One of the better-known IRON MAIDEN fan sites, MaidenCroatia.com, proudly presents a book by Stipe Juras, one of their founding members and a long-time music journalist and writer, which describes, for the first time in history, the life of the legendary metal musician and IRON MAIDEN founder Steve Harris. The book is called "Steve Harris - The Clairvoyant" and has just been released in English and Croatian, and a Portuguese edition is being prepared for the Brazilian and Portuguese markets (tentatively due in August).
The official book description:
This is the story of Steve Harris, bass player and founder of IRON MAIDEN, told from memories and anecdotes of his fans, friends, associates and family, a warm and intriguing story of a man who boldly followed his vision. It isn't a biography in the classical sense; it doesn't follow Steve's life chronologically, it's more of an account about him from the perspectives of all the interviewees.
"Steve Harris - The Clairvoyant" is available for order on the author's web site via PayPal. It can be shipped worldwide. A special 55-copy series, titled the "Birthday Edition," celebrating Steve Harris' 55th birthday was sold out in a matter of days, but the author plans to sell exactly 666 hardcover copies of the so-called "Number of the Beast" edition, containing a bonus CD with audio interviews with DJ Neal Kay, the person who helped MAIDEN make their way to stardom, and Dave Lights, their legendary lighting designer from the '80s. The book is 300 pages long, A5 format.
Some of the people who were interviewed for the book are Dean Karr, Keith Wilfort, Paul Di'Anno, Dennis Stratton, Clive Burr, Neal Kay, Markus Grosskopf, Blaze Bayley, Mike Kemp, Lauren Harris, Paul Anthony Quinn, Slaven Bilic (ex-West Ham player and Croatian football team coach), and many more. The first copies of the book have just been shipped and already some of the people on the official IRON MAIDEN board were more than thrilled with what they have read.
Stipe Juras isn't planning this to be the only book — he has already announced his plans to write similar books on every MAIDEN member. His next book, "Stranger In A Strange Land", which deals with the life and career of Adrian Smith, will be available for pre-order from December 2011.
Right now, author is in negotiating process with U.S. agents for issuing book on U.S. and Canada market on paperback version. This, hardcover version with bonus CD is strictly limited to 666 copies and will never be reprinted in same format.
Ruben Mosqueda of Sleaze Roxx recently conducted an interview with WHITESNAKE/ex-DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Sleaze Roxx: How was the songwriting handled on [the new WHITESNAKE album] "Forevermore"? Was it mainly you and [singer] David Coverdale?
Doug Aldrich: David and I have great chemistry. Initially it was supposed to be people sending in their ideas, as it was on the last record. It turned out that David and I got on a roll with the songwriting that continued from the last record. It's very organic and easy. I show him something and he takes it further, or he shows me something and I take it further. So to answer your question — we have written everything on both of these records, but it didn't start out that way in the beginning — it just turned out that way.
Sleaze Roxx: As a fan of WHITESNAKE from all eras it sounds like you locked yourself in a room and you didn't surface until you came out with classic 'SNAKE riffs. Was it that simple?
Doug Aldrich: You know, we didn't really think about it that much. We didn't sit around thinking that we needed to write a ballad, for instance, that sounded a certain way, because it would be cutting off a lot of other inspiration. We would just write. There are songs that naturally sounded like the classic WHITESNAKE blues sound and then David added his touch to it. We approached all of the songs in the same manner as we did with the last album, "Good To Be Bad". I definitely didn't sit down with a goal to write another "Still Of The Night" or another "Slide It In"... I just couldn't do it. I just had to let the songs come out the way that they are. That's actually the advice I have for anyone that writes — don't put any constraints on yourself, just see what happens.
Sleaze Roxx: You've gone through a couple rhythm sections in your time in WHITESNAKE and you added Michael Devin and Brian Tichy, whom I saw not too long ago playing in LYNCH MOB. The album is one thing, but judging from what I saw with LYNCH MOB, these guys are going to take the live show to an entirely different level.
Doug Aldrich: Yeah. I was talking to Michael Devin the other day because there are times on records where you have to work within the framework of the song. If you have a ballad that has a lot of melodies, or a heavy song that has a lot of melodies, you don't want to hear a ripping solo every time... sometimes you want to hear good melodies. We were talking about doing what is best for the song and capturing the band on the album, but we are excited about the live show. Like you said, playing it live will be a great opportunity for us to put more into it. Those two guys made a huge difference in the making of this album, because they came in before we started recording so they were part of the process. The last record we were in transition, we had changed drummers before we hit the studio. Brian Tichy had a huge role in the design of how the vibe of these songs came together and Michael Devin is a real blues aficionado and it was a real pleasure to work
with him. I loved watching him play in the studio.
Sleaze Roxx: Lastly, you recorded "Killing The Dragon" with Ronnie James Dio. What was that like?
Doug Aldrich: It was awesome, man. I wouldn't be in WHITESNAKE if it wasn't for Ronnie, he put me out there. I'm a late bloomer I guess, but he really helped me out. He was very good to me and he had so much faith in me and in my playing. We had a great time designing the album that would become "Killing The Dragon". Once again, it didn't work out with their guitar player and I was asked to come in and I started from scratch on everything. We put together an album that was, for him, a new beginning. In the end, through Ronnie and Wendy Dio, I was noticed by David and the rest is history. I will say that I miss Ronnie tremendously and we got close toward the end. He was upset when I joined WHITESNAKE full-time, but he kept asking me to participate in certain projects with him here and there. We were really tight. I was out of the country when he passed, but my wife and my son went to his service to pay their respects on my behalf. He was a great singer
and an even better person.
Did you know that rock icon Paul Stanley, the lead singer and founder of the groundbreaking rock band KISS, was born deaf in his right ear?
Did you also know that 1 out of 5 teens has a hearing loss? That's a 30 percent increase just in the last 15 years.
Maybe that explains why the legendary front man who has sold over 100 million albums is so passionate about preventing hearing loss amongst teens.
Stanley, has teamed-up with the non-profit House Research Institute on a major initiative called "It's How You Listen That Counts" to educate millions of teens around the world on preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
Paul will be drawing the attention of teens in New York City and Los Angeles to hearing health issues through an after-school event called Sound Rules!
The event, free for teens, will take place at the Director's Guilds in New York City on May 4 and Los Angeles on May 12.
On Wednesday, May 4 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., the House Research Institute (HRI) will present "Sound Rules! A Sound & Hearing Celebration" at the Director's Guild of America (DGA) Theatre located at 110 West 57th Street in Manhattan in New York City.
On Thursday, May 12 at 3:30 p.m., the House Research Institute will present "Sound Rules! A Sound & Hearing Celebration" at the Director's Guild of America Theatre in Los Angeles, located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard.
Sound Rules! is a FREE hearing loss prevention education and entertainment event for teens that will feature Paul Stanley, lead singer/guitarist of KISS and hearing health experts from the House Research Institute, along with valuable contest prizes and giveaways. Space is limited; reservations are required.
METALLICA today announced that all announcements made on their behalf via Writers Group Film Corp. and their subsidiary Front Row Networks, Inc. are false. Writers Group issued a press release on March 22, 2011 announcing "the acquisition of several hours of unique METALLICA 3D & 2D concert video footage for distribution."
"METALLICA owns and controls its recorded performances and Creeping Death Music owns the vast majority of any music embodied in METALLICA recordings," said the band's attorney Peter Paterno. "Pretty much any legitimate business would have contacted us to see how METALLICA felt about it. Maybe these guys just forgot."
"We are very happy to have bolstered the Writers Group Film Corp. stock price by using the METALLICA name," quipped Marc Reiter from METALLICA's management, Q Prime. "We only wish they would have told us sooner so we could have bought some."
METALLICA is scheduled to enter the studio in May to begin recording a yet-to-be-revealed new project, which guitarist Kirk Hammett described to RollingStone.com as "more a recording project than a bona fide METALLICA album."
The band has also scheduled several more "Big Four" tour dates, including one in Indio, California on April 23.
METALLICA wrapped up its two-year-long "World Magnetic" tour on November 21, 2010 with the last of three shows in Melbourne, Australia, bringing to an end a trek that began on September 12, 2008 in Berlin to support the band's ninth studio album, "Death Magnetic". The group issued a statement compiling the tour's numbers, which included "45 countries, 143 arena shows, 34 festival shows, 29 stadium shows, four club/theater shows, three TV/radio shows, two Hall Of Fame shows, 3790 songs, and not a single setlist was the same."
The group played a total of 216 shows in 800 days.
More acts have been announced for Canada's metal festivals Heavy MTL and Heavy T.O. which will both take place the same weekend at the end of July.
Heavy MTL will be held July 23-24 at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
Saturday, July 23 (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour)
DISTURBED
GODSMACK
BILLY TALENT
IN FLAMES
TRIVIUM
UNEARTH
KINDGOM OF SORROW
RED FANG
MACHINE HEAD
SUICIDE SILENCE
ALL SHALL PERISH
STRAIGHT LINE STITCH
Sunday, July 24:
KISS
MOTÖRHEAD
OPETH
ANTHRAX
CHILDREN OF BODOM
AS I LAY DYING
THE SWORD
TIMES OF GRACE
DEVILDRIVER
Heavy T.O. will be held July 23-24 at Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
Saturday, July 23:
MEGADETH
ANTHRAX
OPETH
MOTORHEAD
CHILDREN OF BODOM
AS I LAY DYING
THE SWORD
TIMES OF GRACE
DEVILDRIVER
Sunday, July 24:
ROB ZOMBIE
BILLY TALENT
SLAYER
MASTODON
TESTAMENT
BAPTIZED IN BLOOD
ANVIL
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR
Tickets for Heavy T.O. go on sale on Friday, March 25. Tickets for Heavy MTL go on sale on Saturday, March 26 at noon.
Legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) spoke to U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine about the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that shook Japan on March 11 and left more than 8,000 killed and over 12,000 missing.
"It's one of the most surreal, unnerving events that has happened in recent years," he tells Kerrang! "It's displaced so many people, not to mention claiming so many lives, and it's really tragic.
"I honestly feel that the Japanese are so fucking resilient that they'll get through it," he adds. "But God, what a painful experience for everybody."
Slash, who was on tour in Japan when the tsunami struck its Pacific coast on March 11, managed to play one of his scheduled dates in Osaka last March 14.
Greg Prato of UGO recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
UGO: What can fans expect from the next MEGADETH album?
David Ellefson: We are working on it now so it's a bit early to encapsulate what the final will ultimately sound like. I think we know the punch and impact we want it to have but also not be afraid to let new ideas develop, too. Just know it will be heavy, hooky, and have the trademarks you'd come to expect from us.
UGO: Any idea when it will be released?
David Ellefson: I know the business side want to lock in schedules for release but sometimes you can't contain a creative process AND a schedule. It just needs to flow. For us, the scheduling is second to making a great record. It will be done when it's done.
UGO: Dave [Mustaine] once told me in an interview that he wrote the bass line to "Peace Sells". Do you agree or disagree?
David Ellefson: He created the riffs and the lyric. It was one of those songs that just fell into place from top to bottom within a couple hours once we were all in the band room together jamming on it. It was the first time that ever happened in MEGADETH up to that point, actually. In fact, most of our "singles" have been like that over the years. I think it says something about the magic of spontaneity when writing. Plus, there is chemistry within every line-up that can never be duplicated either. I think that's why our fans gravitate toward various albums because there is an identifiable spark with those musicians that created those exact songs together at that specific moment in time.
AltSounds recently conducted an interview with ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
AltSounds: It's been a fair while since Rob Zombie's latest album was released, has your opinion of the work changed now you've had chance to reflect on the material and play through it live a few times?
John 5: Oh God, I love the record so much. We do a lot of songs from the new record, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", we're doing "Sick Bubblegum", "Mars Needs Women", "Jesus Frankenstein" and we're doing "Werewolf Women Of The SS", so we're doing a bunch of songs. And then, the special edition came out, with the DVD and all the new artwork… it's my favorite Zombie record.
AltSounds: Obviously you've been with him now for about five or six years, how have things changed since you first joined?
John 5: Oh God, y'know, being in this band is such a pleasure. I wouldn't be anywhere else or in any other band. I just love being here, it's like a family. I've been in the band for about six years now, and everything has been so wonderful. We haven't even had one disagreement! In other bands, you have a disagreement every couple of weeks, but this is amazing. It's amazing being in this band and I love it so much. I'd love to be in the band just until Rob doesn't wanna do it anymore! And hopefully that won't be any time soon!
AltSounds: So when you and Rob sit down to write material, what's the typical songwriting process with you guys?
John 5: I'll have a bunch of riffs ready, and I'll show him stuff. If he likes something, he'll just be like, "Yeah, let's work on that!" So it kind of goes that way and then we'll change it around a lot. It's great working with Rob, it's really cool being in the studio with him because he's so hands-on.
AltSounds: For someone that's wanting to get into that and learn to shred in similar ways to yourself, what advice would you offer them?
John 5: I would say to learn what you love. If you love Paul Gilbert, or Yngwie, or Van Halen, then learn songs from them and really get into that style. Just never put the guitar down! If someone's gonna teach you "Happy Birthday" or something, then you're not going to be very motivated to play guitar all the time if you're just playing that.
AltSounds: So, how do you go about writing your solos? Do you improvise them? Or do you sit down and craft them note-by-note?
John 5: I work them all out. I don't like to repeat myself that many times, so I try new licks and things like that. Everything's planned out and it does take a while. I've put out a lot of records, but it's still such a pleasure for me to do it. It's really fun.
AltSounds: When did it hit you that this is what you wanted to do?
John 5: I think it was when I left Manson, I just wanted to show everybody that I could play. I think it was that first album, "Vertigo", after Manson, that really shocked everybody because no one really knew I could play anything other than "The Dope Show" [laughs] It really shocked a lot of people, and the different styles shocked a lot of people. It was an amazing first experience.
AltSounds: You've also been a part of two major bands that you could argue are solo projects of their own — Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, in which the band is named after the frontman. Being involved with these bands, has it ever felt to you that the band is all about the lead vocalist or does it just feel like an "ordinary" band would?
John 5: It feels like a band — especially with Rob Zombie. But Rob's definitely the boss, and that's just how it is. But every situation needs a leader, definitely. Four leaders — it's very difficult.
This summer, DEF LEPPARD will release a new album and tour with HEART but before then, singer Joe Elliott will be touring the U.K. with his other group, DOWN 'N' OUTZ, a project also featuring members of THE QUIREBOYS. Last July, the guys released their debut album, "My ReGeneration", featuring covers of songs by MOTT THE HOOPLE, Ian Hunter and BRITISH LIONS, the music DOWN N' OUTZ performed as the support act for MOTT THE HOOPLE at one of the legendary band's 2009 reunion shows. Fans who bought the disc might have noticed that this CD is marked "Volume 1." That implies there is more to come and Joe told VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner what to expect from the band in the future.
"Originally, we said we'd do the second album would be more of the same but including MOTT THE HOOPLE songs which the first one didn't, the third one would've been a combination of artists from the same era and the fourth one was going to be [original] stuff, but I think we might just jump straight to the fourth one and make it the third one," he said.
Joe went on to explain why they might do that. "We've got some ideas I don't consider LEPPARD-like, if you like, that would be perfect for DOWN 'N' OUTZ," he said. "Those guys can write, too, so we can sit down and kind of bang some stuff out. Even on this tour in April we'll probably play each other a few ideas and it'll set us up to put them to one side until we get the chance to record them."
"Overnight Angels", the latest video from DOWN 'N' OUTZ, can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Lee Ford.
"My ReGeneration" was produced by Joe Elliott, with co-production by Ronan McHugh, and was recorded at Elliott's own studio Joe's Garage and Moor Hall studio in Bedfordshire.
"My ReGeneration" track listing (with original recording artist listed in parenthesis):
01. Golden Opportunity (Ian Hunter)
02. Storm (Mott)
03. Overnight Angels (Ian Hunter)
04. Career (No Such Thing As Rock 'n' Roll) (Mott)
05. England Rocks (Ian Hunter)
06. Shouting And Pointing (Mott)
07. By Tonight (Mott)
08. Who Do You Love (Ian Hunter)
09. One More Chance To Run (BRITISH LIONS)
10. Good Times (Mott, originally recorded by THE EASYBEATS)
DOWN 'N' OUTZ last year parted ways with bass player Ronnie Garrity. Elliott stated: "Of course we wish Ronnie all the best in his future endeavors. We will announce a new bass player shortly, but I can say now that it won't be [DEF LEPPARD bassist Rick Savage]!"
DOWN 'N' OUTZ will support Paul Rodgers (BAD COMPANY, FREE, QUEEN) on his U.K. tour in April.
In addition to Joe Elliott (vocals, guitar, keyboards), DOWN 'N' OUTZ features THE QUIREBOYS' Paul Guerin (guitar), Guy Griffin (guitar), Keith Weir (keyboards) and Phil Martini (drums).
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, the Anglo-American rock supergroup featuring the talents of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE, BLACK SABBATH), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER), will release its second album, simply entitled "2", in Europe on June 13 via Mascot Records and in the U.S. on June 14, 2011 through the J&R Adventures label.
"2" track listing:
01. The Outsider
02. Man In The Middle
03. I Can See Your Spirit
04. The Battle For Hadrian's Wall
05. Save Me
06. Cold
07. Smokestack Woman
08. Faithless
09. An Ordinary Son
10. Little Secret
11. Crossfire
12. Crawl
On June 9, the band will kick off a U.S. summer tour in San Diego, California. It will take them across the country with stops in Anaheim, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Hampton Beach, New Hampshire; Sayreville, New Jersey; and Washington, D.C.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION has joined forces with Planet Rock, the U.K.'s leading classic rock radio station, to offer rock fans the opportunity to download two exclusive free live BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION tracks.
The songs, "Black Country" and "One Last Soul", were originally recorded live in front of a specially invited audience at John Henry's in London, England on September 20, 2010. The live recordings have been exclusively mixed for Planet Rock by BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's producer Kevin Shirley.
To be eligible to download the live tracks, rock fans are being asked to become VIP members of Planet Rock's web site by signing up to www.planetrock.com/vip. Once free membership has been activated, fans will have access to the free download, along with other VIP offers. Additionally, fans will also be able to order tickets for BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's forthcoming U.K. summer concerts in July.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION performed two long-awaited U.K. concerts in December. Fittingly, the first concert took place right in the heart of the Black Country at the legendary Wolverhampton Civic Hall on December 29, followed by a concert at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on December 30.
The self-titled debut album from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION sold 7,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 54 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which was made available in Europe on September 20, 2010 via Mascot Records and North America on September 21 through J&R Adventures, was produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (BLACK CROWES, AEROSMITH, LED ZEPPELIN), and mastered by the legendary Bob Ludwig. It was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in early 2010.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION initially came to fruition when Shirley saw Hughes and Bonamassa join forces on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King of the Blues event. Shirley then recruited Bonham and Sherinian for the project, which is named after the industrial area in the British Midlands where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Sammy Hagar claims to have been abducted by aliens — multiple times. Hagar, who just published his memoir, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", revealed to MTV Hive that he was first snatched by extra-terrestrials at four years old, recalling, "One time I saw what I considered to be, well, at the time I thought it was a car with no wheels. We lived out in the country and I saw this thing floating across a field, creating this big dust storm. I threw rocks at it. . . And I don't know what happened after that." When asked if he blacked out during the incident, Hagar said: "I guess. I just have no memory of it. And that wasn't a dream. It was during daylight."
He went on to describe another incident dealing with the spacemen, saying, "It was real, (aliens) were plugged into me. It was a download situation. This was long before computers or any kind of wireless. There weren't even wireless telephones. Looking back now, it was like, 'Fuck, they downloaded something into me!' Or they uploaded something from my brain, like an experiment."
In a 2002 interview with Guitar World magazine, Hagar said that he was a true believer of extraterrestrial life outside this planet and solar system as well as intelligent life observing humans in their everyday lives.
"It's been a long, long time, but back in about '68, in Fontana, California, I had this unbelievable experience that would take this whole interview to even go into," Hagar said. "But I'm a firm believer — have seen, have felt, have been contacted three or four different times. I have received information that has been valuable in my life from those people, and they have used me. I'm gonna sound like a complete nut here, but they have used me in an experimental fashion. The easiest way to put it is that they downloaded my brain information. When I was about 19 or 20, they downloaded everything that was in my head. And I caught 'em doin' it! I woke up in the middle of the night, thinkin', 'What's goin' on?' They were like, 'Oh, my god, he's waking up!' But this was all telepathy — there were no words being spoken. And as soon as I woke up — it was probably three o'clock in the morning — my whole room was so bright that I could hardly keep my eyes
open. I was wide-awake, I could not move, eyes open, white room, they were still disconnecting — and when they did, it just went bang! Everything went back to normal, back to black. I was shaking, I almost passed out, I was sick to my stomach and almost had to throw up, it was so scary…"
He continued, "It sent me on a course of curiosity. I bought a telescope, and I started reading UFO books, and I just got into the whole thing. And since then, there have been three or four other contacts with the same group of people. I don't know who the fuck they are, but I've narrowed them down to a people called the Nine, who are called that because they're from the Ninth Dimension. I've named my publishing company the Nine Music after them. It's a crazy thing, man. But to me, anyone who thinks we're the only ones here, despite the vastness of the entire universe, is fucking crazy. Those people gotta be put away — not the guys having these contacts!" [laughs]
According to The Pulse Of Radio, former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar thinks his newly-released autobiography, which spills a lot of dirt about his days with the band, will get them riled up enough to make a great record with original frontman David Lee Roth. The group is currently in the studio with Roth for the first time since 1983, but Hagar told MTV Hive, "I heard it's not going so good. This is what I've heard through the grapevine, that they've already fired one producer and Ed [Van Halen] and Dave supposedly can't be in the same room together. If they can't be in the same room together, how can they make a record? I think I'm doing VAN HALEN a favor with my book. It may put a fire under their asses to swallow some pride and make another record for the fans."
Hagar's last album with VAN HALEN was 1996's "Balance", but he says that his relationship with Eddie was already crumbling at the time. "Ed needs somebody to make decisions and a leader, you know," he said. "He's not a natural born leader kind of guy. And his brother [drummer Alex Van Halen] was always the leader before or Roth was the leader before, and when Roth left, his brother and him bumped heads so much, when I walked in it was like, 'Well, what does Sam wanna do?' you know. So it became kind of like, yeah, I was making all the decisions, so then on 'Balance' all of a sudden he didn't like my decisions and it was like really weird."
Hagar and Roth actually toured together some years back, when neither man was involved with VAN HALEN, but Hagar shared his opinion of his VAN HALEN predecessor, saying, "Straight up? He's not a friendly guy. He's not a nice guy at all. And he's no freakin' fun. Here's a guy who makes an image out of being a party animal, getting the babes and having a good time. But on tour, you knock on his dressing room door and he won't come out . . . He is not the guy that I expected him to be. He's just an act. Or maybe he just didn't like me. Maybe I'm too much fun for him. Or maybe I sing too well and it scares him."
Hagar's book, "Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock", arrived in stores last week. Hagar repeats in the book his claim that he was once abducted by aliens.
He has recently started recording the second album from CHICKENFOOT, the supergroup which also features ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Joe Satriani.
VAN HALEN reunited with Roth in 2007 for a massively successful world tour, and announced in January that they were entering the studio to record the first album with Roth on the mic since 1984.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM frontman Eddie Vedder has officially announced that his new solo album, "Ukulele Songs", will arrive on May 31. The long-rumored solo venture will be accompanied by a live solo DVD titled "Water On The Road". The album features a number of songs that Vedder wrote and has been playing live at solo shows for a decade, along with a ukulele version of PEARL JAM's "Can't Keep" and a cover of the EVERLY BROTHERS' "Sleepless Nights" that features guest vocals from FRAMES frontman and "Once" star Glen Hansard.
Another track, "Tonight You Belong To Me", features guest vocals from Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power.
The first single from the album, called "Longing To Belong", became available online on Monday (March 21).
The DVD features Vedder performing PEARL JAM tracks, ukulele songs, covers, and cuts from his 2007 soundtrack to the movie "Into The Wild". It was filmed at two Washington D.C. solo shows on August 16 and August 17, 2008.
Vedder is currently on the road in Australia and may tour again later this year.
PEARL JAM is planning to begin work on its 10th studio album this spring, while March 29 will see reissues of its "Vs." and "Vitalogy" albums. The band also has a documentary and two-day festival of its own coming in early fall.
NEW YORK DOLLS' critically acclaimed fifth studio album, "Dancing Backward in High Heels", sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 9 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
NEW YORK DOLLS' previous album, "Cause I Sez So", opened with 3,900 units back in May 2009 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 159.
"Dancing Backward in High Heels" was released in North America on March 15 via 429 Records and in Europe on March 11 through Global Music. The follow-up to 2009's "Cause I Sez So" was created at Blast Recording Studios in Newcastle, England with producer Jason Hill (LOUIS XIV, THE KILLERS) and features original members David Johansen (vocals) and Sylvain Sylvain (guitar) alongside Brian Delaney (drums), Jason Hill (bass) and Frank Infante (guitar).
"Dancing Backward in High Heels" track listing:
01. Fool For You Baby
02. Streetcake
03. I'm So Fabulous
04. Talk to Me Baby
05. Kids Like You
06. Round And Round She Goes
07. You Don't Have To Cry
08. I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
09. Baby Tell Me What I'm On
10. Funky But Chic
11. End Of The Summer
Rob Cavuoto of Guitar International recently conducted an interview with KROKUS bassist Chris von Rohr. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Guitar International: Why do you think [KROKUS] couldn't really break the U.S., yet you were just as good as any band from that era?
Chris von Rohr: Beside bad management, there were poor decisions by the record company. They had no vision or feel for metal music or metal bands. They bought a metal band because every other label was successful with that kind of sound. The record company we had at the time was more into the Barry Manilow type of artist and didn't know how to promote us, particularly in the states. We preferred to work with Geffen and A&R man John Kalodner. Unfortunately, legal fights stopped that. I agree with you, why weren't we as big as our peers at the time? "Headhunter" was a massive album which went platinum in America. We were right on track but everything after it was a mistake. Our follow-up album should've been in the vein of "Headhunter" and I think it would've really broke us in America and Canada. After that point, every mistake that could've been made was made. There's no way that our record company should've allowed the band to make "Change Of Address",
a "DEF LEPPARD wannabe album." The record label all the way to management killed the band. We almost made it, but somehow lost it all. You live and you learn.
Guitar International: What prevented you from coming to the U.S. to support "Hoodoo"?
Chris von Rohr: Because everyone in the U.S. was in financial trouble at the time. In 1984, you could get your flight and hotels paid for and then get money from the gig. With all the financial issues now, we can't go there to lose money or pay to play. KROKUS is not big where we can make a lot of money off ticket prices or merchandise. It doesn't make sense for us. In Europe we can fill up stadiums and make some money to survive. The only thing that would come close, is to go on tour with three other bands from that era and tour the U.S. We're missing the States. Even though we aren't the biggest of the big now, we still want to come back to the states and make up for the lost time. Hopefully the whole situation in the U.S. gets better soon, because the fans deserve to hear how this band rocks nowadays, there's no old fart bullshit here.
Guitar International: What does the future hold for KROKUS?
Chris von Rohr: To tell you the truth, if you wanna make God laugh, tell him your plans! We wanna make one more great KROKUS album to say goodbye. To do something that ends the legacy with pride and a good feeling. We started that with "Hoodoo" and plan to do one more, which will come out mid or end of 2012. Then a farewell tour to finish off our careers with pride. At the moment, we're just as good as we were in the "Headhunter" days. Marc [Storace, vocals] is hitting the high notes and singing his ass off. The band is tighter than ever and we're still having lots of fun. We want to close with something big and positive. Maybe a great live album and a DVD of all the classics plus some new stuff. Who knows, maybe we can make it in the U.S., because we miss the country that brought us rock 'n' roll, hot babes and coke a cola!
MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil has shot down reports that he has been drinking and driving in the weeks after he served 10 days of a 15-day sentence for DUI.
According to John Katsilometes of Las Vegas Weekly's The Kats Report, Neil's car has been spotted parked prominently at the valet of a couple of the singer's favorite Las Vegas hotels, the Las Vegas Hilton and the Palms, on nights when Neil has been reportedly been seen drinking champagne by guests at both hotels.
"Insinuations of me drinking and driving are completely false," Neil told The Kats Report in a text message. When asked if he was denying that his car was seen at those hotels at the same time he was seen drinking champagne, and if he could see how that would be a concern to anyone worried about his well-being given that he'd just been released from jail for DUI, Neil told The Kats Report via another text message, "Last I heard it is not illegal to have a drink in this city. I am not on probation or under any drug and alcohol rules. I am not required to check in or submit to any type of testing. I did my time and am getting on with my life. If my car is in valet at night, the question is, is it still there in the morning? I am always provided rides home if I want or a room. Do not assume anything. I will not respond any further on this subject. I do not have to defend myself on rumors."
Neil's girlfriend Alicia Jacobs left him last week, less than a month after Neil was released from jail. Jacobs said in a statement, "Due to the decisions Vince continues to make, it is necessary that I end our relationship of seven months. I wish him happiness and good health."
Jacobs, a local TV reporter in Las Vegas, interviewed Neil when he left jail, with the singer saying that driving home drunk was "the wrong thing to do." "I made the mistake of getting behind the wheel after having some cocktails," he said. "It was so easy for me not to do it; I was at a hotel, I had access to limousines, I had access to rooms — I could have just stayed at the Hilton that night, but for some reason I decided to drive home, and that was the wrong thing to do. . . It's not gonna happen again."
Neil pled guilty in Las Vegas Justice Court in January and spent 10 days in jail, followed by another 15 days of house arrest. He also paid a $585 fine and attended DUI school and attended a victim impact panel online.
Neil failed three field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level almost three times the legal limit during his June 27, 2010 Las Vegas arrest.
Neil was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence in 1984 after he caused a car crash that killed his passenger, HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, and seriously injured two people in a second vehicle. He served 30 days in jail and was on probation for five years.
The Great Southern Brainfart recently conducted an interview with KINGDOM COME mainman Lenny Wolf. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
The Great Southern Brainfart: I never thought it was fair that KINGDOM COME got so much backlash for sounding like LED ZEPPELIN. Did the criticism you received sometimes make it hard on you?
Lenny: I was a young man, a singer who hardly spoke English and our band just exploded. We were excited and at first the press celebrated us. I remember [U.K.'s] Kerrang! [magazine] said, "Finally, there's a band like 'the big magic Z!'" and we were all very happy. I must admit that there were some similarities, but in no way did we even get close. Every band, especially young bands, are influenced by somebody and those influences will surface when you start writing your own stuff. In the beginning, we took it as a compliment then all of the sudden some press person overheard Danny [Stag; guitarist] saying, "Who's Jimmy Page?" He was saying it out of context like, "Oh no, not this question again." so he printed that one line: "KINGDOM COME guitarist announces he's never heard of Jimmy Page." This is so far out and ridiculous but the way the media works. The press loves victims. They love kicking you when you on the ground and they'll kick you even more.
That's just the way it is. We also learned that bad press is better than no press and once I realized that, I just ignored it and I didn't care anymore. Fortunately, the music does all the talking and if the music gives you goosebumps and the music moves you than don't worry about it.
The Great Southern Brainfart: I'd much rather have somebody say I sounded like LED ZEPPELIN than some crappy band.
Lenny: [laughs] Exactly! Like I said, we took it as a compliment and were excited. We were playing in London the night before Robert Plant was playing and we went down to see him. He was goofing with us, having fun and he was so relaxed. Robert Plant is like above all. He's really above everything. He was joking with us and it was really great. It really made me sad when I noticed Jimmy Page, who was one of my heroes, starting to whine about little KINGDOM COME who was never really a threat at all. I'm very happy and very grateful that whatever happened happened because I could be driving a truck here in Germany delivering washing machines or whatever so who am I to complain [laughs]?
The Great Southern Brainfart: The classic lineup from the first two albums is the one that most are familiar with. Why did you guys disband after only two albums?
Lenny: I think back on those times now and I wishing things would have started a little bit slower and that we had connected more closely. Bands like AC/DC and AEROSMITH were living together for many years through all the ups and downs and fighting periods. KINGDOM COME never had that. The bonding wasn't as strong. We just hooked up, did a record and all the sudden we were #12 on Billboard and we didn't know what hit us. There was a subconscious pressure all of the sudden which we did not handle very well. I'm sure in many aspects I fucked up too. We were young and things happened too fast. It is what it is and I have no regrets. Sometimes I feel a slower pace would have been healthier than the success and then all of the sudden Seattle came around the corner in the 90's and all the bands from the '70s and '80s were all out of work [laughs].
The Great Southern Brainfart: Is there any chance that KINGDOM COME will ever come over to the states for a tour?
Lenny: That would be wonderful. I'm still emotionally connected to America since I spent 10 years of my life there. It just has to make sense. I don't care about making money but it has to be sensible. We just need to find the right promoter who's willing to take a risk and say "OK" and just get us enough money to take care of travel issues, production and make sure the boys can get something to eat and maybe take a buck or two back home. [laughs] If that can happen, we'll get right on the plane.
Brian Fischer-Giffin of Australia's Loud magazine recently conducted an interview with drummer Igor Cavalera (CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, ex-SEPULTURA). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's sophomore album, "Blunt Force Trauma":
Igor: "Compared to the first one, this one was a lot more fun. Last time we were still rediscovering each other and this time we were a little more used to each other so we really did enjoy it."
On the spontaneity in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's songwriting and recording process:
Igor: "We enjoy each other's company, and out of that fun we have and the joy we have, we try to capture that and use that in our music. We try to put that into some records. We did that on the first one, and we did that on the second one. We recorded two albums as fast as possible which is completely different to anything we did in the past. Out of that raw energy we get from each other, that's something we don't get from other people. With CAVALERA CONSPIRACY we never really practiced anything. We just go into a studio and jam a bunch of stuff, then we pretty much just edit what we come up with into what is now 'Blunt Force Trauma'. Each album we did in a month. No practicing, no writing for months and months."
On his drumming approach on "Blunt Force Trauma":
Igor: "For me, I just wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Drumwise, I wanted it to be very minimal. That was my thing, to have less fills and just straight beats and that was fun, to have that challenge in the back of my mind... less is more. That was a very, very cool challenge. Now we need to learn how to play those songs live. That's another process."
On CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's touring plans:
Igor: "I don't think we'll do more [shows than before]. We did some on the last album, but not as extensive as some other bands. We'll do some shows, but no heavy touring. That's one thing we do with CAVALERA. We do some shows but not too much. We try to keep it special."
On the persistent rumors of a reunion of SEPULTURA's classic lineup, featuring Igor and Max Cavalera (who plays guitar and sings in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY):
Igor: "Me and Max playing together, that's the reunion. Out of all the other people who passed through SEPULTURA, that's what I consider to be the reunion. I don't see why there needs to be other people in on it. I'm more than happy to have what I have right now. I don't need any other kind of reunion."
San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans DEATH ANGEL will release a DVD entitled "A Thrashumentary" in the spring of 2012.
According to a press release, "A Thrashumentary" is a combination live video and documentary, all wrapped up in one thrashing DVD. The footage was directed by Tommy Jones (SOILWORK, KATAKLYSM) and mixed by Chris Clancy of The Studio. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into one of the longest-running thrash acts out of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region known for turning out historic thrash bands such as METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS.
With the band surviving a span of 30 years of activity, and nearly 25 years since the release of the classic album "The Ultra-Violence", now was the time to tell the story. Filmed on the "Relentless Retribution" world tour, the film shows the bands energetic live performance, cut with documentary-style interview footage. "Fly-on-the-wall" filming of the band talking about their career and footage of the band on the road, give the viewer a personal connection to what is known as the mighty DEATH ANGEL.
A special 12-minute trailer for the disc will be shown at this year's Heavy Metal Film Festival, set to take place in Los Angeles from March 31 through April 2, 2011.
"Relentless Retribution", the latest album from DEATH ANGEL, sold 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 10 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The band's previous album, "Killing Season", opened with around 2,300 units back in March 2008. This number was in line with the performance of its predecessor, "The Art of Dying", which registered a first-week sales tally of around 2,100 back in May 2004.
"Relentless Retribution" was released in the U.S. on September 14, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER). The cover artwork was created by Brent Elliot White (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CARNIFEX, WHITECHAPEL).
"Live At The Aragon", the first-ever live experience package from Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON, sold 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 71 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on March 15 via Reprise Records, the set contains a CD and DVD which captures the band's sonic assault recorded and filmed live on October 19, 2009, at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago while touring in support of its critically acclaimed album "Crack The Skye".
"Live At The Aragon" DVD + CD is comprised of "Crack The Skye" performed live in its glorious entirety along with fan favorites from "Blood Mountain" (2006) and "Leviathan" (2004) plus a brutal cover of "The Bit" by MELVINS. A dozen blistering tracks that loudly displays MASTODON's unmatched virtuosic prowess at the apex of their career to date. The DVD program contains a full 78-minute live visual concert experience filmed in Chicago and is a stunning representation of the band captured in their most natural and primal element. The DVD also features a 58-minute "tour film" entitled "Crack the Skye: The Movie", and contains the films which were projected on screen, behind the band in performance. These images were created specifically to illustrate the conceptual thread linking each of the songs on "Crack The Skye" and are exclusive to this package for the very first time giving the fans a brand new way to re-experience "Crack The Skye".
MASTODON will help celebrate Record Store Day, April 16, by releasing two limited-edition vinyl pressings. First will be the version of "Live At The Aragon", pressed onto 180-gram-audiophile-weight vinyl and will also contain the DVD of the live show, plus "Crack the Skye: The Movie". Secondly, an exclusive split seven-inch vinyl single of the ZZ TOP classic "Just Got Paid", with MASTODON's version on one side backed with the original ZZ TOP version on the flip, housed in a clear plastic slipcase. MASTODON's version of the track originally appeared on the album "Covered, A Revolution In Sound", commemorating 50 years of Warner Bros. Records.
"Mastodon: Live At The Aragon" concert track listing:
01. Oblivion
02. Divinations
03. Quintessence
04. The Czar
05. Ghost Of Karelia
06. Crack The Skye
07. The Last Baron
08. Circle of Cysquatch
09. Aqua Dementia
10. Where Strides The Behemoth
11. Mother Puncher
12. The Bit (MELVINS cover)
The "Crack The Skye" performance clip from "Mastodon: Live At The Aragon" can be viewed below (courtesy of Noisecreep.com).
Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach recently entered a Los Angeles studio with his new, young, virtuosic guitarist Nick Sterling and producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, SHINEDOWN, ATREYU, FILTER) to record Bach's next CD, tentatively due this summer via the Italian label Frontiers Records.
In two separate Facebook postings dated March 23, Bach writes, "Recording continues today! We are into the vocals now and everything is sounding great! We are making sure that the CD is energetic, powerful, cool, heavy, melodic, and rocking like a sonofabitch.
"I hate to make comparisons, but I swear the song Nick Sterling is cutting right now is like a cross between RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and THE WHO, with a little BLACK SABBATH thrown in for good measure. Guitar wizardry is underway."
Reini of Austria's Stormbringer.at webzine conducted an interview with guitarist Jeff Loomis of Seattle metallers NEVERMORE when the band played in Vienna, Austria on March 12, 2011 as part of the "Power Of Metal" European tour with SYMPHONY X, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, MERCENARY and THAUROROD. You can now watch the chat below.
NEVERMORE tapped Dagna Barrera to play bass on the "Power Of Metal" tour after the band's regular bassist Jim Sheppard underwent surgery on February 16 to remove a benign brain tumor.
Dagna previously played bass in NEVERMORE singer Warrel Dane's solo project and is also a member of the Seattle-based progressive rock band ONE UNDONE.
When asked how Jim is doing following the operation, Jeff said, "I was talking with him right after he got the surgery. A lot of people don't know, he actually had a brain tumor that was removed from his... you know, head. [laughs] The surgery was very successful and he came out of it with flying colors. So yeah, he's gonna be returning to the band very soon. He just needs time to recover and relax for the time being."
Regarding Dagna's addition to NEVERMORE's touring lineup, Loomis said, "She's really amazing. She's picked up the songs very, very fast. And yeah, I think that was part of it — that she was also playing in Warrel's band, that she decided she would help us out. And we're very fortunate to have her, because she is a friend of ours from Seattle and a great bass player."
On the topic of NEVERMORE's current second guitarist, Hungarian musician Attila Voros, Loomis said, "I think Attila is more of a permanent member of the band now, really, because he's just a perfect fit for the band; he plays all the songs very, very well, so we're very fortunate to have him as well."
He added, "When we lost Chris Broderick to MEGADETH, Attila had found out the news about that, so he started sending videos — these YouTube videos — to us that really showcased his overall playability of the instrument. And I mean, he knew every little nuance of all the NEVERMORE songs, so obviously he spent a lot of time going over all of the stuff. So we're very fortunate to have him, and I think the band has never sounded better; it's really sounding very powerful right now."
Sheppard in 2006 missed a number of NEVERMORE shows after undergoing a minor procedure for Crohn's Disease, a condition he's managed for nearly 20 years. Filling in for Sheppard was longtime friend James MacDonough (ex-MEGADETH, ICED EARTH).
"The Obsidian Conspiracy", the new album from NEVERMORE, sold around 4,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 134 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 1 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
Swedish metallers EVERGREY will embark on a North American headlining tour this fall. Support on the trek will come from SABATON, POWERGLOVE, BLACKGUARD and THE ABSENCE. The tour kicks off with EVERGREY's acoustic set at this year's ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, Georgia on September 14 and runs through October 12 in Dallas, Texas.
The dates are as follows:
Sep. 14 - Atlanta, GA @ The Vinyl (Acoustic Set - Prog Power)
Sep. 15 - Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (Prog Power Kick Off)
Sep. 16 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx*
Sep. 17 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium*
Sep. 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero*
Sep. 20 - New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theater**
Sep. 21 - Montreal, QUE @ Foufounes Electriques**
Sep. 22 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House**
Sep. 23 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's**
Sep. 24 - Detroit, MI @ Blondie's**
Sep. 26 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
Sep. 27 - St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
Sep. 28 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Osbourne Village Inn
Sep. 29 - Regina, SK @ Exchange
Sep. 30 - Edmonton, ALB @ Starlite Room
Oct. 02 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Oct. 03 - Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
Oct. 05 - San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center
Oct. 06 - Hollywood, CA @ The Key Club
Oct. 07 - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
Oct. 08 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
Oct. 09 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Oct. 11 - Houston, TX @ Numbers
Oct. 12 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
* No SABATON or BLACKGUARD
** No BLACKGUARD
Tickets are on sale now through EnterTheVault.com.
Commented EVERGREY frontman Tom Englund: "Finally EVERGREY are touring North America again! We can´t wait to spend some time in the USA and Canada together with our fellow countrymen in SABATON! On top of that we also bring POWERGLOVE and THE ABSENCE, and on some shows BLACKGUARD!"
"Glorious Collision", the new album from EVERGREY, registered the following first-week chart positions;
Sweden: #8
Finland: #36
"Glorious Collision" sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 49 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
EVERGREY's current lineup includes Englund and keyboardist Rikard Zander alongside new members Marcus Jidell (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Johan Niemann (bass).
DOCTOR MIDNIGHT & THE MERCY CULT, the new Scandinavian supergroup featuring former/current members of such acts as TURBONEGRO, MARILYN MANSON, SATYRICON and EXTOL, will release its debut album, "I Declare : Treason", on June 7 (one day earlier internationally) via Season Of Mist. A seven-inch vinyl single, "(Don't) Waste It", will precede the full-length CD on May 9. It will come with a digital download card and a sticker.
The song "(Don't) Waste It" is described in a press release as "a dark, catchy-as-hell rocker with a heavy stomping groove" while the "fast-paced, pumping" "Sacrifice (The Napoleon Iscariot Chant)" appears as an exclusive single B-side.
DOCTOR MIDNIGHT & THE MERCY CULT is:
* Hank von Helvete (real name: Hans Erik Dyvik Husby) (TURBONEGRO) - Vocals
* Tim Skold (MARILYN MANSON, KMFDM, SHOTGUN MESSIAH) - Bass
* Anders Odden (SATYRICON) - Guitar
* David Husvik (EXTOL) - Drums
* Audun Stengel (APOTYGMA BERZERK) – Guitar
Daly City, California-based hard rock act PSYCHOMATIC (formerly ALTER EGO SF) will release its new album, "End The Suffering", on May 24. All drum tracks on CD were played by former DEATH ANGEL drummer Andy Galeon shortly he completed the sessions for his final DEATH ANGEL release, "Killing Season".
Andy has played in various projects throughout the years with PSYCHOMATIC bassist/vocalist Larry Santiago, including BIG SHRIMP and THE INKOS.
Three songs from "End The Suffering" are available for streaming and/or download via the ReverbNation TuneWidget below.
Cleveland, Ohio metallers BREAKER will be joined by guitarist Shaun Vanek (ETERNAL LEGACY, CELLBOUND, MANIMALS) for their appearance at Keep It True XIV festival, set to take place April 29 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. Vanek replaces guitarist Nick Giannakos (WRETCH), who was forced to sit out the show due to work commitments and scheduling conflicts. Giannakos will continue with his band WRETCH, who are busy finishing up recording a new studio album at Noise Floor Studios in Cleveland, with BREAKER guitarist Don Depew producing.
Giannakos had been filling in on live performances for original BREAKER guitarist Michael Klein. Klein, who has appeared on all of the band's studio recordings, was forced to limit his live playing time several years ago due to a severe case of tinnitus.
Vanek made his live debut with BREAKER at the WJCU Radiothon Benefit Concert in Cleveland on February 19.
"I really love jammin' with these guys," says Vanek.
"I have always been a fan of Michael and Don's guitar playing. They both complement each other very well.
"I'm really looking forward to playing Michael's parts. It is key for me to play the solos like Michael because that's the way the fans are used to hearing the studio recordings but add my own energy to the live show. The stage is going to explode!"
Adds drummer Mark Klein, "We're very happy to have Shaun in BREAKER and it feels as though he's been with us for years. It's an ideal fit for us and I feel that our fans will really appreciate his great guitar playing and the energy he brings to the band!"
BREAKER has already been writing and rehearsing new material and will debut one new song for its German fans at the festival.
This will be BREAKER's fourth festival trip to Germany, having performed at Wacken Open Air in 2000, Headbangers Open Air in 2004 and Bang Your Head!!! in 2008. The band continues to maintain a strong following in the European metal underground and has been an anchor of the Auburn Records label since its inception in 1984.
Vanek has performed in Germany with his band ETERNAL LEGACY at the Headbangers Open Air festival in 2007 and the Wacken Open Air festival in 2010.
BREAKER is:
Don Depew – guitar
Mark Klein – drums
Greg Wagner – vocals
Brook Hodges – bass
Shaun Vanek - guitar
PSYCHOMATIC includes in its ranks Jason Behan (guitar; AGENDA OF SWINE), Lance Cockerill (lead guitar; FOGTOWN) and Larry Santiago (bass/vocals), who has engineered numerous underground releases, including BENUMB's 2003 CD "By Means of Upheaval" on Relapse Records, the self-released 2000 SWARM EP, VULGAR PIGEONS' 2001 CD "Summary Execution" on Deathvomit/Necropolis Records, and SEVERED SAVIOR's 2001 release "Force to Bleed" on Disfigured Records.
Bassist Frankie Sparcello of reactivated legendary New Orleans metallers EXHORDER passed away earlier today (Tuesday, March 22). More information will be made available shortly.
EXHORDER played the first concert with its new drummer Seth Davis on December 10, 2010 at The Hangar in the band's hometown. Video footage of the performance can be viewed below.
Seth had been working closely with longtime EXHORDER sticksman Chris Nail in preparation for taking over drum duties for the band's live performances as well as the upcoming recordings.
EXHORDER's lineup for the December 10, 2010 concert was as follows:
Kyle Thomas - Vocals
Vinnie Labella - Guitar
Jay Ceravolo - Guitar
Seth Davis - Drums
Frankie Sparcello - Bass
Poland's Metal Mind Productions re-released the two albums (1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law") from EXHORDER in May 2008. Each limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) was made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.
Legendary New Orleans metallers EXHORDER have released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"On March 22, 2011, Frankie Sparcello, our brother, friend and bassist sadly passed on from us. His sense of humor and gentle soul that touched so many will always be missing from us in our lives and on the stage we are honored to have shared with such a talented musician.
"In situations that were low for us as a band, Frankie usually managed to lift us from the darkness with his silly spirit. His ferocious bass playing and stage presence will always be revered.
"The outreach from family, friends and fans has been amazing for us and the extended EXHORDER family. People are coming from out of the woodworks to lend us their support, love and general kindness.
"Beneath the top layers of we that are known as EXHORDER are real, quality human beings that care deeply for one another and the ones we each call family or friend.
"EXHORDER also extends big arms to Frankie's family, and we consider you exactly that — family.
"Thank you again deeply from the bottom of our heavy hearts.
"Rest well, dear brother. We love you, Frankie."
Sparcello joined EXHORDER prior to the recording sessions for the band's sophomore album, "The Law", which came out in 1992. The group broke up a short time later and reformed with its original lineup a few years later. Sparcello rejoined EXHORDER in 2009 and was scheduled to perform with the band at this year's Maryland Deathfest IX, which is set to take place May 26-29, 2011 at Sonar in Baltimore.
New Orleans sludge metal legends CROWBAR have released the following statement:
"The members of CROWBAR would like to send their deepest condolences to the family, friends, and bandmates of [EXHORDER bassist] Frankie Sparcello. We found out last night of his untimely passing, and are all shocked, and saddened. We've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Frankie on many occasions, and have known him for many, many years. You will be missed brother. R.I.P."
Sparcello passed away yesterday (Tuesday, March 22). No official cause of death has yet been released
Sparcello joined EXHORDER prior to the recording sessions for the band's sophomore album, "The Law", which came out in 1992. The group broke up a short time later and reformed with its original lineup a few years later. Sparcello rejoined EXHORDER in 2009 and was scheduled to perform with the band at this year's Maryland Deathfest IX, which is set to take place May 26-29, 2011 at Sonar in Baltimore.
Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING will embark on a tour of South America in late June/early July. So far the following shows have been confirmed:
June 24 - Lima, Peru - Auditorio Derrama Majesterial
June 26 - La Paz, Bolivia - Teatro 16 de Julio
June 28 - Santiago, Chile - Teatro Caupolican
June 30 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Teatro Colegiales
July 05 - Bogota, Colombia - Teatro Libre
More dates will be announced soon.
THE GATHERING's latest album, "The West Pole", was released in North America on June 2, 2009 via Season of Mist. The CD was issued in most of Europe on May 4, 2009 via the group's own label, Psychonaut Records.
"The West Pole" marks the recording debut of new THE GATHERING singer Silje Wergeland, who was previously in the Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI. It also includes two very talented guest vocalists, Anne van den Hoogen and Marcela Bovio (STREAM OF PASSION), along with other guest musicians.
Singer Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since launched a project called AGUA DE ANNIQUE, which has released three albums so far: "Air" (2007), "Pure Air" (2009) and "In Your Room" (2009).
Sweden's KATATONIA will release special editions of the critically acclaimed albums "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Night Is The New Day" on April 25 to coincide with a series of shows to mark the band's 20th anniversary. The 10th-anniversary edition "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" will be presented in deluxe mediabook packaging, as a two-disc edition containing tracks from the now hard-to-find singles "Teargas" and "Tonight's Music". The reissue of 2009's "Night Is The New Day" will include bonus tracks from the "The Longest Year" EP. Both titles will be presented with newly updated cover artwork courtesy of original artist Travis Smith.
Performances for the 20th-anniversary "Last Fair Day Gone Night Tour 2011" are scheduled for Luxembourg, Germany, Holland, France, England, and Greece, and the band will perform two sets at each show. The first set will see the band play "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" front to back. The second set will consist of a mixed set of carefully picked songs from the band's extensive catalogue.
KATATONIA is offering exclusive VIP ticket packages, limited to only 70 for each concert, which will include a laminated VIP pass exclusive to the show, access to soundcheck, a meet-and-greet with KATATONIA, a t-shirt exclusive to that particular show, a special tour program, and a very special limited-edition vinyl version of "Night Is The New Day", among other exclusive items. All the goods will be included in a specially made KATATONIA messenger bag. The VIP laminate will also allow early access to venues, so that VIPs can get the best seats in the house. In addition, all VIPs will automatically be entered into a draw for a grand prize made available by a selection of the band's equipment endorsers.
The dates are as follows:
May 04 - Kulturfabrik - Luxembourg **
May 05 - Stollwerck - Cologne, Germany**
May 06 - Koko - London, UK (Live DVD recording)**
May 07 - De Kade - Zaandam, Holland**
May 08 - Alhambra - Paris, France**
May 14 - Fuzz Live Music Club - Athens, Greece
** Exclusive VIP packages available for these shows.
The first photo of M.A.N's current lineup — featuring the band's latest addition, guitarist Nils Olsson — can be viewed below.
Nils will make his live debut with M.A.N on April 16 at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg, Sweden.
M.A.N will enter the studio in the fall to record the follow-up to last year's "Massive Audio Nerve". According to the band, "The sound will be fierce, and M.A.N will continue to explore the quarter tone system — an exciting journey!"
M.A.N's "Logocide" video can be viewed below. The clip was filmed the weekend of February 13-14, 2010 at Redbergs Theatre in Gothenburg with director Gabriel Engberg, who also worked with the band on the videos for "Don't Wake Up", "Blood Vanish" and the BOB MARLEY cover "Get Up, Stand Up".
"Logocide" comes off M.A.N's third album, "Massive Audio Nerve", which was released on March 26, 2010 via the German label Tiefdruck Musik. The CD was recorded at Grand Recordings in Gothenburg, Sweden with engineer Svein Jensen and was mixed by Ulrich Wild, who has previously worked with WHITE ZOMBIE, STAIND, STATIC-X, DEFTONES, PANTERA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others. The mastering was handled by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in Encino, California.
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TAROT — the Finnish group led by NIGHTWISH/ex-SINERGY bassist Marco Hietala — will release a re-recorded version of its classic 1986 debut album, "The Spell Of Iron", under the title "The Spell Of Iron MMXI" on May 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band also filmed a video for the new version of its song "Wings Of Darkness", which was originally made available as TAROT's first single in 1986. Check out the clip below.
TAROT's ninth studio album, "Gravity Of Light", entered the official chart in TAROT's home country at position No. 2. This was the highest-ever chart position for the group in Finland.
"Gravity Of Light" was released outside Finland on April 23, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Most of the demo work for "Gravity Of Light" was done in August and September 2009 by Marco Hietala, Zachary Hietala and Janne Tolsa, the main writers of the band. The actual recordings for the album started immediately after that in November 2009. Mixing was done by Janne and Mikko Tegelman and the mastering by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios in January and February 2010.
"Undead Indeed", the latest DVD from TAROT, topped the Music DVD chart in Finland in its first week of release.
The two-DVD and two-CD versions of "Undead Indeed" were made available in Finland on June 11, 2008.
"Undead Indeed" was filmed/recorded on August 17, 2007 at club Rupla in Kuopio, Finland with director Harri Mielonen.
Arizona metal trio HELLEN has released its full-length debut entitled "Sorry For Screaming". The CD is available on Amazon.com, iTunes and a host of other download providers. The physical CD is available through the band's web site.
HELLEN features Mindy DuPonte on drums and vocals, Ryan Abel on guitar, and Andrew Heath on bass.
"Sorry For Screaming" track listing:
01. Intro
02. Let's Set It Off
03. Follow Me
04. Pony
05. There Goes My Head
06. HA HA
07. Belong
08. Slaughterhouse
09. It's Not Worth It
10. Dr Jekyll And Mrs. Fine
11. Bury Me Alive
(plus bonus hidden track)
PAIN, the Swedish industrial metal outfit led by musician and producer Peter Tägtgren, will release its seventh album, "You Only Live Twice", on June 3 via Nuclear Blast Records.
"You Only Live Twice" final track listing:
01. Let Me Out
02. Feed The Demons
03. The Great Pretender
04. You Only Live Twice
05. Dirty Woman
06. We Want More
07. Leave Me Alone
08. Monster
09. Season Of The Reaper
Check out the cover artwork below.
Commented Tägtgren: "I really wanted something 'Nightmare Before Christmas' meets 'Alice In Wonderland' kind of feeling but with our mascot, the Painhead in it. And Heile created that after what I wanted. And he did it in his own way. It really has this kinda Tim Burton feel to it. It will be really crazy with a big backdrop. We also gonna do some inflatable stuff with our Painhead. Its gonna be our Eddie, like IRON MAIDEN has it."
Regarding the album title, Tägtgren previously stated, "[The title] has nothing to do with James Bond. I am sure I will hear this for the rest of my life! The title song is mainly about people struggling.
"Don't you wish you had another chance? Don't you wanna live twice? Like you're always jealous of other people. How good their life is or they won on lotto or anything. It's about jealousy in general towards other people that surrounds you. About not being satisfied with what you have. Trying to create this fantasy world that you can live twice kind of…"
Kaaos TV conducted an interview with Tägtgren on February 18 at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland. When asked how "You Only Live Twice" compares to the group's previous releases, Peter said, "It's definitely got more variety, and it's heavier and darker... I just wanted to pull it a little bit heavier. I don't know why. When you do things sometimes, you don't have a reason; it just feels like it. It's really hard to explain."
The follow-up to 2008's "Cynic Paradise", "You Only Live Twice" was recently described by NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon — who also happens to be the girlfriend of PAIN bassist Johan Husgafvel — as "more aggressive" and "faster" than the band's previous work, with "new elements they haven't used before." She also called the CD "darker" in terms of Peter's lyrical and vocal approach before adding, "One song is more like HYPOCRISY, so if you like that you'll have that one as a favorite."
She continued, "When I first heard the songs I thought it was quite different from the last album and it is. The more I listen to the songs the more I like them and I think it will be a great one! I can see them do their famous headspins live to this album, too."
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Cleveland, Ohio metallers CHIMAIRA have tapped Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, MURDERDOLLS, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) to mix their new album, due in August in North America, South America and Japan via eOne Music. The CD was recorded with producer Ben Schigel, who has previously worked with DROWNING POOL and WALLS OF JERICHO, among others.
Bassist Jim LaMarca left CHIMAIRA last year in order to focus on family life. He has been temporarily replaced by DAATH guitarist Emil Werstler.
CHIMAIRA released a DVD/CD set, "Coming Alive", on July 20, 2010 via Ferret Music.
CHIMAIRA recently released its cover version of THE TROGGS' hit song "Wild Thing" as a tribute to actor Charlie Sheen.
Sheen's iconic Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn character was featured in "Major League", the 1989 American satire comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward.
T.R.A.M., the new band featuring Adrian Terrazas (THE MARS VOLTA) on saxophone, flute, bass clarinet and percussion, Javier Reyes (ANIMALS AS LEADERS) on guitar, Tosin Abasi (ANIMALS AS LEADERS) on guitar and Eric Moore (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums, will release its debut album, "Lingua Franca", in May through Sumerian Records.
According to a press release, T.R.A.M. is "a group of likeminded individuals that are naturally gifted and the collaboration of their unique talents results in something truly amazing."
Commented Terrazas: "Tosin Abasi and I were originally introduced by a mutual friend, Raanen Bozzio, last summer. This meeting also served as my first introduction to ANIMALS AS LEADERS and Javier Reyes. Since then, Abasi, Reyes and I have developed a great relationship. We got together almost every day to try out ideas and after a month we had already formulated a majority of the record. At this point we contacted Eric Moore, an incredible drummer and the most joyful person to be around, and soon everything we had envisioned rhythmically came together on our first meeting/recording session (at the Farias productions studios) on what is now T.R.A.M."
He added, "I never know how people will respond to our music, I just never know! My goal is to try to instill a strong feeling or energy in people and I feel that collectively we achieved this goal tenfold with this new project. We all have a great enthusiasm and desire to perform this material live and see this band further develop. We look forward to hearing what you all think of it."
T.R.A.M. made its live debut on March 17 as part of the WSOU 89.5 FM showcase at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
The reactivated EXHUMED has announced its first North American headlining tour in six years. The trek, in support of the band's brand new full-length album, "All Guts, No Glory", will also include Relapse labelmates CEPHALIC CARNAGE and special guests MACABRE and WITHERED. The three-week tour will kick off on July 17 and include a performance at the Central Illinois Metalfest.
With CEPHALIC CARNAGE:
Jul. 17 - San Diego, CA - Ruby Room
Jul. 18 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
Jul. 19 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
Jul. 20 - Denver, CO - The Marquis Theatre
Jul. 21 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock
Jul. 22 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
Jul. 23 - Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club (as part of Central Illinois Metalfest)
With MACABRE, CEPHALIC CARNAGE, WITHERED:
Jul. 25 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Bar
Jul. 26 - St Paul, MN - Station 4
Jul. 27 - Winnipeg, MB - The Royal Albert Arms
Jul. 28 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
Jul. 29 - Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop
Jul. 30 - Calgary, AB - The Distillery
Jul. 31 - Kelowna, BC - Sapphire Nightclub
Aug. 01 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
Aug. 02 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
Aug. 03 - Portland, OR - Branx
Aug. 04 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Aug. 05 - Sparks, NV - The Alley
Aug. 06 - Las Vegas, NV - The Cheyenne Saloon
Aug. 07 - Hollywood, CA - Key Club
The follow-up to 2003's "Anatomy Is Destiny", "All Guts, No Glory" was recorded at Arcane Digital Recordings in Arizona with engineer Ryan Butler (MISERY INDEX) and at Trench Studios with John Haddad (ABYSMAL DAWN, INTRONAUT). It was mixed and mastered at Mana Recording Studios by Brian Elliott (GRAVES OF VALOR). A July 5 North American release via Relapse Records is expected.
"All Guts, No Glory" track listing:
01. All Guts, No Glory
02. As Hammer To Anvil
03. Your Funeral, My Feast
04. Through Cadaver Eyes
05. Death Knell
06. Distorted And Twisted To Form
07. I Rot Within
08. Dis-assembly Line
09. Necrotized
10. Funereality
11. So Let it Be Rotten…So Let it Be Done
The album will also be available on deluxe, saw-blade shaped vinyl and as a limited-edition two-disc set. Additional release information will be posted shortly.
EXHUMED will join technical metal pioneers ATHEIST for a run of European tour dates this spring. The tour, EXHUMED's first in support of "All Guts, No Glory", will kick off on April 22 with a performance at the Inferno festival in Oslo, Norway and also includes a stop at the Neurotic Deathfest in Tilburg on April 29.
Dutch symphonic black metal act CARACH ANGREN has issued the following update:
"After some very hard work, we can finally reveal a piece of what we have been doing.
"Because of the enormous fan requests, we decided to re-record three older songs! You can now listen to the first one, 'Ethereal Veiled Existence 2011', which was the title track on our 2005 release.
"The re-recordings, mixing and mastering were done by Rob Fox and CARACH ANGREN.
"We have uploaded a brand new teaser featuring samples of all the re-recorded demo songs! These songs will be made available for download in the coming weeks so get in there and try to discover the titles..
"The video was edited by Rob Fox and features footage from the latest recordings, our European tour in 2010 and a special surprise at the end. The footage is presented in the same style which you encounter in all our video material so far; dark...metal... and highly enjoyable!"
Following a wildly success European tour, MORTIIS will once again team up with COMBICHRIST for another round of dates in the U.K. this summer.
"We haven't played the UK in a while. It feels great to finally be able to get back over there and meet some old friends and hopefully gain some new ones," said band namesake Mortiis. "The European tour with COMBICHRIST was a blast so we know this one will be, too."
The MORTIIS/COMBICHRIST European tour took the two groups on a two month-long trek all throughout the continent. During the tour, MORTIIS offered fans a preview of the band's newest material, which is starkly heavier and more aggressive than past offerings.
Prior to the European tour, MORTIIS was focused preparing their latest releases, the upcoming full-length "The Great Deceiver" and "Perfectly Defect", a free digital download unveiled October 10 at www.mortiis.com.
U.K. dates for MORTIIS and COMBICHRIST:
June 28 - Southampton, UK @ Talking Heads
June 29 - Leamington Spa, UK @ The Assembly
June 30 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
July 01 - Glasgow, UK @ The Classic Grand
July 02 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
July 03 - London, UK @ Koko
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