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Today we will tell you about one of the busiest hard rock and metal drummers, Simon J. Wright. (Photo: Rockoverdose.gr) 1. He was born in Oldham Lancashire, England, on 19 June 1963. 2. He began his musical career in the band "Tora-Tora" with which he recorded the single "Red Sun Setting", which was released in 1980, when he was only 17 years old. 3. He later moved to the heavy metal band "A II Z", with which he released the live album "The Witch of Berkley" and the single "I'm The One Who Loves You", in 1981. 4. After the band disbanded, Simon moved to "Tytan", which in its various incarnations also included bassist Kev Riddles from "Angel Witch" and guitarist Doug Aldrich. 5. In 1983 he responded to a newspaper ad that read, "Rock Drummer Wanted. If you do not hit hard, do not apply." This ad was published by "AC/DC", after drummer Phil Rudd left it. (Photo: Rockerrags.com) 6. Simon was invited to audition during which he played three songs. Two hours later he has already received a call informing him that he had been accepted into the band. 7. His first appearances in the "AC/DC" uniform can already be seen in video clips of the songs on from album "Flick Of The Switch", even though he did not play on the album. Simon was then only 20 years old. 8. Simon's first full-length album with the band was "Fly On The Wall", from 1985. 9. Later he will also record the albums "Who Made Who" from 1986 and "Blow Up Your Video" from 1988, with "AC/DC". 10. In 1989, Simon left "AC/DC", after being invited to join Ronnie James Dio's lineup. 11. The first album he recorded with the band was "Lock Up the Wolves" from 1990. 12. But just then, Ronnie James Dio decides to reunite with "Black Sabbath" and release the album "Dehumanizer" with them, forcing Simon to move to the band "Rhino Bucket". 13. He releases with "Rhino Bucket" the album "PAIN" from 1994, but in 1996 the band ceases its activities, and Simon is again forced to look for a new lineup. 14. Already that year he took part in the album "Worlds Away", the fourth solo album by guitarist John Norum. (Photo: courtesy of Simon Wright) 15. In 1998, Simon joins "UFO" and records the live album "Live on Earth" and later the studio album "Covenant" from 2000, with them. 16. In 2000 he receives an offer to return to the Ronnie James Dio lineup and reunite with his old friends Craig Goldy and Jimmy Bain. 17. That same year "Dio" releases what is considered his comeback album - the excellent concept album "Magica". 18. Later Simon will also take part in the albums "Killing the Dragon" and "Master of the Moon" and the live albums "Evil or" Divine - Live In New York City and "Holy Diver - Live". 19. In 2011, after the death of Ronnie James Dio, Simon will be part of the band "Dio Disciples" which included the band members who survived from the final lineup of "Dio" plus singer Tim "Ripper" Owens. 20. In 2013 Simon joined singer Geoff Tate's version of "Queensrÿche" and was part of the debut album released that year, called "Frequency Unknown". 21. Following a legal battle with the mother band, the band will be forced to change its name to "Operation: Mindcrime". (Photo: Metalshockfinland.com) 22. Simon will release with "Operation: Mindcrime" three more studio albums that constitute a concept trilogy. The first is "The Key" from 2015, the second is "Resurrection" from 2016, and the third is "The New Reality" from 2017. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

He is one of the significant and greatest guitar players of the millennium, a pioneer who was part of creating and shaping one of the greatest areas in music, the Nu-Metal era!! (Photo: timesreporter.com) = Brian Welch, also known as "Head," was born on June 19, 1970, in Torrance, California, United States. = Initially interested in playing the drums, Welch's father convinced him to take up the guitar to avoid the hassle of transporting a drum kit. He began playing the guitar at the age of 10. = Welch's first guitar was a Peavey Mystic, which he described in his book "Save Me from Myself" as "maybe the most metal-looking guitar you have ever seen." = Welch earned the nickname "Head" due to his head appearing larger in proportion to his body. His peers started calling him "Head," and the nickname stuck. = Welch's early musical influences included bands like "Metallica", "Megadeth", and "Slayer", which contributed to the heavy and aggressive sound that would become characteristic of "Korn". (Photo: guitar.com) = In high school, Welch formed a band called L.A.P.D. (Love and Peace Dude), which later evolved into the band "Korn". Musicians Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, and David Silveria wanted to continue making music and hired Brian Welch to play guitar in their new band, initially named "Creep." = The band discovered vocalist Jonathan Davis after seeing his band "Sexart" and attempted to recruit him. Davis initially hesitated but changed his mind. He auditioned and was ultimately hired. Following Davis' addition, the group decided to rename themselves, with Jonathan suggesting the name "Korn" due to its association with the horror movie "Children of the Corn." (Photo: lastfm.com) = As the lead guitarist of "Korn", Welch played a pivotal role in shaping the band's signature sound, characterized by down-tuned guitars, aggressive riffs, and a fusion of metal, hip-hop, and alternative influences. = "Korn" gained significant attention and success with their self-titled debut album, released in 1994. The album featured iconic tracks such as "Blind" and "Shoots and Ladders." = Welch's innovative guitar playing style, which often utilized heavy distortion and unconventional techniques, helped define "Korn's" unique sound and contributed to their rapid rise in popularity. = Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, "Korn" released several critically acclaimed albums, including "Life is Peachy" (1996), "Follow The Leader" (1998), and "Issues" (1999). These albums solidified "Korn's" status as one of the leading bands in the nu-metal genre. = Welch and Munky were recognized for their guitar skills and influence, ranking at No. 26 on Guitar World's list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time. = By 2003, Welch had developed a drug addiction. He struggled with methamphetamine use and would hide the drug in vitamin capsules, deodorant containers, and his clothes before going on tour. = Welch revealed that addiction was prevalent within the band, and they were only sober for a few hours each day. The challenges of addiction, combined with the demands of touring and personal relationships, took a toll on Welch's well-being. = Despite achieving his dreams, Welch did not find fulfillment in the touring life with "Korn". He described feeling disconnected and lonely, surrounded by a transient lifestyle and unable to form meaningful connections. = On February 13, 2005, Welch left "Korn" to focus on his spiritual journey and address his drug addiction. = Welch experienced a personal transformation and embraced Christianity. He released an autobiography titled "Save Me from Myself" in 2007, sharing his struggles and faith journey. = Welch embarked on a solo career and began working on a solo record. Several demo songs, such as "A Cheap Name," "Dream," and "A Letter to Dimebag," surfaced during this period. = In March 2008, Welch founded the record company Driven Music Group and rebranded his solo album as "Save Me from Myself," the same name as his autobiography. "Save Me from Myself" was released on September 9, 2008. Welch contributed most of the instruments for the album, and it achieved moderate success, peaking at No. 63 on the Billboard 200. = Welch joined other artists, including his former "Korn" bandmates, in contributing to "A Song for Chi," an instrumental track to benefit "Deftones" bassist Chi Cheng. = In 2012, Welch rebranded his music under the name "Love and Death", forming a band with that name. They released the EP "Chemicals" in April 2012, followed by the full-length album "Between Here & Lost" in January 2013. = In 2013, Welch made a highly anticipated return to "Korn", reuniting with his bandmates. His comeback brought renewed energy to the band, and they continued to release successful albums, including "The Paradigm Shift" (2013), "The Serenity of Suffering" (2016), "The Nothing" (2019) and "Requiem" (2022). = In 2016, Love and Death released the single "Lo Lamento," and in 2021, they released their second album, "Perfectly Preserved," with singles "Down" and "White Flag" to promote its release. = Welch actively engaged in philanthropic work, expressing his desire to use the proceeds from his music to build skate parks for kids. Listen to "Love and Death" latest album on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Here are some Interesting facts about keyboardist and a founding member of "Camel" Peter Bardens: (Photo: Ueli Frey) = He was born June 19, 1945, in Westminster, London, to Marie Marks and writer Dennis Bardens. = He grew up in Notting Hill, London and studied fine art at the Byam Shaw School of Art. = Bardens learned to play piano, later inspired by Jimmy Smith to switch to Hammond organ. = He joined "The Cheynes" in the early 1960s. = Bardens played briefly with "Them" in 1965, alongside Van Morrison. = He formed "The Peter B’s" in 1966 and released the instrumental single “If You Wanna Be Happy” b/w “Jodrell Blues.” = Evolved the group into "Peter B’s Looners", later becoming "Shotgun Express" a band that played soul music and featured Rod Stewart, Peter Green, and Mick Fleetwood. = Later Mick Fleetwood will say that Bardens helped launch his musical career. = From 1968–1970, Bardens led "The Village" with bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Bill Porter. They released “Man in the Moon” b/w “Long Time Coming.” = In 1970 Bardens released his debut solo album "The Answer", featuring Peter Green and Andy Gee. = In 1971 he released his second solo album "Peter Bardens" (aka in the US "Write My Name in the Dust"). = In 1972 Bardens co-founded the progressive rock band "Camel" with Andrew Latimer. = "Camel" released their debut album, "Camel" in 1973 and wrote tracks like "Mystic Queen" and "Arubaluba". = Bardens continued to contribute to "Camel" albums: "Mirage" (1974), "The Snow Goose" (1975), "Moonmadness" (1976), "Rain Dances" (1977) and "Breathless" (1978), his final album with the band. = He Left "Camel" in 1978 due to musical differences. = Bardens also contributed to "Camel's" live albums "Greasy Truckers" (1974), "A Live Record" (1978), and later "Pressure Points" (1984). = He joined Van Morrison's band and recorded on "Wavelength" (1978), then toured as part of Morrison’s live lineup. = Bardens released solo album "Heart to Heart" in 1979, exploring electronic and synth-based music. = He co-wrote “Looking for a Good Time” with Bobby Tench, released as B-side to “Chain Gang” in 1982, which was recorded as a tribute to Sam Cooke. = Bardens contributed to "The Alan Parsons Project" in the early 1980s and joined short-lived Alan Parsons-related project - "Keats" in 1984 releasing one album. = He released the single “Solo” with the band "Solo" in 1985 and in 1986 he produced a Leo Sayer version of the song. = Released "Seen One Earth" in 1987. featuring the single “In Dreams” that received heavy radio play in the U.S. and Australia. = In 1988 he released "Speed of Light", featuring Mick Fleetwood and Simon Drake. The single “Gold” was released from the album and appeared on MTV. = Bardens continues to release the solo albums "Water Colours" (1991), "Further Than You Know" (1993), "Big Sky" (1994). = In 1994 Bardens formed "Mirage" with Andy Ward and ex-Caravan members. They toured in Europe. He later created a U.S. version of "Mirage" in 1996 and toured again in the U.S. = Bardens' final concert took place in summer 2001 in Los Angeles, with guests including Mick Fleetwood, John Mayall, John McVie, Sheila E., and Ben Harper. = He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001 and died of lung cancer on January 22, 2002, in Malibu, California, at age 56. = After his death, in 2002, his album "The Art of Levitation" was released. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Today we will tell you about the thrilling artist Nick Drake, who died when he was only 26 years old. (Photo: Promotional Picture) 1. Nick Drake was born on June 19, 1948, in Rangoon, Burma, to a father - Rodney Drake, an engineer at the British company "Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation" and a mother - Mary (Molly) Lloyd who was a singer. 2. In 1950 the family moved to India and a year later to England where they settled in a village in Warwickshire County south of Birmingham. 3. Nick and his older sister Gabriel absorbed music from their parents during their childhood, mostly from their mother who was a singer and played the piano. 4. Already at a young age his mother encouraged Nick to learn to play the piano. 5. Nick wrote and composed songs when he was a child, which he also recorded on a reel tape that his mother had at home. 6. During his studies at school Nick excelled in sports, especially in running, and even represented the school in competitions and broke records that were not surpassed for years later. 7. Hard to believe, but Nick also played on the school's rugby team and for the last two years of his studies also served as its captain. 8. At the same time, Drake played the piano as part of the school choir, where he also learned to play the clarinet and saxophone. 9. In the mid-1960s he formed his first band "the Perfumed Gardeners", along with four of his school friends. Nick sang and played the piano and saxophone. The band played original material alongside covers for bands like "Hirdbirdz" and "Manfred Mann". 10. Opinions are divided on this matter, but the well-known Chris de Burgh was part of the same band or tried to get accepted into it but was rejected due to his musical taste. (Photo: Soundcloud.com) 11. In 1965 Drake bought his first acoustic guitar and began to specialize in playing it. 12. In 1967 Drake began his undergraduate studies in English literature at a branch of the University of Cambridge. 13. At the same time he began performing in local clubs and cafes with original songs he wrote, inspired by his favorite poets, while perfecting his unique playing technique on an acoustic guitar. 14. During that time Drake became acquainted with folk music from England and the USA and was mainly influenced by artists like, Bob Dylan, Donovan, and Van Morrison. 15. In February 1968, Ashley Hutchings, the bass player of the "Fairport Convention" band, noticed him during a performance and was impressed by his skills. 16. Ashley Hutchings introduced Drake to Joe Boyd, the owner of a production company who produced his band "Fairport Convention" and also worked with John Martyn and "Pink Floyd". 17. That same year Drake had already signed a recording contract with the "Island record" company with which Boyd was in connection with, and began work on his first album. 18. In September 1969, Drake released his first folk rock-style album, "Five Leaves Left". The album featured other musicians from the folk-rock scene, including "Fairport Convention" guitarist. 19. After his death, the name of the album took on a chilling meaning, as Drake passed away five years after its release. 20. In November 1970 Drake released his second album "Bryter Layter", the album featured a more diverse use of musical instruments such as keyboards and also included a performance by John Cale from the Velvet Underground, who also produced one of the standout songs from the album "Northern Sky". 21. In February 1972 Drake released his third and final album "Pink Moon". It was a short album that included 11 songs spread over less than half an hour. The album is characterized by minimalism and melancholy and it hardly included any instruments other than Drake's acoustic guitar. 22. The three albums failed commercially in real-time and did not sell more than 5,000 each. 23. Following the failure of the three albums, Drake decided to stop playing music. He left London, returned to his parents' home, sank into a deep depression, became isolated, and had little contact with people. 24. After leaving the music world, Drake tried to work for a computer company, but retired after one day of work. 25. In 1974, Drake hospitalized himself in a psychiatric hospital where he stayed for five weeks. (Photo: Thenationalnews.com) 26. On November 25, 1974, Drake's mother entered his room and found him lifeless. 27. Drake was found dead after taking an overdose of antidepressants and the cause of death was determined to be suicide although some believe it was an accident. 28. Drake's ashes were buried under the oak tree in the village where he grew up in Warwickshire County. 29. On the tombstone are engraved words from the second verse of the song "From The Morning" which closes Drake's latest album. And these are the words: "Now we rise, And we are everywhere." 30. In 2004, actor Brad Pitt, a fan of Drake, hosted a program in his memory on BBC Radio 2. During the show, a lost track of Drake "Tow the Line" was first played. 31. Unfortunately the success came to Drake only after his death and he did not get to see it. 32. In 1999, Drake's second album, "Bryter Layter", reached number one on the Guardian's 100 Best Alternative Albums list of all time. 33. Drake's three albums in "Rolling Stone" Magazine's Top 500 Albums of All Time. 34. Drake has influenced many artists from diverse music genres, including Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder, Norah Jones, Kate Bush, Paul Weller, "The Black Crowes", "The Verve", "R.E.M.", And even Tom Petrover and Orit Shahaf from "HaYehudim" who all mentioned Nick Drake as inspiration. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Together with her sister Nancy Wilson, she led one of the great "female rock" bands of the 70's and 80's and even nurtured the grunge heroes behind the scenes. She is Ann Wilson, so let's sing her some songs and find out some interesting details about her. (Photo: Society of Rock) 1. Her full name is Ann Dustin Wilson and she was born on June 19, 1950, in San Diego, California. 2. Since her father served in the army, the family traveled the world a lot. They lived for a long time in Panama and Taiwan, before landing back in the US and settling in Seattle. 3. She said that her parents tried to make the family feel at home despite their stay abroad, through music. Every weekend they would hold sessions where they would listen and play music from different genres. 4. In 1970 she joined a band called "White Heart" which went through several incarnations and different names when it was finally established with the name "Heart". 5. In 1973 Ann's sister, Nancy joined the band and they all moved to Canada, where they recorded the band's first album. (Photo: Norman Seeff) 6. In 1975 they released their debut album "Dreamboat Annie". Producer Mike Flicker helped the band polish the sound and sign a recording contract with Mushroom. They released 4 singles from the album that gained momentum one after the other, including the mighty "Crazy on You". From there, the band also broke into the United States via Seattle, the birthplace of the Wilson sisters. 7. Following very bad conduct by the record company that culminated in a full-page article in Rolling Stone magazine, which included a picture of the Wilson sisters bare-shouldered side by side and the phrase: "It Was Only Our First Time," the band-company relationship fell apart. 8. In 1977 the band released their second album "Little Queen" recorded in Seattle. One of the band's most famous songs "Barracuda" conquered the charts and brought Hart back to dizzying success. This is a particularly angry song on the record company Mushroom Records about the same publication in Rolling Stone and the spread of the rumor that the nurses are allegedly having an affair, to arouse public opinion. Ann found out about the article by chance when a fan came to her after a show and asked her "How is the relationship"? She thought he was talking about her boyfriend, but when she realized what it was about she was shocked and went to write the song. 9. However, this was not really the end of the story with the record company, and as a result of a legal dispute the band had with Mushroom, they were forced to release another album through it. They worked a marathon for 4 days to record another album called "Magazine" which was also released in 1977, only to end the engagement with the same company that spread the malicious rumor about the Wilson sisters. 10. As a result, the band reached an extraordinary achievement with three of their albums marching simultaneously in the charts. 11. If That's Not Enough, then a year later, in 1978, they release their fourth album, Dog & Butterfly. The album was split in two when the first part was the "Dog" and included more rockish and powerful songs, while the second part - "Butterfly" included ballads and softer songs. The album reached number 17 on Billboard. 12. In 1980 the band released their fifth album "Bébé le Strange". This is the first album without the band's guitarist and producer Roger Fisher, who left with his brother several months before the recordings. The Wilson sisters have always led the band, but from then on they actually formed the hard core of "Heart". The album was a resounding success and reached number 5 on the Billboard charts as he spent 22 weeks there. 13. Since the early 1980s, the band has undergone musical changes, mainly softening and squinting in the mainstream direction, with elements of pop, hard rock, and glam metal. The climax of the musical revolution was on the album "Heart" which was released in 1985 and which included many hits such as: "These Dreams" which was the band's first song to conquer the summit, "What About Love", "Never", "Nothin at All" and more. The transition to glam was also reflected in the external appearance as reflected on the album cover. The Wilson sisters released a total of 16 albums under the band "Heart" when the latest "Beautiful Broken" was released in 2016. They were a great success and appreciated by listeners and critics and many singles conquered the charts and radio stations. 15. In 1991, the sisters founded the Bad Animals recording studio named after Hart's ninth album. The famous studio known today as Studio X was a huge part in the development of the grunge scene, in which many bands recorded between them: Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and many more ... 16. That same year they also formed a side band called "The Lovemongers" which recorded a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore", for the big soundtrack of the movie "Singles". A few years later, in 1997, the band released the EP "Whirlygig". 17. In those years before and during the blossoming of grunge, the stars of the scene like Chris Cornell, Andrew Wood, Lane Stalie, and more, were among the fans of the Wilson sisters. This fact earned them the nickname Grunge Godmothers (without detracting from Neil Young's status - Grunge Godfather). Ann Wilson said her house was open to all the guys from Nirvana, Alice, and Soundgarden, who would come to her house for parties and play together. 18. In 1992, Anne participated in the Alice In Chains EP called "SAP". She contributed her voice to the songs "Brother" and "Am I Inside." 19. In 2004, "Heart" released their 13th album called "Jupiters Darling". The album featured Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez from "Alice In Chains" and Mike McCready from "Pearl Jam", among others. 20. In 2007 Anne released her first solo album "Hope & Glory" which included covers, featuring many artists such as: Elton John, k.d. lang, Alison Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Shawn Colvin, and more. 22. In 2013, the band was inducted into the Music Hall of Fame. The speaker for the band's inauguration was none other than Chris Cornell. In his speech, he explained with great emotion how much the Wilson sisters influenced him and his friends from the grunge scene. 23. In 2015 and 2016 she released Ann her first two EPs called "The Ann Wilson Thing # 1 & # 2". 24. In 2016 the album "Beautiful Broken" released the 16th album of "Heart" which combined new songs and old songs of the band in a renewed performance. The album features James Hetfield from the band Metallica. 25. That same year, Ann's husband was arrested on charges of assaulting one of her sister Nancy's children. This allegedly happened during the band's performance at the White River Epithet in Washington. Rumor has it that following that incident, the nurses stopped talking and switched to communicating through texts. 26. In 2017 Anne noted that Heart is currently on “break” and each of the nurses has turned to her projects. (Photo: Steve Jennings) 27. In 2018, Anne performed with "Alice In Chains" members in a tribute to Chris Cornell at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 28. In 2018 Ann released her second solo album “Immortal”. It is a cover album, where she combines several styles from which she has been influenced by friends that she has lost during her life. 29. In 2019 the sisters announced that the band "Heart" had returned from the "break" they had taken and that they were performing again together. 30. They went on a tour called "Love Alive tour". The round was so successful that the nurses even extended it, but it was recently halted due to the corona crisis. 31. Since the beginning of 2021 Ann has released four new singles, currently unknown are part of a new solo album or singles in their own right. Feel free to listen to her latest solo album Immortal on: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... And this time on "Album within an album" ... Yes, there is such a thing. An album that is part of a larger album. This is "Oceania" - the eighth studio album by "The Smashing Pumpkins" that celebrates its birthday today. So today, June 19, 2012, "the Smashing Pumpkins" released their eighth studio album "Oceania". This album is part of the "Teargarden by Kaleidyscope" mega-album - a huge project that includes 34 songs that the band announced in 2009. Work on the mega-album began in 2009, following the departure of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, when the original idea was to release a concept album that would include 44 songs and revolve around the general idea of ​​"tarot cards". Similar to the album released 9 years earlier, "Machina II / The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music", this time too the intention was to release all the songs from the album for free download only via the internet. In anticipation of the release of the first song in the megalomaniacal project, Billy Corgan believed that albums are "ancient dinosaurs", so he intends to release all of the project's songs through the media and for free. The first song released from the project in December 2009, was "A Song for a Son", after which the band began releasing another new song every few months. With each collection of songs, the band released an EP that combines the songs that have already been released. This way, during the years 2009 to 2011, the band released three such EPs, which included 10 songs in total. But then Billy Corgan made a "U-turn" and contradicted himself, claiming that for him, the idea of ​​releasing one song at a time via the internet, had already been exhausted, This was the beginning of the work on "Oceania". This is the first full-length album with guitarist Jeff Schroeder joining the band after recording the previous album - "Zeitgeist" which was released in 2007, and in which Korgan and Chamberlin played on all instruments. It is also the only album with drummer Mike Byrne, who will be replaced by Tommy Lee of "Motley Crue" on the recording of the next album - "Monuments to an Elegy" from 2014, until Jimmy Chamberlin's long-awaited return to the band. Guitarist Jeff Schroeder noted that this album is moving in a softer direction than the band's previous albums. Corgan noted in a 2012 interview that this is the best album he has created since "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness". You can figure it out for yourself, just before that we will mention that for us, this album is a kind of combination of "Gish's" roughness with "Adore's" melancholy and electronics. The album received mostly positive reviews as most critics were unanimous that it was a return to the band's roots album. And now we will send you on a musical journey with the knowledge that we think there are quite a few good moments on this album: the opening song "Quasar" with the nervous riffs, the heavy production "Wall Of Sound" style and the Hebrew letters that make up the explicit name (Yod He Vav He), the ballad "The Celestials" With vintage and acoustic keyboards, "Panopticon" that Corgan compared his chords to those of Paul McCartney and Wings, the exciting and creepy "Violet Rays", the theme song and 9-minute work "Oceania", and of course "My Love Is Winter" which is in our opinion one of the most beautiful pearls on this album. Before concluding, it should be noted that the band's next album, "Monuments to an Elegy", which was released in 2014, was the final chord of that "mega-album" project. A total of 34 songs were released as part of the project, when in August 2018 Corgan announced that he was finally abandoning the ambitious project. In February 2018, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin returned to the band, and the three original members began work on the band's tenth album to be released in November of that year. And now let's listen to the album: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 19, 2001, "Stone Temple Pilots'" fifth album "Shangri-La Dee Da", was released. Here are 10 interesting facts about this album: 1. The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien who produced STP's first album and also RHCP's first album, these two albums kicked off his career as a producer. He produced almost all of STP's albums, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, "AC/DC" and many more. 2. The album was written and recorded in a villa (dream house) that the band turned into a studio - Malibu Mansion located on the beach in California, where the band's previous album "No.4" was also recorded. 3. This is the band's most experimental album. It cruises between genres of rock, psychedelia and even pop, with influences from The Doors, The Beatles, and even David Bowie. It is very different from their previous album but reminiscent of the album "Tiny Music" (Photo: Wallpaperflare.com) 4. Before the release of the album Scott Weiland announced that the album will be released as a double album, but aspirations aside and reality aside (and Scott is known for the "aspirations"), the record company "Atlantic Record" objected to this for fear of lack of focus and diversity, so it came out as a regular album. 5. Another thing the record company objected to was Scott's desire to dedicate the album to the memory of Andrew Wood (the late singer of "Mother Love Bone") and indeed it did not happen. 6. Somewhere in the warehouses of Chapman Baehler, a photographer who has accompanied "STP" throughout most of his life (which we hope have not been burned) there are photographs and videos documenting the production of this album. Chapman was supposed to make a documentary about the process of making this album, he and his wife filmed the whole process but the film did not materialize and was not produced. 7. The most successful single from the album, which is about the only song from the album they play in shows, is "Days Of The Week" which reached number 4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song talks about Scott's addiction to heroin and the way it affected his relationship with his partner Mary Forsberg. 8. This was the first single released from the album. The band did not want it because they thought it was too poppy. They wanted the song "Coma" released instead. But the record company insisted and won, and rightly so. 9. The song "Hollywood Bitch" was written by Scott and bassist Robert Deleo. This is the second and final single from the album whose riff was written even before the release of the album "Purple". 10. This album marked the beginning of the band's big hiatus until 2008 when the first reunion was formed and two years later the band's sixth album was released (which was actually their last album with Scott). Listen to the album at: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On June 18, 1982, "King Crimson" released their ninth studio album, "Beat". This was the first time in the band's career that "King Crimson" retained the same lineup for two consecutive albums—Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Bill Bruford. Coming just nine months after the innovative "Discipline", the band rushed into "Beat" with little new material in hand and growing internal tensions. Wit only 29 Minutes of music (they had to add another 7 Minutes of improvisions) they leaned deeper into a fusion of progressive rock, new wave, and abstract experimentation. Inspired by Adrian Belew rereading Jack Kerouac's "On the Road", "Beat" was intended as a tribute to the American Beat Generation of the 1950s. But in the end, it turned outas a personal album of Adrian Belew who wrote most of the material. Belew’s lyrics reflect a growing fatigue with life on the road—hotel rooms, airports, and emotional isolation. The album opens with "Neal and Jack and Me", a sharp and jittery piece that captures the complicated friendship between Kerouac and Neal Cassady., trading guitar jabs and spoken-word imagery over a tight rhythmic core. "Heartbeat" follows with surprising warmth—a rare moment of emotional directness that offers one of the most melodic and accessible entries in the band's catalog. "Sartori in Tangier" dives headfirst into instrumental abstraction, pairing Middle Eastern motifs with polyrhythmic percussion and textured layering. It draws its title from Kerouac’s novella "Satori in Paris". "Waiting Man" channels the growing fatigue of Belew with life on the road with it's with hypnotic loops. "Neurotica" revisits New York’s manic energy with a darker lens, echoing earlier material like "Thela Hun Ginjeet". It erupts in a frenzied, anxious blur—an ode to urban sensory overload where Belew’s spoken lines spiral into madness against Fripp’s fractured soundscapes. The soft and understated "Two Hands" a minimalistic ballad co-written with Belew's wife Margaret speak of longing and emotional vulnerability floating over sparse instrumentation. Then comes "The Howler", with a menacing vocal performance and chaotic, animalistic groove—an embodiment of the Ginsberg poem it references. Finally, the freeform improvisation of the instrumental - "Requiem" closes "Beat" with abstract textures and sonic dissonance, collapsing into formless noise. The expanded edition of the album also includes the bonus track "Absent Lovers", a mysterious, slowly unfolding instrumental that echoes the melancholic beauty of separation and longing. "Beat" followed the brilliance of "Discipline", but its rushed creation, internal conflicts, and creative fatigue affected the final product, so not surprisingly it's been overshadowed by the band's groundbreaking discography. For listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

The album "Helloween" is the sixteenth studio album by the German power metal band "Helloween", released on June 18, 2021. This album is the first to come out with the band "Pumpkins United" lineup, which marked the return of original member Kai Hansen on guitars and vocals and Michael Kiske on vocals in 2016, in addition to a five-member band that has been active since 2005. He is the first to feature Hansen since "Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II "and the first with Michael Kiske since "Chameleon" released in 1993. This album was released six years after its predecessor "My God-given Right" (the longest gap between two albums from the band), the album is also the first to feature more than one singer, such as Hansen, Kiska, and Andy Dries, who all appeared as soloists on previous albums, and now share leading vocal roles. It all started with the announcement of a world tour in 2016. The media got excited, the fans were ecstatic. It was not just a reunion of the band, it was a lineup that included seven iconic band members: Andi Deris, Michael Kiske, Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner, and Daniel Loeble. It was a dream come true for fans around the world and everyone had one wish: "Stay together!". The band made those fans' dreams come true with the first single released on April 2, 2021, called "Skyfall". An epic work was written by Kai Hansen and whose album version is at 12 minutes. The piece tells of an alien landing on Earth and a dramatic chase accompanied by a breathtaking clip which is without a doubt the most complex and invested clip in the band's history, which also includes 3D animation. By the way, as part of the buzz surrounding the big comeback, the members decided to produce the album right in the same studio in Hamburg where "Master Of The Rings", "The Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" were recorded, with a completely analog recording technology that is also A kind of "back to the roots". The return to the roots can already be felt in the opening song "Out For The Glory" - a pure classic "Helloween" song, a complex epic and dynamic piece, with frequent rhythm changes, full of thunderous drums, sawing guitars, and chilling vocals. The quiet opening to the second and excellent song "Fear Of The Fallen" is perhaps a little misleading, because it's a crazy energy bomb that nicely continues the momentum. Andy Dries' delicate intro vocals quickly lead to another quick slice of glorious power metal. The guitar work in this song is just "electrifying", the vocals take off and the harmonies between Dries and Kiske are just amazing as the driving force behind it all is the rhythm division of Grosskopf and Leobele. Before the end, we will mention the "Israeli connection" which refers to the artist Eliran Kantor who is responsible for the amazing cover of the album. The album includes 12 excerpts over 65 minutes, and in special versions, there are also bonus tracks. Tracklist: Out For The Glory Fear Of The Fallen Best Time Mass Pollution Angels Rise Without Chains Indestructible Robot King Cyanide Down In The Dumps Orbit Skyfall Digibook & Vinyl version: 01. Golden Times 02. Save My Hide Earbook version: 01. Golden Times 02. Save My Hide 03. Pumpkins United Personell: Michael Kiske – Vocals Andi Deris – Vocals Kai Hansen – Guitar and Vocals Michael Weikath – Guitar Sascha Gerstner – Guitar Markus Grosskopf – Bass Daniel Loeble – Drums For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On July 17, 2001, the second studio album by "Muse" - "Origin of Symmetry", was released, and this is definitely one of the great, bold, and successful rock albums of the 2000s. This is an album where the sound and style of "Muse" began to take shape and crystallize. An album in which the band stretched its boundaries and went "all in", both in terms of the experimental writing that combined several genres and in terms of the range of instruments the band used which included mellotron, church organ, and even animal bones, nylons and bubble wrap. It's an album that turned the small band from the fishing town near Devon, England into a stadium monster and one of the most interesting and important bands of the millennium. Looking at the level of writing, accuracy, and performance of "Origin of Symmetry", it is hard to believe that we almost missed all this goodness called "Muse", if they had not won a young bands competition in 1994, when they were still called "Rocket Baby Dolls". "Origin of Symmetry" comes about two years after the debut album "Showbiz", which was released in May 1999. After the release of "Showbiz", the band went on a long tour, during which the material for what would become one of the band's greatest albums was written. As they ride on top of the relative success of their debut album "Showbiz", Christopher Wolstenholme, Dominic Howard, and Matt Bellamy felt confident enough to give free rein to their desires. They went with their musical truth and decided to go wild with a tremendous epic piece that combines a crazy variety of styles, ranging from classical music and opera, through space rock and progressive rock to electronics, alternative, psychedelia, hard rock, and metal. A real feast for the ears. The main contributors to this "psychic" end result besides the band members, were the producers John Leckie, who pushed the band to experiment with new musical instruments and styles and stretch their sound boundaries to the limit, and David Bottrill who worked with bands like "Tool", "deus" and "King Crimson". We must say that this album was a complete surprise for us. It's not that we did not hear the tremendous potential on the debut album "Showbiz", but we certainly did not expect to get such a complex, unique and different album. To tell the truth, when "Showbiz" went on the air, we also followed the critics' opinions. We too made the obvious comparison to "Radiohead" and also for us Matt Bellamy's shivering voice sounded a little bit like Jeff Buckley. Not that there is anything wrong with these comparisons, these are two of our favorite artists in the 1990s, but this comparison stood in a shabby and pale light against the mighty album "Origin of Symmetry" released in 2001. It was a crazy album. Something that sounded like nothing else from that period, a combination of so many genres that were our favorites, put in a blender and mixed well, to the crystallization of this masterpiece that on the one hand was very innovative, but on the other hand, brought us back to "origin", and contrary to the album title, which was influenced by Michio Kaku's book, did not left a single drop of "symmetry" in these "origin", just like its inner cover with Darrell Gibbs' illustration depicting people walking into a giant white cube with the tiny letters above the door saying "Chaos." You could say that compared to the previous album, everything "Origin of Symmetry" became more "extreme". The deafening feedbacks, the distortion on Christopher Wolstenholme's bass that also became more dominant, Bellamy's Manson "Custom Made" guitar that included a built-in "Z.Vex Fuzz Factory" effect and contributed to the rough sound, the immense stretch of Matt's voice that sometimes sounds even operatic, Dominic Howard's drum set that was expanded to include a variety of percussion and even the recording method, mainly in "Live" in the studio, in order to try and recreate the energies and powers that "Muse" has on stage. We always say that when you do something from the heart, it must be expressed in the result. "Origin of Symmetry" is probably one of the best examples of this, but it probably wouldn't have happened if "Muse" hadn't been confident enough and got encouragement from the record label and producers. This confidence allowed them to write the music they wanted to create and not the music they were expected to write. The final product is one of the great and important albums of the first decade in the current millennium, which to this day, over twenty years later, shakes us time and time again. From the pianos of the opening song "New Born", to the mellotron carpets in the final track "Megalomania", it is a crazy colorful celebration of genres and sounds that penetrates the cerebral cortex to the temporal lobe and causes hallucinations and changes of consciousness and sometimes even uncontrollable convulsions. Each song on this album touches a different nerve in our body and sends us to a different place on the globe, back and forth in time across the musical history. "Micro Cuts" and "Space Dementia" send us to experience the classical influences of Bach and Rachmaninoff and experience a bit of opera, the classical guitar in "Screenager", which refers to the influence of "screens" on teenagers, for moments sends us to Spain and the Middle East, "Hyper Music" full of "punk" rage and the leading riff of "Plug In Baby" corresponds with Bach's famous "Toccata". The bass work on "Darkshines" sounds to us like an interpretation of "Another One Bites the Dust" with Latin / Spanish influences and all this beauty is before we even mentioned the amazing cover of "Feeling Good", which became famous with the help of Nina Simone. At first, Matt Bellamy did not want it on the album because he thought the band should not include covers on the album, but he eventually changed his mind since his girlfriend at the time loved Nina Simon. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... And this time on "Van Halen's" album "FUCK". Yes, yes, you did not imagine, there is such an album, it was released on June 18, 1991, and its full name is "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge". This is the band's ninth album and its third in the second lineup with singer Sammy Hagar. This album was released when the whole issue of censorship of lyrics in music and "Parental Advisory Explıcıt Content", was in the headlines. Sammy Hagar wanted the album to have a shocking title. He chose the name "FUCK" but then he got off of it and agreed to go for the title whose only acronym is the word "FUCK". Even the tour that accompanied the album was called "F.U.C.K. 'n' Live". This album marked a kind of return to the roots of Heavy Metal, with most of the songs being led by Eddie Van Halen's guitars. Even the synthesizers that dominated the previous albums were converted here to pianos. Listen to the song "Judgement Day" for example and you'll immediately know what we are talking about. One of the classic examples of using the piano at the expense of a synthesizer is in one of the great songs on the album - "Right Now" which opens with the keystrokes. Sammy Hagar who recounted the moment this song was written, remember he was in the studio with Eddie Van Halen and they were both in separate rooms. He heard Eddie working on the keyboard section and was immediately turned on, he realized they were actually in the same head and they were writing the same song only separately. He entered the room where Eddie was playing and simply started singing the words that were flowing in his head at that moment. To this day Sammy thinks these are the best lyrics he has written for a Van Helen song. Eddie noted that the roots of the keyboard section go back to the days of the album "1984" and the period in which he wrote the song "Jump", which reinforces the conscious decision to use the piano instead of a synthesizer, otherwise the keyboard sound in this song would have sounded like "Jump". The song "Poundcake" that opened the album, was also the first to be released as a single and jumped straight to number one on Billboard. The sound of the guitar whistling with which the song opens up, was achieved by an electric screwdriver that Eddie Van Helen operated very close to the guitar pickups. Interestingly, in the song "Top of the World" which was released as the second single from the album, the riff which can be heard at the end of the song was used on the song "Jump". For this reason, the band used to play the two songs together in performances, when at the end of the hit "Jump" the song "Top of the World" began. The song features guitarist Steve Lukather who is known among others from the band "Toto" but is far far beyond. An interesting fact is that the last time Eddie and Steve played together was in the song "Beat It" by Michael Jackson, with Steve on rhythm guitar and Eddie in solo. The instrumental section "316" refers to the birthday of Wolfgang Van Halen - Eddie's son who was born on March 16th, 1991. Wolfgang is known to later become the band's bassist and 30 years later, in 2021, he released his excellent solo album "Mammoth WVH".. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music Follow us on Facebook or Subscribe to our website "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog & Podcast

If you woke up this morning a bit upside down and forgot what the definition of a "living legend" is, there is no need to scroll through it or search the dictionary. He is here in front of you, and he is celebrating a birthday today, so let's make a lot of noise and respect for Sir Paul McCartney. (Photo: Chaos And Creation In The Backyard Poster) 13 Studio albums with the Beatles (one of them double). 20 Solo albums. 7 Albums with "Wings". 7 Classical music albums. 3 Albums with "The Fireman". 2 Soundtracks for movies. 2 Electronic music albums. 40 Appearances in films. All this and more we did not even mention live albums, collections, collaborations, titles, and awards. So in case you haven't noticed, "living legends" today are a rare and endangered species. So when such one has a birthday, wouldn't you honor him? So, In honor of the birthday of the most melodic "Beatle", we have prepared a playlist of his best works for you. Follow the link and enjoy: Click here. Ahhh .... and we forgot to tell you some facts about him as well. This time we collected 20 special ones: 1. His first name is James. Paul is his second name. 2. The first instrument he ever played was a trumpet. 3. As a child he was twice tested to be a choir boy and failed. He only passed for the third time. 4. Originally he served as guitarist in "The Quarrymen", which later became "The Beatles". Only after Stuart Sutcliffe left the band did he move to the bass player position. 5. He co-wrote with John Lennon over 200 songs over about seven years, 54 of which marched in charts over the world. 6. He initially suggested the song "Yesterday" to British singer Chris Farlower but he refused because it was too quiet and slow for him. 7. The song "Yesterday" is also the pop song that has won the most cover versions in the world. He has over 2,000 of these. 8. McCartney is also responsible for writing the Beatles' shortest song - "Her Majesty" - length 0:23. 9. Due to the combination of Paul's screams, the hard riff, and the heavy bass in the song "Helter Skelter" he wrote, the song is considered by many to be the first Heavy Metal song. 10. When working on his first solo album after "The Beatles", he used the pseudonym Billy Martin when he booked a place at "Abbey Road" Studios. 11. He was on a flight over New York City when the twin towers disaster occurred on 9/11. He saw everything from the plane window. 12. In 2012 he was the reason behind a mini-union of Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic in a performance held in Seattle. It was the first time the two had played together in 15 years. Pat Smear was there too. 13. It is known that Paul is a multi-instrumentalist who plays almost every possible instrument, but did you know that he was the drummer in the song "Sunday Rain" by the "Foo Fighters"? And what’s more amazing is that he hadn’t heard the song even once before, he just came to the studio and played the song without any prior preparation. 14. Well, Paul's list of titles is endless, but did you know that they also include the title of "Detective of Honor" from the NYPD? 15. He holds the all-time record of an artist who has appeared before the largest audience for a fee. That was in 1989 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in front of 350,000 people. 16. Paul McCartney holds through MPL the rights to over 3,000 songs, including all the songs written by Buddy Holly, the songs of the musical "Grease" and more. 17. He is also one of the richest musicians in the world. His fortune is estimated at $ 1.2 billion. 18. McCartney holds the record for the largest number of hits to reach number one on the US Billboard 100. 29 songs in total. He holds a similar record in the British chart with 25 songs reaching number one. 19. McCartney is the man with the most Grammy nominations 78 in number, the strangest of which is probably the nomination for best rap song. Yes, it happened following his collaboration with Kanye West in 2015. 20. Everyone knows McCartney also has an acting career, but did you know he's starred in one of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies? It was the fifth film in the series - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" in which McCartney played Jack Sparrow's uncle. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website