ARLETA, Calif. (KTLA) -- Band members from Linkin Park and rock star Ozzy Osbourne have reached out to help fulfill the wish of a 14-year-old boy dying from cancer in Arleta.
Kyle Rodas was diagnosed with brain cancer in October. He has since lost most of his sight, his speech is extremely limited and he depends entirely on his parents to take care of him at their home.
On Monday, Oscar Rodas and Marty Valle shared their son's story, and told KTLA that it would be a dream come true if Kyle could meet one of his favorite rock bands, including, Linkin Park, Green Day or Ozzy Osbourne.
Less than 24 hours after the story aired, Ozzy Osbourne placed a call to the cancer-stricken teen, saying he plans to visit him at his home when he returns from his tour in Europe this summer.
Kyle's parents say their son was overjoyed when Ozzy called and Ozzy told him to "hang in there."
Later in the day, KTLA received word that the drummer from Linkin Park went to visit Kyle, and on Wednesday, the lead singer will visit him.
Concert Live, which enables fans all over the world to relive the experience with instant recordings of live gigs available within minutes of the last note being played, will team up with legendary rocker Alice Cooper to produce exclusive live CDs of from across his mammoth 2011 European tour. Each CD will be available to pick up straight after the shows, and if you're unfortunate enough not to be there, you can still order this CD be delivered straight to your home, where you can re-live five decades of classic Cooper from your living room.
For more information, visit ConcertLive.co.uk.
According to his official web site, legendary rock singer Paul Rodgers and his wife Cynthia have been named Patrons of England's premier Racehorse Sanctuary and Re-Homing Centre during their recent visit.
A self-funded charity that re-homes the horses, it can while most of the unwanted ex-racehorses, some who were due for slaughter, stay at the sanctuary. They have been involved since 2007, one year after its inception.
Introduced to the situation of these creatures by singer and friend Deborah Bonham, a Trustee, Paul and Cynthia feel, "The spirits of these magestic, intelligent animals shine through in their eyes. After they have given so much to the racing industry it is only humane to care for them while they live out the remainder of their natural lives. We are moved to be named Patrons of such a heart and soul driven, self-funded charity."
Check out photos at www.racehorsesanctuary.org.
According to Reuters, AEROSMITH will reunite next month with veteran producer Jack Douglas to begin work on the band's long-delayed album, guitarist Joe Perry said on Tuesday.
"Whole band has plans to go into the studio with Jack Douglas second week of July to work on new Aero CD," Perry said on Twitter.
The album will be recorded in the Massachusetts studio AEROSMITH built six years ago.
Most of the members of AEROSMITH spent a few days in late January/eary February working on songs for a new album with co-writer Marti Frederiksen at a studio in Los Angeles. The only man missing was Joe Perry, who was unable to join his bandmates for the sessions due to what Billboard.com described as an "unspecified commitment."
Douglas — who has also worked with THE WHO and John Lennon — produced a number of classic AEROSMITH albums in the Seventies, including "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks". He also worked on 2004's "Honkin' On Bobo" covers set.
English hard-rock act Def Leppard has turned out to be equally durable and prophetic. "It's better to burn out than to fade away" was all fine and good for a 6-year-old band to proclaim on "Rock of Ages," but nearly three decades have since passed. At the time, lead guitarist Phil Collen was a new recruit in a band that had its share of lineup changes in the early years. Now, Collen and his cohorts are fresh from a slot on Celebrity Apprentice, the Rock of Ages musical is about to become a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise, and a tour with Heart is nearly under way to support a recently dropped live album, Mirrorball.
Although Collen lives in California and spoke to New Times from London, he's got a load of love for South Florida — but more as an ideal spot for a wedding than a strip-club destination.
The Def boys: That's "Brad Pitt," second from left.
Ash Newell
The Def boys: That's "Brad Pitt," second from left.
Details
Def Leppard With Heart. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury's Way, West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $59 to 125. Click here.
New Times: It's great that you guys actually give credit to all of the Florida strippers for making "Pour Some Sugar on Me" such a big hit.
Phil Collen: It's funny how the stripper thing spreads that wealth by us, but yeah, absolutely. That is actually where it came from. The album came out and kind of tanked initially, and then they started playing it for their routines, and because of that, we started getting played on local radio stations. It's one of the things that you want to watch happen to every song and say, "Yeah, that was great."
Starting the tour in Florida could be a special time to honor them.
You know, I've probably been to five strip bars in my life, and I've been taken to them. They're not really places where I'd hang out.
How familiar are you with the music of your tourmates, Heart?
All the hits, absolutely. When I started listening to music, I was aware of "Dreamboat Annie" and stuff like that. So yeah, I've definitely heard all the stuff.
Why do you think it took them so long to break in the U.K.?
The same thing happened in the '80s where a lot of bands started having international appeal and there was a format to it. You know, like Bon Jovi and Heart just changed their format into that. The '70s stuff was very different from the '80s stuff that actually Def Leppard kind of pioneered, to be honest. There were obstacles there, bands like Journey and Foreigner that had very different songs from what we had, like "Love Bites," and we definitely started a lot of other things that did not sound like a Mutt Lang-produced album.
You had a guy from Dazed and Confused play you in Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story, but who would do it for a sequel?
Brad Pitt. I'd like Brad Pitt to play me. Funny story, the guy you're talking about is Esteban Powell. The guy is actually Canadian, and we were in an airport one day, and this lovely lady came up to me. She said, "Excuse me, this may be a little bit weird, but my son plays you in the Hysteria flick." It was great. She was lovely, so we invited her down to the show in Vegas. She was really nice, but she actually couldn't make it.
They're actually filming a movie adaptation of Rock of Ages in Florida right now. How do you guys feel about how far that property has gone?
I think it's great because we're getting a bunch of our songs in the movie. That's really cool. It was great. It was campy, kitschy, and fun. It was a very cool production of it. We were actually groomed to be a part of it; it's based on one of our songs. Kind of cool.
We're pretty excited about it too, just because I know it's supposed to take place in Los Angeles, but they're filming all of it in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Really?
Yep, yep. So they put the Hollywood sign on top of a big landfill for the filming.
Wow. Me and my wife got married down in Florida last year, actually.
Oh, you did? Whereabouts?
We did it at the Ritz-Carlton in West Palm Beach. We had about 66 people there, really close family members and really close friends. It wasn't like crazy. No alcohol. It was so great. It was such an amazing experience for everyone. Obviously for me and my wife, but also for everyone. The weather was really nice; it was hot. It was great — we loved it.
By the way, why do you hate playing ballads so much?
My problem with it is that I want to get amped up, and when we're playing kind of Def Leppard stuff or rock stuff, it's an adrenaline buzz. You kind of slow down for when you do ballads. You know, it's cool, everyone singing along and everything, but I just prefer playing harder stuff, really.
And yet you've recorded a Dreaming With Def Leppard album, and the whole point of that is not to get amped up.
Absolutely. I wouldn't be playing that stuff live. It's actually quite bluesy and jazzy, but yeah, I wouldn't dream of playing that stuff live. It's supposed to be to put kids asleep. It's actually so their parents can groove on it, I guess. I only played on three tracks. Yeah, they're pretty cool.
So the band's 35th anniversary is coming up pretty quick here. Have you guys thought about that or talked about that at all?
The Def boys: That's "Brad Pitt," second from left.
Ash Newell
The Def boys: That's "Brad Pitt," second from left.
Details
Def Leppard With Heart. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury's Way, West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $59 to 125. Click here.
No, not at all. Someone told me it's their 25th anniversary next year and you know, it's birthdays or whatever. I'm not really a big birthday person, so it's not really a big deal. Everyone in the band is the same with stuff like that, commemorating things. It may be cool to do some kind of special version of Hysteria. I think we should do something like that. We do miss a lot of that stuff.
DEF LEPPARD's new live album, "Mirror Ball", is likely to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on June 7.
Frontiers Records will release "Mirror Ball" on the following dates:
Germany, Switzerland, Austria: June 17
June 23: France
Rest Of Europe: June 20
"Mirror Ball" is available exclusively at Walmart and Sam's Club locations in the United States and Canada. The album includes a 50-minute DVD that contains live performances and intimate backstage footage of the band captured on the road. A special limited vinyl edition is also available. "Mirror Ball" is also available online, marking the first time the band's music was officially available for digital purchase.
"Mirror Ball" features a mix of live DEF LEPPARD classics (recorded throughout The Sparkle Lounge Tour), three brand new studio songs and the aforementioned bonus DVD. "Mirror Ball" is DEF LEPPARD's first ever live album and features rock classics such as "Animal", "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Photograph", "Nine Lives" and "Rock Of Ages". The album also brings together three brand new studio tracks — "Undefeated", "Kings Of The World" and "It's All About Believin'" — taking their place with ease within this classic setlist.
"When we decided to do (the live album), it just got said — I don't know by who — 'Why don't we chuck a couple of new songs on the end?' " frontman Joe Elliott told Billboard.com. "And that two became three, and in fairness it could've been four if we'd just had a little bit more time. But we wanted to tour this summer, so any fourth or fifth song we had brewing, we'll save them for the next record."
Elliott composed "Undefeated", which he described to Billboard.com as "a very QUEEN-type vocal thing. It even features piano and stuff." Guitarist Phil Collen's "It's All About Believin'" is "a pop-rock song," while bassist Rick Savage's "Kings Of The World" is "a big, epic, rock anthem that will sound great in arenas and stadiums all over the world — kind of 'We Will Rock You' with guitars, if you like."
"They're all very different to each other," Elliott added. "They don't sound specifically like any previous DEF LEPPARD songs, but they sound like DEF LEPPARD songs. They have to have our identity on them, otherwise they might as well be Tom Waits or R.E.M. We have a signature sound that we're not scared of anymore."
"Mirror Ball" track listing is as follows:
Disc 1
01. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
02. Rocket
03. Animal
04. C'Mon C'Mon
05. Make Love Like A Man
06. Too Late For Love
07. Foolin'
08. Nine Lives
09. Love Bites
10. Rock On
Disc 2 (DVD)
01. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
02. Armageddon It
03. Pour Some Sugar On Me
04. Hysteria
05. Nine Lives (music video)
06. C'Mon C'Mon (music video)
Disc 3
01. Two Steps Behind
02. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
03. Switch 625
04. Hysteria
05. Armageddon It
06. Photograph
07. Pour Some Sugar On Me
08. Rock Of Ages
09. Let's Get Rocked
10. Action
11. Bad Actress
12. Undefeated
13. Kings Of The World
14. It's All About Believin'
Thirty years in, the world's best-known metal band shows absolutely no signs of flagging. From their days as pioneers of the Bay Area thrash metal scene in the '80s to their current status as the elder statesmen of global hard rock, Metallica have spread the gospel of heavy metal across the world.
Two decades ago, their epochal 1991 "Black Album" baptized a new generation of metal fans across India. MTV had just begun broadcasting in the newly liberalized India and Metallica's "Enter Sandman" was like nothing we'd ever heard before. For the next two decades, Metallica would be at the top of the playlist at any and every rock concert across India. This October, Metallica finally arrive on Indian shores to play Delhi and Bangalore – answering the prayers of Indian metal fans.
Trying to hide our impatience, we spoke to the band's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett over the phone from San Francisco. He spoke to us about the band's unlikely success, sharing a stage with Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth, and what it was like to have Joe Satriani teach him how to play.
First, let's talk about what the entire metal community in India has been talking about – those two Metallica dates in Bangalore and Delhi in October. How excited are you?
I'm really looking forward to seeing India as a country and as a culture, and from there seeing how our fans and our music fit into all of that. Indian culture, for me, is very interesting and very provocative. It's spiritual and mystical; it's the birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism as well as yoga, so I'm very excited to go to the spiritual birthplace of those three disciplines.
Also, we've gotten a lot of fan mail that had a lot of people asking us to come to India and now we're finally doing it. So it's going to be pretty cool and I'm really looking forward to it.
What made this the perfect time for Metallica to come to India?
Well [laughs], mainly because we have the time to do it! We're officially off tour but, for some reason or the other, this year we've managed to fill our calendars with a bunch of shows in places we've either never gone to before or rarely go to. So because we had the time and we had an offer to play India, all of us decided now's the time to do it. We feel pretty good about coming over there and playing because it's something we've wanted to do for a long, long time.
Can Indian fans expect any new material at the shows?
Well, as far as new material is concerned we're just now starting to think about writing new material. I guess if anything is going to be finished between now and the end of October, who knows? We may play a new song, we may not, but because India's kind of a special place and it's the first time we're playing there, we might even break out a song that we haven't played for a while.
Let's talk about the Big Four, the run of shows you've been doing with Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth. The four biggest thrash metal bands in the world on the same stage. How did that happen?
Actually the idea came from us thinking about how cool it would be if all the old San Francisco thrash metal bands came together in like a festival sort of situation; maybe play a festival in San Francisco. As we started talking about it we realised that the four main metal bands of the '80s – Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth and us – had never played a show that included all four bands together. We decided to see if it was possible, if we could actually do it. As it turned out, the other bands were into it. We played that first show in Europe [16 June, 2010 at the Sonisphere Festival in Warsaw, Poland] and it turned out great.
So now it's something we know we can actually do and it's evolved into a cool heavy metal event. It's also a pretty cool way to celebrate the fact that we've been here for so long now and we're still together, we're still making albums, we're still playing shows. Just for that fact I think it's a pretty cool thing.
How much fun is it playing with those bands and what's your favourite part of the show?
The great thing about the Big Four shows is that being backstage is super, super cool, because we're all kinda hanging out and talking, being buddies, talking about the old days. So it's very cool to just hang out and be a part of the event.
The other really cool part of the show is when all four bands get together onstage and jam on "Am I Evil?" [by Diamond Head]. That's not something we've been doing every show, but we did it in Bulgaria and we did it down in L.A. and I have to tell you it's super, super cool, its a great thing to experience and its great to be up onstage with all these other great bands.
Cheeky question then – which band, in your opinion, is the best band of The Big Four?
Err… well, us [laughs]. But of course I'd say us. The better question is who's my second favourite?
Fair enough. So who's your second favourite band?
I have to say Slayer. What can I say, they're evil, they're heavy and they don't really compromise. Slayer just rules. I also have to say though; Scott Ian [from Anthrax] is one of my best friends. I've known him for as long as I've been in the band and we hang out a lot socially. We do things together, our families get together, so I have to say I really just like hanging out with Scott 'cause he's one of my bros.
With all the touring, has the band been able to get cracking on a new album?
We haven't really started yet; we're thinking about it though [laughs]. There's just a bunch of other things that we're doing right now. We keep telling ourselves that we're going to get 'round to start writing songs but you know, something comes up. Normally it's a show or us having to travel to India to play or something or the other, and then the album gets put on the backburner for a bit. But I think personally, the new album will just happen when it happens.
There's a new Metallica biography out – Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica by Mick Wall. The author said that before he started writing the book he thought he knew everything there was to know about Metallica. Two years in he realised he knew nothing at all. What did he discover?
You know, that's a good question. I honestly don't know. I mean, I know what I know [laughs] but I don't know what Mick Wall knows or doesn't know, you know what I mean?
Sure, what do you suspect it could be?
I suspect it could be the way that we are naturally when we're off tour, you know, when we're not doing much of anything. We're just really normal guys who just like to do a bunch of really normal things. I suspect that might have been something that shocked him [laughs].
Guitar talk now. On the early Metallica albums you used the Gibson Flying V a lot. You're also a Les Paul fan. Tell us about your passion for these guitars.
Yeah, my first-ever Gibson was a Gibson Flying V and I just loved it. I think it's either a '78 or '79 Flying V. I bought it mainly because Michael Schenker had one but also because it had humbucking pickups (the guitar that I had before that had single coil pickups). I was looking for a fuller sound, a sound that I could achieve "heavy metal" with [laughs], so I bought myself the Gibson Flying V and that was my guitar.
That's the guitar I played on the first five albums – Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master Of Puppets …And Justice For All and The Black Album. All those albums have that guitar somewhere. I think I played all of Kill 'Em All on that guitar as well as all of Ride the Lightning. I love Flying Vs.
I bought my first Les Paul in 1988. I went on to buy another after that in 1989 and then I just started buying Les Pauls on a regular basis. It's mainly because I just love Les Pauls, especially the old ones. The old Les Pauls which had the PAF pickups are just amazing to me.
Who inspired you to pick up the guitar?
I remember I saw a movie called A Film About Jimi Hendrix and that movie just totally blew me away. After that I wanted to be Jimi Hendrix. I not only wanted to play guitar like him and look like him but I wanted to be him. So I bought a guitar and started learning how to play Hendrix songs. After that I discovered UFO and Michael Schenker. That's when I moved over from my previous guitar to the Flying V because, of course, I had to have the same guitar as whoever I was into at the time.
You learnt under a legend, the great Joe Satriani. How did that happen and what was it like?
Well, by that time I had my Flying V and one day I said to a friend of mine, "Your guitar playing's really good, what's up, how come you're playing so good?" He said, "Oh I found this new teacher in Berkeley, his name is Joe, you should check him out". So I went to this music store called Secondhand Guitars in Berkeley and I walk in and in the back I can hear someone playing guitar, crazy guitar, like no other guitar playing I'd ever heard. I went back there and there was Joe sitting on a chair and he says, "Hi, are you my new student?" I said "Yeah" and so we sat down and Joe just started playing.
Even back then he sounded like he does now. I mean, all the components of his guitar style were in place back then. I was just so totally blown away by his technique and his style. The first thing he said to me is: "OK, if you're going to take lessons from me I expect you to learn your lessons. If you come in next week without learning the lessons, you're just going to be wasting our time and there's no real lesson for you to be taking lessons". So he kinda basically told me to have my act together when I came in the next week. So I had the lesson, learnt everything over the week and came back the next week. It just totally grew from there.
I could tell that Joe really liked playing with me because we would always play longer than the allotted time. I mean usually he'd spend about a half an hour with his other students but for some odd reason he'd spend more time with me. I found out later that it was just because he liked playing guitar with me.
Later on in interviews, Joe said that when he first started teaching me he could see something in my playing style and my approach that was just radically different from most people's approach at the time. A lot of it had to do with the fact that I was way into heavy metal at a time when heavy metal wasn't even popular. It probably also had something to do with the fact that I was listening to guitar players like Ulrich Roth and Michael Schenker. I mean, there weren't a whole lot of people in the United States back then who even knew who those guitar players were. So I was coming from a pretty unique sort of perspective.
I learnt a lot of things from Joe, a lot of things about technique especially. I also learnt that feel is better than anything and everything. So I've always strived be a player with a lot of feeling rather than a player with a lot of technique. I was always aware of the fact that you can say just as much with five notes as you can with five thousand notes. Learning that was very very important to me.
Speaking about technique, what would you say is the most unique facet of your technique, something that you've evolved over the years?
I'd say that I just really can't stop playing that wah pedal. I know it's not really much to claim but, you know, I like playing the wah pedal. I love playing guitar solos using my wah. That's really all it is.
I really try to come up with guitar solos that are catchy and memorable, that stick in your mind and are almost a song within a song. I've always tried to come up with catchy guitar solos that you can just hum and sing along to.
Metallica's been around 28 years now. We've seen many metal bands come and go, the genre itself has been through its ups and downs. What's that special sauce that's kept Metallica at the very top for the last 30 years?
I honestly don't know. All I can tell you is that I think our music stands the test of time. The music still sounds modern and still sounds relevant 30 years in. People are hearing it and they still hear it fresh. All I can say is that it's just incredible that it's actually happened to us.
When you got the call in 1983 inviting you to join Metallica, did you have any idea of where this was all headed?
No [laughs]. We all saw it as us being able to record an album, have the album out and tour clubs [laughs]. That's honestly all we thought we'd get. Of course it turned out to be much more than that and thank god!
But yeah, for a long time we were just striving to be a recording band that would be able to put out albums and go out on tour and play clubs and small theatres.
Remember, at that time, when Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning came out, heavy metal was not that popular at all. There were all these other different types of music that were more popular at the time. Back then heavy metal bands stood out like sore thumbs and people didn't really understand heavy metal.
We just thought we'd record a few albums and go out on tour but we definitely didn't expect it to be like this.
Before we end, we have to ask you about this new book about horror movie memorabilia that you're working on called Too Much Horror Business.
It's a book on vintage horror movie posters and vintage monster toys. I've been collecting this stuff for, like, forever. I bought my first monster movie magazine when I was five years old and I've been into this stuff forever. I just decided one day that because I have this huge collection of posters and monster toys, that I was going to share it with the world. Basically that's what I'm doing right now, I'm just sharing it with the world. It's really fun. It's a lot of work and I'm still working on it right now but it's a lot of fun and I can't wait to release it.
One of the world's most popular board games, Monopoly, has been customized to celebrate the history and music of heavy metal giants METALLICA. The game will be available starting next week from the band's official webstore.
METALLICA follows KISS, THE BEATLES, ELVIS PRESLEY and THE GRATEFUL DEAD, among other artists, who have their own Monopoly games.
GUNS N' ROSES/SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba debuted original tracks today on the web site of upcoming indie "The Power Of Few", a crime mystery starring Christopher Walken ("Catch Me If You Can", "Wedding Crashers"), Christian Slater ("True Romance", "Very Bad Things"), Q'orianka Kilcher (Terrence Malick's "The New World") and Anthony Anderson ("Transformers", "The Departed"). The tracks are available at the film's web siteas a part of "Scene 64," the digital editing contest created by the film's writer/director Leone Marucci and Kilcher in their efforts to involve fans in a collaborative filmmaking process for the upcoming indie.
DJ Ashba, who visited the New Orleans set last fall commented, "When I heard that Leone and Q'orianka were bringing people this unique interactive experience, I offered to help in any way. User-generated scenes in the final cut? Sign me up."
DJ Ashba is releasing these original tracks following "This Is Gonna Hurt", the hit album from SIXX: A.M., the hard rock band comprised of MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, James Michael and Ashba.
Fans will have access to Ashba's tracks, pages from the script, film footage, as well as audio contributions from "The Power Of Few"'s Grammy-winning composer Mike Simpson ("Fight Club", co-writer/producer on the BEASTIE BOYS' "Paul's Boutique" album). Using editing software found on the site, participants will edit "Scene 64," an action sequence featuring Kilcher and co-star Jesse Bradford ("Bring It On", "Flags of Our Fathers") and submit their cut for a popular fan vote. The best edit will be used in the final film and the winner will receive a screen credit.
Writer/director Leone Marucci commented, "Now fans have the chance to cut to a couple ripping guitar tracks from an incredible talent. Collaborating with visionaries is what this project is all about."
"The Power Of Few" revolves around an enigmatic smuggling ring's efforts to steal a priceless artifact. The story unfolds through the unique perspective of five characters who cross paths on a day filled with danger, hope and possible transformation. The ensemble cast includes Walken, Kilcher, Anderson, Bradford, Moon Bloodgood ("Terminator Salvation"), Nicky Whelan ("Hall Pass"), Devon Gearhart ("Changeling"), Jordan Prentice ("In Bruges"), Navid Negahban (Fox's "24") and multi-platinum selling rap artist Juvenile.
Not that he really needs an introduction but Dave Mustaine has accomplished and seen it all over the last thirty years while becoming a heavy metal legend. In this exclusive interview, Dave speaks at length about becoming a born against Christian and how it has changed his life and motivated him to mend some broken relationships in the past. Dave attributes his re-found faith to him mending his relationship with his friend and founding Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson who rejoined the band last year after eight years away. His rekindled spirit and energy for life has also seen him put the past behind him over his long time feud with Metallica which has even resulted in the bands playing together in some forthcoming "Big 4" concerts. We also got into details about the next Megadeth album and why Johnny K is helming the production in place of Andy Sneap who has been at the helm for the last two records. The past is the past and the present is a happy
time for Dave Mustaine.
Judging by your frequent Twitter updates it seems that the new Megadeth album is coming along quite well. What can you tell us about where you are in the recording process?
Dave: It's going pretty good. My Twitter account got hacked. You know what I'm talking about right? Congressman Wiener's Twitter account got hacked and there was a picture of his privates posted and he said he couldn't tell if it was his or not. I can sure tell what mine looks like. He doesn't look like he gets much action, poor fella.
Ok so where were we, Twitter updates… yeah it's going pretty good. I like being able to keep the fans updated, I've always been really internet savvy when it comes to megadeth.com and then all the different things we've done like askdavemustaine.com which was really innovative, only Paul McCartney and I have ever had anything like that. And then some of the other things that we did a long time ago, I tried some things that were way ahead of their time, but things basically like full stop services and just making the fans feel like they're apart of things. And I feel that's what's probably responsible for the longevity of my career, including them in things and not acting so secretive all the damn time. There's nothing more obnoxious to me than some rich rock star going around telling people they need to donate money to starving people and stuff like that, you know, why don't you do it? Don't tell me to do it, you do it. If you have so
much damn money you do it. You want to make a difference then start with yourself. And that's one of the things I've done, I've really gone out of the way when we've met our fans and stuff to help underprivileged kids and stuff like that.
The studio that I've built here in San Marcos, it was set up specifically to help us make Megadeth stuff but the ultimate goal was to have a school here where I could teach underprivileged how to play music and how to record. I thought it would be something really cool to give something back because I'm from down here, I was born in La Mesa and I wanted to do something really cool and give something back to my community here. Most people when they get rich they don't ever look back, not me man, I'm wearing flip flops right now, I enjoy who I am, I know where I come from. It's like Jimmy Hoffa, "these are my people!"
What can you tell us about the new album's sound? How would you describe it compared to your last record Endgame?
Dave: Different, a hundred percent different, unlike anything we've ever done before because the guitar sounds are different, it sounds really super modern. If I was going to say it sounds like a particular band I would say it sounds like really old classic 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. I think it's cool to have songs that aren't just verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, out, although that's a time warn recipe for success.
For me, like I was talking to Johnny K our co-producer here and I said to him in the beginning Megadeth isn't just one, two one, two one, two, we take right turns every once in a while. Sometimes we'll be driving along absolutely fine and we'll do a u-turn, just because we want to revisit something or there's a lick or a riff that's really cool that we want to come back to. Sometimes a song just in the middle you have to completely chuck where you're going and switch horses in the middle of the stream and get over to another part of the song. For example, a perfect example would be like in "Wake of Dead." At the end of "Wake of Dead" the song stops and drops in tempo and does something completely different. Or in songs like "In My Darkest Hour" where at the end it just jumps up in tempo to breakneck speed and just hold on to your hat kind of thing. So I think that this record has tons of stuff.
When we started this record I had the eleven new songs that I was going to do that's on my contract and then the twelfth song that's due to the Japanese audience and that was it. And then Johnny said "yeah but the record company said they'd like you to get to fifteen songs." And I said "that's great but my contract says twelve so that's what we're doing." So we got all the way done with the twelfth song and we started arranging the twelfth song and halfway through it I just started writing this other thing and we're calling it "song 13" right now. It just came out of nowhere, it's probably the most melodic, most geared for success song out of the whole record based on what makes a song successful and stuff like that because you know it's got really open picking and some acoustic parts and you know melodic things and stuff like that. There's some heaviness on it too, the point I'm trying to make I guess long story boring, I did go
beyond what my contract says again which I've always done my whole career, I've always tried to over-deliver. I think we've got probably our best offer since the Countdown to Extinction era.
Are the songs all recent creations or have some of them been hanging around now for a while?
Dave: Basically when we had started off this record we had a videogame we were doing a song for and that was Guitar Hero and when we had done that song it got nominated for a Grammy and it was a very successful track for us. Roadrunner said to us that we can include it on our next record and we thought that's great… We have some songs that we started at various times that I had started over my career that just never got out of the blocks for lack of a better term. But it's not like doing "A Tout Le Monde" again, the whole thing with "A Tout Le Monde" for me was I wanted that song to be a B-side for Japan and just a couple of records ago we did "A Tout Le Monde" which is one of the main breakups between me and Roadrunner.
The president took what I wanted to be a b-side and forced it to be the first lead single off of the domestic release which I thought was a terrible decision and we paid for it dearly. But as far as this record there's nothing like that. We've got some songs from years and years ago that we never recorded even though we did demos for them but they just never saw the light of day. Those are songs that we've looked at and rearranged and made them modern and had recorded them. But you know, there's a lot of brand new stuff, like I said one as new as just from a couple of days ago.
You're working with Johnny K as a producer as you said there on this new record instead of Andy Sneap who took care of the last two albums. Why did you decide to go with Johnny and what's it been like working with him?
Dave: Well you know one thing with Megadeth is we've always tried to keep it current with our production team you know not getting too attached to any one person although a lot of the guys we've worked with have been great and there was no clear reason for having broken up the time other than keeping it fresh. With not working with Andy Sneap, he just wasn't available.
Andy had some stuff that came up right in the middle of the time that we were available to do our work. Usually when a band is ready to go in the studio they go in and they stay in, they don't go in and come out and go back in again and I've found that to be really difficult for me because I lose stride and it just wasn't going to happen for us. We weren't going to get the record done in time because we had this Monsters of Rock Energy Drink Mayhem Tour, whatever it is, it's the Mayhem Festival this summer and we had to get this done before we leave, you know we have more Big Four dates coming up.
When Johnny's name came up I didn't even know who he was and I said something to a couple of the other guys, they were like "oh Johnny K! Oh really! Wow!" And I was like "hmm, ok," kind of like you know when someone says "try this, it tastes like chicken." So he came out here and we talked a little bit. We went an entire month, the entire first month not one disagreement. There were some moments where we were trying to align our thinking and you know I think because we're two different guys from two different sides of the country and different histories I think there was a necessity for us to get our lingo in order.
But as far as us having a desire to make this project a success, I think that we all have that first and foremost in our heads and that's what we want to do. So right now Sean finished all of his tracks, he's gone, we left the drum kit up there in case we decide that something needs to be fixed or changed or whatever. And I'm doing guitar today and Dave Ellefson and Chris Broderick are coming in Monday to finish up bass and the other guitar and then it's singing, solos, ear candy and then we're done.
The most significant recent change within the band has been of course Dave Ellefson rejoining the band last year. What's it been like having Dave back as not only a bandmate but as a friend?
Dave: Well the thing is I didn't want what took place to take place, he sued me and that was a bummer but through the whole thing my stance was that the truth would come out and I didn't want him to get hurt, that I loved him, he was friend and I attest to this day that he had bad direction. And when the lawsuit was dismissed one would think that I was happy about it but I wasn't, I was relieved that it was over but I wasn't happy because I had known that he had gotten hurt. I've always cared about Dave, when I met him he was a little dude, a skinny little kid, the son of a farmer, he looked like a fish out of water in Hollywood and I took a liking to him and protected him.
I even got into a fistfight with a dude over protecting him and that kind of stuff, you just can't turn it off when something goes wrong, you don't just act like they're dead you know what I mean. If someone makes a grave error people act like they're dead to them and I have a song called "You're Dead" and that concept is where I actually learned about that, it was from some of my Latino friends, I had heard a couple of the girls sing that about some of their guy friends, they were like "oh he's fucking dead to me man," and I was like oh ok… But you see I could never get behind that when it was someone I really cared about.
I knew that the toxicity of my life over the years and holding a grudge or being the cause of one like what took place between me and Metallica; I just didn't want to go back there. When the lawsuit ended I met with Dave and he apologized and said it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done. And I said that I just want to tell you that I forgive you. And I don't think he expected to hear that, I don't think any of the fans expected to hear that either and I think a lot of people cried bullshit and they thought it was just more grandstanding by me. I backed it up by doing the ultimate sacrifice and giving him his job back. So it's not like you can cry foul, I backed it up.
Now him being back in the band, it's fun, he's a great guy, he's got a great personality, he's funny. You know being an elder at a church now and being a born again Christian, it helps me a lot in my desire to be a good guy and be a role model. You know I did the whole bad guy thing and I was great at it and as I grew up I watched my kid taking on the bad guy attitude and I was like "you don't have to be that guy. I did this because I lived on the street and had nobody and nothing. You got it made; the fans have shown so much love and support for your dad that you don't have to grow up like I did." And that's something I'm so grateful to the fans for, my kids have a great life because of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I can never thank our fans enough.
Also in April you played the first Big 4 show in Indio California. This certainly must have been a special experience for you. Were you pleased with how it went?
Dave: Yeah I thought it was pretty cool. Well you know, the way that this whole thing went down, it started up around an idea of us getting back together and playing a couple of shows over in Europe in the Eastern bloc where nobody goes except to dump off old nuclear warheads and shit. I didn't think anyone would show up but it was highly populated, the concerts were well turned out and received and the fans loved it and I think the bands all got together really good.
You know something happened when Darryl Abbott had been assassinated and there was a memorial show on Headbanger's Ball that I hosted and went back to… the guy because no one else and his family or any of his friends could do anything and MTV, I don't want to say get the scoop on it because that sounds tacky but they just wanted to be current. They asked me if I would fly out there and do it and I did and when I came back I had said I don't want any of this stuff anymore, I'm extending the olive branch to anybody that I have a problem with, I'm sorry if anyone has a problem with me, I apologize, please let's just put this behind us. And you know it set the ball in motion and Kerry (King) and I became friends again and the funny thing is we played together just a couple of months ago on stage in Los Angeles and nobody would have imagined that. We played with Metallica over in Europe, nobody would have imagined that.
When the thing came home here to Indio it was such a sweet homecoming because this is what I've been waiting for, in a very cathartic way, for a very long time to be able to have everyone that's a part of this musical family out here, this community, get together and say, it's not about who's in what band, it's the vibe that we all had. It was like one big huge happy family and it was like rotating shifts on a hockey team you know, each band had their own shift so to speak. The goal for us was to leave the fans completely satiated and I think that happened there.
Looking out at the audience and seeing what appeared to be well over the capacity, they said the capacity was under 50, 000 and to me it looked like it was way more than that and I've been doing this a long time. But you know, my amplifiers completely crapped out during that show in Indio and it happened that a photographer friend of ours had come behind the amplifiers and stepped on a wire of course, always happens, and unplugged something of mine. And I kept looking over the whole set at my tech who was shaking towards the end of the night and I just kept laughing, I looked at Ellefson and I'm laughing and I'm looking at Chris and Sean and I'm laughing and they're saying what's going on and I said my amp is off and they're like nooo and I'm like yeah… And I looked at Ellefson and said it figures that it would happened here of all places. I'm mouthing the words out to him on stage and he's laughing and of course I can hear what
I'm saying because my guitar is sputtering out. But the thing is that we were careful enough to make sure a long time ago to set our stage up so that if there was ever a problem like that out on stage you wouldn't know it in the audience and I forgot that.
So I could have destroyed myself that night by throwing a tantrum and freaking out and going "oh this is the biggest show in the world and my amps blew up and oh noooo" and you know what, because I was having so much fun it didn't even matter. And the local radio station down here who barely plays Megadeth at all and is pretty much is a Metallica station here, no digs on anybody but she said we stole the show and I thought that was great. And the cool thing is for us to play on stage together, anybody who's going to say that there's still some feud going on has had to have had half their brain sucked out, I can't imagine anybody who would think there's still any kind of thing going on. We're playing Yankee Stadium in a couple of months, what's next Skylab? Where else do we have to play for us to prove to people that that's over? This would be cool for me, I mean I've already said this before and I've put it in their ear but I don't
know what they think but I think it would be cool to have a super band of James and Lars and me and Ellefson… that'd be pretty frightening.
John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM, RATT, UNION, ESP) will hit the road acoustically this summer as the support act for CINDERELLA.
So far the following dates have been announced:
Jun. 29 - Hard Rock - Albuquerque, NM
Jul. 02 - Speaking Rock Ent. Center - El Paso, TX
Jul. 03 - House Of Blues - Dallas, TX
Jul. 10 - House Of Blues - Houston, TX
Jul. 12 - Crystal Palace - Pontiac, IL
Jul. 15 - 7 Flags - Des Moines, IA
Jul. 18 - Buster's Billiards - Lexington, KY
Jul. 21 - Surf Ballroom - Clear Lake, IA
Jul. 23 - Empire Rock Fest - Sioux Falls, SD
Jul. 26 - Fillmore, - Charlotte, NC
Jul. 27 - House Of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC
Jul. 29 - Wild Bills – Duluth, GA
Jul. 30 - House Of Blues - Orlando, FL
Jul. 31 - Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aug. 02 - Ramshead Live - Baltimore, MD
Aug. 09 - Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY
Aug. 10 - Hampton Beach - Hampton Beach, NH
Aug. 12 - House Of Blues - Atlantic City, NJ
More dates will be added soon.
Corabi is putting the finishing touches on an acoustic album which he says will include "old songs, new songs and just a sample of things to come."
Corabi sang on MÖTLEY CRÜE's sixth and self-titled album, which was released in 1994.
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have set "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in early September via Roadrunner Records. The CD is currently being mixed by Andy Wallace, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, WHITE ZOMBIE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SEPULTURA, SLAYER and NIRVANA, among many others.
"I'm incredibly psyched with the way this album came out and can't wait to share it with everybody," guitarist John Petrucci, who also serves as the producer for "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", said. "We are currently in the mix stage with the great Andy Wallace and it's all sounding amazing!"
"We have poured our hearts and minds into the creation of this album," keyboardist Jordan Rudess offered. "All the life changing events that surrounded us before, as well as during the whole process, fueled our desire to dig deep within ourselves and create the best music we possibly could."
Vocalist James LaBrie said, "In the grand scheme of DREAM THEATER's career, the last several months have been such an incredibly positive, fulfilling and rewarding experience. The new songs and sound has never been so spirited or rejuvenating. I cannot wait for every one of our fans to sink their audio senses into this batch of tunes."
"A Dramatic Turn Of Events" track listing:
01. On The Backs Of Angels
02. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
03. Lost Not Forgotten
04. This Is The Life
05. The Shaman's Trance
06. Outcry
07. Far From Heaven
08. Breaking All Illusions
09. Beneath The Surface
In a recent interview with Music Radar, Petrucci and Rudess were asked if the band's new drummer, Mike Mangini, contributed to the songwriting on the 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."
Normally, one would be wise to avoid a plague of locusts. Prophets even warn about locusts in The Bible. However, in the summer of 2011, metal fans and headbangers are going to happily succumb to a "Locust" in the form of a brand new track from Bay Area metal icons MACHINE HEAD.
The band, which released the back-to-back, modern classics, 2004's "Through the Ashes Of Empires" and 2007's "The Blackening", are aiming to unleash their third masterwork in a row on September 27 via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The as-yet untitled new album is being recorded at JingleTown Studios in Oakland, with frontman Robb Flynn producing, and it is sure to level anything and everything that happens upon its path.
MACHINE HEAD will prepare for the release of their new album by appearing on the main stage of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival for key dates, while headlining the Extreme Stage for others, this summer, which kicks off this July. This is the band's second tour of duty on Mayhem, as they appeared on the festival during its inaugural run in 2008.
An advance mix of "Locust" will be on sale at iTunes on June 14 and will be included on an iTunes Mayhem digital sampler. Download cards for the digital sampler will be distributed at every date of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival so fans can redeem the song after being summarily kicked in the face by MACHINE HEAD's always devastating live show.
"We've been working on the record for a few weeks now, and when the opportunity to be a part of the free Mayhem sampler came up, we did not want to pass up the chance," said MACHINE HEAD vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn. "We're so pumped for our fans to hear the new music that we're so proud of."
Flynn went a little deeper about the meaning of the song, saying, "'Locust' is a metaphor. Locusts fly in a swarm, but they can't control which direction they fly; they float on the wind, they land, cause massive destruction, and then float away on the wind to leave you in the aftermath. The song is a metaphor for a type of person that sometimes comes into your life and has a similar effect."
Musically, the song is the essence of what MACHINE HEAD have been doing for nearly two decades. "It feels like the culmination of what we've been doing for the last 17 years: power grooves, patented MACHINE HEAD harmonics, crushing guitars and dark melodies, but taken to a new level," Flynn said. "It's a natural progression from 'The Blackening', but different than anything on that record. In the past, when we debuted a new song, it was usually the fastest, thrashiest tune. This time we wanted to go with something just straight-up heavy."
The song is eight minutes in length, which is not unfamiliar territory for the band. Flynn even joked, "We still can't seem to write a damn song under six minutes. But MACHINE HEAD aren't writing music for the radio or MTV. This is for us. This is for the metalhead who let's music take him on a journey. This for the metalhead for whom music is the only thing that matters, to whom music is a savior. The music fan who's going to study every detail of the artwork, go online and find the lyrics and memorize every word, and let it take them away from their fucked up life for a while. It's for the music freak, who maybe just wants to get hammered, air-guitar and sing at the top of his lungs, and act like an friggin' idiot while starting a moshpit in their living room with reckless abandon. Because that's who wrote this song, and that is the only people we care about connecting with."
Flynn finished, "We know you'll be as excited about it as we are, so Head Cases, on June 14, check out 'Locust'."
"Locust" is a true metal anthem from these metal torchbearers, and it's erected upon the band's signature, crunchy guitar tone, pummeling riffage, a thunderstorm of percussion and Flynn's militaristic barks. "Locust" is one of those cathartic, "gets the red out" songs that will incite moshpits across the globe and cause the listener to be purged of all their anger (and exhausted from rocking the hell out) once the last note fades out.
Prepare to suffer unto the "Locust" on June 14 and beyond.
Check out photos from the studio at DirtJunior.com.
Working songtitles for next MACHINE HEAD album:
* This Is The End
* Who We Are
* Pearls Before Swine
* Under The August Moon
* I Am Hell
* Darkness Within
* Locust
"Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea", the third album from Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY, sold 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 29 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on May 31 via Roadrunner Records.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, BLACK STONE CHERRY drummer John Fred Young told RockAAA.com that the band nearly left its current hit single, "White Trash Millionaire", off the band's latest album, "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea". Young explained, "We didn't want to record that song as we had it too fast. It sounded almost corny but we couldn't figure out why as we knew it had a hook and a good melody but Howard [Benson, producer] just told us to slow it down. It worked really well and he spotted something really simple that us as musicians had overlooked."
Young also admitted that the group worked with outside songwriters for the first time on this disc, saying, "We didn't want to do that at all as we didn't want the sound of the band to change. A lot of bands are scared to do that . . . We were scared to death the first time and had concerns they would jack our sound up but we took a chance and it was cool and we met a lot of good dudes."
"Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea", BLACK STONE CHERRY's third album, came out on May 31 and follows up 2008's "Folklore And Superstition".
The band is originally from the small Kentucky town of Edmonton, which has a population of around 3,000.
Young is the son of KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS rhythm guitarist Dicky Young.
BLACK STONE CHERRY, comprised of Chris Robertson, guitarist Ben Wells, bassist Jon Lawhon and drummer John Fred Young, is a band adept at creating both timeless rock 'n' roll and new, innovative sounds. While the band's last record, "Folklore And Superstition", was a compelling tribute to brotherhood and history, the new album is the summation of a year in the life of the band — every emotion, triumph, loss, romance and everything in between — it's all here on "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea".
"This album is the culmination of all of the everyday ups and downs life throws at you," says the band. "Sonically, you'll hear some of the meanest sounding guitar riffs we've ever laid down, and at the same time, you'll find ballads that will tug on your heartstrings. We wanted the album's intensity to match that of our live show. We're very proud of this album and excited for our fans to hear it!"
This is the first time BLACK STONE CHERRY has not recorded in the South, this time taking up residence in Los Angeles to work with famed producer Howard Benson (THEORY OF A DEADMAN, DAUGHTRY, THREE DAYS GRACE). The new surroundings allowed them to strengthen their relationships as both band members and friends, ultimately a detail that sets "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" above previous recordings. The raw intensity that pervades the music on this album harkens back to the early days of BLACK STONE CHERRY, when they were a bunch of blue-collar guys just making music together for the hell of it. The band admits, "When we first began writing music, we hadn't traveled very far out of our home state of Kentucky. Now, ten years later, we've traveled the world and experienced things we never imagined we would."
"White Trash Millionaire", the new video from BLACK STONE CHERRY, can be viewed below. The song pairs vocalist Chris Robertson's soulful delivery with the urgent and infectious rhythms of his fellow players. Sure, this is Southern rock at heart; but the concept is universal: just take what the world gives you and make that work.
In the only U.S. date of his special DJ tour, vocalist Jyrki 69 of Finnish gothic metallers THE 69 EYES will appear on Saturday, July 9 in New Orleans, Louisiana at Fangtasia (located at 1135 Decatur) — a venue long home to the city's raucous gothic, industrial, metal, and vampire scenes.
Jyrki 69 returns to New Orleans after an absence of nearly two years, when his band last played at the Howlin' Wolf in October 2009 and partied afterward at 1135. He says, "Vampires, voodoo and Elvis' King Creole — New Orleans is the home of all dreams for THE 69 EYES! There's no better way to return to the city of my dreams then party 'til the dawn as a DJ at Fangtasia!"
Seraphemera Books comic writer Kurt Amacker (Dead Souls, Immortal: 60) is organizing the event. He states, "Fangtasia is going to be a dance night of bloodsucking beats and vampiric rock 'n' roll that people will be talking about for years. Nobody parties like the Helsinki Vampires. I was there last time, and I'm surprised we all survived. We can't wait to have Jyrki back in New Orleans."
Joining Jyrki will be a cast of DJs culled from the top goth and industrial club nights in New Orleans and nearby Baton Rouge. From New Orleans, Attrition's DJ Sneauxball will spin the best in dark dance and rock alongside DJ Lucifera and DJ Stitch — keyboardist of notorious horror industrial band SUICIDE ASSYST. From Baton Rouge's the Chamber, industrial artist Torrent Vaccine will spin alongside DJ Flyhaed, rounding out the evening's entertainment.
Throughout the night, attendees will have the opportunity to have vampire fangs made on premises by Dark Awakenings — New Orleans' premiere fangsmith. Early arrivals will also be presented with giveaways from Cleopatra Records, The End Records, and Sigh Co. Graphics.
True fans of THE 69 EYES will be offered an exciting opportunity before doors open. VIP ticket holders can join Jyrki 69 on a special walk through the shadowy history of New Orleans with French Quarter Phantoms. Before Fangtasia begins, the Helsinki Vampire will accompany a special walking tour, as attendees learn about the city's long history of hauntings and vampiric activity. All attendees will be presented with a bottle of Vampire wine signed by Jyrki 69, and will be given access to Fangtasia at 1135 Decatur when doors open. The tour leaves from Flanagan's Pub at 625 St. Philip St. at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Spaces are very limited.
Advance and VIP tickets available at Seraphemera Books and Music.
Doors open at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 at 1135 Decatur in New Orleans.
Canada's DANKO JONES has parted ways with drummer Dan Cornelius and has replaced him with Atom Willard.
With a history in bands like ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, THE OFFSPRING and SOCIAL DISTORTION and being a current member of ANGELS & AIRWAVES, the experience and talent Atom is bringing to the band will be the beginning of a very exciting new chapter.
"Both JC and I have been fans of Atom Willard for years," Danko said. "We own the records he's on and hell, we even wrote a song about his old band ["RIP RFTC" about ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT]. Yes, we're ecstatic he's coming out with us."
"When I saw Atom Willard in the crowd 6 years ago at The Troubadour in Los Angeles watching us, I was dumbstruck," Danko added. "I almost stopped the show just so I could get my copy of 'The State of Art Is on Fire' 10-inch signed. Now that he'll be playing with us, that'll be the first order of business."
Atom's first show with the band will be in Gothenburg on June 15, followed by about a dozen European festivals lined up throughout the summer. More North American dates will be announced shortly.
"I have been a fan of this band and these songs for a long ass time, so when they asked if I could do it, and I could, I was stoked!" Atom said. "I love rock and roll!"
DANKO JONES will re-release its latest full-length album, "Below The Belt", on June 21 as a deluxe reissue featuring two new bonus tracks titled "Guest List Blues" and "Rock N Roll Proletariat". The reissue will also include the recently completed "Below the Belt" music video trilogy, starring Elijah Wood, Selma Blair, Ralph Macchio, Jena Malone, Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), Mike Watt (MINUTEMEN, THE STOOGES) and many more. Billboard.com hailed the final installment of the trilogy for "I Think Bad Thoughts", as being "filled with badassery on so many levels" and called it "the ultimate action-film music video."
The scene's most notorious frontman Ronnie Radke returns from years of mandatory silence to form FALLING IN REVERSE, the loudest, most hard-hitting rock outfit to hit streets since his departure from ESCAPE THE FATE over three years ago. "The Drug In Me Is You" drops on July 26 and features eleven mega-hits, including the first single, "Raised By Wolves", available now on iTunes.
After years of drama and speculation following Ronnie Radke's departure from ESCAPE THE FATE, the talented frontman lifts himself from the depths of adversity to emerge as one of the most dynamic and talented stars in the music scene today. Joining Radke on his forward climb to claim his position at the top are Jacky Vincent (lead guitar), Ryan Seaman (AIDEN, I AM GHOST) on drums, bass player Mika Horiuchi and rhythm guitarist Derek Jones.
"Raised By Wolves", the first digital single from FALLING IN REVERSE is a three-and-a-half-minute journey into the mind of Radke — where his brutally honest lyrics break down his tumultuous past, while FALLING IN REVERSE's ferocious sonic breakdowns pick up right where Ronnie leaves off — shredding guitar solos, massive hooks and in your face guitar riffs, reminding us all of what Ronnie is capable of.
Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of Italian modern metal outfit TASTERS. The band's new album, "Reckless Till The End", will be released in September.
Hailing from Livorno, TASTERS has convinced the masses with its unique blend of heavy riffing, perfect breakdowns, brutal shouts, melodic choruses and the thrill of electronic influences throughout the past two years playing more than 100 shows from the U.K. to even Sibiria.
Being in the game for more than ten years, TASTERS has what it takes to be successful in today musical environment. Until this date, the band has always managed everything by itself, from producing to booking to artwork — you name it — always achieving an astonishing outcome.
Commented the band: "We are extremely proud to announce that we signed a worldwide record deal with the almighty label Nuclear Blast and that our new album, 'Reckless Till The End', will hit the stores in September 2011. Along with this we also signed a management deal with CMC Entertainment and Brainstorm Music Marketing, working in a cooperation between them."
Commented Nuclear Blast representative Markus Jakob: "Nuclear Blast is proud and happy to welcome TASTERS to the family! They convinced us with their experience, professional attitude and their brand new tunes literally just blew us away! Watch out for this powerful cooperation — 2011 is the year of TASTERS!"
"Heavenly Ecstasy", the sixth album from the Norwegian melodic metal band PAGAN'S MIND, entered the official chart in the group's home country at position No. 10 (international artists) and No. 2 (Norwegian artists).
"Heavenly Ecstasy" was released on May 20 in Germany, May 23 in the rest of Europe and on May 31 in USA/Canada via SPV/Steamhammer. The follow-up to 2007's "God's Equation" was mixed last fall by Stefan Glaumann at Toytown Studios (RAMMSTEIN, MADONNA, WITHIN TEMPTATION) in Stockholm, Sweden. The effort was made available in four configurations: A limited-edition digipak with two bonus tracks, 28-page booklet and poster; a double gatefold LP with two bonus tracks on orange-colored vinyl; as a standard jewel case; and as a digital download.
Limited-edition digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks, poster):
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
05. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
06. Revelation To The End (8:32)
07. Follow Your Way (5:18)
08. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
09. The Master's Voice (5:16)
10. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
11. When Angels Unite (2:03)
12. Create Your Destiny (5:49) (bonus track)
13. Power Of Mindscape (4:16) (bonus track)
Jewel case version:
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
05. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
06. Revelation To The End (8:32)
07. Follow Your Way (5:18)
08. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
09. The Master's Voice (5:16)
10. When Angels Unite (2:03)
11. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
Double-gatefold LP (incl. 2 bonus tracks, colored orange vinyl):
LP 1
Side 1:
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Power Of Mindscape (4:16) (bonus track)
Side 2:
01. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
02. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
03. Follow Your Way (5:18)
LP 2
Side 1:
01. Revelation To The End (8:32)
02. When Angels Unite (2:03)
03. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
Side 2:
01. The Master's Voice (5:16)
02. Create Your Destiny (5:49) (bonus track)
03. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
American power metal band VAINGLORY, which features in its ranks vocalist Kate French (CHASTAIN) and lead guitar virtuoso Corbin King, has announced the addition of second guitarist Jerry Tharp to the group's ranks.
In other news, VAINGLORY will perform at Sweetwater Live in Duluth, Georgia on July 16.
VAINGLORY in April made a new track, "Ballistic", available via the group's ReverbNation TuneWidget. The song will appear on the follow-up to 2007's self-titled "Vainglory" album, entitled "Manifesting Destiny", which is expected before the end of the year. A video for "Ballistic" was recently completed and will make its online debut shortly.
According to a press release, "The sound of ['Manifesting Destiny'] will be a bit different than the previous in that the songs are heavier, tougher, the choruses bigger, and feature the best performances from all the bandmembers." Other songtitles set to appear on the album include "Epidemic", "Manifesting Destiny", "Comin' Back", "Force Centrifical", "Spit", "Time of Reckoning", "Getchu Some", "Waste Of Skin", "Dead To Me" and "To My Face".
French previously stated about "Manifesting Destiny", "It is KICK-ASS!! No fancy frills, no guest appearances, no pricey names backin' us up, no name-droppin' or regurgitated, fake, money-making BULLSHIT, but if you wanna hear US do what we do, with no sugar-coating, THE REAL DEAL... that is what your gonna get and it is IN-YOUR-FACE, total groove-oriented HEAVY METAL!!!"
She added, "This CD, it's much different than anything I've done vocally. I wanted to show every kind of metal vocal style I can do, and I can do it ALL. From death to screamo to the Halford highs, to sissy L.A. girl fairy princess (I don't do that on this, though), but it is still me. Don't be too shocked, I think you'll like it. Not too much, but just enough of everything."
VAINGLORY's self-titled CD was released in Europe in April 2007 via MTM Music.
DEVIL, the Norwegian heavy doom rock band featuring members of VESEN, RIKETS CRUST, CEASE.AND.DESIST, FUCK YOU ALL and FAUSTCOVEN, has entered the studio to begin recording its debut album, "Time To Repent", for a late 2011 release via the Dutch label Soulseller Records.
Commented guitarist Stian Fossum: "I must say it sounds pretty damn vintage, and those not afraid of Devilish catchy tunes, are in for a treat. Ranging from hard rock to heavy metal, and even with a very good, if we can say so, ballad, we feel that the diversity and quality of the album is really up there. It's still not for feinschmeckers or proggers, but we're a hard rock 'n' roll band, and fans of PENTAGRAM, BLACK SABBATH and NWOBHM will still be our main audience. We haven't timed the album yet, but it will clock in somewhere around 40 minutes. The next few days we'll be doing vocals and stuff, and hopefully the mixing and mastering process will start in a couple of weeks."
"Time To Repent" track listing:
01. The Welcome (intro)
02. Break The Curse
03. Blood Is Boiling
04. Time To Repent
05. Crazy Woman
06. Open Casket
07. Death Of A Sorcerer
08. Howling (At The World)
09. At The Blacksmith's
10. Outro
DEVIL is:
Stian Fossum - Guitar
Ronny Østli - Drums
Thomas Ljosaak - Bass
Kai Wanderås - Guitar
Joakim Trangsrud – Vocals
Thiago Sarkis of Brazil's Roadie Crew magazine recently conducted an interview with former SAVATAGE singer Damond Jiniya. During the chat — Damond's first official interview since his days with SAVATAGE — the vocalist talked about drug and alcohol abuse, his current status with the band, and what he has been doing for the past nine years. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On his upcoming autobiography:
Damond: "It's a very frank and honest biography. Life as I've known it hasn't always been ideal . . . I kept a very detailed diary of my time with [SAVATAGE] 2000-2003. I am cross-referencing those notes with things that have transpired in the last nine years. From residual drug and alcohol abuse to complete sobriety and marriage. The bio will run the gamut of all things dark and light."
On his status as a member of SAVATAGE:
Damond: "It was a relief when SAVATAGE ended. That train was spiraling into oblivion. Unfortunately, the fans were the casualty. Jon [Oliva, SAVATAGE mastermind] and Paul's [O'Neill, producer/composer] withdrawal from the friendship they worked so hard to solidify with me hurts the most. Paul and Jon assured all was well until 2009. Now nothing. It's not easy to trust people especially in the [music business]. They said a lot of things to break through and then left me in the cold."
On his reaction when he read interviews saying he was out of the band or that SAVATAGE was no more:
Damond: "I contacted Paul and the office (Nightcastle Management) immediately after reading the interview. I was belittled by the office clerk and told to move past it. I was later told by 'insiders' that they were stringing me along to thwart any bad press during a time when [the yuletide franchise] TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA [founded by Oliva and O'Neill] was blooming. By 2009 TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA had reached a level where my experiences wouldn't matter to anyone in the press. I was never told anything solid from SAVATAGE/TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. That was something I was told later by someone who worked for them. I never considered giving my story to anyone although I've been hounded over the years. I truly did 'believe'."
On whether he is officially out of SAVATAGE and whether he would continue with the band if asked:
Damond: "I have never 'officially' been let go. Jon denied the interview when we spoke in 2009. He said that he was misquoted. That was our last conversation. I can only hang on so long — nine years, to be exact. If they wanted me now, I would politely decline. Writing is my passion now. Besides… Jon is SAVATAGE."
On his personal and financial situation:
Damond: "Personally, my life has improved greatly. I picked up some horrible habits after meeting Jon. Coupled with depression due to idle time, it took me many years to overcome the [SAVATAGE] demons. I met the love of my life in 2006. We married in 2008. I have been sober and wildly inspired for four years now. I believe that I wouldn't have reached this plateau in SAVATAGE. Financially, it has been tough since the downturn in 2009. I have had to completely change my approach to making a living."
On auditioning for INXS as part of the reality-TV show "Rock Star: INXS":
Damond: "I auditioned in Nashville, made the final 20 and was flown to Santa Monica. Upon arrival, they sequestered, poked and prodded me. For two weeks I was forbidden to talk to any of the other finalists. I was made to stay in my room only to come down to eat and get random blood tests. I finally auditioned for the 'guys' in INXS in a conference room in the hotel. I sang 'Unchained Melody', 'Crazy Train' and 'Sympathy For The Devil'. I had decided this gig was not for me, so I did an especially 'dark' rendition of 'Sympathy'. I was flown back home the next day. The assistant that I was working with called me and said that I was the 'guys' thought I was 'too spooky,' but that I would be perfect for their next farce SUPERNOVA! I politely declined."
On what SAVATAGE's plans were at the end of his tenure with the band and whether he ever recorded any new songs with SAVATAGE:
Damond: "The plans were to record and continue touring. Initially I'd work on three albums with them. At least that's what the contracts said. I stopped signing them in 2007. I expected nothing from them, I got nothing. I was brought in to record a couple of 'lemons,' but clearly the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA material was taking precedence. The real [SAVATAGE] material is in JON OLIVA'S PAIN."
On his SAVATAGE audition:
Damond: "[I sang] 'Edge Of Thorns'. The audition was a farce. I didn't expect that they would hire me. I had 24 hours to prepare. Other than the stuff Punchy [producer Juan Gonzalez] would play on tour, I knew nothing. It was a marriage of convenience. [SAVATAGE manager] David Krebs said I was 'the one' after going out to a bar later that night, Chris [Caffery, guitar] said they hired me because I ordered a 'Long Island.' I should have known then."
On his contact with SAVATAGE fans:
Damond: "I still get a lot of love from cool people worldwide. I feel bad because I won't speak about SAVATAGE other than to say I don't know. These people love this band. I don't want to be the one to tell them that [SAVATAGE] doesn't seem to care other than to push TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA at them. This is the first time I have been candid about any of it."
Reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST have announced the addition of guitarist Jason Holloway to the group's ranks following the departure of Jonathan Thompson, who took a job in the medical field. Both Holloway, 27, and new ATHEIST bass player Travis Morgan, 20, have taken part in the American, and European tour dates thus far on the band's "Jupiter" world tour and "have brought a lot of new energy to ATHEIST," according to frontman Kelly Shaefer.
Quality video footage of ATHEIST's performance at this year's edition of the Neurotic Deathfest, which was held April 29-30, 2011 at 013 and MIDI theatre in Tilburg, Holland, can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthedeathmetalflow").
ATHEIST is touring in support of its critically acclaimed new album, "Jupiter", the band's first studio CD in 17 years. The first show took place on February 12 at the Cabana Inn in Sarasota, Florida, on the 20th anniversary — to the day — of the loss of the band's original bass player Roger Patterson. The concert marked the group's debut appearance with new bass player Travis Morgan.
Shaefer said of Patterson, who was killed in a van accident during he band's first American tour in 1991, "We thought this would be a fitting start to our upcoming tour of the world where it all started for ATHEIST in Sarasota, to honor our friend, and to also debut for the first time songs from our new album, 'Jupiter'."
"Jupiter", the long-awaited fourth album from ATHEIST, sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 88 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.
"Jupiter" was released on November 9, 2010 (one day earlier internationally) via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at LedBelly studios in Atlanta, Georgia with engineer Matt Washburn and was mixed by Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER). The cover artwork (see below) was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.
The bass tracks on the effort were laid down by Jonathan Thompson, who also plays bass for drummer Steve Flynn's other group, GNOSTIC.
"White Rabbit", the sophomore album from Fat Lady Music/ILG/Warner Music Group recording artist EGYPT CENTRAL, sold around 5,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 78 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"White Rabbit" was produced by Skidd Mills (SAVING ABEL, 12 STONES) in early October 2010 and features twelve songs of heavy riffs, lyrics from the soul and strong melodic hooks. Threaded throughout this collection of songs is a story of consequences that occur when one accepts or declines the invitation from the White Rabbit.
"We knew we had solid songs, but when the opportunity came to work with Skidd, we found the person that could not only make a great sounding record, but also bring the best out of us," states lead singer John Falls. "We had a lot of growing to do as men and the time was right to give our fans what they deserved and what we knew we were capable of… kick-ass rock!" "Collectively this is the best group of songs we have ever written," adds bassist Joey Chicago.
Taking its name from one the toughest roads that runs through their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, EGYPT CENTRAL was formed in 2001.
The first single from "White Rabbit" is the title track, and it is making its way up the Active Rock Radio chart, currently sitting at #19 and rising. Over 21,000 digital downloads of the single have been purchased since its March 1 release. A Mason Dixon-directed music video for the song can be seen below.
For more information, visit www.egyptcentral.net
According to 3 News, a shop in south Invercargill, New Zealand is continuing to sell a CRADLE OF FILTH T-shirt with offensive images banned by the chief censor in 2008.
The Impuls'd store in south Invercargill has been selling the clothes, which owner Warren Skill says have been very popular. He isn't planning to take the hoodies off the shelves, and believes people should be able to wear what they like.
The ban makes it illegal to sell or own clothing with the offensive images printed on it.
Penalties for knowingly supplying the "objectionable publication" include a fine of up to $200,000 for companies, while an individual wearing the banned image can face a prison term of up to 10 years.
The censor "noted its sexually degrading image of a traditional Roman Catholic nun, and its grossly obscene and blasphemous language" directed at "the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is worshipped, adored, praised and revered as the central Person of Christianity," according to a press release issued by the SPCS. "The use of vile Satanic imagery emblazoned on the T-shirt, including depictions of dripping blood, linked to the heavy metal band CRADLE OF FILTH and lewd and inflammatory content directed at Christians, was also noted by the censors."
In the classification decision (No. 800513) on the apparel entitled "Vestal Masturbation (Cradle of Filth)" dated June 26, 2008, signed by Ms Nicola McCully, the Deputy Chief Censor, it states:
"The injury to the public good that is likely to be caused by the availability of this T-shirt originates from the manner in which it associates an aggressive and misogynistic meaning of the 'harsh, brutal and generally unacceptable' word cunt with Jesus Christ, and depicts an image of a chaste woman engaging in sexual activity. A fair interpretation of the messages conveyed by this T-shirt is that Christians should be vilified for their religious beliefs, and that women, including chaste and celibate women, cannot stop themselves engaging in sexual activity…" (OFLC No. 800513)
According to the Australian Herald Sun newspaper, a Gold Coast teenager was charged in 2008 by police for wearing the above-mentioned CRADLE OF FILTH t-shirt. The teen was charged with offensive behavior under the Summary Offences Act 2005 for public nuisance.
Metro newspaper reported in October 2005 that a British teenage heavy metal fan was handed a community service order for wearing the same shirt.
Adam Shepherd, who was 19 at the time, was reportedly convicted under the then-new anti-hate laws which ban people from displaying religiously insulting signs.
The teenager was arrested after a woman complained to police when she saw his shirt, which shows a picture of a nun in a pornographic pose. The top was being worn by Shepherd's girlfriend when a police officer approached her. As soon as the teenager realized there was a problem, he told the officer it was his and swapped tops with his girlfriend. But he refused to take it off or cover it up and was arrested.
Shepherd, who bought the shirt in his hometown of Weymouth, Dorset, admitted the charge. Weymouth magistrates gave him 80 hours community service and told him to pay £40 costs (approx. $71 at the time).
According to MediaWatchWatch.org.uk, the wearing of this T-shirt had led to at least two previous convictions in the UK.
Dale Wilson, 35, of Norwich, was arrested by two police officers as he walked to the newsagents on Halloween 2004. He pleaded guilty to "religiously aggravated offensive conduct." He was eventually discharged and told to "grow up." He paid £150 costs (approx. $266), and the judge ordered that the T-shirt be destroyed.
Back in 1997, Rob Kenyon, 29, of London was found guilty of committing the offense of "Profane Representation under the 1839 Act" by Bow Street Magistrates Court. He was fined £150.
CRADLE OF FILTH drummer Nicholas Barker was also arrested in Dover and charged with "creating a public disorder" for wearing the same t-shirt. There were no further proceedings against him.
From the NME: In 2001, the then-Lord Provost of Glasgow, Alex Mosson, campaigned to have the t-shirt prevented from being sold at Tower Records. The record shop was raided on two occasions by police, and eventually agreed to stop stocking the garment. The Catholic League of America, back in 1998 (amusing "Victory for Sickos" story) and 1999 (their call to action), also complained bitterly about the t-shirt.
According to Stuff.co.nz, police yesterday seized CRADLE OF FILTH clothing with offensive images banned by the chief censor in 2008 from a shop in south Invercargill, New Zealand.
The merchandise will be sent to the department which will decide, after consulting with police, whether the owners of the Impuls'd store will be charged with any criminal offenses.
Sergeant Brock Davis, of Invercargill, said police visited the store mid-afternoon and seized between 10 and 15 hooded tops and long-sleeved T-shirts with the offending words on them.
If a member of the public complained to police about someone wearing one of the offending shirts in public, police would investigate and charges could be laid for disorderly, offensive or insulting behavior. If convicted, penalties ranged from fines to three months' jail.
Colin Morrison, the pastor of Edendale Presbyterian Church, wrote on The Southland Times Facebook page that he felt sorry for people who needed to express themselves in such a way and he would be praying for them. Also, I am sad at the way they find such language acceptable, just shows how far we have slipped as a caring and loving society."
The censor "noted its sexually degrading image of a traditional Roman Catholic nun, and its grossly obscene and blasphemous language" directed at "the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is worshipped, adored, praised and revered as the central Person of Christianity," according to a press release issued by the SPCS. "The use of vile Satanic imagery emblazoned on the T-shirt, including depictions of dripping blood, linked to the heavy metal band CRADLE OF FILTH and lewd and inflammatory content directed at Christians, was also noted by the censors."
In the classification decision (No. 800513) on the apparel entitled "Vestal Masturbation (Cradle of Filth)" dated June 26, 2008, signed by Ms Nicola McCully, the Deputy Chief Censor, it states:
"The injury to the public good that is likely to be caused by the availability of this T-shirt originates from the manner in which it associates an aggressive and misogynistic meaning of the 'harsh, brutal and generally unacceptable' word cunt with Jesus Christ, and depicts an image of a chaste woman engaging in sexual activity. A fair interpretation of the messages conveyed by this T-shirt is that Christians should be vilified for their religious beliefs, and that women, including chaste and celibate women, cannot stop themselves engaging in sexual activity…" (OFLC No. 800513)
According to the Australian Herald Sun newspaper, a Gold Coast teenager was charged in 2008 by police for wearing the above-mentioned CRADLE OF FILTH t-shirt. The teen was charged with offensive behavior under the Summary Offences Act 2005 for public nuisance.
Metro newspaper reported in October 2005 that a British teenage heavy metal fan was handed a community service order for wearing the same shirt.
Adam Shepherd, who was 19 at the time, was reportedly convicted under the then-new anti-hate laws which ban people from displaying religiously insulting signs.
The teenager was arrested after a woman complained to police when she saw his shirt, which shows a picture of a nun in a pornographic pose. The top was being worn by Shepherd's girlfriend when a police officer approached her. As soon as the teenager realized there was a problem, he told the officer it was his and swapped tops with his girlfriend. But he refused to take it off or cover it up and was arrested.
Shepherd, who bought the shirt in his hometown of Weymouth, Dorset, admitted the charge. Weymouth magistrates gave him 80 hours community service and told him to pay £40 costs (approx. $71 at the time).
According to MediaWatchWatch.org.uk, the wearing of this T-shirt had led to at least two previous convictions in the UK.
Dale Wilson, 35, of Norwich, was arrested by two police officers as he walked to the newsagents on Halloween 2004. He pleaded guilty to "religiously aggravated offensive conduct." He was eventually discharged and told to "grow up." He paid £150 costs (approx. $266), and the judge ordered that the T-shirt be destroyed.
Back in 1997, Rob Kenyon, 29, of London was found guilty of committing the offense of "Profane Representation under the 1839 Act" by Bow Street Magistrates Court. He was fined £150.
CRADLE OF FILTH drummer Nicholas Barker was also arrested in Dover and charged with "creating a public disorder" for wearing the same t-shirt. There were no further proceedings against him.
From the NME: In 2001, the then-Lord Provost of Glasgow, Alex Mosson, campaigned to have the t-shirt prevented from being sold at Tower Records. The record shop was raided on two occasions by police, and eventually agreed to stop stocking the garment. The Catholic League of America, back in 1998 (amusing "Victory for Sickos" story) and 1999 (their call to action), also complained bitterly about the t-shirt.
Composer and guitarist Johnny Newman, 24, who was performing symphonic rock with the University of Tennessee Studio Orchestra a year and a half ago, is about to release his first full-length album, "More Than Ever", this summer featuring two of metal's finest virtuosos . Newman has hired death metal bassist Steve DiGiorgio (TESTAMENT, DEATH, ICED EARTH) and drummer Yanic Bercier (GONE IN APRIL, QUO VADIS) for an aggressively beautiful display of symphonic metal that is both accessible and smart.
Following his concert with the UT Studio Orchestra in November 2009, Newman met with producer/drummer Bercier in a Starbucks cafe to discuss logistics for a potential record together. Over the course of 2010 and 2011, Newman's elaborate orchestrations have seamlessly met Bercier's highly technical drumming style that takes symphonic metal beyond the cheesy TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA cliche into the realm of art.
Furthering the credentials on this album is the matchless playing of Steve DiGiorgio on fretless bass. It was DiGiorgio's work with metal bands SADUS and DEATH in the '80s and '90s that made his style of playing immediately recognizable; and now, his playing shines more than ever on the groove-infected track "Polly Wants a Rhythm" and weaves in and out of the extensively chromatic "The Cleansing".
Also featured on the album is Newman's long-time friend and colleague Ksenia Berestovskaya. This native of Omsk, Russia has a soaring mezzo-soprano voice that sings life into the tracks "Damages", a single to be released to raise awareness in the fight against human trafficking, and "Are You Ready", an operatic eye-opener to Revelation 20:12.
Newman's album has been a long-time coming and will certainly not fail to impress. "I'm certainly blessed to have so many people supporting me and to be working with the best metal musicians in the business; it's a wonderful opportunity to write great music" said Newman. "We're going to bring epic to Knoxville."
"More Than Ever" is currently being mixed at WaveTransform Recording Studio in Knoxville, Tennessee and is set for release in July/August.
According to TMZ.com, Weston "Arcane" Coppola Cage, the 20-year-old frontman of the California-based black metal band EYES OF NOCTUM and son of actor Nicolas Cage, was taken to the hospital by ambulance for a mental evaluation and possible 5150 hold.
(A 5150 hold allows a qualified officer or clinician to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have a mental disorder that makes them a danger to himself/herself and/or others and/or gravely disabled.)
Sources tell TMZ.com, "Weston was at the Farmer's Kitchen in Hollywood at around 4:00 today when his trainer told him he couldn't eat something on the menu. For some reason, Weston went off and started pushing the trainer in a violent way, at one point trying to roundhouse the trainer," reads the report on the site. "The trainer took Weston down, and someone else tried calming Nic's son down, to no avail. Weston got up and continued freaking out. Cops showed up and told Weston if he didn't get on the ground they would tase him. Weston then complied. Cops put Weston in handcuffs but they were so worried he was unstable they strapped him to a gurney."
"Macabre Eternal", the first full-length album from the legendary San Francisco Bay Area gore grind act AUTOPSY since 1995's "Shitfun", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 67 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.
"Macabre Eternal" was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California and includes AUTOPSY's first 10-plus minute song "Sadistic Gratification". "It's 11 minutes and 33 seconds of pure fucking sickness," guitarist Eric Cutler told Invisible Oranges.
"Our fans can expect no less than our best, the best we have to offer," Cutler added. "If you like AUTOPSY, you will think this is the best."
"Macabre Eternal" track listing:
01. Hand Of Darkness
02. Dirty Gore Whore
03. Always About To Die
04. Macabre Eternal
05. Deliver Me From Sanity
06. Seeds Of The Doomed
07. Bridge Of Bones
08. Born Undead
09. Sewn Into One
10. Bludgeoned and Brained
11. Sadistic Gratification
12. Spill My Blood
AUTOPSY drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert previously said about "Macabre Eternal": "We've brewed up the sickest and heaviest material that our rotten souls could possibly spew forth, and we are confident that it's our best stuff yet. The EP was a taste of what's to come, but now it's time for the full assault from beyond the grave."
He continued, "The album will contain no repeated EP tracks, no re-recorded old songs, no triggered trickery, and nothing less than the pure death metal brutality that AUTOPSY has always delivered."
AUTOPSY had previously decided to make an official comeback after working together on two songs for the special 20th-anniversary edition of debut album, "Severed Survival", in late 2008; the band having originally split before the release of its fourth album, "Shitfun", in 1995. A five-song EP, "The Tomb Within", came out last September and saw the original trio of Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler joined on bass by Joe Trevisano (ex-ABSCESS).
"I usually cringe when I hear 'reunion' or 'reformed' or whatever," Reifert told Decibel. "It usually means people are out of ideas. We really have no interest in reliving the past. That's what was cool about the songs just coming to us instead of our trying to force it. We can't tour, and if we could, we still wouldn't want to. But as long as we enjoy recording, we're going to stay at it. It's not a one-off or a two-off or whatever. Right now, there's a lot of energy in the band, and it's not going away anytime soon. We have a few things to take care of, for sure."
German death metal lunatics HACKNEYED will release their third album, "Carnival Cadavre", on August 22 in Europe and August 30 in North America via Lifeforce Records. The CD was once again produced by the band and Corni Bartels (DIE ÄRZTE, KILLERPILZE, END OF GREEN, MEGAHERZ) at Weltraumstudios in Munich, Germany. The artwork was created by Björn Goosses of Killustrations and can be viewed below.
Commented HACKNEYED: "An artwork 'having hand and foot' (German saying for 'holding water') in the true sense of the word!!! The truth behind the 'Carnival Cadavre' is only revealed after a second glance at the bright fairground and circus atmosphere with Ferris wheel and circus tents. And neither on the cover nor in the songs a lack of blood, guts or HACKNEYED's very own black humor can be observed."
HACKNEYED's last album, "Burn After Reaping", was released on August 14, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/hackneyedcd2011.jpg
0 comments:
Post a Comment