AC/DC's "Iron Man 2" soundtrack has been nominated in the "Favorite Soundtrack" category at this year's American Music Awards, which will be broadcast live on ABC from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 21. Also nominated in the same category are "Glee: The Music, Volume 3 The Showstoppers" and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse".
"AC/DC: Iron Man 2" sold around 76,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The debut video from "AC/DC: Iron Man 2" was the AC/DC's classic album cut "Shoot To Thrill", which was filmed live in Buenos Aires during the band's highly acclaimed Black Ice World Tour, the second-highest-grossing world tour of 2009 according to concert industry trade publication Pollstar. The video also incorporated exclusive footage from "Iron Man 2".
Based on Marvel's iconic Super Hero, "Iron Man 2" continues the story of 2008's box office smash hit "Iron Man", which grossed nearly $600 million worldwide, and was the first feature film produced independently by Marvel Studios. "Iron Man 2" was produced by Marvel Studios' President, Kevin Feige.
"AC/DC: Iron Man 2" track listing:
01. Shoot to Thrill
02. Rock 'N' Roll Damnation
03. Guns for Hire
04. Cold Hearted Man
05. Back in Black
06. Thunderstruck
07. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
08. Evil Walks
09. T.N.T.
10. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
11. Have a Drink on Me
12. The Razor's Edge
13. Let There Be Rock
14. War Machine
15. Highway to Hell
BLACK SABBATH/HEAVEN & HELL guitartist Tony Iommi has revealed to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine that he has begun work on new material with the hopes of launching the 'next phase" of his career alongside longtime SABBATH bandmate/bassist Geezer Butler. Whether or not this will be part of a BLACK SABBATH reunion or a new project remains unclear at present, but Iommi has said, "What I'm doing now is writing. I've gone mad, writing loads of riffs again. I'm really enjoying it, putting stuff together. We will be doing something. I'm in touch with Geezer a lot now and we've been talking about what the next phase is going to be. It'll be great to get out and do something again. I don't normally say this, but there's some great ideas coming out. That's all I've got to do right now. Sit and write riffs!"
Earlier this month, Iommi and DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan headed back into the studio, joined by keyboardist Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE, WHITESNAKE) and drummer Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN) to record a new track, "Out Of My Mind", to raise money to rebuild a music school in Armenia.
Surviving HEAVEN & HELL members Iommi, Butler and Vinny Appice played a very special tribute to their fallen bandmate, Ronnie James Dio, on July 24 at the High Voltage festival at Victoria Park in London, England. The musicians were joined by legendary former DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH man Glenn Hughes and Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande, who sings for power metallers MASTERPLAN and recently released his own tribute to Ronnie.
OZZY OSBOURNE — who will kick off his fall North American arena tour November 12 in Victoria, B.C — has now announced a second leg of U.S. dates which will get underway January 16, 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska. The six-week 2011 trek, part of the multi-platinum Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee's in-progress 18-month world tour, will include a pair of intimate shows: January 26 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix and February 1 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Ozzy's longtime friend and musical collaborator Slash will open all the concerts on the second leg. Tickets for the Live Nation-produced tour go on sale beginning Friday, October 15. Osbourne recently completed a run of overseas festival appearances and headlining overseas performances including his first-ever concert in Israel: a September 28 Ozzfest show at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv.
Later this week, Ozzy will perform shows in Japan (October 16 in Kobe and October 17 in Tokyo) before returning to the U.S. to headline the Voodoo Experience festival Halloween weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana; he will rock the three-day event at City Park City Saturday, October 30. Ozzy will then launch his first leg of solo dates which includes a December 1 show at Madison Square Garden in New York and wraps December 12 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. HALFORD, featuring legendary JUDAS PRIEST front man Rob Halford, will perform on the 2010 dates.
OZZY OSBOURNE / SLASH tour dates:
Jan. 16 - Qwest Center - Omaha, NE
Jan. 18 - Toyota Center - Houston, TX
Jan. 20 - American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX
Jan. 22 - Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
Jan. 24 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
Jan. 26 - Comerica Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
Jan. 28 - Mandalay Bay Resort - Las Vegas, NV
Feb. 01 - Gibson Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 03 - HP Pavilion - San Jose, CA
Feb. 05 - Tacoma Dome - Tacoma, WA
Feb. 08 - Pepsi Center - Denver, CO
Feb. 10 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
Feb. 12 - The Palace of Auburn Hills - Detroit, MI
Feb. 14 - i wireless Center - Moline, IL
Feb. 16 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
Feb. 18 - St Pete Times Forum - Tampa, FL
Feb. 20 - BankAtlantic Center - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Feb. 22 - Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena - Jacksonville, FL
Ozzy's fall dates will coincide with the October 5 release of an expanded two-CD version of the "Scream" album. This "Tour Edition" package will feature seven bonus songs: a mix of previously unreleased tracks and live recordings. Epic will also issue a four-sided vinyl edition that includes five bonus tracks: the three aforementioned songs from the "Scream" sessions and the live version of "Let Me Hear You Scream", along with the single version of "Life Won't Wait".
According to Novinite.com, German hard rockers SCORPIONS have set October 25 as the new date for their concert in Sofia, Bulgaria previously scheduled for last Saturday (October 9).
The Saturday show was canceled because SCORPIONS frontman Klaus Meine was reportedly diagnosed with acute laryngitis and the doctors suggested he take a break for a week. A concert in Athens, Greece was also called off.
The farewell tour by the iconic band — Klaus Meine (vocals), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Rudolf Schenker (guitar), James Kottak (drums) and Pawel Maciwoda (bass) — is in support of their latest album, "Sting In The Tail" (Universal Music Enterprises). It entered the U.S. chart at No. 23, marking the band's highest chart debut in over 20 years.
The SCORPIONS' tour — in celebration of 40-plus years in music— has been a massive success in a soft touring economy, with the group filling many of the arenas they performed at in the United States and Canada.
In a recent interview with Billboard's Ray Waddell, Meine said, "What can I say? It's a celebration… We feel we owe it to our fans and ourselves to keep this energy level. What we pull off every night on this tour, we want to keep it that way to the very last show. We don't want to see ourselves rocking like a hurricane when it's not a hurricane anymore."
The sixth season of the distinguished "That Metal Show", the one and ONLY place on television to celebrate all things hard rock and heavy metal, is back and ready to rock out starting on Saturday, October 16 at 11 p.m.
According to a press release, the sixth season of "That Metal Show" is bigger and badder than ever, extending to a one-hour format, giving viewers more time to get up close and personal with their favorite metal artists.
Hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine ("Crank Yankers", "Inside the NFL", "Meet The Creeps") and Don Jamieson ("Inside The NFL", "Dice Undisputed", "Meet The Creeps"), "That Metal Show" is a round-table talk show where rock legends hang out and discuss their past and current projects, while interacting with metal fans that make up the studio audience.
The first episode of the sixth season of "That Metal Show" was taped on September 30 and is a tribute to legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, who died of stomach cancer on the morning of May 16, at the age of 67.
The following guests have been confirmed to appear on the sixth season of "That Metal Show":
Saturday, October 16:
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL)
* Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL)
* Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, UFO)
* Wendy Dio (Ronnie James Dio's wife/manager)
* Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)
* Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST)
* Craig Goldy (BUDGIE, DIO)
Saturday, October 23:
* Michael Anthony (VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT)
* Kip Winger (WINGER)
* Carrie Keagan
* Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS)
Saturday, October 30:
* Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA)
* Bruce Kulick (KISS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD)
* George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB)
Saturday, November 6:
* Phil Collen (DEF LEPPARD)
* Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT)
* George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB)
Saturday, November 13:
* Jeff Keith, Frank Hannon (TESLA)
* Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT)
* Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS)
Saturday, November 20:
* Bill Ward (BLACK SABBATH)
* Glenn Danzig (DANZIG)
* Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON)
Saturday, November 27:
* Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER)
* Rikki Rockett (POISON)
* Craig Goldy (BUDGIE, DIO)
Saturday, December 4:
* Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES)
* Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE, SLASH)
* George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB)
Saturday, December 11;
"Scrap Metal" - Season 6 Outakes/Unseen Extras
Fans can catch all previous seasons online at VH1Classic.com.
Legendary VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has posted the following update on his MySpace page:
"The 'We're All Gonna Die' tour has been such a good fucking time I can't even begin to express! From the first show at the infamous Roxy in Los Angeles last April through Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the U.S., including the final two shows at the House of Blues back in L.A., we got the most unbelievable response I could possibly have wished for! For that, I want to thank you all for your unbridled energy and passion (plus an extra touch of mayhem). I honestly haven't seen that kind of intensity at a rock concert in a long time! That is what has made the shows so fucking great across the board; Your insatiable appetite for genuine, in-your-face rock and roll, no doubt!
"On that note, I can hardly wait to get rolling again in January. We start in the States then hit Asia, Australia and South America/Mexico. We're working on U.K./European dates as well, ALTER BRIDGE [the band fronted by Slash's lead singer, Myles Kennedy] schedule permitting. I will announce all the exact calendar dates as soon as they are completely finalized and that will be forthcoming very soon. Also, for those of you in South Africa, we badly want to come to come over, but the promoters there have to ship us out. So get on them!
"In the meantime, there's a lot going on. VELVET REVOLVER is back together jamming, trying out singers. No updates yet. But it's great to hook up with Duff [McKagan], Matt [Sorum] and Dave [Kushner] after all this time. I'll keep you posted on any interesting developments from those sessions as they happen. But the creative juices are definitely flowing. I'm positive something awesome is going to surface soon.
"I'll also be out promoting the 'Slash' Deluxe Edition. We've put together a really cool box set of the original 14-song album, plus bonus studio, live and acoustic tracks. There's a couple demos in there, videos, live footage, interviews with the different artists and more. So I'll be popping up here, there and wherever, talking about that etc. I'm also working on killer new material for a future solo (or not) release, the details of which will be coming down the road as well. So all in all, there's a lot of really cool stuff happening!
"That's it for now, looking forward to seeing you out there next year!!"
According to BBC News, GUNS N ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and drummer Frank Ferrer made a surprise appearance at a British music center. They went to the Witchwood School of Rock, Witney, where they offered some advice and jammed with budding stars.
Ferrer joked he was more nervous talking to the children than playing for thousands of fans in London. "I'm actually more nervous going and talking to the kids than I am playing in front of 20,000 people, because you don't see them," he said. "Here you're going to see every little kid's face."
Rob Zombie has contributed his voice and music to "Rock Of The Dead", a zombie-themed first person shooter game which is coming to Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 3 on October 19.
A description of the game reads as follows: "This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of an aspiring rock star who finds himself in the midst of a zombie/alien invasion. Players defeat the creatures by accurately hitting notes, matching inputs, and creating successful riffs — these guitar attacks kill the various enemies. When the bugs, zombies, aliens, and mutant dogs are hit by guitar attacks, brief blood-splatter effects occur. Green blood stains also appear on the floor, in elevators, and on walls. Some song lyrics contain brief references to sexuality (e.g., 'And vicious t-bird breed on the whore' and 'Brain trash porn flash what is why'). During a protracted boss battle, a giant zombie will spew green vomit onto the ground."
Zombie was reportedly written into the fiction of the game, and players can collect eight of his body parts to unlock a Rob Zombie boss character.
2010 is the 30th anniversary of DIAMOND HEAD's first album, "Lightning To The Nations" (a.k.a. The White Album). At selected dates on DIAMOND HEAD's upcoming European tour, the band will be playing the entire LP back to back for the first time ever.
"Lightning To The Nations" was recorded in seven days at Old Smithy Recording Studio in Worcester, England in 1979 and was released on October 3, 1980 through DIAMOND HEAD's own label Happy Face Records. The album came in a plain sleeve with no title, having on it only a signature of one of the band members and no track listing. The reason for this was that the band's manager, Reg Fellows, owned a cardboard factory and could produce blank sleeves at a low cost. There were originally only 1,000 copies pressed of the album, which were only available at their concerts or through mail-order at a price of £3.50.
The full track listing is as follows:
01. Lightning To The Nations
02. The Prince
03. Sucking My Love
04. Am I Evil?
05. Sweet & Innocent
06. It's Electric
07. Helpless
The track "Am I Evil?" was made famous by METALLICA as a B-side to the single "Creeping Death", released in 1984.
"Lightning To The Nations" was recently featured in Classic Rock magazine's 150 greatest debut albums of all time.
"The Clans Will Rise Again", the new album from German power metallers GRAVE DIGGER, has registered the following first-week chart positions:
Germany: #28
Switzerland: #86
Only 1999's "Excalibur" charted higher for GRAVE DIGGER in Germany — at position No. 21.
A widget for "The Clans Will Rise Again" is available below. Released in Europe on October 1 via Napalm Records, the CD was recorded between mid-May and mid-July at the Meadow Studios, which is owned by GRAVE DIGGER's new guitarist Axel Ritt, and Principal Studios, where all of GRAVE DIGGER albums since 1995's "Heart Of Darkness" have been tracked. It was produced by Chris Boltendahl and mixed by Jörg Umbreit.
"The Clans Will Rise Again" track listing:
01. Days Of Revenge
02. Paid In Blood
03. Hammer Of The Scots
04. Highland Farewell
05. The Clans Will Rise Again
06. Rebels
07. Valley Of Tears
08. Execution
09. Whom The Gods Love Die Young
10. Spider
11. The Piper Mcleod
12. Coming Home
13. When Rain Turns To Blood
According to a press release, "Chris Boltendahl, Jens Becker, Stefan Arnold, HP Katzenburg and Axel Ritt offer an explosive mixture of the typical GRAVE DIGGER riff metal, combined with awesome epic chorus hooks, which will fascinate the fans from the very first note.
"'The Clans Will Rise Again' is a loose sequel [to] the 'Tunes Of War' album, but this time not a concept album about the Scottish history, rather a work about Scotland, its mysticism and its people."
Jane Stevenson of the QMI Agency recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On his latest solo album, "Tattoos & Tequila", which is mainly a collection of '70s covers by such artists as SWEET, CHEAP TRICK, AEROSMITH, SEX PISTOLS, ELVIS PRESLEY and ELTON JOHN:
"I just wanted to make a really cool party album.
"The thing with these songs, each one has a memory attached to it. This whole thing is like a window into my life. Every single song has a memory attached to it. I could picture in my mind what I was doing listening to these songs. I was a young kid going to see bands on the Sunset Strip and it takes me back to those days."
On next year's Crüe Fest 3 tour commemorating MÖTLEY CRÜE's 30th anniversary:
"That's when they start calling you legendary and icon when it just really means old. For MÖTLEY to still be viable and selling out arenas and festivals 30 years later, it just shows that we weren't just a flash in the pan. We're very multi-generational now. You see, not only the fans that grew up with you, that are in their 40s, but with their kids, 12-year-olds with 'Shout At the Devil' shirts on. I see a lot of dads with their five year olds on their shoulders taking them to their first rock experience. And attorneys standing next to tattoo artists. It's everything, that's the beauty of being of being in MÖTLEY right now."
On his autobiography, "Tattoos & Tequila", that follows the CRÜE biography, "The Dirt", which came out in 2001.
"That book ['The Dirt'] was written about four guys. I had a voice in it but I just touched on subjects. I touched on my youth, you know growing up in Compton, and witnessing murder after murder and thinking it was normal, and the tragedies with my daughter and the car wrecks (his best friend was killed and Neil, who was driving, served jail time for vehicular manslaughter), getting into music and my high school days and being in MÖTLEY CRÜE. 'The Dirt' is 10 years old so a lot of stuff has happened in the last decade. It's just really the first time I've really told my story."
On his two cocker spaniels:
"Those are the kids. I mean, just because of them I had to buy a jet. I bought an airplane for the dogs 'cause I have a home in San Francisco and Las Vegas and my (fourth and soon-to-be ex) wife won't put them on the crate so I bought a jet to get my dogs back and forth. I would have to charter planes for the dogs all the time and it was getting so expensive that I realized it was cheaper to buy a plane than to keep chartering it"
Los Angeles-based experimental post-hardcore triumvirate PHILM — featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE), and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR) — will open for HALFORD on the following shows:
Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
Dec. 15 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
Dec. 17 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
Dec. 18 - San Diego, CA - 4th & B
Dec. 19 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
While there are elements of metal detected throughout PHILM's sound, the band manages to also incorporate such other styles as jazz, ambient, hardcore punk, experimental, and funk into its unpredictable, cacophony-heavy style. An obvious reason for this multi-genre amalgamation can be directly linked to the gentlemen that play alongside Lombardo in PHILM — Tomaselli is a long-time member of funk rockers WAR, and Nestler fronts prog metallists CIVIL DEFIANCE. Add it all up, and you get the wonderful world of PHILM.
As Lombardo himself explains, expect the unexpected from PHILM. "When people hear about my involvement in PHILM, they automatically assume that it will compare to SLAYER's sound," he says. "They couldn't be more different. PHILM's sound is almost bi-polar — very unexpected of something that I would be so passionate about, and be a part of. I have scaled down my drum set to a four-piece, reminiscent to the drummers of the late '60s that influenced me. Each song is unique in itself, I like to refer to it as 'rhythmic emotion.' It's almost like taking all the heavy songs of the 60's and bringing that era to a modern plateau, then blending them with the modern trance and psychedelic sounds of today. When I think of PHILM, that's where I go."
PHILM continues writing material, and has just completed a four-song demo at East West Studios.
With one fell swoop, PHILM shoots down the famous theory of "strength in numbers," as few rock bands in history comprised of only three members effortlessly manage to create such mammoth slabs of noise metal. Prepare yourself for the sonic onslaught of PHILM!
In a recent interview with AOL's Noisecreep, Nestler stated about PHILM's formation, "Dave and I first got together in 1997 to start an original band. We later regrouped between SLAYER's scheduled tour dates in late 2009, playing some upstairs jams at the Rainbow in Hollywood. We then decided to restart our band. Pancho had met Dave a few years back at one Dave's drum clinics and we decided to invite him in."
Regarding PHILM's sound, Nestler said, "The music of PHILM is channeled through the many different influences of drum and bass, expressionism, and underground that ranges via ancient and indigenous to street. There are many different things that Dave and I have been into that have contributed to the vision of PHILM. Pancho's highly skilled bass playing, chordal color and shape have helped expand the overall sound instrumentation and groove. Dave Lombardo's drumming goes without comparison, except that it might be said, to quote Pancho that 'it's like playing with the seven, not four, horses of the Apocalypse behind you.'"
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/philmrocks.
IMMORTAL, OVERKILL and STORMWARRIOR are the first confirmed bands for next year's edition of Bang Your Head!!! festival, set to take place July 15-16, 2011 in Balingen, Germany.
Launched in 1996, the Bang Your Head!!! festival has become one of the most prominent metal festivals in central Germany, drawing an audience of thousands from all over the world.
For more information, visit www.bang-your-head.de.
Montreal-based hard rock heavyweight PRIESTESS has announced a fall U.S. headlining tour in support of its critically acclaimed album "Prior To The Fire". The tour will launch on November 6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and include support from fast-rising Brooklyn trio NAAM.
"2010 has been a great year for PRIESTESS, but we're not nearly done yet," commented frontman Mikey Heppner. "We're ready to bring the heat yet again."
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 06 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
Nov. 07 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
Nov. 09 - Washington, DC - DC9
Nov. 10 - Asheville, NC - Stella Blue
Nov. 11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Nov. 12 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
Nov. 14 - Covington, KY - The Mad Hatter
Nov. 15 - Cleveland, OH - Pirate's Cove @ Peabody's
Nov. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - 31st Street Pub
Nov. 17 - Columbus, OH - Skully's
Nov. 19 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
"Prior To The Fire" was recorded in Los Angeles with producer David Schiffman (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, THE MARS VOLTA, NINE INCH NAILS) and it "underlines PRIESTESS' hard-hitting songwriting, memorable hooks and earth-shaking ability to rock," according to a press release. The long-awaited follow up to 2006's critically acclaimed debut "Hello Master" sees PRIESTESS at once hungry, fierce and focused. The record's majestic power merges titanic riffs, memorable metal, progressive rock and hard psych elements with the powerful, expressive vocals of Mikey Heppner to create an album that will floor heavy music fans.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/priestesstour.jpg
Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE will embark on a European headlining tour in February 2011. Confirmed dates are as follows:
Feb. 07 - Pratteln (CH) Preproduction
Feb. 08 - Pratteln (CH) Z7
Feb. 09 - Lyon (F) Transbordeur
Feb. 11 - Bilbao (SP) Rockstar Live
Feb. 12 - Madrid (SP) La Riviera
Feb. 13 - Barcelona (SP) Razzmatazz
Feb. 15 - Paris (F) Elysee Montmartre
Feb. 16 - Ludwigsburg (D) Rockfabrik
Feb. 17 - Köln (D) Live Music Hall
Feb. 18 - Charleroi (B) Le Coliseum
Feb. 20 - Nürnberg (D) Hirsch
Feb. 21 - Katowice (PL) Mega Club
Feb. 22 - Kosice (SK) JUMBO centrum
Feb. 23 - Bratislava (SK) MMC (Majestic Music Club)
Feb. 25 - Bologna (I) Estragon
Feb. 26 - Roma (I) Atlantico
Feb. 28 - Milano (I) Alcatraz
RHAPSODY OF FIRE will release an epic monument called "The Cold Embrace Of Fear - A Dark Romantic Symphony" on October 15 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Comments RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli: "For this special CD we composed a unique song of around 35 minutes divided in seven 'acts.'
"Looking at the title, you can easily imagine that such long and epic song will show the most cinematic and orchestral side of our band, all our passion for the world of cinema we love so much and that always represented our main influence while composing the RHAPSODY's music.
"Essentially it is a long huge song, sounding very symphonic, full of orchestral sections very soundtrack-oriented, narrations and spoken parts. More than in other cases we tried to create a real movie atmosphere with very dynamic musical results, also thanks to the help of the English actors that gave voice to different charachters. You will just need to close your eyes and explore those new emotional dimensions we wrote the music for."
The lyrics of this monumental, epic symphony are based on the "dark secret saga" and represent a new chapter, directly connected to the band's latest album, "The Frozen Tears Of Angels".
Luca: "After the long journey to the icy frozen northlands at the borders of the known world, while facing concrete natural obstacles and the inner demons lying in the depths of their conscience, the five main charachters reach the ancient gothic fortress of Har-Kuun, a real monument of evil trapped between ice and snow, the mystic place where the Erian's book could be finally found.
"'The Cold Embrace Of Fear' tells about the entrance of those bravehearts in the ancestral world of Har-Kuun and the dramatic search for the holy book of the angels, only possible way to understand something more about the dark secret threatening the whole known world. Also in this case I liked to create particular 'bridges' connecting the new chapter of the saga with our modern life on the basis of symbolism, ancient wisdom and spiritual evolution.
"To someone who knows something about modern psychology and the study of the different 'self,' the hidden geometries and gothic labyrinths of Har-Kuun will reveal themselves very clearly."
Once again, legendary actor Christopher Lee was chosen for the spoken parts as a main narrator. "We couldn't imagine to release something like this without his fundamental participation," Luca says. "Sir Lee is one member of the RHAPSODY OF FIRE's family since a lot of time and we love him not only as an actor but also as man. Because of his great and majestic personality he has surely the aura of a king of the ancient times."
RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 52 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.
"The Frozen Tears Of Angels" registered the following first-week chart positions:
Italy: #31
Germany: #33
Switzerland: #39
Japan: #41
France: #51
Austria: #58
Belgium: #96
"The Frozen Tears Of Angels" was released in Europe on April 30 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced by Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli and it was mixed and mastered by Sascha Paeth at the Gate Studio (AVANTASIA, EPICA) in Wolfsburg, Germany. It was made available as a standard version jewelcase, as "a highsize digipak" with two bonus tracks and as a gatefold double-vinyl.
California metallers LIZZY BORDEN have commenced the songwriting process for their next studio album, tentateively due in 2011. "It's gonna be more song-orientated and I want each individual song to really have something to say," the band's frontman and namesake told Sleaze Roxx in a new interview. He added, "I always like to sing about the darker side of life; it's just more interesting to me than... happy things. And through all the years, and after several recordings, I can say I'm a better singer and a better performer than back in the '80s because I'm more open-minded to all different styles of music and my way of singing. Nowadays I'm able to sing more the full range and it sounds good to me. . . All I want is to come out with the record of our lives!"
LIZZY BORDEN recruited guitarist A.C. Alexander (WARRIOR, HATETIMESNINE) for the band's recent European tour.
LIZZY BORDEN is:
Lizzy Borden: Vocals
Joey Scott: Drums
Marten Andersson: Bass
Dario Lorina: Guitar
A.C. Alexander: Guitar
Over the past two years, the LIZZY BORDEN "Appointment With Death" show produced spectacular performances in 11 countries (from North America to Europe) and on the main stages of some of biggest festivals like, Sweden Rock (Sweden), Bang Your Head!!! (Germany), Kobetasonic (Spain) and Rocklahoma (USA), with several critics supposedly declaring LIZZY BORDEN the hit of the festivals and comparing the LIZZY BORDEN show to a KISS concert.
LIZZY BORDEN's most recent shows were best-of performances, incorporating songs from the band's entire catalog, including the latest record, "Appointment With Death". The group is performing all of the classic songs like "Me Against The World", "American Metal" and "Master Of Disguise" as well as tracks "Tomorrow Never Comes" and "Under Your Skin" from the latest CD.
Tickets sold out in only thirty minutes for the legendary German band RAMMSTEIN's December 11 performance at the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. This will be the only U.S. show by the Berlin-based six-piece band, which has not performed in the United States since 2001. The show was announced September 27, tickets went on sale for the show Friday, October 8 at noon Eastern and before an hour passed, tickets were officially sold out. This makes RAMMSTEIN the first German band in history to accomplish such a feat.
The band's appearance at Quebec's Summer Festival () in July 2010 already lured thousands of U.S. fans to cross the border into Canada and since last fall, RAMMSTEIN's formidable live show traversed Europe in twenty 18-wheelers packed with pyrotechnics, flame-throwers, bazookas and enough ordnance to level a small country.
RAMMSTEIN first stormed America in 1998, touring with a set based on their Grammy-nominated breakthrough second release, "Sehnsucht", featuring "Du Hast", the song prominently featured in David Lynch's film "Lost Highway".
In a recent interview with Seattle Gay News, RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Kruspe was asked when fans could expect to see the band perform in America again. "Good question," he replied. "Actually, we talked about it today, a lot. What we plan to do right now is a lot of things — we're not 20 anymore, so things have changed for us. At the moment, it looks like America is the only market where we cannot provide the same show as we play in the rest of the world. So we have to be balanced, like, what makes financial sense? One of my dreams is Madison Square Garden — just to play one show and to feel out, like if there is a need for us, are people waiting for us, what can we do, what would be the next step? It can change, nothing is set in stone, nothing is confirmed, but we've talked about what's the best thing, so the fans are happy and the band is happy. But I'm a big supporter of the American market."
RAMMSTEIN's latest album, "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart. Previously, the group's best rank came with its 1998 chart debut, "Sehnsucht", which peaked at No. 45 off the strength of its only U.S. radio chart hit, "Du Hast".
"Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" arrived in stores on October 20, 2009 through a marketing and distribution deal with Vagrant Records and Universal Music Germany. The album was produced by Jacob Hellner and RAMMSTEIN, with recording done at Northern California's Sonoma Mountain Studio. The first single from the 11-track release was "Pussy", which was released as a digital single on September 22, 2009 and accompanied by one of the year's most viral videos.
RAMMSTEIN is:
Till Lindemann - Vocals
Paul Landers - Guitar
Richard Z. Kruspe - Guitar
Oliver Riedel - Bass
Christoph Schneider - Drums
Flake Lorenz - Keyboards
Sludge metal legends CROWBAR have scheduled the following dates:
Oct. 18 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Oct. 19 - Houston, TX - Numbers
Oct. 21 - Lafayette, LA - Sadie's Downtown
Oct. 22 - Shreveport, LA - Riverside Warehouse
Oct. 30 - Gulfport MS - The Door
Oct. 31 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Shock
w/ BLACK TUSK:
Nov. 27 - Savannah, GA @ The Jinx
Nov. 28 - Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit
Nov. 29 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Nov. 30 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
Dec. 01 - Charleston, SC @ Jimbo's Rock Lounge
Dec. 02 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
Dec. 03 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Dec. 04 - Trenton, NJ @ Championship Bar & Grill
Dec. 05 - New York, NY @ Santo's Party House
Dec. 06 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary Coast
Dec. 07 - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
Dec. 08 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
Dec. 09 - Niagara Falls, NY @ Evening Star Music Hall
Dec. 10 - Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room
Dec. 11 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
Dec. 12 - St Louis, MO @ Fubar
Dec. 13 - Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
Dec. 14 - Little Rock @ The Village
Dec. 15 - Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee
Dec. 16 - Dallas @ Trees
CROWBAR recently entered the studio to begin recording its new album for an early 2001 release via E1 Music.
CROWBAR re-released three of its influential records — "Crowbar", "Live +1" and "Time Heals Nothing" — on October 5. These three albums are the band's core titles and have influenced many of today's major metal acts, including LAMB OF GOD and HATEBREED. With each title originally being released in the early Nineties, this isthe first time all three records are widely available in stores.
Musicpix.net recently conducted an interview with GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow.
On LORDI:
"Did you see how the guys from LORDI threw out their drummer because he took his costume off? See, if they just were like GWAR, they wouldn't have to wear costumes, they could just be themselves."
On Rob Zombie:
"I think Rob Zombie is, like, the most plagiaristic, uninspired... 'Let's remake 'Halloween'... Let's steal everything from 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and put in my movie and pretend like it's mine.' If they would step up and let GWAR, which has been the most consistently awesome force in shock-rock for 25 fucking years, let GWAR make a fucking movie about... about GWAR, and it would be super-cool . . . We'd love to just shake our magic dick wand and make a movie, but unfortunately, these things cost millions of dollars to do and I have a crack habit to support, which is fucking pretty considerable. But if Rob Zombie was willing to spend his money, I would let him make a movie about me."
TheRave.com will be streaming a live GWAR concert on Halloween — Sunday, October 31 — from the Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The webcast will begin at 11 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. CT. The stream will allow fans around the world to view GWAR's backstage preparation to enter the blood-soaked battlefield that is the insanity of GWAR's infamous live shows, plus footage of the bloody scum dogs who survived, and backstage after the show where GWAR revels in their killing field victories.
GWAR lead singer Oderus Urungus says about the broadcast, "We will be offering the entire human race the chance to see our Halloween show in Milwaukee via the Internet… That's right — a pay-per-view first-hand worldwide ringside seat to our sickest show this year and for a reasonable price as well."
Tickets for this exclusive stream are $2.99 if you order before October 15, $3.99 if you order between October 16-30 and $4.99 the day of the broadcast.
TheRave.com is the online entertainment source for The Rave/Eagles Club, well known as one of America's most haunted live entertainment complexes.
TheRave.com most recently streamed live concerts from SHINEDOWN, UNDEROATH, BENNY BENASSI, DEVILDRIVER, EPICA, VADER and others. These webcasts have been seen by over 100,000 people in over one hundred countries.
The Rave/Eagles club is a 180,000-square-foot entertainment complex with seven concert halls in one building, four of which are already wired for simultaneous live broadcasts, with anywhere from three to eight cameras. Over 2000 bands will play the facility in 2010.
Drummer Adam Suleiman has left Norwegian doom metallers SYRACH. The band states, "We have been seeing this coming for some time, since he's only been in Bergen twice in one year for rehearsals. Fair enough, since he got a great job in Oslo he have our understanding and the best of luck in the future. Hopefully he will not quit drumming, as he is FAR too good to leave his sticks on the shelf, especially since he is only 25 years old... (joke!)."
SYRACH in June entered the studio to make a pre-production recording of four brand new songs.
The band's sophomore album, "A Dark Burial", was released in July 2009 via Napalm Records. The CD was produced by Bjørnar Nilsen and features artwork (see below) by Martin Kvamme, who has previously worked with FANTOMAS, Mike Patton, DARKTHRONE and lots of other artists.
SYRACH was formed in 1993 in Kalandseidet, near Bergen, Norway — a region known to have spawned bands like IMMORTAL and BURZUM, to name a few.
Madrid, Spain-based power metallers DARK MOOR will release their eighth album, "Ancestral Romance", in November.The follow-up to 2009's "Autumnal" was recorded at New Sin Studios in Italy with producer Luigi Stefanini and features cover artwork (see below) by artist Samuel Araya (CRADLE OF FILTH, ELVENKING).
Commented the band: "We are very pleased with the outcome of our new album, 'Ancestral Romance'. We have been working for months on this new work and recording with our usual producer, Luigi Stefanini, has been the culmination of all that effort.
"This new album is explores deeper and gets further in our own style, which became more consolidated in our last releases. In this way, the whole orchestra and choir work has been developed and is in perfect symbiosis with rock instruments. As a result the album has passages of great drama and all the expressiveness we wanted to start the work with.
"The theme of 'Ancestral Romance' revolves around Spain's culture and history, as is well established in pieces like 'Oh, Wretched Me!', based on the 'Life Is A Dream' by Calderon de la Barca , 'Tilt At Windmills' based on Don Quixote, 'Mio Cid' inspired by the legend of the Spanish hero El Cid, 'Alaric de Marnac', an adaptation of Paul Naschy's latest book of the same title, 'Love From Stone' which tells of the legend of the lovers of Teruel, 'Gadir' inspired by the first city founded in Europe: Cádiz, or 'Ritual Fire Dance', adaptation of 'Danza del Fuego' by Manuel de Falla, Spanish composer.
"All lyrics have been written by the Spanish poet Francisco José García, our usual collaborator. Thanks to his great work, Alfred was able to connect very well with the spirit of each song and do a great job of interpretation, emphasizing and increasing his natural baritone timbre. This album also features DARK MOOR's first song in Spanish, 'La Canción del Pirata', where the band has put music to the famous poem by Espronceda."
"Ancestral Romance" track listing:
01. Gadir
02. Love From Stone
03. Alaric De Marnac
04. Mio Cid
05. Just Rock
06. Tilt At Windmills
07. La Canción Del Pirata
08. Ritual Fire Dance
09. Oh! Wretched Me
10. A Music In My Soul
Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA will debut a brand new song from their upcoming album during their appearance at the Fúria Festival on October 17 at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. Also scheduled to perform are ANDRÉ MATOS and AYGAN.
SEPULTURA will return to the U.S. for two exclusive shows in 2011. Joining them will be fellow Brazilian metallers ANGRA.
The details are as follows:
Jan. 13 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
Jan. 14 - House of Blues - Hollywood, CA
SEPULTURA has added a special event VIP ticket for a pre-show meet-and-greet to take place one hour before doors. Each night, fans will get to meet and greet SEPULTURA.
LIFE OF AGONY and BIOHAZARD will team up for a co-headlining show on December 16 at the Best Buy Theater (formerly Nokia Theater) in New York City. Support at the gig will come from VISION OF DISORDER (V.O.D.). Tickets go on sale on October 22.
On Saturday, April 3, 2010, I Scream Records recorded and filmed LIFE OF AGONY's performance at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium, the second show of the band's exclusive European "20 Years Strong" tour. The "20 Years Strong - River Runs Red: Live In Brussels" live album — which is a digipak combo release containing a CD of the entire concert as well as a DVD with a 10-camera production of the show, an on-the-road documentary and much more — was released on July 19 in Europe and July 27 in the USA.
BIOHAZARD is hard at work on its new album for an early 2011 release. This marks the first time the four original members — Evan Seinfeld, Billy Graziadei, Danny Schuler and Bobby Hambel — have recorded together since 1994's breakthrough CD "State Of The World Address".
BIOHAZARD last year finished a 22-month reunion world tour where the band played 100-plus shows on five continents.
Britain's independent heavy metal powerhouse Peaceville Records will begin releasing new editions of classic DARKTHRONE albums later this month from the recently acquired Moonfog Productions catalogue titles.
The first reissue, "Panzerfaust" — DARKTHRONE's fifth album overall — will be made available on October 25 as a double-disc set and individually numbered vinyl (2000). The 2-CD edition includes a bonus disc featuring commentary from DARKTHRONE's infamous drummer/lyricist Fenriz for a first-hand perspective behind the creation of the 1995 frost-fuelled black metal masterpiece. Additionally, Peaceville Records will reissue the rare second ISENGARD release, "Høstmørke" (1995), on October 25. The album, which was performed entirely by Fenriz, also features a special commentary disc conducted by Fenriz, reflecting on the recording process, as well as an insight into the time of the recording.
With a new lineup firmly in place, the heaviest band to ever rock the Maldives, SERENITY DIES, has announced that it has begun writing new material with recently added guitarist/vocalist Jared MacEachern (ex-SANCTITY). Fans of the group's debut EP, "Hacksawcracy", can expect to see the bands crushing, yet melodic modern thrash sound taken to the next level. MacEachern stated, "I'm really excited to join SERENITY DIES. This band is exactly what I was looking for and I'm stoked that they asked me to be a part of it! We've already got our collective creative juices flowing, and newsongs are in the works. We're all really looking forward to breaking some heads!"
Taking inspiration from the likes of MEGADETH and METALLICA with a uniquely modern twist that emphasizes memorable songwriting, surgically precise riffing, and one hell of a rhythmic punch, the Maldives-based act sprints out of the blocks with refreshing vigor.
Released in July, "Hacksawcracy" features guest appearances by Rob Caggiano (ANTHRAX) and Mikko Salovaara (KIUAS) who perform guitar solos on "Psycho Ride" and "Dystopian Law", respectively.
"Hacksawcracy" was produced/mixed by Anssi Kippo (CHILDREN OF BODOM) alongside Grammy Award-winning engineer Gavin Lurssen ("Slumdog Millionaire", "Across the Universe", "Iron Man", GUNS N' ROSES, ROB ZOMBIE, ALICE COOPER).
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/serenitydies.
DECOMPOSTER, the new project featuring FINNTROLL frontman Mathias Lillmåns, entered the studio yesterday (Monday, October 11) to begin recording "three tracks of ass-grinding death metal." No further details are currently available.
DECOMPOSTER is:
Mathias Lillmåns (FINNTROLL) - Vocals/Bass
Samuli Ponsimaa - Guitar
Mika Aaltonen - Guitar
Rainer Tuomikanto - Drums
TRIPTYKON, the group formed by former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Warrior, has been confirmed for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2011 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, United Kingdom. Also scheduled to appear are IMMORTAL and RHAPSODY OF FIRE.
The Bloodstock Open Air heavy metal festival was established in 2005 to bring a wider choice of heavy metal bands to the U.K. and provide a venue for the best established and unsigned metal bands to perform in front of a large an enthusiastic audience of true metalheads.
Bloodstock Open Air features three days of diverse international heavy metal bands across three stages, a large selection of merchandise stalls, metal karaoke, campsite and a wide selection of food, bars and other refreshments.
Norwegian/Spanish female-fronted gothic metallers SIRENIA have set "The Enigma Of Life" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in early 2011. According to the band, singer Ailyn is currently in the studio laying down her vocals on the CD.
SIRENIA's last album, "The 13th Floor", debuted at No. 149 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.
"The 13th Floor" was released in Europe on January 23, 2009. The CD was tracked at Sound Suite Studios in France and Stargoth Studios in Norway while the mixing and mastering sessions took place at the Antfarm Studios in Denmark with Tue Madsen.
SIRENIA's video for the song "The Path To Decay" was shot in Gothenburg, Sweden with director Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL) of Revolver Film Company.
SIRENIA recruited singer Ailyn (born: Pilar Giménez García) as the replacement for Monika Pedersen, who left the group in 2007 after only one album due to "musical differences."
Ailyn is best known as a member of the young team in the Spanish version of "The X Factor", the biggest television talent competition in Europe.
POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — has set "Lead & Roll Vol. 5" as the working title of its next album.
As previously reported, guitarist Antti Leiviskä (MARY, BRYSSEL KAUPALLINEN, SICKNOTE) will fill in for POISONBLACK's Janne Markus at all upcoming shows.
"Of Rust And Bones", the fourth album from POISONBLACK, entered the official chart in the group's home country at position No. 6. The follow-up to 2008's "A Dead Heavy Day" was recorded with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who has previously worked with such acts as HIM, SENTENCED, AMORPHIS and ENSIFERUM. The cover and booklet artwork was created by Teemu Hostikka.
"A Dead Heavy Day" also entered the Finnish chart at position No. 6.
Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON have issued the following update:
"Our off year is coming to an end and in a few months time we will start writing for a new album.
"We are feeling fresh and charged.
"In 2011 we will re-release all albums from the Nineties with updated artwork and remastering where it is needed. There might even be some interesting shows to go with it!
"Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to visit Russia with [the last SATYRICON album] 'The Age Of Nero', until now that is. Therefore we are pleased to announce shows in St Petersburg and Moscow in December!"
The details are as follows:
Dec. 11 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Orlandina Club
Dec. 12 - Moscow, Russia - Tochka Club
In late 2009, SATYRICON announced that it was planning to take a break following the completion of the group's most recent headlining European tour. "We tried to perfect everything SATYRICON has learnt and experienced musically for the last decade on 'The Age Of Nero' and we feel that we reached the goal we set out to achieve," the band stated at the time. "It is time to pave way for something new. No, we won't return to something old. Forget it! All we know is that regardless of what we end up doing, it will still sound unmistakably like SATYRICON."
SATYRICON vocalist Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven told Terrorizer.com that the band's December 20, 2009 concert in London, England would mark the beginning of a new phase in the group's evolution. "From then on, there are going to be a lot of changes in the SATYRICON camp," he said. "After we take a long touring break and come back a couple of years later, certain people may not be with us any longer. Although we won't be doing anything overly dramatic, we'll be trying quite a few different things, which I think is going to be really good for SATYRICON. The reason we're doing that is so we can continue to develop our sound. At the moment we are still enjoying what we do, but if that continues any longer it'll undoubtedly stagnate, so we need to ensure that doesn't happen. And moving in different musical directions is definitely a good way to go about it."
"As an artist, there are so many new things I'd like to do," Satyr added. "And one of them is to work on some songwriting for SATYRICON, though from an entirely different angle. For example, we may chose to go for a similar tone, but use a different set of instruments in the next record. Maybe there are also other recording techniques, which could add a different element to our work and open up fresh musical territory. Our last three releases all follow a certain style and pattern, and we want to create a record that's radically different from the others. Though the foundation of SATYRICON's sound — my songwriting and Frost's signature drumming — will always remain unchanged."
Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based sympho/black/folk/power metallers BLACKGUARD (formerly PROFUGUS MORTIS) have inked a deal with Victory Records. The band's new album is tentatively due on February 15, 2011. The CD was recorded at several different studios, including Chris Donaldson's (CRYPTOPSY) home studio, Badass studios with producer Jef Fortin (ANONYMUS, NEURAXIS, THE LAST FELONY) and Silver Wing studios.
BLACKGUARD's debut album, "Profugus Mortis", was released in March 2009 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records and April 2009 in North America through Sumerian Records.
Arizona extreme metallers JOB FOR A COWBOY have announced a fall U.S. headlining tour. The trek will launch on December 5 in San Antonio, Texas and feature support from SKELETONWITCH and MISERY INDEX.
The dates are as follows:
Dec. 05 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Dec. 06 - Dallas, TX - The Door
Dec. 07 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
Dec. 09 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
Dec. 10 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Dec. 11 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit's
Dec. 12 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Dec. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's Downunder
Dec. 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
Dec. 16 - New York, NY - Santos Party House
Dec. 17 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
Dec. 18 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
Dec. 19 - Richmond, VA - Canal Club
Dec. 20 - Nashville, TN – Rocketown
Germany's DEADLOCK has entered Slaughter's Palace studio to begin recording its new album for an early 2011 release via Lifeforce Records. The as-yet-untitled CD is once again being produced and engineered by the band's musical mastermind and guitar/sound wizard Sebastian Reichl.
Check out photos from the studio on DEADLOCK's Facebook page.
DEADLOCK's "The Brave / Agony Applause" video can be viewed below. The clip was filmed with director Philipp Hirsch (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, AMON AMARTH, DISILLUSION). The track comes off the group's last album, "Manifesto", which was released in Europe in November 2008 via Lifeforce Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Wolves" was mixed by Jacob Hansen (MERCENARY, VOLBEAT, RAUNCHY) and was released in several different formats. The artwork and design for "Manifesto" was handled by Adam Wentworth, who had previously worked with BEYONCÉ, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and A LIFE ONCE LOST.
Australian melodic death metallers UNIVERSUM are putting the finishing touches on their sophomore album, "Mortuus Machina", for a tentative early 2011 release. The follow-up to 2008's "Leto Destinatus" will be mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren of Sweden's Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, SOILWORK, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA) and will feature guest appearances by the following musicians:
* Christian Älvestam (SCAR SYMMETRY, SOLUTION .45)
* Marios Iliopoulos (NIGHTRAGE)
* Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, DRAGONLAND, AMARANTHE)
* Ola Frenning (SOILWORK)
* Tuomas "Tommy" Tuovinen (MYGRAIN)
* Paul Wardingham
"Mortuus Machina" track listing:
01. Fractured Archetype (feat. Älvestam)
02. Morte Noir
03. Sum Of The Universe (feat. Älvestam, Iliopoulos, Mörck)
04. Genetic Sequence Distortion
05. Asymmetric Dimensional State (feat. Frenning, Tuovinen)
06. Slaves To The New Order
07. Aeon Displacement (feat. Wardingham)
08. Transcendence 0.0
09. 2.0 (feat. Älvestam)
10. Take Another
11. Blank Infinity
Video footage of Christian Älvestam laying down guest vocals for the new UNIVERSUM album can be viewed below.
In the two years since the release of "Leto Destinatus", UNIVERSUM made a major impact both in Australia and internationally and has received widespread acclaim from the media and its ever-growing legion of fans. The success of the debut album, together with live performances alongside international big guns DRAGONFORCE (Australian national tour) and CRADLE OF FILTH , a string of endorsements and a very well received video clip has seen UNIVERSUM quickly become regarded as one of Australia's premier melodic death metal acts.
For more information, visit www.universum.com.au.
"There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret", the third album from Sheffield, U.K. metallers BRING ME THE HORIZON, has entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 13.
From the progressive opening riff and digital manipulation of choristers in the epic "Crucify Me" to the violins of "Don't Go" to instrumental track "Memorial", it quickly becomes clear that this is an album like no other.
The band locked itself away in a lochside mansion deep in rural Scotland for the majority of the writing period, and, free from distractions, was able to push its writing further than ever. Yet the album still includes the trademark elements that have become staples of BRING ME THE HORIZON's sound since 2006 — precision guitar riffs, venomously dark lyrics, massive beatdowns and gang vocals destined to be chants at the band's incendiary live shows.
The team at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden (where BRING ME THE HORIZON recorded 2008's "Suicide Season") was again at the helm of the recording, this time bringing in electronic and programming authority KC Blitz to assist with the instrumental aspects of the album. The CD also includes appearances from various special guests, including Josh Franceschi of YOU ME AT SIX (on "Fuck") who stated, "I'm really excited to be part of this record as it's going to turn some heads, and that's what music is all about." Also featured on the album are Josh Scogin of THE CHARIOT (on "The Fox And The Wolf"), Sonny Moore (a.k.a. Skrillex) with electronica contributions and Canadian electro-pop starlet Lights (on "Crucify Me" and "Don't Go").
"There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" is, in many ways, a concept album. Frontman Oli Sykes vividly explores humanity's collective good nature and the celestial euphoria associated with love, lust, truth and desire; this is balanced by the darkness and evil that is buried deep inside all of us. Lyrically and musically, the album is the band's most honest work to date as Sykes lays bare his fears, weaknesses and anger, which is just one layer on this truly progressive and advanced third album.
"There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret" track listing:
01. Crucify Me
02. Anthem
03. It Never Ends
04. Fuck
05. Don't Go
06. Home Sweet Hole
07. Alligator Blood
08. Visions
09. Blacklist
10. Memorial
11. Blessed With A Curse
12. The Fox And The Wolf
On November 23, Metal Blade Records will release JOB FOR A COWBOY's "Ruination" album as a limited-edition 3x10" colored vinyl/CD box set; the collection housing the album as well as both rare and live material from the award-winning band. The special set's track listing is as follows:
a. LP #1: Vinyl color: green
Side A
01. Unfurling a Darkened Gospel
02. Summon the Hounds
03. Constitutional Masturbation
Side B
01. Regurgitated Disinformation
02. March to the Global Enslavement
LP #2: Vinyl color: orange
Side A
01. Butchering the Enlightened
02. Lords of Chaos
03. Psychological Immortality
Side B
01. To Detonate and Exterminate
02. Ruination
LP #3: Vinyl color: red
Side A
01. The Matter of Splatter (Exhumed cover song)
02. Embedded (Live @ 2007 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival)
03. Altered from Catechization (Live @ 2007 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival)
Side B
01. Entombment of a Machine (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
02. Unfurling A Darkened Gospel (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
03. Regurgitated Disinformation (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
Bonus CD
01. The Matter of Splatter (EXHUMED cover)
02. Embedded (Live @ 2007 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival)
03. Altered from Catechization (Live @ 2007 New England Metal & Hardcore Festival)
04. Entombment of a Machine (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
05. Unfurling A Darkened Gospel (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
06. Regurgitated Disinformation (Live @ Unitarian Church, Philadelphia 2009)
Liverpool, U.K.-based "purveyors of misery and hope" SEROTONAL — who feature in their ranks original ANATHEMA vocalist Darren White along side guitarist Jon Francis-White and drummer Wayne Denny — are currently working on their sophomore album, "The Renunciant", for an early 2011 release. According to a press release the follow-up to "Monumental - Songs of Misery and Hope" will contain "passages that are heavier and more intensely crushing than before, intertwined with dynamic grooves and emotive, quiet moments they aim to make the aural journey more interesting to the listener."
SEROTONAL recently parted ways with guitarist Gary Hill and bass player Andrew Heath in a move which will mean a temporary break from touring but enables the remaining creative partnership to further express its potential and to concentrate on expanding the band's musical direction.
Although SEROTONAL is content to continue with the current lineup, the band is open to the possibility of another guitarist/keyboard player and a bass player joining. Interested parties can e-mail the band directly at serotonal@hotmail.com.
Vocalist/guitarist Nornagest of Belgian black metallers ENTHRONED has joined forces with the Colombian ambient/ritual act THE RED ANGLE. According to a posting on the ENTHRONED MySpace page, "This project is the work of magickal forces into left hand path tantra and luciferian sorcery. THE RED ANGLE creates old-school black metal combining the essence of ritual, ambient sound waves.
"The first offering in this form will be recorded by the end of the year."
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