Ozzfest is back and fans aren't the only ones excited about it — this year's performers are pumped up, as illustrated by the quotes below. Launching Saturday, August 14 in San Bernardino, California — the birthplace of the first Ozzfest in 1996 — this year's tour will include main stage artists OZZY OSBOURNE, MÖTLEY CRÜE, HALFORD, DEVILDRIVER and NONPOINT. Second-stage headliners BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will return for their seventh appearance on the tour and will be joined by DROWNING POOL, KINGDOM OF SORROW, GOATWHORE, SKELETONWITCH, SAVIOURS and KATAKLYSM. Ozzfest marks the first concerts in the U.S. in connection with the June 22 release of tour founder Ozzy Osbourne's new album, "Scream" (Epic Records).
Ozzfest kick-off show on August 14 in San Bernardino, California at the San Manuel Amphitheater set times:
Main Stage:
OZZY OSBOURNE - 9:15 p.m.
MÖTLEY CRÜE - 7:45 p.m.
HALFORD - 6:40 p.m.
DEVILDRIVER - 5:45 p.m.
NONPOINT - 5:05 p.m.
Monster Energy Second Stage
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - 4:55 p.m.
DROWNING POOL - 4:05 p.m.
EXODUS - 3:20 p.m.
SAVIOURS - 2:45 p.m.
GOATWHORE - 2:15 p.m.
CALIFORNIA WILDEBEEST - 1:45 p.m.
KATAKLYSM - 1:15 p.m.
SKELETONWITCH - 12:45 p.m.
IMMUNE - 12:15 p.m.
Gates Open - 12:00 p.m.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx said the band couldn't refuse the offer to join the tour. "When Ozzy calls and asks you to go on tour, you say, 'When do I start?' Over 25 years ago, Ozzy took MÖTLEY CRÜE on, what some say was one of the greatest tours in rock history. When he asked us to co-headline Ozzfest with him this year, we were flattered and ecstatic. It is an honor and a privilege to share the stage with him again and I can guarantee that MÖTLEY CRÜE will rip out the jugular of every audience in every city this summer."
"I am very excited HALFORD will be performing, and to be part of this year's legendary Ozzfest lineup," shares Rob Halford. "It will be a great opportunity for the HALFORD band to be reintroduced to the metal communities."
Ozzfest will be the first opportunity for many to experience Ozzy's new guitarist Gus G. At the same time, former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde will be featured at Ozzfest, taking the stage as the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman. "We're looking forward to kicking some serious ass as the second-stage headliners on Ozzfest this summer," Zakk says. "Thank you to Mom and Dad for again including BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on the lineup. We can't wait to play slammin' new songs from 'Order Of The Black' as well as BLS classics. For all those who bleed BLACK LABEL, we will see you soon!"
NONPOINT lead singer Elias Soriano is ready and eager to join the ranks of the main stage. "NONPOINT played Ozzfest almost 10 years ago for the first time on the second stage and it was one of my proudest moments as a member of this band," he says. "Now to be invited not only to play again, but on the main stage is an honor. This is an opportunity for NONPOINT to put on the performance of our career. Strap up, bear down and prepare for the eruption — it's on, Ozzfest!"
DEVILDRIVER's Dez Fafara agrees: "Ozzfest! It's beyond an honor to be asked back yet again to the mothership of all summer concerts. There's not a better time-honored tradition. It's a rock 'n' roll, sundrenched, rile up and fire up, rip-roaring, rowdy, 'keep your horns up in the air at all times,' full-day summer festival of killer music and good times. And DEVILDRIVER is gonna be there to CRUSH the main stage. Come join us at what will no doubt be the landmark of the year and the best fucking time you'll have all summer."
DROWNING POOL will make their fourth return to the earth-shattering tour. "All of us in DROWNING POOL couldn't be more excited that we're playing Ozzfest again this year. It's such a great honor and a privilege to be part of Sharon and Ozzy's Ozzfest family," says guitarist CJ Pierce. "Every tour we've done with Ozzfest has always had such a great mix of bands. I'm looking forward not only playing the show but watching all the other bands as well. We can't wait to rock out with all our friends, fans, and family again. See you out there at the show!"
Ben Falgoust of GOATWHORE is excited to perform amongst all the other talented musicians. "First and foremost, it's incredible to be on the same fest with legends like OZZY OSBOURNE, HALFORD and MÖTLEY CRÜE. Secondly, there is a damn fine mixture of the most influential classic metal bands/people on the main stage and some of the most extreme bands to grace the second stage of Ozzfest since its conception. Also, I would like to say it will be a quite insane, fun and outrageous time with our friends in SKELETONWITCH, KINGDOM OF SORROW, DEVILDRIVER, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, SAVIORS, and so on. So, if you can make it out you should or sit at home and jerk off to she-male videos. Your choice."
"It just wasn't summer without Ozzfest so I couldn't be happier that it's back and ready to destroy," KINGDOM OF SORROW's Jamey Jasta shares. "KINGDOM OF SORROW is pumped to be playing, see you in the pit!"
While KINGDOM OF SORROW isn't able to perform the August 14 San Bernardino date, EXODUS will be filling in for them. Guitarist Gary Holt says, "We are WAY more than fired up to announce that EXODUS will be playing the SoCal date on Ozzfest! We were asked if we wanted to jump in, and we said 'fuck yes!' See everybody there!"
Scott Hedrick, guitarist for SKELETONWITCH, is grateful and honored to be on the six-date tour. "We can't fucking wait for Ozzfest!! Every band starts somewhere and the first SKELETONWITCH show was on a stage we built in our front yard. You can bet your ass we didn't see this coming back then. Haha! It's quite an honor and a great opportunity for us to be a part of the longest-running heavy music festival in America. I mean, Ozzy?! Rob fucking Halford!? To make it even better, we get to do it with our great friends in GOATWHORE and SAVIOURS. Thanks to everyone who has supported us and enabled us to do what we love. It's truly appreciated."
Scott Batiste of SAVIOURS shares that sentiment. "Hitting the road with OZZY, MÖTLEY CRÜE and HALFORD is not something we'd ever expect to be doing but we're ready to bring our filthy breed of raging metal to a lot of new heads!" he says. "Having our friends in SKELETONWITCH and GOATWHORE along for the ride is going to make for a seriously demented trip and some fucking good times! We'll see you in August!"
"We are grateful that KATAKLYSM is about to turn the clock next year to 20 years of existence," says frontman Maurizio Iacono. "Through good and bad times, we've stayed strong and remained a leading force in the underground, but I never in my life thought I would be on tour with OZZY or MÖTLEY CRÜE while being in an extreme band. One can't help but feel amazed when legends take notice and invite you to participate on one of the world's most important tours: Ozzfest. Thanks, of course, to the Osbournes and their organization for this great opportunity. I wanna sincerely say 'thank you' to our fans for being there for us and giving us a chance through their support to make KATAKLYSM a legacy. Even more important, we're here to party hard with you guys! This is a lifestyle and we should all unite at Ozzfest to celebrate this privilege of being metalheads!"
In addition to non-stop music on both stages, concert-goers can once again visit the Ozzfest "Village of the Damned" featuring a mix of interactive activities, shopping and entertainment throughout the venue concourses.
All six dates of the explosive Live Nation-produced tour will feature "all-in ticket pricing," which means there are no hidden fees whatsoever — no parking charges at the shows, no facility or surcharge fees — the price you see is the price you pay. Tickets prices start as low as $30 per ticket when purchased in a four-pack.
The dates are as follows:
Aug. 14 - San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
Aug. 17 - Chicago, IL – First Midwest Bank Amp.
Aug. 19 - Pittsburgh, PA – First Niagara Pavilion
Aug. 21 - Hartford, CT – Comcast Theater
Aug. 22 - Camden, NJ – Susquehanna
Aug. 24 - Boston, MA – Comcast Center
Ozzfest did not take place in 2009 after Osbourne stated that he did not want to tour until he had a new album in stores. The move was not really surprising, given the festival's scaled-down reconfiguration as a one-day event in 2008 after more than a decade as a full-length summer tour.
In addition to the general slowdown in both the economy and the concert business, Ozzfest began facing competition in 2008 from the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour and Crüe Fest.
Tour co-organizer Sharon Osbourne experimented in 2007 by making the show admission-free, with fans obtaining tickets through corporate sponsors. But the bands were not paid either, leading to a lack of big names.
The 2008 "destination festival" took place on August 9, 2008 in Dallas and featured METALLICA, SERJ TANKIAN and others along with headliner Ozzy.
According to Weekender, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons revealed during a recent interview that the band spent time at a Los Angeles studio recording a cover version of "Venus And Mars" for an upcoming PAUL MCCARTNEY tribute album.
"Venus And Mars" is the fourth album by WINGS, the group McCartney formed after THE BEATLES' dissolution. It was McCartney's first solo album for Capitol Records after he re-signed with the label.
Simmons and KISS are out on tour and proudly showing off their latest new and improved lighting and pyrotechnic spectacle. Once again on the road with Simmons and Paul Stanley are current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer — both of whom dress up like co-founders Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively.
The Pulse of Radio asked Simmons what it feels like to turn around and see the spitting image of his former bandmates — yet it's someone else. "Y'know, we still have a tug of the heart," he said. "It's like your drunken dysfunctional father who was a bum and you finally had to get rid of him — but you still remember the beginning when he was a good dad. Ace and Peter are beloved, as they should be, for the beginning. For helping launch the band — if you don't mind me saying so — that changed the face of rock and roll, literally and figuratively speaking. But equally as important part of the beginning of KISS, it's also important to know that with them in the band today, KISS wouldn't be around."
The last time the original members of KISS performed together was in the spring of 2001, on the Australian leg of their Farewell tour. Frehley left the group after those dates, saying afterwards that he took the word "farewell" seriously. Criss claimed that his contract with KISS wasn't renewed in March 2004. Both charges have been disputed by Simmons and Stanley.
Out now is the ultimate music insider book "And Party Every Day: The Inside Story Of Casablanca Records", co-written by the label's co-founder and executive vice president and managing director Larry Harris. According to The Pulse of Radio, Harris explained that a perfect example of spending money to make money was how, in an unprecedented move, Casablanca promoted KISS as a star attraction starting with their 1974 non-hit self-titled debut. "Radio people have told me that if it wasn't for what Casablanca committed and did for them, because the money we put into them when they weren't selling any records and into the gigs was unbelievable," he said. "To make them headliners in markets that (we) first walked into with hardly any airplay at all — was never done. People were looking at us like we were crazy."
According to the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, Canadian rock legends RUSH will perform at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile on October 17 as part of the South American leg of the band's "Time Machine Tour". Tickets go on sale on Sunday, August 15 via Ticketmaster.
RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson recently spoke to Billboard.com about the recording process for the band's next album, "Clockwork Angels", which is due out in 2011.
"We've never afforded ourselves the luxury of coming off tour and then going straight into the studio when you're in top playing form," Lifeson told Billboard.com. "We usually finish a tour and then we take some time off and we slowly get back into writing and then into the studio, recording. This time we'll go straight back into the studio and continue recording and writing while we're still in top form from the road."
According to Lifeson, RUSH is "a little more than halfway done" recording "Clockwork Angels" with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who also helmed 2007's "Snakes & Arrows". Two of the songs, "Caravan" and "BU2B", have been released online, and four others were recorded during sessions at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. "Certainly these two songs are pretty heavy indications of where the record's going," Lifeson said, "but there are a lot of different tonalities and soundscapes on the material that we've written so far, so I'm interested to see where we go on these next few songs."
To support the release of their long-awaited new album "Blood Of The Nations", reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT have announced a 24-hour "news marathon" to take place the day before the album's European release on August 20 via Nuclear Blast Records. (The CD will be released in Japan on September 4 and in the U.S. on September 14). The marathon will take place over the official ACCEPT web site, AcceptWorldwide.com as well as over all accompanying social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter and MySpace). The fans will be able to get access to exclusive ACCEPT news from all over the world, see personal video messages from the band members, take part in a variety of raffles and giveaways and much, much more.
The ACCEPT news marathon begins August 19 at 9:00 in the morning Central European Time (3:00 a.m. East Coast time). Up-to-the-minute news from the world of ACCEPT will be posted and updated every hour all day long.
Nuclear Blast Records' USA webshop is now taking pre-orders for the exclusive North American mail-order digipak edition of "Blood Of The Nations". This exclusive release features the bonus track "Time Machine".
The pre-order bundle includes an ACCEPT "Teutonic Terror" t-shirt and can be ordered here.
"Blood Of The Nations" digipak track listing:
01. Beat the Bastards
02. Teutonic Terror
03. The Abyss
04. Blood of the Nations
05. Shades of Death
06. Locked and Loaded
07. Time Machine (North American bonus track)
08. Kill the Pain
09. Rollin' Thunder
10. Pandemic
11. New World Comin'
12. No Shelter
13. Bucketful of Hate
"Blood Of The Nations" was recorded at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England with acclaimed British producer and SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, MASTERPLAN). The CD marks the recording debut of the band's latest addition, vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK).
ACCEPT 2010 is:
Wolf Hoffmann: Guitar
Peter Baltes: Bass
Herman Frank: Guitar
Mark Tornillo: Vocals
Stefan Schwarzmann: Drums
Regarding Tornillo's addition to ACCEPT, Hoffmann previously said, "It all happened in minutes. Peter and I were working on some tunes in a studio in New Jersey. Somebody suggested we give this guy Mark a call to see if he would join us on vocals. So when he arrived we started jamming on some old ACCEPT tunes — just for fun. As soon as Mark started singing we looked at each other and realized the impossible just happened: we found a new voice for ACCEPT! The timing could not have been better! Now or never... We are re-energized and excited..."
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" (formerly "Hello Me... Meet The Real Me"), has landed at position No. 15 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. The book was released in the U.S. on August 3 via HarperCollins's It Books imprint (focusing on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet). The U.K. edition, "Mustaine: A Life In Metal", will hit bookstores in the U.K. on September 30.
Mustaine has scheduled the following book-signing sessions to promote the autobiography:
August 12
Borders
Wall Street
100 Broadway
New York, NY 10005
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT
August 14
Barnes & Noble
800 Boylston St.
B&N # 2115
Boston, MA 02119
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT
August 15
Barnes & Noble
Rittenhouse Square
1805 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT
August 16
Borders
1201 Boston Post Rd.
Milford, CT 06460
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT
August 18
Joseph-Beth & Davis-Kidd Booksellers
24519 Cedar Road
Lyndhurst, OH, 44124
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT
August 19
Borders
43075 Crescent Blvd
Novi, MI 48375
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT
August 20
Borders
150 N State St.
Chicago, IL 60601
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT
August 21
Borders
866 Rosedale Center
Roseville, MN 55113
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT
August 23
Rainy Day Books
707 W 47th Street
Unity Temple on The Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri 64112
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CDT
August 25
Tattered Cover Book Store
9315 Dorchester St.
Highlands Ranch Town Center
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. MDT
August 26
Borders
2240 Q St. NE STE 10-K
Albuquerque, NM 87110
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. MDT
August 27
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85283
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. MST
August 29
Barnes & Nobles
Mira Mesa
10775 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA 92126
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT
August 30
Borders
101 S Pine Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT
August 31
Borders
233 Winston Drive
San Francisco, CA 94132
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT
September 1
Borders
2339 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95825
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PDT
September 3
University Bookstore
4326 University Way
Seattle, WA 98105
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT
September 4
Powell's Bookstore
2720 NW 29th Ave.
Portland, OR 97210
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT
Mustaine is the first to admit that he has bottomed out a few times in his dark and twisted speed-metal version of a Dickensonian life. In "Mustaine", he reveals the many highs and lows of this life, including:
* The formation of METALLICA and the key contributions he made for which he was never given full credit.
* The formation and rise of MEGADETH, and his history with David Ellefson, Marty Friedman and Nick Menza.
* The story of his departure from MEGADETH in 2002 and his eventual return.
* His multiple battles with alcohol and drugs, and how Alice Cooper played a role in one of his recoveries.
* The injury that nearly ended his career.
* After years of rejecting religion, how embracing Christianity helped repair his relationship with his family and maintain his sobriety.
* His tumultuous childhood which included several moves from city to city, all in an attempt to avoid his alcoholic father.
METALLICA frontman James Hetfield once observed that Mustaine must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass. That's how lucky he has been and how fortunate he is to be pulling breath after so many close calls. In "Mustaine", he tells a story that will inspire, stun and terrify.
"Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" was co-written by New York Times journalist Joe Layden who also authored "The Last Great Fight" about what is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James "Buster" Douglas' tenth-round knockout win over Mike Tyson in 1990.
A very special show will take place this Sunday, August 15 as guitarist Nasty Suicide takes the stage with his former HANOI ROCKS bandmate Michael Monroe at the Ankkarock festival in Korso, Vantaa, in the greater Helsinki area of Finland. Steve Conte, Michael's regular guitarist, has had to cancel the show due to urgent family matters.
Commented Monroe: "Unfortunately, Steve Conte had to fly home due to family reasons and so he cannot perform with us at Ankkarock. Luckily, our dear friend Nasty agreed to get on stage with us.
"We are very grateful to Nasty and are looking forward to performing with him.
"It has been 15 years since me, Sami and Nasty last played a whole set together."
Last weekend, Michael Monroe performed at Summer Sonic, the biggest festival in Japan. The first night the band stirred up the audience in Osaka, after which Michael featured during Slash's set. During the wild performance Monroe broke two of his rib bones, but it did not prevent him from performing to tens of thousands of fans the next day in Tokyo.
"During the one song I performed with Slash, I fell down while running to greet the fans and managed to hit a metal pipe in the fence," Monroe said. "I broke a few ribs but, however, performed with my own band the next day in Tokyo and will definitely play a full show in Ankkarock."
As previously reported, Michael Monroe will release a new live album, "Another Night In The Sun", in Europe and Japan on September 22. The CD was recorded in early July during a private concert at the Tavastia club in Helsinki and will be mixed and mastered by Niko Bolas (NEIL YOUNG, FRANK SINATRA, KEITH RICHARDS, KISS, SPINAL TAP) in Los Angeles.
"Another Night In The Sun" features highlights from Monroe's solo career, a few HANOI ROCKS classics and two brand new songs: "You're Next" and "Motorheaded For A Fall".
Michael Monroe's solo band has been on the road during the early part of the summer, touring major European and Finnish festivals, including Download (U.K.), Sweden Rock (Sweden) and Ruisrock (Finland).
The band features bassist Sami Yaffa, who has played with a remarkable variety of bands including HANOI ROCKS, NEW YORK DOLLS and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, and guitarist Ginger, who has dazzled audiences over the world with his band THE WILDHEARTS. Also on guitar is Steve Conte, the NEW YORK DOLLS master fretman who has played with Willy DeVille and his own bands THE CRAZY TRUTH, CROWN JEWELS and COMPANY OF WOLVES. Rounding out the band is drummer Karl "Rockfist" Rosqvist, whose resume includes providing rhythm for the likes of CHELSEA SMILES and DANZIG.
Michael Monroe has long been at the forefront of breaking music barriers. The Finnish musician and multi-instrumentalist rose to fame as the singer for HANOI ROCKS and has served as the frontman for many all-star collaborations, including GUNS N' ROSES and DEMOLITION 23 with Little Steven. Coming off the HANOI ROCKS reunion from 2002-2008, Michael returns with his highly anticipated new group. Together they will perform an assortment of material ranging from HANOI ROCKS and DEMOLITION 23 classics, Michael Monroe solo favorites and some brand new songs the band has written over the last few months.
MÖTLEY CRÜE/SIXX: A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx has posted the following message on his official MySpace page:
"I am sorry I haven't written to you all in a while in the form of a 'blog,' but it seems the instant-contact back-and-forth of Twitter has gotten the best of me, too. Well, that and the fact that I've been finishing a new book, a new SIXX: A.M. album of songs, a MÖTLEY CRÜE tour, a radio show, press, a clothing line, and let's not forget the most important thing I do in life is being a father of four.
"So, excuses aside, how are you? Is your summer full of positive energy as we slowly head towards the fall? My favorite creative time of year, but this summer has been fruitful for sure.
"I wanted to thank all of the fans that came out to Europe to see MÖTLEY CRÜE play this summer. It was one of the best times of my life. Not only were the crowds great but I also had such a wonderful time having Kat [Sixx's on-again girlfriend and 28-year-old tattoo artist Kat Von D (born Katherine Von Drachenberg)] along with me for the whole tour. We soaked in your beautiful countrysides and foods together. Her new season of 'L.A. Ink' just premiered and for her to take time out of her equally busy life (including planning her book tour) was something I was just blown away by. I know a lot of you got to meet her and that made her happy, too… Again, thank you Europe. I fell in love with you all over again.
"I did the 'Sixx Sense' radio show from the road and that was fun but I miss being in the studio with the team with all that energy and creativity flowing. So I look forward to being back in Los Angeles but for now MÖTLEY and Ozzy are heading out for six co-headline Ozzfest shows and I'll be doing the radio show from backstage. God knows what opportunity for insanity will arise from that.
"I told you guys I would take you with me wherever I go with 'Sixx Sense' and 'The Sideshow Countdown'. So far you've been to Europe with me, now Ozzfest, and not to mention Rock On The Range and Sturgis last night.
"I've been having a blast sending quick updates from my Twitter account to you all. It's so fast and on the fly compared to writing out longer replies, so for QUICK updates and opinions on everything from what we're playing that night in the show to backstage band banter follow me there.
"I wanted to tell you a couple cool things that give me a buzz doing our clothing line Royal Underground. We get these calls into the office and they remind you why you do what you do and that you're still a fan of real fucking rock stars. Ozzy calls and says he loves Royal's black jeans and can he buy more, Steven Tyler says he wants to wear Royal on tour, Paul Stanley buys our stuff right off the rack when I told him I would give him stuff… The list goes on of rockers who are fans of Royal Underground and, to be honest, we are fans of theirs… Sometimes chills keep us forging ahead, following what we love.
"I always say do what you love and the rest of the stuff just works itself out.
"Quick update…
"SIXX: A.M. [Second album is] almost finished…
"My new book with the tentative title 'This Is Gonna Hurt' is almost done.
"Tommy [Lee], [Mick] Mars, and myself are excited to get together later this year and start pounding out some new CRÜE ideas for the future…
"P.S. There is some stuff up this old dog's sleeve that's gonna keep you VERY entertained and I promise you won't be disappointed…
"I've got more fucking energy than I have had in 30 years.
"Thank you for letting me share my life and creativity with you."
Seattle progressive rockers QUEENSRŸCHE have partnered with Capitol/EMI for the September 28 release of an expanded 20th-anniversary edition of the band's triple platinum-certified breakout album "Empire". The new 2CD and digital packages both include the remastered album, featuring six hit singles, including the #1 smash "Silent Lucidity", as well as 13 bonus tracks, among them 10 previously unreleased live performances recorded in 1990 at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The 2CD package is presented in a lift-top box with five postcards, a fold-out poster and a booklet featuring rare photos from the band's personal archive.
After building a devoted fan base with album and EP releases throughout the 1980s, including 1988's critically acclaimed "Operation: Mindcrime", QUEENSRŸCHE broke into the mainstream across North America and abroad with the 1990 release of "Empire". In the U.S., the album peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and its hit ballad "Silent Lucidity" quickly became a heavy rotation staple at rock radio and on MTV, topping Billboard's Modern Rock singles chart and earning QUEENSRŸCHE the coveted MTV Viewers Choice Award for the song's music video. "Empire" also made the U.K.'s Top 10, and the album's international success led to QUEENSRŸCHE's 18-month headlining "Building Empires" world tour, the band's longest trek to date.
"Empire" also features the Billboard Top 10 Modern Rock hits "Jet City Woman" and "Another Rainy Night", the Top 20 single "Anybody Listening?", and the Top 30 singles "Best I Can" and "Empire". In addition to the aforementioned live recordings, "Empire (20th Anniversary Edition)"'s bonus tracks include "Last Time in Paris" from the "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane" soundtrack, "Dirty Lil' Secret" and the band's cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "Scarborough Fair".
Since forming in Bellevue, Washington in 1981, QUEENSRŸCHE has sold more than 20 million albums around the world. The band continues to tour and record; "American Soldier" was released last year.
The track listing is as follows:
Disc 1 (original CD remastered with bonus tracks from 2003 reissue):
01. Best I Can
02. The Thin Line
03. Jet City Woman
04. Della Brown
05. Another Rainy Night (Without You)
06. Empire
07. Resistance
08. Silent Lucidity
09. Hand On Heart
10. One And Only
11. Anybody Listening?
Bonus tracks:
12. Last Time In Paris
13. Scarborough Fair
14. Dirty Lil Secret
Disc 2 (live tracks recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London on November 15, 1990):
01. Resistance
02. Walk In The Shadows
03. Best I Can
04. The Thin Line
05. Jet City Woman
06. Empire
07. Roads To Madness
08. Take Hold Of The Flame
09. Silent Lucidity
10. Hand On Heart
Nicole Powers of SuicideGirls.com recently conducted an interview with original GUNS N' ROSES and current ADLER'S APPETITE drummer Steven Adler about his new tell-all autobiography, "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses". A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
SuicideGirls.com: The last time we saw you was on VH1's "Sober House" when you'd very much relapsed. How did you get back from that?
Adler: Well, as you recall, I got arrested on the show. I went back the next day and they showed me the film of how I looked and acted. I was devastated. It crushed me that I looked so terrible and that I was such an asshole. And it's all because of the drugs. It made me see. I think everybody who has somebody in their lives that has a problem with drugs or alcohol, they should videotape them and show it to them the next day. I guarantee you'll change your mind on what you're doing with your life. I was devastated. I don't want to ever look like that again.
SuicideGirls.com: Did that give you a new perspective on how you must have appeared to the other members of GUNS N' ROSES back in the day?
Adler: Exactly. Exactly. Working with Dr. Drew I learned so much about myself and about life. It's been nothing but a pleasure and an honor having him in my life. Also, in recovery there are relapses. I relapsed a couple of times in the last two or three years. The last time I relapsed was five months ago. I had to start all over again five months ago. Out of all the drugs that I've done in my life, I never did that OxyContin stuff. And I was at the wrong place accidentally at the wrong time and somebody gave me a couple of those, and then three weeks later my wife shows me a picture of me passed out in the hallway of the house. I saw that and it reminded me, it brought me right back to "Sober House". I called Dr. Drew and Slash up and I said, "I got myself into this predicament and I need some help. Can you do something for me?" He said, "When can you go into detox?" And I said, "Right now!" And see me, just showing an effort to take care of myself, I
have everybody backing me.
SuicideGirls.com: What prompted you to write the book?
Adler: Well, I hail Dr. Drew, because he has opened my eyes to things. What I wanted to do with this book, I wrote [about] everything in my life that bothered me and hurt me, and when I get off tour in two months I'm going to build a bonfire and I'll take the book and I'm going to throw it in the fire and I'm going to leave the past behind. Maybe in fifteen years from now I'll write a new book. Maybe I'll have a crazy interesting life again. But for now, I want to keep that in the past. I can't change the past. And with the band, we're brothers. We're always going to be brothers. And what do brothers do? They fight with each other.
SuicideGirls.com: You hurt the people closest to you.
Adler: You might not like each other all the time, but you're always going to love each other. And what the five of us have, no one — not even Axl [Rose] and his lawyers — can take away. We have something special, and if we got into a room together again I would hug all those guys and tell them how much I love them. I'm hoping that Slash and Axl and Duff [McKagan] and Izzy [Stradlin] read this book, but I want especially Axl to read it because I want him to see, maybe it'll open his eyes to what a special thing we do have. More than anything I would love to do something with those guys because I feel like I want to finish what I started with them. We could be bigger than ever.
SuicideGirls.com: The GUNS N' ROSES legacy shouldn't end with "Chinese Democracy".
Adler: That's not GUNS N' ROSES. He should have called that W, dash, A, dash, R. W-Axl-Rose, W-A-R. I think it would have worked out much better for him. Because GUNS N' ROSES is five guys. The last song I recorded was "Civil War" and tell me if I'm wrong, but I know I'm not, after that song it's a completely different band.
SuicideGirls.com: Right.
Adler: It is so hard to find four or five people that you can get in one room and everybody has the same feeling, the same direction, the same love, the same desire. Where everybody knows what everybody is going to do before they're going to do it. That's what makes something special. There's millions of great musicians, millions of bands, but there's only those rare few that are special. There the PINK FLOYDs, there's the LED ZEPPELINs, there's the QUEENs, the AEROSMITHs, GUNS N' ROSES.
According to The Pulse of Radio, SEVENDUST and 10 YEARS will lead the lineup of the second annual HardDrive Live tour, with SINCE OCTOBER and ANEW REVOLUTION also appearing on the bill.
So far the following dates have been announced:
Oct. 05 - Fayetteville, NC - Jesters Pub
Oct. 07 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
Oct. 09 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Oct. 10 - Fitchburg, MA - Fitchburg Trade/Expo Center
Oct. 12 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
Oct. 13 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock Café
Oct. 15 - Indianapolis, IN - 8 Seconds Saloon
Oct. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
Oct. 17 - Mt. Clemens, MI - Emerald Theatre
Oct. 19 - Sault Sainte Marie, MI - Dream Makers Theatre
Oct. 21 - Chicago, IL - Joe's Bar
Oct. 22 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note
Oct. 27 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Oct. 29 - Las Vegas, NV - Fremont East District
Oct. 31 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Nov. 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Nov. 05 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
Nov. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Club
Nov. 07 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Nov. 09 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
Nov. 10 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
Last year's inaugural tour, sponsored by the nationally syndicated rock radio program "HardDrive", featured All THAT REMAINS, LACUNA COIL and others.
SEVENDUST and 10 YEARS have shared some wild times on the road in years past, but 10 YEARS singer Jesse Hasek told The Pulse of Radio his band is a little more mellow on tour these days. "In our experience and our age — we're getting a little bit older — you realize that this is a business and you can't jeopardize the performance by partying too much," he said. "For me, being the vocalist, I've really found the line. I can't do that stuff every night and expect to get up there and perform to the, my capabilities and everything."
"Cold Day Memory", the new album from SEVENDUST, sold around 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.
SEVENDUST's previous album, "Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow", opened with 25,000 units back in April 2008 to land at position No. 19.
"Cold Day Memory" was released on April 20 on the band's own 7Bros. Records, through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The CD — produced by Grammy Award winner Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, 3 DOORS DOWN, PLAIN WHITE T'S) — is the group's first new album with its original lineup back together with guitarist Clint Lowery's return after his departure in 2003
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".
MONDO GENERATOR's previously announced U.S. tour, which was scheduled to kick off on August 4 in San Francisco and run through September 2 in Los Angeles, has been "postponed." According to the band, "the shows will be rescheduled to run in December and January. New dates will be announced shortly."
What do Nick Oliveri (KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS, THEM CROOKED VULTURES), Happy Tom (TURBONEGRO) and Marc Diamond (THE DWARVES) all have in common? Aside from the fact they all play in some of the best bands to ever grace the earth, they all feature on the brand new single, "Dog Food", from MONDO GENERATOR.
Over the last year, band founder Oliveri and fellow member Hoss, alongside producer Bradley Cook have been working on MONDO GENERATOR's fourth full-length album, "Time To Destroy". During the recording process they have enlisted a number of guests to make an appearance, "Dog Food" is the first taste of who is featured on the album. With Marc Diamond on guitar duties, Happy Tom has laid down some bass tracks, while Dave Grohl provides the drum tracks and Nick Oliveri delivers his trademark vocals.
Chicago's reigning gods of heavy instrumental rock PELICAN have announced plans to play two very special shows in celebration of their 10-year anniversary box set release, out October 19 on Berlin, Germany's Viva Hate Records. The elegantly packaged wooden-box set will be limited to a run of 500 copies and will encompass material from their four full-length releases and three EPs.
Formed in Chicago in 2000, the quartet's discography has stood as a consistent refutation of genre and musical classicism, perfecting an obtuse approach that has become increasingly precise and calculated while no less recognizable. Listeners from all corners of the earth have celebrated PELICAN's unique instrumental take on metal, watching them spur the genre into new conceptual territory.
PELICAN will play Chicago's Bottom Lounge on October 23 joined by longtime friends and occasional collaborators THE LIFE & TIMES. Munster, Indiana's THREE FLOYDS BREWERY — recognized internationally as one of the most unique and distinguished micro-breweries in the country — will celebrate the event by unveiling a special, PELICAN-dedicated Doppelbock (one of the few styles of beer all four band members regularly agree upon). The as-yet-unnamed ale will be served at the Chicago show and at select watering holes and specialty shops around the Chicagoland area for a limited time. One week after the Chicago appearance, PELICAN will join forces with legendary doom-metal overlords GOATSNAKE on October 30 to play the Troubadour in Los Angeles, an event likely to be one of the most anticipated So-Cal metal sets in recent memory.
PELICAN 10-year anniversary dates:
Oct. 23 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
Oct. 30 - The Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
Peter Hodgson of the I Heart Guitar blog recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
I Heart Guitar: The response to the album has been insane. How are you finding the reaction out there?
Tuck: Well, 95% of the things I've heard off the press across the planet has been extremely positive, which is great. And we love it, we think it's a great record — which is all we're really ultimately concerned about — but for it to be received so well after having mixed reviews on the last record, it's a really good sign. People are freaking out! So it's like, okay, we've done something pretty cool here, by the looks of it. So we're very proud. It's been very well received around the planet. Not very many people can pick holes in it this time around. I'm the biggest critic of myself — I know when something's not right and could have been better, and I just can't pick a flaw in it right now. People are freaking out. We've had really great reviews — we're happy boys.
I Heart Guitar: How do you balance being your toughest critic with those 95% positive reviews? Do you pay much attention to that other 5%?
Tuck: Not really. The only opportunity we do get to peruse reviews is usually for the U.K. press. When an album drops, we're usually at home, about to go on tour somewhere, so we don't really get to see actual physical reviews from anywhere else on the planet. We just hear about them from our management and the record labels who obviously actively pay attention and collection them and catalog it all. It does matter. It's nice to hear something positive and it sucks to hear something that's not. But at the end of the day, we've got to a stage in our career now where we're very comfortable with our abilities and who we are, and as long as we're happy, nothing else really [matters].
I Heart Guitar: Your songwriting is heavy yet accessible. Is that something you work to achieve, or does it just happen?
Tuck: That's just how it is, that's just what we do. People really struggled to deal with that when we first started. They were like, "You can't do that!" and we were like, "Well, we are!" We're not trying to be a big-selling global rock outfit. That was never the point. We're just four friends writing music, and this is how it comes out. So to make that into a formula, I don't know. It's just something we've done very naturally.
I Heart Guitar: In a time when you can hear metal riffs on ads for breakfast cereal, it seems like metal's just become part of the fabric of the global consciousness.
Tuck: Yeah! I'm very proud of the fact that we've opened a lot of doors for the world of metal, you know what I mean? There are some people that like the band or whatever, and there are some people that fucking totally hate us because of what we do, but at the same time, what we're doing for the genre as a whole is a good thing. We're bringing it to a whole mass of people who wouldn't have given a shit before we came along, and that sounds maybe a little bit arrogant, I know, but it's a fact! We've opened the door for this genre to become more of a mainstream, everyday life music. And that's cool as fuck. We could be as heavy as we want, but we want to be more than that. We want to write songs that will stand the test of time.
Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Metal Female Voices Fest, set to take place October 22-24 at Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium.
Commented the band: "EPICA will perform a special show with extra attention for the early 'Phantom Agony' period.
"It's been eight years ago that EPICA played the first edition of the Metal Female Voices Fest. Since that day a lot of things have changed for the festival and the band but one thing is still the same: a shared deep passion for female-fronted metal. So on this edition we go back to the roots and play some songs for you which we hardly play live anymore!"
The festival schedule is now shaping up as follows:
Friday, October 22:
HELLS BELLES
MANIC MOVEMENT
THE VEIL
Saturday, October 23:
ARCH ENEMY
REVAMP
KRYPTERIA
TRISTANIA
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
69 CHAMBERS
DYLATH-LEEN
BARE INFINITY
SKEPTICAL MINDS
GODYVA
PYTHIA
Sunday, October 24:
EPICA
LEAVES' EYES
HOLYHELL
SARAH JEZEBEL DEVA
THE AGONIST
OMEGA LITHIUM
DIABULUS IN MUSICA
DEJAFUSE
RAM-ZET
For more information, visit www.metalfemalevoicesfest.be.
Altsounds.com recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Per Wiberg of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
Altsounds.com: You guys have been around for 20 years yourselves now, How do you feel about being considered a legendary act in your own right?
Per: Legendary is maybe a bit too much. Call us a band that's been around for 20 years. (laughs) I don't know... I think there's a few bands from our generation who have been around for a long time and I guess people enjoy continuity because it means everyone is enjoying what they are doing if they do it for a long time. Music is everything to everyone in this band so I hope that has something to do with it. You can only write and play the music you do; you can never count on people coming to the shows and buying the albums.
Altsounds.com: How was playing the Royal Albert Hall?
Per: It was different but very cool, also a classic venue as well. We've seen loads of live DVDs filmed there and the venue showcased on Swedish TV so its kind of mindblowing to walk into that venue during the day when none of the audience were there, but then it's a busy day so you forget it and get into the groove.
Altsounds.com: The show is being released on DVD as OPETH live at the Royal Albert Hall. When you put that package together did you at all discuss releasing all the other shows from the mini tour on DVD?
Per: It's a cost thing, especially if you are going to film every show, depending on what type of filming you want. This was filmed like all our other DVDs so that's pretty costly. I don't think it was ever considered but we have recordings of every show, but since it's a "Live At The Albert Hall" DVD that's what's being released now. I don't know if, or how, any of the other stuff is ever going to be released.
Altsounds.com: The "Evolution XX" shows you did worldwide to celebrate the anniversary of the band and release of "Blackwater Park" were a special treat for the fans. How did the idea for those shows come about?
Per: Firstly, Mikael [Åkerfeldt, guitar/vocals] said last year, "We turn 20 years next year. What should we do?" Maybe we could go to a pub in Stockholm somewhere and bring some gear and if any of our friends wanna play a song or two they can and we'll drink beer. (Laughs) And it escalated from there to "Let's do a show at Royal Albert Hall." And then it was, "Well, let's do more shows in L.A. and New York if we can fit them in as well. When we had the Royal Albert Hall date confirmed. we booked the rest."
Swedish progressive metallers WOLVERINE have tapped Danish producer Jacob Hansen to mix their long-awaited new album, "Communication Lost", for a tentative early 2011 release. The mixing sessions are taking place at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark and "the first snippet we've heard of the opening track sounds amazing," according to WOLVERINE vocalist Stefan Zell.
WOLVERINE's last album, "Still", was released in the U.S. in July 2006 via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded in part at Spacelab studio in Tönisvorst, Germany. The follow-up to 2003's "Cold Light of Monday" was produced by Oliver Philipps, Christian "Moschus" Moos and WOLVERINE and was mixed at the end of August 2005.
New Jersey metal titans GOD FORBID have been confirmed for the Mezcal Metal Fest 2, set to take place September 26 at World Trade Center in Mexico City, Mexico.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
DEATH ANGEL
DESTRUCTION
EVILE
GOD FORBID
NECROPHAGIST
OBSCURA
OBITUARY
ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET
SPLIT HEAVEN
STRIKE MASTER
TWISTED SISTER
GOD FORBID has also announced an October 2 show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey.
Commented the band, "The show will take place in our stomping ground at the Starland Ballroom with 40 BELOW SUMMER, who will be reuniting to play their 'Invitation To The Dance' album in its entirety. This show will probably sell out, so get your tickets [as soon as possible]!"
A mere 11 months after declaring to the world they would no longer be working together, Norwegian hard rockers FAITH CIRCUS have returned. Marc Farrano (vocals), Marius Morch (guitar), Baard Nordvik (drums) and new bassist Christer Ottesen (ex-POPIUM, FLARE) are in pre-production for a brand new studio album, to be released in the spring. Rehearsals have also begun in preparation for a series of gigs planned throughout the late summer and fall.
In other news, FAITH CIRCUS' debut album — which featured guest appearances by members of TNT, STAGE DOLLS, RETURN and JORN — will be remixed and repackaged. The new version of the CD will feature two bonus tracks — namely "Heroes" and a remake of the 1981 classic James Bond tune "For Your Eyes Only", this time sung as a duet with Robin Beck. Also in the works is the release of a new EP, "5 Live", featuring five songs recorded in concert last year in front of 200 of the band's closest friends and fans. Both releases can be expected in the fall.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/faithcircus.
ROBOT MONSTER ARMY, the current project of WARGASM frontman Bob Mayo, is putting the finishing touches on its second album, entitled "Monsterpiece". The CD, which is tentatively due in the fall, is once again being tracked at Red Devil Recording in Stoughton, Massachusetts and will feature guest appearances by members of Boston metal stalwarts MELIAH RAGE and STEEL ASSASSIN.
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. On The Boards
02. Black Bolt Speaks
03. Y.A.W.A.?
04. Jupiter's Eye
05. Always Night
06. Tales To Astonish
07. Berzerker
08. Mother and Son
09. Decibel Buzz
10. Destroy All Monsters!
According to Mayo, it's likely that both songs from ROBOT MONSTER ARMY's "No Big Deal" single will either be included as bonus tracks or released separately.
While ROBOT MONSTER ARMY's self-titled debut album was released in June 2009 on YAAG Records through all major online music outlets, a specially priced CD version is now available at this location. The '70s-inspired album featured performances by several members of Boston's metal elite: former members of WARGASM, ONLY LIVING WITNESS and GANG GREEN appear, and current members of STEEL ASSASSIN, BAD KARMA and MELIAH RAGE also contributed.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/robotmonsterarmy.
Austrian metallers THE SORROW will release their third, self-titled album on October 29 via Drakkar Records. The CD was recorded at Principal Studios (DIE TOTEN HOSEN, IN EXTREMO) in Senden, Germany with producer Toni Meloni.
THE SORROW lead guitarist Andi Mäser previously stated about the forthcoming effort: "When we recorded [2009's] 'Origin Of The Storm', a lot of things were going on besides the actual work on the album. It came into being under quite some pressure — and I do believe that to some extend the songs reflect that. Now with this one, we are very happy that we took the time to completely focus on the songwriting process and not have anything interfere with that."
On working with producer Toni Meloni again, singer/guitarist Mätze Schlegel summarized, "There could not be a better producer for this band. Toni was with us since the very beginning, he's great at anticipating what musical direction we are heading for and he always pushes us to fully realize that on the album."
"Origin Of The Storm" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 56 back in March 2009.
THE SORROW spent time on the road in Europe in early 2009 as the support act for Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA.
The band's debut album, "Blessings from a Blackened Sky", was released in July 2007 via Drakkar Records.
Jacksonville, Florida hard rockers COLD are currently in New York City recording an additional three new songs that will be included on the band's long-awaited fifth album, "Epic". According to frontman Scooter Ward, the record "will be complete in three weeks and then release dates will be [announced]."
A new COLD track called "My Religion" is being streamed on the band's MySpace page.
COLD released its self-titled debut album in the summer of 1998. After steadily building a solid touring base, the band returned in 2000 with its sophomore effort, "13 Ways to Bleed on Stage", which peaked at #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and brought the band its first appearance within the Top 100 on The Billboard 200 chart. In 2003, COLD scored its biggest hit to date with "Stupid Girl" (co-written by WEEZER's Rivers Cuomo) off "Year of the Spider". The smash single went to #4 at Mainstream Rock and #6 at Modern Rock. "Year of the Spider" went all the way to #3 on The Billboard 200 chart, followed by "A Different Kind of Pain" in 2005, which went to #26 on the same chart.
COLD is:
Scooter Ward (Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar)
Zach Gilbert (Guitar)
Jeremy Marshall (Bass, Vocals)
Sam McCandless (Drums)
Photo below courtesy of COLD's MySpace page
Sheffield, U.K. metallers BRING ME THE HORIZON have set "There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" as the title of their third album, which will be released on the following dates:
Oct. 8 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Oct. 4 - Rest Of Europe
Oct. 5 - USA
Oct. 6 - Japan
Oct. 8 - Australia
From the progressive opening riff and digital manipulation of choristers in the epic "Crucify Me" to the violins of "Don't Go" to instrumental track "Memorial", it quickly becomes clear that this is an album like no other.
The band locked itself away in a lochside mansion deep in rural Scotland for the majority of the writing period, and, free from distractions, was able to push its writing further than ever. Yet the album still includes the trademark elements that have become staples of BRING ME THE HORIZON's sound since 2006 — precision guitar riffs, venomously dark lyrics, massive beatdowns and gang vocals destined to be chants at the band's incendiary live shows.
The team at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden (where BRING ME THE HORIZON recorded 2008's "Suicide Season") was again at the helm of the recording, this time bringing in electronic and programming authority KC Blitz to assist with the instrumental aspects of the album. The CD also includes appearances from various special guests, including Josh Franceschi of YOU ME AT SIX (on "Fuck") who stated, "I'm really excited to be part of this record as it's going to turn some heads, and that's what music is all about." Also featured on the album are Josh Scogin of THE CHARIOT (on "The Fox And The Wolf"), Sonny Moore (a.k.a. Skrillex) with electronica contributions and Canadian electro-pop starlet Lights (on "Crucify Me" and "Don't Go").
"There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" is, in many ways, a concept album. Frontman Oli Sykes vividly explores humanity's collective good nature and the celestial euphoria associated with love, lust, truth and desire; this is balanced by the darkness and evil that is buried deep inside all of us. Lyrically and musically, the album is the band's most honest work to date as Sykes lays bare his fears, weaknesses and anger, which is just one layer on this truly progressive and advanced third album.
"There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" track listing:
01. Crucify Me
02. Anthem
03. It Never Ends
04. Fuck
05. Don't Go
06. Home Sweet Hole
07. Alligator Blood
08. Visions
09. Blacklist
10. Memorial
11. Blessed With A Curse
12. The Fox And The Wolf
Long-running Oakland, California-based industrial/alternative/metal pioneers NEUROSIS will headline one of the nights at Maryland Deathfest IX, set to take place May 27-29, 2011 at Sonar in Baltimore. Also newly confirmed for the event are AVULSED, MALIGNANT TUMOUR, CIANIDE, NOKTURNEL, DEVOURMENT, DEFEATED SANITY and CREATIVE WASTE.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AVULSED (Spain)
BLOOD FREAK (USA)
CIANIDE (USA)
CREATIVE WASTE (Saudi Arabia)
CRETIN (USA)
CRIPPLE BASTARDS (Italy)
DEFEATED SANITY (Germany)
DEVOURMENT (USA)
EXHORDER (USA)
EXHUMED (USA)
HOODED MENACE (Finland)
IMPALED NAZARENE (Finland)
THE KILL (Australia)
LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY (Netherlands)
MACHETAZO (Spain)
MALIGNANT TUMOUR (Czech Republic)
NEUROSIS (USA)
NIGHTBRINGER (USA)
NOKTURNEL (USA)
REPUGNANT (Sweden)
WORMED (Spain)
The concept of Maryland Deathfest is simple: to bring to the United States the best and most extreme bands the underground has to offer. Never conforming to trends, or being limited by genre restrictions, Maryland Deathfest is a showcase of what extreme music, both new and old, is capable of. With an emphasis on diversity, the festival brings together the very best death metal, grindcore, black metal, thrash, experimental and hardcore bands from all around the world. With bands from all over the U.S. and Canada, and exclusive fly ins and rare appearances from some of the most in demand bands from Europe, Australia, and Japan, the diversity of the lineup is only surpassed by the diversity of Maryland Deathfest's rabid fan base, who annually travel from all over the world for a weekend of fun and music.
Since Maryland Deathfest's inception in 2003, festival organizers Ryan and Evan have continued to strive to bring together some of the most legendary bands in the scene and some of the most talked about up-and-coming bands in the underground for an unparalleled experience. Combining the DIY attitude of two young metal fans who are actually part of the scene instead of trying to exploit it, with a refreshing professional touch, Maryland Deathfest is year after year given high marks for being one of the best-run and most organized festivals around.
For more information, visit www.marylanddeathfest.com.
On September 17, Finnish metallers AMORPHIS will celebrate their 20th anniversary by releasing a special retrospective, "Magic & Mayhem – Tales From The Early Years", featuring newly re-recorded versions of the songs from the band's first three albums (1992's "Karelian Isthmus", 1994's "Tales From The Thousand Lakes" and 1996's "Elegy") with slightly different arrangements, better audio quality and featuring the band's current lineup. AMORPHIS guitarist Esa Holopainen told Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine in early June that he was especially happy with how "My Kantele" and "Song Of The Troubled One" turned out. The collection will also include such gems as "Vulgar Necrolatry" and the band's cover of THE DOORS' "Light My Fire". The latter song was previously recorded by the band and was included on the reissue of the "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" LP, but the new collection will feature a all-new version that was tracked in early 2010.
"Magic & Mayhem – Tales From The Early Years" track listing:
01. Magic And Mayhem
02. Vulgar Necrolatry
03. Into Hiding
04. Black Winter Day
05. On Rich And Poor
06. Exile Of The Sons Of Uisliu
07. The Castaway
08. Song Of The Troubled One
09. Sign From The North Side
10. Drowned Maid
11. Against Widows
12. My Kantele
13. Light My Fire (bonus track)
"Skyforger", the latest album from Finnish metallers AMORPHIS, was recently certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 15,000 copies. (Note: The sales requirement for albums to reach gold status in Finland was recently lowered to 10,000, but because "Skyforger" was released before this change took effect, the old rules still apply.) The bandmembers were presented with their gold plaques on July 6 at a release party for their first-ever live DVD, "Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes", at Cinema Andorra in Helsinki.
"Skyforger" was honored in the "Metal Album Of The Year" category at this year's Emma Gaala (Finnish Grammy equivalent).
AMORPHIS was nominated in two categories at the Emma Gaala — "Metal Album Of The Year" and "Domestic Artist Of The Year".
"Skyforger" sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 33 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.
"Skyforger" entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 1. Released in May 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records, the follow-up to the "Eclipse" and "Silent Waters" LPs, both of which were certified gold in the band's native Finland, was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki.
"Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes" was released in Europe on July 9 via Nuclear Blast. The filming of the main concert took place on November 20, 2009 at Club Teatria in Oulu, Finland, where AMORPHIS was supported by STRATOVARIUS and BEFORE THE DAWN. In addition to the full-length live show, the anniversary DVD includes plenty of bonus material documenting the band's impressive career.
DISMEMBER's Tobias Cristiansson will play bass for fellow Swedish death metallers GRAVE at the the Manizalez Grita Rock festival in Colombia on August 15.
Commented Cristiansson: "I will have the honor to play a gig with GRAVE once again, this time in Colombia, Manizalez.
"GRAVE will headline the third day of the Manizalez Grita Rock festival on the 15th of August.
"Last time I was in Colombia was when DISMEMBER did a South American tour in 2008. That was one of the best tours I've ever done and I sure have some great memories from there, so it feels great to come back there again with GRAVE to give the Colombians a lethal dose of Swedish death metal!"
GRAVE's latest album, "Burial Ground", was released on June 14 via Regain Records. The CD's cover artwork was created by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight13 Media.
GRAVE's eighth album, "Dominion VIII", was released in April 2008 via Regain Records.
GRAVE's live DVD, entitled "Enraptured", came out in Europe on November 27, 2006 via Metal Mind Productions and in the U.S. on February 1, 2007 via MVD Visual.
German grindcore/death metal act MILKING THE GOATMACHINE is hard at work on material for its sophomore studio album, "7… A Dinner for One", for a January 7, 2011 release via the band's new label home, NoiseArt Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Back From The Goats…" is said to be a concept effort about "the wolf and the seven kids" and will contain such songtitles as "Ding Dong Motherfucker", "Here Comes Uncle Wolf" and "Like A Goatmachine", the latter of which is apparently a remake of the JAMES BROWN classic "Like A Sex Machine".
For more information, visit lwww.myspace.com/milkingthegoatmachine.
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