AC/DC's "Live At River Plate", the definitive live concert DVD documenting AC/DC's massive "Black Ice" world tour, has debuted as the No. 1-selling music DVD on charts in 17 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden, New Zealand, Austria, Chile, Hungary, Finland and Italy.
In the U.S., "Live At River Plate" sold 19,000 copies in its first week of release.
AC/DC experienced similar chart success with the release of its last studio album, "Black Ice", which dominated sales charts in 31 countries around the globe.
Shot in December 2009, "Live At River Plate" marks AC/DC's triumphant return to Buenos Aires where nearly 200,000 fans, over three sold-out shows, welcomed the band back after a 13-year absence from Argentina. This stunning live footage of AC/DC underscores what Argentina's Pagina 12 newspaper reported by saying "no one is on the same level when it comes to pure and clear rock 'n' roll." Directed by David Mallet and produced by Rocky Oldham, "Live At River Plate" was shot with 32 cameras entirely in HD. The set features 19 songs (110 minutes) as well as behind-the-scenes footage of this massive production coming together among the excitement of anxious fans (see below for full track listing).
AC/DC "Live At River Plate" is available on DVD, Blu-ray and limited-edition collector's edition with exclusive t-shirt. Additionally the DVD contains a bonus feature titled "The Fan, The Roadie, The Guitar Tech & The Meat," containing interviews with AC/DC, their crew and fans among the excitement of the shows and the city of Buenos Aires.
AC/DC "Live At River Plate" track listing:
01. Rock N Roll Train
02. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
03. Back In Black
04. Big Jack
05. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
06. Shot Down In Flames
07. Thunderstruck
08. Black Ice
09. The Jack
10. Hells Bells
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. War Machine
13. Dog Eat Dog
14. You Shook Me All Night Long
15. T.N.T.
16. Whole Lotta Rosie
17. Let There Be Rock
18. Highway To Hell
19. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
Bonus features:
* The Fan, The Roadie, The Guitar Tech & The Meat
* AC/DC Tour Animation
Check out another trailer below.
According to OnSight.co.uk, after workflow planning for the three-day, 20-camera shoot, it was up to On Sight to make sure everything went smoothly. Axis Films took care of all HD cameras (including 15 REDs) as well as the production equipment. Axis Films also supplied DITs to manage all of the digital rushes produced during the three sold-out shows.
The seamless production was completed by the HD Lab who provided conform, online, mastering and deliverable services for Serpent Productions, who regularly work with some of the world's best-known artists.
Footage from AC/DC's Buenos Aires concerts was previously used in the video for the band's classic album cut "Shoot To Thrill", which served as the first single from AC/DC's "Iron Man 2" soundtrack (featuring catalog material from the mid-1970s onwards). The video also incorporated exclusive footage from "Iron Man 2".
The Buenos Aires concerts were part of AC/DC's highly acclaimed "Black Ice World Tour", the second-highest-grossing world tour of 2009, according to concert industry trade publication Pollstar.
Steven Adler's (ADLER'S APPETITE, GUNS N' ROSES) previously announced press conference and book signing, which was supposed to take place on May 17 at Hollywood Soundcheck in Hollywood, California, has been pushed back to July 16, the day of ADLER'S APPETITE's performance at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard. Adler is expected to announce details of "a big television show and major record deal" for ADLER'S APPETITE.
ADLER'S APPETITE bassist Chip Z'Nuff (bass; also of ENUFF Z'NUFF) told Gerry Gittelson of Patch in a new interview that ADLER'S APPETITE has inked a "massive deal" with an as-yet-undisclosed record company. "We just signed a new deal with this label — I can't mention the label's name right now, but it's a massive deal," Chip said. "Especially for me, being [that] in the early days of ENUFF'ZNUFF we signed with Atco/Atlantic, and then Clive Davis signed us over at Arista, we worked our way through Spitfire and Mayhem and all the different labels, even released a couple of records on Sony."
ADLER'S APPETITE has officially recruited singer Patrick Stone (ACES 'N' EIGHTS) and guitarist Lonnie Paul following the recent departures of Rick Stitch and Alex Grossi.
Stitch announced in March that he was leaving ADLER'S APPETITE in order to concentrate on his Los Angeles-based original project LADYJACK.
Stitch's LADYJACK bandmate Robo (guitar), who was filling in for ADLER'S APPETITE guitarist Alex Grossi on the latter group's most recent European tour, will not be continuing with Adler's outfit.
Grossi recently left ADLER'S APPETITE in order to focus on his work with the resurrected QUIET RIOT.
According to JonLord.org, former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord is working on the definitive studio recording of "Concerto For Group And Orchestra", originally composed and first performed in 1969. The "Concerto" was recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 and again in 1999, but has never been recorded in a studio environment.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Paul Mann are confirmed for the new recording which will be completed later this year.
Jon has had plenty of opportunities to listen to and adjust the Concerto score.
"Over these last years since leaving DEEP PURPLE, I've played it over 30 times with different orchestras and conductors all over the world, and, of course, in 2000 I did it well over 30 times with PURPLE on the Concerto Tour, so I've been honing the piece live on stage, and I've had the opportunity to change things in the score that weren't sounding quite right," he said. "It is therefore a marvelous and exciting prospect to have the definitive recording of the definitive version of the score."
"I'm thrilled to have the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on board. I have immensely enjoyed working with them on several occasions since recording Durham Concerto with them in 2007. They are a wonderful group of players, and with Paul Mann conducting — a dear friend and a man who knows the score inside out — there couldn't be a better conductor and orchestra for this studio recording of the Concerto, says Jon.
Contrary to ill-informed rumors on other web sites, no other DEEP PURPLE members — current or former — are involved in the recording. The musicians who are involved will be announced in due course.
Ozzy Osbourne's keyboardist (and son of YES keyboard legend Rick Wakeman) Adam Wakeman has sent the following note to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"If anyone is interested, I am starting a radio show on Total Rock radio in London on Saturday, June 4, and then every first Saturday in the month until further notice. No sticking to playlists and I'll be joined by a different member of my band HEADSPACE each show and playing some of the best rock, metal and prog over the last 30 years (and also a track each show from our HEADSPACE debut album, out in January 2012 [and] currently being mixed by Jens Borgen in Sweden)."
Born March 11, 1974 into a musical family, Adam started playing classical piano at the age of 8. By 17, he had obtained grade 8 from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and had recorded the first, of what was to become eight albums with father Rick Wakeman.
Much of the early touring history was with his father Rick and encompassed the U.K., Europe, Russia, South America, the U.S., and Canada varying from the two of them sitting at grand pianos to full scale rock performances with orchestra and choir.
At 24 years of age, Adam won the "Best New Talent" award in America's Keyboard magazine, which saw the beginning of his involvement on the London session scene.
As a highly sought after keyboard player and musical director, Adam's career has seen him tour, write and record with some of the biggest-selling artists in the recording industry. Currently, he is in his eighth year as member of Ozzy Osbourne's band on keyboards and guitar, also having co-written five tracks on the 2010 Grammy-nominated album "Scream".
Seattle progressive rockers QUEENSRŸCHE will release a new single, "Get Started", on June 5. The track will be made available digitally on all the usual platforms.
Audio samples of all tracks that will appear on "Dedicated To Chaos", the twelfth studio album from QUEENSRŸCHE, are available for streaming at Amazon.com.
"Dedicated To Chaos" will be released on June 28 in North America via Loud & Proud Records, a Roadrunner Records imprint focusing on established artists. The band is preparing to embark on a tour in support of the new opus, which was recorded in the group's hometown and produced by Kelly Gray.
"Dedicated To Chaos" track listing:
01. Get Started
02. Hot Spot Junkie
03. Got It Bad
04. Around The World
05. Higher
06. Retail Therapy
07. At The Edge
08. Broken
09. Hard Times
10. Drive
11. I Believe
12. Luvnu
13. Wot We Do
14. I Take You
15. The Lie
16. Big Noize
Check out the CD cover artwork below.
When asked about the overall musical direction of the material on "Dedicated To Chaos", QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate recently told Paul Anthony of U.K.'s Rock Radio, "It's kind of like an 'Empire' record set 25 years in the future. [Laughs] It's a very listenable record, I think. I think people will find it interesting to listen to on headphones, especially. There's a lot going on with it. And there's definitely an emphasis on the rhythm section. Eddie [Jackson, bass] and Scott [Rockenfield, drums] have written a lot of the songs on this particular record, so it really showcases what they do, which is something very special."
He added, "This record is definitely a boundary-pusher in a lot of respects, I think. It's always difficult to describe music; it's better to experience it. So I'll let people hear it and make up their own minds."
QUEENSRŸCHE will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Wednesday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with QUEENSRŸCHE by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625).
After having had such a fun experience the first time around in 2003, drummer Mike Portnoy (ex-DREAM THEATER), guitarist Paul Gilbert (RACER X, MR. BIG) and guitarist/keyboardist Neal Morse (ex-SPOCK'S BEARD) reunited as YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD in February 2011 to once again pay tribute to their greatest influence of all: THE BEATLES.
Due to a scheduling conflict (and further fueling the "Paul is dead" rumors), original YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD bassist Matt Bissonette was unable to join the band this time and was replaced by UTOPIA legend Kasim Sulton.
YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD's February 28, 2011 concert at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City is now available as a two-CD and DVD set from MikePortnoy.com (CD, DVD).
"One More Night In New York City" track listing (CD and DVD):
Side 1:
01. Intro
02. Back In The USSR
03. I Got A Feeling
04. And Your Bird Can Sing
05. Day Tripper
06. Getting Better
07. Taxman
08. It Won't Be Long
09. You Really Got A Hold On Me
10. Lady Madonna
11. We Can Work It Out
12. I'm A Loser
13. I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
14. Penny Lane
15. The Fool On The Hill
16. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
17. Things We Said Today
18. If I Needed Someone
19. It's Only Love
20. Request Time/Too Many People
Side 2:
01. She's A Woman
02. The Word
03. Any Time At All
04. Paperback Writer
05. Don't Let Me Down
06. I'm So Tired
07. Savoy Truffle
08. Glass Onion
09. Yer Blues
10. Helter Skelter
11. Flying
12. Because
13. You Never Give Me Your Money
14. Sun King
15. Mean Mr. Mustard
16. Her Majesty
17. Polythene Pam
18. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
19. Golden Slumbers
20. Carry That Weight
21. The End
DVD Bonus Features:
* Interview with Mike Portnoy and Paul Gilbert
* Rehearsal footage
YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD in 2005 issued a live DVD entitled "One Night in New York City". Recorded live at New York's B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on May 18, 2003, the set saw YELLOW MATTER CUSTARD performing some well-known BEATLES songs such as "Nowhere Man" and "Revolution", as well as more obscure tunes like "I Call Your Name", "Think For Yourself" and even a hilarious rendition of the "Let it Be" b-side "You Know My Name".
A New York millionaire business owner was found guilty by a federal jury Monday on charges of orchestrating two slayings connected to an armored van heist and a subsequent attempt to cover up the robbery.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on two charges in connection with the 2003 murder of Vincent Gargiulo, the brother-in-law of TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider.
Gargiulo was shot in the head in August 2003 at Broadway and West 30th Street. Gargiulo, of Sunnyside, had been a longtime friend and business partner in gymnasiums with Christian Tarantino, 42, with whom he had a falling out over the gym business.
Tarantino will face a retrial on the Gargiulo charges in August.
Snider, on behalf of his wife Suzette (Vinny Gargiulo's sister) as well as the entire Gargiulo and Snider families, has released the following statement regarding the announcement of the verdict in the trial of the man who allegedly ordered Mr. Gargiulo's killing.
"We are grateful to finally have some kind of legal closure to these crimes, but that does not change the fact we have lost a son, a brother, an uncle and most of all a beloved friend.
"Vinny believed Chris Tarantino to be a bad person who needed to be stopped; so much so he gave his life to do just that.
"We would like to thank all the federal, state and local authorities who worked so tirelessly these past six years, particularly D.A. Jim Miskiewicz and his great team, federal agent Robert Shellhorn, NYPD detective Eric Brzostek, as well as retired Nassau County detectives Jack Kennedy and Anthony Zacaressi. Their commitment to gaining a measure of justice for the victims in this case was inspiring.
"Vinny, we all love you and miss you."
Drummer Freddy Steady has left Swiss hard rock veterans KROKUS. Guitarist Fernando Von Arb stated, "The split was not of personal nature but solely a professional decision. Freddy concluded that he really wanted to play music just for fun in small clubs rather than conquering the world, playing arenas on huge stages with pyro props, etc."
He added, "KROKUS was always known to play large venues worldwide. When we get together, compose new songs and play them live we always think big — with a vision on an international level. That sets us apart from many other Swiss bands. Our albums are sold worldwide; then and now."
When asked if this is the end of KROKUS, vocalist Marc Storace said, "We surely did not reunite in 2008 and carefully planned our comeback just to stop now! We enjoyed three extremely successful and productive years with exciting live shows and our new platinum CD, 'Hoodoo'. This isn't the beginning of the end for the rest of us. We have so much more planned for the future. We are in charge of our destiny and we will decide when the final curtain call will come. It will be with a big bang and fireworks. But that's years away from now!"
On the topic of KROKUS' plans for the immediate future, Storace said, "We just started with the songwriting for our next album and as a creative balance some of us allow ourselves some time on our own to pursue other interests. Chris Von Rohr is writing another book and moderates in Switzerland a new TV show called 'Tonspur', Fernando Von Arb plays for fun some gigs with his cover band and I am part of 'Rock Circus' that tours across Switzerland. However, for all of us KROKUS always will be top priority!"
Regarding what KROKUS is seeking in a possible replacement for Steady, bassist Chris Von Rohr said, "With our three-chord music style, three things are of utmost importance: groove, drive and push/thrust forward. Like AC/DC, we are one of the few bands that deliver meticulously this alleged simple but never uninteresting brand of music. We definitely are not looking for a metal drummer. The whole groove has to do with feeling, kick and routine. For sure it has to be a top-notch professional that has the ability to give us rock druids a kick in the ass and a run for the money. An aggressor in a musical way."
On what else is driving force to push KROKUS even more forward:
Chris Von Rohr: "The constant search for the even better song than anyone before, the better album than any previous one and the hottest live-set – that's what pushes us continuously forward."
On whether KROKUS is contemplating retirement as the band approaches its 40th anniversary:
Storace: To the contrary, we're just getting warmed up! We can promise this to our fan base worldwide: When KROKUS announce the final countdown, it will be with fireworks and power music."
Chris Von Rohr: Only the Gods of rock and health know when that will be. We are full of energy and have a massive desire to rock and we will do this again very soon!"
Marc Storace: We have various offers to play international festivals. Almost certain is a gig at the biggest Japanese rock festival with OZZY OSBOURNE and METALLICA. Regardless of the possible nuclear threats, we'll fly there. We are highly motivated. After all, we are one of the few Swiss rock bands that really deliver on the international market!"
Chris Von Rohr: We want to finish the possibly last round with power, pride and gratification. That has nothing to do with money or anything else. Simply joy to play our style of music and the feeling we get at live shows when we pull the trigger — long stick goes boom!!!"
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme has confirmed that the band's long-awaited sixth studio album will be completed by the end of the year.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1 in London, Homme said, "We're going to take our one last break that we would get for a month, come back and do Glastonbury, then immediately jump in the studio. Our record will be done by the end of the year. We have enough songs."
Homme didn't offer any clues as to the direction of the new album, but revealed that "We're at a weird moment where we really don't feel like we have anything to prove. We just want to play to the people that are into us and we want to play right at them."
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE is commemorating the recent reissue of its classic 1998 debut with a limited series of intimate shows at which the band is playing the record in its entirety, plus B-sides and other rarities and hits from the early QUEENS catalogue up to the present.
"I'm not gonna lie: I'm sick of doing the first record," Homme admitted. "We've never played the same setlist before. But then we're playing really deep cuts [after the album performance] because it just it feels like a special night. We're playing really small places."
QUEENS guitarist Dean Fertita had previously said about the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2007's "Era Vulgaris", "We've got so many ideas started already; I guess we'll see what turns out to be everybody's favorite. It's very much still Homme's band, but I think all of us really feel like we've found our space in it and can contribute to it as well."
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON are currently in the studio recording the follow-up to their acclaimed concept album "Crack The Skye", one of the most critically lauded records of the past decade. The band is tracking the new CD at Doppler Studios in Atlanta with producer Mike Elizondo. Drum tracks were previously completed in Los Angeles at the legendary Sound City Studios where NIRVANA's masterwork "Nevermind" was recorded. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Blasteroids" and "All The Heavy Lifting".
In a recent interview with AOL's Noisecreep, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor stated about the band's new material, "It doesn't seem as proggy. There's moments, but it seems more riff-oriented. It seems a little more stripped down. [2004's] 'Leviathan' was a little more stripped down, and it feels like that to me. Everything always changes once you go in the studio, but at the moment it seems like a really super-heavy LED ZEPPELIN or something. It has a lot of that [John] Bonham-esque groove to it, but really heavy and dark. I really like playing like that, and when it goes into those parts, I'm psyched."
When asked if guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds is once again responsible for most of the initial songwriting on the new CD, Dailor replied, "I think it's a little more collaborative, with everyone chipping in. Brent has a lot of great stuff. [Guitarist] Bill [Kelliher]'s got a lot of cool riffs, too. There are so many, it's hard to know which ones we're gonna use. But we go in and jam all the time and record stuff. Then we sort it out later."
Immediately following its current recording sessions in Atlanta, MASTODON will head to Europe for a summer-long tour that includes all dates on this year's Sonisphere festival as well as the Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Roskilde festivals and more. The band will also play a one-off show at The Gorge in Seattle on July 30 with SOUNDGARDEN, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE , and MEAT PUPPETS.
According to TMZ.com, former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent was arrested today on charges of aggravated assault. Vincent (real name Vinnie Cusano) was busted by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department in Tennessee and held on $10,000 bond. He posted bail and was released at 11:27 a.m.
Vincent replaced lead guitarist Ace Frehley in 1982 and played with KISS for two years. He left the group on bad terms, and later claimed KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley owed him royalties for his work on KISS' 1983 album "Lick It Up", according to the Courthouse News Service. However, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled against him and awarded the KISS defendants about $66,400 in attorney's fees and $15,400 in costs.
Last June, Vincent lost his 6th Circuit appeal of an order barring him from seeking bankruptcy protection from paying more than $81,000 to his former bandmates.
In January, Vincent, in association with Guitarmageddon Guitars, unveiled the official Vinnie Vincent model guitar at the NAMM convention.
Amy Harris of CityBeat.com recently conducted an interview with DISTURBED bassist John Moyer. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
CityBeat.com: You have been together for ten years and have five albums and are always on the road, you fall into the workaholic category to me.
John: We are definitely workaholics. We have five albums in ten years and the band has been together longer than that. Let's call it eleven years. Think about that — five albums in eleven years, that means every two years, roughly, we are putting out a new record. Well, what happens between those two years, we have to tour a record. We tour for a year on a record. And that only leaves only a year between touring and releasing a new record where we have to write a whole new body of material, get in the studio, record it, master it, and promote it, and get it out again and then get our wheels running for another tour.
CityBeat.com: It seemed really aggressive compared to a lot of the bands that I talk to. One of the questions I have for you is do you have any down time and in your down time, what do you do?
John: We don't have a lot of down time. In fact, increasingly what has to happen is, three of us are married with kids. David [Draiman], our singer, is engaged to be married.
CityBeat.com: He is. That's scary. I'm wondering if the writing will change if he's in a happy relationship.
John: That's an interesting point, but David, I don't think that will ever change for him. He's always going to be in touch with that angry side of him. It's just how he is. His therapy is writing lyrics like that. And to tell you the truth, no matter how happy a relationship is, being married and doing what we do as musicians, being on the road a lot is very stressful to a relationship. It's stressful on our lives, too. And I was about to say, we don't have a lot of down time so we have to incorporate a lot of what would normally be our down time with our work schedule. So we try to bring the families out as much as possible. When I am home, it's all family time for me, I don't have much time to do much else. Sometimes, if we are off for a couple weeks, I might go out and see a show or try to do something else. I'm a big homebody when I am home. Because when we are out, every day we are out. Every day we live being out. When I am home I like to be a
homebody and I just basically curl up with the family and do family stuff. As far as the other side of it, everybody has a right to happiness, including David. I don't think that's going to change his lyrical approach. In fact it might make it more vicious, you never know.
CityBeat.com: You guys are coming through this summer, you guys are coming on [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem fest in the next tour for the summer. You are going to be with MEGADETH and Dave Mustaine. I know they have to be huge influences to you guys.
John: I'm a big MEGADETH fan. It's awesome. We know Dave Ellefson very well and I've met Dave Mustaine a number of times over the years and he's a great guy. I'm super-excited about it. Not to date myself or to date MEGADETH, but I was in high school watching them in the arenas and listening to their records saying to myself, "Man, wouldn't it be great one of these days to be up on a stage like that to be able to rock out like they're doing." They've been around a long time. I got into them around the "Rust In Peace" era and they had already had four or five records before that. It's dangerous. And that's what's great about hard rock and heavy metal is that the music belongs to the fans. That's why the fans are so committed, and it's not just DISTURBED fans, and you mentioned this earlier that we have rabid fans, but I think that fans of hard rock and heavy metal in general are very dedicated because it is music that belongs to them. They like it because
it sounds good not because People magazine rated it five stars. It's the bastard child of the music industry. Nobody really acknowledges it. There's like one category on the Grammys for it. There's no real industry because the more popular side of media does not embrace it. But it exists, and it thrives, and it's powerful. The biggest festivals are rock and metal festivals and it's because the fans connect to the music. You can't deny it. When you get into it at a young age, it's like dangerous music you hide from your parents because it belongs to you and you know it's powerful.
Denise Britt of Sonic Shocks recently conducted an interview with vocalist Derrick Green of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Sonic Shocks: What are your religious views?
Derrick: I think there is a connection that is missing between nature and people. We're connected. People cannot live without nature. And I feel this is something that is a very powerful inner phase, indisputable and very realistic. And it's in a sense a God in itself, this planet, it's something beautiful and very powerful and gives so much nourishment to its people and everything around us and I feel to be connected with that is something that we need to re-learn. So for me, my religion is this planet and having that connection and trying my best to learn to deal with it.
Sonic Shocks: So, how excited are you about the new album "Kairos" that is about to come out??
Derrick: Yes! It will be released June 24th in Europe and July 12th in North America. "Kairos" is a Greek meaning for a time between times. There's chronological time that we use every day, like noon or 9 o'clock, which is actually coming from Chronos, the idea of time. So the time between times is like a time of the Gods, so to speak. And so when miraculous things occur within a group of people, it's a good example of a moment where you say, "Wow! It changed history or it changed the outcome of something." And these moments, these "kairos" moments, are constantly happening throughout history and throughout our lives. This is something that is happening throughout the history of SEPULTURA, these certain moments that if we didn't do "that," we wouldn't be here today. Or if we didn't make "that" choice or lived "that" moment without planning it, we wouldn't be where we are today. Say a moment like "Ah, I have an idea to do this song." If we didn't write
that song, put all these points connecting that never would have happened. Living that moment, that is what I love about it.
Sonic Shocks: How would you address these rumors going around about a SEPULTURA reunion with Max?
Derrick: That's all they are, rumors. I mean nobody has contact with him or anyone in his band. And he's doing his own thing. The reunion, I think, is with his brother [Igor, former SEPULTURA and current CAVALERA CONSPIRACY drummer]. I'm happy to see Igor with his family again. It was 10 years that they didn't speak. I think for the people that really wanted the reunion, there it is. They can go see them and check that out and be happy because I know that we are happy in what we're doing and we keep pushing forward and we keep doing what we love to do and we're always going to represent SEPULTURA in a positive manner because it's truly what we believe in. Those guys are going to do what they're going to do and the best of luck to them. But there's definitely nothing like that happening as far as the reunion; it's just really something far away from any of our ideas because we're really content.
Twan Fleuren, former bassist for Dutch thrashers LEGION OF THE DAMNED, has committed suicide, according to a posting on the band's official web site.
Twan joined the pre-LEGION OF THE DAMNED band OCCULT in 1998 in time for the group's European tour with MORBID ANGEL, AMON AMARTH and GORGOROTH. After the recording of OCCULT's "Rage To Revenge" in 2001 and two great tours with DARK FUNERAL (in 2001) and EXODUS, NUCLEAR ASSAULT and AGENT STEEL (in 2003), Twan Fleuren was involved in the recording sessions for the "Elegy For The Weak" album in 2003 (re-released in 2007 under the title "Feel The Blade") and the making of "Malevolent Rapture" in 2004 (released in 2006). Twan Fleuren was also part of the first LEGION OF THE DAMNED tour that took place in 2006 with KATAKLYSM and CANNIBAL CORPSE. However, Twan left the band halfway through the tour because his then-newborn son was hospitalized. It was eventually decided that it would be better for Twan to exit the group permanently and focus on family life. He was replaced in 2006 by Harold Gielen.
Commented LEGION OF THE DAMNED vocalist Maurice Swinkels: "Twan has been a great friend and we lost contact for several years because he was in some difficult times. Only a few weeks back we were all back in contact again and it felt like these great old times were about to return. Even Erik [Fleuren, drums] and me joined him on a terrace for a beer or two a few weeks ago. He even wanted to join us to With Full Force [festival] in July, where I was really looking forward to. He even showed a lot of interest in our new guitar player and the departure of Richard Ebisch.
"The bad news that came in today struck as a bomb not for me only personally but also for the band LEGION OF THE DAMNED.
"Of course we wish his family and kids all the strength they need in this process.
"We will miss you, brother, and, of course, all of the upcoming LEGION OF THE DAMNED shows will be dedicated in his name!"
Added drummer Erik Fleuren: "We knew that Twan had to face some extreme difficult times, but we certainly did not expect this. He was about to join us at some upcoming festivals and we were really looking forward to that. Maurice and I are happy that we still had a nice chat and drink with him at a terrace not so long ago after a really long time of not seeing each other."
Stated Andy Siry of LEGION OF THE DAMNED's management company, Boomer Entertainment: "When Maurice informed me this afternoon that Twan commited suicide, I was totally shocked and speechless.
"I remember when I met Twan at the first LEGION OF THE DAMNED tour in 2006 (with CANNIBAL CORPSE, KATAKLYSM). Twan was a very kind and nice man and a good bass player. Our 'beer talks' were always funny.
"Twan made the decision to leave the band during this tour to take care of his wife and his two kids … and now this terrible news … and the big open question is, of course, why???
"What moves through us is a silence, a quiet sadness, a longing for one more day, one more word, one more touch, we cannot understand why Twan left this earth so soon, but little by little, we will begin to remember not just that Twan died, but that he lived. And that his life gave us memories too beautiful to forget.
"Twan will always stay a member of the LEGION OF THE DAMNED!"
After its wildly successful inaugural run, the highly anticipated Carnival Of Madness tour returns this summer! Joining the Carnival will be THEORY OF A DEADMAN, ALTER BRIDGE, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ADELITAS WAY and EMPHATIC.
Sponsored by Monster Energy Drink, the Carnival Of Madness tour will tear through North America for 25-plus dates set to launch August 13 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
VIP ticket pre-sales for the first 15 events will be available for those belonging to THEORY OF A DEADMAN's Deadfan Club beginning Tuesday, May 31, followed by those signed up for the Carnival Of Madness mailing list at CarnivalOfMadness.com, beginning Wednesday, June 1. VIP bundles with exclusive merchandise, content, and an enhanced Carnival experience will be available for purchase through Artist Arena.
The public on-sale for the first round of shows will be Friday, June 3. All of the ticket on-sale info can be found at CarnivalOfMadness.com. The "Carnival" ticket price acknowledges the current state of the economy offering an "affordable" ticket that will be in the $25 - $35 range.
Bill McGathy, the owner of the Carnival Of Madness brand proclaims, "After the incredible energy generated in the inaugural event last year, the 2011 edition combines a fantastic rock package with a ticket price that is actually affordable in these economically challenged times."
"THEORY OF A DEADMAN is totally stoked to be doing the Carnival Of Madness tour this year," says singer/guitarist Tyler Connolly. "It's great to be joined by ALTER BRIDGE, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ADELITAS WAY and newcomers EMPHATIC — who all have songs rocking at radio and awesome live shows. It's gonna be a fuckin' great show from beginning to end and definitely something you don't wanna miss! See you there!!!"
Adds ALTER BRIDGE singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy: "ALTER BRIDGE is pleased to be taking part of the Carnival Of Madness tour later this summer with THEORY OF A DEADMAN, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ADELITAS WAY and EMPHATIC. It will be great to be back in the U.S. playing on our home turf with these bands. If you dig straight-up, no-frills rock…then this tour is for you. Hope to see everyone there!"
The dates are as follows:
Aug. 13 - Twin Lakes, IL - Shadow Hill Ranch
Aug. 19 - Council Bluffs, IA - Harrah's Casino
Aug. 20 - Sedalia, MO - Missouri State Fairgrounds
Aug. 26 - Louisville, KY - Kentucky State Fair/Cardinal Stadium
Aug. 27 - Waterloo, IA - McElroy Auditorium (outdoors)
Aug. 28 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
Sep. 01 - Allentown, PA - The Great Allentown Fair
Sep. 03 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
Sep. 07 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six Concert Pavilion
Sep. 10 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
Sep. 11 - Huntington, WV - Harris Riverfront Park
Sep. 13 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheater
Sep. 14 - Fayetteville, NC - Crown Coliseum
Sep. 16 - Tulsa, OK - Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino
Sep. 17 - Poplar Bluff, MS - Black River Coliseum
More dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison has posted the following message on his Facebook profile on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the death of the band's bassist, Paul Gray:
"Hey Paul,
"It was so great hanging out with you yesterday and today. Talking and reminiscing about old times and seeing you respond with some of the strongest gusts of wind I've ever felt.
"Paul, you always told it like it was. You're the same guy that wouldn't let me stay home on New Year's Eve back in 1992, and once drove over in four feet of snow during a storm, just to hang out! There was no one like you. That's why you were my best friend.
"All the music that we've done together, all the times that we've shared, will live on forever. I miss you each and every day.
"All right, Balls, I'll see you on stage! Let's destroy.
"There will never be another #2. I love you.
"Fuck it all! Fuck this world!
Fuck everything that you stand for!
Don't belong! Don't exist!
Don't give a shit! Don't ever judge me!
"And to all my friends, the Maggots:
"I just wanted to take a moment to thank you eternally for your support on this difficult day. You're keeping us and Paul's memory alive.
"There were supposed to be five days of tornadoes and rain here in Iowa, but the sun came out stronger than it has all year. It's good to know Paul's keeping an eye on things.
"This is a horrible thing that happened, but each of you has made this just a little bit easier to deal with. Your support means everything to us.
"Thank you, Nathan Jonas Jordison."
Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb last May at the age of 38 from an overdose of morphine.
For SLIPKNOT's upcoming shows in 2011, the band has asked Donnie Steele to fill in for Gray on bass.
Donnie was the original guitar player in SLIPKNOT and had actually reconnected with Paul in recent years.
Commented the band: "Donnie was in the band at the very beginning, and rather than get an outsider, we thought it would be a fitting tribute to Paul to play with someone from within the family. Donnie was great friends with Paul and we can't think of a better way to celebrate his memory than with someone who was there with us at the very beginning. The eight of us are looking forward to being onstage again and honoring Paul's legacy with our families in Europe and Brazil this summer."
"Walking Dead Man", a brand new song from the Miami hard rock quartet BLACK TIDE, is available for download via iTunes. The track will appear on the band's sophomore album, "Post Mortem", which is scheduled for release on August 23 via DGC/Interscope Records.
"We are excited to present to you our new single, 'Walking Dead Man'," said BLACK TIDE guitarist/vocalist Gabriel Garcia. "It's inspired by all the negativity we've experienced; the negativity we try to cut out of our lives every day. It is a dope song to listen to if you're feeling fired up about something. We hope you dig it! We're so pumped about this upcoming record, and hope you all are too."
"Post Mortem" was written and recorded in the summer of 2010, and is the follow-up to 2008's "Light From Above", which garnered instant critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Spin, Revolver and more.
The band followed the release of "Light From Above" with an appearance on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, performed on the main stage of Download 2008 and capped it off by playing the entire 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
In April 2011 BLACK TIDE was added as support for the only two announced U.S. dates of IRON MAIDEN's "The Final Frontier" world tour, which took place in BLACK TIDE's home state of Florida.
BLACK TIDE will hit the road later this year as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival. The trek will run from August 26 through October 15, conquering North America with a massive active rock lineup which features veteran acts AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SEVENDUST and more.
Commented Garcia: "August 23rd 2011 will be huge step in our lives. Not only as a band, but as people. This record means everything to us. We poured our heart and soul into this and have been waiting for it to come out like the rest of you.
"'Post Mortem' is the name of the record. It means 'after death.' The reason we love this title is because we feel that we are so lucky to be able to be doing this, and having an opportunity to put our music out there is honestly the closest thing to heaven we have on this earth. It's a like a dream.
"We love all our fans and hope to see you all at the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival this summer! This is the beginning of a long, crazy and yet beautiful ride."
BIOHAZARD guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei was interviewed on the May 12, 2011 edition of "The Big Rock Show" with host Tina Peek. You can now listen to the entire chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow.
On BIOHAZARD's long-awaited tenth studio album, which marks the first time the four original members — Evan Seinfeld (vocals, bass), Billy Graziadei (guitar, vocals), Danny Schuler (drums) and Bobby Hambel (guitar) — have recorded together since 1994's breakthrough CD "State Of The World Address":
"I think the reason we ended up kicking out a record of this stature is probably because we went on tour and played live first. There was no other reason — it wasn't business, it wasn't money; there's not much money in this genre of music, especially with our career. It was more so to get a chance to rewrite history.
"People kind of wrote BIOHAZARD off. And one thing for me, personally, was I always wished that we could have gotten back together with Bobby and we never did. So that was important for us. And that brought us back into that live element of the band. It's like we never stopped; we got on stage together and it was like we were 19 again. And we rocked it; it was awesome. That live energy made it so we were able to go back and be on the right foot going into the studio to make a record."
"I think that we had some records that defined us in the past, and this record is gonna be the record that will rewrite history for BIOHAZARD in a lot of ways. It's the meat and potatoes of BIOHAZARD, but there's a growth… we stepped up in the songwriting… kind of what we have experienced over the years into BIOHAZARD without changing the sound of BIOHAZARD. It was difficult to continue to be satisfied as a musician and as an artist but yet remain true to what we have inside, and that transcribes in the writing. You still hear the passion, the angst and the energy that I felt and I hear when I listen to 'Urban Discipline' and some of our early records. But it's just a step forward in a good way."
On the songwriting process for the new CD:
"What we did is we went into the studio and we were in the studio for a couple of weeks and we kicked out 12 songs, and we were like, 'Cool. Fucking awesome. This is gonna be easy. We know BIOHAZARD; we could do this with our eyes closed. And then we stepped back and we listened to everything, and we were like… I said to Danny, 'It's cool, and there's really cool moments and I love a lot of the stuff, but if we take our time and we are brutally honest with each other and we go in and throw out anything that's crap, anything that's not 100 percent that we all four of us feel 100 percent about, we're gonna make a record that's gonna be a timely record; people are gonna appreciate that as the heart and soul of BIOHAZARD.'
"It was easy for us to go in and just kick out a bunch of cool, groovy riffs, but we threw those songs out, kept a couple of things here and there. It took a lot longer, but we made a record that is gonna be timely in our career, not a record that is just gonna be, 'Oh, cool, it's an excuse to tour.' I think that in the past, sometimes we kind of settled on that for many reasons. But this record was more important to us than anything that's going on in our lives — we all put our lives on hold and really took our time in being brutally honest with each other and made a great record."
"It doesn't really matter where the song starts from — it could be three of us sitting in a room, it could be two of us, one of us coming in with a demo, or someone could just have a riff — but wherever the song is born from, lyrically or musically, we all put it through what we call the "meatgrinder.' We all put in our ideas — 'What about this? What about that?' — and we jam on the song and sometimes rip it apart, and sometimes it doesn't need much work. But it's the individual input that makes it BIOHAZARD. Pretty much any of us could write a solo record, but it's the input of the other guys that makes what I write BIOHAZARD and vice versa for those guys."
On collaborating with producer Toby Wright, who has previously worked with KORN, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KISS, FEAR FACTORY, IN FLAMES, STONE SOUR and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others:
"Toby was great; he's a great dude, and I'm looking forward to working with him again. He brought something to the table that no other producer has brought before. He stayed with us through thick and thin; no producer we've ever worked with has stayed with us for a year. And Toby, he was focused. He didn't write anything, he didn't do anything other than just say, 'No, do it again.' He helped us kind of organize everything and even though I'm a producer outside of BIOHAZARD and I have a studio here in L.A., it's different when you produce your own band; you can't do that. You have to have an objective person — an outsider and someone everyone respects that isn't really tied to what you're doing emotionally. So having Toby around, he was there every during the writing [process] and rehearsals, and it was great. It was the first time in our career that we had that much attention [from a producer]. But it was weird — it was kind of like having somebody
there for support but without interjecting any ideas that would cloud up who you are. When we got into the studio, he stepped up on a different tip as far as a producer goes, and I learned a lot from him as a producer and as a musician; he really helped me individually — from singing and playing guitar to the way he recorded us. He's a [good] communicator of ideas; [he would say] 'I want it to sound like this,' and he helped attain that. So it was great. We had a couple of disasters [that happened during the recording process], but that's life."
BIOHAZARD's new album is tentatively due late summer via Nuclear Blast Records.
Vocalist Mike Vescera will rejoin his former LOUDNESS bandmates on stage tonight (Monday, May 23) at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Tennessee to perform the song "Soldier Of Fortune". Vescera says, "I'm looking forward to seeing the guys; it will be a great night, I'm sure!"
Vescera joined LOUDNESS in 1988 following the firing of the band's original singer, Minoru Niihara. In pursuit of greater commercial success with English-speaking audiences, Vescera and the rest of LOUDNESS recorded two albums, "Soldier Of Fortune" (1989) and "On The Prowl" (1991). However, the pairing did little to improve the band's status in America and also took its toll on LOUDNESS' Japanese fan base. Vescera exited LOUDNESS (and joined Yngwie J. Malmsteen in 1993) during the group's American tour in 1991 and was eventually replaced by EZO vocalist Masaki Yamada.
Vescera rose to metal popularity at the age of 18 years old as the legendary vocalist of the band OBSESSION. A classically trained pianist, Mike chose the path of a metal frontman instead of Julliard.
In recent years, Mike Vescera has gained a reputation in the business as being a masterful producer and engineer working from his studio The Toy Room, which was located in the hills of Connecticut just outside of New York. A few years ago the studio moved to Nashville, where Mike now makes his home. The studio is second to none, utilizing state-of-the-art software and technology to achieve unrivaled flexibility and dimension of sound. It holds both major-label and small-budget accounts serving all styles of music. It also holds major network voice-over accounts for several popular shows.
Mike continues to work as a producer and engineer on a variety of selected projects.
Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) has set "Epicloud" as the title of his next album. According to Devin, the CD's musical direction will be "big, heavy, romantic kind of melodic stuff. Pretty, ethereal and simple." He adds on his Twitter profile, "My head's been in a new place as of the past few weeks. Been biking quite a bit and learning LYNYRD SKYNYRD songs on bass. Writing lots for 'Epicloud'."
Townsend will release "Deconstruction" and "Ghost" — the third and fourth in a series of albums to be made available under DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker — on June 21 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music.
"Deconstruction" and "Ghost" will complete his tetralogy album concept — a great journey through Devin's different states of musical moods — which he started in 2009 with the albums "Addicted" (2009) and "Ki" (2009).
Townsend tapped Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH) to mix "Deconstruction". The sessions took place in late February at Fascination Street studio in Örebro, Sweden. The CD features guest appearances by a number of well-known metal musicians as well as two drummers — Ryan Van Poederooyen (TERROR SYNDROME, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND) for the "crushing stuff," and Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK, SCARVE, ABORTED) for the "inhuman stuff."
A detailed track-by-track review of "Deconstruction" can be found at RadioMetal.com.
A detailed track-by-track review of "Ghost" is available at this location.
Devin previously described "Deconstruction" as "brutal in a lot of parts, but pretty glorious in others. It rides the fence of negativity but ultimately ends supremely positive."
Even though "Ghost" is the fourth album to be made available under DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, Devin recorded it third, because "Deconstruction" (the third album) was "a nightmare technically and I wanted to make something lovely before diving into that," Devin previously said.
According to Devin, "'Ghost' is the mellowest (by far) and prettiest record I've done so far" with a "very wonderful vibe."
Townsend has announced the first two special shows in U.K. for November 2011 for a unique DVD recording.
On his recent mostly sold-out European tour, Devin already performed some of the new material and if you have followed Devin through his career, you will know that he is always up for pushing the limits to higher levels. After releasing "Deconstruction" and "Ghost" in June, Devin Townsend will return to London U.K. in November 2011 to play a set of very special shows dedicated to his four-album concept and which will be captured live on DVD.
Massachusetts rockers STAIND have set "Seven" as the title of their recently completed new album, due later in the year via Atlantic Records.
Speaking to the Grand Rapids, Michigan radio station WGRD 97.9 FM at this past weekend's Rock On The Range festival in Ohio (see video below), STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok stated about the new CD, "It's completely different than the last record [2008's 'The Illusion Of Progress']. It's more of a throwback to where we came from. You know, 'Dysfunction' [1999], 'Tormented' [1996] albums . . . [But] I don't think there's any rehashed riffs; I definitely think it's fresh. It's a modern-sounding version of a heavy STAIND record. It's pretty cool."
He added, "The last record was, we got together and just had a bunch of different ideas and we decided to pursue it. And it really does kind of stand out as something that was really different for us. But I loved it; it was a lot of fun to make. And as fun as that one was to make was as difficult as this one was to make. It was a tough one. And it wasn't even the music or writing it; it's just that there were a lot of things going on, and it made for a long, drawn-out process, it seemed. But I'll tell you what — looking back, now that it's done, I'm really, really happy with it and I can't wait for people to hear it."
When asked if STAIND got a lot of negative feedback from fans for "The Illusion Of Progress", which featured a lighter direction than some of the band's previous efforts, vocalist Aaron Lewis replied, "I foolishly opened my mouth early in the process of 'The Illusion Of Progress' and said that the record was gonna be the heavy record that we wrote this time around. And when we went into the studio, the songs that we ended up focusing on weren't that. But I still think 'The Illusion Of Progress' was a great record for us; it showed a lot of growth and a lot of experimentation, we tried something different. And we ran with it. And it was creatively stimulating at the time, and so was this on this time around. We just kind of went back to our roots and wrote a heavy record."
STAIND recently parted ways with drummer Jon Wysocki after seventeen years of playing together. Drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, TOMMY LEE) will sit behind the kit for STAIND for the next couple of shows before the group secures a more permanent replacement for Wysocki.
The new disc will be STAIND's final release under its contract with Atlantic Records, and Lewis told The Pulse Of Radio that the quartet plans to explore other options in the future. "There are different ways of doing it that are much more favorable to the artist if the artist has a core fan base that are gonna want to continue to get their music regardless of whether it comes out of a music store on a CD or not," he said.
Massachusetts rockers STAIND spoke to Fuse TV about the surprise departure of their drummer, Jon Wysocki, during the making of the band's new studio album.
"Seventeen years being a band together, we went to make the record, and it was tough; things weren't really going the way we wanted [them] to," guitarist Mike Mushok said at this past weekend's Rock On The Range festival in Ohio. "We tried to work through it, and I think it just got to the point where we realized that we weren't able to, and it was time to make a change."
Drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, TOMMY LEE) will sit behind the kit for STAIND for the next couple of shows before the group secures a more permanent replacement for Wysocki.
In a 2007 interview with Modern Drummer, Wysocki spoke of his fondness for recording and performing, but admitted he was uncomfortable with some aspects of fame.
"Favorite part of touring? That's easy — playing the live show," he said. "The worst part for me is when fans come up to me, sometimes I feel uncomfortable with their excitement at meeting me…. People view you a certain way, but we're just like anybody else who happens to be in a position that people think is glamorous. I don't feel any different from anyone else, it's just that I make my living playing the drums. People say certain things and I freeze up, I don't know what to say back. If it's a compliment, I say thanks, but when it's that gawking, worshiping type of thing, it just makes me uncomfortable. But don't get me wrong — I love and appreciate our fans!"
STAIND recently regrouped after a year-long break in to begin writing the follow-up to 2008's "The Illusion Of Progress". Singer Aaron Lewis described the CD to AOL's Noisecreep as "the heaviest thing we have recorded in a long time. It's definitely one of the heaviest collection of songs that we have put together."
Oakland, California extreme metallers ALL SHALL PERISH have been forced to cancel their previously announced European tour due to "scheduling conflicts for the new album and the restructuring of band management," according to the band. The group was slated to hit the road in Europe in June alongside SUICIDE SILENCE and AFTER THE BURIAL.
Audio samples of all the tracks that appear on "This Is Where It Ends", the fourth full-length album from ALL SHALL PERISH, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD will be released on July 26 (North America) and July 29 (Europe) via Nuclear Blast Records.
Commented the band: "This time around we chose Brent Elliott White (DEATH ANGEL, JOB FOR A COWBOY, WHITECHAPEL) to handle the artwork duties.
"With this album, we wanted to grab people's attention, not only musically but visually.
"Lyrically, this album reflects a lot of our own personal struggles. The concept was to portray a man faced with the humiliation of his past and his continued suffering. Brent's dark, vivid style fit perfectly in bringing this cover to life."
The majority of the follow-up to 2008's "Awaken The Dreamers" was recorded and mixed once again at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren (LIGHT THIS CITY, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION).
"Divine Illusion", a brand new song from ALL SHALL PERISH, is available for streaming on the band's Facebook page. "Like/share" the band on Facebook in order to hear it.
ALL SHALL PERISH has been added to this year's installment of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. The 26-date trek, which is scheduled to kick off on July 9 at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California, will also include DISTURBED, GODSMACK, MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, IN FLAMES and TRIVIUM, among many others.
"Awaken The Dreamers" sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 126.
DEATH's legendary fourth album, "Human", will mark its 20th anniversary with an official reissue on June 21 in North America (June 27 internationally) via Relapse Records. The LP was entirely remixed by longtime DEATH producer Jim Morris and remastered by Alan Douches (MASTODON, CONVERGE, MISFITS). This special 20th-anniversary edition of the album will come complete with expanded packaging featuring liner notes from Morris as well as former DEATH/current CYNIC guitarist Paul Masvidal and over an hour of newly unearthed, previously unreleased early demo tracks.
"Human" will be available on two- and three-disc sets as well as digitally.
Commented Morris (pictured below): "[This was] an awesome experience for me." He added, "We were contacted by Chuck Schuldiner's intellectual property lawyer, Eric Greif, the former manager of DEATH."
Added Eric Greif: "The former DEATH guys Paul Masvidal (guitar), Sean Reinert (drums) and Steve DiGiorgio (bass) are all 'ecstatic' about the prospect of a heavier mix, where all the instruments can be heard and modern technology utilized. Jim said he took into account everything he and Chuck agreed upon during the making of 'Symbolic' (1995) and 'The Sound Of Perseverance' (1998) as his guide for what he believed Chuck would want from such a remix. I myself am thrilled."
Disc 1: (classic remixed and remastered "Human" album)
01. Flattening Of Emotions
02. Suicide Machine
03. Together As One
04. Secret Face
05. Lack Of Comprehension
06. See Through Dreams
07. Cosmic Sea
08. Vacant Planets
09. God Of Thunder (Bonus Track)
Disc 2:
10. Flattening Of Emotions (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
11. Suicide Machine (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
12. Together As One (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
13. Secret Face (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
14. Secret Face - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
15. Lack Of Comprehension (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
16. "Felt Good" - Studio Snippet
17. See Through Dreams (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
18. See Through Dreams - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
19. Vacant Planets (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
20. Cosmic Sea (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
21. Cosmic Sea Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
22. God Of Thunder (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
23. Flattening Of Emotions ("Human" Demos)
24. Lack Of Comprehension ("Human" Demos)
25. Suicide Machine ("Human" Demos)
26. Together As One ("Human" Demos)
27. See Through Dreams ("Human" Demos)
28. Secret Face (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)
29. Vacant Planets (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)
Disc 3:
30. See Through Dreams (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
31. See Through Dreams (Take 2) (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
32. Secret Face (w/o Paul - 1/2 song) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
33. Secret Face (Take 2) (w/o Paul) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
34. Secret Face - Riffs (Rehearsal January, 1991)
35. Flattening Of Emotions (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
36. Lack Of Comprehension (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
37. Lack Of Comprehension (Take 2) (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
38. Cosmic Sea (Riffs w/ Drum Machine) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
39. See Through Dreams (Rehearsal August, 1990)
40. Suicide Machine (Rehearsal August, 1990)
41. Together As One (Rehearsal August, 1990)
42. Suicide Machine (Drum & Bass Tracks)
43. Together As One (Drum & Bass Tracks)
44. Secret Face (Drum & Bass Tracks)
45. Lack Of Comprehension (Drum & Bass Tracks)
46. Vacant Planets (Drum & Bass Tracks)
47. Flattening Of Emotions (Drum & Bass Tracks)
48. See Through Dreams (Drum & Bass Tracks)
49. Cosmic Sea (Drum & Bass Tracks)
Guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders of South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE has recorded a guest vocal appearance on two songs on the forthcoming fourth album from long-running Italian metallers GORY BLISTER. Sanders will be heard on the tracks "The Serpent Verse" and "Soul-Borne Maladies".
Commented Karl in a statement: "I had a blast working with Joe and the guys. These tracks rock!"
According to a press release, GORY BLISTER's as-yet-untitled new CD will feature "nine tracks of pure fast and aggressive technical death metal."
GORY BLISTER released its latest album, "Graveyard of Angels", in April 2009 via Mascot Records. The CD was described by guitarist Raff as "the natural prosecution of GORY BLISTER's goal to mix old-school aggression, technical skills and progressive music into classic death metal. The sound has acquired a lot more personality; you'll always experience originality both in riffs and lyrics. As for the lyrics, they're written from a point of view inspired by the latest world events. In this concept, fantasy stories usually serve as a metaphor. The lyrics deal with the wickedness in human beings that slowly bring themselves to their own destruction."
NEGATOR, one of Germany's leading extreme metal outfits, has announced the addition of drummer Asgard Niels to the group's ranks.
Asgard has previously played in several different bands such IRATE ARCHITECT and HOLY MOSES. At present he is "beating the shit out of his drums" with GOREZONE and INTO OBLIVION. However, it is to be understood that his main focus is now NEGATOR.
Comments NEGATOR vocalist Nachtgarm: "We hope that now things have been brought together that belong together. This unholy alliance is built to last. Asgard and I know each other for many years and now we enforce evil spirits under the darkened banner of NEGATOR. It is beyond doubt that Asgard is one of the best and strongest drummers in whole Europe. He's got a damn hard punch and there are hardly any drummers out there that are able to keep such tightness at a high speed Asgard manages to deliver. With Asgard now among our ranks we face even more opportunities. Or, as SLAYER said, 'Evil has no boundaries!' The same applies for NEGATOR now even more. The new material will prove this right away. From now on the Panzer roams with even more power and might!"
NEGATOR is hard at work on new material which is tentatively due for release in the first quarter of 2012.
ASESINO — the death metal/grindcore project featuring FEAR FACTORY/DIVINE HERESY guitarist Dino Cazares and ex-STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos (on bass/vocals) — is working on material for its third album for a 2012 release.
"On the new record, it's going to be a continuation from the second record [2006's 'Cristo Satanico']," Cazares told AOL's Noisecreep. "On the first record [2002's 'Corridos de Muerte'], it's an introduction to who Asesino [official character based on an actual person, who was an assassin for a certain mafia] is. It introduces what his job is — to kill. At the end of the album, he gets caught, gets sentenced to death on the electric chair. He dies and goes to hell. Unfortunately, the way he dies was a priest was frightened by what he said on the electric chair. The priest pulled the lever on the assassin. He goes to hell and strikes a deal with the devil. The devil says, 'I will grant you life on Earth but you have to carry out this one task for me.' Asesino says, 'No problem.'
"So, on the second album, 'Cristo Satanico', which means 'Satanic Christ,' Asesino comes back to Earth, since Lucifer granted him life on Earth if he carries out this one task. He had to go out and kill somebody. No problem. But also Asesino had revenge that he wanted to seek on the priest who killed him. He found out that his boss, a person he was killing for, was the person who set him up, got him in prison, and got him into the death sentence in the first place. So he had two people he wanted to go kill. That was his boss and the priest. Obviously when an assassin is going to kill somebody, he investigates where they go, where they work, what time they go to bed, what time they shit... he knows everything about the person before he kills them. So he's investigating the priest, he finds out the priest is a pedophile. He likes to fuck little boys. He's been taking money from the community. He's been living very lavishly, very rich and wealthy. All of
the money has been coming from the church and from the people. He's also been molesting little boys and raping them.
"So Asesino goes and captures the priest, tortures him and makes him admit to everything he's doing wrong. He tortures him and buries him alive, so he could suffer down there for all the suffering he's caused. At the end of the album, he confronts his boss and has his boss on his knees, saying 'I know why you set me up.' His boss was jealous of the assassin because he was gaining respect amongst the mafia, more than his boss. He ended up cutting his head off with a machete."
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