Hellbound.ca recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Hellbound.ca: When you look back at your recording career and all the albums you have been a part of, is "Paranoid" the album you would pick as the classic BLACK SABBATH album?
Geezer: I suppose it is, but I always liked the first album. "Paranoid" was the first album that was 100 percent written by the band. The first album had "Warning", which was written by somebody else on it. So, yeah, "Paranoid" was the first completely written by us and it is probably still the biggest album that we did.
Hellbound.ca: I think the last number that I saw was four million sold in the USA.
Geezer: Yeah, and I think that it has done well over that now too.
Hellbound.ca: Does it surprise you looking back now some 40 years later of "Paranoid"'s longevity? Could you have ever imagined when writing and recording those songs of their importance?
Geezer: No, not at all. We all thought that we'd be able to do this for two or three years and then go get proper jobs. I mean, that is what bands did back then. You know, I'd go and see lots of bands and think that they were good and then they wouldn't get a record deal and so you would never hear of them again. Or you'd see a band and they'd get a one-record deal and they wouldn't sell anything so you'd never hear of them again. That is what we thought would happen with BLACK SABBATH. We were lucky to do a second album, we were hoping that it would do well and then eventually we'd disappear. Nobody ever dreamt that any band would last this long, still being popular some forty years later.
Hellbound.ca: Is there a song off "Paranoid" that resonates as the most important?
Geezer: For me, probably "War Pigs". The lyrics will always stand up.
Hellbound.ca: That was one thing I wanted to ask you about. Those lyrics are as important today as they were the day you wrote them.
Geezer: Absolutely. The one thing that human kind always seems to have is war. They never learn.
Hellbound.ca: What do you think of the chances are of BLACK SABBATH ever playing again with Ozzy?
Geezer: I don't know. You know it would be nice to finish the whole thing off with one last tour, I suppose. We're all getting a bit old now, so time is running out. It would be nice. I wouldn't say no!
According to The Daily Telegraph, Australia's Family Jewels, a new exhibition celebrating the history, music, performance and creativity of AC/DC, will open at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on September 11.
"There is little doubt that after 35 years on the world stage AC/DC are by far Australia's most successful and influential performing artists," said exhibition curator Tim Fisher.
"AC/DC Australia's Family Jewels links the material history of the band to the experience of their music. The exhibition also tries to convey the place that AC/DC holds for their devoted fans."
Bryan Reesman of Attention Deficit Delirium recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN guitarist Janick Gers. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Attention Deficit Delirium: I heard there was really bad weather at your recent Finnish festival gig, and some bands canceled. What happened?
Janick: We did the Sonisphere gig in Stockholm, and it was torrential rain all day. The minute we went on, it stopped and the sun came out. Then we finished, and it thundered and lightninged again. It was unbelievable. Our crew were just drenched all day. When we landed in Finland the next day, there was a plane on its side on the runway. Our tour manager said, "Hey, I ordered a crew plane just like that!" Then we went, "Really?" Bruce [Dickinson] asked, "How many seats do you have?" The tour manager went, "30". "That's a 30-seater right there." What had happened is a tornado or something similar came through, and it just literally ripped half the trees out and turned the crew's plane over — luckily the crew weren't on it. We went up to the stadium where there were two huge stages. MÖTLEY CRÜE and ALICE COOPER were playing there as well, and MÖTLEY CRÜE's stage literally got bent in half. It was unbelievable; the scaffolding was just snapped in
half. It all happened in ten minutes. Our gear was completely kaput; the tarpalin above the stage cracked and the water came down on the mixing desk. It was bedlam. IGGY POP went on to do an acoustic set for a couple of numbers. ALICE COOPER went on about an hour and a half late, then I think we went on about two hours late. We got the job done. There were a lot of kids there and canceling would not have been the thing to do. We went out with half the P.A. and half the lights and very little monitors on stage because the mixing desk was kaput. We did a great gig and had good fun.
Attention Deficit Delirium: I feel like in America we're spoiled because we get so many tours, whereas someone in Japan or South America doesn't get to see some of these bands as often as we do, and therefore they are much more passionate in their support for bands.
Janick: I would assume that Japan has many, many tours. I had been there before MAIDEN with other bands. They have lots of tours there. South America is more difficult to tour. We took a plane on the last tour because it's more difficult to carry the gear there. You have to hop around certain areas. With the gear in the plane we can go to places like Ecuador which we couldn't go to before. It's impossible to get the gear in through customs and get it out again. There's a lot of paperwork involved. You can spend six months setting up a tour like that. The logistics are quite frightening, really. I don't even get involved in it, but we have people working on those tours like a year before. It is quite difficult to tour there, and you have to have a fanbase that is definitely going to come because the promoter has to risk his money putting a band on. If he puts the band on and nobody turns up, he's in big trouble. You have to have a big following to start
with. You can't just go there and expect everybody to turn up.
Attention Deficit Delirium: "The Final Frontier" encompasses ten songs over 76 minutes, some of which you contributed to. You notably co-wrote the shortest song on the new album, "The Alchemist", which reminds me of the "Powerslave" era.
Janick: It's just a rock 'n' roll tune. I brought in about an hour's worth of material, as everybody else does. They all bring loads of stuff in. That was a rock 'n roller I brought in because I thought there might be a few long songs on, so I thought I'd bring a short, more straight-ahead power rocker in. I had a few different things, probably a lot more progressive things in there, but that was just one that was on the side that everybody seemed to get off on. Steve [Harris] found a melody for it, Bruce wrote some lyrics and it just seemed to work.
According to Music Week, British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN are on track to have a No. 1 album in the U.K. this Sunday, with their latest effort, "The Final Frontier" (EMI), selling more than three times as many as its nearest competitor, EMINEM's "Recovery" (Interscope), so far this week.
"The Final Frontier", the band's 15th studio album, has sold more than 22,000 copies, while "Recovery" has sold around 7,000 this week in the U.K., according to Official Charts Company midweek figures.
"The Final Frontier" is being released in North America on August 17 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The effort is being made available in a unique limited-edition collectors' "Mission Edition" CD case and will feature access to extra bonus content, including the director's cut of a video for the edited version of the opening song on the album, entitled "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier"; band "Mission Debrief" interview footage; wallpapers; photos; and the exclusive game "Mission II : Rescue & Revenge". MAIDEN is also for the first time making the album available as an iTunes LP with bonus content as well as the traditional digital format. There is also a limited-edition double picture disc.
The band reunited with long-time MAIDEN producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in early 2010 at Compass Point Studios, Nassau to record the album and then moved to The Cave Studios in Malibu, California to finish the recording and do the mixing. Compass Point Studio is very familiar to the band, it was where they recorded the "Piece Of Mind" (1983), "Powerslave" (1984) and "Somewhere In Time" (1986) albums.
"The Final Frontier" features artwork illustrated by Melvyn Grant.
The track listing for the CD is as follows (total running time 76:35):
01. Satellite 15....The Final Frontier (Smith/Harris) (8:40)
02. El Dorado (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (6:49)
03. Mother Of Mercy (Smith/Harris) (5:20)
04. Coming Home (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (5:52)
05. The Alchemist (Gers/Harris/Dickinson) (4:29)
06. Isle Of Avalon (Smith/Harris) (9:06)
07. Starblind (Smith/Harris/Dickinson) (7:48)
08. The Talisman (Gers/Harris) (9:03)
09. The Man Who Would Be King (Murray/Harris) (8:28)
10. When The Wild Wind Blows (Harris) (10:59)
From a distance, it doesn't look like much has changed.
On a cool Thursday evening in June, three-quarters of Soundgarden stand on a street corner in the Belltown section of Seattle, smoking cigarettes. From half a block away, I can make out the long, lean figure of Chris Cornell clad in a green military jacket, leaning against the window outside the Palace Ballroom, a private dining room serviced by local celebrity chef Tom Douglas. The Soundgarden frontman's dark locks hang past his shoulders, a throwback to the band's heyday and a reminder of his status as grunge's only bona fide sex symbol. Guitarist Kim Thayil, 49, stands facing Cornell, a ponytail snaking halfway down his back from underneath a brown skullcap. A few feet away, bassist Ben Shepherd, 41, tall and imposing in a heavy black overcoat, stares into the distance.
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As I cross the street toward the three, the years come into focus. Shepherd is stockier than before, Thayil's bushy beard is more gray than black, and Cornell's face bears etches and grooves befitting his 46 years. Inside the restaurant, drummer Matt Cameron, 47, stands talking to one of the band's new managers, music industry veteran Gary Gersh.
Although many people date the discovery of the Seattle music scene -- and by extension the beginning of the alternative-rock revolution of the early '90s -- to the moment in 1990 when Nirvana was signed to Geffen Records (by Gersh, it bears mentioning), Soundgarden really got there first. At the time of Nirvana's major-label deal, Soundgarden were already inked to A&M, had been nominated for a Grammy, and toured with Guns N' Roses. The band had started in 1984 as a weird post-punk trio, but by the mid-'90s, they were the band that punk kids, metalheads, and classic rockers could agree on: a heavy behemoth with surprising pop smarts that would eventually sell more than eight million albums in the U.S. alone.
Soundgarden called it quits in 1997, weeks after an ugly final concert in Honolulu that ended with Cornell and drummer Cameron playing a few songs by themselves after Shepherd walked off in frustration over faulty gear, and Thayil followed him. It wasn't exactly The Last Waltz. At the time, Cornell says, tensions within the band were high and communication was at a low, but for a band that had thundered its way to prominence, Soundgarden just seemed to sort of peter out.
"The one thing about Soundgarden most people don't get is that we always got along," says Cornell. "We drank, and any band that drinks is going to have chaos, but we never had that internal negativity that usually spells the obvious reasons a band breaks up."
As such, the band's current reunion was pretty inevitable. In April, Cornell, Thayil, Shepherd, and Cameron stepped onstage together for the first time in 13 years at the Showbox in Seattle to perform for 90 minutes as the anagrammatic Nudedragons. In August, they were one of the headliners at Lollapalooza, and this month, the unreleased track "Black Rain" will be featured in Guitar Hero 6 and on a new deluxe Soundgarden retrospective, Telephantasm, which will also include videos, TV appearances, alternate takes, and live tracks. Tonight, they'll sit around a large table, eat good food, talk about the old days, and behave very much like four guys who enjoy one another's company. No angry glances will be exchanged, no plates thrown, and the most substantive argument -- about how many stomachs a cow has -- will be solved via a quick consultation with Thayil's phone. (Answer: one stomach with four compartments.) Even the mention of Soundgarden's former
manager and Cornell's ex-wife, Susan Silver, won't set off sparks.
"A lot of times bands re-form, and people have changed in ways that might be negative, and you're just fighting to be able to play the music with some degree of efficiency," says Cornell. "We're not that."
After dinner, Shepherd, Thayil, and I cross the street to the bar at the Palace Kitchen. Shepherd buys me a beer, and I ask him where he lives.
"Nowhere," he says. "Literally. I've been sleeping on studio couches and at friends' houses. I'm totally broke." Shepherd is part owner of a bar 15 minutes from here called Hazlewood, but he says he sinks any money from it into the solo album he's been working on since last fall. Six months ago, he split with his girlfriend and moved out of their house. "This is my home now," he says, holding up the sides of his slightly gamey overcoat.
Although he was the last of the four to join, in 1990, Shepherd took the band's dissolution hardest. "My whole life seemed over," he says. "Soundgarden broke up; my other band, Hater, broke up; my fiancée broke up with me; and then I broke three ribs. I got addicted to pain pills, drank a ton, and wound up OD'ing on morphine. I was laid out in my house for five days, and no one knew it. It was a fucking horrible time -- this total rock'n'roll cliché."
In the years after the split, he played on albums by Mark Lanegan and Tony Iommi, participated in some of Josh Homme's Desert Sessions recordings, and briefly joined a few bands, including Wellwater Conspiracy, the Seattle sorta supergroup of which Cameron was also a member. To Shepherd, Soundgarden's breakup was unnecessary -- "We should've just relaxed for a while and lived" -- and he hardly disavows the notion that he's been jonesing to get back together ever since. "I've just been waiting for these old geezers to snap out of it," he says.
That's not to say he doesn't have reservations. He could use the money ("If anyone is pissed at us for getting paid, fucking piss on them; they don't have to live our lives"), but he's the only one of the four who was disappointed by the Showbox gig ("It was boring; the crowd was dead still, and everyone was like, 'Yay! The antiques are moving!' "). In many ways, Shepherd seems like a guy searching for something, though even he doesn't quite know what. "I'm never satisfied," he says. "I don't like to sleep in, I don't like to get up. I feel broken." Thayil had raved to me about Shepherd's solo album, but Shepherd isn't sure he'll ever release it. "All the stuff I ever do -- Hater, the record I'm making -- it all sounds amateur to me. No matter what I do, I'm going to be associated with Soundgarden."
Thayil and I drive a couple blocks from the bar to Bad Animals, the studio where Soundgarden recorded their five-million-selling 1994 breakout, Superunknown, and their 1996 swan song, Down on the Upside. Producer-engineer Adam Kasper, who worked on both albums, is mixing "Black Rain" and plays us the latest version. The song, an outtake from 1991's Badmotorfinger sounds like, well, an outtake from Badmotorfinger, complete with sludgy riffs and Cornell's voice in screaming metal-god mode.
"What's amazing," Kasper says as he looks up from the mixing board, "is Chris recorded new vocal bits, and his voice still hits all those notes. You can't tell which vocals are from 20 years ago and which are from today."
Since Soundgarden's split, Thayil says he's been "happily semiretired." He's contributed guitar to records by bands like Sunn 0))) and Pigeonhed, and played with Jello Biafra and Krist Novoselic in the No W.T.O. Combo, a one-off project to protest the World Trade Organization. But for the most part, he's studiously avoided any serious creative commitments. "I got lots of offers," he says. "But I kind of wanted to be left alone. I enjoyed not having to answer to anything. I didn't even have to answer to the sun. I'd wake up and it'd be dark. I felt so fucking free."
When I ask if he has a feeling about what he wants to get out of the reunion, he laughs. "Yeah, I have a feeling I want to get out of it," he says. "Look, there are certainly benefits. There's camaraderie. Actually, that might be one of the most important things, just being able to hang out with the guys."
Soundgarden's reunion began not as a reunion but simply an effort to deal with some business issues.
"We got together, maybe two years ago, and decided we wanted to relaunch our catalog, get a website, be on MySpace," says Cameron when I meet him and Cornell the following day at Hazlewood, tucked between a tattoo shop and a nail salon on a busy street in the coastal suburb of Ballard. "Just basic shit. We weren't online at all. We've also got a bunch of unreleased stuff we wanted to try to put out."
Cameron is the only band member who needed to ask for time off from his day job to attend this reunion. Since 1998, he's been Pearl Jam's drummer, and everyone acknowledges that no matter how well Soundgarden 2.0 progresses, Pearl Jam is his priority. "We're sort of shoehorning all the Soundgarden stuff into my Pearl Jam schedule," he says. "So far it's been good, but I don't want it to get to where my head is going to explode."
Cameron has helped bring much of Pearl Jam's business savvy to Soundgarden, as well as some of that band's support staff. The periodic business meetings progressed during the past year or so, and then in March 2009, when Cornell's ex-Audioslave bandmate Tom Morello came through Seattle with his solo project, the Nightwatchman, Thayil, Shepherd, and Cameron got onstage and played three Soundgarden songs with longtime friend Tad Doyle, formerly of the '90s sludge-rock titans Tad, on vocals.
"It was really great seeing people's faces when Ben, Kim, and Matt come out," recalls Doyle. "People were just freaking out."
But some may have read the gig, which had been partly organized by Silver, as a dig. "I didn't feel any negativity toward it at all," Cornell says. "In a way, it sort of sparked the idea: If Matt, Kim, and Ben can get in a room, rehearse a couple songs, and play, maybe we all could do that as Soundgarden."
Last New Year's Day, Cornell sent out a tweet -- "The 12-year break is over and school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!" -- that was widely misinterpreted as an announcement of the band's reformation.
As Thayil tells me later, "We're not the Knights of the Soundtable, that was our fan club. We were just re-upping it with the new website. But the rumors generated offers. The demand was overwhelming. I wouldn't say we acquiesced, but we kind of warmed to the idea."
Gersh, who had been managing Cornell's solo career, was brought on board to replace Silver, but the reunion has moved at a very deliberate pace. As of press time, despite rumbles about more gigs, there was exactly one confirmed show on the calendar: Lollapalooza. There is talk of a live album culled from mid-'90s concerts and maybe a B-sides collection, but the band hasn't yet written any new music.
"It would be exciting to record one song," says Cornell, "to hear how Soundgarden-ish that might be this much time later. But for me, it's been more of a trip relearning the songs and playing them together. Some of the songs we're approaching we've never played live."
After Soundgarden split, Cornell tried to transition to a solo career, but almost immediately ran into problems during the making of his 1999 debut, Euphoria Morning. "It was mentally, physically, and spiritually a fucked-up point in my life," he says. "I was waking up and drinking a glass of vodka just to get a dial tone. My marriage wasn't working at all, and rather than face that, I turned to constant inebriation and then drugs."
Euphoria Morning wasn't half bad -- more mid-tempo and mannered than Soundgarden -- but it sold decidedly sub-Soundgarden numbers and when he got an offer in 2001 to join Audioslave alongside three-fourths of Rage Against the Machine, it made sense. "I can definitely say I wasn't capable at that point of being captain of my own ship. I was a mess," he says. "The decision wasn't based on wanting to be in a band again, but ultimately that did help."
When Audioslave released their debut the following year, Cornell's substance abuse problems had gotten worse. He landed in rehab and cleaned up, then divorced Silver in 2004. Audioslave's commercial success never really erased the fault line between Cornell and the rest of the band, and few were surprised when, amid disputes over royalties and creative decisions -- Cornell has said mixers and session musicians were brought in to work on their recordings without his knowledge -- he walked away in 2007 to begin another solo album. By this time, he'd moved from Seattle to Paris, gotten remarried, opened a restaurant, and had two kids. Carry On turned out to be a reasonable grab bag of hard-rock riffs, mellow singer-songwriter fare, and classic R&B flourishes, but the public reaction to it was muted. The same couldn't be said of 2009's Scream.
Scream paired Cornell's voice with beats by Timbaland in one continuous 60-minute song suite, and while that may sound compelling on paper, the results were confounding. The collaboration was at least partially orchestrated by Interscope Records boss Jimmy Iovine, and it shows: The clash of sounds was occasionally appealing but ultimately contrived. Yet the vituperative reaction to it among critics and Soundgarden fans was over the top. Cornell, shown on the cover smashing a guitar, was branded a virtual traitor to rock'n'roll. (That he sings "Whole Lotta Love" on the new Santana album may be penance of sorts.) In an infamous tweet that more or less summed up the public response, Trent Reznor wrote: "You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly you feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell's record? Jesus."
Cameron and Shepherd both express admiration for Scream as a gutsy experiment, and Thayil, while less enthused, certainly saw potential. "I know if me, Matt, and Ben would've been in the studio with Chris and Timbaland, it wouldn't have been bad," he says. "Sometimes, you just need backup."
"It felt natural to me," Cornell says of Scream. "I had a good time doing it, and the only obstacle really was the perception of it. And perception is something I never spent too much time worrying about."
But that perception only seemed to add to the mounting problems in Cornell's life. In the preceding years, his split with Silver had gotten ugly: In 2005, he initiated a $1 million lawsuit, alleging that Silver had defrauded him of royalties and never returned, among other things, his Grammys and some recordings and journals; two years later he filed for a restraining order against a man he said Silver had hired to stalk him; in 2008, he implied on his website that he'd finally recovered from Silver 15 of his guitars. For her part, Silver regrets the way the split became so public, though she maintains it wasn't her choice. "I turned the other cheek really up until this moment," she says. "I've never publicly talked about any of this. After he cut off the [Audioslave] guys, he seemed to surround himself with really bad choices. It didn't ever have to be acrimonious. It's incredibly painful, unnecessary, and expensive when someone is abusing the legal
system to try to hurt another person."
Silver, who still manages Alice in Chains, remains a popular and influential figure in Seattle, and with Cornell living elsewhere, many in the local music scene took her side. "Chris and Susan have had their issues, which has been polarizing," says Jonathan Poneman, founder of Sub Pop, which released Soundgarden's first two EPs, Screaming Life and Fopp, in the late '80s. "Seattle's music community is pretty tight, and there's a lot of regional pride. Between Soundgarden breaking up and Chris not being in the area, I don't think there was much of a tendency to embrace what he was doing. There might be a little more forgiveness of some dubious career paths had he remained here."
To Silver, this is the real story of the reunion's genesis. "Chris didn't have anywhere else to go," she says. "His solo career was so unfocused that he started to modify his behavior to make this work and earn the other guys' trust back. Making amends takes awhile, which is why there's only been a club show and a commitment to one national show."
While it's impossible to separate Silver's comments from her status as Cornell's ex, there is a certain logic to them. But Thayil disagrees with her take on the band's agenda, or lack thereof. "Susan certainly understands some aspects of Chris differently than I do," Thayil says. "I think her perspective is as grown-up, fair, professional, and objective as an ex-wife's can be. But there was never any strong animosity with any of us. If there was some mountain to climb there, I wouldn't waste my time with that and I can't imagine Chris would."
As to the general perception that Cornell left Soundgarden, Seattle, his past and -- at least on Scream -- rock behind him, he admits that on those counts he's guilty. "For me, for survival, there had to be a lot of changes," Cornell says. "After enough years of getting fucked up, I got to the point where physically and mentally I was in danger. The idea that I'm not the same person -- well, I hope not, because that's sort of the point."
On the current "American Carnage" U.S. tour, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King is stopping by a handful of music stores to meet fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. All in-stores start at 3 p.m. local time.
The details are as follows:
August 18
Sam Ash
5700 Mayfield Road
Lyndhurst, OH
440-446-0850
August 27
Sam Ash
4402 West Cactus Road
Glendale, AZ
602-863-7746
Septemebr 1
Skips Music
2740 Auburn Blvd.
Sacramento, CA
916-484-7575
September 3
Bellevue American Music
14340 NE 20th Street
Bellevue, WA
425-641-5005
SLAYER performed the song "Hate Worldwide" on the August 10 edition of NBC-TV's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon".
"Hate Worldwide" was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The award eventually went to British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, who were honored for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live".
On August 17, 2010, SLAYER's DVDs — 2003's "War at the Warfield" and 2004's "Still Reigning" — are being reissued, and, for the first time ever, 1995's "Live Intrusion", having been digitally remastered, are also available on DVD. All three are sold separately at retail and online ($13.98 each), and the limited-edition "Slayer Live DVD 3-Pak" ($29.98), is available exclusively on SLAYER's web site, www.slayer.net.
Every one of the SLAYER live-in-concert DVDs represents a different era of the band: "Live Intrusion" was recorded on March 12, 1995 at the Mesa Amphitheatre in Mesa, Arizona and features guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, and drummer Paul Bostaph; "War at the Warfield" was filmed at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California on December 7, 2001, and like "Live Intrusion", features drummer Paul Bostaph, marking his last release with SLAYER before original drummer, Dave Lombardo, rejoined the band; Filmed at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine on July 11, 2004, "Still Reigning" — also gold-certified and voted Best Live DVD by the readers of Revolver magazine — was directed by Dean Karr and recreates SLAYER's thrash/punk, 28-minute classic 1986 album "Reign In Blood" performed in its entirety.
What started as a joking request led the town of Cridersville, Ohio, to officially change its name for a day to in honor of Dee Snider, front man for the 1980s heavy metal band TWISTED SISTER, and national spokesman for March of Dimes Bikers for Babies.
"I've had many dreams and been lucky enough to have most of them come true, but I would never dare to dream of something like this! Having a town change its name to mine — even though it is changing only a few letters — is one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me!" said Dee Snider, who jokingly requested the change when a listener from the town requested a song. "It's even better that we can support the March of Dimes work to give all babies a healthy start in life."
On August 21st, Cridersville, Ohio, will be officially changing its name to Snidersville. That same day, Mr. Snider will host a March of Dimes Bikers for Babies ride and will ride his motorcycle from Lima, Ohio, to "Snidersville" with other bikers to help raise funds to help fight premature birth.
"The town agreed to change its name, and Dee found a way for it to benefit the March of Dimes," explained Ryan Reker, program director and on-air personality at Maverick Media. Mr. Snider hosts a nationally syndicated "House of Hair" radio show for Reker's station, WEGE-FM, which is sponsoring the Bikers for Babies event.
Premature birth is a serious health problem. Each year in the United States, more than a half million babies are born too soon. Premature birth is a leading cause of infant death, and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, including breathing problems, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and others.
The March of Dimes has always been important to Mr. Snider. He is the national spokesperson for March of Dimes Bikers for Babies, and two of his four children were born prematurely. Mr. Snider has been riding in Bikers for Babies for more than a decade, hitting the open road in support of finding causes and preventions for premature birth.
This year, 30 Bikers for Babies events will take place throughout the country. Each ride to benefit babies is about 70 miles long, with every mile counting to help fight premature birth and give every baby a healthy start in life.
Join Dee Snider, the March of Dimes and other riders in helping to improve the health of babies. If you can't ride, you can help by making a donation or volunteering your time at the event. Register now and show your support at BikersForBabies.com.
The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Orange County Choppers has announced a free performance by guitar icon Zakk Wylde and his BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on Monday, August 23 at 9 p.m. at OCC's retail store and showroom (14 Crossroads Court, Newburgh, NY 12550). The free show will be taped for an upcoming episode of "American Chopper", which airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on TLC.
"My blood is pumping just thinking about the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY performance here at OCC. From what I hear, Zakk and his crew put on a great show," said Paul Teutul, Sr. "We look forward to welcoming the band and the Berserkers to OCC."
Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's August 10, 2010 performance at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California can be viewed below (courtesy of Christy Borgman).
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's first new album in four years, "Order Of The Black", is likely to sell between 40,000 and 45,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on August 10.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's previous album, "Shot to Hell", opened with 32,000 units to land at position No. 21 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was less than the 45,000 copies shifted by BLS's "Mafia" (Artemis) back in March 2005 to debut at No. 15.
On Tuesday, August 10, "Order Of The Black" was made available in multiple configurations. At Target, an exclusive limited edition CD/DVD combo package contains the CD plus 50 minutes of bonus video and can be ordered here. The CD/DVD configuration is available while supplies last. A special version is also available from Best Buy as a limited-edition package to include the CD with two bonus tracks and a BLACK LABEL SOCIETY t-shirt (it can be ordered here). At iTunes, the album is available as a special deluxe digital download bundle with the complete album plus 50 minutes of bonus video content (order it here).
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's first new album in four years, "Order Of The Black" was released in North America via E1 Music. "Order Of The Black" features four unique covers designed by Zakk Wylde himself — one for each territory: North America, Europe, Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
Jack Russell, lead singer of the multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated rock band GREAT WHITE, is recovering from major surgery after suffering a perforated bowel (a medical emergency in which a hole in the bowel opens to allow its contents to empty into the rest of the abdominal cavity). The surgery left Russell with a colostomy bag. Doctors are confident that this procedure is temporary. Russell remains hospitalized in Southern California, and his condition is improving.
"It was touch-and-go for about 48 hours whether or not he was going to live," manager Obi Steinman said. "He's been in the hospital for several days, and he's doing a lot better."
Russell is the singer behind such hits as "Once Bitten Twice Shy", "Rock Me", "Angel" and "Save All Your Love". He faces another operation, but he was in good spirits today. "I've felt better, but I've felt a hell of a lot worse," he said in a statement. "Nothing is going to keep me down. This whole thing definitely makes me appreciate life more than I ever have."
Russell is expected to recover in six to eight weeks.
Singer Terry Ilous of XYZ has stepped in to replace Russell on lead vocals.
GREAT WHITE continues to receive positive feedback from audiences and promoters from its three shows in Southern California this past weekend.
The remaining dates on GREAT WHITE's 25th-anniversary tour will go on as scheduled, and can be viewed at GreatWhiteRocks.com.
The GREAT WHITE family extends its thanks to the entire GREAT WHITE fan community and appreciates prayers and well wishes as Russell recovers.
On September 11 at the Stockholm Rock Out festival in Stockholm, Sweden, GREAT WHITE will play a one-time-only European show with the legendary singer Paul Shortino (QUIET RIOT, ROUGH CUTT and the recently reunited KING KOBRA).
Low-quality video footage of GREAT WHITE's August 12, 2010 performance at the Brixton in Redondo Beach, California with Terry Ilous of XYZ on vocals can be viewed below.
GREAT WHITE released its latest album, "Rising", in North America in April 2009 via Shrapnel Records. The CD was issued in Europe on March 13, 2009 through Frontiers Records.
Since reuniting in January 2007 to perform a benefit concert, GREAT WHITE has moved forward with the successful release in the summer of the same year of their return album "Back To The Rhythm", a record which was hailed by critics and fans as a return to the heydays of the band. After a world tour that celebrated the first 25 years of GREAT WHITE and that brought them for 14 concerts to Europe, bass player Sean McNabb opted out and was replaced by Scott Snyder (ex-RAMOS, ACCOMPLICE).
GREAT WHITE is:
Jack Russell - vocals
Michael Lardie - guitars, keyboards
Mark Kendall - guitars
Scott Snyder - bass
Audie Desbrow – drums
In 1980, VAN HALEN released Women And Children First. Now 30 years later, on August 31st 2010, MURDERDOLLS will release Women And Children Last – how times have changed! "Oh yeah," chuckles vocalist Wednesday 13. "It was such a good title! We knew that when people heard that title they would either be offended or laugh. I think it's worked both ways so far. Some ladies didn't like it, but oh well."
Murderdolls is the dynamic duo of W13 and SLIPKNOT drummer turned guitarist Joey Jordison. The pair unleashed their debut album, Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls, eight years ago in 2002. Since then, Wednesday has issued three solo albums, an EP and live DVD/CD, as well as two BOURBON CROW discs and one under the moniker GUNFIRE 76. Add to that a re-recorded best of and box set from his first band, FRANKENSTEIN DRAG QUEENS. Joey has been equally busy with Slipknot putting out two studio albums and a double live effort. He also worked as producer on The Roadrunner United All-Star Sessions and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD's Fire Up The Blades. Additionally, Jordison has performed live with METALLICA, SATYRICON, MINISTRY, KORN and ROB ZOMBIE.
Despite all that has come before Women And Children Last, Wednesday proudly states, "It's my favourite thing I've ever done! It turned out great. We had no expectations of what it was going to be like. We got in the studio and it turned out that way."
Women And Children Last is undoubtedly darker and nastier than its predecessor. W13 admits his approach to writing lyrics differed this time, as compared to the songs that comprise his back catalogue. "There's a big difference. I really realized it by doing the new Murderdolls. I didn't want to do the same old – the Gunfire stuff was a little different, so for me that was cool 'cause I got to step out of this corner I'd been painted into with the Wednesday 13 stuff. But with Murderdolls this time, we changed it up. There's no actual horror movie songs on there. There's stories like 'Chapel Of Blood' and 'Summertime Suicide', I guess they could be a horror movie. But we didn't want to go back to watching Dawn Of The Dead and write, when there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth. That was easy to do. This time it was more of a challenge. I wanted to sing about different themes. There's still tongue-in-cheek
fun stuff on the record and there's more serious songs like (first single) 'My Dark Place Alone' and 'Nowhere'."
Murderdolls definitely left the campy vibe that was present on the debut behind. Women And Children Last really sees the band going for the throat this time around. "We were pissed off! That's the only way I can really explain it. We had a really good time in the studio recording, but when Joey and I connected again after five years and started talking, we just realized how pissed off we were about so many different things. We just started talking about everything that had happened since the last time we saw each other; that's why the record has all that fury. It's real."
While listening to Women And Children Last, it quickly becomes apparent that Wednesday loves the word motherfucker! It appears in half the songs (multiple times) and twice in the title of one of the bonus tracks, 'Motherfucker See Motherfucker Do'. "The great thing about the record is I'm constantly using the word motherfucker. We actually had two warning stickers made for the album on purpose. There's a Parental Advisory and on top of that there's one that says, We Are Fucking Serious! Parental Advisory! I don't know if any other band has done that? We felt it was that dirty and sleazy that it needed two warning labels."
Joey calls Iowa home and W13 lives in North Carolina, yet the pair decided to record in Hollywood, California. "We were actually going to record in Iowa at the same place that Slipknot did their last record," reveals Wednesday. "But the guy we were going to use at the time couldn't start the project until five weeks later. So we had to go with what was available then and we chose Zeuss (KINGDOM OF SORROW, THY WILL BE DONE) to produce the record, he was chasing down studios all over the place, trying to find the best one. He found this killer place up in Hollywood and it worked out great It was a house connected to a studio, so we basically got to stay at the house, then we'd go and record during the day or at night, whatever. We basically locked ourselves in this really killer fucking house; we never left. We never went anywhere. We were there for 30 days. We never went out. It almost became like this little compound; it was like The Shining
almost. We only saw each other in this little insane asylum, but it worked out for the vibe of the record really, really well. It was great, but it wasn't like we had to record in Hollywood to get a vibe or anything. We just lucked out with a really cool studio!"
Although Women And Children Last is the second Murderdolls album, it's the first time W13 and Joey have actually sat down and wrote together. Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls consisted of songs from Wednesday's old band Frankenstein Drag Queens, meshed together with songs from Joey's old band THE REJECTS. "Right, exactly. These were demos that started in maybe 2002 or 2003, up 'til three weeks before we recorded the album. So we had all this material, but there weren't any finished songs. It was more or less like a verse and a chorus. But when Joey and I got together, we basically picked out – we had so many songs to choose from, it was so hard doing it – we went in with 30 ideas, more than that. Then we just started chopping them off, piece by piece. In the studio, we actually wrote 'Chapel Of Blood' and 'My Dark Place Alone', those weren't prepared prior to that. Those were riffs that Joey played and he had to track them.
I had no vocals or anything, but that's what was so cool about it. He wrote those songs and then would run out to do Rob Zombie rehearsals, when he'd come back, I'd have all the lyrics done. It was that easy for those two songs. It's a weird connection that me and Joey have; it's not weird, it's awesome! He and I, the way we write is so quick, it comes so naturally, sometimes we even finish each other's sentences. It was a really cool experience, for the first time to actually sit down and write songs; we realized the chemistry we have. Before it was easy. You really couldn't tell because those songs were complete. We just smashed them together, redid some words here and there, other than that it was already done. This, we actually had to work and create these songs."
Much to Wednesday's delight, Mick Mars from MÖTLEY CRÜE made a guest appearance on the album. "He plays guitar on 'Drug Me To Hell' and 'Blood-Stained Valentine'. Mick does all the leads on both of those songs. The way it happened, it wasn't planned out at all. We weren't going to have anyone else on the album; we didn't want to have any special guests. We had just finished tracking the song 'Blood-Stained Valentine'. We'd finished all the vocals, the rhythm guitar, bass, drums. We were just missing what we call the ear candy – the solo. Joey and I were having dinner, talking and out of the blue I said, 'this really has a Mick Mars vibe to it'. Our tour manager, who was basically just watching us over at the house and the studio, he knew Mick because he used to work for Mötley Crüe. He said, 'Mick just lives down the street. Why don't we call him and see if he wants to play on it?' He went out, smoked a cigarette,
came back and said, 'yeah, Mick's into it. He'll be here Saturday at seven so send him the tracks.' He was a totally fucking cool guy man! The thing I was most impressed with was, he came in wearing four-inch platform boots, which I thought was great. He tracked all his parts – he was playing a whammy pedal and a wah pedal at the same time, 'cause he was doing all these tremolo effects. I'd never seen anyone work a double bass pedal at the same time – and he was wearing platforms, which I thought was awesome. He's the real deal. I remember seeing Mick wear those platforms back in the day and here he is, they weren't the same ones, a new version, but this guy wears this shit every day. It was great to see. He was such a down to earth guy. He came in and you could tell it wasn't about money; he wanted to put his stamp on it. We worked for probably six or seven hours, getting the right tone and everything. Plus, we consider him to be
the villain of rock 'n roll. He was Cousin It in Mötley Crüe. He's the reason Joey and I dyed our hair black. It was a really cool experience to have him be part of our record."
In addition to Wednesday and Joey, the 2010 Murderdolls touring lineup features: guitarist Roman Surman (Gunfire 76, Bourbon Crow), drummer Racci Shay Hart (Wednesday 13) and bassist Jack Tankersley – a completely different set of guys than that which toured in support of Beyond The Valley Of The Murderdolls. "We never wanted to discount the old band or anything, but it has been eight years since that lineup. The way that band was put together in the very beginning, a lot of people didn't understand and we never really talked about it, but Joey and I basically recorded the record and then when it came time to put the band together, it was really rushed. We really didn't have time. We had to be on tour 'cause the record was coming out. We had a week to rehearse, get on a bus, learn how to be friends and be a band. Not to mention throwing in five or six crew guys on top of that – let the debauchery begin. And that's what happened. With the
exception of Joey, the rest of us were like kids in a candy store. We'd never been out playing, only local gigs. By our 11th show, we were opening for GUNS N' ROSES in Japan in front of 30,000 people. You can just see the madness and what you could get yourself in trouble for. We just became this complete dysfunctional unit, but that's what made Murderdolls work. Flash forward now eight years later, I hate to use the word grown up or mature, but we can't stop ourselves from growing up. We're just in a different mindset now. This band definitely took on more of a serious… we had more of a mission. Before it was just, let's put this band together, have fun and go party. This time, once Joey and I started working on these songs, it became a real thing to us. We needed fresh blood and people around us that had the same vision, that's why we chose the guys we have now. Last time, we just scratched the surface. This time we want to dig our
claws in and make sure people remember who the fuck we are!"
Three additional musicians have been confirmed for the upcoming tribute album "Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star Salute To Fat Chicks". Founding TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French, TUFF vocalist Stevie Rachelle and drummer Stet Howland (LITA FORD, W.A.S.P.) have collaborated on a new recording of the TED NUGENT cult favorite "Thunder Thighs", a track from his 1986 "Penetrator" album. As Ted himself reveals in its liner notes, "'Thunder Thighs' is a career highpoint, as far as I and many others are concerned." The story of a lusty young lady with a healthy appetite (and healthy curves to match), the new version is delivered with equal gusto and enthusiasm by the talented trio above. The track was arranged and produced by Paul LaPlaca (CHRIS CAFFREY, THE GREAT KAT, ZANDELLE), who also contributes bass and rhythm guitar.
"I am the voice of this lost Nugent nugget," says Stevie Rachelle, "and it sure was a fun one to sing! Uncle Ted does indeed rock. Always has, always will."
"I recorded my guitar parts fresh out of seeing 'Avatar' by James Cameron," comments Jay Jay French. "So even though I was laying down tracks for a song about some girl with meaty legs, all I kept picturing were those elongated blue aliens with their 3 percent body fat!"
"Ironically, I found myself working on 'Thunder Thighs' during a thunderstorm," reveals Stet Howland, "and a lightning strike fried my system! To say that the files got corrupted would be an understatement! Long story short, after buying a new computer, reloading and upgrading my Pro Tools and shouting a lot of random curse words, my drum tracks were done!"
A sample of the song is now available at the official "Whole Lotta Love" MySpace page.
As previously reported, "Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star Salute To Fat Chicks" is a musical homage to the big, beautiful women who make the rockin' world go 'round. The tribute will feature all-new recordings of popular songs praising the fuller female figure, originally made famous by some of the biggest names in rock and pop music. These anthems to abundance will be performed by renowned rock and rollers from yesterday and today, along with a select few rising stars. In direct opposition to the "no-fat-chicks" mantra espoused by some, "Whole Lotta Love" will be a star-studded celebration of large and lovely ladies. Songs confirmed so far include QUEEN's arena-rock classic "Fat Bottomed Girls" by L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis, with guitarist Paul LaPlaca and drummer John Macaluso. Also on tap is a high-octane version of the AC/DC concert staple "Whole Lotta Rosie" by RUFUS FONTAIN, featuring CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar and original JACKYL vocalist
Ronnie Honeycutt. The POISON chart-topper "Unskinny Bop" is ably recreated by party rock outfit EVICK, featuring members of the Bret Michaels band. And the bass-heavy SPINAL TAP dirge "Big Bottom" is given a six-string revamp by TWISTED SISTER guitarist Eddie Ojeda and his BAND OF STEEL. Plus-sized songstress Celisa Stratton brings all-new meaning to the title track "Whole Lotta Love" by LED ZEPPELIN, in conjunction with veteran QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali and guitarist Alex Grossi. Additionally, rock and roll comic C.C. Banana offers up a faithful rendition of the KISS track "Spit" (a.k.a. "Split"), featuring bassist David Z of ZO2 and guitarist Angus Clark. The album boasts an inspired cover by pop artist Les Toil, known for his bold and beautiful "big girl" pin-up art. And the SIR MIX-A-LOT hip-hop smash "Baby Got Back" is given a metal makeover by comedian Don Jamieson, co-host of "That Metal Show" on VH1 Classic. TRIXTER guitarist Steve Brown
puts a rock spin on MIKA's international Top 40 single "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)". Plus "Big, Fat, Sexy Mama", a song by New York City underground sensation THE COMPULSIONS, is expertly rendered by newcomers TRIANGLE EXCEPTION. The album boasts an inspired cover by pop artist Les Toil, known for his bold and beautiful "big girl" pin-up art.
"Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star Salute To Fat Chicks" is scheduled for an August 31 release and is now available for pre-order directly from SplitScreen Entertainment. The first 500 pre-orders will receive a free instant digital download of "Fat Bottomed Girls" as well as a bonus mini-print of the cover art upon delivery of the album.
Sonisphere Festival, which visited 11 countries across Europe this summer, had a total attendance of more than 700,000 across 19 dates, according to the organizers.
The rock festival benefited from a line-up that included the big four of metal - Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer - on the bill for seven of the dates. A further 100,000-plus rock fans attended a global cinecast of the four bands performing at Sonisphere in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Sonisphere 2010 wrapped in Stockholm on Aug. 7 and the Finish town of Pori on Aug. 7-8.
This year the festival has been hit by mud baths in Switzerland and Sweden, a sandstorm in Spain and a freak tornado at the finale in Finland. A 50-year-old man was injured at the festival in Finland and later died. "We are obviously shocked and devastated and would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victim," said Stuart Galbraith, series producer for Sonisphere Festival, in a statement.
Iron Maiden played three dates at Sonisphere 2010, including their only U.K. appearance of the year. Their presence as headliners ensured the Aug. 1 U.K. leg at Knebworth sold all 55,000 tickets.
At last year's inaugural Sonisphere, around 300,000 fans attended the festival, which was staged on seven dates at six locations.
Galbraith, CEO of Kilimanjaro Live, established the festival with John Jackson, Metallica's booking agent at K2. Metallica played seven shows at the festival this year.
"Sonisphere is here for the long haul and in five or 10 years from now it will be as established a name as Werchter or Glastonbury or Pinkpop," said Lars Ulrich of Metallica in a statement.
German NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) tribute band ROXXCALIBUR is hard at work on its second album which will feature cover versions of a number of "raw diamonds" from the NWOBHM, including tracks that were originally written and recorded by MORE, NO QUARTER, SARACEN, CRYER, OXYM and HOLLOW GROUND. The CD will be mixed by Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY, TYGERS OF PAN TANG) and will once again feature the cover artwork of Rodney Matthews.
Commented ROXXCALIBUR drummer Neudi: "Uwe Lulis did a great job on our first CD but this time we want to go to an original of the days of NWOBHM. And Chris really likes the idea behind ROXXCALIBUR! We will have our private ANVIL movie then!"
After the NWOBHM anniversary show at Germany's Keep It True festival in April 2009, where ROXXCALIBUR performed with such singers as Brian Ross (BLITZKRIEG, SATAN), Enid Williams (GIRLSCHOOL), Dave Hill (DEMON), Graham Shaw (BLEAK HOUSE), Terry Dark (JAMESON RAID) and Jess Cox (TYGERS OF PAN TANG), things started to roll and the band was invited to play the Bang Your Head!!! and Headbangers Open Air festivals.
Since early 2010, ROXXCALIBUR (minus singer Alexx) has also performed gigs under the SAVAGE GRACE moniker with original SAVAGE GRACE singer/songwriter Chris Logue, who wasn't able to resurrect the group with any original SG bandmembers from the Eighties.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/roxxcalibur.
Bazillion Points Books has announced the late 2010 release of "Mean Deviation: Four Decades Of Progressive Heavy Metal" by Jeff Wagner, a former editor of Metal Maniacs magazine and veteran supporter of metal's most risk-taking bands. Wagner analyzes the heady side of metal in this exhaustive history of a relentlessly ambitious musical subculture. The book features extensive original artwork throughout by VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin, including the lavish front cover which can be viewed below.
The book's foreword was penned by PORCUPINE TREE founder Steven Wilson. Revered in progressive rock circles, the multi-talented Wilson is also highly respected by metalheads as producer of three landmark OPETH albums. As he writes: "In Jeff Wagner's 'Mean Deviation', we now have a definitive book on the relationship between metal and progressive music, and the myriad variation of styles that it has given rise to... In the meantime, metal continues to mutate and evolve, sometimes in the most unexpected ways, demonstrating that it is far from spent and is, in fact, the most flexible of musical forms."
Beginning with 1970s progressive rock acts RUSH and KING CRIMSON, "Mean Deviation" unfurls a colorful tapestry of sounds and styles, from the "Big Three" of 1980s prog metal — QUEENSRŸCHE, FATES WARNING and DREAM THEATER — to extreme pioneers VOIVOD, WATCHTOWER and ARCTURUS. As sparks of inspiration spread to obscure outposts in Scandinavia, Florida, and Japan, progressive metal burst into full creative flame with the successes of prog metal overlords OPETH, MESHUGGAH, TOOL, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, and many others.
"One thing prog metal certainly is, is metal," Wagner states. "Hard and bold and brash, but refined, adulterated, and mutated. Progressive metal is heavy metal taken somewhere illuminating and sometimes bizarre."
Weighing in at 400 pages, the heavily-illustrated book includes a 16-page color photo insert, a constellation of appendixes, and a full index.
For more information, and to pre-order, visit www.mean-deviation.com.
Swedish metallers ASTRAL DOORS will release a new collection, "The Best Of Astral Doors", in November. Also in the works is a concert DVD. More information on these releases will be made available soon.
Guitarist Martin Haglund left ASTRAL DOORS in April 2010 in order to focus on his family life. The band has opted to remain a five-piece, with founding member Joachim Nordlund handling all guitars himself.
ASTRAL DOORS released its fifth album, "Requiem Of Time" in Europe on January 29 and in North America on February 16 through Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG.
According to the band, "'Requiem Of Time' is a mixture of classic hard rock, like on the debut, 'Of The Son And The Father', and more modern metal like on the previous disc, 'New Revelation'. Call it what you want; it contains the best songs the band has ever written."
ASTRAL DOORS last year parted ways with bassist Mika Itaranta and replaced him with Ulf Lagerström (LUNATIC PARADE, BARFLY)
Reunited Swedish heavy rockers TRANSPORT LEAGUE have commenced the songwriting sessions for their comeback studio album, tentatively due next year. The band says, "We are trying to write songs as occasionally as we can meet up at the rehearsal room. At this moment we have about five new tracks in the pot, with the titles: 'Swing Satanic Swing', 'King Doom', 'Hasch Crash', 'I Am The Seven' and 'Pork Named Jack'."
TRANSPORT LEAGUE played its first reunion show on May 15, 2009 on the Terass stage at Henriksberg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bassist Ken Sandin was unable to participate in the reunion concert and was temporarily replaced by another former TRANSPORT LEAGUE bassist, Johan Reivén.
Commented the group: "TRANSPORT LEAGUE was the band who invented the phrase 'boogie from hell,' well known and well heard on the two first albums, 'Stallion Showcase' (1995) and 'Superevil' (1997). Just listen to tracks such as 'Cosmical Satanical' and 'Lost in the Desert of Habib' and you will understand what we are talking about.
"TRANSPORT LEAGUE no doubt paved the way for such artists as VOLBEAT and MUSTASCH, drawing from many sources to create a new format for heavy guitar-driven groovy rock."
TRANSPORT LEAGUE's fourth full-length album, "Multiple Organ Harvest", was released in November 2003 through Holland's Seamview Records.
TRANSPORT LEAGUE 2010 is:
Matt Starander - Drums
Tony Julien Jelencovich - Vocals/Guitar
Peter Hunyadi - Lead Guitar
Lars Häglund - Bass
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/transportleagueband.
SPV GmbH has announced a new distribution agreement in the U.K. with Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd. The agreement, which covers HMV and other stores, is for the house owned labels Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and Red.
The first frontline titles in autumn on Steamhammer will be the new studio albums of ZODIAC MINDWARP, ANGRA, VIRGIN STEELE, KINGDOM COME, EVERGREY and SODOM as well as a best of CD of UFO and a live album/DVD by melodic rock icons FAIR WARNING. 2011 will start with new studio albums from English bombast rock heroes MAGNUM and JAG PANZER, as well as re-releases of VIRGIN STEELE, SODOM and DESTRUCTION. Frontline artists on Steamhammer are also AXEL RUDI PELL, MOLLY HATCHET, FREEDOM CALL, GLYDER, RAVEN, THUNDERSTONE, THE OTHER, STORMZONE and many more.
The first frontline titles in autumn on Synthetic Symphony will be new studio albums of COVENANT and FUNKER VOGT as well as re-releases of DIE KRUPPS. 2011 will start with the new studio album of EBM heroes SKINNY PUPPY and DIE KRUPPS.
SPV was established in 1984 and is one of the largest independent record companies in the world. With distribution all over the world, SPV has an unparalleled reputation for audio quality, archive research and visual presentation. Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and red holds a massive back-catalogue from artists like MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, KREATOR, KAMELOT, ICED EARTH, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, TYPE O NEGATIVE, DIO, THE MISSION, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, BAD ENGLISH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, PRONG and many others.
Frank Uhle (GM of SPV): "It´s great to be working with Plastic Head, a strong company that totally understands our artists and repertoire. We share the same visions and will forge a unique partnership with what we think to be the U.K.'s best rock distributor."
Steve Beatty (Plastic Head Director): "We welcome with open arms SPV to Plastic Head, SPV brings to PHD a super strong label roster that compliments us. SPV is a company that for over twenty-five years has been a major player in the European rock and metal scene. We look forward to a long and solid relationship."
According to The Pulse of Radio, the dates and venues have been confirmed for the second annual "HardDrive Live" tour, produced in conjunction with the "HardDrive" and "HardDrive XL" weekend and nightly radio programs. As previously announced, SEVENDUST and 10 YEARS will top a bill also featuring SINCE OCTOBER, ARANDA and ANEW REVOLUTION. The trek will begin in Augusta, Georgia on October 4 and will hit 28 cities across North America by November 10, where it will wrap in Orlando, Florida.
Tickets will go on sale this Friday (August 20) and Saturday (August 21).
The members of SEVENDUST said in a statement, "We couldn't be more excited to be on the 'HardDrive Live' tour this fall . . . 'HardDrive' have been huge supporters of the band over the years."
SEVENDUST has been touring behind its eighth studio album, "Cold Day Memory", and drummer Morgan Rose told The Pulse of Radio that the band is really enjoying itself at the moment. "I mean, we're interacting with each other as well as the people out in the crowd just because we've played these songs so many times that we need to entertain ourselves a little bit," he said. "So, you know, I hope nobody minds that we're up there having a good time within each other, you know, and hopefully that translates to everybody out there."
ARANDA will replace SINCE OCTOBER on the bill beginning November 2 in Salt Lake City.
Last year's inaugural tour featured ALL THAT REMAINS, LACUNA COIL and others.
Confirmed "HardDrive Live" tour dates (subject to change):
Oct. 04 - Augusta, GA - The Country Club
Oct. 05 - Fayetteville, NC - Jester's Pub
Oct. 07 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
Oct. 08 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
Oct. 09 - Hampton Beach, NH - [to be announced]
Oct. 10 - Fitchburg, MA - Fitchburg Trade
Oct. 12 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Oct. 13 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock
Oct. 15 - Indianapolis, IN - 8 Seconds Saloon
Oct. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
Oct. 17 - Mount Clemens, MI - Emerald Theatre
Oct. 19 - Sault Sainte Marie, MI - Kewadin Casino
Oct. 21 - Chicago, IL - Joe's Bar (Sevendust)
Oct. 22 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note
Oct. 23 - Radio show [to be announced[
Oct. 25 - San Antonio, TX - Scout Bar
Oct. 26 - Odessa, TX - Do Amigos
Oct. 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Oct. 29 - Las Vegas, NV - Fremont East District
Oct. 30 - Fresno, CA - Woodward Park
Oct. 31 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Nov. 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Nov. 03 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
Nov. 05 - Minneapolis, MN - [to be announced]
Nov. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Nov. 07 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Nov. 09 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
Nov. 10 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
10 YEARS will release its new album, "Feeding The Wolves", on August 31, but the first single, "Shoot It Out", is already on the radio now. The title of the record is actually taken from a line in the song, which Hasek says is about the pressures the band has faced in the music business. "It's a very aggressive song and it's a little bit of angst towards just how they don't leave you alone to be the musicians you are," he tells The Pulse of Radio. "You hear it with a lot of bands, the whole 'jaded' scenario, but it's true, because we're a bunch of musicians that were writing music all on our own with no outside sources affecting us. And then you get, it turns into a profession and you get pulled in all sorts of directions. And we just said, 'Enough's enough, we're just gonna do what we want.'"
The band recently promised that "Feeding The Wolves" will be "the heaviest album they've made in nearly a decade."
SINCE OCTOBER recently released its sophomore effort, "Life, Scars, Apologies", which features the single "The Way You Move".
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz and former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach are re-teaming for TIMES OF GRACE, a brand new band that finds the duo taking a creative left turn, boldly exploring new musical terrain, while fearlessly digging deep into the recesses of their musical synergy. It has yielded a provocative, heavy-yet-melodic result, one that helped each of them overcome personal struggles and emerge from the darkness, more empowered than ever.
The pair's collaborative energy and chemistry obviously yields quality, long-lasting results, as they worked together on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's benchmark album, 2002's "Alive Or Just Breathing". That record has become definitive for an entire generation of American metal, with Leach's voice and uplifting lyrics serving as one of the key elements that propelled the album to "modern classic" status. Leach, who went on to sing for the more classic-rock leaning SEEMLESS and who currently sings for the metal band THE EMPIRE SHALL FALL, was always remembered fondly by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans, even though he left the band shortly after "Alive Or Just Breathing"'s release.
While fans will no doubt be thrilled at the concept of the duo reuniting, TIMES OF GRACE is not interested in fashioning "Alive Or Just Breathing Part II". It's an entirely new project and represents a different musical path for both Adam D. and Leach! It is an album of cleansing and catharsis for each of them, where internal demons were exorcised and set to music that's as aggressive as it is melodic. The pair is currently in the studio working on its debut, "The Hymn Of A Broken Man", which is due out November 9 through Roadrunner Records.
"In all my life. I have yet to write a record that bares my soul as much as this record does," Leach said. "Adam and I had a real spiritual connection while making this and I know that it comes through in the performances and lyrics. This record has our blood, sweat and tears flowing through it. It is painfully honest at times. In short this record is our catharsis."
Adam D. also commented on what TIMES OF GRACE means for him personally, saying, "Making this record was something completely new for me. It documents some of the most difficult-yet-spirited times of my life in the past three-and-a-half years. A lot of the music and lyrics just came out of me while going through several internal struggles, and writing these songs were the only comfort I could find. I reached out to Jesse to help sing and write these songs with me because of my respect for his musical abilities, and because of our great friendship...one that seems to not change no matter what happens in our lives. In the end, I am very proud of this record, and I feel it has helped me through some of my darkest days. I'm hoping that people will enjoy it, and also that it can maybe help others to keep the most positive mindset, even through the most trying of times."
The album begins with the percussive, almost militaristic "Strength in Numbers", which pairs layered vocal melodies with thunderously roaring drumbeats; "Fight For Life" bites with ferocity, but is balanced out by Leach's emotive vocals; while "Willing" boasts a more contemplative yet just as feral vibe.
TIMES OF GRACE isn't going back over ground that its members have already covered; they're moving forward, incorporating stunning, eye-arresting visuals alongside their music, which features rich layers of instrumentation that invite the listener to sift through.
The track listing for the album is as follows; the song titles reflect the sentiment of catharsis that is the common thread running through "The Hymn of a Broken Man".
01. Strength in Numbers
02. Fight For Life
03. Willing
04. Where The Spirit Leads Me
05. Until The End Of Days
06. Live In Love
07. In the Arms of Mercy
08. Hymn of a Broken Man
09. Hope Remains
10. The End of Eternity
11. Worlds Apart
12. Fall From Grace
German thrashers DEW-SCENTED will support AS I LAY DYING, HEAVEN SHALL BURN and SUICIDE SILENCE on the German leg of their upcoming European tour.
Commented DEW-SCENTED in a statement: "This will be quite a big tour and a really heavy package, so we are definitely looking forward to adding our slab of thrash metal into the mix and to make some new friends out there on the road."
HEAVEN SHALL BURN, AS I LAY DYING, SUICIDE SILENCE, DEW-SCENTED tour dates:
Nov. 07 - Nürnberg (Germany) - Löwensaal
Nov. 11 - München (Germany) - Tonhalle
Nov. 12 - Köln (Germany) - E-Werk
Nov. 13 - Stuttgart (Germany) - Longhorn LKA
Nov. 14 - Münster (Germany) - Skaters Palace
Nov. 15 - Berlin (Germany) - C-Club
Nov. 22 - Hamburg (Germany) - Große Freiheit 36
Nov. 23 - Leipzig (Germany) - Werk 2
In other news, DEW-SCENTED is working on liner notes and upgraded layout for reissues of the band's back-catalog albums, which should street by the end of the summer. More details will be made available soon.
DEW-SCENTED released its new album, "Invocation", on May 24 in Europe via Metal Blade Records and May 25 in North America through Prosthetic Records.
The album artwork was created by Björn Goosses of Killustrations and can be viewed below.
"Invocation" was recorded and mixed at Soundlodge Studio in Northern Germany with producer Jörg Uken (GOD DETHRONED, SINISTER).
"Invocation" contains two bonus tracks for the limited first pressing digipak version via Metal Blade Records in Europe.
Formed in 1992, DEW-SCENTED released seven previous full-length albums on labels such as Nuclear Blast, Grind Syndicate and Steamhammer/SPV. The band has toured with a who's who of extreme music, including CANNIBAL CORPSE, NAPALM DEATH, BEHEMOTH, KREATOR, SODOM and OVERKILL.
DEW-SCENTED is:
Leif Jensen - Vocals
Michael Borchers - Lead Guitars
Alexander Pahl - Bass
Martin Walczak - Rhythm Guitars
Marc-Andree Dieken – Drums
For a list of upcoming DEW-SCENTED shows, visit www.dew-scented.net.
Reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST have set "Jupiter" as the title of their long-awaited fourth album, tentatively due in November via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at LedBelly studios in Atlanta, Georgia with engineer Matt Washburn and was mixed by Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER).
"Jupiter" track listing:
01. Second To Sun
02. Fictitious Glide
03. Fraudulent Cloth
04. Live And Live Again
05. Faux King Christ
06. Tortoise The Titan
07. When The Beast
08. Third Person
The bass tracks on the effort were laid down by ATHEIST guitarist Jonathan Thompson, who also plays bass for drummer Steve Flynn's other group, GNOSTIC.
Regarding the direction of the new material, vocalist Kelly Shaefer wrote in a recent online posting, "[We] have taken great strides to make this the record we, as fans, would want to hear from ATHEIST. It's ferocious, intelligent, and dead-balls heavy as shit!
"When people hear this, they're going to say, 'It's ATHEIST!'"
"There are so many twists and turns in the average ATHEIST song, and we felt like it was very important to have enough killer material written so as to make it the most interesting record we have ever created. We wanted to make sure we took the next logical step in the evolution of our music. According to the critics out there, it's a tall — almost impossible — order. However, we feel like we have done it."
"Our late and great friend and foundational element of the ATHEIST sound, Roger Patterson, was always with us in spirit in the process of writing," added Shaefer. "In fact, that frantic, technical Patterson spirit has come shining through once more in the form of Jonathan Thompson, our newest guitar player. 'JT' is a young-spirited multi-talented player — he also plays bass for Flynn's band GNOSTIC. As long-time ATHEIST fans, JT and Chris Baker understand what ATHEIST is at its core and what the fans expect. Both have proven to be invaluable in bringing out that classic ATHEIST sound and have been instrumental the course of writing this long-awaited record."
Roadburn has unveiled the curator for the 2011 edition of the annual festival: SUNN O))). The band, namely Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley, has agreed to curate the festival on Friday, April 15, 2011 and host a special event.
As curator, SUNN O))) will personally select the bands that will play during their special event as well as perform a headline show.
SUNN O))) will be Roadburn's fourth curator, following David Tibet in 2008, NEUROSIS in 2009 and TRIPTYKON's Tom Gabriel Warrior at this year's festival.
Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley are currently gearing up for two major SUNN O))) events in September: performing "Altar" with BORIS at ATP New York and Brooklyn's Masonic Temple, but you can expect to hear from them in the future with respect to their thoughts on the 2011 Roadburn festival and SUNN O)))'s performance.
Commented the festival organizers: "We are overjoyed to join forces with SUNN O))) for the upcoming Roadburn festival. Their metal-based drone experimentations have proved groundbreaking and hugely influential for an entire new generation of musicians practicing the art of avant-garde metal, drone, post rock and psychedelica. SUNN O))) is also widely acclaimed for their eclectic collaborations with everyone from musicians Attila Csihar, Masami Akita (MERZBOW), BORIS, Steven Stapleton, Justin Broadrick, Oren Ambarchi, ULVER, Joe Preston, John Wiese, and Julian Cope to filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and visual artist Banks Violette.
"Greg Anderson, who is also GOATSNAKE's songsmith and the entrepreneur behind Southern Lord Records, and Stephen O'Malley, a prolific improviser and composer who is well-known for being involved in BURNING WITCH, KHANATE, KTL and DACM/Gisèle Vienne theatre-works, have performed in different guises during various Roadburn festivals over the years, which is exactly why we felt they would be the ideal curators. Both of them consistently push the envelope musically, and one of our steadfast goals has been to make Roadburn a festival that explores the cutting edge while celebrating the familiar, too. With that in mind, we could think of no better spiritual guide for 2011 than SUNN O))).
"We are truly looking forward to the new ideas and visions that the crossover drone duo will bring to the festival next year.
"When asked to sum up Roadburn in one word, 'progressive' would be a fitting choice. Evolving and improving are part of this. The festival is a tribute to the open mindedness of its bands, curators and audience. The joy comes from expanding musical horizons, and with SUNN O))) acting as our curator we'll definitely be in for some artistic surprises."
Roadburn festival 2011, including SUNN O)))'s special event, will run for three days from Thursday, April 14 to Saturday, April 16 at the 013 venue and Midi Theatre in Tilburg, Holland. There will be an additional afterburner event on Sunday, April 17, 2011.
For more information, visit www.roadburn.com.
Danish metallers MERCENARY have completed work on their sixth studio album with producer Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, VOLBEAT, NIGHTRAGE, HATESPHERE, PYRAMAZE).
According to a press release, "the new incarnation of MERCENARY displays a newfound musical focus, appetite and maturity, and while the material is now heavier and faster, it still features the characteristic clean vocals, catchy choruses and atmospheric keyboards and samples. (Keyboards provided by guest musician Kim Olesen of ANUBIS GATE)."
MERCENARY in January announced the addition of drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen (THE ARCANE ORDER, SUBMISSION, SLUGS) to the group's ranks. The band has also revealed that all lead vocals going forward will be handled by MERCENARY bassist/vocalist René Pedersen following the departure of singer Mikkel Sandager. The group says, "As everybody who has seen us live in the last couple of years is fully aware of, René is a real powerhouse, and he has so much more under his belt than he got to display on the previous album."
MERCENARY 2010 is:
Jakob Mølbjerg - Guitar
René Pedersen - Bass, Vocals
Martin Buus - Lead Guitar
Morten Løwe Sørensen - Drums
MERCENARY's last album, "Architect of Lies", was released in 2008 through Century Media Records. Featuring artwork by Niklas Sundin (ARCH ENEMY, DARK TRANQUILLITY), "Architect of Lies" was made available as a regular CD and a special limited-edition version featuring the bonus track "Death Connection" and a bonus DVD containing live footage filmed at Bang Your Head!!! festival 2007 and Summer Nights festival 2007, a detailed studio report and the promo video for "My World Is Ending".
Upcoming MERCENARY shows:
Sep. 30 - The Rock - København, Denmark
Oct. 01 - Studenterhuset - Aalborg, Denmark
Following a successful first run in 2010, "The Finnish Metal Tour" will once again unleash itself on North America in early 2011. Dubbed "The Finnish Metal Tour 2", the trek will feature co-headliners FINNTROLL (Century Media) and ENSIFERUM (Spinefarm). Support will come from BARREN EARTH (Peaceville), and ROTTEN SOUND (Relapse). The tour will start on January 31, 2011 in Orlando, Florida and conclude on March 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
ENSIFERUM bassist Sami Hinkka had this to say about the upcoming tour: "The time has come to unite forces with our fellow countrymen and raid your cities with unforeseen power. The amount of alcohol consumption on this tour is going to be horrifying, so don't forget to bring your drinking horn! Grab your swords and hold them high with pride and join the ultimate metal event of 2011."
The dates are as follows:
Jan. 31 - Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone
Feb. 01 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Feb. 02 - Louisville, KY - Headliner's Music Hall
Feb. 03 - Tulsa, OK - Marquee
Feb. 04 - Austin, TX - Emo's Alternative Lounging
Feb. 05 - Dallas, TX - Ridglea Theater
Feb. 06 - Amarillo, TX - The War Legion Underground
Feb. 07 - Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
Feb. 08 - Los Angeles, CA - Key Club
Feb. 09 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage
Feb. 10 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Feb. 11 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
Feb. 12 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Feb. 14 - Calgary, AB - The Republik
Feb. 15 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
Feb. 16 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
Feb. 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Station 4
Feb. 19 - Chicago, IL - Reggie Rock Club
Feb. 20 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
Feb. 21 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Feb. 22 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Feb. 23 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial de Quebec
Feb. 24 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Feb. 25 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
Feb. 26 - New York City, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
Feb. 27 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
Mar. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
Mar. 02 - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Mar. 03 - Charlotte, NC - The Casbah
Mar. 04 - Raleigh, NC - Volume 11
Tickets for the tour will be available starting August 17, 2010 via an exclusive Internet presale on EnterTheVault.com. VIP tickets will also be available and include a pre-show meet-and-greet with FINNTROLL and ENSIFERUM. All shows will then go on sale through normal ticketing systems on September 7, 2010.
Guitarist Jonas Andreassen has left Norway's IN GRIEF. The band states, "Jonas is moving to Lillehammer by the end of August. We are really going to miss him, because he is a awesome guy and a great guitarist. But IN GRIEF will, of course, go on and we have a new guitarplayer ready for launch."
IN GRIEF's seven-song, 45-minute debut, "Deserted Soul", was released last year via Bombworks Records.
Hailing from Norway, IN GRIEF plays its own brand of extreme metal which can best be described as atmospheric progressive death metal. Each song has an epic feel to it, with lots of dynamic contrasts, tempo changes, memorable melodies, great riffing, and plenty of heaviness. Taking a chapter from bands like OPETH, the band is content to take its time to let a song build up before unleashing its fury on you, all the while appeasing the listener with well-crafted melodies and rhythms.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ingrief.
German black/death/gothic metallers AGATHODAIMON have parted ways with guitarist Jan Jansohn "due to musical and personal differences" and have replaced him with Thilo Feucht. The band states, "[Thilo's] no unknown musician to our fans; you will know him from various contributions and guest appearances he had on 'Chapter III' [2001] and 'Serpent's Embrace' [2004], back then under the nick name of Azrael. He has also joined us on stage several times in the past since 'Chapter III', and already for our recent gigs we had in Austria and Germany.
"We're proud that he joined our ranks as full member now, and look forward to working on our sixth album together.
"Speaking of album No. six, for which we can announce the working title 'In Darkness...' It will be a step back to our roots, girls and boys!
"A studio date is scheduled for early 2011. More news to come soon."
AGATHODAIMON's latest album, "Phoenix", was released in March 2009 via Massacre Records. The follow-up to "Serpent's Embrace" marked the debut of the band's new vocalist, Chris "Ashtrael" Bonner, who joined the group in 2008.
Due to "immigration issues," Florida-based death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION will not take part in the Canadian leg of their "March Of Brutality Tour 2010" with EXODUS, BONDED BY BLOOD and HOLY GRAIL.
Affected dates:
Aug. 17 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
Aug. 24 - The Mod Club - Toronto, ON
Aug. 25 - Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
All other shows will go ahead as scheduled.
"Target Rich Environment", a brand new song from MALEVOLENT CREATION, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the group's eleventh album, "Invidious Dominion", which will be released on August 24 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records (three days later in Europe through Massacre). The effort will made available in various territories as a regular CD; digipack with bonus material; and vinyl LP.
MALEVOLENT CREATION's new album was recorded at Mana Recording Studios (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The band has also just signed a management deal with Extreme Management Group (SUFFOCATION, ORIGIN).
The album's cover art was created by renowned artist Pär Olofsson (THE FACELESS, IMMORTAL, ABYSMAL DAWN).
MALEVOLENT CREATION was recently rejoined by original bassist Jason Blachowicz.
Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM have issued the following update:
"We're really sorry to announce that Harri Pikka [guitar] has silently decided to flee the OMNIUM GATHERUM crew after 13 years of solid service. We don't know his exact reasons for this but maybe someday Mr. Mystery Man will tell us… :)
"At the moment we've decided to finish the new album as a five-piece unit, but we have the best possible live guitar unit called Joonas Koto (MALPRACTICE, ex-TO/DIE/FOR, ex-HATEFRAME) filling the second guitar live duties at the moment and it rocks!"
OMNIUM GATHERUM recently inked a deal with Lifeforce Records. The band will enter the studio at the end of August to begin recording its fifth album for an early 2011 release.
Commented the group: "After a lot of consideration and negotiating with many parties, we came to a conclusion that Lifeforce is the way to go! They've been showing the right kind of interest in us for some time now and it seems that they have the same honest attitude towards music and mayhem as we do."
Regarding the material for the band forthcoming CD, OMNIUM GATHERUM said in a statement, "This time we really put a lot of time and effort on the pre-production of the stuff.
"It's going to be an epic and massive attack of ever-flowing stream of Finnish 'melodic death metal,' straight from the souls of black."
OMNIUM GATHERUM will support DARK TRANQUILLITY on a tour of Finland in October/November.
Released in October 2008 in the U.S. via Candlelight Records, OMNIUM GATHERUM's latest album, "The Redshift", was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland with Janne Saksa and SouthEastSounds studio in Karhula with Teemu Aalto. The CD was mixed at Unisound Studio in Örebro, Sweden by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, HAIL OF BULLETS, NOVEMBERS DOOM).
British death metal act IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION has been forced to cancel its headlining European tour with Detroit deathcore destroyers AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH after the bands' tour van crashed.
After a strong start to the tour, a few of the shows in mainland Europe fell through with promoters, so the bands had decided to head back to the U.K. to continue with the tour there and add some more shows.
While driving through France on their way back to Calais, the van carrying the members of both IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION and AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH was involved in a crash on the motorway. All members are thankfully alive and well, although some had to be taken to hospital for injuries such as broken bones.
IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION bassist Chris Ball comments: "Sorry the tour got cut short but due to a major incident we are unable to do any shows for a while, we are all OK and still going strong. Up until the incident we had been enjoying the tour and have made some great friends in the process.
"We will be back as soon as we're all 100% fit enough to take to the stage again. In the mean time just keep your eyes and ears peeled for us hitting the studio at some point and new tour dates."
AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH guitarist Kyle McIlmurray describes the incident: "Basically we were making a late night drive back to the U.K. when we nicked a semi truck and got sent like a pinball down the freeway. Most of us sustained minor injuries compared to the guys in IGNOM... Thankfully we're all alive. We'll take back pain over death any day.
"The injuries and damage were so intense that we were forced to cancel the remainder of the tour and head back home. We are so thankful to have had such a great time with the guys in the other bands and play the shows that we did. Words cannot describe how bummed we are that we didn't get to finish it up. We've never backed out on a tour like this.. But unfortunately it was out of our hands.
"Now that we're home with our families and safe we're going to get ready for the road in September with SUFFOKATE and THE RED SHORE.. It will most certainly be a banger!"
IGNOMINIOUS INCARCERATION's debut album, "Of Winter Born", is available worldwide, as is AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH's brand new effort, "Proprioception", which can be purchased as a limited-edition digipak CD with an exclusive bonus track, as well as a special low-price CD version.
Singapore-based Pulverised Records has announced the re-signing of horror/gore death metallers BONE GNAWER — the Swedish-American collaboration featuring MASSACRE/ex-DENIAL FIEND growler Kam Lee, Rogga Johansson from PAGANIZER/RIBSPREADER, Morgan Lie from NAGLFAR/HATE AMMO and Ronnie Bjornstrom of RIBSPREADER/HATE AMMO.
Commented Lee of the new album deal and the band's upcoming recording: "It feels good to be back with Pulverised. This is the one label that has a true understanding of the type of old-school '90s style of death metal we play.
"This time around we're taking another brave and bold approach to our musical direction and lyrical concepts.
"We always strive to go against the grain and not cater to modern trends, all the while staying true to the old-school death metal sound.
"This time around we are going for a torture-and-vengeance-type lyrical concept, although some of those traditional 'cannibal-themed'-type lyrics will remain.
"We are [going for] a grittier feel and a much darker-edged 'grind-house' appeal to our lyrical concepts, taking influences from some of the more hardcore-exploitation-type films of the late '70s such as 'I Spit On Your Grave' and 'Last House On The Left'. Musically, we are retaining the horrific blend of old-school death metal we are known for, yet combining it with an even catchier flair."
"Feast Of Flesh", the debut album from BONE GNAWER, was re-released on vinyl, with the first 99 copies including a limited-edition seven-inch single, "Scissored", containing three brand new tracks — "Back To The Butchery", "Leave Her To The Cleaver" and "Scissored". Issued in June through Germany's Metal Inquisition Records, this EP is the only way that fans will be able to get all these tracks at this time.
"Feast Of Flesh" was released in June 2009 via Pulverised Records.
The layout and booklet was designed by veteran metal artist Mark Riddick (ARSIS, DYING FETUS, HYPOCRISY, KATAKLYSM).
According to the group's official bio, BONE GNAWER's music is "a simple assault of old-school style '90s Swedish death metal with other pure classic death metal influences and influences of classic '80s-style death-thrash, while the lyrics twisting on the bizarre, insane, and utter macabre world of modern cannibals and psychotic serial killers; as well as taking loose influences from horror movies with the same themes. With a lyrical touch of dark humor and a blend of catchy but horrific hooks and guitar riffing that is just pure aggressive straight-forward old-style death metal, BONE GNAWER's style is sure to draw you in comfortably close and then relentlessly smash away at your skull with a hammer, cleave your body into seperate parts, and then cook you up on a grill for cannibal consumption!"
BONE GNAWER is:
Kam Lee: Vocals
Rogga Johansson: Bass
Ronnie Björnström: Guitar
Morgan Lie: Drums
For more information, visit the group's MySpace page.
U.K. extreme metallers ANAAL NATHRAKH have issued the following update:
"Owing to an unforeseen conjunction of circumstances, it suddenly became possible to arrange a short tour of various parts of Europe. So we attacked the opportunity. The dates join the previously arranged shows at the Meh Suff! and Damnation festivals, and the show with TRIPTYKON in Athens.
"Given the comparatively last-minute nature of the tour, we appreciate anything anyone can do to help get word around and make them all the memorable orgies of spit and hatred that they are destined to be. One or two may be added to this list, depending on availability.
"With the exception of Leeds, we have never played in any of these cities before and look forward hugely to the opportunity to destroy pieces of our souls for your entertainment."
The dates are as follows:
Sep. 10 - Meh Suff! Festival - Hüttikon, Switzerland
Sep. 24 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sep. 25 - Podium 't Beest - Goes, Netherlands
Sep. 26 - ExHaus - Trier, Germany
Sep. 29 - Matrix Klub - Prague, Czech Republic
Sep. 30 - Nová Pekáren - Nitra, Slovakia
Oct. 01 - Escape Metal Corner - Vienna, Austria
Oct. 03 - Kyttaro Live - Athens, Greece
Nov. 06 - Damnation Festival - Leeds, UK
ANAAL NATHRAKH's latest LP, "In The Constellation Of The Black Widow", was released in June 2009 via Candlelight Records. A limited-edition gatefold colored vinyl version of the effort was made available at the same time via Feto Records (the label run by NAPALM DEATH's Shane Embury and ANAAL NATHRAKH's Mick Kenney).
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