THE DECCAN TRAPS

 

 

 

 Escape Music has the greatest pleasure to announce the release date for The Deccan Traps self titled album featuring the legendary guitarist Sir Brian May of the band Queen on guitar, with 300 limited edition double Vinyl “Side A+B Blue Solid colour and  side C+D Snowy White colour” all will be numbered 1-300!

 

 

   

 

 

CD VERSION

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VINYL VERSION

 £27.99 + Shipping

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 Release Date: 21st November 2025
 CD Catalogue No: ESM406
 CD Bar Code: 503128100406 2
 Vinyl catalogue No: ESMV1036
 Vinyl Barcode: 503128101036 0 

 The Deccan Traps are:

 Ricardo Afonso – Vocals , Neil Fairclough – Bass Guitar/Backing vocals, John Dagnall –  Piano/Guitar/Drums/Backing vocals,  Lois Dagnall – Backing vocals , Johnny Heyes – Guitar, Neil  Edwards – Piano/Hammond/Keyboards, Andy Treacey - Drums

 With very Special guest appearance Sir Brian May!

 Track List Vinyl:

 Side One
 1. Sun & Moon  4:36
 2. Chain Me (To The Wall)  4:29
 3. Spellbound  4:51
 4. Until You Love Me 4:46
 

 Side Two
 1.The Great Divide  6:47
 2. Are You Ready To Rock  2:48
 3. Moonlight  4:38
 4. Live It Up  4:29 

 Side Three
 1. Beautiful  3:25
 2. Dream Of A Thousand Nights  10:10 (Featuring Sir Brian May on Guitar and Speech)! 

 Side Four
 1. All You Need   4:45
 2. Beautiful (The Salford Session Live)  3:25
 3. Live It Up (The Salford Session Live)  6:44 (Bonus Track LP Only)
 4. Spellbound (The Salford Session Live)  4:49

 Track List CD.
 1. Sun & Moon  4:36
 2. Chain Me (To The Wall)  4:29
 3. Spellbound  4:51
 4. Until You Love Me 4:46
 5.The Great Divide  6:47
 6. Are You Ready To Rock  2:48
 7. Moonlight  4:38
 8. Live It Up  4:29
 10. Beautiful  3:25
 11. Dream Of A Thousand Nights  10:10
 12. All You Need   4:45
 13. Beautiful (The Salford Session Live)  3:25
 14. Spellbound (The Salford Session Live)  4:49

 

 THE DECCAN TRAPS BIOGRAPHY - The beginning

 Neil Fairclough, Lois Fairclough, John Dagnall, Neil Edwards, Andy Treacey and Johnny Heyes met at Manchester Music College in early 1990s. In addition to becoming lifelong friends, they have worked together on and off ever since.

 The Deccan Traps project began when Neil F, Lois and John started writing songs together over a decade ago. As Lois is Neil’s sister and now John’s wife, the chemistry was immediate. Between them, they had a shared passion for Rock, Funk, Jazz and Classical  music, having grown up listening to everything from Queen and Rainbow to Stevie Wonder and Weather Report, to Mozart and Prokofiev. However, they were writing epic Rock songs and wanted to create an brilliant Rock band with the guys to do the music justice;  not only to record but to play live. Only one thing missing…

 Ricardo! 

 Big songs needed a big singer; enter Ricardo Afonso. Ricardo was born in Angola, Africa but grew up in Portugal. After singing in local bands, he made the move to London to take up the lead role of Galileo in Queen’s musical We Will Rock You at the Dominion theatre, London and blitzed the role of Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webbers Rock Musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican.

 Neil had been the touring bass player for Queen + Adam Lambert since 2011, a position he still occupies today. Through some mutual friends, Neil reached out to Ricardo and following a meeting in a back street pub in London, it was immediately obvious  that Ricardo was not only a phenomenal vocalist but also the musical soulmate that they were looking for. The Deccan Traps was born.

 Initial recordings with the now completed line-up began at Parr Street, the legendary Liverpool recording studio, but shortly after disaster struck when Ricardo suffered a career ending medical problem with his vocal cords. It looked like The Deccan Traps was  over before it had begun.

 Ricardo returned to Portugal to recuperate and reassess his options. In between tours, the rest of TDT continued recording the backing tracks, backing vocals and solos, with the sad realisation that eventually, they would have to find a new singer.

 However, unbeknownst to the rest of The Deccan Traps, Ricardo had been secretly, slowly and patiently working with a vocal specialist in Portugal to bring his voice back so he could complete the recordings  ̶  it worked. He flew into Liverpool and after an  incredibly hardcore vocal recording session (9 tracks in two days!), the songs could be completed. The guys put finishing touches to the recordings, rehearsing in Manchester ready to launch in the early part of 2020 after Neil completed the Queen + Adam Lambert tour in the Far East. Then the pandemic hit…

 With Ricardo in Portugal and the rest of the guys split between Manchester and London, rather than being defeated by the disappearance of gigs and international travel and postpone release, TDT decided to release some of their music as singles, one track at  a time with a video until such time as the completed album could be released and the vision finally realised

 

 

 

 


 

 

 


KHALIL TURK & FRIENDS
TURKISH DELIGHT : VOLUME III

 

 

 

 Escape Music is delighted to announce the release date for Khalil Turk & Friends Turkish Delight III new studio album titled “Volume3" with 500 limited edition double Vinyl “Side A+B  Cool Blue colour and side C+D Bloody Mary colour” all will be numbered 1-500!
With hand signed postcard by Khalil!

 

   

 

 

CD VERSION

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VINYL VERSION

 £27.99 + Shipping

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 Release Date: 7th November 2025
 CD Catalogue No: ESM405
 CD Bar Code: 503128100405 5
 Vinyl catalogue No: ESMV1034
 Vinyl Barcode: 503128101034 6

 Featuring musicians:
 Steve Walsh (Kansas/Street)
 Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple)
 Robin  Mc Auley (MSG/Black Swan/solo)
 James LaBrie (Dream Theatre/solo)
 Steve Overland (FM/Lonerider)
 Harry Hess (Harem Scarem),
 Kent Hilli: Vocals (Giant/Perfect Plan)
 Dino Jelusick (Jelusick/Trans Siberian Orchestra/Dirty Shirley/ George Lynch)
 Ralf Sheepers (Primal Fears/Gamma Ray)
 Jerome  Mazza (Pinnacle Point/Kansas)
 Craig Brooks: Vocals (Touch)
 Dan Reed (Dan Reed Network)
 Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen/Ted Nugent/Ring Of Fire)
 Andrew Freeman (Great White/Last In Line)
 Mick  Devine (Seven/The Roads)
 Mick Box (Uriah Heep)
 Kee Marcello: Lead guitars
 Marty Friedman: Lead guitar
 Howard Leese (Heart/Bad Company)
 Mike  Slamer (Streets/Seventh Key/Steve Walsh/City Boy)
 Doug Aldrich: Lead guitar (Whitesnake/ The Dead Daisies/Hurricane/Dio)
 Mitch Perry: Guitars (MSG)
 Ivan Keller: Lead guitar (Jelusick)
 Jimmy Westerlund: Lead guitars, keyboards (One Desire)
 Laurence Archer (Grand Slam/Thin Lizzy/solo)
 Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed/Eclipse)
 Peter Hallgren
 Robby Boebel RIP: Guitars (Ray Of Light/Frontline/Phantom 5)
 Vinny Appice: Drums (Last In Line/Black Sabbath/Dio)
 Ian Paice: Drums (Deep Purple)
 Josh  Devine (One Direction/Levara/Sign Of The Wolf)
 Johan Kullberg (Hammerfall)
 Chuck Wright: Bass (House of Lords/Giuffria)
 Steve  Mann (MSG/Lionheart)
 Chris  Childs (Thunder/Lonerider/Tyketto)
 Nick Foley (Atack)
 Jeff Pilson (Foreinger/Black Swan/Lynch Mob)
 Billy  Sheehan (Mr Big/The Flood/ Winery Dog)
 Adam Wakeman (Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne)
 David Ragsdale: Violin (Kansas)
 Wayne Banks (Saxon/Brazen Abbot/Robin Gibb)
 Takeaki Itoh (Pinnacle Point)
 Robert Sall: Lead guitar  (Work of Art/W.E.T/Overland)
 Mark Mangold: Keyboards (Keys/Touch/Drive She Said)
 Matteo Filippini: Rhythm guitar
 Barend Courbois: Bass (MSG/Micheael Schenker Group)
 Bodo Schopf: Drums (MSG/Micheael Schenker Group)
 Rocky Newton: Bass (Lionheart/Grand Slam)
 Gregg Fox: Keyboards (Renaissance Rock Orchestra)
 Michael T.Ross (Hardline/Missing Persons/XYZ/Lita Ford)
 Kjell Haraldsson (Glen Hughes)
 Alessandro Mori: Drums
 Nik Mazzucconi: Bass

 

 Track Listing:

 1. A Moment of Truth  5:34 (Featuring James Labrie)
 2. Out of the Dark  5:05 (Featuring Harry Hess)
 3. City of Lights  5:15  (Featuring Steve Walsh/Jerome Mazza)
 4. The Voice Inside  4:32 (Featuring Steve Overland/Kee Marcello)
 5. In the Shadows of the Night  4:44 (Featuring Dan Reed)
 6. Bag of Your Bones  4:28 (Featuring Dino Jelusick/Jimmy Westurland/Ivan Keller)
 7. Chasing the Dream  5:07  (Featuring Robin McAuley/Howard Leese)
 8. History  5:07 (featuring Jerome Mazza/Mick Box)
 9. I am the Night  7:56  (Featuring Andrew Freeman/Doug Aldrich)
 10. Rose in Hell  6:59 (Featuring Glenn Hughes/Mike Slamer)
 11. Closer to Heaven  3:55 (Featuring Kent Hilli)
 12. The Nero Decree  5:28 (Featuring Marty Friedman/Ralf Sheepers)
 13. Turn Your Head Around  4:00 (Featuring Mick Devine)
 14. Wreckage  4:13  (Featuring Craig Brooks/Doug Aldrich) 

 Produced by Khalil Turk for Escape Music Ltd

 Mixed and Mastered by Fredrik Folkare

 Artwork Design by Eric Philippe

  

 Turkish Delights Vol III

  ‘Turkish Delights Volume Three to celebrates the absolute joy that Escape Music co-owner Khalil Turk has for the kind of music he loves so much and has spent the last thirty and then some years championing. Indeed, his enthusiasm for a new band or a new  song today is no different from when I first met him in the mid ‘80’s. I lost count of the number of phone calls he made to me when I was working for ‘Kerrang!’ magazine, where he would excitedly tell me ‘Dave, you just have to listen to this! It’s brilliant!  You’ll love it!’ before playing me something over the phone – new and often obscure - he had picked up on his international record buying trips. Nine and a half times out of ten he’d be right!! 

 Khalil’s quality control has been such that the record label he co-founded with fellow melodic rock enthusiast Barrie Kirtley in 1995 remains reliably and solidly in place all these years later. Escape continues to deliver monthly doses of quality hard  rock, melodic rock and AOR to a very devoted following.  

  Khalil had first entered the music business in the early ‘90’s, effectively as a talent scout for the German owned Long Island label. However, after the company folded, Turk felt  that, rather than look at opportunities with other labels, he had the enthusiasm  and now had rather more knowledge of the inner workings of the music business to put something together himself alongside the equally enthusiastic and astute Kirtley. We’ve seen hundreds of solid album releases from a huge variety of acts (including AXE, Steve  Walsh (Kansas), John Elefante (Kansas), Lonerider, Shadowman, Alliance, Pinnacle Point, Mass, Heartland, Grand Illusion, Overland, Last Autumn’s Dream, Punky Meadows, ColdSpell, Chris Ousey, Ozone, Hurricane, Lonerider and Touch, to name just a few) as well  as reissues (from Aviator, Sugarcreek, Jon Butcher Axis, Franke And The Knockouts, FM, Tantrum and Surrender, Zon, Hanover Fist etc) ever since.

  So here we are, over thirty years since that first Escape Music album appeared hot off the presses (Heartland’s ‘III’ album in November 1995, if you’re asking) and this collection of songs, personally chosen by Khalil, reiterates that pure joy he still possesses for the music he is utterly immersed by.

  With new material from the pens of Fredrik Folkare (Eclipse), Peter Hallgren, Steve Mann (MSG/Lionheart/OuseyMann) Steve Overland FM/Lonerider), Robin McAuley (MSG/Black Swan), Mick Devine, Chris Childs (Thunder/Lonerider), there’s also a list of musicians  culled from Khalil’s contact book that, quite frankly, is VERY impressive. Just a few names appearing on ‘Turkish Delights Vol 3’ to throw at you include Steve Walsh (Kansas), James LaBrie (Dream Theatre/solo) Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) Howard Lesse (Heart/Bad  Company), Billy Sheehan (Talas/David Lee Roth/Mr Big), Ralf Sheepers (Primal Fears/Gamma Ray), Jeff Pilson (Fireigner/Black Swan), Kent Hilli, Chris Childs (Thunder), Kee Marcello (Europe) Andrew Freeman (Great White/Last In Line), Mick Devine (7), Steve Mann (MSG/Lionheart),  Josh Devine (One Direction/Levara), Robin Mc Auley (Grand Prix/MSG), Dino Jelusick (JeluSick/Trans Siberian Orchestra/Dirty Shirley/ George Lynch), Jerome Mazza (Pinnacle Point/Steve Walsh/solo), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake/The Dead Daisies), Vinny Appice (Black  Sabbath/Dio/Last In Line), Chuck Wright (House of Lords) Laurence Archer (Grand Slam/Thin Lizzy/solo) and Rudy Sarzo (Quite Riot/Ozzy Osborne). This is a cast of thousands. Well, it at least appears that way!

 It’s a very interesting package and, as Khalil would surely say, you’ll love it!

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

BITE THE BULLET - HORIZON

 

 

 

  Escape Music is delighted to announce the release date for the much loved British Melodic Rock band Bite The Bullet, titled ‘Horizon'!

  Limited edition to 1000 CD copies only all will be numbered 1-1000
First 200 copies signed by hand! 

 

   

 

 

CD

 £10.99 + Shipping

Pre-Order Now

 

 

 

   please click here
 
 

 

 

 Release Date: 24th October 2025
 Cat No: ESM404
 Bar Code: 50381 00404 8

 Track list:

 1 Shining Star 4:51
 2 The Departed (days of sunshine) 4:29
 3 Livin’ on overdrive 3:43
 4 Girl of the sea 4:54
 5 Dark secrets 4:09
 6 Welcome to my World 3:37
 7 Diamonds 4:01 4:03
 8 No Man’s Land 4:50
 9 Collateral Damage 3:55
 10 Without Your love 3:49
 11 Horizon 4:00

 Line up

 Mick Benton – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
 Graham Cowling – Drums, backing vocals
 Malcolm Jones – Guitar
 Steve Hill – keyboards
 Paul Gunn – Bass, backing vocals

 Produced by Mick Benton.

 Bite The Bullet were originally formed in 1986 by singer songwriter Mick Benton and drummer Graham Cowling. They met in 1984 when they both joined West London rock band “Mother’s Ruin”. Thanks to the legendary Greg Lake, Benton managed to secure a solo deal  with Atlantic Records and he asked Cowling to play drums. Its good to see that their collaboration is still strong to this very day.

  In 1986 “Bite the Bullet” were formed and the music played was in the style of Foreigner, Toto and Mr. Mister, an album was released in 1989 to some quiet success. The music was warmly received and the band earned themselves some radio airplay. However, britpop  was coming into the forefront and a cancelled support slot with the mighty ELO saw the band disheartened and whilst they never really disbanded there was a long period of inactivity.

  Benton and Cowling always remained friends and they still played in pubs and clubs over the years which brings is up to 2019 when their debut was reissued on CD. It ignited a flame in the two men and brought the original recording back to the forefront again  and old fans reappraised the album whilst new fans joined in. In January 2021 the year started with “Black and White” (ESM349) and the band have gone from strength to strength. They combine Mr Mister with Asia to produce a nice smooth rock pop sound.

  Mick and Graham have continued writing new material and have been so busy they have released “End of the Line” (ESM361) in 2022, “Rocky Road” (ESM375) in 2023 and “Looking for Paradise” (ESM391) in 2024 and all have been warmly received by fans old and new.

  To keep the momentum going here they are with a brand-new release “Horizon” for 2025, it just can’t get any better, the eleven songs on offer are just simply amazing. This is a really strong release, it could well prove to be their best to date..