GRAMMYÂźâŻAward-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitar legend, producer, and Govât Mule frontman Warren Haynes has revealed ‘Raven Back Night‘, the latest song from his breathtaking new album, ‘Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey‘. The 16-track collection explores all aspects of his incredible catalogue and career, including music from Govât Mule, Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, his solo […]
Grungy Melbourne rockers Cicadastone issue another 90s-flavoured heavy tune in the shape of Falling in a Coma.
Singer Mat Robins declares the song, “explores the slow loss of control, where avoidance replaces awareness and reality begins to blur. It is a state of detachment, a gradual disconnect from consequence and responsibility.”
The song is a precursor to their second album, Edge of Life, which is due in January through X Music.
Rising and kinetic rockers Revenant release their souped up interpretation of the Led Zeppelin classic ‘When The Levee Breaksâ on all digital platforms now. This follows announcing their debut album Kickstarter campaign, of which has achieved over 70% of target at time of writing. âWe’ve been searching for a cover to do for a little […]
The former QueensrĂżche frontman discusses the making of Operation: Mindcrime III, life in Italy, the changing music industry, seeing QueensrĂżche recently live, and why he […]
The Western Front – Eureka (Music Theories Recordings)
There are many ‘lost’ albums in the rocksphere, be it Smile, Lifehouse, The Ties That Bind or First Rays Of The New Rising Sun, many often have their songs put on other records, some get wiped totally like Cradle Of Filth’s Goetia, but some stay lost seemingly forever, but so long as the original recordings are there there’s always chance.
This is the story that surrounds Eureka, the debut album from rock supergroup The Western Front, recorded in it’s entirety in the middle 80’s it was supposed to be released by Atlantic Records, but the label was in flux and it got ignored without a release schedule and the members all went back to their other endeavours.
However this was lost, not in storage guarded by ‘top men’ ala Indiana Jones, and in 2023 a Swedish record exec heard some songs from The Western Front, asked about the full album and then they were shopping for a record label whenr Steve Lukather of Toto suggested Mascot Label Group and here it is 40 years after it was first recorded, the world gets introduced to Eureka by The Western Front.
Like Toto The Western Front is the story of hot shot sessions players coming together to form their own band, guitarist Marty Walsh (Supertramp), keyboard player Derek Bergmann (Yvonne Elliman) and guitarist/executive Dennis O’Donnell bringing in vocalist Richard âMoonâ Calhoun (Chaka Khan), drummer Darrell Verdusco (Mark Knopfler) and Scott Gorham who had just finished touring with Thin Lizzy.
So a collective of musical journeymen, spending the next two years writing this record ready for a 1985 release, and after 40 years what you get is an album that leaps out of 1985 with some keyboard driven, chorus dense melodic rock/AOR, which blends the best of Toto (Just Go), Foreigner (Chain Of Light), Heartland (If I’m The One) and Don Henley (This Is War), as they really lock into that radio friendly, poppy style of AOR where the skill is at one with the catchiness.
Had it not been for the quality of mixes from Walsh and Bergmann back in the day, Eureka may not be in the great shape it is 40 years later. While The Western Front are not a “new” band and Eureka is not a “new” album, this debut is lost no more and great melodic rock record. 8/10
Ealdor Bealu – Graves Of The Silent Plain (Ripple Music)
A band that certainly brings an edge of the strange to the Ripple Music roster Ponderay from Idaho band Ealdor Bealu opens with some fuzzy, proto-psych riffs but then throat shredding back metal sqwarks are used for the vocals in the first instance before it shifts into Nick Cave hollering.
However this is all part of what this band brings to the table, formed in the high desert, they’re the audio version of a peyote trip as the musical spirit of Morricone is smashed together with heavy psych and Opeth inspired progressive metal, Elder on Mescaline, crossing death valley, or Mastodon if they swapped mountains for dunes, if you’ll indulge the idea of that.
Taking from Sabbath, Hawkwind, Yob, Kyuss and Opeth as I’ve mentioned, they’ve been playing their experimental desert metal since 2015, releasing two albums before this as they refined their atmospheric multi-dimensional sound that features a trio of defined vocalists, that bring dynamics to these already layered soundscapes.
Signing to Ripple Music, Graves Of The Silent Plain is their first for the label, but you can hear why Todd would pick up this band, even with the death vocals as they fit into a few of the categories Ripple is associated with, from the windscreen desert rock, through the proto-fuzz, dark Americana and yes even progressive metal. It’s all infused with each other on this third album, that may only feature five tracks but has well over an hour of music
The quartet of Carson Russell (guitar/vocals), Rylie Collingwood (bass/vocals), Travis Abbott (guitar/vocals) and Cameron Elgart (drums/guitar), investigate the outermost fragments of their genre confines, transcending into a vision quest with the middle section of Erosion and Gold Mountains, haunting vocals, ambient moments, phased guitars and those Western influenced motifs that come from the acoustics.
Ealdor Bealu emerge from their desert crypt with a vast psychadelic prog metal record that will excite long time fans and introduce them to new ones through Ripple. 8/10
Sojourner – Gateways (Avantgarde Music)
Since releasing Premonitions in 2020 Swedish/New Zealand band Sojourner have taken some time to rest and recover, they have had some notable line up changes (which I’ll get to).
Mainly they’ve signed back to Avantgarde Music after being in Napalm for that one record and you feel that they are back to making music in the way they want with a record label that lets them take their time and record how they see fit.
This extra time, allowance to be humans as well as musicians has resulted in Gateways and new record that has everything you’d want from the band founded and led by Mike Lamb (guitar/keys/piano) and Emilio Crespo (vocals), it’s their songwriting that is still at the heart of this album.
On Gateways they showcase the experience of a band that is now over a decade old and still coming up with new ways to wow with their folk driven epic black metal.
Joining them as a new member is Lamb’s partner, Heike Langhan’s who is not only a member of Remina with Lamb but also of course is the former voice of Draconian.
A perfect voice for the atmospheric pieces Sojourner create as a haunting vocal foil to Crespo’s blackened screams as the songs such as And The Paintings Fall, snake their way between the folk dreamscapes and nightmarish extreme blasts.
There’s moments where Sojourner do something a bit different, like the de-rezzed parts of Occulation or the industrial beats of Vvardenfell but with tracks like Epitaphs, they hammer home the type of epic, gothic, blackened, death, doom thing that has always made my black heart all fuzzy. 9/10
Solarus – Of Sin And Ruin (Self Released)
Always great to hear from a band you’ve been following since album number one and much like their fellow Canadians and buddies Borealis, we here at Musipedia Of Metal have been with Solarus pretty much since their inception drawn in by their prog/power metal that’s inspired by Evergrey, Circus Maximus and Symphony X.
Combining technically proficient music that falls on the heavier side, in the muscular riffage, joined by some dark gothic keys for track such as The Isolate, there’s a real sense of heaviness on this record, especially on Angel Afire which features Tom Emmans adding growled vocals against the soaring voice of Sarah Dee.
Dee’s vocals are what keeps me coming back to Solarus as a band as they’re so versatile from operatic highs to theatrical mids, both used on the orchestral My Reckoning brilliantly, but to just concentrate here would be to sell the band short, as they are all virtuoso performers who can switch from chugging power prog such as Close My Eyes to emotional balladry on epic Lights.
Christopher Demelo’s drumming is powerful and precise guiding the proggy changes in pace with Daniel Gebczynski’s bass locking down the start stop, palm-muted grooves of modern prog metal on Of Sin And Ruin. The guitars of Lucas McArthur and Troy Longe are distorted, thick with a hearty chug of Symphony X and the modern prog sound, as the solos interweave with fleet fingered skill.
Solarus keep making music that speaks to exactly the sort of power/prog thing that I like and as such I’m always going to score them highly. Check out Of Sin And Ruin if progressive power metal that sits on the heavier side is up your street. 9/10
New York hard rockers Who On Earth have unveiled the official music video, directed and edited by Rob “Shottie” Shotwell, for ‘Good Man Down‘, the latest single from their recently released full-length album, ‘It Takes The Village‘, available now on all streaming platforms. Following the intensity of previous singles “Vigilance,” “Any Other Way,” and “Shadows,” “Good […]
Many young musicians dream of studying at Berklee, Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, New England Conservatory, USC Thornton, Manhattan School of Music, or another elite program.
Admission is not based on talent alone. Strong applicants combine training, discipline, repertoire, stage experience, artistic identity, and control under pressure.
Selectivity varies sharply. Juilliard is listed with a 9% admission rate, Curtis with 4%, Eastman with 13%, New England Conservatory with 43%, Berklee with 50%, and San Francisco Conservatory with 52%.
A Curtis applicant faces a tiny classical program. A Berklee applicant enters a larger environment centered on contemporary music, production, songwriting, jazz, film scoring, and music business.
What does it take to become ready for Berklee, Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, NEC, or USC Thornton?
Finding the Right School Fit
The right music school should match the studentâs goals, style, and future direction
Students should first define their path. A classical violinist, jazz pianist, opera singer, singer-songwriter, producer, composer, film scorer, and music business student needs different training.
Fit depends on genre, goals, learning style, faculty, campus culture, location, performance options, and career outcomes.
Students should compare:
Program strength
Faculty
Audition and portfolio requirements
Location
Career opportunities
School culture
Industry connections
Student size and selectivity
Students comparing several programs may also need to organize their research clearly, especially when weighing conservatory training against contemporary music, university-based programs, or industry-focused schools.
For those who need help structuring comparisons, writeanypapers.com analytical writing support can be mentioned as a resource for organizing arguments, school differences, and decision factors.
Juilliard is tied to elite classical performance, jazz, composition, conducting, and voice.
Berklee is known for contemporary music, jazz, pop, rock, electronic music, production, songwriting, film scoring, and music business.
Curtis is known for selective classical training, small class sizes, and full-tuition scholarships.
NEC offers conservatory training in Boston. Eastman combines performance study with academic options through the University of Rochester.
USC Thornton connects classical music, jazz, popular music, film scoring, vocal arts, opera, and Los Angeles industry access.
Dream School Examples
Each dream school has its own training style. Comparing them helps students avoid choosing only by fame and focus instead on fit, selectivity, faculty, location, and career direction.
Juilliard
Juilliard is built for students prepared for intense conservatory discipline
Juilliard is known for classical performance, jazz, composition, conducting, and voice.
Founded in 1905, Juilliard is located at Lincoln Center in New York City. Students study near major arts institutions and professional performance spaces.
Juilliard is listed with about 650 students, about 600 of whom study music. Admission requires a live audition, so applicants need stage control, confidence, stamina, and polished repertoire.
Berklee suits musicians who want to create, produce, perform, and work across modern genres
Berklee is a major choice for contemporary music careers. Its strengths include jazz, pop, rock, electronic music, production, songwriting, film scoring, music business, performance, engineering, and modern media music.
Founded in 1945, Berklee became the first music school in the United States to include jazz in its curriculum.
Berklee has more than 8,000 students. Programs include songwriting, performance, music management, music teacher education, and music therapy.
In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Berklee second and pointed to its Film and Media Scoring and Game and Interactive Media Scoring programs.
Notable alumni include Quincy Jones, John Mayer, Diana Krall, Charlie Puth, Keith Jarrett, and Howard Shore. Berklee fits students who want to write, perform, record, produce, score, and work in modern music industries.
Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis rewards exceptional classical ability with close mentorship and rare selectivity
Curtis Institute of Music is one of the most selective classical music schools. Its admission rate is listed at 4%.
Curtis is known for small class sizes and full-tuition scholarships. Annual tuition is listed at $0, and the undergraduate student body is listed at around 150 students.
Curtis specializes in classical performance, opera, conducting, and composition. Applicants need advanced technique, musical maturity, and professional potential.
Notable alumni include Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Lang Lang, Alan Gilbert, and Jascha Brodsky. Curtis fits students prepared for elite classical training and close faculty mentorship.
New England Conservatory
NEC combines historic conservatory training with a strong professional performance culture
New England Conservatory is strong in classical performance, jazz studies, composition, musicology, and contemporary improvisation.
Founded in 1867, NEC is described as one of the oldest independent conservatories in the United States.
Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestraâs members are noted as having ties to NEC. That connection matters for students interested in orchestral playing and professional performance culture.
NEC also offers a joint degree program with Harvard. A small number of students can earn a bachelorâs degree at Harvard and a masterâs degree in music at NEC.
Jordan Hall, NECâs 1,013-seat concert hall, is a National Historic Landmark and is widely respected for its acoustics.
Eastman School of Music
Eastman gives musicians conservatory depth within a broader university setting
Eastman School of Music is known for performance, composition, music theory, orchestral training, and academic connection through the University of Rochester.
Established in 1921, Eastman offers conservatory-level training inside a university setting. Students can also take academic classes or pursue a minor through the University of Rochester.
Eastman is strong in orchestral and instrumental training. Programs include bachelorâs, masterâs, and doctoral study in performance, composition, and theory.
Its student body is listed at about 900, and its admission rate is listed at 13%.
USC Thornton connects serious music study with the creative industries of Los Angeles
USC Thornton is strong in classical music, jazz, popular music, film scoring, and music industry access in Los Angeles.
Thornton offers contemporary, classical, and research degrees in music. Programs include choral and sacred music, jazz studies, popular music, vocal arts, and opera.
Thornton enrolls more than 1,000 students. Its Los Angeles location matters for students interested in film, television, recording, live performance, and commercial music.
About 72% of Thornton students receive financial aid they do not have to pay back, including USC merit scholarships, alumni scholarships, and outside aid.
USC Thornton fits students who want serious music study connected to a major creative-industry city.
Building Skills Early
Students should build fundamentals before senior year. Last-minute audition preparation is rarely enough for selective music schools.
Daily practice should target tone, rhythm, technique, interpretation, sight-reading, ear training, theory, ensemble skills, and performance confidence.
Core skill areas include:
Daily technical work
Sight-reading
Ear training
Music theory
Ensemble experience
Solo performance experience
Improvisation for jazz and contemporary tracks
Recording and production skills for modern music paths
Repertoire growth across styles or genres
Young musicians should record themselves often. Playback can reveal timing issues, tone problems, weak transitions, unclear phrasing, and nervous habits.
Students aiming at Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, or Eastman should focus on classical technique, polished repertoire, ensemble training, musical maturity, and performance experience.
Students interested in Berklee-style pathways should build range across jazz, pop, rock, electronic music, songwriting, production, film scoring, groove, improvisation, and style.
Listening also matters. Students should study great recordings, live performances, scores, rhythm sections, orchestral excerpts, film cues, and current music production.
Importance of Teachers and Mentors
A strong teacher helps students choose repertoire, fix technique, build practice systems, prepare auditions, and make realistic school decisions.
Students need honest feedback before application season. Teachers and mentors can identify gaps in technique, musicality, rhythm, style, diction, tone, stage presence, or portfolio quality.
Useful feedback settings include:
Private lessons
Masterclasses
Summer programs
Youth orchestras or ensembles
Competitions
Recitals
Studio classes
Mock auditions
Mentorship matters at small or selective programs. Curtis has a very small student body and is tied to personalized instruction and elite faculty.
Faculty research should go past rankings. A famous school may not be right if the studio teacher does not match the studentâs needs.
Good mentors also help students handle rejection, reset after setbacks, and keep improving.
Preparing for the Audition
A strong audition proves not only skill, but control under pressure
Auditions are often the most important part of a music-school application. Grades, essays, recommendations, and resumes matter, but the audition shows the school how the student performs.
Preparation should start early. Students need time to choose pieces, polish details, memorize when required, play under pressure, and fix weak spots.
Strong audition preparation should include:
Pieces that show technical skill and musicality
Practice under pressure
Mock auditions on video
Performances for teachers, peers, and unfamiliar listeners
Work on entrances, endings, transitions, and recovery after mistakes
Breathing control and mental rehearsal
Familiarity with each schoolâs audition rules
Juilliard requires a live audition, making performance readiness essential. Live auditions test concentration, stage presence, tone control, confidence, and pressure response.
Classical applicants to Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, and Eastman should prepare repertoire that shows tone, technique, interpretation, musical maturity, and stylistic control.
Contemporary applicants to Berklee-style programs should show range. Improvisation, rhythm, groove, originality, stylistic awareness, and commercial-music readiness can matter.
A mistake does not have to ruin an audition if the student keeps musical focus.
Summary
Roads to Berklee, Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, NEC, USC Thornton, and other dream schools require more than talent.
Students need preparation, self-awareness, mentorship, focused practice, polished auditions, and resilience.
Acceptance can change a studentâs path, but growth starts before any decision letter arrives.
Real goal is not only admission to a famous program.
Real goal is becoming a musician ready to learn, collaborate, perform, create, and build a lasting career.
Prog group Submasq (formerly Subterranean Masquerade) have unveiled the details of their upcoming album, Spirit Animal, set for release on September 18th, 2026 via the American label Willowtip Records with worldwide distribution through Universal Music Group. The band has also shared the first single “Monuments”. Read moreâŠ
Well on the way to recovery from the colon cancer that forced cancellations last year, frontman Biff Byford checks in as the Big Teasers From Barnsley continue their summer of festival dates.
How is your health now?
I take things day by day, really, but Iâm doing okay.
Saxon have an impressive summer festival season, including Wacken in Germany, Sweden Rock, Denmarkâs Copenhell, Rock For People in the Czech Republic, Polandâs Mystic and Maid Of Stone at Bloodstock in the UK. At these big overseas events do you feel conscious of carrying the flag of Saint George?
[Laughs] Not really. The Saint Georgeâs flag has been stolen a little bit by various people, hasnât it? We used to, back in the day, but in a way that has changed.
Apologies if that sounded a bit of a loaded question. But is Saxonâs Englishness in doubt?
Not at all. We fly the flag for British metal, definitely. Weâve just done one of the big festivals in Germany, Rock Hard. Our popularity has gone up massively over the last six or seven years. We now get a lot of headline spots at festivals.
To what do you attribute that resurgence?
Well, weâve put out some good albums. I think theyâve been quite excellent, really. Social media has also made a big difference. A lot of younger people have got into the band. Younger bands are coming out and saying that Saxon influenced them. Add those two things together and it makes a big difference. Priest and Maiden are doing really great as well, and so would Motörhead if they were still around.
As a staple of Bloodstock since it was a far smaller, indoor event, Saxonâs association with that festival is well documented. How strong is your connection to Maid Of Stone?
We did Maid Of Stone before [in 2017] when it was known as Ramblinâ Man Fair. Itâs a good little festival with a lot of character. We like it.
Do you perform pretty much identical setlists at each event?
No. Certain countries have their favourite songs, donât ask me why. Crusader is massively popular in Spain and Italy. Also in Spain we have to play our version of Ride Like The Wind [the Christopher Cross song reworked for 1988 album Destiny]. They chant for that one before we go on stage. Poland goes mad for Broken Heroes. Three or four songs will change in the average set.
We ask because when Saxon played at Ramblinâ Man Fair you walked out on stage and proceeded to eat the setlist.
I sometimes do that. It depends upon how Iâm feeling. I can be very spontaneous.
You told the crowd: âSetlists are tasty.â
Well they are if made of the right paper.
Saxonâs twenty-fifth studio album is due in January 2027. What can you tell us about it?
I got into trouble for giving away the release date, so I must be very careful what I say. I can tell you that itâs finished, and that we have shot two videos. The pre-order date is in September, but Iâm not supposed to have told you that.
How much would we have to pay you to reveal the title?
I wouldnât take any money, but you will find out soon. And we will soon be releasing the dates for the next UK tour, which takes place in February.
Drummer Nigel Glockler has said itâs âa lot more groove-orientedâ.
I donât think of it that way. But for him [as a drummer] I can see why he might say that. Itâs heavier, more than anything. Maybe thatâs what Nigel means.
New guy Brian Tatler always has a bag of riffs. Presumably he was heavily involved once again?
Yeah. But itâs about equal between what we call the âstringersâ â Brian and Doug [Scarratt]. Brian brings a lot to the band. Which isnât to say that Paul [Quinn] didnât, but the fans love him and heâs a well-respected guy.
Paul Quinn retired from the group a couple of years back but has played occasional Saxon-themed shows with former guitarist Graham Oliver. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Why shouldnât they do it?
Well, there was bad blood towards Graham since he was sacked in 1996.
I donât really have any problem with Graham any more. He used to do stupid things that smashed the reputation of the band [along with ex-bassist Steve âDobbyâ Dawson, Oliver ran ârivalâ band Oliver-Dawson Saxon]. Thatâs all over now. I met Graham not too long ago in an airport and we had a chat. I donât think Paul wanted to retire from music, just the bigger gigs.
At a show in Hastings it was heartwarming to watch the two old friends blasting out those riffs to a room full of appreciative middle-aged fans. Itâs nice to know you donât condemn it.
Really, itâs fine. As long as weâre sensible and donât start using logos, thereâs room for everybody.
Saxon are currently playing festivals in Europe, and will appear at Maid Of Stone on July 18 and Bloodstock on August 6. The UK and Ireland Gods Of Thunder tour will take place in February 2027. For full dates and tickets, visit the Saxon website.
