GA
May 07 – The Orpheum -Tampa, FL
May 08 – The Abbey – Orlando, FL
May 10 – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC
May 11 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA
May 12 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD

* Support from HOAXED only

“Halo” will be released on February 11, 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

In the past, mythology and legend took the role of today’s pop culture: Stories and a set of values uniting us by giving us a voice and a tapestry on which we can find each other and identify with something. By weaving the tales of Finnish national epos “Kalevala” into their songs and interpreting them in a timeless way, AMORPHIS combine the role of ancient minstrels and luminaries of the modern world, honoring tradition without getting stuck in the past.

The vibrant, lively, and touching beauty that is “Halo” highlights their musical and storytelling mastership on a once again soaring level: It’s a progressive, melodic, and quintessentially melancholic heavy metal masterwork plucked from the fickle void of inspiration by original guitarists Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari, bassist Olli-Pekka Laine, drummer Jan Rechberger, longtime keyboardist Santeri Kallio and vocalist Tomi Joutsen, the band’s long-standing lyrical consciousness Pekka Kainulainen and a selected group of world class audio professionals led by renowned Swedish producer Jens Bogren. Considering the band’s prolonged journey in the forefront of innovative metal music, it’s difficult to grasp how AMORPHIS manages to raise the proverbial bar time and time again, presenting a more than worthy finale to the trilogy begun with 2015’s “Under The Red Cloud” followed by 2018’s “Queen Of Time”.

“It really is a great feeling that we can still produce very decent music as a band,” says Holopainen, a founding member of the band. “Perhaps a certain kind of self-criticism and long experience culminate in these latest albums.” To the songwriter himself, “Halo” sounds both familiar and different. “It is thoroughly recognizable AMORPHIS from beginning to end but the general atmosphere is a little bit heavier and more progressive and also organic compared to its predecessor,” he elaborates.

Tomi Joutsen, the man with vocal cords capable of unleashing colossal, bear-like growls as well as singing soothing, mesmerising lullabies, adds, “To me, ‘Halo’ sounds a little more stripped down compared to ‘Queen Of Time’ and ‘Under The Red Cloud’. However, don’t get me wrong: when a certain song needs to sound big, then it sounds very big.” He’s right, of course: By stripping down some of the arrangements, the monumental moments become even more monumental.

That’s of course also thanks to producing renaissance man Jens Bogren who harvested the thirteen final tracks from a batch of thirty songs AMORPHIS offered him. “Jens is very demanding, but I really like to work with him,” says Holopainen. “He takes care of the whole project from start to finish, and he allows the musician to focus on just playing. I may not be able to thank Jens enough. Everything we’ve done together has been really great, and this co-operation has carried AMORPHIS significantly forward.”

Indeed. Setting off with the stormy grandeur of opener “Northwards”, AMORPHIS take us on an epic journey through the lands of the north, their rich cultural and historical heritage and musical traditions. This is not only an album for fans or metal connoisseurs. It’s a must for every imaginative mind out there with a soft spot for cinematic soundscapes, triumphant melodies and breathtaking dynamics measuring the borderlands of light and dark.

However, no AMORPHIS album would be complete without the imaginative and poetic storytelling of renowned lyricist and “Kalevala” expert Pekka Kainulainen. “From day one, Pekka has always been an enthusiastic and prolific lyricist for AMORPHIS,” says Joutsen. “It is a slow process of translating archaic Finnish poetry into English and adapting it our progressive rhythms. Fortunately, Pekka does everything on time and with great care.” Since 2007’s “Silent Waters”, Kainulainen has been navigating the mythological waters of his homeland with great skill and respect. For “Halo”, he outdid himself once again. “‘Halo’ is a loose-themed record filled with adventurous tales about the mythical North tens of thousands of years ago,” he explains. “The lyrics tell of an ancient time when man wandered to these abandoned boreal frontiers after the ice age. While describing the revival of a seminal culture in a world of new opportunities, I also try to reach the sempiternal forces of the human mind.”

Thirty-one years after their inception, with uncounted global tours under their belt and fourteen albums deep in their career, AMORPHIS still proves to be the musical fountain of youth, an extraordinary band constantly reinventing itself without abandoning its mystical roots. With “Halo”, they deliver an astonishing album that deserves to be played everywhere, transcending the realms of metal and rock by its sheer profoundness and musicality.

AMORPHIS is:

Tomi Joutsen – vocals
Esa Holopainen – guitars
Tomi Koivusaari – guitars
Santeri Kallio – Keyboards
Olli-Pekka Laine – bass
Jan Rechberger – drums

Photo by Sam Jamsen

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Finnish rock band THE RASMUS has entered Finland’s annual Eurovision selection contest, “Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu” (UMK; The New Music Competition). The band has also announced the release of its Eurovision entry bid and new single, “Jezebel”, which will be available on January 17, 2022 via Playground Music.

“Jezebel” was co-written and produced by Desmond Child, who collaborated with THE RASMUS on their seventh studio album “Black Roses”. Child is responsible for formulating some of rock’s biggest hits, with co-writer and production credits on iconic songs by KISS, BON JOVI, AEROSMITH and ALICE COOPER, to name a few.

Singer Lauri Ylönen comments: “It was awesome to work with Desmond again. He really knows how to put a hit song together.

“‘Jezebel’ is about a girl who takes what she wants, without asking. A free spirit.”

Speaking about the collaboration, Child says: “Lauri gives me a call and says ‘Hey, I need to write the biggest, greatest song in the entire world ever. Will you do it [with me]?’ and I said ‘Yeah, but I am in Folegandros (Greece)’ and he says, ‘I’ll be right there.’

“‘Jezebel’ is an homage, a tribute, to the strong women of today, who own their bodies, who are in charge of their sensuality, their sexuality, and who are determined to be an equal.”

The UMK winner and Finland’s next Eurovision Song Contest participant will be chosen at the UMK22 event in Turku Logomo on February 26, 2022. The final will be shown live on Yle TV1, Yle Areena and Yle’s radio channels from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EET. The winner will be chosen by TV viewers and the international UMK jury. Those outside of Finland can watch the show at areena.yle.fi/tv.

There is more big news to share from THE RASMUS, as they have announced that founding guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi has left the band. Pauli comments: “I have decided to make my departure from the band and seek for new adventures and challenges in life.

“I want to thank everybody that has made this journey possible, especially all you amazing fans, for the best moments and memories. I love you.

“I’m eternally thankful to my band brothers for everything and wish the best from the bottom of my heart. Lauri, Aki and Eero, I love you.

“Music lives forever!

“This is not the end. It’s just time to turn the page.”

The remaining band members emphasize that it is an amicable split.

“We have always been like a family, more like brothers than a band,” says Lauri. “We are still very good friends, and we wish Pauli all the best.”

The torch is passed to Finnish guitarist and singer Emilia “Emppu” Suhonen. Speaking of her invitation to join the band, Emppu says: “I got a very surprising call in the fall and answered ‘yes.’ Although I was a bit nervous to go to the rehearsal room with the guys for the first time for a test drive, I still had a strong feeling that this would be a good thing. That feeling turned out to be right and playing together felt totally natural right from the first riff. I am THE RASMUS’s new guitarist, and it’s pretty insane to be on this ride.”

Emppu began playing the guitar when she was five years old and at 13, she made her album debut with the band TIKTAK, who went on to become one of Finland’s biggest rock bands in the early 2000s. Since then, she has played in several bands including DAME, ALAVALA and MIRA LUOTI, among other projects.

“At the moment, I’m getting ready for the UMK and the upcoming gigs with this awesome band I’m now in, THE RASMUS,” says Emppu. “Being part of this group is a dream come true on so many levels.”

Armed with a new arsenal of songs and a revitalized lineup, THE RASMUS will embark on a world tour in the fall of 2022.

Confirmed tour dates:

Oct. 10 – Germany Hamburg Markthalle
Oct. 11 – Germany Berlin Metropol
Oct. 12 – Poland Warsaw Proxima
Oct. 13 – Poland Krakow Kwadrat
Oct. 14 – Germany Leipzig Taubchental
Oct. 15 – Czech Rep. Prague Forum Karlin
Oct. 17 – Hungary Budapest BNMC
Oct. 18 – Austria Vienna Ottakringer Brauerei
Oct. 19 – Germany Munich Neue Theaterfabrik
Oct. 21 – Italy Milan Fabrique
Oct. 22 – Switzerland Bern Bierhubeli
Oct. 23 – France Paris La Maroquinerie
Oct. 24 – Luxembourg Esch-Sur-Alzette Rockhal
Oct. 25 – Germany Wiesbaden Schlachthof (Halfhouse)
Oct. 27 – Germany Cologne LMH
Oct. 28 – Holland Haarlem Patronaat
Oct. 30 – England Nottingham Rock City
Oct. 31 – England Manchester O2 Ritz
Nov. 01 – Scotland Glasgow Garage
Nov. 02 – England Bristol O2 Academy
Nov. 03 – England London O2 Forum Kentish Town
Nov. 05 – Ukraine Kiev Mc Hall
Nov. 06 – Ukraine Lviv Malevich Club
Nov. 07 – Ukraine Odessa Musical Comedy Theatre
Nov. 08 – Ukraine Dnipro Shynnic House Of Culture
Nov. 09 – Ukraine Kharekiv Mekhanika
Nov. 11 – Russia Moscow Stadium
Nov. 12 – Russia St Petersburg A2

THE RASMUS is:

Lauri Ylönen – vocals
Eero Heinonen – bass
Emppu Suhonen – guitars
Aki Hakala – drums

Photo credit: Venla Shalin

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