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The new single “Age of Dreams” by Richard Green embarks listeners on a sophisticated and classical journey. This instrumental piece envelops you with its refined melodies. At times, the music evokes a baroque essence. The delicate piano intricately intertwines with the plucked strings, creating a rich textural experience. As I listen, vivid images and memories drift before my eyes like a slideshow of nostalgic moments.
The composition reveals hidden elements, akin to secrets that the instruments strive to unveil. There are moments of urgency, as if there is a pressing need for something to emerge. Yet, these intense segments contrast with softer passages, painting a picture of life’s chaos that feels pre-written in the form of a song. This dynamic encapsulates the highs and lows of existence.
The music feels like a dream—a spring filled with emotions that bloom and eventually fade away, only to give rise to new feelings. Green’s ability to embody these emotional cycles in his music enhances its richness. The rhythm adds a unique quality to this single, making it bouncy and emotionally engaging.
Listening to “Age of Dreams” feels akin to experiencing a rollercoaster of sentiments, where each note carries its own weight. Green’s compositional style never ceases to amaze. His skills shine through as he creates a narrative full of contrasts. The lush orchestration of strings blends beautifully with the piano, echoing the complex nature of human experience.
“Age of Dreams” showcases not just Richard Green’s talent but his keen insight into life’s deeper layers. The stark contrasts of sound serve to highlight the intricacies of our feelings. The arrangement fluctuates, keeping listeners engaged while inviting them to lose themselves in the musical narrative.
Green’s work brings forth an emotional depth that resonates. The texture of the composition reflects a rich understanding of music theory while remaining accessible to casual listeners. “Age of Dreams” transcends mere auditory pleasure.
The track leverages classical influences while integrating contemporary vision. This balance speaks to Green’s artistic vision and versatility. Some sections feel timeless, inviting listeners to revisit the piece repeatedly. Each listen uncovers layers that may have been missed previously.
Richard Green’s “Age of Dreams” is a beautiful exploration of life’s ups and downs. It combines emotional intensity with moments of lightness.
Experiencing this track is akin to traversing a landscape of emotions. Green’s excellence is evident, and he positions himself firmly within the contemporary classical music scene. He is an artist who consistently rises to the occasion, pushing boundaries while remaining anchored in tradition.
Reflective
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Colorado thrash metal quartet Havok have announced a 26-date North American headlining tour for fall 2026, joined by support from Hellripper, Slackjaw and Xoth. The run marks Hellripper’s first-ever U.S. tour.
Havok comments: “We’re thrilled to bring this killer package to the States and end the run in Havok’s hometown. This will be Hellripper’s first time touring the USA, so you won’t want to miss this. Slackjaw and Xoth will get the party started properly. We can’t wait to see everyone on the road. Buy your tickets early!”
The tour kicks off Oct. 21 at Metro Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, and concludes Nov. 20 at Gothic Theatre in Denver, Colorado. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. local time.
The trek follows Havok’s recently announced signing with BLKIIBLK, the heavy music imprint of Frontiers Label Group. The band also recently released their debut single for the label, “Fifth Generation Warfare.”
The post HAVOK Announce Fall 2026 North American Headline Tour With HELLRIPPER, SLACKJAW and XOTH appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Richie Kotzen has a new song out, “Ivory Queen”, now available and backed by an official lyric video.
Kotzen broke down the meaning behind the track in a video message, saying: “‘Ivory Queen’ is not a woman. It’s just a metaphor for the sort of embodiment of approval that many folks seek, external validation, and the constant chase of that. So that’s really what the song’s about. The lyrics are written out on the YouTube channel. We put up the YouTube video today. And that’s it. New song, if you’re interested. It’s out.”
It’s the second surprise drop from Kotzen this year — back in May, he quietly put out another new track, “Catch a Star,” with zero advance notice.
Staying sharp as a songwriter has always mattered to Kotzen just as much as his reputation as a guitar virtuoso and live powerhouse. Over the course of his career he’s put out more than 20 solo albums spanning a wide range of styles, and his stints with Poison and Mr. Big put him in front of a much bigger audience. In 2012 he helped launch The Winery Dogs, a project that’s built a catalog of hard rock records laced with blues influence.
Kotzen‘s résumé stretches back to 1988, when he signed with Shrapnel Records as a teenage guitar prodigy and began building parallel careers as a solo artist and a band member. These days he also splits time as one half of Smith/Kotzenalongside Iron Maiden‘s Adrian Smith — between the solo output and the collaborations, there’s rarely a quiet stretch in Kotzen‘s output.
The post RICHIE KOTZEN Drops Surprise Solo Single “Ivory Queen” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
In a new interview with Radio YSKL FM (transcribed by Blabbermouth), Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed that his cancer has returned following the failure of a donor stem cell transplant. “There’s only been one time that I felt [cancer] was going to kill me. In the winter of 2023 I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening. And I realized at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive.
“I did that in January of ’25 — I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned. And I’m continuing treatments to manage it.
“I’ll probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor, to try and see if maybe that would cure me. But in the meantime I’m certainly not slowing down. I’m doing as much with my life as possible; not just with Def Leppard and with Last In Line. I’m also rally driving — I always wanted to do that. I love cars and I love driving. As a child I thought, ‘If I don’t play guitar for a living, I’m gonna be a race car driver.’ I’m very, very, very fortunate and blessed that I get to do both.”
Asked about advice for others faced with a cancer diagnosis, Campbell said: “I’ve met people in my life who think, ‘Oh, I can’t do anything. I need to stay in bed. I can’t eat this. I can’t do that. I can’t go there.’ I’ve never felt that way. I’ve always felt like I’m gonna continue to live my life as much as possible — in fact, even more so. But I also consider myself very fortunate because I caught my cancer early; it’s always been more about managing my cancer.
“So, yeah, life is for the living. And I encourage everyone — if you’re unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis — to overcome the fear. Fear is inevitable when you’re first told those words. But once you get over that, you’ve got to realize just how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible. And just don’t give in.”
Campbell was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013. He has continued performing with Def Leppard throughout his treatment, and also fronts the band Last In Line, which features fellow Dio alumni Vinny Appice and Phil Soussan.
Campbell’s career spans membership in Dio (1982–1984), Whitesnake (1987–1989) and Def Leppard, which he joined in 1994 as the replacement for the late Steve Clark. He has been a member of Def Leppard for more than three decades.
The post VIVIAN CAMPBELL Says His Cancer Has Returned: “I Did a Donor Transplant — Unfortunately, It Didn’t Stick” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Hinds was a key member of West End Motel up until his untimely passing.
The post West End Motel Debut “Return Of The Kid” On The 1st Anniversary Of Brent Hinds’ Passing, High On Fire’s Matt Pike Guests appeared first on Theprp.com.
After Canadian singer Benoît David’s tenure with Yes ended unhappily, he returned to his previous band, Mystery, to record his second of three albums with them, One Among The Living. The band’s fourth record overall, it proved to be their strongest. In 2010 Prog spoke to David and band leader Michel St.Pere about the release.
Aptly named, Mystery are not a band with a particularly high profile. In fact, the Canadians got their biggest break two years ago, when vocalist Benoît David was chosen to replace Jon Anderson in Yes. Suddenly, Mystery were catapulted into something approaching the limelight. However, the story of the band goes back nearly a quarter of a century, to 1986.
Originally, Mystery featured founder Michel St-Pere on guitar, Raymond Savoie on vocals, Benoît Dupuis on keyboards and Stephane Perreault on drums. It took until 1992 for the band to release a self-titled five-track debut mini album, by which time Gary Savoie was on vocals and Richard Addison on bass. However, when Perreault was struck down with a debilitating illness the band were forced to take a break, returning in 1993 by which time the drummer had lost the use of his legs; thanks to innovative technology, however, he was able to carry on playing from his wheelchair.
By 1996, the band were down to the foursome of St-Pere, Savoie, bassist Patrick Bourque and Perreault, releasing debut full album Theatre Of The Mind through St-Pere’s own Unicorn label.
David arrived in 1999, but it took until 2007 before he made his recording debut on the album Beneath The Veil Of Winter’s Face, with St-Pere and Bourque now joined by drummer Steve Gagne. And after a further three-year absence, Mystery have just unfurled their most internationally acclaimed album yet, in One Among The Living. David, St-Pere and Gagne remained from the previous record, with a host of guests helping out, including Daryl Stuermer (Genesis), Oliver Wakeman (Yes) and John Jowitt (of Ark and IQ).
For the frontman, it’s a relief that the Montreal band are now back in action, although he understands the reasons behind this delay.
“This is Michel’s project – he’s the driving force. While the rest of us are involved, and are far from just his hired hands, we have to wait for him to make the decision to do a new album. He’s a busy guy, and obviously it costs a lot to do a Mystery record. As the head of the Unicorn label, Michel’s the man who has to raise the finances; he does it through releasing a lot of other projects.
“But I’m delighted to be back working with him. And I think this time we’ve found our sound. The problem on the last two records was that we were still looking for a direction. Our style has always been defined by the fact that we sound a little like Pink Floyd, Genesis and Marillion – you can hear all of those influences in what we did – but it never had enough individuality. This time I believe we’ve taken a real leap.”
David feels that, after a lot of stop-start moments in their career, Mystery are now poised to make a real impact, and this won’t be hindered at all by his commitment to Yes.
“Of course, I have my priorities, and Yes will come first. They would accept nothing less from me. But, the fact is there are enough gaps in the band’s schedule to allow me to do a lot with Mystery. It’s not as if they’re having to sit around waiting for me to tell them I can do a date here and a show there. We will have a lot of time to tour on this album, if that’s what Michel decides.”
Just how far and deep David’s passion for Mystery goes can be seen from the fact that the new album features his first songwriting contributions to the project.
“I’ve got credits on one or two songs, and I enjoyed that experience. I’ve never been excluded from the writing process before; it’s not as if Michel keeps everything to himself. But I’ve been happy in the past just to put myself into performing the songs, because Michel is a good writer and has always understood how to construct lyrics that work for me. So, I’ve believed in what I’m singing.”
The album features a number of stellar guests, including David’s current Yes bandmate, Oliver Wakeman. Was it the singer who persuaded the Wakeman offspring to come on board? Er, no…
“It was Michel who approached him. I had nothing whatsoever to do with it. What this proves is the high regard in which Michel is held in prog rock circles. He also has a strong relationship with Daryl, which is why he came on board.
“Having those people involved gave an extra shine to the album. These are great musicians who could provide that certain something we might not have got from regular members of the band. No disrespect, but when you’ve the opportunity to bring in these people, then it can only make the music stronger. That’s what they’ve done. Also, when you’ve got talents a little removed from the core of a project, they can see and hear things you’ll miss. This was certainly true of these guys. It’s just a shame we can’t take them out on tour with us.”
In fact, Mystery do now have a touring line-up, with David, St-Pere and Gagne joined by the returning Dupuis, plus Dean Baldwin (guitar/keyboards) and Francois Fournier (bass). And the hope is that the new line-up will get the chance to play sooner rather than later.
“There are no tour dates booked just yet. But the fact we’ve now put together this live line-up tells you that we are definitely gonna do this.”
In fact, David is confident that Mystery will be a lot more prolific in the future.
“I feel more part of the band than ever. The recording process for One Among The Living brought us all together. It felt so much more like a family than anything we’ve done before. Perhaps that’s why we’ve finally found our sound.
“I also believe that with Michel and I involved in other projects, we will always come back to this band refreshed and focused. Some people will take the opposite view. However, that’s not the case. Mystery are moving forward.”
Despite the group’s previously-unhurried discography, David is adamant there will be a new album from Mystery sooner rather than later.
“I guarantee that there won’t be another three year gap before the next one. We are so geared up now, and have a lot of ideas. That’s what made the new album work as well. Hardly anything was left over from previous sessions. It was almost all new, and new ideas always get everyone kicking and sparking. So, next time we record together, we’ll use the same approach.”
It’s been a long time coming, and there have been false starts along the way, but at last it appears Mystery are ready to step to the plate and show that they are spearheading a new movement in Canadian prog. One that might draw from the greats of the past, but is firmly heading into uncharted territory.
“Let me put it this way. I am confident that you’ll be hearing a lot more from Mystery – and it will be like nothing else you’ve ever heard. We’re right in the zone.”