Slash architected the ultimate modern rock record with his self-titled solo debut.
Not only does Slash showcase the guitar legend's most incendiary fretwork since Appetite for Destruction, it also illuminates just how diverse he genuinely is. Whether he's painting airy, ethereal soundscapes on "Gotten" with Maroon 5's Adam Levine or dropping infectious riffs for Black Eyed Peas' Fergie to rock with during "Beautiful Dangerous," Slash shines brilliantly. "Nothing to Say" blazes through precision thrash, while Slash's collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne "Crucify the Dead" is heavier than Stonehenge. However, Slash is also keeping busy beyond his all-star solo opus…
He's got his sights set on another Velvet Revolver record, and he's launching his very own film production company, Slasher Films, with Scout productions. Sitting in the Sunset Marquis's Nightbird Studios, Slash smiles, "2011 is going to be great!"
With a hat and his trademark sunglasses on, Slash is the very portrait of rock royalty, but he's quite possibly the warmest and friendliest guy you could ever meet. It's that combination of larger-than-life musical presence and down-to-earth persona that makes his music so timeless and accessible.
Slash sat down with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino for a special holiday interview about his solo album, the upcoming tour with Ozzy, working with Myles Kennedy, hearkening back to the '70s, what's up with Velvet Revolver, his iTunes session and Slasher Films.
Is there a '70s vibe to your solo album? You pull in artists from pop, metal, hip hop, and rock. Do you come back to that era where there were no musical boundaries?
I hadn't really thought about that. Whatever it is that I'm doing is not a conscious effort. I was raised on '70s music. That was the background of my youth. I was born in 1965, and I picked up the guitar in 1980. All of my influences were really from the '70s. I dig the spirit that the '70s had because there was a lot of free form, creative stuff going on. I found it pretty inspiring. In an off-hand way, I guess I do go that direction [Laughs].
Genres weren't so segregated back then. You could see Jimi Hendrix and James Brown on the same stage. You bring everybody from Fergie to M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold together under the same banner though.
I fuse everything together loosely with a basic rock 'n' roll approach, and it fits into a lot of different styles. Although a lot of people don't do it, I like to take what I do and infuse it into some hip hop, some pop music, and other genres because it works. Most people are too scared to branch out that way, but I think it works really well.
Have you always looked at the guitar as a boundless, malleable instrument that could fit any form?
Just about! Guitar—in some way, shape, or form—fits into just about anything. A Les Paul through a Marshall doesn't necessarily fit in every music medium, but guitar itself can fit into almost anything.
How did you go about choosing singers for these tracks?
I would write some music and think about who would sound good singing it. That's pretty much what dictated all of the different singer choices on the record. I'd have a piece of music or be working on something and automatically think, "Who out of my rolodex of singers in my head would sound good on this particular piece of music?" That's how I would pick who I thought should be on it. I've been in a band in some way, shape, or form since I was 18- or 19-years-old. Doing a solo record is very liberating because I don't have to work within the confines of a five-piece. I can do whatever I want, I don't have to answer to anybody, and nobody is looking over my shoulder. It's fun. It doesn't mean anything against bands. I like being in a band. I like that gang mentality and the creative elements all working together. I think doing a solo record was fun because I could do whatever I wanted and I didn't have to wait for approval [Laughs]. I got to do a lot of
different styles that I might not have been able to do in any particular band I'm in.
You're like a composer in that respect.
It was like being a movie producer, trying to get the cast of characters together. I just had a vision of how it was going to work. I was fortunate. All of the stars lined up and I managed to get everybody I wanted to get. I didn't have any insurmountable technical issues [Laughs]. Looking back on everything, it could've been a really difficult record to make, but it didn't happen that way.
The album flows really well. Did you spend a lot of time working on the track order and sequence?
I appreciate that! As soon as I got into the studio and recorded four or five songs, I knew which song would be the first song, and I had a really good idea of which song was going to be the last song. We probably did three or, at tops, four different sequences before I found the sequence that worked. So it wasn't too much time.
"Crucify the Dead" sounds like it could've come right off Sabbath's Paranoid.
When I wrote it, I never thought of anybody else singing it besides Ozzy.
Is there any chance you two will play it live on the upcoming tour?
We'll see…I think I'm going to put the song in the set anyway and Myles will sing it. Ozzy hearing Myles do it will sort of give him a kick in the ass to come down and sing it one of the nights on the tour [Laughs]. We'll see what happens. Artistically, this tour is a good pairing. It's always cool when you go out with people you're friends with. It's even better when they're people you really admire. It just makes for a great camaraderie out there when you're working. It should be a lot of fun. I have no idea what to expect.
On stage, Myles preserves the initial integrity of the songs but he adds his own flare.
Myles is a godsend. When I was at the tail end of making the record, I had two songs left over that were two of my favorite pieces of music. Throughout the making of the record, I could not figure out who should sing them. The album was actually being mixed, and I realized I hadn't gotten vocals on those two songs. Myles was somebody I'd never met, and I wasn't really familiar with his style. I knew he was a good singer though. I just took a chance and called him to see what would happen. I sent him one of the songs and he came back with the lyrics and vocal melodies to "Starlight," which was mind-blowing. Then I asked him to do the other song, which turned out to be "Back From Cali." We struck up a really good relationship from the get-go. I thought, "Well, since I'm asking favors of him one after the other, let's see if he wants to do this tour." I had a feeling that he could sing any of the songs I chose to do on the road. That turned out to be the
case. We only had two weeks to rehearse the whole band before the tour started. One week was all that Myles could fit in because he was working on the Alter Bridge record. I knew that he would be fine though. He just came in and kicked ass. Myles is great. Like you said, he makes the songs his own without ruining the integrity of the actual song itself. People dig him.
Would you ever want to do an acoustic EP a la Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies?
As we sit right this second, it doesn't sound that exciting to me. It's fun every once in awhile to do a one-off little acoustic set. It's usually initiated by a radio station or a program that's looking for us to do an acoustic set. To do a whole album, it would have to be original material that was written on an acoustic—not just Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver covers and a couple of token songs off my solo record. It'd have to be a bunch of new material that really lent itself to being on acoustic to make it interesting.
Do you draw from visual influences while you're playing?
I like writing music to visuals. I like scoring. I wouldn't say I picture a lot of stuff while I'm writing. It's more of a mood thing. I write for a particular feeling. That doesn't mean that on occasion I don't come up with something that's so dramatic some sort of a visual comes to mind. It does happen from time to time. I just saw Roger Waters' new version of The Wall the other day. That was a record that obviously lent itself to a visual right off the bat, and it fits perfectly. I was thinking that it'd be nice to do a record that fit into a movie—an album that was the score and background music to an entire film. That would be an interesting concept.
Do you feel like GoodFellas is the most rock 'n' roll gangster movie ever?
It is pretty cool! It's got The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton in it. That's all really cool. Since you bring it up, I think the best entertainment experience is when you can marry a great visual with a great piece of music. For the senses, that's the ultimate hour-and-a-half or two hours.
What's next with Velvet Revolver? Are you still searching for a singer?
Something like that! We've actually moved leaps and bounds in the last month. We should be making an announcement one way or another next month.
It seems like the Velvet Revolver records paved the way to the solo album for you.
I never stand back and look at it from any real perspective. I make the record in the moment and move on. I don't go back and listen to them very often unless I have to learn a song to perform it on the road. The first album was definitely an interesting experience because we were working with Scott Weiland, who on an artistic level has a very distinct personality. The Contraband record was definitely a product of all these different personalities recording a first album. Then the second album, Libertad, was definitely exploratory musically. We really started to set off a certain sound. It's going to be interesting to do the third record because we're going to have a whole different personality as a vocalist. Chances are, it's going to be a lot heavier than anything Velvet Revolver has done so far because the heaviness was the only thing missing for me in the first two records.
What's up with your iTunes session?
We had just come back from Australia, and we put together five or six songs basically the way we play them live. It's us live in the studio. Take it or leave it [Laughs]. If memory serves, they sounded pretty good.
Do you have any favorite New Year's Eve memories?
Pick a year.
2009.
2009 was good. That was right when I was working on the solo record before I actually went into the studio. If I remember correctly, it was good.
What's going on with Slasher Films?
It's pretty exciting. I did a press release about it, and I haven't been talking about it too much. I'm friends with Rob Eric one of the guys at Scout Productions—the production company responsible for Transsiberian, Session 9, and a bunch of other really cool movies. He and I were sitting around one night talking about horror movies. I'm a huge horror movie fan from way back, especially horror movies from the '30s and the '60s and '70s when I was growing up with movies like The Exorcist and The Omen. We were talking about the quality of movies coming out in the last decade and the downhill slide that's been happening. He called me up the next morning and goes, "We should do something like Slasher Films. You can look at the scripts and produce movies with your own label and we'll fund it." I was like, "Okay! It sounds awesome." [Laughs] He came back to me a year later with a script he wanted me to see. I read it, and it was amazing. I just said, "Let's
do this!" So we put out a press release, and all of the studios and production companies started coming to us. It's been a really positive thing so far. We're going to be putting out two, maybe three movies per year. They'll be really high quality, very character-driven, and insanely scary horror movies. They're not going to be scary in the sense that you're waiting for a monster to come out and cut off someone's arm. They're going to be psychologically scary and intense. They'll hearken back to those great movies of the '60s and '70s and even way before that. I think when A Nightmare on Elm Street came out was the last stretch of really great horror movies. Then everything sort of went gore.
Slash is all smiles at the Rock im Park festival in Germany earlier this year. © DANIEL KARMANN/epa/Corbis
It's holiday time in the Slash household. But while the top-hatted guitar icon admits that he's very much into the spirit of the season, he's content with leaving the mistletoing and other such festive plans to his better half. "Holiday-wise, I didn't really do much this year," he says, chuckling. "I just wanted to relax because I've been on the road so much. But my wife decked the house out to the nines, and she did an amazing job. We're probably just going to have a quiet time around here with the kids. Dinner, hanging out - a real 'at home' kind of thing."
Slash's laid-back attitude also extends to another holiday tradition, that of making New Year's resolutions. According to the guitarist, he doesn't believe in them. "I've found that they can put way too much pressure on things," he says. "Put it this way: I have certain goals and things that I'd like to achieve next year, but I'm also prepared for shifts and unexpected things to happen, as is always the case. So what I try to do is stay focused on the right direction and hope that things go according to plan."
And make no mistake, Slash has big plans for 2011. First up is a US arena tour with his good friend Ozzy Osbourne, a 21-date trek that will see Slash and his band (which includes Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy on vocals) opening shows for the metal legend. After the Ozzy run, Slash and Kennedy will continue playing dates, on and off, throughout much of the year. At the same time, guitarist and singer will begin work on Slash's next solo album, which may or may not be a true solo record in the absolute sense.
And if that weren't enough, things are finally percolating once again in the land of Velvet Revolver. After years of dormancy and an extended search for a singer to replace Scott Weiland, it looks as though the band could be back on track.
MusicRadar spoke with Slash yesterday. It was 9am in Los Angeles - not exactly rock 'n' roll hours by any stretch - but the guitarist was brimming with energy and happy to hold forth on a variety of topics, including the current state and future of Velvet Revolver, the Ozzy tour and what he sees as a continuing musical partnership with Kennedy.
Matt Sorum was recently quoted as saying that Velvet Revolver had finally found a singer that you all "really like a lot." He described the vocalist as a "known guy, younger and stronger," but stressed that things were in the "dating" stage. Is this indeed the case?
"Never believe what you read. [laughs] Here's what's happening: things have been moving in a very positive direction, and we'll know exactly what we're doing next month."
OK. But do you think you might have found the right person?
"I haven't said anything. I said we'll figure out Velvet Revolver next month." [laughs]
What with you touring behind your solo album this past year, along with Duff McKagan's brief stint in Jane's Addiction, is there still a strong band vibe in Velvet Revolver? Do you guys have material?
"Yes! Yeah, there is. We've kept in touch and wrote a lot of great material and did a lot of stuff that's been pretty much under the radar. We also tried out a lot of singers. It's all good. We rehearsed a bunch this past month, during the last few weeks of December. The band vibe is great."
But what would have happened if Duff stayed in Jane's Addiction? I imagine that would have complicated matters for Velvet Revolver.
"If he had stayed in Jane's Addiction, which I don't think was his plan in the first place, but if he did…I wouldn't continue Velvet Revolver without him. It would have been on indefinite hiatus."
What was the situation with Myles' name being floated around as a new singer for the band?
"Apparently, it happened twice, once before Scott was in the band. Myles was still in The Mayfield Four - Matt had mentioned him, and I didn't know who he was. I guess we had sent him some music, but Myles never responded - he got cold feet. More recently, his name came up again. There was a lot of talk in the press because of the Zeppelin thing, so that's when I really became aware of him, and it prompted me to want to check him out. I looked him up on YouTube. But he wasn't interested in leaving Alter Bridge, which would have been the only way he could have pursued a future with Velvet Revolver.
"A year later, I called him up about doing two songs on the solo record. I thought, Hey, what about that Alter Bridge guy? [laughs] It was a shot in the dark. And then it all developed into a whole relationship. Myles is one of the most phenomenally gifted lead vocalists that I've heard from anywhere in the last 10 years."
Did you ever ask him outright to be in VR?
"No. I know a lot of people talk about it. But I don't think that people really consider that he's already in a band."
I know things are in a very embryonic stage, but musically, can you think of how you want this next record to differ from past Velvet Revolver albums?
"Velvet Revolver with Scott was very cool and interesting. Recently, I had to listen to one of the records to relearn one of the songs. I'm very proud of what we did, and of working with Scott in a lot of instances. But it was never heavy enough; that was my big issue with it. The band had to kind of acclimate to Scott's style, which was cool. But the one thing that was lacking, in my mind, was a certain Matt-Slash-Duff approach, and that got sidelined when we started working with Scott. The new songs we've written are us doing our natural thing, and they sound really good. I'm looking to maintain that spirit, and we're looking for a singer to fit on top of that."
Let me ask you about opening for Ozzy. Does it feel weird not to be a headliner? You haven't been second on a bill for years and years.
"Well, yeah, I have. [laughs] All things considered, we're doing these shows with Ozzy, and then between those gigs we're doing our own shows on the side. But opening for Ozzy is something I really wanted to do. We're good friends, it's a good bill, and it's something I've never done before. It sounds like fun! [laughs] I've never opened for Ozzy before. I've played a lot of gigs with him, so I'm really looking forward to this."
On your album, Ozzy sang on the song Crucify The Dead. Can we assume he'll show up on stage from time to time to sing it live?
"I don't know, it's hard to say. I think we're possibly going to be doing it in the set anyway, so…knowing Ozzy, that'll probably whet his appetite to come out and do it during the tour. We'll have to see."
Conversely, has it been discussed whether you'll go out and join Ozzy on a song or two?
"We haven't discussed anything. Ozzy's been on the road since my album came out, or roughly around there. So I haven't talked to him about it. We'll just have to see what happens. I'm not going to jinx it by trying to predict what'll happen because I'm usually not right when I make predictions." [laughs]
Are there any songs from the deluxe edition of your album that are going to be played live? Or do you have to keep the set pretty tight?
"It's only an hour-long set, so…let me think…I would imagine we'll do some songs from the deluxe album because some of the songs are the same. [laughs] It's going to be a pretty tight set, with mostly stuff from the album, some cover songs, a Snakepit song and maybe a Velvet Revolver tune. During the side gigs, that's when we can do a more comprehensive set."
What's happening with your next solo record? From what I understand, you're not going to have multiple singers - Myles is going to be the sole vocalist.
"Yeah, but in this instance, when we say 'solo record,' it's not going to be so much a solo record because I'll collaborate with Myles on it, and we'll sort of do it together. But it'll be another record offset from the regular Velvet Revolver fare."
If it's a collaboration with Myles, is this going to be the start of another band?
"As it stands right now, I'm going to use the same band that I took on the road, 'cause they're awesome."
But will the record be billed as "Slash"?
"I don't know, we'll see."
Again, I know it's early to talk about, but aside from having only one singer, what would you like to do differently on this next record?
"I'm writing now and recording demos. On the first record, I only worked with Myles on two songs, so we'll have to see how it goes doing a whole album together. It's sort of a springboard for me to do whatever I feel like doing. That's one of the beauties of doing a solo record - you can do whatever comes to mind, and there's nobody to deliver the songs to for approval. But I do have to play stuff for Myles and see what he's into. I can guarantee that it'll be very musical. Myles is a great guitar player, and he's a great songwriter. We'll see how it develops. I'm just putting ideas together. I might deliver them in full form or I might send him the basic ideas."
Is it sometimes hard to differentiate riffs as you come up with them? You know - "Revolver gets this riff. Solo stuff gets that riff."
"The solo stuff, as it stands right now, I sort of make it up with Myles in mind. For Velvet Revolver, I come up with the stuff when we're in a room together. We all collaborate, so it's more of a spontaneous kind of thing."
How do you work on demos? What kind of gear do you use?
"I just put together a small Pro Tools studio in my house. On the road, I'm going to try to use my Mac, 'cause it's got a function for it and I've never used it. Apparently, there's a Pro Tools program that I can use - I haven't explored that yet, though. Up until now I've been using a little Zoom recorder."
Live, are you going to be using any of the new Epiphone Appetite For Destruction models, or are you sticking with USA and Custom Shop guitars?
"No, I have the Custom Shop Slash models on the road. Actually, I have a couple of Custom Shop and USA models and some Slash goldtops."
The Les Paul has always been your go-to guitar, but you played a Paul Reed Smith recently at an Alter Bridge show. [Slash laughs] Do you ever play other makes and models at home or in the studio?
"Not really. I mean, I have a Strat which I've been known to pick up for certain things in the studio. At home and in most studio and rehearsal situations, I always use a Les Paul. It's a no-brainer - I never even contemplate using anything else."
Why is that? I'm curious: what is it about the Les Paul that you love so much?
"It has a solid sound. It's a great big thick sound. From the low E string to the high E, it's got a very linear sound, which is very smooth. It's got a lot of harmonic qualities to it. Aside from that, it's a very flexible guitar; you can play a lot of different styles and attacks with it, from really soft to really hard. Physically, too, it's something I feel very comfortable with. It's solid, it's heavy, and I think it's the sexiest guitar out there!" [laughs]
How much do you practice the guitar? Every day? And are there still things you hear in your head that you just can't nail?
"If there was anything in my head that I couldn't nail, well, that wouldn't happen because I'd stay at it until I did nail it. This is a good question, actually. The truth is, I don't sit and practice what a lot of people do - you know, scales and certain techniques.
"What I do is, I play a lot. And in playing, I discover things, and I work on those things until I can execute them. I might hear something in my head, like you said, and I'll go and start messing around until I can get it right. I'm more of a player than a practicing guitar player. But I play constantly, as much as possible. For instance, I was gone for a couple of days, and the first thing I did when I got home was pick up my guitar. A lot of times when I'm traveling or doing whatever, I'll even go up and jam with club bands, so I've constantly got a guitar in my hands - as much as possible, at least."
Do you find that you get rusty if you don't play for a day or two?
"I'm an insecure guitar player. I'm not one of those guys who just thinks he's bitchin'. I think I'm in constant need of growth and…like you said, 'practice.' Basically, I feel that if I don't play for a couple of days, I'm afraid that I'll forget how." [laughs]
Do you ever get those happy accidents while playing the guitar? You'll find yourself playing a riff or getting a new sound and you'll be like, "Wow, I didn't know I could do that!"
"That happens a lot, especially because I play live a lot. When you're sort of in the zone during live performances, you stumble on all kinds of things you hadn't planned on doing. You can surprise yourself. That's one of the beautiful things about improvising and performing live, that energy that goes along with it, which is very creative. Believe it or not, it's actually one of the most creative platforms [laughs]. Even though you might be playing a bunch of set material, if you play loosely enough, you'll stumble onto things.
"I find that when you're trying the least, when you're not trying to come up with something cool, that's when you're going to stumble onto something. So that's why I always try to have a guitar around, because you never know. A minute that you're not playing the guitar is a minute when you're not coming up with something cool."
Looking at 2011, how do you envision your plans chronologically? The record with Myles first? Velvet Revolver first? How to do see things lining up?
"Whichever comes first. Every day is a new day, and things develop that you never could have predicted. Things fall into place. But you can never be sure what's going to happen in the distant future; you can only be sure of what's going on tomorrow - hopefully!" [laughs]
VELVET REVOLVER and former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan had sinus surgery on December 14 to repair his torn and damaged sinuses left non-functional as a complication from years of cocaine use.
In the latest installment of his column, which appears on Reverb at SeattleWeekly.com, McKagan writes, "From sometime in 1989 until about November 1993, I snorted perhaps my body weight in varying degrees of good, bad, and straight-up shitty blow. I don't recommend this to any of you young readers. I was NOT such a smart 20-something. Nope, just an ordinary drug-addict.
"I remember trying to glamorize all my drug and alcohol use back then. I would romanticize my life and my struggle as something noble and just. I was an ARTIST, maaan! I NEEDED to dull myself to certain inputs or else my art would suffer. Yep, before I knew it, I was strung-out and terrified. Crappy stuff.
"Someone asked me about this stuff a while back, and 'what are your kids gonna say when they start to party?' Some people ask me these things in an almost bellicose way, as if suffering through my kids' drug-abuse issues would be just payback for what I have done to myself. Hopefully, I was a big enough idiot in my time that I have filled the dumb-ass quota for my whole family. God, I hope so."
Duff issued a statement last week addressing rumors that he had gone back to drug use, following the news that he had sinus surgery. McKagan wrote online, "Thank you all for the very nice well-wishes regarding my sinus surgery recovery. I do want to make it clear for those of you who may be wondering . . . The surgery was a result of scar tissue build-up from my cocaine use which ended sixteen years ago. I have not relapsed on cocaine."
McKagan told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago what the best part of sobriety was for him. "Waking up every day," he said. "Waking up and being able to have a cup of coffee and be aware of what's going on around me and being comfortable in my own skin, and being curious about what's gonna happen that day. Simply, just waking up is the best thing."
McKagan said in a recent interview that when he moved back to his hometown of Seattle in 1993, before getting clean and sober, he was in such bad shape that he didn't think he'd live much longer. He recalled. "The house had a basketball court and an old, leaky roof. I never thought I'd use the basketball court. And I remember thinking that the cedar-shake roof that I put on the house, rated to last 25 years, would outlast me. Today it's looking old and somewhat worse for the wear. I guess I do too. To hell with how I look from the outside — I'm giddy just to be here."
Phil Collen, lead guitarist and singer for DEF LEPPARD with over 65 million in album sales, lifts weights, kickboxes and lives a bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle. It's all caught in an eye-opening interview in the most respected and longest-running fitness and bodybuilding magazine to date, Iron Man magazine. The legendary photo shoot accompanying the article was caught on video, and can be viewed below.
Phil's inspirational success story will open your eyes to his successful lifestyle turnaround as he reveals how to mix workouts, healthy eating and life on the road in a feature in the January issue of Iron Man magazine.
Enthusiastic about his feature in the first issue of 2011, Phil's interview marks the New Year and gives his fans the opportunity to learn about his workouts and healthy eating. He's been featured in many magazines, but the Iron Man magazine feature is unique because this publication is a pioneer in the fitness/bodybuilding world and shows what people can accomplish with weight training, and healthy eating. Now Phil is a part of the legacy, helping his fans to become more fit and healthy by hitting the weight room. Today, Phil is one of the fittest rockers on the scene.
Phil says he has more energy and feels better now at 52 years old than he did when he was 25. Phil loves Iron Man magazine and what it stands for. This publication truly opened the door to helping average men and women achieve their fitness and bodybuilding goals with weight training.
Iron Man magazine publisher John Balik said: "The magazine is known for providing answers to common questions and ending the confusion of proper workout strategies. It combines decades of tried and true bodybuilding strategies with the latest science on exercise, nutrition and supplementation. It bridges the gap between workout science and real-world application."
Phil shares his passion for fitness and shows how others can also achieve their fitness goals through living a balanced, fit, and healthy lifestyle. He feels people need to know how important resistance training is, and how they can increase their endurance, energy levels and stamina while feeling better than ever before.
Ian Sitren, a highly-regarded writer/photographer in the bodybuilding and fitness industry, interviewed Phil for his editorial feature. He was able to capture Phil's wonderful enthusiasm and limitless energy in his exciting article. He gives plenty of details of Phil's lifestyle departure from drugs and alcohol to becoming a fitness industry role model.
The January 2011 issue of Iron Man magazine is on newsstands now, and is also available at Barnes & Nobles bookstores.
For more information, visit www.IronManMagazine.com.
Collen will set aside his axe and join the highly successful Los Angeles Fitness Expo as a special guest presenter on January 29 and January 30, 2011. Phil will be joined by his longtime trainer, international Muay Thai kick boxing championship trainer Jean Carrillo. Attendees of the Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center will find over 300 exhibits offering the newest in fitness, diets, nutrition, strength and wellness products and services.
As a rock and roll guitarist in an internationally successful rock band, Collen didn't start out as a health and fitness enthusiast. After years of playing hard, partying hard, and leading a self-described "very unhealthy lifestyle," Phil decided to make a change. In his early thirties Collen decided to quit drinking and partying. His live-saving conversion came just before his DEF LEPPARD bandmate and "terror twin" of the party scene, Steve Clark, died of a prescription drug and alcohol overdose in early 1991. Inspired to lead a healthier lifestyle, the sober Collen no longer needed to "recover" each day from the previous night's debauchery, and instead found himself with numerous free hours in his day. Collen began exercising, running to start, and later taking up the martial art of Muay Thai kick boxing.
Collen has trained with Jean Carrillo for six years and together they will be offering a special series of interactive workout classes and demonstrations at the Los Angeles Fitness Expo. Jean brings with him a wealth of experience including his personal service in the French Special Forces, and working with the French Foreign Legion in Africa as an instructeur in close combat. He holds black belts in karate, tae kwon do and kick boxing, as well as being a French and European champion. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education, on top of his many other awards and accomplishments makes Jean Carrillo the optimal instructor alongside Phil Collen.
As the fathers of young children, both Collen and Carrillo know the importance of teaching our youth about good nutrition and fitness at a young age. They firmly believe it takes educating both parents and school teachers to help children gain the foundation of a healthy lifestyle at a young age and carry it throughout their lives. But, as someone who was himself a late "bloomer" in the exercise field, Collen feels that anyone can achieve a healthy lifestyle, no matter what age they start. Reflecting on his own background in rock, Phil laughs, "At nearly 53 years old, I can tell you, it is possible for everyone to be healthy and fit at any age, it just takes knowledge and dedication."
Collen began training in the martial art of Muay Thai kick boxing with Carrillo six years ago and now both men, vegetarians as well, believe in bringing their positive experience to the masses.
Guitarist Scott Ian always seems to be busy with something: music, television, comics, poker tournaments. They say there's no rest for the wicked, and the metal icon certainly seems to thrive on his busy juggling act, which these days includes playing with Anthrax and The Damned Things. Although when A.D.D. recently asked him if he gets re-energized by taking on multiple projects, he replied with a laugh, "No, if anything it makes me more tired."
In all seriousness, Ian only works on things that he loves to do and is passionate about. "But all of it is a lot of work," he acknowledged. "The commitment to anything, whether it's Anthrax or The Damned Things or writing a comic book, always means a shit load of work. Obviously it's something I'm not afraid of, and if I feel that something is worth my time and energy then I will always commit to it and give it everything I have. But it's what I've always done."
Drive is something that Ian has always possessed in abundance. "Just the energy and perseverance it took to get Anthrax done from the early days to the first record to Among The Living to the Big Four [tour] — people probably just think it's all fucking fancy wine and sleeping late, and it's not. It's a lot of hard work. As fun as it is to play shows, touring is the hardest thing physically and mentally. But I would never give it up because it's too much fun, and I love doing it too much. It's not a case of where I get re-energized from all these things, I just enjoy doing all of it."
Ian will have a busy few months ahead of him. His debut album with The Damned Things, Ironiclast, was released last week and a January/February tour is fast approaching, while the classic Anthrax line-up has been recording their first new studio album in 20 years. Plus he has writing projects in the works with DC Comics (starting with The Demon) following his successful run last year with Lobo. "It's pretty easy between Anthrax and The Damned Things," Ian explained. "Anthrax is my priority, and just because of where we're at right now in recording, it's given me the opportunity to go out and do some Damned Things touring. The Anthrax record is pretty much done musically. It's just down to Joey [Belladonna] singing the whole record now, which will start right after the holidays. Obviously I don't need to be there on a daily basis while Joey is singing. Of course, I'll pop in every once in a while, but it gives me time to go out [and
perform]. If we were in the thick of it with Anthrax right now, I couldn't do a Damned Things tour."
The guitarist is raring to go and take The Damned Things on the road and show people what they've got. He believes that their individual and collective pedigree does not mean anything as they are a new band starting from the ground up. At the end of the day, he says, it comes down to making a good album and delivering the goods live. Ian believes they have done both. "We've played a bunch of shows, and we know that we can deliver. I'm really looking forward to getting out there, playing to people and showing them what this band's all about."
"Just the energy and perseverance it took to get Anthrax done from the early days to the first record to 'Among The Living' to the Big Four [tour] — people probably just think it's all fucking fancy wine and sleeping late, and it's not. It's a lot of hard work."
Given that The Damned Things includes members of Anthrax, Fallout Boy and Every Time I Die, one might assume that they have some work ahead of them, perhaps in terms of converting fans of one band to the others or to this group as a whole. "I don't see it that way because there are no individuals," countered Ian. "It's a band. People need to judge by the music. It's not about who's in the band. What does it matter who's in the band? Either the music's good or the music's bad. That's what matters to me. I think most people are willing to judge something based on the quality of the songs rather than just who happens to be playing guitar or who's singing."
The Damned Things: Contemplating life without Judas Priest?
The day prior to our interview, Judas Priest announced that they would embark on their farewell tour in 2011, which seems to be a surreal notion for long-time followers who grew up listening to them, and in the case of Ian, united metal audiences back in the Eighties. Priest and Anthrax also toured together in 2002. "It's a trip," mused Ian. "I like to think, why wouldn't they just continue touring? Why end it? Why not go away for a while but maybe three years later get back together and do some dates? Maybe play all of Stained Class live or something? It seems a little weird to me to say, 'That's it, we're done,' but a lot of bands have said that over the last 20 years, and they're still going. I remember an Ozzy tour called 'No More Tours,' and how long ago was that?" (Eighteen years, but who's counting?) "Then you've got the KISS reunion that started in '96, and that's been going on for 14 years. "There is
something to be said for bowing out gracefully and while you're still popular. "Believe me, I get it. I absolutely get it. Just from a fans' point of view, to never see Priest again is a bummer."
It does not sound like Ian will be hanging up his guitar anytime soon.
NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) legends TYGERS OF PAN TANG will enter the studio in January to record a special EP to celebrate 30 years since the release of their iconic album "Spellbound". Entitled "The Spellbound Sessions", the effort will include six songs from the original album re-recorded by the current TYGERS lineup:
01. Hellbound
02. Don't Stop By
03. Tyger Bay
04. Gangland
05. Take It
06. Mirror
2010 saw TYGERS OF PAN TANG record "The Wildcat Sessions" EP and the feedback was fantastic so the band wanted to continue with this concept. The group has always respected its past releases which form the majority of the live show set, so it is a fitting tribute.
"The Spellbound Sessions" should be available from the TYGERS OF PAN TANG webshop from early February. The CD will be priced the same as "The Wildcat Sessions" — £5.00 plus postage and handling. The EP will also be available at the live shows during 2011.
TYGERS OF PAN TANG is:
Rob Weir - Guitar
Dean Robertson - Guitar
Brian West - Bass
Craig Ellis - Drums
Jacopo Meille – Vocals
NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) legends BLITZKRIEG have began pre-production/writing for a new album, to be released in 2011. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2007's "Theatre Of The Damned" will mark the band's 30th anniversary.
"Theatre Of The Damned" was released on August 10, 2007 via Germany's Armageddon Music. The CD was recorded at Absurd Studio in Hamburg with producer Schrödey and co-producer Biff Byford (SAXON). According to a posting on the Armageddon web site, "Theatre of the Damned" "offers the same authentic heavy metal of the '80s along with a super freshness and total attitude." Check out audio samples on the band's MySpace page.
"Theatre Of The Damned" was the follow-up to "Sins And Greed", which was released in July 2005 via Metal Nation Records.
EXODUS, HELLSAW and VOLCANO 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
EXODUS
HAYSEED DIXIE
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HELLSAW
ICED EARTH
IN SOLITUDE
JUDAS PRIEST
KHOLD
KNORKATOR
MAYHEM
MORBID ANGEL
MORGOTH
MOTÖRHEAD
OZZY OSBOURNE
PRIMAL FEAR
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
RUSSKAJA
SEPULTURA
SIRENIA
SKÁLMÖLD
SKI KING
SMACK BALLZ
SODOM
STIER
SUBWAY TO SALLY
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
TAUTHR
THE HAUNTED
THE PROPHECY²³
TOKYO BLADE
TRIVIUM
TSJUDER
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
VOLCANO
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.
DESTRUCTION, MALEVOLENT CREATION and DUSKMACHINE have been confirmed for the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which is set to sail from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on January 24, 2011 and return four days later. A total of 40 acts will appear at the event.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AGENT STEEL
AMON AMARTH
BLACKGUARD
BLIND GUARDIAN
CRIPPER
DARK TRANQUILLITY
DEATH ANGEL
DESTRUCTION
DUSKMACHINE
ENSIFERUM
EPICA
EXODUS
FEAR FACTORY
FINNTROLL
FORBIDDEN
GAMMA RAY
ICED EARTH
KORPIKLAANI
MALEVOLENT CREATION
MARDUK
MOONSPELL
NEVERMORE
OBITUARY
RAGE
RAVEN
SABATON
SANCTUARY
SAXON
SODOM
SONATA ARCTICA
SWASHBUCKLE
TESTAMENT
TROUBLE
TÝR
ULI JON ROTH
UNLEASHED
VOIVOD
WITCHBURNER
SAXON will play two unique shows. One night they will perform the "Wheels Of Steel" LP in its entirety and on a different night, for the second show, they will play "Strong Arm Of The Law" from start to finish.
70000 Tons Of Metal will sail Monday, January 24, 2011 aboard the Royal Caribbean "Majesty of the Seas" from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico and will not return you to the real world for four days until Friday, January 28, 2011.
Make no mistake, 70000 Tons Of Metal is not your grandma's cruise. It's also not one of the cruises that share the ship with normal cruise guests. This is an all-ship heavy metal cruise! Can you imagine that? A whole luxury cruise ship full of metalheads? And since there is no backstage area you will have the opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It's like everyone has a backstage pass and you might even need a vacation from this vacation when all is said and done!
Ticket prices start at US$666 plus US$249 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board entertainment, all meals and non-alcoholic and non-carbonated drinks at the on-board restaurants and 24-hour room service!
For more information, go to www.70000tons.com.
Swedish heavy rockers GRAND MAGUS will support reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT on three Scandinavian dates on in February.
Feb. 15 - Gothenburg (S), Trädgårn
Feb. 16 - Oslo (N), Rockefeller
Feb. 17 - Stockholm (S), Arenan
Also scheduled to appear on the bill is STEELWING.
GRAND MAGUS's new album, "Hammer Of The North", will be released digitally in North America on January 25, 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at 301 studios outside of Stockholm and features artwork by Necrolord.
The limited-edition CD+DVD version of "Hammer Of The North", which was made available in Europe this past summer, features the following track listing:
Disc 1:
01. I, The Jury
02. Hammer Of The North
03. Black Sails
04. Mountains Be My Throne
05. Northern Star
06. The Lord Of Lies
07. At Midnight They'll Get Wise
08. Bond Of Blood
09. Savage Tales
10. Ravens Guide Our Way
Disc 2:
01. Hammer Of The North
02. At Midnight They'll Get Wise
03. Behind The Scenes (Video)
04. Track By Track (Video)
05. Private Talk (Video)
During the band's 10-year history, GRAND MAGUS released two demos, one split EP and five full-length albums, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews throughout. Their fourth opus, "Iron Will", was voted "Album of The Month" in the German Metal Hammer and Rock Hard magazines.
Drawing hefty influences from the hand-on-heart grandeur of the NWOBHM and the inspirational mythology of their forbears, GRAND MAGUS is steeped in pre-Christian tales of triumph, vengeance, betrayal, wisdom and death. But GRAND MAGUS also stands for energetic live performances, as seen at last year's European festivals such as Sweden Rock, Hellfest, Wacken, Summer Breeze and on tour in Europe with bands like AT THE GATES, CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, TYRANT, SERPENTCULT and ELECTRIC WIZARD.
Finnish epic power metallers THAUROROD have parted ways with vocalist Markku Kuikka and have replaced him with former VISION DIVINE singer Michele Luppi (pictured below).
Commented THAUROROD in a statement: "Markku left the band during our last tour we did with SABATON and ALESTORM and we had to finish the tour with a replacement singer.
"The reasons why Markku is not in the band anymore is his lack of abilities to perform and to make the show that we absolutely want to give to the audiences that comes to see us on stage. We need to continue with a guy who can make audience go crazy every single night!!!
"We are looking very much forward to our future shows and Power Of Metal tour with Michele! Come to give this Italian gentleman a warm welcome! We already played a show in Nosturi, Helsinki with him and it felt absolutely great to share stage with him!
"Sorry for it took so long to make this announcement about the vocalist situation as there have been a lot of speculation because we finished the last tour with a different vocalist than who is singing on the album. We just wanted to take the time to find the best possible singer for the band first and then announce the news.
"At the moment THAUROROD is composing new material for the second studio album. More updates on this will be posted in coming months."
THAUROROD's "Warrior's Heart" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "Upon Haunted Battlefields", which was released in Europe on September 24 via NoiseArt Records and Rock The Nation.
THAUROROD is:
Michele Luppi - Vocals
Emil Pohjalainen - Guitar
Lasse Nyman - Guitar
Pasi Tanskanen - Bass
Emmi Taipale - Keyboard
Joonas Pykälä-aho - Drums
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/thaurorodtheband.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has added a second headlining show at Omnisports de Bercy in Paris, France on June 8. Tickets go on sale on January 21 at 10:00 a.m. CET from www.avosbillets.com.
Confirmed SYSTEM OF A DOWN tour dates:
Jun. 02 - Milan, Italy - Milan Fiera Arena
Jun. 04 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock im Park
Jun. 05 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock am Ring
Jun. 06 - Paris, France - Omnisports de Bercy
Jun. 08 - Paris, France - Omnisports de Bercy
Jun. 09 - Interlaken, Switzerland - Greenfield
Jun. 11 - Castle Donington, UK - Download
Jun. 13 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Novarock
Jun. 15 - Berlin, Germany - Wuhlheide
Jun. 17 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Metaltown
Jun. 19 - Seinäjoki, Finland - Provinssirock
SYSTEM OF A DOWN made its reunion plans official on November 29. A brief statement from the band read, "We are excited to announce that SYSTEM will be playing some dates together in 2011. We also want to thank you for your loyalty and support, not only to SYSTEM OF A DOWN, but to all of our solo efforts as well. We have no master plan of sorts — we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans. We look forward to seeing all of you!"
Rumors that the California-based band was ending its hiatus, which began in late 2006, began circulating last month when it was reported that the band would play in Paris next summer.
The band has not yet announced any plans to record new material. Its last new music came out in 2005 on the "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" records.
Although rumors have circulated for years about animosity within the band, drummer John Dolmayan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the members of SYSTEM have remained friends. "I think a part of it is people like drama, you know," he said. "They look for it, and they want drama involved, they want SYSTEM to have problems. There's a lot of haters out there, let's face it, and as much as the fans really want the band to get together just so that they can see and enjoy the music again, there's also just as many people that would like to see us not getting along and, you know, no hope of reuniting."
The reunited original ELECTRIC BOYS lineup — Franco Santunione (guitar), Andy Christell (bass), Niklas Sigevall (drums) and Conny Bloom (guitar, vocals) — has inked a deal with Supernova Records, a division of the Cosmos Music Group. The band's new album will be released in March. The first single, "Father Popcorn's Magic Oyster", will precede the full-length CD in early 2011.
A sample of some of the demo tracks (recorded at Future Legends Studios) that will appear on the forthcoming CD can be heard in the YouTube clip below. The band says, "[the album] will contain stuff that both sounds familiar but also stuff that doesn't."
ELECTRIC BOYS last year released a 20-track "best-of" collection, titled "Now Dig This!", via Spinefarm Records. It features songs from the band's three studio albums, including "Psychedelic Eyes", "Mary In The Mystery World", "Groovus Maximus", "The Groover", "Rags To Riches", "Captain Of My Soul" plus a 2009 remix of "All Lips N' Hips", along of course with the original version, a longstanding staple of rock clubs around the world.
Formed in 1988, ELECTRIC BOYS achieved recognition around the known rock'n'roll world with signature hit single "All Lips N' Hips" plus a series of albums that tapped into the very essence of long-haired, leather-trousered, late-night cool.
Touring alongside bands such as THUNDER and MR. BIG, and drinking from the same well as rock legends like AEROSMITH, the band offered an alternative to the late '80s hair-metal scene, fusing hard rock and heavy funk to create an instantly recognizable style ("Groovus Maximus") built riff by riff on the sturdiest possible foundations, unswervingly provided by drummer Niklas Sigevall.
Lauded by the media, feted by the industry, respected by the top producers of the day (including Bob Rock) and supported by a genuinely international fanbase, the ELECTRIC BOYS — led into action by flamboyant frontman Conny Bloom, who has continued to play and record both under his own name and with SILVER GINGER 5 and HANOI ROCKS, as well as appearing in TV ads for Jameson Whiskey — consistently showed that the great rock'n'roll dream was available in many colours, and that the sitar did indeed have a serious part to play!
Swedish/British modern rock/metal band SONIC SYNDICATE will take part in next year's "Extreme Freestylers" motocross tour. The trek will feature international motocross stars like Mike Mason, Nate Adams, Heath Frisby and Adam Jones showing amazing stunts and tricks in arenas across Europe. The tour will included performances by several bands, including SONIC SYNDICATE.
The first dates for the "Extreme Freestylers" motocross tour featuring SONIC SYNDICATE:
May 07 - Warsaw, Poland
May 21 - Arnhem, Netherlands
Jun. 04 - South, France
Jun. 11 - Paris, France
Jun. 18 - Prague, Czech Republic
British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST 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
PARADISE LOST
RAISED FIST
Former DIMMU BORGIR bassist/clean vocalist I.C.S. Vortex (real name: Simen Hestnæs) has completed work on his debut solo album. Entitled "Storm Seeker", it contains 11 tracks and 45 minutes of "groovy hooks and signature clean vocals," according to the musician. "Brewed in a dirty metal pot, ingrediens included are stoner rock mashed with black metal, '70s prog-spiked pagan and alternative roots fried Norwegian style. Some of the song titles are 'Skoal!', 'Dogsmacked', 'Oil in Water' and 'Odin's Tree'."
He added, "It's been a year of sporadic work at Toproom Studio with engineer Børge Finstad. My good old teammate from BORKNAGAR, Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT), handles the drums, and Terje 'Cyrus' Andersen (SUSPERIA, DIMMU BORGIR) added some solos. Mix was done by Børge, Asgeir and me. A record deal is in the works and we're looking at a release in good time before summer 2011.
"The solo project has pretty much evolved into a band, and on future live appearances the recording lineup will be joined by Jens F. Ryland (BORKNAGAR) on guitar and Steinar Gundersen (SPIRAL ARCHITECT, SARKE) on bass."
I.C.S. Vortex and keyboardist Mustis (real name: Øyvind Mustaparta) were fired from DIMMU BORGIR in August 2009. The remaining members of the band issued a statement at the time downplaying the impact that I.C.S. Vortex and Mustis' departures would have on the sound of DIMMU BORGIR's next album, insisting that "the creative force in the band is highly intact, perhaps even more so than ever."
Santa Barbara, California metallers DEVILDRIVER will release the first single from their forthcoming fifth album, "Beast", on January 23, 2011. The track "Dead To Rights" will be available digitally on all usual platforms.
"Beast" will be issued 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 standard version of the CD and all 14 songs appearing on the special edition, which also comes with a bonus DVD. The special edition includes the band's documentary "You May Know Us From The Stage" (shot by filmmaker Daniel J. Burke, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne) and official music videos spanning DEVILDRIVER's career thus far.
"Beast" special edition track listing:
01. Dead To Rights (4:53)
02. Bring The Fight (To The Floor) (3:33)
03. Hardened (5:46)
04. Shitlist (4:04)
05. Talons Out (Teeth Sharpened) (4:20)
06. You Make Me Sick (5:18)
07. Coldblooded (4:06)
08. Blur (4:58)
09. The Blame Game (4:00)
10. Black Soul Choir (16 HORSEPOWER cover) (5:07)
11. Crowns Of Creation (4:55)
12. Lend Myself To The Night (4:01)
Bonus tracks:
13. Lost
14. Fortune Favors The Brave
15. Grinfucked (live)
"The record is extreme," vocalist Dez Fafara told Revolver magazine. "And it attacks from start to finish. If you liked [2007's] 'The Last Kind Words', this is like that on steroids and crank, driving a Buick Skylark 200 miles an hour straight to Vegas."
"I felt like I was waking up and experiencing a moment of clarity that brought out all these pissed off, negative emotions," Fafara said of making the album. "It's an all-out release of pain.
"It's been a beast of a year and a half, and it's still going," he added.
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.
Vocalist Vivek of Singaporean extreme metallers BHELLIOM has issued the following update:
"We are nearing the end of 2010, and as most know, BHELLIOM has been rather inactive for the past few months because the band has been fully focused on the writing of our next album.
"The new songs are more powerful and musical than the past tracks but still remain true to the traditional BHELLIOM sound.
"We are looking at starting to record the album mid-February of 2011. In addition, special guest Zeist (ANTHELION) will shred some insane killer solo on the first single from the album."
BHELLIOM's last album, "The Colossal Tragedy", came out in September 2008 via MourningSound.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/bhelliomsg.
Finnish dark metal masters BEFORE THE DAWN have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's sixth album, "Deathstar Rising", is scheduled for release on February 25, 2011. The CD's cover artwork can be viewed below.
Founded in 1999 and led by Tuomas Saukkonen, BEFORE THE DAWN has "managed to pave their way to uniqueness by combining the heaviness of melodic death metal, the gloom of dark metal and the frostbitten cold of finnish winters with beautiful melodies and epic hymnody like no other band out there," according to a press release.
Commented Saukkonen: "After 10 years and five albums, the very best that could have happened to BEFORE THE DAWN was to get under the wings of one of the most powerful metal machineries ever.
"The new alliance between Nuclear Blast and BEFORE THE DAWN is an fine example of determination, devotion, motivation and a true northern 'through the thickest stone wall' attitude."
BEFORE THE DAWN's "End Of Days" video can be viewed below. The footage in the clip was shot during the band's mini-tour of Asia, which the group called "the coolest trip ever."
"End Of Days" is taken from BEFORE THE DAWN's 10th-anniversary EP, "Decade Of Darkness", which was released in Finland and the rest of Scandinavia via Stay Heavy Records on March 31, 2010. The rest of Europe received the effort in September via Cyclone Empire in a special package that included a bonus DVD, "Live At Summer Breeze 2009".
BEFORE THE DAWN's fifth album, "Soundscape of Silence", was released in Scandinavia in October 2008 via Stay Heavy Records.
BEFORE THE DAWN is:
Tuomas Saukkonen (BLACK SUN AEON) - Vocals, Guitar
Lars Eikind (WINDS, JACK IN THE BOX) - Vocals, Bass
Juho Räihä (GLORIA MORTI, RIVERSIDE SYNDICATE) - Guitar
Atte Palokangas – Drums
Resurrected German death metallers MORGOTH have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 11-13, 2011 at its new location in Schlotheim/Flugplatz Obermehler, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AT THE GATES
BELPHEGOR
ENSIFERUM
HAIL OF BULLETS
MELECHESH
MORBID ANGEL
MORGOTH
NACHTMYSTIUM
NEGURA BUNGET
PANZERCHRIST
TAAKE
Swedish metal veterans ENTOMBED will perform material from their first two albums — "Left Hand Path" (1990) and "Clandestine" (1991) — at the German, Austrian and Swiss editions of the Metalfest, set to take place May 27-29, 2011.
So far the following bands have been confirmed to appear next year:
AMON AMARTH
SABATON
CRADLE OF FILTH
ARCH ENEMY
WINTERSUN
SAXON
AMORPHIS
EQUILIBRIUM
ENTOMBED
SODOM
WATAIN
PRIMORDIAL
RAGE
EISREGEN
DESTRUCTION
ARKONA
BELPHEGOR
SUICIDAL ANGELS
KALMAH
WHILE HEAVEN WEPT
MILKING THE GOATMACHINE
THAUROROD
KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI
ALCEST
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
WE BUTTER THE BREAD WITH BUTTER (Austria only)
NEAERA (Austria only)
Metalfest Germany will take place at airport Dessau, Metalfest Austria will happen in Mining am Inn and Metalfest Switzerland will be held at Z7 in Pratteln.
For more information, visit www.metalfest.eu.
Stockholm, Sweden-based melodic death metallers DEGRADEAD have inked a deal with Metalville Records for the release of their third album, "A World Destroyer". A spring release is expected.
Two songs from the forthcoming CD — "Human Nature" and "Taste Of Destiny" — are available for streaming in the YouTube clips below.
"A World Destroyer" was recorded at Peter Tägtgren's (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) Abyss studios in Pärlby, outside Ludvika, Sweden with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, CENTINEX, WORLD BELOW).
DEGRADEAD's sophomore album, "Out Of Body Experience", entered the national chart in the band's home country at position No. 48. The CD was released on February 27, 2009 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and March 2, 2009 in the rest of Europe via Dockyard 1 Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Till Death Do Us Apart" was recorded primarily at Abyss studio in Sweden with Kjellgren. Mixing and mastering took place at Dugout Productions (IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) in Uppsala, Sweden.
DEGRADEAD is:
Mikael Sehlin - Vocals
Anders Nyström - Guitar
David Szücs - Guitar
Michel Bärzén - Bass Guitar
Kenneth Helgesson – Drums
North Texas death metal outfit THE FAMINE has posted the first in a series of video blogs featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the band's new album, "The Architects Of Guilt". Check it out below.
"The Architects Of Guilt" will be released on February 15 via Solid State Records. The follow-up to 2008's "The Raven And The Reaping" was produced by D. Braxton Henry (ex-DEVOURMENT) and was mixed by Jason Suecof (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, TRIVIUM, DEVILDRIVER).
"The Architects Of Guilt" track listing:
01. The New Hell
02. Ad Mortem
03. We Are The Wolves
04. Turner Classic Diaries
05. Bigger Cages, Longer Chains!
06. The Crown and The Holy See
07. VII The Fraudulent
08. A Pavement Of Good Intentions
09. A Fragile Peace
10. Pyrithion House
11. To The Teeth
According to a press release, "The Architects Of Guilt" "is not a sing-along or a feel-good record; it's the death rattle and dying breath. THE FAMINE is not here to win popularity contests, simply create metal, red in tooth and claw. The music has become faster, more technical, even abrasive and discomforting, trading shear aggression and energy for the lifeless sweeps and mechanized beats that have come to dominate and dilute the genre. The lyrics forego empty threats and skip the subtleties, calling out the deceit and duplicity of our leaders, and the decay next door masked by a flaking white picket fence and a familiar chemical scent. The band traces the fractures in stone pillars and cracks along the marble walls, sets their tools down after 11 tracks and walks away as if saying, 'Don't come to us when the temple falls.'"
THE FAMINE in January announced the departure of lead singer and co-founder Chris "Kris" McCaddon. Nick Nowell, who had been handling bass duties for THE FAMINE since 2008, has since taken over as the band's new vocalist. The group also recruited a new bassist, Jon Richardson (SABOTEUR, THE MONARCH).
THE FAMINE previously stated that its upcoming CD will be "heavier than 'The Raven And The Reaping' in every way and will build on the intensity that 'The Raven And The Reaping' established. Lyrically, this record will almost be an anarchic indictment of what we have become as a world, country, and individuals and the path that got us here. We touched on this on the last record as well."
Released in May 2008 via Solid State Records, "The Raven and the Reaping" was recorded with Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AGONY SCENE) and was described as "an album of urgent metal with plenty of chunky riffs; the music is at once blustery yet totally memorable."
SPLATTERED MERMAIDS, the Swedish death/grind band featuring members of DERANGED and VISCERAL BLEEDING, has issued the following update:
"We're busy writing new songs for our second full-length album, title to be announced very soon! At this moment we have 10 new songs and a couple more to do! We're very excited to get this out, and the songs has a good mix of what SPLATTERED MERMAIDS is known for; chunky pounding brutality and breakdown mosh parts!"
SPLATTERED MERMAIDS is:
Johan Bergström - Vocals
Johan Hallberg - Guitar
Martin Schönherr - Drums
Martin Eklöv - Bass
SPLATTERED MERMAIDS is working on its first-ever DVD. The disc will include live footage, studio/tour material as well as "other goodies." According to the band, "There is so much material that it could easily fill 10 DVDs but that will not happen, it will be one or two discs filled with the best live stuff and the funniest tour/studio/backstage memories."
The band's latest album, "Stench of Flesh", was released in March 2008 via the Czech label Bizarre Leprous Production.
For more information, visit the group's MySpace page.
Helsinki, Finland-based death metal band FOUL CIRCLE is streaming its entire new three-song EP, "City Of Falls", on the group's MySpace page. The efffort was recorded at D-studio in Klaukkala, Finland during July and August 2010, mixed by Jonne Jauhiainen and mastered by Mika Jussila from Finnvox.
FOUL CIRCLE's official bio: "A group of old friends and talented musicians come together and challenge the metal scene with a fresh approach and unforgiving attitude in a way which connects unconditional composing and unprejudiced way of thinking that keeps the music of this six-headed ensemble interesting and compelling .. 'till the end.
"We are open-minded for possibilities with new affiliates, labels and organizers that are able to work together with us on our way to wider awareness."
FOUL CIRCLE is:
Teemu Riekki - Vocals
Seppo Nummela (DENIGRATE) - Guitar
Ville Marila - Guitar
Pekka Pyrhönen (DENIGRATE, TACERE) - Bass
Tea Dickman - Keyboards, Clean Vocals
Jarno Vanhanen (EMBREACH, TACERE) - Drums
For more information, visit www.foulcircle.com.
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