USAopoly has announced a tentative August release date for the AC/DC Collector's Edition Monopoly board game.
The AC/DC Collector's Edition Monopoly is the first and only game that combines the risk taking, deal making Monopoly game play with one of the most legendary and enduring rock and roll bands of all time, allowing fans to vie for control of AC/DC's most iconic albums and international locations.
Game Play: Players will buy, sell and trade AC/DC albums and international locations. Players improve their properties with gold and platinum records.
6 Tokens: Cannon ("For Those About To Rock"), Bundle of Dynamite ("T.N.T."), Bell on Fire ("Hells Bells"), Lightning Bolt ("Thunder Struck"), Angus's School Boy Hat ("School Days"), Stacks of Cash ("Money Talks").
As previously reported, one of the world's most popular board games, Monopoly, has also been customized to celebrate the history and music of heavy metal giants METALLICA. The game is now available from the band's official webstore.
AC/DC and METALLICA follow KISS, THE BEATLES, ELVIS PRESLEY and THE GRATEFUL DEAD, among other artists, who have their own Monopoly games.
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Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing attended the June 16 concert at the Academy in Manchester, England by DIO DISCIPLES — the new project featuring former DIO members Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) alongside bassist James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, WHITE LION) and singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS, GUN).
DIO DISCIPLES pays tribute to the legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio and is fully supported by Dio's widow/manager, Wendy, who recently posted that "there will never be another Ronnie, but we want to keep his music alive and hope you will support the band and become one of the DIO DISCIPLES."
In a posting on his official web site, Downing writes, "Last night I went up to Manchester to see the DIO DISCIPLES. I had been promising myself that I would not miss this show at any cost. It is not only totally packed with great songs but also I know all of the guys in the band and how good they are, including, of course, the great Ripper Owens, so I was guaranteed a night to remember. I was not disappointed; the guys excelled themselves as the crowd chanted, 'Dio! Dio! Dio!' over and over again.
"If you get a chance, do not miss out, it is a must-see performance and a fitting tribute to the great Ronnie James Dio, the man who loved everyone and the man that everyone loved. His voice must and will live on forever!"
A photo of Downing with DIO DISCIPLES can be seen below.
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In more than three decades as a band, Def Leppard has been never had a full year's break from the cycle of performing and writing music, according to California-based lead guitarist Phil Collen. So during recent downtime, the English rock band thought it would be ideal to focus on the production of its first live CD, "Mirrorball," which was released in Walmart and Sam's Club stores last week.
"Live albums weren't really a priority, I gotta say," Collen told SoundSpike.
"Mirrorball" was recorded across the world over the course of many of the band's sold-out dates. The collection captures live versions of classic Def Leppard hits such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Rock of Ages," "Foolin'," "Hysteria," "Photograph" and "Bringing on the Heartache." There are three new studio tracks as well -- "Undefeated," "It's All About Believin'" and "Kings of the World."
"We recorded it over a period of two years at all different shows; each song's a different show," Collen said about the live tracks. "While we were doing it, our producer, who's actually our sound guy, would mark off what ones where the audience was good. We are usually fairly consistent. He kind of ticked off the ones that sounded great. The short list was probably two or three versions of each song.
"It wasn't as daunting as you would think, but it still took a bit of time. He lives in Dublin, so he played it for Joe [Elliott, singer, who lives in Dublin], who was right there. They used Joe's studio. That was it. For me it was fairly a painless operation because all the real grunt work was done. I just had to go 'Yep' or 'No.' It was cool."
"Mirrorball" follows the band's 2008 studio release, "Live from the Sparkle Lounge," which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 album chart. It marked the group's highest chart position since 1992's "Adrenalized." In addition to the live album, Chronicle Books has released "Def Leppard: the Definitive Visual History," featuring photos of the band by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin. His fully authorized visual history of the band follows them from the new wave of British heavy metal to their massive "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" albums to today.
Collen recently spoketo SoundSpike about "Mirrorball," his side project Manraze and appearing on "Celebrity Apprentice."
Are you looking forward to your tour with Heart?
Absolutely. Touring is the most fun part when you get in a band. With this album, more than any other album, we don't have to learn any new songs. We're going to do "Undefeated," obviously, because that's a new studio song and maybe one of the other ones. It's great because we're going to be representing a live album. Of all the stuff we have to choose from, it's stuff we have already done. It's nothing too extravagant, really.
With "Mirrorball," the album sounds cohesive. It doesn't sound like each song was recorded in a different building.
It's just the audience, really, and how loud you want to put them in the mix. We're fairly consistent. I've been using the same amp for 15 years when we're playing live. We have the same blend. It sounds pretty similar every night.
What was the biggest challenge with recording live album?
Actually, there was none because it was almost like we didn't even realize we'd done one. We'd recorded it during the 2008-2009 tours. We pretty much recorded every night. We had all this material we had already recorded. We didn't have to do much at all except mix it.
Def Leppard wrote three songs for "Mirrorball." What was the songwriting process like?
We actually had done it quite different. Joe Elliott wrote one. I wrote one with my buddy CJ Vanston out in L.A., and [bassist] Rick Savage wrote one and we just played on each other's songs. That was it, really. We didn't sit around in a room and all sit in there together. Again, we do that with some of the other songs, anyway. A lot of the stuff in the past has been done in that kind of way. It's a very easy process, that one.
Have you been writing any more new material for Def Leppard?
I've been writing tons of stuff for my other band, Manraze. We just finished the last mix today. It got finished. Actually, I'm in London. But it was done in L.A., and they're mastering it this week. The single comes out the end of this month; "Over My Dead Body" it's called. The album comes out the second of August and we're going to play a show in L.A. during a Def Leppard break. I write all the time. I also write with my buddy. We wrote "It's All About Believin'" together. We're just doing that all the time. I'm constantly, constantly writing.
It might not necessarily be for Def Leppard, then.
No. Again, when [we wrote] "It's All About Believin,'" we wrote this song and we were like, "Wow. That's absolutely a Def Leppard song." I played it for the guys and they all loved it, so we went along with it, you know?
So tell me about the Manraze project.
It's a three-piece band. It's me singing and playing guitar. Paul Cook, who plays for the Sex Pistols, on drums, and Simon Laffy, who used to play in my old band Girl, on bass. We actually just shot a video and a photo shoot this evening as well. That's for the second single. My wife, Helen, she's a great photographer and she was shooting us. That was really cool. It's our second album -- this is according to other people -- [sounds like a cross between] The Police and the Foo Fighters. The first single -- again, someone else's quotes -- sounds a bit like the [Sex] Pistols and The [Rolling] Stones. It's got that kind of energy about it. It's a lot of fun.
It must be fun to work on something a little different.
It's a very different approach to it. We'd done the album in about two weeks. A lot of it was live, one take or two takes or something like that. It's very different to Def Leppard, where we take a bit of time and we're a bit more meticulous about it, everything in its right place. Here with this, we go for the performance and the vibe straight off the bat. It's really good.
Back to Def Leppard, what's still your favorite song to play live?
I really like playing "Rocket." It, in a nutshell, sums up Def Leppard, I think. It's got all the great elements -- big drums, big guitars, big hooks, big choruses. Even the subject matter; it's name checking a lot of the bands that have influenced us. I really like playing that one for many reasons. That's the main one -- the fact that that it's so representative of us.
You recently appeared on "Celebrity Apprentice." How was that?
It was great, actually. Again, I actually played on the Jimmy Fallon show ["Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"] and jammed with The Roots. That's when we filmed it, which was in December, I think. I had to keep quiet about it. It was great. It was a lot of fun, actually
Was it tough to keep quiet for several months?
Yeah. You just kind of forgot about it, really, as long as no one asked about it. There were a couple of people who got it out there, and we just kind of denied it. It was cool, actually. Again, it was kind of brief. John Rich was there doing the whole thing. He was really cool, actually. We went in for the day and that was it.
MEGADETH has once again tapped artist John Lorenzi to create the artwork for the band's forthcoming album, tentatively due this fall via Roadrunner Records. The CD is being recorded at MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others.
Lorenzi was responsible for the artwork on the last two MEGADETH studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame", as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest".
A summer 2010 interview with Lorenzi about his work on the "United Abominations" cover can be found at the RockPop Gallery.
Mustaine was asked in a recent interview with Pure Grain Audio how the new MEGADETH album is sonically different to its predecessor, 2009's "Endgame". "[It's] different, a hundred percent different, unlike anything we've ever done before because the guitar sounds are different; it sounds really super-modern," he said, before adding, "If I was going to say it sounds like a particular band, I would say it sounds like really old classic [BLACK] SABBATH and with a little bit of a modern edge of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE kind of thing. But then again, with the twists and turns of music that MEGADETH has been famous for over the years, you never know how it'll turn out."
Although British producer Andy Sneap — who helmed "Endgame" — was initially supposed to re-team with the band for the forthcoming album, has was forced to pull out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. He explained in a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, "I'm doing another project that I also play guitar in called HELL and we're doing some summer festivals this year so it kind of cut into the whole schedule that was planned with MEGADETH."
When asked about what fans can expect from MEGADETH's next album, bassist David Ellefson told UGO, "We are working on it now so it's a bit early to encapsulate what the final will ultimately sound like. I think we know the punch and impact we want it to have but also not be afraid to let new ideas develop, too. Just know it will be heavy, hooky, and have the trademarks you'd come to expect from us."
MEGADETH's platinum-certified 1986 masterpiece, "Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?", has been digitally remastered for the first time and expanded for a special 25th-anniversary release in multiple configurations. It will be released July 12 by Capitol/EMI. All of the versions, including a 2CD lift-top box, digital album and a deluxe 5Disc+3LP box set, contain a previously unreleased 1987 concert from the band's first world tour and new liner notes written by Mustaine and METALLICA's Lars Ulrich.
On why he thinks he is constantly being asked about the possibility of him rejoining ACCEPT:
Udo: "I did a reunion back in the '90s with ACCEPT. We did three albums — 'Objection Overruled', 'Death Row' and 'Predator' — but in the end, it [didn't] work out. They did the same mistake with 'Predator' — they tried to be too commercial, so that was already a point when [it was clear] the reunion [wasn't going to] work out. In between, in 2005, we did, not a reunion, but just special festival shows in Europe. But there was no thinking to do a real reunion with a studio album or something like that. [And then] in 2009, they phoned me up and [asked me] if I'm interested to do a reunion. [chuckles] And then I said, 'Guys, this is a very hard thing for me. I mean, I would have to cut down U.D.O. I mean, U.D.O. is quite successful. This is not so easy.' So I said, 'OK, if I do a reunion with you guys, then we have to talk about a lot of things' . . . So I said, 'OK, there is one main point for me. If I do this reunion and this reunion doesn't work
out again, I cannot come out for the third time with U.D.O. Then I have to continue under the name ACCEPT.' And Wolf [Hoffmann, ACCEPT guitarist] has the rights to the name; that's another story. So then he said 'No,' he didn't wanna do this. And I said, 'OK, sorry. Then forget everything. Then I continue with U.D.O. I wish you good luck. And bye-bye.' That is the whole story. But what I don't like about Wolf at the moment is that he is telling in all the interviews that I was not interested to do this reunion and this is wrong."
On the current lineup of ACCEPT (featuring singer Mark Tornillo), which released a comeback album last year, "Blood Of The Nations":
Udo: "There was a good hype going on when they came out with the 'Blood Of The Nations' album. I mean, it was a good album, good production. Of course, I expect a good album from ACCEPT after 15 years; I wish [U.D.O.] had 15 years to write songs [for a new album]. [Laughs] Of course you expect a good album. The singer is good. I mean, he's different. For me, he's a little bit like Bon Scott [AC/DC], something like that. And yeah, they did quite a successful tour in Europe. And what can I say? On one hand, it is not ACCEPT; that's the point. It's just the name. I wish them luck and we will see what the future will bring for ACCEPT. I'm happy with U.D.O. I'm now longer together with this band than I was with ACCEPT. And so there's a real family [vibe] going on, the chemistry is right. Everybody is looking forward to going on tour and it's so much fun. In a way, I can say I am happy I didn't make the reunion with ACCEPT after all."
The impressive front cover artwork of the upcoming RUNNING WILD band biography currently entitled "Death And Glory: The Story Of A Heavy Metal Legend" was created once again by acclaimed artist Costin Chioreanu, who did an amazing job with the artwork for "ReUnation - A Tribute To Running Wild" and for many other bands and projects.
"Death And Glory: The Story Of A Heavy Metal Legend" will feature exclusive interviews frontman and band leader Rolf "Rock'n'Rolf" Kasparek, Wolfgang "Hasche" Hagemann, Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke (THE GATE), Majk Moti (WILD KNIGHT), Bernd Aufermann (ANGEL DUST), Thomas Smuszynski (BOURBON STREET), Christofer Johnsson (THERION), Niklas Sundin (DARK TRANQUILLITY), Don Of The Dead (NUNSLAUGHTER) and many more, and will also feature rumors explained, fan stories, surveys and much more. The tentative publication date is 2013/2014.
For more information, go to this location.
Never a band to chase trends or fashions Buckcherry have been writing and recording music for over a decade now and facing their fair share of bumps in the road along the way they are still hear today, stronger, hungrier and better than ever after the release of 'All Night Long' in 2010.
'All Night Long'- the fifth album from Buckcherry – is the vital sound of rock and roll endurance at its very best. It's not just rock, its rock and roll. More than a decade after first establishing its good name with the popular eponymous 1999 debut effort, Buckcherry has created the band's most eclectic and impressive effort yet. 'All Night Long' is a thoroughly rocking song cycle in the grand tradition of classic albums by the group's forefathers and now friends Aerosmith, AC/DC and Kiss.
Recently on the bands short tour in the UK they stopped in Glasgow, Scotland for a performance at The Arches before heading off to this year's Download Festival. It was when they were here I had the opportunity to sit down with both founding and original masterminds behind the famous Buckcherry sound Josh Todd and Keith Nelson.
With 'All Night Long' now out for almost a year I didn't want to sit and rehash the same old questions so we sat down and talked a little about the album, the history of each record that they have released, touring, boxing and of course, their brand new album which is currently being written with a realistic release date in the spring of 2012.
Be sure to check the guys out at their official websites below:
Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube
How are you guys doing?
Keith Nelson: We're great man
Josh Todd: Yeah man awesome
Where was it you just came from, Sweden?
Keith Nelson: Yeah we just played the Swedish Rock Festival which was great.
That was just the start of the European tour wasn't it? Here over the weekend in the UK and then away back into Europe again?
Josh Todd: Yes sir then we head over to Spain
You don't really get over to Europe that often as I can't remember there being a headline tour in a while, not one that maybe hit Glasgow.
Keith Nelson: We try to get over twice a year usually.
The last tour was the Taste Of Chaos tour at the SECC
Keith Nelson: Yeah in December. We try to get over in the winter and then again in the Spring or Summer.
How you find coming over and playing here in the UK?
Keith Nelson: You know what, the first couple of times I think we came over here it was pretty rough for a number of reasons but I think the more we come back and the more we build a fan base it gets better. It's has been great, the past couple of tours have been awesome.
Yeah especially since you have been steadily moving up the charts over here as I think your peak position was 57th, and when you consider it, unless you have that guaranteed arena sell out audience like AC/DC, Foo Fighters and such, in the UK it can sometimes be hard to even get that high so it is a pretty respectable position. I don't even know where or if '15', your biggest album, or 'Black Butterfly' charted here but your self-titled peaked at 141st, that was your best before 'All Night Long'.
Josh Todd: Wow I didn't even realise it had done that well; that's cool man.
Part of the tour you're performing at the Golden Gods next week.
Keith Nelson: Yeah we're doing three songs
Do you think that might be a different atmosphere, bit more nerve wrecking as you're performing in..
Keith Nelson: In front of a bunch of musicians with their arms crossed? (laughs)
Josh Todd: Yeah, you know it's an honour to play the awards but it's a little stressful for us because you are performing in front of other musicians; it is a little different than just playing in front of regular rock fans who are all a little bit fucked up but it is only three songs so it will quick and painless.
Quick escape and hide backstage for the rest of the night
Josh Todd: (laughs) Yeah just get back in there and hang out
The album [All Night Long] has been out a year or almost a year now so how happy have you been with the reception to it from the release to the continued support today?
Keith Nelson: Yeah, I think we're all facing the reality of what's going on with the sales of records with all the different reasons that effects it but I think we managed to put out a record that we all really love and we all really believe in and we've been able to tour on it. I'm very happy with it.
Josh Todd: Yeah we've been touring since July last year on this record and especially over you can really, like last night we did 'Recovery' from 'All Night Long' for the first time and people were just chanting it, they knew it really well, it was just really cool for us because we had never played this song live. In the States they want to hear more songs off '15' and those sorts of records.
Yeah I suppose when you tour the US a lot more than anywhere else, other countries you do want to give something a little different to so you can experiment
Josh Todd: Exactly and it's cool
This album was of course recorded in your (Keith's) studio so did it take a lot of the pressure off when you worked on it or at least help kill some of the cost that is usually associated to booking out a studio?
Keith Nelson: Well the thing that made it easier was that we didn't really have to worry about time and it was just really a cool environment for all of us to be hanging out. Every other record we've made I've been very conscious of how many days we have left, how many hours are left, what work is left but with this we could just really take our time to make a record that we liked. Once the five of us liked it, that's when we took it to our people and said "this is our record". I think working in my studio really just afforded us the opportunity to retry things and change things as needed.
Do you think then because of that you made the best album that you could or now if you hear things back do you think "ahh I should have changed that"
Keith Nelson: No, I felt like we were very thorough. You know when Josh and I put our heads together and when the two of us are focused on something and in agreement, which is 99% of the time then nothing is stopping us.
I don't want to rehash over the album too much as you will have by now been asked pretty much every question to do with it so let's talk a little about the history, I suppose I will be rehashing some points, of Buckcherry over some of the albums and what has happened with the band as you have experienced a lot over the years.
Josh Todd: Shoot
Well when we look back to the early years, your self-titled album came out and that went gold. Then 'Time Bomb' came out and again it received a good response chart wise but it never really hit the same level as 'Buckcherry' did. After that member by member dropped off until you eventually split up so did you ever fear that after that taste of success so early on that you may not rekindle it?
Josh Todd: I wasn't really afraid of that. What was really going to be disappointing for me was that we weren't going to achieve the level of success that I knew, in my heart, that we could have achieved and that was what was really eating at me. You know we worked really hard on those albums and we were really passionate and it shouldn't have happened the way it did. When Keith and I started rekindling our friendship first before we even started this whole thing again…you know…the reason why Buckcherry always worked was because it was what we loved, we just want to make music that we're happy with within ourselves and then everything else will come if that's working right. It kind of went down to the band members you know, we wanted a band that we felt like we were a gang and we were going to get along with because of the three band members that quit after 'Time Bomb'. So when we got these three guys [Stevie, Jimmy and Xavier] who had
been long term friends of ours and had been through the same hard knocks as us in the music business, it's like we finally found the band that we had always wanted it to be and at that point in time was when we made our most successful record to date which is '15'. Then we went on to 'Black Butterfly' and now 'All Night Long' which are the most successful records we have done and to this day we've done somewhere around one thousand shows. We all hang out together, on days off we'll just all go get dinner together which is kind of unheard of after six years.
Keith Nelson: Yeah we've been around each other pretty much every day for about six years now.
I'm guessing there are times it can be a bit tense in the camp, as you said it is pretty unheard of for a band to be that close, especially for six years almost side by side
Keith Nelson: Well we're five dudes so there is always going to be minor things but we've really just got such a good thing going and I think everyone appreciates it so much so that we work harder to make sure that shit just doesn't come up.
So although you had known the other guys for some time, how quick was it to get them on board and gel together as a unit
Keith Nelson: They were the first three guys that we called. When we got the notion to start up again, those were the first three guys we played with and we did a couple of songs, everyone learned a few songs and we came in and played them, we stopped and we were like "alright, see you Tuesday?" It was really instant.
During that spell off what did each of you do, I know you (Keith) produced and wrote some material?
Keith Nelson: Well what I did is I worked in a studio for a producer for three/four years and I just kept writing songs, working on my song-writing. I didn't really have any expectation of the band getting back together for a while, it's not like I never thought it would happen but I knew it wasn't happening for a reason and I just had to be alright with that and let it go. I just kept doing what I loved to do and I loved making music so if I was working at Starbucks or a gas station then I would have still went home and made music every night so I just kept doing it you know. I think staying in motion and staying creative really helped when we got back together, it was very seamless.
Josh Todd: I put out an independent record, a solo record and it didn't do anything then I went broke and went out and got a day job building airplanes for movie sets. I was always writing songs as well and staying musically fit.
There was that whole Guns N' Roses thing
Josh Todd: Yeah the GN'R thing was way before that. It was only really a month of our lives as we jammed as a band, well we were a band actually with me, Keith, Slash, Duff [McKagan] and Matt [Sorum] but it just didn't work out and it was then that me and Keith just went our separate ways; there was just a lot of disappointment going on.
So when you finally reunited again and it was back to being a band and you worked on '15' you signed up with Eleven Seven. Was that the decision you set on to work with an independent record label for more control over your music or any other reason?
Keith Nelson: No, we definitely had our goals set keenly on a major label record deal and in their wisdom they all passed on us.
Josh Todd: (laughs)
Keith Nelson: And they actually passed on the finished record; we shot to them the finished record that you know as '15'. We took it to all of them and they all said no, "it sucks" (Josh continues to laugh), and then our manager said "hey, I believe in what you're doing, let's put this out independently" and we said okay.
Josh Todd: That label was actually started because of us.
I never knew that
Keith Nelson: Yeah if you look on the side of the record it says "00001", that's the item number as it was the first record Eleven Seven had put out. We sold 30,000 copies in the States in first week and that was like the highest charting independent record of the year or at number two and it just kind of took off and here we are a million and a half copies later.
The success from it was then good enough to not need the major label as you are still with them today
Keith Nelson: Yeah and we toured ridiculously in support of that record, I think we did over 300 shows and we were on the road for 26 months.
So in this day in age what do you think you would take now or say to upcoming bands to look at, major label or independent?
Keith Nelson: I think it is a different game now and I think independent is really the way to go as we, the artists, want to make records to satisfy us without having to worry about shareholders and people in suits telling us how to make records. For us it works out great, for other bands who can't go out on tour and make money to promote themselves then a major label might be a better move but for us I think the independent label works out better.
There is always that sort of downside to the new band that labels might sign them up to a 360 deal for example so it is hard to always judge it I suppose
Keith Nelson: Yeah, there are pros and cons with every deal, like we don't have the luxury of having a huge cooperation behind us who can fund things that we may or may not need but then we have more artistic freedom.
So moving on from '15' with the success it had and then thinking about 'Black Butterfly', did you ever think or feel pressured into topping it, knowing that there were expectations of you?
Josh Todd: We never really thought about that, we just went in and made the best record that we could make at the time and that was 'Black Butterfly'. We knew if we got into that headspace of "we have to outdo this" it would just be counter-productive.
Keith Nelson: It happened to us once before when we made our first record which was very successful and then we went back into the studio to make the second record and we had an A&R guy, our manager and people, you know big business, putting pressure on us to do certain things. Now we already knew what that sophomore slump felt like so it was like, we already went through this and we know that it's pretty unrealistic, so we just had to do what we do.
One of the things I wanted to ask you was about the industry which you have touched on but of course the big part that the internet now plays and it did play a part during 'Black Butterfly' when 'Too Drunk' was released and the controversy with your manager. Did that get cleared up?
Keith Nelson: Yeah that ended up not being true. It was someone who used to work at our management, who no longer worked there at the time, that somehow had it and then it got leaked.
Just stemming off that what are you views on what everyone now calls the double-edged sword issue?
Keith Nelson: Whether you like it or not that's the playing field so you need to embrace it and you need to have it work for you instead of against you.
Do you actively get involved with it all such as controlling your own social networks and such?
Keith Nelson: Yeah we control our Facebook and our Twitter and we're very active on them.
Following the path we're here now at 'All Night Long' again when we look at the history. This album was somewhat more grown up in a sense, well maybe not the right term but you went for a clean style of album instead of the old style so what was the decision to do, was it change in lifestyle or what?
Josh Todd: No we were kind of challenged to make a clean record you know
So you had to be given a challenge to try it? (laughs)
Josh Todd: (laughs) From a lyrical stand point I had a lot of fun with it because it made me have to go up and beyond just expressing other words than fuck and shit and stuff like that (laughs). I enjoyed it, I don't know if it will happen again (laughs) but it was fun.
Did it feel good though to get that sort of change in pace or feeling to what is the Buckcherry sound?
Josh Todd: Yeah. On 'All Night Long' we just wanted to get back to our roots and make a rock and roll record and it rocks from top to bottom. It feels like a Buckcherry record. You know, I don't think anyone has really said about it being a clean record, no-one really notices it unless you really listen to it like a hardcore fan and you notice there are no fucks. Has anyone ever talked to you about it?
Keith Nelson: No, don't think so.
One of the questions I've sort of always wanted to ask you and meant to ask you before is when most people, I know especially here, not sure about in the States but if you say the name Buckcherry to anyone they instantly recognise it with 'Crazy Bitch'. Now considering the self-titled sold incredibly well and then you had 'Time Bomb', hits from 'Black Butterfly' and now you have 'All Night Long', does it ever get annoying knowing that people associate you so closely with it or they tend not to recognise the other work you have done?
Keith Nelson: Well I think prior to that people thought we were the band with the cocaine song.
Josh Todd: Yeah
Keith Nelson: I think that people are…it's insulting to music fans to think that's all they can hear. I think most of our fans, I mean we've sold a lot of records so people who buy our records, the whole record, understand there are many facets to the band and if that's all or if that's the doorway that you enter through that's fine but there is a lot of other things going on.
Josh Todd: I think it's great. I mean you work your whole life to have a hit that is that big and you know, I've always said the Rolling Stones one is 'Satisfaction' but there are so many other songs so like Keith was saying, whatever gets you to the shows then that's really what is important. But fuck I'm so proud we wrote a hit that was that big because we did it from the ground up in our rehearsing room in the middle of the fucking Valley, just dreaming, dreaming you know. To know that it has reached so many people globally is just so cool.
There is a rock club just around the corner from here called the Cathouse and you can guaranteed that every night you go, you're certain to hear 'Crazy Bitch'.
Josh Todd: Great!
Keith Nelson: As it should be! (laughs)
Josh Todd: I mean how can you be bummed out about that?
I wanted to ask you about this whole lawsuit thing that is appearing on the internet about TODD Entertainment that you set up with Todd Meagher. I've seen several mentions about the Buckcherry name and other things. What's the current sort of status with that?
Josh Todd: Those are just all allegations
Is it still actually happening or was it ever really and as usual it sort of blew out of proportion online?
Josh Todd: It's still pending
Getting close to wrapping up but I couldn't let you leave without talking sport and especially in Glasgow were football, soccer to you guys, is incredibly large. I know you (Keith) are a Steelers fan and Josh you're a big Nascar man. How was your drive around the track?
Josh Todd: I went 167.23mph, it was awesome.
Did you just do laps or did you try your hand at a race or anything?
Josh Todd: I did about 30 laps at the Fontana Race Track which is an oval track. There were other cars on the track and it was the time of my life; I had a blast. Going into the turns, the g-forces were incredible; I'd recommend it to anyone who likes speed.
What happened to the Steelers this year at the Super Bowl?
Keith Nelson: Well it's really odd being be a Steelers fan, I grew up in Pittsburgh so I've been a fan since I was born, but it was odd to watch the Super Bowl and have the Steelers not win, you know it was just weird.
Yeah they have done pretty well in the past few years, now what, six overall and two in the last five years?
Keith Nelson: Yeah but you know I'm a sports fan in general so I just like to see good games and stuff; I have teams that I root for.
Are there any other sports that interest you?
Keith Nelson: I follow cycling a little bit and boxing, we're boxing fans.
Josh Todd: Yeah
Who are your preferred fighters?
Keith Nelson: Well you have some great European boxers like Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton, he was a great boxer.
Josh Todd: Carl Froch
Keith Nelson: Yeah Carl Froch, Arthur Abraham is a European boxer isn't he?
Josh Todd: Yep. [Mikkel] Kessler
Keith Nelson: That Super Six tournament is great.
Josh Todd: We're looking forward to the [Floyd] Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz fight that just got announced for September.
There is always still that prospect of Mayweather vs [Manny] Pacquiao.
Josh Todd: I think Mayweather is going to fight Ortiz and Pacquiao is going to fight Juan Manuel Marquez and then it's going to happen.
There was that whole drug test issue and then the claims that negotiations hadn't took place and Mayweather in fact wasn't prepared to book a fight so quickly.
Josh Todd: Well that was a long time ago but now I think he is going to do it, there are forty million reasons why he should probably do it.
Keith Nelson: I think Pacquiao agreed to the drug testing except for the last week as he didn't want blood drawn in the last week. I think they wanted to do Olympic style testing, not that we know too much about this but I think Olympic testing can happen at any time up until the fight happens.
Time to wrap up with possibly the major point of this interview and end on a big note I suppose for most people will be interested to hear and that is that you have already begun to write the new album?
Keith Nelson: Yes
Josh Todd: We have
How are things coming along?
Josh Todd: Things are coming along good, we're having fun and we've got around five demo's mopped up but it's still very early and we need to get everyone in a room and just jam.
Keith Nelson: Without saying too much, I just think the pervasive feeling of the stuff we're coming up with, we're just trying to come out of our comfort zone a little bit. Really trying to push the envelope without getting away from the sound that you and love of this band but I think we're going to try to push the envelope and go for something cool and different.
Will you take a bit of time off then to relax and work on it?
Keith Nelson: (Smashes his hand together trying to kill a fly) Sorry, that fly is bugging me.
You missed
Keith Nelson: Fuck! Anyway, we're getting a head start right now because we've had a couple of one and two week breaks during this tour over the Spring so we're taking some time to get some music together so we'll be a little ahead of the curve when we actually finish up and once we wrap up the touring on this record we'll be at it every day, five days a week like we always have.
While you don't have any deadlines have you got an idea of when you would hope to be releasing it?
Keith Nelson: I think it would be realistic to say next spring.
Just take it as it comes basically
Keith Nelson: Exactly man. We're home with our families, working on new stuff and it's good for us as we get to be home. We travel so much so we spend the holidays with our families and the studio is in my back yard so everyone knows where to go and it works out quite well.
Well I think that rounds us off perfectly, I can let you relax a little before the sound check and tonight.
Josh Todd: You coming tonight?
Oh yeah I'll be there
Josh Todd: Awesome man, thanks for wanting to talk to us
Thanks for giving me your time
Keith Nelson: Great interview man, hope to see you near the front tonight.
Former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe has tapped Dregen (pictured below; real name: Andreas Tyrone Svensson) of Swedish sleaze rockers BACKYARD BABIES as the guitarist of his solo band following the recent departure of Ginger (THE WILDHEARTS).
Ginger played his last gig as the guitarist for Monroe's group on June 17 at the Provinssirock festival in Finland. Video footage of the performance can be seen at YLE.fi.
Commenting on Dregen's addition to Monroe's band, Ginger said, "It's the right thing that he joined. Michael deserves the best around him. I can do other things apart from [SUPERSHIT 666; which also featured Dregen] but Michael has only [Michael Monroe] band. I'd rather Dregen help Michael."
Dregen will make his live debut with Monroe on June 26 at Kalasatama in Helsinki as the support act for the FOO FIGHTERS.
In a series of online postings, Ginger stated about his departure from Monroe's band, "I left for a lot of reasons, mainly the management.
"I didn't agree with the management of the band, but didn't have enough of a position in the band to change anything.
"It was basically me or the manager, and Michael chose the manager.
"When it came to decision-making, I was never as much of a chief member as Michael and Sami [Yaffa, bass]. This is understandable as they formed the band. I was aware of my position from the beginning, but coming from a position as band leader (with THE WILDHEARTS) this was an increasingly difficult situation for me.
"Sensory Overdrive", the new solo album from Michael Monroe, entered the official chart in his home country at position No. 1.
"Sensory Overdrive" was released on March 14 via Universal Music subsidiary Spinefarm Records. The CD features guest appearances by MOTÖRHEAD's Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and three-time Grammy-winning country/folk singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams.
"Sensory Overdrive" was recorded in Los Angeles with legendary producer Jack Douglas, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CLUTCH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and NEW YORK DOLLS, among many others.
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Every day for the past 25 years has been a roller-coaster ride for Steven Adler. From touring worldwide in the late '80s in support of one of the most acclaimed hard rock records in history, to persistent battles of drug use, Adler is fortunate to be alive and kicking.
The original drummer for Guns N' Roses who was fired in 1990 because of his addictions, Adler continues to strive to clean up his act. A pair of strokes several years back led to a permanent speech impediment. But that hasn't stopped Adler from speaking fondly of former GNR mates Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and yes, even W. Axl Rose. And why not? They made history with 1987's Appetite For Destruction, which was certified 18x platinum (18 million copies sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America, making it the highest-selling debut album in the United States.
Nowadays, Adler beats to his own drum as the leader of Adler's Appetite, which released three songs last year. The upbeat rocker "Alive" was in conjunction with Adler's autobiography "My Appetite For Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses."
Adler and his current mates (Enuff Z'Nuff bassist Chip Z'Nuff and former Faster Pussycat lead guitarist Michael Thomas) welcomed the additions of singer Patrick Stone and rhythm guitarist Lonny Paul in April. They'll headline Clicks Live on Saturday, June 25, as part of their Good to be Alive tour (details at bottom).
The SAMME is scheduled to interview Adler, Z'Nuff and Thomas before the show. But until then, Adler, 46, checked in by phone Thursday from Columbus, Ga., for an Appetite appetizer, if you will:
ADLER: Jay, thank you so much for giving me your time!
SAMME: Steven, thank you. The pleasure's all mine. We're looking forward to seeing you guys next weekend.
ADLER: I love performing in Texas. One thing about Texas people, they're very passionate about their Rock N' Roll, and I love it. Myself and the band are big fans of Texas.
Q: Will you be playing Appetite For Destruction in its entirety?
A: No, not the entire thing, but we're playing a lot of Guns N' Roses songs and originals that we are very proud of that have been going over so great. The band is tighter and more focused. We're putting on an arena rock show in a club.
Q: Forming Adler's Appetite has allowed you to lead your own band, carry on the GNR legacy and form original songs with other established musicians. Do you feel the band encompasses the best of all worlds right now for you?
A: Well, you know what, Jay, it's really great being in a band where the guys are all on the same page with each other. We have the three singles, and we play them in between in the set. Every night, there's more and more people singing the words. And a lot of people that don't know the Appetite music keep saying, "What GNR song is that?" We're doing very powerful Guns N' Roses songs, and then we do those songs, too.
Q: Patrick and Lonny were brought into the fold in April after you've already weathered various lineup changes over the years. Has the entire band gelled yet, or is it still a process with each show?
A: Oh no, we gelled from the very first rehearsal. They brought something to the band. We all get along really great, and that's very important living on a tour bus in close quarters like this. We get along, and we're going to keep going. Knock on wood (laughs).
Q: You were just announced to be on another season of "Celebrity Rehab." How much has Dr. Drew and the show helped you get to where you want to be in this battle?
A: Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest are amazing and wonderful people. Everybody they have on the show, they give an opportunity to get their lives together and have a second chance at life and their careers. I realized that the first time I worked with Dr. Drew. I wanted to change my life, and I want to be happy and have my life move forward. I was at a stagnant stage, you could say, where nothing was happening. I went in again for a tune-up on a maintenance program, and I started drinking Jagermeister. I made a 170-degree turn in my life in 2008 when I started working with Dr. Drew. And now, working with Dr. Drew this most recent time, I feel I made the full 180. My life is moving forward. A lot of my musician friends, they're not even working this summer. So I'm ecstatic to be doing this and going out on the road and coming to Texas.
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Q: Which part of your book do fans and/or musicians ask you about the most?
A: Doing that book was so enjoyable to me. For one, I had been working on that book for eight years, and I couldn't get it together until I started working with Dr. Drew. I had to take responsibility for actions in my life and everything that's happened. I got to make amends with Slash, Izzy and Duff, my mother, my old girlfriends -- even a girlfriend from when I was 15 years old. Once I made amends, it was so easy to write the book. I don't blame anyone. I don't say anything negative in the book about anyone. When I was done with the book, it came out, I read it, I built a big fire in my fireplace, and I threw that book in the fireplace. That symbolized for me to leave my past alone, and now I'm living for today and for the future.
Q: Adler's Appetite has released three songs in the past year. When can we expect the completed album?
A: I can't say who we're going into the studio with or the record label, but right after this tour is over, we're going to have a big press conference. I'm really excited about this. I finally get this opportunity to show my music for the people. Axl's doing solo stuff and calling it Guns N' Roses, Slash and Izzy and Duff are doing their stuff. I'm finally at a place in my life where I can make a record of my own.
Q: You've been the most outspoken member of Guns N' Roses in favor of a reunion. Will it ever happen?
A: I believe in my heart, as long as the five of us are alive, it is possible to do it. We owe it to the fans. It's been 23 years, and the fans are still supportive of us. We have to do it, not just for us. For me personally, I just want to finish what I started with those goofballs. We've all had wonderful careers because of Appetite For Destruction.
Steven, thanks so much for the time on your tight schedule. I look forward very much to interviewing you guys here next weekend, and we can't wait for the show.
Thanks for the time, Jay. And if the fans can, check out adlersappetite.com to see where we're playing. I love playing and meeting all of the fans.
RUNNING WILD played its farewell show at the 2009 edition of Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany. The band's July 30, 2009 "best-of" performance was filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD and CD.
"The Final Jolly Roger" will released on June 24 via Golden Core/ZYX and will be made available as a double CD, separate DVD or a special "deluxe" three-disc box set comprised of the other two formats packaged together.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/rwilddeath.jpg
Sweden's Metal Shrine blog recently conducted an interview with SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Shrine: It says in the promo papers that [the new SEPULTURA album, "Kairos"] could be likened to "Chaos A.D." and could be seen as the follow-up to "Roots".
Derrick: I think it kind of happened and we also talked about it. A mix of both, because there were certain elements like, "OK, we're gonna write an album about the history of SEPULTURA, ourselves, fights and struggles that we've had against whoever or whatever. The challenges that we've had." With that we also wanted to write a lot of old elements that were there and made the characters of SEPULTURA, so as a fan before I got in the band, I kind of took that approach in speaking with Andreas [Kisser, guitar] or communicating with them or everybody, that "Look, on the past albums there are certain things I think we didn't really hit on that much, that we can do on this album!" There's a lot more guitar strumming as far as like picking and a lot more guitar solos. Those are elements that I really like about SEPULTURA, before even being in the band, so I just think we skimmed a lot of stuff down on this one for a straightforward approach. We wanted to have
more head banging back! Simple riffs, like where you just wanna bang your head, you know!
Metal Shrine: Even the artwork has a bit more classic heavy metal look to it, in a way.
Derrick: Definitely! I think it kind of happened, as far as hooking up with Nuclear Blast, the new label, they gave us some ideas. They were getting into the vibe as well, "Hey, since you're going down that road writing the history of SEPULTURA, you should have like a classic metal-style artwork!" We agreed that definitely that would be cool to have that vibe and it happened in such a random way. The artist, Erich Sayers, we met him backstage at our show and it was really in that moment. It was not planned at all and he really got the idea quickly.
Metal Shrine: Has he done a lot of metal albums?
Derrick: No, never! This is his first album. It's like really over the top. He really wants to work with more artists, but he's done professional jobs for like the videogame "Call Of Duty" and things like that and he's really experienced with that. Once I saw his work and heard about him I was like, "Man, this is the guy that's gotta do it!" A) he's a huge fan and B) he knows what he's doing as far as coming up with sick designs. We got really lucky!
Metal Shrine: What was it like working with [producer] Roy Z?
Derrick: It was awesome! Roy has been to Brazil many times working with different bands and he's been longing to work with SEPULTURA for a long time, so this was his opportunity. He came in with a very cool attitude and he really understood exactly what we were going for. The fact that he's experience working with other vocalists, like Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, he had a lot of cool ideas in the studio for me, that really helped me open up and try different ways and different sounds. It was awesome! He really made everyone feel comfortable and created a vibe where not everything has to be perfect, but just capture the energy that we do live. It was really cool and he was very easy to work with and it's great because he can really understand the aspect of being on stage and performing live since he's playing with Rob Halford.
Metal Shrine: A band like SEPULTURA, do you always need a producer?
Derrick: Yeah! (laughs) I think that we do! I think it's something that has always worked really well and I think there's a reason why. We have a lot of ideas and it's good to have somebody that's not directly in the circle that you're working with. We're open to hear other people's ideas and interpretations who know what they're talking about. When you have a good producer who knows what he's talking about, they're gonna tell you the truth and sometimes you may not like it, but you need to hear it from an outside source. That's something that works well with us and that we need and I know that I need it. I like to hear that outside voice and a producer's tremendous in helping in so many ways. We're just fortunate to have good ones. There might be people who've had horrible producers and they're just tired of it and they feel that they can do it better. I'm sure there are bands that do that, but for us, a producer!
Metal Shrine: How come you ended up on Nuclear Blast and is it a multi album deal?
Derrick: Well, with SPV, our previous label, they were having some internal issues. Not the greatest times for record labels or businesses in general with the economy, so we wanted to move away and get somebody that was stronger and has everything together, really. Nuclear Blast really understood the predicament that we were in and they understood where we need to go and they believe in us, that we're capable of producing more albums, better albums. That was like an incentive to us, "Man, they want to take on the challenge. Finally somebody's that's on the same level as we are!" It was a good match and we got really lucky to be able to work with them. This album will definitely have the option of doing another album. It's really a good time for us!
Metal Shrine: Finally, would you do another Volkswagen commercial if the opportunity came up? Do you all drive Volkswagens?
Derrick: Yeah! But I don't even have a car! I haven't driven in, like, 15 years since I've lived in cities where I didn't need a car, like Amsterdam, New York and Sao Paulo. I usually take taxis and I hate to drive! I've already done another commercial, where I'm singing again, because I do sing. (laughs) It's for Blackberry and I did it with George Clinton, the godfather of funk! It's a song that got licensed and maybe a week ago they picked it up, it's like Blackberry Urban, if you look it up on YouTube. It's pretty cool and it was fun to do. Really funky and extremely different from SEPULTURA. It's a project that I'm working on and the song got picked out. It's the complete opposite of, like, metal. The concept is very futuristic and about digital and sex in the future and the age that we live in and there's special guests like George Clinton and Cee-Lo sings on a song. We're doing a song together and I'm doing falsetto and crazy harmonies. I wanted
to do something so extreme that people would never ever believe it! I think I achieved that, but it's done well and taken very seriously. It was a lot of fun because we were laughing a lot during some songs and I've never done anything like that and it's going really well writing the songs. I think it's gonna be such a crazy reaction, whether bad or good and I'm looking forward to it! (laughs)
Metal Shrine: Sounds awesome! Is that an album coming out this year?
Derrick: Yeah, we're gonna try and release it in August and I think people will be excited about it. I think it's done well and I'm singing my ass off on this. (laughs) Like really doing crazy, crazy stuff and not holding back.
Metal Shrine: How did you hook up with a guy like Cee-Lo?
Derrick: The thing is that the guy that I'm working with, Sam, he's a producer and a songwriter and he's friends with all these known people, so he was able to get in touch with them and he's been able to do that in the past with other artists like Kanye West and M.I.A. Different artist that he wanted to have on the album to mix it up. On this I'm primarily singing and these guys are doing like the choruses and stuff like that. He was just able to get all these people.
DUBLIN DEATH PATROL (DDP) — the band featuring TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy and former EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza — will perform at Peetfest, a benefit concert set to take place June 24 at the legendary Scum club in Katwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. Also scheduled to appear are supports acts ETHEREAL and INDULGENCE. Tickets cost 15 euros and can be purchased at the Scum club. All proceeds from the show will go directly to the Dutch Cancer Society.
Peetfest is a celebration of the memory of Peter "Peet" Plug, singer of metalcore band UNBREAKABLE NTC, who lost his battle with cancer last February.
DUBLIN DEATH PATROL's debut album, "DDP 4 Life", was released in 2007 via Godfodder Records.
Billy originally teamed up with fellow Dublin, California ragers Willy Lange (RAMPAGE, LAAZ ROCKIT), Souza and three of the Billy brothers as well as some other local Dublin boys.
The seeds were planted in or about 1980 with a Bay Area thrash band called RAMPAGE, featuring neighborhood kids from Dublin, California — Chuck Billy, along with his brother Andy Billy, Greg Bustamante, Ernie Boehm and Willy Lange. The guys were about 18 years old and had all known each other since they were about five. They grew up listening to a variety of bands — from LED ZEPPELIN, KISS, AEROSMITH to THE DEAD KENNEDYS and THE SEX PISTOLS — and were influenced by the sounds of the late '70s and early '80s.
Souza recalled how the idea to reactivate the ultimate DUBLIN DEATH PATROL came to him: "Originally it was Willy's and Chuck Billy's idea. The first I heard of getting this project together was at a Raider pre-season game in 2005. Willy was telling me his idea of DDP and getting the old RAMPAGE guys together. But this version would have Chuck and I singing on every song and include different musicians that grew up in Dublin to play on this record. Well, I was right in."
After six months of writing, arranging and restructuring songs new and old. the guys went in to record the DDP album through strains and pains with Vinnie Wojno. Souza boldly claimed, "This is what we have to give to the metal world, a kick-ass, straight-up aggressive and in-your-fucking-face album of music by guys just from Dublin, California. Represented by members of TESTAMENT, LEGACY, EXODUS, VIO-LENCE, LAAZ ROCKIT, TESLA, HEIST and a group of headbanging Dubliners that deserved status. For fans of the Bay Area thrash whom I love and will always, I hope they dig what Chuck and I have done vocally on the DDP project."
Cleveland, Ohio metal metallers SHOK PARIS will debut new material from their forthcoming "Full Metal Jacket" album at this year's Warriors Of Metal festival, which is being held June 17-18, 2011 at the Frontier Ranch in Pataskala, Ohio (located 20 minutes east of Columbus). The band will take the stage on Saturday, June 18 and perform a full 70-minute co-headlining set with ASKA to close out the event. The new songs performed will be "Full Metal Jacket", "Do Or Die" and "Hell Day".
Commented SHOK PARIS vocalist Vic Hix: "We'll be debuting three new songs from our upcoming CD at the festival. This will give us a chance to see how the crowd responds to the new material. I just can't wait. We love the chance to do this festival and let the new songs rip in front of a live audience. Of course we'll have plenty of time in our extended set to feature the old SHOK favorites as well. The fans are going to be in for something very special at this show."
"Full Metal Jacket" will be SHOK PARIS' fourth studio album and their first since 1989's "Concrete Killers", which was released via I.R.S./ Auburn Records and distributed through MCA.
"We'd like to have 15-20 songs ready before entering the studio," says guitarist and main songwriter Ken Erb. "I've got a ton of ideas and have been working hard in putting everything together."
The band plans on entering Noise Floor Studios in Cleveland later this year to begin recording "Full Metal Jacket". The CD is tentatively scheduled for release in early 2012 via Auburn Records.
SHOK PARIS will reunite with LIZZY BORDEN for the "Summer Of Blood" July 13 tour stop at Peabody's Concert Club in Cleveland. The two bands toured the U.S. together in 1989.
Warriors Of Metal will be SHOK PARIS' only 2011 festival appearance. The band has also been confirmed to headline the opening night of the Up The Hammers festival, set to take place March 2-3, 2012 at the An Club in Athens, Greece.
"Playing the Warriors Of Metal festival is a great opportunity for SHOK PARIS to do an open-air festival not only here in the States, but also in our own State of Ohio", adds Hix. "We could not ask for anything more by having the chance to play in front of our own family and friends."
Reunited '80s Dutch metal band PICTURE has issued the following update:
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, PICTURE has decided to postpone the release of [its new] CD, 'Warhorse', until September. 'Warhorse' is being mixed by Oscar Holleman (WITHIN TEMPTATION, CREZIP, AFTER FOREVER, MY FAVOURITE SCAR, TAG) and the results so far have exceeded all expectation. However, it is taking slightly more time that previously planned. PICTURE are convinced that this will be their most powerful and by far the best PICTURE album to date. Please be patient...It'll be worth the wait… great things sometimes take a little time."
PICTURE was the first "real" Dutch heavy metal band. Formed in 1979, they were especially popular in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy for their live performances. They still supposedly have a huge fan base in South America, Mexico and Japan.
PICTURE supported AC/DC, TED NUGENT and SAXON in the Netherlands. With SAXON, they did a full European tour in 1981. Later on they toured with ROSE TATTOO in Germany and headlined tours in Italy and Israel.
After reuniting a few years back, a limited-edition live CD was recorded and from December 2008 until January 2009 the band retreated in the StarSound Studios in Utrecht, Holland to record "Old Dogs New Tricks".
According to a press release, the album "contains a wide variety of hard rock and old school metal songs, completed with a breath taking ballad. [It] was [helmed] by Nico Verrips, who already produced and wrote numerous hits into the charts and who kept the Eighties feeling, but gave the record a contemporary modern sound.
"'Old Dogs, New Tricks' is a typical PICTURE album with a variety of heavy and dynamic songs. The powerful and raw voice of Pete Lovell shows to its full advantage with this kind of heavy music. Add the brilliantly composed songs anno 2009 to this and you will agree that this is PICTURE in their historically best lineup ever."
For more information, visit www.picture-eternaldark.com.
Drummer Alex Holzwarth and bassist Oliver Holzwarth (Alex's brother) have rejoined PARADOX, the long-running German metal band led by Charly Steinhauer. The group is currently working on material for a new album, tentatively due in 2012 via AFM Records. According to a press release, the new record will be a conceptual effort that will be tied to the heresy story featured the PARADOX's eponymous and most commercially successful 1989 album "Heresy".
Steinhauer and the brothers Holzwarth previously collaborated on the PARADOX classic entitled "Collision Course" in 2000.
Commented Alex Holzwarth: "We never really understood what happened after 'Collision Course'. We put out a great album, did great shows and all of a sudden we decided to split and therefore put to rest one of the most exciting musical projects in heavy metal music. For me it was just a matter of time until paths cross again. PARADOX now is a band in its strongest sense — it is all about sharing visions, writing exciting music and touring all over the earth and even going to Mars, if necessary."
Added Oliver Holzwarth: "We met again [while working on] the BRUTAL GODZ project in 2010. Hands down, Charly is one state-of-the-art rhythm guitar player when it comes to powerful and supertight machine-gun riffing. And he is a great singer/songwriter in his genre, even open-minded to all the crazy ideas that Alex and I put on the table. I tend to call him the German James Hetfield. At least he is writing the music that METALLICA don't do anymore. To put a long story short: there are no boundaries anymore. The funny thing is that right now we have a two-timer thing: we got PARADOX plus another band that is in the making right now with exactly the same lineup. Stay tuned!"
PARADOX's current lineup:
Charly Steinhauer - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Gus Drax - Lead Guitars And Virtuosity
Alex Holzwarth - Drums And Percussion
Oliver Holzwarth – Bass
Two brand new songs from Cleveland, Ohio metallers CHIMAIRA — "Trigger Finger" and "Born In Blood" (featuring a guest appearance by Phil Bozeman of WHITECHAPEL) — have been made available through iTunes. Both cuts come off CHIMAIRA's new album, entitled "The Age of Hell", which will be released August 26 in Germany and August 29 in the United Kingdom, Australia and the rest of Europe via Long Branch Records. The CD will be made available in North America through eOne Music.
"The Age of Hell" track listing:
01. The Age Of Hell
02. Clockwork
03. Losing My Mind
04. Time Is Running Out
05. Year Of The Snake
06. Beyond The Grave
07. Born In Blood (feat. Phil Bozeman)
08. Stoma
09. Powerless
10. Trigger Finger
11. Scapegoat
12. Samsara
CHIMAIRA vocalist Mark Hunter recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about "The Age Of Hell" and the band's recent lineup changes.
"Last year we did the [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem Festival, which was an amazing opportunity for us, and I had a great time doing those shows," Hunter explained. "But somewhere in between, we all started taking different directions in our personal lives. It's like any relationship, really. I think after 12 years of playing in a band together you start experiencing things that you don't enjoy anymore. It just doesn't seem worth it to carry on like that. Even though we had just finished a big tour, we started feeling like that. It became a drag."
He continued, "Musically speaking, we felt that we needed to make something truly special this time out. It got frustrating when we weren't getting the same feedback from the drummer [Andols Herrick] we had at the time. We brought it up to him and we didn't like how the conversation went. So from there we decided it was best if we just parted ways with each other. Jim [LaMarca, bassist] quit late in 2010. If that weren't enough, the next thing I know our keyboardist [Chris Spicuzza] left and we're down to three members left out of a six-piece band. And we have to go into the studio [laughs]."
CHIMAIRA 2011 is:
Mark Hunter - Vocals
Rob Arnold - Guitar
Matt DeVries - Guitar
Emil Werstler (DAATH) - Bass
Sean Zatorsky (DAATH) - Keyboards/Samples
Austin D'Amond (BLEED THE SKY, THE ELITE) – Drums
Although D'Amond is sitting behind the kit for all of CHIMAIRA's current shows, the drum tracks on "The Age Of Hell" were laid down by the CD's producer, Ben Schigel, who has previously worked with DROWNING POOL and WALLS OF JERICHO, among others. The effort was mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, MURDERDOLLS, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD).
CHIMAIRA spent several days last month filming a new music video and DVD, to be released in connection with "The Age Of Hell".
Check out photos from the shoot at the group's Facebook page.
Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick of California metallers DEVILDRIVER have scheduled the following Canadian guitar clinics:
Monday, July 25, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
Drum Guitare Plus
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Friday, July 22, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
Velvet Underground
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Bassist Jonathan Miller quit DEVILDRIVER in March, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life" but "something that I needed to do for myself."
Filling in for Miller on the road with DEVILDRIVER for the past few months has been the band's tour manager, Bubble (a.k.a. Aaron Patrick), who has previously played with BURY YOUR DEAD.
"Beast", the fifth album from DEVILDRIVER, sold a little over 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Former DEICIDE members Eric Hoffmann (guitar) and Brian Hoffman (guitar) recently resurrected their pre-DEICIDE band AMON with Jesse "Jecheal" Jolly (PROMETHEAN HORDE, DIABOLIC, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY, AFTER DEATH) on vocals/bass and and Mike Petrak (LEPROSY, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY) on drums. The Florida-based quartet entered RedRoom Recorders in Tampa on December 10, 2010 with producer Mark Prator to record its new album, entitled "Liar In Wait". All guitar and bass tracks have now been completed for the CD. Eric tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "[Jesse] did an incredible job [laying down the bass tracks]! It is refreshing to hear a bass player nailing arpeggios, playing with fingers on a seven-string bass." He adds, "Vocals start [this weekend] at RedRoom Recorders with Mark Prator."
New photos from the studio can be viewed below. Pictured with the band (wearing a GOATWHORE t-shirt) is Diggersleather's Dale, the leather/craftsman who is making "some awesome armor" for the members of AMON.
"We were actually going to use the [DEICIDE] name [for the new band], but [DEICIDE members Glen Benton and Steve Asheim] got on the bandwagon faster than us," Eric told Terrorizer magazine. "They basically took the name, and Glen writes all the lyrics, so the kids are familiar with that, but in the beginning we hired Glen, and we wrote most of the music. So we had to go out and find a singer, which was pretty difficult at the time."
When asked about the musical direction of AMON, Eric said, "[The music's] a little bit more technical than the DEICIDE stuff. It's not too intricate, so it's still catchy at the same time. You'll still have a couple of classic DEICIDE beginnings, and then it'll go into some killer technical, in-your-face shit."
While confirming that AMON will play several DEICIDE classics during the band's upcoming live shows — "We've gotta give it to the fans," says Eric — the guitarist remains adamant that any chances of a reunion with Glen and Steve remain slim.
"This is our band," Eric said. "I haven't seen [Glen] in six years. He says if he sees me, he's gonna shoot me and ask questions later. He hates me more than Jesus."
AMON recorded two demos — 1987's "Feasting The Beast" and 1989's "Sacrifical" — before signing with Roadrunner Records and changing its name to DEICIDE. After producing two extremely successful albums as DEICIDE, the band chose to make the AMON demos available on CD in 1993 under the title "Amon: Feasting The Beast".
The Hoffman brothers parted ways with DEICIDE in 2004 after becoming embroiled in a bitter dispute with DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton over royalties and publishing issues.
Polish death metal veterans VADER will release their new album, "Welcome To The Morbid Reich", on August 12 in Europe and September 13 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland and features the cover artwork of Zbigniew Bielak (DESTRÖYER 666, WATAIN). The band laid down a total of 12 songs for the CD, which was mixed and mastered in May.
"Welcome To The Morbid Reich" track listing:
01. Ultima Thule
02. Return To The Morbid Reich
03. The Black Eye
04. Come And See My Sacrifice
05. Only Hell Knows
06. I Am Who Feasts Upon Your Soul
07. Don't Rip The Beast's Heart Out
08. I Had A Dream...
09. Lord Of Thorns
10. Decapitated Saints
11. They Are Coming...
12. Black Velvet And Skulls Of Steel
Commented Bielak: "To follow closely on Lars von Trier's spectacular Nazi gaffe in Cannes, I'd say that the new VADER cover artwork gives a subtle hint of what would happen if the good old Cthulhu would be contracted to erect a pyramid for Thule... Well, who knows what they were really doing in subterranean galleries of Harz? One thing is certain — propelled by the spirit of most Ancient Ones, VADER indeed stand tall as death metal's Wunderwaffe, and I hope the cover fits well in their armory of morbid imagination!"
Quality fan-filmed video footage of VADER performing a brand new song, "Come And See My Sacrifice", on June 12, 2011 at LVC in Leiden, The Netherlands can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthedeathmetalflow").
As previously reported, due to "family matters," drummer Pawel "Paul" Jaroszewicz has decided to leave VADER. Despite this, he committed to laying down tracks for the band's new album, "Welcome To The Morbid Reich", and taking part in the group's already confirmed concerts in May, June and July. Jaroszewicz's replacement in VADER is the "very talented" 21-year-old English musician James Stewart, who has previously played with DIVINE CHAOS.
VADER recently parted ways with bassist Tomasz "Reyash" Rejek and replaced him with Hal (HERMH, DEAD INFECTION, ABUSED MAJESTY).
VADER celebrated the 15th anniversary of its classic second album, "De Profundis", by performing the LP in its entirety. Guitarist/vocalist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek stated, "[The fans'] response for this idea was more than great so we decided to repeat this in the future with other VADER titles, too."
VADER's latest album, "Necropolis", sold around 1,130 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 19 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
Dutch death metallers SINISTER have announced the addition of bassist Mathijs Brussaard to the group's ranks.
Commented singer Aad Kloosterwaard comments: "We are now a five-piece band and hope with this to bring our new songs to a higher level."
SINISTER's current lineup:
* Aad Kloosterwaard - Vocals
* Toep Duin (ex-SUPREME PAIN, GODMODE) - Drums
* Bastiaan Brussaard (SUPREME PAIN) - Guitar
* Dennis Hartog (GODMODE) – Guitar
* Mathijs Brussaard - Bass
SINISTER is writing material for the follow-up to last year's "Legacy of Ashes", to be titled "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.
"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).
Swedish death metallers NOMINON have issued the following update:
"NOMINON would like to welcome back the mighty guitarist AntiChristian [Christian Strömblad] to the band.
"After several months apart, the band and AntiChristian realized that enough's enough and buried the hatchet. After a few meetings and rehearsals, NOMINON are certainly back on track again.
"Since the bassist for a year, Martin [Petersson], left the band a couple of weeks ago, and AntiChristian's triumphant return to NOMINON, all this lead to the fact that guitarist Juha Sulasalmi will from now on take over the bass duties. Why complicate things further?!
"At last, the recordings of the new 7" EP, 'Manifestation Of Black' (to be out through Deathgasm Records) are now finalized. The mixing will be done by engineer Robban at Studio Hell, were all the recordings recently took place as well, and the mastering will be sorted out by Javi Bastard at Moontower Studios in Barcelona, Spain."
NOMINON's fourth album, "Monumentomb", was released last March via Deathgasm Records. The CD was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, NOMINON, AVERSE SEFIRA, FUNERAL MIST, NEX, ONDSKAPT, MORK GRYNING, ADORIOR) in Alvik, Sweden and was mixed with producer Tore Stjerna. The cover artwork was created by Chris Moyen and can be viewed below.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/nominonnewcd.jpg
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