Tag Archives: jeff loomis

Act of Defiance – Old Scars, New Wounds: A Near Masterpiece

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By Andrew Catania

I’ve been waiting patiently for Act of Defiance’s sophomore release, Old Scars, New Wounds.  As soon as you hit play, this record rocks from the first beat to the last.

When the Dave Mustaine regime was calling up his musicians to start recording what would eventually be “Dystopia,” Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick knew that it was time to move on.  They wanted to express their creativity and write their music instead of being told what to play by King Mustaine.  When Act of Defiance was formed, they went from inception, having no record deal, to recording Birth and the Burial and handing in the master to Metal Blade Records in six months.  This time around, they didn’t have those issues to deal with.

Producer Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Allegaeon) guided Act of Defiance to a near-perfect sophomore effort.  The album opens up with “M.I.A.” where Broderick’s blazing riffs take you through this song taking issue with fake news.  “Molten Core” is a Slayer-ish mosh pit song.  We have acoustic guitar parts in “The Talisman.”  Old Scars, New Wounds gets heavier with each song.

Henry Derek’s vocals fit this album perfectly.  Shawn Drover’s drumming is incredible.  Matt Bachand’s bass is mixed elegantly as Chris Broderick’s outstanding guitar playing, tapping, and riffs make this one kick ass album! This was a total band effort, and you can hear it in the music.  Mark my words, Act of Defiance will be picked up for a tour with a huge band (Slayer comes to mind).  This record is a near masterpiece! Broderick kicks some major ass!

Rating 9.5/10 A must-have for every metalhead and guitar junky!

TRACK LISTING
M.I.A.
Molten Core
Overexposure
The Talisman
Lullaby Of Vengeance
Circle Of Ashes
Reborn
Conspiracy Of The Gods
Another Killing Spree
Broken Dialect
Rise Of Rebellion

Pre-Order today!

http://www.metalblade.com/actofdefiance/

Release Date:  September 29, 2017
Label:  Metal Blade Records
Act of Defiance online:
https://www.facebook.com/actofdefiancemusic
https://instagram.com/actofdefiance
https://twitter.com/actofdefiance1
https://twitter.com/chris_broderick
https://twitter.com/shawndrover
https://twitter.com/mattowsfall
https://twitter.com/totheboyelis

Act Of Defiance Launches Video For New Track, “Overexposure”

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Act Of Defiance – the heavy metal group featuring the veteran talents of Chris Broderick on guitar, Henry Derek on vocals, Shawn Drover on drums and Matt Bachand on bass – will return with their new album, Old Scars, New Wounds, on September 29th via Metal Blade Records. After slamming back into the metalscape with their first video/single “M.I.A.”, Act Of Defiance is back today with a second new music video/track, “Overexposure“. Directed by Vince Edwards, the melodic scorcher is backed with fast-paced imagery of the band members in their finest form – churning out a precise metal assault!

Act of Defiance is what Arch Enemy should be releasing.  Great songs, incredible riffs, awesome singer all mixed together.  AE has the person to do it, Jeff Loomis.  Chris Broderick and the guys are operating on all cylinders!  Crank this up! 

Act of Defiance line-up:
Chris Broderick – guitar
Henry Derek – vocals
Shawn Drover – drums
Matt Bachand – bass

Act of Defiance online:
https://www.facebook.com/actofdefiancemusic
https://instagram.com/actofdefiance
https://twitter.com/actofdefiance1ch
https://twitter.com/chris_broderick
https://twitter.com/shawndrover
https://twitter.com/mattowsfall
https://twitter.com/totheboyelis

Arch Enemy’s Will To Power: Middle School Lyrics, Loomis Restrained

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By Andrew Catania

Arch Enemy releases their new album, Will To Power today.  This is the second album with Alissa White-Gluz.  Alissa is the third singer for Arch Enemy.  Will To Power also marks the first studio effort with Jeff Loomis.

I was looking forward to this release since this would be the first with the addition of Loomis.  Sadly, Loomis doesn’t have any writing credits or makes an impact on this album fans of his would’ve liked.  His playing is great on Will To Power; you can feel he’s somewhat restrained.  I’m sure this was done by design seeing the album was produced by founding member/guitarist Michael Amott.  If given a chance, Loomis would’ve schooled Amott on how to write great songs.

The lyrics haven’t improved.  I was hoping with White-Gluz in the band they would.  The album isn’t a total fail.  Songs like “The Word Is Yours” sounds like some of the band’s classics.  “The Eagle Flies Alone” is a masterpiece musically.   Lyrically, Will To Power sounds like Amott got together with a bunch of middle schoolers and wrote about pre-pubescent issues.

Arch Enemy still kicks ass live.  Alissa White-Gluz and Jeff Loomis are welcomed additions to the band.   Amott has to give up some creative direction of the band to other members.  Until then, we’ll have to deal with the same sixth grader lyrics and basic riffs he plays.  He won’t unleash Loomis because he knows he’s a superior player and writer to him.  7/10 stars

Arch Enemy & Trivium Announce Co-Headlining North American Fall Tour

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ARCH ENEMY & TRIVIUM Announce Co-Headlining North American Fall Tour;
Additional Support from While She Sleeps & Fit For An Autopsy.

Tickets On-Sale Friday, August 4 @ 10:00 A.M. Local Time

ARCH ENEMY and TRIVIUM are excited to announce plans for a co-headlining tour across North America later this Fall. Featuring support from English metalcore outfit While She Sleeps and New Jersey deathcore act Fit For An Autopsy,
the tour will kick off on October 27 in Orlando, FL and make its way across the U.S. and Canada before finishing on December 6 in Houston, TX.

Founding ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott exclaimed, “Very much looking forward to returning to North America with this tour! We are aware that it has been long overdue and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we’ve been creating our new “Will To Power” album. This run will be like a family reunion with our old friends in Trivium; together we’ll be crushing city after city with the power of Heavy Metal! Good times ahead, don’t miss the fun!”

TRIVIUM further stated, “We’ve been joining forces with Arch Enemy for over a decade now.  From Ozzfest 2005,  through arenas across the U.K.,  Europe,  and Australia on The Black Crusade.  This next chapter is going to be one for the ages:  Trivium,  Arch Enemy, While She Sleeps, and Fit for an Autopsy!!  DO NOT MISS THIS!!”

Tour dates can be found listed below or in the above admat. General admission tickets will go on-sale to the public on Friday, August 4 at 10:00 a.m. local time.  Watch a trailer video for the tour at http://smarturl.it/AE-TourTrailer.

ARCH ENEMY & TRIVIUM NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2017
(featuring support from While She Sleeps & Fit For An Autopsy)
10/27    Orlando, FL – House of Blues
10/28    Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
10/29    Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
10/31    Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
11/1    Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero Theater
11/3    New York, NY – Playstation Theater
11/4    Worcester, MA – The Palladium
11/5    Montreal, QC – Metropolis
11/7    Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
11/8    Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/10    Sioux City, IA – Anthem At Hard Rock
11/11    Kansas City, MO – The Truman
11/12    Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
11/14    Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
11/15    Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
11/17    Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
11/18    Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
11/20    Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
11/21    Edmonton, AB – Union Hall
11/23    Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theater
11/24    Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo
11/25    Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
11/27    Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
11/28    San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
11/29    Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
12/1    Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theater
12/2    Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
12/4    Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
12/5    San Antonio, TX – Alamo City Music Hall
12/6    Houston, TX – Warehouse Live

 

Melodic metal legends ARCH ENEMY will be returning with their tenth overall album on September 8 via Century Media Records, “Will To Power”, a powerful statement of their reigning heavy metal supremacy.

Will To Power is the first studio album to feature the band’s current line-up, marking the debut recording appearance of guitar mastermind Jeff Loomis, the sophomore vocal appearance from Alissa White-Gluz, and a return from founder Michael Amott on guitars, Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson on drums.

Pre-order “Will To Power” on physical or digital format at willtopower.centurymedia.com!

ARCH ENEMY ONLINE
http://www.archenemy.net
https://www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/archenemyofficial 
https://twitter.com/archenemymetal

 

TRIVIUM will return with a new album this fall via Roadrunner Records, details of which are yet to be announced.

TRIVIUM catapulted into the first ranks of modern metal with 2004’s Roadrunner debut, “Ascendancy”, which was named “Album of the Year” by Kerrang! 2006’s “The Crusade” incorporated new melodic colors into the band’s sound, resulting in widespread critical applause and a top 25 Billboard 200 debut. “Shogun” followed two years later and received even greater acclaim and chart success, including a #1 debut on the UK’s Rock Albums Chart. “In Waves hit #1 on Billboard’s “Hard Rock Albums” upon its 2011 release, not to mention a stunning top 15 debut on the overall Billboard 200 and 2013’s “Vengeance Falls” arrived at #2 on Billboard’s “Hard Rock Albums” chart while making Top 10 debuts in Australia, Germany, representing some of band’s highest international chart debuts to date.

TRIVIUM ONLINE 
www.trivium.org
www.facebook.com/TriviumOfficial
twitter.com/TriviumOfficial

Ozzy Osbourne: If Zakk Departs After The Summer Tour, Who Will Replace Him?

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By Andrew Catania

Now that the Black Sabbath band has started wrapping up their music career and the final show has been locked in for February 4th, many of us will mourn not having more from the band. However, this is equally pleasing in tandem, that Ozzy Osbourne, the Madman of Black Sabbath who recently turned 68, hasn’t called it a day yet and says that he’s “currently playing around with some song ideas. I have a few things jotted down, and once Black Sabbath is off the road, I will be heading into the studio with my band to get the songs recorded. Once it’s all in the can, you can be sure to see me back on the road again.”

Sounds cool, right!

So now that the big news is out and has enthralled the crazy global fandom of Ozzy – the ultimate Prince of Darkness, apparently, this has become a topic of hot debate about who will play the guitar on his upcoming solo records.  Ozzy has stated that Zakk Wylde will be performing with him on his scheduled summer dates

Is Zakk going to continue with Ozzy after the summer tour dates?  Or would he be going back to Black Label?  Here are our top picks of potential guitarists likely to pair up with Ozzy if Zakk departs:

Rusty Cooley

Acclaimed for his aesthetic and intricately refined techniques, and rendered as one of the fastest guitarists in the US, Rusty Cooley is a virtuosic name in heavy, progressive and power metal genre. Well-known as the king of shreds, Rusty has been casting a spell through his chords since 1985 and has been associated with the Day of Reckoning, Outworld, Austrian Death Machine, the Rings of Saturn and some solos and individual performances. He has been called as the ‘Leading Light of Post-Malmsteen Shred-volution’ by the Guitar Player magazine.

Jeff Loomis

Famous and applauded for his soulful contribution to ‘Nevermore,’ Jeff Loomis is one of the top-notch names that rule the present-age metal genre. Jeff Loomis has proven his mettle as a lyricist, composer, vocalist, bassist and keyboard, drum and guitar player.

Aside from some fruitful associations with Arch Enemy, Nevermore, Fear Tech, Sanctuary, Conquering Dystopia, Experiment Fear, System, and 7 Eyes, Jeff Loomis has skillfully proved his virtuosity in some solos that make a big emblem of his unique classic arpeggios and gradually flowing nuances.

Marty Friedman

Famous for his former association with the heavy metal band Megadeth that ruled the music world for the entire decade of the mighty 90s, Marty Friedman has now become a mega music sensation in Japan.

His shredding techniques and style still carry that vibrant and signature ‘Megadeth’ essence, however, his personal preferences and music taste have drifted towards contemporary and Japanese pop. This has influenced him to evolve as an ecstatic fusion of eastern and western music, punctuated and infused with thrash metal, progressive rock, and neoclassic genres.

Vinnie Moore

Having emerged on the 80s music horizon with his incredible performances in Alice Cooper’s ‘Hey Stoopid,’ Vinnie Moore has managed to attain the stature of the most influential musicians who defined and shaped the dynamics and tending patterns of the music scene of the 80s and 90s.

Vinnie Moore has had an exciting career from 1986 to date, that is punctuated with his associated acts with UFO, Alice Cooper, Red Zone Rider, along with some hit solos records to his name. Vinnie Moore’s style stems from neoclassical metal, heavy metal, hard rock, and instrumental rock genre.

Jimi Bell

Jimi Bell, known as “The Giant On The Guitar,” was  Ozzy’s second choice to Zakk Wylde.  Jimi has had a successful career starting with his band, Joined Forces.  He’s currently the guitarist for House of Lords. Jimi’s style of hard rock, the instrumental rock genre would make him an ideal choice for Ozzy.

ARCH ENEMY Reveal Cover Art & Further Details On New Album, “Will To Power”, Out September 8 Via Century Media Records

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Metal powerhouse ARCH ENEMY is ready to bring their fierce brand of metal to audiences worldwide as they announce details on their upcoming album, “Will To Power“, out September 8, 2017, via Century Media Records. The band is excited to reveal the album’s captivating cover artwork, as shown above, designed by Alex Reisfar.

Guitarist Michael Amott commented on the artwork:

“It was a pleasure working with Alex Reisfar on the ‘Will to Power’ cover artwork, he immediately grasped the concept and atmosphere we were looking for with this album. We talked about the double-edged sword that is human ambition, how it can be outstandingly creative and beautiful but can also be turned into something dark and powerful. Alex proceeded to masterfully paint a strong image that evokes a lot of feelings. The human skull as a central focal point, the flesh sort of falling off into the circular pattern. The snake Ouroboros weaving in and out of the mouths and throats of the severed heads of a wolf, a goat, and a vampire bat… All representing self-determination and a predatory, almost parasitic will to power”

Co-produced by Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, the album was sent to long time collaborator and friend Jens Bogren (Opeth, At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir) for mixing and mastering and marks legendary guitarist Jeff Loomis‘ (Nevermore) first recording with the band.

Following in the steps of their most acclaimed album to date, “War Eternal“, which saw the band reach their highest charts in the US and Germany to date, “Will To Power” will continue to smash records worldwide.

While full details and pre-order information on “Will To Power” will be made available in the coming weeks, fans can currently take part in a special campaign which will allow them to sign up and have their name featured in the “Will To Power” Deluxe Box Set Edition. For further details and to have your name included, please visit: http://willtopower.centurymedia.com/

Having performed over 200 shows in more than 40 countries in support of their previous effort, ARCH ENEMY will continue fervently bringing their show to ever-growing audiences worldwide across the European festival market this summer. They are also excited to announce the first leg of their international “Will To Power Tour 2017” which will commence from September 15 through October 11 across Eastern Europe and will feature special guests, Jinjer. A full list of their upcoming appearances can be found below. There will be a US tour coming this fall as well. Stay tuned for further tour dates!

ARCH ENEMY live:

ARCH ENEMY @ Summer festivals 2017
06.07.2017 Rock Harz Festival, Ballenstedt, Germany
08.07.2017 Resurrection Fest, Viveiro, Spain
12.07.2017 Rockmarathon, Dunaújváros, Hungary
15.07.2017 Gefle Metal Festival, Gavle, Sweden
04.08.2017 Rock Pod Kamenom Festival, Snina, Slovakia
05.08.2017 Ostrave v Plamenech, Ostrava, Czech Republic
07.08.2017 Festival Di Majano, Majano, Itlay
08.08.2017 Conrad Sohm, Dornbirn, Austria
10.08.2017 Leyendas Del Rock, Villena, Spain
11.08.2017 Vagos Metal Fest, Vagos, Portugal
12.08.2017 Into The Grave, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
13.08.2017 Bloodstock Open Air, Walton-On-Trent, UK

ARCH ENEMY “Will To Power Tour 2017” w/ special guest Jinjer
15.09.2017 Music Hall, Innsbruck, Austria
16.09.2017 Posthof, Linz, Austria
17.09.2017 Cvetlicarna, Ljubljana, Slovenia
18.09.2017 Dom Omladine, Belgrade, Serbia
20.09.2017 Quantic Club Open Air Stage, Bucharest, Romania
21.09.2017 Universiada Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria
22.09.2017 Piraeus 117 Academy, Athens, Greece
23.09.2017 Principal Club Theater Thessaloniki, Greece
25.09.2017 Majestic Music Club, Bratislava, Slovakia
26.09.2017 Progresja, Warsaw, Poland
27.09.2017 Loftas, Vilnius, Lithuania
29.09.2017 Melna Piektdiena, Riga, Latvia
30.09.2017 Rock Café, Tallinn, Estonia
01.10.2017 The Circus, Helsinki, Finland
03.10.2017 Re:Public, Minsk, Belarus *
04.10.2017 Aurora, St. Petersburg, Russia *
06.10.2017 Otdyh, Novosibirsk, Russia *
08.10.2017 Tele Club, Yekaterinburg, Russia *
10.10.2017 Yotaspace, Moscow, Russia *
11.10.2017 Zvezda, Samara, Russia *
*without Jinjer

Tickets for all shows are available here: www.archenemy.net

ARCH ENEMY online:
http://www.archenemy.net
https://www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/archenemyofficial
https://twitter.com/archenemymetal

Interview: Guitarist Sean Baker Discusses His Latest Record and The Sean Baker Orchestra

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By Andrew Catania

Shred is not dead.  When you look at ShredGuy Records, you can see it’s alive and well.  When I first saw Sean Baker, I asked him if he was related to Kerry King as they look a lot alike.   What I soon learned was the Sean Baker Orchestra kicks some serious ass.  I listened to Sean’s latest record on autoplay 3 times while sitting in Orlando traffic recently.  I recently spoke with Sean and asked him how did the SBO start among other things.

Sean, how did you start playing guitar? At what age?

Always been a huge fan of music. My parents always listened to music when I was growing up, so I think that had a huge impact on me. As corny as it sounds when I heard Van Halen’s “Eruption” I knew I had to play guitar! Eddie had it all: Badass songs and jaw-dropping guitar solos. Hearing him as a youngster really made want to play an instrument (guitar), where I never really had an interest in playing music up to that point. Thank you, Eddie Van Halen!

Were you self-taught or had traditional lessons?

Tried traditional lessons first, but quickly got bored with the Mel Bay method. Here I was wanting to play Van Halen and the like, and I’m painfully learning ” Shoo Fly, Don’t bother Me”! Gave up traditional lessons, and went for it on my own for awhile until I took about two months worth of lessons from a dude that graduated from G.I.T in Hollywood. After about six or seven lessons with him, I realized I was showing him more then he was teaching me and decided to start my own lifelong journey into the world of music!

Were you in any bands during your younger years?

Yes! I’ve been in bands since high school really. The majority of them being vocal bands with local area musicians (Detroit area). Played with some great bands through the years and had a great time growing up and playing music with my friends! After one of my vocal projects fell apart in 2002, I took some of the vocal songs we had recorded and turned them into instrumental guitar songs, which became my first CD with The Sean Baker Orchestra. Which was re-released on ShredGuy Records

Explain how you came up with the concept the Sean Baker Orchestra?

Basically, the concept for SBO was to write instrumental music and have as many of my friends and heroes as I could come in and play on the songs! Whether it be live or record in the studio. I could get all these different players to come in and be a part of my “Orchestra” and I would basically be the conductor. It’s been great too! Rusty Cooley, Marc Rizzo, Joe Stump, Toby Knapp, and Bruce Bouillet have all contributed badass solos on my CDs! Even RacerX singer Jeff Martin and TSO/ Metal Church vocalist Ronny Munroe sang tunes on our CD” Game On!!!”. So it’s been kickass in every sense.

What other instruments do you play?

I play bass, guitar, and have just taken a likening to Ukulele!

Do you improvise when you’re playing live?

Hell yea! I love improvising and I think it’s the most fun thing about playing guitar! Constructing solos is totally fun, but there is nothing like just going for it! There is an art to playing stuff off the top of your head that sounds like you worked on it for ten years! Guthrie Govan makes all of us look bad with his skills of improvisation! Something about falling down the stairs and landing on your feet just gives me goose bumps!

Who are your influences?

Mr. Van Halen of course, YngPaul Gilbert, Jason Becker, George Lynch, Yngwie, and a bunch of the Mike Varney style shredders! I also love Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, and a ton of seventies songwriters which I believe is the strongest era for songwriting.

What’s your rig setup?

My rig is really simple: I play and endorse Schecter Guitars. I have six, seven, and eight string guitars from Schecter and love them dearly! Great company too! My amp is a Randall RM 100 which is an MTS modular amp. Great sounding amp with great versatility. My pedal board consists of Boss delay and noise suppressor, MXR phaser, Ibanez screaming demon wah pedal, and I use a Jason Becker Perpetual Burn overdrive to wet the distorted tones so they aren’t so dry.

How long did it take you to record this record?

Game On!! Was by far the easiest cd I have ever made! I demoed each song on my phone and sent it to the bassist Dave Donigian, and drummer Clint Sabon. I think we rehearsed three times and went in the studio. Drums and bass were done in two days, and it took awhile to get guitars done. I had the most fun making that CD and I’m very proud of the results! It was my first release on the Shredguy label, so I wanted to come up with something special and I believe we did just that! My finest hour so far…..The ClownHammer CD was easy to record, but we spent a TON of time in pre-production which actually helped us in the recording process. We worked really hard writing the songs, down to paying attention to every syllable vocally. We all wrote vocal melodies and lyrics which was a first for me. I think the ClownHammer CD is great and will always be proud of that particular project! Shredguy did a great job promoting the CD and actually getting the CD made! Mike McDowell has been great to me since day one and I adore the dude for what he has done for me and the shred community! Thanks, Mike! You can pick up ClownHammer and The Sean Baker Orchestra CDs online at Shredguy’s website!

Do you have any plans for any nationwide touring?

No plans really, but if a great offer came about I would jump on it! I played a lot of shows out here opening for various guitarist and did a tour with Bruce Bouillet in 2013, so I’ve done a fair amount of live shows. Opening for Jennifer Batten, Chris Poland, Nevermore, Gary Hoey, Uli Jon Roth, Marc Rizzo, Joe Stump, Mike Orlando, and much more was a total blast. I just love creating and playing music so I try not to close any doors where I get to do that!

Follow Sean @ https://www.facebook.com/The-Sean-Baker-Orchestra-114567625240995/

To order Sean Baker Orchestra CD @ http://www.shredguyrecords.bigcartel.com/

Review: Arch Enemy’s As The Stages Burn DVD

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By Andrew Catania

Arch Enemy has unleashed their DVD, ’As the Stages-Burn’’ in March 2017, celebrating their 20th anniversary. The new DVD would feature their world’s largest stage performance till date from their Wacken Open-Air set in Germany.

”As the Stages Burn” marks the era of the Arch Enemy’s War Eternal cycle; the bands first ever record with the former Agonist vocalist Alissa White-Gluz. Also earlier this year, they decided to give all their fans a DVD named War Eternal Tour- Tokyo Sacrifice, but then the Wacken set seemed to have much more impact than the previous releases.

Image result for arch enemy as the stages burn

The stage was all set, to begin with, the performance of the lifetime. The decoration was perfectly put together, just like the original Arch Enemy. The band started with a very energetic and impactful song “Yesterday is Dead and Gone” by Alissa which brought the crowd to their feet and it seemed that they are quite enthusiastic and were looking forward to more.

Related image

Arch Enemy has done a great work with the DVD and has given an outstanding performance on the stage. The main criteria for the whole performance were to keep the fans involved throughout the show and they did it pretty well. The song choices and the changing backdrops at the end of every song made it even more mesmerizing. The energy and the solo from Jeff Loomis set the stage on fire and what else could anyone have asked for that night. “On This Special Night” as sung by their vocalist Alissa was completely flawless over the stage. She totally pumped up the crowd once again and made them go gaga with the whole flow of the song, jumping, clapping and singing along with her until the entire song was over. The band was totally on the minds of the crowd leaving such a huge impact on them.

The DVD that captures their entire performance as a masterpiece is probably what you need to experience the true magic of this band. It was a perfect recording of the whole performance from the music to the shots of the band lined up quite well. One could just feel the best of the live show even through the DVD because of the amazing picture quality and the camera movement all across the stage; moving very smoothly without any break of shots.

Image result for arch enemy as the stages burn

The strongest choice of the entire performance “We Will Rise”, is an amazing and powerful song towards the end of the show. They chose to end up the performance by “Fields of Desolation”, an amazing way to end the set.

Guitarist Michael Amott told Spark TV that that was indeed the perfect album cycle to document. He added that it was a fresh piece that had taken them over two years on the roads preparing and that it was time to piece it together and see how the audience would take it. He was also quick to remark how special the show at Wacken was and that among other things, it was one of the biggest things to look forward to on the album.

This live DVD includes behind the scenes footage of the band and videos from the War Eternal Album.  This is a flawlessly executed DVD and one of the best I’ve seen.  9/10 stars.

Guitar Whiz Jeff Loomis

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By Andrew Catania

It took only a year of serious training before Jeff Loomis won Wisconsin’s Guitar Wars contest at the age of 16. Although Loomis got his first guitar when he was around nine years old, he only started practicing with passionately at 15.

Today, Loomis is an American guitarist who has become famous globally for his skills as a former lead guitarist for Nevermore -a progressive metal band that he was a part of from 1994 to 2011.

As a young teen, Loomis took inspiration from great artists like Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Brian May. Before finding a career in music, he drifted from one cover band to another and played with three death metal bands before joining more established bands.

After his victory in Wisconsin, Loomis took the plunge and auditioned to be the lead guitarist for the iconic thrash metal band, Megadeth. To his disappointment, he was told that one day he would make a great guitarist, however, was far too young for the band as a sixteen-year-old. In 2005, the prediction came true in a surreal manner when Megadeth invited Loomis to come join them as a lead guitarist. However, Jeff declined in order to continue working on his solo album.

His path to success was not direct. After playing with numerous unknown bands and being rejected by Megadeth at 16, he refused to accept rejection and joined Sanctuary in 1990. To his disappointment, Sanctuary broke up 4 months later due to differences with the record company representing them. Starting in 1991, he spent three years conceptualizing a new band called Nevermore with some of the former members of Sanctuary. At last, he was rightly offered the lead guitar position in Nevermore in 1994.

Not only was Loomis the main songwriter for Nevermore, but he also set the precedence for the sound Nevermore adopted as a signature sound using 7 string guitars that are still being used till date. On April 21, 2011, he and Van Williams left Nevermore, citing personal and musical differences with Warrel Dane.

During his time with Nevermore, Loomis often focused on personal growth. For example, Loomis took some time off in 2005 during which he decided to record a solo album, stating, “It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for some time… It will be like a Jason Becker/Marty Friedman kind of thing.”

The solo album, titled Zero Order Phase was released in 2008, featuring guest solos from Ron Jarzombek and Pat O’Brien amongst other artists.

Since leaving Nevermore, it was announced that Loomis joined melodic death metal band – Arch Enemy – on November 17th, 2014. Arch Enemy will be releasing a live DVD/CD on March 31st, 2017.  Arch Enemy is also working on a new record. With Loomis as an integral member of the band – we can only hold our breaths till we can catch hold of the teaser because we’re sure it’ll be legendary.