Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

Le doux dingue Michael Monroe, 'icône' rock et ancien chanteur des feus Finlandais de HANOI ROCKS, sortira son nouvel album solo le 14 mars via la sous-division d'Universal Music, Spinefarm Records. "Sensory Overdrive" verra notamment la participation d'un invité prestigieux, en la personne de Mossieur Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD).
"Sensory Overdrive" a été enregistré à Los Angeles en compagnie du légendaire Jack Douglas (AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CLUTCH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT ou NEW YORK DOLLS).
La tracklist de son opus est : 01. Trick Of The Wrist - 02. '78 - 03. Got Blood? - 04. Superpowered Superfly - 05. Modern Day Miracle - 06. Bombs Away - 07. All You Need - 08. Later Won't Wait - 09. Gone, Baby Gone - 10. Center Of Your Heart - 11. Debauchery As A Fine Art

In 2010, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and über-energetic frontman and all-round rock 'n' roll legend Michael Monroe unveiled his new side project in grand style via an exclusive press conference. Flash forward six months to a full U.K. tour with MOTÖRHEAD, and another few months to the release of "Another Night In The Sun", a globally anticipated live album that teased fans clamoring for a final, polished taste of the new project. Finally, roughly a year after Michael Monroe's original public reveal, the band released their first critically-acclaimed full-length release, "Sensory Overdrive", produced by Jack Douglas (AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON). The album went on to win Classic Rock magazine's "Album Of The Year" award and landed at #1 on the charts in Monroe's home country of Finland.

In 2012, after touring throughout the U.K. in support of "Sensory Overdrive", Monroe announced that he would go back into seclusion to prepare for the band's next offering. Monroe's touring and recording outfit, comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS), guitarist Steve Conte (NEW YORK DOLLS, COMPANY OF WOLVES), guitarist Dregen (BACKYARD BABIES, HELLACOPTERS) and drummer Karl "Rockfist" Rosqvist (CHELSEA SMILES, DANZIG), worked tirelessly in the studio, providing creative support for a frontman whose reputation is genuinely global and whose influence continues to be felt, with musicians of all ages (from Dave Grohl to the original GUNS N' ROSES members) citing Michael's groundbreaking career as a source of inspiration.

Now after several months, the wait is over. Michael Monroe can finally reveal that the band's upcoming studio album, "Horns And Halos", will hit stores everywhere on August 27, 2013 via Spinefarm Records. The band offers a taste of the new album in the form of a new single and video for the track "Ballad Of The Lower East Side", which can be watched now below. The track includes a nod to Michael's early days in New York, a city he moved to for a decade following the mid-'80s break up of glam punk pioneers HANOI ROCKS. The clip — directed by celebrated videographer/photographer Ville Juurikkala, who has photographed Michael for the past 10 years as well as working with LINKIN PARK, GOOD CHARLOTTE and HIM, among others — features archive footage and photos of Michael in prime Big Apple mode, interlaced with current live and backstage scenes.

"The song 'Ballad Of The Lower East Side' is about New York and especially the Lower East Side — what it was way back in the days when I lived there, how times have changed and how it is nowadays," states Monroe. "New York has always been an important city to me since I lived there for 10 years. Two members of our band still live there. It's the City of all Cities."

Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, über-energetic frontman and all-round rock 'n' roll legend Michael Monroe (HANOI ROCKS) has revealed the cover artwork for his new studio outing, "Horns And Halos", to be released in the U.K. on August 26 via Spinefarm Records.

The arresting cover art is based on an idea from Swedish guitar star Dregen (BACKYARD BABIES), who features in Michael's current touring and recording lineup.

"I love logotypes that are a 'little secret," says Dregen. "You know, the ones that are more like signs — VAN HALEN, CRASS, HIM's Heartagram, etc. That was the starting point…"

"Horns And Halos" — mixed by Petri Majuri at Seawolf Studios in Finland — is the follow-up to 2011's critically acclaimed "Sensory Overdrive", winner of Classic Rock magazine's "Album Of The Year" and a No. 1 record in Monroe's Finnish homeland.

Monroe's touring and recording outfit — bassist Sami Yaffa (HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS), guitarist Steve Conte (NEW YORK DOLLS, COMPANY OF WOLVES), drummer Karl "Rockfist" Rosqvist (CHELSEA SMILES, DANZIG) and Dregen — has been hard at work in the studio, providing creative support for a frontman whose reputation is genuinely global and whose influence continues to be felt, with musicians of all ages (from Dave Grohl to the original GUNS N' ROSES members) citing Michael's groundbreaking career as a source of inspiration.

"Horns And Halos" track listing:

01. TNT Diet
02. Ballad Of The Lower East Side
03. Eighteen Angels
04. Saturday Night Special
05. Stained Glass Heart
06. Horns And Halos
07. Child Of The Revolution
08. Soul Surrender
09. Half The Way
10. Ritual
11. Hands Are Tied

A second single/video from "Horns And Halos" will be made available on August 5.

The video for current single, "Ballad Of The Lower East Side" (a nod to Michael's early days in New York, a city he moved to for a decade following the mid-'80s breakup of glam-punk pioneers HANOI ROCKS), can be seen below.

Swedish guitarist/vocalist Dregen (real name: Andreas Tyrone Svensson) has announced his departure from former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe's solo band to focus on a solo career.

Dregen has played guitar in Michael Monroe's live band since the summer of 2011, and he also played on the band's latest album, "Horns and Halos". Replacing him is British guitarist Rich Jones (THE GINGER WILDHEART BAND, THE BLACK HALOS), who first appeared with Monroe on tour last autumn.

"Luckily, Rich, who has done an excellent job as Dregen's substitute, has gelled into the band's chemistry so well that the rest of the band welcomes him with open arms as a permanent member. And so the saga continues," says Michael Monroe.

Finland's Michael Monroe has renewed his recording contract with Universal Music/Spinefarm Records and he and his band has started work on a new album, to be released in fall 2015.

Says Monroe, "Once again, it's time for a new Michael Monroe album! We are happy to have recently renewed our deal with Universal Music/Spinefarm and have written a bunch of new songs for the album over the past couple of months. The album is being produced by Swedish producer Chips Kiesbye (Hellacopters, Sator, Nomads) and we started recording it at the end of February in Gothenburg, Sweden. We’re all really excited about the new project. This is guaranteed to become another brilliant new Michael Monroe album!"

The album recordings will continue until mid-March and the first single from the upcoming album will be released in spring. Michael Monroe's previous album Horns And Halos, released in 2013, was certified gold in Finland.

ON OCTOBER 16th, Monroe’s latest studio album, ‘Blackout States’, will be released via Spinefarm Records; this 13 track outing, produced by Chips Kiesbye (Hellacopters, Nomads, etc.) in Gothenburg, Sweden, and mixed by Petri Majuri in Helsinki, Finland, is the follow-up to ‘Horns And Halos’ – a Finnish chart-topper in 2013.

As with ‘Horns…’, these new recordings see Monroe both toasting the future and honouring the past, occasionally giving the nod to glam punk pioneers, Hanoi Rocks, the group he forged his name with in the early-to mid-’80s.

“I’m extremely excited about our new album,” says Monroe. “It has all the ingredients of a perfect rock‘n’roll record – strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all cliches, delivered with a punky, ballsy attitude by a killer band. I highly recommend ‘Blackout States' to anyone who’s even a little bit interested in what real, authentic, high energy rock‘n’roll at its best sounds like today."

MICHAEL MONROE reveals “Blackout States” artwork; Co-headline Tour With HARDCORE SUPERSTAR

On the verge of releasing his latest solo outing “Blackout States” on October 9th via Spinefarm Records, today MICHAEL MONROE reveals the album artwork and tracklisting:

01. This Ain‘t No Love Song
02. Old King‘s Road
03. Goin’ Down With The Ship
04. Keep Your Eye On You
05. The Bastard’s Bash
06. Good Old Bad Days
07. R.L.F.
08. Blackout States
09. Under The Northern Lights
10. Permanent Youth
11. Dead Hearts On Denmark Street
12. Six Feet In The Ground
13. Walk Away
14. Break The Noose (vinyl LP bonus track)