Last Friday was a great, GREAT day, friends, finally able to dust the baby off and check off ALL of the boxes....masters on their way to Mortal Music, Inc. and MVD Entertainment Group....it's a beautiful thing!!!

HUGE kudos to Neil Kernon, Alan Douches & all at West West Side Music, and Scott Jackson Monsterman Graphic for being the amazing PROs that they are and helping us meet out deadline today....you guys rule!!!

Stay tuned for more info!

Season's Greetings, friends, we'd like to start the year end wrap-up by wishing you and yours a very safe, happy, healthy holiday season,
and all the best for a prosperous New Year!!

New studio album update

We're very happy to tell you that tracking for the new record is finally complete (insert fanfare and Chicago Blackhawks goal horn) and everything is now in the hands of masterful producer Neil "The Chief" Kernon to begin mixing!! We don't have an exact timetable for the release yet but we're hopeful that it will hit the streets late spring...and YES, for all of you that have been asking, it will indeed be out in CD format as well as digital and will contain the six songs from the IV v1.0 and IV v2.0 digi-releases! Stay tuned for more info...

Seemless now available to stream in full.
As a little Christmas/Holiday treat and token of our appreciation to all of you wonderful friends out there, we've decided to finally make the song, Seemless, of off the IV v2.0 release availabe to stream in full for a limited time. You can check it out here: http://www.reverbnation.com/ionvein/song/19552564-seemless

Photos from the Fates Warning show 
We had a blast sharing the stage with FW on 11/15 at Mojoe's to kick off their North American tour and have some great fan photos that you guys can check out here: http://on.fb.me/1cs5PyC Our official photos will be coming soon after the holidays.

2014
As the year draws to a close, we'd like to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you that continue to support us and to be patient as we continue to work hard to get new music out to you. We're excited at what lies ahead in 2014 with the release of the new album, more shows, hopefully some touring, and more opportunies to get out and see you guys, so please keep in touch, and continue to spread the word about Ion Vein to anyone and everyone that you can!

Cheers!
Chris, Chuck, Scott, Rob, and Rich

We're stoked to be direct support for Fates Warning at Mojoe's in Joliet, IL on Friday, November 15th....we'll see you there!!

From Chris: Back in '87 I heard Fates Warning's The Apparition on a Metal Blade Records compilation album and they became a HUGE influence in my formative years as a writer and musician...we finally get to share the stage with them
on Fri, Nov 15th at Mojoes in Joliet, IL....I couldn't be more excited!!

Here's the official invite...looking forward to seeing everyone....let me know if you want tix in advance....cheers!

https://www.facebook.com/events/411220472317693/

Today marks the 10TH ANNIVERSARY of the Reigning Memories album release featuring the original line-up of Russ Klimczak (vox), Chris Lotesto (gtr), John Malufka (gtr), Brian Gordon (bass), and Scott Lang (drums) on our label, Majesphere Records. It was later re-released in 2005 by the now defunct UK label, Now & Then Records, to the European and Asian markets.

To commemorate this special day, we are offering a $10 deal for the CD/t-shirt (size L only and limited quantity) and $5 for the CD plus shipping. Please email if you're interested.

From Chris: "My how time flies, it's crazy to think it's been 10 years already but we can all look back and appreciate what a special time it was for the band and for this album, we're all very proud of it! Please let us know your favorite song off the record and/or your favorite reigning memory from that album cycle...cheers, friends!"

Here is one of our favorite album reviews:

Why are independent releases so damn good?
February 11, 2004
By Murat Batmaz
5 out of 5

I can't believe such a great band is still not signed to a decent label that could support them and promote them a little better. There are so many average bands out there with great contracts, yet all they do is put out mediocre material at best. On the other hand, there are bands like Ion Vein who, despite their incredibly amazing sophomore album Reining Memories, are still going as an indepedent band. Hopefully the success of this CD is going to get them signed. If it doesn't happen, we must do our best to support them keep going and making killer music.

After appearing on various tribute albums for bands such as Queensryche, King Diamond, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, and Dio, Ion Vein finally released their first album Beyond Tomorrow, which was a very good release but failed to bring them much critical acclaim. Now with Reigning Memories and the addition of excellent producer Neil Kernon, who formerly produced albums of Judas Priest, Queensryche, Nevermore, and Spiral Architect just to name a few, they have returned with a killer album: Reigning Memories. It's been 4 years since the debut came out but the long wait was definitely worth it. I cannot stress enough how much I love this album. It is... AMAZING!

What does Ion Vein sound like? They are a very talented heavy metal band strictly rooted in the mid-80's prog metal and borrow influences from early Queensryche, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory regarding their song structures. Musically they also share common characteristics with bands like Iron Maiden (the fiery double guitar work), Nevermore (the overall dark feel), mid-90's era Iced Earth (the heavy rhythm work). Remember The Warning-era Queensryche? Try to think of them with a perfect production, more twisted prog structures, a less high-pitched singer, and a more competitive drummer and bassist. Guitarists Chris Lotesto and John Malufka are a great duo playing powerful riffs, haunting guitar solos, and insanely catchy melodies. The intricate playing is absolutely stunning. Vocalist Russ Klimczak is simply a fantastic singer. While he has a voice all his own, he strangely reminds me of one of my favourite prog metal singers Keith Sudano from Eternity X. Not necessarily in tone but dynamics. Geoff Tate and Ray Alder also come to mind at times, though Russ' voice doesn't really sound like anyone else's I've heard recently. He delivers each and every song with tons of emotion and pours out his heart every time. Drummer Scott Lang does some of the most interesting fills and rolls and the perfect production with the crisp sound just makes things better. Bassist Brian Gordon is listed as an additional musician in the booklet as he was no longer a member when this was recorded.

Chris Lotesto also plays the keyboards, although there isn't much of it on this 64-minute disc. This is foremost a pure heavy metal album with subtle progressive overtones. The music simply echoes the glory days of Queensryche. When they were one of the most unique bands on the planet. Believe me, if their new album had been Reigning Memories instead of Tribe, they would now be the most idolized band ever. It's a shame that this Chicage, IL based band might go unnoticed for a few more years... but I am sure: sooner or later they will be discovered. Because they're way too good to get lost amongst the thousands of crappy bands out there. They will stand out somehow. Mark my words.

The lyrics reflect a dark and quite introspective look at life and it is quite easy to relate to them. The "Adrian's Ladder" trilogy towards the end is very moving and epic in feel and masterfully crafted. After the short instrumental intro, "Another Life" provides a perfect introduction to the band's sound. The twin guitar work is jaw-dropping and the vocals send shivers down your spine. The catchy yet unpredictable writing of "The Power of You", the killer vocal harmonizing of "Faith and Majesty" (thus the Keith Sudano resemblance), the saxophone-supported acoustic ballad "Twilight Garden" and the insanely unusual and technical prog masterpiece "Reigning Memories" are just SOME of the killer songs on this CD. Do yourself and this band a favour - BUY this CD. You will be thankful forever.