In the second instalment of our online Tony Iommi interview, the metal legend talks about the simplistic beauty of 'Paranoid', how bass players haven't really progressed since the 60s, and why jazz and blues are his go-to genres.
Interview: David West
Master Of Puppets
Are there any guitarists or musicians around nowadays who have captured your ear?
"Musicians have gotten very good. There are a lot of great drummers out there. Bass players I've found a little stagnant, they haven't developed that much. They don't stand out like the Jack Bruce's of the day, the players who could REALLY play. Bass players don't do a lot and that's no disrespect to them, they're doing what they feel is right for their music, but drummers have certainly improved over the years and guitar players too."
Do you discover new talent from watching bands who support you on tour?
"There are some really good bands around, but on tour I don't really get time to go out and watch them. Before I go onstage I have to do a lot of fiddling about because of my thimbles [Iommi wears them over his injured finger tips]. I have to make sure they are right and rub them down. I also have to play for longer to loosen up because of all the problems I've had with my hand stiffening. I don't have the luxury of going out and listening to bands for an hour, so I'd sooner go out and see somebody when I'm not on tour. I went to see Metallica a few times, I like them."
All that jazz
Does new music influence your playing or writing in any way?
"I suppose there must be things you pick up but I couldn't tell you where from. I tend to play what I think. There are albums I'd like to listen to but I don't tend to get around to doing it. I don't listen to other guitar players that much. There are some great guitar players around, there really are, but again being a great player you've also got to be a great writer. However great you are, you're only as good as your song is. Some people tend to overplay in songs. That's my opinion. When they sound good they probably try to show off a bit."
To coincide with your cover of TG this month (TG210 on sale 24 December - 20 January), we have tabbed 'Planet Caravan'. What can you tell us about that song?
"'Planet Caravan' was about playing something different. It was one of those songs that, when we were in the rehearsal room, I just start playing it and thought, 'this is nice.' I never thought that it might be too far 'on the other side' for Sabbath to do. If we liked something that was a bit different, we just played it. That attitude gave me an opportunity to play a couple of jazzy things that weren't planned. I do like the blues and jazzy stuff, which you can hear on 'Planet Caravan'. I think any guitar player likes to play that sort of stuff, and I suppose the blues and jazz have influenced my playing more than most, so I try to get some of those flavoured licks in without even thinking about it."
Der! Der! Der! Da-na-na-na, da-na-na-na!
'Paranoid' is arguably your most famous guitar riff. Legend tells it that the song was a very late addition to the album?
"In those days, you didn't have tape recorders. You had to play riffs, keep playing them and remember them. We were recording the album ['Paranoid', 1970] and the label suddenly said, 'You don't have enough songs!' We didn't know what to do and they asked us to come up with another song. Within a few minutes I came up with the riff to 'Paranoid', played it to the other guys and they liked it, so off we went. That's how simple 'Paranoid' was – we wrote and recorded it in a day."
Yet that simple song went on to become one of your biggest hits…
"Yes it did. We really didn't want a hit single with 'Paranoid' because in them days, to have a hit single was selling out. We didn't want a hit single and we didn't expect it to be a single. We just did it as a filler track. Most of the tracks on the album were quite long and a lot of people probably wouldn't have played them because they were too long, so 'Paranoid' was an ideal track to release, being short and up-tempo. It just took off. We were as shocked as anybody when that got in the charts. We thought, 'Bloody hell, there's all this stuff here we're trying to do musically and then something as simple as 'Paranoid' gets in the charts and everybody remembers it!'"
Total Guitar issue 210 (on sale 24 December - 20 January) features Tony Iommi on the cover and contains 11-pages of Iommi coverage, including an in-depth interview and a complete tab of 'Planet Caravan'.
British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have added two shows in Norway to their upcoming farewell tour.
Confirmed shows so far are as follows:
Jun. 09 - Sweden Rock Festival, Sölvesborg, Sweden
Jun. 11 - Sauna Open Air, Tampere, Finland
Jun. 14 - Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
Jun. 15 - Edward Greig Plass, Bergen, Norway
Jun. 17 - Copenhell, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jun. 19 - Hellfest, Clisson, France
Jun. 22 - Gods of Metal, Milan, Italy
Jun. 25 - Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, Belgium
Jun. 28 - O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Jun. 29 - Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
Jul. 23 - High Voltage, London, UK
Aug. 05 - Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany
After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking its very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, JUDAS PRIEST has announced plans to embark on a final world tour. However, the mighty PRIEST will certainly be going out strong as it rocks the planet starting in 2011 on the massive "Epitaph" trek — hitting all the major cities throughout the world where it will play the songs that helped make the name JUDAS PRIEST synonymous with heavy metal.
Singer Rob Halford told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that PRIEST wouldn't have sustained such a lengthy career without the support of their fans. "It's an ongoing metal love affair that's been solid and kept us going and motivated, quite frankly," he said. "Bands don't exist without the people that support them, and so it is with PRIEST, you know? Without our fans we're nothing, so we love our fans dearly, and we do as much as we can to keep that bond strong and solid."
The earliest version of JUDAS PRIEST was formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England by bassist Ian Hill and guitarist K.K. Downing.
Halford joined in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton joined a year later, completing the core lineup of the band for most of its career.
The group released seven albums between 1974 and 1980, finally hitting it big with 1979's concert set, "Unleashed In The East", and its 1980 studio follow-up, "British Steel".
Halford left the group for a 11-year period between 1992 and 2003, with Tim "Ripper" Owens taking over on vocals for two studio albums and a live set. Halford returned in 2003.
JUDAS PRIEST has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and is considered by many to be the second most influential heavy metal band after BLACK SABBATH.
Halford almost singlehandedly established the "leather and studs" look that became synonymous with metal music for years, while Tipton and Downing established the "twin lead guitarists" sound emulated by countless heavy rock acts.
URIAH HEEP, THE QUIREBOYS, MONSTERS OF ROCK (featuring Micky Moody, Neil Murray, Laurie Wisefield and Gary "Harry" James), HEAVY METAL KIDS, DR. FEELGOOD, CLIMAX BLUES BAND, THE HAMSTERS, PRETTY THINGS and EARLY TEN YEARS AFTER are among the confirmed bands for the Great British Rock & Blues Festival, set to take place January 28-30, 2011 at Butlin's in Skegness, England.
For more information, visit BigWeekends.com.
In the documentary « Lemmy : The Movie », Mikkey Dee states "we are not faking it". Motörhead is a band that takes full responsibility for itself. Motörhead will not hide the fact they made a load of cash via a Kronenbourg commercial. Motörhead are not afraid of clichés either.
As we entered the backstage area, we are not greeted by the Phil Campbell we are expecting to meet, but rather the perfect image of a rock star in all of its glory and excesses. There is nothing missing from this picture besides perfect a line of coke on the coffee table. To start off the guitarist, already dressed in his elegant scene attire, genuinely asks "you don't intend to take any pictures, right? I haven't shaved!". He is holding a glass of white wine in one hand and a suggestively dressed young lady no older than twenty-five years of age in the other. Basically, this is the whole package. Ironically, we were intending on asking Phil about the fact that "Lemmy: The Movie" breaks down some of these rock'n'roll clichés. Then Phil offers us some beers from the heavy buffet (thank you Kronenbourg). When someone offers you a drink from Motörhead, they stick to it and it's a question of honour.
The interview was going well until we asked what seemed to be a somewhat insignificant question that we had almost removed from the list. Without taking into account Phil Campbell's damaged ego (an ego that comes out various times throughout the interview), he drops a bombshell answer in which he expresses his displeasure with the directors of "Lemmy: The Movie". Alright, enough with the teasing: here is the interview held only a few hours before the band were playing the Halle Tony Garnier.
"I prefer to be the only guitar player. It's much more fun and it makes me a better performer; I've got to run more on the stage. I much prefer it. I couldn't go back to a situation where there would be another guitar player."
Apparently The Wörld Is Yours was released in UK through an exclusive publishing deal with Classic Rock magazine. What was the purpose of this move?
I don't know! We've never done it before. We thought it would good if the magazine supported us. But it's no big deal. Anyway you can buy it in the shops now.
You've lost your father during the making of the album. Do you think this very sad event have had any impact on the album from a musical point of view?
Yeah, I like to think so. I came back from Los Angeles to be with him. I got to see him every morning before going into the studio in Wales to record the guitars. And then I was coming back to see him at night. In Los Angeles there a lot of distraction but this time I was just focusing on two things: my father and the guitar. So probably it has had an impact on the album. Who knows? I'm happy with the guitar playing on it anyway.
There's a video clip for the song "Get Back In Line". In the video we see you, Lemmy and Mikkey coming into a casino full of antipathetic business men and you guys just break everything. You guys must have had a blast shooting this scene!
Yeah, it was a lot of fun. In the first part of the video we're playing in London on the top of a building and it was so cold! We were freezing! It was the idea of the people who made the video and it turned out pretty good in the end. I think it's quite reasonable, quite decent. Do you want a beer? We got Kronenbourg!
Ok, why not. Thank you! What's the message behind this video clip? Is it that business is anti-Rock'n'Roll and should have nothing to with music?
Bankers in London they just like to line their own pockets. They don't give a shit about anyone else. There are always exceptions to the rule, but it's a fun concept for a video and there's fucking shit for business men.
Record companies actually are having a hard time doing business nowadays because of the internet and the new consumer's behaviours. Many bands are beginning to promote and sell their albums on their own. Do you think this is a good thing?
If it works for some bands, yeah. Every situation will be different. We don't sell our albums on the merchandise because we're lucky enough to have fans who go out and buy it. But the record companies take most of the profit anyway. So this is a good thing that the record companies are having a hard time with it. They have had a good time for many many years, but now tables have turned a bit and it's better for the musicians.
In The World Is Yours booklet there are some strange naive drawings. Who did them?
Lem did them.
What is the meaning of these?
(Phil makes a sign to express silliness) Ask him, I don't know! (Laughs) He gets bored at night when he can't sleep. (Laughs)
"If it was up to me, the setlist would be totally different! (Phil points out the wall that separates us from Lemmy's dressing room) I'm getting too old to fucking argue! "
It's been fifteen years that your the only guitar player in Motörhead but at one point you had a second guitar player by your side in the band for a bit less that ten years. What situation puts you more at your ease?
Yeah I prefer to be the only guitar player. It's much more fun and it makes me a better performer; I've got to run more on the stage. I much prefer it. I couldn't go back to a situation where there would be another guitar player. We had fun at the time with Würzel but it was his decision to leave. And it will never happen again now. It's always going to be just the three of us.
We never heard yourself playing in any other band than Motörhead, although I know you had a band prior to joining Motörhead called Persian…
Persian Risk, yeah. We made a couple of albums…
But aren't you at all interested in doing your own side project like many musicians do? Even Lemmy have his own project Headcat…
Yeah, I'm trying to do my solo record. I'm doing my book too. I played on other people albums. I played on Girlschool's latest album, I played on Crucified Barbara's album… But it's just a question of finding the time. We're so busy with Motörhead! But I'm doing my book at the moment; it's going to contain a lot of funny stories. And the album is coming really slow but it'll be out one day.
Is it going to be a book about your life?
It's a book about all the fucking unbelievable shit that goes down on the road ! (Laughs) Funny stuff, yeah. It's not going to be about my life's story, that's boring! But we don't know yet when it's going to be released. We're starting it now but I guess we can expect it to be out in about three years.
Motörhead did a slow bluesy version of Ace Of Spades for a Kornenbourg commercial. Lemmy doesn't seem too convinced by this rearrangement; he says it's a bit too slow. What's your opinion about it? Do you enjoy this type of exercise?
It was different. It was a bit slow rearrangement. I don't know if I like it or hate it. It's hard to tell. I haven't made up my mind yet. But it was fun and they paid us a shit load of money and now I got a fridge full of Kronenbourg. (laughs) So, it's not too bad!
We asked Lemmy if the band would do an acoustic album in the vein of "Whorehouse Blues" and he said that he thought about it and that he had to talk to you guys about it. So did he talk to you about it yet?
I had the idea! I had the idea to do an acoustic album. We might also do a cover album. Our next album might be this album of cover. We've done loads of these. We've done "Cat Scratch Fever", we've done "Shoot 'Em Down" by Twisted Sister, "Hellraiser" by Ozzy, "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols, we got "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones and more. But this album is just an idea for the future, we don't know yet what's going to be on it.
The band's been lately criticised for a kind of routine and automatisms in your live shows. Do you think that the regularity of the touring and recording have had an influence on your shows in some ways?
No, we just go out and have fun and do the best we can every night. We don't take much notice of other bands. What they do, they are in charge of that and what we do is us. We just try to write the best music we can and play it live. We have fun. It's fun every day. If you don't have fun every day you can die in this business!
With so many albums it must be complicated to build a setlist for the shows…
Yeah…
You guys have to choose from so many classics but don't you want to throw a little bit more of lesser known songs in?
If it was up to me, the setlist would be totally different! (Phil points out the wall that separates us from Lemmy's dressing room) I'm getting too old to fucking argue! We could do four or five hours sets really, to keep everyone happy, but it's not going to happen.
Why wouldn't you do four hours sets?
If you were my age you wouldn't ask that! (Laughs)
"They spent three years following me around and Mikkey around, all of us, you know, three fucking years and the biggest shot they got of me is laying down to sleep in the bus with Familly Guy on the TV! (Laughs) [...] What a bunch of cunts!"
We learned it in Lemmy : The Movie, and we actually experienced it ourselves in backstage during the Hellfest this year : people should never try to bother Lemmy while he is playing games. Has this happened to you while you didn't know his kind of addiction to games?
I knew about it from day one. After my audition, I didn't know anyone in London and he took me to a club. There were no people there. He bought me a drink so I sat down. He sat next to me for like two minutes and then he started to play on a machine. Then I was sitting by myself thinking he was going to come back. But he was there for three hours on the fucking machine! I interrupted him many times to talk to him but he doesn't like to be bothered really. (laughs)
You and Mikkey rarely appear in the movie. How come? You've been his bandmates for so long…
Speak to the movie people! That's what we're pissed off about. They spent three years following me around and Mikkey around, all of us, you know, three fucking years and the biggest shot they got of me is laying down to sleep in the bus with Familly Guy on the TV! (Laughs) The movie's about Lem but it's really insulting to us. What a bunch of cunts!
There a scene in the movie which is striking: we see Lemmy in his little apartment saying that he doesn't want to change it because it would be difficult to find a cheaper one. We're very far from the rockstars clichés. Maybe this is a naïve question but: Motörhead doesn't pay well or what?
You know, I've got a hotel, I've got two houses, I've got a cabin… Mikkey's got big houses, Lamborginies and everything… It's just that Lem like that apartment because it's close to the Rainbow! He can walk up to the Rainbow on Sunset Strip. But, yeah, it pays really well!
Here is a stupid question now: why do you always wear a bonnet on stage?
Because when you're on stage you hair gets sweaty and shit like that. I've always done it, you know. I prefer this rather than having my fucking hair falling around, getting in my eyes and shit.
After the interview we asked Phil to take part in our custom of signing a strange object (in this case a computer mouse). He accepted and told us the following: "The hardest thing I have ever had to sign was a clitoris. 'Phillip Anthony Campbell', it took me three weeks! (Laughs)"
Interview conducted by Spaceman & Metal'O Phil at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on december 14th, 2010.
Transcription : Spaceman
MANOWAR will play its classic debut album, 1982's "Battle Hymns", in its entirety during the band's headlining performance on March 27, 2011 at O2 Academy in Birmingham, England. It is not presently clear if additional U.K. dates will follow.
The vinyl picture disc, limited-edition version of "Battle Hymns 2011", the "reinterpretation" of "Battle Hymns", can be personalized with your name and autographed by the band. Available for $199.95, it includes a numbered certificate of authenticity. According to a posting on MANOWAR's official webstore, The Kingdom Of Steel, if you order now, you will also get the digital download immediately "for free," with a 16-page PDF booklet.
If you do not wish to spend $200 on the "autographed" version of the picture disc, the standard edition can be yours for "only" $49.95. This item can also be ordered and includes the immediate "free" digital download as well as the 16-page PDF booklet.
MANOWAR has decided that its fans deserved to hear the songs from its debut album, 1982's "Battle Hymns", with the massive sound and production that has become the group's signature over recent years and records.
With the decision to reinterpret the music came the need to revisit the famed narration of the legendary Orson Welles. There was only one obvious choice and that was Sir Christopher Lee. Recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, his own inspired interpretation of the late, great Orson Welles on "Dark Avenger" is said to be "another jewel in the crown of the Kings Of Metal."
"Battle Hymns 2011" features two never-before-released live versions of "Death Tone" and "Fast Taker" recorded during the band's very first concerts in 1982. These are the rarest bonus materials ever released to date in MANOWAR's career.
"Our fans can be sure that we have squeezed every drop of power into 'Battle Hymns 2011' that today's technology allows," said vocalist Eric Adams.
"Battle Hymns 2011" track listing:
01. Death Tone
02. Metal Daze
03. Fast Taker
04. Shell Shock
05. Manowar
06. Dark Avenger
07. William's Tale
08. Battle Hymn
Bonus Tracks:
09. Death Tone (live)
10. Fast Taker (live)
ICED EARTH and VREID have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 4-6, 2011 in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.
The festival billing is now shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ACCU§ER
APOCALYPTICA
AVANTASIA
BLAAS OF GLORY
BLIND GUARDIAN
BLOWSIGHT
CHILDREN OF BODOM
CRADLE OF FILTH
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HAYSEED DIXIE
ICED EARTH
IN SOLITUDE
JUDAS PRIEST
KHOLD
KNORKATOR
MAYHEM
MORBID ANGEL
MOTÖRHEAD
OZZY OSBOURNE
PRIMAL FEAR
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
RUSSKAJA
SEPULTURA
SKÁLMÖLD
SKI KING
SMACK BALLZ
SODOM
STIER
SUBWAY TO SALLY
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
THE HAUNTED
THE PROPHECY²³
TOKYO BLADE
TRIVIUM
TSJUDER
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
VREID
WARRANT
Wacken Open Air was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and Australia.
Wacken Open Air is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform across four separate stages over the course of the event.
The 2009 edition of Wacken Open Air set a sales record; it sold out on December 30, 2008. All 70,000 tickets were sold over 200 days before the start of the festival.
Wacken Open Air, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, was honored with a Live Entertainment Award in 2008 in the "Festival Of The Year" category. This award recognizes distinguished achievements in live entertainment and is given out by Live Entertainment Award (LEA) committee.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor's satirical holiday single, "XM@$", failed to stop the latest Christmas offering by Simon Cowell's current "The X Factor" winner from hitting No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart for the week before Christmas. Winner Matt Cardle's cover of BIFFY CLYRO's "Many Of Horror", renamed "When We Collide", topped the chart when it was published on Sunday (December 19).
Taylor's track only hit No. 37 but Taylor said, "No. 37 is brilliant, especially after only seven days on sale. The main thing is the Teenage Cancer Trust will benefit from the money, and the publicity. That's what really matters here."
The latest bid to stop another pop artist from the Cowell factory from hitting No. 1came after a Facebook campaign helped RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's rap-metal track "Killing In The Name" defeat last year's "The X Factor" winner in a stunning upset.
As for Taylor, he and STONE SOUR will spend the holidays at home before prepping for January's "Nightmare After Christmas" tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio it made sense for STONE SOUR to hit the road with AVENGED again after doing the Uproar tour together last summer. "We started bonding on Uproar, you know, got to hang out a lot on the U.K. tour, you know, it's just a lot of fun," he said. "It was kind of one of those things where it was like, 'Well, hell, that worked there and we're both going out in January again, let's hook up again.' It just made a lot of sense to just kind of jump out and do it again."
STONE SOUR is touring behind its third album, "Audio Secrecy", released earlier this year. The CD's latest single is "Hesitate".
Taylor will also team with STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis for a New Year's Eve (December 31) gig in Tampa, Florida.
Keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH has issued the following year-end update:
"The year is coming to an end and we're all getting ready for a hell of a rollercoaster ride of 2011!
"This past year has been a very fruitful one, if also a mind-filling one, from writing the songs for the album to come, rehearsing them in the memorable summer camp in Röskö, recording the demo, recording the actual album (drums, guitars and basses already done), and planning the year ahead. The summer was also blessed with the births of two new members for the NIGHTWISH family, Jukka's ['Julius' Nevalainen, drums] daughter Lara and Anette's [Olzon, vocals] son Nemo. A most unforgettably wonderful summer!
"In late January 2011 we will reveal near future plans of the band and some visions to come. I hope it will make all of you as thrilled as it has made us!
"Like good ole' Pinhead said: 'We have such sights to show you...'
"I wish everybody a peaceful, magic-filled Yuletide and an inspiring year 2011!"
NIGHTWISH entered the studio in October to begin recording the follow-up to 2007's "Dark Passion Play". Regarding the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon recently wrote on her official blog, "I think it's a great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. 'Dark Passion Play' is a great album and this one, too, so I don't know yet which one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style."
The pre-production sessions for the new NIGHTWISH CD took place in "the deepest countryside of Finland," where most of the band spent several weeks finalizing the song arrangements and recording their instrumental parts.
NIGHTWISH played a special homecoming show in September 2009 at the sold-out, 11,000-capacity Hartwall Arena in Helsinki to mark the end of the band's colossal "Dark Passion Play" two-year world tour.
NIGHTWISH is not expected to play any more concerts until the release of the band's next studio album.
TAROT, ARTHEMIS, POWER QUEST and CRIMINAL have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2011 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ANGEL WITCH
ARTHEMIS
AT THE GATES
CORONER
CRIMINAL
GRAVE DIGGER
IMMORTAL
LAWNMOWER DETH
MORBID ANGEL
POWER QUEST
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
TAROT
THERION
TRIPTYKON
The Bloodstock Open Air heavy metal festival was established in 2005 to bring a wider choice of heavy metal bands to the U.K. and provide a venue for the best established and unsigned metal bands to perform in front of a large an enthusiastic audience of true metalheads.
Bloodstock Open Air features three days of diverse international heavy metal bands across three stages, a large selection of merchandise stalls, metal karaoke, campsite and a wide selection of food, bars and other refreshments.
Swedish metallers MEAN STREAK will release a new single, "In For The Kill", on December 28. The song comes off the band's sophomore album, "Declaration Of War", which will be made available on January 28, 2011 via Black Lodge. The CD features new guitarists David Andersson (ex-SOILWORK) and Patrik Gardberg (AMMOTRACK, SOLUTION .45) and contains "11 epic songs which takes the band's NWOBHM sound to new dimensions," according to a press release. "The album is all about classic '80s metal, but MEAN STREAK has also developed their sound quite a bit and we get to hear them perform some progressive tunes here and there, like on 'The Oblation' and 'Brothers 'Til The End' where double pedal bass drums have been left out to offer more atonal and dark arrangements. The band has also developed lyrically, and the production has a modern touch that makes the album sound fresh without losing the spirit of the past."
"Declaration Of War" was once again mixed by Fredrik Nordström and was mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (SOLUTION .45).
MEAN STREAK was formed in 2006 and released its debut album, "Metal Slave", in 2009.
In the spring and summer of 2011, MEAN STREAK will embark on an extensive tour of Europe.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/meanstreaksweden.
Swedish metallers BULLET will release a new single, "Down And Out", on Christmas Eve (December 24). The song comes off the band's third full-length album, "Highway Pirates", which will be made available on February 4, 2011. It will be issued on CD, LP and strictly limited-edition vinyl that will only will be available through the Sound Pollution mailorder.
On July 31 2009, BULLET drummer Gustav Hjortsjö was hanging around backstage at the Sävsjö Festival. Suddenly he noticed a familiar face in the crowd: SAXON's legendary singer Peter "Biff" Byford. Gustav was determined not to let this chance go missed. He approached Byford and explained that the singer just had to do a guest appearance on BULLET's next album. "Maybe," Byford replied. "What's the name of the album?" Gustav had no idea. BULLET was still touring in support of the "Bite The Bullet" CD and hadn't really thought a whole lot about the follow-up release. "But which song do you want me to appear on then?" Biff continued. In a state of panic, Gustav mumbled the first reasonably rock and roll-orientated title he could come up with: "Highway Pirates". A month later they met again, at the Skogsröjet Festival in Reijmyre. About 40 seconds into the brilliant hard-hitting title track, you can now hear Biff Byford's contribution: a wolf whistle.
BULLET is up for a new experience with the release of its third album. It is the first time the band has to live up to people's high expectations. This, however, is a natural consequence of the success that came with the group's previous effort, "Bite The Bullet". The album peaked at position No. 3 on the Swedish chart and was followed by a number of live appearances, including a support-act slot with AC/DC at the sold-out Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg.
"Highway Pirates" was mixed by Tobias Lindell, who has previously worked with such Swedish rock bands as EUROPE, MUSTASCH and HARDCORE SUPERSTAR. Their combined efforts have "succeeded in creating a sound that is retro and modern at the same time," according to a press release. "Hampus Klang's and Erik Ahlström's guitar sound is incredibly pure."
"Highway Pirates" track listing:
01. Highway Pirates
02. Back On The Road
03. Stay Wild
04. Blood Run Hot
05. Fire And Dynamite
06. Down And Out
07. Knuckleduster
08. Heavy Metal Dynamite
09. Citylights
10. Into The Night
Multinational melodic metallers EDEN'S CURSE have finished recording their third studio album, "Trinity". The band recorded fourteen songs in total, including two cover versions, for the CD, which is now in the final stages of the mixing process with longtime producer (and bassist of PINK CREAM 69 and UNISONIC) Dennis Ward (ANGRA, ALLEN/LANDE, SILENT FORCE, KROKUS). Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Saints Of Tomorrow", "No Holy Man", "Can't Fool The Devil" and "Jerusalem Sleeps".
"Trinity" will be released by Spiritual Beast in Japan on March 16, 2011, and by AFM Records in Europe and Metal Mayhem in the USA on March 18, 2011. It will mark the band's recording debut with new keyboard player Alessandro Del Vecchio (GLENN HUGHES, IAN PAICE, MOONSTONE PROJECT, EDGE OF FOREVER).
EDEN'S CURSE released its first DVD, "Creation Of Eden", in November. The two-disc "rockumentary" of the making of the band's self-titled debut album and the highly acclaimed follow-up, "The Second Coming", clocks in at 169 minutes and features several bonus interviews and interactive band biographies.
According to DailyMail.co.uk, POISON singer Bret Michaels proposed to girlfriend Kristi Gibson on the finale of his new VH1 reality series, "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It". After getting down on one knee, Michaels said, "I want you to know that I love you and you've been unbelievably a big part of my life and we have two beautiful girls together. I know we love and respect each other and I hope we can find that inner love that we can have forever. I want you to be my wife." He then jokingly added, 'Please say yes or the rejection will kill me right now."
"Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It" premiered on October 18 and right out of the gate became the highest-rated program of the night. The show, which showcases the 47-year-old rocker's life with his two daughters — Jorja, 5, and Raine, 10 — and Gibson, the mother of Michaels' kids, with whom he has been together on and off since 1993, quickly made its way to the top of VH1 with viewers as well as message-board activity and episode video clip downloads at VH1.com.
Sharon Den Adel, vocalist of Dutch symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION, says that "Where Is The Edge", the new track which the band premiered just last week, doesn't showcase the full spectrum of the forthcoming concept album, "The Unforgiving", and promises fans a deeper look at what's to come.
Commented Sharon: "Obviously, the discussions about the new album have really been set on fire by 'Where Is The Edge'.
"But for the people who liked it, we're afraid that it's really not revealing much of what's to come…
"From the moment we started writing this album, we felt it was time for change, to take a bigger step in our musical development then we've done with the last two albums. But instead of getting inspiration from unknown territories, we've found them in our musical roots, the metal, rock and even pop hits of the late '80s [and] beginning 90s.
"Now, we can tell you about the new songs, but the only way to explain it and for you to judge it, is to hear it.
"A fact is that 'The Unforgiving' is the album with the most diversity between the songs then ever before. Containing the heaviest riffs we've ever played, lots of uptempo moments, guitar solos, but at the same time also some of the most catchy stuff ever. We definitely didn't want to say goodbye to the filmic orchestral material, but there are more reasons for that…
"We really can't wait to release this album as it belongs in your hands, but, unfortunately, we all need to wait until the end of March.
"Now here's the good news: to endure the waiting, soon we'll release 'The Unforgiving' video trailer containing parts of different songs, the music videos and… (more about this third ingredient later)."
The "Where Is The Edge" clip, which can be viewed below, contains exclusive preview scenes taken from the upcoming movie "Me & Mr. Jones", directed by Oscar-winning Dutch director Paul Ruven. The movie is a thriller inspired by the disappearance of Natalee Holloway on Aruba, the island where also the movie itself has been secretly shot.
Fans sharing the video on their Facebook using an application on the WITHIN TEMPTATION Facebook page will have their names included in the special edition of the album.
Commented WITHIN TEMPTATION: "The song 'Where Is The Edge' is based on the story of 'The Unforgiving', a graphic novel written by Steven O'Connell. However, there is a clear link between the storyline of our new concept album and the thriller 'Me & Mr. Jones' as they both deal with mystery, murder, guilt, and a lack of forgiveness."
WITHIN TEMPTATION recently postponed its previously announced European tour after it was revealed that the band's frontwoman, Sharon den Adel, was pregnant with her third child (father is WITHIN TEMPTATION guitarist Robert Westerholt). The couple has a one-year-old son, Robin Aiden Westerholt, and a five-year old daughter named Eva Luna den Adel.
"The Unforgiving" was produced by Daniel Gibson and is based on a comic book story written by script writer Steven O'Connell (BloodRayne, Dark 48). The band asked comic artist Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, Darkness, X-Men) to draw the characters and scenery of "The Unforgiving", which is set for release via Sony Music in Continental Europe and Roadrunner Records in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Japan and Australia.
Drummer Stephen van Haestregt left WITHIN TEMPTATION earlier in the year in order to focus on his family life and work as a studio technician.
Guitarist/vocalist Jed Simon (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TENET, ZIMMER'S HOLE) and drummer Justin DiPinto (INSATANITY, MALEVOLENT CREATION, PYREXIA) have joined forces with two members of the American death/thrash metal band VICIOUS CIRCLE — Vinny DiBianca on guitar and Mel Leach on bass — to form a brand new, as-yet-unnamed new project.
The first photo of the new group can be viewed below.
TENET's debut album, "Sovereign", was released in Europe on July 20, 2009 via Century Media Records. The brainchild of Simon, the band's most recent recording lineup featured such illustrious musicians as Steve "Zetro" Souza (EXODUS) on vocals, Glen Alvelais (FORBIDDEN, TESTAMENT) on lead guitar, Byron Stroud (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY) on bass and Gene Hoglan (DEATH, DARK ANGEL, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) on drums. The CD was mixed by Vincent Wojno (MACHINE HEAD, KREATOR, TROUBLE) and mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, OPETH, ARCH ENEMY). The artwork was created by Travis Smith (OPETH, DEATH, NEVERMORE).
REVAMP, the new band led by former AFTER FOREVER vocalist Floor Jansen, will support Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA on their U.K. tour in March 2011. The dates are as follows:
March 10 - The Robin 2 - Wolverhampton, UK
March 11 - The Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, UK
March 12 - Corporation - Sheffield, UK
March 13 - Moho Live - Manchester, UK
March 15 - Scala - London, UK
REVAMP recently completed a European tour with EPICA and KELLS.
REVAMP's self-titled debut album was released in Europe on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Records.
After the breakup of AFTER FOREVER, singer Floor Jansen decided she wanted to start over and present a new band to the public as soon as possible. To accomplish this, she joined forces with two additional songwriters to first compose, then record an album. A live band formed soon after the CD's completion, which got her back on stage where she belongs.
REVAMP touring lineup:
* Floor Jansen: Vocals
* Jaap Melman (DREADLOCK PUSSY, PENDEJO): Bass
* Ruben Wijga (INSOMNIA): Keyboards
* Jord Otto: Guitar
* Arjan Rijnen (PENDEJO): Guitar
* Matthias Landes (DARK FORTRESS): Drums
Former TIGERTAILZ drummer Matthew Blakout has issued the following update:
"It is a great honour for me to announce I will be joining with, not only a fellow Welshman, but a total legend, in his side project SOFT GROUND. The man in question being Verden Allen and the main project being MOTT THE HOOPLE.
"Verden was a founding member of MOTT THE HOOPLE and present when they reformed last year to play five sold-out nights at the London Hammersmith Apollo. The impact of MOTT on a generation cannot be understated and I am so incredibly pleased to be invited by Verden to join his band and play a part in the MOTT THE HOOPLE/BAD COMPANY legacy which has shaped the rock music industry over the last four decades.
"I am so looking forward to recording, playing some classic MOTT THE HOOPLE tunes and some great gigs and festivals throughout 2011. Along with my other projects, the world's longest-running and only U.K. officially endorsed KISS tribute DRESSED TO KILL, HANG FIRE and the best tribute to '70s glam rock GLAMNATION, 2011 looks like it is shaping up to be a very very busy year!"
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/mblakout.
Reunited Belgian metallers CHANNEL ZERO will enter a Los Angeels-area studio on January 17, 2011 to begin recording their new album with producer Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, DEVILDRIVER, GOJIRA). A tentative May release is expected.
Video footage from the band's rehearsal studio can be viewed below.
CHANNEL ZERO in January 2010 released a new single, "Black Flowers", with the help of internationally acclaimed guitarist Mikey Doling (ex-SOULFLY, SNOT). You can purchase the track via iTunes at this location.
The band's current lineup includes original members Franky DSVD on vocals, Phil B on drums and Tino De Martino on bass.
Guitarist Xavier Carion was forced to sit out CHANNEL ZERO's reunion concerts because of an injured ear and is being replaced by Doling.
CHANNEL ZERO 2010 is:
Franky DSVD - Vocals
Phil B - Drums
Tino De Martino - Bass
Mikey Doling - Guitar
CHANNEL ZERO's third album, "Unsafe" (1995), was the band's first effort to be released internationally. The group followed it up by touring with MEGADETH, DANZIG, SPUDMONSTERS and BIOHAZARD, and embarking on an Australian headlining run. A fourth album, "Black Fuel", followed in 1996 but it failed to make a dent on international charts, leading to the band's split in 1997.
CHANNEL ZERO was one of the most popular homegrown metal acts in Belgium, where the band's albums reportedly sold upwards of 20,000 copies each.
CHANNEL ZERO has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place June 25-27, 2010 in Dessel, Belgium.
Karlsruhe, Germany's THE HAVERBROOK DISASTER has inked a deal with Let It Burn Records. The band will enter the studio on December 25 to begin recording its debut album for an early 2011 release.
Commented the label: "THE HAVERBROOK DISASTER has been an 'insider tip' among hardcore kids for months now. With their amazing mixture of melodic hardcore and heavy (!) mosh, they're at the very cutting edge of how hardcore music should sound like in 2011. We are very much looking forward to working with an ambitious but at the same time 'down-to-earth'-like band."
Added the band: "We're so excited and proud to announce that we have signed to Let It Burn Records! Hands down, Chris is not just a good 'label boss,' but as well a very good friend, so we couldn't feel more comfortable. We will hit the studio on the 25th of December to record our very first full-length and we can't wait to release this via Let It Burn Records, one of the hardest-working hardcore labels in Europe."
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/thehaverbrookdisaster.
Baltimore-based sludge/thrash/hardcore act SWARM OF THE LOTUS has issued the following update:
"We wanted to make an official announcement that SWARM OF THE LOTUS is on indefinite hiatus. I guess we felt that we got everything we could out of the reunion for now. It was fun to get together again and play some shows.
"Jon-John [Michaud, drums] joined another band back in the summer and is keeping busy with that, so be on the lookout for him with that project. We wish him well. As for the remaining three members (bassist/vocalist Chris Csar, guitarist Bob Brockmeyer and guitarist/vocalist Peter Maturi), we wish to continue with the path that the new SWARM OF THE LOTUS material was heading and have subsequently resituated and are going to keep playing and have since late summer. However, we are not going on as 'SWARM OF THE LOTUS.' We didn't want to make the mistake the band made in the past with continuing under the same name despite different personnel. And being this was basically the original lineup, we feel it would be doing the band and Jon a disservice to keep using that name.
"If we ever decide to reunite as SWARM again to play a show here or there in the future, we will let you know!
"So, like we said, the three of us that remain are starting a brand new band, with new material, playing none of the recorded catalogue of SWARM OF THE LOTUS. As of today, we have no name and won't until we have the other people we need to complete the band and name it as a collective, rather then anybody feeling they are joining something already established. This is where you may come in.
"We are looking for a bass player and a vocalist!
"The band's configuration so far is Chris on drums and Pete and Bob on guitar.
"It took us a few months to get readjusted but we have been practicing and writing and have even made a recording which we are launching online today, along with this announcement."
KNORKATOR and MORE THAN A THOUSAND have been confirmed for next year's edition of the With Full Force festival, set to take place July 1-3, 2011 at Flugplatz Roitzschjora in Löbnitz, Germany (near Leipzig).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
AGNOSTIC FRONT
CARNIFEX
THE CASUALTIES
DEEZ NUTS
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DIE KASSIERER
ELÄKELÄISET
EVILE
50 LIONS
ILL NIÑO
KNORKATOR
KRAWALLBRÜDER
MADBALL
MISERY INDEX
MORE THAN A THOUSAND
NEGATOR
PARKWAY DRIVE
PETER PAN SPEEDROCK
STREET DOGS
TERROR
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
Bassist Jonathan Miller of Santa Barbara, California metallers DEVILDRIVER has released the following statement:
"To all DEVILDRIVER fans and friends, I wanted to give you an update on my status as far as my health is concerned.
"Regarding the past two European tours, I was either forced to leave by my own accord or asked to leave by my band/managment.
"I have been touring with DEVILDRIVER for almost the past ten years and the drugs and alcohol have finally caught up with me. I realized this when I ended up in the ICU on my birthday last week.
"I need to make a change so that I can save my own life and keep the friends that I still have left.
"I know that a lot of DEVILDRIVER fans seek me out first as the one to party with because I consider myself a very social person who is quite outgoing, personable and friendly. That was all fun in my 20s touring with the band, but as I am entering my early 30s, I can feel the damage catching up with me mentally and physically. I don't want to burn out prematurely before my time on this Earth is up.
"On January 1st I will be entering an intense rehabilitation program in order for me to reclaim my health and the person who I once was.
"I will not be doing the Canadian tour in January or the Australian tour in February and March. This is for my own good. I need to come out of rehab with a sound body and mind. After I complete my rehabilitation I hope to see all DEVILDRIVER friends and family as soon as I can."
DEVILDRIVER's fifth album, "Beast", is scheduled for release on February 22, 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at Sonic Ranch studios in Tornillo, Texas with producer Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, ALL THAT REMAINS) and was mixed by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY) at his Backstage studio in Derbyshire, England. The band recorded 14 songs during the "Beast" sessions, with 12 tracks making the final cut.
DEVILDRIVER's latest CD, "Pray For Villains", sold around 14,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.
British extreme metal pioneers NAPALM DEATH have been confirmed for the first installment of next year's Close-Up Båten cruise, which will leave the Stockholm, Sweden port on February 10 for Åbo, Finland, and return the following day.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ADEPT
BLACK CITY
BULLET
ENGEL
NAPALM DEATH
RAISED FIST
Fans of strippers, hard drugs, punk rock production and cock-rock douchebaggery, rejoice: The one and (thankfully) only ANAL CUNT has returned with a spankin' new album, and this time around, they're shooting to thrill (instead of just horrifically maim).
Seth Putnam & Co. love themselves a good theme (remember their acoustic abomination Picnic of Love?) , and this time around, they channel Sunset Strip scumbags like MÖTLEY CRÜE and RATT to bring you a rock'n'roll nightmare fueled by their preferred cocktail of sex, violence, and unbridled disgust. From ripping off the CRÜE's cover art to the massive hard rock riffs of "Hot Girls On The Road", "I'm Gonna Give You AIDS" and "Fuck Yeah!" and tender ballad "I Wish My Dealer Was Open", "Fuckin' A" is an instant scuzz rock classic.
"Fuckin' A" will be released on January 11, 2011, and promises to kick off the New Year with one hell of a bang. The record will be distributed by Patac Records (USA) and Trendkill Entertainment (Europe), and will first be available on CD (and include a signed copy of the now-infamous "Seth Putnam's heroin blowjob" photo). An expanded vinyl version will be released later this spring, and the band are already plotting North American and European live actions for 2011.
ANAL CUNT has been shocking, appalling, and causing grievous bodily harm to audiences all over the world since 1988, peddling its ultraviolent noise-riddled grindcore and giving birth to some of the most hilarious (and hideously offensive) songtitles in heavy metal history. Like GG Allin and the DWARVES before them, ANAL CUNT practice what they preach, gleefully embracing their own degeneracy and weathering an endless storm of drug busts, jail time, riots, controversy, and a drug-induced coma with two middle fingers aloft. Love them or hate them — they don't give a fuck either way.
"Fuckin' A" track listing:
01. Fuck Yeah
02. Crankin' My Bands Demo On A Box At The Beach
03. Loudest Stereo
04. Kickin' Your Ass And Fuckin' Your Bitch
05. Hot Girls On The Road
06. Whiskey, Coke And Sluts
07. All I Give A Fuck About Is Sex
08. I'm Gonna Give You AIDS
09. Yay! It's Pink!
10. I Wish My Dealer Was Open
ANAL CUNT is:
Seth Putnam - Vocals, Guitar
Tim Morse – Drums
Season Of Mist has announced the signing of France's MINUSHUMAN. The band's sophomore album is tentatively scheduled for release in June 2011.
Commented MINUSHUMAN guitarist and songwriter Thomas Billerey: "After a decade of aggressive musical experiments, the guys of MINUSHUMAN and I are really proud to announce that we're joining Season Of Mist, home of MORBID ANGEL, CYNIC, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MAYHEM... The real deal is starting now.
"The band and I are really honoured to take part in the label's history. Be sure we'll make things happen. Our forthcoming album will be the first rock in the road we're all paving together, and we'll do our best to achieve something big."
MINUSHUMAN is:
Thomas Billerey - Guitar
Cedric Moïse - Vocals
Gaspard Jeanty Ruard - Drums
Mickael Desmarie - Bass
Lionel Bouyroux - Guitar
MINUSHUMAN's debut album, "Watch the World Die", was released in 2008. It was mixed and mastered at Conkrete Studio in France.
For more information, visit www.minushumanity.com.
Finnish metallers AMORAL will enter Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland on January 30 to begin recording their fifth album for a late spring release. Guitarist Ben Varon recently described the band's new material as "all over the place style-wise, from the chillest acoustic stuff to fast death metal, with lots of solid, hard-rockin' metal in between."
In other news, AMORAL will play a one-off show at Nosturi in Helsinki on January 15 as a tribute to the band's late friend and lighting technician Lauri Mailasalo.
Commented the group: "Lauri passed away this year as a result of leukemia. Needless to say, the whole band was crushed by the news as Lauri had been part of the AMORAL crew almost since the very beginning. He will be deeply missed."
Also scheduled to appear at Nosturi are KIUAS and RYTMIHAIRIO. All proceeds from the show will be donated to Sylva Ry, an organization of parents with children who have leukemia.
AMORAL earlier in the year parted ways with guitarist Silver Ots and replaced him with Valtteri Hirvonen.
The band's latest album, "Show Your Colors", entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 19.
"Show Your Colors" was released in the U.S. on June 9, 2009 through Spinefarm Records via Fontana distribution. Available in Finland since May 6, 2009, the CD was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland.
An e-card for "Show Your Colors" can be accessed at this location.
"Year Of The Suckerpunch", the first AMORAL track to be released featuring singer Ari Koivunen, entered the national chart in the band's home country at position No. 19. In addition to the title cut, which was written and composed by guitarist Ben Varon, the single included a cover of the MISFITS song "Dig Up Her Bones".
Koivunen is best known as the winner of the 2007 Finnish national TV talent competition "Idols". He has released two solo albums thus far — 2007's "Fuel For The Fire" and 2008's "Becoming".
According to Fox 8 News, Akron, Ohio-based metal band FISTULA has released a controversial album that is based on the case of reputed serial killer Anthony Sowell. The 51-year-old Cleveland man is charged with the aggravated murder of the 11 women and attacks on three others and faces the death penalty if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial February 14. The CD features Sowell's picture superimposed on the forehead of a goat, and songs like "Ohio Death Toll Rising" and "So Far Sowell So What". About 100 fans who bought a copy of "Goat" received a bonus gift — an evidence baggie containing soil reportedly from the front yard of the house where the remains of 11 women were found last year.
"I think it's cruel, the whole thing is cruel," Inez Fortson, whose 31-year-old daughter Telacia was one of eleven women allegedly kidnapped and murdered by Sowell, told Fox 8 News.
FISTULA guitarist and songwriter Corey Bing told The Plain Dealer that the concept for the album came about from his reactions to the first images he saw of Sowell — mug shots and footage of sheriff's deputies escorting him into a courtroom.
"His eyes just looked black, like a demon," Bing said. "And I don't believe in stuff like that, but this dude looked evil to me, like he was seriously jacked up or possessed."
Further to the recent statement from vocalist Niklas Kvarforth of Swedish black metallers SHINING regarding the delay in the release of the band's seventh album, "VII / Född Förlorare", the group's founder and frontman has issued the following update:
"We have spoken to our producer regarding 'Shining VII' and have come to realize that he is also not to blame for the delay in finishing the album, but rather that it has been caused by a lack of communication between all the parties concerned — these being the label, the producer and ourselves.
"We are happy with the outcome of our discussions, and expect that the album will be fully mixed and mastered by the second week in January, after which time we will hopefully be able to get more information regarding a release date. In the meantime, we would like to thank all the fans for their patience and for all the messages we have been receiving over the past months."
"Shining VII - Född Förlorare" (English translation: "Born Loser") track listing:
01. Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel
02. Tiden Läker Inga Sår
03. Människa O'Avskyvärda Människa
04. Tillsammans Är Vi Allt
05. I Nattens Timma
06. FFF
Making guest appearances on the album are Erik Danielsson (WATAIN), Peter Bjargo (ARCANA) and NORDMAN.
Flo Mounier (CRYPTOPSY) has joined forces with former NILE members Chief Spires and John Ehlers in a brand new project called TEMPLE OF THIEVES. According to Spires, "It's definitely different than anything we've done in the past. We wanted to step outside our boundaries and do something that we enjoy listening to."
He added, "I know we'll probably get blasted because it's not death metal. No worries — we can take it — and I'm sure there's people out there that will enjoy it."
The first four songs from TEMPLE OF THIEVES — "Poison The Well", "Listen To Reason", "Crutch" and "Sinful Communion" — can be streamed using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below (click on "Songs" tab).
TEMPLE OF THIEVES is currently seeking a label that will help them with their goal of releasing an entire album.
TEMPLE OF THIEVES is:
Michael Rock - Vocals
Chief Spires - Bass
Flo Mounier - Drums
John Ehlers – Guitar
Polish extreme metallers metallers DECAPITATED have 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
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.
Swiss industrial black metallers SAMAEL have set "Lux Mundi" (which translates as "Light of the World") as title of their forthcoming album, due in the spring via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD, which took almost three years to be completed, was recorded this past summer after the band spent a few days in pre-production in Germany with with longtime collaborator Waldemar Sorychta (MOONSPELL, LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT, GRIP INC.). The actual recordings took place in two different locations in Switzerland and the mix was handled by extreme metal specialist Russ Russell in Kettering, England.
"Lux Mundi" will consist of 10 to 12 new songs, including first single "Antigod" and live monster "Soul Invictus".
Released on November 19, "Antigod" shows the new album's direction and gives a taste of what's to come. Lyrically, the song is a firm stand against any kind of religion.
"Soul Invictus" (roughly translates in English as Invincible Soul) is a word play with the Sol Invictus used by the Romans. They were seeing the sun (sol) as an eternal and glorious form of life and they revered it as such. SAMAEL drew a parallel with the sun and the soul on a few occasions in the past ("As The Sun", "Solar Soul") The song was played during the latest European tour and it soon turned out to be one of the highlights of the set, becoming a crowd anthem on the spot.
SAMAEL's last full-length CD, "Above" (2009), entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 99.
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