Die ANCON - Anime Convention ist eine Zusammenkunft von Anime und Manga Fans.
Neben unseren Liveshows mit YouTubern, die die angesagtesten Anime Serien vorstellen und im Anschluss mit den Besuchern eine Diskussionsrunde halten, wird auch ausgiebig an einer Arcade Station gespielt. Zudem gibt es einen Dance Dance Revolution und Tekken Contest. Hier können sich im Vorfeld die Besucher sich auf der ANCON Homepage zur Teilnahme vor registrieren.
Unter anderem geben Manga Zeichner einen Live Zeichenkurs und beantworten Fragen vom Publikum. Begleitet wird die Convention von Cosplayer und Cosplayerinnen in ausgefallenen Anime Kostümen,
Im Maidcafe werden japanische Köstlichkeiten angeboten, die von Cosplayerinnen serviert werden.
Im Verkaufsbereich bieten Comicshops Ihre Manga-Hefte zum Probelesen an, und können von den Besuchern auch erworben werden.
Begleitet wird die gesamte Veranstaltung von einem Filmteam, das diese direkt auf YouTube streamt.
Nach der Anime Convention laden wir zu unserer Kabuki Aftershow Party ein.

At first it was all about the attention. 

As a young child (that probably should have been put on some kind of calming medication) Danny Vaughn was forever singing along to his parents’ Beatles albums while running in circles around the house at top speed. Until something broke. Then he was running in a straight line out of the house at top speed. It was in grade school, at the age of 11, that some far-thinking teacher decided to channel all that sound and motion by getting Danny into the school choir.
Within a month he was singing his first solo in front of the entire school. When he realized that everyone was craning their neck trying to see who was singing, he was hooked! A lead singer is born when they find the spotlight to be warm and comforting rather than glaring and terrifying.
Rock and roll came later. 

At first Danny’s musical training consisted of playing the recorder and singing Gilbert & Sullivan, but at age 14 came his first guitar (well behind most of his friends who had gotten theirs several years earlier) and, soon after that, his first band, ‘Relative Pleasure’. Mostly, ‘Relative Pleasure’ played cover songs at school parties but, before they disbanded, they got into some of the more prestigious venues in NYC and even recorded a demo or two. After that came a series of cover bands that got more and more serious and took him from being a teenage dreamer to becoming a working rock singer, driving stupendously long distances around the Rockland County, New Jersey and Long Island area in order to play in some of the stickiest, darkest dives in all of creation. The bands had names like ‘Beefeeter’, ‘Obsession’, ‘D.W.I.’ and ‘Allied Forces’. It was while singing for the latter, in 1984, that he got noticed, and eventually recruited, in order to go to Florida to work with guitarist Paul Chapman of UFO on his new solo project, ‘D.O.A.’

Beer was drunk, demos were made, hands were shaken and Paul went off to England to try and secure the band a record deal. It was while in England that Paul was waylaid (pardon the pun) and recruited for another band, ‘Waysted’, the flagship of UFO’s one and only wobbly-legged bass legend, Pete Way.

A year later Paul found Danny once again. Talks began about him taking over the lead vocal duties in Waysted from Fin More. All was not happy in the Waysted camp (turns out that was the normal state of affairs!) and they had a festival commitment coming up that Fin refused to play. So the gauntlet was thrown: “Come and rehearse in Wales with Waysted for 2 days, then fly to Tel Aviv, Israel in order to play your first gig with the band in the famous Ramat Gan football stadium. If you can hack it, you’re in the band.”
He did and he was! 

This was 1985. The next 2 years were a whirlwind spent recording his first album, “Save Your Prayers”, making his first MTV video, “Heaven Tonight”, and touring the world playing stadiums as the opening act for such musical giants as Iron Maiden and Status Quo.

By 1987, though, it was all over. Following a number of internal problems, the highly anticipated next album was never made and the band parted with a whimper instead of the bang that everyone thought they’d make.

Back in Brooklyn, it took a year of soul-searching and basement living before Danny realized that, despite the huge amount of exposure and experience that Waysted had given him, fame was not beating a path to his door. 

Time to start up his own band. 

His first phone call was to drummer Michael Clayton Arbeeny, whom he had assisted with a recording project several months before. Right away he knew he had found a real friend, ideal business partner and monster drummer all in one. Michael also seemed to run on rocket fuel, making him a “Go, go, go!” kind of guy. That sort of spirit is contagious and things went quickly after that. They found bass player Jimi Kennedy and guitarist Brooke St. James and launched into a campaign that created ‘Tyketto’. Signed, first, by powerhouse management company Loud N Proud and then to Geffen’s DGC label, Tyketto made the legendary, underground classic album “Don’t Come Easy” in 1991. For 5 years they toured hard, made videos, and did all the things that young and hirsute rock bands are supposed to do. They built a staunch and loyal following in the US, the UK and Europe because of the consistently high level and energy of their stage shows.

Their second album, ‘Strength In Numbers’ was released in 1994 and was well received but the musical tide had turned and by 1996, with the grunge scene in full swing, Danny had simply had enough of the grinding tour schedule. He’d also had a bellyful of the music industry which was, is and always will be, like swimming in shark-infested waters.

But retirement was not to be for long. Even when he wasn’t writing his own music he kept busy. In 1996 he stepped in at the last minute to sing on the powerful blues-rock album ‘Blues For Daze’ by the band ‘Flesh And Blood’. By the year 2000 Danny was officially out of retirement and back on the boards, where he has remained ever since!

The term “legend” gets thrown around a lot. Danny wishes it wouldn’t.
But he has turned out a pretty impressive catalogue of work.
    - 5 albums by ‘Tyketto’
    - 7 solo albums 
    - Lead vocal duties on several project albums, including ‘From The Inside’, 1 and 2, by Frontiers Records 
    - The 2013 release of ‘Simplified’ the latest album by ‘Burning Kingdom’.

Danny has also appeared on countless albums and demo projects as a lead or backing vocalist, including: Yes, Riot, Richie Zito, Jorge Salan, Gary Hughes, Rage Of Angels, Airless, Mago De Oz and The Northern Lights Orchestra.

In 2009 Danny co-founded “The Ultimate Eagles”, who are consistently referred to as the best Eagles tribute band in the world. So far they have brought their outstanding stage show to England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Holland, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium and France. They have appeared twice at Chris Evans’ massive Car-Fest show and are a regular feature at all Harley Davidson European events. With tours getting bigger and bolder each year the band won’t rest until they are a household name everywhere! www.ultimateeagles.com  

And 2019 is brought right up to date with Danny releasing his most personal solo album ever. Myths, Legends and Lies is released in June 2019, backed by a press campaign that came about due to Danny falling victim to the Pledge Music Scandal, and by being the first artist to properly speak out. However, not withstanding, Danny’s hard core fan base came to his rescue and he has managed to complete the recording of the album, and meet all pledge obligations, making this album all the more special.

So who knows? Maybe it’s still all about the attention? 
But more than anything it will always be about the music.

www.dannyvaughn.com

The first incarnation of the band was under the name Aslan,[2] after a character in the novel The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. With money earned from local shows and T-shirt sales, they recorded a self-titled demo tape in 1986. After discovering another band with the same name, they changed theirs to Psychotic Waltz and recorded a new four-song demo in 1988.
In 1990, they debuted with their independently financed debut A Social Grace, which was released in Europe via a licensing deal with the German label Rising Sun Productions.[3] The album was very well received in Europe, being named album of the month in some European magazines such as Rock Hard and Metal Hammer. The situation in US was more difficult, as the album was released under the band´s own Sub Sonic Records label. With practically no promotion and minimal distribution, it remained an extremely underground item. In 1991, the band appeared at the Dynamo Festival in Holland.
After the tour, the band´s guitarist, Dan Rock, suffered a near-fatal accident after falling off a bridge while rappelling.[3] The band went on to record their second album, Into The Everflow.[4] The album was recorded from August–October, 1992, at Phoenix Studios in Herne, Germany, and was produced by Mekong Delta (band)´s main man, Ralph Hubert. After recording the album, but before its release, the band did a small tour while Dan Rock recovered from his accident. The CD was released in Europe on Dream Circle Records, and was very well received, getting album of the month honors in many European magazines. After Rock recovered, the band was nominated as the Best Hard Rock band at the 1992 San Diego Music Awards.[5]
By that time, the band was at the peak of their popularity. They signed with Ralph Hubert´s own label, Zardoz Music, for their third album, Mosquito. Recording took place in late 1994 in Record Plant and Madhatter studios in Los Angeles, with the help of the famous metal producer Scott Burns. The initial response for this album was mixed, as the more conventional songwriting that the band followed led some hardcore fans of the band to label it as a sell-out. This was the last album that was recorded with their initial lineup, as bassist Ward Evans left the band after three tours in Europe and was replaced with Phil Cuttino.
They entered the studio once again in 1996, for what proved to be their last studio work together, Bleeding. This time, Scott Burns did the engineering, but the record was mixed by Dan Rock and engineer Woody Barber. Before the band started touring in support for the new album, guitarist Brian McAlpin announced that he would not be able to follow the band due to familial obligations. He was replaced by Steve Cox for the band´s final two European tours. Phil Cuttino filmed a promotional video for the track "Faded". This proved to be disastrous for the band, as a crew member sued the band in April 1998,[6] claiming that a light on the set caused her to go blind.
The lengthy court battle that followed, coupled with the different musical interests that the band members had, contributed in the band´s demise. Buddy Lackey was the first to leave the band. For a short while, the remaining band members tried to continue with the band, but eventually each went his own way. Rock recorded two instrumental albums with his project Darkstar. Norm Leggio and Steve Cox created the band Teabag, and Buddy Lackey formed the band Deadsoul Tribe and later The Shadow Theory, where he performs under the name Devon Graves.

Atmosphäre und Power in Perfektion – Visions Of Atlantis live!
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS entführen den Hörer in eine längst vergessene Welt aus Mythen und Sagen: Ihre einzigartige Mischung aus symphonischen Kompositionen und Power Metal, gepaart mit einem atemberaubenden Gesangsduo, verzaubert die Metal-Welt bereits seit dem Jahr 2000.
Jetzt veröffentlicht die Band ihr erstes Live-Album: THE DEEP & THE DARK LIVE @ SYMPHONIC METAL NIGHTS ist der Beweis dafür, dass Visions Of Atlantis – wenn es um Flair und Live-Darbietung geht – zur Speerspitze ihres Genre gehören. Dieses Live-Opus legt das Hauptaugenmerk auf Songs des letzten Studio-Albums THE DEEP & THE DARK von 2018 und hebt das mystische Abendteuer rund um die Band auf eine ganze neue Ebene – kraftvoll und perfekt in Szene gesetzt.



Atmosphere and power in perfection – Visions Of Atlantis live!
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS take you to a world of myths, tales and the long forgotten seas: With a unique mixture of symphonic metal and power metal, paired with a fantastic female/male vocal duo, the Austrian quintet has been enchanting the metal world since 2000.
Now the band releases their very first live album: THE DEEP & THE DARK LIVE @ SYMPHONIC METAL NIGHTS proves that Visions Of Atlantis are at the top of their genre when it comes to atmosphere and live skills. With focus on songs of the latest studio album THE DEEP & THE DARK (2018), this live opus pushes the mystical adventure of VISIONS OF ATLANTIS to another level – powerful and perfectly executed.

OMNIUM GATHERUM

„The Burning Cold Continues…“

präsentiert von Black Harbour Entertainment, Century Media, metal.de & Rock Hard

SUPPORTS:
In Mourning & Heidra

THUNDERMOTHER OFFICIAL FACEBOOK

High Voltage Rock ´n´ Roll – Thundermother from Stockholm are the breathing and living embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll.
Founded in 2009 by guitar-heroine Filippa Nässil, the band started to rise steeply on the international stage after singer extraordinaire, Guernica Mancini, joined two years ago. With her blues-soaked voice that has invited comparison to several classic queens of rock music, these Swedish ladies have hit the jackpot. Driven by the hard-hitting pounding of drummer Emlee Johansson, these heavy rocking girls are sticking it to anyone claiming that rock ‘n’ roll is a male domain.
Touring relentlessly and with three albums under their belt, Thundermother are now getting ready to conquer the world!

Doppelter Festakt im Hause Freedom Call: Die Band um Sänger/Gitarrist Chris Bay
feiert in diesem Sommer nicht nur ihr 20-jähriges Jubiläum, sondern am 23. August
2019 auch die Veröffentlichung ihres zehnten Studioalbums mit dem
vielversprechenden Titel M.E.T.A.L. Seit ihrem 1999er Debüt Stairway To Fairyland
steht die süddeutsche Formation für hymnischen Melodic Metal mit eingängigen
Melodien und rasanten Grooves, für stimmungsvolle Botschaften mit optimistischen
Texten. All dieses und noch viel mehr findet man nun auch auf M.E.T.A.L., einem
uneingeschränkt überzeugenden Werk mit außergewöhnlichem Titel, den man laut
Bay „durchaus augenzwinkernd verstehen darf. Denn jeder weiß, dass wir nicht
unbedingt ultraderben Death Metal spielen. Unsere Musik darf ebenso wie der
Albumname gerne polarisieren, was seit seiner Ankündigung auf Facebook auch
bereits lebhaft passiert.“
Dass M.E.T.A.L. dennoch ein in jeder Hinsicht begeisterndes Freedom Call-Werk
geworden ist, erkennt man vom ersten Ton an. „Diejenigen, die das Album bereits
gehört haben, sagen, dass man sich einige der Stücke auch auf unseren ersten
Scheiben hätte vorstellen können“, erklärt Chris Bay nicht ohne Stolz, denn: „Für
mich sind solche Einschätzungen ein dickes Lob, denn sie bedeuten im
Umkehrschluss, dass es einen typischen musikalischen Fingerabdruck, eine
charakteristische Freedom Call-DNA gibt, der wir treu geblieben sind.“
Bay spricht von Nummern wie ‚Fly With Us‘, ‚Days Of Glory‘ oder ‚Ronin‘, die mit
ihrem imposanten Tempo und der geradezu überbordenden Spielfreude bei jedem
Fan die Hals- und Beinmuskeln animieren. An anderer Stelle nimmt das neue Album
auch schon mal etwas Schärfe heraus (‚One Step Into Wonderland‘) oder versprüht
in ‚Sail Away‘ ein atmosphärisches Seefahrer-Flair. Mit dem Titeltrack hat es zudem
eine in gleich mehrerer Hinsicht spektakuläre Bewandtnis. Bay: „Einerseits sind
solche stampfenden Groove-Nummern für uns eher ungewöhnlich, andererseits
kommt es in ‚M.E.T.A.L.‘ zu einem absoluten Novum.
Niemand Geringeres als Freedom Call-Gründungsmitglied und früherer
Schlagzeuger Daniel Zimmermann gab sich zum Jubiläum die Ehre, seine klare
Handschrift auf dem Album zu hinterlassen. Mit Kevin Kott zusammen, Seite an
Seite, Schulter an Schulter, wurde auf zwei Drumkits simultan zu diesem Song
getrommelt. Der eine ist auf dem linken, der andere auf dem rechten Kanal zu
hören.“ Übrigens: Die Einzigartigkeit des Sounds der zwei Schlagzeuge wird in Kürze
nicht nur zu hören sein, sondern auch in einem atemberaubenden Videoclip in Szene
gesetzt werden.
Während M.E.T.A.L. noch mit Live-Drummer Kevin Kott (Masterplan) eingespielt
wurde, gehen Freedom Call ab Sommer 2019 mit ihrem neuen Line Up auf Tour, zu
dem neben Bay und Leadgitarrist Lars Rettkowitz seit kurzem auch der italienische
Bassist Francesco Ferraro und Schlagzeuger Timmi Breideband gehören. Freedom
Call lernten Ferraro auf ihrer Tournee mit Rhapsody Of Fire kennen, in dessen
Vorprogramm der Florentiner mit seiner Band Vexillum auftrat. Breideband wiederum
hat vorher bei At Vance und Bonfire gespielt. „Francesco und Timmi bringen viele
neue Ideen und eine jugendlich-frische Attitüde in die Band“, freut sich Bay über
seine neuen Kollegen.
In die Geschäfte kommt M.E.T.A.L. in mehreren Konfigurationen: als DigiPak-CD, als
Vinyl-Doppelalbum, in digitaler Form und als limitiertes Box-Set inklusive
Handyhalter, Magnet, Poster, Autogrammkarte, Aufkleber und einer kleinen
Spielkarte. Die Bedeutung der als „Lebensjoker“ bezeichneten Karte, die in einem
thematischen Zusammenhang mit dem Song ‚The Ace Of The Unicorn‘ steht, erklärt
Bay ausführlich im Booklet der Scheibe. Ebenfalls programmatisch ist auch der Titel
der ersten Singleauskopplung ‚111‘ (mit dem „gefühlten“ Untertitel ‚The Number Of
The Angels‘). „111 ist in der Esoterik die Zahl der Engel“, erläutert Bay, „sie spielt
auch in meinem Leben eine große Rolle. Sie begegnet mir ständig, sei es bei der
Nummer eines Hotelzimmers, bei der Rechnung im Supermarkt oder auch bei
meinen Geburtsdaten. Ganz offensichtlich bin ich ein Einser- und damit ein
Lichtmensch.“
Apropos: Licht und Freude findet man auf M.E.T.A.L. in vielerlei Hinsicht. Freedom
Call strahlen auch auf ihrem zehnten Studioalbum pure Spielfreude, eine positive
Lebenseinstellung und große kompositorische Kompetenz aus. Und wer weiß:
Vielleicht werden all diejenigen, die dieses vitale Album hören, irgendwann selbst zu
„Lichtmenschen“.

Archspire - Death-Metal von einem anderen Planeten

Urspünglich unter dem Namen Defenestrated gestartet, war für die fünf Musiker Jaron Evil (Bass), Spencer Prewett (Schlagzeug), Tobi Morelli (Gitarre), Dean Lamb (Gitarre) und Shawn Hache (Gesang) aus Vancouver gleich klar, welche Richtung sie zusammen einschlagen möchten: Technischer Death Metal, oder kurz Tech-Death Metal. Also tief gestimmte Gitarren, blitzschnelle Gitarrenläufe, fast schon unmenschlich schnelles Schlagzeug und gutturaler Gesang, der einem Grunzen näher ist als einer menschlichen Stimme. Als wäre das nicht schon anspruchsvoll genug war allerdings auch klar, dass man sich nicht der üblichen Horror-Thematik des Genres hingeben möchte, sondern dem ganzen mit einem Geflecht aus Aliens und der Angst vor dem intergalaktischen eine komplett eigene Facette zu verpassen.

So entsteht 2011 dann auch bereits das erste Album All Shall Align, welches die Band nun auch unter ihrem aktuellen Namen Archspire veröffentlicht und ihnen prompt Auftritte mit Genregrößen wie Decapitated, Aborted und Fleshgod Apocalypse einbringt. Drei Jahre später erscheint mit The Lucid Collective nicht nur das zweite Werk, sondern auch ein Label Vertrag bei Seson of Mist sowie ein Sängerwechsel von Hache zu Oli Peters. Weitere Auftritte auf namhaften Festivals und eine ausgedehnte Tour folgen.

Kann man der Band auf den ersten beiden Alben allerdings noch eine gewisse Sterilität unterstellen, beschreitet das dritte Werk Relentless Mutation (VÖ: 2017) neue Wege und wagt den Spagat in Richtung Zugänglichkeit und einem organischeren Sound - mit Erfolg. Doch überzeugt Euch am besten selbst und erlebt die Jungs auf ihrer Tech Trek Tour Europe 2019 live.

THERE ISN’T much Welsh guitar legend Phil Campbell hasn’t done.

From three-plus decades as Motörhead’s axeman to being voted number 20 in the pole of top 100 Welsh Heroes (comfortably beating JPR Williams, Roald Dahl and Sir Anthony Hopkins) to covering a Norweigian promoter in squirty cheese, Pontypridd-born Campbell continues to live life to the fullest with guitar in hand and humour intact.

Growing up admiring the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Tony Iommi and Jimmy Page, Campbell was playing professionally at the age of 13 with cabaret band Contrast on the Welsh club circuit. He bought his first Les Paul in 1973, and only 5 years later (in 1978!) he formed popular heavy metal indie band Persian Risk. Spending several years gigging with Risk, in February 1984 Campbell auditioned for the vacant guitar slot in popular beat group Motörhead. He ended up sharing guitar duties with fellow auditionee (and partner-in-cheap-laughs) Michael Würzel Burston.

In a 32 year Motörcareer which spanned three drummers, the departure of Würzel and the appearance of a horse onstage, Campbell was a major creative force and identity for the legendary rockers, selling millions of albums, filling dozens of passports and finding fun and games wherever he went. With 16 studio albums under his belt, Campbell has co-written some of Motörhead’s most-loved songs, including “Orgasmatron”, “Going To Brazil” and “Rock Out”. In fact, since joining the band, Campbell has co-written 90% of Motörhead’s studio output. He has also enjoyed various accolades, including 4 Grammy nominations and one Grammy win (in 2005), two Golden God awards from Metal Hammer magazine, a Kerrang! award, an official proclamation from the City of Los Angeles in August 2015, and a grand total of 16 speeding fines. Bear in mind that Phil is also El Presedente of the Campbell Comedy Corporation.

Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, featuring Campbell alongside his three sons Todd (guitar), Dane (drums), Tyla (bass) and complemented by vocalist Neil Starr have stepped up their touring activities in 2016 and performed a blinder at Europe’s oldest, most prestigious metal festival, Wacken on August 3rd. Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons have just completed work on a self titled EP, which will be released in November 2016 by UDR Records.