#Mika Jussila

[black-arcana]

“We made it again!” Nightwish have finished their next studio album

The symphonic metal stars are expected to release a “heavier” 12-song album later this year

(Image credit: Tim Tronckoe)

Nightwish have completely finished making their 10th studio album.

The Finnish symphonic metal band announced that the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s Human :||: Nature has now been fully mixed and mastered with a social media post earlier today (February 29).

They wrote: “Our 10th album is now mixed and mastered.

“Thank you Tero [Kinnunen, sound engineer], Mikko [Karmila, mixing engineer] & Mika [Jussila, mastering engineer] for more than 25 years of shared adventures, music & friendship.

“We made it again!”

Nightwish’s upcoming album is tentatively expected to come out in late 2024, and the band have already revealed that they will not tour to support its release.

In a statement posted in April 2023, Nightwish said: “After the planned shows for June 2023 we will be ‘hanging up our spurs’ for an indeterminate time, as far as live concert performances go, and won’t be touring the next album.”

The reasons for the touring hiatus were described as “personal”, but separate from singer Floor Jansen’s then-pregnancy. The vocalist gave birth to her second child in October 2023.

“Be assured that we still love working together,” the band continued, before promising a 12-song album that would be released in 2024, alongside three music videos.

Speaking to Tuonela magazine last month about what Nightwish’s 10th album will sound like, drummer Kai Hahto said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “It’s not gonna be the same as Human :II: Nature.”

He added: “Probably, let’s say that we go back to more heavy, heavier things on the new album, but also there’s a lot of, again, new winds to blow, so to speak. So, different new elements. But, of course, it’s still Nightwish, but, of course, we brought back the big symphony orchestra again to the new upcoming 10th album. Yeah, it’s gonna be exciting. And quite challenging music to play as well.”

[blindchandelure]

From Lost Society’s Instagram.

July 18th, 2024.

Photographer: Mika Jussila

[satohideo]

LOVEBITES / Soul Defender [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

"Soul Defender" taken from Lovebites' brand-new EP 'LOVEBITES EP II', out August 28, 2024 Lyrics by asami Music by asami & Mao Mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios Lyric video directed by Naoki Takeyama of Limitmaker film

[mrcooledit]

Stratovarius @FlavioOntivero S.O.S #music #musica #top #art #karaoke #ar...

SUSCRIBITE! : http://goo.gl/IhqNaq New Stratovarius Karaoke - SOS Music: Timo Tolkki Lyrics: Timo Tolkki Recorded by Flavio Ontivero and Stratovarius Mixed by Flavio Ontivero and Mikko Karmila – engineering, mixing Mastered by Flavio Ontivero and Mika Jussila, Pauli Saastamoinen – mastering Re-Master by Flavio Ontivero Subscribe to my youtube channel and click the bell for more notifications!! Flavio Ontivero Mastering and Mixing Service Contact: flavio.ontivero@rocketmail.com https://www.youtube.com/user/flavioontivero Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flavio.ontivero https://www.facebook.com/FlavioOntivero80 Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlavioOntivero My Patreon for Custom karaokes, or got high resolution (.Wave) ones that I made! according the level of service that you choice! https://www.patreon.com/flavioontivero SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/flavio-ontivero ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/flavioontivero #avidprotools  #karaoke #Servicio #producerlife #mixing #mastering #metal #metalmusic #metalheads #metalband #music #musica #musicvideo #musician #musically #destiny #sos

[m3t4ln3rd]

Aephanemer announce new album, A Dream of Wilderness

Official press release: French symphonic melodic death metallers Aephanemer have revealed the cover artwork of their third full-length, A Dream of Wilderness. The album will be released via Napalm Records on November 19th, 2021. Integrating elements of melodic death metal and classical symphonies, the southern French band Aephanemer have developed a sound that could likely influence a whole new…

[lestafinn]

📸 Mika Jussila

[a-silent-symphony]

NIGHTWISH Announces 'Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)'

NIGHTWISH will release "Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)" on November 18 via Nuclear Blast. It will be made available as a luxurious 2CD plus Blu-ray digipak and include the band's latest album alongside NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences in May 2021 when the group performed in a tavern called "The Islanders Arms" built in a virtual world. On both nights, the fans experienced a one-and-a-half-hour performance, hearing songs live off "Human. :II: Nature." for the first time ever. Each of the two nights had its own slightly different setlist. Originally available just as a DVD release and on Blu-ray in Japan, this new edition is the ultimate version to re-experience this unique and magical show NIGHTWISH created after their world tour had to be canceled.

Half a year in preparation and premiered on May 28 and May 29, 2021, "An Evening With Nighwish In A Virtual World" was not just a regular streaming show. It was an exceptionally ambitious production, allowing fans to follow the band playing live in an astonishing 3D world, designed according to the band's vision, while interacting with each other.

NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history. Most of the viewers came from Europe and North America, but the performance was a truly global event, with fans in 108 countries purchasing tickets to the show and the box office gross exceeding one million euro.

"This is definitely one of the coolest things NIGHTWISH has ever done," the band comments. "Entwining visual elements, technology and music in such an extraordinary way offers a unique experience to us all."

About 30 people from seven different countries, many of them longtime fans, put everything they had into the game to craft a high-quality virtual concert featuring a NIGHTWISH-themed tavern, elaborate animations and 3D models that provided an atmospheric and inimitable stage for the group's 100-minute-long, stellar career-spanning set brilliantly mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.

Celebrating the announcement, NIGHTWISH has released a video for "Noise", taken from "An Evening With Nightwish In A Virtual World".

"Human. :II: Nature. (Tour Edition)" track listing:

CD 1: Human. :II: Nature.

01. Music 02. Noise 03. Shoemaker 04. Harvest 05. Pan 06. How's The Heart? 07. Procession 08. Tribal 09. Endlessness

CD 2: All the Works of Nature Which Adorn the World

01. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Vista 02. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Blue 03. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Green 04. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Moors 05. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Aurorae 06. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Quiet As The Snow 07. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Anthropocene (incl. "Hurrian Hymn To Nikkal") 08. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Ad Astra

Blu-ray: Virtual Live Show From The Islanders Arms 2021

01. Intro 02. Noise 03. Planet Hell 04. Alpenglow 05. Élan 06. Storytime 07. How's The Heart? 08. Harvest 09. Dark Chest Of Wonders 10. I Want My Tears Back 11. Ever Dream 12. Nemo 13. Sleeping Sun 14. Pan 15. Last Ride Of The Day 16. Ghost Love Score 17. The Greatest Show On Earth 18. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World: VIII. Ad Astra

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen recently spoke to Rauta about what fans can expect from the band's upcoming follow-up to "Human. :II: Nature.". He said: "I feel it's gonna be the third part of a trilogy started by 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' [2015] followed by 'Human. :II: Nature.' and then finished by this upcoming album."

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts.

"There's always something new," he explained. "It's important for my own mental health, when it comes to writing music, that you need to search for some new territories and try not to repeat yourself. And that can be heard on the upcoming album, for sure, already on the demo that we've done."

Asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases, Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

In August, Holopainen told Knotfest that he and his bandmates had spent "the past few weeks" listening to a demo of the next NIGHTWISH album. "Because of COVID, lots of free time, I decided to use that well, so I wrote all the songs for the next album, demoed it, wrote the lyrics, and now we have been brainstorming over it with these guys," he said, referring to drummer Kai Hahto and the rest of NIGHTWISH.

Added Kai: "Yeah, it's been great. The six of us, in the same room, listening to fresh demos for the upcoming album, checking the lyrics and the vocal parts and stuff like that. So it's been wonderful. This man [Tuomas] has been really productive."

Earlier in the month, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album, "and then we finished the demos about two months ago. We're hitting the studio next summer, so in about a year from now," he revealed. "Like I said, might as well use the time for something."

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Japan's All-Female Metal Band LOVEBITES Returns With New Bassist And 'Judgement Day' Music Video

LOVEBITES, the all-female heavy metal band from Tokyo, Japan, has returned from its hiatus with a new member, a new music video and news of a fourth studio album coming in February 2023. The LP is also available to preorder today from JPU Records, and is available physically in three editions.

"Judgement Day", the fittingly titled album, will be the first to feature the band's new lineup, which includes bassist Fami, who was selected after an audition process and is just 20 years of age. The fast, melodic and heavy metal sound that LOVEBITES has excelled at since its debut is still burning strong, but has been sublimated further. Newcomer Fami also brings an added charm to the quintet, including her signature slap technique. The album contains ten completely new songs, mixed and mastered by Finnish masterminds Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, who have worked on all of the band's studio albums.

Fans can get a taste of the new LOVEBITES today with the release of the digital single and music video to the album's title track, available to download, stream and watch now.

The cover art for the album features a wolf, an incarnation of the band that has appeared on all of LOVEBITES's previous albums. This time, as the title suggests ("Judgement Day"),the wolf clutches scales that weigh good and evil within its jaws, and is captured sprinting between the sun and the moon. Further meaning from the cover art can be discovered in the title track's music video, and further details will likely be revealed in the future too.

"Judgement Day" will be released digitally worldwide on February 22, 2023, and released on CD from JPU Records from February 24, 2023. A video-on-demand and CD bundle is also available directly from JPU Records' web site. It features a documentary of the bassist auditions which includes interviews with the members of the band, as well as Fami while she was still one of the finalists — all with English subtitles. It also includes four studio sessions; "The Hammer Of Wrath", "Golden Destination" and "Shadowmaker" from the audition finals, and "Bravehearted", the first session with Fami as an official member of LOVEBITES. There is also a third edition that includes the CD, the video on demand content and a "Judgement Day" t-shirt. Additionally, 50 orders of this latter bundle will randomly receive a sleeve case that has been signed by the members of the band.

"Judgement Day" track listing:

01. We Are The Resurrection 02. Judgement Day 03. The Spirit Lives On 04. Wicked Witch 05. Stand And Deliver (Shoot 'Em Down) 06. Victim Of Time 07. My Orion 08. Lost In The Garden 09. Dissonance 10. Soldier Stands Solitarily

LOVEBITES formed in 2016 with vocalist Asami, guitarists Midori and Miyako, bassist Miho and drummer Haruna. The band's EP "The Lovebites" EP was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila, a team of talented Finnish engineers known for their work with NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM and AMORPHIS. In May 2017 LOVEBITES made their debut and released "The Lovebites" EP through London's JPU Records, followed by full length album "Awakening From Abyss" in October 2017 and had a series of shows in Japan and the U.K.

In 2018 LOVEBITES made their first festival appearance at Vans Warped Tour Japan 2018, as well as a headline show in June for mini album "Battle Against Damnation". In July they participated in Headstrong Fes.18 organized by ANTHEM, followed by performing at the world's biggest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Germany and Bloodstock Open Air in the U.K. They also toured Europe with X-ray Touring. After returning to Japan, LOVEBITES completed their second album "Clockwork Immortality" by the end of the year, and performed at Metal Mania, which also featured LOUDNESS.

LOVEBITES began 2019 by touring Japan, followed by supporting ARCH ENEMY on tour in China. First live album "Daughters Of The Dawn: Live In Tokyo 2019" was released in July, recorded at Mynabi Blitz Akasaka in Tokyo in support of "Clockwork Immortality". The same month the band toured festivals, including Download Festival in the U.K., Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, and Download Festival Madrid in Spain. At Download Festival in the U.K., Asami joined HALESTORM on stage to sing "Love Bites (And So Do I)", the song that gave LOVEBITES their name. When the band returned to Japan they toured Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka before appearing at Summer Sonic 2019. They then joined DRAGONFORCE for their U.K. tour in November as special guests.

In January 2020, the band released third album "Electric Pentagram". It became the band's first album to enter Japan's Oricon Top 10 rankings, peaking at number nine. The band then kicked off tour of Japan in February and released "Five Of A Kind: Live In Tokyo 2020" in July, recorded at Zepp DiverCity, which reached number one in the Oricon Music Blu-ray chart.

In March 2021 they released mini album "Glory, Glory, To The World", which reached No. 10 in the Billboard general chart. Immediately afterwards the band began the "Ride For Vengeance" tour 2021, touring four cities across Japan. In August Miho left the band and it was announced that LOVEBITES would take a break. In the meantime, "Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live In Tokyo 2021" was released in the U.K. as a CD and video on-demand release, featuring the Tokyo show from the "Ride For Vengeance" tour 2021, followed by best album "In The Beginning: The Best Of 2017-2021".

In April 2022, the band held an audition for all nationalities, ages, and genders worldwide to find a new bassist. After a long selection process, fami joined in October of the same year, leading to LOVEBITES once again being composed of five members.

[silencefromafar]

From Nightwish’s Official Website: “When Finnish sextet Nightwish announce a new studio album people tend to take notice. They know that something special is brewing. Band leader Tuomas Holopainen once said that whenever he creates a new record he has the intention of capturing something rare and unique, a monument and a true album experience. In 2020 he’s certain to achieve his objective once again. Nightwish have completed the recordings for their 9th studio album and are proud to announce the title, artwork and tracklisting.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. will be released on 10th April 2020. The long-awaited record, following 2015’s critically-acclaimed “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, will be a double album containing 9 tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.The tracklisting will read as follows:

Disc 1:

Music

Noise

Shoemaker

Harvest

Pan

How’s The Heart?

Procession

Tribal

Endlessness

Disc 2:

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Vista

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Blue

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Green

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Moors

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Aurorae

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Quiet As The Snow

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Anthropocene (incl. “Hurrian Hymn To Nikkal”)

All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Ad Astra

The album pre-order will start on February 7th.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. was recorded from August to October 2019 at Röskö campsite, Petrax Studios and Troykington castle, as well as Finnvox Studios, by Tero Kinnunen, Mikko Karmila and Troy Donockley. The mixing was done by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox, with Tuomas Holopainen and Tero Kinnunen. Mastering was done by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.”

[satohideo]

LOVEBITES / Unchained [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

Music by MIYAKO Lyrics by asami Mixed by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios Music video directed by Naoki Takeyama (Limitmaker film)

[nuclearblastuk]

NIGHTWISH  announce new studio album HUMAN. :II: NATURE.

When Finnish sextet NIGHTWISH announce a new studio album people tend to take notice. They know that something special is brewing. Band leader Tuomas Holopainen once said that whenever he creates a new record he has the intention of capturing something rare and unique, a monument and a true album experience. In 2020 he’s certain to achieve his objective once again. NIGHTWISH have completed the recordings for their 9th studio album and are proud to announce the title, artwork (above) and tracklisting.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. will be released on 10th April 2020. The long-awaited record, following 2015’s critically-acclaimed Endless Forms Most Beautiful, will be a double album containing 9 tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

The tracklisting will read as follows:

Disc 1: 01. Music                                 02. Noise                                                   03. Shoemaker                                             04. Harvest                                                 05. Pan                                                     06. How's The Heart?                             07. Procession                                       08. Tribal                                                   09. Endlessness      

Disc 2: 01. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Vista 02. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Blue 03. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - The Green 04. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Moors 05. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Aurorae 06. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Quiet As The Snow 07. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Anthropocene (incl. "Hurrian Hymn To Nikkal") 08. All The Works Of Nature Which Adorn The World - Ad Astra

The album pre-order will start on February 7th.

HUMAN. :II: NATURE. was recorded from August to October 2019 at Röskö campsite, Petrax Studios and Troykington castle, as well as Finnvox Studios, by Tero Kinnunen, Mikko Karmila and Troy Donockley. The mixing was done by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox, with Tuomas Holopainen and Tero Kinnunen. Mastering was done by Mika Jussila at Finnvox.

NIGHTWISH WORLD TOUR 2020 16.11. NO - Oslo - Spektrum 20.11. DE - Leipzig - Arena 21.11. DE - Dusseldorf - ISS Dome 23.11. NL - Amsterdam - Ziggo Dome   24.11. NL - Amsterdam - Ziggo Dome (sold out) 25.11. FR - Paris - AccorHotels Arena 26.11. BE - Antwerp - Lotto Arena 28.11. DE - Stuttgart - Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle 29.11. LU - Luxembourg - Rockhal 03.12. IT - Milan - Lorenzini District 04.12. DE - Munich - Olympiahalle 09.12. DE - Bamberg - Brose Arena 10.12. DE - Frankfurt - Festhalle 12.12. AT - Vienna - Stadthalle 14.12. DE - Berlin - Max-Schmeling-Halle 16.12. UK - Cardiff - Motorpoint Arena 18.12. UK - London - SSE Arena Wembley

[gbhbl]

Music News: Nightwish Release First Single & Video for the track "Noise" from Human:II:Nature

Music News: Nightwish Release First Single & Video for the track “Noise” from Human:II:Nature

Symphonic metal icons Nightwish have released the first single and video for the track “Noise”. Noise will feature  on the band’s new album entitled Human:II:Nature which will be released on the 10th of April via Nuclear Blast.

When Finnish sextet Nightwish announce a new studio album people tend to take notice. They know that something special is brewing. The band’s new and ninth record…

[m3t4ln3rd]

Aephanemer detail new album Prokopton

French melodic death metal outfit Aephanemer have announced their sophomore full-length Prokopton. The record is scheduled to arrive on March 22nd through Primeval Records. The effort was mixed by Dan Swanö at Unisound AB and mastering by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios; vocal were recorded by Brett Caldas-Lima at Tower Studio. The artwork, which you can find below with the track listing, was…

[mykingdommusic]

The new album by EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY is "De Rervm Natvra" It was 2014 when EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY released their debut album "Humananke". Five years have passed and the band is ready to tread again the scenes with the successor of that lucky album that launched them in the music scene. The new creature is titled "De Rervm Natvra" and will be released by My Kingdom Music on June 7th. With this album, mixed at the Outer Sound Studios by Giuseppe Orlando and mastered at Finnvox Studios by Mika Jussila, the sound of EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY has become more extreme and at the same time more avantgardish with great electronic inserts that lead them to be closer to sounds so dear to bands like Arcturus, Therion and Borknagar. Matteo Salvarezza, guitarist, singer and main author of EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY's sound, introduces us to the new album: "With "De Rervm Natvra ", we managed to evolve while preserving the same old basic identity. The complex structures and orchestrations of the "Humananke", although present in the new work, have been partially reduced in favor of greater influences from the most extreme metal and electronic music. A bigger emphasis was given on experimentations with arrangements, while our use of two lead voices, which often overlap to intertwine different melodies, has remained unaltered. After years of hard work, we are satisfied with "De Rerum Natura", more than worthy successor of our debut". Soon we will present cover tracklist as well as the first details of an album that will surely leave its mark. EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY are back and will know how to enchant you.

 EMBRACE OF DISHARMONY: https://www.facebook.com/EmbraceOfDisharmony

[nepallomo]

Oriental beat hanoi rocks lyrics

#Oriental beat hanoi rocks lyrics series

The album features backing vocals by Katrina Leskanich, the lead singer of Katrina and the Waves. Many of the lyrics deal with typical rock n' roll topics like breaking the law ("No Law or Order) and teenage rebellion ("Teenangels Outsiders"). This album also marked the first time McCoy was not the sole songwriter, with Monroe being the second songwriter on the songs "Motorvatin'" and "Teenangels Outsiders". The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Peter Wooliscroft who had worked with Frank Zappa for example.

#Oriental beat hanoi rocks lyrics series

But Monroe and McCoy announced what would appear to be the final breakup of Hanoi Rocks in 2008, and the group subsequently played a series of farewell shows at Helsinki's Tavastia Club.nn In 2017, Finnish label Ainoa Productions released Rebels on the Run, a compilation of rare B-sides and EP-only tracks from the early '80s, remastered by Mika Jussila (Nightwish, Reckless Love).Recordings for Oriental Beat (then with the working-title, Second Attempt for Suicide) started in late 1981, at the Advision-studio in London. That year and the next, Hanoi Rocks toured Europe and Asia, and in 2007 the group released a new full-length, Street Poetry, on Demolition Records. The new lineup of the band issued Another Hostile Takeover, also on Major Leiden, in 2005. Monroe, Suicide, and Yaffa reunited in 1994 as Demolition 23.nn However, Monroe and McCoy re-formed Hanoi Rocks in 2002, releasing Twelve Shots on the Rocks on the Major Leiden label, and started touring once again. Chimes, McCoy, and Suicide formed the short-lived Cherry Bombz, Yaffa joined Jetboy, and Monroe recorded a solo album, Not Fakin' It, that briefly made the U.S. He gave the band notice early in 1985, and the group broke up in May after a farewell concert. (Neil was convicted of vehicular manslaughter.) Razzle was replaced by ex-Clash drummer Terry Chimes, but things were not quite the same for Monroe. The band ended the year with a tour of the U.S., but Razzle was killed in a tragic automobile accident while a passenger in Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil's car. chart single the next year, from the album Two Steps from the Move. After it was completed, Casino was fired and replaced by ex-Demon Preacher and Dark drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley.nn Hanoi Rocks signed to CBS in 1983 and began to spread their name in Britain their remake of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Up Around the Bend" became their only U.K. Their Scandinavian-only (at first) debut album, Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, was released in 1981, and the bandmembers soon went to London to promote themselves and record Oriental Beat. All members except Monroe had previously played with one or both of the Finnish punk bands Briard and Pelle Miljoona Oy. Hanoi Rocks were founded in 1980 by singer Michael Monroe (born Matti Fagerholm) and guitarist Andy McCoy (born Antti Hulkko) after some lineup changes, the rest of the group consisted of guitarist Nasty Suicide (born Jan Stenfors), bassist Sam Yaffa (born Saki Takamäki), and drummer Gyp Casino (born Jesper Sporre). Finland's major export to the world of heavy metal, Hanoi Rocks, drew much of their sound and inspiration from '70s glam rock and were thought by some to have fused the two styles more successfully than similar acts such as Mötley Crüe.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

SEE JAPAN'S LOVEBITES RETURN WITH EPIC VIDEO FOR SHREDDY NEW SONG

"Judgement Day" marks debut of new bassist Fami

Tokyo heavy-metal stalwarts LOVEBITES have returned from hiatus with a new member, a new single, a new music video and the announcement of their fourth studio album. Titled Judgement Day, the upcoming LP will be the first to feature the group's new lineup, which includes bassist Fami, who was selected after an international audition process and is just 20 years old. Fami can be seen above in the bombastic video for Judgement Day's shreddy lead single and title track.

Judgement Day will be released digitally worldwide on February 22nd and on CD from JPU Records from February 24th. The album was mixed and mastered by Finnish studio wizards Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, who have previously worked with LOVEBITES, as well Nightwish, Children of Bodom and Amorphis.