{"id":51672,"date":"2026-01-19T09:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T17:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/?p=51672"},"modified":"2026-01-19T09:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T17:32:13","slug":"lightning-strikes-announce-fear-of-unknown-the-first-video-from-their-upcoming-album-the-king-is-victorious-due-on-february-18th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/lightning-strikes-announce-fear-of-unknown-the-first-video-from-their-upcoming-album-the-king-is-victorious-due-on-february-18th\/","title":{"rendered":"LIGHTNING STRIKES Announce \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d the First Video from their Upcoming Album &#8216;The King Is Victorious&#8217; Due on February 18th"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-51673\" src=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pr2026-01-19-lightning-01-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lightning Strikes - Fear Of Unknown (Official Music Video)\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BOmP-4ujf3M?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span id=\"isPasted\">LOS ANGELES, CA (January 18, 2026) &#8212;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">Today<span id=\"isPasted\">, the Los Angeles, CA based heavy metal outfit LIGHTNING STRIKES have released a music video called \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d from their upcoming sophomore album \u2018The King Is Victorious\u2019, which is set for release on February 18th. \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d video is now available to watch:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/6jkav.r.a.d.sendibm1.com\/mk\/cl\/f\/XhwZaNBqF_UWK8UBGRSQ4u5F-1N2yM15GQqQq3cMIjzSV2vbKDDJusZ0jANpl8M-YrP80ZImkwcL63YqLpf7QfFsW95VDFW6OoWRelIjOKM0DLhxgmx7tRZVcGb1YeVo_dw1SDXczNUG3-G2iB07jVlUoA_wwUWnUENMt93GpXDQJfEZaN8j1nlk0YU8WbwIdAZxaeaQuzSmLOHGwen4KYm4ESEUW-nU0tvhPBP-tHvQhl9VtDko39PbyQRETrrEkJn1C5LXAog9lOfdM_yBSx3hODw\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/BOmP-4ujf3M<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"isPasted\" class=\"default\"><span class=\"s1\"><span id=\"isPasted\" class=\"s1\">Karpis spoke about the single \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d, \u201c<\/span>\u201cFear of Unknown\u201d is about the fear that can cripple your mind and can take your capabilities away if you are week minded, something that you don\u2019t see, but that fear lives in your head and reminds you that your life can end at any point. Your brain can\u2019t calculate why you are scared and as soon as you are getting weak and useless then fear of unknown will take you away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"default\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">Karpis continues, \u201cIt was written by me mid 2021. I recorded the drum tracks about that time, then Barry Sparks came into the project, he was very excited and energized to be part of the project, he even made a compliment and said it\u2019s sounds like Black Sabbath and he will do some Geezer Butler style bass. The song was finalized in early 2025 after Norifumi Shima recorded his guitar track and added his signature guitar solo. Then Mariano Gardella completed the lyrics and recorded his dream vocals by giving the song a very unique prespective. Finally, let\u2019s not\u00a0forget about the maestro on the keyboard, Derek Sherinian who I have worked with previously on my 1st album, he also came into project and added his signature keyboard tracks and solo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The bulk of the album was recorded by Maksudian, a Japanese guitar virtuoso, Norifumi Shima (CONCERTO MOON), American bassist extraordinaire, Barry Sparks (MSG, Yngwie Malmsteen), and up-and-coming Argentinian vocalist, Mariano Gardella, with keyboard\u00a0maestro, Derek Sherinian (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, SONS OF APOLLO), who guested on the group&#8217;s debut album, also making an appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Originally formed in 1984, LIGHTNING STRIKES were the first metal band to feature an all Armenian-American line-up, well over a decade before the arrival of SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Co-founder Maksudian revived the name with new personnel a quarter century after the initial breakup recording the group&#8217;s self-titled 2016 full-length debut with Brazilian vocalist Nando Fernandes (SINISTRA, HANGAR), the aforementioned Rob Math and Derek Sherinian, and former BLACK SABBATH vocalist, Tony Martin, who sang on and wrote the lyrics to &#8216;Death Valley&#8217; and &#8216;301 AD Sins of Our Fathers&#8217;. Mixed by Roy Z, the album was well received and peaked on the Japanese Burrn! Magazine import charts at number 6.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Track Listing:<br \/>\n<\/strong><span id=\"isPasted\">Fear Of Unknown<br \/>\n<\/span>Voices In My Head<br \/>\nClash Of Battalions<br \/>\nThe King Is Victorious<br \/>\nAim and Shoot<br \/>\nLucid Dreams<br \/>\nNew Beginning<br \/>\nMasquerade Suite (Instrumental)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Musicians:<br \/>\n<\/strong>Karpis Maksudian &#8211; Drums\/USA<br \/>\nShima Norifumi &#8211; Lead Guitar\/Japan<br \/>\nBarry Sparks &#8211; Bass\/USA<br \/>\nMariano Gardella &#8211; Vocals\/Germany<br \/>\nDerek Sherinian &#8211; Keyboards\/USA<br \/>\nProducer: Karpis Maksudian<br \/>\nEngineer: Dario Mollo<\/p>\n<p>Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lightningstrikesrocks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lightningstrikesrocks\/<\/a><br \/>\nInstagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lightningstrikesrocks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lightningstrikesrocks\/<\/a><br \/>\nX: <a href=\"http:\/\/x.com\/lsrocksofficial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">x.com\/lsrocksofficial<\/a><br \/>\nYouTube: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@lightningstrikesofficial387\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.youtube.com\/@lightningstrikesofficial387<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-51674\" src=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pr2026-01-19-lightning-02.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pr2026-01-19-lightning-02.jpeg 600w, http:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/pr2026-01-19-lightning-02-480x187.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For all inquiries, contact:<\/p>\n<p>MICHAEL BRANDVOLD MARKETING &amp; MANAGEMENT<br \/>\nMichael Brandvold |\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:me@mikebrandvold.com\">me@mikebrandvold.com<\/a>\u00a0| 415-200-8483<\/p>\n<p>Michael Brandvold Marketing\u2026 Artists, Managers &amp; Labels We Help You Succeed With Your Next Album Release or Tour | Album Release Marketing | Tour Marketing | Publicity | VIP Programs | Social Media Management.<\/p>\n<p>Michael has worked with W.A.S.P., Biohazard, Foghat, Babylon A.D., BraveWords Records, Eonian Records, Perris Records, Johnny O\u2019Neil, Rock Candy Magazine Jordan Rudess, Greg Kihn, KISS, ACCEPT, SOiL, Tantric, Killer Dwarfs, Dream Theater, Little Caesar, Narada Michael Walden, Motley Cr\u00fce, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna and Britney Spears to name only a few.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in speaking with Michael about what he can do to assist with your marketing needs contact him online at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:me@mikebrandvold.com\">me@mikebrandvold.com<\/a>\u00a0| 415-200-8483<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; LOS ANGELES, CA (January 18, 2026) &#8212;\u00a0Today, the Los Angeles, CA based heavy metal outfit LIGHTNING STRIKES have released a music video called \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d from their upcoming sophomore album \u2018The King Is Victorious\u2019, which is set for release on February 18th. \u201cFear of Unknown\u201d video is now available to watch:\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/BOmP-4ujf3M Karpis [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":50097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3037],"tags":[3779,3469,2172,3361,3855,3862,3777,3859,3861,3856,3858,3778,3860,2901,3464,3854,3853,3857,3042],"class_list":["post-51672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-the-king-is-victorious","tag-barry-sparks","tag-black-sabbath","tag-client-news","tag-dario-mollo","tag-derek-sherinian","tag-lightning-strikes","tag-maksudian","tag-mariano-gardella","tag-mark-zavon","tag-michael-t-ross","tag-moscow-symphony","tag-norifumi-shima","tag-press-releases","tag-rob-math","tag-rowan-robertson","tag-roy-z","tag-takehiko-shake-kogure","tag-tony-martin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pr-2025-03-04-lightning_strikes-01-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51676,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51672\/revisions\/51676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelbrandvold.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}