So, what are you listening to these days?
Welcome to Wondercafe2!
A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Time to scream "f*** Cancer" again. Learned this morning that American powerhouse singer and vocal coach Amanda Somerville has a malignant brain tumour. She is married to Dutch guitarist and producer Sander Gommans (co-founder of the band After Forever, for whom Amanda provided backing vocals) and they have three children. She has been vocalist in a number of bands and projects over the decades, singing backup for (and coaching) vocalists like Floor Jansen and Simone Simons as well letting loose with some spectacular vocals of her own.
From 2019, Amanda takes lead on this cover of a Jim Steinman-Bonnie Tyler classic from metal supergroup Exit Eden. She sat out their second album a couple years ago due to family obligations but was a key member on the first album.
Covering Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" in a concert with the band Angra in 2023 (my favourite version after Kate's).
From Kiske/Somerville, her team-up with Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske.
We in the metal world are praying for Amanda, hoping she can find a way through this. She's way too young and way too good to lose now.
From 2019, Amanda takes lead on this cover of a Jim Steinman-Bonnie Tyler classic from metal supergroup Exit Eden. She sat out their second album a couple years ago due to family obligations but was a key member on the first album.
Covering Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" in a concert with the band Angra in 2023 (my favourite version after Kate's).
From Kiske/Somerville, her team-up with Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske.
We in the metal world are praying for Amanda, hoping she can find a way through this. She's way too young and way too good to lose now.
JayneWonders
Administrator
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Her
just saw a post by a new friend, and she was standing with Ferron!
It made me listen to Testimony again.
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I first came across EGRES, a Finnish indie prog metal act, a few years ago. The sister of their original vocalist is a member of Floorworld and promo'd the band there. That vocalist has moved on (said sister is now an auntie) but they found a capable successor. They are not exactly the most productive band as far as recordings and videos, but what they have put out is quite good. This is their latest.
There was a song years ago with the words: "all alone am I, ever since you said good-bye" ... Skeeter Davis? The stuff that got by was fierce ...
Mendalla
Happy headbanging ape!!
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
From the "WOW" file:
I am usually not a fan of the whole TV reality talent genre. But every now and then, lightning strikes. And it struck on America's Got Talent this year. A 16-year-old metal and rock singer and guitarist named Nene Royal won and what a performer she is. Solid guitarist (she's been playing since she was 7) and pretty good on vocals, too. Her audition cover of The Cranberries' "Zombie" is amazing, with Nene ripping out some beautiful screams in a very heavy metal version of the song.
And from the finale, Nene teams up with nu metal greats Linkin Park for their hit "The Emptiness Machine" (the song that relaunched the band 2 years ago), taking Mike Shinoda's parts opposite Emily Armstrong.
PS. I hope Nene took notes because Emily is one of the finest screamers out there right now.
Four years ago, though, Nene was just another teenager in Phuket, Thailand. Who just happened to be able to rip through a cover of Dragonforce's classic "Through the Fire and the Flames" like nobody else. That she could play a Herman Li solo at 12 without embarrassing herself says a lot about how much raw talent this girl has. Looking forward to her career going forward. She's opening for American modern metal band Avenged Sevenfold when they play Singapore on October 13.
And to close, given her age, an obvious comparison is Mexican rock band The Warning, three sisters who were aged 9-14 when their viral cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" launched their career. They are now one of the biggest bands in rock and metal globally, and have 5 studio albums out at an age (the sisters now range 21-26) when many bands are still on their first or second. So perhaps it's fitting that Nene finished her AGT run by teaming with The Warning for their recent hit "Kerosene".
Yes, America's Got Talent featured a Thai playing with three Mexicans. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I love globalization at least in music.
I am usually not a fan of the whole TV reality talent genre. But every now and then, lightning strikes. And it struck on America's Got Talent this year. A 16-year-old metal and rock singer and guitarist named Nene Royal won and what a performer she is. Solid guitarist (she's been playing since she was 7) and pretty good on vocals, too. Her audition cover of The Cranberries' "Zombie" is amazing, with Nene ripping out some beautiful screams in a very heavy metal version of the song.
And from the finale, Nene teams up with nu metal greats Linkin Park for their hit "The Emptiness Machine" (the song that relaunched the band 2 years ago), taking Mike Shinoda's parts opposite Emily Armstrong.
PS. I hope Nene took notes because Emily is one of the finest screamers out there right now.
Four years ago, though, Nene was just another teenager in Phuket, Thailand. Who just happened to be able to rip through a cover of Dragonforce's classic "Through the Fire and the Flames" like nobody else. That she could play a Herman Li solo at 12 without embarrassing herself says a lot about how much raw talent this girl has. Looking forward to her career going forward. She's opening for American modern metal band Avenged Sevenfold when they play Singapore on October 13.
And to close, given her age, an obvious comparison is Mexican rock band The Warning, three sisters who were aged 9-14 when their viral cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" launched their career. They are now one of the biggest bands in rock and metal globally, and have 5 studio albums out at an age (the sisters now range 21-26) when many bands are still on their first or second. So perhaps it's fitting that Nene finished her AGT run by teaming with The Warning for their recent hit "Kerosene".
Yes, America's Got Talent featured a Thai playing with three Mexicans. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I love globalization at least in music.
Last edited: