Rockshots Records is proud to announce the signing of french epic and symphonic metal opera Avaland for the release of their next album “The Legend Of The Storyteller” next March 2023.
In support of their second album, Avaland will tour in April 2023 with Sortilege and Rhapsody of Fire on their “Glory For Salvation” European Tour!
What began as a small side project by Diego Valadez in 2015, Anthea, an American Melodic Symphonic metal band, is out with their sophomore album “Tales Untold”. The album was released on the 26th August, 2022; and was produced by Diego Valadez, Mixed & Mastered by Jesse Billson. With influences from bands like Nightwish, Kamelot, and Wintersun, as well as scores from composers such as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and Danny Elfman, the band creates a unique theatrical sound blending progressive, power, and thrash metal elements, with a grand, cinematic edge.
While playing in Cellador, Valadez began writing some original material in his spare time with more symphonic and progressive metal elements. After enough songs had been completed, Valadez decided to enter the studio to record an EP with the help of some lifelong musician friends including drummer Peter Vasquez (Angel Siniestro). The duo brought on board their old friend, Juan Pina (Harpokrate), on guitar and screams. Pina, in turn, brought along his former band mate Marcos Mejia (Warwind) on lead guitar, giving Anthea a much fuller sound. On October 10th of 2015, Anthea gave their first live performance at the Whiskey a Go-Go in Hollywood, CA. Eric “EJ” Guerrero (E.Ject) on bass stood out among the crowd due to his similar musical influences, and background in multiple genres of heavy music. And thus, the official incarnation of Anthea was born.
The album opens up with “Tales Untold” which is a powerhouse of melody, upbeat rhythms and terrific solos on the guitars and keys. The interlude / chorus adds an element of surprise and jostles the song back to its roots. “Ascendence” sets off with heavy guitar chugs paired off with a symphonic soundscape and electronica but what caught my attention was the jaw dropping catchy chorus that gets one grooving. The interlude brings about a short and emotional guitar solo which is a fitting closure to the magnificence of the overall song.
Italian fantasy power metallers RuinThrone will be releasing their new J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired album “The Unconscious Mind Of Arda” due out January 2023 via Rockshots Records to follow their debut album “Urban Ubris” and EP “Leaden Field”
The album itself has been composed of stories inspired by Tolkien’s poems, his “Legendarium”. The band hopes the concepts they wrote can be “messengers” of reflection for their listeners, turning in a better awareness of their daily life.
“With this album, we think we reached our own identity. Back in the early years, we started with a classic German power metal style, but year by year we changed and matured musically. This is why we use 7-string guitars with 1/2 step-down tuning, extreme vocals, etc. For this new record, we also focused on an alternative point of view of some stories written by Tolkien. We thought it would have been interesting to explore not only some interesting characters and heroes but also the mind of the main villains.” adds guitarist Nicolò de Maria.
Today, Ruinthrone reveal the first single ‘Earendil’ accompanied by a music video. Earendil was one of the first songs the band tried to finish while producing this album. It has a lot of different sections and moods and is the most “catchy” song on the full-length.
“It’s not exactly a ballad, because the only acoustic parts are the verses and the piano & bass solo, but that 6/8 time makes the song flow easily even if you’re not a metalhead. Another important point is the vocals. Haedus used a lot of different tones and ranges in this song…he did an amazing job!” adds the band.
Rockshots Records is proud to announce their signing of Finnish rockers Leaflet for the release of their sophomore album “Something Beyond” in 2023. The album follows their debut album “Outta Door” released through VR Label Finland in 2017.
The band comments on “Something Beyond”: “With this album, we are definitely showing that rock music is alive and pumping! The album is full of catchy metal-influenced rock tunes that would fit perfectly in the heavy rotation of every rock radio station. The album has a lot of variety within the songs and we got a diverse selection of singles as well. Three very different singles trying to represent the entire album as well as possible. As singles, we got one heavy and hard-hitting tune, one straightforward and super catchy tune, and one fast-paced in-your-face type of tune. You should check out them all to see what you think! “
Formed in 2013, Leaflet is a four-piece hard rock band from Turku, Finland. Their music can be described as metal-infused American-style hard rock and while you might hear echoes of bands like Alter Bridge or Shinedown they have their own unique Nordic flavour. “Our musical cocktail is a blend of many things. Although we love the 80s, we are trying to keep our hard rock fresh and not follow the retro route”, the band says.
Rockshots Records announces its signing of the international collective Silent Angel, an Italian / Malaysian-based band that has its foundations deeply rooted in power and symphonic metal with a mix of progressive along with Japanese metal influence.
Silent Angel will be releasing their first full-length entitled “Unyielding, Unrelenting” for release in 2023.
Originally formed in 2000, and taking over a decade-long hiatus, the band returned in 2015, the band returned with a fresh new lineup and released two EPs along with gaining support on American, Canadian, Italian, Australian and UK radio stations. The band was also honoured with recording a track for Samsung’s Milk Music Ad Campaign, plus performing a Malaysian tour where they headlined the IDX SummerFest, which was followed by two tours of Japan.