PRAYING MANTIS To Release New Live CD/DVD, Keep It Alive, In December; Official Live Video For "Highway" Streaming

October 9, 2019, 5 years ago

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PRAYING MANTIS To Release New Live CD/DVD, Keep It Alive, In December; Official Live Video For "Highway" Streaming

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of Praying Mantis' new live CD/DVD, Keep It Alive, on December 6. Watch their performance of "Highway" below, and pre-order the album/video or stream audio of "Highway" here.

Recorded live at Frontiers Rock Festival V in Milan, Italy on April 28, 2018, this brand new live release shows Praying Mantis offering the crowd a setlist of new songs and several classic tracks, including selected cuts from the now legendary debut album, "Time Tells No Lies". An awesome release, showcasing the repertoire of one of the most consistent British hard rock bands around.

Originally formed in 1973 by the Troy brothers, Tino and Chris, Praying Mantis became one of the most influential bands of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). The band is also one of a very small number of bands from that era to have remained an ongoing concern over the intervening years, and to still record and appear live regularly. The debut Praying Mantis album, Time Tells No Lies (Arista) was released in 1981 to critical acclaim, and it remains a significant milestone in the history of NWOBHM.

Following a short-lived reformation of most of the original lineup of Praying Mantis in 1987, the band went back on hiatus until offered the chance to play in Japan with ex-Iron Maiden members Paul Di'Anno and Dennis Stratton in 1990. This experience injected new life into the band, and also marked the beginning of a productive 15 year partnership with Dennis Stratton. The band's second official studio album, Predator in Disguise, was released in 1991, and the band have continued to write and release new material every two to three years ever since, with a shifting line-up which has featured the likes of Doogie White, Gary Barden, Bernie Shaw, Bruce Bisland, Mike Freeland, Gary Mackenzie, and many other figures from the cream of Britain's rock fraternity. Following another major change in lineup (including the departure of Dennis Stratton), Praying Mantis signed with Frontiers in 2007 and recorded the album Sanctuary, which was released in 2009. The album, considered to be one of the finest of their career, has received consistently positive reviews, as have the follow-ups, Legacy and Gravity.

Whether gigging in support of their latest releases, writing new material, or re-visiting other songs from their extensive back-catalogue, the Troy brothers, along with guitarist Andy Burgess and newest recruits, John 'Jaycee' Cuijpers on vocals and Hans In T' Zandt on drums and vocals, remain committed to the blend of melody and power in their music that has become a trademark of the Praying Mantis sound, and, some three decades after forming, the band is still completely dedicated to entertaining a seemingly ever-growing army of fans across the globe.

Tracklisting:

"Captured City"
"Panic In The Streets"
"Highway"
"Believable"
"Keep It Alive"
"Mantis Anthem"
"Dream On"
"Fight For Your Honour"
"Time Slipping Away"
"Children Of The Earth"

"Highway" video:

Lineup:

John 'Jaycee' Cuijpers - lead vocals
Andy Burgess - guitars
Tino Troy - guitars and vocals
Chris Troy - bass guitar and vocals
Hans In T' Zandt - drums


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