British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH will release their 13th studio album, "Existence Is Futile", on October 22. Pieced together in isolation, at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk with studio guru Scott Atkins (DEVILMENT, BENEDICTION, VADER), the band's latest chef-d'oeuvre is a pitch-black, perverse and at times absurdly brutal and extreme masterpiece following a truly nihilistic concept: "The album is about existentialism, existential dread and fear of the unknown," frontman Dani Filth explains. "The concept wasn't created by the pandemic. We'd written it long before that began, but the pandemic is the tip of the cotton-bud as far as the way the world is headed, you know? I guess the title, 'Existence Is Futile', does sound a little morbid. But again, it's more about recognizing that truth and saying that everything is permitted because nothing really matters, which mimics the occultist Aleister Crowley's maxim. We all know we're going to die, so we might as well indulge life while we possess it. The final track on the album — 'Us, Dark, Invincible' — really drives that point home. Also, the artwork for this record was created by the Latvian visionary Arthur Berzinsh, who also dressed the last two albums, and that reeks of the exceedingly beautiful yet apocalyptic too."

Glass Hammer return with ‘Skallagrim – Into The Breach’, Part Two of last year’s ‘Dreaming City’ which found lyricist, bassist and co-producer, Steve Babb, drawing inspiration from sword & sorcery novels of the seventies. Now the album has inspired an actual four-hundred page novel, “Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna”, which Babb plans to release in early 2022.

Handel and Scarlatti together? Long ago, in Rome (for a musical joust before the most eminent cardinals), in Venice (at a masked ball where Scarlatti recognised the faceless harpsichordist: “It could be no one but the famous Saxon, or the devil”), in London (where an opera by Scarlatti was staged). Together again under the pen of Charles Burney, who celebrated them as the two supreme masters of the harpsichord, the ‘heavenly twins’. And together once more in the little church in Haarlem to which Pierre Hantaï returns like a pilgrim.

“Recording the complete Preludes is like painting notes with an unlimited palette of sound!” writes pianist Fanny Azzuro in the notes to her debut album for Rubicon. “Playing this music is exhilarating. The danger is that you lose control of your emotions and yield to the temptation to pile on the pathos in music that is so naturally expressive.

Even after hundreds of shows, 15 million records sold, two GRAMMY® Award nominations, and almost four decades together, Dream Theater continues to look ahead. Their collective gaze never wavers from the future. Instead, the progressive metal trailblazers - James LaBrie (Vocals), John Petrucci (Guitars), Jordan Rudess (Keyboards), John Myung (Bass), and Mike Mangini (Drums) - consistently explore uncharted territory with the same spirit of sonic adventurousness. On their fifteenth album, A View from the Top of the World [Inside Out Music/Sony Music], the New York quintet rush forward at full speed again with seven tracks equally steeped in articulate arrangements, groove-laden guitars, and sky scraping melodies.

Love’s FOREVER CHANGES is the psychedelic folk-rock pioneers’ finest achievement. The set features a few firsts for the album, including the CD-debut of a remastered version made by its original co-producer and engineer Bruce Botnick, as well as the first-ever release of the mono version on CD. Also included are alternate mixes of the album, as well as a selection of rare and unreleased singles and studio outtakes…

Established in Miami, on life support in L.A., then finally burnished in New York City, the Konrad Paszkudzki Trio's aesthetic can be summed up in three words: mood, sizzle and swing. Their sound is classic yet timeless in its mode of expression, captivating ardent lovers of the jazz idiom and Tin Pan Alley tradition alike.
The focus is on standards - tunes collectively known as The Great American Song Book. Without imposing trite gimmicks or relying on overt displays of flash and technical wizardry, the trio stays true to the original musical and lyrical content of the material, with an emphasis on melodic elegance and swinging verve. The influence of Nelson Riddle, Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal can be felt and heard, but is never blatantly mimicked…

The 17th-century Bohemian/Austrian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber is best known for his works for solo violin, especially the Mystery Sonatas. However, he also wrote a considerable amount of music for string ensemble, including a set of 12 chamber sonatas subtitled Fidicinium Sacro-Profanum which was first published in Nuremberg in 1683. The title refers to the fact that the music in the sonatas combine sacred and secular styles. In his collection, Biber set new standards in the field of string chamber music. In the first part he composes for a five-part string ensemble: 2 violins, 2 violas, violone and basso continuo, a combination that was established at his time as the standard ensemble in Austrian cultural circles.

This incarnation of Roomful of Blues includes vocalist and harmonica player Sugar Ray Norcia taking the singing spotlight, Matt McCabe now their pianist and Chris Vachon principal guitarist. This CD blends blues and R&B classics with a couple of originals; highlights include a fine reading of Smiley Lewis' "Lillie Mae," a remake of "Hey Now" originally done by Ray Charles and Norcia's fiery vocal and torrid harmonica solo on Little Walter Jacobs' "Up The Line." This is faithful to the classic tradition, but contains enough contemporary qualities to have a fresh and inviting sound.

Scorpions - Virgin Killer (1976). Virgin Killer is the first of four studio releases that really defined the Scorpions and their highly influential urgent metallic sound. It was released in 1976 and was the first album of the band to attract attention outside Europe. The album was a step in the band's shift from psychedelic music to hard rock. For the first time in the band's career the line-up stayed the same with Klaus Meine on vocals, Uli Jon Roth on lead guitar, Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Rudy Lenners on drums. The nine tracks were laid down with Dieter Dierks producing. The band is in top form and churns out some melodic yet blistering heavy rock. Virgin Killer is full of heavy songs and exceptionally, fast, innovative guitar leads by Uli Jon Roth…

The Koch Jazz reissue Arranged/Played/Composed by Jack Montrose was originally released on Atlantic in 1955. Tenor saxophonist Montrose was from the West Coast school of cool jazz, and was significantly influenced by classical music. On this date he was thinking specifically about utilizing every instrument in structured chamber-esque arrangements. Montrose managed to achieve his goal of leading a swinging improvised jazz session without being restricted by this rigid structure. Baritone saxophonist Bob Gordon, pianist Paul Moer, bassist Red Mitchell, and drummer Shelly Manne run through five Montrose originals coupled with popular songs of the time "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Have You Met Miss Jones."