Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy are really out of any standard as concerns the music industry we are all used to, they just play together, record and release any kind of album for any kind of project they may like in that particular moment. Morse became a devoted Christian in 2002 and since then he is busy in releasing solo albums on that field of the rock scene, always with a good eye on new side projects and collaborations, many of which along with his long time friend Mike Portnoy. Portnoy himself is so busy with his many projects, but never denies a collaboration or a guest appearance for Morse, both on his solo albums or for groups like the recent Flying Colors. Don't forget that Neal Morse founded and owns an indipendent record label, Radiant Records and the related recording studios in Nashville, Portnoy is often there and the two basically record whatever they like!!! These two together with bassist Randy George, another prominent figure within the American Christian progressive rock scene recently released Cover 2 Cover, an album (of covers obviously) that follows the 2006 Cover To Cover. This album too contains old tracks revisited by the three, for the joy of progressive rock fans that can listen to songs of a good variety of genres, played and adapted by these three progressive masters.

It's called Lillie: F-65, the new studio album by the American doom metal masters Saint Vitus. This is a cult band that marked and was essential for the whole doom metal scene since their beginnings in the eighties. Some say that somehow they invented this genre. Lillie: F-65 is their eighth studio album, and is released on April 27, 2012 through the indipendent rock metal label Season of Mist, 17 years after Die Healing and 22 years after the last studio album with Scott "Wino" Weinrich at vocals. The band re-united in 2003 after 6 years of break up and the current line-up is completed by drummer Henry Vasquez, who substituted the departed Armando Acosta in 2009. There is quite a curiosity on this comeback, partly due to the several different projects in which the charismatic frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich has been involved in last years, partly because doom metal genre is not really the most in vogue at the moment and some could maybe have thought... it was simply dead and forgotten. But the fierceness and grimaces of Saint Vitus raise from the ashes to tell us it's not true! Another lesson in doom...

Litfiba, for those who don't know it, is one of the most important rock bands in Italy for more than 30 years. Piero Pelù, founder and undiscussed band leader, re-united with long time friend and band mate Ghigo Renzulli in 2009, after ten years of solo career. And since then Litfiba undoubtedly revitalized, first with an extensive European tour based on their classics of the 80s (their dark wave, new wave period that marked an era for Italian rock), later with the issue of the live album Stato Libero Di Litfiba, more recently (2012) with the comeback studio album Grande Nazione. A new tour in Italy has just begun, more dates are surely to be planned for next months (all over the country and maybe in Europe too) but there is a big surprise for all Litfiba fans: on June 1 in their Florence, Litfiba will perform an amazing concert at the football Stadio Franchi, the home of their beloved Fiorentina. This will be the first time ever for them in front of such a big audience in their hometown and for that night only, they will host on stage most of the past members, such as Antonio Aiazzi, Federico Poggipollini, Daniele Trambusti e Gianni Maroccolo and with special guest another protagonist of the Tuscan dark wave scene of the eighties, Federico Fiumani, leader of Diaframma, who often collaborated with Litfiba in the past. If you are in Florence that day don't miss this!