What
do you do in your spare time when you front the world's greatest heavy metal
band? Well, if you're Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, you get another job – or two.
For
the past decade Dickinson has flown jet planes
for British charter Astraeus, written a couple books and placed seventh in
fencing in Britain.
This
summer he's splitting his time between concerts and flying Iceland Express routes on the 'Ed
Force One' – Iron Maiden's infamous jet (as seen in the irresistible rock-doc Flight 666). In fact,
the morning after I met him on a Newark-Reykjavik flight, he
was due in a few hours in Basel
for a Maiden show.
The
guy doesn't stop. But I managed to get him to sit still long enough for this
Q&A (and video above) for this month's official 'great traveler.'
LP:
Why in the world does a guy selling 85 million records bother with a job as a
commercial pilot?
BD:
I wanted to try to get my hands on something a little bigger than my little
twin-engine, piston-engine airplane, and sadly I can't afford to get my own
airport and jumbo like John Travolta, so I thought I'm going to have to get a
job. I thought I'd get some sort of job flying cargo, I never expected flying
on an airline. But ten years ago, I did. And been flying long enough, they gave
me my fourth stripe, and I'm sitting here as a captain.
LP:
What do you like about being a jet pilot?
BD:
You're in an alien place, kept alive by this little cocoon of aluminum, piston
engine and fuel. It's a mechanical beast you have to look after, and sometimes
you think 'I shouldn't be here! This is just some kind of miracle.' And I still
get that same buzz every time I go near a plane.
We
have some awful mornings we have to do as pilots. You drag yourself out of bed
at one o'clock in the morning, when no decent person is awake. It's freezing
cold, and everything's covered in frost. And then there it is! A hundred tons
of big shiny aluminum tube, with two great huge engines on it. And someone's
given it to you for the day.
I
just think it's a huge privilege. And I never get tired of pinching myself and
going 'that's pretty cool.'
LP:
Any comparisons with flying and singing for Iron Maiden?
BD:
When I'm flying, I don't often get the luxury of putting my feet up and just
daydreaming awhile. Because there's just always something to do. Strangely it's
same for me being in front of a hundred thousand people. I run on stage, I got
two hours. And I got a lot of stuff to do. I got 30 pages of lyrics flicking
through my head, and juggling with the crowd. You don't really have much time
to stand there and go, 'wow, isn't this cool?' It's only afterwards.
LP:
What are some things you've seen flying you do think about afterwards?
BD:
Seeing the earth's shadow. Flying along the cusp of day and night. As you're
flying, it's slowly enveloping the plane. And you're actually flying along the
line where the sun's rising and setting. And you can go, 'down there they're
still in night, down there it's daylight.' Day/night: it's such a primordial
thing. To be above it all is quite mind-boggling.
LP:
Do you have any dream trips you've not done?
BD:
I've never been a beach sort of a guy. I would love to take one of the great
railway trips. Trans-Siberian Express. Take a steamer. Things from the Golden
Age of travel, the Victorian age of travel, that appeals to me a lot (even
though I whiz everywhere in a jet)… Just a ship that goes slowly, takes you to
your destination. Therefore you figure out things to do. Like, I don't know,
find about birds or write a book.
It's
almost a luxury now to be able to travel slowly.
LP:
You travel nonstop. You must know the secret to beating jetlag?
BD:
I don't know! I acknowledge jet lag, then I ignore it. It works for me.
Thanks to Bruce and Iceland Express. And remember these
key words on Flying 101 from the Maiden classic 'Aces High':
Legendary rockers Alice Cooper will release his
hugely anticipated new album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", later
this year via Universal Music Group.
Recorded with longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, who produced the original
multi-platinum "Welcome To My Nightmare" album in 1975, the
record picks up right where they left off, with Alice trapped in his own
warped mind.
That original album is an all-time rock classic that spawned a worldwide
theatrical tour and pioneering U.S. TV special and cemented Alice Cooper as a visionary trailblazer whose influence persists today in rock, metal, pop,
punk, theater, television, film and much more.
More than 35 years later, Alice and Ezrin have resurrected the
horror and humor for a new generation.
"This is Alice's nightmare 35 years
later," explains Alice,
"Bob and I created this character and we know how to write for him.
I play the part but we're not writing for me, we're writing for Alice. We kept the
first 'Nightmare' album very personal to us, on this one we found more
humor and we were more open. This was our world and we want to present it to
the fans. The original album was my first solo album after all those huge hit
records with the original band and now that nightmare is exposed, this one can
be a little bit more open. The music crosses all sorts of boundaries; we went
where the lyrics took us."
There is an array of collaborators on the new album, including original Alice
Cooper members Denis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith reunited on three tracks; global pop superstar Ke$ha, who affectionately
calls Alice "dad"; and legendary Alice and Lou Reed guitarist Steve Hunter, who is part of Alice's current touring
band and featured prominently on the first "Nightmare" album.
Musically, the album ranges far and wide, from trashing disco to garage punk,
pop balladry to a rocking number very much in the spirit of THE ROLLING
STONES. And then there's the ballad "Something To Remember Me
By", described by Alice as "the prettiest song we have ever released."
Glimpses of themes from the original album are intertwined throughout, each
track representing a different aspect of Alice's
nightmare.
From the opener, "I Am Made Of You", through the already
established live favorite and first single "I'll Bite Your Face
Off", to the surprising duet with Ke$ha, "What Baby
Wants", this album is a reminder that albums just aren't made this way
anymore.
And musicians do not play together like Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith anymore.
"I wanted a '70s feel for 'When Hell Comes Home'," says Alice,
"and I didn't even have to ask for it, it's just how they play and they
did it live in the studio. When they got done playing the basic track, Bob and I just looked at each other, that sound is built into their DNA. We didn't
need to go and fix anything. The way they finished was a little bit ragged and
that's the way we used to finish songs, that's what I like about it."
Co-writers on various songs include the aforementioned Bob Ezrin, Ke$ha, Neal, Dennis, Michael, plus BUCKCHERRY's Keith
Nelson, Desmond Child (who famously co-wrote and produced "Poison" with Alice), longtime collaborator Dick Wagner, current touring
band member Chuck Garric and film composer Jeremy Rubolino.
"That's my rebellion," says Alice of the more surprising guests, "I like people that don't belong and yet
what they're doing works perfectly. I don't care where it comes from, as long
as it's right. If you tell me something doesn't work, I'll work my head of
until it does then shove it down your throat.
"I think a lot of my audience is going to go 'KE$HA!?', but she
probably wrote the most disgusting lyrics in the song — we had to rein her in.
I like people to know that just because artists are put in a pigeon hole, that
doesn't mean that's what they are. Give people a little room."
With Steve Hunter, one of rock's great guitarists, added to the band's
line-up of guitarists Damon Johnson and Tommy Henriksen, bassist Chuck
Garric, and drummer Glen Sobel, Alice has been tearing up
venues worldwide on his 2011 "No More Mr. Nice Guy" tour.
Alice gave fans a treat in June with a surprise
performance at London's
tiny 100 Club, when actor Johnny Depp joined in on guitar. Alice showcased
the powerful band that had blown away the Download festival crowd the
previous weekend.
This year, the original Alice Cooper group was inducted into the Rock
And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Alice was honored with both the Kerrang! Icon Award in the U.K. and the Revolver Golden God Award in
the USA.
* U.K. fan pack album release / global album release: September 16
* U.K. general album release: October 17
Single: "I'll Bite Your Face Off"
* Limited-edition seven-inch picture vinyl: September 12 with exclusive live
version as the B-side
* Digital: August 22 with "Caffeine" as B-side
"Welcome 2 My Nightmare" will be released first as a "fan
pack" in conjunction with Future Publishing in September, with a
conventional release following in October. The fan pack includes the album, a
giant poster, a facepaint set, a metal badge, an Alice face mask and a 132-page magazine dedicated to all things Alice.
"Fan Pack" track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Exclusive fan pack bonus tracks:
15. Under The Bed
16. Poison (Live at Download Festival)
Standard U.K. and international track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Standard bonus track:
15. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Deluxe U.K.
and international track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Deluxe bonus tracks:
15. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
16. No More Mr. Nice Guy (Live at Download Festival)
17. The Black Widow (Live at Download Festival)
General album formats — released via Universal Music Group:
1. 2xLP blood-red vinyl with poster and exclusive track "Flatline"
2. Deluxe digipak CD with exclusive "ticket to hell" not available
anywhere else, plus poster and bonus tracks "We Gotta Get Out Of This
Place", "No More Mr. Nice Guy (live at Download
Festival)", "Black Widow (Live at Download Festival)"
3. Standard CD/Digital Album with bonus track "We Gotta Get Out Of This
Place"
4. iTunes-exclusive album with bonus track "A Bad
Situation" and track-by-track commentary
Chris Ingham, group publisher at niche publishing house Future,
which is pioneering "The Fan Pack" format, tells The Independent,
that the fanpack format has the potential to transform the relationship between
the magazine industry and the music business. "Record companies have
acknowledged that music magazines are amplifiers but they have also thought
they were parasites," he says. "Moving forward, magazines will be
seen much more as partners and something to rely on."
Other albums that have been released in the U.K. as "fanpacks" include Slash's self-titled solo CD, MOTÖRHEAD's "The Wörld Is
Yours" and WHITESNAKE's "Forevermore".
Legendary rockers Alice Cooper will release his hugely
anticipated new album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", later this
year via Universal Music Group.
Recorded with longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, who produced the original
multi-platinum "Welcome To My Nightmare" album in 1975, the
record picks up right where they left off, with Alice trapped in his own
warped mind.
That original album is an all-time rock classic that spawned a worldwide
theatrical tour and pioneering U.S. TV special and cemented Alice Cooper as a visionary trailblazer whose influence persists today in rock, metal, pop,
punk, theater, television, film and much more.
More than 35 years later, Alice and Ezrin have resurrected the
horror and humor for a new generation.
"This is Alice's nightmare 35 years
later," explains Alice,
"Bob and I created this character and we know how to write for him.
I play the part but we're not writing for me, we're writing for Alice. We kept the
first 'Nightmare' album very personal to us, on this one we found more
humor and we were more open. This was our world and we want to present it to
the fans. The original album was my first solo album after all those huge hit
records with the original band and now that nightmare is exposed, this one can
be a little bit more open. The music crosses all sorts of boundaries; we went
where the lyrics took us."
There is an array of collaborators on the new album, including original Alice
Cooper members Denis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith reunited on three tracks; global pop superstar Ke$ha, who affectionately
calls Alice "dad"; and legendary Alice and Lou Reed guitarist Steve Hunter, who is part of Alice's current touring
band and featured prominently on the first "Nightmare" album.
Musically, the album ranges far and wide, from trashing disco to garage punk,
pop balladry to a rocking number very much in the spirit of THE ROLLING
STONES. And then there's the ballad "Something To Remember Me
By", described by Alice as "the prettiest song we have ever released."
Glimpses of themes from the original album are intertwined throughout, each
track representing a different aspect of Alice's
nightmare.
From the opener, "I Am Made Of You", through the already
established live favorite and first single "I'll Bite Your Face
Off", to the surprising duet with Ke$ha, "What Baby
Wants", this album is a reminder that albums just aren't made this way
anymore.
And musicians do not play together like Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith anymore.
"I wanted a '70s feel for 'When Hell Comes Home'," says Alice,
"and I didn't even have to ask for it, it's just how they play and they
did it live in the studio. When they got done playing the basic track, Bob and I just looked at each other, that sound is built into their DNA. We didn't
need to go and fix anything. The way they finished was a little bit ragged and
that's the way we used to finish songs, that's what I like about it."
Co-writers on various songs include the aforementioned Bob Ezrin, Ke$ha, Neal, Dennis, Michael, plus BUCKCHERRY's Keith
Nelson, Desmond Child (who famously co-wrote and produced "Poison" with Alice), longtime collaborator Dick Wagner, current touring
band member Chuck Garric and film composer Jeremy Rubolino.
"That's my rebellion," says Alice of the more surprising guests, "I like people that don't belong and yet what
they're doing works perfectly. I don't care where it comes from, as long as
it's right. If you tell me something doesn't work, I'll work my head of until
it does then shove it down your throat.
"I think a lot of my audience is going to go 'KE$HA!?', but she
probably wrote the most disgusting lyrics in the song — we had to rein her in.
I like people to know that just because artists are put in a pigeon hole, that
doesn't mean that's what they are. Give people a little room."
With Steve Hunter, one of rock's great guitarists, added to the band's
line-up of guitarists Damon Johnson and Tommy Henriksen, bassist Chuck
Garric, and drummer Glen Sobel, Alice has been tearing up
venues worldwide on his 2011 "No More Mr. Nice Guy" tour.
Alice gave fans a treat in June with a surprise
performance at London's
tiny 100 Club, when actor Johnny Depp joined in on guitar. Alice showcased
the powerful band that had blown away the Download festival crowd the
previous weekend.
This year, the original Alice Cooper group was inducted into the Rock
And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Alice was honored with both the Kerrang! Icon Award in the U.K. and the Revolver Golden God Award in
the USA.
* U.K. fan pack album release / global album release: September 16
* U.K. general album release: October 17
Single: "I'll Bite Your Face Off"
* Limited-edition seven-inch picture vinyl: September 12 with exclusive live
version as the B-side
* Digital: August 22 with "Caffeine" as B-side
"Welcome 2 My Nightmare" will be released first as a "fan
pack" in conjunction with Future Publishing in September, with a
conventional release following in October. The fan pack includes the album, a
giant poster, a facepaint set, a metal badge, an Alice face mask and a 132-page magazine dedicated to all things Alice.
"Fan Pack" track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Exclusive fan pack bonus tracks:
15. Under The Bed
16. Poison (Live at Download Festival)
Standard U.K. and international track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Standard bonus track:
15. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Deluxe U.K.
and international track listing:
01. I Am Made Of You
02. Caffeine
03. The Nightmare Returns
04. A Runaway Train
05. Last Man On Earth
06. The Congregation
07. I'll Bite Your Face Off
08. Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever
09. Ghouls Gone Wild
10. Something To Remember Me By
11. When Hell Comes Home
12. What Baby Wants
13. I Gotta Get Outta Here
14. The Underture
Deluxe bonus tracks:
15. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
16. No More Mr. Nice Guy (Live at Download Festival)
17. The Black Widow (Live at Download Festival)
General album formats — released via Universal Music Group:
1. 2xLP blood-red vinyl with poster and exclusive track "Flatline"
2. Deluxe digipak CD with exclusive "ticket to hell" not available
anywhere else, plus poster and bonus tracks "We Gotta Get Out Of This
Place", "No More Mr. Nice Guy (live at Download
Festival)", "Black Widow (Live at Download Festival)"
3. Standard CD/Digital Album with bonus track "We Gotta Get Out Of This
Place"
4. iTunes-exclusive album with bonus track "A Bad
Situation" and track-by-track commentary
Chris Ingham, group publisher at niche publishing house Future,
which is pioneering "The Fan Pack" format, tells The Independent,
that the fanpack format has the potential to transform the relationship between
the magazine industry and the music business. "Record companies have
acknowledged that music magazines are amplifiers but they have also thought
they were parasites," he says. "Moving forward, magazines will be
seen much more as partners and something to rely on."
Other albums that have been released in the U.K. as "fanpacks"
include Slash's self-titled solo CD, MOTÖRHEAD's "The Wörld
Is Yours" and WHITESNAKE's "Forevermore".
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/coopernightmare2.jpg
It's been three years since VELVET REVOLVER parted
ways with singer Scott Weiland, and time appears to have healed all
wounds. Although Weiland and the band split on unfriendly terms, the
vocalist told Classic Rock magazine, "We patched things up and we
get along. I see them every now and again, we text each other. And you know, we
can never say never. Who knows, maybe we'll do some shows some time."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Weiland was reflective in the
interview about his time in VELVET REVOLVER, which teamed him with
former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt
Sorum. He said, "That was right when I was getting off dope and those
guys were all sober and clean, and I had a very special kind of kinship because
we'd all experienced the same things . . . It was a great band to see live, and
I think we made two exciting albums."
Weiland reunited with his original band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS,
just as his run with VELVET REVOLVER was coming to a close. STP has toured constantly since and recorded a new album last year.
VELVET REVOLVER has still not found a replacement vocalist and is more
or less on hiatus, although it was recently revealed that the group recorded an
album's worth of material with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey
Taylor.
In a recent interview with Brazil's "Lokaos Rock Show", VELVET
REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum said about the band's current status,
"After [we parted ways with] Scott Weiland [in 2008]… We had such a
great first record, especially. The second album is still a good album, but…
It's hard to replace Scott for that particular band, I think.
"When we did VELVET REVOLVER, we wanted to make a modern rock
album, and we had to figure out a way to make that work. We didn't wanna be
like GUNS N' ROSES. We knew we had that in us anyway, especially the Slash and Duff sound was the initial sound of [GN'R's classic debut
album] 'Appetite For Destruction', the way they played together and
everything. Part of that chemistry was there, and when we added Scott,
it brought it into a more modern rock element. He came more from grunge — the Seattle [sound like] SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and bands like that. So it took it sort of forward. We became
more of a modern rock band and we were on modern rock radio."
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has once again
commented on the reports that GODSMACK's "Cryin' Like A
Bitch" single was written as a slam on Sixx after the two bands
apparently clashed during the Crüe Fest 2 tour.
In a posting on his Twitter profile, Sixx responded to a question from a
fan in which Nikki was asked, "What is GODSMACK's problem
with the CRÜE?"
"THE SINGER IS UPSET THERE [sic] HEADLINING LETTER OPENINGS," Sixx replied. "I GOT NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.HAHHHA"
Back in May, Sixx had the following to say regarding GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's apparent feud with Nikki over the events of the Crüe
Fest 2 tour, "Every person — from road crew, fans and even all the
bands on the tour (including [Sully's] band) — was so happy, but [Erna]
just seems to be crying like a bitch," Sixx replied. "Funny,
even his manager told me he's an asshole... Maybe the problem is just in HIS
head... I got no problem with him."
GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna admitted in a webisode for the
band's fifth studio album, "The Oracle", that "Cryin'
Like A Bitch" was inspired by events of Crüe Fest 2, on which GODSMACK was billed below headliners MÖTLEY CRÜE. Sully told Artisan
News Service at the time, "There's definitely been some rock-star
garbage on this tour that we just have never seen in our career . . . this was
the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some
people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out
there every night and . . . make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go
home with a nice big fat paycheck."
Samples of some of the lyrics on "Cryin' Like A Bitch" include
lines like: "Strut on by like a king/Telling everybody they know
nothing/Long lived what you thought you were/Time ain't on your side
anymore"
"Cryin' Like A Bitch" lyrics:
Strut on by like a king
Telling everybody they know nothing
Long lived what you thought you were
Time ain't on your side anymore
And so you tell me I can't take my chances
But I've told you one too many times
And you were cryin' like a bitch
I'm tougher than nails, I can promise you that
Step outta line and you'll get bitch-slapped back
And you can run your little mouth all day
But the hand of god just smacked you back into yesterday
And so you tell me I can't take my chances
But I've told you one too many times
And you were cryin' like a bitch
And you wonder why no one can stand you
There's no denying you were cryin' like a bitch
Blinded by your sacred faded past times, only time is your enemy
Granted a second chance to prove that your arrogance is
Stronger than you'll ever be… it's stronger than you can be [/End of lyrics]
MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil will visit A.D.
Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson the Shop at NorthStar in Sunbury, Ohio. Neil's visit will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
August 2. As a continuation of A.D. Farrow Company's efforts to provide
great entertainment to its customers, in addition to supporting the community,
they are pleased to host Vince Neil for a "Rock the Shop"
meet-and-greet that will include photo opportunities, as well as an autograph
session.
A.D. Farrow Co. has recently hosted Dierks Bentley's Miles And
Music For Kids event, which generated over $125,000 for Nationwide
Children's Hospital. More recently, A.D. Farrow Co. hosted the Ohio
Fallen Heroes Ride And Rally. The Rally also generated tens of thousands
for the benefit of the Ohio Fallen Heroes Memorial to honor those who
have lost their lives in the war on terror. In addition to these community
outreach events the A.D. Farrow Co. family of dealerships hosts Super
Saturdays every Saturday, in order to provide live entertainment every weekend.
MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON, and NEW YORK DOLLS will be performing
live in downtown Columbus at the Schottenstein Center beginning with a
pre-party at 5:00 p.m., concert at 7:00 p.m., and an after-party at Slapsy
Maxie's.
A.D. Farrow Co. is proud to have partnered with MÖTLEY CRÜE in
order to arrange that a portion of ticket sales will benefit the Ohio Fallen
Heroes Memorial.
According to Vindy.com, three men were charged with disorderly conduct
during this past Friday's (July 29) MÖTLEY CRÜE and POISON concert
at Youngstown, Ohio's
Covelli Center.
Police officers were called to the scene and found a 26-year-old man from North Hollywood, California
standing in the face of another man, flailing his arms and yelling. He appeared
to be intoxicated based on his slurred speech and smell of alcohol, police
said.
A Youngstown
police officer tried to make the 26-year-old leave, but two other men stepped
in and tried to stop the officer by grabbing him and standing in his way.
The two men persisted in their behavior despite warnings and were also
arrested.
As previously reported, fifteen people were arrested during the July 22 MÖTLEY
CRÜE, POISON and NEW YORK DOLLS concert at Darien Lake
Performing Arts Center in Darien Lake, New York. Eight people, all from outside
the area, were charged with underage drinking. All were issued tickets to
appear August 15 in Darien Town Court.
Staging for PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
is provided by Mega-Stage (Berger), who also provided the MBNA Stage
that fell on CHEAP TRICK at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest on July 17.
According to a posting on CHEAP TRICK's web site, "All potential
alternatives have been explored by the band and promoter and were exhausted,
leaving CHEAP TRICK with no other option than to cancel their September
1st engagement at the PNE.
"Unless current investigation(s) prove otherwise, the band will not, as a
matter of principle, but more importantly, as a matter of safety, appear on a
Berger stage in the future."
Tickets are refundable at point of purchase.
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER will release
their new album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", on September 13
via Roadrunner Records. The CD, which marks the recorded debut of new
drummer Mike Mangini, will be made available in the standard version; a
special edition CD/DVD set will include "The Spirit Carries On" — a 60-minute movie documenting DREAM THEATER's much-discussed drummer
auditions; a double LP set in gatefold jacket; and a limited deluxe collector's
edition box set. The "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" deluxe
collector's edition box set includes the "A Dramatic Turn Of
Events" album; instrumentals of the entire album; the DVD of "The
Spirit Carries On"; a double-LP set of "A Dramatic Turn Of
Events" (180-gram vinyl in gatefold jacket); DREAM THEATER-branded
custom turntable slipmat; and a litho print of album. Also, 50 lucky winners
will find a DREAM THEATER "Ticket For Life," which is randomly
inserted into packaging. All the content will be housed in a custom box and
those who purchase will receive a digital download of the album the day prior
to release.
"It's a really cool collection dedicated to the art and music of our
forthcoming release, along with a few awesome goodies," guitarist John
Petrucci said.
DREAM THEATER is also planning to embark on a massive world tour, where
they will play selections from "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", as
well as classic, staples and fan favorites. Labelmates TRIVIUM will
appear on many dates, supporting their new album, "In Waves".
"We are all very pumped about the release of 'A Dramatic Turn Of
Events' this September, as well as the world tour we'll embark upon in
support of the album," said Petrucci. "Our first leg will
bring us throughout North America where we'll
showcase songs from the new album along with tons of fan favorites and a brand
new tour production unlike any other that we've done before. We're equally
excited to have our friends in TRIVIUM join us. It's sure to be an
incredible tour. We're looking forward to seeing all of our friends on the road
this fall!"
The initial confirmed run of dates is below, with more to be announced
imminently.
Sep. 24 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
Sep. 25 - Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theater
Sep. 27 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
Sep. 28 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Oct. 03 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre (no TRIVIUM)
Oct. 04 - Pittsburgh, PA - Trib Total Media Amphitheatre
Oct. 06 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
Oct. 07 - Montreal, QC - Place des Arts
Oct. 08 - Quebec City, QC - Pavilion de la Jeunesse
Oct. 10 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
Oct. 11 - Morristown, NJ - Mayo Performing Arts Center
Oct. 12 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
Oct. 22 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall (no TRIVIUM)
Oct. 25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
Oct. 26 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
"A Dramatic Turn Of Events" deluxe collector's edition:
CD1
01. On The Backs Of Angels
02. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
03. Lost Not Forgotten
04. This Is The Life
05. Bridges In The Sky
06. Outcry
07. Far From Heaven
08. Breaking All Illusions
09. Beneath The Surface
CD 2
01. On The Backs Of Angels (instrumental)
02. Build Me Up, Break Me Down (instrumental)
03. Lost Not Forgotten (instrumental)
04. This Is The Life (instrumental)
05. Bridges In The Sky (instrumental)
06. Outcry (instrumental)
07. Far From Heaven (instrumental)
08. Breaking All Illusions (instrumental)
09. Beneath The Surface (instrumental)
You can now pre-order this set at this location.
In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci stated about the departure of the band's drummer
and founding member Mike Portnoy, "I love Mike. We've known
each other for so long… I met him when I was, what, 17? We went to Berklee [College Of Music] together. We went through
everything. He's an awesome guy.
"It was a heartbreaking chapter in our lives, but it's just one of those
things in life where there's a big change, and you don't expect it, and what
matters is the way face that change. You can embrace it or you can run from it.
We just chose to move on."
On the topic of "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", Petrucci said, "It's everything that makes DREAM THEATER what it is. It's
all our elements — metal elements, progressive elements, melodic elements, and all
the playing and fusion elements we've always had. I try to stay pure to the
initial conception of our band; we're a progressive band and we're a metal
band, mixed.
"We always try to push some sort of boundary and do something that's a
little bit different, some sort of element we haven't done before. You'll hear
that for sure. You don't want to repeat yourself, but at the same time it's
important to stay focused on what makes up the sound of the band.
"My favorite bands growing up were YES and RUSH, so 'Hemispheres', 'Close To The Edge', 'And You An I' — those big, dramatic songs
are a huge part of what we do, married with the metal sound and melodic sound
that makes us unique. That's always be there."
PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag"
Darrell Abbott's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney told "Metal
Zone" host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco,
California radio station 107.7 The Bone that this year's Dimebash event — in honor of Dimebag — will be held on
December 8 at the world-famous Key Club on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.
When asked about the success of last year's Dimebash, Haney said
in a 2010 interview, "It was amazing — I mean, overwhelmingly amazing. It
sold out in ten days. When we put the tickets up [for sale], we didn't even
have a lineup, so it was kind of scary putting it together. But just knowing
that everybody would come together in [Dimebag's] honor was enough... I
think people want it, people wanna remember . . . I mean, it was a day and a
half, or two days before [this year's Dimebash] that [some of the
musicians taking part in the event] didn't even know what songs [they would be]
playing yet. We were scrambling to get everything together. I was just amazed
that within the first two days how many people committed and said, 'Yeah, I'm
in.' It was amazing."
On November 5, 2010, Haney presented a donation of over ten thousand
dollars raised from Dimebash 2010 to Wendy Dio in Studio City, California
for the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, a charity in memory of Ronnie
James Dio to help find a cure for stomach cancer, which took his life in
May of 2010. In addition, a DVD of the event was shot and recorded for
near-future release with proceeds from the disc's sales also going towards the
fund.
Dimebash 2010 was held on October 29, 2010. The all-star lineup that
shared the stage included hard rock and heavy metal titans: Lemmy of MOTÖRHEAD; Dave Grohl of FOO FIGHTERS; Joey Jordison of SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE; Simon Wright from DIO; Brent Smith, Zach Myers and Eric Bass of SHINEDOWN; Kerry King and Dave Lombardo of SLAYER; Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel of MACHINE HEAD; Chuck Billy from TESTAMENT; Chris
Howorth and Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT; Joey Vera of ARMORED SAINT; Tony Campos of STATIC-X; Gerry
Nestler of PHILM; John Boecklin of DEVILDRIVER. This
sold-out night was hosted by radio/television personality Jose Mangin, a
veteran of several Dimebag events.
MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13 has
commissioned Hyaena Gallery in Burbank, California to sell some of his
original John Wayne Gacy drawings.
Wednesday 13 acquired these drawing from his manager, who had amassed
one of the largest John Wayne Gacy collections including several
paintings, drawings and even John Wayne Gacy's bible from his prison
cell.
Hyaena Gallery will sell two sets of three framed drawings and one loose
drawing, which will come with the original envelope mailed from John Wayne
Gacy while in prison. These three items will be on display starting Monday,
August 1, with an open reception as part of the "Outside In" exhibit on August 6.
Wednesday 13 will release his new solo album, "Calling All
Corpses", on October 11. The artwork for the CD was created by D.A.
Frizell, who has worked on SEVENDUST's "Cold Day
Memory" as well as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare", "Book Of Nightmare" and "Diamonds In The Rough/ Live
In The LBC" and the AVENGED video "A Little Piece Of
Heaven".
Acclaimed metal drummer Richard Christy (CHARRED
WALLS OF THE DAMNED, ICED EARTH, DEATH, LEASH LAW, CONTROL
DENIED, BURNING INSIDE) — who currently works for "The
Howard Stern Show" — married his longtime girlfriend Kristen Jenco Saturday night (July 30) in New York City.
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED is scheduled to release its sophomore CD in
October via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to the band's 2010
self-titled debut was recorded in part at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Florida
with producer Mark Lewis (ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA).
Christy previously stated about the new CHARRED material,
"If you liked the first album, you're definitely going to love this album!
It's going to be super-melodic, have plenty of blast beats, plenty of
super-catchy vocal parts, heavy guitars, and insane bass parts!"
Tim Jonze of Guardian.co.uk recently conducted an interview with
guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian heavy metal
legends ANVIL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Guardian.co.uk: So how is life in ANVIL following the
documentary?
Lips: Absolutely incredible, man. Basically it's a miracle. That's the
thing about life — anything CAN happen. Looking back, the seeds were planted in
1982 when Sacha [Gervasi, "Story Of Anvil" director] came backstage at the Marquee Club in London and introduced himself as a
15-year-old fan. An extraordinary kid. He immediately perked our interest so we
said: "Come and hang out with us! Why don't you come visit? Why don't you
come on tour?" We gave him the time of his life! We weren't thinking we
wanted anything out of it. We were just thinking: "If we were 15, we'd
wish we were you."
Guardian.co.uk: Who is your audience now? Surely not just metalheads…
Lips: We get everyone from elderly people to kids saying "I gotta
follow my dreams" coming to our shows. The film has completely blown our
audience demographic out of the water. It's an odd situation, because the heavy
metal aspect of the movie is just the backdrop. We could have been two pyramid
builders and you're watching us drop that last brick on the top and we need the
support of the people to help us get there – the movie would still have been a
hit. Basically it was a human interest story, all about perseverance,
friendship, family, everything people have in common. Most of the time we all
look for things that make us different — but the truth is we're all really the
same, with dreams and aspirations and desires. So when you watch that movie you
start realizing either you can relate to what Rob and I are doing or wish that
you could be Rob or I and have the bollocks to go fight the world for what you
love.
Guardian.co.uk: Were you pleased or insulted that people billed you as a
"real-life SPINAL TAP?"
Lips: No way, we embraced that! The idea of making a movie about a metal
band … I LOVE that movie. Come on, man. It's like asking a hockey player if
they like "Slap Shot". It's taking the piss out of yourself.
We knew there was no way around it, it was going to get compared to SPINAL
TAP, so let's put little innuendoes and connections in and go with it. We
had amps going up to 11, we had me yelling "Hello Cleveland!", a
number of things like that.
Guardian.co.uk: Did you think the movie was going to be this big?
Lips: In my soul I knew. I got an email from Sasha, who I hadn't
heard from in 25-27 years. He'd come up from LA and told me he was going to
make a movie. I broke up crying. This isn't just some old fan with a handheld
video camera. This dear kid has grown into a Hollywood
screenwriter for Steven Spielberg and is going to make a movie and
VALIDATE my 30 years of insanity! What happens? Of course the film starts
going. What am I going to do? I gotta get shit done! At first I was like:
"No tour bus? Taking trains? What do you mean?" Then I thought:
"Excellent! You want drama, you GOT it." It was all completely hands
on, like the way we used to do Canada
in our 20s. And I thought that this would make for an INCREDIBLE movie. So it
was a great experience. We were driving and getting to locations on our own.
Now we're reading maps, driving all over Europe
and experiencing it for real. A lot of magic happened.
Sami Jarroush of the Rock It Out! Blog conducted an interview with drummer Dave McClain of San Francisco Bay
Area metallers MACHINE HEAD on July 27 at the Holmdel, New Jersey stop of the Rockstar Energy
Drink Mayhem Festival. You can now watch the chat below.
When asked about the cancelation of MACHINE HEAD's appearance at the
July 26 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts
Center in Darien Center, New York, McClain said, "Robb [Flynn, guitar/vocals] got sick.
He's been flying back on every off day back to Oakland and mixing the [new MACHINE HEAD]
record ['Unto The Locust']. The record's done this week, but he's flying
back and he's wearing himself down. And so he just got to the point where he
just got sick and decided to sit it out and get better. And then he's flying
out again tomorrow, 'cause the record's done this week, so he's gotta fly back
out. So he's really running himself ragged, but he's killing it."
"Unto The Locust" will be made available on September 27 via
the band's longtime label Roadrunner Records. The CD was 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. Flynn stated about the new album
in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, "I think we've
really taken our music to the next level with this. We feel super-excited about
it. I started taking some singing lessons with the guy who worked with Mick
Jagger and Lady Gaga. And then I took some classical guitar. I
wanted to feel like a beginner again and not be comfortable and see what that
brought out. There's definitely a big neoclassical vibe on the record between
all the brutality."
Metal Hammer magazine will release "Unto The Locust" in
the U.K.
with a special-edition fan pack. Complete with 132–page special issue with
exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the making of the new album, extensive
interviews with every member, never-before-seen historic shots from the band's
personal collections, a guide to their custom rigs, and a diary of their
massive Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour happening this
summer, this is the ultimate companion to the long-awaited follow-up to "The
Blackening", Metal Hammer's "album of the decade."
And that's not all. This exclusive fan pack also includes a 100% official
patch, sticker sheet and poster. This is your chance to be part of MACHINE
HEAD history!
Joe Daly of The Nervous Breakdown recently conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor. A few excerpts from the
chat follow below.
The Nervous Breakdown: Let's start with the book. What was behind the
timing of it? Why now?
Corey: It wasn't anything that was calculated. I mean, the book took a
very short time to write but we've been putting this together for awhile, you
know, as far back as maybe two years. So it was something that I'd known for a
long time that I always wanted to do. I've always wanted to write a book. I'm a
huge reader and I've been writing a monthly column for a magazine in England .
. . I've been doing that since 2001, so I've been doing that for a long time
and the opportunity came up to get a book deal together and the cool thing was
that nobody really knew what would happen. Nobody really knew if it would do
anything or if I would even be good at it. So I just kind of did my thing, you
know? I don't think it was any kind of orchestrated thing. Everything happens
for a reason and at the right time. I guess I'm kind of lucky that it came out
when it did.
The Nervous Breakdown: Something that's really unique with your book
that's unlike other rock biographies and books by musicians is that you
actually wrote yours, without assistance from a ghost writer or co-author. What
was that experience like?
Corey: It wasn't that hard, you know? (laughs) I wrote it when we were
recording [STONE SOUR's 2010 album] "Audio Secrecy". So
I would spend all day in the studio and then go back to the house and write all
night. It came together really quick. To me it was nothing more than just writing
a really really long column, you know? I knew the things that I wanted to say,
I knew how I wanted to see the book laid out, and after that you just fill in
the blanks, basically. From a literary standpoint, it was just a lot of math.
It was very weird, but I never got stuck. If I ever felt like I hit the end of
my point, I would walk away from it for awhile. I would only write when I got
excited and it seemed like in the core time of writing it, I was always
excited.
The Nervous Breakdown: Right on page one you say "I want a
revolution in wood pulp." Did you succeed? How are you going to know if
that happened?
Corey: Oh… I don't know. (laughs) I probably won't see it in my
generation, let's put it that way. I'll let the young 'uns pick up on it. I mean,
if you're not shaking things up, if you're not throwing stones at the bear, how
are you going to know when you get clawed? At the end of the day, I think that
too many people are too satisfied with the way things are. They're too ready to
accept what is, rather than asking, "Well, what could be? What could we
have? What can we do? What should we do?" I think these are questions that
not enough people are asking. They're not asking the right questions because
when they do ask questions, they tow the party line by going green, or being
Republicans, God forbid… You know, I ask more questions about how can we be
better people towards each other, than worrying about the planet or worrying
about this or that… There's a bigger issue and it's (the question) why are we
so ugly towards each other? Why are we so horrible to each other? Not everyone,
but most people. I worry about that. I've seen it coming for a long time. If
you go back in history and you look at the way we've been, it hasn't always
been this way and that worries me, man. It worries me for my kids, it worries
me for the kids of fans that I have, and even the fans that I have now. It
worries me and I don't like it. So anything I can do to get people thinking and
get people reevaluating why they do the things they do is a responsibility I'm
willing to take on.
The Nervous Breakdown: In one of your recent Rock Sound columns
you actually challenged the readers by asking them to ask themselves,
"What are you doing to make this world better for someone other than
yourself?"
Corey: Yeah…
The Nervous Breakdown: Are people surprised to hear that kind of
challenge from you?
Corey: I'm sure they are. Well, let me rephrase that- my fans are not,
but other people are. Let's put it that way, because this is something I've
been talking to the fans about for a long time. It's not enough to just get
through life, you know. If you're not putting something back, then you're just
taking up space. If you're not doing something to not only help yourself but to
help other people, then you're in the way. I live by an adage that's very
simple, but it's actually quite appropriate in this day and age. The old
manager for the Oakland Athletics, Connie Mack, said,
"There's room for gentlemen in every profession." Basically, there's
room in every profession to be courteous and to be a good person and that's the
way I live my life. I don't care about selfish, egotistical histrionics. I
don't care about wearing a meat suit to the Grammys and trying to draw
attention to myself. I don't care about these things. I care about making good
music, being a good person, and taking care of my people. And that's something
that's very foreign in my industry. But that's fine. If it makes me kind of the
guy on the outside looking in, so be it. But I'm not gonna change who I am just
to get a better spot at the awards ceremony. I think if more people thought
like that then maybe, just maybe we could be a little better off, you know?
According to The Pulse Of Radio, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman is speaking out on the speculation regarding the
band's future, which he himself started two weeks ago when he hinted that the
group's current tour could be its last for a while — if not for good. Draiman confirmed to The Pulse Of Radio that DISTURBED plans to take an
indefinite hiatus, and gave some hints about the "personal reasons"
behind the decision. "Many of those reasons are have to do with the state
of the music industry in general and, you know, the demise of hard rock and
heavy metal right now, and I think it's just a good time for DISTURBED,
after 10 to 12 years straight of touring, to go away for a little while and
kind of wait for the phoenix to rise from the ashes here," he said.
"It's frightening times right now, and it's just a good time for us to go
away."
But Draiman also admitted that DISTURBED may in fact never come
back. "It could be a concern," he said. "You don't know. We
don't know. I can't definitively tell you one way or the other at this point.
We really haven't gotten that far in our discussions. We all agree that we are
going to step away for an indefinite period of time."
Draiman told Billboard that one thing the hiatus is not about is
any personal strife between the four band members, saying, "This is really
not due to any animosity — I want to make that very clear. In fact, we just had
dinner together last night. Believe me, it's not like we can't work with each
other anymore or we don't get along."
The singer said that all four members of the group have other creative
endeavors they'd like to pursue, with both he and guitarist Dan Donegan interested in producing other acts.
Draiman added that he doesn't think a solo album is in his future. But
he also told Billboard, "Depending on how far those individual
interests end up taking us, and depending on how much we end up missing (the
band) over the course of time — which, of course, at some point I'm sure we
will — that will determine if and when we return."
In the meantime, the band is still touring the country on the Rockstar
Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which passes through Virginia Beach on Tuesday (August 2). Some
sort of live release and a B-sides collection may also be in the works.
Draiman said that the band, which has toured for 12 years and issued
five albums, is playing "stronger...and with more passion" on the
current trek, adding, "We're all viewing this as our last hurrah for
awhile, and we're making them count."
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will headline the "Share
The Welt Tour" this fall with support from ALL THAT REMAINS, HATEBREED and REV THEORY. Tickets for these dates go on sale this weekend to the
general public, but VIP packages with pre-sale tickets will be available at 5FDP.com starting Wednesday, August
3 at 10 a.m. CT.
The dates are as follows:
Oct. 16 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
Oct. 17 - Medford, OR @ Medford Armory
Oct. 19 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Great Slat Air
Oct. 22 - Denver, CO @ First Bank Center
Oct. 25 - Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
Oct. 26 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
Oct. 28 - El Paso, TX @ Speaking Rock Entertainment Center (not SHARE THE WELT)
Oct. 29 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Garden
Nov. 01 - Little Rock, AR @ Clear Channel Metroplex Event Center
Nov. 02 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's new single, "Under It And Over
It", will be available on iTunes starting tomorrow, August 2. The
track is making its debut on radio stations nationwide and is taken from the
band's upcoming third album, "American Capitalist". The disc
hits stores on October 11 and will follow up FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's
gold-selling second effort, 2009's "War Is The Answer".
Regarding the song, vocalist Ivan Moody told Revolver magazine,
"This one is about the rumors and gossip that go on everywhere —
especially online. It's comical to see how much crazy, ill-informed shit people
will post as news and when they're trolling around message boards. In today's
day and age, speculation and bad info can just fly around the Internet and
catch fire — even when it's completely false and unfounded. Funny shit."
Guitarist Zoltan Bathory told The Pulse Of Radio that there is a
theme to the record, but added that it's not a concept album. "You know,
every song is different, of course, and we're never gonna really write a
concept album — it's not a band that's gonna do rock operas where all the songs
connect, you know, so there's always a variety of songs and themes," he
said. "But there's always also a general concept that will run through a
couple of songs at least."
Moody said in a statement, "I literally laid every ounce of blood I
had on this one. We are a people's band. Our fans understand us because of who
we are. We've never tried to be anybody else but FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH."
"War Is The Answer" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard album chart, while the single "Far From Home" reached No. 2 on
the rock radio chart and the band's cover of "Bad Company" hit
No. 1.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH played its first show with new bassist Chris
Kael on July 1 at Boonstock in Gibbons, Alberta,
Canada.
Kael replaced Matt Snell, who left the group late last year for
reasons that have not been disclosed. Originally from Kentucky, Kael moved to FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's home base of Las Vegas to pursue
playing music full-time. He said in a statement about landing the job,
"Never give up on your dreams — I'm living proof that with hard work and a
little bit of luck, they can come true."
Flamboyant Finnish rockers RECKLESS LOVE, who feature
in their ranks former CRASHDIET singer Olli Herman, will release
their second studio album, "Animal Attraction", on September
26 via Spinefarm Records. The CD's first single, "Hot",
is available, complete with the previously unreleased bonus track "Young
& Crazy".
Herman (a.k.a. H. Olliver Twisted) joined CRASHDIET in
2006 as the replacement for David Hellman (a.k.a. Dave Lepard),
who committed suicide in January 2006.
Olli left CRASHDIET shortly after the release of the band's
second album, "The Unattractive Revolution", in order to focus
all his attention on RECKLESS LOVE.
The self-titled debut album from RECKLESS LOVE entered the official
chart in the band's home country of Finland at position No. 13.
RECKLESS LOVE plays exceptionally good rock n' roll. With its rousing
and joyful attitude, the band offers a true alternative for today's rock scene
where everything seems too dull, dark and serious. RECKLESS LOVE's
formula is simple; big hard rock just for the fun of it!
The band was founded in 2001 and started to gradually gain underground
reputation as an energetic live act. Eight years of small scale touring, two
lineup changes and four demos later the band finally took its current form and
found its own recognizable sound.
Canadian metallers CANCER BATS have commenced the songwriting process for their fourth
album, tentatively due in 2012. More information will be made available soon.
CANCER BATS was nominated in the "Rock Album of the Year"
category at the 2011 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy
Awards). The band faced off against fellow Canadians DIE MANNEQUIN, FINGER
ELEVEN, HAIL THE VILLIAN and MATTHEW GOOD.
CANCER BATS's third studio album, "Bears, Mayors, Scraps &
Bones", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of
release. The CD landed at position No. 95 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.
"Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones" was made available on April
13, 2010 via Good Fight Music. CANCER BATS also released a
digital EP containing "Scared to Death" and its take on the BEASTIE
BOYS classic "Sabotage". The EP is available on iTunes.
Gothenburg, Sweden-based metallers AGE OF WOE will
release their self-titled debut seven-inch single digitally this autumn via Pivotal
Rockordings. Consisting of members of END OF ALL, MASSMORD, THE
PROCESS and NO HAWAII, the band is fueled by the desire to explore
new soundscapes in the vast landscapes of punk and metal, leaving the
Gothenburg sound in the dust.
AGE OF WOE's single was recorded and mixed at Belly Of The Whale
Studio in Gothenburg with Carlos Sepulveda (NO HAWAII, PSYCORE)
and mastered by Ulf Blomberg of HoboRec (GRACE.WILL.FALL, COUNTERBLAST, MASSMORD) in February of this year.
Pivotal Rockordings will make the effort available digitally worldwide
and the limited vinyl printings will be available through Addiction To War in France, Halvfabrikat Records and HoboRec in Sweden, and Nakkeskudd Plater in Norway.
"Age Of Woe" track listing:
01. We Are Dead
02. The Antagonist
03. No Remorse
AGE OF WOE is:
Sonny Stark (MASSMORD, FUTURE RUINS) - Vocals
Anders Pålsson (FREDAG DEN 13:E) - Bass
Martin Brzezinski (END OF ALL) - Guitar
Gonzo Incognito (NO HAWAII) - Guitar
Markus Bolechowski Franklin (THE PROCESS, DEADISTS) - Drums
For more information, visit www.ageofwoe.net.
Athens, Ohio's SKELETONWITCH will release its
new album, "Forever Abomination", in October via Prosthetic
Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Breathing The Fire" was
recorded at a Los Angeles
studio with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, KREATOR).
The effort will include the track "The Infernal Resurrection",
the demo version of which appears as the B-side on the final seven-inch of a
limited-edition vinyl trilogy. This marks SKELETONWITCH's first
recording with the group's new drummer, former DEMIRICOUS skin-pounder Dustin
Boltjes.
"Forever Abomination" will be released on the following dates:
Mainland Europe: October 7
United Kingdom: October 10
North America: October 11
Japan: October 19
The album will be issued in three formats: digital download; a six-panel, plastic-free
digipak; and a triple-gatefold LP (which in turn will be available in several
color variants). More details are available at ForeverAbomination.com.
"Forever Abomination" track listing:
01. This Horrifying Force (The Desire To Kill)
02. Reduced To The Failure Of Prayer
03. Of Ash And Torment
04. Choke Upon Betrayal
05. Erased And Forgotten
06. The Infernal Resurrection
07. Rejoice In Misery
08. Cleaver Of Souls
09. Shredding Sacred Flesh
10. Sink Beneath Insanity
11. My Skin Of Deceit
On Thursday (August 4), SKELETONWITCH kicks off a European tour, which
will see the band play some of the continent's biggest metal festivals. The
group will then return to North America for a
series of shows alongside ARCH ENEMY and DEVILDRIVER.
SKELETONWITCH's latest album, "Breathing the Fire" (2009), debuted at No. 151 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 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. It was SKELETONWITCH's second full-length release for Prosthetic Records, with whom the band recently extended its recording
deal.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/skeletonwitchforever.jpg
MUNICIPAL WASTE drummer Dave Witte spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about ARGONAUTS, his new band which also
features former THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and BURNT BY THE SUN members alongside EAST OF THE WALL bassist Brett Bamberger.
When asked about ARGONAUTS' musical direction, Witte said,
"We have no direction to follow. We all know that we want it dark and
heavy in our own way, while nodding to our own past approaches. We just want
pieces of ourselves to come out through this new outlet, with the purpose of
keeping ourselves satisfied."
Regarding ARGONAUTS' record-label situation, Witte said, "We
realize [that we could land a record deal just based on the group's members
alone], and sooner or later we'll start thinking about that, I suppose, but for
the time being there really isn't too much of an agenda. We have modest goals
of writing songs, putting a record out and playing some shows."
On the topic of what fans can expect from the group in the next 12 months, Witte said, "We will play shows. Our first one will most likely be in Richmond, Virginia
as a part of the GWAR-B-Q [in September], unless we get an itch before
that. We've been demoing songs for a while now and we should have a taste of
what's to come pretty soon."
A description of the group from ARGONAUTS Facebook page: "The tail end of '09 saw four gentleman
who did time in BURNT BY THE SUN, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and THE
POSTMAN SYNDROME and currently play in MUNICIPAL WASTE and EAST
OF THE WALL as well, start charting out sea changes. ARGONAUTS have
set their own course in heavy music, unconcerned with limitation or agenda.
Hold fast."
ARGONAUTS is:
Dimitri Minakakis (ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) - Vocals
John Adubato (ex-BURNT BY THE SUN) - Guitar
Brett Bamberger (EAST OF THE WALL) - Bass
Dave Witte (MUNICIPAL WASTE, ex-BURNT BY THE SUN) – Drums
Amy
Harris recently conducted an interview with COLD frontman Scooter
Ward. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Amy Harris: ["Superfiction"] is your first album in six
years. Was it hard to go back and write and go back in the studio together?
Scooter: No, it's pretty easy to write. I think writing just comes to
us. We could write songs every day. That's not the hard thing. Recording and
getting the sound we want and spending time on harmonies is what really takes a
long time. Hooking up with Eleven Seven, they gave us the option to have
the time to do that and get the sound we wanted.
Amy Harris: You guys famously took a break in 2006 and everybody thought
the band was finished for a while. Did you guys stay friends or stay in touch
during that period of time when you were off?
Scooter: During that time when we took the hiatus, we were set on
separating for a little while because we had been together for 12 years
relentlessly writing records and touring. There was not much time off that
whole time. During that time, we had kids and got married and things like that.
We really wanted to spend time away from each other to focus on families. Of
course, we talked on the phone every now and then, but nothing major. It was
nice to be away from everybody for a little bit. Then we got back together for
the reunion tour; I had played with Sam [McCandless, drums] and Jerry [Marshall,
bass] since I was 12. I am 40 now, 41, so it was like we are brothers. It was
nice to see everybody again and I think when all the fans showed up for the "Resurrection" tour, it just inspired us to stay together and continue with COLD.
Amy Harris: Each one of the songs on the album is accompanied by a piece
of art. Can you tell me how that concept came about and who did the illustrations?
Scooter: For sure. The definition for "superfiction" is art
coming to life from the images. When I heard that definition, that is how I
wanted our record to be with the audio. At the same time, as I was creating the
songs, there were certain images that stuck out in my head, and we remodeled
the song lyrics around those images. I thought that everybody should see where
the song came from in the first place so we got an illustrator and I would kind
of draw a rough sketch of the images. I would then send it to the illustrator
and he would really draw it. It came out pretty cool. But through the songs and
creating and writing the lyrics, those were kind of the images I had in my
head.
Amy Harris: Did you have any musical influences on this album?
Scooter: I don't know about musical influences. After COLD disbanded, I work on a band called THE KILLER AND THE STAR. So I was
writing the entire time. Then when we got COLD back together, I just went into
writing for COLD. When I write, I don't really listen to other music or
radio. I just focus on creating my own world with COLD. I don't know
about the influences. We always draw influences from old school stuff like DEPECHE
MODE or THE CURE. Those are some of my favorite bands. I always have
those influences in my writing. I think that is where the dark things come
from.
Amy Harris: What is the best thing about touring and being in a rock
band for you after all these years?
Scooter: The best thing after all these years is to be able to survive
and pay the bills and still do what we love. Seeing the fans, they have become
part of the family over the years. We have a very loyal fan base. We see the
same people all of the time at shows. It's nice to see everybody again.
Japanese rockers DIR EN GREY have released the
following open letter expressing their feelings about this year's tragedy in
their home country:
"The earthquake this March took the lives of many people, including many DIR
EN GREY supporters. Now, in many places throughout the country, high
radiation levels have been detected; everyone, including ourselves, has been
exposed to the radiation and there are even some who say the contamination is
so bad we are at risk to not be able to travel to the USA and other
countries in the future.
"On March 11th, the band was in the studio in Tokyo working on the new album when the
earthquake hit. Afterwards the power shortages and transportation chaos caused
further complications, and our many thoughts crossed our mind: 'Will this album
really be completed?'; 'Will we ourselves be able to continue working towards
the completion?'; and 'Is it right to continue making this album?'
"August 3rd 2011 is the release date of our new album, 'Dum Spiro
Spero'. This normally would have been a wonderful day where our work was to
be released out into the world. However, there are still many people in Japan suffering
from the disaster and so with the intention of self-restraint, we will to
refrain from words of joy on this occasion. But we cannot stop moving forward due
to this.
"We are currently in Japan;
however, it is unclear to what extent the government's statements are correct,
and to be honest, no one really knows what is going on in Japan right
now. The safety regulations for safe level of radiation exposure keep getting
increased higher and higher, yet the only official announcement is that 'there
is no effect on health.'
"We can no longer tell whether we are a democratic nation. Unless you are
careful with your words, you will be taken down with significant force. At this
point, we do not have the ability to truly find out what is occurring in our
own country. However, we want to know the truth. People are able to overcome
huge obstacles and problems if they know the truth.
"In the album title 'While I Breath I Hope', and our music video 'Different
Sense' that we released just prior to the album, our sense of wanting to
take action that will lead to a breakthrough in the current situation is
reflected.
"The beginnings of something as significant as the velvet revolution are
said to have been in the 'Prague Spring' which was started by a rallying
of people of culture.
"For all of you who have read this, we ask that you do what you can to
support us in our search for the truth."
Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR, VOID
OV VOICES) and New York City guitarist Dennis
Deen are in Oslo
collaborating on a new project which is described as "a cross between old TORMENTOR, SKINNY PUPPY and BIOHAZARD." More information will be made
available soon.
Performing since 1986 when he co-founded cult-metal band TORMENTOR, Attila is best known for his contribution to MAYHEM's "De Mysteriis Dom
Sathanas" album in 1993, a milestone for the black metal genre. Csihar is, or has been, a member of various groups such as PLASMA POOL, ABORYM,
and KOROG. He has also done guest vocals (and toured) with SUNN O))), BURIAL CHAMBER TRIO and GRAVETEMPLE.
According to the Weatherford Democrat, one of two men arrested following the
October 2008 murder of the 24-year-old guitarist for the Texas metal band SKARD SOUL over a
quarter pound of marijuana pleaded guilty July 21 to burglary of a habitation
and received 20 years in prison.
Johnny Preston Reed was allowed to plead guilty to the burglary charge
and receive the maximum sentence for the charge because he cooperated in the
murder investigation and provided information to investigators about the
incident and shooter, Assistant District Attorney Robert DuBoise said.
Guy Evan Graves pleaded guilty last year to murdering Sisk and was given
a 40-year sentence.
Jeremy Ryan Sisk was killed on October 21, 2008 at his brother's
Weatherford apartment.
According to Star-Telegram.com, Sisk was reportedly shot in the face
when he was trying to intervene in an assault on his brother by Reed and Graves.
The two suspects had reportedly gone to the apartment to get money owed to Reed by Jeremy Sisk's brother.
Witnesses told police that Reed had previously "fronted" Sisk's
brother a quarter pound of marijuana to sell.
When Sisk's brother could not provide the money, the men began beating
him up.
Sisk, who'd been staying the night at the apartment with his girlfriend,
ran inside the bedroom to help his brother but was shot in the face by Graves during the fight.
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