BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has
released the following statement regarding the reports of a reunion of the band's original lineup:
"I'm saddened that a Birmingham
journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation
we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a BLACK
SABBATH reunion.
"At the time I was supporting the Home Of Metal exhibition was
merely speculating shooting the breeze on something all of us get asked
constantly, 'Are you getting back together?'
"Thanks to the Internet it's now gone round the world as some sort of
'official' statement on my part; absolute nonsense. I hope he's enjoyed his
moment of glory, he won't have another at my expense.
"To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about
this, I should have known better."
The original SABBATH lineup has not toured together since summer 2005,
and last convened for their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in early 2006.
SABBATH did try to record a new album 12 years ago, their first since
1978, but abandoned the attempt after just a couple of songs.
The final cover image for the North American edition of
former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans's new book, "Dirty Deeds:
My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC", can be seen below. The first-ever book
by a member of Bon Scott-era AC/DC is due in November 2011 from Bazillion
Points books and is now available for pre-order at www.dirtydeedsbook.com.
Mark Evans recorded countless rock anthems with AC/DC on the
groundbreaking releases "High Voltage", "TNT", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be
Rock", and the '74 "Jailbreak" EP.
At nineteen years old in 1975, Mark Evans joined AC/DC, one of
the hardest-working and loudest barroom bands in Australia. In the next few years AC/DC recorded a string of bestselling albums, and Mark found himself
headlining world tours and living the life of a bona fide rock star. His
memoir, "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC", is the
first bio written by a band insider during the early years, giving insight into
the struggles and camaraderie that fueled the rise of hard rock's most
successful group. His likeable stories capture the energy and essence of Malcolm
Young, Angus Young, Phil Rudd, and the late Bon Scott.
Rock and roll icons like George Harrison, Gene Simmons, Phil
Lynott, Alice Cooper, Ronnie Wood, Ahmet Ertegun, and
members of METALLICA feature as well.
"The aggressive attitude that AC/DC had towards Australian bands
continued when we shifted overseas," ,b>Evans says. "The world's
bigger bands became our new targets. Who the fuck did these pricks think they
were? We saw a few of the so-called headline acts and straight away knew that
we had nothing to fear."
ABC Sydney's "Breakfast With Adam Spencer" recently
conducted an interview with Mark Evans. In this extended chat, which can
be streamed using the audio player below, Mark shares memories of the
band's early music videos, of original lead singer Bon Scott, and how it
felt to be dropped from the band at its height.
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According to TMZ.com, the promoters of the Michael Jackson tribute concert have dropped KISS from the event's billing because of
negative comments KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons made about Jackson in
interviews the days and weeks after his death two years ago. Simmons spoke about his suspicions that Jackson, who was acquitted of child
molestation in 2005, was a pedophile.
The promoters tell TMZ.com, "We have listened to Michael's
fans and are grateful to have been alerted to these unfortunate statements by Gene
Simmons. Under the circumstances we fully agree that even though KISS is a band Michael admired we have no choice but to rescind our
invitation to them to appear in our tribute concert."
In a 2010 issue of U.K.'s Classic
Rock magazine, Gene Simmons told journalist Geoff Barton he
believed Jackson was a child molester despite the fact that the singer was acquitted of
child-molestation charges.
"I knew Michael," Simmons was quoted as saying. "I
ran into him a few times. I met him the first time before he became the
superstar, when he was sort of teenagey, when he was still a JACKSON FIVE.
This was in the Cher days, when Cher and I lived together.
"But as time moved on, and no matter what my fond memories and fond images
of Michael were, with one allegation of pedophilia after another and
another and another…Oh dear."
Simmons went on to say that he knew some of the musicians Jackson toured with, and cited one who quit after seeing "boys coming out of the
hotel rooms...Well, you know, where there's smoke there's fire. There's no
question in my mind he molested those kids. Not a doubt."
Simmons also said, "There's never been a single female of any age
that I've ever known about who has ever made a claim that she has had a
physical relationship with Michael, ever.
"The only sexual references ever made about Michael Jackson that
were made by anyone, anywhere around the world, have always been made by kids,
and specifically males usually 10 to 14 years of age; never females, that age
or older, and never grown men."
Radio Metal recently conducted an interview with guitarist Brian
Tatler of legendary NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) band DIAMOND
HEAD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Radio Metal: People often say that without METALLICA, DIAMOND
HEAD would never have existed. However, the members of METALLICA and
notably drummer Lars Ulrich are constantly complimenting your band and
using their success to promote you. Could it be said that without METALLICA, DIAMOND HEAD might not be as well-known?
Brian Tatler: Yes, absolutely. Since they've started covering songs in
1984. And of course, if METALLICA hadn't had made it big, it wouldn't
have made any difference, but the fact that DIAMOND HEAD had been
covered by such a huge and important band has just reflected the glory onto DIAMOND
HEAD, hasn't it? It's just made the DIAMOND HEAD legacy seem much
more cool and credible and important, because we've influenced the major metal
band in the world.
Radio Metal: So without DIAMOND HEAD, no METALLICA, and
without METALLICA, no DIAMOND HEAD.
Brian Tatler: Well, there wouldn't be a DIAMOND HEAD now.
Obviously, DIAMOND HEAD were going before METALLICA, but yes, I
think we would've faded away in the late '80s without METALLICA. If they
hadn't have done covers — because a lot of bands don't do covers, do they? They
just do their own material, but METALLICA decided to do covers for
B-sides and things and that has just been fantastic for bands like DIAMOND
HEAD, and BUDGIE, and MOTÖRHEAD, and MERCYFUL FATE, or
whoever they've chosen to cover.
Radio Metal: Don't you get tired when people talk about "Am I
Evil?" and confuse it with a METALLICA song?
Brian Tatler: I don't mind, because I get the royalties! [laughs] I
think we've all done that, we've all listened to an artist and thought,
"That's a good song," and then later realized they didn't write it,
they just did a good version of it.
Radio Metal: Have you ever had to tell people, "No, 'Am I Evil?' is by me!" And they didn't believe you?
Brian Tatler: Yes! I've had that happen. I said, "It's a DIAMOND
HEAD song," and people answered, "No, it's METALLICA!"
You have to tell them to look at the small print on the record where it says,
"Written by Tatler/Harris in 1980."
Revolver magazine conducted an interview with METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX for a special issue devoted
to the "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal.
Dave Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA,
was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced
by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve
worldwide success on his own.
When asked to name his favorite METALLICA song, Mustaine said,
"I had to do a lot of coming to terms with myself in order to listen to METALLICA.
Before, whenever I heard them, it triggered me in my mind to get up on my
soapbox and spit out complaints of what had happened to me. And then once I
finally realized, 'Dave, you're lucky, you're blessed, you're in a great
band, you're in another great band.' I finally just said, 'You're missing it.'
"And I remember hearing this song when I was talking to Lars once
and telling him this is my favorite song off the 'Black Record.' And he goes,
'Really? Fuck, man.' It was 'The Unforgiven'. I liked it because I
thought this was really the first time I've ever really heard James [Hetfield]
sing. He had sung before, and he was a great singer. But that was the first
time I ever heard him really, really sing."
Steve Newton of Straight.com recently conducted an interview with former GUNS
N' ROSES and current ADLER'S APPETITE drummer Steven Adler. A
couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On whether he's totally off drugs now:
Adler: "Well, yeah, yeah. You don't have a future on drugs, and for
20 years I had no future. Now I'm starting to have a future. There's only one
person who's had a future on drugs, and that's Keith Richards. And
that's Keith Richards, okay. I keep waking up as Steven Adler every morning — not Keith Richards, but me. I take medication, but it's
prescribed medication. I mean for so many years of abusing myself and my mind,
I made myself chemically imbalanced. So now I take prescriptions that don't get
me high or anything — occasionally I wish they would, I'm still an addict — but
they don't. They're basically just to put back the things that I smoked and
shot outta me. So they're good medication. I'm feeling wonderful. Things have
been just fabulous. Hey, if I woulda known I would have been this happy 20
years ago, I would have got off drugs 20 years ago."
On the possibility of a GUNS N' ROSES reunion:
Adler: "I mean, I personally would do it for nothing! I'm not going
to, but I would, for nothing. For two reasons: 1) we owe it to the fans. 2) I
just want to finish what I started with those guys. I cut myself short. For 20
years I was saying to myself that they cut me short, but once I started workin'
with Dr. Drew and took responsibility for my life and my actions, I
realized I threw that away. So I just want to finish what I started with them.
I want to go to heaven, and I don't want to come back. I don't wanna come back
and be a baby, and be a teenager again. Oh my god, no! No, I don't want to be a
teenager again. It's too awkward. When you were a teenager, you'd get a boner
and you're ashamed to walk around. Nowadays I realize, dude, if I woulda
realized what I know now, then, I woulda walked around with my boner straight
out, and rubbed it against every girl. But these are things I realize now. So
forget it."
On how it's not "special" to be in a rock band any more:
Adler: "It used to be somethin' special to be in a rock band, and
to pay your dues and to work hard and rehearse and work for that record deal.
That was like the goal, to be the best so you can get a record deal. Nowadays
people are just making records in their bedrooms; it's not special any more.
And the world needs a new rock and roll band. Like every ten years a hard-rock
band comes along. I know that band BUCKCHERRY that came out after GN'R,
they tried to be that band, they gave a good effort at trying to be, after ten
years, the next rock and roll band. But it looks like God kept me on this earth
for a reason, and I'm gonna put that band together."
On how he responds when someone ends an interviewing by teasing him a bit and
suggesting that he's led a charmed life after all:
Adler: "Charmed, yeah. Is that what they call pain now? Is
'charmed' a new word for painful? Nah — you know what, you know what? I saw
this show on the, whaddya call it, the Medical Channel, of these two
young girls that were attached at the head. And they were so happy and content.
I mean, they would talk, they would say the same thing at the same time — and
they were just happy and content. And I saw that and I thought about my life
and I said: 'I got nothing to kvetch about!' And if you don't know what
kvetching means, it means complain! I got nothing to complain about! 'I'm so
thankful — I'm alive! And pretty healthy! You know, I'm still walkin' and
talkin'. Still rockin' and rollin'. So I got that goin' for me."
DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET
REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — has just
returned from a European trek and is about to go into production for its
upcoming feature film "The Taking". Helmed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie
Burton Chamberlin, this rock 'n' roll flick is a series of
"vignettes" that explores the lyrical content of LOADED's
recently released studio album of the same title.
In a November 2010 interview with West Seattle Herald, Chamberlin said that the film "will be a contemporary version of, say, [THE
BEATLES'] 'Hard Day's Night' meets [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'The
Song Remains the Same', with aspects of documentary, music video, and live
performance, all interconnected by an underlying motivation. The album will
serve as the soundtrack." He added, "Everything will be shot in Seattle and the
Northwest. We hope to use locations in West Seattle
and other familiar settings to create these vignettes that develop organically
within them."
Chamberlin told the West Seattle Herald that McKagan may
push to have the piece released in the film festival circuit to offer exposure
to a wider audience beyond his music fans.
"Not a lot of artists out there are interested in going to this extreme of
having their music interpreted in film," said Chamberlin.
"This project wouldn't be happening without Duff's vision, and the
support of people like Rick Canny at Sanctuary management, LOADED's
manager.
"Duff is a super guy, one of the nicest guys you could meet. He has
shown a strong commitment to getting this project off the ground. He's got a
great business sensibility and is totally creative, qualities that draw me to
him as an artist. He's just a classy cat."
In addition to the film, fans can also look forward to a few stateside dates,
including a stop at Rock On The Range Canada in Winnipeg
on August 20, KISW Pain In The Grass in Auburn, Washington on August 27, and PDX Rock Festival in Hillsboro, Oregon
on August 28. More U.S.
dates will be announced soon.
According to Australia's
long-running rock station Triple M, there are rumblings of a VAN HALEN headlining tour of Australia
taking place early next year.
Triple M music reporter Nui Te Koha told the Hot Breakfast two
promoters have gone in and spoken to VAN HALEN management following last
week's cancelation of the Soundwave Revolution festival, which VAN
HALEN was set to co-headline.
"This will be an arena tour," he revealed. "VAN HALEN has
got an album coming out really soon. Two promoters have gone in and said, 'This Soundwave Revolution thing was a debacle. We want to tour the band and
it will happen early next year.'"
VAN HALEN was supposed to play five shows in Australia in late September and
early October as part of the Soundwave Revolution festival, but the
entire event was abruptly scrapped by the promoters, who cited the exit of a
second, unnamed headliner and low ticket sales as the reasons for the plug
being pulled.
The festival's lineup also included ALICE COOPER, HELLYEAH, HOLE, BAD RELIGION, ALTERBRIDGE and PANIC!
AT THE DISCO, among others.
Australia's Triple M Radio reported that AEROSMITH was the second headliner
that promoters were trying to secure, but were unable to do so.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, one theory suggested that the
cancellation was the fault of another act rumored to be on the bill, LIMP
BIZKIT. But singer Fred Durst was quick to shoot that down, saying
online, "We were never on the bill to play any festival down under. So it
looks like VAN HALEN cancels and we get thrown into the mix."
There was in fact a lot of speculation that VAN HALEN itself pulled out
of the festival, but the Van Halen News Desk reported adamantly that the
band had nothing to do with the cancellation of the event.
The Australian shows would have been VAN HALEN's first since its reunion
tour with singer David Lee Roth wrapped up in the summer of 2008.
Even though Sammy Hagar says he's happy in CHICKENFOOT,
and even though he pretty much threw guitarist Eddie Van Halen and
drummer Alex Van Halen under the bus in his recent memoir, Hagar admitted to The Pulse Of Radio that he still has feelings for his time
in VAN HALEN. "You know, I miss VAN HALEN," he said.
"I don't like them fuckers and fuck those guys for what they did to Mikey [Anthony, ex-VAN HALEN bassist] especially, not me. Unnecessary.
Bad guys. But I miss 'em, you know. [laughs] I miss that musicianship and that
creative spark and that friction that made it all work, you know. So CHICKENFOOT's
got all that, without the friction."
CHICKENFOOT, which features Hagar, Anthony, guitarist Joe
Satriani and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, will
release its second album, "Chickenfoot III", on September 27.
The first single from the set is called "Big Foot".
As previously reported, Smith will not join the band on tour this fall
because of his commitments to the CHILI PEPPERS.
As he hinted recently, Hagar told SoundSpike that former JOHN
MELLENCAMP drummer Kenny Aronoff may fill in for Smith on
tour, explaining, "We're going to play with him for two days. If it works,
we're going to go out in November, I think, and do a buzz tour, play small venues
in five cities, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
Then we'll make sure that it works and the chemistry is good. If it is we'll go
out with Kenny."
Hagar added that Aronoff was Smith's personal choice,
saying, "Chad picked him because he said Kenny's just like him. He beats his drum set
to death. He doesn't play them. He beats them to death. At the end of every
show you have to buy a new drum set for these guys. We need that power . . .
When Chad can come
back, we'll make 'Chickenfoot IV' probably with Chad."
"Chickenfoot III" may compete with the new VAN HALEN album, which will feature David Lee Roth on vocals and is reportedly out
this fall.
ANTHRAXguitarist Scott Ian taped an appearance last week in makeup for an episode of the upcoming second
season of AMC's zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead".
Writing on his official web site, Ian states about the
experience, "My agent got the call asking if I wanted to come down and get
made up to play a zombie in a webisode for AMC's 'The Walking Dead' directed by Greg Nicotero (effects GOD). I couldn't say yes to this fast
enough.
"Like I said in my tweet, I've been wanting to do this my whole life.
Zombies have always been my favorite genre of horror and to participate in
something as killer as 'The Walking Dead' would just be amazing.
"Truly my Make-A-Wish moment!
"I got to the set and headed straight for the makeup trailer. I was told I
was getting the full-on zombie 'hero' makeup. That means I get the sick
head/neck wounds done with silicone appliques. Garrett Immel was doing
my makeup, he's one of the top dudes doing this on the planet. He explained how
there are the main 'hero' zombies, then the second-tier background zombies
which are more just makeup and blood and then there are the third-tier
background zombies with just makeup and if it's a night shoot, they wear masks
that read well on camera. Makes sense, they couldn't spend 90 minutes each on
500 people every time there was a zombie crowd scene.
"Garrett told me he had my picture for a week so he already knew
what he wanted to do to me. I told him to not hold back, make it as brutal as
he wants.
"The whole process was pretty painless, even sitting for 90 minutes was
cool because they were putting zombie makeup on me. I would've sat for five
hours, I was so stoked."
Read more at Scott-Ian.com.
"The Walking Dead" is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where
personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment
survival. A survivalist story at its core, the series explores how the living
are changed by the overwhelming realization that those who survive can be far
more dangerous than the mindless walkers roaming the earth. They themselves
have become the walking dead.
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Jon Schaffer, founder and creative force behind
American metal icons ICED EARTH, has released a statement regarding the recent decision by the band's record label, Century
Media, to pull its repertoire from streaming music service Spotify in an attempt "to protect the interests of their artists."
"A lot of fans have contacted us regarding Century Media's decision
to pull all of its bands from Spotify," Schaffer said.
"I want our fans to know that we had nothing to do with that decision.
"We understand Century Media's position. The music industry has
been deeply and irrevocably affected by illegal downloading on the Internet. I
understand that all too well. In fact, all professional musicians today
understand that. But Spotify is one of the most important developments
in music I've seen in quite awhile. It allows fans to search for music from
bands all over the world — sometimes rare, impossible-to-find, or out-of-print
music. They hear it, decide they like it, and seek it out to buy it from a
variety of sources — legal sources like iTunes, Amazon, or Amazon
Marketplace.
"That's a good thing. Stealing music is not. But sampling it on Spotify — which is legal and highly regarded worldwide — is not stealing it.
"If it were up to me, I'd put ICED EARTH's music back on Spotify.
But I also have to respect the wishes of Century Media, our record
label. They're only trying to protect the best interests of their bands.
"So, I ask fans of ICED EARTH to be respectful as well. Maybe
additional dialogue with Century Media will change their minds. In the
meantime, let's all just agree to disagree on this one and wait to see what the
future holds."
The U.S. version of Spotify, which gives its users access to all the
songs in its cloud to organize into playlists and listen to as they please, has
reportedly attracted 1.4 million registered users so far in spite of its
current invite-only status. Of those users, roughly 175,000 are said to be
"paying users." In Europe, where Spotify has been available in seven countries since its launch in 2008, the company
currently has around 1.6 million paying users, according to published reports.
According to the an infographic on the Information Is Beautiful web site, which visualizes the
different monetization methods available to artists and how profitable they are,
if you are a solo musician, at $0.00029 per play on Spotify, you will
have to receive 4,053,110 plays per month to earn the U.S. minimum wage of
$1,160.
Blitzkrieg
Metal Magazine conducted an interview with drummer Dani Löble of
German power metallers HELLOWEEN at this year's edition of the Wacken
Open Air festival, which was held August 4-6, 2011 in Wacken, Germany.
You can now watch the chat below.
When asked if HELLOWEEN is planning to take a break now or go back to
the studio to begin work on its next album, Dani said, "We're
already talking about ideas for the next album, which is planned to release by
the end of 2012. When this tour is finished, we're heading to the studio to
write and record new material so that it's ready for [release] at the end of
next year."
Professionally filmed video footage of HELLOWEEN's performance at this
year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival can be seen below.
Featured songs:
00:00 "March Of Time"
05:20 "Where The Sinners Go"
13:00 "I'm Alive"
17:42 "Keeper Of The Seven Keys"
25:19 "Helloween"
32:28 "Future World"
36:19 "Dr. Stein"
43:06 "I Want Out"
"7 Sinners", the 13th studio album from HELLOWEEN, sold
around 1,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD
landed at position No. 7 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.
"7 Sinners" is definitively one of the fastest and hardest
albums in the HELLOWEEN's history and it bursts with vitality. That
might partly be due to the versatility of the various songwriters within the
band, who over time have become so homogenous, that the 13 songs formed a unity
on their own in the studio, but it may also be due to the fact that the album
was recorded completely without a click track, which, considering the extreme
speed of the songs is an impressive feat. Especially Dani Löble, who
proves that his technique is at a world-class-level. Following his excellent
inner clock, bass and drums drive tracks like "Are You Metal?", "Long Live The King" and "Who Is Mr. Madman?" to dizzying tempos. "7 Sinners", with its typically strong
melodies and the tangible joy of playing, is a true metal album whose range
reaches astonishing dimensions.
It has become a cliche for metal band's to tout their newest opus as their
"fastest" or "heaviest" album ever made, but in HELLOWEEN's
case, "7 Sinners" is truly a return to form and is indeed
their fastest and heaviest release in years. HELLOWEEN bass player Markus
Grosskopf stated about the band's new material: "For all those out
there who found our special best-of [CD] 'Unarmed' to be too smooth and
calm, I have great news: The new album will hit you right in the face! It's
gonna be very heavy and contain all [the classic] HELLOWEEN trademarks!
Some songs are very powerful and hymnic, others contain the fastest bass-drum
patterns our drummer Dani ever played, and this means a lot!"
Favored Nations Entertainment is proud to announce
the September 27 CD release of "Acoustic Gypsy Live" by L.A.
GUNS (Tracii Guns, guitar; Danny Nordahl, bass; Chad
Steward, drums; Jizzy Pearl, vocals, Teddy "Zig Zag"
Andreadis, keyboards, Muddy Stardust; guitar and back-up vocals; Doni
Gray, percussion). Produced, mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Neil
Citron, this is the first acoustic album by the acclaimed Los Angeles band in their 29-year history, recorded at The Hotel Café
in Hollywood. L.A.
GUNS will embark on a national tour in September to support the CD.
The band who lit up Hollywood
like a surprise M-80 in a garbage can with their raw radical rowdy ways earned
themselves legendary status on the Sunset Strip. When Jason Kramer and Jason
Rothberg suggested they do an acoustic record, Tracii was
"terrified, as I hadn't played live acoustically for more than an hour
since my Bancroft Junior High School guitar
ensemble when I was 13 years old. I gathered up the guys I trust the most musically
to help make this as great as possible. After listening back to this
performance, I am not so scared to perform acoustically anymore."
What makes "Acoustic Gypsy Live" so startling is its nuanced
attention-to-detail – a musical awareness that L.A. GUNS, who never
diluted the manic hysteria of their songs one iota in their previous records,
relishes in on "Acoustic Gypsy Live". With a gorgeous lead
guitar solo by Tracii, the CD's opener, "Crystal Eyes", hits a bulls-eye with
its beauty and clarity-of-vision. Stark, dramatic, simplistically pristine, the
inherent harmonic structure of the song itself reaches that part of the soul
where honesty is a given, not a constructed artifice. The song cruises to
completion to set the scene for the kind of album that no one — including the
band itself — even knew was in them. Vocalist Jizzy still works up the
growl, as evidenced on "One Way Ticket".
Tracii started L.A. GUNS while still in high school in 1982. The
original singer, Michael Jagosz, was replaced by Axl Rose. Signed
to PolyGram in '87, their self-titled debut, with Phil Lewis replacing Rose, sold over a million copies, as did "Cocked and
Loaded" (1989) and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991).
With 14 tracks — including not only their hits, but covers of BOUDLEAUX
BRYANT's "Love Hurts" and OTIS REDDING's "These Arms Of
Mine" — "Acoustic Gypsy Live" proves these longtime
latenight denizens of the Sunset Strip need no electricity to kick ass.
"Acoustic Gypsy Live" track listing:
01. CrystalEyes
02. One Way Ticket
03. Decide
04. Dreamtime
05. Electric Gypsy
06. It's Over Now
07. Never Enough
08. Over The Edge
09. Little Soldier
10. Sex Action
11. These Arms Of Mine
12. Love Hurts
13. The Ballad Of Jayne
14. Rip And Tear
After 15 years of friendship, hard work and big passion,
fully invested in the creation of symphonic music and an epic saga that will
remain in the history of heavy metal, keyboardist Alex Staropoli and
guitarist Luca Turilli of Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF
FIRE have decided to go their separate ways.
"10 albums released and the end of the saga represent, musically and
lyrically, an important artistic goal finally reached, underlined by the
success of our last release, 'From Chaos To Eternity', for which we want
to thank our wonderful fans once again. Now it came the time when new artistic
stimulations need to be found, in respect of both parts' visions and
perspectives and of our longtime friendship," Staropoli and Turilli said in a joint statement.
Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF
FIRE name with a band lineup that will also include Fabio Lione on
vocals, Tom Hess on guitar and Alex Holzwarth on drums. Turilli,
on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined
by musicians Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex
Holzwarth.
Commented Alex: "While wishing the best to Luca and his new
band, I want to tell you that Fabio and myself feel motivated and stronger
than ever and that RHAPSODY OF FIRE are already planning a great
worldwide tour. More information regarding the new bass player and the new
second guitar player will follow. Stay tuned!"
RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "From Chaos To Eternity",
was released in North America on July 12 via Nuclear
Blast Records. Described by the band as "the natural evolution"
from last year's "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", the CD marks RHAPSODY
OF FIRE's final release based on the fantasy saga started in 1997 with the
group's debut album, "Legendary Tales".
"From Chaos To Eternity" was released in Europe
in a standard jewelcase edition of 24 pages, and in an exclusive limited
edition of 48 pages, full of great and unique surprises, as well as two bonus
tracks, for a total of 65 minutes of RHAPSODY OF FIRE's legendary music.
"Jerusalem",
the new album from Swedish melodic metallers ASTRAL DOORS, will be
released in October. The CD, which will be made available as a jewelcase,
digipack and on vinyl, was mixed by Daniel Bergstrand, who has
previously worked with BEHEMOTH, MESHUGGAH, DIMMU BORGIR, STRAPPING
YOUNG LAD and SOILWORK, among others. The cover art was designed by Mattias
Eriksson and can be seen below.
Commented the band: "Daniel Bergstrand and Rickard Sporrong made an incredible mix and we just can't wait to share this album with the
world."
"Jerusalem" track listing:
01. Seventh Crusade
02. With A Stranger's Eye
03. Child Of Rock 'N' roll
04. Pearl Harbor
05. Lost Crucifix
06. BabylonRise
07. Suicide Rime
08. The Battle
Of Jacob's Ford
09. Operation Freedom
10. The Day After Yesterday
11. Jerusalem
ASTRAL DOORS previously stated that the upcoming album will "be
something special. This time around we deal with religion, and all the shit it
has brought to the world, once and for all."
ASTRAL DOORS' "Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral
Doors" collection was released on November 19, 2010 via Metalville,
the band and label pool launched by the Cologne,
Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The
compilation contained 14 classics picked by ASTRAL DOORS.
Guitarist Martin Haglund left ASTRAL DOORS in April 2010 in order
to focus on his family life. The band has opted to remain a five-piece, with
founding member Joachim Nordlund handling all guitars himself.
ASTRAL DOORS released its fifth album, "Requiem Of Time" in Europe on January 29, 2010 and in North America
on February 16, 2010 through Metalville.
The sickest party ever just got even sicker as Slave Pit
Inc. and Metal Blade Records announced new details of the upcoming GWAR-B-Q.
Joining the festivities will be none other than Metal Blade recording
artist and VH1 Classic "That Metal Show" co-host, comedian Don
Jamieson, who will be performing a stand-up set on the main stage of the event.
Jamieson will also be joining the star-speckled judges of this year's
"American A-Hole" competition, which will also include Oderus
Urungus' alter ego Dave Brockie and will be hosted by none other
than GWAR's manager, underworld mogul Sleazy P. Martini.
Said Jamieson, "As a fan of GWAR since "Scumdogs Of
The Universe", I am honored to perform on the same stage they will
undoubtedly ejaculate on."
Don Jamieson's new album, "Live and Hilarious" is out
on Metal Blade Records.
GWAR is also happier than "an Orc in an orphanage" to welcome
notorious malcontent and "Jackass/Viva La Bam" star Chris
Rabb, a.k.a. "Rabb Himself" to the festivities. Rabb,
who has recently been showcasing his talents behind the camera with his new
project "Hot Dog Casserole", will be calling the action at the GWAR-B-Q's version of extreme sports, "the Spew-Olympics".
Not to be outdone, homeboy and LAMB OF GOD lead singer Randy Blythe will be judging the GWAR-B-Q Cook-Off, and local bike gang The
Cutthroats will be presenting a special bike-jousting event. Add sun, fun,
and a TON of awesome bands (including, of course, the mighty GWAR!), and
you have what might be the coolest thing to happen to Richmond since the Civil War!
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.gwar.net.
HEATHEN, ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and SKINLAB are among the bands who will play at a concert in celebration of EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt and Lisa Perticone's upcoming wedding. The
event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 24 at Avalon in Santa
Clara, California, and will feature additional performances by RELENTLESS
REVOLUTIONARIES (rumored to include members of DEATH ANGEL), MIDNIGHT
CHASER, SEVERED FIFTH, ANGERHEAD, MAD AT SAM, DEADLANDS, ANTI-MORTEM and COFFIN HUNTER as well as "surprise special
guest appearances from some of the biggest names in metal," according to Iron
Fist Circle Productions, which is co-promoting the show.
Holt has two daughters from previous relationships. Perticone has
a teenage daughter. The two are currently residing in Pinole, California.
For more information, see the poster below.
Holt has spent the last few months filling in for SLAYER founding
guitarist Jeff Hanneman who in January contracted necrotizing fasciitis,
likely caused by a spider bite, and has been undergoing surgeries, skin grafts
and intense rehab since.
EXODUS's latest album, "Exhibit B: The Human Condition",
was released in North America on May 18, 2010
via Nuclear Blast Record.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/holtmarriage.jpg
Away-Team: I'm here with Corey
Beaulieu from TRIVIUM, thank you Corey for taking time to
talk with us today! So you were born in Maine,
and TRIVIUM hails from Florida,
how did you end up hooking up with them?
Corey
Beaulieu:
After I graduated High School, I needed something to do. I always wanted to be
in a band, but up there I didn't have a band, there just wasn't anything going
on up there. I couldn't find any musicians. Up there it isn't really much of a
metal scene…
Away-Team: You mean Maine isn't the hot bed for metal in America?!?!?!
Corey
Beaulieu:
You'd think… but no! (laughs) it was very hard to find people that could
actually play the kind of music I wanted to play. So after I graduated High
School I needed to do something and I was always interested in recording so I
moved to Orlando,
Fl and went toFull Sail for recording. And before I even started
classes, I heard about this club right around the corner from where I was
living that had a metal show. I went there and TRIVIUM was one of the
local bands, they were a three piece at the time. And when they played I was
like, 'Wow, these guys play the same kind of shit I am in to.' I ended
up meeting Matt's Dad who was managing the band at the time. He gave me
some info on the band and said they were playing this thing at Full Sail the next week so I went there. I got introduced to Matt, we became
friends, emailed back and forth, I'd see him at other metal shows and whatever.
Then a year later I saw on their website they were looking for a second guitar
player so I hit them up and told them I was interested in trying out. He knew I
played guitar, but he had never seen my play guitar he just knew we had some of
the same influences. I went over to his house one day and we jammed, I had
learned a few songs of theirs before I went there and we just jammed. After
that he asked me to come jam with the band, so I jammed with the band and they
were like, 'you wanna be in the band?' and that's all I've been doing
ever since.
Away-Team: Did you completeFull Sail or just blow it off for the riches and fame of TRIVIUM?
Corey
Beaulieu:
(laughs) I joined the band about a month before I graduated, so after I
graduated I just went full on with the band. And eventually it all took off and
did what it's done and we are lucky enough to make a career out of it. Luckily
I didn't have to go schlep around for a job, because a job in that field that I
went to school for is every difficult to find a job today. Since there's no
studios, the only people that have studios anymore are like in their own homes
or whatever. Nobody goes to traditional studios anymore. Even people I went to
school with at Full Sail seven years ago, nobody has a job in that field
anymore. I was very fortunate that even going down there to do that, I was able
to actually do what I wanted and that was be in a band. I always say I paid $35,000
to join a band (laughs).
Away-Team: (laughs) And Full
Sail can use you for the job placement advertising… 'Join Full Sail and you too can become a Rock Star!'
Corey
Beaulieu:
Yeah, well, no one's ever hit me up from there. (laughs)
Away-Team: You and Matt share
lead and rhythm guitar duties in the band. While not the first time for a band,
it is definitely unique. How did you come up with this style for Trivium, and how does it benefit you and the band?
Corey
Beaulieu:
Well….
Away-Team: I mean, you normally
have two guitarists, and your lead guy is the shredder, he's the one that
stands out and rips out a solo as guys throw horns into the air and girls throw
their panties on stage… You have some great licks; you have a great talent on
the guitar…
Corey
Beaulieu:
Wow, thank you…
Away-Team: Does sharing that with
Matt take away from that 'guitar god' status a little bit? Do you lose a
little individuality when you share lead guitar with another guitarist?
Corey
Beaulieu:
Not Really… We both have different styles of playing; we both like playing
lead, so we chose to both do it. We just divvy it up evenly as much as
possible. And it is cool because we have different takes on playing lead so
there are different dynamics within the song and within the solos by trading
off. Ever since I joined the band as he was the only guitar player, since I
could do lead also, just right out of the box we said let's both do it. It was
a natural thing for us, so we just did it, and a lot of our favorite bands
growing up except for Metallica had that, Megadeth wasMustaine andFriedman, Slayer both play lead, Iron Maiden had… well they have three lead players now. I just always liked the multiple
lead guitar thing, especially when you have one guy with a monster solo and it
just leads into another solo by the other guy… It's just always been a natural
part of our sound. I think now on the new album too it has really worked out
because Matt just found the sound that thing he was going after on it, a
certain style and feel, and what suited his playing the best. He's doing more
melodic old school, kinda simplistic solos, and I'm doing the melodic slash
shreddy stuff. It is very easy to decipher who's playing which solo because our
styles on this album are so different and distinct. We're not treading the same
waters playing the same fast crazy shit all the time. Since we both like to
play lead that has just always been our signature sound and part of our
songwriting.
Away-Team: Your musical style has
changed over the years, you are no longer thought of as metalcore, which I
never pegged you as, but more straight forward thrash. Was that a conscious
decision on your part, or was it just maturing and stretching as musicians?
Corey
Beaulieu:
We just play every record as we just play whatever we feel like playing. It's
all very natural for us, we don't go, 'oh let's do this record this way, and
then we'll do the next record sounding like that.' We just start writing
the songs and in that moment and time it just takes its own shape and sound. The
style just dictates itself we don't consciously decide, 'oh on Crusade we're
going to do this.' Musically it just came out naturally. We always find new
influences to incorporate into the new album; we don't want to keep churning
out the same shit every album, so we're always pushing the boundaries of what
we can do with our songwriting. This last album (In Waves out now!), we
decided we needed to define our sound. Because the last couple of albums we
were experimenting with different tunings, different sounds, and different
styles of songs and just seeing what we could do. On this record we just knew
what the record had to be and we just wanted to write a record that was a
career defining moment. Just put our foot down, like we're fucking serious here,
this is a serious fucking metal album, and just solidify our sound. So you're
like, 'oh, that's TRIVIUM! That's their sound, that's what they are
all about.' The other thing we wanted was to make the album sound cohesive,
we wanted the songs to flow, to have the same style and sound, so that none of
the songs were like an odd man out and didn't fit the record, they all have the
same…. vibe or sound or feel to them, that they belonged on that record. We
just wrote a lot of songs and made sure that the songs worked well and fit with
the other songs on the record. And we also made the heaviest record we have
ever done. The heavy stuff is heavier and more intense than anything else we've
ever done.
Away-Team: The band came out
after Shogun, and said that it was what it was, that you couldn't
describe what/or who it sounded like. It was Trivium and it stood on its
own. Were you guys really that concerned about the comparisons to Metallica or other bands then? Isn't there some sense of flattery of being compared to
one of the biggest metal bands in the world?
Corey
Beaulieu:
When people listen to music, they are always gauging shit, always comparing
them to someone else. If you read a review it is always, 'for fans of this,'
or 'if you like this band you'll love this.' I guess being compared to
the biggest metal band of all time is not a bad thing I just felt it was kind
of limiting as far as… Take The Crusade record, I listen to that and
there are influences on there, riffs, songs, tones, styles, that are just in no
way comparable to Metallica. And Matt's vocals may style wise
remind you of James, but he doesn't sound like James. I just
think a lot of the songs and riffs on that record are just very Un-Metallica.
I think Shogun stepped away from that more and this record (In Waves out now!!!) that , 'oh they sound like Metallica clones' has been put to
rest, at least by us. If people say that now, then they are fucking idiots.
You're obviously not listening to what we are playing. Don't get me wrong, they
are obviously a big metal influence, but so are Megadeth, Testament, Slayer,
and Iron Maiden. There are a lot of stuff in there. Over the years we
have found a way to take those influences, with other elements outside that
style of music, and put our own twist on it, so that now what you hear is TRIVIUM only. I thinkIn Waves sets us apart from other bands out there today,
it ensures that we don't sound too much like anyone else, it sounds like TRIVIUM in vocals, and in guitar riffs, so that if we are to be compared, it is them to
us.
Away-Team: On a festival like
this, theRockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, you play about 35
minutes, what do you do the other 23.5 hours of the day to keep from being
bored out of your mind or trapped on the bus?
Corey
Beaulieu:
We try to catch a lot of the bands on the side stages, just hang out and watch
them perform. We try and do a lot of press, and there are a lot of people on
this tour, so it's always a lot of just hanging out with other bands. There's
always something going on. After our set, we shower, dinner, and then go watch Megadeth.
There's always something going on, a party here and there, enough people to
make something happen all the time.
Away-Team: In Waves comes out next week (at time of interview… In Waves came out last Tuesday! Go.
Get. It.), Mayhem ends in a few weeks, what's next on the horizon for TRIVIUM?
Corey
Beaulieu:
Yes, In Waves comes out, go pick it up! After Mayhem we have
about a month long tour with Dream Theater from mid September to
October. Then Europe from early November
through almost Christmas. We haven't properly toured over there in fucking ages
so that should be a blast! We're touring there with In Flames so that
should be killer. Then next year is Australia,
South America which hasn't been announces yet.
Away-Team: Is that headlining?
Corey
Beaulieu:
No! We've never been there before so we are going with some other bands that
have. We felt the safest route was to go with someone who has done it before,
instead of going on our own and guessing and making huge mistakes. We're going
with two other bands that have been down there a few times before, and we have
a lot of demands to play down there and a lot of fans down there so we are
really looking forward to that. Hopefully in the spring we'll be back in the US touring
again. Yesterday our first active rock radio single went out to all the
stations, so hopefully that takes off soon, some stations already have it in
full rotation and hopefully more pick it up. And if it really takes off on the
radio and gets us new fans it could really change the landscape of what we do
tour wise in the spring. Call your local rock radio station and fucking request
some TRIVIUM!!!
Away-Team: Yeah DAMNIT!
Corey
Beaulieu:
Yeah, we need that shit! (laughs)
Away-Team: Good luck with the
single, new album, the tours, and continued success Corey, and thank you
again for taking the time to sit in this wonderful 100 degree heat and talk
with us!
Corey
Beaulieu:
Thank you, the album is out, you can check us out online, if you like what you
hear buy it please! And support music!
Away-Team: And… Trivium sounds like… Trivium.
Corey
Beaulieu:
Yes… Heavy Metal Baby!!!! (laughs)
There
is a long list of people to thank for making this and all of our Mayhem Fest interviews happen, so, forgive me if I forgot anyone, but thanks to Lilly at Roadrunner, Bill at eOne Music, Rikki, Natalie,
and Jessica at Adrenaline, and Laura Jean withMayhem.
MetalSucks, in conjunction with Live Nation,
has announced The Metal Suckfest. The festival will take place at New York City's Gramercy
Theater and will feature 20 bands over the course of two days, November 4 and
November 5. MUNICIPAL WASTE will headline the first night, while CYNIC will close the festival the following evening. The remaining acts will be
revealed soon.
MUNICIPAL WASTE will enter the studio later this summer to begin
recording its fifth full-length album for a 2012 release via Nuclear Blast
Records.
CYNIC last year parted ways with bassist Robin Zielhorst and
guitarist Tymon Kruidenier due to the "logistical challenges of
maintaining a band that is half based in The Netherlands and the other half in
the United States" (drummer Sean Reinert and guitarist/vocalist Paul
Masvidal live in California).
Guitarist Craig Locicero of reactivated San Francisco
Bay Area metallers FORBIDDEN has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"This is the most painful update I have ever had to write...
"Due to family obligations on the part of our longtime drummer Mark
Hernandez, FORBIDDEN is forced to cancel its tour of Europe and will start to search for an adequate permanent
replacement right away. Compounding things is the fact that Mark and I
also play in DEMONICA, who were to open the tour.
"Unfortunately, at this late date, there is no time nor budget to find a
replacement who can handle both bands and our only option right now is to
cancel the entire tour.
"FORBIDDEN would like to apologize to all of the different
promoters, Continental Concerts, the bands COMMUNIC and DEMONICA,
our label, Nuclear Blast, and most importantly, our fans who have been
waiting for us to finally make it overseas for our first proper European tour
in support of 'Omega Wave'. You all deserve better. This is a collective
kick to every ones stomach and it is very difficult for us to swallow.
"If there were any way to find one drummer to do both jobs and learn over
22 songs of material in only a couple of days, we would do it. But there is no
way to teach somebody all of that material from the ground up and give the fans
our very best. Our first choice was longtime brother Gene Hoglan, and
since Gene is very familiar with our current set list, this makes the
most sense. However, he only has a very small window to work with and no time
to commit to an entire tour. But he did agree to fly out to Belgium with us
so that FORBIDDEN can play the Alcatraz Festival on August 27th!
That works out to be the only days that work within Gene's busy schedule
and it also allows us to get in front of as many fans as possible for one show.
"In no way does this make up for all of the other gigs we will miss. They
MUST be rescheduled for the future! Unfortunately, that future will have to be
without Mark Hernandez. He has played for the last time with FORBIDDEN and we will be looking for the right replacement as soon as the dust settles.
Obviously, it takes a great player to play drums in FORBIDDEN. We will
only accept the best!
"We all love Mark and hope he finds peace and serenity in his
future with his family. In the meantime, we will continue and take the momentum
we have gained from 'Omega Wave' and use it as fuel for the next record
and beyond!
"Looking forward, not back..."
FORBIDDEN's "Omega Wave" video can be seen below. The
clip was created by SchneppZone video director Jon Schnepp of "Metalocalypse" fame.
"Omega Wave" is the title track of FORBIDDEN's latest
album, which was released in Europe on October 22, 2010 and in North America on
October 26, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD landed at position
No. 27 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.
A brand new promotional photo of ANOTHER ANIMAL, the
side project started by GODSMACK members Tony Rombola on guitar, Robbie
Merrill on bass and Shannon Larkin on drums, can be seen below.
Although ANOTHER ANIMAL's 2007 debut album failed to interest the
public, the group, which also features original GODSMACK guitarist Lee
Richards and ex-UGLY KID JOE singer Whitfield Crane, will
release a new song called "Fall Of Rome" this fall. Larkin told the Naples News that if the single takes off, a new album could be
in the works.
The Pulse Of Radio asked Larkin last year if he thought there
would ever be a second ANOTHER ANIMAL outing. "I'm not sure about
the ANOTHER ANIMAL project," he said. "You know, we love the
record still, we had a Top 10 hit at rock radio and we had a great, great time
doing it. But for whatever reasons, the people didn't go out and buy the record
so, you know, the label wasn't like, 'You guys got to get back to the studio
and make another record!' So it's still out there, and if everybody goes out
and buys that record, we'll make another one."
Larkin told Naples News that "Fall Of Rome" is "a heavy, charged
track about the recent overthrowing of lame leaders and governments by the ones
with the real power: the people. Egypt,
Tunisia and now Libya are
repeating history before the eyes of the world stage, and this song is like an
oppressed person talking directly to an unjust dictator saying enough!"
The drummer added, "If the song does well enough at radio, we will tour in
the fall and make a new record as well."
GODSMACK ended a three-year hiatus last year with the release of its
fifth studio effort, "The Oracle".
GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna issued his first solo album, "Avalon",
last September and toured behind it this past May and June.
GODSMACK wrapped up the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour this past weekend and will continue to tour on its own throughout the rest
of the summer.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/aanimal2011.jpg
BLEEDING THROUGH bassist Ryan Wombacher has
launched Hellmerica Customs, a brand new company serving the motorcycle
and extreme sports communities.
A longtime Harley enthusiast and skateboarder, Wombacher has
combined his passions for these endeavors into Hellmerica which boasts a
line of uniquely hand-painted helmets, boards and more.
"Ever since I bought my first car, a 1971 Ford Torino, at the age of
sixteen I've been messing around with custom painting," Wombacher says. "One summer during a break from touring with BLEEDING THROUGH,
I decided to take my hobby to the next level by forming this company."
Wombacher's initial run of hand-painted vintage motorcycle helmets did
well enough that he's continued to branch out in incremental steps. Airbrush,
1-shot paint, pin striping, gold/silver leafing and leather tooling are among
the skills Wombacher has developed with Hellmerica.
Hellmerica Customs has also expanded to include custom paint jobs for
guitars, basses and other band equipment. And this week, the company launched a
brand new online store.
"Everything I do is one of a kind. I don't like to repeat myself," Wombacher points out.
BLEEDING THROUGH has sold close to a half a million albums and toured
around the world with bands like SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, MARILYN
MANSON, AFI, SENSES FAIL and on Ozzfest, Warped
Tour and more. They've been featured on the covers of Revolver, Metal
Edge and Chord. They recently entered the studio to record a brand
new album for Rise Records, to be released in 2012.
For more information on Hellmerica Customs, visit www.hellmericacustoms.com.
Metal Blade Records has set a November 8 North
American release date for "Circle Of 8", the long-awaited new
album from Dutch metal veterans MARTYR.
During the five years that MARTYR was alive and kicking (1982-1987), the
band released two albums that are considered classics and a delight for those
who love strong melodies, speedy riffs and a high level of technicality — "For
The Universe" (1985) and "Darkness At Time's Edge" (1986). During that period, MARTYR appeared on compilation albums from Roadrunner and Metal Blade, was voted Holland's best new metal band in Aardschok magazine, toured with several international acts and appeared on Sky channel's "Monsters Of Rock" program.
MARTYR disbanded in 1987, but reunited in 2001 to play at the Heavy
Metal Maniacs festival. Four years later, the band reformed with almost the
complete 1982 lineup to perform at the Headbangers Open Air and Keep
It True festivals. The flame has been burning again and the band continued
to play live ever since.
In December 2008 MARTYR supported U.S. shock rockers LIZZY BORDEN on their European tour and played shows in 2009 and 2010 with FLOTSAM AND
JETSAM, VICIOUS RUMORS, JAGUAR and EVERGREY, among
others.
In 2009, the first new MARTYR record in almost 25 years saw the light of
day. A new EP titled "Fear" was coupled with a re-release of
the classic "For The Universe" album and made available as a
double digipack entitled "Fear The Universe" on Rusty Cage
Records.
In 2010 and 2011 MARTYR re-entered the studio and began work on the
follow-up to "Fear" featuring 11 new tracks and a re-recording
of the fan-favorite classic "Speed Of Samurai".
Comments the band: "MARTYR is really pleased to have the new album,
'Circle Of 8', released by Metal Blade Records. It feels like a reunion
with metal friends for us after the 'Metal Massacre VI' release in
1986!"
MARTYR is:
Rick Bouwman - Guitar
Wilfried Broekman - Drums
Rop van Haren - Vocals
Marcel Heesakkers - Guitar
Toine van der Linden - Bass
Norwegian black/death metallers FESTER have completed
work on their first studio album in 17 years, "A Celebration Of
Death", for a late 2011/early 2012 release via Abyss Records.
Original member Bjørn "Tiger" Mathisen has recruited Thomas
Andresen (ALGOL) on vocals, Jon Bakker (KAMPFAR) on bass,
and jazz musician Audun Kleive on session drums. Mortiis has made
a hellish and dark remix of one of the songs and there are contributions from Mr.
Kyrck and Guido of YSENGRIN. The art was created by the
infamous Alex Brown of Bad News Brown.
On the selection of Kleive for session drumming, Mathisen had
this to say: "He is famous for his ability to become one with the music he
plays, and does so in such an unorthodox and dark way. He has never done metal.
He listened to the tunes once before he agreed to session them and ended up
doing most of the parts in one take. Using only a single bass drum he has
helped us create the sinister and lonely mood that we wanted."
As for what to expect musically on "A Celebration of Death", Mathisen is unequivocal about staying the course. "FESTER has kept their
old-school feel, and maybe even taking it back to the Stone Age," he said.
"No effect boxes are used on the guitars; just the basic and sick sounds
of old guitars, amps and racks from the late '60s and early '70s, produced in
the most dark and wicked way you can imagine. The influence of old-school metal
acts like CELTIC FROST, BATHORY, etc., can be heard on this
release, too. FESTER has kept its identity from the past. This is surely
an atypical metal sound, but cold as ice and mean as hell!"
Pioneers in the seamless blending of black and death metal in the early '90s
and well known for their obscure, melancholic and dark way of making music, FESTER are now back with their darkest, harshest and most mournful album to date.
Having laid the groundwork with Abyss reissues of 1992's "Winter
Of Sin" and 1993's "Silence", FESTER is now
poised to commence this new era of darkness.
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