Re: [Classic_Rock_Forever] Rob Halford, Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham, Samantha Fox, and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news

 

<a href='http://www.gimgim6.net/' ><img src='http://on1.picsrc.net/images/ytibu/87fff1f148096bbd010ddc1e79d196c3.jpg' border=0 /></a><br><br><a href='http://www.ytagi.com/gfsi.tq?id=87fff1f148096bbd010ddc1e79d196c3' >Get this Graphic on yTagi!</a><br> --- On Tue, 10/19/10, Robert <rocknrollcola@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Robert <rocknrollcola@yahoo.com> Subject: [Classic_Rock_Forever] Rob Halford, Zakk Wylde, Jason Bonham, Samantha Fox, and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news To: mbor@yahoogroups.com, 80smetalglam@yahoogroups.com, breakdown_metal@yahoogroups.com, classic_rock_forever@yahoogroups.com, devilsmusic@yahoogroups.com, dsg_ep@yahoogroups.com, entertherealm2@yahoogroups.com, fantasyepicmusic@yahoogroups.com, glitter_glam_hair_bands@yahoogroups.com, hardrockheavymetalhaven@yahoogroups.com, Heavy_Metal_Artists@yahoogroups.com, heavymetalheaven@yahoogroups.com, HELL_ETERNAL@yahoogroups.com, icedmetal@yahoogroups.com, igorpressleysclassicrockdreams@yahoogroups.com, jessikaandchadsmetalhaven@yahoogroups.com, magicmetalshack@yahoogroups.com, melodicmetalsheaven@yahoogroups.com, metalchamber@yahoogroups.com, metaldazenmore@yahoogroups.com, metalmusicnews@yahoogroups.com, MetalWire@yahoogroups.com, fuzzflowers@yahoogroups.com, rock_n_roll_forever@yahoogroups.com, rockofages@yahoogroups.com, rocksgodsmetalmasters@yahoogroups.com, ruby2260sandclassicrockclub@yahoogroups.com, stainedminds@yahoogroups.com, theroguesmetalforum@yahoogroups.com, thepsychedelichour@yahoogroups.ca, universalhateforcrapmusic@yahoogroups.com, ultimate_rock_music_universe@yahoogroups.com, ugzpunxworldwide@yahoogroups.com, worldwide_metallization@yahoogroups.com, worldwidemetalheads@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 5:13 PM   After a holiday album last year, Halford returns with Made Of Metal. Halford was part of this year's Ozzfest, and will be touring with Ozzy in the U.S. this fall and winter. It's always a pleasure speaking with the metal god, and we talked about the album and tour, the timetable for the next Judas Priest album, the rash of recent suicides of gay teenagers and other topics. Chad Bowar: You released a holiday album last year. Were the songs on Made Of Metal part of that session, or were they written later? Rob Halford: It was a completely different session. Just to quickly give the back story on Winter Songs, I love that time of the year. I always loved the music, and wondered what it would feel like to do it myself. That was the simple idea behind it. Some of my fans probably thought I lost my mind (laughs), but it was just a personal gesture. Moving ahead to the spring of this year, the opportunity was afforded the Halford band to be back out live on the road. That encouraged me to write new songs. When you go and see a band you want to hear the songs you know, but it's also exciting when you can experience some new music. So knowing we were going to do some live shows was the touchstone. That put me into writing mode, and I had a surge of creative energy. The writing came really quickly. It was one of those magic moments. Well over 90 percent of the music is brand new. Did the songs change much from the demos to the final recorded versions? My demos are mostly kindergarten level. I yell ideas into my iPhone. But it works. I do some pre-production with Roy Z, my producer, but the band is brought in almost immediately. The thing about demos is, when you come to the real thing you can lose a lot of things you first capture. Roy is very good at making sure that everything you start recording can be used in the final production. It's never as good the second time around. Would you say Made Of Metal is the most diverse record you've done? I wouldn't say it was the most diverse. The overall texture is one of a classic metal experience, and I suppose it's my old metal head, always writing from the heart and not thinking about it too much. I think that's an important thing when you're creating. You can kill the spirit if you overthink it. It's where I am now as a writer and a metal musician, just an example of a bunch of hopefully good metal songs. Was the title track your first experience using Auto Tune? Yes it was. I already had the supersonic silver flying machine in my head. I was driving to the studio, and flipping through the channels on Sirius/XM. It landed on an R&B station, which I don't usually listen to. I heard the Auto Tune thing and got to wondering if there was a way to put that into a song. Part of me said don't be crazy, and the other side said go for it, just experiment. So that's what we did. It turned out pretty good, in terms of the dramatic effect it was intended to create. It sounds like you had the concept for the animated video in your head for quite a while as well. The lyrics were in a slightly different world before they were massaged. When we started to think more about a supersonic silver flying machine, we decided to take it to four wheels instead of two. It grew and developed. We had the story of this crazy, mythical beast that comes out of space and lands on a racetrack, beats the competition and soars off back into the universe. A lot of things in sports run parallel with metal. That's why I did "Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Of The World," which to me is metal music, the undisputed champion of the world. But if you look at MMA or UFC, it has the same spirit, power, energy and determination. Does the song "25 Years" have the most personal meaning to you, since it commemorates a quarter century of sobriety? Yes. 25 years ago I was going through some very difficult times in my life. I brought up the idea with Roy, and he said to talk about the things I want to talk about, that have meaning and importance. I still need to be encouraged in that respect. My private life is my private life. The only reason I did that was because I know for a fact that good things happen when you say certain things in songs. Apart from it being a cathartic moment for me, hopefully if anyone that's listening to that song is having difficulties, they can understand there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Even after 25 years being sober, so you still deal with daily temptation? Yes. Not as severe as it was, but that's how asinine you can be, the whole addiction. You think you've got it licked, but you haven't. Everyone can change their personal behavior, but it's all triggered by the brain, so it's a constant trade off getting through each day. Some people have it way more difficult than me. My compulsive, addictive side is now directed 100 percent to my music and all my creativity. If I didn't have those outlets, like getting on stage and doing all those things, I think it would be a much bigger problem. With Priest, Halford and your businesses you seem to be constantly busy. I love it. Life is a gift, and it's precious, and it's a very short ride. I've always felt you have to get as much out of it as you can. Through Metal God Entertainment you've re-released a lot of the Halford and Fight back catalog, along with some new material. Anything else coming up in that area? It was important to get this record out this year before Priest roars back in the next couple of years. We've pretty much covered everything in the back catalog. It was time to make something fresh with Made Of Metal, and that's pretty much where we'll be going from this point on. And the doors are open now for other talent to come in and submit their demos. How was Ozzfest this year? It's always a lot of fun to do. You're around people you're familiar with. It's a fun event, and the overriding thing for me is that Ozzy and Sharon are still staying true to the idea they had, which is to put a festival together to give new bands an opportunity to play to a lot of people and grow and develop. Do you ride out on the Harley for Halford shows, or is that for Priest only? Just for Priest. The cover of Resurrection has me on a Harley, and that's before I returned to Priest. A lot of people say that was the bridge back to my true metal life. The Harley is exclusively Priest. On your upcoming tour with Ozzy you'll be playing songs from several of your projects. Yes, we'll play a couple of Priest songs, or else the fans would bop me off the stage. It's difficult to figure out what songs you're going to do. We're obviously going to be pushing the new release, but supporting the setlist with a lot of variety, a really good cross section of what I do in my solo endeavors. Chad Bowar: When you re-released the Fight material not too long ago, you had some in-stores and signings, and the response was really positive. Were you surprised? Rob Halford: Isn't it great? I can't explain it. I think it's amazing. I'm thrilled about the reaction to the Fight releases. War Of Words is still looked upon as an important record. Some of the tour dates will be close to Christmas. Will you be breaking out any of the songs from your Christmas album? If it feels right, yes. But I won't be doing "O Come All Ye Faithful" on Ozzy Osbourne's stage! Is it difficult to transition between being the headliner with Judas Priest, and being an opening act with Halford on this tour? It's a different world. Priest is a giant metal band, and Halford is way smaller. It's not how big it is, it's what you do with it. (laughs) I love to get on stage, I love to sing, I love to be in the company of other musicians. It doesn't matter to me whether it's in a club or Madison Square Garden. I'm just thrilled and grateful to have the opportunity to do what I do. How's the clothing line coming along? Good. It's just another outlet. I'm famous for the gear I wear on stage, and it's just another angle of representing what I do. Do you sell it on tour, or it only available via the internet? You can get it when we're on tour. We have merch from Metal God Apparel. Have you thought about the timeline for the next Priest record? I'll be back in the UK this Christmas and will be seeing K.K. and Glenn. We'll talk about music, shows. There's a lot of things that we have planned for the next couple of years with Priest. As soon as we've got something to say, we'll put it on the website. Are you finding your last CD Nostradamus, a 100 minute concept album, is getting more respect now that people have had a couple years to let it sink in? It was a big piece of work, and things of that nature do take time to sink in. We knew it wouldn't be an instant hit that way. It just needs to motor along slowly and build itself, and eventually we'll do what we want to do, which is perform it in its entirety. We always looked upon it that way. It's not like a regular studio recording. You have to think differently about the various ways you can promote it in a live environment. There have been a string of highly publicized suicides by gay teenagers recently. What can be done to help prevent them? I think more than anything, it's a picture of the way life is. You have all this sexting going on, and cyber bullying going on. It's absolutely heartbreaking when people are driven to the point where they are taking their own lives. I'm pleased that talented people like Ellen Degeneres and Neil Patrick Harris are speaking out. They are far more articulate than I am. The most imporant thing is to show the love and support that is out there for everybody, whether you're being bullied or not. It's important to look after each other and to nurture each other, especially in your school years. I saw bullying when I was a kid growing up in school. It has always been there. It's a very peculiar thing. It's a shame that it takes horrible tragedies like this to bring the spotlight back on. It has to stay there now. It can't just fizzle out in a couple weeks, like things tend to do in the media. Programs need to be installed in schools, or reinforced. Parents need to keep an eye on their kids a little bit more. The social interaction that's available 24 hours a day has to be utilized in a strong, educating, promotional way to let people who are going through those periods of their lives know that there's always somebody you can talk to. Don't feel alone. There's a way we can help each other get through these types of difficulties. The split between Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Zakk Wylde was about as amicable as any separation between two professional rock stars. No matter how much they respected each other, moving on was inevitable. Ozzy was looking for a change. Black Label Society had been Wyde's side band since 1998 and it was becoming obvious that the line of creativity was becoming blurred. In an interview with Goldmine, Ozzy confessed "I started to sound like Black Label Society." There are those who believe, however, that nothing Zakk Wylde had done with Ozzy sounded as good as the music of Black Label Society. And knowing that he had created a powerful band in Black Label, Wylde was not willing to give up on it. After leaving Ozzy's band behind, Wylde was then struck down by personal hardships. Among them, in August 2009, Wylde was hospitalized due to blood clots, and it was questioned whether he would ever play again. The positive spirit of Wylde persevered and the band's newest album "Order of the Black" (the first in four years) is a powerhouse. Released in August, the album is packed with strong, heavy songs where riffs crunch and chug, with a force that hammers the point home. Zakk's vocals are rough and tough — but not growling — and they even dominate the album's mature ballads. Goldmine recently chatted with Zakk Wylde about playing and recording Black Label music, and, of course, his former boss Ozzy Osbourne. It seems like you haven't missed a beat in your break of four years? Zakk Wylde: I can't believe it's four years already. I remember in high school… those were the four longest years of my life. I was like 'Dude, I can't wait to get out of here.' And now the years just zip by. Wylde: Yeah, without a doubt. (laughs) And your music's as strong as ever. Wylde: Just gotta keep listening to Zeppelin and Sabbath and I'll be fine. (laughs) There's seems to be a nice balance of heavy songs and ballads on the new Black Label Society album. Was that intentional? Wylde: No, every Black Label album has the mellow stuff because as much as I love listening to Sabbath and Zeppelin, I love Elton John. I love when Neil Young does all his unplugged stuff … I love the mellow stuff, too … like when the Stones are doing "Wild Horses" or The Beatles' "Long and Winding Road." So there's always that balance when you get a Black Label album. You're gonna have the mellow stuff, too. Your vocals came out well, too. It's good to hear someone sing instead of growl over heavy music. Wylde: Well, There's an art to doing that type of music as well. It ain't easy. (laughs) Ozzy's so hysterical. I remember Ozzy on the side of the stage … it was Sepultura, Alice in Chains and then the boss [Ozzy]. Ozzy's watching Sepultura — and you know how Sepultura is, it's beyond heavy. That's the style of music. So Ozzy is looking at me and he just goes, 'I'm not responsible for this, am I?' (laughs) 'I know they really like Black Sabbath and everything. They say that. … Where?!!' You hear a lot of Ozzy and Sabbath influence in your band. It's always been there. Of course, considerably heavier but I hear the tempo changes that could be off of something like Sabbath's 'Sabotage' album. Wylde: Sabbath … that was their M.O. And Ozzy's singing on that particular record — I'll put that up against any rock singer. Ozzy's vocal performance on that is just amazing. I remember asking him, 'Oz, what were you taking vocal lessons specifically just for that album?' He goes: 'No Zakk. A lot of drugs.' (laughs) I'm like, at least the boss is honest. When you play live, what do you think the most effective song on the new album is? Wylde: Live we do "Crazy Horse, "Overlord," "Godspeed Hellbound" and "Parade of the Dead," obviously, so I'm enjoying playing all of them, man. "Overlord" is a standout track. Wylde: Like I said, I'm enjoying playing everything off the new record. But, then again, it is new, you know what I mean? There's a lot of death and doom, and Satanic imagery in, for instance, "Overlord." Do you think that becomes somewhat of a trite thing in heavy metal? Wylde: I guess, but I read about everything. I read all the [Aleister] Crowley stuff. I've read the Satanic Bible. I'm Catholic but just like if I was a history teacher, I love the history of everything. It's just so interesting: religion and everything like that. The Illuminati and stuff like that. I just think it's funny when they say the New World Order and The Illuminati defines everything. It's just like Dr. Evil, you know, in Austin Powers: 'And then we will take over and destroy the world.' Yeah, but that means you're gonna die, too. 'Oh.' What's the point of taking everything over if you're gonna destroy it? Then we can't have any more fun, dude. There's no more tit bars. There's no more beer. There's no more sports. There's no more movies. All the things we like. It's like 'Oh, that's right.' (laughs) You've had 'Doom Trippin' Live DVD come out on Blu-ray this year. Do you like the way live DVDs come out? Wylde: The 'Doom Trippin' thing came out great. Also, the'Boozed, Broozed & Broken-Bones one came out killer , too. But I always tell everybody: live is a free-for-all. The majority of the time, when you're there, between the volume, the light show and everything, you know, all the distractions, it's like going to a strip club, you see a chick and between the lighting, the music, you've got a decent buzz on, next thing you know, you go back home with her, you wake up in the morning and you're like 'Aaaahh! What the hell is this?!' With the live thing: I"m sure the show was great, it felt great to you but when you listen back to some of the playbacks … some of them, you wanna cringe. But I'll have my buddies out front and they'll say 'Dude, that was a slamming show.' Because you're hearing it live and I don't care what artist it is. You can take Celine Dion or Barbra Streisand — and we know how badass they are — and they can listen and go turn it off, and say it sucks. And we're going: 'You sang your ass off. What're you talking about?' And they go, 'It's terrible. I don't even wanna hear it.' There have been a lot of lineup changes in Black Label over the years. Does that bother you? Wylde: No. I mean, it's a beautiful thing. It's real unique in what we do in Black Label. Because once you're in, you're always in. The cool thing with Black Label is that you can always come and you can always go. And then you can always come back. If you can make more money playing with Celine Dion, you got it. Go. Seriously, man. And the whole thing is. You can always come back. It doesn't matter. This is your family and this is your home. Craig [Nunenmacher] leaving, he was like 'Zakk, unless we're touring all year, financially I gotta take care of the wife and the little guy.' And I completely understand. He's talking about getting in the medical field, you know what I mean? You gotta do what you gotta do. That's the beautiful thing about it, too. Cause then there's no arguments, there's nothing. No sense of bitching and moaning. There's none of that. Which is a nice atmosphere. Wylde: Yeah, because everybody gets along and everybody has a good time. Which is the way it should be. So you released this new album on vinyl, too. Wylde: Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. Are you surprised by the resurgence of vinyl? Wylde: It's a necessity because of all the downloading and things like that. Nowadays, if you only have one paddle you gotta make a means to get to shore. And if the paddle breaks we'll figure something out. I mean, but we gotta find land. So the whole thing is a necessity. It's kind of like, now you're buying it for the packaging. 'Cause the music is gone now. The days of 'Thriller' and 'Appetite for Destruction' are gone. Gone! I mean Lady Gaga sold nine million records and those are all purchased downloads. Could you imagine how many albums she would have sold if you had to go buy the record? Forget about it. Think about Michael Jackson. He sold 44 million records in America. Could you imagine how many downloads that would have been? I guarantee he would have sold 12 million records (instead). I mean, when you really break it down. You want to get the vinyl. Now you can do what they actually did back in the '70s. Ass-kicking records and the vinyl is cool as shit. You're getting the artwork and you're getting the whole thing, and you can read it while you're listening to it and everything like that. So how do you feel? Wylde: I was on the blood thinners awhile so … the only difference is, I've been lifting weights and all the usual crap I do, but I just haven't been drinking beer. That's about it. Didn't your doctor tell you to quit drinking. Wylde: He said 'Zakk, look at it this way. You're on blood thinners. Alcohol is a blood thinner. You can be getting hammered with the guys watching Monday Night Football at Hooters and next thing, what's gonna happen, is you'll be sitting there — you won't even be in any pain — you'll be keeling over. In fact, you'll be bleeding out of your eyes, your nose, your mouth, your dick, your ass, every orifice of your body, you're gonna bleed out.' And he said, 'That will be the last time you will ever be entering a Hooters again. You'll be entering the morgue right after that.' You really don't need to spend $40,000 dollars at a rehab for someone to start going, 'So, Zakky, how you feeling today? Do you have the urge to drink?' I'm not gone spend $40,000 dollars. You General Patton up, you Black Label up, and you go 'That's the end. You're done. The Black Label Pub, for you, is closed. You are now the designated driver. There you go.' Ozzy is sober, too. He said something to the fact that it was hard for him to be around someone who was drinking. Wylde: Yeah, and when Oz quit it was the same thing with him. I mean, with Ozzy, he quit, after all the rehabs, he said they didn't work. The bottom line was he said 'I stopped when I wanted to stop.' And I think that's true with anybody. It's like you don't need to hire a personal trainer. You really wanna get in shape, just start working out, dude! If you want to stop drinking, you go 'I'm done.' You and Ozzy are on good terms now, right? Wylde: Yeah, I mean, put it this way. I was just laughing. Someone goes to me, 'Oh man, you must be mad.' I go 'Let's take a look at it.' I had all those years with the boss — which I cherish every moment of — and all been hysterical. And it's been an amazing ride and he is still in my life like my parents. Because I'm not playing with him doesn't mean I love him any less. I've got Black Label. I've got a signature guitar. I've got guitars named after me. I've got amps named after me. I've got pedals named after me. Strings named after me. Black Label is raising money for St. Jude's, doing all these benefit things. We've got hot sauces, beef jerky, coffee, beer. We're talking about doing pubs that are sports bars with live entertainment. I'm writing a Zakk Wylde Guitar Bible, I'm writing a script for a movie … all these amazing things going on. The shit-to-do list, when I get up in the morning, before I put my foot on the ground I got a million things going on. And all thanks to the boss. So, I don't understand. What's bad here? I have no idea. You always had a lot going on. Did you ever find it overwhelming doing both Ozzy and Black Label? Wylde: No, not at all. I just found it to be music. It would be like if, me and you, we decided to do a jazz project on the side. To me, it's just music. And with Ozzy it would be like it was Black Label and Ozzy. You take this new Black Label and have Ozzy sing on it, you got a new Ozzy record. He made a comment that he thought the Ozzy material was starting to sound like Black Label. Wylde: Well, I remember Oz said that to me years ago even when he did 'Stillborn,' when he sang the harmonies with me and everything. I remember the boss saying, 'Zakk, I don't want to be the lead singer in Black Label.' And I understand what he's saying. I always told everybody 'Let's be real. If St. Rhoads was still jamming, and Rand was going off and doing Quiet Riot and coming back to the boss and then Quiet Riot and then back … eventually the boss would have said 'Rand. We're starting to sound like Quiet Riot now.' And if Jake [E. Lee] was doing a Badlands thing and Ozzy, he would have said the same thing. It's only natural, dude. We did an interview with Ozzy recently. And he said that you're still really close. And you weren't fired or anything. Wylde: No, no. It's not being fired. It's just like 'Zakk, I want to make a change.' It's like being in Van Halen and saying 'I want to do different things than things sounding like Van Halen.' I mean, Eddie Van Halen is your guitar player, it's gonna sound like Van Halen! Even the new guitarist, Gus G., has said he wouldn't be surprised if you played with Ozzy again. Wylde: Yeah, but Gus is the man. In the Black Label community, we are all rooting for Gus. We support him, so it's just like if I played for the Yankees. I wore the pinstripes. Now Gus is playing for the Yankees but I'm still involved doing PR for the Yankees. You know what I'm saying? I'm still in the camp. I'm just not playing. I'm doing public relations, talking about the new guitar player and telling you how great Ozzy is. That's why I say, 'it's win-win all around.' Do you like 'Scream'? Wylde: Yeah, I mean, Gus is playing his ass off. We knew that anyways. Gus is an awesome player. Oz is singing great and everything. He's having fun making the records with [producer] Kevin [Churko], and I love Kevin, too. Kevin is super talented. I have this great quote from you, back in 1989, when you first started playing with Ozzy. About playing with Ozzy, you said, it was like "living a dream.' So you still feel that way? Wylde: Without a doubt. You gotta figure, it's not like I'm not in music anymore and doing some crappy job that I can't stand and I'm not even playing guitar. Like I said, without Ozzy, all these amazing things wouldn't be happening. And you were only 21-years old at the time. Did you feel like you were naive, that you had a lot to learn? Wylde: Yeah, definitely, I had a lot to learn, but you know how to behave yourself. And I was always around all the guys anyway, so … Oz and the guys made it real easy because they're such pros. And they're super cool people so, you know. And you joined with Geezer [Butler] playing with Ozzy. Wylde: Geezer was playing, and I hung out with Bob Daisley. I mean we wrote the record with Bob. And I love Bob. He's super cool and fucking amazing. And those Randy records, they were part of my musical education. Being with Ozzy all those years, is there any advice for Gus G.? Wylde: Well, I mean, Ozzy never had to tell me anything or teach me anything. He just led by example. He always answered the bell, even when he was drinking and doing everything. Shit always got done. Put it this way, if he ever beat himself up, I'd go 'Yeah, but Oz, at the end of the day, you're a good egg. You've never did anything to hurt anybody. Even if you were hammered and you did something, you were always the first guy to apologize the next day. And, Oz, not for nothing, it wasn't like you weren't getting work done.' One thing with Ozzy _ and it's the same thing with Black Label — no matter how banged up we ever got, you still gotta answer the bell. You still gotta get stuff done. I don't care if you got the flu or got wasted with the guys last night, Chop Chop! It's GIFD. Get It F***ing Done! At the end of the day, no one cares about how you woke up in the morning and you've got a show later on that night. No one cares that you and me went to the liquor store, got shot at, and then the bus had two flat tires and your wife gave birth in the back of the bus. All this insane shit happens but all anyone cares about is that at 9:30 at night, us hitting that stage. That's all that people care about. Suck it up and realize that's what goes on. If someone goes, 'Zakk, you've had a rough year. First you found out you're not playing with Ozzy. Then you got the blood clots. You got three pulmonary embolisms, your father died. What does that make you feel?' And I go, 'Dude, that's before lunch in Black Label.' You have to have a good outlook. Wylde: We can talk about it and crawl in a hole. You gotta keep stormtroopin'. It's like, you lost the championship this year. It definitely sucks. I'm definitely pissed. Losing definitely sucks. But the only way to fix this is by winning. You're right. What's the alternative? Wylde: The alternative is quit. Quit then. And quitting is very easy. Anybody can quit. It takes someone with a set of balls tot get up and fight back. Michael Monroe, iconic rock and roll frontman and founding member of hugely influential Finnish outfit HANOI ROCKS, recently entered a Los Angeles studio with legendary producer Jack Douglas (AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CLUTCH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, NEW YORK DOLLS) to begin recording Monroe's new solo album, due on February 21, 2011 via Universal Music subsidiary Spinefarm Records. The CD will feature a guest appearance by MOTÖRHEAD's Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and three-time Grammy-winning country/folk singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. Commented Monroe: "The recording sessions in L.A. went very well. We worked pretty hard and fast with no days off except for one when Jack had to fly to New York for the John Lennon movie premiere. "All the recording is finished and Jack is starting to mix as we speak. So I guess you could say that the album is about half done. "After about three weeks in L.A., I must say it is nice to be back home for a while. Just being able to WALK to get to places is a pleasure rather than sitting in a car every day... "The jet lag is usually worse when flying back this way and this time it was extremely harsh. For almost two weeks after my return I kept waking up at around 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. and wasn't able to sleep for the rest of the night. "My broken ribs have healed quite well and I was able to start doing most of my daily exercises again two weeks ago. [Monroe broke two ribs while making a guest appearance during Slash's performance at the Summer Sonic festival in Osaka, Japan in early August. — Ed.] Not being able to exercise for two months kinda threw me off balance, both physically and mentally. "I was very worried about my vocal performances in L.A. because singing is quite physical after all — and this is one of the most important records of my life. However, the vocals on the record turned out fine in the end. My live performance is another thing, though. I had just about recovered from my jet lag when it was time to leave for Sweden to play in Malmö and Gothenburg. "I have to admit that those two gigs in Sweden were surprisingly hard for me physically — but, of course, I did my best not to let it show. "I can't recall going this long without exercising since my early 20s. It also affected my voice in a bad way. Since I didn't feel I had enough support from my diaphragm, I sang too much 'from the throat' and therefore blew out my voice. Not being able to hear myself in the monitors at the gig in Gothenburg didn't help either. Otherwise, the gigs were good and the audiences were very nice. So my voice was already shot before the two Tavastia shows we did on October 16th. I still managed to pull through pretty good somehow. Most people didn't notice anything being wrong with my voice. My dad was at the early show, which was really nice and meant a lot to me. "Something pretty serious also happened during the first show at Tavastia: Ginger [THE WILDHEARTS mainman and guitarist for Monroe's solo band] broke his foot on stage and now he has to wear a cast on it for about six weeks. It seems that as soon as I had pretty much recovered from my broken ribs this happened. "Pretty nuts, huh? "Other than that, the shows were a blast and the crowd was great. "Thank you, everyone! "Next we'll play in my hometown of Turku, then we're off to Jyväskylä, Oulu and Tampere. And in November...with MOTÖRHEAD in the U.K.! See you down the road!" Michael Monroe's brand new live album, "Another Night In The Sun/Live In Helsinki", is set for release on November 1 via Spinefarm. Mixed in Los Angeles by Niko Bolas (whose credits include NEIL YOUNG, FRANK SINATRA, KEITH RICHARDS, KISS, SPINAL TAP and more) and mastered by Grammy winner Richard Dodd (the man behind TOM PETTY and DIXIE CHICKS), the CD — recorded on July 6 at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki, Finland — features key tracks from Monroe's solo career spiced up with selected HANOI classics, some well-chosen covers, plus two brand new, previously unreleased songs — "You're Next" and "Motorheaded For A Fall". Growing up in England, it took a while for Jason Bonham to fully understand the fame of his father, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. "Not to be harsh about it, but nobody in England really gave a s—-," Bonham said with a laugh. "It's true. In England, they were just guys. My dad would go down to the local pub with the farmers and locals and they'd say, 'There's the long-haired guy again. He's a drummer in a rock band. Make a living out of that, can you?' I can see why they never could have lived in America. They could never have normal lives here, but they could go home and be normal people." For most of the '70s, Led Zeppelin ruled the hearts of American teenagers. But tragedy stopped the band in its tracks. On Sept. 24, 1980, the elder Bonham started the day with four quadruple vodkas and continued drinking throughout the afternoon. That evening, he died in his sleep. He was 32 years old. Jason was just 14. Jason Bonham went on to pursue the drums himself and joined the surviving members of Led Zeppelin for a one-off 2007 concert paying tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The show sparked talk of an LZ reunion that never panned out, nor did plans for Bonham to join guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones with a new vocalist. Instead, Bonham put together a tribute group, dubbed John Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, and a multi-media show that hits the State Theatre tonight. We spoke to Bonham last week and here's what he had Advertisement Quantcast to say about his father and his current tour. ON TAKING UP THE FAMILY BUSINESS: "My dad was the one who put the drumsticks in my hands at a very early age. But I got very heavily into motocross when I was 10. I saw a motorcycle when we were on vacation in the south of France and fell in love. The first time I ever noticed we were a little different was when we turned up to my first race with my bike attached to the hitch of a Rolls Royce. But after dad's death, I wanted to carry on the family tradition and I have ever since." ON THE SHOW'S MULTI-MEDIA ASPECTS: "I center the concert around archival footage. Some of it shows dad as a child, where we're from, what our home life was like. My mom went through all this footage. She has tons and tons of stuff that she's never let out before. I hadn't seen some of this stuff myself. You see my dad as a prankster and a joker. The fans love it. And at one point, I play 'Moby Dick' with my dad. We split the screens and we play together. It's a bit strange. Now, I'm the 44-year-old playing with my 20-year-old dad." ON LIVING WITH HIS FATHER'S LEGACY: "It is hard to have your own identity when you dad is John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, but I accept and love the fact of who my dad is. I understand that my dad is the greatest, I just try to play to the best of my ability." ON THE POSSIBILITY OF PLAYING WITH LED ZEPPELIN AGAIN: "If you had asked me in 2005, when I had just joined Foreigner, that I would leave the band in 2007 to play with Led Zeppelin, I would have said you're nuts. When Ahmet passed away, I had a feeling they were going to do something and they did. I don't know if it will happen again. I had a great time with them. It was one of the greatest feelings in the world to be in that seat." ON THE MOMENT BONHAM FINALLY DID FIGURE OUT THE SCALE OF HIS FATHER'S SUCCESS: "I went to the 1977 show in Tampa, where there were 86,000 people there. I looked at him and said 'Who else is playing? Are the Stones here?' But it was just them. That was a moment to remember." Ross Raihala can be reached at 651-228-5553. What: Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, a tribute concert and multi-media show When: 7:30 p.m. today Where: State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis Tickets: $52-$42 Call: 800-982-2787 Samantha Fox has had music in her blood a long time. She secured her first recording contract with her band at the age of 15, but put everything on hold to pursue a very successful and lucrative career in modeling. In the four year whirlwind that was her modeling career, Sam appeared in hundreds of publications around the world and quickly became Britain's sweetheart. The hunger to write music and perform on stage eventually proved too strong and Sam gave up her modeling career to follow her musical ambitions. She released her first single, "Touch Me," in 1986. That song would launch Fox's singing career and she would go on to sell over 30 million records. Fox still tours the world with her band, performing for thousands of fans at every gig. The passion and desire to perform is just as strong for her today as it was in 1986. There really are two sides to Samantha Fox, as you'll read about in our interview. There's Samantha – the pop star, and Sam – the rock chick. The more I spoke with Sam it became extremely obvious that she really is more rock 'n roll than most people could ever imagine. Just ask Lemmy. Or Paul Stanley. Or Glenn Tipton. Curious yet? Sam, I just watched some of your recent live footage and I'm diggin' the fact that you have a full band playing your music. I started as a model in England. I had to get rid of that stigma of just being famous for my body. When I released "Touch Me" we did the video with a band. I wanted that image. I wanted people to know I was a real singer and it was real music. We did the first tour of America in 1989 and we did six months on a bus. I paid my dues and I'm still paying them! I think that's why I've survived all these years. Keeping your own image and the sound you love shows on stage. What does your touring schedule look like these days? Most weekends I'm doing a gig somewhere. I did a festival in Ireland. The weekend before that I was in Israel doing a show in Tel Aviv and a big festival in Karmiel for 20,000 people. I've not had a hit in Israel for six or seven years but can still have a big turnout like that. Touring does keep me busy. After the festival in Ireland I did another festival in Finland. Norway, Budapest. We're going around the world all the time. In between I've been promoting my singles "Call Me" and "Forever" while writing my album that will come out early next year. In between the gigging I'm also writing songs and collaborating with different people. I just worked with Boy George on a track. I'm working with a really great group called Loverush UK. Everything they do always seems to go Top 10. I'm keeping busy. It's hard keeping me away from that stage. The fans that really want to know will know, but casual fans – especially here in the States – may not realize you're just as busy now as ever. Of course, the more markets you can reach the better but does it matter to you that the American market is just so screwed up now? It's a little bit like what's going on in England at the moment. I keep saying to myself that it's a big world out there. There are new countries that have opened up. There are a lot of countries that never saw Samantha Fox and now I can go to those countries. As long as I'm making people happy and still doing what I love. I get emails from so many Americans wondering why I'm not over there. I'd love to come perform there. I just need somebody to ask me! I can't just turn up and say, "Hello, I'm here! Where's the stage?" Someone tweeted "You're keeping Samantha Fox captive! She's never coming to America!" I'm dying to get back to America with a hit single and do a live tour again. I have so many great memories. I lived there for a year and a half. I had a great time. A lot of people think of Samantha Fox as a pop artist, but I see something very rock 'n roll about you. You're dead right! I'm definitely a rock chick. I'm pretty schizophrenic with my tastes in music. I think there are a lot of people like me. I like all different kinds of music for different reasons. It depends on my mood. On stage with my band now I tend to rock out more than I did in the 80s. Songs like "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" and "I Only Wanna Be With You" are rocked out to make it sound more like today. The kids seem to love it and it goes down at festivals much better. Rocking out with a band gives you more freedom. A lot of the songs in the 80s had pre-programmed bass and keys. It's really hard to emulate live without having a million keyboards on stage. I think if you're gonna be live, make it live. If you wanna hear the records, listen to the records or watch the videos. I want to make it different live. I enjoy it more when I rock out than performing it the same way I did in the 80s. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you said you wanted Lemmy from Motorhead to give you away at your wedding! That's really rock 'n roll! We met when I was 17. He read in the newspaper that before I was a model I was in a band and that I loved Motorhead and AC/DC and Van Halen and Kiss. He was quite surprised because my image at the time was very girly. I don't think a lot of people realized I was into rock 'n roll so much. He was a fan of my pictures. It's so funny that he's a fan of mine! He came up to me at a charity event we were doing together. We started talking and he said we should do a song together. This was way before "Touch Me." I went to his house and walked into his living room. I couldn't believe that his back wall was full of my pictures from newspapers and magazines. He said, "OK, let's get some inspiration. What kind of song you want to do as a duet?" We started laughing about doing a heavy metal Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. He wanted to put on some music for inspiration and I couldn't believe he put Abba on! Lemmy loves Abba? He told me he gets a lot of his melody ideas from bands like Abba. We wrote a song and called it "Beauty and the Beast." It was fantastic. Unfortunately, Lemmy and Motorhead got involved in a litigation with the record label and wasn't able to release new music for about three or four years. We couldn't release that track, which was a shame. We became friends over the years. We always meet up for dinner if we pass while gigging around. He's always been a mentor of mine since I've known him from such a young age. What can I say? Lemmy is one of the gods of rock music. He knows the ins and outs of the business and if I ever needed advice he's always been there for me. Unfortunately my dad passed away 11 years ago I thought Lemmy would be great to give me away. It would be fantastic! He's such a nice fella. He's got a lot of character and lot of wisdom. I could sit and listen to his stories all day long. This guy tours constantly – his whole life. He's never home. I think he's one of the hardest working people in the business. Except for when he's at the Rainbow playing those touch screen games… I know! I've met Lemmy a few times in LA. We'd go out and have a drink together and he'd leave me to go play one of those machines! You're not very good at conversation tonight, are ya Lemmy? He'd say, "Put some money in and rub me for luck!" If anyone can drag him away from those machines, I can! I've got to ask about your relationship with Paul Stanley. You dated him for a while. What do you remember about that time? It was a wonderful time. I remember moving to New York. Every week I was flying back and forth to New York. I was constantly jet-lagged and burnt out. All I thought about New York was guns, gangs, rapes and drugs! That what I saw on TV, ya know? My bass player had moved to Albany. I knew him very well. I moved out my best friend and PA so it wasn't like I moved out all on my own. I had friends at the record company. I was recording one day with Full Force. We were working on the Just One Night record, I think. Paul was doing some solo stuff away from Kiss. He really liked the "Naughty Girls" song I did. He got in touch with Full Force to work on a track. I was recording and he heard I was in the studio because he was working with Full Force at that time. I don't think anything ever came about with that track. I think he wanted to meet me because he just happened to turn up the day I was singing. Full Force introduced me to Paul. I was a big Kiss fan anyway. Ten minutes after he left he called me from his limousine and asked me out on a date. I was new in the States and up for meeting new people. I wasn't thinking about a love affair at that time. I said "OK" and he said, "Well, how about tonight?" We went out for a great meal and he ended up showing me the America I didn't know. While I was recording the album Paul was doing a short tour of the States. In between the album I went on tour with him and saw how he did things – the rock 'n roll. way. I had a great time with Paul and learned a lot from him. He's a very talented guy. We had a great love affair. I went on tour for six months on a bus with a band. Me and Paul tried to see each other when we could. He was then on tour with Kiss. After that tour I became a tax exile because I was paying so much tax and all of my money was basically going to managers and the tax man. I went to live in Spain for a year and our love affair just kind of fizzled out. There were no arguments or bad feelings. It was just a case of being apart. I have great memories of Paul. He's a really nice guy. He's a bit older than me but what can I say? I'm sure he lied about his age then! Kiss is still a fantastic band and in 1989 they'd done far more than I'd done. Listening to their stories and his wisdom was fantastic. With Lemmy and Paul, that's definitely good company to be around in the music biz. When I lived in Spain I became great friends with Glenn Tipton from Judas Priest. He lived just down the road. He was a tax exile as well. I wanted to still carry on writing while I lived there. Someone introduced me to Glenn in a bar. The next thing you know I'm at this beautiful, big house in his studio. I wrote some songs with him, too. Nothing ever came about. The record company wasn't keen on those songs but he got to play on one of our tracks called "Spirit of America." He recorded a fantastic solo for me. It was cool during that year in Spain to be working with him. With the people you know you should totally record a metal record! I would love to! It's very difficult at the moment with the music industry. One minute hip-hop is big and then the guitar bands are big again. It constantly changes. The last album, Angel with an Attitude, was more guitar oriented. It wasn't released in Britain. They didn't like it. They said it wasn't pop enough for Sam Fox. Think about my career. I had some songs that had that rock edge. Britain really went more for the cheesy pop stuff I was doing. That didn't really work for me in the States. I had two different careers going. It's like there were two of me, Sam and Samantha! Sam is the rock one. One thing you'll always be known for is your modeling. You were so successful as a model… That's why I'm still known for it. I was so successful at it. I come out after a gig and there are kids holding pictures of me from when I was younger with no clothes on. I'm like, "Oh my god! Where did you get this from?" They always say "the Internet." You just can't get away from those boobs! How did your modeling impact your music career when you first started? I wasn't known in America before "Touch Me." It became a hit because it was a great track and a great video. I was wearing the jean jacket and jeans – nothing too sexy. I never tried to push the model image at all. When we broke America and I arrived on your shores a paparazzi said, "Sam! Have you ever thought about modeling or doing Playboy?" Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt! I turned down Sports Illustrated because I wanted to be taken seriously as a singer. It was damaging in Britain. It's like someone that's been on a Soap Opera all their life and then wants to be a serious actor. You can't get out of that mold. It was very difficult for me at first in Britain. A lot of people said it wasn't me singing on the record. Once it went #1 in 15 countries Britain started playing it. Going straight in with a live band was very important to me. I wanted to show people it wasn't just about the recording and making videos. I am a performer and the best thing about being a rock star is to perform live. You don't sell records just based on what you look like, either. You can't play a poster! Do you think Keeley Hazell or Katie Price could sell records? I don't think so. No. As Katie Price admits, she did it for a laugh. She knows she can't sing and she doesn't care. I went to stage school at the age of five. I had my first band at 15. It's in my blood. You either can sing or you can't. You either can perform or you can't. Life on the road … I don't think Katie Price could put up with it. Sleeping on the bus with 15 smelly men? You're either a rock star or you're not and at the end of the day it's in my blood. You've videos can look great and there are so many things people can do to make you sound great in the studio but you have to get on that stage and perform live. I don't think I would have survived this business so long if I couldn't. You're absolutely right! Sam, big thanks for taking time out for this. What would you like to say to the readers and your fans to wrap everything up? I'd like to thank all the fans who have been so loyal to me over the years. Keep those emails and tweets coming. Keep supporting me on the 'Net. Thank your for being so loyal and I'm sorry it's been so long since I've performed in the States. I'm just waiting on that phone call! Anyone out there that knows a promoter, get me back out in America! I'd love to get back on tour there and I'd love to see you again. Thank you for all your support! Acclaimed violinist extraordinaire Anna Phoebe (JETHRO TULL, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, PAUL RODGERS, ROXY MUSIC) has joined forces with former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord in a brand new brand. Phoebe writes on her Twitter profile, "I am VERY excited! Now we need a name!" In a recent installment of her weekly column for U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Phoebe stated about Lord, "What a nice, gentle, intelligent, interesting man! We talked seamlessly for over two hours [over lunch] and decided that we have the same approach to music as each other — albeit his experience and sheer genius far outweighing mine! We're hopefully going to get together and have a little play with our instruments and see if our Hammond and violin get on as well as we think they might!" Canadian metal legends ANVIL have entered Dave Grohl's (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA, THEM CROOKED VULTURES) Studio 606 in Northridge, California with producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, AIRBOURNE, FILTER, ATREYU, ALICE COOPER) to begin recording their new album, "Juggernaut Of Justice", for a spring 2011 release via The End Records. In a 2009 interview with Suite101.com, ANVIL drummer Robb Reiner stated about the group's forthcoming CD, "It's going to be the best album we've ever done. We've invented a new genre; we've invented metal-jazz . . . We've pioneered something that I believe is going to be revolutionary. I'm a jazz drummer: the world knows that I just happen to be in a metal band. And Lips [guitarist/vocalist Steve Kudlow] listens to a lot of old-time swing jazz these days." Lips added, "I've been getting into Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa, really fast swing. It's really similar to speed metal, it's just that it's done with horns." Reiner continued, "We play this stuff live right now, and it blows people away beyond anything I've ever seen. We've innocently created something that's never been done before." ANVIL's re-release of the group's latest album, "This is Thirteen", sold around 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 19 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. "This is Thirteen" was finally given proper national distribution on CD and vinyl in September 2009 via VH1 Classic Records. The collectible double vinyl LP boasts newly re-recorded versions of ANVIL classics "Metal on Metal" and "666". The album, originally recorded in 2007 and produced by Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY), was primarily available directly from the band via their web site and at their concerts. ANVIL, considered a major influence for a generation of hard rockers including METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, and GUNS N' ROSES, was the subject of a critically acclaimed, must-see rock-doc, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", directed by Sacha Gervasi. And in the process, the film has made the group (led by Kudlow and Reiner — both founding members) a household name. On a music scene which laments with increasing vehemence a lack of consistency and artistic standards, MAGNUM are a band who possess these very qualities. For almost 40 years, they have been among the most consistent leading lights in rock history and continue to impress with their unique style, a mix of powerful energy, deep melodiousness and perceptive lyrics. At the same time, MAGNUM's songs immediately captivate their audience and lose none of their fascination, even after repeated listens. "I'd even say that many of our songs reveal all their strong points only after you've heard them a few times," guitarist/songwriter/producer Tony Clarkin explains, adding: "Our brand-new compositions in particular feature a large number of harmony and rhythm changes, I feel they should definitely be heard a few times so you can discover their many details." Clarkin is referring to the latest MAGNUM release, "The Visitation", due out on Steamhammer/SPV in Europe on January 17, 2011 (Germany: January 14; U.S. and Canada: January 25) and without a doubt one of the strongest albums in the band's history to date. The five MAGNUM members — Tony Clarkin (guitar), Bob Catley (vocals), Mark Stanway (keyboards), Al Barrow (bass) and Harry James (drums) — have invested all their passion, skill and great experience to come up with an optimum result. "I feel we haven't brought out one really weak album, yet none of our previous recordings featured a better production than 'The Visitation'," Clarkin announces proudly. "This release sounds more rock-oriented and at the same time more personal than anything we've recorded so far, and it definitely features the widest range of stylistic directions and atmospheres. What makes it so special is the fact that the music's arrangements match the atmosphere and the lyrics' statements. Every cog turns perfectly within the wheelwork." MAGNUM prove repeatedly on "The Visitation" that their lyrics are anything but superficial or mediocre: "Mother Nature's Final Dance" has the musicians decry the destructive way we treat our environment. "Just look at what's going on in the world at the moment, toxic red mud polluting a whole village in Hungary, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — terrible. It's always a mix of greed and lack of responsibility which leads to these kinds of tragedies." The rock number "Freedom Day", a kind of paean of praise to self-determination, is equally profound. Clarkin: "We live in freedom in Europe, but looking at a lot of South-American or African countries, you see oppression, you see people living under the brutal reign of a dictator. That's why we say: let's fight for freedom." The cover artwork, which was again created by graphic designer Rodney Matthews, reflects the lyrics of "Door To Nowhere", which has MAGNUM look back at their own childhood. It would hardly be possible for a track to be more typical of this band than this number with its dynamic guitar parts, gritty arrangements and charismatic vocals. "The Visitation" will be available in four different formats: as a standard version (see the cover in yellow), in a limited-edition digipak featuring a bonus DVD (the black cover), as double gatefold coloured vinyl (the black cover) and for download. Starting early March 2011, MAGNUM will embark on a two-month European tour which will see the band present, along with songs from "The Visitation" and popular classics, tracks which haven't featured on their live playlist for a number of years. So the party is about to begin! "The Visitation" track listing: 01. Black Skies 02. Doors To Nowhere 03. The Visitation 04. Wild Angels 05. Spin Like A Wheel 06. The Last Frontier 07. Freedom Day 08. Mother Nature's Final Dance 09. Midnight Kings 10. Tonight's The Night Bonus DVD / limited-edition digipak: * "The Visitation" Lyrics * Live at the High Voltage festival in London ("Brand New Morning", "Les Morts Dansant", "All My Bridges", "When We Were Younger") * "Eyes Like Fire" footage (this is one of the tracks that didn't make the album) * "Behind The Artwork" " video with Al Barrow (with tracks "The Moonking" and "In My Mind's Eye") * Rodney Matthews artwork * Photo galleries * Moonblog montage Global Music has announced the latest installment in its "Live & Loud Collection" — THE QUIREBOYS' "Live In London", due for release via DVE on November 8. The two-disc CD/DVD release captures England's best-loved purveyors of good-time rock and roll performing live at the legendary Marquee Club during the 2004 "Monsters Of Rock" tour. Commented THE QUIREBOYS' charismatic frontman Spike: "The Marquee show is just us having a party with the fans following our 'Monsters Of Rock' arena tour. I remember it as one of funniest shows I've ever done." Listen and watch the band play all of its greatest hits live, including "Hey You", "This Is Rock 'N' Roll", "7 O'Clock", "Sex Party" and more. "Live In London" track listing: 01. C'mon 02. Misled 03. Hey You 04. This Is Rock 'n' Roll 05. There She Goes Again 06. Show Me What Ya' Got 07. Tramps & Thieves 08. I Don't Love You Anymore 09. Turn Away 10. 7 O' Clock 11. Whippin Boy 12. Sex Party After a 20-year absence, '80s New Jersey thrash band MIDIAN has reformed with a new lineup. Sole remaining original member Chris Hawkins (drums) has recruited Mike Vittoria (vocals), Khalid Illahi (guitar), Rojan Banmali (guitar) and Sam Agnew (bass) for the revamped group, which plans to record a demo and start playing live in early 2011. Hawkins states, "The new guys have far exceeded my expectations!!! I'm blown away. Looking forward to playing live and recording with these characters." Earlier this year, Chinese label Area Death Productions released "Thrashology", a two-CD set which features all demos from MIDIAN and MERCENARI (pre-MIDIAN), rare live and rehearsal recordings, and live videos. Copies of the "Thrashology" CD are still available through the band. Prices are: $10 (US, Canada), $15 (worldwide). For more information, visit www.myspace.com/midianthrashnj. Reactivated German thrashers ASSASSIN have inked a new deal with SPV/Steamhammer Records. The label will release the band's next studio album and will reissue the classic LPs, 1987's "The Upcoming Terror" and 1988's "Interstellar Experience". ASSASSIN reunited in 2002 and performed at the 2003 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival. The band's third album, "The Club", was self-produced and self-released in 2005. Finnish rock cello quartet APOCALYPTICA will return to the U.S. for 18 shows starting November 25 in Orlando, Florida at House Of Blues and concluding in Corpus Christi, Texas on December 18 at the House Of Rock. The dates are as follows: Nov. 25 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues Nov. 26 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room Nov. 27 - Tampa, FL - Ritz Ybor Nov. 29 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre Nov. 30 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop Dec. 04 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights Dec. 05 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre Dec. 06 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock Cafe Dec. 07 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club Dec. 08 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom Dec. 09 - Richmond, VA - The National Dec. 10 - Greenville, SC - The Handlebar Dec. 12 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium Dec. 13 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom Dec. 14 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues Dec. 15 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues Dec. 16 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit Dec. 17 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues Dec. 18 - Corpus Christi, TX - House Of Rock "Broken Pieces", the new video from APOCALYPTICA, can be viewed below. The clip features a guest appearance by FLYLEAF singer Lacey Sturm (previously known by her maiden name of Lacey Nicole Mosley). "Broken Pieces" comes off APOCALYPTICA's latest album, "7th Symphony", which sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The majority of the album was produced by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, BAD RELIGION), with two other songs produced by Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH). Just like on their previous album, "Worlds Collide", APOCALYPTICA has employed guest vocalists for several tracks on the record. APOCALYPTICA member Eicca Toppinen told The Pulse of Radio that it's always a challenge to fit the band's music around each individual singer's style. "You know, there's certain challenges, but we also, we always want to see how the vocals fit in that, "he said. "(But) after that, we work on the arrangements and see what else with the cellos we can create around the vocals. But I think with everybody — we've been so lucky to work with some great people, so it's always pretty easy." APOCALYPTICA traveled to Los Angeles in early June to shoot a music video for "End Of Me", the first single from "7th Symphony". The song features BUSH singer Gavin Rossdale on vocals, with Rossdale also making an appearance in the video. Other guest artists on "7th Symphony" include SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith, vocalist Joseph Duplantier of French metal act GOJIRA and drummer Dave Lombardo from SLAYER. Reunited hard rockers MR. BIG will release their new album in January 2011 via Frontiers Records. The band recently entered a Los Angeles-area studio with producer Kevin "The Caveman" Shirley (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, AEROSMITH, JOURNEY, DREAM THEATER, THE BLACK CROWES, LED ZEPPELIN) to begin recording the CD — the first to feature all four of the band's original members since "Hey Man" in 1995. According to MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan, the forthcoming album will feature "impossible bass and guitar stuff" and will be musically similar to the band's 1991 breakthrough, "Lean Into It" — the LP that featured the No. 1 single "To Be With You". Frontiers Records released MR. BIG's reunion live CD and DVD, entitled "Back To Budokan", in October 2009. The set featured footage of the band's June 20, 2009 performance at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. MR. BIG released a new "best-of" album titled "Next Time Around" in April 2009 through WHD Entertaiment. The collection included songs that were voted on by fans and contains two previously unreleased songs, "Next Time Around" (2009 remastered version) and "Hold Your Head Up" (2009 remastered version). It was made available as a limited deluxe edition with a bonus DVD. Japanese metal veterans LOUDNESS will play at the third memorial show for their former drummer Munetaka Higuchi on Sunday, November 14 at CC Lemon Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Higuchi passed away on November 30, 2008 following a seven-month battle with liver cancer. He was 49 years old. Higuchi was also the drummer of the rock band LAZY, going by the nickname of Davy. The group disbanded in 1981 and Higuchi co-founded LOUDNESS the same year. LAZY reunited in 1998. Higuchi was also active as a producer, handling artists such as Mari Hamada. LOUDNESS' current drummer is Masayuki Suzuki, who was "discovered" by the band's guitarist, Akira Takasaki. LOUDNESS played a headlinining show on July 19, 2010 at the Dynamo Club in Eindhoven, Netherlands as part of their short European tour. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be viewed below (courtesy of "Mickus1234"). LOUDNESS's new album, "King Of Pain", was released in Japan on May 19 via Tokuma Japan Communications. The CD includes a 32-page booklet, a LOUDNESS original pick, and application card (valid only in Japan). LOUDNESS released a CD+DVD set entitled "Live Loudest At The Budokan '91" on December 23, 2009 via Warner Music Japan. The album was recorded on May 31, 1991 in Tokyo, Japan and features Mike Vescera (OBSESSION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on vocals. On November 8 (Europe) and 9 (rest of the world), metal fiends across the globe will finally be able to try and wrap their heads around what is clearly the frontrunner for the album of the year. After having spent the past 17 years on the shelf for a cornucopia of reasons, Tampa's seminal progressive/technical death metal legends Atheist, the pioneers of the genre, have created an absolute beast of an album. Jupiter, for all accounts, is the perfect comeback album, a masterpiece that any fan of Atheist will surely bow down to. Jupiter is intense, it's catchy, it's melodic and groovy. Every song on the album, from the first to the last, is all Atheist. Some parts Piece of Time, other parts Unquestionable Presence and there's even a hint of Elements thrown in for good measure. It's all these ingredients purified with maturity and experience and the end result is a concoction that is so seamless that it's mind-boggling. Atheist co-founder and drummer extraordinaire Steve Flynn took the time out of his busy night a few weeks ago to speak at length with Blistering.com to reveal his thoughts on Jupiter, Atheist's future and why on earth he, one of the most gifted drummers in metal history, didn't pick up his drumsticks for the length of almost four presidential terms in office… Blistering.com: I listened to the album for the first time today straight through without interruption. Man, I have to honestly say that I'm blown away by Jupiter. It totally exceeded my expectations for the album. With that said, I'm imagining all the guys in Atheist are pleased with how the album turned out. Steve Flynn: Thank you very much. Yes, we are proud of it. We are also very proud of our other records which, if you know the history of the band, pretty much everybody hated them when they were released [laughs]. It's a unique situation in that many years have passed and Atheist sort of became this entity that was given or afforded the moniker or credit of being a founding member of this movement of progressive technical death metal. But the experience of the band was anything but. We had dog food thrown at us, we were booed off stages while magazines and people who were in the business thought the band was forward thinking, was new and innovative and loved us and gave us great ratings. All the magazines and record companies thought we were great, but when we went out to play for people, it was horrible. People hated us. So when it came time for us to do the new record, we told people all along that we were really happy with what came out, we like the music and we are simply doing the same thing we did at any other time in history when Kelly [Schaefer, vocals, guitars] and I get together to write music. But if people like it, it's going to be a first for us because we're just not used to that kind of thing. But thank you as you heard it today and that's incredible that you like it. But again our experiences have been that people just didn't like it despite the fact that the band became sort of lauded as founders of this progressive death metal kind of movement. Blistering.com: I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst because I'm a cynic at heart but I'm blown away how great it is. Flynn: Thank you. I think you're sort of encapsulating the experience that we've had. I think you just said it. The thing with Elements is that the core of the band wasn't together. Roger [Patterson, bass] was dead and Kelly and I weren't writing together and the real history of the band is that Kelly and I started the band. Roger Patterson, with his complex bass lines, was really integral to developing the sound that eventually became recognized as whatever you think of Atheist. It was sort of a combination of Kelly and I writing sort of guitar riffs. I wrote a lot of the guitar, being a drummer, and I've written guitar on Jupiter. With Roger really writing all the complex stuff and Kelly and I just sitting there putting it together and arranging it and trying to shape it and so forth, that was Atheist. And when we weren't together on Elements, one of the first things people said about the record is that it didn't sound like Atheist, but it sounded maybe like a progression. But then everybody knew they brought in the other guitar player, they hired this studio drummer to come in and of course it was technical music. It was really, really fucking good. There are songs on there like "Mineral" and "Air" that we play live regularly that are just brilliant songs. I had nothing to do with them and I started the band. Kelly is just so mentally talented and so are Rand [Burkey, ex-guitars] and Tony [Choy, ex-bass] and all those guys. But for whatever Atheist became known for, it was all before that. It was what Kelly and I had done together. So whether you hated the band or loved the band, it was for what we did as a core cadre of musicians that spawned that. You might ask me about Tony and his involvement and I don't want to jump the gun on your questions and/or where you want to take the conversation. But most people don't really understand how the music came about. And that's not right or wrong because that's quite logical. The amount of time that went by – I spent 14 years not playing the drums. I didn't pick up my drumsticks literally for 14 years and then in 2006 I started playing drums again and formed this band called Gnostic. Then the Atheist stuff kind of came back to what it is now because there was a demand for it. When it was time to write a record, we didn't know [what to expect]. I mean, everybody hated what we did. We did three albums. Well, three as Atheist; the first two with me and then Elements without me and Kelly together and everybody hated us! We were like, "well, we'll see, I don't know!" When Season of Mist wanted us to make a record, they were asking us what it was going to be like and I was just like, "I don't know! It's going to be me, Kelly and the guys around us." I just knew we were going to do the same thing we did together back in 1991. We were going to write stuff that we like and hopefully it will come out okay and people will think about it what they think. But back to your point that you're making about the difference between Elements and the others is the central theme is that the core group that made up the sound just wasn't together. That's why Elements is so distinctively different. And Tony, as much as we love Tony Choy and how great he is as a bass player, he had nothing to do with Piece of Time and nothing to do with Unquestionable Presence. He did have a good deal of impact on Elements and that was widely considered to be different than anything else we did as a band. So when people who hear this new one will say that it sort of sounds like the missing link, well yeah; that's because Kelly and I are the ones who started the band. Blistering.com: I know what you mean. I can't play and instrument to save my life, but when I do pick up new releases and whatnot, there's nothing better than hearing the bands actually playing the songs. I love the – like you said – organic sound to albums. Nothing drives me nuts more than when I hear a new album and I can instantly tell it's all programmed, triggered, layered and basically computerized songs. It sounds too thin or clicky or just fake or however you want to describe it. Flynn: Oh good lord am I with you on that! I don't know how much time you have in terms of how long this piece you're doing on us permits, but I can go on for days about this stuff. However, here is an interesting story to this very topic during the recording of Jupiter. I have a really odd, sort of unique story: When I left the band in 1992, I went to college, I went to grad school and I have this ridiculously sort of mundane corporate job. I'm a vice president at this global communications consulting company called Millward Brown. I had nothing to do with music for fourteen years. Then a thunderbolt hit me one morning. I was like, it's time to start fucking playing again. The point being that when we formed the band, Gnostic, and two of the guys who are in that band are also in Atheist. When we went to the studio to do our first demo, which was horrible by the way, I hadn't recorded since I did Unquestionable Presence. So we sat down and started playing and I got around three-quarters of the way through the first song and I hit the rim of my snare at one point. I said something like, "Oh fuck I hit the rim and we gotta do it over." The engineer at Ledbelly, where we recorded Jupiter, his name is Matt Washburn and he's really good. He was like, "What are you talking about? What do you mean do it over? I'll just replace it." I then knew what he was talking about and that's when it hit me how incredibly far the technology has come. I just sat there for a little while and then I realized that when I finally got back into music, I wondered why these bands just sound so incredibly good now! Everything is so perfect! Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band DEFAULT will release its new album, "Comes and Goes", on October 25 through AudioNest/Fontana. Recorded in Los Angeles with longtime producer Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, SHINEDOWN), the CD is a step above all of the band's previous offerings. "Right off the bat we knew this was a special album and that it came together exactly the way we wanted it to," says frontman Dallas Smith. "We really believe in this record, and can't wait for our fans to hear it." The first single from the effort, "Turn It On", is at rock radio now. DEFAULT will hit the road with HINDER for a winter tour kicking off November 17 at House Of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio. The trek will hit select cities across the U.S. through December 18. The members of DEFAULT are eager to take the new songs directly to the fans that have flocked to their shows and bombarded their Facebook with comments, most of them expressing anticipation for new DEFAULT music. "God bless them all," says bassist Dave Benedict. "We give them what they want, and therefore they reward us by showing up. Without them, we'd be nothing." DEFAULT consists of Dallas Smith (vocals), Jeremy Hora (guitar), Dave Benedict (bass), and Danny Craig (drums). The band was discovered by NICKELBACK's Chad Kroeger shortly after forming in Vancouver back in 1999. Kroeger's interest in their demo led him to lend his support to the production of their debut album. "The Fallout" (2001) boasted strong singles like "Deny", "Count On Me" and "Wasting My Time", the latter of which was a hit at both Canadian and American radio, earning the band an award for over 600,000 BDS Certified spins. A Juno for "Best New Group" followed in 2002, and "The Fallout" was certified platinum (one million copies sold) in the States in 2003. Swedish alternative metal act KOREA will release its second album, "The Delirium Suite", on November 12 via ViciSolum Productions. KOREA was formed in Stockholm in 2003 and was quickly discovered by the American producer Blake Althen who realized the powerful potential that the band possessed. The group recorded a self-titled EP with Blake but eventually decided to part ways with the producer. In 2008 KOREA released its debut album, "For The Present Purpose", which got great reviews from magazines such as Kerrang!, Big Cheese, Rock Hard, Legacy, Orkus, Sonic Seducer and Rock Sound. Now, two years later, KOREA is back with the sequel, "The Delirium Suite", on which the band raised the bar considerably. The CD's first single, a hard-hitting version of RADIOHEAD's classic "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", will precede the full-length CD on October 15. It is now available for streaming on KOREA's MySpace page. Australia's DOUBLE DRAGON has announced the addition of bassist Josh Lamont and drummer Liam Weedall to the group's ranks. Speaking of the new lineup, guitarist Matthew "Roady" Johnston had this to say: "We're extremely excited to get back out there with the new boys and show everyone exactly what we've been up to for the past couple of months. Josh has been a longtime friend of the band, has filled in for us several times in the past, and we couldn't be happier to finally have him on board as a full-time member. As for Liam, he's only 19 years old, but don't let that fool you — he's a phenomenal musician who's blowing everyone that sees him play away, especially us!" Josh (also a member of DOUBLE DRAGON guitarist Davin Buttery's side project A RED DAWN) and Liam (formerly drummer for Adelaide bands ASPHYXIA and SONIC EUPHORIA) complete the new lineup alongside longtime members Roady, Davin and lead vocalist Lee Gardiner. After performing a warm-up show in the previous weeks, the band now looks forward to officially debuting its new lineup when they appear with Sweden's SOILWORK as part of the Adelaide leg of the "Panic Over Australia" national tour. The band will then travel to Melbourne to perform alongside DEATH AUDIO at the Trash Halloween Party at Casey's Nightclub, followed by support slots with MORTAL SIN and LORD back in Adelaide later in the year. DOUBLE DRAGON will enter Adelaide's Against The Grain studios in November/December to record the follow-up to 2008's "Devastator". Entitled "The Sons Of Asena", the new record will feature ten tracks "which incorporate a different range of influences to the band's previous work, whilst still retaining the same characteristic DOUBLE DRAGON sound," according to a press release. Lee says: "We have let our collective imaginations run wild for this album. No stone has been left unturned with these songs, and this is perhaps the most exciting part — for the first time we've had the balls to follow our instincts and follow them through. Whether it be with the hiring of our new members, the newfound ambition we feel, or the strength of the songs themselves. As a creative person, it's a very exciting time to be in this band." Following the completion of the new album, the band (which is currently unsigned) will be looking for a release both in Australia and worldwide, with international touring also firmly in their sights for 2011. Dorset, England's pummeling doom trio RAMESSES has had an ultra-busy year and has a lot planned for the coming months. RAMESSES recently completed its latest wave of European live dates, selling out most of the concerts on their ten-show tour through France and Spain. At press time the band is gearing up for a three-day attack on British soil with support from Norway's OBLITERATION. The trek includes stops in Newcastle and Birmingham and ends in London at the Fenriz-curated Live Evil festival this Saturday, where RAMESSES will appear alongside ANGEL WITCH, VOLCANO and HOODED MENACE, among others. These will probably be the last shows the band will play for 2010. RAMESSES U.K. tour dates with OBLITERATION: Oct. 21 - Trillians - Newcastle, UK Oct. 22 - The Asylum - Birmingham, UK Oct. 23 - The Underworld - London, UK @ Live Evil Fest In other news, Jake and Dinos Chapman — the artists who crafted the controversial "Fucking Hell" art masterpiece used for RAMESSES' "Take The Curse" cover art — offered to make a video for the track "Baptism of the Walking Dead" from the album. While RAMESSES has been working hard all year in support of its latest full-length, "Take The Curse", released in June of 2010 on Ritual Productions, the band has already already captured ten new tracks for its third full-length opus. Tentatively set for a March 2011 release, "Possessed by the Rise of Magik" will once again be made available via Ritual Productions and will include such cuts as "Safety in Numbness", "Towers of Silence" and an epic 15-minute title track. Prior to the release of "Possessed by the Rise of Magik", RAMESSES will release a two-song 12-inch EP entitled "Chrome Pineal/Blazoned Fauna". "Chrome Pineal" is a ten-minute 1960s style exploration recorded during the "Take the Curse" sessions, and "Blazoned Fauna" is another brand new track from the "Possessed by the Rise of Magik" recording sessions. RAMESSES was spawned in the woodland of Dorset, England. They have been disfiguring the innards of their army of devoted listeners since 2003 when drummer Mark Greening and guitarist Tim Bagshaw hooked up with Adam Richardson (bass and vocals). For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ramesses666. New Orleans heavy metal act HAARP's brand new album, "The Filth", will be released on November 23 via Housecore Records. Produced by Housecore owner Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA), the CD is described in a press release as "an ugly, oppressive journey into heavy metal." The album features cover artwork by famed artist and tattoo master Paul Booth. On August 27, 2005, two of New Orleans' extreme metal bands, manic grind freaks RAT IN A BUCKET and black metal blazers DE CAPA PRETA, were slated to play a show at the now-defunct Dixie Taverne in the heart of the city. Due to "inclement weather" and the threat of Hurricane Katrina making landfall, the bands decided that since many people were evacuating the city, the show could not go on. Hurricane Katrina struck and devastated the Gulf Coast region and affected many aspects of people's lives. The music scene in New Orleans was not spared from this change and many bands, including RAT IN A BUCKET and DE CAPA PRETA, went through several member departures before ultimately calling it quits. Keith Sierra Jr., drummer from RAT IN A BUCKET, and Grant Tom, guitarist from DE CAPA PRETA, got in contact with each other from their temporary locations and discussed the state of the music scene. After digging up old conversations and ideas they had discussed at various local shows, they decided to return to New Orleans and start a new band. This new band would approach music from a new direction from the speed and chaos of their respective previous bands, and focus more on mid-tempo and slower music. The immediate choice for vocalist was Shaun Emmons of RAT IN A BUCKET, who shared the varied and eclectic musical tastes of Keith and Grant. Several tryouts later, Ryan Pomes of MILKTOAST joined the group and finalized the lineup as bassist. "To call HAARP 'slow' would be somewhat fair, but to say that they're just 'another slow band' would be sacrilege," states Anselmo. "Their music is crushing, resolute, dramatic and conceptually insane. If critics are going to try and lump them into any one genre, than they'd better put the crown on HAARP's collective heads once it's picked. This ain't doom metal by any stretch. HAARP makes playing halftime sound like an original idea all over again. This music is essential." "The Filth" track listing: 01. The Rise, The Fall 02. All, Alone 03. A New Reign 04. The Blue Chamber Painted Red 05. Peerless 06. Minutia 07. Here In The Dark 08. Plurimus Humilus, Ciacco 09. The Fall, The Rise HAARP is: Shaun Emmons - Vocals Grant Tom - Guitar Ryan Pomes - Bass Keith Sierra - Drums For more information, visit www.myspace.com/haarpnola. ARAFEL, hailing from Israel/Germany, has inked a deal with NoiseArt Records. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its third full-length album, "For Battles Once Fought", for an early 2011 release. A four-minute medley of songs that will appear on the new CD is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. ARAFEL ("fog" in hebrew) was created in 1997 in Tel Aviv-Israel and is now fronted by German vocalist Helge Stang, formerly of EQUILIBRIUM. Having started out by playing black metal influenced by Slavonic folk music, the band went through several personnel changes and eventually added a a violinist to its lineup. In early 2009 the group took its musical core to new heights by adding more folk overtones along with death-metal elements and added its final member. ARAFEL is: Helge - Vocals Felius - Guitar R.K. - Bass Leshii - Drums Nasha - Violin Commented the band: "We are happy and proud to be a part of Noise Art Records and Rock The Nation family! We gave our share of blood, sweat and tears to achieve this and it set an example that if you work hard for the things you want nothing will stand in your way. We in ARAFEL really believe in the music we are doing and we want to thank Noise Art Records for believing in us, too! "ARAFEL is more than ready to start making a battlefield bloodbath around the globe and will first invade your hometowns at PaganFest 2011 along with KORPIKLAANI, MOONSORROW, UNLEASHED, KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI, VARG and more. We are very excited to share a stage with such bands and looking forward to meet the European crowd!" Ontario-based black/folk metallers WOODS OF YPRES have inked a deal with Earache Records. The band's fifth album will be released "soon," according to a posting on the Earache Twitter profile. WOODS OF YPRES is: David Gold - Vocals/Guitar Evan Madden - Drums Shane Madden - Bass Joel Violette - Lead Guitar WOODS OF YPRES founder/frontman David Gold recently launched a new side-project, THE NORTHERN ONTARIO BLACK METAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY. THE ELITE, the brand new project featuring CHIMAIRA guitarist Rob Arnold and BLEED THE SKY drummer Austin D'Amond, has uploaded the first part of a five-part mini-movie chronicling the creation of the band's debut EP, "WW3". Check it out below. Regarding THE ELITE's formation, Arnold stated, "One cold winter day, back in 2006, I was chillin' at the CHIMAIRA practice space, when a good friend, singer TJ Frost, stopped by to say hey. He had a young drummer with him... a guy named Austin D'Amond from the band BLEED THE SKY. After a brief introduction and some catching up, I asked Austin to hop up on the kit to show me what he was made of. I grabbed a guitar, cranked up my amp, and we went to work. The magic and spark between us was immediately apparent, and at that very moment, I knew that we had to create music together. "TJ and I had shared the same feelings for quite some time before that day....He being a fan of my guitar work in CHIMAIRA, and me being a fan of his vocal and lyrical style in his former Buffalo-based bands BAPHOMET, FIVE YEARS GONE and STEMM. We knew that we'd do a project together one day, but never thought it could happen this soon. All it took was a carefree, happy-go-lucky, tasmanian devil from Southern California named Austin D'Amond to step into the room, and ignite the fire. Austin later told me that he knew this 'unexpected' and 'informal' audition was his chance to shine, and he knew that he had to let it all hang out. And let me tell you...that's exactly what he did. "Unable to forge our sound in a typical band fashion, due to three band members living in three different states, we were forced to diversify our schedule. Writing, arranging, recording, and mixing were all completed over a two-year period of multiple three-to-five-day stints. Austin and TJ would fly into Cleveland where we'd work on material around the clock, trying to be as productive as possible... Always knowing that the time frame of our next meeting was completely uncertain. But it was that writing environment that helped shape the definition of our style. "After our first couple of meetings, we had a compilation of impromptu jams that we had laid out on tape. And it was the series of coming months that allowed us to listen to and digest the material we had created. Then during future jam sessions, we were able to hone in on the jams we considered to be the sickest of the sick, and thus formed the songs we all hear today. This method was definitely unconventional in comparison to the typical writing style I had been used to with CHIMAIRA, but certainly opened up some new doors in terms of my thinking, and showed me that something like this was completely possible. "With five songs polished and complete, the hunt for the perfect bass player ensued... I knew that whomever I selected had to mesh perfectly with Austin's crazy style and then everything else would fall into place. And so I planned to hold auditions with potential players where they'd free-jam with Austin, and Austin only... And if the vibe was there, we'd know we had our guy. Fortunately, I looked no further than a couple doors down the hall to find my old friend Mike 'Hippy' Drury of Cleveland's OHIO SKY. Mike and I had played together along with CHIMAIRA's Andy Herrick in a band called SANCTUM way back in the day... Plus Mike had everything I was looking for; ability, groove, attitude, a killer tone, and the desire to take it all the way. "And so with the fourth and final pillar in place, THE ELITE was born.... Naturally, we took the project to long time friend and famed CHIMAIRA producer Ben Schigel. We knew that both sonically and physically Ben would maximize the potential of our 'WW3' EP. "And so here we are... THE ELITE... Spread the word. Build the demand. And help our army grow. "Jam it hard, jam it loud, and jam it often... Prepare the nation for a new age." THE ELITE is: * Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA) - Guitar * Austin D'Amond (BLEED THE SKY) - Drums * TJ Frost (BAPHOMET, FIVE YEARS GONE, STEMM) - Vocals * Mike Drury (OHIO SKY) - Bass For more information, visit www.myspace.com/theelite.

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