In a recent interview with U.K.'s Telegraph.co.uk, legendary LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant was asked about the band's reunion for the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert at London's O2 Arena in December 2007, with Jason Bonham taking his father's place behind the drum kit. "I really had a wonderful time," said Plant. "It was the best LED ZEPPELIN gig since 1975."
When asked if he would do it again, Plant replied, "I don't think so. You've got to have a lot in common with the people you're working with at this time in your life. Everything has to move on and forward, in all relationships.
"I know that bands that haven't put out a record for 10 years are playing to 20,000 people a night. But that's not the achievement. The achievement is to knock yourself out. It's a very selfish thing. The tail must never wag the dog."
Goldmine magazine recently spoke to legendary BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward about the the artists and music in general that matter to him. You can read the entire article at this location.
While Ward is a fan of "probably anything" in the LED ZEPPELIN catalog, "Led Zeppelin I" has the strongest memories for him.
"I love Jimmy [Page]. He's bloody great," Ward said. "When I first heard their very first album, we had a bunch of songs as well, but we hadn't recorded our first album, and then somebody brought over 'Led Zeppelin I' and we listened to it, and I'm listening to it and going, 'Holy crap.' You know, it sounded really professional and everything. I'd known [John] Bonham since I was 16 years old, and I'm listening to Bonham playing his chops, man, and I'm going, 'Wow.' I thought that that album was just completely out of sight. It was so good, and I love Jimmy's chops. We just sat around going, 'Wow.' We were in a different bag. We were working on 'What is this that stands before me? …' and so we were in quite a different place, but that first album was just, like, holy crap, blew me away. Just a really very, very good album."
"All of us — Tony [Iommi], myself, and the likes of Geezer [Butler] and Ozzy [Osbourne], you know, we all knew Bonham, and we all knew Robert Plant. We were all from basically the same area, so we bumped into them all the time. We'd see them every other day or something," Ward recalled. "But I love John Paul [Jones], as well… What a bass player, man. He's doing good stuff. He's always been a brilliant bass player. He reminds me now of, unfortunately he passed away, John Entwistle. Entwistle's bass playing is just fucking phenomenal."
Rege Behe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On being sober:
"When I first started to get sober, I thought, 'Well, how can I enjoy music without drugs or alcohol in my system?' And I had to come to a decision where I'd get help ..."
On performing live:
"When everything is in the right place and it's going well and my voice is on form, you know, and the crowd is giving me some craziness .... when it's going great, there's nothing in the world to come anywhere near — love, sex, drugs, there's nothing can touch it. But at the other end of the spectrum, when it's going bad, there's nothing worse, as bad as that. The challenge is still there for me."
On the possibility of a reunion with fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward:
"We're talking and that's a good sign. We're not at war with each other ... I was speaking to Bill Ward last night. I've got to speak to the other two. But it was in the last attempt where we just all met without saying anything to each other (after) quite a few years. I'm trying to get things done right, talking at least. I can't give any dates, 'cause I don't know anything. I don't know whether they want to do it with me, or whatever, but I'm starting to feel (things) ease up for it. To be honest with you, I would love to do a killer BLACK SABBATH album. It would make my life, my whole thing, round up perfectly for me."
On trying to reinvent himself:
"I'd like to get a fictitious band name and do something completely different than heavy music, you know. (Do) something a different way, because being Ozzy Osbourne — having the track record I've had — it's very difficult. But if I want to try something like a blues album, it's very difficult to do that. (It would be) 'What the hell is he doing now?' "
Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
The Boston Globe: The new album ["Scream"] has some standout tracks, in particular "Life Won't Wait" . . .
Ozzy: My youngest boy, Jack, is like, "[Expletive] that song's amazing!" And I'm asking, "Do you think so?" Because anything away from the grinding, heavy metal thing, I'm somewhat shy on, which has sparked a thing in my head. My ambition, one day, not in the near future, is I'd like to form . . . have you heard that Paul McCartney album "The Fireman"?
The Boston Globe: Yes.
Ozzy: It's so un-Paul McCartney that it's brilliant. The freedom of that album, the vibe of that album, it's kind of U2-ish at parts but I admire him for him doing that and that's what I'd love to do some day. I have the name but I'm not going to tell you. That album is so well [expletive] done. When you think of "Silly Love Songs", which is a great pop song, and then you hear that bluesy track [on "The Fireman"] it's [expletive] brilliant.
The Boston Globe: Well, you're Ozzy Osbourne. You should be able to do whatever you want, right? Why not do that album next?
Ozzy: That's what I want to do before I die. And the question keeps coming up now, "Do you think there will ever be a reformation of BLACK SABBATH?" I never say never. I spoke to [guitarist] Tony Iommi yesterday. I spoke to [bassist] Geezer Butler last week. I speak to [drummer] Bill Ward very frequently, he lives up the road from me. We're all talking and that's a good sign. I'd also like to do a great Ozzy album. Time is not on my side anymore. (Laughs). I'm in my 60s and I've got all these great plans. I think for the first time in my life I know what I want to do.
The Boston Globe: Do you ever wish it hadn't taken you this long to figure it out?
Ozzy: No, it's like the song says, "Life won't wait for you, my friend." When you're young you think "I've got the rest of my life." Suddenly you're in your 60s and the road gets narrower. Poor old Ronnie Dio passed away recently, that was very sad I thought.
Legendary bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) has admitted to Canada's Exclaim! that he's unsure what his next professional move is going to be following the recent passing of HEAVEN & HELL singer Ronnie James Dio.
"We're all just on hold since Ronnie passed away," revealed Butler. "We did a tribute concert for his cancer fund a bit ago and that's about it. We're just wondering what to do next."
He added, "It's really difficult because it's obviously never happened to us before. It's difficult to know what to do, especially at our age. We're not sure. Do we start all over again? We're just gonna see how it goes. That's the thing. He's a very close friend of of mine, as well as someone I work with. It's a big part of my life gone. [Are we] getting a singer in and that kind of thing? ... It'll sort itself out eventually, I suppose, [but] HEAVEN & HELL is finished. It could only ever be with Ronnie. I'd still like to carry on with Tony [Iommi, guitar] and Vinny [Appice, drums] doing something but it won't be as HEAVEN & HELL."
Regarding the possibility of a reunion with Ozzy Osbourne and the prospect of new live shows by the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH, Butler said, "We're all talking again so that's a good sign — I hope. As far as the original band goes, there are so many places we never played that I'd love to visit. Japan for instance. We never ever played there or so many places in Eastern Europe or Asia that have opened up since the original band — or since the reunion of the original band. When we got the reunion thing back together, we really only played North America and Western Europe. That was it... Eventually I'd like to go to places we've never been there before. But it's easier said than done."
Darryl Sterdan of the QMI Agency recently conducted an interview with vocalist Bruce Dickinson of British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Q: What does it mean to put out a 15th album? It can't give you the same thrill as the first one.
Dickinson: Well, it's not really a numbers game. Not for us, anyway. Every album you put out is important because it could be the last one — especially when you get up to 15. I'd like to think this album would be a great starting point for our next album, or an equally great finishing point if we decide never to make another one. Not that we think of it as our last album. But never say never at this point.
Q: This record has some of your longest and most complex songs. Is that about challenging yourselves? You, in particular, seem like a man who not only likes challenges, but needs them.
Dickinson: Yeah. Without them, I'd get bored very quickly. But I think you have to find what challenges are appropriate. It's like the Clint Eastwood thing: A man's got to know his limitations. Once you know your limitations, then you can exceed them.
Q: Speaking of bringing people in, you literally fly planeloads of fans to and from shows as part of a VIP package. What happens on those flights?
Dickinson: We try and make it special. The flights are all Fight 666 — that's on the boarding passes and everything. And we make up goodie bags — you get a hat and Bruce Air sunglasses and flags and all kinds of good things. And the only way you can get this stuff is if you're on the flight. You can't go and buy it on a website. And I dish out signed photographs as well, and I chat to everybody. I come back and take pictures, I hang out with the cabin crew and sign stuff.
Q: "American Idol" needs a new acerbic Brit judge. Interested?
Dickinson: Absolutely not. You couldn't pay me enough to go on that show. I find it a bit sad that people enjoy it. There's another show called "Britain's Got Talent" which is clearly just an exercise in laughing at people's inability. It's sad. Reality TV leaves me completely cold. I couldn't tell you who won any of those shows. I've never watched them for longer than 30 seconds, which is sufficient to go, "I can't believe people sit and watch this shit."
IRON MAIDEN's new album, "The Final Frontier", has entered the official Swedish chart at position No. 1. The CD, which has already been certified gold in Sweden for sales in excess of 20,000 copies, came out a week after the band performed in front of 47,000 people at the Swedish installment of the Sonisphere festival in Stockholm.
(Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [IFPI] in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last eight years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.)
On Kritiker.se, a web site that compiles album reviews in the biggest Swedish newspapers and magazines, "The Final Frontier" is one of the highest-rated releases among all national and international LPs with an aggregate rating of 3.6 out of 5 based on 16 reviews.
"The Final Frontier" is likely to sell between 65,000 and 70,000 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 17. That number will be good enough to secure the veteran British heavy metal band the No. 3 spot on next week's The Billboard 200 chart — behind EMINEM's "Recovery" and Detroit-raised R&B star KEM's "Intimacy: Album III".
IRON MAIDEN's previous album, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", opened with 56,000 units to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was a notable increase from the 40,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2003's "Dance of Death" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and that of "Brave New World", which moved 38,000 copies in June 2000 to land at No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Final Frontier" was released in North America on August 17 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The effort was made available in a unique limited-edition collectors' "Mission Edition" CD case and features 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.
Longtime IRON MAIDEN album cover artist Derek Riggs recently spoke with MetalSucks correspondent Justin Foley about the work Derek did for the legendary U.K. band. Riggs spoke about the inspiration behind his art, its evolution over time, and the tenuous relationship he had with the band's management that eventually resulted in his walking away. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
MetalSucks: What I've read says that you ended things with IRON MAIDEN and walked away. This has included giving them Eddie without further claims on it. How do you look on that decision?
Riggs: Well, it probably wasn't the smartest business decision, but I didn't really care. I couldn't work with their management, and I still can't really. At that point, it just became too painful to keep doing it. I'd had enough. There was so much bullshit around "Fear Of The Dark". I just said, "Forget it, I've had enough." I mean, they gave me some money. But the rights to the character haven't been bought or sold — so that's still all floating out there. But the bottom line was that I'd had enough of doing it. Fuck it. And I wasn't going to be doing anything else with Eddie, so why not let them have it?
MetalSucks: You could have held it hostage, right? Weren't you leaving money on the table by not being an asshole?
Riggs: Well, I've done a few paintings for them since then. But they asked me to sign another contract with them. Initially it looked all right, but then I thought the better of it. Look, you can have an art director who wants to see six different versions of something because he's ten years old. But I can already tell you — "That's not going to work." Fucking around with different options… when I tell you it won't work, it won't work. And I got into artwork to do good artwork, not to satisfy an art director by making boring crap. Really, I've done zombies. At this point, it's like, "How do you want your zombie? Would you like him with a burning city behind him or with lightning? Do you want him boiled or fried?" [laughs]
IRON MAIDEN's new album, "The Final Frontier", has registered the following first-week chart positions so far:
Finland: #1
United Kingdom: #1
Sweden: #1
Australia: #2
Ireland: #3
Belgium: #6
The CD, which has already been certified gold in Sweden for sales in excess of 20,000 copies, came out a week after the band performed in front of 47,000 people at the Swedish installment of the Sonisphere festival in Stockholm.
(Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [IFPI] in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last eight years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.)
On Kritiker.se, a web site that compiles album reviews in the biggest Swedish newspapers and magazines, "The Final Frontier" is one of the highest-rated releases among all national and international LPs with an aggregate rating of 3.6 out of 5 based on 16 reviews.
"The Final Frontier" is likely to sell between 65,000 and 70,000 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 17. That number will be good enough to secure the veteran British heavy metal band the No. 3 spot on next week's The Billboard 200 chart — behind EMINEM's "Recovery" and Detroit-raised R&B star KEM's "Intimacy: Album III".
IRON MAIDEN's previous album, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", opened with 56,000 units to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was a notable increase from the 40,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2003's "Dance of Death" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and that of "Brave New World", which moved 38,000 copies in June 2000 to land at No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Final Frontier" was released in North America on August 17 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The effort was made available in a unique limited-edition collectors' "Mission Edition" CD case and features 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.
Legendary rock band WHITESNAKE has announced the addition of bassist Michael Devin to the group's ranks.
Devin, 35, most recently played in LYNCH MOB alongside new WHITESNAKE drummer Brian Tichy (FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE, VELVET REVOLVER).
Commented Michael: "It's an honor to be welcomed into the WHITESNAKE family. I'm a big fan.
"WHITESNAKE is notorious for exciting musicianship, David's [Coverdale, vocals] history is rich, and I'm very proud to be here."
WHITESNAKE's current lineup is rounded out by guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, and keyboardist Timothy Drury.
WHITESNAKE is in the studio recording the follow-up to 2008's "Good To Be Bad" for a spring release via Frontiers Records. A worldwide tour in support of the CD will follow the album's release.
According to a press release, WHITESNAKE's next CD will be "a solid, natural progression from the band's last opus, which was awarded by the influential Classic Rock magazine as 'Best Album of the Year' in 2008." "As always, we want to take it to the next level," stated David Coverdale. "I feel that with the last album we achieved a strong WHITESNAKE 'cocktail' that comfortably embraced and mixed all the previous musical aspects and styles of the band's history, while taking our identity a little further... all on one album."
Coverdale said the production team for the new album will most likely be the infamous Brutal Brothers, or Los Bros Brutalos, who handled the recording of "Good To Be Bad".
"The new songs are in the very familiar and recognizable WHITESNAKE territory of soulful, bluesy, melodic power rock, with a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure," the singer said. "It can't be a WHITESNAKE album without ballads, mate!"
WHITESNAKE was forced to cancel a number of shows on its 2009 summer U.S. tour with JUDAS PRIEST due to David Coverdale being diagnosed with "severe vocal fold edema and a left vocal fold vascular lesion."
In a February 2010 interview that was posted at WHITESNAKE's official web site, Coverdale stated, "My health and my voice have never been better. I am pleased with how I'm sounding on the demos of the new songs. Very secure, good tone, very powerful. No worries, baby. None whatsoever. I am so disappointed that I had to cancel the show and the U.S. tour, but these things happen. Fortunately, it doesn't happen a lot to me and the problem I had is not something that is ongoing. It was a one-time problem, some kind of blister on one of my vocal cords, and it hurt. The cure was simple — rest. I would have been able to tour again had there been an opportunity six weeks later. The human voice is a very fragile instrument, no matter how well you take care of it, and I assure you I invest in every vocal protocol you can possibly imagine. Ask any of my throat specialists. It was just one of those things."
WHITESNAKE's appearance at U.K.'s Download festival in June 2009 coincided with action-packed re-releases of the multi-platinum albums "Slip Of The Tongue", marking its 20th anniversary, and "Slide It In", which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.
WHITESNAKE's latest album, "Good To Be Bad", was released through SPV/Steamhammer in April 2008. In addition to the regular jewel-case version, a limited-edition two-disc set contains an extra CD in a cardboard sleeve, as well as a poster, photocard and sticker.
Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
MusicRadar.com: Last year Ozzy made the comment that he thought his records were starting to sound like BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, which I took to mean as not sounding "heavy metal" enough. I know you like southern rock, but in no way does "Order Of The Black" sound like LYNYRD SKYNYRD.
Zakk: "Put it this way: If Oz said the same thing about Randy Rhoads and that his records were sounding like QUIET RIOT, or if he said it about Jake E. Lee and that his albums were sounding like BADLANDS or whatever, fuck, it'd be his time to get another guitar player. That's his right and his feelings and whatever.
"My relationship with Oz is just the same as it's ever been. Just the other night, me and [my wife] Barb went out to dinner with Ozzy and Sharon. We went out to a steakhouse and laughed our asses off, you know? Everything's cool with us. It's like with your parents: nothing's changed, except you don't live at home anymore.
"People think that this is some nasty thing or had to be like some sort of Slash-and-Axl situation. It's not. I remember Ozzy saying years ago, 'Zakk, I don't want to be the lead singer in BLACK LABEL.' I have to respect the way he feels and how he hears things.
"And listen, without Oz, I wouldn't be doing any of the things I'm doing. I've got my own label, Panworkz; I'm going to be coming out with BLACK LABEL beef jerky, coffee, beer; I'm working on opening up BLACK LABEL pubs — you know, like sports bars with live entertainment; I'm working on a movie script and a coffee table book. I'm booked solid, man, and none of it would be happening without Oz. So God bless him, you know what I mean? He's the best."
MusicRadar.com: OK. However, I do think your singing on this album is particularly strong. Do you hear a difference?
Zakk: "Not really. I mean, I'm glad you think so, but I think…I think it's a good record, you know? [laughs] Maybe I was pushing more. I mean, I'm not going to say the other records aren't good, but I might have been giving something extra on this one. Who knows?"
MusicRadar.com: How long did it take you to put the album together?
Zakk: "Written and recorded in 94 days."
MusicRadar.com: That's pretty fast. I assume having your own studio helped.
Zakk: "I don't know. It's just the way I roll, you know? I mean, Axl Rose took 15 years or whatever to make that record of his, and he could do whatever he wanted. At the end of the day, it's all about getting in, laying it down and getting out. That's all you've gotta do. Anybody can spend an eternity in the studio if they want to."
MusicRadar.com: Still, it must be a bit easier to work with a studio in your house — you can wake up and start making music in your slippers.
Zakk: "It's a little easier. But to be honest, I don't know how to work half of the equipment, so I still have to call Adam [Klumpp], my engineer, and get him over. I can wake up with an idea, but I can't get rolling 'till he comes by."
Steve Johnson of Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current ADLER'S APPETITE drummer Steven Adler about Steven's new autobiography, "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses". A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Icon Vs. Icon: Did you have any reservations about putting [your autobiography] together?
Adler: After the months I did in rehab and the two years I've been working with Dr. Drew, I felt that it was time for me to do it. For me, the purpose of the book was to write my answers to all of the people that I have wronged and to myself. When I get home off tour, I am going to build myself a big bonfire and I'm going to throw that book right into the fire. I want to leave the past behind. I want to move forward. I don't hate anybody. I don't bash anybody in my book. I don't put anybody down. I don't talk bad about anybody. That's not what it is about. I love all the people that were in my life and people that are a part of my life. No one is getting put down. I'm laying my heart on my sleeve with this book. It's for all of my friends, colleagues, fans, and people that can benefit from my rough history. I'm here to show the underdogs that you can survive and you can succeed. My life has been a rollercoaster, I have accepted all of the consequences,
and I can move on. I'm going to live my life one second at a time, one breath at a time. I'm finally starting to show myself and I'm finally getting recognition for the work that I have done on "Appetite", "Lies", and my work with GN'R. I want those guys more than anybody to read my book. If they read my book, I know they'll realize that what we have is so special and so rare for that to happen. They'll realize that we're all brothers. The five of us are brothers and what do goofy brothers do? They fight with each other! That's what brothers do! It's been 20 years of fighting. Enough is enough. Let's move on. I know if I could get the five of us in a room together, not even with instruments, just a room … no chairs or even a table. All we would do is say hi to each other, shed a little tear, and we would start talking about moving on into the future and doing something new.
Icon Vs. Icon: [ADLER'S APPETITE's] new single "Alive" is out now. Are there any plans for a full-length release from ADLER'S APPETITE in the future?
Adler: Yes! We have some shows at the Whisky [in Hollywood, California]. We are going to do a video for this song first. We're going to film it at the Whisky and at the Sunset Strip Music Festival, which is all right there. In the middle of September we are going to go back over to Anthony Focx's studio, where we did the first single. We'll have two weeks in L.A., so we'll probably run through another five songs. We'll put it out single by single. That's the way the market is now. You put out a single, people will download a single. So we have this single that's out. In about three or four weeks we'll have a new single and we'll go from there. We're just belting them out and having a great time doing it. I love all of the fans I have been meeting at the book signings and at the shows. I love when they bring their GN'R memorabilia. I love meeting everybody and signing stuff. Everybody has been so great. I appreciate all of their prayers and all of their
wonderful thoughts. It's a really wonderful trip.
Icon Vs. Icon: Being in the music industry as long as you have, are there still surprises?
Adler: The surprise is that there is no record industry. I was lucky enough to catch the ending of what was the entertainment world, where you worked hard, you did shows, you played anywhere, and you sent your tapes in. You did everything you could and you were a rare breed. The rare few got signed and got to make a record. Nowadays everyone is making a record. They're doing it in their bedrooms. Then again, if you look at these bands that are coming out … I don't know … it used to be you could see someone walking down Sunset Boulevard and tell the difference between a blue-collar guy and an entertainer. People cared about how they looked. I watch these videos of bands out nowadays and I swear they're the same guys who I just got a burger from at Burger King. You know what I mean! They don't care about how they look! Shave your face! Look good! Comb your hair! Do something! It's entertainment! That's just how I feel. I was lucky to catch it toward
the ending of when it was real. It wasn't a costume, it was a performance. Nowadays there are bands out there playing with tape! What the hell is that? [laughs]
Icon Vs. Icon: It seems, especially in the "rock media," they tend to focus mainly on soundbites from you that paint Axl Rose in a negative light. Does this ever put you in a bad spot or become a bit of a burden?
Adler: No. Axl is one of the most wonderful people I have had in my life. He is an amazing singer. He's up there as one of the top singers/entertainers. You have Freddie Mercury. You have Robert Plant. You have Steven Tyler. You have Axl Rose. It's been a blessing being able to work with that guy. I want him to be a part of my life. He's my brother. Like I said earlier, brothers fight. Enough with the fighting. Let's move on … I want to finish what I started with him and the guys. I'm pretty sure they feel the same way. Axl has been nothing but a wonderful influence and a wonderful person to me. I love him and I want him to be a part of my life more. I'm thankful I have a history with him. No bad animosity. All love and respect.
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and SLAYER guitarist Kerry King took part in a joint interview for the September/October 2010 issue of Revolver magazine. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
Revolver: You both recently took part in the seven Sonisphere "Big Four" shows in Europe with METALLICA and ANTHRAX. What was that like?
King: It was one of those rare moments when everything comes off even better than you expected.
Mustaine: It was awesome. It was just like back in the day when we were all just four young bands getting to know each other and hanging out. The first time I went onstage [in Warsaw], James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] was up on my side and did that little knuckle-punch thing with me. It was a really cool moment.
Revolver: Was it awkward to share a bill with METALLICA, the band you cofounded and were later kicked out of?
Mustaine: No, it was exciting. We've all wanted this to happen for a long time, and METALLICA finally decided the time was right. Before the first show they threw a dinner for the bands, and I went up to James and said, "I don't want to repair our relationship. I'd like to have a new one." And that's pretty much what I said to Kerry when I saw him in Japan. I mean, we're all older now. Back then, I said stuff that was regrettable and I've grown up a lot.
King: I kind of think of this as ground zero. This is our new starting point. Let's go from here and try to learn each other again.
Revolver: Will the "Big Four" tour be coming to the United States?
King: That's the first thing I said to James when I saw him. I went, "Dude, if this goes well, there's no reason to gyp the rest of the world. Everybody else wants to see this show, too."
Mustaine: All of our camps have talked, and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] flat-out said to me that he wants this to keep going. He talked about it going on next year. And our agents say there is talk about this happening in 2012. So everyone's talking about it now. It's just a matter of making it happen.
Chris Riemenschneider of the Star Tribune recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Star Tribune: The book sets a different tone on your firing from METALLICA. You didn't come off so hot in the movie "Some Kind of Monster". Nobody did, really. Was it your intention to set the record straight?
Mustaine: No, no, no, that wasn't the intention. We're totally friends now, have been for years. There's no animosity. It's the press who keeps that feud going. People still look at it based on how it used to be, but we were kids back then. There's nothing there anymore.
Star Tribune: But there's clearly still tension in the movie. Was that not a factor in writing the book?
Mustaine: Basically, I just wanted to tell that story without hurting anybody and without saving my own skin at other people's expenses. I wanted to keep it, you know, really godly in the way I was handling myself. I think that's why this Big Four thing was able to happen. James [Hetfield] and I have talked about the past. I apologized to him for some stuff, and he apologized to me. We had a wonderful time on this Big Four adventure.
Star Tribune: Rumor has it the Big Four might be a U.S. tour next year.
Mustaine: Who'd you hear that from [laughs]? I'm not exactly sure. That's nothing that could be verified from my camp. If they come and ask us, I'm sure we'd agree to it.
Star Tribune: Is there still a healthy rivalry between the Big Four or you, SLAYER and TESTAMENT?
Mustaine: I really don't want to talk about rivalries. There are so many more positive things to talk about.
Star Tribune: You also healed your relations with Dave Ellefson. How did that happen?
Mustaine: When my arm got hurt, I did a lot of soul-searching. I wasn't happy with other things in my career. I had people working for me who wouldn't listen to me, so I [fired] all of them. It was very liberating, and the result was I thought of other people I've worked with. There aren't a lot of things I regret doing to get where I am in my career, but I do wish I had a couple mulligans on the way I treated some people. One of them is [original drummer] Gar Samuelson, who I wish I had hung out with more before he died. Another is Dave Ellefson, who I'm back with now.
MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has issued the following update:
"In our ongoing effort to always improve the live show we had a special introduction of our beloved mascot Vic Rattlehead, who came out and domineered the stage during the song 'Dawn Patrol' last night in Cleveland, Ohio.
"Vic has been with us since our beginning in 1985 on the 'Killing Is My Business...' album but really came into his own on the 'Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?!' album cover in 1986.
"We were happy for his debut with us last night on the 'American Carnage' tour in Cleveland and will likely be making more appearances at upcoming shows. Be aware..."
Fan-filmed video footage of the "Dawn Patrol" performance from last night can be viewed below.
The final night of MEGADETH's historic month-long "Rust In Peace" 20th anniversary tour has been captured for the upcoming "Rust In Peace Live" Blu-ray, DVD and CD, due out September 7 on Shout! Factory.
On March 31, 2010, at this incredibly special show at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Dave Mustaine formed the band in 1983, MEGADETH played their landmark, genre-defining 1990 "Rust In Peace" album in its entirety, in addition to other MEGADETH favorites. "Rust In Peace Live" also marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson (MEGADETH 1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group after eight years.
Natalie Perez of BareBonesMusic.com recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
BareBonesMusic.com: Do you have any tips for up-and-coming drummers?
Charlie: Ummmm…. It's funny because I see so many up-and-coming drummers. Some of them really have something and some of them have something that somebody else has used. They don't have any bit of originality to their style; you can just tell how they're going to play by the way they set up their kit. That's the funny thing — as soon as I see them setting up in a certain way, I'm like, "Oh, is he really influenced by that?" But then there are some that come out and completely blow you away.
BareBonesMusic.com: What's it been like playing alongside METALLICA, MEGADETH and SLAYER?
Charlie: Those shows were awesome. It's so hard to sometimes live in the moment because it happened so fast and beforehand I wanted to appreciate every moment I had with doing this. But before that, I had watched the documentary and started remembering things, this experience and what-not, but for me to be around other musicians that play the same style of music as I do but they do it in a whole another way is unbelievable.
BareBonesMusic.com: When can fans expect a new album from you guys?
Charlie: Ummm... I would say there will be a record out next year during the spring time because that would be the best possible scenario for us. For having Joey [Belladonna, vocals] returning to the band he plans to bring a whole another element and will definitely change up the style and sound a bit.
BareBonesMusic.com: Have you been involved in any other projects lately or have anything in the works?
Charlie: I still do side projects from time to time. There's this band from Chicago called HEAVY THE FALL. We're trying to finish their first record and it's taken a while to get it completed. Now we're going to start working on the vocals but they're a really good band with some really great songs.
While vacationing in Antayla, Turkey this summer, some Turkish business people approached legendary hard rock vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) with the idea of presenting a major rock music festival in or near the city sometime in 2011. Turner agreed that this was a great concept.
While the festival is only in the "idea stage" at this time, Joe helped lay the groundwork for it by visiting with Mayor Mustafa Akaydin of Antalya. Akaydin said that the municipality should support the organization of such a festival. He stated, "Famous artists coming to the city will favorably promote both Turkey and the city. We already stage events to boost the city's cultural and artistic reputation. It will make us very happy to do this."
"Antalya is a 'Gold Coast' of international holiday destinations," said Turner, "They have over 300 five-star resorts in or near the area and are still building. Over 32 nations come here for vacations so this region seems like a great fit for a large-scale music festival." He explained that the event would feature a mix of international and Turkish rock musicians.
Although there is no definite date yet, Turner mentioned the possibility of holding the festival in May 2011. Joe described his role as "the celebrity face of the project, working with government and sponsors. This will be a very big project and the work will be hard but worth the effort. We hope it is a big success! We have government support and the sponsors will give full support as well!"
Major international artists and/or companies interested in participating in or contributing to in this festival should e-mail Joe Lynn Turner's executive assistant, Lisa Walker: LisaWalker@ToTheMax1.com.
Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (HAIL!, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) will make a guest appearance on the forthcoming solo album from Ralf Scheepers of German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR. Owens will be heard dueting with Scheepers in the track "Remission Of Sin". Other guest musicians expected to appear on the CD include Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (THERION, DREAM EVIL, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME) on drums, Sander Gommans (AFTER FOREVER, HDK) on guitar and PRIMAL FEAR's Mat Sinner playing bass on the entire LP and producing. A photo shoot with Alex Kühr for the CD's cover took place in early July in Germany.
In a recent interview with the "Metalzone" radio show (web site) with Kostas Purevil Kyriakakis and Helena Mihailidou, Scheepers revealed that his upcoming solo album will include two cover versions — "Saints Of Rock" from Scheepers' pre-PRIMAL FEAR band TYRAN PACE and "Before The Dawn' from JUDAS PRIEST. "'Saints Of Rock' is gonna be, of course, a little bit more modern than it was [when the original version was recorded] in 1986," he explained. "I mean, right now we have much more possibilities to make songs sound a little bit more modern, starting with the drum sound and the bass sounds — having a much more distorted sound." He added, "I think 'Before The Dawn' pretty much is a [straight] cover — [there's] just a little more orchestral things going on, I have more strings in the song compared to the JUDAS PRIEST [original]. Back then there wasn't much strings going on. I think they even have a piano [in the original version], which I don't have.
I have strings and I have this atmosphere stuff going on. Vocal-wise, I just added a harmony at the last bridge before last chorus, I added a harmony which is not on the original, but that's the basic difference."
In a June 2010 interview with Metal Assault, Scheepers stated about the musical direction of his forthcoming solo CD, "It's more diverse [than PRIMAL FEAR], you can say."
He added, "In the beginning I had those ballads that we couldn't use for PRIMAL FEAR because they might be too mellow, but now we've started to write together on it. Basically, it's my ideas on it, but I have a great team, with Mat and Magnus [Karlsson; PRIMAL FEAR, STARBREAKER, LAST TRIBE] and some other members — Sander [Gommans], the ex-AFTER FOREVER guitarist, helped me a lot.
"It's a good variety — from the hardest to the softest tones."
PRIMAL FEAR recently released a new live DVD, "16.6 - All Over The World" (recorded in various locations between September and November 2009), and a live CD, aptly titled "Live In The USA". Frontiers Records issued the two products separately and as a limited-edition combo on June 22 in the USA.
NWOBHM legends TYGERS OF PAN TANG have issued the following update:
"The Tygers are delighted to announce that they will be supporting Monsters Of British Rock during November and December 2010. Monsters of British Rock include six of the UK's most highly-esteemed and experienced rock musicians who have joined forces. Original WHITESNAKE members Micky Moody and Neil Murray have teamed up with Laurie Wisefield (WISHBONE ASH), Harry James (THUNDER), Chris Ousey (HEARTLAND) and Michael Bramwell (We Will Rock You) to bring you classic twin-guitar based rock as it should be played.
We are really looking forward to sharing the stage with these guys and making sure its a great night of British Rock from both bands."
Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside three new recruits, ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White, ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and ex-ZODIAC MINDWARP drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill — are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "War Machine", for an October 25 European release via Metal Mind Productions (December 7 in the U.S. through MVD). The production was handled by Pedro Ferreira (THE DARKNESS, THERAPY?, MEAT LOAF) and the recording was done at Steve Harris' (IRON MAIDEN) Barnyard Studios.
A demo version of a new track, "Judgement Day", is available for streaming on TANK's official web site. Other songtitles set to appear on the album include "War Machine", "Phoenix Rising" and "Great Expectations".
Due to the changed lineup, "War Machine" will combine all the influences and experience of individual band members. Cliff Evans states, "We intend to make this a classic British rock/metal album that every fan should have in their collection."
Adds the band: "We think it's going to be our best album so far."
The current TANK formation last year commented on a statement issued by the group's founding bassist/vocalist Algy Ward, in which he slammed his former bandmates for taking a version of the band out on the road in Europe without him.
Ward told Classic Rock magazine that the group "playing various European festivals [last] summer under the name of 'TANK'" was doing so "without my consent." He added, "The band name TANK, associated logos and images are my sole intellectual property and copyright."
Responding to Algy's statement, TANK's current lineup said, "It's a real shame when bands come to this isn't it? The trouble is TANK fans want to hear TANK play live. E-mails have come in from all over the world. Promoters have for the last eight years been trying to book TANK shows but Algy can't play live.
"As Algy himself says, he's not able to tour due to ongoing health problems. We wish him all the best there, but in the meantime, it's a question of do TANK fans want to hear three quarters of TANK plus two highly qualified new chaps playing the TANK material (and some new songs) or not get to see TANK at all?
"Judging from the amazing reception we received at Sweden Rock Festival last [year], it would seem the overwhelming answer is yes, TANK fans are rabid to get a chance to hear TANK live.
"Many of the fans at Sweden Rock were young enough never to have had a chance to see TANK play before, now at last they can. Some of the old fans we spoke to nearly had tears in their eyes, saying they never thought they'd get a chance to hear TANK live ever again.
"But it's always difficult for some fans to cope with band lineup changes, especially when it's the frontman not able to perform any more. However, we would like to point out that since 1984, the TANK sound can be directly attributed to the bludgeoning wall of power created by the Gibson Les Pauls of Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans. The most popular songs in our live show were written by Mick and he's come up with some classic new material for the forthcoming studio album which TANK fans are going to love.
"Some difficult decisions have been made over the past few months and we have no regrets. The music and our fans are what's most important to us now and always will be. Anyone who thinks we're in it for the money has been very misinformed.
"Come and see us live, have a beer with us and enjoy our music."
In an interview with The Rainbow Fanclub Legacy, White stated about his collaboration with TANK, "Mick and I write well together but I need to understand TANK. It is important for the fans who have loved this band to understand that if Algy wanted to still play, then I would not be here. If they want to hear TANK, then they will have to adjust to the departure of Mr. Ward the same way the guys in the band have to. It will still be big riffing guitars. I have wanted to do a metal album for ages, so here goes."
Dave Sheldon, former touring bassist for Canadian thrash-metal veterans ANNIHILATOR, has started a new project: EXES FOR EYES. The musician, who has since reverted back to guitar, has enlisted the Montreal vocal juggernaut "Big" James Arsenian of the band ENDAST, to front the brand new metallic monolith.
EXES FOR EYES' debut CD, "The Amsler Grid" (release details to be announced), contains a cover song written by one of Britain's most successful pop acts, TEARS FOR FEARS.
Commented Sheldon: "We chose to do a cover not for the sake of lack of original material (as we had 22 original songs to choose from) but as a way to ease people into the sound of EXES FOR EYES. Not only are people framiliar with TEARS FOR FEARS and the track itself, but it leant itself to our sound. So naturally, we though it would be an easy transition for people to get into what it is that we do. It turned out really well."
So says organizer Glenn Harveston. Despite this difficult financial climate, North America's premier metal festival is poised to sell out once again. The event takes place at Eartlink Live, in Atlanta, GA on September 10th-11th and features seven bands each day, including headlining performances by KAMELOT and HAMMERFALL, as well as international debuts from TAROT (featuring Marco Hietala of NIGHTWISH fame), female fronted Dutch outfit DELAIN and German power metallers STORMWARRIOR, amongst others. More information can be found at Progpowerusa.com.
Sonic Excess recently conducted an interview with KORN drummer Ray Luzier. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Sonic Excess: [Ross Robinson] produced the first two KORN albums, and he also produced the latest album. Is there a reason you guys got him back for this one?
Ray: To the three original guys, it was like a family reunion. Ross had a lot to do with the way they sounded on the first two records. We went back, old school. Ross said no click tracks. Usually, for a drummer that is a nightmare, because we always want a machine that is keeping time for us. He said no click tracks at all. We are going to two-inch tape, and we are going to go into a small, tiny room. We were in a 13-by-12-foot room, and he just wanted us as uncomfortable as possible, old school. He wanted us like back to the way when they started with that hungry passion, and it was brutal. We left there sweating and bleeding every day. (laughs)
Sonic Excess: I heard that Ross had it out especially for you?
Ray: He rode my ass hard. Me and Jon [Jonathan Davis, vocals] got it the worst. He wanted me to make sure I knew, well, you don't just join a band like KORN. I have been in a lot of big bands, like STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and DAVID LEE ROTH, but nothing compares to KORN.
Sonic Excess: So after it's all said and done, are you satisfied with the end result of your drumming on the album?
Ray: Totally! The first two weeks I wanted to kill that guy, to be honest with you. I wanted to strangle him. (laughs) I never wanted to strangle someone so bad in my entire life. He made me feel very small, and I felt like I was the worst drummer. But, after a while, I started seeing the method that he was going for. We would write a song, and, about 30 or 45 minutes later, we tracked it for the record. It was so fresh, and there was no time to think about transitions or the next part. If I stopped in the middle of a song, he said: "What are you stopping for? Don't ever stop!" I replied: "I don't even know what's next!" and he said "Make up something, do time." I might have gotten two takes, maybe three, and that is what you hear on the record. So for me, and I am kind of a perfectionist when I do records, those things will outlive us all. When we are dead and gone, that record lives on. So, to me it has to be perfect. But, you know what, now when I
look back, we are all humans, our hearts beat at different rates. I am so sick of those perfect-sounding records. Everything is fixed. It's quantified, the vocals are perfect, and the drums are so perfect. You don't sound like that live. So why are you doing it in the studio?
Sonic Excess: So, whose idea was it then to go all analog for the new album?
Ray: It was a combination, but Ross definitely fueled the idea to bring the old analog in and the guys were all for it. The drums have a warmth. You hear that sound on the record. You can't get that from digital. Maybe the oil of the tape or something does it, I don't know. (laughs) Of course it was transferred to Pro Tools, but with minimal overdubs.
San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans DEATH ANGEL will hold a public listening party for their new album, "Relentless Retribution", on Thursday, September 2 at Bender's Bar and Grill in San Francisco, California. This 21+ event has no cover charge and will start at 9 p.m. The members of the band will be present to mingle and sign stuff for the fans, and drummer Will Carroll will be DJing later in the evening as well. DEATH ANGEL promises that there will be door prizes, free stuff, drink specials and good times had by all.
"We are extremely proud and excited to invite our family, friends AND fans to our listening party for the new album," commented guitarist Rob Cavestany. "Usually invitations to these events are reserved for industry only but in this case we wanted to do something different and out of the box. We want it to be a true celebration with the people that REALLY matter! So come one, come all! Have a drink with us at the exact moment that 'Relentless Retribution' is released to the rest of the world! See ya there!"
Bender's Bar and Grill
806 South Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110-1911
Phone: 415-824-1800
"Relentless Retribution" will be released on September 3 in Europe and September 14 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER). The cover artwork was created by Brent Elliot White (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CARNIFEX, WHITECHAPEL) and can be viewed below.
"Relentless Retribution" track listing:
01. Relentless Revolution
02. Claws In So Deep
03. Truce
04. Into The Arms Of Righteous Anger
05. River Of Rapture
06. Absence Of Light
07. This Hate
08. Death Of The Meek
09. Opponents At Sides
10. I Chose The Sky
11. Volcanic
12. Where They Lay
The song "Claws In So Deep" features an appearance by the popular acoustic guitar duo RODRIGO Y GABRIELA while "Truce" contains a guest guitar solo by Suecof.
DEATH ANGEL debuted two brand new songs — "River Of Rapture" and "Into The Arms Of Righteous Anger" — during its appearance at last year's Speedfest, which was held November 28, 2009 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The concert marked the group's first appearance with bassist Damien Sisson (SCARECROW, POTENTIAL THREAT) following the departure of Sammy Diosdado (THE SICK, ALL TIME HIGHS).
DEATH ANGEL's longtime drummer and original member Andrew Galeon left the band in April 2009 and has since been replaced by Will Carroll, formerly of SCARECROW, OLD GRANDAD and VICIOUS RUMORS.
DISTURBED frontman David Draiman — who comes from an Orthodox Jewish background and has some 200 relatives living in Israel, including his brother and grandmother — was interviewed by Revolver for the magazine's September/October 2010 issue. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
Revolver: Why did you write a song ("Never Again", off the new DISTURBED album, "Asylum") about the Holocaust?
Draiman: "Both of my grandparents on my mother's side were survivors of the camps. My grandfather was in Bergen-Belsen [in northwestern Germany]. He was on wheelbarrow duty carting the bodies to the crematorium. My grandmother was five or six years old when she was in Auschwitz [in Poland]. She survived on three separate occasions by crawling underneath the legs of the people behind her who were in line to the gas chambers. And after the third time, the camp was liberated. I've got other relatives who are survivors, and my entire mother's side of the family, save my grandmother and grandfather and a couple of their siblings, were completely wiped out. So I felt it was important to write about it because I realized that the last generation of survivors is about to be lost. And when you have animals like [Iranian President] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad out there saying the Holocaust never occurred, I felt it was important to write this song."
Revolver: What do you think of people like MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister and SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who collect Nazi artifacts?
Draiman: "That's super-duper taboo and offensive to me. I don't understand the fascination. It's the most provocative imagery that you can brandish, and that's why people utilize it. And if that's their goal, I guess they're achieving it, but just know there are going to be repercussions for that. SLAYER went onstage in Germany brandishing Nazi paraphernalia or Nazi symbolism and it hasn't been taken too well."
Revolver: Lemmy defends himself by saying he's just collecting pieces of war history, and that the evil people have the coolest-looking stuff.
Draiman: "I don't give a fuck who you are. If you're going to brandish Nazi symbolism, I'm going to have a problem with you because I don't understand how anybody could think it's OK to wear something on their body that symbolizes the annihilation and genocide of my people. I'm not OK with that and there is no excuse and there is no explanation."
Speaking to the New York Waste web site a few years ago, Lemmy stated about his Nazi collection, "I don't only collect Nazi stuff, I collect objects from all the 'axis countries.' Also from countries who aren't even mentioned anymore as former part of the axis. Like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Hungary. OK, in the end, they all said, 'We're no Nazis' when they saw that the Germans were losing it. But five years before that, they went, 'Yeah!'"
When asked where he gets the objects he collects, Lemmy replied, "The USA is a great place for collecting that shit, 'cause the GIs took everything back to America. They took fucking warehouses full of uniforms, Mercedes staff cars. One guy shipped a Focke Wulf 190 fighter home in pieces and rebuilt it in America. Now he owns the only fucking FW 190 in the world. I used to buy a couple of things in Germany, but now you can't take anymore knives or things back home in a plane. And it's become more relaxed to buy stuff like that [in Germany]. There's five or six stores in Hamburg especially. They're advertising it. What's the point, anyway? It's not a nationalistic kind of thing, I mean, what the fuck are you gonna do? Pretend it never happened? There's airplane model kits of Messerschmidt 109 fighters. Shouldn't you touch them?"
On the subject of whether people should wear uniforms, Lemmy stated, "I'll tell you something about history. From the beginning of time, the bad guys always had the best uniforms. Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis. They all had killer uniforms. I mean, the SS uniform is fucking brilliant! They were the rock stars of that time. What are you gonna do? They just look good. Don't tell me I'm a Nazi 'cause I have uniforms. In 1967 I had my first black girlfriend and a lot more ever since then. I just don't understand racism, I never thought it was an option."
Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD have scheduled a special free performance on Saturday, September 4 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band will headline the M On The Quays festival on Quays of the Old Port Of Montreal. Other acts slated to appear include Montreal hard rockers PRIESTESS, Toronto's DD/MM/YYYY, WINTER GLOVES and new Secretly Canadian signings SUUNS, who will release their debut album via Sonic Unyon Distribution on October 12. The event is being put on by M For Montreal and presented by Sirius Satellite Radio.
This will be VOIVOD's only Canadian show during the month of September and it will serve as a warm-up gig for a series of South American concerts happening later that month.
VOIVOD's new DVD, "Tatsumaki: Voivod in Japan 2008", was released on November 17, 2009 via MVD Entertainment Group. The disc contains professionally filmed footage (three-camera shoot) of VOIVOD's September 20, 2008 concert at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan. The band was in Japan taking part in the two-night Thrash Domination 2008 event alongside TESTAMENT and FORBIDDEN.
"Infini", the latest album from VOIVOD, landed at position No. 67 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
VOIVOD's final album featuring the group's late guitarist, Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, "Infini" was released in the U.S. on June 23, 2009 via Relapse Records. The CD, which was issued in Europe via Nuclear Blast, contains the last thirteen songs written by Piggy and again features bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted (ex-METALLICA). Jason played bass on all the songs and mixed the album, which was released as a deluxe, digipack CD and was also issued on vinyl as a double LP.
"Infini" was built from the final songs created by the band with D'Amour. All his original demo guitar tracks appear as they were recorded — with no re-amping and no overdubs; just Piggy as he played the tracks he envisioned in his small bachelor apartment, the amp in the bathroom, capturing his performance with the laptop given to him by Jason.
New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) band BLACK ROSE has announced that it has been rejoined by original guitarist Kenny Nicholson in preparation for the group's upcoming gigs to promote BLACK ROSE's recently completed third album, "Cure For Your Disease".
Kenny was the original BLACK ROSE guitar player back in 1980 and was featured on the band's first demo tape recorded at the Neat Records Studios, but he left the group before any of their records/CDs were released.
BLACK ROSE will play a set consisting of songs dating back to that first demo tape right up to the latest material on the new album, with a load of stuff to chose from in between. According to a press release, "They are really looking forward to playing live again after an absence of over 20 years."
BLACK ROSE was featured in "No Sleep Till Saltburn", an affectionately humourous look at the NWOBHM scene of the mid-1980s, which was released last Halloween. The book can be purchased via Lulu.com and it comes with a free download link with each purchase for a brand new BLACK ROSE track called "Twice Shy Once Bitten".
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
5TH ELEMENT and ILUNGARA have been added to the list of bands who will appear on an upcoming tribute album to HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY. The CD, entitled "HelloRay - A Tribute To Helloween & Gamma Ray", is tentatively due before the end of the year via Epicus Records.
According to a press release, "HelloRay - A Tribute To Helloween & Gamma Ray" is a project made by bands who are fans and has been inspired by the music of these two great pioneers of melodic power metal. It will contain songs that were originally written and recorded between 1985 and 2007.
The final track listing is as follows:
01. Tribute To The Past (GAMMA RAY) - GUARDIANS OF MANKIND
02. Warrior (HELLOWEEN) - GAIA EPICUS
03. The Spirit (GAMMA RAY) - PARALLAX
04. Mr. Torture (HELLOWEEN) - AILLION
05. Anywhere In The Galaxy (GAMMA Ray) - OPERA MAGNA
06. Ain't Got Nothin' Better (HELLOWEEN) - KICK HUNTER
07. Last Before The Storm (GAMMA RAY) - SONEM
08. Where The Rain Grows (HELLOWEEN) - ARMORY
09. A Tale That Wasn't Right (HELLOWEEN) - DRACHEN
10. Lust For Life (GAMMA RAY) - MIDAS FATE
11. Just A Little Sign (HELLOWEEN) - RAMPART
12. Leaving Hell (GAMMA RAY) - ROTTEN
13. Judas (HELLOWEEN) - 5TH ELEMENT
14. Heaven Or Hell (Gamma Ray) - BURN UNIVERSE
15. Before The War (HELLOWEEN) - ILUNGARA
16. Land Of The Free (GAMMA RAY) - DEIMOS
For more information, visit www.epicusrecords.com.
Australian progressive metallers IRONWOOD have tapped Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö to mix and master their sophomore CD, "Storm Over Sea", for a late 2010 release.
"This album is a huge evolution from our first effort," said IRONWOOD vocalist/bassist Henry Lauer. "We've fully assimilated our progressive, acoustic, and metal influences into a concise, yet epic and evocative, whole."
Inspired by the majesty of the ocean, and featuring dizzying technicality, rich vocal harmonies, and the introduction of new elements such as piano, cello, and fretless bass, "Storm Over Sea" is "set to leave an indelible mark in the world of underground music," according to a press release.
"Storm Over Sea" track listing:
01. Hail Sign
02. Infinite Sea
03. Arctic Tern
04. Weather The Storm
05. Share The Burden
06. Will To Live
07. A Bond To Sever
08. When It's All Over
IRONWOOD is:
Phil Brown - Vocals, Guitar
Henry Lauer - Vocals, Six-String Bass
Dan Nahum - Drums
Matthew Raymond - Vocals, Guitar
IRONWOOD's debut album, ":Fire:Water:Ash:", came out in 2009.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ironwoodband.
According to The Plain Dealer, former WARRANT/QUIET RIOT guitarist Billy Morris has just opened the Breakfast Club Cafe in Berea, Ohio.
"It isn't a metal bar," said Morris. "It's going to appeal to college students, serve sandwiches and coffee — and we're going to host other kinds of performers, like comedians or cabarets or acoustic nights."
Regarding how he got the WARRANT gig and the five-year period that he spent touring with the band, Morris told The Plain Dealer, "I got a call from Jani Lane [former WARRANT singer and Akron native]. At first, I thought he wanted me to set up their guitars for them — but then he was like, 'No, we want you to play in the band.'"
"Funny thing, it was hardly wild or crazy," added Morris. "By this time, most of the guys were either married or had basically become businessmen.
"We'd play, pack up, do autographs and then head to the next city. Hair metal had become more of a job than an adventure."
wedish female-fronted heavy rock band SISTER SIN has been forced to cancel its appearance on select dates on the "Black Label Berzerkus" tour — featuring headliners BLACK LABEL SOCIETY alongside CLUTCH, CHILDREN OF BODOM and 2CENTS. SISTER SIN states, "They initially got re-routed so on three of the five shows we got pulled off, leaving only two remaining. We are in L.A. right having just finished the MSG [MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP] tour and are flying back to Sweden on Monday. To fly back just a couple of weeks later for two shows makes no sense whatsoever financially. [We are] working on coming back to do the next North American tour later this fall, more info soon."
"Sound Of The Underground", the new video from SISTER SIN, can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Richard Frantzén.
"Sound Of The Underground" comes off SISTER SIN's second album, "True Sound Of The Underground", which sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 97 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22 via Victory Records and was issued in Europe on July 23 through Metal Heaven Records. It was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.
In a recent interview with Sleaze Roxx, SISTER SIN vocalist Liv Jagrell stated about the group's current sound, "We are a heavy metal band. On past records we have been more of a rock band, but on the new album I think we definitely got a lot heavier. You can hear a lot of MÖTLEY CRÜE on our last two albums, but on this one we went heavier. To me this is the sound that SISTER SIN had been searching for on previous recordings but we didn't achieve until 'True Sound Of The Underground' . . . Now we're going for more of a JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and ACCEPT kind of sound. I think we are aiming for a more '80s traditional heavy metal sound."
Bassist Benton Wiberg recently SISTER SIN because he is unable to tour. His temporary replacement is Ricky from the BABYLON BOMBS.
Three former members of the Raleigh, North Carolina-based progressive doom metal band CONFESSOR — guitarists Brian Shoaf and Chris Nolan, along with drummer Steve Shelton — have launched a new project called FAR AND AWAY. The band plans to enter the studio early next year to begin recording material for its debut album. In the meantime, you can hear demo versions of three songs — "Ed Won't Call Me Back", "Drifting" and "Fall" — using the TuneWidget below.
FAR AND AWAY is:
Brian Shoaf - Guitar
Chris Nolan - Guitar
Steve Shelton - Drums
James Dale - Bass
Ed Nicholson - Vocals
Vocalist Scott Jeffreys left CONFESSOR in early 2009 "due to job demands," causing the band to go on "permanent hiatus."
CONFESSOR's "Live in Norway" DVD was recorded in September 2005 in Oslo, Norway and was released in 2006 via Season of Mist.
CONFESSOR released its latest full-length album, "Unraveled", in 2005 via Season of Mist. The CD was produced by Dick Hodgin (ex-CORROSION OF CONFORMITY producer) and is "a wonderful representation of the classic CONFESSOR twisted guitar riffing and complex drumming, meshed with some more straightforward parts and a toned down and very melodic vocal approach," according to Jeffreys.
CONFESSOR split up in the early '90s after releasing one full-length album (1991's "Condemned") and EP (1992's "Confessor"), with the with the rhythm section going on to form FLY MACHINE. CONFESSOR reformed in 2002 following the death of guitarist Ivan Colon, who passed away due to cardiac complications.
Powerage Records has announced the signing of Cambridge rockers THE TREATMENT.
THE TREATMENT was formed in 2008 when founding member drummer Dhani Mansworth was still at school in Cambridge . Although only 15 at the time, he already had a clear vision of the kind of band he wanted to form. Having grown up on a diet of AC/DC, LED ZEPPELIN and AEROSMITH, he began to put the band together under the watchful eye of his father guitarist and manager Laurie Mansworth (MORE, AIRRACE, ROADSTAR).
Having had little success with local musicians, he decided to go further afield. First to join the lineup was 18-year-old Ben Brookland from Tadley who shared the same passion for classic bands as Dhani. Ben's unique guitar style suited the bill perfectly. Soon after came bass player Rick Newman (a.k.a. Swoggle) also 15. Rick's enthusiasm and solid bass sound fitted perfectly. Rick suggested that the band audition Tagore Grey, his school friend and guitarist from Petersfield. Rick's recommendation was spot-on as Tag's guitar style was exactly what they had been looking for. The boys passion for the band was proved when they all packed bags and moved to Cambridge were they shared a home with the Mansworths so they could focus completely on the band and rehearse on a daily basis.
After a six-month search, THE TREATMENT found the final piece of the jigsaw — Matt Jones, a 17-year-old wonder kid hailing from Norwich . His high-energy rock vocals was exactly what the guys were looking for. Matt moved to Cambridge within one week of joining the band and after locking themselves away to refine their sound, they emerged one year later, ready to showcase.
On March 2 at The Borderline supporting VOODOO SIX, Powerage A&R guru Derek Oliver came down to check out THE TREATMENT's set. He was very impressed and immediately signed the band.
THE TREATMENT has just finished recording its first album (at IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's Barnyard studios). The CD was produced by Laurie Mansworth and mixed by Tony Newton of VOODOO SIX.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/the_treatmentt.
Classically trained musician Christina Sandsengen (pictured below) will make her debut appearance on bass for Norwegian black metallers GRAVDAL at this year's Hits For Kidz event at Bergen, Norway's Hole in the Sky festival on August 28.
With a Bachelor's Degree in classical guitar from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Conservatorio "Manuell Castillo" Superior de Musica in Seville, Christina is no stranger to the world of metal, having previously played with IMMUNE, LUCID and BLEED THE FREAK. It is anticipated that, for the time being at least, Oslo-based Christina will take on the role of GRAVDAL's live session bass player.
Due to the very strictly enforced age limits in clubs and venues, Hits For Kidz is one of the rare opportunities for the younger Norwegian metal fans to attend a live concert. With no age limit, Hits For Kidz, which is being held at the Garage venue, has become an extremely popular part of Hole in the Sky, attracting audiences of all ages. Aside from GRAVDAL, this year's event will also feature sets from Norway's HELLISH OUTCAST and Germany's SECRETS OF THE MOON.
Formed in 2005 by drummer Taakesjel (BIZARREKULT) and guitarist Phobos (who is usually behind the drum kit for AETERNUS, MALSAIN and GALAR, and who will later this year join SULPHUR as live session drummer on the upcoming Dark Essence Records Tour), GRAVDAL's lineup is completed by Galge on vocals and Specter (AETERNUS) on guitars. Part of Bergen's legendary music scene, GRAVDAL's second-full length album, "Torturmantra", was released on Unexploded Records earlier this year. Produced by ENSLAVED's Herbrand Larsen, and recorded by Larsen, Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) and Arve Isdal (ENSLAVED, AUDREY HORNE) at their Conclave & Earshot studios in Bergen, "Torturmantra" includes a guest appearance by SHINING's Niklas Kvarforth.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/gravdal.
Texan thrashers RIGOR MORTIS have announced four dates in Texas in September. According to the band, "[these] will be our first shows since we played at the Keep It True [festival] in Germany back in April 2009 and our first shows in the USA since we played at Ozzfest back in August 2008."
The details are as follows:
Sep. 10 - Trees - Dallas, TX
Sep. 11 - The Warsaw - Houston, TX
Sep. 12 - Dirty Dog Bar - Austin, TX
Sep. 17 - Joe's Garage Tribute Weekend 2 - The Rail Club, Ft. Worth, TX
RIGOR MORTIS is:
Mike Scaccia - Guitar
Casey Orr - Bass/Vocals
Harden Harrison - Drums
Bruce Corbitt - Vocals
PUYA, the acclaimed Puerto Rican hard rock quartet, returns with a brand new EP, "Areyto".
Officially dropping via iTunes on August 27, 2010, "Areyto" signals a new dawn for the Latin metal innovators. PUYA may have disbanded in 2002, but they've returned stronger than ever on this new collection of original material — their first since 2001's "Union". First single "No Hay Mal Que Por Bien No Venga" preserves the intensity of classic PUYA, while showcasing a vibrant new melodic sensibility. In addition to being released via iTunes, PUYA teamed up with Aderra Technologies to sell a USB wristband with "Areyto", artwork and exclusive extras. Either online or on the USB, "Areyto" is packed to the brim with undeniable anthems that combine vicious thrash, soaring hard rock, salsa swagger and Latin fire. This is PUYA for a new generation.
The band's triumphant reunion show took place at Stereo Music Fest at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in May 2009. Over 12,000 fans celebrated their rebirth along with them. The demand for shows became overwhelming, so PUYA tore up the stages of Medalla Yellow Pass Festival to 60,000 people and the Snickers Urbania Xtreme Games.
There was no better time than now for PUYA to sink their claws back into heavy metal, though.
Drummer Eduardo Paniagua explains: "Everybody had been itching to come back. We just missed PUYA so much. We started having conversations about it, and the second the opportunity came along, we took it. We noticed our music was able to transcend from one generation to another when we did our first reunion show. There were a lot of kids there that couldn't have possibly been at a PUYA show back in the day. It flowed organically for us, and it was meant to be."
After their victorious reunion sets, PUYA self-produced and independently recorded "Areyto" with engineer Isaac Sakko at Redemption Studio in Puerto Rico.
The drummer reveals, "We were experimenting with fusing styles that were worlds apart when we started PUYA. It became something really special because it was ours. We put so much time into it that we couldn't let it just fade away. The old PUYA sound is in tact but we experimented with more vocal harmonies on 'Areyto'. We wanted to venture into other areas and make it fresh."
The single is the perfect introduction to their fresh new sound. "The song is about the silver lining that's always there. We're celebrating that we're back with the original lineup. We're at different places in our lives, but we're still the same kids that started this 20 years ago."
PUYA's had quite the career since they formed in 1990. They've racked up sales of over 500,000 records worldwide over the course of three official releases — "Puya" (1995), "Fundamental" (1999) and "Union" (2001). They snagged a Billboard Music Award for "Best Spanish Rock Album" for "Fundamental", and they've garnered a To Musica Award in Puerto Rico as well.
They're challenging themselves now more than ever. Distributed digitally by People Music, "Areyto" is the first time they've self-produced an album and recorded in Puerto Rico. It also marks their return. Fans can experience "Areyto" live when PUYA headline the Tito Puente Amphitheater in San Juan on September 25. If they can't make it to Puerto Rico, the band has also released an incendiary live DVD entitled "Puya Pa Ti Live!" recorded in Puerto Rico during 2002.
"'Areyto' will always have a special place in the PUYA history," says Eduardo. "We've got an army of fans out there that made this possible. It's been really poetic."
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen has firmly established himself worldwide as driving force in progressive rock. While best known for his rock opera project AYREON, the multi-talented Dutchman also regularly embarks on musical side projects, which explore different aspects of Lucassen's musical personality. As his previous project (GUILT MACHINE's "On This Perfect Day", 2009) was a relatively relaxed and subtle affair, Lucassen's muses responded by urging him to record something loud, heavy and anything but subtle for this new release. Thus it was a perfect opportunity to launch his musical spacecraft towards the galaxy of bombastic sci-fi rock by revisiting his STAR ONE project.
The result is the album "Victims Of The Modern Age", the follow-up to the STAR ONE debut album, "Space Metal" (2002). Compared to "Space Metal", the overall sound of "Victims Of The Modern Age" is darker, heavier, more guitar-oriented, and slightly less "spacey". Arjen has also raised the bar significantly when it comes to the album's sound. "I think it's my best sounding album to date; it's a huge difference compared to the first STAR ONE," he says. "For the guitars I spent weeks experimenting with different amps and settings in every combination imaginable — and it was worth it. The drums sound fantastic, and the vocalists all outdid themselves, putting in even stronger performances than they did the first time around."
"Victims Of The Modern Age" will be released on InsideOut Music in North America on October 26 . With its stellar musicianship, strong melodies, meticulous production and compelling concept, STAR ONE "Victims of the Modern Age" is yet another exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries.
Arjen's video message presenting the "Victims Of The Modern Age" cast of lead vocalists and album concept can be viewed below.
"Victims Of The Modern Age" guest singers:
* Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X)
* Damian Wilson (HEADSPACE, THRESHOLD)
* Floor Jansen (REVAMP, AFTER FOREVER)
* Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, SECOND SKY, EDGE OF SANITY)
RAVENS CREED, the "VENOM-worshipping scumbags" featuring Steve Watson (ex-IRON MONKEY), Jason Graham, former SABBAT bassist Frazer Craske, and newly added vocalist Al Osta (a.k.a. The Syrian Destroyer), will release a brand new EP, "Black Bullets", before the end of the year via Doomentia Records. The band states, "This is a great way of introducing the new lineup, so five tracks that we have already recorded for our second album (the power that dare not speak its name) will be used for the EP and the six songs we've written for the third LP will replace the ones that will be on the EP. The EP . . . will be out on Doomentia when we've finished fannying around with the artwork, then we'll start recording the second LP (also out on Doomentia)."
RAVENS CREED recently uploaded demo versions of three new songs — Bashed In, Black Bullets and The Wires Will Kill You — on the band's MySpace page. The recordings feature Watson on vocals as "we've not had the pleasure of capturing [Al's] nasty bark as yet," according to Steve.
ORANGE GOBLIN's Ben Ward recently decided to leave RAVENS CREED due to "a lack of available time to commit to the band." He said in a statement, "It has reached the point that I can no longer give [RAVENS CREED] the time and energy that it deserves and I feel that by leaving now it will allow Steve, Jay and Frazer the opportunity to get somebody who is as passionate and dedicated to the band as they all are."
RAVENS CREED's debut album, "Albion Thunder", was released in July 2009 via Doomentia Records. The CD contains 12 songs with a running time of 39 minutes.
For more information, go to this location.
THE OCEAN is in the process of mixing its new album, "Anthropocentric", at Studio Mecanique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the same facility where the band's previous effort, "Heliocentric", was recorded and mixed. The new CD will be mastered on August 25 by Svante Forsbäck in Helsinki.
Musically, "Anthropocentric" feels somehow heavier than "Heliocentric". "The sound is more dense and maybe a tad more raw, which suits the songs perfectly", comments guitar player Jonathan Nido. The album covers a similar sonic and dynamic range as "Heliocentric", also including a number of calm, acoustic moments — but these are for the most part orchestrated with guitars, and not so much with piano and string section. The focus is on the heavy songs. "The album is a pretty big production, and still has a very earthy, organic feel to it", says Staps. "We have spent a great deal of time on the basic sound this time around, drums, bass, guitars and vocals… and at this stage I am pretty confident that this will pay off in the end!"
As far as the concepts behind "Anthropocentric" are concerned, the focus is on man and his place in the universe: at the center, as many fundamental Christians still claim today, or more likely a dust particle in its periphery? All lyrics are circling around this question. "'Anthropocentric' will continue the critique of Christianity, inspired by the questions that Dostoyevsky asked and some of the answers that Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Dawkins gave," says Staps.
At the base of the album are three songs with the titles "The Grand Inquisitor I, II and III". These songs have been inspired by the chapter of the same title in Fjodor Dostoyevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamasov": a conversation between the brothers Ivan, an atheist, and Alyoscha, a monk. Ivan tells Alyoscha the story of a Second Coming of Christ in 16th century Sevilla. According to this parable, Jesus is arrested by the Catholic inquisition. The grand inquisitor who interrogates Jesus casts a new light on the legend of the temptation of Christ: he reproaches Jesus with having betrayed humanity and having deprived man of salvation by giving him freedom. The conversation between Ivan and Alyoscha mirrors, to some degree, the conversation between the grand inquisitor and Christ and raises more questions than it answers. "This long dialogue, which for the most part is rather a monologue of Ivan, is so complex and recondite that one could easily find
inspiration for 10 concept albums about Christianity in it," explains Staps.
Only six guest musicians appear on the album, all classical musicians, most of whom can be heard on the CD's final cut. "Anthropocentric" is an effort by THE OCEAN's consolidated nucleus. "It is the first album where all members have actively partaken in the songwriting," says Staps.
"Anthropocentric" track listing:
01. Anthropocentric
02. The Grand Inquisitor I: Karamazov Baseness
03. She Was The Universe
04. For He That Wavereth…
05. The Grand Inquisitor II: Roots & Locusts
06. The Grand Inquisitor III: A Tiny Grain of Faith
07. Sewers Of The Soul
08. Wille Zum Untergang
09. Heaven TV
10. The Almightiness Contradiction
11. The Grand Inquisitor IV: Exclusion From Redemption
The last track is a bonus track which will only appear on the vinyl and the limited European deluxe digipak version.
THE OCEAN will join THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN for their upcoming full European tour, which kicks off in Paris on October 1, 2010, and wraps up with an appearance at the U.K.'s Damnation Festival at Leeds University on November 6, 2010.
Staps comments: "We are very excited about this tour and honoured to support one of the most exciting and daring bands in heavy music on their upcoming full European tour!"
Norway's Dark Essence Records has announced the dates for its 2010 tour, which will feature four artists from its roster — TAAKE, HELHEIM, VULTURE INDUSTRIES and SULPHUR. The trek is due to start on October 28 for eleven dates and this year aims to cover some of the countries and cities which most of the bands involved have rarely, if ever, played in.
Dark Essence Records 2010 tour dates:
Oct. 28 - Glazart, Paris, France
Oct. 29 - Korigan, Luynes/Marseille, France
Oct. 30 - TBC, Switzerland
Oct. 31 - Carlito's Way , Milano, Italy
Nov. 01 - Pieffe Factory, Gorizia, Italy
Nov. 02 - Akademija Club, Belgrade, Serbia
Nov. 03 - Daos Club, Timisoara, Romania
Nov. 04 - Art Club, Trnava, Slovakia
Nov. 05 - Channel Zero, Ljubliana, Slovenia
Nov. 06 - Božkov, Hospoda Pod Kopcem, Plzen, Czech Republic
Nov. 07 – K17, Berlin, Germany
All four bands on this year's tour are based in Bergen, home of Dark Essence Records itself.
Wellington, New Zealand black metal band BULLETBELT — which features the original drummer from Osmose band DEMONIAC — has self-released its debut EP, "The Black Army Stands". The four-song effort features a guest guitar solo on the track "Rape The Angel" from Sam Totman (a.k.a. Hemdall) of DRAGONFORCE, who was also previously a member of DEMONIAC. Former DEMONIAC frontman Behemoth provides backing vocals on the EP, which was recorded at STL Audio in Wellington.
"The Black Army Stands" track listing:
01. Blood of the Innocent
02. Rape the Angel
03. Succumb
04. The Black Army Stands
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/bulletbeltnz.
GOATWHORE — the New Orleans-based band featuring vocalist L. Ben Falgoust II (SOILENT GREEN) and guitarist Sammy Duet (ACID BATH, CROWBAR) — has been forced to cancel its appearance at today's (Saturday, August 21) Ozzfest in Hartford, Connecticut due to a "medical emergency" involving the group's bassist, James Harvey. The band says, "Apologies to all that are coming to see us."
GOATWHORE's latest album, "Carving Out The Eyes Of God", sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 190. The CD landed at No. 67 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Carving Out The Eyes of God" was released in the U.S. on June 23, 2009 via Metal Blade Records.
For the follow-up to 2006's "A Haunting Curse", GOATWHORE headed back to St. Petersburg, Florida to record with producer Erik Rutan at Mana Recording Studios, with mastering being handled by Alan Douches of West West Side.
Norwegian death metal band EXECRATION is putting the finishing touches on its second album, "Odes Of The Occult", for a fall release. According to a press release, the follow-up to 2008's "Syndicate Of Lethargy" will contain "nine tracks of vicious, evil death metal on double 12-inch vinyl. It parts with the percussive style of previous releases in favor of a wider set of influences drawing from death metal, doom and cult black metal. In 50-plus minutes, 'Odes Of The Occult' will make your ears bleed from dark, brutal doom-laced death metal chemically cleansed of any 'modern' death metal tricks. With 'Odes Of The Occult', the band has also added more diverse vocals in addition to their traditional guttural growls, giving their musical universe a new dimension. The resulting album is a definite step ahead from previous releases."
"Odes Of The Occult" was produced and recorded by the band with help from Andreas Tylden of ALTAAR and Ola Gundelsby. It is currently being mixed by Gundelsby, who also mixed the band's contribution to the "Oslo We Rot" split.
A demo version of the new track "Obsession" is available for streaming on EXECRATION's MySpace page, and an early recording of "Entheogen" was recently featured on the four-way split 2x7" "In Oslo We Rot" with fellow Norwegians OBLITERATION, DISKORD and LOBOTOMIZED.
EXECRATION's full-length debut, "Syndicate of Lethargy", was released in August 2008 via Vendlus Records. The follow-up to the 2007 EP "Language of the Dead" featured guest appearances by OBLITERATION vocalist Sindre Solem, SHE SAID DESTROY frontman Anders Bakke, Espen Hangård of DISKORD and NOPLACETOHIDE, Andreas Tylden of ALTAR and JR Ewing and Svein Egil Hatlevik of FLEURETY and ZWEIZZ.
According to a press release, the EXECRATION members "possess a taste for the finest vintage death metal, but are strikingly contemporary in terms of composition and performance. EXECRATION masterfully conduct the essence of the genre's 25-year-long history, from pioneers AUTOPSY and DEATH to reinventers NILE and DISGORGE."
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/execrationnorway.
0 comments:
Post a Comment