The brand new album THE SOURCE explores the origins of the mythical Ayreon saga, while once again offering a stellar cast of singers and musicians. The singers on 'The Source' are James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Tommy Karevik (Kamelot), Tommy Rogers (Between The Buried And Me), Simone Simons (Epica), Nils K Rue (Pagan s Mind), Tobias Sammet (Avantasia), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Michael Mills (Toehider), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus), Floor Jansen (Nightwish) and Zaher Zorgati (Myrath). Special guest instrumentalists on 'The Source' are Paul Gilbert, Guthrie Govan, Marcel Coenen and Mark Kelly.

On the heels of Kayo Dot’s 2016 album Plastic House On Base Of Sky, New York City based avant-garde musician Toby Driver sustains his inexhaustible output with a solo album titled Madonnawhore. After exploring a retro-futurist noir sound on Kayo Dot’s 2014 album Coffins On Io then delving even further into electronic music with his aforementioned last album, Driver was eager to write a different kind of song. Madonnawhore represents a foray into traditional songwriting, stripped of the progressive flourishes and unpredictability of Driver’s band. These six austere tracks are sparse and atmospheric, evoking empty spaces and the beauty sometimes inherent in death. They occupy a heretofore unexplored place in Driver’s oeuvre, and were recorded primarily as a solo effort but share some lyrical contributions from Jason Byron, who also writes for Kayo Dot.

"We are an Independent band that has always strived to stay true to our musical vision. Our fans have always played a big role in our careers and thanks to them we are still standing. They have been the inspiration for this new album which tells the story of our journey as artists and our struggle with the music industry. We want to create an awakening with this album to inspire people and other artists to stay true to themselves."

The Legends, aka Labrador Records head Johan Angergård (also of Club 8, Acid House Kings, and many others), will release new album Nightshift on April 22. The album includes The Legends’ recent singles “Cocaine,” “Summer In The City (Living Is For Somebody Else)” and their cover of Chainsmokers’ “Roses.” It also continues Angergård’s fascination with vocoder and light synthpop. Lyrically, though, the forecast is cloudier. “With people like Trump, Putin, and Jinping ruling and ruining the world I need this creative outlet more than ever,” says Angergård. “I don’t know if it’s a happy album… it’s more of an ‘eat-your-SSRIs-and-try-to-enjoy-yourself-FFS!’ kind of record.”

Slender and amusing, cute visual and powerful voice. In 2015 she returns with Seijuku no Marble, her sophomore album after a few standalone singles after her debut.

2014 marks a year of celebration recognizing the 150th birthday year of the German late-Romantic orchestral, operatic and lied master composer, Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Arabella (premiered 1933, Dresden) was the last of the half dozen Strauss works to feature a libretto by the great Austrian writer Hugo von Hofmannsthal. This production, from the most recent Salzburg Easter Festival is, after Capriccio, the second of three Richard Strauss operas C Major is releasing in honor of the composers birth, life and work. The star-laden cast includes soprano Renèe Fleming, baritone Thomas Hampson, Albert Dohmen (Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, MET) and Gabriela Beaková (Wiener Staatsoper, Covent Garden). With Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden, the music of Richard Strauss is in the best of hands. (ORF) Thielemann gets the best out of the cast…especially Renée Fleming with her luxurious soprano.