It is fair to say that the last few weeks have been the epitome of chaos. The world appears to be broken while it fights an insidious disease - a new 'C' word - that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, taken the string out of society's back, put economies on ice and people..
Photo credit: Lori A. Linstruth
Pink castles in a purple Transitus: A chat with Arjen Lucassen
At its core, with all the adornments stripped away, beats a heart of brilliant compositions, rich in emotional melodies and lush textures... Crippling stage fright and social reclusiveness are not usually among the traits one expects to find in someone who mounts lavish, large-scale musical theater productions of which he is author, composer and performer...
Bad Touch – Interview, Revised Tour Details
Bad Touch are a 5-piece classic rock band from Norfolk, UK. Most people see growing up in Norfolk as a disadvantage, but Bad Touch owe the core of their sound to their countryside surroundings. Those formative years of listening to the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Free and Lynyrd Skynyrd whilst looking out..
Servers share new song and video for ‘If This Virus Doesn’t Work (The Alien Invasion Will)’ in a Velvet Thunder Exclusive!
Velvet Thunder is proud and honoured to share in a world exclusive the brand new song and video for If This Virus Doesn't Work (The Alien Invasion Will) by UK quartet SERVERS. With the United Kingdom and many other territories around the planet in lock down due to the CORVID-19 crisis, the entire world been..
MS AMY BIRKS – ALL THAT SHE IS…
I went through a divorce quite a few years ago, which was an emotionally turbulent time, and all of the emotion has fed into this new album. For Amy Birks, music has been all about a journey. In fact, it’s been a physical, creative and emotional one which has taken her from her home town..
Glass Hammer opens the decade with a ‘dark masterpiece’
Glass Hammer fans have no doubt been aquiver with elation since the announcement of their favourite band's soon to be released eighteenth studio opus Dreaming City. As the album begins arriving on doorsteps the world over, expect to see glowing reviews emerge across the board, as this one is clearly destined to fall in with..
GOLDRAY … Emerging from the Rabbit Hole again?
There’s nothing wrong with jeans and a T-shirt, and I don’t walk around in a Rick Wakeman cape all the time - but it can be a bit dull when nothing’s added to the visual" - Kenwyn House Ramblin’ Man festival 2018 .. For the first time the ‘Prog in the Park’ stage is now..
Son of Man – Interview
Son Of Man, led by George Jones (son of man legend Mickey) recently released the album State of Dystopia (see review posted 27 Feb 2020). Following the release of the album, I have the opportunity to sit down with George for Velvet Thunder, and discuss the latest news about the band and also the strange..
Zucchero – The Italian king of the Blues
I went to live in Italy in 1990 and as well as being eager to enjoy the wonderful climate and delightful food I was curious to discover what the local music scene was like. Listening to the radio, I was not inspired by the general diet of soggy melodic pop but there was one song..
Script For A Bassist’s Tear: Pete Trewavas on the deluxe reissue of the classic Marillion debut album
The 1983 debut album from the Mad Marillos is the latest in the ongoing deluxe reissue series of the first eight albums for EMI, and it is a cracker of a set. Have a gander at the goodies included this time around: On the first disc, a sparkling new 2020 remix of the album -..