The webmaster of JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing's official web site recently conducted an interview with Downing about the 20th anniversary of PRIEST's classsic "Painkiller" album. The question-and-answer session follows below.
Q: Your album "Painkiller" just passed the 20-year mark. Let's go back in time when you finished the "Ram It Down" tour. You had a triumphant decade. Did you have any thoughts about how to begin the 1990s?
K.K. Downing: No, I don't think so. I think as musicians/songwriters it's always a case of not being sure of what will happen until you get your teeth into the songwriting and seeing what comes out, then depending on what does, the precedent is set for everything else.
Q: Again, like in 1980, the world was going through a lot of turbulence, especially the eastern blog, do you think that had any effect on your songwriting?
K.K. Downing: No, not as I recall, but we were certainly very happy that things were changing and the world was becoming a bigger place not just for us but for every band.
Q: You were obviously looking for a new drummer after Dave [Holland] had announced he'd leave. Did you have a clear view on what kind of drummer you were looking for?
K.K. Downing: Yes, I think we may have had, because we kind of fancied having someone with great double-kicks ability again, like Simon (Philips) and Les (Binks).
Q: So you found powerhouse drummer Scott Travis. Did he audition like everyone else? Did he already have the beats for "Painkiller"?
K.K. Downing: Yes, he did audition like everyone else. Whether or not he had the beats, he certainly could play what we wanted him to.
Q: When writing songs, was your goal to produce PRIEST's heaviest album (that far)?
K.K. Downing: Not initially, but as the album started to grow we enjoyed the energy that we were creating. Now that we had Scott, we were sure going to see what he had in the tank.
Q: You had a wonderful time (1979-1988) with "Colonel" Tom Allom. How did you come to choose your old buddy ("Sad Wings", 1976) Chris Tsangarides to produce "Painkiller"?
K.K. Downing: I am not totally sure, but Tom may have been involved with other things and it seemed a nice idea to meet up and work with Chris again.
Q: Can you remember what was the difference between these producers? Was Tom more "inside the band" whereas Chris maybe as an "outsider" saw new possibilities?
K.K. Downing: Both Tom and Chris are, to my mind, great rock and metal producers, but as I said, it was just in our minds to see what we could do with someone else.
Q: How were the recording sessions in France at Miraval Studios? A lot of red wine was consumed, I believe?
K.K. Downing: Yes, Miraval was great. It actually was a vineyard, so there was plenty of good wine on tap, but as a studio, it was cut off from everything else so there were very limited distractions — which, to be honest, is a good thing.
Q: The guitar sound on "Painkiler" is pretty much top notch. Was it easy to find the required adjustments, to discover the sound?
K.K. Downing: I believe that we just took our regular rigs with us, so it may have been just a good room or good mic pre-amps. Also of course, it could have been the guys in the control room or a combination of everything.
Q: The album has quite tricky guitar work. Iis there something you would like to underline here?
K.K. Downing: No, except that I wanted to pick up where I left off with songs like "Blood Red Skies", be experimenting with more scales, and really tightening up my alternate picking.
Q: The Reno trial came to an end in summer 1990. Did that have any effect on the album?
K.K. Downing: No. The album was done and we were waiting to go on tour. It was all very frustrating.
Q: Do you remember the first show on that tour at the Foundations Forum in Los Angeles? A bit different start, to say the least?
K.K. Downing: I think I do, if it's the one I am thinking of. It was a great gig.
Q: The "Painkiller" stage set was phenomenal, a real statement in conjuction of the album theme. The support bands were among the hardest as well: MEGADETH and TESTAMENT, and later PANTERA and ANNIHILATOR. Any anecdotes you would like to share here?
K.K. Downing: Yes! A very enjoyable tour and memories. I speak of it quite often. In fact, I was just telling some friends yesterday how we went sightseeing in Rome with PANTERA to the Coliseum and places like that. We had many laughs together on that tour. I can never forget that Dime (R.I.P.) used to go busking in the streets. I saw a piece of film once with him doing that; it was so funny. In fact, I will check if I can find it on YouTube; it's a must-see. There was so much talent in PANTERA and ANNIHILATOR and they were so humble. It must have been very tough for them and all of their crews to share one bus. They used to crack us up so much when they would form a queue outside our dressing rooms in the hope that we would spot them some beers, which, of course, we always did. Happy days!
Q: PRIEST has now announced the "Epitaph" tour, so is it time for "One Shot At Glory"? Can we expect that one live during 2011?
K.K. Downing: I am not sure, but if it had been called "Last Shot At Glory", I am sure that it would be there.
MOTÖRHEAD will embark on a headlining tour of Australia in March. The band will hit Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.
The dates are as follows:
Mar. 26 - Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall
Mar. 28 - Adelaide, Australia – Theabarton
Mar. 30 - Sydney, Australia - Big Top
Apr. 01 - Gold Coast, Australia - Convention Centre
Tickets to the Melbourne show go on sale through Ticketmaster on January 12, and the Adelaide show through Venuetix and Sydney and Gold Coast tickets through Ticketek on December 23.
MOTÖRHEAD's new album, "The Wörld Is Yours", will be released in North America on February 8, 2011.
Written and performed by Lemmy Kilmister, Philip Campbell and Mikkey Dee in both Los Angeles, California and Wales, with production once again by Cameron Webb, "The Wörld Is Yours" serves to remind everyone that you should never stop questioning or critiquing a society that would surely chew you up and spit you if given half a chance. And with 10 soul-scorching testaments to the unbridled power this world-famous trio continually maintain, "The Wörld Is Yours" delivers some of the finest, most important Motörmusic yet.
Recorded during the late spring, the album's creation was thrown into turmoil by the poor health and sad eventual passing of Philip Campbell's father; the situation dictated that Philip needed to be home during some of the scheduled recording time, so MOTÖRHEAD hired a studio in Wales where Campbell was able to continue working on ideas and record tracks whilst first Mikkey and Lemmy, and then just Lemmy, laid down the rest of the album in L.A. But being MOTÖRHEAD, nothing fazed them, and with "The Wörld Is Yours" the band have triumphed over adversity to produce an absolute stormer of an album.
Additional U.S. theatrical screenings have been confirmed for the acclaimed rock documentary "Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch". On top of already announced dates in New York, Austin, Seattle, Portland, and Atlanta, the film will make theatrical runs in Los Angeles, California (Laemmle's Sunset 5, opening January 21); San Francisco, California (The Roxie, February 1-2); Long Beach, California (The Art Theatre of Long Beach, January 15, one night only); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Times Cinema, January 17-20); Nashville, Tennessee (Belcourt Theatre, January 23-24), San Antonio, Texas (Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes, January 26, one night only), and Chicago (The Music Box Theatre, exact date to be determined). In addition, Cinema Village in New York moved up the film's opening one week to January 21. Additional dates and cities are forthcoming.
Critics around the world can't get enough of "Lemmy". The film won the Best Documentary prize at the In Edit Film Festival in Santiago, Chile last weekend, and it's been a major hit at dozens of other international festivals, including screenings in France, England, Germany, Spain, Australia, The Netherlands, and South Korea. Currently in theaters in the U.K., "Lemmy" has recently sold out screenings in Paris, Berlin and Tokyo, where it was rated by one firm as the second most popular film in theaters last weekend.
The DVD, a-two disc set packed with more than four hours of bonus features, will be released February 15 and will be available for digital download and on Blu-ray. Filmed over more than three years, and directed by Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, "Lemmy" features appearances by artists spanning the musical spectrum, from METALLICA, Ozzy Osbourne and Slash to Peter Hook (NEW ORDER, JOY DIVISION), Mick Jones (THE CLASH) and Jarvis Cocker.
Orshoski told BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "We can't wait for the fans to get their hands on the DVD, which will be a two-disc set in most of the world. The North American version of the film will be the only one to carry all of our bonus content, which we slaved over night and day for something like 35 days straight last summer. We wanted to really serve fans and give them everything that we could. Basically, we designed the U.S. DVD release to be a treasure trove of everything Lemmy. People will get the movie, and then something like four hours of bonus content. More details on that coming soon, but needless to say, the fans will be stoked!"
When VELVET REVOLVER first hit, rock fans were both curious and amazed at the band's first album and incredible powerhouse line-up, but things quickly soured as front man Scott Weiland continued his unpredictable behavior that has marked his career. The band forced out a second album, but the writing already seemed to be on the wall. This past November the band released their first DVD, Live In Houston, which captures the band in all their glory in 2005. The show demonstrates clearly that the band is just too good to pack it in and be forgotten. Drummer Matt Sorum, recently sat down with Bravewords.com to discuss the band's past, but mostly the band's future.
Bravewords.com: Let's talk about the new Velvet Revolver DVD, Live in Houston. That was recorded back in 2005 as a special for HDNet. What can you tell me about it?
Matt Sorum: "It seemed like the right time to put out a retrospective of what we had done and that was a particular time where we were firing on all cylinders. We were just starting out on our first theatre tour for Contraband. We had a #1 album, we were reaching platinum sales, we won a Grammy and there was an excitement around the band. The fans were really up for it and everyone in the band was in good physical and mental shape. I can see that by watching the DVD. We were all pretty fired up. We were excited to be on stage and excited to be in a band. We went through a lot of shit to get there. Weiland had gone through some trials and tribulations and we had gone through a couple of years trying to put the whole thing together. It was very exciting to be out there because once you get out on the road and you're touring; you're whole process is just getting on stage every night and putting on a great hour and a half performance. That particular
night, we knew the cameras were rolling and we were in full effect. It's cool that it's out now because we are organically reforming the band. It's coming back into shape now even though it's been talked about now for a few years."
Bravewords.com: How is the new singer process coming along?
MS: "We've been spending quite a bit of time doing this process and it's not an easy process for a band of our nature because we're looking for a certain type of singer. We have a lot of pedigree and the guys that came before him are pretty well known front men. To find the guy to fill those pretty big shoes… You have to be a triple threat. You have to have personality, star quality… you have to have the whole package and have that 'X' factor. We had a couple of guys that we worked with, spent time with them, nurtured them and tried to see how their personalities would fit with ours and it never seemed to quite sell us. The only metaphor I could put to that is that we're kind of dating…"
Bravewords.com: But you're not getting married yet.
MS: "That's right. This last particular run of guys we started with right after Slash got off his solo tour. We started looking at guys that we had been watching and hearing and we sent songs to. We brought about four guys in who are basically unknowns and what we found from that experience is that the guys would come in either so nervous that they could barely perform or there was just something about it that just didn't put it to the next level. We didn't find any new guy and now we're kind of "dating" a guy that's been around and is out there. We're looking at him and hopefully it'll work out (which I'm about 85% positive that it will). Then we can make that statement to the world and be able to feel confident about making a great record. Otherwise, there's really no point. People go, "Oh, Velvet Revolver, they should pack it in". Well, not really because Scott wasn't originally in the band when we were writing all that
material. He sealed the deal and God Bless Him that he did. He was the right guy for the job at the time. He came in and put a modern sensibility on a bunch of rock riffs. It could have gone the other way. It could have been Sebastian Bach and it would have had a completely different sound. We've got to find a guy that we can go out with a feeling that this is a current outing and a real statement of where we are now in our musical career."
Bravewords.com: When you finally get your new singer. Do you first record a new album then tour or do you say 'let's get some shows under our belt. Let's get the band gelling and then we make the album" ?
MS: "Either one would be cool, but for myself I wouldn't mind getting out there and playing. In this day and age, you can put out a single and you're fine. We haven't had that conversation yet, but right now, I think we got, three pretty strong songs… four even. The songs are very powerful and a lot heavier, but you can't force anything with this band. You can't say, 'we're going to be heavy,' like heavy in what sense? We're not a metal band. We're a rock band."
Bravewords.com: That's the great thing about Velvet Revolver – is that you don't have the pressure of your typical new band that has to keep doing that album/ tour cycle. You can really take your time to do it when it's right.
MS: "I guess so. It's a bit of a leisurely thing, but I've always been the one in the band that is a bit outspoken… I'm still as passionate about rock n' roll as I was when I was twenty. I get fired up and it's not that Slash and Duff are lazy by any means because Slash does his own thing and Duff does his own thing. Slash is very smart when he says, 'Matt let's do this when all the cylinders are firing. We can't just come out half-cocked.' Slash is a very patient guy and he's learned patience by working with certain people that we know."
Bravewords.com: And like you say, you do have a certain pedigree and fans have a certain expectation of this immense quality and you can't just deliver something that is not going to meet certain critical standards. I'd like to ask you about some of your other projects. Can you explain to me what is the band DARLING STILETTOS? Is it simply a Vegas show?
MS: "It's four girl dancers and the interesting thing is that it's never really been done in the rock world. I took it out for GODSMACK at Sturgis as an experiment to see if we were going to get killed or not (laughs). No one threw anything at us."
Bravewords.com: That's a good sign especially at Sturgis where they like to throw 'cow patties'.
MS: "They dug it. I wanted to put a dance element and a rock n' roll show together. It's something very different to see and it's very entertaining. There are synthesizers and all kinds of shit… it's just completely different than anything you've seen before…
Bravewords.com: Let's be clear. When you say a 'dance element', do you mean strippers or do you mean Swan Lake?
MS: "Completely choreographed modern dance. It's not sleazy and it's not cheap. It's not 'butt-rock'. It's kind of like the Pussycat Dolls, but there are elements that are more like Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop versus Britney Spears for instance. It's got more swagger than that. You just have to see it. The lead singer, she looks like a cross between a young Deborah Harry and David Bowie circa 1970. Basically, I created a show call Rock N' Roll A Go-Go which is kind of a West Side Story dance thing that takes you through classic rock to glam rock to The Ramones to David Bowie, T-Rex, Queen… We've been building the show for Vegas. I'm very excited about it. I go to those shows out there and it's a very appealing visual world and if you tap into it… It can be really exciting. So, I started working on this the last couple of years and there's also a lot of original music. We've been focusing on getting a record deal. We've
gotten offers and we're very close. It's the kind of group that could tour with Pink or Aerosmith. It crosses genres. It's heavier than Pink and not as pop, but it's got guitar. It's a young band and I play drums for them occasionally. There's a lot of track going on. It's a little bit like Marilyn Manson… Synthesizers, visuals, but the guitar player is a guy named Nick Maybury. He's a great young guitarist. I think he's going to be heard of. He's that good."
Bravewords.com: Is it still important for you, as an artist, to have a record deal? With the Internet and iTunes, you can do more of a direct marketing thing.
MS: "With a band like this (Darling Stilettos) yes, but with a group like Velvet Revolver, no. Does Velvet Revolver need a major label? Maybe not. We can go to Best Buy. We can go to Target. We might go to Wal-Mart. AC/DC did it and sold two and a half million records."
Bravewords.com: Kiss did it too with Sonic Boom. Journey and the Eagles did it as well.
MS: "For a pedigree band like that, which is a brand, that's cool, but for concept like Darling Stilettos it's a brand that needs to be built and it has to be built in a mainstream market like a Lady Gaga. You need a team. That Interscope team with the Black Eyed Peas, Eminem… Jimmy Iovine is a genius. The majors that are left still have the infrastructure and they're tied in with a company like Live Nation. The machine that's behind it is important for something that you are going to build."
Bravewords.com: Let me ask you a couple of questions about your Velvet Revolver bandmates. What was your reaction when saw Duff join the old band onstage in London?
MS: "I called him and said, 'what the hell are you doing?'
Bravewords.com: That's what I figured. Were you surprised that it worked out (apparently) so well?
MS: "I wasn't surprised because here's the biggest problem with bands and people that have that much history. The communication factor is the biggest break down. People get between you and the truth. The reality of Axl's feelings towards Duff are a bit blown out of proportion. Maybe the situation between Axl and Slash is more fired up because there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that even I don't know about. But when he got up there, it was actually cool. He just happened to be in the same hotel, from what Duff tells me. Axl was having one of his moments (which he does have). He's a very sensitive guy at times. I know that down deep he has feelings for all those guys. So, he just happened to be there and it was 'ok, cool. Let's do it.' From what Duff tells me, he rode in the car with him and they were just chatting about the old days. They were hanging out and Duff got up there with him and he really put on a good show
that night. I watched the video of it and he sounded better than ever. You could tell that he was singing more for Duff than for the crowd. A 'look, I still got it', kind of shit. He saw Duff and he was probably like 'wow'. Duff's a completely different guy from when he was in Guns N' Roses. He's a guy that's running two different business columns. He's gone to school and he's got a family. Axl probably looked at him and thought, 'who is this guy?' He probably didn't recognize him. The way Duff described it was that it was an organic thing and after that he hasn't had very much conversation with him, but of course all the vultures swooped in and said 'it's going to happen'. Well…I don't know. It's one guy."
Bravewords.com: Can you comment on your time in Guns N' Roses? Was it a magical time for you coming The Cult to playing stadiums for two and a half years?
MS: "Sure. It was a magical time, but it was a long time ago. I wish I could kind of remember it specifically. It was a great ride. Probably one of the greatest times in my life even though there were a lot of trials and tribulations as well. It wasn't easy. It was a difficult thing to navigate because there were so many people involved and negative factors. There were drugs and alcohol…"
Bravewords.com: And as the machine gets bigger, there's more lawyers, more accountants, more people telling you that you're the superstar and it's time to start a solo project…
MS: "Yeah. It got ugly. I got to be honest. It did. Unfortunately, it did, but when it was great. It was GREAT! When we were on stage, it was great. It was always great onstage. You try to think, 'oh, I'll do it differently the next time. Maybe I'll try not to make the same mistakes, but we made some of the same mistakes in Velvet Revolver unfortunately."
Bravewords.com: I have to admit, I always found your choice of Scott Weiland as a bit bizarre. He had his trials and tribulations with Stone Temple Pilots and heroine arrests and he quit the band and the band threw him out and… I just thought 'wow, they hired Axl Rose Part II'. What are the thinking? I can understand why Sebastian Bach wasn't chosen. You wanted a 'fresher' face on the project, but why was Scott chosen? Was it just marketing?
MS: "At that same phase in my life, I went out with a lot of the wrong girlfriends too. You know what I mean?"
Bravewords.com: I got you…
MS: "Didn't always make the best choices for longevity. Seemed sexy at the time, but it's like dating a stripper. It's like 'oh, that girl's hot', but then what you get with it is like 'oh, boy' (laughs).
ALTER BRIDGE singer Myles Kennedy is currently pulling double duty, touring with that group while also fronting the touring band for VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash. Although Kennedy sang just two tracks on Slash's self-titled solo debut, he confirmed to The Pulse Of Radio that Slash would like him to sing everything on the guitarist's next solo effort. "It's very flattering," he said. "I think there's kind of a cool thing we got going. We really enjoy working with each other. I know they're auditioning singers now for VELVET REVOLVER, so I don't know if they find the right guy if that'll affect things timing-wise. I'm not really sure. But the plan right now is that yeah, we'll do a record together down the road."
Deb Rao recently caught up with ADLER'S APPETITE vocalist Rick Stitch for an exclusive Bravewords.com interview. Check it out below:
Bravewords.com: Adler's Appetite recently wrapped up their last show for 2010 in Las Vegas at Feelgoods. It was a great show. What has the highlight of 2010 been for you touring the world with Adler's Appetite?
Rick: "I gotta say, hearing people sing the words to our first single 'Alive' by the end of the 2010 US tour was pretty slick. Whether it was from the clip on our official website or Howard Stern debuting it on his XM radio show, people learned it and where screaming the words right back at us. That was by far one of the many highlights in 2010."
Bravewords.com: Adler's Appetite has been through some line-up changes during their career. How did you get the gig as lead singer for Adler's Appetite? I know you hail form the Los Angeles area and recently sang for a band called LADYJACK.
Rick: "Ladyjack was the opening act for Adler's Appetite at the Key Club Hollywood show in January of 2009. LA's a very small world so after they fell singerless and needed someone to fill in I got the call to jam with the guys at Amp rehearsal in North Hollywood, also where Ladyjack was rehearsing at the time. We got along great and played a few gigs together a couple days after that jam session. Flash forward...North and South American tours as well as a future European tour and a new record coming out early 2011 via our official website. It's safe to say we were a natural fit."
Bravewords.com: What do you hope to bring to the plate as lead vocalist for Adler's Appetite?
Rick: "As lead vocalist of Adler's Appetite I hope to have brought nothing but my best. Steven, being the alumni Gunner, has been in a band with one of the greatest vocalist and frontmen ever, so going into this project I knew I would really need to bring my 'A' game and sing the classic GUNS N' ROSES songs to the best of my ability and really concentrate on giving the fans the best show visually, and vocally, possible. Now that the band is going through the transition of a novelty tribute band to an original act, I feel my ability and strengths in songwriting will defiantly be utilized for this project."
Bravewords.com: Adler's Appetite has a stellar line-up of musicians. Including Steven Adler on drums, Alex Grossi on guitar, Michael Thomas on guitar and Chip Z'nuff on bass. How does each member help influence the writing process for the new album?
Rick: "The great thing about the band is that each member comes from a different place and each of one of us has our own fashion of songwriting. We have the opportunity to write tunes that will chart with the current trending bands on stations like KROQ and Steven will be able to bring that classic Adler/GNR stamp which worked, and still works so well. We sort of have the best of both worlds. We are able to reach audiences because the fans are able to identify with something familiar, yet, we are able to give them something new by having each guy do their own thing to the song and exploit it the best we can. If you bring a song to this band it's gonna get raped. Egos get checked at the door."
Bravewords.com: Adler's Appetite recently released their first single 'Alive' from the upcoming CD. It is available on iTunes. Tell us about the title and what the song denotes to you.
Rick: 'Alive' is a story that all of us; in the band and people listening to the song, have lived through. Depending on the person, the scale of relativity may be far or less greater but there is no doubt in my mind that there's a line in that song that you can relate to. Whether it be a battle with addiction, one's self-destruction, loss, corruption, redemption, achievement…you name it, there are those moment's where you have recollected what you have been through and say to your self 'Man, it's good to be alive."
Bravewords.com: The band is currently in the studio working with CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury on your upcoming CD. Tell us about the writing process for the CD? Would you say is has a Guns N' Roses vibe to it?
Rick: "Of course, Steven is drumming. There will always be that classic Guns flavor in the music. He's the bus driver in the band so he's setting the pace for the trip. Appetite For Destruction was a heavy influence for each guy in the band so by nature you're gonna get a bit of that from everyone. Keep in mind, when you are playing a beast like 'Welcome To The Jungle' and then decide to perform an original of your own, it's got to be able to fit in the set seamlessly. The fans that have been coming to the Adler's Appetite shows from the beginning have been coming for Steven and for classic Guns songs. With the new album coming out, the audience will have the chance to grow with us and the new songs without feeling lost."
Bravewords.com: You mentioned at the Vegas show that Adler's Appetite will release two new singles on Christmas Eve? Tell us about the new singles.
Rick: "The new singles are great. Am I biased? Of course I am. I'm in the damn band haha. But seriously, Freddy did a great job steering the ship. He's one talented mofo and he brought a lot to these songs as well. One of the singles 'Stardog', sounds like a beast that has been caged and broken itself from it's shackles. Its a screaming shrill from beginning to end. The second, 'Fading' is your classic ballad. By releasing 'Fading' it gives us the opportunity to show people that Adler's Appetite has more to offer as a collective. Despite popular belief, we all have a sensitive side to y'know. It was a nice change for us to put down the sledgehammers and try something a bit more outside of our spectrum. As for the release date, we have done our part getting the tunes finished but given that technology and forces outside of our control play a key factor in this process, our fingers are crossed that these singles are gonna make for some sweet stocking
stuffers on Christmas morn".
Bravewords.com: Is there a confirmed release date or title yet for the new Adler's Appetite CD in 2011?
Rick: "No title or date has been confirmed yet but I am sure by the end of the European tour in February 2011, we will have a better idea".
Bravewords.com: Adler's Appetite will resume touring in January with a performance on January 15 at The Whiskey for NAMM weekend. The band heads back over to Europe in February. Are you looking forward to the European tour?
Rick: "Hells yeah I am! We criss-crossed the states over and over and it has been such a great time and the fans were unbelievable. But, I think performing on some new ground will be great for the band and the shows are selling out to so its safe to say that anyone in my shoes would be just as stoked as I am."
Bravewords.com: Are there any Canadian dates confirmed in 2011?
Rick: "It's possible. Next year's calendar is filling up so I wouldn't be surprise if we were chowing down some poutine and drinking Tim Horton's coffee by the gallons next year. Especially since Mr. Adler was a Canadian citizen for three days this summer. Haha No joke!"
Bravewords.com: As 2010 draws to a close, what can Adler's Appetite fans look forward to in 2011?
Rick: "2011 is going to be a big year for the band. What is now a European tour could very well become a World Tour by next fall. We've been bustin' our asses off writing, rehearsing and performing and our shows have been getting tighter and tighter so fans can expect to get their dollars worth when they come see the band! Writing new music has been a big gust of wind in the band's sails as it has brought us closer together and set the goal of having the new record out early 2011. What you see next year depends on what you are looking for. And what you are looking for can most likely be found at our official website, www.adlersappetite.com."
Highwire Daze conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT on October 18, 2010 in Hollywood, California. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Highwire Daze: How did this ACCEPT reunion come about it, and was it almost derailed when Udo [Dirkschneider, vocals] decided he couldn't become involved?
Wolf: No, it was quite the opposite. Udo decided he didn't want to be involved, and that was the end of it as far as we were concerned. Then one day we met Mark Tornillo just by chance — and that's what sparked the whole reunion thing. We wanted to do shows with Udo all along — ever since 2005, we wanted to do more reunion shows with Udo — but that was all we ever wanted to do. And Udo always said no, he didn't have any interest. So we put it all to rest — the whole ACCEPT idea. And then one day I was with Peter Baltes [bass] in his hometown in Philadelphia, and we went to a recording studio to do some jamming, basically play some old ACCEPT tunes just for fun, when this studio owner suggested Mark Tornillo who lives around the corner. He was sort of familiar with his old material, and why don't we call him for the day just to be part of that jam session? So we did and Mark came and he started singing, and Peter and I realized that this guy is
phenomenal. We need to ask him to be the new lead singer for ACCEPT. So we did and he said yes. And that in turn got this whole ball rolling. That's when we decided to write a new record and restart ACCEPT. But really, Udo was out of the picture long before that.
Highwire Daze: Describe the first show with the new ACCEPT lineup and what was going through your mind with Mark as the new lead singer?
Wolf: We kinda said, "Boy, I hope they embrace him as much as we embraced him." Because we didn't really know how fans would react. We were hoping for the best, but we didn't know that it was going to work this well! At the end of the day, you always have to put your best foot forward and make a good product and then throw it out there and see how people react. And after that, it's out of your control. If it would have turned out that nobody likes it, we couldn't have done anything about it. But luckily everybody is on board and everybody loves it.
Highwire Daze: How do you think "Blood Of The Nations" compares to all of the classic ACCEPT records?
Wolf: I think maybe it's the best we've ever done. It's up to the fans to decide that in the end and time will tell. But my feeling right now after it's been out for several weeks and months now is that it doesn't have to hide behind any of the old ones that we did. Some people say it's the best we've ever done — some people say it's the best since "Metal Heart". And it's really not up to me to judge that — but I think it's a really good one.
Highwire Daze: The last time you did an ACCEPT album without Udo was "Eat The Heat". In retrospect, what do you think of that album and do you still keep in touch with [former ACCEPT singer] David Reece?
Wolf: I do not. And you know, it was a different time — about 20 years ago. We were just coming out of the '80s obviously when heavy metal had its heyday in the United States. But already, you could feel the change in the air musically. Nobody was really too crazy about metal anymore and everybody was looking for a new direction in a way. All the bands that I know of — they made some strange records in the '90s — just because nobody really knew where it was going to go next. It was kind of obvious that we couldn't do a traditional metal album that we'd always done — but we didn't really know what else to do. So together with the label, we all decided to try something that would take us into a more commercial direction. And that's why we hooked up with David Reece. Overall, it was a good effort, but it wasn't meant to be. That's how I want to put it. It just wasn't accepted by the fans and a lot of things didn't go right for that record. I think
there's still some really strong songwriting on it, but overall the package didn't come together really well. It was unfortunate, but it's just one of those lessons you learn in life.
Highwire Daze: When you look back on the final ACCEPT album [with Udo], "Predator", what do you think of it now?
Wolf: It was also a very difficult time for us. We all felt this is going to be our last record. We knew that going into the studio. Nobody had high hopes — none of us did — and the chemistry of the band just wasn't there anymore. Udo himself had said it many times — the chemistry between us really was not there. It was there for a while in the '80s, but it certainly wasn't there in the '90s — and certainly not in '96. It was just unfortunate. We tried to make it work, but it wasn't meant to last. We all knew this is not going to go on forever.
Highwire Daze: What do you think of all of the solo U.D.O. albums? Do you even listen to them?
Wolf: I try not to, just because it's so close to home. I don't even want to be bothered with it, honestly. Obviously I can't avoid over the years — I've heard certain things. It's all good and I commend Stefan [Kaufmann, former ACCEPT drummer and current U.D.O. guitarist] for being the songwriter for all of these years and doing a really hard job of trying to make record after record. But him being the only songwriter is really tough. And I don't think — from what I've heard — that they're doing themselves a big favor of using all of these computerized drums and things. But, man, everybody should do their own thing — and that's all I want to comment on it. I don't really want to compare it to anything that we do. I wish him all the luck in the world. And I think since Udo choose to not be part of ACCEPT anymore, I think everybody is better off if they just go their own way. We do our thing and we wish them all the best with theirs.
Highwire Daze: Tell me about your photography and how long you've had an interest in it.
Wolf: I started in the '80s, just when ACCEPT was on the road all of the time. I started picking up the camera just to document things around the band and around life on the road. I became more and more serious about it. And whenever ACCEPT took a longer break, I became fascinated with photography and immersed myself into it. I got pretty serious about it for a while. I became a fanatic amateur, I would say. So then when ACCEPT quit in 1996, I asked myself, "What is it that I want to do? I'm not going to do music." I knew I didn't want to do another music project right after ACCEPT, because it would almost be another lite version of ACCEPT. I didn't want to face that dilemma of playing "Balls To The Wall" and "Princess Of The Dawn" with a totally new band. So I said, "Why don't I do something completely different?" And so I picked photography, just because it's my second passion in life — and I became a photographer. I did nothing else for a number of
years. I've been a professional for about 10-12 years, meaning that's how I make a living. I love it — but I love music much more. I probably make more money doing photography, to tell you the truth, but do I have more fun? Probably not — it's debatable. Nothing can be more fun that being onstage in front of hundreds of thousands of kids who sing your songs. That's a thrill you don't really get with photography — not that I've experienced anyhow.
Jason Bonham is the son of John Bonham who is considered by many as the greatest rock and roll drummer to ever live and revered by pretty much every single drummer alive as an influence.
Twice now Jason has been able to fill his late father's shoes behind the kit with Led Zeppelin (1988, 2007) and when the reunion tour talks with Jason in his dad's place kind of fell apart he was approached by Annerin Productions who were behind "The Pink Floyd Experience" and "Rain, a Tribute to the Beatles" about doing the same thing for Led Zeppelin.
He finally accepted and the show is now touring the U.S. and wowing audiences everywhere it goes. With special home video from Jason and his father before his untimely death in 1980 and photos incorporated into the show it is an amazing tribute to the band and his father on the 30th anniversary of his death.
I got to talk to Jason before the October 19th date at the State Theater in Minneapolis about the show and it is my honor to bring that conversation to you.
Izzy Presley - How soon after the zeppelin reunion fell apart did this start getting put together?
Jason Bonham – About 2 years after, really. A year after we did the show in 2007 I was working with John Paul [Jones] in 2008 and it was most of 2009 I was just moping around the house feeling sorry for myself when that thing kind of fell apart.
It wasn't something that I really thought about. There was talk of it by my manager and by Annerin themselves, but I was not convinced. It wasn't until the end of 2009 when I went to see the "Rain" show and that was a polite response to before I said no.
After seeing the "Rain" show and seeing some of the ideas they had in there I started to think I can do this slightly different and it just started to evolve. It wasn't until about half way through this year it became something that I was very, very into 110%.
I had to make sure it was ok with the others and I spoke to Robert [Plant] about it at length and my mom had given me footage that she would never let out of the house. It really did start to become something that was just more than just a concert, it became more of a personal thing and so far with the five shows we've done I can't describe the feeling I get. I wouldn't imagine this in a million years.
Izzy Presley - With the success of Beatles Love and the Viva Elvis Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas, would you consider doing this for an extended run in Sin City?
Jason Bonham – I think it's too early to really say anything like that. I was uncomfortable just to do this right away. The thought of Vegas makes me feel fearful again.
If you would have said to me at the start of this tour that the crowd is gonna be the way it is I would have said you were crazy. It really is a wonderful feeling being up there and the amount of love that comes back from the fans. They really get what I am doing and they really get that it's honest.
This is me, I miss my dad, and this is my way of dealing with it.
To answer your question I will cross that bridge if somebody ever asks.
Izzy Presley - Who is playing with you?
Jason Bonham – I Kept everyone's name from being announced until after the first couple shows because it kept the show for what it was rather than the names of the people.
You can go on the internet and you take the name and type it in there and google. I wouldn't want people having prejudged ideas of what people have done in the past, I want them being judged on what they do in the show.
You wont be disappointed. It's been great looking on the web sites and the web blogs and watching the first couple shows and waiting on the Youtube clips. It's been wonderful seeing the reaction from people going "Oh my god that's so and so. Oh yeah, wow, he was perfect" so that's been pretty cool.
Izzy Presley - How close were you to finding a different singer for Zeppelin after the reunion? There were rumors all over about you guys trying out Steven Tyler and a few others.
Jason Bonham – Joe Perry had mentioned it in one of his interviews about Steven come over and sang but as far as I know and definitely know this, it was really just jamming and it was never, ever going to be called Led Zeppelin if it had gone any further.
It had been talked about by John Paul Jones and a few of us now but as I know and it's my own thought that it never would have been called Led Zeppelin. There was a little bit of a harsh response from fans saying "you can't have Led Zeppelin with someone else singing". Well, it was never talked about.
I will say this; I had a great time jamming with Jimmy [Page] and John Paul and various different people and of course the greatest time of all was the two gigs.
Izzy Presley – Which reunion show was more special for you: the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary show in 1988 or the 2007 O2 Ahmet Ertegün tribute show?
Jason Bonham – I would say the critically acclaimed 2007 show which one writer said "The return of the greatest band ever and still the heaviest band that will ever be" and for me to read that when I was the drummer was kind of the greatest feeling in the world. The Mojo best band of 2007 and live act.
That show was a really powerful experience and I am really hoping that it comes out in the near future.
Izzy Presley - What was the turning point where you decided to get sober?
Jason Bonham – In England and for all of us in my family, we all have a different place on where or what we think an alcoholic is. If you still have your family and your house and your car, doing well, and don't look like a homeless guy while drinking out of a paper bag; if all of those things are not happening to you and still got everything the belief is there is nothing wrong with you.
You can falsify and pretend and create like I used to that my world was perfect and be calculated that much and that was the demon, alcohol. I would be so calculated that I would get everything ready to be done by noon so I could drink. Any piece of work, everything done and cleared up so I could have a drink.
The hardest part for me to come to reality with it was that I didn't drink every day. So to me it was like "am I really an alcoholic? I don't drink every day, I don't drink in the morning, and I don't have the shakes".
I had talked to a few people who had tried to get in the rooms way before and heard the stories and thought "I have nothing in common with that story. None of that is my life". I got off the ladder at a different place.
They say that they called it "the yets". I didn't kill someone on my bike, I didn't kill someone with my car, I didn't kill anyone yet. That's what did it. I actually felt pretty lucky.
The statistics aren't great, they are horrible, but I am ok with it. I think you have to be ready. I think you gotta want to think you want to do it. You can't think you have to do it and you have to want to do it.
Izzy Presley - Would you rather do reality TV again or another movie?
Jason Bonham – Another movie. Reality is kind of a strange thing because it really isn't reality, it is just really good editing.
I would love to challenge myself to play something other than a drunk rock star. I would love to be a gangster. I would love to be a bad ass. I would love to play a villain because I am the furthest from a hard ass in the world (laughs).
I kind of have that look with the shaved head. I would be typecast as that guy, you know. That itself intrigues me to get inside a psychopathic character. Maybe I have an alter ego that wants to release all the pent up things from when I was drinkin, I don't know.
Izzy Presley - Steel Dragon, Damnocracy, or Black Country Communion? Which one is the better super group?
Jason Bonham - Black Country Communion. It's real. It's not pretend. I have been reading all the reviews and it's doing exceedingly well around the world and I am very pleased. Plus it's the quickest I have ever recorded an album; 10 days total. Mixed. Four days recording, four days overdubs, and 2 days mixing.
We are going to try and extend ourselves to 2 weeks for the next album (laughs).
Izzy Presley – I had heard that the plan is to tour with BCC after the second record is out.
Jason Bonham – The plan is to do a show at the end of the year in England which I have been pushing to do. In January we are going to go back into the studio and record another album, then we are going to hit the road. We thought we could get two albums worth of material together for when we go out we can still be promoting both products
Were you a natural when you started playing or did you really have to work at it?
Jason Bonham – I really had to work at it later. In the beginning I really don't remember being taught.
In the show before "The Song Remains The Same" I have the stupidest haircut in the world; it's bad, it's a bad haircut, and you can see I'm playing and I can't be older than 4; what I'm dong and how I'm playing. It's weird to watch for me and I always say "why don't I remember that?"
For me motor cross was kind of my favorite thing to do so the drumming part kind of got sidelined so when I say I had to work at it later; I was a fantastic 6 year old drummer, a brilliant 7 year old drummer, a brilliant 8 year old drummer, a fantastic 12 year old drummer, and a mediocre 16 year old drummer, very mediocre. I was so into my motor cross from age 11 till I was 16 that I never picked up the sticks.
I would practice on the bike three days a week, I would race three days a week, it was my life. My school books in that period and just all motor cross. It's something I still do to this day and still have a passion for and some of my best friends are all motor cross champions from America and I feel honored to hang out with.
They are like "we're motor cross guys, YOU are the musician guy, you're the superstar" and I'm like "no, no, no, you are to me" and I look up to them, it's great. It's like meeting your basketball hero or your football hero. When I get to hang out with them and go riding with them it's like "Oh my god I am riding with this guy!"
Izzy Presley – Last question is from my close personal friend Craig Hanna who is a drummer and his band ANNEX does "Moby Dick" in their set: What's the key to developing good foot control?
Jason Bonham - (laughs) And my answer would be – when he finds it can he call me? (laughs).
It's the weirdest thing. Sometimes I can sit on the drum kit on someone else's pedal and do more with somebody else's pedal than if I touched it myself, than I can on my own [drum kit[.
We were rehearsing for the O2 and the opening song was going to be "Good Times Bad Times'. My whole thing was that even though I have been a double pedal player for about 12 years, I have never used it for triplets. I had only used it for certain double hits at the end and adding on certain little accents. I had never really been a double player any way, I had never done the (makes double bass sound) you know, that kind of vibe.
So I would do this trick where there would be a triplet on the end and a triplet on the other and so it would become more quartered. When it came to "Good Times Bad Times' they said "well you can't use that, you have to do the triplets on the one pedal". I have my pedals so hard and so weighted that when I was playing just strait beats it felt great but I couldn't do a triplet on the one pedal.
So when I adjusted it, it felt like crap.
One day I will never forget when I really lost my temper. Robert arrived at the studio and I'm outside in an S.U.V. going over, up and down these pedals that I had just been trying out and smashing them to pieces, shouting and tossing them out the window of the car. I just lost it. I completely had a moment of breakdown because I just couldn't do it [the triplet].
I remember him going "You alright?" and I go "yeah, f'ing pedal".
Then he goes "just sit back, relax, and just don't get so uptight!"
And I go (in a super whiney/crying voice) "that's easy for you to say, I'm trying to do "Good Times Bad Times" and you want me to sing on it as well".
God that was funny; was just one of those things.
So he is asking the wrong person about foot control (laughs), I've lost control (laughs).
Visit www.jasonbonham.net for news and tour dates.
DREAM THEATER keyboardist extraordinaire Jordan Rudess has announced an exciting and rare solo appearance on Sunday, January 23 at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York with special guest DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie. Along with Turkish prodigy Eren Basbug, Rudess will debut his composition "Explorations" on two keyboards.
"Explorations for Keyboard and Orchestra" was first premiered with two shows on one night, November 19, in Caracas, Venezuela. During these sold-out performances in Venezuela, Basbug conducted the Chacao Youth Symphony Orchestra while Rudess played all of the keyboard/synthesizer parts. It is Rudess' first orchestral composition, and the January 23 Tarrytown show will mark the first time it is played live on only two keyboards. At the show, Rudess will also highlight his acclaimed Billboard-award winning app (2010) MorphWiz.
Rudess and friends will also be performing two keyboard renditions of music by DREAM THEATER, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT and more. In addition, Eyal Amir and Ray Livnat from Israel's PROJECT RNL will be joining Rudess for a new creative version of PROJECT RNL's song "Wake".
Tickets go on sale to the public on this Friday, December 24. They are currently available for Tarrytown Music Hall members only. Tickets range from $25 to $65 each. Note: the first 25 buyers of the $65.00 tickets — for an additional $20 — will be able to meet Jordan and his guests after the show. Tickets can be purchased through the Tarrytown Music Hall's web site.
Finnish folk/pagan metal band MOONSORROW has been confirmed for next year's installment of the Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 18-20, 2011 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ARCH ENEMY
BOLT THROWER
CALIBAN
CORVUS CORAX
DECAPITATED
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
FARMER BOYS
HAIL OF BULLETS
HAYSEED DIXIE
J.B.O.
KALMAH
KAMPFAR
KVELERTAK
MARDUK
MOONSORROW
PRIMORDIAL
SALTATIO MORTIS
SKELETONWITCH
SONIC SYNDICATE
TARJA
THE HAUNTED
TURISAS
TÝR
VOMITORY
WITCHERY
Tickets can be purchased for 72 euros (excluding pre-sale fees, including parking/camping) at Silverdust-Shop.de. The first 10,000 tickets get a free DVD with live footage and impressions from the 2009 edition of the festival.
"Temple Of The Red-Eyed Pigs", the new single from the Karlstad, Sweden-based metal/rock band SPARZANZA, will be released on December 22. The song comes off the group's fifth album, "Folie À Cinq", which is scheduled for release on February 9, 2011 via b>Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded between September and November at Leon Music with producer Rikard Löfgren, who helmed the band's last two CDs and has also worked with such other artists as HELLFUELED, VOMITORY and DEATHSTARS.
Behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of "Follow Me", the new video from SPARZANZA, can be viewed below.
SPARZANZA's fourth CD, "In Voodoo Veritas", came out in Finland in April 2009 via Black Cult/Kabuki Records.
The band last year announced the addition of guitarist Magnus Eronen (MOANING WIND, SPACE PROBE TAURUS, CAPRICORN) to the group's ranks. Eronen joined SPARZANZA as the replacement for David Johannesson, who quit the band in 2008 to join MUSTASCH.
SPARZANZA's third CD, "Banisher of the Light", was released in March 2007 via Black Cult Records. The album included the song "Dead Rising", featuring an appearance by THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving.
Dolving previously worked with SPARZANZA as the group's producer.
Mike Smith of CosmosGaming.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Silenoz (real name: Sven Atle Kopperud) of Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
CosmosGaming.com: First off, I'd like to congratulate you on the new record. Personally, I think it's a stunning piece of work. How do you feel the fan reaction has been since the release?
Silenoz: Thank you, first of all! The response has been surprisingly good, because the album hasn't been out that long. It came out October 12th and now it's December 13th, so basically two months. Judging by the crowd reaction, they seem to be totally into the new songs, y'know. For us, it's already a success, because we never release anything that we don't feel is 110 percent, so everything else is basically a bonus. Of course, we live off the band and selling albums, but the main goal for us was to make a strong record, and I feel that this one is definitely the most complete effort that we've done. It has all the details that maybe have been lacking in the past, and at the same time it combines all the different dynamics that the band has developed through the years. So I feel it's our most complete album.
CosmosGaming.com: What factors do you think made this record "the big one" for DIMMU BORGIR?
Silenoz: I think it's because the record has all the typical trademarks that DIMMU has been known for in the past. You have the simple stuff, the intricate stuff, and, of course, the symphonic parts, and some new elements as well. When we combine it all together, it makes a really great record. I've heard some fans say it didn't grab them at first, but after a few listens, it was like a revelation. I think that's how I feel about it, too; it takes more than five spins to get under your skin.
CosmosGaming.com: The past year has seen a lot of conflict within the band. Do you feel that that contributed to the making of the record?
Silenoz: Yeah, I think so. I can't say this for all the lineup changes, but for most of them, it's been for the better. Especially last year when we parted ways with two people who've been in the band for ten years. It's like an old marriage, and you're going through a divorce, y'know — it's not always pretty. But that's reality, and you have two choices. Either you sit back and cry over spilled milk, or you take the bull by the horns and you move forward, and that's what we did right away. I think it also gave us a good kick in the ass, for the three of us left to prove to ourselves that — since we've done most of the songwriting in the past, it wasn't much of a difference for us. It was just a relief. The three of us are pretty much on the same level when it comes to how we want things to be. So that again made this album probably the easiest to write that I can remember. Of course it's a lot of work — it's always a huge, mammoth project to do a
new album — but surprisingly easy.
CosmosGaming.com: Speaking of the lineup changes, do you have any permanent replacements in mind?
Silenoz: Not really. We've tried permanent replacements in the past, and for some reason it never works out. So we're not really concerned about having certain people playing with us — that's why we never made any official announcements about who's playing on the record, because we wanted everyone to focus on the music as a whole thing, instead of "who's playing, who's not playing, and blah blah blah..." I think that takes a lot of focus away from the real deal, which is the album.
CosmosGaming.com: Cyrus [SUSPERIA, etc.] is currently touring with you on bass. Do you find it helpful to include your friends?
Silenoz: Yeah. Cyrus played guitar on the DANZIG tour when Galder had to sit out because he became a father. He's also been our guitar tech for a couple of shows, so he's pretty much done everything you could do for this band. He's always been a really good friend, a positive, supporting, understanding type of person. He knows the deal, and what it's all about when you're on the road for a long time, and what it requires from you as a person and as a musician. So he was the first one we thought of when we planned this tour.
CosmosGaming.com: Let's talk about genres a bit. There's been some controversy amongst fans over what your genre really is. Having emerged from the old-school black metal scene, do you still see yourselves in those terms?
Silenoz: Personally, I couldn't give a rat's ass what people label us with. I'm way past thirty now, and when I was sixteen, I was like, "If it doesn't have the label 'black metal,' it's no good." But now it's more like... either you feel close to the music — whatever type it is — and you like it, or you don't. It's that simple. So I understand the younger fans' point of view, "You're not black metal anymore, blah blah blah..." But they can't even possibly find a category to put us in, which is a good thing. We've carved out our own niche, and if you go by labels, that's a teenage kind of thing, where you feel like you have to be connected to some type of genre. I do understand those people, though.
CosmosGaming.com: Speaking of your evolution from straightforward black metal — and forgive me for sounding like a professor here — do you feel DIMMU has changed with the times, or that the times have changed with DIMMU?
Silenoz: That's a good question, because it can be seen both ways, I think. The way things have developed over the years, extreme music has become more accessible in general, and the world is turning more and more "extreme" every day. It's enough to just turn on the TV and watch the news. And we've definitely changed, but you'll never hear a band say they've changed for the worse, y'know — it's for the better. Ever since the first album, there have been new fans discovering us and old fans saying goodbye, and that's just how it is. But if we let our sound be dictated by fans, press, media, or whatever, that's when you're really hitting a low point, because they're telling you what to do, and you're following the safest bet. And that, to me, is selling out. Subconsciously, I think we've challenged fans to follow us, and have tried to have them understand how we think as musicians, because after all, DIMMU is our band. It's where we do things creatively.
And we can't look at our own work objectively like an outsider can. Of course, we're fans of music as well, and I don't want AC/DC to change. But for some bands it works, and for some it doesn't. It all depends how you look at it.
CosmosGaming.com: What are your thoughts on the notorious criminal aspect of the original black metal scene? [vandalism, arson, murder] How do you feel the genre has moved away from those shenanigans and into the mainstream?
Silenoz: I think in general, connecting the words "mainstream" or "commercial" with that genre is a contradiction in terms. Until we sell millions of albums, there's no way that we can get airplay on the radio, or even be seen as "mainstream." But yes, metal has become more accessible. Take IRON MAIDEN, for instance. They were the biggest in the '80s. Now, they're still the biggest, and they play for three or four times as many people. So it's a generational thing. As for what happened in the '90s, once shit hit the fan and things got covered by the media and the press, that's when the black metal scene had some eyes on it. Luckily for us, we weren't involved in the criminal aspect — we were just focusing on the music. Of course, we got some free publicity just by being from Norway, I won't deny that. But what made the Norwegian scene in general very believable wasn't only actions, it was words and actions backed up with great music. And the music has
prevailed over the years, and I think that's what makes it so authentic. There was no bullshit. Of course, when you're eighteen or nineteen and you go burn churches, that really has nothing directly to do with the music. It's the same as if someone walks into a saloon in Texas, shoots someone, and blames it on Johnny Cash's music. So we got some free publicity for sure, but we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for our music and hard work.
Portland, Oregon deathmetal/grindcore act BLOOD FREAK has left Razorback Records and has inked a two-album deal with Willowtip. The band's new album, "Mindscraper" (formerly "Scared Stiff") will be released in March. According to a press release. the CD "will be faster, heavier and dirtier than any previous albums. 'Mindscraper' will appeal to fans of the first album, 'Sleaze Merchants', as well as 'Whore/Frightmare'. The album features special lyrics and vocals by Jason Netherton of MISERY INDEX, Rob Fornicator, and Brandon Stench of WORMFOOD. It will feature a 14-page full-color, hand-made lyric sheets and artwork form each bandmember."
"Mindscraper" was recorded by BLOOD FREAK and mastered by Scott Hull at Visceral Sound. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Mark K. of Frightfeast Comix.
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