NEONFLY
***Superlative 'Strangers In Paradise' Second Album Released December 1, Following Special Guest Slot On Entire Dragonforce Sept / Oct UK Tour***
Mighty new hard driving melodic metal rockers Neonfly are set to release their awesome, hotly anticipated second studio album 'Strangers In Paradise', produced by Dennis Ward (Angra, Michael Kiske, Krokus, Pink Cream 69, Unisonic), on December 1st on Inner Wound Records. 'Better Angels', a taster taken from the album, will be released as a download single a week prior, on November 24th.
Neonfly, a dynamic young band who have already won a slew of eyebrow-raising high profile support slots on tours with the likes of Alice Cooper, Magnum, H.E.A.T, Sonata Arctica, Pagan's Mind and Freedom Call, have now been confirmed as special guest act on Dragonforce's (mostly sold out) upcoming September / October UK tour:-
17th September EDINBURGH Liquid Room
18th September ABERDEEN Lemon Tree
19th September GLASGOW King Tuts
23rd September CARLISLE Brickyard
24th September MIDDLESBROUGH Empire
25th September MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
26th September STOKE Sugarmill
27th September BIRMINGHAM Template
30th September BRIGHTON The Haunt
1st October SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
2nd October PLYMOUTH The Hub
3rd October BRIDGEND Hobo's
4th October BRISTOL Thekla
7th October LEEDS Brudenell
8th October NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
9th October COLCHESTER Arts Centre
10th October NORWICH Waterfront
11th October LONDON Bush Hall
Neonfly, who comprise Willy Norton on vocals, Frederick Thunder on guitars, Patrick Harrington on guitars, Paul Miller on bass and Boris Le Gal on drums, won hordes of new fans over in the UK when they went down a storm on Magnum's Spring 2014 UK tour. Powerplay reviewed them at Nottingham's Rock City, the night after their van had been broken into and nearly all their gear, (worth about '10K), had been stolen; despite this, they soldiered on, having borrowed, begged or hired replacement kit earlier that day, and completed the tour. 'I can't remember when I last saw a support band enjoying themselves this much. Their jollity was catching too, and by the end of their set, they had won a lot of new friends' (Martin Howell, June 2104 issue). Classic Rock's Adam Aiken reviewed them at Norwich Waterfront in July's issue, noting 'Neonfly's heavy riffs are complemented by the soaring vocals of frontman Willy Norton. With nods to Evanescence and Rush, they grow in confidence throughout the set, and closer 'Morning Star' ' complete with pleasantly catcchy chorus ' provides the highlight, as this exciting five-piece shoow that a new generation is keeping prog alive and well.'
Neonfly released their explosive debut album 'Outshine The Sun', in September 2011 on Rising Records, to critical acclaim. Powerplay's Bruce Turnbull awarded the album 8/10 in the September 2011 issue, stating that 'This is an enjoyable, heartwarming album with a rather a cool, almost traditional edge in the guitar work, mid-paced percussion, and a slew of AOR melodies that keep songs like 'Broken Wings', 'The Enemy' and 'Ship With No Sails' catchy and memorable.'
Classic Rock's Tommy Udo reviewed 'Outshine The Sun' in October 2011's issue, proclaiming 'They're a young band still in thrall to their influences, but If they can write stuff as good as 'Ship With No Sails' and 'Morning Star' now, then when they develop a truer voice of their own they'll be pretty much unstoppable.'
The band then hit the road, first supporting Freedom Call and then Pagan's Mind in 2011, before progressing to major stages at 2012 festivals such as Masters Of Rock (CZ), Galapagai Roko Naktys Festival (LT), and Download in the UK, where they earned a nod of approval from no less than the Daily Mail; 'Other honourable mentions for Friday also have to go to Slash, still the coolest guy in rock, and London-based Neonfly who performed early on the acoustic stage.'
A full European tour as main support to Magnum in the Autumn of 2012 was followed by a UK tour in support of Finnish melodic metallers Sonata Arctica. Neonfly were invited back to the Masters Of Rock Festival in 2013, where they excelled in front of 10,000 baying punters, before returning to the UK to light up the Sophie Lancaster Stage at Bloodstock 2013. Neonfly's rapidly rising reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the live arena then won them an invitation to open for Alice Cooper on the German leg of his Raise The Dead Tour 2013.
Neonfly, who had been writing and honing new songs down constantly on the road over the previous three years, then began recording what was to become 'Strangers In Paradise', at Hofa Studios in Frankfurt, with Dennis Ward, who they had met and gelled with at Masters Of Rock 2012.
'Strangers In Paradise' is the work of a band who have patently grown in stature and now very much developed their own true musical and lyrical voice. Issues addressed include invasion, addiction, social injustice, political corruption, the end of innocence and emotional loss. The album artwork, inspired by Aztec / Mesoamerican culture, is courtesy of up and coming US artist Jorge 'Qetza' Garza.
Particular highlights among the ten expertly produced and perfectly performed compositions on 'Strangers In Paradise' include the soaring single 'Better Angels', the hard driving 'Highways To Nowhere', the melodious, proggy 'Heart Of The Sun', and the balladic album closer 'Falling Star'.
