Song Of the Day - XV - 70s and 80s Pop Covers

Today, I decided to bend a little my own rules and dive into the 60s to show you this cover from Danish Heavy Metal band Volbeat playing Dusty Springfield's hit I Only Wanna Be With You.

Volbeat - I Only Wanna Be With You (from Dusty Springfield)

Song Of the Day - XIV - 70s and 80s Pop Covers

Another Pop classic, this time from Pet Shop Boys, in the powerfull voice of Kai Hansen from Power Metal band, Gamma Ray.

Gamma Ray - It's a Sin (from Pet Shop Boys)

Turisas are coming to Portugal in May

Finnish Battle Folk Metal band Turisas has announced in their website that they will tour the Iberian Peninsula in May. This tour will include two shows in Portugal:

• 24 May - Lisboa,
  Cine Teatro Corroios
• 25 May - Porto,
  Hard Club

Song Of the Day - XIII - 70s and 80s Pop Covers

Today another Power Metal band, Freedom Call, reinventing the eighties classic Dancing With Tears in My Eyes from Ultravox.

Freedom Call - Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (from Ultravox)

Stratovarius - Elysium

01. Darkest Hours
02. Under Flaming Skies
03. Infernal Maze
04. Fairness Justified
05. The Game Never Ends
06. Lifetime In A Moment
07. Move The Mountain
08. Event Horizon
09. Elysium
Bonus tracks:
10. Castaway (Japan bonus)
11. Last Shore (Collector's Edition bonus)
12. Hallowed (Collector's Edition bonus)

Released worldwide in 14th of January, Elysium is the 13th full length album of Stratovarius, the 2nd after the troublesome departure of guitar player and main composer, Timo Tolkki. If the previous release (Polaris) was the joint effort of a band without their main composer to rise again from the ashes, this new release is more solid and witnesses the emergence of a new main composer for the band in the body of Tolkki's replacement in the guitar, Matias Kupiainen, leaving for Timo Kotipelto most of the lyrics.

What to say about Elysium? It's not Destiny, Visions, or even Infinite, but oddly enough, with all these changes, it's still Stratovarius. I think part of it is due to the unique tone of Kotipelto's voice, and also the way Johansson handles the keyboards, but other part I believe is something that is already part of the band as a whole, no matter who is composing or who is playing, and that was quickly embodied by the new members.
So I believe that this record is the second step of Stratovarius second life, and maybe in the future they can present us something as good or even better than the best of the band previous life, they are going in the right direction, but Elysium is not at that level yet.

One last word about the title track, Elysium, with it's 18 running minutes is the best song of the album, and the one that better portraits the revival of one of the legendary Symphonic Power Metal bands out there. It's a long song but never gets boring and is definitely worth listening, even if Stratovarius is not really your cup of tea.

Song Of the Day - XII - 70s and 80s Pop Covers

There is so much great Metal music, that I felt lost when trying to decide the Song Of the Day for each day. So I decided to start having some weekly themes, narrowing my universe of possibilities.

This weeks theme is 70s and 80s Pop covers done by Metal bands.

We start the week with a great Power Metal band, doing a cover of one of the most famous Pop bands of the 70s and 80s.

Avantasia - Lay All Your Love on me (originally from Abba)

Both guitarists leave Mors Principium Est

I don't know what is going on with Mors Principium Est guitar players, but since 2006 the two guitar player spots in the band already had six owners.

Yesterday, the band front-man, Ville Viljanen, announced in their web site that both Tomy Laisto and Kalle Aaltonen have left the band, which is looking for new guitarists.

For me, this is really bad news, since I really like the Melodic Death Metal done by Mors Principium Est. Hope the guys can turn the tables and get out of this stronger.