Dear Bassists,
without any teasing or pre-orders, I want to present to you: my brand new digital bass book, “Escalation Tales,”! Release date: TODAY!

Get it now!

The Renaissance: a time of artistic brilliance, scientific breakthroughs—and unrelenting darkness. While often idealized as an era of rebirth, it was also one of war, fanaticism, and fear. It was a world where the beauty and the brutality coexisted, much like Albrecht Dürer’s art.

As a native of Nuremberg, I’ve grown up surrounded by Dürer’s legacy, yet it took me years to truly connect with his work. His engravings, with their intricate detail and haunting atmosphere, fit very well to the world of metal music. This is why I wanted to connect the 10 (+1 Bonus) musical pieces in this book with his art.

I’ve designed this book with two levels of difficulty: regular and advanced. “regular” offers arrangements that are not mean to be banal but easier to play than the “advanced” versions of the same pieces. You can see it as a challenge to get to the advanced version at some point or you use the 2 different versions to compare the bass line songwriting. Both bass lines would work in a band context but have a different effect on the music.

What you will get:

Inside, you’ll find 11 original pieces, optimized for 5-string bass, each with two different bass lines: 🎸 Regular Version /🔥 Advanced Version

These pieces can be used to explore bass songwriting, technique, or simply to have fun with your bass.

📅 Release Date: February 18th

💿 Digital Format – Available directly in my webshop

Thank you for your support—I am looking forward to your feedback about “Escalation Tales”!

On May 24, 2025, the Ibanez Guitar Festival will feature one of my all-time heroes: the incredible Paul Gilbert. I have the honor to join him on bass, alongside Anika Nilles on drums!

📅 Date: May 24, 2025
📍 Location: Gutenstetten, Germany

This isn’t just another gig for me. I’ve been a fan of Paul Gilbert for as long as I can remember. His solo albums, Racer X and Mr. Big influenced me a lot. The mix of virtuosity, feel and groove has always grabbed my attention. Martin Miller, Yasi Hofer, Manuel Gardner Fernandes, David John Levy, Lisa X and many more will perform as well on this festival. You can join workshops, gear showcases, and you can connect with other guitars and bass enthusiasts.

I will teach bass and help working on songs in 4 different camps next year. Check the dates and join if you can:

Wacken:Music:Camp – Schloss Alteglofsheim, Germany
01.-06. Januar
https://www.musikakademie.bayern/wackenmusiccamp-schloss-alteglofsheim/

MAINPOP BandCamp Metal, Germany
02.- 06. March
https://www.mainpop.de/workshops-2025/neuer-ordner/24303.MAINPOP-BandCamp-Metal-vom-02.–06.-Maerz-2025.html

Musikcamp TetriX Nürnberg, Germany
13.-17. April
https://www.nuernberg.de/internet/tetrix_fuchsbau/musikcamp2.html

Bavarian Band Camp Freyung, Germany
04.- 07. August
https://www.volksmusikakademie.de/programm/seminarprogramm

Bass workshops:

Donostia Prog-Tech Metal Fest, Spain
05. April

Last year I played a tour as a keyboard player for Dark Fortress. It was the last tour of the band and the news are out that there will be a live album released via Century Media Records (January 17th 2025: “Anthems From Beyond the Grave – Live in Europe 2023”).

When I record music for other artists, I often move on quickly and forget about it once the session’s done. But some of it is truly great, and it’s worth sharing when it’s finally released. Here are some recent tracks featuring my bass playing:

Simon Eichinger is a 24-year-old guitar prodigy from Tyrol, Austria.

He has collected quite a number of social media followers after sharing short guitar clips online. He has a great feeling for phrasing and tone. Now he is releasing music on his own. It’s guitar solo music in the style of Satriani and Vai, but in a modern sound world. Maybe you can hear that I felt very inspired by the great guitar lines.

Foul Body Autopsy are a Melodic Death Metal band from the UK. This song also features Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren. I have always loved his intense drumming, already during his Soilwork days. We have recorded another song together around 10 years ago and I am happy it happened again.

I’ve done a couple of these camps before, but this one in Freyung really stood out—both for the high level of talent from the participants and for the great vibe throughout. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many new interesting people. This was the first time this camp was held, but I’m really hoping it becomes a regular event. If you were there, thank you for making it such an unforgettable experience! In this picture you can see the instructors of the camp.

I will not only play live shows this year, but I will also teach at different events that you can see below. Join me and let’s have some fun together with the bass.
If you can’t attend, feel free to check out my digital bass courses on my shop.

Bavarian Band Camp (29. Jul – 01. Aug)

I will be teaching about bass playing, supporting to work on songs and much more.

Bandcamp Website

Guitar Summit (27. – 29. Sept)

**WORKSHOP | This Is Why less isn’t more! Bass line composing with Linus Klausenitzer

Learn how to create your own distinctive bass lines and take your songs to the next level with the right bass notes. With current material from his bands, as well as his solo album, Linus will perform songs from his repertoire and use examples to show that “less is more” is not always the right approach to emphasize the strengths of a song.

*MASTERCLASS | Metal Bass with Linus Klausenitzer*

Be there when Linus Klausenitzer (Solo, Alkaloid, Obsidious, Ex-Obscura) introduces you to the main aspects of metal bass playing in his masterclass. From techniques and playing styles to the most important sounds – Linus covers everything you need to know as a metal bass player. Linus passes on his experience gained over many years and regular tours on 4 continents in his own bands and as a session bassist (Beyond The Black, Martin Miller, Bernth, Kaoteon, various artists from Pakistan, Lebanon, Australia, USA, etc.).

Guitar Summit Website

Alkaloid’s ‘Bach Out Of Bounds’ premiered at the Dordrecht Bach Festival, merging metal with Bach’s classical compositions, followed by a concert in Den Haag 4 days later. Led by our singer Morean, the project featured a blend of Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D Minor and new Alkaloid material, performed with violin, viola, cello, accordion, and two female vocalists.

Despite intense preparations and some logistical challenges, the concert was a magical success. A huge thank you goes out to all the amazing special guests and crazy fans who traveled from afar to support the show.

Upcoming “Bach out of bounds” show:
Sun, NOV 10
Alkaloid & Friends: BACH OUT OF BOUNDS
Den Bosch, Netherlands

Special guests: Chrysa Tsaltampasi & Rianne Wilbers, sopranos; Julija Hartig, violin; Oene van Geel, viola; Ketevan Roinishvili, cello; Marieke Hopman, accordion.

Video credits: Thomas Niehof, Lindy Balduk, Andrea Lara

2 new videos with musician tips:

Alkaloid:

• JUN 29: Alkaloid & Friends: BACH OUT OF BOUNDS XL (world premiere, Bachfestival Dordrecht), Dordrecht, Netherlands
• JUL 4: Alkaloid & Friends: BACH OUT OF BOUNDS XL, Den Haag, Netherlands
• AUG 6-10: Party.San Open Air 2024, Nottertal-Heilinger Heights, Germany
• NOV 10: Alkaloid & Friends: BACH OUT OF BOUNDS, Den Bosch, Netherlands

Obsidious:

AUG 17.08.24 FRANTIC FEST , IT

Alkaloid & Obsidious:

• DEC 13: Stuttgart, Germany
• DEC 14: Landshut, Germany
• DEC 15: Salzburg, Austria

Beyond The Black:

• AUG 7-10: Leyendas Del Rock, Villena, Spain
• AUG 24: Riverside Festival, Aarburg, Switzerland
• AUG 30: Oelde Open Air, Oelde, Germany
• AUG 31: Metalacker Festival, Tennenbronn, Germany
• SEP 6-15: Full Metal Cruise

The Spirit:

• Jun 8: Chronical Moshers, Mühlteich/Hauptmannsgrün
• Aug 2: ZappenDuster Festival, Münster
• Sep 6: Metal Embrace Festival, Barleben
• Oct 24: Schwarzer Keiler, Stuttgart
• Oct 25: Soltmann, Leipzig
• Oct 26: Freihafen, Göttingen
• Oct 27: Helvete, Oberhausen
• Nov 2: Schlacht um Otzenhausen Festival, Otzenhausen
• Dec 6: Metal Marmot Festival (CH), Frutingen