2010 will go down as the year that we lost one of hard rock/heavy metal's all-time great vocalists, Ronnie James Dio (after a valiant battle with cancer). Throughout a career that saw Ronnie pen or co-pen classics with such legendary acts as ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, and with his solo group, DIO, there are simply not enough words to describe the singer's contribution to rock music worldwide. Niji Entertainment Group Inc. has announced the opening of the official Ronnie James Dio webstore. Dio fans around the world will now be able to purchase official tour shirts, jackets, hats, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, vinyl and box sets from ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and Dio on the webstore. There will be many cool new Dio items recently designed that will be must-haves for your collections! The webstore also offers all the official HEAVEN & HELL items, including shirts, CDs, DVDs and vinyl.
Dean Schachtel, General Manager for Niji Entertainment Group, commented: "Fans were having a hard time finding product in stores. They can now have a one-stop shop at our webstore and purchase their favorite Dio collectables and memorabilia at fair prices." The webstore also offers worldwide shipping, which is certain to please Dio's large and loyal fan base. Selected official Dio t-shirts will be available for purchase as well. This week features an official 1985 "Sacred Heart" t-shirt. Each week thereafter, a different one will be available, eventually including classic tour t-shirts.
To celebrate the life of the man that has become synonymous with metal, the double disc set "Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" will be released on November 9, 2010. This item is available for pre-order for only $15.98, and as an added bonus until November 5, 2010 includes an original stick on backstage pass. The first disc was recorded at the first-ever U.K. performance by Dio's solo group while on tour supporting their classic debut, "Holy Diver". And the setlist does a superb job reflecting Dio's debut (featuring such classics as "Rainbow in the Dark", "Stand Up And Shout", etc.), as well as classics from both RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH ("Man on the Silver Mountain", "Heaven and Hell", etc.) — resulting in a thorough retrospective of Dio's career, from RAINBOW to BLACK SABBATH to solo hits. The second disc of "Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" features guitarist Craig Goldy's debut — recorded in 1987, in support of the "Dream Evil" album,
and contains highlights from Dio's career. "Dio at Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987" will be the very first release from the Niji Entertainment Group (which was formed by Ronnie James Dio and his wife/manager, Wendy Dio, in early 2010). The set will be released as a deluxe digipak including a booklet filled with rare photographs and liner notes, and original replica all-access laminates from both shows. Ronnie was the executive producer on the Donington project, and was very much looking forward to the release.
One of the brand new exclusive collectable pieces available on the Dio webstore is an autographed limited edition baseball, presented in a display case (only two thousand were produced). Each piece is numbered, and features Ronnie's DIO logo and autograph. It was well-known to many Dio fans that Ronnie loved baseball, and it was his dream to play in the major leagues. He was once quoted saying he would trade in his rock-star career for one playing with the Yankees!
The Niji Entertainment Group is a full-service record label, and will be releasing rare and unreleased recordings from Dio and other artists. November 23 will see two additional releases from the Niji Entertainment Group — a deluxe limited-edition picture disc of Dio's classic solo debut, "Holy Diver", and "Bitten By The Beast" from David "Rock" Feinstein. "Rock" is Ronnie's cousin, and was a member of ELF, and the leader of the legendary New York band THE RODS. "Bitten By The Beast" features the single "Metal Will Never Die", with lead vocals by Ronnie James Dio. This single will be heavily worked to active rock and metal radio this fall.
While Ronnie was alive, he always wanted to have his own action figure/statue. And now, this has become a reality — KnuckleBonz has created the Ronnie James Dio Rock Iconz statue, which will be available in late fall 2010. These statues are only produced in limited-edition runs of 3,000, which make them highly collectible and sought after from fans. A portion from the sales of the Dio statue will go to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, in honor of Ronnie James Dio.
Guns N' Roses were an hour late for the first of two evenings at London's O2 Arena last night (October 13), but were able to finish their set without incident.
The band took to the stage nearly an hour after support act Sebastian Bach's slot ended. Despite the gig being scheduled to end at 11pm (BST), the band were allowed to play on past midnight and complete their set, unlike at Reading Festival in August where organisers pulled the plug.
Guns N' Roses' two-and-a-half-hour set comprised of a good mix of classic hits, new material and cover songs, as well as pyrotechnics and several outfit changes from frontman Axl Rose, including a purple coat and black feather boa.
Rose remained rather quiet between songs for most of the night, but he jokingly attempted to quell any riots before launching into 'Sorry'.
"Now, now, now, let's not be throwing things," he told the crowd, "because you might miss me and you might hit one of these nice people down at the front. And we wouldn't want that to happen."
Later the band briefly left the stage, but returned for an encore which included a few instrumental jams, along with 'Don't Cry', 'Madagascar', a cover of AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and 'Paradise City'.
The band's stop in London comes towards the end of their 'Chinese Democracy' world tour, with shows in Manchester, Zaragoza and Barcelona left.
Guns N' Roses played:
'Chinese Democracy'
'Welcome To The Jungle'
'It's So Easy'
'Mr Brownstone'
'Sorry'
'Shackler's Revenge'
'James Bond Theme' (Richard Fortus guitar solo)
'Live And Let Die'
'This I Love'
'Better'
'Rocket Queen'
'Ziggy Stardust' (Dizzy Reed piano solo)
'Street Of Dreams'
'You Could Be Mine'
'Ballad Of Death' (DJ Ashba guitar solo)
'Sweet Child O' Mine'
'Another Brick In The Wall Part 2' (instrumental)
'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'/'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' (Axl Rose piano solo)
'November Rain'
'Pink Panther Theme' (Bumblefoot Guitar solo)
'IRS'
'Nice Boys'
'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'
'Nightrain'
'Don't Cry'
'Madagascar'
'Whole Lotta Rosie'
'Paradise City'
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, which once represented GUNS N' ROSES, has filed an official answer to a countersuit brought against the company by GN'R singer Axl Rose.
Rose was sued by Front Line Management in March for nearly $2 million dollars in unpaid commissions, according to the Associated Press. The company filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles, claiming that Rose owes the company $1.9 million, or 15 percent of the more than $12 million that Rose has earned from performances in Europe, Canada and South America, based on an oral agreement.
Rose responded by filing a countersuit that claimed Azoff tried to bully Rose into doing a reunion tour with the original GUNS lineup. According to The Pulse of Radio, Rose claimed in his suit that Azoff did everything he could to sabotage the current version of GUNS after Rose said no to the reunion idea last year, alleging that Azoff tried "devising and implementing a secret plan to set up Rose and the band for failure so that Rose would have no choice but to reunite with the original GUNS N' ROSES members."
Rose's suit added, "Upon realizing that he couldn't bully Rose and accomplish his scheme, Azoff resigned and abandoned GUNS N' ROSES on the eve of a major tour, filing suit for commissions he didn't earn and had no right to receive."
The claim also added that Azoff, in his own lawsuit, deliberately used Rose's real name, William Bailey, because it "carries significant emotional damage from Rose's childhood."
Earlier this month Azoff filed an official answer to Rose's charges by asserting 14 affirmative defenses to Rose's claims he breached fiduciary duty, committed constructive fraud and breached a contract. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Azoff states in his response that Rose claims "are barred by statute of limitations; there was a waiver; There was an accord and satisfaction; that Rose consented to Azoff's actions; that Rose failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate the damage; and that any harm that came to Rose was due to the singer's own negligence, fraud or misconduct."
Eagle Vision has set a November 16 release date for the "Live In Houston" DVD from VELVET REVOLVER. Footage for the set was filmed in Houston, Texas in 2005 during the tour in support of the band's debut album, "Contraband". The full-length live tracks are intercut with snippets of interview with the various bandmembers talking about how VELVET REVOLVER came into being. The set list, naturally, focuses on that debut release but is complemented by two tracks from the GUNS N' ROSES catalog and two songs from STONE TEMPLE PILOTS debut album, highlighting the history of the VR bandmembers.
"Live In Houston" track listing:
01. Sucker Train Blues
02. Do It For The Kids
03. Headspace
04. Crackerman
05. Illegal I
06. It's So Easy
07. Fall To Pieces
08. Big Machine
09. Set Me Free
10. Used To Love Her
11. Slither
12. Sex Type Thing
VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash told BostonHerald.com last month that the search for a new frontman for the group will resume after he finishes his current solo tour, also insisting that his touring vocalist, Myles Kennedy, will not take the job. Kennedy will return to his band ALTER BRIDGE this month, while Slash will take the remaining months of 2010 to work on new music and go through audition tapes. VELVET REVOLVER has been dormant since April 2008, when the band dismissed original frontman Scott Weiland.
Slash told The Pulse of Radio that the band's status hasn't changed since. "Everybody asks the same question: 'Where are you with that?'" he said. "It's really, we're nowhere until we can find somebody who can do that job. Very quietly I've had my ears to the pavement, trying to see if there's anybody that fits that bill, and it's got to be somebody really good, 'cause I don't want to rush into it out of desperation. I want to wait 'til I get the right person."
As for the possibility of enlisting Kennedy, Slash told BostonHerald.com, "Kennedy is still committed to ALTER BRIDGE. I don't want to be the guy responsible for breaking up a band. But we'll find someone. Maybe not somebody known, but some kind of local hero."
Kennedy had actually been approached to sing for VELVET REVOLVER back in the early days of the group, and again after they parted ways with Weiland, but turned down the offer both times.
Former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan joined the band's current lineup on stage earlier tonight (Thursday, October 14) at London, England's O2 arena to perform four songs: "You Could Be Mine", "Nice Boys" (ROSE TATTOO cover), "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (BOB DYLAN cover) and "Patience". This marked the first time since 1993 that McKagan and singer Axl Rose shared a concert stage.
The first photos of this historic event can be found below (all pictures courtesy of GUNS N' ROSES and Sebastian Bach via Twitter). Also available is low-quality fan-filmed video footage of the reunion.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Intro
02. Chinese Democracy
03. It's So Easy
04. Mr. Brownstone
05. Sorry
06. Shackler's Revenge
07. Richard Fortus Solo
08. Live And Let Die
09. Instrumental Jam
10. This I Love
11. Better
12. Rocket Queen
13. Dizzy Reed Solo
14. Street Of Dreams
15. You Could Be Mine (w/ Duff McKagan on bass)
16. The Ballad Of Death
17. Sweet Child O'Mine
18. Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)
19. Axl Piano Solo
20. November Rain
21. Bumblefoot Solo
22. I.R.S.
23. Nice Boys (w/ Duff McKagan on guitar)
24. Knocking On Heaven's Door (w/ Duff McKagan on guitar)
25. Nightrain
Encore:
26. Don't Cry
27. Madagascar
28. Patience (w/ Duff McKagan on tambourine)
29. Whole Lotta Rosie
30. Waiting On A Friend (jam)
31. Paradise City
According to Rock Radio, Rose claimed tonight's reunion came about by accident because he and McKagan happened to be staying at the same hotel. He told the crowd: "There was this guy at the end of my hallway playing all this loud music and shit. What the fuck? Oh — it's Duff!"
Original GN'R guitarist Izzy Stradlin jammed with the current version of GUNS N' ROSES at a number of shows in 2006.
In a 2009 interview with AskMen.com, Duff was asked what he thought of GUNS N' ROSES' latest album, "Chinese Democracy", which was released in November 2008 as a Best Buy exclusive, 17 years after the last all-original GUNS sets, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II". "It's funny; so many people have asked me that question and I gotta figure out why people think my opinion matters," Duff replied. "I think Axl did a great job on that record and other than that, the songs and the band are a completely different thing, so for me to really comment on the band, I might as well be commenting on the new SLIPKNOT record. It's that far removed from me."
He continued, "We [GUNS] made our last record in '92 or '93 or something — that was 16 years ago. That was a lifetime ago for me. I was still using and stuff back then. So, that's how long ago it was for me." He then added, "It's ['Chinese Democracy'] great. There are songs on it that I like and there are songs on it that I don't like, just like any other record."
During a 2009 interview with Billboard, Rose insisted that he will never share a stage with former GN'R guitarist Slash again. "One of the two of us will die before a reunion," Rose said. "However sad, ugly or unfortunate anyone views it, it is how it is." He also said, "I could see doing a song or so on the side with Izzy or having him out [on tour] again. I'm not so comfortable with doing anything having more than one of the alumni. Maybe something with Duff, but that's it."
Last year McKagan told Rolling Stone magazine that he's open to the idea of working with Rose again. "I'm not going to be one of those guys who's like 'fuck that, that'll never happen.' he said. "It could very well happen. I love Axl. We've been through a lot of shit together that nobody can take that away from us."
In addition to Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists DJ Ashba, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.
"Chinese Democracy" was a commercial disappointment, selling less than one million copies in the U.S. (according to Nielsen SoundScan) despite the long wait.
Photos below courtesy of GUNS N' ROSES and Sebastian Bach (via Twitter).
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As Guns N' Roses' original drummer, Steven Adler helped create a classic in 1987's "Appetite for Destruction." But by the time the band released 1991's "Use Your Illusion I and II," Adler was long gone, ousted from the group due to severe drug problems.
Almost 20 years later, the graduate of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" and "Sober House" - now sober nine months - recounts his drug-addled past in a biography ("My Appetite For Destruction") that hit bookstores in July. He's also back behind the drum kit, revisiting G n' R's glitter years with Adler's Appetite, which performs at Tremont Music Hall on Thursday.
Q. What was it like being away from the public eye, then doing a reality show?
I'm a big fan of the tube. I knew I could look like a complete (expletive), or I could be the coolest person in the world. Ten days before filming, I asked Dr. Drew to put me in a detox program because I knew everybody else on the show was going to be shooting, smoking, popping, drinking the last of their (expletive) on the way to the treatment center. I wanted to have a head start.
Q. Did you watch yourself on television?
Oh yes. I was being filmed (for "Sober House") while I was acting a fool on heroin. I got arrested that night and the next morning they got me out of jail, did detox for three days and came back to the house and had me watch it. It devastated me.
Q. How difficult is it to stay sober when you're playing bars?
It does get easier. Two months ago we were playing in Philadelphia and I broke a cymbal. We were selling it at the merch booth. This guy comes up to me and says, "How much?" I said "$100," and the guy pulls out this rock of cocaine. "Will you take this instead?" The first thing that popped in my head was the bad times I've had on it. I said, "You keep that bad evening. I want the hundred bucks."
Q. How much G n' R does Adler's Appetite play?
Pretty much all of "Appetite," and everything from "Reckless Life" to "Civil War," the last song I recorded with them. If my prayers work, Axl and Slash will hopefully mend their friendship and we could finish what we started. For 20 years, I blamed them for my downfalls. Working with Dr. Drew, I realized it was me who let them down by getting out of control.
Q. What do you think made "Appetite" so special?
We were soulmates, so to speak. Like Rush, Aerosmith, Queen, Van Halen with David Lee Roth. Even with Sammy Hagar. He was a soulmate half-brother. G n' R in the early days would play "Sweet Child" and the whole front row would be bikers in leather vests. They'd be crying and singing the song. That was so awesome.
Q. How have fans reacted to Adler's Appetite?
I called this last tour the David Cassidy tour because it was so insane the love I got, and the love the music got. It made me want to more than ever get G n' R back together.
John Serba of The Grand Rapids Press recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's autobiography:
"I certainly don't need to hear what kind of nonsense is in that book. Dave's got a very skewed perspective."
On whether he'd consider writing a book about SLAYER:
"I've forgotten more stories than I can remember, I'm sure ... Between the four of us, we could piece things together, but we don't have the drug overdoses and the therapists and all that ...."
On why the band's performing the album "Seasons in the Abyss" in its entirety:
"Because promoters get cold feet really easy, and when you cancel a tour twice, they want some enticement to bring fans in. To me, that's a logical, historic record to do. I'm definitely interested in doing the new one as well."
On being recognized not just in the context of metal, but as a great rock band, period:
"The whole movement we were part of, with METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, EXODUS — the genre's big, and I don't think there'll ever be a point in history where it's not going to be cool, or just a fad. That being said, there's no reason it wouldn't be looked on as a good period of time, and we were good in that period of time."
On the possibility of U.S. dates for the "Big Four" (METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX):
"My mentality on the 'Big Four' is, you've done it in Eastern Europe, let's do in the States, let's do it in Western Europe, let's do it in Australia and South America. One of the issues is METALLICA just got done touring for two years and are on a well-needed break. The logistics of getting all four bands to have free time, you have to look far into the future. We're booked through probably next April, and I'm sure summer has festivals in Europe or something in the States, so we're looking at fall of next year, if we're lucky."
Cheap Trick has been on a three-year cycle between albums during the past decade, but that doesn't mean the band isn't thinking about new material in the interim.
"We were just in Los Angeles and came up with 10 ideas that we're working on that are very strong contenders [with producer Julien Raymond]," bassist Tom Petersson tells Billboard.com. "That's how it works now. We just do it as it happens, when opportunities come up, just putting together ideas. And once you get 10 or 12 strong things it's like, 'Wow, we have the record!' "
"The Latest," Cheap Trick's self-released 2009 disc produced by Raymond, debuted at No. 78 on the Billboard 200 chart -- the group's best showing since "Busted" in 1990 -- but Petersson says that albums serve a different purpose for the group these days. "We're not unrealistic about it," he acknowledges. "We don't have to make records; we just really enjoy doing it."
Cheap Trick recently wrapped up a run of its "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" show in Las Vegas and is back out on the road, with a five-show run with Blondie starting Aug. 21 in Red Wing, Minn. The group will do "Sgt. Pepper's Live" again in September, but Petersson says it's unlikely Cheap Trick will ever take that on the road.
"There's too many people involved," he explains. "There's 30 people in the orchestra, six background singers, an Indian ensemble, a conductor, all this stuff -- about 50 extra people besides us. We couldn't afford to do it. If it made sense we would do it, but it doesn't. And we travel so much anyway, it's great to have something that's in one place sometimes."
Long-running US rockers CHEAP TRICK have confirmed more US and UK tour dates for the fall. The band's itinerary is now as follows:
October
23 - Belterra Casino Resort - Florence, IN
29 - Island Resort and Casino (Chip-In) - Harris, MI
30 - Island Resort and Casino - Harris, MI
November
7 - ABC - Glasgow, Scotland
8 - Wulfrun Hall - Woverhampton, UK
11 - Academy 2 - Manchester, UK
12 - Shepherds Bush Empire - London, UK
December
3 - Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth, TX
4 - Coushatta Casino - Kinder, LA
In August, Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson spoke to Gary Graff from Billboard.com about the band composing new material.
"We were just in Los Angeles and came up with 10 ideas that we're working on that are very strong contenders (with producer Julien Raymond). That's how it works now. We just do it as it happens, when opportunities come up, just putting together ideas. And once you get 10 or 12 strong things it's like, 'Wow, we have the record!' "
What is it about mixing punk and heavy metal that can be so volatile? When it's good, baby it's good. There's nothing like the crushing power of the Cro-Mags, the pure energy of D.R.I., or the brute comedy of Carnivore. But, when it's bad, it's bad. For instance… well… we don't need to name names. Interestingly, Corrosion of Conformity mastered merging the two with their landmark second album Animosity, but they always seemed to get more notice in metal circles than punk ones, even though the manic energy and looseness of hardcore is seeped in their sound.
But, now that Corrosion of Conformity is touring in their classic three piece formation, which includes Bassist/Vocalist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer Reed Mullin, they're giving us punks a second chance to check out their unique punk/metal hybrid. Since Corrosion of Conformity has recently hit the road playing Animosity and has released a new 7" with their three piece line up, Punknews interviewer John Gentile sat down with Mike Dean to learn what he thinks about the term "Crossover," the best way to mix punk and metal, and how the three piece unification came about.
You've been labeled as a cross over band in numerous publications. Do you try to distance yourself from that tag, or do you embrace it?
I think I shy away from it less than from when that term was coined. Back then, it seemed like it was a marketing idea that somebody had and they were attempting to describe a metal influence on the hardcore scene. I don't like it, but it doesn't bother me. I think there's a little more to us than just being "crossover." For example, The Cro-Mags are one of the heaviest bands ever- they are almost like a machine, just chugging ahead. But our stuff kind of falls apart. We got a lot of that from a band called Void. We were influenced by them and they way everything would fall apart in their songs
How did metal influences first begin to crop up in CoC songs?
It just kind of happened. I don't recall it being like a real conscious decision. When we would jam, we were hearing a lot of metal stuff. I've also always been into bands like Black Sabbath. But, unlike a lot of other people, I wasn't getting into Paranoid. I would listen to Electric Funeral. When I was younger, I would sit in class and cover my ears until the teacher's voice sounded like a wah wah. I think that comes across in our music. For CoC, we just took everything we liked and mixed it up- we took from a lot of these bands, like Metallica, Accept, Sabbath, Void, and put it all together
Why is now a good time to return to the Animosity album?
I think it holds up pretty well. Actually, lyrically it holds up really well. I'm surprised by that really. I hadn't thought about it, before we played those songs, and the lyrics weathered pretty well- I don't think anybody really foresaw the complete miniaturization of devices like that, and I think almost everybody missed the more constructive interactivity of computers and phones. For Animosity, it was more about the dark side of advanced technology.
How did the re-unification come about?
It really was like a suggestion offered as a joke. We got an offer to play the High Voltage Festival with Pepper Keenan, who took on vocals after I stopped singing, and it was gonna be the first time Reed, our drummer, was back with us, but then, that fell through, and I was frustrated so I suggested we just do it as the three piece in Animosity... and then everyone went, "okay!" Which I didn't expect.
So then, our idea when we decided to do some shows. Then we wanted to do a full length release, and we got some offers to play some more shows and we wanted to take some of our new songs just to show we are not just out there for nostalgia. We had sort of a music agenda- a fresh agenda that we wanted to pursue. There's a lot of 40 year olds in bands dusting off their golden age material, but we kind of wanted to set the bar a little higher.
You're new release as the re-united is a 7" on Southern Lord Records. You've stated that when recording the new single, you tricked your fellow band mates into thinking it was a demo so they weren't perfectionists. What is there to be said for imperfection as opposed to being precise?
I didn't really want those to guys to think about recording it. It was just serendipitously recorded. It can be good to have imperfection, but you also want the sound to be quality... its good to have equal measure of both, but I think sometimes with our group, we have to be careful that it doesn't get too much one way or the other. I think you can have pretty close to perfection and still have spontaneity.
Do you have a new album in the works?
We're still writing material. We expect to knock it out shortly. We're not really going to take a lot of time doing it. I think because we've been on the road, and because we've been in that mode, and also getting some appreciation, I think you'll hear that mindset in some of the new stuff. We have current ideas and one's that reflect our older material. I don't think that the two sounds are diametrically opposed.
Do you prefer to play bass and sing, or just to play bass?
You know, I've payed bass and sang, and when I came back I was just playing bass. It's fun to do both, but it is a little hairy some times to pull it of. But, it's also fun to just focus on bass. Either way it's fine. It's gratifying to do both.
CoC has been known to rapidly change its sounds, which has challenged some fans. Do you deliberately try to advance the ears of the audience, or are you just playing what you want to play?
Both, you know. Whenever something is more popular than ever, there will be people respond in a contrary fashion. But, whenever peopled defect from a big cultural trend, that becomes the trend, so it starts off creative, and becomes popular, than cliché. You can only hope to try exist despite that vicious cycle do what want.
U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, has issued the following update:
"The release of the new [U.D.O.] album, 'Rev-Raptor', which was initially planned for January 14, 2011 [via AFM Records] was unfortunately postponed to March 18, 2011! The reason therefor is the sadly reappearance of Stefan's [Kaufmann, guitar] strong back suffering which forced him to quit playing drums in ACCEPT back in the days. This setback hit Stefan in the middle of the recording session for the new album and forced everybody to make a longer pause now. Stefan is under medical treatment at a specialist and we all hope that he will recover soon. The show on November 6, 2010 in Augsburg where U.D.O. will be headliner in front of 9,000 expected fans at the Masters of Rock Antenne festival in the Schwabenhalle is not compromised."
As spreviously reported, 17 new songs were written for "Rev-Raptor", with 11 of them set to appear on the final product.
U.D.O.'s last album, "Dominator", entered the official chart in Germany at position No. 27. This marked the highest German chart entry in U.D.O.'s history.
Swedish metallers ASTRAL DOORS will release a new collection, "Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors", on November 19 via Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The compilation will contain 14 classics picked by the band. A very special bonus will come in the shape of the English-language version a song previously only released as a Swedish-language single in Sweden, "Victory".
"Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors" track listing:
01. Cloudbreaker
02. Time To Rock
03. Of The Son And The Father
04. Black Rain (remixed and remastered)
05. Power And The Glory
06. Bride Of Christ
07. New Revelation
08. Slay The Dragon
09. London Caves (remixed and remastered)
10. Evil Is Forever
11. Lionheart
12. Quisling
13. Testament of Rock
14. Victory (previously unreleased)
The booklet features "a two-page history-lesson about ASTRAL DOORS; a summary of the first decade with ASTRAL DOORS" written by Erik Thompson of Sweden Rock Magazine.
Guitarist Martin Haglund left ASTRAL DOORS in April 2010 in order to focus on his family life. The band has opted to remain a five-piece, with founding member Joachim Nordlund handling all guitars himself.
ASTRAL DOORS released its fifth album, "Requiem Of Time" in Europe on January 29 and in North America on February 16 through Metalville.
According to the band, "'Requiem Of Time' is a mixture of classic hard rock, like on the debut, 'Of The Son And The Father', and more modern metal like on the previous disc, 'New Revelation'. Call it what you want; it contains the best songs the band has ever written."
ASTRAL DOORS last year parted ways with bassist Mika Itaranta and replaced him with Ulf Lagerström (LUNATIC PARADE, BARFLY).
MASTERS OF REALITY — featuring producer legend Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, KYUSS, PJ Harvey, Twiggy Rammirez) and drummer John Leamy (of underground noise rock bands SURGERY and DR. MARS) — has scheduled the following shows:
U.S. headlining dates:
Nov. 10 - House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA
Nov. 11 - 4th & B Street - San Diego, CA
Nov. 12 - House Of Blues - Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 16 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
Nov. 17 - Lola's - Portland, OR
Nov. 20 - Pappy & Harriets, Pioneertown, CA
U.K. dates with THE CULT:
Jan. 18 - O2 Academy - Leeds, UK
Jan. 19 - O2 Academy - Bristol, UK
Jan. 21 - Hammersmith Apollo - London, UK
Jan. 22 - Cambridge Corn Exchange - Cambridge, UK
Jan. 23 - O2 Academy Bournemouth - Boscombe, UK
Jan. 25 - Rock City - Nottingham, UK
Jan. 26 - Wolverhampton Civic Hall - Wolverhampton, UK
Jan. 27 - O2 Academy 2 - Newcastle, UK
Jan. 29 - Academy - Glasgow, Scotland
Jan. 30 - Academy - Manchester, UK
MASTERS OF REALITY released its long-awaited sixth studio album, "Pine/Cross Dover", in the U.S. on September 14 via Cool Green Recordings.
"Pine/Cross Dover" was recorded at the Hacienda in North Hollywood, California and features guest appearances by EAGLES OF DEATH METAL bassist Brian "Big Hands" O'Connor and guitarist Dave Catching, as well as former QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Brendon McNichol, among others.
"Pine/Cross Dover" track listing:
01. King Richard TLH
02. Absinthe Jim And Me
03. Worm In The Silk
04. Always
05. Johnny's Dream
06. Up In It
07. Dreamtime Stomp
08. Rosie's Presence
09. The Whore Of New Orleans
a) The Pharacies Fall
b) The Wicked Flood
10. Testify To Love
11. Alfalfa
Goss previously stated about "Pine/Cross Dover", "I did a rock 'n' roll record this time — I was able to exorcise a lot of different styles of music that are really important in my life. And not just LED ZEPPELIN, CREAM, THE BEATLES, or BLACK SABBATH. It's a lot of everything on this record. But proud to say, not one acoustic guitar — it's all electric and very rhythm-oriented."
The outcome is the first-ever MASTERS OF REALITY album to feature long-and-winding free-form instrumentals. "The first one is called 'Johnny's Dream', which is a little nod to John McLaughlin," explained Goss. "Because I've been listening to a lot of MAHAVISHNU in the last year. It's music that's been doing it for me lately. Pretty much improvised except for a melody figure that gets repeated."
He continued, "The last song on the record is called 'Alfalfa', and it's a twelve-minute improvisation. It was the four of us — Mark Christian, Brendon McNichol, myself and John Leamy. We'd never been in the same room before, and the twelve minutes that's 'Alfalfa', you'll hear it. Honestly, it's been a dream of my whole life to play music like that, the way it came out. There was no sketchbook, no plan whatsoever — we just plugged in and played, and what happens in that twelve minutes is a dream come true for me."
However, not all of "Pine/Cross Dover" is instrumental, according to Goss, who picks two of his favorite rhythm-heavy tracks. "There's a song called 'Worm in the Silk', it's kind of a dub-bass piece," he said. "There's a nod to PUBLIC IMAGE on this record — some of the ways the songs flow are bass- and drum-oriented like that. That song has a really long psychedelic chant on the end of it. There's also this song called 'Rosie's Presence' that swings like 'Presence'-era ZEPPELIN."
E-FORCE, the France-based band featuring former VOIVOD bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest alongside Krof (drums) and Jerome Point (lead guitar), is still in "pre-production stage" for its third album, entitled "The Curse Of The Cunt". Due in 2011 via Thundering Records, the CD's lyrical concept will attempt to explain "the power of women and what some guys (and some women) will do to get a piece of the action," according to Eric. He adds, "I don t think man has changed in, say, the last 2,000 years. Say from Jesus Christ hanging with hookers to the Cleopatra/Caesar time to the modern-day dilemma of Tiger Woods, for example. The list goes on." Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Mass Deception", "The Curse Of The Cunt" and "Nature Of The Bitch".
E-FORCE released its sophomore album, "Modified Poison", in February 2008 via France's Thundering Records. The CD, which was recorded at a studio in Toulouse, France with producer Patrick Freidrich, includes collaborations with Colin-Tocquaine as well as Tim and Kevin Guttierez of PROJECT: FAILING FLESH. Moreover, Eric decided to re-record/cover a song from the unreleased VOIVOD 2001 demo as a tribute to late VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour.
E-FORCE's debut album, "Evil Forces", came out in October 2003 via Season Of Mist Records.
Upcoming E-FORCE shows:
Nov. 11 - United Club - Torino, Italy
Nov. 12 - Rock City - Zurich, Switzerland
Nov. 13 - Molodoi - Strasbourg, France
Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED have announced a number of East Coast headlining shows in December as art of this year's Stillborn Fest. The band will celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the release of "Under The Knife", which came out on cassette and seven-inch single in 1995.
Commented HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta: "We're excited to continue with our holiday tradition of doing Stillborn Fest. It's going to be great to play for all of our diehards in the Northeast. . . We'll definitely be adding some old jams back into the set. See you there!"
Support on this short run will come from FOUR YEAR STRONG (Allentown and Poughkeepsie), H20 (Allentown only), A LIFE ONCE LOST, THIS IS HELL, TRAPPED UNDER ICE and Stillborn recording artists THY WILL BE DONE, THE WORLD WE KNEW and STRENGTH FOR A REASON (where noted below).
December 27 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
HATEBREED
A LIFE ONCE LOST
THY WILL BE DONE
THE WORLD WE KNEW
HATE YOUR GUTS
December 28 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
HATEBREED
FOUR YEAR STRONG
H2O
TRAPPED UNDER ICE
THIS IS HELL
THY WILL BE DONE
THE WORLD WE KNEW
STRENGTH FOR A REASON
December 29 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
HATEBREED
FOUR YEAR STRONG
A LIFE ONCE LOST
TRAPPED UNDER ICE
FIREWORKS
THIS IS HELL
THY WILL BE DONE
THE WORLD WE KNEW
STRENGTH FOR A REASON
December 30 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
HATEBREED
A LIFE ONCE LOST
THIS IS HELL
THY WILL BE DONE
HATE YOUR GUTS
THE WORLD WE KNEW
STRENGTH FOR A REASON
Herman Li, guitarist, songwriter and producer of the Grammy-nominated metal band DragonForce, is known for his speed and precision as well as his light-hearted attitude when it comes to shredding. But if maybe the on-stage trampolines fooled you, we're here to remind you this guitarist means serious business. While it's overdone to even mention how difficult it is to tackle his "Through the Fire and the Flame" licks on Guitar Hero alone, guitarists and would-be guitarists only need to listen to the high-soaring riffs within DragonForce to understand the dedication Li has given to his craft. And with the latest endeavor on his mastery mission, Li has even toned down the on-stage antics long enough to capture his band's first-ever live album Twilight Dementia with no overdubs.
To learn more about where he's coming from, we caught up with the axe-wielder to ask him what guitarists are on his personal "I'm not worthy" list. What we found is that Li is not just a guitarist who admires other guitarists, but a true musician who admires the nuts and bolts of riff-writing and melody-making. See who he called out amongst his favorite players/ writers below.
Joe Satriani
"Joe Satriani of course is one of them. I first got into him by listening to The Extremist [and] I picked up Flying In A Blue Dream. Having two albums that really blew me away, Satriani made me look at the guitar totally different. It kind of blew my mind when I first heard it with the approach to melodies and things like that. That technique really impressed me since the beginning and up to now -- I listen to Satriani, new albums or old albums. It inspires me to be better as a guitar player and to keep exploring the possibilities of the guitars."
Steve Vai
"Same thing – the approach, the originality that he put into the sound, the weirdness, and just like Satriani, they really make some great albums. And they don't just make the same album all the time, they try to move forward, to explore the guitar and the music and try to keep improving all the time. Satriani, Steve Vai, I learned a lot of my stage performance and stuff like that from them along with the production and recording, as they record and produce themselves."
Marty Friedman
"Another guitar player I like is Marty Friedman. Of course he was in Megadeth, and those albums Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction -- I can't say enough about them. They've had an incredible influence on the DragonForce sound and on my guitar playing. You might not hear it, but trust me it's in there. All the old metal stuff, I really dig the riffing and the solos, how they put those things together: the heavy riffing and the melodies, complex riffs, things like that."
Tony MacAlpine
"Tony MacAlpine is really a big influence on my guitar playing. His instrumental albums such as Maximum Security, Freedom To Fly, Evolution, etc, etc inspired me a lot in the technique and the approach to melody. MacAlpine's instrumental albums are totally different than Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. There's definitely a different dimension, maybe because he's a piano player, his view on the music and how to put it out is very different than the other guys. But Tony MacAlpine is one of my favorite guitar players."
Alex Skolnick
"Amazing guitar player; he's another one that evolved and got better through the years and has a diverse style and keeps on getting better. He's played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as well, but was with Testament all the way from the beginning until The Ritual album. He had an impact on my playing and my view of the guitar. He did just really awesome solos -- everything just really touches you when he plays, its got real good energy so you know you've got to check out Alex Skolnick."
John Petrucci
"Dream Theater's John Petrucci -- another amazing player. Dream Theater for years has inspired me as a guitar player and a musician. From when I first heard Images and Words I pretty much got all the albums straight away. Actually there was only one previous album before that one. And the Awake album -- that was really cool with the 7-string stuff. At the same time their melodies, composition, arrangements – actually John Petrucci, the way he was approaching the speed of melody is what got me into playing fast. Of course I listened to other players, but the way he was playing "buhluop buhloup" [sweep pick noises] really made me want to practice playing that kind of speed he's got. So John Petrucci: absolutely amazing. They made so many great albums you just have to get all of them."
George Lynch
"I really think George Lynch's playing and approach to solos is amazing. The melody, how he's able to improvise -- he's got real original sound to his playing. I've really liked it for years and years and a lot of my playing is still inspired by George Lynch. I used to listen to the Dokken Back For The Attack album – it's really amazing and also the first Lynch Mob album is really cool. And also his solo album Sacred Groove-- that's really cool."
Vinnie Moore
"Vinnie Moore is the current guitar player for UFO. I've listened to all the instrumental albums he's got, I practiced a lot of them for years. He taught me the approach of the melodies and putting the whole thing together and a lot how his style is a real good mix of rock, neoclassical, fusion jazzy-stuff and he pulls it all together."
Mike Romeo
"Another player I like is Mike Romeo of Symphony X. When I first got into the Divine Wings of Tragedy album, it made a big change in the way I looked at guitar. It put a different edge to the prog metal dimension that is different than say Dream Theater. I really like his approach; good composition, good arrangements -- interesting arrangement for that style of music."
Eric Johnson
"10th of my personal guitar greats: Eric Johnson. He is another very unique player with lots of emotion in his music. His tonal and melodic control is incredible. Not a metal player, but I think all rock guitarists can learn a lot from listening to his music. My favorite of his is the album Venus Isle."
Guitarist extraordinaire Paul Gilbert (MR. BIG, RACER X) will play a warm-up show for his European tour on Monday, November 1 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Gilbert will debut a brand new set featuring material from his third instrumental album, "Fuzz Universe".
Gilbert's "Fuzz Universe" European tour which kicks off on November 5 in London, England.
"Fuzz Universe" came out on August 3 via Shrapnel Records.
"Being a fan of pop music and rock bands, I am a reluctant convert into the art of instrumental rock music," explains Gilbert. "But after touring with Joe Satriani's G3, I witnessed firsthand the power of the electric guitar to take center stage and rock the audience. Playing my guitar-driven songs live was a blast! This discovery led to a huge increase in my touring as a solo artist. In the last couple of years, I've played nearly 150 shows all over the world, with my guitar leading the way."
The "Fuzz Universe" title is inspired by Gilbert being so immersed in the world of guitar that it made him realize that he lives in a "fuzz universe."
"Every generation of guitar players has their own terminology for the rock guitar sound: distortion, overdrive, gain, crunch, saturation, drive, etc." Gilbert explains. "For me, the word is 'fuzz.'"
Regarding the musical direction of the new CD, Gilbert states, "On 'Fuzz Universe', I think I've taken a giant step closer to the ultimate rock guitar sound and playing of my dreams. I've used many of my signature techniques from RACER X and MR. BIG, but twisted them into new chords, grooves, and emotions.
"As always, my influences are diverse and not what you might expect from a 'heavy metal' artist.
"While I was writing the songs for 'Fuzz Universe', I was immersing myself in Bulgarian female choir music, baroque lute and violin pieces, Johnny Cash songs about trains, cows, mules, and mining coal, the BEE GEES, and Ronnie James Dio. I mix all this into my head, and out came endless new ideas for my guitar to chew on.
"After several months of being locked in my writing room, I gathered my touring band together and headed to the studio. Jeff Bowders played drums. Craig Martini played bass. Emi Gilbert (my wife) played keyboards. And I bent the guitar strings until I couldn't play anymore.
"As usual, there are no dramatic stories here. No heroin overdoses, motorcycle accidents, celebrity divorces, or bandmember boxing matches. The emotion, drama, and power are all in the music. That is the universe that I want to live in."
Paul Gilbert is regarded internationally as one of the greatest players in the industry. Having started his recording career with Shrapnel Records as a teenager in the late '80s, he remains one of the most active guitarists from the original shred guitar scene. His rise to platinum success includes a No. 1 song with MR. BIG, and cult status as founding member of the legendary and highly successful underground progressive metal band RACER X.
For more information, visit www.paulgilbert.com.
Global Music has announced the signing of 24-year-old Estonian female singer Marya Roxx (born Maarja Kivi). Roxx's debut album, "Payback Time", will be made available in Europe on November 5 (three days later in the U.K.).
2009 saw Marya Roxx turn from bass player with platinum-selling pop/rock sensation VANILLA NINJA into the credible rock/metal artist she always aspired to be.
With her debut album, "Payback Time", produced by Kevin Shirley (IRON MAIDEN, HIM, DREAM THEATER), Marya has assembled a powerhouse of a band which includes former ANTHRAX guitarist Paul Crook, Scott Metaxas from NUCLEAR ASSAULT and the exceptional Jim Roe from INCANTATION.
A star in the making, Marya has already headlined her own European tours and opened for a number of big-named artists, including PRIMAL FEAR and SKINDRED.
For more information, visit www.maryaroxx.com.
Current TRIPTYKON and former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Tom Gabriel Warrior has posted the following message on his official blog:
"On tour again in North America... In April of 2008, when I departed CELTIC FROST and began to lay the foundation for TRIPTYKON, this was but a mere intention, the fulfillment of which was anything but certain. The utter dedication of the audiences we are playing to here, their loyalty, and their feedback thus means even more to me that it ordinarily would.
"On October 10, in Montreal, I was finally able to witness an entire concert by our esteemed special guests on this tour, YAKUZA. I had previously only seen a couple of songs or so each night. In my eyes, they are truly extraordinary, both on a personal level as well as musically. Their songs are full of emotions, variety, energy, beauty, and agitation. Their performance requires perhaps a tad more open-mindedness than must ordinarily be mustered, but they are one of the rare contemporary heavy rock acts with the courage to pursue their own, very unique path. Even that fact alone commands respect and makes them as perfect for a tour with TRIPTYKON as they would have been in a pairing with CELTIC FROST. We in TRIPTYKON have all become fans.
"The combination of the three bands on this tour, 1349, YAKUZA, and TRIPTYKON, could not be any more unique and, in my humble (and biased) opinion, effective. It is a tour unlike any other."
TRIPTYKON will follow its highly acclaimed debut album, "Eparistera Daimones", with the release of "Shatter", an all-new five-track EP, on October 25 (Europe) and October 26 (North America).
At a playing time of approximately 28 minutes, "Shatter" will consist almost entirely of previously unreleased music.
The EP's track listing is as follows:
01. Shatter
02. I Am The Twilight
03. Crucifixus
(Recorded during the "Eparistera Daimones" album sessions in 2009. "Crucifixus" appears in a newly mixed and mastered version.)
04. Circle Of The Tyrants (live)
05. Dethroned Emperor (live)
(Cover versions of CELTIC FROST songs, recorded live during TRIPTYKON's headliner performance at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands, on April 16, 2010. "Dethroned Emperor" features guest lead vocals by Nocturno Culto of DARKTHRONE/SARKE.)
TRIPTYKON's "Shatter" EP will be available through Century Media Records (under license from Prowling Death Records Ltd.) as CD, digital download, and 12" vinyl (at 33 rpm). The EP will further contain the lyrics to all songs as well as detailed liner notes and credits.
TRIPTYKON consists of V. Santura (guitar, vocals), Norman Lonhard (drums, percussion), Vanja Slajh (bass), and Tom Gabriel Warrior (voice, guitars). The group has unambiguously stated that it pursues the continuation and further development of the path Warrior began in HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST.
For further information, visit www.triptykon.net.
"For We Are Many", the new album from Massachusetts metallers ALL THAT REMAINS, is likely to sell between 25,000 and 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on October 12.
ALL THAT REMAINS' previous CD, "Overcome", opened with just under 29,000 copies in September 2008 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 16.
"For We Are Many" (Prosthetic Records / Razor & Tie), hit the same day the band headed out on a month-long U.S. headlining tour with support from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, UNEARTH, BORN OF OSIRIS and AND SHE WHISPERED. Decibel magazine called the album, "Proof that neck-snapping tempos, thoughtful soloing and a catchy chorus or three can co-exist," while Outburn magazine remarked, "If there was ever any question as to whether ALL THAT REMAINS deserved to be considered among the melodic metalcore elite, 'For We Are Many' will dispel any lingering doubts once and for all."
"For We Are Many" was recorded this spring at Zing Studios in Massachusetts and produced by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who also helmed ALL THAT REMAINS' "This Darkened Heart" and "The Fall of Ideals". In warming up for their headlining tour, ALL THAT REMAINS is on the road with AS I LAY DYING and UNEARTH for a run of dates concluding October 12. After their headlining U.S. tour, the band will head to Europe for dates in November and December.
"For We Are Many" track listing:
01. Now Let Them Tremble (1:23)
02. For We Are Many (2:59)
03. The Last Time (3:58)
04. Some Of The People, All Of The Time (3:22)
05. Won't Go Quietly (4:00)
06. Aggressive Opposition (3:45)
07. From The Outside (3:34)
08. Dead Wrong (3:07)
09. Faithless (3:34)
10. Hold On (2:57)
11. Keepers of Fellow Man (3:10)
12. The Waiting One (4:48)
Vocalist Markus Wenzel quit WATCH ME BLEED — the German band featuring MYSTIC PROPHECY guitar player Markus Pohl and SYMPHORCE drummer Steffen Theurer — in May and has been replaced by Alex Gindu. The group states, "Alex comes from the Austrian deathmachine FADENKREUZ. His brutal old-school death-metal-voice perfectly fits into the sound of the WATCH ME BLEED."
A photo of the band's new lineup can be found below.
WATCH ME BLEED is currently writing songs for its sophomore album under the watchful eye of producer Eike Freese (DARK AGE, CALLEJON). The band is planning to enter the studio early next year to begin recording the effort for a late 2011 release.
WATCH ME BLEED's "Bloodred Rain" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the group's debut album, "Souldrinker", which was released in October 2009 via Silverwolf Productions.
"Souldrinker" was mixed by Christian "Moschus" Moos (DELAIN, C-187, EVERON) at Spacelab studios and was mastered by Eroc (SODOM, DELAIN) at the Mastering Ranch. It contains eleven songs with guest appearances by Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM), Nemesis (EIGENSINN) and Greek guitar wizard Constantine (MYSTIC PROPHECY, THE DESCENDING).
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/watchmebleed667.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/watchmebleed2010.jpg
ENSIFERUM (Finland), HAIL OF BULLETS (Netherlands), NACHTMYSTIUM (USA) and NEGURA BUNGET (Romania) are the first confirmed bands for next year's edition of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 11-13, 2011 in Bad Berka, Germany. Many more acts will be announced during the coming months.
A release party/showcare for the self-titled debut album from NECRONAUT, the solo project of former DISMEMBER/CARNAGE drummer Fred Estby, will be held on October 30 at Kafé 44 in Stockholm, Sweden beginning at 7:00 p.m. Guest-list requests can be sent to necronaut666@hotmail.com.
NECRONAUT's first CD is scheduled for release on October 18 release via Regain Records. The cover artwork for the album (see below) was designed by Chat Zar, who was reponsible for creating the prosthetic effects for such movies as "The Ring", "Planet of the Apes" and "Darkman".
"Necronaut" track listing (including guest musicians for each track):
01. Crimson Fields
Chris Reifert (speech)
02. Twilight At The Trenches
* Andreas "Drette" Axelson (vocals)
03. In Dark Tribute
* Hellbutcher (vocals)
* Tyrant (lead guitar)
04. Soulside Serpents
* Janne "J.B." Christofferson (vocals)
* Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist (lead guitar)
* Robert Pehrsson (lead guitar)
05. Infecting Madness
* Chris Reifert (vocals)
* Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (lead guitar)
06. After The Void
* Joakim Nilsson (vocals)
* David Blomqvist (lead guitar)
07. The Lie In Which The Truth Is Buried
* Fred Estby (vocals)
* Nicke Andersson (lead guitar)
08. Returning To Kill The Light
* Erik Danielsson (vocals)
* Janne "J.B." Christofferson (lead guitar)
09. Tower Of Death
* Nicke Andersson (vocals)
10. Rise Of The Sentinel
* Tomas Lindberg (vocals)
* David Blomqvist (lead guitar)
Complete list of guest musicians:
* Hellbutcher (NIFELHEIM)
* Tyrant (NIFELHEIM, DAGGER)
* Andreas "Drette" Axelson (TORMENTED, ex-EDGE OF SANITY)
* Chris Reifert (AUTOPSY, ex-ABSCESS)
* Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (DISFEAR, ex-ENTOMBED)
* Janne "J.B." Christofferson (GRAND MAGUS)
* Tomas Lindberg (DISFEAR, AT THE GATES, THE GREAT DECEIVER)
* Nicke Andersson (DEATH BREATH)
* Joakim Nilsson (GRAVEYARD)
* David Blomqvist (DISMEMBER, SHREDS OF DEATH)
* Erik Danielsson (WATAIN)
* Robert Pehrsson (DEATH BREATH, DUNDERTÅGET)
* Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist (DUNDERTÅGET)
After more than 20 years in the death metal scene, Estby wanted to express his passion for different kinds of extreme music he's bore since his youth. In 2008, Estby started to write and record material with the intention of having one unique vocalist for each song. Dubbed NECRONAUT, the project would become a reality one year later when Estby began contacting the many talented metal musicians he had in mind to complete the album of his diabolic dreams. In short, NECRONAUT is a raw slab of old-school metal and while the term "old-school" alone goes a long way in accurately describing the sound that one should expect from Estby and co, NECRONAUT is so much more. The band's approach is crude and dead simple, a la early BATHORY and VENOM mutated with BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN, but with an unorthodox bass-heavy production that allows the album to stand out amongst its peers. The goal was primitive brute force, but because of the manner in which Estby
chose to achieve it, he also managed to create an aura of pure malevolence that, prior to this album's creation, was likely difficult to imagine.
Swedish blck metallers ABRUPTUM will release their new album, "Potestates Apocalypsis", in November via Blooddawn/Regain Records. Recorded years ago and now finally unleashed, the CD represents "ABRUPTUM's version of the apocalypse and the four riders of doom," featuring "black subterannean ambience [and] crushing mass of relentless darkness."
ABRUPTUM was one of the bands signed by Euronymous (MAYHEM) to his legendary cult label DSP (Deathlike Silence Productions).
Many have have tried to label ABRUPTUM but the words of Euronymous still reflect the spirit of this band best: "ABRUPTUM is the audial essence of pure black evil." That was Euronymous' description of this orchestra of the dark when the band signed to DSP in 1991.
The release of "Potestates Apocalypsis" will be followed by the last known recording done by ABRUPTUM, "Gehinnom", tentatively due in 2011.
"Potestates Apocalypsis" track listing:
01. Pestilentia
02. Bellum
03. Fames
04. Mort
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