Artisan News recently spoke to DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan about WHOCARES — the renewed musical union between Gillan and legendary heavy metal guitarist Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL). You can now watch the chat below.
WHOCARES will release its debut CD single in North America on June 27 via Eagle Rock Entertainment. The single was made available in Europe on May 24 through earMUSIC. The digital release for both territories was May 6.
The single features two brand new studio tracks "Out Of My Mind" and "Holy Water", which will raise funds for the rebuilding of a music school in Gyumri, Armenia. The CD single also contains the video clip of "Out Of My Mind" (see below) and a 40-minute documentary that shows Gillan's and Iommi's involvement with the Armenia cause over the years.
Both Gillan and Iommi have spent a lot of time in Armenia, fallen in love with the country and the people and have dedicated a lot of work to a nation still shocked after the earthquake that struck Armenia on December 7, 1988.
The collaboration of Gillan and Iommi, who have worked together before on the SABBATH album "Born Again", is in itself an incredible news for all rock and metal fans and will be the best of surprises to get to know who is completing the band: None other than Jon Lord ("Mr. Hammond", partner with Gillan on all the DEEP PURPLE classics), IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain, ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted and HIM guitarist player Mikko "Linde" Lindström are also featured on the two new songs.
"Out Of My Mind" recording lineup:
* Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH) - Guitar
* Ian Gillan (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) - Vocals
* Jason Newsted (METALLICA, VOIVOD, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) - Bass
* Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN) - Drums
* Jon Lord (DEEP PURPLE) - Keyboards
* Mikko "Linde" Lindström (HIM) – Guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Na1GGcEopoo
ROCK 'N' ROLL LOST A GIANT AMONG MEN last year when Cortland, New York's own Ronald James Padavona succumbed to stomach cancer May 16, 2010. After a life of fullness that touched people far beyond the unassailable musical legacy, Ronnie lived well into a realm of kindness, consideration and gallantry most people don't expect from the most luminous of rock stars.
Luminous doesn't begin to describe Ronnie James Dio's contribution to rock, although, champion of the underdog that he was, I think Ronnie would be mischievously amused that not everyone got it, not everyone was aware, given that Ronnie defiantly operated within the realm of heavy metal, refusing to make gestures to crossing over that would have likely raised his profile ten-fold.
Female HEAVEN & HELL: Wendy Dio playing the angel to rock celebrity Bebe Buell's devil. (Photo courtesy of Chipster).
But the history of how Ronnie got to front Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and finally Heaven & Hell is astonishing in its color and in its breadth. In fact Ronnie began life as a bass player and then teen crooner in the late '50s, first with the Vegas Kings, then Ronnie And The Rumblers, then Ronnie And The Redcaps, then Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, showing up on a number of highly collectible 7" releases before the hippie movement set in with Ronnie re-emerging as front man for The Electric Elves.
The Electric Elves soon became Elf, who signed on with Purple Records/MGM after Elf had toured with Deep Purple, who found that they liked the band's music and got along well with them, bassist Roger Glover soon to be credited as Elf's producer. Elf was a big step up in Ronnie's career, the band recording three albums, becoming known as a dependable, rootsy rock 'n' roll band distinguishable by their well above average singer, a fact of life noted by one Ritchie Blackmore, who was growing frustrated with the funk 'n' blues musical direction of Purple to the point of wanting to leave the band and get back to the mystical metal that was at that point still very much part of his being.
It is also at this point that Ronnie's fame and fortune and musical legacy take flight, for Ritchie would take over all of Elf except their guitarist and form Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. A record later, the band name would be truncated to Rainbow and the immense classic known as "Rising" would be born.
It is also at this point that Ronnie meets Wendy Dio, wife and manager of Ronnie and his remarkable career until the end. As fate would have it, 35 years later it has fallen upon Wendy, along with her long loyal team at Niji Entertainment, to uphold Ronnie's legacy, a task she has quickly embarked upon with characteristic enthusiasm and energy.
"I met Ronnie in 1975, at The Rainbow," recalls Wendy. "And we were introduced by Ritchie Blackmore, who I'd known for several years; I knew him and his wife. They invited me to a party they were having that night. Ritchie had just formed Rainbow, and that's how I was introduced to Ronnie. And Ritchie… Ronnie had the utmost respect for him as a musician. He learned a lot of things, what to do and what not to do, from Ritchie — I think they had a very good musical career together."
Indeed they did, and through classics such as "A Light in the Black," "Man on the Silver Mountain" and "Tarot Woman," this was the first time we really got to see Ronnie's furtive imagination at work, Dio creating netherworlds of wizards, castles, dragons and magic that would influence the literary end of heavy metal music from his first sessions with Ritchie forward to the present day.
"Ronnie had a very different way of writing," reflects Wendy. "He didn't want to write love songs; he wanted to write about people's experiences, dreams, hopes, their hopes for the future. I thought they were great songs, and it's something that can never be repeated again. They were just incredible songs – 'Stargazer,' 'Gates of Babylon,' 'Catch the Rainbow' – all such great songs. Ronnie read mostly science fiction and magical mystical books — read a book a day. And he always wrote his songs watching sports. He was very heavily influenced by the classics of Bach and Beethoven, and of course Deep Purple, obviously Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and in terms of new bands that were coming out at that time, probably Aerosmith and later Iron Maiden."
The rise of Maiden and the whole New Wave of British Heavy Metal corresponds with Ronnie taking a next major career move on up the ladder of metal significance. By this point, Ronnie had been instrumental in establishing Rainbow's career, and certainly in cementing their fine reputation as it stands today, having been singer and lyricist for the aforementioned "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" (1975), "Rising" (1976), "On Stage" (1977) and finally "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" in 1978.
"He was fired by Ritchie, because he didn't write more commercial songs," says Wendy bluntly, Ritchie moving on to Graham Bonnet and finally Joe Lynn Turner, who indeed helped take Rainbow in a more radio-friendly direction, near unrecognizable from the stormy epic metal Ritchie and Ronnie had created together. "We'd been living in Connecticut and we decided to come back to Los Angeles where we knew more people. I knew Sharon Arden at the time, before she was Osbourne, and we were talking on the phone, and she invited Ronnie up to meet the Sabbath guys. Her father, Don Arden, was managing at the time."
The icon at work: Ronnie James Dio onstage with Heaven & Hell in Oslo, Norway, June 4, 2009. (AP Photo/ Terje Bendiksby, Scanpix )
Shortly thereafter Arden handed the reigns over to Blue Oyster Cult manager Sandy Pearlman, and the new Black Sabbath — Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ronnie — set about recording the "Heaven And Hell" album, which Ronnie, to his dying day, considered his greatest work, and specific within the record, the immense, anthemic, philosophical title track. The band encountered instant success, no small part due to the fact that there was basically no objection from the fan base to Ronnie taking over for Ozzy, Ronnie having built up a large measure of love and respect through his work with Rainbow. Indeed, as well, a new generation of fans spurred on by England's spreading New Wave of British Heavy Metal were open-minded and ready for something fresh from one of the old guard. Ronnie-with-Sabbath was precisely the potent potion these punters were all too happy to order up.
"They were great friends," muses Wendy, remembering those days. "And they were always incredible musicians — legends. I was very good friends with Gloria Butler, Geezer Butler's wife, and those early days were a lot of fun. It was all new for us. For the first time in our lives, Ronnie and I had some money. We had no money in Rainbow. But we had suddenly got money, and it was nice, and we bought our first house and we enjoyed the life."
"Musically, Ronnie really enjoyed working with Sabbath," continues Wendy, "because now he could go darker, he could explore more. Him and Tony had a fantastic relationship writing-wise; and the rest of the band playing-wise. They were musical geniuses, all of them. Heaven And Hell was written and recorded down in Miami at the Bee Gees' place, and that was a whole new experience for us. The songs, I thought were absolutely phenomenal. The band wasn't sure about them until they came out, because they're never really sure. When the band writes something, they're never really sure (laughs) whereas people who are more on the outside can listen to them and go wow, that's incredible. 'Mob Rules,' the song, was originally written for the movie Heavy Metal; we'd gone to England, where the version for the Heavy Metal movie was recorded in the Beatles' house. That was an incredible adventure and those were happy times. I think the third
album, the live album, was not happy; by that time, there were a lot of problems going on."
The Maloik cemented: The gesture that Dio popularized becomes part of the Hollywood RockWalk in Los Angeles in 2006. (AP Photo/Branimir Kvartuc).
Asked whether Sabbath were concerned at the explosive success of Ozzy as a solo artist through those years, Wendy says, "No, no, I don't think so; I think it's apples and oranges — totally different bands. I mean, Black Sabbath with Ozzy was a great band; they were innovators of heavy metal. But Ozzy was a great showman. Ronnie was an incredible musician and singer. I don't think it's a true comparison."
This version of Black Sabbath lasted for the aforementioned "Heaven And Hell" album (1980), "Mob Rules" (1981 — Vinny Appice replaced Bill Ward on drums) — and the double "Live Evil" (1982), before acrimony set in and Ronnie moved onto his own band, simply called Dio, Ronnie soon to create a couple more unanimously lauded classic heavy metal albums with yet a third act, namely 1983's "Holy Diver" and 1984's "The Last In Line."
"The Dio band years was new for us, because Ronnie could do whatever he wanted now," remembers Wendy, who started managing Ronnie's career at this point, in 1983. "Although it was quite frightening too, because that was a big responsibility for him. And in the beginning, although we had some money, we didn't have a lot of money. We actually took a big huge mortgage out, a second mortgage out on our home, to start the tour off with (laughs), and to make sure that we could have the same things that we had enjoyed in Sabbath. It was a new and exciting time — the band was on fire. We didn't expect Holy Diver to jump out of the box the way it did, but it did, and it was incredible. It was an incredible ride."
"It has to be 'Holy Diver,' of course, because of its success," responds Wendy, asked as to her personal favorites from the long and distinguished Dio catalogue. "'Holy Diver' was a great song, as was 'Rainbow in the Dark'; 'The Last in Line' is one of my favorite songs as well, and then Sacred Heart was an incredible stage show, because in the '80s, that's when it was getting more spectacular. We had an 18-foot fire-breathing dragon and we had the lasers – it was like Disneyland. As it went on into the '90s, all the record companies, all the big labels dropped everybody. I was now managing the band of course, and I had to go out and find independents, which I was terrified of, but I went over to Europe and talked to a lot of different people, and found out that actually independents were better than the majors (laughs). You have much more control and you don't sell your soul to them. So those are some of my experiences.
But we had a lot of fun; my whole time, my whole journey with Ronnie was a beautiful experience."
And who were Wendy's best friends from the Dio camp? "Well, Vinny Appice of course. Simon Wright was Ronnie's really, really close friend. Rudy Sarzo was a doll. Craig Goldy is a good friend, Scott Warren, the keyboard player, has been with Ronnie for 17 years, even making it into Heaven & Hell. On 'Lock Up the Wolves,' we had the young new Rowan Robertson on guitar who was 17 years old. That was an experience but those were good times as well. Musically speaking, my least favorite album was 'Angry Machines,' because I felt that Ronnie had taken a turn that he was being pushed into, to become more industrial. His fans didn't like it that much, and I'm glad he decided to change and go back to the usual way of writing."
In 1992, Ronnie embarked upon his second of three collaborations with the Sabbath guys, a partnership that did not last long, merely one album, the controversial Mack-produced "Dehumanizer." Dio had remained a big draw through 1985's "Sacred Heart" and 1987's "Dream Evil," but the band had begun to run out of gas with 1990's "Lock Up The Wolves."
"A lot of negotiations," is how Wendy remembers the Dehumanizer era. "A lot of legalities, a lot of negotiations, a lot of mistrust of everybody. I think it just kind of happened. It's a great album — I think it's the most overlooked album of the Sabbath albums with Ronnie on them. But it was mistrust from everyone because of what had gone down before, the breakup, the first time."
Post-Dehumanizer, in addition to assorted live releases and compilations, Dio produced fully five more studio albums, "Strange Highways" (1994), the aforementioned "Angry Machines" (1996), "Magica" (2000), "Killing The Dragon" (2002) and "Master Of The Moon" (2004), before setting upon what was to be his final — and triumphant — music journey, a third, and by all accounts joyous, reunion with the Sabbath guys, this time under a new name, Heaven & Hell.
"Tony's management called me originally to ask Ronnie if he would work together with Tony on one of Tony's solo albums," explains Wendy, on how the ball got rolling. "We were quite happy with the Dio situation and it didn't come to pass. And then they called again, talking about a situation of possibly getting together Tony and Ronnie and calling it something else. At that point, it wasn't a Black Sabbath Heaven & Hell situation and still nothing came to pass. And then the record company called and said they were going to put out Black Sabbath – The Dio Years, and was there any unwritten material in the vault anywhere? And I said no, there isn't. And at that point Ronnie goes, 'Well, then maybe we should write something.' So it was only going to be a one-off, and Ronnie and Tony got together and they were going to write two songs but ended up writing three songs, and then at that point, we were talking with Gloria Butler and Geezer,
and then Bill came into the situation, but it didn't work out with Bill. He didn't want to tour, and I don't know what — musical problems. And then I called Vinny, and then Vinny came back into the fold."
Heaven & Hell exploded out of the gates. Not only were there exhaustive world tours and festival dates, but the band saw the release of the aforementioned compilation, with three new tracks, a new live album, an archival live album, a box set, and the penultimate, a new studio album in 2009 called "The Devil You Know." And now after Ronnie's tragic demise, there's been a live CD and DVD set called "Neon Nights: 30 Years Of Heaven & Hell – Live in Europe." All told, it's a stunning amount of output for four aging warhorses, each with their own ailments, the man with the golden voice stricken with the worst, a cancer that, unbeknownst to him, he was already fighting, in order to the bring the show to his adoring throngs night after night.
As we've discussed, Wendy is vowing to make sure Ronnie's huge legacy will not soon be forgotten. First up is the already issued gorgeous digipak live archival Dio album entitled "Dio At Donington UK: Live 1983 & 1987." "This is something that Ronnie and I wanted to do," explains Wendy. "We wanted to form our own label, and we had started to do this before Ronnie got sick. We had gone through different tapes, and we said well this sounds pretty good, and it was a BBC recording of '83 and '87. And so he took it down to Wyn Davis, his engineer, who does his masters and stuff, and so they remastered it. Ronnie was very happy with it, and I had called BBC for permission, as you have to, as it was the original tapes. It wasn't bootleg or anything — it was original tapes from BBC. And so then Ronnie got sick, and we put it on hold. But I wanted it to come out because I knew it was something that was dear to Ronnie's heart. He was
actually effectively the producer on it, and unfortunately he didn't see the finished package."
Even more intriguing to Ronnie's fans will be the long-rumored autobiography that Ronnie had been working on for years. Explains Wendy, "Ronnie had written — was writing — a book, right up until a couple of days before he passed, an autobiography, and he finished about three-quarters of it. What he would do is handwrite everything and then he would send it over to me and my assistant would type it up. That's how we worked. So we read chapter by chapter, until the last months, of course. And I had already gotten an agent for him. So they want me to finish it, and I will finish it, and it will come out in 2012. I haven't actually gone back and read the last part, because it's too soon for me to do that ¬— the memories are too precious. But I will do it."
Beyond the book, which undoubtedly will prove to be Ronnie's most personal final gift to his fans, there promises to be more music issued of an archival nature. Until then, there is no better way to thank Ronnie for what he's given us than to make a donation to Ronnie's Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, which can be found at the official Dio site, www.ronniejamesdio.com.
EARLY RONNIE:
These versions of an early Dio 7″ single were recorded by the band Ronnie Dio & The Prophets in the early 1960s, and are popular with collectors:
1. "Mr. Misery"/ "Our Year" (Swan) 4165, 1963
Vinyl is valued at $80, as near mint. White label promo releases tend to be a bit higher value at auction.
2. "Che Tristezza Senza TE"(Mr. Misery)/"Our Year" (Derby) DB 5084, 1963
Sold for $1225 in 2009
An Italian pressing from the original recording on Swan Records. "Mr. Misery" sung in Italian, "Our Year" sung in English.
3. "Mr. Misery"/ "Our Year" (Stateside) 45-ESS.21, 1964
Sold for $499 in 2008 [shown above]
Ronnie Dio and The Prophets had nine singles and, reportedly this "Made in India" 45 is one of only three copies known to exist.
Read more: Wendy Dio discusses the metal legacy of her late husband | Goldmine Magazine http://www.goldminemag.com/features/wendy-dio-discusses-the-metal-legacy-of-her-late-husband#ixzz1Q2mbzmub
"Shockwaves Skull Sessions" podcast episode #48 is the first of a "riveting" three-episode "Big Four" special, featuring returning guest and esteemed U.K. metal author Joel McIver, Craig Locicero from San Francisco Bay Area thrash titans FORBIDDEN and metal veteran Michael Huntsman as they join host Bob Nalbandian on yet another heated discussion thrashing out a discography deliberation on the first few albums of METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. This episode hones in on the early days of thrash metal.
Following the first U.S. "Big Four" concert in Indio, California on April 23, a second U.S. show featuring METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX has been confirmed for September 14 at the new version of the legendary Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City.
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told RollingStone.com after the Indio show that an East Coast date was coming, along with possible gigs in the South and Midwest, although he doubted a full tour would happen.
The all-day event in Indio featured the so-called "big four" bands of the Eighties thrash metal scene performing together on a U.S. stage for the first time ever in their 30-year careers.
A series of similar shows last summer in Europe was wildly popular, leading to demand for a U.S. version. The "Big Four" package will also head back to Europe this July.
All four bands were presented with awards for sales of a hundred thousand copies of a "Big Four" live DVD which was released late last year.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=159737
Despite a previous announcement to the contrary, Slash will not appear on the new album from legendary guitarist Michael Schenker, tentatively titled "Temple Of Rock". Schenker told Metal-Trails.com in a new interview that Slash could not fit the guest appearance into his schedule and that the announcement of the ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist's participation in the project was made too early.
According to HMV Japan and Amazon Japan, "Temple Of Rock" will be released on July 27 in Japan.
The CD will reportedly feature guest appearances by the following musicians:
* Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS) - Guitar
* Pete Way (UFO) - Bass
* Neil Murray (BLACK SABBATH, WHITESNAKE) - Bass
* Chris Glen (MSG) - Bass
* Simon Phillips (TOTO, THE WHO, JUDAS PRIEST) - Drums
* Carmine Appice (KING KOBRA, VANILLA FUDGE, ROD STEWART, JEFF BECK, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLUE MURDER) - Drums
* Chris Slade (AC/DC) - Drums
* Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) - Keyboards
* Michael Voss - Vocals
* Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE, SLASH) - Vocals
"Temple Of Rock" track listing:
01. Intro
02. How Long
03. The End Of An Era
04. Saturday Night
05. Fallen Angel
06. Hangin' On
07. With You
08. Miss Claustrophobia
09. Scene Of Crime
10. Lovers Sinfony-Speed
11. Stormin' In
12. Speed
13. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
14. How Long (guitar battle version)
15. Remember (bonus track for Japan)
The Annenberg Space for Photography today announced musician/photographer/author Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M.) will appear on Thursday, August 25 as a guest in their continuing IRIS Nights lecture series for their exhibition Beauty Culture.
As with Beauty Culture, SIXX: A.M.'s current CD, "This Is Gonna Hurt" (Eleven Seven Music) and single, "Lies of the Beautiful People", along with Sixx's book, "This is Gonna Hurt: Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx" (HarperCollins/William Morrow), take the audience through themes of how beauty is defined, challenged and revered in modern society.
Sixx first picked up a camera in 1989. "This Is Gonna Hurt" explores how images influence our lives in both celebratory and disturbing ways, based upon Sixx's journals and for the first time in print, his photographs. It is these observations and accompanying photographs that will be the focus of his visit to the Annenberg.
As a member of MÖTLEY CRÜE, one of the most successful rock bands in the world, Nikki Sixx is a Grammy-nominated musician with over 80 million album sales to date. He is a New York Times bestselling author three times over with "The Heroin Diaries", "The Dirt" (written with his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates) and his current book, "This is Gonna Hurt: Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx".
Sixx's band SIXX: A.M. has enjoyed success with its debut CD, "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" (over 300,000 copies sold), and single, "Life Is Beautiful", radio's most-played rock song of 2008.
SIXX: A.M.'s current CD, "This is Gonna Hurt", is the accompanying soundtrack to Sixx's book. It sold 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band partnered with Hulu for a documentary series into the creative process for the "Hurt" project, including commentary from Sixx's book subjects who were the inspiration for the soundtrack.
Beauty Culture, open through November 27, features works from over 100 iconic photographers. In the IRIS Nights free weekly lecture series, visitors to the Annenberg Space for Photography hear first-hand from photographers and other professionals about their perspectives on photography's role in the definition of beauty.
The Annenberg Space for Photography is located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Los Angeles, California. With IRIS Nights, Sixx joins a lineup of top fashion, beauty and pop culture photographers and editors. The IRIS Nights lecture series takes place Thursday evenings in the Photography Space and is free to the public with advance registration. The full lecture schedule can be accessed via the Annenberg Space for Photography web site. Availability for Sixx's event will be posted shortly.
Stated Sixx, "I've always had an eye for the oddities in life. Even as a kid, I saw the world in my own way and thought most things that were different were beautiful and magical. My dream has always been to somehow show life through different colored lenses. It is an honor for me to have this opportunity with the Annenberg Foundation to share both my views and company with some of the most respected photographers in the world."
Pat Lanza, Director of Talent and Content for the Annenberg Space for
Photography, stated, "Our Thursday Iris Nights lectures present speakers whose work relates to the theme of the current exhibition. Nikki Sixx has produced a photography book on the subject of beauty from an unexpected viewpoint, so we wanted to feature him in our Beauty Culture lecture series. He is also a great lover of photography, as noted on his Facebook site in which he names many of his favorite photographers."
Marko Syrjälä of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with drummer Scott Rockenfield of Seattle rockers QUEENSRŸCHE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal-Rules.com: What does the "Dedicated To Chaos" mean? I mean, is there any deeper thoughts behind the title?
Scott: For us, the title was strictly… I think our big reason for the title is just the world we live in, our band world and our lives together for a long. They've been basically chaos. Being in a rock band, and making music and making a career and trying to make a living out of that requires… There's a lot of chaos. It's a lot of stuff — making records, and touring the world; it's chaos. And I think current chaos has a lot to do with that with just people in society, social networking, and cell phones. You can't run away anymore, the Internet. Our kids are living that now with their own cell phones. And it's never going to go away. I think that's a lot of chaos. And I'm kind of thinking that's a lot of the inspiration behind the record for us.
Metal-Rules.com: After you've been doing QUEENSRŸCHE almost thirty years and having all those platinum albums, world tours and so on, what's actually the main goal for you guys at this stage of career?
Scott: I actually achieved a goal last year that was a lot of fun, which was video games. I like to compose music for movies and stuff, but I got asked to do some music on the Call Of Duty: Black Ops video game last year, and then also play all the drums, write all the drums and play all the drums with the orchestra because they wanted to make it a rock thing. And that's a really big franchise. That game is a huge, huge deal. And so I was really honored when they called me and said, "Do you want to do this?" And I also… I got to compose some extra music for the game that was used all during the game if you play the game. So that was a big thing for me. That was a lot of fun. And it's a hard industry to get into. But that was a nice goal. So I'd like to do more of that. Personally, I'm looking to do more of that. And I got some film scores that I'm being offered this year. Some big action movies that I'm being asked to compose all the music for. And to
be honest for me, that's a huge goal for me to get more of that.
Metal-Rules.com: How long do you think that you could carry on doing QUEENSRŸCHE? I mean, physically there are some limits which are getting closer every day, you know what I mean? Have you ever discussed the subject between the bandmembers?
Scott: You know, we talk about it over glasses of wine now and then. Geoff [Tate, vocals] and I do. And it's really I think more just… I think we'll be able to keep going as long as we can still have an audience that wants to see us because we have to make money doing it. Otherwise… I have to make a living somewhere.
Metal-Rules.com: You already mentioned the game world and the Internet. Have you noticed that there are lots of young kids in the audience who come to see you because they've find out about you from that new type of media?
Scott: Absolutely. It's a great tool if you embrace it and learn how to make it work for you and keep embracing it. I think you can win and l I think that the ability is really great. There are obviously all sorts of great avenues and mediums with the Internet, and social networking. I mean, everything out there, it's a whole different world than when [we] first started. Record companies are few and far between and only signing so many things. They don't throw a bunch of money into careers. And you got to… Our legacy has helped us with the record companies, I know. And so there are great avenues. I just think you have to invent and reinvent.
RATT singer Stephen Pearcy tells AOL's Noisecreep that he will be "excited" to do another album with the band "at some point." He then added with a laugh, "I just hope it doesn't take another 10 years to get the shit out."
Pearcy said in a March 2011 online posting that RATT will remain inactive for the remainder of 2011 while he pursues other projects, including the release of a new solo album, "Sucker Punch". Pearcy will also release his very own hot sauce line.
"I can't sit around waiting for stuff to happen," Pearcy tells Noisecreep. "I like to keep busy. While RATT is on hiatus, I figured I would do all of these other cool projects. RATT has another album on our Roadrunner Records contract so I'm excited to do that at some point."
The friction in the RATT camp was apparently exacerbated by the release of drummer Bobby Blotzer's 2010 book called "Tales Of A Ratt", which contained some harsh words about his bandmates.
"It's a shame that things happened the way they did," Pearcy tells Noisecreep. "I love what we did on ["Infestation", the first studio record in 11 years from RATT]. It sold well, doing somewhere in the 150K range. [Editor's note: According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Infestation" has sold 46,000 copies in the United States since its April 2010 release.] It charted great here and abroad. I was very happy about the album.
"It's too bad Bobby had to say what he said in his book. I think of RATT as our baby and treat it with love. It's sad when you have someone from within the band beating you down, it makes no sense whatsoever. But that's why we're on hiatus and taking care of some business stuff. Once that's done, we could move ahead."
Pearcy recently recorded a new version of RATT's '80s hit "Wanted Man" for "Big John's Rock N Lock", the new show featuring world-famous rock and roll bodyguard "Big" John Murray, celebrity reality star of VH1's "Rock Of Love".
California rockers TESLA will release "Twisted Wires And The Acoustic Sessions" on July 12. The album will feature six songs that were recorded back in 2005 at bassist Brian Wheat's J Street Recorders studio — which also serve as the last recordings with original member Tommy Skeoch — and six newly recorded tracks, including acoustic remakes of songs from TESLA's entire catalog and two brand new songs, "Second Street" and "Better Off Without You".
TESLA released a live album, "Alive In Europe!", in Europe on April 23, 2010 via Frontiers Records.
TESLA's latest studio album, "Forever More", sold more than 16,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 33 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 7, 2008 on Tesla Electric Company Recordings. The European version of the album, which was made available on November 7 via Frontiers Records, contains two bonus tracks not found on the American version.
For "Forever More", TESLA reunited with producer Terry Thomas, who was behind the boards for the band's 1994 gold-certified "Bust A Nut" album, and engineered by Michael Rosen who worked with TESLA on "Into The Now".
"Yesterday was Adrenaline Mob's first real rehearsal, and we sounded amazing," says Mike Portnoy. "We recorded our album earlier this year, but we never stood in a circle before and fired up. It was electric. I couldn't believe what was happening before me. I think people are going to get pretty excited once they see us."
That will happen this Friday (24 June), in fact, at The Hiro Ballroom in New York City, when Portnoy and his new outfit - frontman Russell Allen (Symphony X), guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (Sonic Stomp), bassist Paul DiLeo and guitarist Rich Ward (Mojo/Fozzy) - make their live debut, playing a heaping portion of their upcoming CD with, according to Portnoy, "a couple of covers. Originally, we were going to do more covers, but our own songs sound so good, I think most of the set is going to be Adrenaline Mob." (Check out a sampler of the band's music on their Facebook page right here.)
Former earlier this year, while Portnoy busied himself with a slew of projects involving Neal Morse and Steve Morse, among others, as well as playing in his beloved Beatles tribute band Yellow Matter Custard, Adrenaline Mob "didn't require overthinking," says the drum legend. "It wasn't a master plan to join this band, but once I heard the material, I was in."
Since leaving Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold, you've been involved in so many projects. How did Adrenaline Mob come about?
"I've known Russell Allen for over a decade now, and I've always thought he was a very underrated singer. He has one of the best voices in the business I've ever heard. I'd call him something of a modern-day Dio – he's that phenomenal. As much as Symphony X has a good following in the underground cult prog world, I always thought that Russell was more undiscovered than he should be.
"I took Symphony X out on tour with Dream Theater in 2007 in Europe, and I remember watching them from the side of the stage every night. I was simply in awe of Russell. His voice and his stage presence totally floored me. And not to put words in his mouth, but he's said that he would watch Dream Theater and study what I was doing. He always liked that I was a rock drummer in a prog band – not to dismiss my prog influences – and he always thought I was more of a harder-edged, metal kind of drummer.
"The two of us have always talked about doing something together, and as soon as I found myself an independent artist once again, it was obvious that the time was right. Quite coincidentally, Russell and Mike Orlando had been working on this material for the past year and were looking to put a band together. The minute Russell found out I might be available, he called me and asked if I'd consider the situation. I popped in the music they sent me, and that was it – I was in. The tunes were that strong."
When did you cut your drum tracks?
"In March. At that point, we also found Paul DiLeo on bass. I cut the drums in Mike Orlando's place in New York. The whole thing took about a week, which is basically the time frame I need to do all the albums I do. When things are really clicking, I don't need any more than seven to 10 days."
Were you involved in writing the lyrics? Some of the words sound like they might stem from your recent experiences.
"No, I wasn't. I know how you might assume that, though. Some of the lyrics have a 'looking-back, looking-ahead' kind of quality. I think the words are things that everyone can relate to. But I didn't have any influence on the lyrics in this case, no."
Mike Orlando is a very impressive player. I've heard of him before, but he really dazzles on these cuts.
"He's remarkable, isn't he? Truly New York's best-kept-secret, in my opinion, but not for long. He's like a three-pronged monster. He's got riffs for days – he reminds me of a Dimebag in the kinds of riffs he comes up with. That's one side of him; the other side is that he's a complete shredder. He can play solos right up there with the biggest guitar heroes out there. And the third side is, he's a wonderful engineer. He's got his own studio, and he knows how to get the most awesome sounds. Talk about a multi-talented guy. I think this album will break him out of his anonymity."
Did Mike Orlando produce this album?
"Yeah. I mean, I guess the end result will read that it was self-produced by the band, but Mike was really the engineer and mixer behind everything."
What is the plan for the band?
"The plan is to get this album out asap and hit the road asap. Everybody in the group is energized by the music and the power of the album we've just completed. We're amazed at the electricity we felt playing together yesterday, so we're dying to take this on the road. We want to try to take a different approach from any of my other projects, whether it's Liquid Tension or Transatlantic or my cover bands – those have been kind of one-off things. With Adrenaline Mob, we really want to treat this as a real touring entity. A real band. It won't be our only band, but it'll be something we come back to.
"The album is strong; it's only of those records where every song's great. So I don't think the appeal will rest solely on my following; I think we can really spread out and develop a new audience. We're psyched about the New York unveiling this Friday, and we're looking forward to getting out there before the album hits, which will probably be by the end of the summer or early this fall."
Over the years, you've played many different drum kits. What kind of set will you play with Adrenaline Mob?
"What I used on the album was a Tama kit that Mike had, but what I'm going to be playing Friday is a kit that Tama is road-testing with me, a prototype of a new line they're introducing. What I take on the tour with me, we'll have to figure that out. But I'll probably go big with it – definitely two bass drums, that's for sure. This is a full-on, aggressive metal band."
You've always been extremely hands-on in your bands. Will you be involved in every aspect of Adrenaline Mob?
"I don't know. With Dream Theater, every creative aspect of the group went through me. I oversaw it all from top to bottom. I enjoyed it, and that's how I operated. With the bands and projects I've been involved in this past year, I've worn several different hats, and that's been fine. I'm enjoying different roles. In Adrenaline Mob, I'm not the leader, but I'm on the board of directors, and that's OK. I'm not stressing out over every detail. I'm sharing the load.
"At some point I might need something where I can call the shots more, because that's just my nature. But right now, it's a refreshing breather for me to share the workload and the decisions. I've done the opposite for years, so a break is welcome."
"2", the sophomore album from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, the Anglo-American rock supergroup featuring the talents of bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE, BLACK SABBATH), blues rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER), sold more than 8,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 71 on The billboard 200 chart.
Last year's self-titled debut CD from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION opened with 7,100 copies to land at No. 54.
"2" was released in Europe on June 13 via Mascot Records and in the U.S. on June 14 through the J&R Adventures label.
"2" track listing:
01. The Outsider
02. Man In The Middle
03. I Can See Your Spirit
04. The Battle For Hadrian's Wall
05. Save Me
06. Cold
07. Smokestack Woman
08. Faithless
09. An Ordinary Son
10. Little Secret
11. Crossfire
12. Crawl
The "Man In The Middle" video can be viewed below.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION initially came to fruition when Shirley saw Hughes and Bonamassa join forces on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King of the Blues event. Shirley then recruited Bonham and Sherinian for the project, which is named after the industrial area in the British Midlands where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised.
PRESTO BALLET, the progressive rock band featuring former METAL CHURCH members Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar) and Ronny Munroe (vocals), will release a new EP, "Love What You've Done With The Place", on Saturday, July 2. It will be available for download on iTunes and other major online sites, but if you want a CD that includes a bonus track, it will only be available on the group's official web site.
"Love What You've Done With The Place" track listing:
01. King Of The Stars
02. The Clock
03. A Distant Heart
04. Deep Dark Blue
05. Looking Glass
06. The Faith Healer (THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND cover) (bonus track; only available on CD)
In other news, PRESTO BALLET has parted ways with drummer Jeffrey McCormack. Bassist Bobby Ferkovich says, "[Jeffrey] is unfortunately going through some rough times right now and felt couldn't commit enough of his time and effort to us. Although he was only with us a short time, Jeffrey is one of my dearest friends and I'm sad to see him go."
PRESTO BALLET has launched a massive search for a permanent replacement drummer, so if you are interested or know anyone who is, please send an email to kurdt@prestoballet.com.
PRESTO BALLET released its latest album, "Invisible Places", on February 4, 2011 via SAOL / H'Art / Zebralution.
PRESTO BALLET's current lineup consists of Vanderhoof, Munroe, keyboardist Kerry Shacklett and Ferkovich.
PRESTO BALLET's music was previously described as "highly reminiscent of '70s prog rock, as the band was founded chiefly as a tribute to classic progressive bands such as YES and KANSAS."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/prestolove.jpg
NIRVANA, the trio comprised of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, hailed originally from a coastal fishing town in Washington and rose to become one of the most influential rock bands in history with irreverence, intense honesty and an overriding passion. The cultural shift NIRVANA's "Nevermind" initiated was felt instantly on release — and the profundity and depth of that shift becomes even more apparent when seen through the prism of the two decades of art and music created in its wake.
Released in September of 1991, NIRVANA's "Nevermind" garnered near-unanimous praise and rose within a few months to the No. 1 slot on Billboard's U.S. sales chart. "Nevermind" was propelled to No. 1 across the globe by their young fans worldwide that identified with the band and embraced their anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and its landmark music video. Since then, it has sold more than 30 million albums.
NIRVANA changed the course of popular music forever and remains an inspiration to those who have followed.
Today, Universal Music Enterprises is pleased to announce the 4-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition of NIRVANA's "Nevermind" available September 19, 2011, in the U.K. and September 20, 2011, in North America. The CDs will include previously unreleased recordings, rarities, B-sides, BBC radio appearances, alternative mixes, rare live recordings and an unreleased concert in its entirety on DVD.
The 20th anniversary of NIRVANA will be marked throughout the year, with various events and releases.
SPV/Steamhammer has set a September 27 release date (one day earlier internationally) for "The Ballads IV", the new compilation from German guitarist AXEL RUDI PELL. In addition to all of the group's ballads since the release of "The Ballads III" (which came out in 2004), the disc includes three newly recorded songs.
"The Ballads IV" will be released as standard version, double gatefold LP in colored vinyl and as a digital download.
"The Ballads IV" track listing:
01. Where The Wild Waters Flow (5:34) (new recording)
02. Holy Diver (4:49) (new recording)
03. Hallelujah (4:16) (new recording)
04. Northern Lights (6:22)
05. Noblesse Oblige (Opus #5 Adagio Contabile) (4:08)
06. Love Gun (4:03)
07. Glory Night (5:44)
08. In The Air Tonight (8:37)
09. Touching My Soul (6:32)
10. Like A Child Again (4:47)
11. No Chance To Live (6:17)
12. Haunted Castle Serenade (Opus #4 Grazioso E Agresso) (3:51)
13. The Curse Of The Damned (9:57)
"Where The Wild Waters Flow", "Holy Diver" and "Hallelujah" were recorded, mixed and co-produced by Charlie Bauerfeind at Twilight Hall Studios in Grefrath, Germany, in May 2011. The CD was mastered by Ulf Horbelt at DMS Mastering Studios in Marl, Germany. The cover illustration was created by Martin McKenna and can be seen below.
Pell's commentary on the three new recordings:
"Where The Wild Waters Flow": "My own composition in the true AXEL RUDI PELL ballad style. This song is not about love, it has a more mysterious content and it captures the long and hopeless journey of human beings trying to get away from some dark mights. One can apply this to many different thoughts and situations nowadays. I definitely think that this song is one of the strongest ballads I've ever written with a hookline that will stick to everyone's ears!"
"Holy Diver": "As everybody knows, my soulmate and friend Ronnie James Dio sadly passed away last year. It was very clear to me using one of his songs to pay him tribute. It had to be a song, which was very easy recognizable as one of his tunes and therefore I picked 'Holy Diver'. Of course, the original track isn't a ballad, so I decided to re-arrange the song completely and we made a piano version out of it, featuring some orchestra — strings, a cello and a clean and melodic guitar solo. Johnny [Gioeli] gave his very best vocal performance and after the track was finished, there were lots of tears in some eyes…"
"Hallelujah": "At least one of the best ballads around. Originally written and released by Leonard Cohen in 1984, it wasn't his version giving me the idea to cover this tune. Actually it was all the good and bad performances of some TV casting show participants, who gave me the real kick to create one of the, hopefully, ultimate versions of this song. We recorded a children's choir for this, which fits perfectly to Johnny's emotional and soulful voice. There are two different versions of this track: the CD album version which features a slightly wilder guitar solo and the 'single' (and downloadable) version which features a calmer guitar solo."
"The Ballads IV" recording lineup:
Johnny Gioeli - Lead and Backing Vocals
Axel Rudi Pell - Lead, Rhythm and Acoustic Guitars
Ferdy Doernberg - Keyboards
Volker Krawczak - Bass
Mike Terrana – Drums
San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD will embark on a European headlining trek, dubbed "The Eighth Plague Tour", in the fall. Support on the run will come from BRING ME THE HORIZON, DEVILDRIVER and DARKEST HOUR.
So far the following dates have been released:
Nov. 02 - Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
Nov. 03 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Arenan
Nov. 05 - Tampere, Finland @ Sorsapuistosali
Nov. 06 - Helsinki, Finland @ The Circus
Nov. 08 - Fredriksberg, Denmark @ KB Hallen
Nov. 09 - Hamburg, Germany @ Grosse Freiheit 36
Nov. 10 - Dresden, Germany @ Alter Schlachthof
Nov. 12 - Vienna, Austria @ Gasometer
Nov. 13 - Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
Nov. 17 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Coliseum
Nov. 18 - Oporto, Portugal @Coliseum
Nov. 21 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus
Nov. 23 - Paris, France @ Zenith
Nov. 24 - Neu-Isenburg, Germany @ Hugenottenhalle
Nov. 25 - Munich, Germany @ Kesselhaus
Nov. 26 - Ludwigsburg, Germany @ Arena
Nov. 28 - Eindhoven, Holland @ Klokgebouw
Nov. 29 - Brussels, Belgium @ Vorst Nationaal
Nov. 30 - Oberhausen, Germany @ Turbinenhalle
Dec. 03 - London, UK @ Wembley Arena
Dec. 04 - Birmingham, UK @ National Indoor Arena
Dec. 05 - Glasgow, UK @ Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC)
Dec. 06 - Manchester, UK @ Central
Asked why BRING ME THE HORIZON hadn't done a U.K. headlining trek of its own in arenas, the band's singer, Oli Sykes, told NME, "I can't imagine us headlining arenas, at this point in time it's just not something I can see. MACHINE HEAD were a massive inspiration to us growing up and we were honored to be asked to do the tour. We're really excited."
MACHINE HEAD's brand new track "Locust" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below (courtesy of Roadrunner Records).
[Note: This version of the song was mixed by Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SADUS, TESTAMENT, NIGHT RANGER, VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, VILE, CATTLE DECAPITATION). The final mix will be handled by longtime MACHINE HEAD producer Colin Richardson (BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY, TRIVIUM).]
The band, which released the back-to-back, modern classics, 2004's "Through the Ashes Of Empires" and 2007's "The Blackening", is aiming to unleash its third masterwork in a row on September 27 via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The 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.
Italian rock/metal band LACUNA COIL will reveal some "exciting news" on Friday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m. EST via the group's official web site.
LACUNA COIL recently entered the studio to begin recording the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2009's "Shallow Life" for a fall release via Century Media Records. The group is once again working with producer Don Gilmore (PEARL JAM, LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE), this time choosing to record in its native Italy to help focus on the more personal nature of the new material.
Regarding the direction of the new material, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Andrea Ferro stated last month, "Some stuff is . . . probably the heaviest we have ever written. But then we have some cool songs with a dark, 'old-school' vibe, and then some other rocking songs which are a bit more modern and anthemic sounding." Female singer Cristina Scabbia added, "I just want you all to listen to it 'cause I think the old fans will be pleased as well as the new one fans. The collection of songs is the perfect balance between an older and a newer style of rock metal — with a heavy punch and melancholic shadows."
Once LACUNA COIL completes the recording sessions for the new album, the band will spend the summer performing at a select number of European festivals, including Greenfield, Graspop Metal Meeting and Sonisphere in Spain.
Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD have entered the studio with producer Josh Wilbur to begin recording their new album for a tentative late 2011 release.
Click here to watch a live stream of LAMB OF GOD's Chris Adler tracking drums for the band's new CD for the next week. He states, "If at first you don't hear anything, the audio is tied into the soundboard so you'll only have audio when I'm playing or we are talking."
In a recent online posting, drummer Chris stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new album, "We have been busting our butts full-time for months writing the new record. It's fantastic so far, to say the very least."
Speaking to the Artisan News Service earlier in the year, Adler revealed that "because of the amount of time we've spent on the road and the [rest of the] guys spending time alone in hotel rooms, there's a lot more material coming into the process than we've had in the past. Normally, we would tour, then get together and write. But the guitar players, with the technology changing and improving, have been able to do a lot on their own coming in, so there's a lot more ideas than we've ever had, which is great. Normally, it takes... We weed through all the stuff and it takes a really long time to get to what everybody agrees on. Now we've got a plethora of material, so I think it's gonna be... It's always an interesting process, but I think we're coming a little more armed this time."
When asked if 2009's "Wrath" — which was also produced by Wilbur — set the standard for what fans can expect to hear on LAMB OF GOD's next album, Adler said, "In the past, my perspective has always been very reactive to what the immediate previous album was, as in 'Wrath' was more aggressive than [2006's] 'Sacrament' and 'Sacrament' was more produced than [2004's] 'Ashes Of The Wake', and those were choices that we made. But this time I feel that with all the records we've covered the bases and creatively gotten a lot of stuff out, grown as a band, evolved, made interesting choices along the way, and I think, this time, there's no real... I can't speak for [the rest of] the band, but myself, I'm not really particularly reactive to 'Wrath' in that I was very happy with the way 'Wrath' came out. So I feel a little more free coming into this album to not be so driven in one particular direction. I think we might be a little more wide open this time."
"Wrath" landed at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart back in February 2009 with first-week sales of over 67,000 copies.
LAMB OF GOD performed at the sixth edition of D-TOX Rockfest on June 17 in Montebello, Quebec, Canada. This marked the group's first and only 2011 appearance.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has recruited Chris Kael (pictured below) as the band's new bassist following the recent departure of Matt Snell.
Originally from Kentucky, Kael moved to FIVE FINGER's home base of Las Vegas to pursue playing music full-time.
Regarding his new gig, Kael said, "Never give up on your dreams — I'm living proof that with hard work and a little bit of luck, they can come true."
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is putting the finishing touches on its third album, which is expected to include 14 songs. The CD is being recorded with producer Kevin Churko, who helmed Ozzy Osbourne's 2010 effort "Scream".
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory told Harddrive Radio in a recent interview that Snell was fired as far back as December. He also stressed that Matt "wasn't a writing member" so his absence from the new album recording sessions would not affect the band's sound in any way.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is working on the set in Las Vegas, which four of its five current members call home, and Zoltan Bathory told The Pulse Of Radio living and working in Sin City can be distracting. "Writing a record is not like a nine-to-five job," he said. "It's a 24/7 job, you know. Once you're done with the studio, you have to go home and we still, you know, keep writing. So that's how it gets distracting because, you know, you kind of — you worked already whole day, you want to relax, but in the second you want to relax for a second, Las Vegas will get you. You know, there's always something going on and you have to force yourself to not be distracted."
The band tentatively plans to release the disc in the first week of September.
The new CD will follow up 2009's "War Is The Answer", which has sold 519,000 copies since its release. "War Is The Answer" included the singles "Walk Away", "Bad Company" and "No One Gets Left Behind".
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/kaelsolo.jpg
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/fivefinger2011.jpg
"Back Through Time", the third album from the Scottish folk/power metal band ALESTORM, sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 24 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.
"Back Through Time" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 42. The CD was produced by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studios in Lübeck, Germany. The effort was made available as a jewelcase, mediabook, LP, and special-edition boxset "featuring bonus tracks and other mad shite!"
"Back Through Time" track listing:
01. Back Through Time
02. Shipwrecked
03. The Sunk'n Norwegian
04. Midget Saw
05. Buckfast Powersmash
06. Scraping The Barrel
07. Rum
08. Swashbuckled
09. Rumpelkombo
10. Barrett's Privateers
11. Death Throes Of The Terrorsquid
12. I Am A Cider Drinker (bonus track)
The "Shipwrecked" video can be viewed below. The clip was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic, who has previously worked with EPICA, KAMELOT and KATAKLYSM.
Commented ALESTORM frontman/keyboardist Christopher Bowes: "No expense was spared in the making of [the 'Shipwrecked' video], and I can confidently say that it's . . . the best damn music video ever. 'But how can you be so sure?' I hear you ask. Here's why: violin playing midgets! Hot medieval babes! Ridiculous CGI! Rampant alcohol abuse! All this and much, much more!"
According to a press release, ALESTORM "plays Scottish 'pirate metal,' by their own definition, and musically resembles the great battle metal bands such as KORPIKLAANI or TURISAS, albeit with a unique touch and Scottish instrumentation."
"Set The World On Fire", the sophomore album from Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES, sold 23,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 14 via Lava Music/Universal Republic Records.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first album, "We Stitch These Wounds", opened with nearly 11,000 units to enter the chart at No. 36. The CD was released on July 20, 2010 via Standby Records.
"Everything is bigger — more songs, more vocals, more melodies," proclaims vocalist Andy Biersack. "And it all came naturally; it's not an attempt to try to outdo our first record, but we wanted to show how we had naturally grown as a band and as songwriters. This is my favorite record I've ever made — and most importantly, the best album anybody's ever made."
BLACK VEIL BRIDES was interviewed live on Download FM at this year's edition of the Download festival, which was held June 10-12, 2011 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
Andy Biersack broke three ribs this past Saturday, June 18 after trying to jump onto a stage from a 15-foot balcony during the band's concert at Hot Topic in Hollywood, California. Despite the injury, the singer returned to the stage and finished the gig.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES is:
Andy Biersack (vocals)
Jake Pitts (guitar)
Jinxx (guitar)
Ashley Purdy (bass)
Christian "CC" Coma (drums)
Sometimes, things don't work out the way you planned. Just ask Black Veil Brides vocalist Andy Biersack, who shattered three ribs while attempting to jump from one pillar to another during the band's album release show on Saturday, June 18, at the Hollywood & Highland Center Hot Topic in Los Angeles. Even though Biersack's injury occurred only three songs into their set, he managed to play the remainder of the show before he was rushed off to hospital, where he learned the extent of the damage. The incident itself was inevitably witnessed—in all its graceless, bone-crunching detail—all around the world via YouTube.
Biersack is now recuperating in a rented West Hollywood apartment with his mother and friends for company. Although heavily medicated, he is upbeat and philosophical about the incident, and he is typically determined to go on with the show as soon as humanly possible.
Interview: Dan Slessor
What were you actually trying to do?
Really, I was trying to fly—and I've clearly not perfected that yet. No, I wish I had some great story for why I was doing what I was, but I was doing my usual thing where I climb up and then jump back onstage, which usually ends badly—though not this badly. The thing was, I was wearing cowboy boots on a slick, hard, marble surface, which I'd never jumped from before. I started to slip a bit while I was up there, and I sort of sat down thinking that I could push with my arms, and land on the adjacent pillar—and everything sort of worked according to plan, except for the fact my legs fell immediately and just slammed my ribs into the pillar.
What was going through your head at that moment?
The only thing I had in mind was, "Ah, shit," because I knew once I pushed, it clearly was not enough velocity, and I was headed for the ground. More than anything, once I was able to regain a bit of consciousness, I just felt so stupid, because I knew we were only three songs into the set. If I dared to end the show there that would just be the biggest slap in the face to the fans who showed up and wanted to hear some new songs, and I didn't want to make them miss out basically because of me making a stupid decision, so I just got on and finished up the set.
What is the diagnosis?
I've currently got three shattered ribs, most of which are sort of like bone shrapnel in my back area. I'm pretty heavily medicated right now, and I can't really feel my extremities, because if I move too often I run the risk of those pieces of bone shifting and stabbing me, and sort of causing internal bleeding—and there's also one very near my lung, that could potentially collapse it. I have to wait for these bones to fuse before I can really move too often. But this is a double-edged sword, because if I don't move often enough, the excess bone will kind of sit there and cause blood clots inside me, so I have to at least get up and try to walk several times a day.
Have you seen the YouTube videos of your plummet?
Oh yeah, my band and road crew left for Warped Tour yesterday; they're going to hang out there, and hopefully I can join them soon. But they stopped by and were teasing me and showing them all to me. There's one in particular I thought was interesting, which is the montage someone's made using all the different camera angles. There's like sad music over the top that kind of implies I died. The thing is, I know what I did was dumb, and now I have to pay the price—and unfortunately, that means missing the first week or so of Warped, which is not good. But I can either lay here in misery and kinda hate everything, or I can understand what my plight is, take my medication and do what I can to heal.
Since it's going to take a while to fully heal, will the injury affect the way you perform?
Certainly. The doctors have all told me that basically it'll take me the entire span of Warped Tour to heal, so if I go back and play on Warped, it's going to be too soon. To me, it's all about whether I feel physically up to it. I'm not going to go out and do it if I feel like I can't move, because I don't want to ruin my body permanently so I can never perform again. But if I feel like I can go onstage and competently play, then I'm going to do it. I know I'm not going to be able to perform to the best of my abilities, but I feel like the fans at least deserve to see the show in some capacity.
And next time, when you're contemplating some great leap, will you take an extra moment or two to think about it first?
I don't think so. I'd like to say that I would, but that wouldn't really be me.
According to Kerrang! magazine, RISE TO REMAIN — the up-and-coming London, England metalcore outfit featuring singer Austin Dickinson, the son of IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson — will release its debut album, "City Of Vultures", on September 5 via EMI. The 12-track effort was recorded last year at Tree House Studios in Chesterfield with producers Carl Bown (FIGHTSTAR, TRIVIUM) and Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, MACHINE HEAD).
"We're ecstatic now the album is complete," says Dickinson. "That's the only way to describe it; this album has been our focus for so long. I want this album to take the band to major new levels."
RISE TO REMAIN's debut single, "Nothing Left", was released in the U.K. on June 13 via EMI. According to a press release, the song is "a powerful statement of intent" from the five-piece which has already been awarded "Best New Band" accolades from both Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines. Boasting a festival-sized chorus, Austin Dickinson's impassioned vocals tell a tale of loss and grief, driven along by Ben Tovey's intricate lead guitar lines, above the turbo-thrust of Will Homer's shredding rhythm guitars, and the hammering precision of Pat Lundy's drums and Joe Copcutt's bass.
RISE TO REMAIN previously independently released a number of EPs, including the acclaimed "Bridges Will Burn", and upon signing to EMI in March 2011 made a brand new track, "The Serpent", available as a free download from their web site. Now with "Nothing Left", RISE TO REMAIN has fulfilled its early promise and delivered a debut single on EMI that showcases the band's enormous talent, whetting the appetite of all metal fans in anticipation of the group's debut album, which will be released later this year.
RISE TO REMAIN will embark on its first-ever headlining tour in support of "City Of Vultures" in September.
Finnish record label Spinefarm Records will celebrate its 20th anniversary by organizing a "summer camp" in July where members of various bands signed to the company — including those from SHINING, MOONSORROW, SWALLOW THE SUN, FINNTROLL, MEDEA and ENSIFERUM — will collaborate with each other in creating and recording new songs. The resulting album, tentatively titled "Spinefarm Allstars", will be released before the end of the year.
0 comments:
Post a Comment