There’s been speculation behind closed doors for some time, and at long last it’s official: American hard rock veterans HARDLINE, helmed by vocalist Johnny Gioeli (also frontman of the AXEL RUDI PELL band),have signed with Steamhammer/SPV. The five-piece act is currently working on new material for its upcoming studio album, scheduled to be released in spring 2026, to be followed by two headlining tours of Europe, including a number of shows at major summer festivals.”The time is right, not just for a new album, but also for a complete restart,” explains Johnny Gioeli, “not least with the support of an ambitious record company that’s always been one hundred percent behind its bands.”I’ve known SPV for over 25 years and appreciate how committed they are to their work. They always give their all for their artists. I’m looking forward to working with them and can’t wait to start recording our new album in spring 2025.”Gioeli promises his fans an album that couldn’t be more typical of HARDLINE, commenting: “We’ve always had our own, unmistakable sound, that characteristic HARDLINE style, and that’s definitely not about to change. There will be no half-hearted experiments with me and my bandmates Alessandro Del Vecchio (keyboards),Luca Princiotta (guitars),Anna Portalupi (bass) and Marco Di Salvia (drums). Everyone will get what they’ve come to expect from this band and have been familiar with since our ’92 debut classic ‘Double Eclipse’. We’ll get back to our children!”Steamhammer label manager Olly Hahn is also delighted with this successful coup and looks forward to a promising collaboration.”Obviously, there’s no need to explicitly go into Johnny Gioeli’s great qualities as a singer with Axel Rudi Pell, and he’s just as fantastic with his own band,” Hahn says.”HARDLINE stands for consistent excellence in the melodic rock genre, and I’m happy that this band is now part of the Steamhammer family!”HARDLINE 2025 tour dates:May 03 – SK – Bratislava – Randal ClubMay 04 – AT – Vienna – SzeneMay 27 – IT – Bologna – Alchemica Music ClubMay 28 – IT – Milano – legend ClubJune 06 – SE – Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock FestivalJune 08 – ES – Villena Alicante – Leyendas Del RockSeptember 20 – CH – Tennwil – Rocknacht FestivalNovember 14 – UK – Nottingham – SaltboxNovember 18 – UK – Southampton – The BrookNovember 20 – UK – London – The UnderworldNovember 21 – UK – Crumlin – PatriotNovember 25 – UK – Manchester – Bread ShredNovember 27 – UK – Wolverhampton – KK’s Steel MillNovember 29 – UK – Troon – Winterstorm FestivalNovember 30 – UK – Newcastle – Digital
