The first official release from Niji Entertainment Group, the label formed by the late Ronnie James Dio and his wife/manager Wendy Dio, will be "Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987". Due on November 9, the two-CD deluxe digipak comes with a booklet filled with rare photos from both concerts. It also includes both "All Access" backstage laminates from 1983 and 1987.
1983 was the first time DIO played in the United Kingdom and the band's first show just happened to be the legendary Monsters Of Rock event.
"Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" features material that was recorded on two different tours — the "Holy Diver" trek from 1983 and the "Dream Evil" tour from 1987.
"Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" track listing:
**NOTE: This track listing has not been officially confirmed.**
CD 1: 1983
01. Stand Up and Shout
02. Straight Through The Heart
03. Children Of The Sea
04. Rainbow In The Dark
05. Holy Diver
06. Drum Solo
07. Stargazer
08. Guitar Solo
09. Heaven And Hell
10. Man On The Silver Mountain
11. Starstruck
12. Evil Eyes
CD 2: 1987
01. Dream Evil
02. Neon Knights
03. Naked In The Rain
04. Rock 'N' roll Children
05. Long Live Rock 'N' roll
06. Rock 'N' Roll Children (reprise)
07. The Last In Line
08. Holy Diver
09. Heaven And Hell
10. Man On The Silver Mountain
11. All The Fools Sailed Away ~ The Last In Line
12. Rainbow In The Dark
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/diomonsters.jpg
According to KYPost.com, a corrections officer was hit and injured Thursday night (September 2) by a driver leaving the AEROSMITH concert at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Officer Darin Bernard, who was working with the department's traffic unit, flagged down the Chevy Cavalier driven by Randy Damron on suspicion of drunk driving," the report states. "That's when police say Damron didn't stop, and hit Bernard. In order to avoid being pulled underneath the car, Bernard held on, and was dragged 35 feet beside the car, eventually falling to the road."
Jimmy Crespo may be best known as the guitarist who replaced Joe Perry in AEROSMITH from 1979 to 1984.
Crespo appeared on the "Night In The Ruts" album and co-wrote the majority of songs on 1982's "Rock In A Hard Place", performing almost all the guitar duties on the LP.
After years of performing with such artists as Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks, Billy Squier, Dee Snider and Lita Ford, Jimmy is ready to return to center stage with his brand new band THE JIMMY CRESPO PROJECT.
Joined by a group of noted musicians, THE JIMMY CRESPO PROJECT is preparing to play a 90-minute show featuring classic rock hits and Crespo-era AEROSMITH songs you can only hear him play live.
2012 will mark the 30-year anniversary of the release of "Rock In a Hard Place" and for the next two years Jimmy Crespo will let the music do the talkin', playing live shows and releasing an album of original material.
For more information, visit the official JIMMY CRESPO BAND Facebook page.
Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will appear at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend, set to take place October 8-10 at the Wyndam Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend is sure to be filled with some of the most well-known names in horror, as well as some amazing horror writers and artists! There will be unique seminars, live music throughout the weekend, some of the best tattoo artists in the world, independent filmmakers and their films, one of the largest dealer rooms packed with merchandise from movies, TV and music, special FX artists, costume contest, hearse and creepy car show, spooktacular stunt show, celebrity charity poker tournament, pool parties, classic movies, and many other surprises to be announced.
According to a posting on THE CULT's official Twitter profile, the band's previously announced four-song "capsule" — which is described as a collection of not just new music, but film, art and fashion — will arrive on September 14.
The "capsule" will span across multiple media formats, including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats.
In an August 20, 2010 interview with the U.K.'s leading classic rock radio station Planet Rock, THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy spoke about the "capsule" concept and how it differs from the way the band released new music in the past.
"Well, I think you'd have to have been living under a rock for a long time to not notice that the music business has somewhat changed," Duffy explained.
"It's a different way of getting music out there.
"People — not everybody, but a lot of people — are, really, now more comfortable downloading music and the fact that aren't any, really, many record shops or places to buy music in that format anymore is indicative that people's habits are changing with the Internet, and we just felt, as a band, that the idea...
"We did a new album in 2007 in a sort of traditional way — get a record deal with a company and make an album and take out a very bad loan from them and then go and promote it, and blah blah blah. This time we just thought we'd do it a little differently, and we did it on... New Wilderness is our own label. And Ian [Astbury, vocals] felt very strongly that he'd prefer to try and record two or three, four songs and get them out there while they're quite fresh than spending a lot of time trying to write a whole album. It was really Ian's general feeling, which I sort of agreed with; I think people's attention spans are shortening, and I think the idea was... He just wanted to capture the music quickly and get it out there. That was the theory; the practice is not always quite so as easy as putting that into practice. But the idea of the capsule, if you wanna be old-fashioned, you could call it an EP. So rather than doing albums...
"Other bands who operate on a grander scale two, three, four years recording a record, or they sail in from their Carribean hideaways, go on a tour that lasts 18 months, and everybody is really happy with that format. That doesn't really work for THE CULT anymore. So we're just trying to be a little more fluid.
"The people who are buying tangible, what you'd call hard products, like vinyl, they're collectors and they want stuff that has a little bit more depth and content, and that's why it'll be a multimedia package."
THE CULT's first new studio recording since 2007, "Every Man and Woman is a Star" was released as a two-week exclusive through the iTunes store.
Rock fans worldwide will immediately recognize Billy Duffy's blistering guitars and Ian Astbury's powerful vocals soaring over a relentless beat.
"The latest recordings from THE CULT, guided by legendary producer Chris Goss (MASTERS OF REALITY, KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), are a mixture of violent guitars, emotive vocal performances with high melody and driving beats," Astbury said in a statement. "Textured metaphysical rock music for the contemporary music head."
This new release is a partnership between the band's New Wilderness label and media pioneers Aderra.
In 2009, Aderra recorded several live shows on THE CULT's U.S. and European tours, including a sold-out appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The live recordings were released exclusively through a USB flash drive housed in a dog tag necklace.
The success of this initial project lead to this partnership to release the new capsule material on multiple formats.
THE CULT in 2008 parted ways with Roadrunner Records, the label that released the group's latest album, "Born into This". That CD sold 12,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. It was recorded in London with producer Youth (VERVE, PRIMAL SCREAM).
THE CULT's current touring lineup includes principals Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy alongside bassist Chris Wyse, drummer John Tempesta (ex-WHITE ZOMBIE, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, HELMET) and rhythm guitarist Mike Dimkich.
TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon will celebrate the release of his new solo album, "Gypsy Highway", with a special performance tonight (Saturday, September 4) at the El Dorado Saloon in El Dorado Hills, California. The all-ages acoustic part of the show will take place between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. and will be followed by the 21-and-over party from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.
Advance ticket holders will receive a free copy of "Gypsy Highway" CD at the show merch table for purchasing the ticket.
Seating in front of the stage will be very limited and will be made available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Hannon recently described "Gypsy Highway" as "an acoustic collection of songs that are very close to my heart… sort of like autobiographical stories that I wrote and sang completely on my own with acoustic guitar. The title track, 'Gypsy Highway', is my story of leaving on the road and flying out of Tulsa, Oklahoma from Rocklahoma. I mention Willie Nelson in the song because it seems that 'On the road again…' always echos through my head when I leave home.
"As a kid, I loved some of the artist my mom was into like Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash was my first concert ever. The 'storytelling' style of songwriting has always been fascinating to me, like the song 'Me And Bobby McGee', for example. Singing is a whole another world for me and it took me a long time to find my voice as a lead singer and feel comfortable exposing my soul that way.
"On 'Gypsy Highway', I wrote, sang and played all the instruments and it is definitely an 'acoustic'-type album that shares a lot of my roots and life experiences from the heart.
"On this new album I play acoustic and electric guitars dobro slide, banjo, fretless bass, jembe drums, drums and percussion, flute, cello, piano and organ, lead vocals and background harmonies. I engineered the album while playing as well which could get real tricky at times pushing the 'record' button.
"At a young age, I learned to overdub music on a four- track cassette deck, and so composing all the instruments together on an album actually wasn't too hard. It's like putting together puzzle pieces and make it fit to sound as good as you can. Robbie Furiosi also played some guest drums on three of the songs. So, after six months of this work, 'Gypsy Highway' is now DONE!!!
"Here are a few of the songtitles and descriptions:
"'The Hills Of California' is a song/story about the impact of the Sierra mountains on my childhood, going camping and learning to swim in the river. It has a tribal feel to it with the jembe drum and a flute solo. This song also has a nylon classical guitar solo.
"'After the Rain' is a song about how life and relationships have many storms, but we get through them and everything is always better after the rain.
"'Watch Me Fall Again' is a song that tells of how I know I'm damn sure ain't perfect, but I try hard to do the right things in this life. It's tough sometimes…
"'Sweet Southern Sound' is a song I wrote about my love of LYNYRD SKYNYRD and southern music. Originally I wrote it in MOON DOG MANE, but I remade it much better here after several of you guys told you like the song.
"These are just a few, but there are 14 songs on the album; yes, 14!! And I love them all.
"I hope you guys like it, but honestly I can't worry about that because it's as real as I can get. I wanted to make this album 100% real from my heart."
Soft Skull Press has set a December 7, 2010 release date for former WHITE ZOMBIE bassist Sean Yseult's new book, "I'm In The Band".
Art rock? Noise rock? Punk-metal? Alternative? WHITE ZOMBIE may have been unclassifiable, but it didn't stop them from carving out a place for themselves in music history. The band became a multiplatinum, two-time Grammy nominee with the release of their 1992 album, "La Sexorcisto". But while most people will remember their bizarre look and macabre lyrics, what many failed to realize was that their lanky, high-octane bass player was a woman.
"I'm In The Band" charts WHITE ZOMBIE's rise from the gritty music scene of New York's Lower East Side in the Eighties to arena headliners during the Nineties alternative-explosion that followed in NIRVANA's wake, while sharing the unlikely story of a female musician who won the respect and adoration of male metal musicians and fans. From 1985 to 1996, Sean Yseult was the sole woman not only in WHITE ZOMBIE, but in the entire metal scene: bands, roadies, managers, you name it — with the exception of girlfriends and groupies, Yseult was in a world by herself.
With "I'm in the Band", Yseult combines eleven years of tour diaries, flyers, and personal photos and ephemera — many featuring rock icons such as Ian "Lemmy" Killmister, Iggy Pop, Joey Ramone, and Lux Interior — into a striking visual memoir. She offers fans a unique vantage on the life of a mega-band during rock's last golden age.
About the author: Sean Yseult played bass and wrote music for WHITE ZOMBIE from its inception in 1985 through its breakup over a decade later. Since then she's played with FAMOUS MONSTERS, ROCK CITY MORGUE, and THE CRAMPS; exhibited her photography in galleries across the country; and formed the design company Yseult Designs. She divides her time between New Orleans and New York City.
Commented former WHITE ZOMBIE guitarist Jay Noel Yuenger (a.k.a. J.): "WHITE ZOMBIE's like a black hole. For most people, it's like we popped up out of nowhere, and then, a couple of years and a couple of platinum albums later, we disappeared. There's almost no documentation of the history of the band, and so this is something of a mindfuck for me because it's all here.
"I helped out a little while Sean was putting the book together as far as contributing some photos and memorabilia, remembering names and dates, but I just wasn't prepared to see the entire timeline .. from the earliest days in Brooklyn, to my joining, to getting big, to breaking up .. laid out and illustrated like this."
When asked about WHITE ZOMBIE's 1998 split in a November 2008 interview with Beowolf Productions, Yseult said, "We definitely saw it coming. Rob [Zombie, WHITE ZOMBIE mainman] had actually stopped speaking to us, especially me, the last two years, and hired his own tour bus. It was pretty unbearable, even for the crew, when it should have been the best time of our lives."
Regarding whether she would ever consider doing a WHITE ZOMBIE reunion, Yseult stated in the same interview, "We've always said never, but someone posed the question of doing it with a Rob replacement, which would be pretty funny since he ran around the country with a WHITE ZOMBIE cover band for years! Our manager tried to get J. and I to do that right after breaking up, but it just seemed tacky at the time. I have to admit now it might be fun."
DANZIG will headline the 2010 edition of the "Blackest Of The Black" tour in October.
The complete billing for the trek is as follows:
DANZIG
POSSESSED
MARDUK
TOXIC HOLOCAUST
WITHERED
The dates are as follows:
Oct. 23 - Pala, CA - [to be announced] (DANZIG warm-up show) *
Oct. 25 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Oct. 27 - Little Rock, AK - The Village
Oct. 29 - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Live
Oct. 30 - Houston, TX - Warehouse
Oct. 31 - Dallas, TX - Palladium
Nov. 01 - [to be announced]
* This show is not part of the "Blackest Of The Black" tour.
More shows will be announced on Tuesday, September 7.
Glenn Danzig recently spent time editing the music video he directed for DANZIG's new single, "On A Wicked Night", which was shot on location in early June at the infamous BatCave in the Hollywood Hills.
"On A Wicked Night" comes off the first new DANZIG studio album in six years, "Deth Red Sabaoth", which sold 11,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.
DANZIG's last album, "Circle of Snakes", opened with 6,400 units back in September 2004 to enter the chart at No. 183. That number was in line with the 6,900 first-week tally registered by 2002's "Danzig 7:77 I Luciferi", which debuted at No. 159.
"Deth Red Sabaoth" was released on June 22 via Evilive/The End Records. Produced by Glenn, the CD was recorded in Los Angeles over the course of 2009.
Joining Glenn in the studio for the recording of "Deth Red Sabaoth" were guitarist Tommy Victor (PRONG, MINISTRY), a Danzig cohort on and off since 1996, and drummer Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE, SEVENTH VOID). While Kelly has toured with Glenn intermittently since 2002, this is the first time he has recorded with the band. Glenn handled the bass chores for most the album, and played drums on "Black Candy".
DANZIG — Glenn, guitarist Tommy Victor, drummer Johnny Kelly and bassist Steve Zing (also an original member of SAMHAIN with Glenn) — plans to tour extensively to support "Deth Red Sabaoth".
"Diary Of A Mad Band", the long-awaited new CD+DVD from DOWN — the acclaimed New Orleans band featuring CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist), bassist Rex Brown (ex-PANTERA), guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR), and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, ex-PANTERA) — will be released in the U.S. on October 5 via Down Records/ADA. The set will feature footage of DOWN members "tearing up Europe" — literally and figuratively — on their first European tour. This special CD+DVD collection contains over 130 minutes of live video material and a full, never-before-released concert. (Note: The CD is different from the DVD.)
"Diary Of A Mad Band" track listing:
Disc 1
01. Losing All
02. Lifer
03. Lysergic Funeral Procession
04. Rehab
05. Temptation's Wings
06. Ghosts Along The Mississippi
07. Learn From This Mistake
08. Hail The Leaf
09. New Orleans Is A Dying Whore
10. Lies, I Don't Know What They Say But...
11. Underneath Everything
12. The Seed
13. Eyes Of The South
14. Jail
15. Stone The Crows
16. Bury Me In Smoke
Disc 2
01. Lysergic Funeral Procession
02. Lifer
03. Losing All
04. Rehab
05. New Orleans Is A Dying Whore
06. Ghosts Along The Mississippi
07. Learn From This Mistake
08. Underneath Everything
09. Temptation's Wings
10. There's Something On My Side
11. Hail The Leaf
12. Lies
13. The Seed
14. Eyes Of The South
15. Jail
16. Stone The Crows
17. Bury Me In Smoke
18. Bonus DVD Featurette: Tirades And Shenanigans
In a July 2010 interview with Altsounds, Windstein stated about the forthcoming DVD, "It's basically our 2006 reunion tour in chronological order, when we decided to put the band back together and make it a proper band. It starts in Hamburg, Germany, which is the first show, then through to Download, which actually wasn't the last show 'cause we also did one in Ireland, but other than that, it's in chronological order; it's one song from each of those shows. It's not like a PANTERA behind-the-scenes [collection of clips], with everybody cutting up and drinking, titties-everywhere kinda thing, because we could never top that 'cause Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] was a genius when it came to stuff like that. We made more of a Seventies-style rock and roll kind of movie like the ones I grew up watching, a lot more along the lines of 'The Song Remains The Same' by LED ZEPPELIN or 'Let There Be Rock' by AC/DC. It's a movie."
When asked about the legal issues that caused the DVD delay, Windstein said, "The way we look at it now is that we're not downing it, no pun intended, but we're so much better than that now, because when we got back together, Phil had only just gotten over back surgery, but it's a very good representation of where we were at then and it's a good rock and roll movie regardless."
DOWN bassist Rex Brown has fully recuperated from his fight with pancreatitis, a sudden inflammation of the pancreas which can have severe complications and high mortality despite treatment.
In October 2008, DOWN released a "deluxe edition" of its critically acclaimed third album, "Over the Under". The deluxe package, which was made available as a Best Buy exclusive, included a DVD with over 30 minutes of previously unreleased live performances and behind-the-scenes footage.
The album was released on Down Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group (ILG).
HarperCollins imprint William Morrow has set a March 22, 2011 tentative release date for MÖTLEY CRÜE/SIXX: A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx's new book, "This Is Gonna Hurt".
The New York Times bestselling author of "The Heroin Dairies", Sixx refuses to become a sanitized PSA for suburban mothers; instead, he has found strength and inspiration in his pain and sobriety, and in this raw and powerful book gives us a glimpse inside his sick and dirty mind.
"I've always had an eye for the oddities in life," said Sixx. "Even as a kid I saw the world in my own way and thought most things that were different were beautiful and magical. Even things that other people thought were horrifying and disgusting and weird. . . . People say I have a distorted lens. I think I see things as they really are."
Few of us have experienced life with the intensity, fury, and reckless abandon of Nikki Sixx, the wild rock star, driven entrepreneur, devoted father, former addict, bestselling author, and gifted photographer.
"This Is Gonna Hurt" is part photo, part journal — but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller "The Heroin Diaries", "This Is Gonna Hurt" chronicles Sixx's experience, from his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with MÖTLEY CRÜE, his death from an OD and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love.
Love story, bad-ass rock tell-all, social commentary, family memoir, "This Is Gonna Hurt" offers the compelling insights of an artist and a man struggling to survive, connect, and find a happy ending — a search that fuels Sixx's being. "I want to take you on the journey I am on, in real time," Sixx writes. "If you don't deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt."
"This Is Gonna Hurt" includes a foreword by Sixx's ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old tattoo artist Kat Von D (born Katherine Von Drachenberg) on "Love and Inspiration."
Following the success of "The Heroin Diaries", Sixx's new band SIXX: A.M., is recording an album to be released in conjunction with "This Is Gonna Hurt". Some of the songs were inspired by the author's photographs; others inspired photographs of their own.
"This Is Gonna Hurt" will include more than two dozen of Nikki's images. He will incorporate the stories behind the pictures and how they came to be, including interviews with the subjects so readers can see "what life is like for those whom society has labeled as freaks."
In a September 1 Twitter posting, Sixx wrote: "So happy I just finished [writing] my new book. Next time remind me to use a ghostwriter."
According to TMZ.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil failed three field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level almost three times the legal limit during his June 27, 2010 Las Vegas arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
TMZ.com obtained the Las Vegas Police Department report (view report as PDF file), which indicates that Neil was pulled over for driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone and for "weaving between the lanes."
According to the report, the arresting officer detected the odor of alcohol on Neil's breath and asked the singer to perform a variety of field sobriety tests, three of which Vince failed. Neil — who admitted to having consumed three glasses of champagne at the Hilton hotel earlier in the night — eventually gave up by saying, "I can't do this," the report states. Vince was then asked by the officer to take two breathalyzer tests and, according to the report, he registered .215 and .216 — nearly three times the .08 limit.
Neil has been charged with DUI and speeding and is set to be arraigned on September 27.
Vince was previously arrested in 2007 for suspected DUI but worked out a deal in which he pleaded no contest to reckless driving in exchange for having the DUI charge dropped, according to TMZ.com.
Nevada state law says that people convicted of DUI twice within seven years face anywhere from 10 days to six months in jail.
The singer lives in Las Vegas, where he owns a chain of tattoo shops and a restaurant at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Neil was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation in 1984 after an accident in which he crashed his car, killing passenger Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley of the band HANOI ROCKS. Neil was driving under the influence at that time.
Neil also pleaded no contest to a charge of assaulting a music producer in 2002, and again pleaded no contest in 2003 to charges he attacked a prostitute at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Nevada. In 2004, an arrest warrant was issued after he allegedly hit a sound engineer at a show in Texas.
Vince's new solo album, "Tattoos & Tequila", sold 7,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 57 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Tattoos & Tequila" was issued in Europe on June 4 via Frontiers Records and was made available in the U.S. on June 22 through Eleven Seven Music.
Sonic Shocks conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil when the band played the U.K. edition of the Sonisphere festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2010 at Knebworth Park. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Sonic Shocks: Both your new album and book are entitled "Tattoos & Tequila". Was that done to promote your tequila or the other way around?
Vince: (laughs) No, tattoos and tequilas is a way of life! I have lot of tattoos and own two tattoo parlours… It sounded like a good name, one that represents who I am, really.
Sonic Shocks: Let's talk about the album "Tattoos & Tequila", which is a cover album. How did you choose the artists to cover?
Vince: When you're driving your car you hear a song, and you remember what you were doing at that time. For me, each song has a specific memory attached to it, and I know exactly what I was doing in that part of my life. I wanted this record to be like a soundtrack of my life.
Sonic Shocks: Are they in chronological order?
Vince: No. (laughs) I never thought about that. It's like… "Another Piece Of Meat" from SCORPIONS, it brings me back to when Tommy [Lee] and I were 15 years old and would listen to that song over and over and over, driving around his van and trying to look for girls; "Nobody's Fault" by AEROSMITH, we were 15-17 then and going to the beach surfing every day and listen[ing] to the "Rocks" album.
Sonic Shocks: I really like "He's A Whore" from CHEAP TRICK.
Vince: I used to sing that song when I was 15 in a band called HARD CANDY, before MÖTLEY CRÜE, and when MÖTLEY CRÜE wanted to do a cover on the "Theatre Of Pain" album, I brought in two suggestions: one was "He's A Whore" and one was "Smokin' In The Boys Room". We tried them both, and obviously "Smoking In The Boys Room" made it on the record and became a hit, but it could have just as easily been "He's A Whore". I played it the other night in Vegas and Rick Nielsen came on stage to play guitar on it.
Sonic Shocks: When is the book coming out?
Vince: In September.
Sonic Shocks: It's your first personal autobiography; how does it compare to [MÖTLEY CRÜE's autobiography] "The Dirt"?
Vince: "The Dirt" was written by four guys; this is MY story. I touched a lot of things in "The Dirt", but I really didn't get into details; me growing up, my neighbourhood... I grew up in Compton and there were murders and such… It's the story of me growing up, getting into rock 'n' roll, the tragedies in my life, things in and out of MÖTLEY, and it's also ten years on so a lot of things happened since then. It's not only my perspective on my life, a lot of other people are in there: my mom and dad, ex-wives, managers, friends, band members from other bands…
Sonic Shocks: Reading your recent press releases, you come across as a grown up businessman, yet reports on your antics tell a different story. Do you have a double personality, someone looking after the business side of things for you or are you just throwing money down the drain?
Vince: I only choose businesses I have fun with. I have clubs playing live music and I can see new bands coming up, and bands like RATT and L.A. GUNS come to my club to play. And my place in Palm Beach is bars and dancing girls, I have tattoo parlors and I get my tattoos for free now. (laughs) I just opened a Mexican place in Vegas, a Mexican Cantina, because I love Mexican food…
Sonic Shocks: Writing your autobiography, you must have been looking back at your life quite a lot. If you could go back in time and do only one thing differently, which one would it be?
Vince: I don't know, because what I've done in my life, the mistakes that I've made, I learned from them, or tried to learn from them, and apply that to my life, so everything that I've done, there's always been some good coming out of it.
Sonic Shocks: So you wouldn't change anything?
Vince: No.
Due to undisclosed "personal obligations," guitarist Tom McDyne and bassist Kevin Rothney will be unable to join JON OLIVA'S PAIN — the band fronted by SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva — for the group's upcoming European tour, which kicks off at the end of the month. They will be temporarily replaced by returning guitarist Jerry Outlaw and Tampa's "phenom-bass player" Jason Gaines (BASIC ROCK OUTFIT, GROOVE ALTAR), respectively.
Commented the band: "Everything possible was done to insure that [Tom and Kevin] would be able to attend, and we will miss not having them with JON OLIVA'S PAIN for this tour."
Regarding Outlaw's return to JON OLIVA'S PAIN's touring lineup, the group stated, "Many will remember Jerry from JON OLIVA'S PAIN's past tours in support of our first release, ''Tage Mahal'. Jerry is one of the most brilliant guitar players anywhere. His stellar tribute band to Frank Zappa (BOGUS POMP), is one of the most recognized Zappa bands in the world."
Prior to leaving for Europe, JON OLIVA'S PAIN will play a warm-up show on September 17 at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's fourth album, "Festival", was released in North America on April 12. The CD, which was issued in Europe on February 19 via AFM Records, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 87.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN will take part in a live-DVD concert filming at the 013 in Tilburg, Holland on October 15. Tentatively due in early 2011, the disc will be the first official live DVD release with Jon Oliva handling all the vocal duties. It promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime show featuring an assault of SAVATAGE classics and the four JON OLIVA'S PAIN CDs.
Former STRATOVARIUS and current REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE mainman Timo Tolkki will release his long-awaited book on October 1.
In a March 2010 online posting, Tolkki stated about the upcoming book, "After a lot of thinking, feeling and getting some distance to my [recently completed] book, I have come to a conclusion that much of the book was written in anger and doesn't represent accurately how things are/were. I cannot release something like that. Specifically the parts of the book concerning some of the STRATOVARIUS members were written in much anger and even vengeance.
"I do not want to generate negativity and hatred.
"After all this time, I am thankful to the [STRATOVARIUS] guys for some of the best years and moments in my life. And I believe STRATOVARIUS deserves a really well-written book when the time is right.
"I set out to write my own book with the help of a Finnish publisher LIKE, the same that published NIGHTWISH book. Somewhere along the way, I got lost.
"If my book will ever see the light of the day, it will concentrate more on my personal life and my childhood, and, of course, music. In these things I believe that my experiences can actually be helpful to some people.
"It has not been an easy ride.
"Thank you for understanding and sorry for you who have been expecting the book. It will take more time now that I am reviewing what to actually put in there."
Tolkki drew up and signed an official waiver on May 20, 2008 giving up all rights to the STRATOVARIUS name. The remaining STRATOVARIUS members — Timo Kotipelto (vocals), Jens Johansson (keyboards) and Lauri Porra (bass) — have since recorded and released a new STRATOVARIUS album with guitarist Matias Kupiainen.
Away Team recently conducted an interview with guitarist Ted Aguilar of San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Away Team: On this album ["Relentless Retribution"] you have two new musicians (Damien Sissom on bass and Will Carroll on drums) on it. Has that changed how you guys write?
Ted Aguilar: Well, it definitely changed this time around because we have a new rhythm section. Andy Galeon [drums] and Dennis Pepa [bass] are no longer with the band due to personal and family obligations. They couldn't go out on tour basically so we got a new rhythm section and when we got them, before we even started writing a record, we went out on tour with them. Just played the old songs and we noticed they have a thrashier element. So it was kinda good to go out on the road with them and play some of the old songs and get a feel of what's going on. I've known Damien and Will for awhile, I've played with them, so I know what their vibe is about. But it was good in a sense for Rob [Cavestany, guitar] and Mark [Osegueda, vocals] because it's probably the first time in DEATH ANGEL history they got to jam with somebody who are not family, somebody totally new. So when we came to writing the album Rob kinda knew what styles Will played, he knew Will's a
thrash drummer, basically like full-on thrash drummer, Damien's a thrash bass player but with a sense of like, ala Cliff Burton, Steve Harris, all those great players. So Rob wrote accordingly to that. The band's been through a lot of ups and downs in the past couple of years, losing members and a lot of personal things going on internally and externally. So all that influence and jamming with new people helped create this record, which is the most aggressive and thrashiest record since "The Ultra-Violence". You know, a lot of double bass a lot of fast parts and it feels like a new band. When you listen to the record, for us, it seemed like a new band getting its first record deal, excited! Just going out there again you know? It's kinda like they helped bring that excitement back which was kinda tapering off with Dennis and Andy because they just weren't into it any more. You can't really force anybody to be into something when they're not. And it was
really hard for the band because those guys had been with the band since the inception and a lot of fans are like, "Oh man! What're they gonna do?" But this album's going to really prove that DEATH ANGEL can go on and we're happy about that.
Away Team: That's one thing I'd noticed with "The Art Of Dying" and "Killing Season". "Act III" to most fans out there was the be-all-end-all DEATH ANGEL album and it was probably the most diverse out of the three original albums, very funky, a lot of different styles woven through the basic Bay Area thrash sound and with "The Art Of Dying" and "Killing Season" and what little bit I've heard of "Relentless Retribution", it's like you have gone more towards the straightforward thrash. Is that more angry or just…?
Ted Aguilar: It's a combination of things. I mean, it was intentionally to do that, and two, it was, like I said... We'd gone through a lot in the past couple of years so all that vibe went into that, and Rob being the sole the chief writer on this one. "The Art Of Dying" was good, you know, it got our feet wet with the band discovering themselves again because it'd been a long time. "Killing Season" was a great record where everyone like pretty much honed in, but then again, like I'd said, in the past couple of years there was tension within the band of collaborating. I mean, collaboration is good sometimes, you know, and it works well when it works well, and the past couple of years with everyone, it was hard in a sense. And when everyone collaborated, it made DEATH ANGEL, but this one was more Rob wrote everything. I mean, he had the ideas, he had the thing, there was no fighting, there was no pushing and pulling. It wasn't like, "No, this has to be
that way!" "No, this is that way!" Rob had so much ideas, and so much to let out, that with our new rhythm section and we heard what Rob was writing and we'd go, "That's it!" You know, he was feeling it, he had all this vibe and ideas, we just ran with it. It was easier for Rob to write. There was no pushing and pulling, he had everything, we just added to what he did. It's like I said being a band, being in a first band, someone forms a band, "I got all these songs let's do it, let's do it, let's do it!" And when it came to the lyrics, Mark wrote the majority of the lyrics. There's 12 songs on the record. Mark wrote nine of them and Rob wrote the other three and it's a heartfelt record. Mark finally got to release. Mark had a lot… you know, we all went through a lot of stuff. We were all able to release, and that's why the record's more thrashy, more aggressive. It was purposely done that way. Along with the fact of what we went through, so we're
stoked about it. We're just stoked. And it still has DEATH ANGEL elements in there. It doesn't have the sing-along's like some stuff on "Act III", but there's melody. It's just aggressive melody. Who knows how well this album does. We could go on the road even longer. That's something we want to do. It's something a proper band should do. And that's something we never got to do with "The Art Of Dying" and "Killing Season". Due to the fact that a couple of the guys in the band either didn't want to tour… we get booked a tour and go, "I can do that first half but not the second half." It's like we gotta do it all! But now that those roadblocks are not there we are able to just tour and we need to tour to promote the record and to get in people's faces. A lot of people want to see us live and they don't want to wait four years for us to come by. So we want to keep coming and coming around.
Italian progressive metal band PATHOSRAY has parted ways with guitarist Alessio Velliscig due to "artistic differences" and has replaced him with Antonio Petris.
Commented the group: "Antonio has been working with PATHOSRAY's basisst, Fabio D'Amore, for a few years now on several projects.
"The band found he brought a level of energy and artistic contribution that will be useful to the creation of the upcoming album."
Added Antonio, "I am given this great opportunity to join a band like PATHOSRAY and I am really happy about the way we started working together! I am definitely thankful to the guys for giving me this chance. Playing with these musicians puts me in a higher gear and I am sure that they will certainly give me a lot of satisfaction in the future!"
Antonio made his live debut with PATHOSRAY on July 31.
PATHOSRAY's second album, "Sunless Skies", was released last year via Frontiers Records. The CD was recorded at Artesonika Studios in Italy and mixed and mastered in Sweden by Johan Ornborg and Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (SYMPHONY X, HAMMERFALL, OPETH, KATATONIA).
PATHOSRAY was formed in 2000 by drummer Ivan Moni Bidin and vocalist Marco Sandron, later joined by bass player Fabio D'Amore, keyboardist Gianpaolo Rinaldi, and guitarist Alessio Velliscig. The band released its self-titled debut album through Sensory Records in late 2007.
PATHOSRAY is:
Marco Sandron - Vocals
Fabio D'Amore - Bass, Backing Vocals
Antonio Petris - Guitar
Ivan Moni Bidin - Drums
Gianpaolo Rinaldi - Keyboards
SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor says he doesn't want to make any rash statements about the band's future following the recent passing of bassist Paul Gray and is focusing, for the time being, on promoting "Audio Secrecy", the new album from his other band, STONE SOUR.
"It's kind of a gray area right now," Taylor tells in FMQB Productions' radio special, "Inside Stone Sour: Audio Secrecy". "Everybody is still feeling it. It's too soon to tell.
"I'm very conflicted about whether or not I want to do anything with SLIPKNOT, because to me, Paul was such an integral part of the band. He was the whole reason that the band was the way it was... Paul was the glue and the orchestrator behind some of the best music we ever wrote. He was the soul of the band.
"I don't want to make any statements that I'll look like a fool in retrospect, but to me, right now, it just doesn't make sense," Taylor says. "Until it does, that's the way it stays for me. That's why I've been saying it's too soon to tell... you never know."
"Inside Stone Sour: Audio Secrecy" is airing on radio stations nationwide from September 3 to September 7.
SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, who was recently out with ROB ZOMBIE on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, told The Pulse of Radio that there have actually been talks about SLIPKNOT's future following Gray's passing. "Shawn (Crahan) just came out, the 'Clown,' he just came out to the Mayhem festival, and we sat down and we talked and we're starting to map out the game plan right now," he said. "So there is another SLIPKNOT record already kinda in the making. You know, we're getting timelines set and, you know, it's gonna be a little bit but there's definitely another record. Paul would always want us to make another record. He wouldn't want the band to stop — SLIPKNOT was his life."
Paul Gray's body was found on May 24 in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb. A coroner ruled that the 38-year-old musician died of an accidental overdose of morphine.
Kate Heath of myYearbook recently conducted an interview with DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
myYearbook: It was only a little over a year ago that we caught up with you guys about your last album, "Indestructible". Not much time has passed, and here you are again with the release of your fifth studio album, "Asylum". There seems to be a lot of fire behind this record, would you agree with that?
Wengren: Once we get off the road and we have a little bit of time to decompress, it actually only takes Danny [Donegan, guitar] and I about a month before it's time to start writing. He always has a bunch of riffs in mind. When we're home, we miss touring. We miss working with the music, so it's a natural progression for us to just start writing.
myYearbook: Why did you decide to name this record "Asylum"?
Wengren: This is a good question. "Asylum" basically has a dual meaning. Most people assume when you talk about an asylum it's like an insane asylum. There are definitely some aspects of the music that would tie in with that. At the same time, asylum also has another meaning where it means a safe haven, a safe place. So it just seemed to really fit this body of work and what we stand behind.
myYearbook: This album finds the band in a much darker place, working through some very personal and heartbreaking moments in your lives as reflected in one of the songs "My Child". Do you feel that writing this album has helped the band heal some?
Wengren: The music is always cathartic for us. It's always a means of release and a means to heal. We always write from real-life experiences and I think that's why fans are able to connect with the music. We're not the only ones who go through those things. Everybody does in their daily lives to some capacity. They may hear a certain song that reflects on something that they've gone through in their lives as well.
myYearbook: Similarly to "Indestructible", you guys decided to self-produce this record. What kind of freedom does that offer you creatively?
Wengren: Well, there isn't anyone else in the room other than us who is adding his two cents to the music. At the same time, we don't think it's necessary at this point in our careers to say we would shut [a producer] down. We're open to whatever might happen in the future. There's no one that we trust better than each other. We've been together for so long, we know each other, we can anticipate each other's moves. We're the ones capable of getting the best performances out of each other.
The Scream Queen recently conducted an interview with vocalist Maria Brink of Southern California's IN THIS MOMENT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
The Scream Queen: There are not many females in heavy metal, and with you being a woman in heavy metal, what is your interpretation of women in metal?
Maria: The numbers in women in rock 'n' roll and metal are pretty much growing a lot, which is a great thing. I think that metal music, it's an aggressive side of things, it's kind of like a way of life, kind of against the grain, and this release of things that's all built up. So, as a girl in metal and rock, I feel great, I feel liberated, powered and strong. I think it really comes down to, it doesn't matter if it's a girl or man, it's about if you have something to say, it's about the music, you know? It's like, it really doesn't matter if you're a woman, you know what I mean? As far as like, when you're laying there listening to your iPod in the dark, it's not like — it's more of an emotion in music, you know what I mean?
The Scream Queen: Was there any lyric you've written on this album that has meant the most to you?
Maria: I mean, they all have so much. "World In Flames" is pretty powerful to me, it's about waking up in the middle of the night, the whole world has ignited into flames, and I'm there alone. And it's kind of like a fear of dying alone and the whole world is burning. And it's about kind of wanting to have that one person who would just die for you, walk through flames, and be by your side; as long as you guys are together like, nothing else would matter, it doesn't matter if you're dying together, you know? So, that song is pretty profound to me, I love that song.
The Scream Queen: You seem to be very deep and passionate with everything you've shared with me. What is it, do you think, that has molded you into being that kind of person?
Maria: I think all of my experiences, I think that — I've been through so many things, I've had a really intense, crazy life, and I'm super happy now and healthy now; I've been through like, ten years of therapy and things like that. I think that all of the deep, intense things, a lot of different abuse, and all kinds of crazy stuff. I think it made me really strong and it made me learn how to appreciate every day, appreciate people in my life, so it's just another good example of sometimes bad things make us appreciate the beautiful every day.
The Scream Queen: What are some experiences people have shared with you that have stuck with you the most?
Maria: Oh, tons! I mean, we had like, a lot of people who were suicidal and said that we really gave them hope and made them want to believe in life. This one guy said he was actually going to kill himself and one of his songs came on and it really moved him. And also, this one woman's son, loved our band tons, and oh, God, it was so sad, it was a 15-year-old little boy, and he was born with half a heart, and he loved our band, he passed away. And when he passed away, they were listening to one of the songs I wrote for my son. So, it was a really special thing for them and they all got the lyrics tattooed on them and then on our last album we wrote a song for him. It was just, yeah... So there's all kinds of experiences that happen that you never even expect to come out of music, so it's like a universal theme music that brings people together.
The Scream Queen: Was there anything or any experience in your life that sparked your passion for metal?
Maria: Umm, I had a rock 'n' roll mom, and my mom was young when she had me, she was 16-17, my mother was taking me out to like, AC/DC concerts and THE ROLLING STONES at, like, five years old, six years old, and even like Tina Turner and Stevie Nicks. I think at a really young age, I was watching all this stuff, and you know, she liked QUEEN, she liked BLACK SABBATH, so I think she kind of put that in me. And then I think with the life that I've led, it's not all poppy and happy, you know? So there's an emotional side to it that kind of, almost calls for a scream, you know what I mean? Because I don't scream to be like, "Yeah, you know, I'm really tough! I could fight you!" I scream 'cause it's like, emotional and I just want to like, it gets so intense, you know?
U.S. rockers TAKARA will play their first show in many years on October 30 at Paladino's in Tarzana, California. Guitarist/founder Neal Grusky states, "We will perform all the classic TAKARA songs from each of our five studio albums.
"This show will be the first show of a West Coast mini-tour that will take the band from Los Angeles areas shows to southward to San Diego for a few shows.
"No words can express my excitement and anticipation from all these long hard years of waiting to perform, and dealing with a never-ending array of obstacles and hurdles that seemingly appeared each time I had planned on performing.
"I will not say much more about the show [online] 'till I make an official announcement regarding all the shows, and the band itself.
"Let me just say this will be the biggest event for the band since the release of the first album in '93."
TAKARA's latest album, "Invitation To Forever", was released in October 2008 in Europe via SPV Records, and November 2008 in the U.S. and the rest of the world through ProgRock Records. The LP is also available directly from the band via its web sites and through all digital music stores.
"Invitation To Forever" featured Grusky alongside Gustavo Monsanto (REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE) on vocals, Björn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on bass, Patrick Johansson (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on drums and Brook Hansen on keyboards. The album also included an extraordinary reunion with Jeff Scott Soto on back-up vocals.
For more information, visit www.takararocks.com.
Shannon Joy of the LA Music Blog recently conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly of long-running Oakland, California-based industrial/alternative/metal pioneers NEUROSIS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
LA Music Blog: "Live At Roadburn 2007" [was] finally released [last month]. Out of all of your shows and festival appearances, why was this specific performance chosen for a live recording?
Scott Kelly: We listened to everything — we just kind of went through everything we had, and this just seemed like the best one, the best overall. You just have to take into account the performance, the recording itself, and then the content, and just make a decision. And the fact that it was at Roadburn probably played into our decision at some point too, just because we have some loyalty to those guys; they're good people that run that festival. It's a really great event, and doing something to kind of honor them and their work, it kind of came into play as well. Had it been a crappy performance with a bad recording, we probably wouldn't have put it out, but we just felt like it was a good representation of a live show. Oftentimes, we're pretty sloppy, but that was a pretty good performance.
LA Music Blog: Considering the show was recorded three years ago, were there any hold backs with releasing it, or was it just a matter of fitting it into your schedule?
Scott Kelly: It really had to do with getting it done. Just getting it mixed, just going through everything, making sure that we had what we wanted. We don't tend to move especially fast with stuff, you know? We kind of just let things marinate a little bit, or fester, however you want to say it.
LA Music Blog: Are there any plans for a live DVD to accompany the album?
Scott Kelly: Nah, I don't think that'd be too nice. [Laughs] For us, it'd be kind of weird. That's never really been our thing; it's always been quite the opposite, actually. I mean, a video of us performing live — there's enough of those out there if you want to see what we look like playing, but we've never been willing to basically sacrifice a performance in order for there to be camera people all over the stage. I think the only time that anyone ever got away with it was in Brooklyn a couple of years ago, and they happened to be really, really good at it, so that we didn't really notice that they were there. Because otherwise, to me, there's no way that you can justify that: I can't justify sacrificing one live performance for a video shoot, you know? That, to me, is just sacrilege.
LA Music Blog: In terms of the new release, is there any sort of tentative timeline for when you're looking to put it out?
Scott Kelly: Next year is the tentative time frame.
LA Music Blog: Any specific time next year?
Scott Kelly: It'll be later, I'm sure . . . We're just trying to finish it right now. We're trying to get it to the point where we can step into the studio. And it's getting close, but we have more work to do. Our schedules are pretty ridiculous. We all work regular jobs, so we just have to find time to get together and work on this stuff. The winter is usually a good, creative time for us, so hopefully we'll come out of the winter with the record completed and then we can have a more solid release date in mind.
LA Music Blog: For a long time now, you've seemed to be pretty picky about the shows that you play. Is there a specific reason why you don't tour so much? Is it because you all have regular jobs, or is it because everyone has side projects as well?
Scott Kelly: It has a lot to do with the fact that we all have families. It has a lot to do with the fact that we just felt that when we were in the constant touring cycle, that everything was totally out of balance. The reason that we started this band wasn't to tour all the time; we started this band to create music, and we felt that the music was suffering because of the touring, and we felt that that was basically just unacceptable. We put this band together with some really high principles with how we were going to do things, and we've just never been willing to compromise. We felt like we were reaching a point where we were basically being forced to by the business aspect of things. The fact is that if you're on the road all the time, you have to make a certain amount of money to take care of everybody back home. And in that, in turn, you're compromising your time with your children and your wife and your family, and that's always been really
important to us, to have that balance. So those were the main contributing factors to us just deciding that we didn't want to just grind it out on the road all the time. We'll take any offer, and we'll look at it and if it makes sense, we'll do it. If it's a good time for us, then we'll do it. But in general, we just try to balance. It's all about balance, and being on tour six or seven months out of the year keeps things all fucked up; nothing is right, nothing feels right. So right now, between this and SHRINEBUILDER and all my solo stuff, that's about as much as I can handle, I'm not really willing to be gone any more than that.
Former WITH DEAD HANDS RISING members Daniel Koppy and Alex Kelly are back in full effect with their new band REAPING ASMODEIA. The group is currently in pre-production for its as-yet-untitled full-length debut at Malice Studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota with engineer and producer Jon Kulkay (OF SALT AND SWINE, WRITE THIS DOWN, MYMYMISFIRE). A fall release is expected.
According to a press release, REAPING ASMODEIA's "complex" and "meticulously structured" compositions blend "ferocious speed with gripping melodies."
With less than a year under its belts, WITH DEAD HANDS RISING has already embarked on a solo tour and played with such national acts as AFTER THE BURIAL, LIFE RUINER, MOLOTOV SOLUTION, WITHIN THE RUINS, DR. ACULA, IT PREVAILS and THE WORLD WE KNEW.
REAPING ASMODEIA is:
Daniel Koppy - Drums
Alex Kelly - Guitar
Matthew Kalsnes - Guitar
Kyle Skogquist - Bass
Tim Snook - Vocals
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/reapingasmodeia.
Geir Bratland, the Oslo, Norway-based keyboardist who has previously played with APOPTYGMA BERZERK and THE KOVENANT, is rumored to have joined the touring lineup of the Norwegian symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR. Bratland is also believed be featured on DIMMU BORGIR's upcoming ninth album, "Abrahadabra", and can be seen in the video for the CD's first single, "Gateways", which made its unofficial online debut earlier today (Sunday, September 5). Also making an appearance in the clip is Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (real name: Tommie Helgesson; THERION, DREAM EVIL, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME), who announced his departure from DIMMU BORGIR's touring lineup on August 25 — just one day after confirming that he was tapped by the band to replace bassist/vocalist ICS Vortex during the recording sessions for "Abrahadabra" and the subsequent world tour. Shaw has since rejoined Swedish progressive/experimental
metallers THERION.
"Gateways" is now available for purchase via iTunes.
"Abrahadabra" will be released in Germany on September 24, in the rest of Europe on September 27, and in North America on October 12 via Nuclear Blast Records.
The word "abrahadabra" (which roughly translates into "I will create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of "Liber AL vel Legis" (commonly referred to as "The Book of the Law") written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.
Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF have completed work on a new studio album at Antfarm studios in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen, who has previously worked with DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED and HEAVEN SHALL BURN, among others. More details will be made available soon.
On June 25, EKTOMORF released a special "festival edition" of the band's latest album, "What Doesn't Kill Me...", via AFM Records. in addition to the 13 songs on the regular LP, the festival edition includes the brand new three-track CD single "The Gipsy Way" and a poster, all packed in a nice hard cover box. "The Gipsy Way" single is also available as a separate product.
The original version of "What Doesn't Kill Me…" was released in March 2009 via AFM Records. The CD was also recorded at Antfarm with Madsen.
Norwegian black metallers GORGOROTH will embark on the second leg of their European tour, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", in late November. A total of eight shows are planned, with support to be provided by two as-yet-undisclosed "guest acts."
Commented guitarist/mainman Infernus: "We're totally excited about this! To get the opportunity to extend the 'Quantos Possunt' tour into other European territories which we did not have time for in April. A
"As of now, we aim at doing this as the second out of three in total. This also coincides with the beginning of a new chapter for us in terms of booking agency, as I last week made up my mind and decided to switch to Massive Music for the continental parts of Europe."
Added Massive Music's Mariusz Kmiolek: "We are extremely pleased that Infernus and unholy GORGOROTH decided to to cooperate with us. This is a big challenge for Massive Music, because of a very strong competition in the music bussiness, band's recent personal problems and so on.
"I've been a fan of the band since many years and I really hope that together with Massive Music unholy horde GORGOROTH will become even stronger. Expect them at numerous concerts and festivals in Europe soon!"
The first concert of the GORGOROTH European tour will take place on November 15 at Le Cargö in Caen, France. Before that, GORGOROTH will play three shows in Brazil on September 4-6, and the Heavy Metal Circus expo in Mexico City on September 11.
GORGOROTH's ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt", is now finally available on vinyl, in two different versions. The regular vinyl edition, which includes a poster, is released by Regain Records, whereas the picture disc version is released by Forces of Satan Records. Both versions are strictly limited pressings.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was released on October 21, 2009 in Europe via Regain Records. The CD, which was made available in the U.S. on November 11, was recorded at Tomas Asklund's Monolith Studio and features Infernus on guitar, OBITUARY's Frank Watkins (a.k.a. Bøddel) on bass, Pest on vocals and Tomas Asklund on drums.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.
Since Infernus wrote all the music for the album and extensive rehearsals and a pre-production recording had also been completed before second guitarist Tormentor rejoined the band in 2008, it was decided that it would be more convenient for Infernus to record all the guitars on the LP.
Swedish technical death metallers AEON have issued the following update:
"Our drummer, Nils Fjellström, has decided to leave the band on a very short notice. The reason for this is personal/private and Nils has chosen not to speak his mind out to the public about this. We will respect his wish not to do so, and therefore we will not reveal any details nor answering questions about this.
"As you may know, this is not the first time Nils is out of the band, but it's most certainly the last. How strange this even may sound, I really think that we will be better off without him in the long run.
"We need a drummer who we can rely on at all times, someone who can be there for us when opportunities shows up, etc. To take this band any further, we need a lineup where everyone has the same visions and goals.
"At least this time around, there where no big tours planned like the last time Nils bailed out on us.
"We only had one show planned ahead that was scheduled to take place October 16. We kindly asked Nils to do at least this show with us before he left, but he simply didn't agree to do so. This leaves us with no choice but to cancel our spot in this event. There is just to little time to rehearse a full headline set with a new session-drummer. Perhaps the promotor (Hårdrocksklubben) finds a new headliner for this evening or it will get canceled. Keep your eyes open on Hårdrocksklubben's website (www.hardrocksklubben.se) for further information about this event.
"We will now be focusing on finding a worthy replacement for Nils and until we do, we will try to fill the spot temporarily with session drummers.
"This statement will also serve as an launch for a new drummer
"If you are a drummer and think that you have what it takes to replace Nils in AEON, don't hesitate to send us an application with some audio/video of you playing drums to: aeon_666@hotmail.com mark the subject with 'Drummer application.' You don't really need to be able to play exactly every little detail Nils does on the albums. The most important is that you are able to play the basics in the songs and the rest can be worked out from there. Naturally, we would prefer a drummer who lives in Sweden, but we are also open for distant/foreigner drummers as far as Europe goes, at least."
AEON's "Forgiveness Denied" video can be viewed below. The clip was directed, filmed and edited by Standard Film Team Umeå HB and was shot in April in two different locations; band scenes being filmed in Östersund, Sweden and the storyline in Umeå, Sweden.
Commented guitarist Daniel Dlimi: "There have been a lot of scandals revealed lately, regarding priests (especially catholic ones) who have been abusing children sexually.
"In my world, there is nothing more innocent than a child, and the ones who abuse a child sexually will never be forgiven. In my opinion, they deserve to die a horrible, painful death.
"We want to dedicate this song/video to them, the filthy fucking priests who have laid a hand on a child sexually; we hate you, and want you dead."
"Forgiveness Denied" comes off AEON's third album, "Path Of Fire", which was released on May 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded in September 2009 at Empire Studio in Östersund, Sweden and was mixed the following month at Mana Recording Studios in St, Petersburg, Florida by Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The mastering was handled by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (CONVERGE, HATEBREED, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) in New Windsor, New York. All artwork and layout was made by Daniel Dlimi.
According to a press release, "Path Of Fire" is "probably the most intense AEON album to date. And with a production that is more organic and 'classic death metal'-sounding rather then the nowadays typical 'super-modern, compressed-right-the-fuck-out-of-dynamics, loudness war' production, you are all in for a real treat. Folks…this IS death metal!"
Guitarist Daniel Dlimi on the front art of "Path Of Fire": "I created this symbol/badge that for me reflects life, death and the path you have chosen to live your life by. It's about whatever you want to chain yourself to 10 commandments or live free after your own conscience and will."
AEON last fall parted ways with bassist Max Carlberg and replaced him with Victor Brandt (TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER, ex-SATYRICON). Brandt has since left the band due to scheduling conflicts and was himself replaced by Marcus Edvardsson (SOULDRAINER, SANCTIFICATION).
Swedish Viking folk death metallers KING OF ASGARD have announced the addition of guitarist Lars Tängmark to the group's ranks. KING OF ASGARD states, "Lars is a longtime friend of the band and has, among other duties, been the bassist of the great Swedish act DAWN wherein Karsten [Larsson, drums] also used to play."
"Einhärjar", the new video from KING OF ASGARD, can be viewed below.
Commented the band: "The 'Einhärjar' music video was recorded in July 2010, directed by Richard Moneus, the driving force behind the production company 1897. It was shot in an old dirty barn at a location just outside where we live.
"Spending what felt like ages in the long time kept dust was well worth the sweat and blood.
"After the barn battleground, Richard took care of the hard work to cut, edit and piece it all together in a functioning symbiosis. Now, viewing the final result we are extremely proud of how good this video turned out."
"Einhärjar" comes off KING OF ASGARD's debut album, "Fi'mbulvintr", which was released in Europe on August 16 via Metal Blade Records.
"Fi'mbulvintr" track listing:
01. Intro
02. Einhärjar
03. Vämods Tale
04. The Last Journey
05. Never Will You Know of Flesh Again
06. Wrath of the Gods
07. Snake Tongue
08. Brethren of the North
09. Day of Sorrow
10. Lingering a Sacred Ground
11. Heroes' Brigade
12. Strike of the Hammer
13. Fi'mbulvintr (outro)
KING OF ASGARD was formed in 2008 by Karl Beckman (ex-MITHOTYN) after he dissolved his latest musical projects. He teamed up with Karsten Larsson (FALCONER), a one-time accomplice in the defunct viking horde MITHOTYN, and the decision was made to go back to their roots both musically as well as heading for their Norse heritage in lyrical approach. With creativity flowing, numerous songs were written and KING OF ASGARD recorded a seven-track demo, "Prince Of Märing", at Lotang Studio. In late 2009 Jonas Albrektsson joined the ranks on bass to strengthen the lineup further.
KING OF ASGARD features members of such acts as MITHOTYN, FALCONER, THY PRIMORDIAL, INDUNGEON and DAWN.
KING OF ASGARD is:
Karl Beckman - Guitar, Vocals
Jonas Albrektsson - Bass
Karsten Larsson - Drums
Lars Tängmark - Guitar
For more information, visit www.kingofasgard.com.
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