Veljanov - “His Vita”
Alexander Veljanov gave us a very generous sample (almost 4 minutes long!) of a song from his forthcoming solo album Porta Macedonia a few days ago. As you’d expect, his vocals are superbly executed, but the music itself isn’t quite as powerful as what Ernst Horn produces with him for Deine Lakaien. Go check out the song “His Vita” on Veljanov’s MySpace page and hear for yourself.

Markus Winter - “Life Ain’t Worth Living”
Markus Winter also has a new sample of his upcoming single “Life Ain’t Worth Living“. It’s much shorter than the Veljanov sample, but should still give you an idea of what his 2009 album Life In Uncertain Times should sound like. You can hear the sample on the Hertzton MySpace page.

Many of you know Markus Winter as the creative force behind the band Hertzton, but that’s not the only project he is involved with. Recently, Winter announced a new single called “Life Ain’t Worth Living” that will be released under his own name on September 12th as a download only. You should be able to find it on all the major music download sites like iTunes and MusicLoad.de on that date.

The single has 2 versions of the blues-influenced ballad “Life Ain’t Worth Living” (the normal version and an acoustic version), and 2 instrumentals, “The Chase” and “Schattentänzer”. The songs are said to be quite different from the typical style of Hertzton, perhaps a sign of change for his upcoming album Life in Uncertain Times as well. We’ll have more news on that as the January 23, 2009, album release date comes closer.

Markus Winter - “Life Ain’t Worth Living” single tracklisting
01. Life Ain’t Worth Living (single version)
02. The Chase
03. Schattentänzer (jahrhundertstein instrumental)
04. Life Ain’t Worth Living (acoustic version)

If the name Hertzton sounds familiar to you, don’t worry, you’re not imagining things. Just last year, the band led by Markus Winter released their album Schattentänzer, but they are already back with their followup Metamorphose. Released on May 18th, Metamorphose consists of 12 tracks and can be fully downloaded for just 9.95 Euros (which is about $13.38) on Musicload.de. You can also download a song individually for 1.09 Euros (or $1.47) on the same site by clicking the album details. Hertzton’s 2 previous albums are also available for the same price.

Markus is influenced by a wide variety of bands from many different genres. His music can be described as sounding like anything from Rammstein to Wolfsheim to Die Toten Hosen. The sound of Metamorphose specifically is more gothic rock with strong electronic undertones. To hear a sampling of Hertzton’s music for yourself, head on over to their Myspace page and have a listen.

Metamorphose tracklist
01. Verführer
02. Herz der Unendlichkeit
03. Du wartest
04. Schattentänzer
05. Hertzhammer
06. Mauern aus Eis
07. Come stai???
08. Eiszeit im Paradies
09. Licht und Schatten
10. Zaubermond
11. Hörst du mich?
12. Als ich mein Herz zu Grabe trug

For more info about Hertzton, check out their website at Hertzton.net.