JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has posted the following message in the blog section of his official web site, KKDowning,net:
"I just thought I would talk a little about guitar playing in this blog, as I know many of you are interested to know how the mind of a professional player ticks.
"I will start by saying that we are all different and for many reasons, most of which are not particularly important. What is important is to understand that it takes time for your own uniqueness to develop, therefore you must be patient! Also your attitude to playing plays a major role in becoming a noted guitar player.
"Guitars are not like any other instrument because from the first day you put that guitar strap over your head, you feel a sense that you have put on a suit of armour and you have just picked up an AKM machine gun.
"Playing guitar motionless has never excited me and has never seemed natural. Some people perceive that whaling the axe around is just showmanship, but to me, it enhances my ability to get what I want from the notes and the sound.
"Please don't get me wrong, it doesn't always happen. That's why you may hear someone complain, 'It was a bad-sounding room tonight' or something to that effect. In other words, bad acoustics are nobody's friend.
"I remember my good friend and producer Chris Tsangarides telling me once that when he was a tape operator at Morgan studios he heard me doing my solo in 'Victim Of Changes', so he pushed open the studio door and saw me throwing shapes as though I was on stage. Well, that's exactly how I thought recording was done at that time. Anyway, he went straight to his boss to ask if he could work on our sessions and that's what he did. I think that Chris being a guitar player himself, understood exactly how my emotions dictated my movements when I was playing and vice versa.
"I now must ask you all, how many of you put on your axe at home and stand in front of a mirror to play? Do you stay still? Hell you don't! That's because you can get some amazing feel into your playing; great notes and sustain can be heard when you swing the neck around making the notes slightly bend as the tension on the string changes. Just watch the great Jimi Hendrix do it and you will hear exactly what I am talking about.
"Strangely enough, another good friend and producer Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE) thought that I would be an even better player if I were to remain static whilst recording on the 'Sin After Sin' sessions. Back in those days I had just two guitars: my 67 V and a 61 Strat.
"I am sure that by now many of you have realised that the Fender is by far the axe to have if you want to really get into throwing an instrument around. Its smooth curves fit nicely into the body and you are less likely to do mischief to yourself. Having said that, I have given myself some serious bruises in the past.
"Anyway, it's not surprising that the Strat is so popular. I wonder if it could be that most players often dream of one day swinging it around like Jimi or Yngwie when they made their purchase.
"Anyway, can't go without giving you some reasons why I love my flying Vs. I simply think they look better than any other guitar and were far ahead of their time in design. This is proven by the fact that so many follow up versions have been manufactured. I think now you would agree with me that their sharp edge look has become the lifeblood in metal."
DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott officially launched his own beer on Wednesday, September 15 at The Porterhouse North Rock Garden in Dublin, Ireland.
Down 'n' Outz is named after Elliott's musical side project and is described as "a pilsner style" that has "a deep, rich malt character, with generous hop bitterness."
A more spectacular launch party will take place on September 21 at the Rock Garden at Porterhouse North (Crossguns Bridge, Glasnevin, Dublin), including a performance by Joe's DOWN N' OUTZ band. Doors are at 8:30 p.m. and a limited number of tickets are available to the public (£20 each, only available on the day, with proceeds going to the RSPCC).
Based on the lagers of central Europe, the beer is a pilsner style with both flavour and aroma. An alternative to many of the mass-produced beers, this has a deep, rich malt character, with generous hop bitterness. Crisp in flavour, the beer is balanced by a well-developed hop aroma, created by generous additions of German Hallertau Perle and Hallertau Hersbrucker. A minimum of six weeks maturation prior to packaging lend a smoothness and fullness unavailable in other similar beers. With an ABV of 5%, the beer will retail at £3.70.
Commented Elliott: "Over the years I've noticed a lot of musicians putting their names to a variety of wines etc which, as nice as a glass of red or white is, well, it's not very rock and roll is it?!
"Beer or lager seem to be the drink of choice at nearly every gig I've ever played or attended so for me it's a much cooler thing to do and having seen how The Porterhouse put quality over quantity, I'm extremely happy to get involved with Oliver [Hughes, Porterhouse MD] and his gang."
Byron Cooke of Australia's long-running rock station Triple M conducted an interview with METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield before the band's September 18, 2010 concert in Sydney. You can now watch the chat below.
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently told England's Classic Rock magazine that more "Big Four" shows, featuring METALLICA along with SLAYER, ANTHRAX and MEGADETH, could happen in 2011 or 2012. Ulrich said, "The vibe on this thing is so big, we'd be stupid to ignore it. You know on your iPhone, you can move the weather maps up and down? Well, the 'Big Four' is quickly moving up to the top in terms of potential occurrences for the next couple of years."
The "Big Four" package played festivals across Europe throughout the early part of summer, with the four veteran speed metal bands sharing the stage together for the first time ever. Although there were no U.S. dates, one of the shows in Bulgaria was beamed via satellite to U.S. movie theatres.
The possible recurrence of the "Big Four" tour may put plans on hold for METALLICA to stage a massive live show next year that co-manager Peter Mensch said last March would rival PINK FLOYD's "The Wall" and would play just 10 dates.
Ulrich admitted that such a project has been on the band's minds, saying, "We have been kicking some ideas around about doing some stuff that — how shall I say it — is pretty theatrical . . . We might incorporate a lot of different ideas, instead of it being one particular thing. It would be a multitude of theatrical elements, maybe as an idea for a one-off tour or something."
Although Ulrich says that he's looking forward to taking "at least six months off" once the band completes its current tour this fall, he added, "I would champion trying to do (the 'Big Four' tour) in 2011 or 2012, obviously in England and the United States. It's just a matter of logistics."
METALLICA's official web site has been updated with the following message:
"Just about a year ago we were more than honored to participate in a special two-night event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The two nights of shows at Madison Square Garden brought together an incredible group of artists and resulted in some pretty amazing collaborations.
"A three-DVD set commemorating the performances, available in your favorite store or online site October 5, will include the full four-hour highlight special that aired on HBO. In addition to these 51 performances, there are an additional 16 bonus performances not seen on HBO and a collector's issue of Rolling Stone magazine featuring behind-the-scenes stories. There will also be a Blu-ray version available exclusively at Best Buy for the first 30 days.
Our set included:
* 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'
* 'Sweet Jane' with Lou Reed
* 'Iron Man/Paranoid' with Ozzy Osbourne (full-length version not seen on HBO)
* 'All Day and All of the Night' with Ray Davies
* 'Enter Sandman'
* 'Turn the Page'
"Other artists that performed those two special nights were CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, Stevie Wonder, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, Aretha Franklin, U2, Jeff Beck, and Bruce Springsteen. Special guest appearances included Jerry Lee Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, Annie Lennox, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger, Fergie, and others."
For more information, visit TimeLife.com.
Universal Music will release "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" DVD and Blu-ray containing footage of the June 22, 2010 Sonisphere cinecast from the Sofia, Bulgaria leg of the touring rock festival featuring the "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. The DVD hits the streets on October 29 in Northern Europe, November 1 in most of the rest of the world, November 2 in North America and the full shows from all four bands will be included in the two-disc set along with behind-the-scenes and interview footage.
According to a posting on METALLICA's official web site, "you can now pre-order the deluxe set in the Metallica Store. Along with the deluxe box set, you will also receive a limited-edition, exclusive RED 'The Big 4' guitar pick with one of four different print colors (white, black, silver or gold). This red guitar pick is not available in stores!
"To pre-order the deluxe set, click here. It will start shipping on October 15, 2010. To our friends outside of North America, this special box set will be available at your favorite local stores and online retailers as well, should you choose to avoid international shipping charges."
METALLICA was joined onstage during the show by members of MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX for a performance of the DIAMOND HEAD song "Am I Evil?"
METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, MEGADETH singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine and ANTHRAX vocalist Joey Belladonna took turns singing the song, which has been a part of METALLICA's live set for decades. The event marked the first time that Dave Mustaine had performed onstage with METALLICA since April 9, 1983. An original member of the band, he was fired just weeks before METALLICA recorded its debut album, "Kill 'Em All".
Mustaine, who was replaced by Kirk Hammett, went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.
He still harbored a grudge against METALLICA, however, with some of his feelings coming out in an intense scene with drummer Lars Ulrich in the 2005 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster".
According to Billboard.com, the Sonisphere cinecast from Sofia was beamed via satellite in HD to cinemas and was seen by more than 100,000 fans. It was distributed globally into hundreds of cinemas by New York-based BY Experience.
In the U.K. it was screened in 79 cinemas. "At the Odeon in Leicester Square in London there was a mosh pit, and at the end of the show they had a stage invasion, which is just phenomenal to even think about," promoter Stuart Galbraith told Billboard.com.
METALLICA track listing:
01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. Fade To Black
06. That Was Just Your Life
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
Encore:
16. Am I Evil? (with the Big Four)
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy
SLAYER track listing:
01. World Painted Blood
02. Jihad
03. War Ensemble
04. Hate Worldwide
05. Seasons In The Abyss
06. Angel of Death
07. Beauty Through Order
08. Disciple
09. Mandatory Suicide
10. Chemical Warfare
11. South of Heaven
12. Raining Blood
MEGADETH track listing:
01. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
02. Hangar 18
03. Wake Up Dead
04. Head Crusher
05. In My Darkest Hour
06. Skin O' My Teeth
07. A Tout Le Monde
08. Hook In Mouth
09. Trust
10. Sweating Bullets
11. Symphony Of Destruction
12. Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise
ANTHRAX track listing:
01. Caught In A Mosh
02. Got the Time
03. Madhouse
04. Be All, End All
05. Antisocial
06. Indians/Heaven And Hell
07. Medusa
08. Only
09. Metal Thrashing Mad
10. I Am The Law
There is no mistaking Slash. Even the people that wouldn't typically know his music usually recognize the face of the man that has embodied everything that is rock and roll since he blasted onto the scene in the mid-1980's. We recently had the opportunity to talk to Slash about his career, his new CD and the new Epiphone "Appetite" Les Paul Standard Outfit.
Tell me about your early influences. Were there specific players that inspired you to pick up a guitar?
Some guitar players that have inspired me are John Lee, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, the boys from Aerosmith, Eric Clapton from Cream, Rick Nielson from Cheap Trick and Ted Nugent.
Are there any newer players that inspire you today?
The guitar players that inspire me today are basically all the same guitar players that inspired me when I first started. That hasn't really changed, but additionally I think that Tom Morello, Jack White & Jerry Cantrell are great and are some of the really inspiring lead guitar players that have come out in the last 20 years.
How much affect on your creative self would you attribute to having parents that were both designers?
Both my parents had a lot of influence on me because they raised me around a lot of really good music... so that definitely had some sort of influence.
So the "arts" were encouraged by them?
All of my family members are very creative and I think that had a lot to do with my going in the direction of the arts... as opposed to being an attorney or something. They were also very encouraging once I picked up the guitar.
Throughout your entire career you have been associated with the Les Paul. Was there ever a time when you played anything else?
My first guitar was a Les Paul copy so I was drawn to the Les Paul from the very beginning. I did go through a period of trial and error with a lot of different guitars but I would always gravitate back to the Les Paul. It's almost like the Les Paul picked me. It has a lot to do with the weight of the guitar, the look of the guitar, and obviously, most importantly the sound of the guitar.
Tell me about the Epiphone version of the AFD Les Paul. How particular were you with the development of the Epi AFD?
The Epiphone is designed identical to the Gibson Les Paul so I was particular with it from the get-go.
And, how do you think it came out?
It's such a quality instrument... the components are quality, the wood is quality, everything about it is done so well, and it's also reasonably priced. I can't emphasize enough that it's great for someone whose picking up a guitar for the first time all the way up to someone who plays professionally at the highest levels... and it crosses over perfectly. So it's really an instrument that I would recommend. All the hardware on it is hand picked by me, the pickups are Slash model Seymour Duncan pickups and the guitar itself is a replica of my favorite recording guitar that I've been using since 1987.
I recently got a copy of the new CD and I'm not just blowing smoke when I say that it has not been taken out of the CD player in my truck since. Great songs, great vocals and of course great playing. I absolutely LOVE the solo in Dr. Alibi. It is just oozing with that Slash feel and vibe that makes guitar players wish they had played it. What is your approach to soloing on record? Was that solo improvised or do you typically work something out first?
I don't write solos per se... I write the song and when it gets to the solo section I improvise. Usually what happens is I will have a gut instinct idea during the first take that basically structures the whole solo... and I just go with that. If I really need to fix a note because of melody or something, then I'll go and do a couple more takes and incorporate that note into the original idea.
Each song on the new CD is incredibly well matched to the vocalist performing it. What was your process? Did you write these songs with certain vocalists in mind or did you write the songs and then go back and try to match a singer to each track?
I didn't know who was going to sing on the record until I wrote the music. Like with the Ozzy song... when I first started writing that song, I knew Ozzy would be the perfect person to sing it... and I never thought of anyone else to sing that song. So with every song on the record... I'd just listen to the music and go, "you know who'd sound great singing this?"... and that's how the decisions were made.
My 15-year-old daughter who had no idea who you were a couple months ago was recently asking me about you... something to the effect of "You know that guitar player that did a song with Adam Levine..." Of course, at her age, she would know who Adam is but I have now introduced her to your stuff with Guns and Velvet and the new CD. Are you finding a broader audience since working with such a wide range of vocalists on this project?
I'm out on the road and haven't had a lot of time to get direct responses to the album as a whole... outside of the audience at the shows... so that's really hard to know but I would imagine that it's broadened the audience a little bit.
And speaking of kids... I know both of your boys are still fairly young... but have either of them shown an interest in playing guitar yet?
Not really, outside of playing with their little electric guitars and running around the house with those... but as far as musically showing interest in the guitar no. One of them likes the piano though.
If music had not chosen you... what do you think you would be doing with your life today?
If I wasn't playing guitar, I'd most definitely be doing something in illustration.
When I was growing up there were several guitar icons that I related to who inspired me as a player. Then the 90's hit and not so much. You have been one constant and one of a few guys that still make guitar cool. I know players... some in their 50's and others in their early 20's whose eyes light up when your name comes up. How does it make you feel to be an inspiration to such a wide range of players?
When you say something like that, it's hugely flattering and people come up and remind me of that from time to time... that I have an influence on younger players... but I'm so insecure as a guitar player that I have a hard time accepting myself as someone who is influential. I'm still trying really hard to get my own shit together and get better at what I do so it's really hard for me to say I have an impact on other guitar players because I'm trying so hard to reach my own standards as a player.
Thanks for your time... and in parting, tell me one thing about you, off-stage, that people might be surprised to know. What do you do to get away from music?
I go to zoos and museums... that's what I do in my off time. I go to natural history museums and I go to zoos.
MEGADETH will headline a one-off concert at the Arizona State Fair on November 6 in Phoenix, Arizona. Tickets for reserved seating go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 18.
The Arizona State Fair is an annual state fair, held at a permanent fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona.
For more information, visit www.azstatefair.com.
MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace Live" CD — which captures the final night of the band's historic month-long "Rust In Peace" 20th anniversary tour — sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 161 on The Billboard 200 chart. Meanwhile, the DVD/Blu-ray version of "Rust In Peace Live" shifted around 2,600 units to land at No. 3 on the Top Music Videos chart.
Following seven historic shows as part of the "Big Four" European festival dates with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, ANTHRAX will join SLAYER and MEGADETH on the Jägermeister Fall Music Tour set to kick off September 24 at Superpages in Dallas, Texas. The 20-date concert trek will mark the first U.S. tour ANTHRAX has done since vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoined the band earlier this year, and the first time the three bands have shared an American stage since the classic 1991 "Clash of the Titans" tour. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
Peter Atkinson of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
KNAC.COM: Given his neck surgery, how has Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] been holding up with the busy tour schedule you've had and will have?
King: He's done fine, so far. He's not headbanging. He can't. I've been telling him once he gets comfortable in his new skin he's gonna outlast all of us, because we're beating ourselves up every day.
KNAC.COM: Because Tom can't be as much of the focal point as he used to be, do you and Jeff [Hanneman, guitarist] feel the need to compensate, do a little bit extra onstage to make up the difference?
King: I think we've always done the same show, more or less. We're not the kind of band that runs around on ramps or has a lot of fancy stage moves or does any of that stuff. We focus on playing as hard as we can and being as tight as we can. I don't think there's any more that we can do, but I am conscious that he [Tom] can't, so maybe I do try to make a little bit more of a spectacle of myself, without being retarded. When it comes for us having to up the ante, I don't think there's any more ante to up (laughs). You know what I mean?
KNAC.COM: Maybe it's time to bust out lasers or something?
King: Probably not (laughs), because METALLICA just did that and we don't want any comparisons, "Oh, there just doing that because they saw METALLICA doing it."
KNAC.COM: I guess that would lead to the obvious next question, what did you think of the shows you did with them and the "Big Four" [METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX]?
King: They were exceptional, it was awesome. The funny thing about it is we go over there thinking it's going to be all of us together on one stage and there were some shows where MEGADETH and ANTHRAX were on different stages than us and METALLICA, which kind of defeats the purpose of calling them "Big Four" shows. But the ones where it was ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, us and METALLICA, they were great.
KNAC.COM: I asked Joey Belladonna from ANTHRAX about the possibility of American shows and he said all the bands were into the idea. Is that your take?
King: It's hard to say because there are so many logistical things that have to happen. It's hard enough just getting two bands together, never mind four bands that are used to headlining individually. So just making all the shit happen will be hard. But when the "American Carnage" tour came through San Fran a week or so ago, we saw Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield, from METALLICA]. The bands are definitely getting along and as far as I'm aware everyone is completely into the idea.
KNAC.COM: All the reports I saw from the "Big Four" shows made them seem like a big old love fest.
King: I don't know if I'd quite call it that (laughs). But despite all the shit that's gone back and forth between people, between the different bands over the years, especially in the press, it's funny what happens when you get everyone together in one place. I think everyone wanted to get along, so it was cool.
KNAC.COM: Since next year is the band's 30th anniversary, do you have anything special in the works?
King: We have no plans yet, but that doesn't mean something won't happen. It seems like everything we've done over the past few years has been special for one reason or another: the "Reign [in Blood]" shows with the blood showers were pretty cool, touring with Manson a couple times was fun, the "Big Four" shows, the tour we've got coming up. So it's getting harder and harder to top what we've already done. Maybe we'll think of something.
KNAC.COM: Since you mentioned some of the high points, what would you say have been some of the lowest points of your long career?
King: Changing drummers five-six times wasn't much fun. Probably the worst was waiting for Tom to get healed from surgery. We've got the new album set, we're already to go and everyone's fired up to have SLAYER tour the globe and then we're sitting there with our thumbs up our asses for six-seven months. But you gotta do what you gotta do, and Tom had to get himself fixed up so he could keep doing this. So now we're making up for that.
PHIL ANSELMO - Yes, Phil Anselmo… his name is of course synonymous with the ultra-legendary Pantera. The word Metal in and of itself can easily be Phil's middle name. However, Phil Anselmo's name is also engraved in the Extreme Metal and Hardcore genres as well. With a career in music that boasts fronting the 1990′s unbelievably dominant Pantera, Phil Anselmo has an overwhelmingly impressive Metal and multi-music genre resume, both as a musician and businessman.
With Phil Anselmo being a key member of Down, Superjoint Ritual, Christ Inversion and Arson Anthem, nothing seems to slow him down from being a consistent player in the Metal and Hardcore Music industry, going on three decades. In the midst of such a brilliant career in Heavy Music, Phil also found time to play guitar for Necrophagia as well. Owning, operating and signing bands to his successful record label Housecore Records, is yet another side to this man who obviously loves Heavy and Extreme Music. It appears as if Phil Anselmo is writing a new chapter in his life of Metal, as each day seems to pass.
Phil Anselmo is as passionate about his Metal past as he is with his Metal present and future. The word "complacent" is not in Phil's vocabulary. Phil Anselmo's contributions and legacy to the history of Metal and Hardcore Music is already impressive and legendary. What is downright scary is that Phil Anselmo is continuously building upon his legacy and not resting on any damn laurels. There are many reasons why I respect Phil Anselmo, this interview only solidified them all for me.
Trying to check off all of the musical ground that Phil Anselmo has covered over his amazing career is a ludicrous thought. What is uncovered in the following paragraphs, are insights into a vast world of music talent and perspective from a man who says and does it his way. Here is what Phil Anselmo had to say:
HRH: The 2oth Anniversary of "Cowboys From Hell" is upon us. Does it seem that long ago to you?
Phil: Not at all man. Twenty years just blew by.
HRH: Can you share what the craziest moment was for you, during Pantera's relentless "Cowboys From Hell" tour?
Phil: It was getting up there on stage every night, in front of people who did not know a damn thing about us in the U.S. or all around the world. People in Europe fuckin' hated us back then! Every night we had a chip on our shoulders, we had to impress everyone, night after night. We owned a regional area of Texas during that tour. It was just a matter of time for the rest of the world to know who Pantera was. Being the underdog made us work that much harder. We were always a gig band and we knew we had to play live and be visual. Being seen was most important.
HRH: I personally like "The Will To Survive" demo. What do you recall about this song?
Phil: You like it?
HRH: I sure do. Don't mind me saying, your vocals sound a bit like Rob Halford on this song.
Phil: Rob Halford was a heck of an influence on me. That's the closest next to any falsetto in my throat! I was singing my throat out on that song. There's not much honestly, that I remember about this song. It was early when we did that song, I think it was when I first joined the band in '87. I recall that song as a skeleton in parts. The chunks and riffs were already there, probably meant for the "Power Metal" era in '88. That song did not fit the profile for "Power Metal" or "Cowboys From Hell", otherwise it would have stood out like a sore thumb.
HRH: Why do you think Pantera fans are so loyal to the band to this very second?
Phil: I think it's the camaraderie we always had with the audience. We did not want to have character as a band that was untouchable or inaccessible. I was always talking the shit to Dimebag between songs on stage. We wanted the kids on stage with us! Hell, I'd hand the kid who came up on stage the microphone and let him sing and scream into it! It never bothered us. Our interaction with the kids back then was an impressive sight. Damn, you can see it for yourself by just going to Youtube and looking up any live Pantera videos. The videos don't lie and seeing is believing!
HRH: In the early days, who listened to the heaviest and most extreme music in Pantera?
Phil: Me, me, me, me! I am the horse and you heard it from his mouth.
HRH: What is your greatest memory of Dimebag the person, not the musician?
Phil: As a person there were so many of them. He and I were such creative forces that there would be this butting of the heads that would be healthy. I was this hot headed mother fucker who wanted the money riffs, wanted the music more loose and I wasn't wild about guitar solos. Twenty years removed, little did I know that Dimebag was to become the hero he is today. The machine like tightness was a staple of Pantera. I was on this underground trip, with this trio of musicians who were the most talented I've ever been surrounded by. The versatility and tightness between Vince and Rex, Rex and Dime was like nothing I've seen before or since. When it came time to execute the vocals, we all got along.
HRH: Which Pantera album could you not live without?
Phil: I'll make a case for "Vulgar Display Of Power". As a second tier, "Far Beyond Driven". To be cut and dry though, "Vulgar Display Of Power". Which one could you not live without?
HRH: Man, Phil, that is a hard one, I agree with "Vulgar Display Of Power". But really all of them.
Phil: I know what you mean, man.
HRH: What country had the most rabid fans for Pantera?
Phil: Everywhere we went it seemed. Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico were insane! The most rabid first show was in Puerto Rico, man, it was dangerous. There were gang members everywhere outside, it was chaotic. We saw guns and weapons everywhere out in the open. Europe, the U.K., even Russia were great. Man, that's a tough question, everywhere we went the fans were so damn kind to us. No way can I discount the States or Canada! The most fun, memorable and insane place to play was and is New York City. New York City has always been fuckin' out of the box! For a specific show, there was this one time in Chicago. It was fuckin' nuts. Out in the streets kids were jumping on cars and it was just fuckin' chaos.
HRH: In the early days of Pantera, was there a lot of head butting with the song writing?
Phil: Lyrically I felt kind of restrained. I wanted to collaborate to where everyone in the band could get one hundred per cent of where I'm from as a lyricist. Later on, the freedom came around "Vulgar Display Of Power". That's when I really started to say look, how much longer am I gonna be the new guy? Healthy head butting equaled to healthy music though.
HRH: Who has been your single greatest influence in music?
Phil: Judas Priest and Rob Halford. David Lee Roth was a hell of a front man. Paul Stanley too. I knew I was going to be a singer all my life. As a young boy, when I was around thirteen it was Black Sabbath, Ozzy and Ronnie James Dio. I cannot leave out Dio. Even Bono from U2 influenced me to a degree. All of them made Pantera special. It's an imperative quality to have that well roundedness to go in any genre of music. Everyone was rounded out in Pantera in their own way. Dimebag would say he was into Nine Inch Nails and I would say really? Fuckin' off during a soundcheck, we would go off on some Country Western stuff and it would sound authentic! It's important to listen to a little of everything.
HRH: What peer bands has your back?
Phil: A majority of 'em have my back. Any band after 1990. Dez Fafara and Devil Driver. I'm really tight with Dez, ever since he was with Coal Chamber. We still speak to this very day. Slayer, Biohazard, Sepultura, Prong, Anthrax, Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, it goes so far. It goes so far. The New York City Hardcore scene is a fantastic meeting place. I know a lot of those guys and we come out to support each other.
HRH: Theater or Arena, what's your preference to play at?
Phil: I like 'em both man. After a six month arena tour though, there's always a piece of me after I do that to get back into the intimate club thing and that's great.
HRH: How about festivals?
Phil: I love 'em the majority of the time. There are no negative points to make on festivals! Pantera and Down both have done great festivals. Superjoint Ritual at Ozzfest wasn't that great of a time though. That band was more suitable for a smaller club feel.
HRH: What is missing in the Metal scene today?
Phil: What do you think is missing in the Metal scene today?
HRH: Just that true feeling that was in the air years ago.
Phil: Your right on, there are no scenes anymore. Years back it was fuckin' magic, man. I'm not saying one time period is better or worse here, only bands are more visible on computers now than on stage. There are not many gigs. There are a lot of myspace pages where bands flaunt their stuff. If you want to hear a band's music you have to visit their myspace page. Today's teens and twenty year olds could only wish to experience that scene feel. Texas had a great fuckin' scene! New Orleans too. You could just stop in one weekend, out of the blue, to matinee shows. There was a clique of people and it was familiar to us. The general consensus about music today, is that it's lacking a bit of originality. It's Pantera meets Alice In Chains and it's the same formula being used in hundreds of bands. That's why I started my own label, Housecore Records. I weeded out certain bands that are hitting those certain notes.
HRH: Housecore Records today is what Metal Blade Records was in the early '80′s.
Phil: Yeah, exactly. Like Megaforce Records was doing as well. There are a lot of super talented bands out there and the end result doesn't sound too far removed from something we already heard. I've seen a lot of bands come and go. I'm looking for the kids trying to make a difference. The first listen to some of these bands might be awkward and unpleasant but I don't mind because whoa, sometimes they turn out to be favorite bands with longevity and growth. That's what Housecore Records is all about, growing a band. Years ago, Metal Blade Records would give a band time to grow, release a few albums and build a fan base. Today, the big record labels want a new band to sell millions of records right away.
HRH: It's the Old School way to grow a band.
Phil: You said it. There's always a clique of musicians genre work being duplicated, like a Thrash band in the Thrash genre doing cut and paste Destruction riffs. I do have genre bands, I have a Thrash Metal band on Housecore Records, Warbeast, from Fort Worth Texas. About six months ago, they made a great Thrash Metal record called "Krush The Enemy", it's their "Cowboys From Hell". All I see is potential in this band! Dual guitars, double bass and not cut and paste stuff. The vocalist for Warbeast is Bruce Corbitt, he was in Rigor Mortis.
HRH: Warbeast is a band that I'll be definitely checking out!
Phil: Another Housecore Records band to check out is haarp. They did an epic crushing masterpiece, "The Filth" and it's fuckin' deadly. Shaun Emmons, the vocalist, is massive! I've seen that guy control a crowd without saying a word to them. The Sursiks are hittin' crazy different notes and their on their own page! My band Arson Anthem is coming out with a full length on October 12th, called "Insecurity Notoriety". I play guitar, Mike IX Williams is on vocals, Hank Williams III is on drums and Collin Yeo is on bass. This is vicious Hardcore, so trip out on this record!
HRH Note: You can purchase Arson Anthem, Warbeast "Krush The Enemy", The Sursiks and both haarp EP's by clicking here: HOUSECORE RECORDS
HRH: Anything new to report from the Down camp?
Phil: There's nothing much from Down. We've messed around with the skeletons of two new songs recently. They are two songs from the last session. Kirk (Windstein) is cleaning up his life and that's great.
HRH: Can you see yourself collaborating with Killjoy ever again?
Phil: I don't man. I hope is doing really well, but no. I love to play guitar, it was fun to play for Necrophagia.
HRH Note: Phil Anselmo played guitar for Necrophagia's 1998 studio album – "Holocausto de la Morte". Phil played with Necrophagia under the alias Anton Crowley.
HRH: If a major motion picture was to be made about Phil Anselmo, what would the title be?
Phil: Let me think here, maybe something like, no wait, I'll think of it. Give me a second. Damn, this is a tough question. How about, drag me to hell!
HRH: Alright, cool.
Phil: No, I'm kidding.
HRH: Okay. (laughs)
Phil: King Kong!
HRH: King Kong? What? (Laughs)
Phil: I'm just messin' with ya! (Laughs)
HRH: (Laughs)
Phil: I'm stumped on this one and I'm gettin' hassled on the phone here! I don't need this!
HRH: (Laughs)
Phil: From shit to roses and from shit to roses again.
HRH: Okay.
Phil: No, that's terrible!
HRH: (Laughs)
Phil: How to break your back and still sprint at 42! There, that's the movie title!
HRH: Good one, Phil. (Laughs)
HRH: Do you have any commentary on the BP oil spill in the gulf?
Phil: It makes me examine mankind once again. By all rights, I can't speak for anyone else but me. I'm just another ignorant man figuring my way through life. With all due respect to what other religions other people follow and what they consider to be their god, If I'm going to call anything god it's this planet underneath our feet. When you stab god in the chest, like a human so much blood is in the body. There's only so much oil in the Earth. I know people down in the Gulf, the locals, who have been living off the industry of fish for generations and they are hurtin'. Any food place around the world that imports from the Gulf are gonna be hurtin'. I think there's a fact that people in America are not allowed a loud enough voice. If there was a reasoning here there would be pamphlets in the mailbox asking if it's o.k. to drill a mile into the Gulf, into the Earth. You drill one mile into the Earth here and tell everyone it's
foolproof, who's the fool when it breaks? We stabbed god in the heart and it makes me look at mankind like we are a conquering, vicious, breed of life on Earth. We need to take a step back and look at what we have done. We only have one planet. There should be a law of man, a law of mankind, to respect the Earth we live on.
HRH: Do you stay in touch with Vinnie Paul?
Phil: Wish I did.
Kenny Herzog of Mog Music Network recently conducted an interview with DOWN/ex-PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Mog Music Network: In recent weeks, I've spoken with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and MEGADETH bassist Dave Ellefson as well, and Ellefson in particular expressed this idea that MEGADETH, SLAYER, and METALLICA represent an upper echelon of contemporary metal. Do you feel like PANTERA belongs in that conversation?
Anselmo: I think he understated the whole thing. Tastes are tastes, but never in my wildest dreams would I ever play in a band that sounded like MEGADETH either. Nothin' against 'em. Junior's a good guy, but to leave PANTERA out of the upper echelon is retarded and stupid. And Kerry King, of all dudes, I'm not sure what he said, but at one point before we were even signed, he used to call me up every other week and tell me [Adopts gravelly, low voice], "Ya know what? I'm starting to think man, I might wanna join PANTERA." And this is the truth. And Kerry King was very instrumental for PANTERA. I befriended the cat way before we were signed…. Not only did Kerry King call a whole lot, he would fly in and would watch our gigs. One time in particular he called me and said, "Well, if I come in this time, I don't want to fuck around. I wanna play the gig." So sure enough, he flew in, and that entire week, we built a two-guitar-player set around Dimebag
Darrell and Kerry King, and that's an epic video. I'm staring at it right now. There are thrash bands at the time that imitated SLAYER, but until Kerry King came down and him and Dimebag jammed together, and Dimebag had to actually learn a couple of SLAYER songs correctly, he didn't realize they were the Real McCoy and how fiercely they riffed. Dimebag learned a whole new respect from Kerry King.
Mog Music Network: I should clarify that in my interview with Kerry, we were really just focusing on the symbolism of he and MEGADETH touring together again. And that in my chat with Dave, he wasn't going out of his way to exclude any acts, but was more talking very specifically about a certain group of bands, and it I personally began thinking PANTERA maybe belonged in that conversation.
Anselmo: I think so, too, also considering that SLAYER opened for us on our last tour, MORBID ANGEL opened for us on the last tour, we took out SEPULTURA, we absolutely lambasted MEGADETH every time we played with them. So that's fine. You can put those down in quotes . . . I'm not swiping at Junior or Kerry. Definitely not Kerry. Not saying we've always had the greatest relationship with MEGADETH. It's hot and cold. One second, Dave Mustaine can be ragging on ya, and the next second he can come out and say the most unbelievably nice thing in the world about you. Junior and Kerry are fortunate enough to have their key members alive to have this longevity. That's just how the cards fall, there's no blame there. But mark my words, and this is kind of empty of me to say, but if Dimebag Darrell was alive today, I would guarantee with all my heart that we would have already been back together, and then this entire talk of upper-echelon metal bands would be a
moot point.
Mog Music Network: It's that same self-belief that got you guys out of the clubs to begin with, so I don't doubt it.
Anselmo: Well, it's the truth. If Dimebag was alive, we would have buried the hatchet a long time ago. I know this. And we'd be playing out today, maybe even making new music. I'm sure we would…. I think about PANTERA and Dimebag a lot, a whole lot, every day of my life, even without this 20th anniversary. If you were to ask me last year some time, I would have said, "Yep, I thought about him about 100 times today already." Every now and again, you just think, "What if?" I'm at whatever stage of grips I'm at, and those grips do change, but right now, I'm in a pretty good spot in my life. I just…. I know we did good, we really did. We did damn good.
An Anaheim, CA date at The Grove on November 20th has been added to the 2010 edition of the Blackest Of The Black Tour which officially commences on October 25th and will feature headliners DANZIG and support acts POSSESSED, MARDUK, TOXIC HOLOCAUST and WITHERED.
Dates with more to be announced soon include:
October
25 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
27 - Little Rock, AK - The Village
29 - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Live
30 - Houston, TX - Warehouse
31 - Dallas, TX - Palladium
November
2 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium
3 - Louisville, KY - Expo Five
4 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
5 - Columbus, OH - Alrosa Villa (No Danzig)
6 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater
7 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
9 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
10 - Fargo, ND - The Venue
12 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theater
14 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Concert House
15 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
16 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
20 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove
"Mr. Jim" Catania, drummer on the MISFITS' seminal 1978 album "Static Age" and the legendary "Bullet" EP, has joined THE VON FRANKENSTEINS. The New York City-based band will be preparing for live dates and working on a new record which will mark the first hardcore/punk material recorded and/or performed by Mr. Jim since the original MISFITS era.
For more information, visit THE VON FRANKENSTEINS Facebook page.
"Mr. Jim" Catania last fall made his long-awaited return to the underground scene — this time as an independent store owner. With Mr. Jim's House of Video in Belleville, New Jersey, Catania is determined to introduce the new generation of rock and punk music fans to the forgotten charm of brick-and-mortar stores.
Mr. Jim's House of Video stocks a huge selection of DVDs, new and used vinyl and independent CDs by local and regional acts. Additionally, the store boasts a vast array of adult merchandise including DVDs, VHS tapes, toys and magazines.
Best of all, the new store has given Catania a chance to connect with MISFITS fans, who continue to show their support 30 years after he last performed with the band.
"The MISFITS 'fiends' are the best," he said. "They really love the band and love meeting me, and it's really flattering to know that something I did all those years ago still gets people excited. I'm always happy to touch base with them, sign autographs and share stories about the old days. I really look forward to meeting many more 'fiends' at the store!"
Mr. Jim's House of Video is located at 143 Washington, Ave., Belleville, NJ.
For more information, visit www.mrjimshouseofvideo.com.
MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil told Reuters that he wrote his upcoming autobiography, "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen", in order to give his side of the storied history of the band, which has sold about 25 million albums in the United States alone.
"There's been so much written about MÖTLEY CRÜE. I've never really had a voice," Neil said.
Regarding the comments he made about Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon in his autobiography (Vince calls her "the most evil, shittiest woman I've ever met in my life," before adding, "She would fucking have you killed if it was to her advantage"), Neil told Reuters, "This was my experience with Sharon 25 years ago. She was not very kind to MÖTLEY CRÜE."
In his book, Neil also slams his bandmates, faulting bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and guitarist Mick Mars for not supporting him following the 1984 car accident, and disputing their account of the events that led to his 1992 departure.
"[Nikki] likes to portray himself as the Messiah. Everything is his. Everything is his idea," Vince writes. "In Nikki's world, he has to be known as the 'thinker,' or the 'creator;' He needs to be seen as Mr. All-Important. Nikki Sixx, tortured soul. Just like Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer], he's another one of those guys who just love the whole fame thing."
Neil told Reuters the hard living has been worth it — with the exception of the shame he feels about his infamous 1984 DUI accident, which resulted in the death of Finnish glam band HANOI ROCKS' drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, and a vehicular manslaughter charge.
"I don't have any regrets. Anything that I've done wrong, I've learned from," Neil said.
"Tattoos & Tequila" is scheduled for publication on September 23.
Peter Atkinson of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
KNAC.COM: Obviously some of your longtime, hardcore fans are still very into in the band?
Hoffmann: I wasn't quite ready personally for how seriously people were going to take it. This whole ACCEPT thing means so much and so many things to so many people, it's amazing how passionate they feel about it. When you read those things online some times, my gosh they kind of fight over this thing as if it was life or death (laughs). "Which record was the best? No, you're an idiot, it was this one."
KNAC.COM: Did you hear a lot of stuff like, "Who is this Mark [Tornillo, vocals] guy? How dare they carry on without Udo [Dirkschneider]?"
Hoffmann: Oh yeah, there was a bunch of that. I would say 99 percent of what we heard early on was "this is never going to work." Everybody said "it didn't work before. They tried it with another singer one other time and it failed miserably." And I was telling myself, just because someone's been married before doesn't mean they shouldn't try again. Maybe the match wasn't right the first time around, but to draw the conclusion that it's never gonna work is a bit far-fetched. But I guess all these naysayers have fallen by the wayside, and a lot of these people have even apologized to us. Publicly, some journalists have made statements on their web sites, "I was so wrong and please forgive me." I guess the proof is in the pudding in the end, when the record is good, it's good.
KNAC.COM: Udo made his feelings known when you did that last batch of reunion shows with him that he wasn't interested in making new music with ACCEPT. But given his long history with the band, did you ever feel the need to get his blessing to move forward with this?
Hoffmann: No, no, no. As you mentioned, we wanted him to be the singer before but of course, he turned us down. So at that point if someone says they are not into it and doesn't want to, we obviously don't need his blessing to move forward. What are we supposed to do? We are musicians and we are in ACCEPT and, heck, if he doesn't want to be the singer, we'll find somebody else. And funny thing is, we didn't really look for anybody, but we did find someone that one day and everything came together so well, so we figured "now or never, this is our chance. We can do anything we want." So that's what we did. To get Udo's blessing, that ain't gonna happen, because he let us know a while ago that he didn't want to be part of it.
KNAC.COM: I know Udo was one of the people early on who said he didn't think the new lineup was gonna work, but he's been pretty quiet about the situation since then?
Hoffmann: And he should be. You cannot decide to not go to a party and then be pissed off if the party is a success without you.
KNAC.COM: You mentioned some of the backlash you got from the song snippet you posted. Have you run into any other bumps in the road along the way?
Hoffmann: No, nothing really. It's really been triumphant so far, honestly. Our first show ever was in New York City, which was quite daring to begin with because it was the debut with our new singer and we knew the eyes of the world would be upon us because it would be on YouTube the next morning, so if we would have screwed up everyone would have known it right away. Nowadays you can't hide (laughs). You can't do any secret gigs anymore in Siberia and get your stuff in order, you have to be ready from day one. So we did and it worked phenomenal. We had a couple shows in Germany opening for AC/DC in front of 80,000 people, that was quite amazing too. Everybody had been super supportive and the fans love it. And that in itself is quite a thing to achieve, with a new singer and all that. It's going so much better than anyone could have hoped for and we're super-pleased.
KNAC.COM: In a live situation, was Mark able to click with you guys right away, or did it take some getting used to after working with Udo for all those years?
Hoffmann: Yeah, totally. We just fall into our place and do our thing. Peter [Baltes, bass] and I have been playing together for like 35 years, we're just joined at the hip. So we fall right back into what we've always been doing onstage and Mark just finds his place and is right there with us. Obviously the longer we stay together the more we're gonna grow together, even onstage, but it's really been super-smooth. And Mark is a professional, he really pulled off the old material like you wouldn't believe, he really nailed it, which is what impresses people the most. You can always tell there are people coming to the shows who at first are skeptics, just like some people were skeptical at first about the whole idea, and they've kinda made up their minds that it's not going to be any good, but they go anyhow to just see it and it doesn't take long to realize how wrong they are. Honestly, after two or three songs everyone's right there with us, fists in
the air and they kind of forget the whole Udo thing and "the whole thing is never gonna work" and they just enjoy the music and they get carried away and they love it.
KNAC.COM: The album you did with David Reece, was that a case of trying to do too much all at once that was too different, or just not having the right guy?
Hoffmann: Really, all of that together, and the wrong production, there were a lot of things. That was weird times then. I would say if you look at any band with a long career that's still around, you'll find they made some mediocre albums along the way. We just happened to make an album where we were trying something that didn't work. For crying out loud, that doesn't mean you can't ever learn from it and do better the next time around. It was a time also in the '90s where bands were looking at "where is this whole thing going to go?" Metal was kinda dead for a while, it was really not selling and nobody really wanted to hear it and everybody was looking to Seattle and all the grunge that was all the rage. And at the time all these bands that now are going strong, like IRON MAIDEN or the SCORPIONS or JUDAS PRIEST, they were all struggling and looking for new ways to keep their fans. That's just normal and you live through it and you learn from it and
everybody's back on track now.
RATT singer Stephen Pearcy has announced that Los Angeles , CA-based Morey Management (A Frontline Company) will be representing him for solo projects and performances.
BraveWords.com's Mitch Lafon spoke to Pearcy in August about the future of the band, his solo career and label Top Fuel Records.
"First, we have to finish the few dates we have left on the table," says the singer. "We did some filming a couple of nights for our next single, 'Eat Me Up Alive'. It'll be a live montage kind of video and then I have to take care of some unfinished business with the band and me. After, that I'm off and running doing some solo stuff and a new project."
Swiss hard rock veterans KROKUS have scheduled the following dates in their home country:
Dec. 03 - Salles Des Fetes - Geneva, Switzerland
Dec. 04 - Rockin' Christmas Festival @ Stadthalle - Chur, Switzerland
Dec. 17 - Rockin' Christmas Festival @ Festhalle - Bern, Switzerland
Dec. 18 - Rockin' Christmas Festival @ Eishalle - Wetzikon, Switzerland
"Hoodoo", the new album from KROKUS, was certified platinum in the band's home country for sales in excess of 30,000 copies. Sony Music presented the bandmembers with their gold and platinum plaques prior to the first concert of the "Hoodoo Tour" on April 30 in Zuchwil.
"Hoodoo", which entered the Swiss chart at No. 1 in its first week of release, was made available in the U.S. on May 25 via SonyMusic Independent Network (SIN). The CD was produced by bassist and founding member Chris Von Rohr and was recorded by Dennis Ward (who previously worked on KROKUS' "Hellraiser" album) at House of Music Studios in Winterbach, Germany, with additional recordings at Pink Bild and Ton (engineered by ex-KROKUS member Jürg Naegeli) in Solothurn, Switzerland and Henson Studios, Los Angeles. Photography, artwork and graphic design was handled by Martin Häusler.
Partnered with Ariola and Arista, KROKUS became an international success and ran up the charts with their hit albums "Metal Rendez-Vous" (1980), "Hardware" (1981), "One Vice At A Time" (1982), "Headhunter" (1983), "The Blitz" (1984) and "Change Of Address" (1986).
PENTAGRAM, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT and SOLSTICE are among the confirmed bands for the Hammer Of Doom 5 festival, set to take place April 16, 2011 at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
PENTAGRAM (USA)
WHILE HEAVEN WEPT (USA)
SOLSTICE (UK)
BLOOD FARMERS (USA)
ATLANTEAN KODEX (GER)
ARGUS (USA)
IN SOLITUDE (SWE)
BLACK PYRAMID (USA)
AGE OF TAURUS (UK)
ARKHAM WITCH (UK)
Tickets will be available first at the Way Of Darkness festival in Lichtenfels on October 1. After that, tickets will be available for purchase at www.nuclearblast, the shop at www.wod-festival.de and www.eventim.de. Tickets will be priced 29 eurso plus the pre-sale fee.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/hammerofdoomfest
Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL will release a new concert DVD, "Madness In Manila: Shadows Fall Live In The Philippines 2009", on October 26 via Everblack Industries/Ferret Music. The set will include over 60 minutes of footage that was shot on April 30, 2009 at the Pulp Summer Slam in Manila, Philippines as well as a live audio CD.
The track listing is as follows:
01. The Light That Blinds
02. Forevermore
03. Failure Of The Devout
04. Crushing Belial
05. Burning The Lives
06. A Public Execution
07. Casting Shade
08. Destroyer Of Senses
09. What Drives The Weak
10. The Power of I and I
11. Enlightened By The Cold
12. Thoughts Without Words
13. Inspiration On Demand
14. War
15. The Great Collapse
16. Redemption
Check out the cover artwork below.
In a recent interview with Sami Jarroush of the Rock it Out! Blog, SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair was asked about plans for a new studio album from the band. "We've been talking about the new record," he replied. "We haven't really started writing, but me, Matt [Bachand, guitar] and Jon [Donais, guitar] were talking, [and] we wanna write a really fast, technical thrash record this time around — really just kind of keep it nice, brutal and heavy.
"We always talk about writing on the road, but we never do. So once we get off this tour, we'll take some time and that's probably when we'll start getting things rolling. Hopefully [we'll] get into the studio in early 2011, but we'll see what happens."
SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Retribution", came out on September 15, 2009. The CD sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort was made available via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.
According to Zap2it, tonight's (Sunday, September 19) finale of the Food Network's inaugural "The Great Food Truck Race" features the Grill 'Em All truck and Nom Nom truck in New York City aiming to sell the most specialty foods and take home the $50,000 prize.
"The Great Food Truck Race" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the Food Network.
Grill 'Em All is a fresh new theme for the mobile restaurant food market specializing in gourmet hamburgers. Launched late last year in Los Angeles, Grill 'Em All offers a startling array of gourmet burgers with themes directly influenced by heavy metal music and pop culture. The truck will be visible at the coolest parties, concerts and events serving great food, music and a lot of good times.
Grill 'Em All is led by the team of Chef Ryan Harkins and Matthew Chernus.
For more information, visit www.grillemalltruck.com.
Hardcore punk legends DISCHARGE and U.K. thrash titans SABBAT are the latest additions to the sixth chapter of Damnation Festival.
The crust veterans will headline the Terrorizer Stage while SABBAT will perform on the Jägermeister Stage.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and PARADISE LOST will now co-headline the downsized event, which takes place on Saturday, November 6, in Leeds University Union.
Festival Director Gavin McInally said: "It's no secret we've had a tough year of it so being able to confirm two top acts like DISCHARGE and SABBAT is a real pleasure.
"Aside from the Jägermeister Stage competition and perhaps another smaller band on the Terrorizer Stage, the bill is pretty much complete for this year and despite the lack of an exclusive headliner, we're delighted to once again put together a three-stage lineup we're immensely proud of.
"Rare showings from the likes of LAWNMOWER DETH, FUKPIG, the return of EARTHTONE9, exclusive performances by ALCEST, ANAAL NATHRAKH as well as the aforementioned talent of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PARADISE LOST, SABBAT and DISCHARGE — 2010 is going to be a blinder."
Damnation Festival billing is shaping up as follows:
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
PARADISE LOST
DISCHARGE
EARTHTONE9
SABBAT
ANAAL NATHRAKH
LAWNMOWER DETH
ROLO TOMASSI
PANIC CELL
ALCEST
THE OCEAN
ESOTERIC
SSS
HECATE ENTHRONED
FEN
MAYBESHEWILL
OCTOBER FILE
BONESAW
FUKPIG
THE MIRE
COLONEL BLAST
THE CONSTRUCT
DIASCORIUM
For more information, visit www.damnationfestival.co.uk.
Canada's BAPTIZED IN BLOOD is set to storm out of its native Canada and mount a takeover of American metal audiences when it releases its self-titled, debut full-length for Roadrunner via digital retailers nationally on October 19. The band will also play alongside A LIFE ONCE LOST at the CMJ Music Marathon Metal Sucks Showcase, which will be held October 20 at Club Europa.
BAPTIZED IN BLOOD has already turned the discerning head of a metal icon, MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine, who was so impressed that he has taken on the role of co-manager for the London, Ontario-based band, alongside Mark Adelman. Additionally, Mike D'Antonio of Dark Icon Design, who also serves as the bassist for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, designed the album artwork.
While BAPTIZED IN BLOOD may have friends in high places, the band doesn't rely on those associations; the five-piece delivers the goods with their bottom heavy, unrelenting metallic assault. The group is a classic Roadrunner signing that remains true the label's long-standing history as the standard bearer of the best in hard rock and metal.
BAPTIZED IN BLOOD is influenced by Gothenburg metal, glam and everything in between, as long as it's distorted! Their music is equally anthemic and groovy, without sacrificing one ounce of brutality. They've toured with U.S. with FEAR FACTORY and with SHADOWS FALL and HATEBREED in their native Canada. The band was also asked to join an already stellar lineup for the 2010 installment of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec Canada, sharing the stage with the likes of MEGADETH, ROB ZOMBIE, SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD and MASTODON, to name just a few, performing in front of 15,000 fans.
The track listing for "Baptized in Blood" is as follows:
01. Up Shirts Down Skirts
02. Dirty's Back
03. Game On
04. Only Cure
05. Down and Out
06. Mental
07. Last Line Lady
08. My Salute
09. Go It Alone
10. Will Of a Demon
11. Sinking Ships
12. Event Horizon
Reunited Dutch hard rockers SLEEZE BEEZ — who performed live this past June for the first time since going their separate ways in 1995 (sharing the bill with AEROSMITH, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and STEEL PANTHER at the Goffertpark in Nijmegen, Holland on June 23, 2010) — have announced a headlining show for Friday, February 4, 2011 at Paradiso in Amsterdam. The band will perform songs from its Atlantic Records release "Screwed Blued and Tattooed" (including the MTV hit "Stranger than Paradise") as well as the critically acclaimed "Insanity Beach".
SLEEZE BEEZ' final album, "Insanity Beach" (1994), featured a rugged, hard-edged, more aggressive sound. With producer John Sonneveld back in the saddle and the band co-producing, everything was recorded in one room to catch that "live" feeling. With all members of the band involved in the writing process for the first time, the band's style and direction has taken a radical turn. SLEEZE BEEZ planned to play various festivals in Holland before embarking on a European tour, but alas the band disbanded, with vocalist Andrew Elt and guitarist Don van Spall forming the pop/rock band THE MOON and drummer Jan Koster, guitarist Chriz van Jaarsveld and bassist Ed Jongsma forming the punk/rock band JETLAND.
Drummer Mike Terrana (TARJA TURUNEN, MASTERPLAN, AXEL RUDI PELL, SAVAGE CIRCUS, RAGE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) has completed work on his third solo album, "Sinfonica", which contains 11 famous classical orchestral tracks accompanied by his drumming.
Commented Terrana: "The idea for the 'Sinfonica' project originally came into being, because I wanted to make a tribute song for one of my favorite drummers, Cozy Powell [RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN].
"Cozy was tragically killed in a car accident 10 years ago. I felt this was a great loss to the music and drumming community and I wanted to do something in a musical context to keep his memory alive.
"In 1976, I was fortunate enough to see Cozy Powell play along to an abbreviated version of Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' in his drum solo with RAINBOW. It was fascinating to see a rock drummer attempting to play such a monumental piece of classical music.
"During the early part of 2009 I was thinking about how I could pay my respects to Mr. Powell, when I came upon the idea to record a new version of the '1812 Overture'. I started working on the '1812 Overture' track in the summer of 2009 and was very satisfied with the outcome. I enjoyed playing along with the orchestral tracks so much that I decide to seek out another 10 well-known classical pieces. This is a task more easily said then done, because there is a multitude of classical music out there, but not all of it works within the boundaries of the drumming concept. Once I found the correct pieces, I set to work on adapting and composing drum grooves and fills to go along with the music.
"I tried to envision what it would have been like if composers such as Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Rossini would have been able to employ the services of a modern day rock drummer to play on their compositions.
"A little over a year later from the inception of this project, I am proud to announce the completion of 'Sinfonica'. This CD contains 11 classical pieces, a 'Making of Sinfonica' video, and two performance videos.
"'Sinfonica' is a celebration of some of the greatest and most famous classical music ever written and a tribute to the main inspiration for this project, Cozy Powell."
"Sinfonica" track listing:
01. New World Symphony - Antonín Dvorák
02. William Tell Overture - Gioachino Rossini
03. Rondo - J. Mouret
04. Concert For Violin & Oboe - Johann Sebastian Bach
05. Washington Post - John Philip Sousa
06. Barber Of Seville - Gioachino Rossini
07. Pomp & Circumstance - Sir. Edward Elgar
08. Nutcracker Suite - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
09. Cancan - Jacques Offenbach
10. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
11. 1812 Overture - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A PERFECT CIRCLE has announced a five-city, multi-night tour for this fall with ticket on-sales slated for this week.
Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle tickets go on sale on September 24 at 10 a.m. PST. Las Vegas tickets are on sale the same day, September 24, at 12 noon PST. Tickets for the San Francisco shows are on sale on September 26 at 10 a.m. PST. There is a two-ticket limit on all shows. A very limited number of VIP packages will be available for each show.
The two different packages are:
1. Wine tasting, meet-and-greet, admission ticket;
2. Meet-and-greet, admission ticket.
Shows in Phoenix (Marquee Theatre), Los Angeles (Avalon), Seattle (Showbox at The Market) and San Francisco (The Fillmore) will be three-night stops with each night featuring one of A PERFECT CIRCLE's three albums in its entirety ("Mer de Noms", "Thirteenth Step" and "eMOTIVe"). Las Vegas (The Pearl) will be a two-night outing ("Mer de Noms" and "Thirteenth Step").
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 04 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre (Mer de Noms)
Nov. 05 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre (Thirteenth Step)
Nov. 06 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre (eMOTIVe)
Nov. 08 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon (Mer de Noms)
Nov. 09 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon (Thirteenth Step)
Nov. 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon (eMOTIVe)
Nov. 12 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market (Mer de Noms)
Nov. 13 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market (Thirteenth Step)
Nov. 14 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market (eMOTIVe)
Nov. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (Mer de Noms)
Nov. 17 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (Thirteenth Step)
Nov. 18 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (eMOTIVe)
Nov. 20 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl (Mer de Noms)
Nov. 21 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl (Thirteenth Step)
A PERFECT CIRCLE singer Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Billy Howerdel have both told Rolling Stone in a new interview that they're working on new songs together in addition to preparing to tour again. Keenan said that the writing "never really stopped," adding, "We always had music bouncing back and forth, but (this) just seemed like the right time" to get back together. Howerdel said, "The clock is ticking and we have intentions of playing a new song or two at these shows."
Keenan said about the decision to play small venues, "There's no way we're going to sell out arenas. We haven't been around for six years . . . These shows are going to be very small intimate theater gigs, basically just the five of us trying to connect with each other."
Both men expect A PERFECT CIRCLE to go out on a traditional tour after this short run, but nothing has been officially confirmed.
Howerdel also plans to work on a new record from his other band, ASHES DIVIDE, while Keenan is working on his winery, a PUSCIFER DVD and, eventually, a new TOOL album.
A PERFECT CIRCLE 2010 is:
* Maynard James Keenan (TOOL, PUSCIFER) - Vocals
* Billy Howerdel (ASHES DIVIDE) - Guitar, Vocals
* James Iha (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS) - Guitar
* Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS) - Drums
* Matt McJunkins (PUSCIFER, ASHES DIVIDE) - Bass
New Jersey-based metallers MUTINY WITHIN have been forced to pull of the upcoming NEVERMORE U.S. tour after recently parting ways with their drummer, Bill Fore.
Commented the band: "We're sorry to say that despite our best efforts, our plans to hit the road with NEVERMORE this month have sadly fallen through.
"As many of you know, we have been looking forward to being a part of this tour and seeing all of our fans again. However, we feel that in order to deliver our best performance every night, our search for a full-time drummer has to take priority. Instead of hitting the road with a temporary member again, we want to take the time to properly audition and rehearse.
"We did have another drummer lined up to accompany us on this tour, but due to a slow visa process, rehearsal time was cut to an unworkable amount.
"MUTINY WITHIN is not a five-piece band and we need to find our sixth member to bring you guys what you deserve.
"We're so sorry to anybody who was looking forward to seeing us on this tour, but we cannot tour without a drummer.
"We know people will be upset and we apologize, but know that nobody will be more upset about this than we are. On a positive note, this gives us the time to work on brand new songs, which we've been looking forward to doing for some time.
"If anybody knows a suitable drummer or you are yourself, then please contact us at mwdrumauditions@gmail.com.
"We hope you all understand this and will continue to support us."
MUTINY WITHIN recently posted its cover version of the AC/DC classic "Highway To Hell" on the band's MySpace page. The track appears exlusively on Metal Hammer's AC/DC tribute bonus CD which was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of AC/DC's classic "Back In Black" album. Also available is the song "Images (Live)" from the iTunes special edition of MUTINY WITHIN's self-titled debut CD.
The self-titled debut album from MUTINY WITHIN sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 41 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.
"Mutiny Within" was released on February 23 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida with producer Jason Bieler (SIKTH, SKINDRED, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, NONPOINT) and was mixed by Jeff Rose and Martin "Ginge" Ford of Nott-In-Pill studios in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom.
The initial sessions for the CD took place at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof, who has previously worked with ALL THAT REMAINS, GOD FORBID, TRIVIUM and DEVILDRIVER, among many others.
After a two-year hiatus during which he dealt with various issues in his private life Lee Turner — original drummer, founding member and major songwriter for U.K. metal band PANIC CELL — has joined Newcastle-based brutal groove metallers INSYLUM. The band is currently writing material for its debut album, set for a February/March 2011 release. An extensive tour is planned in support of the CD.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/stixman666.
KATAKLYSM, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, EQUILIBRIUM, MÅNEGARM and MILKING THE GOATMACHINE will team up for the Neckbreaker's Ball 2011 tour of Europe in January/February..
The dates are as follows:
Jan. 14 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
Jan. 15 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
Jan. 16 - Berlin, Germany - K17
Jan. 17 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
Jan. 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Jan. 19 - Hannover, Germany - Musikzentrum
Jan. 20 - Lingen, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
Jan. 21 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
Jan. 22 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
Jan. 23 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
Jan. 24 - Rennes, France - Antipode
Jan. 25 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
Jan. 26 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
Jan. 27 - Innsbruck, Austria - Hafen
Jan. 28 - Wien, Austria - Gasometer
Jan. 29 - Linz, Austria - Posthof
Jan. 30 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
Jan. 31 - Graz, Austria - Ppc
Feb. 01 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
Feb. 02 - Bad Arolsen, Germany - Outback
Feb. 03 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
Feb. 04 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
Feb. 05 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Hof Ter Loo
Feb. 06 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
Finland's CIRCLE will be artists-in-residence at next year's edition of the Roadburn Festival, set to take place April 14-16, 2011 at the Midi Theatre in Tilburg, Holland.
CIRCLE and side project PHARAOH OVERLORD will be bringing their relentless riffs and genre-destroying musical virtuosity back to Roadburn for the first time since 2007. CIRCLE will be drawing from their enormous (33-plus full-length records!) discography to play two completely different sets from their 2010 European tour. With their style ranging from psychedelic rock to free jazz, with literally dozens of other genres between, they have been one of the most diverse musical groups of our time, and if there was ever a band designed to play multiple sets at a festival, it would be CIRCLE. Not only do they have literally hundreds of songs to choose from, but they are also extremely creative and capable of musically changing styles and sounds at the drop of a studded leather hat. Add in their bizarre-but-consummate showmanship, and you have a compelling recipe for maximum entertainment. CIRCLE spin-off band PHARAOH OVERLORD will be playing for one set as
well, and anyone who saw them in 2007 knows that it will be something quite unforgettable. They take stoner rock and deconstruct it to its most minimal form, the riff, resulting in music that is akin to well-muscled instrumental kraut rock. Combining their deliberate heaviness with a unique on-stage delivery, they induce a psychotropic stoner-sufi trance that is as much a riff worship ritual as it is a musical performance. After a four-year recording hiatus, they have recently released their new album, "Siluurikaudella".
In other news, Roadburn is very proud to present the first performance by heavy '70s legends INCREDIBLE HOG in over 35 years. The London-based trio will appear at Roadburn Festival's Midi Theatre on Friday, April 15, 2011, Tilburg, Holland.
Pairing prog, proto hard rock and meaningful lyrics with the very soul of metallic drivin' acid blues, INCREDIBLE HOG released its debut album, "Volume 1", in mid '73. Despite the buzz surrounding their debut and critical acclaim, commercial success proved out of reach. Apparently, "Volume 1" was too ahead of its time to catch on with a larger audience. This, along with record label apathy, forced the band to fold before the year was over.
In the meantime, "Volume 1" has become a highly sought-after relic from the early '70s British (prog) rock boom, and rightfully hailed as a bona fide classic. Various reissues have kept both the album and the spirit of INCREDIBLE HOG alive, not only among proto-hard rock and prog-rock connoisseurs but also in the contemporary "stoner rock" scene. Rise Above Relics, led by CATHEDRAL's Lee Dorrian, is currently working on a definitive re-issue of "Volume 1", the sole album of INCREDIBLE HOG.
Bassist Jim Holmes comments: "We haven't gigged together for well over 35 years. We've talked about reforming loads of times but at least one of us was always busy playing in another band. The opportunity to play a prestigious gig like Roadburn has made all the difference. We're definitely all up for this and can't wait. It'll be amazing."
"This is a great scoop to get one of the U.K.'s coolest underground hard rock bands of the early '70s to reform for the Roadburn setting," says Lee Dorrian. "It's been an honor working with the guys on a detailed reissue of 'Volume 1' that Rise Above Relics is currently putting together. They are still very passionate about what they do, and I'm certain they won't disappoint. We're in for a treat — all hail the HOG!"
Sponsored by Terrorizer and Germany's Rock Hard, Roadburn Festival 2011, including SUNN O)))'s special event, and headliner SWANS, will run for three days from Thursday, April 14 to Saturday, April 16 at the 013 venue and Midi Theatre in Tilburg, Holland. There will be an additional afterburner event on Sunday, April 17, 2011.
For more information, please visit www.roadburn.com.
Norwegian gothic metallers TRISTANIA have announced that violin virtuoso Pete Johansen will be joining the band on the first half of the upcoming European leg of the "Rubicon" tour.
After playing at the "Rubicon" release party in Stavanger, Johansen will rejoin the band in London on October 8 for the concert at Camden Underworld, and stay on board until after the Krakow concert on October 15.
Commented the group: "This wasn't really planned at all. Pete was supposed to join us for the release party in Stavanger and that was all, but on our first rehearsal together just a few weeks ago everything just clicked. We did actually joke with Pete about him joining us for the tour, and little did we know that only two days after, Pete would offer his incredible talent to us for so many more gigs than planned. We're all really buzzing about this, and we think our fans will see this as a nice bonus."
Pete Johansen rejoined forces with TRISTANIA during the "Rubicon" studio sessions earlier this year and recorded guest violin parts for several of the songs on the album. This was their first collaboration since "World of Glass" (2001).
"Year Of The Rat", the new video from TRISTANIA, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's sixth album, "Rubicon", which was released last month via Austria's Napalm Records.
TRISTANIA in 2007 announced the addition of Italian singer Mariangela "Mary" Demurtas to the group's ranks. Guitarist Gyri Losnegård was added to the lineup in 2008.
MARDUK (Sweden), ORANGE GOBLIN (United Kingdom), INQUISITION, GRAVEHILL, NAILS, MAMMOTH GRINDER, PULLING TEETH and INNUMERABLE FORMS have been confirmed for Maryland Deathfest IX, set to take place May 27-29, 2011 at Sonar in Baltimore.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AURA NOIR (Norway)
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)
GOATSNAKE (USA)
GRAVEHILL (USA)
HOODED MENACE (Finland)
IMPALED NAZARENE (Finland)
INNUMERABLE FORMS (USA)
INQUISITION (USA)
THE KILL (Australia)
LAST DAYS OF HUMANITY (Netherlands)
LOCK UP (UK)
MACHETAZO (Spain)
MALIGNANT TUMOUR (Czech Republic)
MAMMOTH GRINDER (USA)
MARDUK (Sweden)
NAILS (USA)
NEUROSIS (USA)
NIGHTBRINGER (USA)
NOKTURNEL (USA)
ORANGE GOBLIN (UK)
PULLING TEETH (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.
MEMORAIN, the project led by Greek guitarist Ilias Papadakis, has inked a deal with Pulverised Records. The band's fourth full-length effort, entitled "Evolution", is tentatively due in early 2011. Guest musicians on the CD include Ralph Santolla (guitar; OBITUARY, DEICIDE, DEATH, ICED EARTH), Gene Hoglan (drums; DETHKLOK, FEAR FACTORY, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL), Steve DiGiorgio (bass; DEATH, SADUS, TESTAMENT) and Chris Valagao (vocals; ZIMMERS HOLE).
Comments Papadakis: "I'm really happy with the way things are going!
"Pulverised Records is the new home of MEMORAIN and I'm sure, that with their experience they will do an amazing job with our new album!
"On the new album, we have succeeded to combine old-school thrash metal, with a modern touch. Fast and aggressive, but at the same time, melodic with powerful feelings.
"I'm sure that 'Evolution' will satisfy the appetite of the diehard fans of thrash metal! I can't wait to perform this material live!!!"
States Pulverised Records A&R manager Calvin: "We were approached by Ilias some time ago and honestly, there was no way you would not pay attention at all with all the well-respected musicians that have and still continue to make such a strong impact and influence to so many metal fans worldwide. So, after some discussions with Ilias and a really good offer put on the table, the album deal was sealed.
"We are very excited and definitely looking forward to hear how the new album will sound like. We believe that 'Evolution' will be MEMORAIN's strongest album to date amongst their previous discography!"
"Evolution" will feature 12 tracks, including "Where Hate Lies", the demo version of which is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
"Evolution" recording lineup:
Ilias Papadakis - Guitar
Gene Hoglan - Drums
Chris Valagao - Vocals
Steve Digiorgio - Bass
Ralph Santolla - Guitar
Formed in 1999 by guitarist Ilias Papadakis, MEMORAIN's last album, 2006's "Reduced to Ashes", featured guest appearances by ex-MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza and ANNIHILATOR guitarist Jeff Waters.
Relapse Records has announced the signing of Finland's UNKIND. The band will enter the studio this fall to begin recording a new album for an early 2011 release. Relapse will also reissue UNKIND's earlier material digitally over the coming months.
UNKIND has previously released four full-length albums and a handful of vinyl-only releases.
UNKIND is currently rounding out a two-week European tour with THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.
UNKIND tour dates with THE HOLY MOUNTAIN:
Sept. 20 Herlen, Netherlands Plu
Sept. 21 Leiden, Netherlands Sub 071
Sept. 22 Nijmengen, Netherlands Onderbroek
Sept. 23 Leeuwarden, Netherlands Autolok
South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE will embark on the European leg of the "Those Whom The Gods Detest Tour 2011 - Part II" in January 2011. The trek, which will feature support from MELECHESH, will cover Scandinavia, United Kingdom, Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, with additional gigs in Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Switzerland. Exact cities and dates will be announced soon.
"Those Whom The Gods Detest", the latest album from NILE, sold 3,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 160 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 3 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.
Produced and mixed by Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE), along with a drum-recording job by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE), "Those Whom the Gods Detest" features the band's strongest production and perhaps its best material to date. The cover artwork was created by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, whom NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders had previously worked with on his second solo album, "Saurian Exorcisms".
German progressive black metallers SECRETS OF THE MOON have completed work on their new album, "Seven Bells", for an early 2011 release.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Seven Bells
02. Blood Into Wine
03. Goathead
04. Stillborn Icon
05. Worship
06. The Three Beggars (Satan's Church)
07. Nyx
SECRETS OF THE MOON's last album, "Privilegivm" was produced by Markus Stock and was mastered by Peter in De Betou at Stockholm, Sweden's Tailor Maid Production.
SECRETS OF THE MOON is:
Ar - Guitar
LSK - Bass
sG - Guitar and Vocals
T. Thelemnar - Drums
September 3 saw three releases by SECRETS OF THE MOON pressed on black gold vinyl.
1. "Them Bones / This Inner Soil" gatefold vinyl single
This seven-inch single contains two previously unreleased songs: the ALICE IN CHAINS cover version "Them Bones", recorded during the "Privilegivm" sessions, and the original track "This Inner Soil" from the "Antithesis" sessions. This single is released in a noble, elaborate gatefold cover and is limited to 500 copies.
2. "Antithesis" gatefold 2LP
SECRETS OF THE MOON's third studio album "Antithesis" (2006) is available on vinyl for the first time. This album was released as a double LP in gatefold format and will contain the previously unreleased bonus track "Father". Limited to 500 copies!
3. "The Ambience Of A Dead Star" 12-inch mini-album
Another first-time release on vinyl is the mini-album "The Ambience Of A Dead Star", previously only available as bonus CD to the deluxe edition of "Carved In Stigmata Wounds" (2004). The artwork is designed specifically for this re-release on vinyl to visually highlight the stand-alone character of the mini-album. Limited to 500 copies!
SECRETS OF THE MOON belongs to the most prestigious group of bands in the German black metal underground, with their first demo release dating back to 1995. The band was formed out of the ashes of one of the very first black metal outfits stemming from German scene, MARTYRIUM.
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