Based on advice from doctors, Ozzy Osbourne has postponed the remaining two dates (Friday, December 10 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri and Sunday, December 12 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota) on his current U.S. tour. The multi-platinum Rock And Roll Hall of Famer has contracted an ear infection, complications from which will prevent him from performing. Tickets for these two shows will be honored for the rescheduled dates — Minneapolis on Wednesday, January 12 and St. Louis on Friday, January 14 (with special guest Slash) — and refunds are available at point of purchase.
Osbourne's 2011 dates get underway January 12 in Minneapolis. The six-week 2011 trek will include a pair of intimate shows: January 26 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix and February 1 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Ozzy's longtime friend and musical collaborator Slash will open all the concerts on the second leg.
Ozzy Osbourne will publish a new book called "Ask Dr. Ozzy" next year. The book will be co-written with Chris Ayres, who collaborated with Ozzy on his memoir "I Am Ozzy", and is a spin-off of the singer's ongoing column in England's Sunday Times in which he offers medical advice.
According to the publisher, the book will "tell incredible survival stories not found in his memoir, offer advice that no human should follow, and shed light on his seemingly superhuman ability to keep breathing." An October 2011 release is expected.
IRON MAIDEN, IN FLAMES and FLOGGING MOLLY have been confirmed for next year's Nova Rock festival, set to take place June 11-13, 2011 on the Pannonia Fields in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria (near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian and Slovak borders).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ASKING ALEXANDRIA
FLOGGING MOLLY
IN FLAMES
IRON MAIDEN
SICK OF IT ALL
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
VOLBEAT
More acts will be announced soon.
For more information, visit www.novarock.at.
According to Classic Rock magazine, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry will join Paul Rodgers at his London show on April 27, 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Perry's band THE JOE PERRY PROJECT supported BAD COMPANY (featuring Paul Rodgers) on a U.K. tour in April 2010.
A few months ago, Rodgers shed light on his run-in last year with Perry, in which Perry threw out an offer for Rodgers to replace Steven Tyler in AEROSMITH. Rodgers politely refused the offer, but does have plans to do some studio work with Perry. The Pulse of Radio asked Rodgers if under any circumstances he would ever reconsider the offer to front AEROSMITH. "I think not, y'know, really," he said. "I've never really joined a band other than joining forces with QUEEN during which we were playing my songs and their songs. And I did speak to Joe at the awards ceremony in London. Y'know, he discussed some of the problems and we talked about music. I mean, the upshot is that he's gonna be bringing his solo band in support of the BAD COMPANY tour in the U.K. I have enormous respect for all those guys and I really hope that they iron out their problems and AEROSMITH sticks together because they're such a great band."
Rodgers is currently doing some touring as a solo artist.
NEW YORK DOLLS release their fifth full-length album, "Dancing Backward in High Heels", on March 15 via 429 Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Cause I Sez So" was recorded in Newcastle, England with producer Jason Hill (LOUIS XIV) and features original members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain.
"Dancing Backward in High Heels" track listing:
01. Fool For You Baby
02. Streetcake
03. I'm So Fabulous
04. Talk to Me Baby
05. Kids Like You
06. Round and Round She Goes
07. You Don't Have to Cry
08. I Sold My Heart to The Junkman
09. Baby Tell Me What I'm On
10. Funky But Chic
11. End of the Summer
"Cause I Sez So" sold 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 159 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The NEW YORK DOLLS swaggered onto the New York music scene in the early '70s, influencing a generation with its subversive mix of high-decibel rock and high-heeled androgyny. The original band recorded a pair of milestone records — "New York Dolls" (1973) and "Too Much Too Soon" (1974) — before breaking up in 1977. The surviving members reformed the group in 2004 to much acclaim, but soon lost bassist Arthur Kane to leukemia. Two years later, Johansen and Sylvain reunited again to record the NEW YORK DOLLS' third studio album, "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This".
The Detroit Rock Blog recently conducted an interview with THE CULT frontman Ian Astbury. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Detroit Rock Blog: Does the advent of the capsule format mean an end to THE CULT albums? Going forward, will THE CULT only release singles?
Astbury: I think those formats, those terms — single, album, EP — really belong in the 20th century. They describe a specific arcane format, and the industry is still holding on to some of that 20th-century pre-Internet communication, really traditional way of doing things. It's up for debate if there's still an audience who are quite happy to indulge in those formats. But having said that, the idea of capsule as a 21st-century format. . essentially with the capsule you can make it whatever you wanna make it. You can make it 20 songs, we can make it one song or a film, we can make four songs and a book. . I mean, we're gonna see the capsule application as being the new format for release of a body of a work. Maybe the word album will go away and we'll just say, "Have you got a new app by so and so?" Applications are coming, no question, and artists will (eventually) release their music through an app format. Apple is pushing that app format heavily.
And who knows where that's going to lead? A subscription module? Maybe you buy the band's app and then you update it with new material or new products. I think web sites will probably go away or probably go to applications again, whereby you have to sign up. You have to pay a fee just to be a member of the fan club. Or you at least have to give up your e-mail address. That's really what people are interested in, getting your e-mail, personal details. So then they can inundate you with requests to buy the wonderful things that we create.
Detroit Rock Blog: When you hear the back and forth banter between Keith [Richards] and Mick [Jagger of THE ROLLING STONES], after all those years together, does it give you a good feeling in regards to the kind of relationship you have with Billy [Duffy, THE CULT guitarist]?
Astbury: Well, ultimately, at the end of the day, we're very different people, but we have a mutual respect. There's a underlying respect and we're able to travel and work in the same environment. If we've got something to say to each other, we say it. Even though we may have completely different perspectives, under THE CULT umbrella, we work it out. Sometimes that can be very uncomfortable, it can be very heated, but there's no lack of passion there. Over the past a few years we've been making the best possible music we can make and whether or not we're (achieving) that, it's definitely our intention. That's what we're going for, and sometimes, you end up doing your dirty laundry in public. But I'd like to think were both mature enough to have the balls to get in the room and have it out with each other. It's not high school. High school finished a long time ago for us. This is our life, I mean for life, and we're fully invested in it. I'm under no
delusion that we're a brand like THE ROLLING STONES or even U2. We come from a completely different ethic, ethos, where at the end of the day it's blue-collar punk rock. There's a real grounding in that. We're under no delusions that anybody's gonna give us anything, we're gonna have to fight. We're not the kind of band to go looking for accolades either, and we're not great self-promoters. We usually call it like we see it and that's the generation we came out of. I think maybe when we were younger and we went through the "Sonic Temple" period, it was a very intensely commercial period, it grew into that. It was like, we keep making choices until we were in a cul-de-sac, and then we broke out of that again. We broke out on that with the self-titled album in '94. . . When you sign to a major record label and there's always a set of conditions that revolve around that. It was a high investment and high expectation and a high return. So we end up being in
the studio with . . There's always the outside influence of the A&R guy who's monitoring your progress and really does affect ecosystem of a band. I guess we also kind of grew out of a different thing. We grew out of more of a single ethos as opposed to an album ethos. We grew up with the seven-inch single as the resident product in the market place. Because we didn't have any idea there's any longevity in this. It's about making one song at a time, but then you get in the business of making albums, getting that more commercial element. It becomes a very different animal to contend with on a daily basis, when going out and doing 200 dates a year and releasing an album. Coming off the road, then going right back in the studio. If you do that for 12 years and you've only buried about five or six people, you've done okay.
Detroit Rock Blog: THE CULT had been lumped in with the hair metal movement [in the late '80s].
Astbury: I think everybody had long hair, but the thing was, I had the best long hair. Nobody had better hair than me. And they were all try to mimic it. I mean, Axl Rose was wearing MY bandana that my girlfriend at the time put on him. Straightened his hair out, put my bandana on him for a QUEEN photo shoot. That was MY look.
As a life-long aficionado of all things Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal-related, I'll be the first to admit that I have frequently found myself enthralled--i.e. deeply obsessed--with the few individuals genuinely deserving of the titles 'Guitar God' and 'Guitar Goddess'. Examples of such sonic wizardry, while far too numerous to discuss within such an arguably limited forum, invariably surround us all. Despite this, few of such 'talents' have had the lasting influential impact of legendary L.A. Guns guitarist/mastermind Tracii Guns (born Tracy Ulrich on January 20, 1966). Recently, the notoriously prolific axeman, always a man of many words and interesting stories, was kind enough to speak with us regarding, among many others things, the untimely demise of Brides Of Destruction and the Favored Nations Records re-reissue of the curiously-overlooked, Jizzy Pearl (ex-Love/Hate, Ratt)-led gem The Shrinking Violet…
Todd: What was the main reason behind the re-issue of The Shrinking Violet? Were you really unhappy with it?
Tracii Guns: "I don't know if it's ever the right time to re-release a record (laughs). We were comin' up with ideas with Favored Nations (Records) about doin' a new record… At the time, we really didn't have enough new stuff written to go into the studio and just bang out a record and they were eager to get some product out because it's a new division of the label just for Hard Rock. So I did some diggin' around and the album that we had done with (former Love/Hate vocalist) Jizzy (Pearl) had never had proper Distribution. We had originally recorded the record just to sell on the first Poison tour that we did in 1999 (the Exiled From Mainstream tour), so we just kinda came to the conclusion of 'Hey, let's get this in the catalog and get it out there so we can buy some time while we write some really good original record for later'. And that's what we are doing right now."
Todd: How did you become involved with Favored Nations Records? It seems like a less-than-likely pairing…
Tracii: "It's funny. When I was in The Brides Of Destruction, (Brides Of Destruction/Mötley Crüe bassist) Nikki (Sixx) called me one day and said 'I just heard from Steve Vai and he loves you, man'. I thought he was pullin' my chain because we're two really different guitar players. Then, about a year and a half ago, Steve and this guy Dean Schachtel, who was the general manager of Favored Nations at the time, were lookin' for me and wanted to see what I was doin', so they found me through Facebook (laughs). It was really simple like that. Dean was like 'Steve really wants to d something with you' and then Steve sent me this super cool letter that any guitar player would love to get from Steve Vai that basically said 'Welcome aboard! Let's do some great shit!'. It's a great home to be at, I'll tell you that much. It's a great label where any ideas that I have, be it L.A. Guns or another project, can all be done
right there. …It's kinda the thing I've been wantin' my whole life for."
Todd: When can the proverbial L.A. Guns fan expect to hear the album the group recorded with (Rock Star: INXS/Lovehammers) Marty Casey? The rumors have been rather persistent since the recording process began.
Tracii: "That record is so unbelievably great, but the problem was with the guy that brought us up there (Toronto, Ontario Canada-based Alexus Records). This guy has a heart of gold and a wallet even bigger than his heart. He brought us all up there and built a state-of-art- studio, but there was a lot of drama with this guy. He was kinda like that guy in Elementary school that brought in a pizza everyday. There would be five slices of pizza and if you didn't submit to his every whim, he'd eat all of the pizza. He was a cranky little crybaby. He didn't know anything about the music business and thought he could just buy his way into anything he needed to do to get the record out there. I tried explaining to him that it's a little more complicated than that, ya know? I told him he should really listen to some people and get some advice instead of dumping all of this money down a well. But he didn't. He didn't want any advice and
eventually, we just finished the record and went out on tour. Meanwhile, it's still sittin; there, ya know? When the next Summer came around and I needed to tour, I talked to Marty and said 'Look, we've got to figure this out because we're not supporting a record this year'. At that point, everything was just put on the back burner and I had to move forward with L.A. Guns. I got Jizzy back in the band and the Favored Nations thing came into my life. …Chances are, if that record were to ever come out, it wouldn't even be an L.A. Guns records because it's not an L.A. Guns record at all. I really hope that someday we can get that record out because it's really good. It's really different for me. It's more modern sounding, for obvious reasons. …It's good, but I kinda have a feeling no one is really going to hear it (laughs)."
Todd: Musically, what prevents it from sounding like L.A. Guns? Are the lead vocals that much of a departure?
Tracii: "Actually, that's the one thing on the record that does sound like L.A. Guns. On the record, he sings in a higher register than he normally does and there's lots of heartache and sexy lyrics, but musically it's a lot heavier and there's a lot of different tunings. It's a little bit straighter than what I would normally write and there's a couple of things on there that are a little bit experimental, but not too much. We were kinda under the gun when we went up there because we had to go on tour, so it's kinda just a slam right in your face. The Production is really good and the drums sound and guitars sound really modern. There isn't a whole lot of vintage anything going on, which I like, but the songwriting, the energy and the delivery of the tunes is certainly there, so it's a bummer. …Maybe we can come to an agreement where we just put the record out, ya know? Let us have control of it and when people who want it
can download it. But as of right now, it's at a stalemate."
Todd: When touring, how conscious is Jizzy of re-creating the original vocals of the group's vintage material? The bonus material from the Shrinking Violet reissue definitely suggests that he handles it rather competently…
Tracii: "He's definitely really critical of the old music because he's a really big fan of the old music and he wants to deliver it in a way where it's still his personality, but the melodies don't change. And that's what he's done. When you look back at when we did this for the very first time, eleven years ago, he joined the band because he loved the band. It wasn't just another job. He's very aware of YouTube and whatnot and doesn't want to suck, ya know? It's kind of an odd way to look at it, but whatever gets him singin' the stuff right where he's still confident. The most important thing with any frontman is their confidence and he certainly doesn't lack any confidence when he's singing those songs. Like I said, it's real comfortable, we write well together and we're to a point in each of our careers, especially him because he's about ten years older than me, where we just want to create and be able to
roll along drama free, ya know? …That's really where we're all at right now."
Todd: What set list is the group currently working with? Can we assume the 'Greatest Hits' are all represented?
Tracii: "What we're doin' is pretty much what we've been doin' which is a lot of stuff off of the first L.A. Guns record, a couple of things off of Cocked And Loaded, one off Hollywood Vampires and then we do a Love/Hate song, usually "Blackout In The Red Room" and then we do "Decide" and "Dreamtime" from The Shrinking Violet and I think we'll also be doing "California", too. …Sometimes we open the set with just the intro from "Girl You Turn Me On". Not the whole song. It's definitely a punch in the face. I actually like the whole record, which is one of the reasons I went along with this whole scheme. I was like 'Let me listen to the record. I haven't listened to it in a long time', ya know? When I listened to it, I was like 'Wow, this record really stands up with everything else I've ever done'. It's comfortable and it's fun re-learning the songs. I just re-learned "California"
yesterday. It's like all of the riffs from Toys In The Attic all thrown together. It's funny."
Todd: From an inside perspective, was the situation with (ex-frontman) Paul Black really as crazy as it seemed?
Tracii: "Not to me. He did something wrong and I fired him. He's a big crybaby and that's it, ya know? (laughs) There was not craziness, just stupidity. That's what happened the very first time, so I must be insane because the definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice, expecting different results. …And I did it twice, with the same results. (laughs) One of the weirdest, great and detrimental things that happened to him was when we did the first Rocklahoma. We got heavy coverage in Rolling Stone and Spin, as did a lot of other bands, and he really took those things personally where he started to believe he was this Mick Jagger-type character. I guess it's okay for a frontman to have that kind of self-confidence, but the grandiose expectations and visions of grandeur…he really was a candidate for the psych ward with that stuff. He thinks the world spins because of the music he's given, but, by the way, he really
hasn't given the world that much music that I know of (laughs). He believes that, but hey, whatever gets you through the night. I just don't have to deal with him anymore, which is a good thing. He did have some input early on and there's a demo CD he put out called The Blacklist. There's a few of the songs (from L.A. Guns) on there, but there not the same songs, ya know? Maybe there's a few melodies. "One Way Ticket" I think we did verbatim, but these are all things he had a shot at writing over music that I had already done. ...In his mind, he wrote Led Zeppelin with Robert Plant (laughs)."
Todd: It's now been over five years since Runaway Brides was released. Even without the involvement or support of Nikki, under the right circumstances, would you actually consider re-forming Brides Of Destruction?
Tracii: "If it were to happen, there would probably only be my participation (laughs). And sometimes I think about it because I really like (vocalist) London (LeGrand) and (Adema drummer Scot) Coogan and I like Nikki. I don't think Nikki would ever want to do that again. It was a little rough for Nikki. I think he had this romantic idea of 'This is the cool Punk Rock band that I've always wanted', ya know? One of the things that he really wanted to do when the record came out was play (legendary New York City-based club) CBGB because he had never been able to do that before. I kept tellin' him 'Hey, I don't wanna burst your bubble, but when we get there, you're going to be really disappointed and let down' and he said 'No, you don't know me very well' and I said 'Yeah, I do know you pretty well'. I think that was the most miserable day of his life when we played CBGB. First of all, it's in New York City, so when we
get there, we're with the label guy who's draggin' us around to all the typical TV stuff like Fuse, plus we had a couple of photo shoots, ya know? Just a regular press day and we still had to get the sound check done at CBGB. He was already in a bad mood by the time we pull up to CBGB to do the sound check and he was like 'I need less vocal in my monitor' and our sound guy was like 'There's only one mix. If we turn down the vocal, then London won't be able to hear himself'. So then he was like 'Oh, I get it. But can't you just spread it both ways?' and the sound guy was like 'No, it's a mono mix'. So Nikki wasn't really too excited by that and another thing was that there really was no backstage there and Donna (D'Errico), his wife of the time, was there and all he could think about what 'Oh my God! People are gonna be touchin' her', so I think that was on his mind the whole time we were playing. And it
was ridiculously over-packed in there, so from the front of the stage to half way down the block to the front door was packed, ya know? And Donna was just standing on the floor off to the side of the stage and I just remember throughout the whole set him just lookin' at her goin' 'Oh, shit! Are you okay?'. So it was a tough gig for Nikki, for sure. He's not used to grindin' it out in nightclubs and havin' people be so accessible to him. I can't see him every doing anything like that ever again. That's the difference between Brides and Sixx:AM. Sixx:AM doesn't play live unless it's a festival or something like that because I don't think he's all that into it."
Todd: What ultimately prompted you to leave L.A. Guns? Was you decision primarily (or solely) based on your need to focus your energies on Brides Of Destruction or was it fueled by the typical 'inner-band' turmoils?
Tracii: "I didn't leave. I had a choice to make. We were on tour that Summer while I was writing the first Brides Of Destruction record. I was thinkin' about how I was gonna approach it at the end of the tour. Was I going to let the band continue on without me while I do this or should I just close it down, give L.A. Guns a break and put the band back together after the Mötley Crüe reunion? I would look at the guys everyday and I'd be like 'Man, these guys aren't going to be able to do anything for two years if I just cut it off', so I decided to take the high road and say 'Just continue on. Get a guitar player or a couple of guitar players, do your thing and I'll be back.' They we're like 'Oh, that'll be great'. At the time, one of the reasons I wanted to do the Brides was I felt that it would give some fresh exposure to what I was doing and maybe spark some renewed interest. The thing about L.A. Guns is that
it's always been a really great band, in my opinion. We've always delivered live and we've made really great records, but we've never had a huge following. We had a big following for sure and we did some great things, but some bands just have a cap. They have a limit unto which all of their success will be based on. A good example of that is the Reverend Horton Heat. He knows what he's capable of. He knows he's never going to go on tour with Beyoncé or do those kinds of numbers. You have to take that into account when you've had a career doing the same kind of thing. L.A. Guns has a cap, ya know? It does what it does and the likelihood of it ever achieving the same success that we once did is impossible. …Brides was great because I knew I was gonna get a ton of exposure and I did. It's really benefitted what I've done since then. It just had to be done because at the time, L.A. Guns were opening for bands that had sold
less records and had zero influence on younger musicians. I was like 'Man, we are just eatin' shit here. There's gotta be a way to resurrect this to the point where it makes sense', ya know? It just wasn't making sense at the time. The last thing I did was a tour (the Metal Edge Rock Fest in 2002) with Dokken, Firehouse and Ratt with Jizzy. The reason why I remember that is because I hung out with Jizzy every chance I got and (former Mötley Crüe/Ratt frontman John) Corabi was there, too. We were opening every night. We were supposed to be flip-flopping with Firehouse, but it never happened. I was like 'I'm not doin this anymore. I've gotta fix this', ya know? I was just surrounded by this guy Obi Steinman, who was our manager at the time. I've got nothing nice to say, so I guess I won't say anything. Everything was failing miserably and I had to something to get some fire. And I did, but unfortunately, those guys
aren't benefitting from any of it. I was able to talk to new people and make new connections, so I'm just doin' it on my own now and it sucks because I'm lazy (laughs)."
Todd: Once Brides Of Destruction had officially disbanded, did you fully intended to 'reunite' with L.A. Guns?
Tracii: "Originally, after Brides ended, I was going to do something with L.A. Guns. I have a big problem with (drummer) Steve (Riley). I didn't have a problem with (vocalist) Phil (Lewis) at all at the time. Phil didn't want to leave Steve to do L.A. Guns with me because he feels secure with Steve. Steve isn't ever going to get another gig and neither is Phil and that was always his problem with me. If at any time I ever feel like doing anything else, I absolutely will and do. I'm a musician and not a singer, so I don't have to do the same thing all the time. That was fine and dandy when we first got back together. I talked to Phil on the phone for a long time and he got it and understood it, but over time, he has been very vocal about his appreciation of me and my version of the band, so that creates a really big problem with me. If I bring you into my house and give you dinner and then you motherfuck me when you leave, you're
not ever going to come back into my house, ya know? And that's what he's done. Originally, that wasn't the case. It was like 'I'm going to do my thing, so you go do your thing. If a time presents itself where we can reunite and do something without Steve'. As far as touring goes, this is where the problem lies with him because they don't have a record deal and don't really have the ability to put out new music. As soon as I got the Favored Nations deal, the motherfucking got pretty heavy. Plus, we do a lot more shows than they do and I think that really frustrates him. He's pretty much been a complete cunt about the whole thing, so the likelihood of us ever taking the stage together again is very slim."
Todd: At this point, how would you describe your relationships with Phil? Is it beyond repair or reconciliation?
Tracii: "I've got nothing against Phil as a good-natured, happy-go-lucky guy. He has a unique voice. He's not the greatest singer, but he did sing on our biggest records and there are a lot of people that recognize that voice, which leads to another problem because he doesn't sound like that live (laughs). He does sound better than he ever has live. I will give him that, but he's never really been able to pull off his own stuff, which I understand because in the studio, we spent a lot of time on vocals, makin' that shit great makin' it fit in the mix. …He's a real two-sided coin like the rest of us, but some of the things he's said are just like 'Wow, dude Just be quiet.'"
Todd: In hindsight, what are your feelings regarding Waking The Dead? Was it a true highlight of your career?
Tracii: "That might be my favorite L.A. Guns record for a lot of reasons. The Production is just heavy enough and it's also just light enough. I love heavy music, ya know, but with L.A. Guns, there are certain boundaries. I hate to say that with any band, but with L.A. Guns, you can't get too overly aggressive, so that record just sits right with me. It's sounds fuckin' great and I think it's one of Phil's best performances ever. It's definitely up there as one of m favorites. …I also love American Hardcore. It's a fantasy when people don't think I like that record. I love that record. It was a really good opportunity for me to explore even more experimental, heavy, jazzy and fucked up arrangements. It's weird because before we did the record, we had toured with (ex-Cherry St. vocalist) Chris Van Dahl and (bassist) Johnny Crypt for almost two years, so L.A. Guns fans got to decided right away if they liked the direction
things were goin' in. We continued to do that and when American Hardcore came out, we toured with Accept and it was really well received. It was best received by a certain type of fan. It's definitely not for every L.A. Guns fan, but that record actually sold more than Vicious Circle and to this day, has sold more than Man In The Moon, Waking The Dead and various other projects put together, so it's very strange. It's a very good record and sometimes, when I'm in an aggressive mood, I'll put that record on and go 'Goddamn, that shit is heavy' (laughs). It's just ridiculously heavy, but it's also eclectic."
Select Tracii Guns Discography
The Shrinking Violet: Deluxe Reissue (2010) *
Gilby Clarke (2007) ****
Runaway Brides (2005) *****
Here Come The Brides (2004) *****
Live Ammo (2004) *
Ultimate L.A. Guns (2002) *
Swag (2002) ****
Waking The Dead (2002) *
Live: A Night On The Strip (2000) *
Man In The Moon (2001) *
99 Live (1999) ****
American Hardcore (1999) *
Shrinking Violet (1999) *
Wasted (1998) *
Killing Machine (1998) ***
Vicious Circle (1994) *
Contraband (1993) **
Cuts (EP) (1992) *
Live! Vampires (1992) *
Hollywood Vampires (1991) *
Cocked & Loaded (1989) *
L.A. Guns (1988) *
* as a member of L.A. Guns
** as a member of Contraband
*** as a solo artist
**** with Gilby Clarke
***** as a member of Brides Of Destruction
lagunsofficial.com
Veteran British female hard rockers GIRLSCHOOL are currently in the studio re-recording their classic 1981 album "Hit And Run". The new version of the LP will be released in 2011 to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary.
"Hit And Run" was originally made available in March 1981, followed a short time later by a single featuring the title track. Both releases were very successful in the U.K., with the album reaching position No. 5 and the single No. 32 on their respective charts. The LP also charted in New Zealand and in Canada, where it went gold.
The U.S. version of "Hit And Run", which came out in 1982, featured a different track listing, including songs from GIRLSCHOOL's first album, "Demolition".
01. C'mon Let's Go
02. The Hunter
03. (I'm Your) Victim
04. Kick It Down
05. Following the Crowd
06. Tush (ZZ TOP cover)
07. Hit And Run
08. Watch Your Step
09. Back To Start
10. Yeah Right
11. Future Flash
GIRLSCHOOL's 30th-anniversary album, "Legacy", was released in Europe in November 2008 via Wacken Records/SPV. "Legacy" features a plethora of special guests, including Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH), Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO), Lemmy and Phil Campbell from MOTÖRHEAD, "Fast" Eddie Clarke (FASTWAY, ex-MOTÖRHEAD) and a couple of members of TWISTED SISTER.
GIRLSCHOOL supported MOTÖRHEAD on a U.K. tour in November 2009.
GIRLSCHOOL's original guitarist, Kelly Johnson, passed away on July 15, 2007 after a six-year battle with cancer of the spine. Along with Johnson, the classic lineup of GIRLSCHOOL included Kim McAuliffe (guitar), Enid Williams (bass) and Denise Dufort (drums). The band was an integral and major force in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement, beginning with the release of its debut album, "Demolition" (1980), and continuing with the follow-up efforts, "Hit 'n' Run" (1981) and "Screaming Blue Murder" (1982).
Guitarist Mark Reale of U.S. metal veterans RIOT recently fell down and twisted his leg bad enough to where he had to be bed-ridden for an extended period of time. After allowing time for his leg to heal, Mark flew down to San Antonio and went to work with the rest of the reunited "Thundersteel" lineup of RIOT on material for the band's next studio album. Mark has since returned to New York and will get into the studio with guitarist Mike Flyntz soon.
RIOT earlier in the year reunited with Tony Moore — only nine months after announcing that they were parting ways with the vocalist over "differences about how to proceed with the future of the band."
RIOT performed one of the new songs, "Wings Are For Angels", for the first time at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 6, 2009.
Sony Music reissued RIOT's classic albums "Thundersteel" (1988) and "The Privilege Of Power" (1990) albums in October 2009 via HMV Japan. Each CD was digitally remastered and contains bonus tracks.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM is planning to launch and headline its own music festival next summer, according to Spinner.com. The festival was confirmed by PEARL JAM manager Kelly Curtis, who said that the band is looking to hold the event "somewhere in the middle of the country." He added that the festival would not take place in the group's hometown of Seattle and that the members of PEARL JAM would be involved in selecting the acts.
More information, including the exact dates, location and lineup, is expected to be announced early in 2011.
PEARL JAM will release a new concert album called "Live On Two Legs" on January 18, 2011 to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary.
The set will be available on CD, digital and vinyl formats through the group's own Ten Club imprint. The 18-track collection was recorded on various world tours between 2003 and 2010.
PEARL JAM is currently on a break after completing its most recent trek, in support of its ninth studio album, 2009's "Backspacer".
Frontman Eddie Vedder will head down to Australia and New Zealand for a solo tour in March.
Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with HELLYEAH guitarist Tom Maxwell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Oregon Music News: Should HELLYEAH we considered a supergroup? What's your take on that?
Tom: You know, that's what the media says, but we consider HELLYEAH the biggest garage band there is. It just so happens that we have some pretty killer players involved who like each other, like to get together, have a few drinks and write some good songs. To me, it's amazing that we've sold a combined 600,000 albums and that the idea that Chad [Gray, vocals] and I had years ago became what it is. It's taken over our lives. We just got back from Europe from our very first proper tour there. In the past we've played the festivals in front of 80,000 fans but this was the first time we did appearances that weren't in a festival. I think this run we did has set things up nicely for when we go back later in 2011.
Oregon Music News: HELLYEAH has this outlaw type vibe to it. Where does that come from because you're from Baltimore, Chad and Greg [Tribbett, guitar] are from Illinois and Zilla [Bob Kakaha, bass] is from L.A.? The only Texan in the band is Vinnie [Paul, drums].
Tom: It's the Texas vibe that you're referring to. It's a hard to explain. We adopted this kind of mentality; when we went down to Texas, we fell in love with the culture and the people. We didn't have a plan that we'd start wearing cowboy hats or anything. In fact, if you look at any of the press photos of me from 2000 and you look at one from this year, I look basically the same. I was wearing a hat back then, too. Vince has been an influence as with the culture. Vince brought in that southern stank to it; we all grew up listening to SKYNYRD, ZZ TOP and bands like that. I don't know how to explain it. Texas has this kind of magnetic grip on the people that go there. You just can't help but become a part of the environment. Let me put it to you this way; we wouldn't be able to make a HELLYEAH record in Chicago! You know what I'm saying? Everything influences you, there's real cowboys down there. It's a lifestyle and a mentality. I'm always going to be a
Baltimore boy, but I love Texas, man. This band has kept me incredibly busy and it is my number one priority; after a two year cycle I just to go home and be with my family. I can't speak for Chad and Greg and their plans for MUDVAYNE but I know currently their priority is HELLYEAH.
Oregon Music News: What is it about HELLYEAH that is so appealing to your fans?
Tom: We speak from a generation that has this blue collar mentality. People have to go to work and go back to the grind week in week out. These people want a release on the weekends, fortunately with us they get Friday night every night. When I was kid and I went to see a band I wanted to leave with the memory of a band that rocks. I got that from bands like VAN HALEN, they made me forget about all my problems and if I was lucky I'd get laid that night. HELLYEAH doesn't have a political agenda and we don't have a tough guy mentality where we stare at your shoes. We're about getting your drink on getting some from your girl and having good time. That's the kind of band that we want to be; like the bands we liked when we were kids. Kids today don't know that and that's what we are giving them. You'll see that tonight; there will be 50% chicks and 50% guys. There will be a pit for the guys and the girls will let loose and lose their tops while the sit on
their boyfriend's shoulders. Nothing wrong with that at all, it's people having a good time.
Oregon Music News: Is NOTHINGFACE done at this point?
Tom: Who knows what the future holds?! Right now I can't really say if we'll ever do anything again. It's the furthest thing from my mind at this time. I spent a lot of years of my life in that band and I'm still very tight with the guys in the band; I think everything runs its course. Honestly I'm so overwhelmed with HELLYEAH right now. I'm proud of what I did with NOTHINGFACE; I'm on a different road right now and on a different place in my life than I was then. I'm so content. I was telling my wife, "Honey we might not have a lot of money but we are so rich. We have great friends, an awesome little house, I get to play music and I love doing what I do for a living." When I go home, I'm home and I play with my little boy and do the dad thing. Remember when you first got into music? How magical it made you feel? That's how HELLYEAH makes me feel. That's a feeling that I haven't felt since before I became jaded by the music business.
Legendary New Orleans gods of sludge, excess and mayhem EYEHATEGOD will kick off their 2011 tour escapades with a special one-off show in Seattle, Washington at El Corazon on February 5, 2011. The performance will coincide with the club's six-year anniversary. Special guests to be announced soon.
Tickets are available at CascadeTickets.com — no per-order fees for online purchases! Charge by phone at 1-800-514-3849. Tickets are subject to a service charge.
EYEHATEGOD is currently on tour in support of nothing and is systematically crushing souls one city at a time. Bassist Gary Mader stated from the road, "We've had a blast raisin' hell and hurtin' feelings across the Midwest with our good friends PHOBIA. We're looking forward to further/final damage and hearing impairment in the Lone Star State."
Remaining tour dates with PHOBIA, ZOROASTER:
Dec. 10 - Korova - San Antonio, TX
Dec. 11 - Reno's - Dallas, TX
Dec. 12 - Red Seven - Austin, TX
Dec. 13 - The Rail Club - Fort Worth, TX
As previously reported, AlexIsLegend.com has uploaded video footage of EYEHATEGOD's entire June 13, 2010 concert at Club Hell in Providence, Rhode Island. The first of seven clips can be viewed below.
EYEHATEGOD has been punishing the masses with its matchless brand of New Orleans sludge metal since the beginning of June. The band — vocalist Mike Williams, guitarists Jimmy Bower and Brian Patton, bassist Gary Mader and drummer Joey LaCaze — completed its last U.S. tour this past spring in Chicago at the Empty Bottle where they performed the coveted first two EYEHATEGOD full-lengths, "In The Name Of Suffering" (June 19) and "Take As Needed For Pain" (June 20) in their entirety.
Since forming in 1988, EYEHATEGOD has defied all odds and continues to exist and persist despite personal and professional setbacks. They've been called doomcore, sludge and stoner rock, survived line-up shuffles, label hassles and a short-lived split. And after more than a decade of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man, EYEHATEGOD still hasn't lost the piss and vinegar that fueled it back in '88.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/eyehategod.
CHILDREN OF BODOM, the hard partying Finnish heavy metal band that features frontman and modern-day guitar hero Alexi Laiho, will release its new album, "Relentless Reckless Forever", on March 8, 2011 via Universal Music. Recorded in Finland's Petrax Studios with famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET), the CD is the seventh studio album of COB's illustrious career and the first new record from the band since 2008's "Blooddrunk", which debuted at #22 on The Billboard 200 chart and scored the quintet its third consecutive No. 1 debut in Finland.
"Relentless Reckless Forever" track listing:
01. Not My Funeral
02. Shovel Knockout
03. Roundtrip to Hell and Back
04. Pussyfoot Miss Suicide
05. Relentless Reckless Forever
06. Ugly
07. Cry of the Nihilist
08. Was It Worth It?
09. Northpole Throwdown
10. Party All the Time (EDDIE MURPHY cover)
Check out the cover artwork below.
"We worked super-hard on this album, at least for me it was pretty much no sleep or rest for six weeks," stated Laiho. "But we were determined to make the best COB album ever, so we were willing to do whatever it took. Of course, having our producer Matt Hyde kicking our asses 24/7 definitely made the results even better, so obviously we're more than anxious to get this album out there"
"Relentless Reckless Forever" summons and synthesizes everything CHILDREN OF BODOM has earned and worked towards over the course of its successful, storied career. The band's high-energy hooks and electric energy forge stadium-sized heavy metal anthems that seethe with both marvelous musicianship and a phenomenal pop prowess. COB's unique union of haunting melodies, rhythmic sensibility, guitar-and-keyboard interplay and king-size solos is supercharged to the maximum on "Relentless Reckless Forever", and the resulting record is poised to push the band — already on the brink of breakout success in the U.S. — to an altogether new pinnacle.
On October 6, CHILDREN OF BODOM filmed a high-energy music video for the brand new song "Was It Worth It?" on location at central Pennsylvania's residential action sports compound Camp Woodward with director Dale Resteghini of Raging Nation Films (MUDVAYNE, HATEBREED, ANTHRAX, SHADOWS FALL). In the video, the band joined forces with two-time X Games gold medalist and two-time Thrasher magazine "Skater of the Year" Chris Cole as well as noted pro skaters Jamie Thomas and Tom Asta (the current #1 amateur skateboarder in the world). The clip was shot guerrilla style, sans treatment; honing in directly on CHILDREN OF BODOM's high-spirited fire and the skater's eye-opening execution.
A trailer for the video can be viewed below.
"The single 'Was It Worth It?' is a total party song, said Laiho. "It's not your typical BODOM sound, but it's one of my favorites and heavy as hell."
In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, Laiho said that he was happy with the decision to work with Hyde. "Our management was pushing the idea," Laiho said, "so eventually it was, 'All right, fuck it. Just to shut them up, let's do it.' We liked the way [Hyde] talked about music and the way he was already so fucking committed. He wanted to do the best fucking CHILDREN OF BODOM album ever and was pretty serious and convincing about that. After five minutes of talking to the dude, we knew he was the guy."
Regarding the musical direction of the new CHILDREN OF BODOM material, Laiho told Revolver, "It's maybe a little more melodic than [2008's] 'Blooddrunk' was. It's maybe more guitar riff-oriented, really '80s guitar and stuff like that."
According to Laiho, the recording sessions for the new CHILDREN OF BODOM album produced nine originals and one cover song that he says is "gonna be fucking funny as shit. I don't think it's something anybody would necessarily want to cover — not a metal band, anyway."
Regarding the subject matter covered in the "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide" lyrics, Laiho told Revolver, "I've been involved with stupid chicks who were trying to get attention by being, 'Oh, I'm so fucking depressed. I'm gonna slit my wrists with a cheese grater...' And it's so fucking boring, like, 'Just let it go. You're really not gonna do it, anyway.' It's kind of harsh, but it's fuckin' black humor." "Ugly", on the other hand, is "really just venting and screaming stupid stuff. Nobody should expect anything deep and poetic and sensitive and intelligent, y'know?"
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/bodomreckless.jpg
STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis and SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor will join forces for a special concert on New Year's Eve (December 31) at Carol Morsani Hall at The Straz Center in Tampa, Florida.
For more information, go to this location.
Lewis's forthcoming five-song CD, "Town Line" marks his debut solo release for Nashville-based Stroudavarious Records — and, most prevalently, on its first single and video, "Country Boy". With a little help on both the single and video from legends George Jones and Charlie Daniels as well as critically acclaimed new traditionalist Chris Young, Lewis tells his story like never before on the song. The "Country Boy" single was made available Tuesday, December 7 at iTunes and all other digital retailers. Look for Lewis to head out on the road January 15 for a new run of solo acoustic dates; his freewheeling acoustic shows (which he has been performing for the past few years in tandem with his continuing role in STAIND) have earned him rave reviews.
Taylor has just released a new Christmas single called "XM@$" and has promised fans an "unbelievable" surprise if the song makes No. 1 on the U.K. chart for the holiday. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Taylor said, "I'm actually planning something right now. I have to check the logistics to make sure. But if we get to No. 1 I've got something very special in the works for the fans. It's going to be unbelievable."
Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that his nasty little Yuletide song is also helping with something meaningful this season. "All of the proceeds are gonna go to charity," he said. "All the proceeds from the U.K. are gonna go to the Teenage Cancer Trust, and we're looking for a charity here in the States that we can donate all the proceeds to. And all out of just pure, Scroogy, bah-humbug, gnarly emotion, you know. And it's hilarious."
Taylor said he decided to support the Teenage Cancer Trust because "my grandmother had cancer, and luckily she got over it. But teenage cancer is probably overlooked a little bit."
Bassist/vocalist Paul Arnold of reunited Virginia thrash metal legends AT WAR was shot in a hunting accident last night and has suffered a shattered hip. According to Paul's brother, "The doctors are now going back in to evaluate the hip and nerves and bones. He is on a ventilator as a precaution."
Arnold is expected to make a full recovery.
AT WAR's "Make Your Move" video can be viewed below. The song comes off "Infidel", the first album in 20 years from AT WAR, which was released in August 2009 via Heavy Artillery Records. The CD's stunning cover artwork comes courtesy of legendary illustrator and photographer Claudio Bergamin and can be viewed below.
On March 30, "Infidel" was released as a limited edition of 500 vinyl LPs in a gatefold jacket and an extremely limited edition of 100 cassette tapes.
AT WAR launched a brand new web site which features a library of streaming audio and video content as well as an archive of photos and show flyers spanning the band's 27-year history.
AT WAR recorded "Infidel" in early 2009 at Pyramid Sound studios in Ithaca, New York. Engineering the album was Alex Perialas, best known for his work during the golden age of thrash by engineering benchmark LPs by such bands as ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, NUCLEAR ASSAULT and S.O.D., among others.
Formed in 1983 by guitarist Shawn Helsel, bassist and vocalist Paul Arnold and drummer Dave Stone, AT WAR went on to solidify itself as one premier metal bands in the American underground. After the reviews and college radio play of their 1985 demo "Eat Lead", AT WAR went on to release two albums — "Ordered to Kill" (1986) and "Retaliatory Strike" (1987) — for New Renaissance Records. A follow-up to "Retaliatory Strike" was recorded in 1994 but ultimately scrapped which prompted AT WAR to go on an indefinite hiatus only to have the beast awaken from its slumber in 2006 to begin working the material that would become "Infidel".
Legendary Viking metal act EINHERJER has signed with Indie Recordings for the release of its comeback album, due out in the spring of 2011.
EINHERJER was one of the very first bands to use the Viking thematic and the Norse mythology in metal, and are one of the founders of this now widely acclaimed metal sub-genre. Their name also has its roots in the Norse mythology as EINHERJER is a Viking's life after death. When a Viking was slain in battle, he was brought up to Valhalla by the Valkyries to join the army of Einherjers and help the Gods in their clash against the Giants in the age of Ragnarok.
EINHERJER disbanded in 2004 after the release of its album "Blot" through Tabu Recordings. EINHERJER reformed in 2008 and a year later played the Wacken Open Air, Ragnarock and Kaltenbach festivals, along with other select dates on the Paganfest 2009 tour. EINHERJER is currently putting the finishing touches on its fifth studio album, which will be still in the spirit of the band's previous releases.
Commented EINHERJER on the signing: "Finally, after a long wait, we're very proud to announce that we have chosen the most dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working label to release our next albums… Indie Recordings! To work with this level of professionalism is something we've always emphasized, and Indie Recordings has shown through the years that they can deliver. This will be the start of a new chapter for us and we look into the future with great expectations and a great deal of excitement. We do it our way….we always have and always will!"
Finnish "battle metal" warriors TURISAS will release their third album, "Stand Up And Fight", via Century Media Records on the following dates:
Finland, Japan: February 23, 2011
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: February 25, 2011
Rest Of Europe: February 28, 2011
Australia, New Zealand: March 4, 2011
Release dates for other territories will be announced shortly.
The CD was recorded between March and September 2010 at Sound Supreme studios in in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, PARADISE LOST) at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. The album was produced by vocalist and main songwriter Mathias "Warlord" Nygård.
Fan-filmed video footage of TURISAS performing a brand new song, tentatively titled "The March Of The Varangian Guard", on October 29, 2010 at Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland can be viewed below.
TURISAS will embark on a U.S. tour in February/March 2011 as the support act for CRADLE OF FILTH. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are NACHTMYSTIUM (USA) and DANIEL LIONEYE (Finland). Mainland Europe and U.K. shows will follow in early 2011.
Commented Nygård: "After a 16-month break from touring, focusing fully on the work on our third album, I'm happy to tell you that we're DONE! The workload has been enormous, and at times I've wished I'd known better, formed a punk rock band and kept things simple! But to achieve real progress, you really have to dig deep and see what you're made of. Take bites so big, you almost choke.
"We've stayed true to our ideology of releasing music only when we have something new to come out with, not repeating ourselves or just copying what we've done in the past to feed the market. Now that we're done with studios, we're all extremely excited to get back on the road again, and as our latest visit to North America is long overdue, coming over in January with CRADLE is something we're all very much looking forward to. We had a great time touring with them in Europe in 2009, so this should be killer! Now we only have to figure out how to play these new songs!!"
Guitarist/vocalist Zoltán Farkas of Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF will take part in a special acoustic performance on Friday, December 17 at Rock Café in Hamburg, Germany at 22.00 CET. Check out a video invitation from Farkas below.
"Last Fight", the new video from EKTOMORF, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Redemption", which will be released on December 17 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm studios in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen, who has previously worked with DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED and HEAVEN SHALL BURN, among others.
"Redemption" track listing:
01. Last Fight
02. Redemption
03. I'm In Hate
04. God Will Cut You Down
05. Stay Away
06. Never Should
07. Sea Of My Misery
08. The One (feat. Danko Jones)
09. Revolution
10. Cigany
11. Stigmatized
12. Anger
13. Kill Me Now (limited-edition digipak bonus)
EKTOMORF will embark on a European headlining tour in February 2011. Support on the trek will come from Brazilian thrash metal veterans KORZUS. Two more support acts will be announced soon.
GORGUTS, EXHUMED, AMAGORTIS, VADER, KRISIUN, FACEBREAKER and DISAVOWED have been confirmed for the fifth-anniversary edition of the Death Feast Open Air festival, set to take place June 23-25, 2011 in Hünxe, Germany
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMAGORTIS (CH)
BEHEADED (MLT)
BLOODSOAKED (USA)
DECAYING PURITY (TUR)
DEPRESSION (GER)
DEVOURMENT (USA)
DISVOWED (NDL)
EXHUMED (USA)
FACEBREAKER (SWE)
GOREZONE (GER)
GORGUTS (CAN)
GRAVE (SWE)
INHUMATE (FRA)
KASTRATED (UK)
KATALEPSY (RUS)
KRISIUN (BRA)
MISERY INDEX (USA)
NUCLEAR VOMIT (POL)
PANDEMIA (CZ)
PESTILENCE (NETH)
PUTRIDITY (ITA)
SEPTYCAL GORGE (ITA)
SUFFERAGE (GER)
THE ROTTED (UK)
VADER (POL)
VOMITORY (SWE)
For more information, visit www.deathfeast.de.
Polish extreme-metal veterans VADER will enter Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland in March 2011 to begin recording their new album, tentatively titled "Return To The Morbid Reich". According to guitarist/vocalist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek, "some music, words [and] also designs are already initiated." The CD will be released in August/September 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.
In other news, Wiwczarek was recently honored by the mayor of the Warmia and Mazury region of Poland for Piotr's promotion and support of the area — which is called the land of one thousand lakes — throughout the world for more than 25 years.
VADER recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of its classic second album, "De Profundis", by performing the LP in its entirety. Piotr states, "[The fans'] response for this idea was more than great so we decided to repeat this in the future with other VADER titles, too."
VADER's latest album, "Necropolis", sold around 1,130 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 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.
"Necropolis" was recorded at Hertz studios in Bialystok, Poland with the Wieslawski Bros.. Tue Madsen, who previously worked with such bands as MOONSPELL, CATARACT, HEAVEN SHALL BURN and many more, mixed the CD at his Antfarm Studios in Denmark.
Moyses Kolesne (KRISIUN) and Kragen Lum (HEATHEN, PROTOTYPE) have recorded guest appearances on "Leveling The Plane Of Existence", the new album from Los Angeles, California's ABYSMAL DAWN. Kolesne provides a guitar solo on the track "Pixilated Ignorance" and Lum adds guitar solos on "Rapture Renowned" and the title track.
"Leveling The Plane Of Existence" will be released in North America on February 1 via Relapse Records (February 7 in the U.K.; February 11 in Germany, Benelux; and February 14 in the rest of Europe). The drums for the follow-up 2008's "Programmed To Consume" were recorded at Trench Studios in Corona, California with John Haddad (PHOBIA, INTRONAUT, HIRAX), with the rest of the instrumentation being produced and recorded by Mike Bear (ARTISAN, ex-PROTOTYPE) at Artisan Road Studios in Encino, California. The CD is being mixed and mastered by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, GOATWHORE, HATE ETERNAL) at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Commented ABYSMAL DAWN guitarist/vocalist Charles Elliott: "I had so many leads to lay down while trying to finish up lyrics etc., that I started thinking about who I'd love to have do some guest solos for us.
"I've known Moyses ever since we toured with KRISIUN in 2006 and I think he's one of the most talented yet underrated guitarist in death metal. If you listen to the face-melting lead that he laid down for us I think you'll see what I mean. He recorded a trade-off solo with me for the track 'Pixilated Ignorance', which is probably the fastest and most technical track on the record. His in-your-face style fit the song perfectly and I don't think I could have picked a better song for him to play on. I also had Kragen Lum from HEATHEN and PROTOTYPE come down to the studio, and lay down some trade-offs with me on 'Rapture Renowned' and 'Leveling...'. I've been a fan of his playing since I was a teenager so it was an honor to have him shred on our record. We share a lot of the same progressive influences when it comes to lead playing, so his style fit the band like a glove. I highly recommend you check out his bands if you're open-minded and into progressive
and thrash stuff."
The first in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Leveling The Plane Of Existence", the new album from Los Angeles, California's ABYSMAL DAWN, can be viewed below. The clip includes an interview with ABYSMAL DAWN drummer Scott Fuller, insight on the band's writing process, and a run-down of Fuller's recording set-up.
"Leveling The Plane Of Existence" track listing:
01. The Age of Ruin
02. Pixilated Ignorance
03. In Service of Time
04. Rapture Renowned
05. Our Primitive Nature
06. Perpetual Dormancy
07. Leveling the Plane of Existence
08. Manufactured Humanity
09. My Own Savior
10. The Sleeper Awakens
ABYSMAL DAWN has announced the first North American tour in support of "Leveling The Plane of Existence" for early next year. The band will be team up with KATAKLYSM, ALL SHALL PERISH and DECREPIT BIRTH for a four-week trek that will kick off on February 24 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL will reveal the title of their new album on December 21.
Three weeks after returning from Germany where the band spent time going over every new song with longtime collaborator Waldemar Sorychta (MOONSPELL, LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT, GRIP INC.), SAMAEL entered the studio on August 10 to begin recording the new CD for an April 2011 release via Nuclear Blast Records.
SAMAEL's new EP, "Antigod", was released on November 19 in the following territories:
* Via Nuclear Blast in Europe on seven-inch single (two tracks), CD-digipack and digital download (six tracks)
* Via Season Of Mist in North America as digital dowload (six tracks)
* Via Musikvertrieb in Switzerland on seven-inch single (two tracks) and on CD-digipack (six tracks)
The "Antigod" title track is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.
"Antigod" track listing:
01. Antigod
02. Into The Pentagram (2010)
03. Reign Of Light (Live)
04. Slavocracy (Live)
05. Antigod (Dark Night Remix)
06. Ten Thousand Years
Check out the cover artwork below.
SAMAEL's last full-length CD, "Above" (2009), entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 99.
Legendary Dutch death metal vocalist Martin Van Drunen (PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, HAIL OF BULLETS) will perform a few "Consuming Impulse"-era PESTILENCE songs with California death metallers RITUAL TORTURE on December 13, 2010 at the Ruby Room in San Diego, California. This will be his first time performing live in California since touring with DEATH and CARCASS in 1990.
RITUAL TORTURE guitarist Jeff Gutrot (a.k.a. Jeff Koretke) tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Martin is a friend of mine and will be in town visiting his girlfriend. He asked me if we would want to do this last week and, of course, we agreed."
For more information on RITUAL TORTURE, go to this location.
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