LED ZEPPELIN legend Robert Plant is nominated in the "Album Of The Year", "Artist Of The Year" and "Duo/Group Of The Year" categories at the 10th annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards, which is scheduled to take place Thursday, October 13 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Plant is nominated for his work on the "Band of Joy" album, his first release since recording the six-time Grammy-winning bluegrass album "Raising Sand" with collaborator Alison Krauss in 2007.
"Band of Joy" sold 49,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD enlists the help of an array of U.S. musicians, all of whom performed with Plant on tour.
The BAND OF JOY lineup includes Patty Griffin on vocals; Darrell Scott on multiple instruments and vocals; Byron House on bass and vocals; Marco Giovino on drums, percussion and vocals; and co-producer Buddy Miller on guitar and vocals.
JUDAS PRIEST will embark on a North American tour in the fall with support from THIN LIZZY and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. The trek — which was just announced during a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel at Highland and Hollywood in Los Angeles, California — will kick off on October 12 in San Antonio, Texas and conclude on November 18 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The complete list of dates (courtesy of Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault):
Oct. 12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Oct. 14 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Ampitheater
Oct. 15 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct. 16 - Dallas, TX - Allen Event Center
Oct. 18 - Tucson, AZ - Ava Ampitheater
Oct. 19 - San Diego, CA - Cricket Wireless Ampitheater
Oct. 21 - Phoenix, AZ - AZ State Fair
Oct. 22 - San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Ampitheater
Oct. 23 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock
Oct. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Ampitheater
Oct. 26 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
Oct. 29 - Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
Oct. 30 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
Nov. 01 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Center
Nov. 02 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
Nov. 04 - Salt Lake City, UT - Maverik Center
Nov. 05 - Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center
Nov. 12 - Chicago, IL - The Venue At Horeshoe Casino
Nov. 13 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
Nov. 18 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
On May 9, longtime Spanish heavy metal journalist Rafa Basa of RafaBasa.com conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the departure of the band's founding member, Kenneth "K.K." Downing; the addition of Faulkner; and the group's upcoming "Epitaph" farewell tour.
When asked why JUDAS PRIEST chose to embark on a farewell tour at this point in the band's career, Halford said, "I think we're just being very careful. We wanna be able to still do these big shows and to still give out the same kind of power and energy that we've always been able to do. And so, 40 years later, we're doing that really successfully and we feel that we would like this to be a kind of celebration of many, many things about JUDAS PRIEST and give the fans a really, really great metal show. And then maybe just take things easier next time, you know, because… I wish we were all immortal. [Laughs] Metal is immortal [Laughs], but I don't feel immortal. It's a lot of reasons, and it happens to everybody in one way or another. I think metal touring is very, very difficult. I mean, you've got all the travelling to do and you don't get much sleep. And it's different on your body all these years later. PRIEST is famous for these very big, long
grueling tours, and we just wanna still be able to make our shows, but we just wanna be able to kind of enjoy them and put on a great performance. But just kind of kick back a little bit and enjoy the golden metal years and still be with our fans, but just on a different level now."
Regarding whether the next PRIEST studio album will be similar to the band's last CD, "Nostradamus" (2008), or if it will be a return to a classic PRIEST album format along the lines of "Angel Of Retribution" (2005), Halford said, "Well, I can tell you that it's gonna be a very strong, powerful, solid heavy metal album with all of the famous things people love about PRIEST — all the big sledgehammer heavy metal riffs from Birmingham and the screaming vocals. And it's just a very straightforward record as far as looking at our past and all of the wonderful things that we've done in heavy metal — from 'British Steel' to 'Painkiller' to 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'. We've got this wonderful heritage in our music, so I think we're just letting our heart lead us on this record. It's not as complicated or as complex in the arrangements as 'Nostradamus' was and I think we always felt that it would have been wrong to finish the recording side of PRIEST with
'Nostradamus'; we felt it was very important to kind of re-focus and put the metal in its place that we're most famous for, and I think that's what we're gonna do with this new record. It's coming out next year. It's almost completed. A lot of the songs have been already written, not fully recorded, but all of the arrangements have been made. That's the time-consuming part — the actual writing of the songs and then getting the arrangements right and all the pieces into place. And then when you go in the studio, the studio is generally a pretty straightforward operation. But we're excited, yeah. It's kind of unusual, isn't it?! 'Cause it's farewell, but it's full of new things; we have a new show, new costumes, new setlist and that's we've always tried to do for our fans and for ourselves — to make every tour special, and that's definitely the case with this one."
On the topic of the future of JUDAS PRIEST after the "Epitaph" tour, Halford said, "It's a very open set of opportunities, of course. We will still be making shows, we won't be going out on these long, massive world tours as much. But we'll still be getting together every now and again and doing a festival here and there. Personally, I don't see any reason why we need to stop the writing and the recording, because that's always a great joy and pleasure and it's not as stressful and difficult, physically and mentally, as a tour. So yeah, the future is not really laid out for certain, but I guess we'll just be and do what we've always tried to do as a metal band, which is, in one way or another, still keep recording and still do some shows."
When asked about JUDAS PRIEST's decision to hire a relatively unknown guitar player to replace K.K. Downing, Halford said, "I think it would have diluted the moment if we would have gone with one of our friends. We know some very famous metal guitar players and I'm sure that they would have said, 'Yeah, I'll help you out if you need the help.' But I think we wanted to give this moment its own special feeling. Obviously, nobody can replace K.K. entirely, so I think we worked really hard to find someone of the same caliber and with the same kind of discipline and guitarmanship as K.K.'s always displayed, and I think we found that in Richie. Richie's been around for awhile; he's already had a successful career up until this point with his solo activities and some of the other bands that he's worked with. But this is a big leap for Richie to go into a band like PRIEST. And he's gonna be the right man for the job, you know. It is gonna be a tremendously
exciting moment for Richie as a player. I can only imagine what's going on in his mind. I suppose it's the same as when Ripper walked out each night; you just have to go out and do your very best, and that's what Richie's gonna do. I think he's gonna show the metal world that he's a very competent, exciting player that's gonna not only be able to do the parts he needs to play but also inject his own special style and technique. And I think the metal fans are really grateful that Richie's there, because if Richie was not in the spot, this tour would have been canceled. So, yeah, it's gonna be tremendous for Richie to be able to do what's gotta do and he's gonna do it really well. And I think the fans are gonna love him."
JUDAS PRIEST's "Epitaph" world tour will kick off on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland.
Australian rockers RAISE THE FLAG have lured two ex-members of rock legends AC/DC for the first time! In a world first, they join the lineup and help Oz rock fans celebrate the world's #1 rock singer, Bon Scott, on his 65th-birthday weekend.
On the rhythm section, Simon Wright, best known for his drum work with AC/DC, UFO, DIO and who recorded on albums "Fly On The Wall", "Who Made Who", "Blow Up Your Video", along with six DIO albums, joins Mark Evans, bass man during AC/DC's rise to fame in the '70s and whose work is on albums "High Voltage", "TNT", "Let There Be Rock" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
RAISE THE FLAG features guitars by ex-THE ANGELS star James Morley powering one Marshall stack and introduces Mick Adkins who drives the second Marshall stack and takes on the big task of laying down Angus solos. The pair belt out the songs in "Young" fashion and are elevated by soaring rock vocals delivered by Anthony "Skenie" Skene of another powerhouse band, THE POOR. The setlist will feature songs written, co-written or sung to fame by Bon and include many of the classic anthems Australians have taken as their own such as "Jailbreak", "Long Way To The Top", "Whole Lotta Rosie", "If You Want Blood" and will feature plenty of surprises that die-hard Bon fans will love.
The organizers state: "For the Fremantle show, as midnight rolls over, we will raise the flag to Bon for his 65th birthday and celebrate all the way through to the Gold Coast.
"Though many of these performers never met Bon, it's the legacy he left behind that these musicians admire and brings them together to remind you that he is 'Bon But Not Forgotten.'"
With an ever-changing lineup of famous Oz rockers, RAISE THE FLAG recently completed a successful tour of Western Australia performing a list of Aussie rock hits led by Dave Gleeson and Paul Woseen of THE SCREAMING JETS, and featuring Paul Wheeler on drums and dual guitar bookends Morley and Adkins for this guitar-driven salute to Australian rock 'n' roll.
"Bon But Not Forgotten" dates:
July 08 - Metropolis – Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
July 09 - Parkwood Tavern – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
On Monday, June 6, guitar god Zakk Wylde will sit in with the amazing house band THE ROOTS on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon". Expect a killer display of guitar pyrotechnics from Wylde, as he jams with THE ROOTS on a variety of material.
"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" airs on NBC at 12:35 a.m. ET/PT.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "The Song Remains Not The Same" sold around 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on May 10 via Entertainment One Music, the offering features unplugged versions of material from BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's latest album, "Order Of The Black", as well as additional material recorded during the "Order Of The Black" sessions. "The Song Remains Not The Same" was conceived, created and compiled by BLS mainman Zakk Wylde himself and the title is, of course, a nod to one of Wylde's favorite bands, LED ZEPPELIN.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is currently headlining Fuse's Uranium Tour 2011 presented by Mistress Juliya.
Former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno will embark on a tour of Brazil, dubbed "Running Free Again", in September/October. Backing the singer on all dates will be the Brazilian metal band SCELERATA consisting of Fábio Juan (vocais), Magnus Wichmann (guitar), Renato Osorio (guitar), Gustavo Strapazon (bass) and Francis Cassol (drums). The trek is expected to run between September 15 and October 16 (dates subject to change).
According to the Daily Mail, Di'Anno (real name: Paul Andrews) was jailed in March after he falsely collected U.K. government benefits by claiming he suffered nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working.
Di'Anno, 52, was sentenced to nine months for swindling £45,000 (approximately $72,000) in benefits. He was told he would serve at least four and a half months of the sentence behind bars before being released on conditional bail.
D'Anno was reportedly busted when investigators at Department Of Work And Pensions (DWP) received an anonymous tip that he was still singing. They then found videos and pictures on YouTube and the rocker's own web site of Di'Anno "energetically leaping around on stage, singing to fans around the world."
Di'Anno completed his first North American tour in early 2010, 17 years after he was deported following a prison term for guns and drug offenses.
"In 1991 I did a couple of stints in jail for guns and drugs," Di'Anno explained in a 2010 interview. "I was stupid. But after I'd done my stretch they still treated me like a criminal. And I was — but I wasn't that bad. So I didn't feel good about America. The government, not the people.
"Prison was tough, but I'm tougher. I was nobody's bitch, put it that way. You've got to do it; otherwise people will walk all over you."
A spokesperson for SLAYER has informed fan site Slayerized.com that it is not very likely that founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman will join the band for the upcoming South American tour which kicks off next week (June 2) in Santiago, Chile. A replacement guitarist hasn't been officially named, but it is believed to once again be Gary Holt of EXODUS.
Hanneman stepped onstage with SLAYER at the April 23 "Big Four" concert in Indio, California, marking the first time he has played with the band since last October. In January, Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite, and has been undergoing surgeries, skin grafts and intense rehab since. Hanneman surprised the crowd of 50,000 when he walked out onto the stage, unannounced, and played the two-song encore, "South Of Heaven" and "Angel Of Death".
Holt (EXODUS) has been the primary guest guitarist with SLAYER since the band started its 2011 touring schedule in February, and will continue in that capacity until Hanneman has completely recovered.
In a recent interview with Austria's Stormbringer.at webzine, SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo stated about the decision to hire Holt as the initial temporary replacement for Hanneman, "Well, that was a hard decision to make. We had to think to ourselves, 'Do we cancel — again? Or what do we do? Do we keep going?' It was a difficult decision, but we had to make it — to find a guitar player to take Jeff's place until Jeff gets better. And Gary, really, was a no-brainer — meaning, we didn't have to think about it. Because at Hellfest in France [in 2010], Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] and myself were watching EXODUS. And SLAYER and EXODUS go waaay back. We go back to '83 or '84 when we first got together and did shows up in San Francisco together. So we saw Gary play with EXODUS [again last year], and we loved it. And Gary's performance was outstanding. So the first person that came to our minds was Gary — to take the place for Jeff. Again, it was
difficult to make that decision, but we had to do it to fulfill our shows; we couldn't cancel again."
MEGADETH's David Ellefson and ANTHRAX's Frank Bello will take part in a joint Hartke bass clinic on Friday, June 24 at Gearfest 2011 at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For more information, see the event poster below.
Ellefson and Bello took part in the first of two joint Hartke bass clinics this on February 25 at Sam Ash in New York City.
A four-minute report from Hartke featuring footage from Ellefson's portion of the New York City clinic can be viewed below.
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.
Leander Games has secured the exclusive worldwide rights to develop MEGADETH-branded games for both the online and landbased industry.
Ramiro Atucha, founder and CEO of Leander Games, said, "Providing licensed games for a phenomenal brand such as MEGADETH is a really exciting proposition for us. Drawing on the band's staggering worldwide popularity and in keeping with their image, we have developed a game that will truly engage players on a global scale. We have an in-house team that specialize in providing the most thrilling mathematics and advanced graphics with most of the creative team specializing in 2D, 3D and motion art, therefore the MEGADETH slot game player experience is unparalleled."
Added MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine: "We have an amazing fan base that is incredibly loyal to our music and everything we stand for and we never dreamed that one day we would have a 'MEGADETH' slot game for fans to play. However, with the assistance of Leander Games' vision and creativity, we have produced a fantastic game that will appeal to anyone that already appreciates the band, while also giving us an opportunity to continue widening our appeal to a new casino playing audience."
Game features:
* Main Screen with "Meta Screen" feature with 3 bet levels to get new winning combinations and Extended Wild.
* Multiple Levels Bonus Screens with "Free Spins" bonus with "Sticky Wild" feature that fixes the Wild all through the Free Spins and a "Picker" bonus where the player must end the punishment portrayed in the "Head Crusher" video.
* "Multihand Infinite Hold 'em" bonus, where cards will continue to be dealt with at least a Two Pair hand, potentially infinite times.
* Game Specifications: 5 reels by 4 rows, 40 line video slot game.
* Top Award: 50,000 credits.
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have tapped Andy Wallace (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, WHITE ZOMBIE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SEPULTURA, SLAYER, NIRVANA) to mix their new album, tentatively due in September via Roadrunner Records. The band's keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, said, "We are all REALLY excited to have [Andy's] magic touch!"
When asked about the status of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" album, DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie told U.K.'s Rock Radio last Wednesday (May 18), "Right now, I'm talking to you, and then, literally, within about a half an hour after we're done talking, I'm going into the studio and I start doing vocals for the new DREAM THEATER. So I'm about six songs into the album. I'm recording up in Canada, and as I'm recording my vocals, Jordan [Rudess] is currently recording his keyboards, piano and putting on all his amazing sounds from his various software that he has, and he's doing that down in New York. The drums, the guitar and the bass are all done, so it's just a matter of Jordan and I finishing our parts, and the mix is to commence… I think May 30 or the 31st we're supposed to start mixing the album. But it's all going incredible and it's all moving ahead. We're looking at an early September
release — somewhere around the 7th or the 10th, somewhere around there is the release indication at this point."
In a recent interview with Music Radar, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess were asked if the band's new drummer, Mike Mangini (STEVE VAI, ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME) contributed to the songwriting on the band's forthcoming CD. "Mike didn't write with us," Rudess replied. "Basically, we got in the studio and did our thing. We wrote songs and sent them to him. He came in and just nailed his parts. He's incredible. I'm finishing my keyboard parts right now, and I'll go to the computer to see how things are lining up, and I'm just speechless. The guy doesn't mess up!" [laughs]
"We had the demos, had them fully written out, and he learned them and added his own stuff," Petrucci stated. "But every time he would do something, if I said, 'Hey, can you do that again?' he'd do it, and it would be perfect. The guy is… he's out of his mind! [laughs] People are not going to believe how great he is."
"But what's really special about him is, he's not just a technician," Rudess added. "Yes, he plays his parts perfectly, but he comes at everything as a total musician. Everything he does has real soul and a depth of feeling."
When asked how not having DREAM THEATER's former drummer, Mike Portnoy, in the recording and writing process changed the band dynamic, Petrucci replied, "It was a lot quieter. [laughs] Mike Mangini's playing style is different. He plays very hard, but he's got a very deep groove. He almost plays behind the beat just a little bit — even through he's right on the money. He's extremely locked in, but if he does do something technical, he's still right there."
Jeffrey Easton of Metal Exiles recently conducted an interview with bassist Peter Baltes of reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Exiles: I know your fans are die-hard, especially the German ones, so when you set out to tour for the first time with Mark [Tornillo, vocals], were you expecting a backlash or were you confident?
Peter: We were pretty confident with the singer we had and the fact that "Blood Of The Nations" was coming out. It was so good that we knew that we were going to win people over with it so we just jumped into cold water and it worked out well.
Metal Exiles: The sound of this album is a straightforward, anger-based tone. What brought this album out of you guys?
Peter: It is probably the sound that [producer] Andy Sneap gave us. He just finished the MEGADETH record and then came to do us. It was a combo of his sound and our riffs and we had no pressure, nobody was telling us what to do because we had no label at the time. We were just doing what the fans would want and what we wanted to do so maybe that's why it sounded so angry.
Metal Exiles: How did this album get off the ground so easily without writing together for so long and with a new singer?
Peter: That was Andy's credit because before we started Andy sat us down and said, "Let's go back and listen to the old ACCEPT albums one by one and let me, from a fan's point of view, point out the things that I think are important that make you stand out." We did that and it was an ordeal to go through all of the songs but we understood what he was talking about and we scrapped the few things we scrapped and started from scratch focusing on our strengths.
Metal Exiles: I know you had a heavy hand in the writing. Where were you coming from with writing?
Peter: Wolf [Hoffmann, guitar] and I concentrated on the riffs and we worked on the lyrics with Mark but most of those were Mark's. We had the track "Pandemic" which we were thinking about how it would sound screamed out so we just leave it to Mark to make sense of it.
Metal Exiles: I know Andy produced this album but I know ACCEPT is still your baby so how much were you involved in how it sounded and of course arranging it?
Peter: Like I said, Wolf and I wrote the album and arranged it, did the vocal melodies with Mark, but had great assistance from Andy, who is a guitar player with a different perspective as a producer. Mark was new with us, but we challenged him and pushed him as well.
Metal Exiles: What's next after this American tour?
Peter: We are going to South America then Europe for some dates. We are doing Sweden Rock with JUDAS PRIEST and the fans are going crazy that we are playing with them on the same day. We are playing some other festivals during the summer then we go home and relax. We will start writing right away and Andy does have studio time already booked so hopefully we will get started and have an album done by early next year.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS/ex-VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weilandwill perform on the Thursday, May 26 edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on NBC-TV.
"The Tonight Show" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EST. Check local listings for details.
Weiland performed a cover version of the DEPECHE MODE song "But Not Tonight" on the May 20 episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". You can watch video footage of his appearance below.
Scott Weiland's autobiography, "Not Dead & Not For Sale", was released on May 17 via the Simon & Schuster imprint Scribner. The singer collaborated on the project with David Ritz, the "Sexual Healing" lyricist who has co-written autobiographies for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and more recently Don Rickles.
An excerpt from "Not Dead & Not For Sale" can be found at RollingStone.com.
In the early 1990s, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS — not U2, not NIRVANA, not PEARL JAM — was the hottest band in the world. STP toppled such mega-bands as AEROSMITH and GUNS N' ROSES on MTV and the Billboard charts. Weiland became an iconic frontman in the tradition of Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Robert Plant.
Then, when STP imploded, it was Weiland who emerged as the emblem of rock star excess, with his well-publicized drug busts and trips to rehab. Weiland has since made a series of stunning comebacks, fronting the supergroup VELVET REVOLVER, releasing solo work, and, most recently, reuniting with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS. He still struggles with the bottle but he has prevailed as a loving, dedicated father, as well as a business-savvy artist whose well of creativity is far from empty.
These earthling papers explore Weiland's early years as an altar boy right along with his first experiences with sex and drugs. Weiland discusses his complex relationships with his parents, stepfather, siblings, and the love of his life, Mary Forsberg Weiland. Readers learn the fascinating stories behind his most well-known songs and what it was like to be there at the beginning of the grunge phenomenon, as Rolling Stone proclaimed on its cover "the year punk broke." "Not Dead & Not for Sale" is a hard rock memoir to be reckoned with — a passionate, insightful, and at times humorous book that reads with extraordinary narrative force.
Like a mixture of dangerous chemicals, equal parts guitarist extraordinaire, rudeboy rock drummer, and the righteous rhythms of a badass bass player and all together you have one hell of an explosive combination. Add to this concoction the experience of selling 75 million records and the attitude that comes from being at the top of your game and you've got MANRAZE. This London-based alternative/nuwave rock band was formed by iconic lead guitarist Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD. The band members include punk rock forerunner Paul Cook of the SEX PISTOLS on drums and Simon Laffy, rockin' bass player of Collen's former glam-band, GIRL. The long awaited and highly anticipated sophomore album for these revolutionaries of rock, titled "punkfunkrootsrock", will be unleashed upon the masses on August 2 through Rocket Science Ventures in the U.S. and Canada. The album will also be released July 27 in Japan on Nippon/Columbia and in the Europe via Edel Music. In
addition, a limited-edition version will be available for order in the U.S. as soon as June 1.
Prior to the album's summer release, the first single, "Over My Dead Body", is set to hit iTunes on May 31. "Over My Dead Body" is a hard-hitting track combining a mixture of fiery THE ROLLING STONES' foot-stomping rhythms and SEX PISTOLS' over-the-top energetic drum beats.
For fans that pre-order the album, an acoustic version of the track will be offered as a free download. The remainder of the album's twelve tracks feature many diverse genres including rock, soul and reggae dub, a perfect blend of influences each band member brings to the mix.
It all started in 2004 when Phil Collen, after 20-plus years as lead guitarist for DEF LEPPARD, decided to express himself via another creative outlet — something a bit closer to his musical home. After a chance meeting on the street with Paul Cook, MANRAZE finally released their debut album, "Surreal", through Universal Records in the summer of 2008 to rave reviews. The group's debut album was chocked full of rebellious in-your-face mantras ("Turn it Up", "This Is", "Running Me Up") ranging from hardcore punk to dub. Seen as a cross between the FOO FIGHTERS, GREEN DAY, NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and THE POLICE, MANRAZE is a response to the ever changing climate of multi-faceted music and should be heralded for far more than just being a 'rock band'.
In the spring of 2011 the band's single "I Superbiker" was the theme song for the feature documentary of the same name. Directed by MANRAZE music video director Mark Sloper, the film was released solely in the U.K. The documentary is an in-depth expose' into the merciless world of competitive speed bike racing and a look at the men who have dedicated their entire existence to this incredibly dangerous, adrenaline based sport. Mark Sloper's camera follows four superbike riders through their dramatic, life-altering Superbike season. MANRAZE also released a promotional video for the song and film.
"punkfunkrootsrock" track listing:
01. Over My Dead Body
02. I C U In Everything
03. All I Wanna Do
04. Closer To Me
05. Lies
06. Get Action
07. Edge Of The World
08. Dreamland
09. Fire
10. I, Superbiker
11. Bittersweet
12. Dogbite (instrumental)
Metal Blade Records has set a July 4 European release date (three days earlier in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for the CD+DVD package by the first female-fronted heavy metal band in the world, the infamous BITCH!
The CD includes the "Be My Slave" album and the "Damnation Alley" mini-LP, both having been remastered and sounding better than ever. There will be an exclusive bonus track on the CD, "Let's Go", which has never been released before.
The bonus-DVD includes ancient footage from the early and mid-'80s — all sorts of live clips recorded at various American shows. The DVD also includes the entire show BITCH just played in April this year at the prestigious Keep It True festival in Germany. Filmed with multiple cameras BITCH gave the Keep It True the whip and delivered nothing but a killer show featuring all the greatest hits of the rich BITCH history!
One of the earliest of the '80's heavy metal club bands to gain national media exposure, BITCH was formed in 1981 and quickly gained a large local following. They generated notoriety (in part) as a result of their live performances which included sadomasochism and bondage themes. They were also the first artists signed to Metal Blade Records and one of the first-ever heavy metal bands to have a female lead singer, Betsy "Bitch" Weiss. No stranger to making history, BITCH was also exposed to the national media during the Parents Music Resource Center (P.M.R.C.) hearings in the U.S. Congress. Shortly after the band was formed, they met Brian Slagel who had just formed Metal Blade Records, and was a friend of BITCH guitarist David Carruth. The original quartet included vocalist Betsy Weiss, guitarist Carruth, Mark Anthony Webb on bass and drummer Robby Settles. They signed to the label and released a self-financed EP entitled "Damnation Alley" (1982).
During their early days, BITCH played a lot of gigs with other metal groups such as W.A.S.P., SLAYER and ARMORED SAINT. The following year, the group released its first full-length album, "Be My Slave". During the tour of the album, BITCH developed their controversial and elaborate stage shows; these included sadmasochistic elements: clothing with chains and whips, bondage acts with a "slave" on stage.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/bitchreissue.jpg
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/bitchbetsy.jpg
Guitarist/producer Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) is currently composing songs for BLACK, his new collaborative project with vocalist Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH) and bassist Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL). Andy says, "At this point I think we have the music written for about 7-8 songs, so we need 3-4 more songs and then we need to arrange it properly and we'll be ready to start recording, hopefully end of summer/autumn."
According to Martin, the first song that was written during the project's initial writing sessions was called "Deathless Soul" and it "sounds very dark." However, the singer was quick to point out, "I don't expect it to be completely in that vein."
A photo of Martin, Rosén and La Rocque taken in late February in Sweden can be viewed below.
La Rocque is one of the scheduled guest performers at Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw's May 27 concert at the Brew House in Gothenburg, Sweden. The one-off event, which will be professionally filmed and recorded for future DVD release, will see Shaw perform "all his favorite songs" from "all his former bands" — including KING DIAMOND, NOTRE DAME, DREAM EVIL, MERCYFUL FATE, THERION, MEMENTO MORI, ILLWILL, XXX and DIMMU BORGIR). Andy will play a few KING DIAMOND songs at the show with bass player Hal Patino and guitarist Mike Wead.
DC4, the Los Angeles-based hard rock band featuring guitarist Rowan Robertson (ex-DIO) alongside brothers Jeff Duncan (ARMORED SAINT, ODIN) on lead vocals and guitar, Shawn Duncan (ODIN) on drums and Matt Duncan on bass, will release its new album, "Electric Ministry", in Europe on August 1 (except in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where it will arrive three days earlier) via Metal Blade Records.
"Welcome to the alter of conviction" snarls Jeff Duncan as the band launches into the title track from their fourth release, "Electric Ministry". Tackling subjects such as being on the wrong side of Johnny Law ("25 To Life"), the ultimate male specimen ("Rock God") and the pleasures of the flesh ("XXX") the quartet blast through eleven tracks on the opus produded by Bill Metoyer and co-produced by Jeff Duncan.
Metoyer, who has worked with the likes of ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING, W.A.S.P. and SLAYER, among countless other bands, is basically a member of the DC4 family. "I first met Bill when he engineered ARMORED SAINT's 'Revelation' album," says Jeff. "Before long he started showing up at DC4 shows, checking us out. And he kept showing up more and more, it kind of became more than just showing up to see your friend play, ya know? So, we started talking and when the opportunity came up for us to work together he just jumped on board."
"We made a point of making 'Electric Ministry' a real guitar album. Back to our roots as guitarists." says Rowan Robertson. "I think on our last album 'Explode' we still had a bit of that '90s feel in us so we've gotten rid of that now."
"This was the first time we had any special guests appear on a DC4 album," relates, Jeff. "We had Dizzy Reed from GUNS N' ROSES provide keys on the songs 'Dirty Hands' and 'The Ballad Of Rock and Roll', Gonzo from ARMORED SAINT played percussion on several tracks, also. Then we had our cousin, Erin Duncan, do backing vocals on 'The Ballad Of Rock'n'Roll' and Juliette Primrose (MICHAEL FLATLEY'S LORD OF THE DANCE) played violin on 'The Ballad Of Rock and Roll' as well."
"Electric Ministry" track listing:
01. Wrecktory
02. Electric Ministry
03. XXX
04. Rock God
05. 25 to Life
06. Broken Soul
07. People
08. The Ballad of Rock and Roll
09. Glitter Girl
10. Sociopath
11. Dirty Hands
Forming as the 21st Century became a reality DC4 came to be when Jeff Duncan met Rowan Robertson, the band's musical pedigree is virtually unrivaled by their peers.
"Jeff and I met when a local promoter named Happenin' Harry asked us both to be in his backing back for a few shows in the LA area and in Chicago," relates Robertson. "When we got back to L.A. he just flat out asked if I wanted to join DC4 and we got along so well and played so great together that I just had to do it."
Jeff recalls that "I wasn't into the whole idea of auditioning guitarists, We would know the right one when he came long and that's exactly what happened. He was looking for the sort of situation we had to offer and as it turned out, we were looking for him!"
Having spent time in such bands as the legendary DIO, metal heroes ARMORED SAINT, the short-lived VIOLET'S DEMISE and ODIN, a band who had reached cult status by the end of the 1980s without ever leaving Hollywood, DC4 is much more than just your average hard rock act.
DC4 is:
Jeff Duncan - Lead vocals, guitar,
Rowan Robertson - Guitars
Matt Duncan - Bass
Shawn Duncan - Drums, percussion
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/DC4HardRock.
Lo and truly behold! A hellish new band has emerged from the quagmire that is the extreme music scene.
Imagine a cauldron bubbling over with the unsavory flavors of TOOL and CELTIC FROST, and seasoned with the likes of IMMORTAL and AT THE GATES, and you'd be about halfway to describing the uncouth racket these guys have spat upon an unsuspecting planet.
Calling themselves the TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON, the group (who describe their output as "music for an evil film noir') are an eclectic stew of musicians/hell-raisers/miscreants in the ungainly form of Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH), Rob Caggiano (ANTHRAX, THE DAMNED THINGS), King (formerly of GORGOROTH and OV HELL) and John Tempesta (formerly of WHITE ZOMBIE and now drumming with THE CULT).
Explaining the origins of the name, vo-killist Dani Filth had this to mutter on the subject: "We had an innumerable amount of names that never seemed likely to stick, that was until we put our proverbial heads together and narrowed it down to just three or four, and then tossed for it (proverbially of course) using a silver Norwegian crown (we couldn't find any proper money). The name TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON represents the rigorous worship of desire, (the black moon astrologically has always held association with the dark Goddess Lilith) and of course the ramifications of the lunar eclipse, always a herald for death and ill-omen."
So far almost an album's worth of material has been demoed, with TEMPLE OF THE BLACK MOON hooking up in the darkest depths of Bergen, Norway to collectively thrash it out. Songtitles thus far include "Infernal Desire Machine", "Don't Call Up What You Can't Put Down", "Dark Eyes For Trouble", "Beautifully Perverse" and "C.N.T (All That's Missing Is You)".
An album release and subsequent live dates are expected to happen around mid-2012.
U.K. modern metallers MALEFICE will release their third full-length album, "Awaken The Tides", in the U.K. on July 18, in the rest of Europe on July 15, and in North America on August 2 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-song effort was recorded at The Face studios in Reading with drums laid down at Fortress Studios in London. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Justin Hill.
Commented MALEFICE frontman Dale Butler: "And so the time has finally come, we've been locked away for six months working on this record, a release that's going to take your fucking head off. We promised something different, a bigger production, and a slightly different look on the genre. We've found our sound and it's going to bring a whole new level to our live show, something we all felt was missing. We've come back a new band, confident and more of a unit than we've ever been. This is our next step; make sure you're around to see it!"
"Awaken The Tides" track listing:
01. Awaken The Tides
02. Delirium
03. Dead in the Water
04. Minutes
05. Baying For Blood
06. Blessed/Cursed
07. The Day the Sky Fell
08. Out Numbered Out Gunned
09. Flood of Red
10. The Haunting
Several webisodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions for the new album can be viewed below.
In other news, MALEFICE has announced an intimate hometown warm-up show prior to the band's appearance at the Download festival. They'll play Sub89 in Reading on Wednesday, June 8.
Drummer Josh Freese will sit out A PERFECT CIRCLE's live shows this summer due to his touring commitments with WEEZER. Sitting behind the kit for A PERFECT CIRCLE's upcoming dates will be Jeff Friedl (ASHES DIVIDE, DEVO).
A PERFECT CIRCLE guitarist Billy Howerdel told FreeGotham.com in a recent interview that the band now has definite plans to record a new album, saying, "[It is] in the works, but not for this summer. I think the idea was to try and get the juices flowing a bit and get back into [A PERFECT CIRCLE] mode a bit and go from there. See what happens in the New Year. We have intentions of recording new material."
As for whether any new tunes will be previewed on the band's upcoming tour, Howerdel said, "We are gonna hear at least a song, I would say. One of them is very, very close to being done. And from there, things could come together once we get on the road and start hashing through some of the other ideas and they could quickly become a song and find their way onto the live stage."
A PERFECT CIRCLE is touring North America for the first time in six years this summer. The tour kicked off with a May 22 headlining appearance at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, before the main schedule begins on June 29 in Portland, Oregon.
These will be the band's first live dates since a mini-tour they did last fall, in which they played each of their three studio albums over the course of three nights in five cities.
EUMERIA — the brainchild of former OUTWORLD keyboardist Bobby Williamson — will release its debut album, "Rebel Mind", on June 28 via CD Baby and all digital music stores.
The band decided to release the CD independently after reviewing several offers over the last few months.
Commented Williamson: "This album is my greatest accomplishment musically, and its release ranks at the very top of my proudest moments."
"Rebel Mind" was mixed and mastered at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, RAUNCHY, NIGHTRAGE, MERCENARY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN). The CD was recorded at Origin Sound in Spring, Texas with producer Craig Douglas (HELSTAR, NECROFAITH, LYCOPHILE).
EUMERIA is:
Jonny Tatum - Vocals
Reece Fullwood - Guitar
Bobby Williamson (ex-OUTWORLD) - Keyboards
Adam Sagan (ex-INTO ETERNITY) - Drums
Shawn Kascak (ex-OUTWORLD) - Bass
After leaving OUTWORLD, Bobby wanted to create a brand of music that was unique and exciting. EUMERIA was initially conceived as a musical project but the musicians involved felt there was some magic happening with the music being written, along with the camaraderie. Thus EUMERIA became a fully functional band.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/eumeria.
Taylor, Michigan's I AM ABOMINATION will release a brand new digital EP, "Passion Of The Heist", on July 19. The EP is being released by Good Fight Music, the same label that released I AM ABOMINATION's first critically acclaimed full-length album, "To Our Forefathers". A new track from the digital EP will be released via the band's official Facebook page on June 8.
Described by the band as a concept album, "Passion Of The Heist" was produced, written, engineered, mixed and mastered by guitarist Nick Sampson at his studio in New Boston, Michigan. All lyrics on the EP were written by Brandon Good.
The band plans on releasing new information about the concept of the EP with the release of the new single.
"Passion Of The Heist" includes a guest appearance by ATTACK ATTACK's Caleb Shomo on the track "Ascension".
"We've had such an amazing time putting hard work into this album, and we can't wait for people to hear it," states vocalist Phil Druyor. Sampson adds, "This is the first time we've ever sat down to write an album with no outside opinion, and it turned out awesome."
"Passion Of The Heist" track listing:
01. Vivification
02. Abduction
03. Examination
04. Transformation
05. Ascension (feat. Caleb Shomo of ATTACK ATTACK)
06. Invasion
"Human Remains", the new album from the legendary British occult metal act HELL, has entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 46.
Cited as a huge indirect influence, and as one of the true founding fathers of occult metal, HELL formed in 1982 from the carcasses of U.K. metal bands RACE AGAINST TIME and PARALEX, whose "White Lightning" EP was listed by METALLICA as a favorite, and which was subsequently included on the Lars Ulrich, Geoff Barton "NWOBHM '79 Revisited" sampler album.
Despite over five years of constant touring, the band was cruelly overlooked by the '80s music press, who just didn't get it. HELL were too different, too extreme, too musically intelligent and far too thought-provoking for all but the most enlightened to understand them. The final crushing blow came when their long-awaited 1986 album deal with Mausoleum collapsed as the label went bankrupt, followed by the tragic suicide of singer/guitarist Dave Halliday in 1987. The remaining members drew a line in the sand and stopped playing overnight.
A teenage Andy Sneap was a permanent fixture on the front row of almost every show HELL played and was also taught to play guitar by Halliday. He then went on to form SABBAT and become a renowned metal producer. Upon meeting again, the remaining members of HELL — Kev Bower (guitar/keyboards), Tony Speakman (bass) and Tim Bowler (drums) — talked with Andy about re-recording the old material to release in conjunction with the old demos. With Sneap replacing Halliday on guitar and David Bower on vocals, the band has recorded 10 HELL classics from the '80s.
One hugely respected European journal has described "Human Remains" as one of the best things they have heard in the last 15 years and THE band to watch out for in 2011.
Norway's ICS VORTEX, the project led by the former DIMMU BORGIR and current BORKNAGAR member, has signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records for the release of its debut album, "Storm Seeker". Due on August 22 in Europe and August 23 in North America, the CD "takes the musical elements from [ICS Vortex's] 10-plus years of experience with DIMMU BORGIR as well as the legacy of the classic bands with whom he is still active (BORKNAGAR, ARCTURUS and LAMENTED SOULS), topping things off with his signature clean vocals in order to make 'Storm Seeker' become a perfectly balanced axe, whether a song is cutting fast, or dicing slow."
Commented ICS Vortex: "Boarding with Century Media, ICS Vortex is ready to weather whatever storm lies ahead. The album, aged like a pirate's favorite drink, is now ready to be shot with fellow mates."
"Storm Seeker" features appearances by ICS Vortex's BORKNAGAR bandmate Asgeir Mickelson on drums and Terje "Cyrus" Andersen (SUSPERIA, DIMMU BORGIR) on lead guitar. The CD was recorded at Toproom Studio (MAYHEM, TRISTANIA, BORKNAGAR) with engineer Børge Finstad and mastered by Peter in de Betou at Tailor Maid Studio (ARCH ENEMY, DARK TANQUILLITY, DIMMU BORGIR) in Sweden.
After the recordings for the CD were completed, the ICS VORTEX project evolved into a real band, eager to perform live with the following permanent lineup:
* ICS Vortex (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, BORKNAGAR, ARCTURUS) - Vocals
* Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT, ex-BORKNAGAR, ex-TESTAMENT) - Drums
* Terje "Cyrus" Andersen (SUSPERIA, ex-SATYRICON, ex-DIMMU BORGIR) - Guitar
* Jens F. Ryland (BORKNAGAR) - Guitar
* Steinar "Azarak" Gundersen (SPIRAL ARCHITECT, ex-SATYRICON) - Bass
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/icsvortexofficial.
The remixed and remastered version of the track "Lack Of Comprehension" from DEATH's legendary fourth album, "Human", can be streamed at the band's official Facebook page (you must "like" the song in order to stream it).
"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)
Taylor, Michigan's I AM ABOMINATION will release a brand new digital EP, "Passion Of The Heist", on July 19. The EP is being released by Good Fight Music, the same label that released I AM ABOMINATION's first critically acclaimed full-length album, "To Our Forefathers". A new track from the digital EP will be released via the band's official Facebook page on June 8.
Described by the band as a concept album, "Passion Of The Heist" was produced, written, engineered, mixed and mastered by guitarist Nick Sampson at his studio in New Boston, Michigan. All lyrics on the EP were written by Brandon Good.
The band plans on releasing new information about the concept of the EP with the release of the new single.
"Passion Of The Heist" includes a guest appearance by ATTACK ATTACK's Caleb Shomo on the track "Ascension".
"We've had such an amazing time putting hard work into this album, and we can't wait for people to hear it," states vocalist Phil Druyor. Sampson adds, "This is the first time we've ever sat down to write an album with no outside opinion, and it turned out awesome."
"Passion Of The Heist" track listing:
01. Vivification
02. Abduction
03. Examination
04. Transformation
05. Ascension (feat. Caleb Shomo of ATTACK ATTACK)
06. Invasion
Quebec, Canada-based black/death metal band NECRONOMICON has announced the addition of bassist Armaros to the group's ranks.
Commented the group: "Some came to try to have the position and left right away, others didn't have time to even play since attitude and personality is really important for us.
"After some months of testing that guy on the road for the last part of 2010 shows, we are happy and proud to introduce the new member of the Okkultis Trinity, Armaros.
"Everyone, welcome him with the respect he deserve."
A new webisode in which the members of NECRONOMICON talk about the addition of their new bassist can be viewed below.
Bassist Diego "D" announced his departure from NECRONOMICON last year in order to undertake "different professional and personal projects" that he wouldn't be "able to do simultaneously with [his previous] band duties."
NECRONOMICON's latest album, "The Return Of The Witch", was released in June 2010 via Austria's Napalm Records. The CD was mastered with reputed engineer Maor Appelbaum (HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION) and features guest appearances by Arianne Fleury (ex-AUGURY) and Roxanne Constantin (NEGATIVA, QUO VADIS), among others.
The band's "The Time is Now" video can be viewed below. The clip was shot in 2008 with Benoit Nantel (GHOULUNATICS, URBAN ALIEN, LES ECORCHES) who "did his best to capture the band's atmosphere and power."
Chicago black metal assassins NACHTMYSTIUM have announced the addition of bassist Reid Raley (RWAKE, DEADBIRD) to the group's ranks.
Commented founding guitarist/vocalist Blake Judd: "NACHTMYSTIUM, for the first time in the band's history as a full-time touring band, has a solid live lineup that matches the studio lineup. We intend to move forward and keep this group together indefinitely. It's taken 10 years to put together the perfect band, and now we've got it. So watch for us on the road starting in June and throughout the rest of the year! We anticipate that Reid's presence will not only bring a thunderous low-end onslaught on the live stage, but also will hopefully bring in some new elements into the writing of future NACHTMYSTIUM recordings."
Besides Judd, NACHTMYSTIUM have forced their way from the depths of the American black metal scene to international popularity over the past decade incorporating temporary lineups from release to release, and presenting a new set of musicians for nearly every tour the band has embarked on. Over recent months, Judd has recruited several other full-time members, including lead guitarist Andrew Markuszewski (AVICHI, LORD MANTIS), drummer Charlie Fell (LORD MANTIS, AVICHI), and keyboard/synth engineer Sanford Parker (MINSK, CIRCLE OF ANIMALS), now solidifying the crew with the addition of Reid Raley on bass, making this the first "official lineup" for the band, ever.
Catch the full new NACHTMYSTIUM wrecking crew live over the summer months at the band's confirmed upcoming live attacks, including a co-headlining spot at this year's Alehorn Of Power festival in Chicago June 11, a co-headlining spot at the Central Illinois Metalfest on July 23, and an appearance at Party.San Open Air festival in Schlotheim, Germany on August 12. The band has constructed a longer set than usual for these performances, mostly comprised of tracks it has not performed live before.
Vocalist Aad Kloosterwaard of Dutch death metallers SINISTER has revealed the band's new lineup following the recent departures of guitarist Alex Paul, drummer Edwin van den Eeden and bassist Joost van der Graaf. It is as follows:
* Aad Kloosterwaard - Vocals
* Toep Duin (ex-SUPREME PAIN, GODMODE) - Drums
* Bastiaan Brussaard (SUPREME PAIN) - Guitar
* Dennis Hartog (GODMODE) – Bass/Guitar
Commented Kloosterwaard: "Soon we will start with the first practice with the new SINISTER lineup. We have also already two new tracks finished... 'Deranged By Desecration' and 'Regarding The Imagery By The Hand Of Bastiaan' for our next record that will get the name 'The Carnage Ending'."
Poland's Metal Mind Productions released an exclusive box containing SINISTER's full discography on February 14 in Poland, February 21 in Europe and April 5 in the USA. Entitled "Altered Since Birth", the set contains eight studio albums, a live DVD, a compilation of demo tracks, plus a booklet containing a full biography based on an exclusive interview, the complete discography, lyrics to all songs and a selection of amazing archive photos. The cover artwork was created by the well-known Polish graphic designer Graal.
SINISTER's latest album, "Legacy of Ashes", came out on December 17, 2010 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn, Germany with producer Jörg Uken (GOD DETHRONED, OBSCENITY).
0 comments:
Post a Comment