Always forgetting birthdays and anniversaries? Be glad you're not Ozzy Osbourne.
The Prince of Darkness has far more to remember than a handful of family and romantic milestones. After four eventful decades in music, his calendar is covered in red circles. Pick a day, any day; chances are it commemorates some memorable occasion in the metal icon's life and career, be it an album release, a landmark gig, a prestigious award or the unfortunate decapitation of a wee flying critter. Keeping it all straight would take a mind like a steel trap -- something no one will ever accuse Ozzy of possessing.
"It's impossible to keep track of everything," admits the 62-year-old metal icon down the line from his home in England (fun fact: When you get put on hold at Ozzy's house, the call-waiting music is Ozzy!).
"But I'm not complaining. I'm very appreciative of it all, you know."
The latest float in Ozzy's continually circling parade of honours: Expanded 30th anniversary releases of 1980's Blizzard of Ozz and 1981's Diary of a Madman, his first albums after parting ways with Black Sabbath in 1979. Even in Osbourne's crowded timeline, these were watershed moments. The two albums -- now augmented with bonus studio cuts, live recordings, vintage video footage and other extras -- established him as a viable solo artist, while songs like Crazy Train and I Don't Know remain staples of his live show to this day. But their triumph was tempered with tragedy: Young guitar hero Randy Rhoads, Osbourne's main creative partner at the time, perished in 1982 when a small plane he was riding in crashed and burned after buzzing Ozzy's tour bus.
During a rare break from his long-running Scream Tour -- "Officially, I'm still touring, but it's winding down now" -- Osbourne shared his thoughts on the good old days, life on the straight and narrow, and the odds of a Black Sabbath reunion in this exclusive Canadian print interview.
What do you think of the fact that it's been 30 years since these albums came out?
You know what comes to mind? How quickly it's gone by. It does not feel like 30 years. The time I had with Randy Rhoads seemed a lot longer than it really was, you know.
Of all the milestones and awards in your career, which ones mean the most and are more memorable?
The early ones. My first platinum disc from Black Sabbath means something to me. The early parts of any band are always the best. In the early days of Black Sabbath, we had a lot of fun, we weren't serious about it. Then we stopped having fun. It was the same with this band. We were having fun, and then there was the tragedy. It all went awry and Randy got killed. But the one thing I'm blessed with is that I'm not lying next to Randy dead. I could have been.
What do you think Randy would be doing today if he were still around?
Do you know what? It doesn't matter. Just the fact that he would be alive would be enough for me. But I can tell you one thing: he wasn't a guy who wanted to play rock 'n' roll only. On that last bus trip, just before he died, he sat up with me and told me wanted to go to university in California and get a degree in classical guitar. I said, 'Are you serious? Stick around. You can go to university later.' And then he died. But he was a true musician. He was writing classical pieces. He was into the art of music, not just the rock 'n' roll. He was a brilliant player. I don't know what he'd be doing now. But I still wish he was here.
What do you remember about making those two albums?
It was just a lot of fun. We had nothing to lose. We were just a bunch of guys having a laugh, doing a lot of drinking and a lot of crazy s---, like guys do.
Is it still fun, or do you miss those carefree days?
It's still a lot of fun, but I'm the old man in the band now. I'm 62. But I can still keep up with these young punks. And I have to say this: If you're not having fun in the band you're in, change it. Move on. I have fun offstage with my band as well as onstage. Because when you're touring, the easy part of the day is the gig. It's what you do the rest of the day that's hard.
When was the last time you listened to Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman?
About a month ago. When I was on the road. What really amazed me is the footage they found of Randy for the DVD. It amazes me what comes out of the woodwork from time to time. All kinds of stuff comes out, you know.
What would you go back and change about the albums if you could?
Nothing! I wouldn't change anything. Why would I want to change them? They were perfectly good the way they were.
But you did replace the original bass and drum tracks in 2002 during a royalty dispute with the musicians. These versions restore the original performances. Do you regret changing them?
My wife's my manager. I don't handle any of the business. I wasn't a fan of replacing the original things, but that was purely a business decision to get people off our backs. I didn't want to do it, but they forced my hand, you know. But really, that's a question you should ask my wife. I'm just happy we could go back and use the original parts.
Are you gratified by the albums' longevity?
Well, I didn't get up this morning and go, '30 years and one day.' I don't think about it, you know. I'm too busy having fun. I can't believe I made it to 62. By the law of averages, I should have died 1,000 times. Now I don't drink anymore. I don't do drugs anymore. I don't smoke anymore.
You've been clean for three years. Do you think you've finally got it licked or do you still miss it?
You never lick it. I know that if I have one cigarette, I'll be smoking a carton by the end of the day. And when I have prescription medications from time to time, I can't have it in my possession. I have to give it to my assistant who doles it out. You never beat it. It's a constant struggle. Because when the s--- hits the fan, the first thing I think is, 'F--- this, I'm going to get out of it.'
It seems every time one member of Black Sabbath mentions a reunion, another one shoots it down. Do you think it will ever happen?
I haven't got a clue. If they want to call me, they can call me. I never say never. If it works, fine. If it don't, I'll move on. It ain't the end of the world. I ain't gonna get a box of Kleenex and cry my eyes out for the rest of my life.
Why is it so hard for you four to agree?
Well, we're not kids anymore. I don't wanna bulls--- them and I don't want them to bulls--- me. Why should I go back to that and be unhappy when I'm happy right now? I mean, I would love to do a great album with Black Sabbath. I would love to get the credit we so roundly deserve. At the same time, the pressure would be really intense. I could go tomorrow and make an album with them, but it wouldn't necessarily be something I would be proud of.
Since Ozzy has so many anniversaries and special occasions to keep track of, we thought we'd give him a little hand. Here are 10 upcoming dates he can circle on his calendar.
2011
July 4 -- 29th wedding anniversary
July 21 -- 40th anniversary of Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality album
Sept. 17 -- 20th anniversary of No More Tears CD
Oct. 9 -- Sharon's 59th birthday
Oct. 16 -- 10th anniversary of Down to Earth CD
Dec. 3 -- 63rd birthday
2012
Jan. 20 -- 30th anniversary of biting off a bat's head onstage
Feb. 19 -- 30th anniversary of peeing on the Alamo
March 19 -- 30th anniversary of Randy Rhoads' death
May 22 -- 5th anniversary of Black Rain CD
Mike Fleiss has one of Hollywood's more unusual résumés.
The producer is best known for bringing us the boy(s)-meets-girl(s) reality shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but he has also overseen a string of boys-and-girls-get-butchered horror movies, including Eli Roth's two Hostel films, the rather nifty 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and the forthcoming Shark Night 3D. Fleiss has now added another string to his bow — or, arguably, lashed the other two together — by co-directing God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, a new documentary about the reality show star and infamous, bat-molesting, Black Sabbath-fronting metal icon.
"I'm a lifetime Sabbath fan" explains Fleiss. "I've played in heavy metal bands my whole life. I've played in Black Sabbath tribute bands." Fleiss also knows Osbourne's wife Sharon through his reality show ventures. So when Jack Osbourne was looking for someone to direct a movie about his father, Ma Osbourne suggested he give Fleiss a call.
Despite the Osbourne family's involvement in the venture, and the Bachelor creator's own fondness for his subject, Fleiss was determine the film not be a puff piece. "I didn't want it to be something that was just glorifying," he says of the movie, which recently screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. "We had to talk about the difficult times and the embarrassing times and really do it unblinkingly. I think because of that honesty you come away from the movie really caring and admiring and even loving Ozzy Osbourne."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ozzy Osbourne is not exactly an undocumented figure. Why did Jack want to make this movie in the first place?
Mike Fleiss: Jack is an aspiring filmmaker, but he's also a son who loves his father, and I think he saw this as a chance to pay tribute to his dad. I mean, Jack doesn't say that because it's maybe too sweet for him to say. But that's really what I think was his core motivation.
It is often quite a melancholic film, which I think might surprise people.
Yeah. Ozzy's life is not all glamor and sold-out concerts and the rock star existence. He's lived a f—ing hard, sometimes terrible existence. And the fact that he's still doing it, still up there rocking, it's a miracle. One of my favorite pieces in the movie is when the newscaster says, "How is Ozzy Osbourne still alive?" To me, that's sort of the thesis of the whole movie in a weird way. It's like, "How is he still alive?"
Do you have any theories about that?
Sharon saved his life, clearly. And I think he's just one of those rugged British gentlemen, you know. He's got a hell of a constitution. You can't really f— him up too bad. The fact that he can still go out and play two-hour rock concerts is incredible. I mean, I still play in a band, California Wildebeest, and when we play a 45-minute set I'm exhausted the next day, I can't really go into work, I'm tired, I've got to sleep in. I feel terrible! And there's this 62-year-old man out there, jumping around, doing his little frog dance, and singing these incredibly challenging vocal lines for nearly two hours. I've got the utmost respect for him.
I should point out that there are also comedic moments in the film. I particularly liked the sequence in which he refuses to watch any more of his terrible '80s-era videos.
[Laughs] He just gets up and walks out of the room! Yeah, we tried to just give you a glimpse into the guy and how he looks at his music and how he looks at his career. There's things that he's proud of and things that he thinks are s—.
Paul McCartney appears in the film, paying tribute to Ozzy. How did you get hold of him?
It turned out that McCartney was something of a fan and we reached out. We tried not to put too many celebrities-talking-about-how-great-Ozzy-is in the movie, because in so many of these movies that's really all you get. But we wanted to do a few important ones, and none was more important than Sir Paul because that's really Ozzy's idol, when you break it down.
You also have all of Sabbath talking about Ozzy. Well, I should say all of version one Sabbath…
The real Sabbath!
I'm not going to get into an argument with you about that, sir. The band has had its ups and down over the years. Were they happy to contribute?
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's still talk about a reunion tour now. Tony [Iommi] is just a great, courtly gentleman and Bill [Ward] and Geezer [Butler] are great guys too. They still love Ozzy. They were brothers together at a very young age and they went through a life-transforming experience together and thank god they're still all friendly.
What's the plan with the film now?
It'll get a theatrical release. It's going to have a good life. We're negotiating with a bunch of people right now.
I believe Jack is producing a film called Black Sabbath. Will you be involved in that?
Yeah, Jack and I are going to produce a horror movie. It's going to be inspired by the music of the band. It won't be a story of the band, though. It's not a biographical tale.
You can check out an exclusive clip from God Bless Ozzy Osbourne below. Given the subject matter, you may be unsurprised to learn that some salty language is involved.
For the first time in 30 years, legendary rocker Alice Cooper was forced to cancel a show tonight (Thursday, May 26) due to illness. He was too ill to even leave the hotel in Santiago, Chile and is very sorry to disappoint the many fans who have waited so long for this concert. The doctor is optimistic that Alice will be well enough for Saturday's show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Due next year, Cooper's long-awaited new album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", features the original "Nightmare" tandem of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, with Vince Gill guesting on a track called "Runaway Train". In addition, surviving Cooper band members Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith appear on the song "When Hell Comes Home".
In an interview with Billboard.com, Cooper said about the forthcoming CD, "I had an idea to do a part two to (2008's) 'Along Came a Spider'," Cooper says. "I came to [producer] Bob [Ezrin; PINK FLOYD, KISS] with it, and he listened and goes, 'Eh. I would be more excited if 'Along Came a Spider' was a No. 1 record.' He wasn't really into it. Then we started talking about 'Welcome to My Nightmare''s 35th anniversary or something like that, and he said, 'What if Alice had another nightmare?' All I was trying to do was get Bob to say, 'Yeah, I want to produce the album,' so we found a place where both of us really felt comfortable, and that was doing 'Nightmare 2'."
"There are certain songs where we let some of the themes from (the original) 'Nightmare' slip in," Cooper told Billboard.com. "All of a sudden you'll hear the little piano part from 'Steven' or from 'The Awakening'. I wanted (the albums) to be married together. I think we even make reference to a couple of characters from the original (album)."
Here is Judas Priest on American Idol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRpnq-ZvKB0&feature=player_embedded
In September of 2010 Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry celebrated his 60th birthday onstage with his band mates in Calgary. The tour wrapped up shortly thereafter and while Steven Tyler went on to be a ubiquitous presence in the media between his gig as a judge on American Idol, a new memoir, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?, and magazine covers, Perry took a much needed break from the public eye.
But before he reemerged this past weekend to address some rumors on the status of Aerosmith and his relationship with Tyler, Perry reached out to CREEM to celebrate the return of the iconic brand. "Kids need help to get their music out there and unless you're getting help from one of the three big magazines you're out of luck. And I think CREEM can go a long way to help that and help inspire other kids," Perry said.
The guitarist also filled us in on where he's been, down in Florida with his wife much of the time, horseback riding, living his life, and getting a much needed respite from Aerosmith. "The break from the band has been really good," he admitted.
He also addressed the rumors of a feud between himself and Tyler. "The only thing is I wish Steven would've told us earlier," he said, "But I'm happy for him." And Perry is looking ahead to getting back with his band mates both in the studio and for a fall tour in Japan and South America. And yes, he will be there.
Over the course of these two conversations, in September and May of this year, Perry spoke to CREEM about how Rick Rubin helped motivate him for the future of Aerosmith musically, his reflections on turning 60, and the paths that Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones cut in the '70s.
Q: Could you have ever imagined as a teenager you'd be spending your 60th birthday on stage?
No, I did not. At that age I was watching the Who play "My Generation" to about the size of 800 people. Who would ever expect?
Q: Given how much of your life has been on stage though does it seem appropriate to you that you'd be playing live on this birthday?
I've had thoughts about that, about what other paths I might've taken. Obviously you think about those things when you've got so many friends that have passed on and started passing on. When you're 30 you expect somebody to die in a motorcycle accident or OD, a freak heart attack or something like that. But when you get to be 60 the old friends on the deceased list start to get longer, so you do have a little bit of retrospect when this type of birthday rolls around. It's 60 and you go, "Well, my dad died when he was 50 and all those things." I don't feel 60, I'm certainly not the 60 that my grandfather was. [And] as far as the job I'm in there aren't too many other things that I would've rather done really. I really like doing this. I think we've given back in a lot of ways, we've entertained a lot of people, a lot of people come up to us and we've pulled them through some hard times with our music and there are a lot of
things that have happened that have made me feel like it was worthwhile.
Q: Do you have specific things or cause at this point you'd like to be involved with?
Well some of the things are gonna happen because of the natural wave of things, physically we're not gonna ski in the Special Olympics to help raise money for that, those days are over. I'll probably still ski, but probably not gonna be pounding the boards and doing that kind of thing. One of my favorite organizations has been Project Aware, which is a non-profit organization that helps gather people together and try to raise awareness about the oceans cause the reefs and the coral and all that stuff is rapidly losing its beauty. The oceans and the reefs are very important to the chain of life. I've always had a great interest in the ocean and I probably would've been an oceanographer or a marine biologist or something to do with that in my other life if I had not discovered rock 'n' roll. And I think that now I can start to do some of that stuff, while I'm still able to strap on a set of scuba tanks and get out there and volunteer some
time and do what I can do. I think that the way things are going we're going to be touring less, again, this is my wish that the band stays together and has time to do music and to play and to keep putting out records and so on and still have time to do some of these other projects. The tours will get shorter and so on.
Q: What are your hopes for Aerosmith musically?
We always did our songs as vehicles to play live. I think you can hear bits and pieces of it from my last solo record, the way we used to. I hope on the next Aerosmith record I hope we can try some of that the way it used to be a long time ago. Part of it is also just sticking to the roots, the basic roots, which is rock 'n' roll, that's how we started.
Q: Have you been writing for this record?
I don't really look at things like, "Oh, it's record time." I'm always writing and stuff. And I was talking to Rick Rubin, who said, "Make a cassette of all the bands you first heard who turned you on, who when you first heard made you go, 'This is it, this is the path, this is where I want to go.' Fill it up with all those songs and listen to them." Sure enough it puts you back in that head space and you start forgetting about Eddie Van Halen's lighting speed, unbelievable guitar playing, Sid Vicious' bleeding nose, disco, alternative music, or what's all the hubbub about.
Q: How has the break helped you?
The recent break from Aerosmith has been good because I was able to get away from the daily grind. The last five years I have had three knee surgeries, two of which were replacement, all on my right knee. During the time the band was on break from canceled or postponed shows it allowed me time to work on and put out two solo CDs. I finished a solo CD, got the Joe Perry Project back on the road, and toured with Motley Crew and Bad Company in the UK. Plus I did my own headline tour. So this break comes at a perfect time for me to recharge and get some perspective on things. I am looking forward to the new Aerosmith CD and touring after its release so all of our fans can hear our new music.
Q: Aerosmith always kept such an intense schedule. Could you see yourselves as a band slowing down in the future or does Aerosmith need to keep moving constantly?
No, I think we have to keep changing because of everybody's other stuff. We all have different projects and different things we want to do. I know Brad would just love to be in the fucking driver's seat in a Formula 1 car and I think he's gonna make that wish come true. Everybody has things they want to do and now we have time to do it.
Q: And where does playing with other people fit into this plan for you?
I played with Tom Jones at the party for Diana in England. We were over there on tour, we had the day off, there were 80,000 people at Wembley Arena, and her sons had put on this party that included everybody. I spent a half an hour talking to John McEnroe backstage. People flew in from all over the world to be part of this and people found out that I was a fan of Tom Jones, we had met in Las Vegas, and it was just one of those things that fell together. We got to play two or three songs together. Talk about being 17 wondering what the hell I'm doing. I'm backing up Tom Jones, this is like holy shit. The guy can sing and it gave me kind of a boost because I really don't know how old he is but when you listen to him sing he could be any age. That was a riot. So I've done a lot of things like that that seem a little bit off the drawing board so to speak and kind of out of what people would expect. I was lucky enough to play with Slash's band out
in Vegas. Again, it was one of those things that just kind of fell together. But I just don't seem to have the freedom and it's been like that with Aerosmith forever. I want to be able to get out there and do different things.
Q: Is the idea then of a break almost a relief so you can go out and play with different people?
That's what I'm aiming for. I look at the cover of 'Spin' with Soundgarden back together. I don't know if they're together for a month, a year, a record and a tour, I don't know what. But they were able to take all this time off and they're still young guys. We should've been doing this kind of stuff 10, 20 years ago and we didn't. So I'm not passing up anything right now.
Q: It's interesting you say that though because you look at bands today like the Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, they've all taken breaks and done other things. And in the '70s it was a huge deal when KISS put out the four solo albums simultaneously and bands like yourself, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin never did other things. What do you think the difference is today?
I think we tried to reach some kind of level that we weren't even sure we were reaching for. I felt like we were always the bad boys, not just of Boston, but we never got credibility in the Rolling Stone kind of people. We were just always looking for some kind of credibility and it never seemed to reach us. There was just something that we lacked, we spent a lot of time trying to figure that out, and I think too much emphasis was placed on singles, the charts, and all that stuff. And I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we came up at a time when singles were very important. Don't forget, we started in 1970; so much changes from year to year and that had a lot to do with it. There wasn't even a rock 'n' roll category in the Grammys, it was just so different. We were invited to the Grammys as the Best New Group and we lost to Hall & Oates and it was like, "We're a rock band, we're a hard rock band and how can you compare us
and Hall & Oates?" So we were pissed off. We didn't earn our bad boy nom de guerre for no reason, we got up and left as I remember. Then things changed, whatever happened, we kind of lived by a different set of rules then the next generation. Then the punk came along, this came along, that came along, it was disco. We played to some of the biggest rock 'n' roll festivals that were ever assembled and disco was on the cover of Rolling Stone. We stuck to our guns, we wanted to be the best rock band in America and I specify rock band, hard rock, we weren't heavy metal, we weren't fucking death metal, we weren't punk, we weren't anything but a hard rock band. And you can tell by the way the records had blues, rock, ballads, and I think a lot of people didn't know how to classify us cause we were damn good at what we did and we just didn't know what was going on. All I knew is when we went on the stage we used to keep the people off their
seats and they stayed off their seats the whole time we were on stage.
Q: What other bands back then were the barometer of success for Aerosmith?
We were off the chain at that point, we broke so many records at that point and nobody cared. Led Zeppelin was really the band that broke a lot of records and they really hacked through the jungle with sharp machetes and they really did some amazing things. And you got the Stones out there constantly touring, not letting up, and writing fantastic music. And they wrote some incredible pop music that had some real depth to it and then they went on to carve out a niche and brought the blues to America and really taught America what kind of music they had right under their noses, but the fucking white people were just a bunch of idiots and didn't know what the hell they had. And it took the Stones to show us. Elvis tried, but it was tough for him, he was a phenomenon and went into pictures of him getting his haircut in the army and he was full-blooded American guy, the guy next door and all that stuff. But the Stones, they didn't want none of that. They
were like, "Let's stay in a hotel," and all these groupies would be hanging out down in the lobby and they'd go downstairs in their underwear and just pick out all the girls they wanted and took them upstairs. America just could not believe what these guys were up to, but they wrote great songs and did great things for black music. They wouldn't play a show unless Howlin' Wolf was on the bill or Muddy Waters. I don't think they get enough credit for what they did. But we heard about that stuff, we learned about that stuff and that was my college. I didn't graduate high school, but I sure learned a lot from what pop music had to offer.
Q: Who would be on the wish list now of people to work with?
If I had a chance to fucking sit in with Bob Dylan then I could die happy. As far as music goes Bob Dylan's it.
More to come as CREEM gears up to make some very big announcements!
Here is Steven Tyler with Stone Temple Pilots on American Idol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RzeHu_lSYUw
SVT2, one of two television channels run by Sweden's public television broadcaster Sveriges Television, will air a five-hour live broadcast of the "Big Four" concert on July 3, 2011 at Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden
The festival will feature the so-called "Big Four" bands of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX and MEGADETH — sharing the stage in Sweden for the first time.
Following last month's first U.S. "Big Four" concert in Indio, California on April 23, a second U.S. show featuring METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX has been confirmed for September 14 at the new version of the legendary Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City.
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told RollingStone.com after the Indio show that an East Coast date was coming, along with possible gigs in the South and Midwest, although he doubted a full tour would happen.
The all-day event in Indio featured the so-called "big four" bands of the Eighties thrash metal scene performing together on a U.S. stage for the first time ever in their 30-year careers.
A series of similar shows last summer in Europe was wildly popular, leading to demand for a U.S. version. The "Big Four" package will also head back to Europe this July.
All four bands were presented with awards for sales of a hundred thousand copies of a "Big Four" live DVD which was released late last year.
Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will perform as part of the eighth annual Biker Day concert on August 17 at the Buffalo.com Grandstand at the Erie County Fair (5600 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg) at 8 p.m.. The concert is free with gate admission.
For more information, call 649-3900 or visit www.the-fairgrounds.com.
Frehley will perform his 1978 solo album in its entirety during his appearance at the Hard Rock Hell V festival, set to take place December 2-4, 2011 at Pontins in Prestatyn, North Wales. Frehley will headline the event on Saturday, December 3.
Ace's current solo touring band includes Scot Coogan (drums, vocals), Anthony Esposito (bass, vocals) and new guitarist Todd Youth.
Frehley's latest solo album, "Anomaly", sold around 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart.
In addition to the standard CD release, unique "Anomaly" packages were made available at Wal-Mart and Best Buy locations. The Wal-Mart version includes an Ace autographed tattoo while the Best Buy edition is printed on silver stock, like the KISS "Double Platinum" album.
Released in September 2009 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform in the U.S., "Anomaly" was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has once again commented on the reports that GODSMACK's "Cryin' Like A Bitch" single was written as a slam on Sixx after the two bands apparently clashed during the Crüe Fest 2 tour.
In a posting on his Facebook page, Sixx responded to a question from a fan in which Nikki was asked "what happened [between] you and Sully."
"Every person — from road crew, fans and even all the bands on the tour (including [Sully's] band) — was so happy, but [Erna] just seems to be crying like a bitch," Sixx replied. "Funny, even his manager told me he's an asshole... Maybe the problem is just in HIS head... I got no problem with him."
GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna admitted in a webisode for the band's fifth studio album, "The Oracle", that "Cryin' Like A Bitch" was inspired by events of Crüe Fest 2, on which GODSMACK was billed below headliners MÖTLEY CRÜE. Sully told Artisan News Service at the time, "There's definitely been some rock-star garbage on this tour that we just have never seen in our career . . . this was the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out there every night and . . . make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go home with a nice big fat paycheck."
Samples of some of the lyrics on "Cryin' Like A Bitch" include lines like: "Strut on by like a king/Telling everybody they know nothing/Long lived what you thought you were/Time ain't on your side anymore"
"Cryin' Like A Bitch" lyrics:
Strut on by like a king
Telling everybody they know nothing
Long lived what you thought you were
Time ain't on your side anymore
And so you tell me I can't take my chances
But I've told you one too many times
And you were cryin' like a bitch
I'm tougher than nails, I can promise you that
Step outta line and you'll get bitch-slapped back
And you can run your little mouth all day
But the hand of god just smacked you back into yesterday
And so you tell me I can't take my chances
But I've told you one too many times
And you were cryin' like a bitch
And you wonder why no one can stand you
There's no denying you were cryin' like a bitch
Blinded by your sacred faded past times, only time is your enemy
Granted a second chance to prove that your arrogance is
Stronger than you'll ever be… it's stronger than you can be [/End of lyrics]
During a recent interview with Miles Hackett of Vive Le Rock magazine, Glenn Danzig revealed some of the tracks he is currently recording for his forthcoming covers record. "Well, BLACK SABBATH, of course," He said. "I love them! They are the key to so many things in my life."
He continued, "It was really cool, recently I got to co-host a show here called 'That Metal Show' with [BLACK SABBATH drummer] Bill Ward. It was great presenting with him.
"I'm also doing an Elvis cover for the record and another really cool thing that we've just done is a famous biker movie theme tune that we've totally trashed; it actually sounds more like early Seventies punk. I really changed it around a lot.
"We might do another biker movie theme and totally destroy that, too, before we're through. [laughs]
"My opinion of covers is that unless you're going to change and take a cover in a new direction, it's gonna get put up against the old one and you're gonna lose. It's like which would you rather listen to? THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS' 'Loving Feeling' or HALL AND OATES' 'Loving Feeling'? It's like no fuckin way, duh?
"So far I've done about seven or eight covers. There's a cover of Sixties band THE RASCALS and I'm doing a 'Nuggets' track too. 'Nuggets' were these pre-punk, psychedelic, garage albums. They produced a bunch of influential compilations in the early Seventies.
"So currently this is an on-going project, laying down as many tracks as I feel like and maybe releasing a seven- or eight-song EP of the best ones once they're done."
The entire Glenn Danzig interview can be found in the current issue of Vive Le Rock magazine.
The first new DANZIG studio album in six years, "Deth Red Sabaoth", sold 11,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Deth Red Sabaoth" was released on June 22, 2010 via Evilive/The End Records. Produced by Glenn, the CD was recorded in Los Angeles over the course of 2009.
Thomas Bradley of Nitro Productions conducted an interview with GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna on May 8 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Jacksonville, Florida. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow.
On how the bad economy has affected GODSMACK's touring:
Sully: "It's been tricky, man, because album after album, GODSMACK has… we've always done fairly well, but the economy has crashed around us during these times as well. It's been tough — it's been tough to tour, it's been tough to sell records. I mean, back in the day… My god, I remember not too long ago, I think 'N SYNC had the No. 1 record, it was like 2.5 million in one week they sold, which was some kind of crazy record. But now, No. 1 record, I think, is around 40,000 units. So with this whole digital era that we're getting into and the Internet and all that stuff, it's really making the record labels think about how they're gonna actually sell the physical CD tomorrow; they're gonna be obsolete in another minute, just like vinyl records and 8-tracks were. But I think there's an upswing happening, and that's a good sign, that people are starting to attend the shows again. I think they're getting sick of sitting in their bedrooms and watching
everything on YouTube. So, listen, there is no question it's a very powerful entity, the Internet — the most powerful thing in the world right now, probably — but there's nothing like a live experience. And so, with the economy or no economy, times are tough, but I think people still try to scrape up to come to have that live experience."
On spending so much time on the road:
Sully: "It's a hard way to make an easy living. [laughs] It's a lot of work. People see the one, two hours that we're on stage and they're like, 'Oh, what a great lifestyle they have, man. Girls everywhere…' It's not that. Maybe when you're 18 or 20, it's that, but when you've been in this game for 15 or 20 years, man, it's one of those things that it's tough to be on a bus with four other guys and constantly sleeping in hotels and planes and trains and buses and bunks and whatever it is… lack of sleep, you're exhausted… But I have no complaints, because I love what I do so much and we all love what we do so much that it's worth the pain that you have to put into it as well. What people need to understand is that every job has its great days and its bad days and it's no different in rock and roll. There's 23 hours in a day that they don't see us on stage that we're designing a light show or editing a video or mixing an album or writing a song or
doing interviews or travelling and being away from our loved ones and children and families. I mean, the first album we came out with, when it blew up, I don't remember seeing my bed for almost three and a half years — it was a long time, because the better the band did, the more demand there was around the world. It's four guys trying to touch the world, so it takes a long time to get from the States to Europe and do Europe and then get to Australia or Japan or Canada. It's a lot of work. Again, I'm not complaining — to me, it's the greatest job in the world, because I really am passionate about what I do. If I hated this and I made a million dollars a day doing it, it would be different — it would be that constant struggle of, 'I make such great money but I hate what I do.' To me, I would rather make less money and love what I do than make millions of dollars and hate my job."
GODSMACK's latest effort, "The Oracle", came out last spring. The current single is "Saints And Sinners".
GODSMACK and DISTURBED will headline this summer's edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour, which kicks off on July 9 in San Bernardino, California.
Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will release their tenth album, "Heritage", on September 20 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was produced by OPETH vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and was recorded earlier this year at Atlantis studios (formerly Metronome studios) in Stockholm. Mixing duties were handled by Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE) and Åkerfeldt. Longtime collaborator Travis Smith also worked with Åkerfeldt to create, design and execute the album's artwork.
"Heritage" will be released in several configurations that will certainly incite the interest of OPETH's legion of fans, known for their passion for collecting and collectibles. The album will be released as a standard version; as a special edition loaded with extras; as a box set exclusive to the Roadrunner and the band's own official Omerch webstore; and as a double LP. There is something for every OPETH fan, thanks to this variety of options.
Commented Åkerfeldt, "It will be our 10th album/observation. I dig it; we all do. In fact, it feels like I've been building up to write for and participate on an album like this since I was 19."
Åkerfeldt went a little deeper and described the music contained within "Heritage", saying, "It's quite intense at times in some 'old' murky way, and quite beautiful and stark at times, if I may say so myself.
"It's obvious I'm going to say nice things about it since I wrote, basically, the whole piece, but I guess it will raise a few eyebrows and it certainly is an acquired taste.
"I think you'll need a slightly deeper understanding of our music as a whole to be able to appreciate this record.
"I've realized my influences for this album are so diverse that I can't really say what it sounds like.
"If I can compare it to any other band, it would have to be OPETH, but it's different from the stuff we've done before.
"I've listened a lot to ALICE COOPER for the last year, yet I can't say it sounds like 'No More Mr. Nice Guy'.
"I hope you'll like it once you hear it."
"Heritage" track listing:
01. Heritage
02. The Devil's Orchard
03. I Feel The Dark
04. Slither
05. Nepenthe
06. Haxprocess
07. Famine
08. The Lines In My Hand
09. Folklore
10. Marrow Of The Earth
OPETH will embark on a seven-week, headline tour of the U.S. Dates will be announced imminently.
OPETH's last album, "Watershed" (2008), sold more than 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. Its predecessor, "Ghost Reveries", debuted at No. 64 on the Billboard chart back in September 2005 with first-week sales of just under 15,000. OPETH's 2003 album, "Damnation", opened with a little over 5,000 copies.
Keyboardist Per Wiberg was relieved of his duties as a member of OPETH last month as part of a mutual decision with the band. Keyboard duties on upcoming tours will be handled by a musician who is already rehearsing with the group. Said musician's identity will be released at a later date.
Åkerfeldt released the following statement on the matter: "Well, it's been somewhat of a revolving door of members during the last couple of years, and now Per is no longer a member. [Martin] Mendez [bass], Axe [Martin Axenrot, drums] and Fredrik [Åkesson, guitar] and I came to the decision that we should find a replacement for Per right after the recordings of the new album, and this came as no surprise to Per. He had, in turn, been thinking about leaving, so you could say it was a mutual decision. There's no bad blood, just a relationship that came to an end, and that's that. We wish Per the best, and he did a splendid job recording keyboards for the last record, which stands as his final recording with OPETH."
As part of the celebration of their 20th anniversary, OPETH released live footage and audio from the band's performance at London's famed Royal Albert Hall. The concert (recorded on April 5, 2010) included two sets, the first consisting of the band performing 2000's now-classic, breakthrough epic "Blackwater Park" in its entirety, and the second, a chronologically arranged selection of material from the rest of OPETH's extensive catalogue, totaling almost three hours of music. "In Live Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" is, like the rest of OPETH's greatest work, "purposefully warped in all the right places" (Decibel). The front cover artwork concept pays tribute to DEEP PURPLE's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra", underlining the band's longstanding love for their prog-rock roots.
After two years of touring behind Mastodon's prog-metal epic Crack the Skye, guitarist Brent Hinds is gearing up for a big return this year: The heavily tatted frontman has worked up two records with his side-projects West End Motel and Fiend Without a Face — and is putting the finishing touches on Mastodon's fifth album, due out later this year.
"It's very close," he tells SPIN of the Mastodon LP. "I have two guitar solos left to record, and one or two vocal parts and a couple of keyboards and that's it."
For the follow-up to Skye — a loose concept album about Tsarist Russia that remains Mastodon's highest-charting album yet — Hinds, bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, and drummer Brann Dailor are getting back to basics.
"Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye — those albums took too long to make," says Hinds. "This only took us a couple weeks to record and there's a totally different feeling to it. It's a jump-on-your-bed, get naked, and go streaking kind of record. I haven't had this feeling about a Mastodon record since [2004's] Leviathan. It's just fucking awesome.
"We've got a song about fighting, there's a song about lifting heavy stuff, there's a song about people on meth creeping around in trees trying to get the best wood grain out of a tree to sell it at Lowe's for [drug] money... The album is kind of silly. We're taking the piss out of things."
Of the final tracks, produced by Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Eminem), Hinds is particularly stoked for "Blasteroids," which he calls "pretty spastic and fun and bouncy," as well as "All the Heavy Lifting," which is a sludgy tribute of sorts to one of the group's favorite metal bands. "It kind of sounds like Neurosis, with that evil, minor, creepy sounding stuff.
Still, the album won't be totally "silly" — it will also include reflections on personal tragedies the band has undergone over the last year. For "The Sparrow," Hinds penned a tribute to his brother, who died unexpectedly last December while hunting. (In fact, Mastodon have two working titles for the album in honor of Brad: The Hunter or Brother.)
"Me and my family are in the phase where we've accepted it and now I'm paying homage to him," says Hinds. As for its sonic vibe, "It sounds like Zeppelin with these smooth buttery vocals and a huge Jimmy Page-style guitar solo. Me and Brann play off each other also in this sort of proggy way. There's a lot of stuff for the listener to tweak their ear to."
Prior to Mastodon's new disc, Hinds will release a double-album set on June 7 featuring his two side-projects Fiend Without a Face (his mid-90s band prior to joining Mastodon) and West End Motel. (Stream music below.) The records, which feature material that he recorded in the mid-'90s, are a welcome departure from Mastodon's thrashy, progged-out fare: Fiend Without a Face finds Hinds digging into his love of old garage rock bands like the Mummies and Mothers of Invention-era Zappa. Highlights include "Tsunami," which tips its hat to Dick Dale's twangy surf guitar, and "Get Straight," which features snatches of Devo's "Whip It." "I love '80s New Wave music and I'm a gigantic Devo fan," Hinds says. "I've got the whole Devo costume and everything."
But Hinds' music with West End Motel is far weirder — and cooler. A collaboration with his best friend (and local Atlanta musician) Tom Cheshire, the group's music sounds like Tom Waits and Tim Burton co-hosting the creepiest vaudeville show ever. Lyrically, the two offer up a deranged snapshot of American culture — many of the tunes were inspired by spontaneous freight-train trips they took years ago.
"It's all about that experience of traveling on trains and along the rails, that nomadic, once-in-a-lifetime, last hurrah kinda thing that you had," says Hinds. "Don't get me wrong. It's not like I was sum bum or anything — I had a construction job — but this is something I see kids doing all the time nowadays, and these songs are all about that experience."
But even though Mastodon are gearing up for a return, Hinds won't abandon his work with his other bands: he's hoping to plot a run of East Coast dates this summer with Fiend Without a Face, and has two more records already in the bag. "I've just been dying to get this stuff out there," he says. "And I think Mastodon fans will like it — they're open minded."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Synyster Gates says that the band came very close to splitting up following the December 2009 death of drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan — but that it was their fans and Sullivan's family that pulled them back from the brink. Gates told The Pulse Of Radio that for two weeks after Sullivan's death, AVENGED SEVENFOLD didn't exist anymore. "For the first two weeks after he passed, we were done as a band," he said. "We were just done. And because of the fans and Jimmy's parents and relatives and stuff like that, they just demanded that we continue on and spread the legacy that is, you know, the crazy James 'The Rev' Sullivan. And we feel so good doing that and they completely expedited that process. They really got our ass in gear to get out and finish the record and bring it to life, you know."
Gates told Grand Rapids, Michigan radio station WGRD backstage at Rock On The Range last weekend, "One of (Sullivan's) gifts in passing was definitely that we now appreciate everything a lot more than we did before and it's really cool that we all came from childhood friends . . . to being in this band together."
AVENGED recently premiered a music video for its latest single, "So Far Away", which is a tribute to Sullivan, who died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
Following Sullivan's death, the band recruited his favorite drummer, ex-DREAM THEATER member Mike Portnoy, to record the drum tracks for its latest album, "Nightmare", and tour with the band through 2010.
The group recently recruited new drummer Arin Ilejay, who has also recorded a new song with the band called "Not Ready To Die" for the Call Of Duty: Black Ops video game.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD will be on tour in Europe and Australia throughout June, July and early August before coming home to headline the Rockstar Uproar Festival tour, which will kick off on August 26.
Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach recently entered a Los Angeles studio with his new, young, virtuosic guitarist Nick Sterling, drummer Bobby Jarzombek and producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, SHINEDOWN, ATREYU, FILTER) to record Bach's next CD, tentatively due this fall via the Italian label Frontiers Records.
"We are DONE mixing the new CD," Bach writes on his Facebook page. "The last song we just completed was 'Awake', which a lot of you know. The melody from Nick Sterling in the chorus is so incredible; tender, heart-wrenching, builds into an emotional crescendo that is so beautiful and heavy to me.
"After much attention to detail from producer Bob Marlette, Nick, and myself, we now have the 'magic mix' of this track that literally makes me want to rip the skin off my chest it sounds so good.
"Next up we master the CD and vinyl versions of the record at Precision Sound in L.A.
"Like my last CD, Tom Baker will master the record, because he did such a perfect job mastering 'Angel Down'.
"Get ready to rock, mothertruckers! In stores this September!"
Bach previously stated about his new solo material, "This CD will follow along the lines of 'Skid Row', 'Slave To The Grind', 'Subhuman Race' and 'Angel Down'. If you like rockin' guitar riffs, high-energy songs and performances, deadly drums of doom, and ear-shattering screams, we got your rock right here!" He also described the songs as "heavy, interesting, classic sounding, modern sounding, completely rock 'n' roll — just how we like it!"
Sebastian in 2009 collaborated with HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta on several tracks for Bach's new solo album, with Nick and Charlie Bellmore of the Connecticut band PHANTOMS assisting during the pre-production process. The singer has also written material with John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON).
Relapse Records will release the brand new, long-awaited album from southern metal band HAIL!HORNET this summer., The follow-up to the band's self-titled 2007 debut, "Disperse The Curse" will be made available on July 19 in North America.
HAIL!HORNET is "Dixie" Dave Collins (WEEDEATER, BUZZOV*EN, BONGZILLA) on bass, Erik Larson (ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, BIRDS OF PREY, PARASYTIC) on drums, Vince Burke (BEATEN BACK TO PURE, LUNCH) on guitars, and T-roy Medlin (SOURVEIN, BUZZOV*EN) on vocals.
Two years in the making, "Disperse The Curse" was recorded at Sniper Studio by the band's own Vince Burke. The album features 11 new HAIL!HORNET tracks and artwork from Brian Mercer (MercerRock.com).
"Disperse The Curse" track listing:
01. Shoot The Pigs
02. Gifted Horse
03. Disperse The Curse
04. Glass Roses
05. Beast of Bourbon
06. Kill the Liars
07. Unholy Foe
08. Suicide Belt
09. Dullards Creed
10. Scars
11. Blacked Out In Broad Daylight
RWAKE vocalist CT will premiere his documentary "Slow Southern Steel" next weekend at the Little Rock Film Festival. This will be the worldwide premiere of the film that has been three years in the making with additional screening dates to be announced soon. CT directed the film along with David Lipke and will be on hand for the film's premiere on Saturday, June 4 at 6:50 p.m. at the Riverdale Cinema #1 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Following the premiere, there will be a "Slow Southern Steel" after-party at the Rev Room with SEAHAG, HOUR OF 13, MUSICHATESYOU, and more.
"Slow Southern Steel" is an in-depth look at underground, touring bands from south of the Mason Dixon, featuring live performances, exclusive interviews, and a look into the venues and vans these bands call home. Bands featured in "Slow Southern Steel" include EYEHATEGOD, SOURVEIN, ROYAL THUNDER, PARASYTIC, HANK III, ASG, WEEDEATER, COUGH, BLACK TUSK, and many more.
RWAKE has spent time at Engine Studios in Chicago, Illinois working on the follow-up album to 2007's "Voices of Omens". The as-yet-untitled full-length was recorded by Sanford Parker and is expected to see a late summer release.
POISON kicked off its 25th-anniversary tour last night (Wednesday, May 25) in front of nearly 4,000 fans at BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi. This larger-than-life reunion tour features all four of the band's original members — Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall and C.C. DeVille. Also appearing on the bill were WARRANT and Tupelo's own SPUNK MONKEES.
To celebrate POISON's 25th anniversary, 35 of the multi-platinum band's top hits and fan favorites have been gathered for "Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits", a new career-spanning 2CD and digital collection which was released May 3 by Capitol/EMI.
According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits" sold 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.
"Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits" features all of the band's charting singles, including the #1 smash ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", Top 10 hits "Nothin' But A Good Time", "Unskinny Bop" and "Something To Believe In", and other big hits and fan favorites, including "Talk Dirty To Me", "I Want Action", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", "Ride The Wind" and many more, including standouts from the band's most recent album, 2007's "Poison'd!"
"Between 'Double Dose Of Poison' and the 25th-anniversary tour, I honestly can't think of a better way to mark this major milestone," said POISON's singer Bret Michaels. "I'm so excited to get back out on the road with the band again to celebrate — and 'Double Dose' is going to be such a must-have collection: All the hits in one place. This is going to be really special for all of the fans — and especially for all of those who have been with us since Day One."
POISON's highly-anticipated tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE and the NEW YORK DOLLS kicks off June 7 at Dallas' Gexa Energy Pavilion, before continuing on to more than 30 other cities and major venues across North America, including Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl on June 14, Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on June 28, Detroit's DTE Energy Music Center on June 29, and Chicago's FMB Amphitheatre on July 1.
Since departing the legendary glam rock group JETBOY late last year, citing irreconcilable differences, lead singer Mickey Finn has kept busy with his new band COLD BLUE REBELS. The psychobilly outfit continues to tour relentlessly in support of its new full-length album, "Blood Guts and Rock 'n' Roll", which was released in January through Jon Nelson's Horror High Records. Finn is also working on launching his own unique clothing line, a rock 'n' roll webstore, and is extremely excited about the debut of "The Final Mix" podcast, where he will co-host alongside John Mahoney of ArtistPR and Brian Keselring from Puzzlefish. Finn is enthusiastic about the opportunity, and sees the program as a means to give something back to the world of up and coming artists.
"We want to offer up the knowledge we've learned after close to 30 years in the music industry, including triumphs and mistakes, opinions and advice," said Finn. "Also, it gives me a chance to visit and catch up with the many famous and infamous character's I've had the pleasure to work and party with through the long strange trip of my music career."
Adding to the show's attraction is a platter of valuable knowledge presented by guests from every level of the industry, including musicians, studio and record label representatives, production and promotion companies, managers, bookers, and much, much more.
"We want to tell everyone's story as it applies to the music industry, as we feel every bit of information is valuable, no matter how big or small," Finn continued.
"The Final Mix" debuted on Thursday, May 19 at FinalMixShow.com, and will continue to bring in exciting guests for weekly programs which cover everything from the hottest music news to information on the industry's past, present, and future.
RAM, the traditional Gothenburg, Sweden-based heavy metal band featuring drummer Morgan Pettersson (ex-B-THONG), has set "Death" as the title of its third album, tentatively due this fall via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The CD was recorded at Welfare Sounds Studios in the group's hometown and was mastered by Dragan Tanaskovic at Bohus Sound.
"Death" track listing:
01. Death...
02. ...Comes From The Mouth Beyond
03. I Am The End
04. Release Me
05. Defiant
06. Frozen
07. Under The Scythe
08. Hypnos
09. Flame Of The Tyrants
10. 1 7 7 1
Side A and the title track of RAM's "Under The Scythe" single (released earlier in the month through High Roller Records) is now available for digital download and streaming through online music services like Spotify, iTunes, etc.
"Death" features a guest appearance by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Freddie Wadling who has had a very successful solo career in addition to having played with such cult acts as THE LEATHER NUN, BLUE FOR TWO and FLÄSKKVARTETTEN.
The B-side of the "Under The Scythe" single contains an exclusive cover version of the MERCYFUL FATE song "Evil" from the Danish band's classic 1983 album "Melissa". RAM's rendition of "Evil" is said to be a "duet" with Oscar Carlquist and Hellbutcher from the Swedish cult black metal band NIFELHEIM. RAM says, "Don't expect Hellbutcher's vocals to be anything near what he does in NIFELHEIM."
RAM vocalist Oscar Carlquist previously stated about the band's new album, "Again we are pushing the envelope of the RAM sound.
"This album differs quite a bit from our 2009 release, 'Lightbringer'; the sound is rawer and has a strong nerve and honest live-like feel, but still it is extremely powerful. It was produced by me and Harry Granroth (guitars) and Per Stålberg and Olle Björk and recorded at Welfare Studios here in Gothenburg. Dragan Tanaskovic is also a huge part of this by contributing massive power in the mastering process. Song-wise, we are showing new sides of the band.
"The album is a 10-song sonic rollercoaster displaying an array of different styles, emotions tempos and aggressions, but all within the concept of traditional heavy metal, of course.
"In all honesty, I can't choose one single song that is representative of the sound of the album as a whole. We are really pleased with this album that feels like a really cool direction to take from 'Lightbringer' and we can't wait to blast these new song live!"
RAM last year parted ways with bassist Christian Strömblad and replaced him with Tobias Pettersson from the underground black metal band VORNTH.
Japanese rockers DIR EN GREY will release their eighth studio album, "Dum Spiro Spero", on August 9. According to a press release, the band's deep, extensive and unique perspective is once again set to break boundaries, with their uncategorizable mix of music which will undoubtedly secure tremendous support from the hardcore fans, as well as gaining recognition from heavy rock fans, guitar enthusiasts and Western-music-obsessed music fans."
DIR EN GREY guitarist Kaoru describes "Dum Spiro Spero" as "more savage, and from a deeper world which is completely different from any of our past works."
"Dum Spiro Spero" features 14 tracks, including "Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami" (featured on "Saw 3D" soundtrack), "Lotus" and "Different Sense".
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE — the Shreveport, Louisiana quintet now transplanted to Los Angeles, California — will release its new album, "Ruining It For Everybody", on July 26 via Century Media Records.
Every person who pre-orders the new CD at MerchNow will be entered to win one of five prize packs featuring 2 tickets to see IWRESTLEDABEARONCE at a show of their choice on the upcoming "All Stars Tour", a meet-and-greet with the band, and two merch items of their choice at the show. One grand prize winner will be chosen out of these five to win the above plus every "Ruining It For Everybody" pre-sale merch item. Various pre-order CD packages will be available for purchase. The first 100 IWRESTLEDABEARONCE posters purchased as part of a pre-order package will be autographed. In addition, the first 500 pre-orders will receive a custom IWRESTLEDABEARONCE birthday card.
The fearless fivesome — Krysta Cameron (vocals), Steven Bradley (guitar, keyboard, programming, samples), John Ganey (guitar, keyboard, programming, samples), Mike "Rickshaw" Martin (bass) and Mikey Montgomery (drums) — still bludgeons with the best of them. In fact, their psychotic polyrhythmic groove fuels "Ruining It For Everybody". Simultaneously, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE completely embrace their inner RADIOHEAD, elegantly exorcising eerie emotion via singer Krysta Cameron.
Breakneck guitar battery subsides during a haunting chorus on the album's first single, "Karate Nipples". Elsewhere on "Next Visible Delicious", glitchy electronics derail into a vaudevillian death metal delirium. Closing track "Button It Up" ventures into raw, real darkness. IWRESTLEDABEARONCE have ruined heavy music, because no one can compete with them now.
Bradley encapsulates the band's sound this time around. "It's heavier, catchier, and better organized than anything we've done so far. We took a really spastic blend of genres and made it more cohesive."
"The album is another story and chapter in my life," reveals Cameron. "A lot has happened since the release of our debut, and it means a lot to me that I get to express my thoughts, beliefs, and feelings through this album."
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE don't shroud anything in mystery, and they're doing exactly what they want. For Bradley, the album title serves as the ultimate middle finger to expectations, conventions, and the norm. "We do whatever the fuck we want, and that normally ends up pissing people off," he declares. "We like to take elements from every style and genre and ruin them for everybody."
For Cameron, that deconstruction includes delving deeper than your average metal singer. On "Next Visible Delicious", she serves up a warning about the dangers of not thinking for oneself. "People believe anything fed to them if they are told by someone with power that it's truth. Your head will spin trying to rationalize religion, politics, and environment. The song references mother nature becoming fed up with our ways and swallowing us whole. It's a warning of our long-awaited Armageddon. No, not the movie…"
Look for IWRESTLEDABEARONCE to take their one-of-a-kind, fearless live show on the road again starting July 21. First up, they'll join the "All Stars Tour", featuring EMMURE, FOR TODAY, BORN OF OSIRIS, AFTER THE BURIAL, CHELSEA GRIN, ATTILA, ALESANA, BLESS THE FALL, IN THIS MOMENT, THE GHOST INSIDE, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS and FOR ALL THOSE SLEEPING. These dates run through August 21 in Las Vegas, with another week of shows expected to be added.
"Ruining It For Everybody" track listing:
01. Next Visible Delicious
02. You Know That Ain't Them Dogs' Real Voices
03. Deodorant Can't Fix Ugly
04. This Head Music Makes My Eyes Rain
05. It Is "Bro" Isn't It?
06. Gold Jacket, Green Jacket
07. Break It Down Camacho
08. Stay to the Right
09. I'm Gonna Shoot
10. Karate Nipples
11. Button It Up
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/iwaboruining.jpg
Bassist Alex Webster of Florida-based death metal veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE has posted the following message on his Twitter profile:
"Writing for the new CANNIBAL album is going great. We've completed music for eight songs and have several more in the works as well."
CANNIBAL CORPSE's latest album, "Evisceration Plague", sold 9,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. This was more than 50 percent higher than the opening tally of the band's previous CD, "Kill" (2006), which landed at No. 170 after shifting more than 6,000 copies. In 1996, CANIBAL CORPSE's "Vile" premiered at No. 151, with more than 6,100 copies sold.
"Global Evisceration", the fourth DVD from CANNIBAL CORPSE, sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 17 on the Top Music Videos chart. The disc also landed at No. 5 on the Canadian chart.
Released on March 15 via Metal Blade Records, "Global Evisceration" was shot and edited by director Denise Korycki (Wild Wind Productions) who also worked on the group's "Centuries of Torment - The First 20 Years" DVD in addition to releases from such other bands as AS I LAY DYING, MASTODON, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and SUPERJOINT RITUAL.
"Global Evisceration" contains one disc and is approximately three hours long with artwork by the infamous Vince Locke. The main program includes full live-song performances from two live shows: the Gothic Theater in Englewood, Colorado on May 3, 2010 and Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 8, 2010. It also contains bonus performances and extra segments, including behind-the-scenes footage covering CANNIBAL CORPSE's tours in support of the "Evisceration Plague" album.
Guitarist Per Nilsson of Swedish progressive melodic death metallers SCAR SYMMETRY has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"For this week's shows at the Metalfests in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, we will have Mr. Fredrik Andersson from PROPANE HEADRUSH as a temporary replacement for Jonas Kjellgren, who is on leave of absence. Fredrik is a longtime friend of ours and an amazing guitar player, so we're happy to have him fill in! Jonas will be back in time for Rockstad Falun next week!"
Check out Fredrik Andersson's PROPANE HEADRUSH at this location. The songs were produced and mixed by SCAR SYMMETRY's Per Nilsson and Jonas Kjellgren.
"The Unseen Empire", the new album from SCAR SYMMETRY, was released on April 15 in Europe and May 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records.
SCAR SYMMETRY's previous CD, "Dark Matter Dimensions", came out on October 2, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Jon Szerlag of The Ionia Sentinel-Standard recently conducted an interview with drummer Marwan Hussein of ACRASSICAUDA, the Iraqi heavy metal band that formed under the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2001 and played only six shows in Iraq before fleeing (the bandmembers were granted immigrant status in the United States in 2008). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On starting to receive threats for their music after beginning to play shows in 2005:
"In 2005, the concerts were really dangerous. Each member of the audience had to get searched to attend the show. Then we got threats, calling us American because we play Western music. If we wanted to keep doing what we were doing, we had to leave the country."
On first leaving Iraq for Syria where they stayed until 2007 when the Syrian government issued a decree that refugees had to leave the country:
"We played a couple shows, there was no scene — rock or metal — for Western music. We had to leave and we went to Turkey and stayed in Istanbul for a year and a half and applied for asylum refugee (status)."
On playing heavy metal music in Iraq:
"(The music) also tied the lifestyle that we lived there, we needed a heavy dose of music, and it was hard for us to actually express ourselves as individuals for people who lived there and born there and had to grow up with the situation. War was all over the place. It got to the point where metal music was the only getaway for us. We didn't even plan (to play metal)."
"It was challenging. You need to realize that you are playing a style that nobody has a clue about."
"Everyone knew each other; it was a very underground scene. Nobody talked about it, it was a taboo, forbidden, everyone would look at you like 'What's that? It's devil music.' It wasn't something that you would talk to people about."
On ACRASSICAUDA's music, which mimics the war and destruction that the bandmembers experienced:
"All metal dudes want to talk about death, destruction and war. But we want to say that we have seen that, it's not as fun as you might think and as cool as you might think. It's a life and death matter, and we take it very seriously and personal. We have been there and seen that, and we are bringing you that through the music, lyrics and whole show. It's going to be war on stage."
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