According to the Rockville Music Magazine, the award-winning documentary "Absent",
exploring the worldwide crisis of absent and disengaged fathers and the
negative impact that the "father wound" makes on society, will be
released on DVD on September 5. The disc will contain the full-length
documentary — including extensive interview footage with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield — with bonus features such as the
question-and-answer sessions Hetfield and filmmaker Justin Hunt took part in at the San Rafael and Mesa screenings of the movie. Also included
is Hetfield and Hunt March 30, 2011 appearance on the Fox News channel program "Fox & Friends" and a special announcement
from boxer Johnny Tapia made at the world premiere screening of "Absent".
Hunt will autograph the first 2500 DVDs sold through the movie's web site.
Hetfield discussed his involvement with "Absent" in an
interview with Rockville Music Magazine on March 3, just before the film
screened at the San Rafael California Film Institute in San Rafael, California.
In the film, which deals with the issue of absent or disengaged fathers, Hetfield recounts his own experience of having his father abandon his family when the
future rock legend was 13 years old.
Now a father of three himself, Hetfield says that he himself has come a
long way from the time in 2001 when he missed his son's birthday because he was
on a drunken hunting trip in Russia.
He told the magazine that never happens anymore, explaining, "We'll pull
them from school and fly them to Lisbon or fly them to Philly, or wherever it
is, so the kids gets to celebrate with their Pops."
Hetfield added about becoming a father, "I thought I'd better start
reading some books on how to be dad. I started to get mad. My dad didn't teach
me to do this or this . . . There was a lot of resentment that came from fear.
And I figured out they don't need all of that. They don't need the
instructions. They need guidance. They need love. They need you to be there,
simple as that."
Hetfield said there was a pivotal moment when he realized what kind of
father he wanted to be for his kids: "Just sitting with the kids and just
realizing, 'You know what? I don't have to do anything else. I don't have to
show up for this gig. I don't have to, you know, I can be late for this. All
that shit can go away. All I have to do is just sit here with my kids, and that
is fine.'"
Hetfield and Hunt did a question-and-answer session with the
audience after the San Rafael
screening of "Absent", with Hetfield staying an extra
hour and a half to sign autographs and talk with fans.
For more information and to pre-order the DVD, visit www.absentmovie.com.
Vocalist Brian Ross of NWOBHM legends BLITZKRIEG spoke to the Sunday Sun about his band's influence on METALLICA.
BLITZKRIEG's self-titled song "Blitzkrieg" was covered
by METALLICA on the "Creeping Death" EP. METALLICA's
drummer, Lars Ulrich, commented that BLITZKRIEG was one of his
band's main musical inspirations, along with DIAMOND HEAD.
Brian, lead singer and only remaining founding member of BLITZKRIEG,
said: "Lars Ulrich phoned me up and asked if they could cover the
song.
"METALLICA were, and still are, big fans of the band. We have met
up with them a few times over the years and I am really pleased that they still
play 'Blitzkrieg' at gigs."
Brian said that he tried to give the then-unknown METALLICA a
helping hand in the early 1980s.
"They sent me their demo when they were still unsigned, asking for my help
to get them on our label," he said. "But the label turned them down,
saying they'd never go anywhere.
"I met up with the guy who made that call a few years ago and he says it
is the biggest mistake of his life."
Jaan Uhelszki of The Morton Report recently conducted an interview with
original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. A couple of excerpts from
the chat follow below.
The Morton Report: Did you feel your talent was undervalued when you
were in KISS?
Ace: Well, it seemed like it. Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons]
never wanted to give me the credit that was due. It was like in a lot of
instances they tried to bury the fact that I did A, B, C, and D. I can't
remember Paul or Gene ever saying, "Wow, that was a great
solo." On some of my classic guitar solos that were on their songs. But
what goes around comes around. They have a new album coming out and I have a
new album coming out, and you know what's going to happen. People are going to
compare the two. That's all I'm going to say about that.
The Morton Report: I think the world is broken down by who is your
favorite KISS member. There's even a Facebook quiz, "What
KISS Member Are You?" You ask people and they always say that you're their
favorite member of KISS.
Ace: Well, according to Paul and Gene, that's not true.
The Morton Report: No, I think you're the most beloved member.
Ace: I don't think Paul and Gene ever got that. If they
did, but why would they have replaced me with Tommy Thayer? And it was
profitable in the beginning, but that was because nobody knew it was Tommy
Thayer. They were kind of were burying that fact.
The Morton Report: Who do you think it's worse for? Do you think it's
worse for Tommy Thayer to have to be you, or for you to see Tommy be you? He didn't even get his own persona, you know?
Ace: Well, he didn't get his own makeup because of all the whole
merchandising machine Gene has in place with Sony Signatures. To
create a new face just would be a big problem. So it all comes down to dollars
and cents, and not what's really the right thing to do.
The Morton Report: As for you, what do you think your greatest strength
is?
Ace: I think probably my greatest strength is, because I grew up in the Bronx and was a street kid, I have the survival instinct.
And there were plenty of times in my life where I didn't think I was going to
make it. Or just mentally didn't think I was going to make it. But I was able
to draw from my childhood, my street sense, and that always carried me through
tough situations. And also my belief in God. I do believe there's a greater
consciousness that everybody's part of, that if you can tap into that, you can
get to a higher place. I've written songs that I felt I haven't written. I feel
like the words just get beamed into my head.
The Morton Report: Do you still feel a loyalty to them, to KISS as an entity?
Ace: I don't know if loyalty's the right word. I feel a connection. The
four of us did have a chemistry that was unique to the four of us, but I think
it might be gone at this point, or impossible to recapture.
The Morton Report: If the circumstances were right, could you do
something with everybody at the same place, same time?
Ace: I think it's probably passed. It came and went. But that's okay. I
did the reunion tour. I feel I was there for them when they needed me.
Former DREAM THEATER and current ADRENALINE MOB drummer Mike Portnoy was
interviewed on last night's (Friday, August 5) edition of Eddie
Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3
FM.
When asked for his opinion of the DREAM THEATER track "On The
Backs Of Angels", the first song to be released with new drummer Mike
Mangini (STEVE VAI, ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME), Portnoy said, "It's very difficult for me to hear. Nobody wants to see their
ex-wife of 25 years with a new husband moving into the house that you built for
25 years. It's a painful thing for me to hear and see. A DREAM THEATER without me was never in the plan; I never expected that. But they've chosen to
move on and I just have to kind of sit on the sidelines and watch and listen. I
did hear the song and I heard an excerpt of another song [from the forthcoming DREAM
THEATER album]. And I guess I'll reserve comment on those just because
whatever I say — whether it be good, bad or indifferent — it's probably gonna
come across wrong and it will be completely dissected and misinterpreted. So
let's leave it at 'no comment.'"
In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess stated about Portnoy's change of mind
and request to be reinstated after leaving the band last September, "Mike wanted to come back after we had gone through all the emotional turmoil and
pain of losing a friend, and the effort we went through to get back on our
feet. We were well past our recovery phase and had made a commitment to Mike
Mangini."
Regarding Portnoy's decision to leave the band he co-founded and led for
25 years, Rudess said, "His leaving was unbelievable, it was so
emotional. He's a close friend of mine and we've been through so much together
— it basically brought me to tears. But being a positive person and around guys
who love what they're doing, we had to figure out how to move forward."
On the topic of Mangini, a former Berklee College of Music teacher and
holder of five World's Fastest Drummer records, Rudess said, "Mike adapted to our world so wonderfully. He's not only a great drummer, but a great
guy. He came into the audition and locked in with us and nailed it. We were
amazed.
"We were looking for someone who could walk onstage with us and not throw
us off in the least, and we found him in Mike. As painful and said as
the situation was over not being able to work with Mike Portnoy, life
goes on — this kind of thing, unfortunately, happens in bands and we're
interested in keeping a positive direction and making really good music."
DREAM THEATER's new album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events",
will be released on September 13 via Roadrunner Records.
POISON guitarist C.C. DeVille will guest on an
upcoming episode of Nikki Sixx's (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M.)
nationally syndicated "Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx" radio show. Nikki writes on his Twitter page, "All hell is breaking
loose. C.C. DeVille is gonna be on 'Sixx Sense' and dirty laundry
and debauchery will be aired. Good god. :)"
MÖTLEY CRÜE's current headlining trek with support from POISON and special guests NEW YORK DOLLS kicked off on June 7 at Gexa Energy
Pavilion in Dallas, Texas.
Each night on "Sixx Sense", international rock icon,
founder/bassist/songwriter of the world-renowned band MÖTLEY CRÜE and
chart-topping band SIXX: A.M., New York Times best-selling
author, clothing designer, philanthropist and photographer Nikki Sixx discusses music and lifestyle topics as he gives listeners a backstage look at
the world and mind of a rock star. Joined by co-host Kerri Kasem, Sixx provides his unique perspective and attitude as the duo welcomes celebrity
guests, recording artists and fascinating characters from all walks of life.
All this and more are coupled with the radio station's playlist.
Since launching in February 2010, "Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx" is fast becoming the place to hear it first for guests from all walks of life,
including rock royalty, the first man on the moon, authors, actors and everyone
in between. Dave Grohl, Jared Leto, Lemmy Kilmister, Perez
Hilton, Kat Von D, "CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker, "Four Agreements" author Don Miguel Ruiz, Dog The
Bounty Hunter and others have joined Sixx and his Kasem for
their special brand of conversation. In addition, they've world-premiered
albums and songs for artists and bands like BUCKCHERRY, DROWNING POOL and Slash and hosted the announcement for last summer's Ozzfest.
For more information, visit www.sixxsense.com.
Denise Britt of Sonic
Shocks recently conducted an interview with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian
Bach. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Sonic Shocks: What does this new record [Kicking &
Screaming"] mean to you?
Sebastian: Well, you know, all I want to do is put more songs in your
iPod to go with the songs you already have in there like "Youth Gone
Wild", "Monkey Business" and "18 And
Life". I really feel like "Kicking & Screaming",
the whole album is… If you liked "Slave To The Grind" and "Angel
Down" and the [other] SKID ROW albums, you're going to like
this album. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything; I'm just trying
to make another kick-ass rock and roll record. I'm very, very happy with it.
Sonic Shocks: The cover art kicks ass. What does it represent? What's it
all about?
Sebastian: Well, I just got divorced after 18 years and a lot of the
songs on the album are about breaking up and relationships and/or finding a new
relationship. The goddess Kali (the Hindu goddess associated with
eternal energy), she's got eight arms and she is dragging me into hell and
cutting me with knives, and that's kind of what the divorce feels like.
[Laughs] You know, a lot of the songs in rock and roll were written about girls
and relationships, and a lot of the songs on this record have to do with
breaking up or finding love, and that is pretty much what the album cover is.
Sonic Shocks: What does [the song "Dream Forever"] mean
to you personally? Were you writing it about a relationship or what?
Sebastian: Just thinking of the things I could have been before I close
my eyes. Like when you get divorced and you have kids, the last thing you want
to do is hurt you kids and put them through hard times, and divorce is hard
times, you know?! There are a lot of feelings I have. My parents got divorced
when I was 10 years old and I swore to God that it would never happen to me and
now it's happening and that's just life. You know, my buddy John Rich,
the country artist, told me, "Sebastian, never be afraid to write
what you feel because there is always somebody that is going through the same
thing with the same feelings as you." And it's true. As you get older, you
find out that love is the most important thing. At least to me it is, and that
is what I was writing about on this record.
Sonic Shocks: That is so true.
Sebastian: I'm looking for a girl that wants to travel with me on the
road. It's a lonely life on the road. I'm sure there is one somewhere; I can't
believe it's so hard to find one.
Sonic Shocks: So I saw you at Rocklahoma this year and was
totally impressed by your guitarist, Nick Sterling. Where in the world
did you find this kid?
Sebastian: This guy is a rock star and a totally talented musician. I
saw him in a Guitar World magazine and then I went to his web site and
heard some riffs and I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I went to his MySpace page and emailed him and asked him, "Dude, do you want to join my band and
go on tour with GUNS N' ROSES and travel all over the world?" He
was like, "Uh… yeah."
Sonic Shocks: To be honest, you were SKID ROW; no one else
in the band existed for me. Now I see that SKID ROW is out and about
again with a new singer. Does that bother you? It bothers me as a fan and a
music lover because to me, YOU were SKID ROW.
Sebastian: It bothers me because they are wrecking the name. If they
called themselves something different then we could save the name of SKID
ROW as something cool. But whatever, I can't control it.
Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), DEVILDRIVER, SODOM, DORO, FINNTROLL and BORKNAGAR are among the artists who are featured on the 20th-anniversary tribute to METALLICA's
self-titled album, to be made available with the September 2011 issue of Germany's Metal
Hammer magazine. The 80-page publication containing the disc,
behind-the-scenes articles and interviews as well as a 32-page Wacken Open
Air special will hit newsstands in Germany on August 24.
The world-exclusive "Metallica" tribute album includes eleven previously
unreleased recordings plus a cover of "Enter Sandman" that was
recorded by Lemmy Kilmister and members of ZEBRAHEAD for the 1998
compilation "ECW: Extreme Music":
* LEMMY - "Enter Sandman"
* THE NEW BLACK - "Sad But True"
* DEVILDRIVER - "Holier Than Thou"
* DARK AGE - "The Unforgiven"
* CALLEJON - "Wherever I May Roam"
* I.C.S. VORTEX - "Don't Tread On Me"
* NEAERA - "Through The Never"
* DORO - "Nothing Else Matters"
* MOTORJESUS - "Of Wolf And Man"
* FINNTROLL - "The God That Failed"
* BORKNAGAR - "My Friend Of Misery"
* SODOM - "The Struggle Within"
METALLICA's 1991 self-titled fifth album, commonly known as "the
black album," in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come
On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date,
the black album has sold 15,687,000 copies.
Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with
their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the
black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five
singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
The reactivated MINISTRY, SCORPIONS, HAMMERFALL, AMON AMARTH and GAMMA RAY are the newly confirmed bands for next
year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August
2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany. Also scheduled to appear
are U.D.O. and CRADLE OF FILTH.
MINISTRY's "farewell" tour, the "C-U-LaTour",
started its North American leg on March 26, 2008 and concluded in Chicago on May 12, 2008.
The final date on the trek took place on July 18, 2008 at the Tripod in Dublin, Ireland.
During the performance, MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen repeatedly
reaffirmed that it would indeed be the last-ever MINISTRY show. Due to a
large demand for tickets, an extra gig was added at the Tripod on July 19,
2008. "Adios... Puta Madres", a live album featuring material
culled from MINISTRY's "final" tour, was released in 2009 on
CD and DVD.
When asked in a 2007 interview prior to "C U LaTouR 2008" if
there would ever be a big MINISTRY reunion in 15 years, Jourgensen said, "I don't think so, my friend. First of all, who am I gonna get to
reunionize with? I'm the fucking band. So unless I make a reunion with myself…
Whatever, no. I've got a lot of other stuff going on. Literally, I'm booked
solid for the next 15 months. I know exactly what I'm doing for the next 15
months, plus I've got a record label [Thirteenth Planet Records], I've
got a lot of other bands I need to baby-sit for. There would be no time, need,
or inclination to every get some kind of redundancy going on."
Wacken Open Air was first held in 1990 as a small event for local German
bands. By 1998 the event had become the major festival on the European metal
calendar and has included over 70 bands from all over Europe, North America and
Australia.
Wacken Open Air is usually held at the beginning of August and lasts
three days, during which the festival-goers camp on several large camping
grounds surrounding the actual festival area. The 70 or more bands perform
across four separate stages over the course of the event.
The 2009 edition of Wacken Open Air set a sales record; it sold out on
December 30, 2008. All 70,000 tickets were sold over 200 days before the start
of the festival.
Wacken Open Air, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, was
honored with a Live Entertainment Award in 2008 in the "Festival Of
The Year" category. This award recognizes distinguished achievements in
live entertainment and is given out by Live Entertainment Award (LEA)
committee.
Calum Robson of RushOnRock.com recently conducted an interview with
vocalist Joacim Cans of Swedish melodic metallers HAMMERFALL. A
couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
RushOnRock.com: Would you say [the new HAMMERFALL album] "Infected" takes a more traditional metal stance as opposed to the power metal that has
described your sound?
Joacim Cans: Power metal is something that all the journalists around
the world have been labeling us since day one. I've always said that we play
heavy metal and within heavy metal there's room for the power as well. The
progress while writing the album — these songs came natural. We were aiming for
something more alive, maybe with a little more roughness to it. We didn't
really sit down and have a "cunning plan" on how to write the album!
Everything happened naturally. When we were done with the first two songs ("Patient
Zero" and "Redemption"), we set the standard already
there. The main theme for the album was the zombie and we had to add a little
more attitude because a zombie without attitude is a lame fucking zombie!
RushOnRock.com: So in terms of content, HAMMERFALL are going in a
different direction?
Joacim Cans: I think this is really back to the roots when talking about
the lyrics. It's back to the original idea I had when I started to write music,
in terms of storytelling. Every song on this album is a well-thought-out story,
and I really had battles with myself in writing the melodies as well as the
lyrics, but at the end of the day I got a lot of recognition from James [Michael, producer] when it came to the lyrics. He said it's
unbelievable that someone whose second speaking language is English came up
with all these twists in the lyrics. That really made my day that he was a part
of them. In the end, a song like "Let's Get It On" is a
typical HAMMERFALL story about being an army of one and battling your
own battles. It had all the ingredients there but they're with a twist now.
RushOnRock.com: In the past you've portrayed these personal battles with
older imagery, but now you've moved to a different platform in zombies. Was it
a natural progression for HAMMERFALL?
Joacim Cans: I think we've added another level to everything within the
band. The zombie stories were also inspired by horror movies and zombie movies
in general. This was like a natural step for us, that everyone could stand
behind. There's still only two songs with the zombie theme ("Patient
Zero" and "Dia De Los Muertos").
RushOnRock.com: Is the album name a reference to anything else other
than a zombie infection as such?
Joacim Cans: Not really, we had a hard time coming up with a title for
the album, but then the opening track "Patient Zero" has the
word "infected" in every chorus. The impact that word makes said,
"Come on, let's infect the world with HAMMERFALL," so we
decided to put "infected" there.
RushOnRock.com: This is the first time you've had an album cover without
your legendary mascot Hector. What was the reasoning behind
"dropping" Hector?
Joacim Cans: It felt like we had had Hector in every position possible.
He's been sitting down, standing up, he's been on a horse, he's been riding an
eagle, he's been everywhere! We sent him to rehab for now! The black cover is a
slip-case cover and we had a little fight with some people about that. If you
remove the slip-case cover when the album comes out, you'll see the real cover.
It's very bright and I really like it because it is so different. Hector is
involved but not on the cover. There will be a lot of Hector on special
editions. More than you've ever had before.
RushOnRock.com: You originally wanted to put the biological hazard
symbol on the front cover, didn't you?
Joacim Cans: That was also on the slip-case, but for some reason the
[hardcore/metal] band BIOHAZARD [from New York] have it copyrighted. They have the
sign copyrighted, and I don't really understand how they can copyright
something like that. [Note: The "biohazard" symbol was
reportedly developed by the Dow chemical company in 1966 for their
containment products. — Ed.] Then there's a biohazard virus all over Europe, you can't put up the signs because BIOHAZARD own the rights for it. They own the rights for the music, so we said, "OK,
it's fair enough, we'll take it away. It has to be BIOHAZARD's music."
A photo of SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser's
new tattoo commemorating the time he spent filling in for ANTHRAX's Scott
Ian while Ian spent time with his family following the birth of his
first child can be seen below.
Commenting on the experience of playing with ANTHRAX, Kisser told Jackson Guitars in a recent interview (see video below), "It's just
an amazing feeling that I never really dreamt. It's like something that I was
very surprised, but at the same time very honored, very happy.
"When Scott called me last December to be a part of ANTHRAX for two weeks, including 'Big Four' shows, and then I'm jamming with everybody
on stage at the end of the show, it's great. And to bring the Brazilian heavy
metal here — I represent Brazil
heavy metal somehow. I'm a guitar player from SEPULTURA; they called the
guitar player from SEPULTURA.
"We play[ed] a little bit of SEPULTURA here, and the reaction of
the crowd was amazing, screaming the name of the band and stuff, in the middle
of the 'Big Four'.
"It feels great to be a part of this. It's something amazing that I'm
gonna keep the rest of my life. And my whole family is really enjoying that and
my fans in Brazil,
they're proud and stuff. And I just cannot say anything bad about it. [laughs]
It's very positive and it's very amazing.
"I play the guitar the way I play because I have their DNA. It's like Scott
Ian, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Kerry
King, Jeff Hanneman, Gary Holt… Somehow they're all [at the
'Big Four' shows in Europe]. EXODUS is
not here, but Gary Holt is here. [laughs] It's like, what else could you
ask? Even in Italy, Scott came to jam with us, so I jammed with the complete ANTHRAX in a 'Big Four' date.
"It's been amazing. It's something special. It's like a heavy metal would
always dream to see that. And I am a heavy metal fan, and I'm here in the
middle of it, participating with my guitar playing and with my input."
Kisser made his live debut with ANTHRAX on July 2 at Veltins
Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany as part of a "Big
Four" show with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.
In a letter addressed to Andreas on ANTHRAX's official Facebook page, the band wrote, "Words cannot express the feeling of love we have
for you. From the first day, you were a part of the family. You were the only
choice to fill in for Scott and that decision proved to be the right
one. Thank you for being you, we miss you already. Have a great tour with the
mighty SEPULTURA."
Speaking to RockAAA at the U.K. installment of the Sonisphere festival, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello, "Andreas locks
in with the band like he was always here. So there's not a thought to playing;
we don't have to worry. It's nice to go on stage and not have to worry. That's
the last thing we wanted to do. And he's good, he's so locked in, even with the
cues, the vocals — everything. Boom! It's ANTHRAX."
Ian and Pearl Aday, welcomed a son on June 19 at 10:19 a.m. Revel
Young Ian, who came into the world three weeks early, weighed in at six
pounds, nine ounces.
Ian previously stated that the choice to sit out the upcoming ANTHRAX shows "was a deeply personal one" but added that "becoming a
father is the biggest, best thing that's ever happened to me and it made the
decision relatively easy. My priority is with my wife and the birth of our
first child."
Regarding how Kisser came to fill the temporary guitarist slot, Ian said, "We chose Andreas because we feel he can do the gig better
than anyone. He has the fire, the attitude, and the crushing right hand to do
the gig. I've played with Andreas at the Roadrunner 25th-anniversary show, and I've gotten up and played with SEPULTURA and
we are kindred spirits. We both play every show like we're going to jail the
next day, like it's the last show we'll ever play. He has what it takes and he
has the experience and history to fucking bring it and make these ANTHRAX shows something special."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/andreasanthrax.jpg
Reunited Swedish heavy rockers TRANSPORT LEAGUE will
enter IF Studios, the IN FLAMES-owned facility in Gothenburg, Sweden,
with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE, HARDCORE
SUPERSTAR, LOK) on September 2 to begin recording their comeback album,
tentatively titled "Boogie From Hell".
Songtitles set to appear on the CD:
* Swing Satanic Swing
* Electric Wolf
* A Pork named Jack
* Speedhead
* Demon Apparatus
* Snake Infested Swamp
* Bitter Sand
* Hi-Octane Slave
* King Doom
* Barabbas Venomous
* Blood in-Blood Out
* Holy Mother Fucker
* Doctor Demon
* Train Wreck
"Speedhead" can already be purchased via iTunes. The track was released via the band's own Hoffa
Entertainment.
In other news, TRANSPORT LEAGUE has replaced AMARANTHE on the Rock
Bitch Boat cruise, which will set sail from Stockholm,
Sweden on October 29 for Riga, Lithuania
and return two days later.
TRANSPORT LEAGUE played its first reunion show on May 15, 2009 on the
Terass stage at Henriksberg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bassist Ken Sandin was unable to participate in the reunion concert and
was temporarily replaced by another former TRANSPORT LEAGUE bassist, Johan
Reivén.
Commented the group: "TRANSPORT LEAGUE was the band who invented
the phrase 'boogie from hell,' well known and well heard on the two first
albums, 'Stallion Showcase' (1995) and 'Superevil' (1997). Just
listen to tracks such as 'Cosmical Satanical' and 'Lost in the Desert of Habib' and you will understand what
we are talking about.
"TRANSPORT LEAGUE no doubt paved the way for such artists as VOLBEAT and MUSTASCH, drawing from many sources to create a new format for heavy
guitar-driven groovy rock."
TRANSPORT LEAGUE's fourth full-length album, "Multiple Organ
Harvest", was released in November 2003 through Holland's Seamview Records.
TRANSPORT LEAGUE 2011 is:
Matt Starander - Drums
Tony Julien Jelencovich - Vocals/Guitar
Peter Hunyadi - Lead Guitar
Lars Häglund - Bass
According to BlackpoolGazette.co.uk, residents of Blackpool, England
are worried their lives will be turned upside down if a planned two-day
"heavy metal festival" is granted a license to proceed.
Bands such as SKINNY LIZARD and METALLICA tribute act MENTALLICA are scheduled take part in the two-day event organized by the local motorcycle
club the Satan's Slaves, with the event poster (see below) advertising
"cheap bars" and camping for 1,000 tents.
Andrew Torkington, who lives at the rear of the festival site, said,
"It's not what you would call in keeping with a rural area.
"They are advertising camping for 1,000 tents 200 yards from my house. I
live in a million-pound house in the country. The reason you buy a
million-pound house in the county is a bit of peace and quiet.
"What worries me is it will set a precedent for all kinds of events."
Pensioner Margaret Bassindale, 75, who has lived in her home for 30
years, said, "It's Satan's Slaves, it's going to be really heavy
rock music and it's going to be so noisy.
"Music festivals go on all night and we feel it's the wrong place. The
motorcycle cafe there is open at weekend and they've got these
Harley-Davidsons, they come and sit outside and show off, revving them
up."
Lancashire Rock & Bike Show 2011 is scheduled to take place
September 23-24 on Cropper Road,
Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/blackpoolgig.jpg
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has
completed work on his new album, "Tokyo
Jukebox 2", for a September 14 release via Avex in Japan.
The CD picks up where Friedman's 2009 effort, "Tokyo Jukebox", left off, with even more
adventurous arrangements of his favorite Japanese songs. Recorded at The
Village Recorder in Los Angeles,
the album features Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL) on drums.
"Tokyo
Jukebox 2" stretches the boundaries of guitar interpretation beyond
anything Marty has released to date.
In a recent interview with Italian web radio Linearock.it, Friedman stated about his next release, "My next album is called 'Tokyo Jukebox 2'. In
2009 I released 'Tokyo Jukebox', which
was a good success for me in Japan,
and it came out worldwide. So the record company asked if I wanted to do a
'part 2' to it and I was very excited to do that because, actually, 'Tokyo
Jukebox' is one my favorite albums that I've ever done, so when it came
time to do a second album, it was a lot of fun choosing the songs and doing the
arrangements and recording it and I'm very happy about it. It's almost
finished; I recorded most of it before going on tour in Europe.
. . I'm very excited about it. [It's] definitely the deepest and most special
album ever, because it's the most recent, and because it's got all of my
experience put together and all of the depth of everything that I've learned
over the most recent times and everything is in it, and I'm very happy with it
so far."
Marty Friedman's tenth solo album, "Bad D.N.A.", was
released in Japan
on August 25, 2010 via Avex. The CD was produced by Marty and
engineered by Steve Hardy and Shinnosuke Miyazawa (LADY GAGA, GUNS N' ROSES) this April/May at The Village in Los Angeles, California.
U.S.
rockers TAKARA have issued the following update:
"We are currently making plans for two new TAKARA albums. One will
be a collection of unreleased rare songs and demos. Along with this will be
some super-rare live DVD footage. This package with include two brand new
studio tracks that we will record for this package. We hope to have some other
surprises included, but it's too early to tell yet. The title of the album with
be 'Invitation To Faith'. The second album we will release after will be
the next studio [CD]. It will be called 'Wicked And Beautiful' It will
contain all-new studio TAKARA tracks. It will take us to new places, but
yet still pay homage to the bands past musical stylings. With lineup of Gene, Jaime, Carl, and Neal will just be just an amazing combo
to do this album with. We are 100% it will be one of the best albums TAKARA has put out yet."
TAKARA's current lineup is as follows:
Jaime Kelli - Vocals
Gene McEwen - Drums
Carl DeMarco - Bass
Neal Grusky - Guitar
TAKARA played its first show on October 30, 2010 at Paladino's in Tarzana, California.
Check out video footage of the entire concert at this location. One of the clips is available below.
TAKARA's latest album, "Invitation To Forever", was
released in October 2008 in Europe via SPV Records, and November 2008 in
the U.S.
and the rest of the world through ProgRock Records. The LP is also
available directly from the band via its web sites and through all digital
music stores.
"Invitation To Forever" featured Grusky alongside Gustavo
Monsanto (REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE) on vocals, Björn Englen (YNGWIE
MALMSTEEN) on bass, Patrick Johansson (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on
drums and Brook Hansen on keyboards. The album also included an
extraordinary reunion with Jeff Scott Soto on back-up vocals.
For more information, visit www.takararocks.com.
SOUL SIGN, consisting of Björn Englén (Yngwie
Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine) on bass, Michael Olivieri (LEATHERWOLF)
on vocals, Mike Taylor (Robin McAuley) on drums and Rob Math on guitar, released its long-awaited album, "Life In The Dark",
on August 3 via iTunes. A physical release is scheduled for October 1
through Grand Mercy Records.
The press has described the LP as "song-oriented, melodic modern and
classic rock and metal with heavy grooves and strong, harmonized
choruses," while the band prefers to call it "heavy, melodic music
that will touch your soul!"
According to the band's official bio, "SOUL SIGN was founded with
the intention to deliver honest, original, strong modern rock through
world-class musicianship. All of the members are the most extraordinaire
musicians and personalities, who have had their craft perfected through many
years of extensive worldwide touring and recording."
"Life In The Dark" track listing:
01. I'm Bleeding
02. Breaking Down Ourselves
03. Sign Of Your Soul
04. Between The Lines (N379N3)
05. Out Of Obsession
06. You (Control)
07. In Pain
08. Life
09. Human Evil
10. Dream
11. In the Presence of You
The organizers of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise are
planning another metal cruise in the fall of 2012. Billed as "the world's
most extreme metal cruise," Barge To Hell will set sail from Miami, Florida to the Bahamas
and back. A total of 40 thrash, death and black metal bands will perform during
the event, which will have an expected attendance of 2,000. More information
will be made available on the official Barge To Hell web site on August 8.
LIFE OF AGONY singer Keith Mina Caputo has
completed work the debut album from newest project, NEPTUNE DARLINGS.
The effort was produced by Keith Mina Caputo and Ryan Oldcastle and features artwork by David Lupton. Additional engineering, mixing and
recording by LIFE OF AGONY guitarist Joseph Zampella (a.k.a. Joey
Z) at Method Of Groove studios in Brooklyn, New York.
A teaser clip for the upcoming release, which was mastered at the end of July
by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City, can be seen below.
NEPTUNE DARLINGS debut album track listing:
01. Eighth Order From The Sun
02. Headspace
03. Neptunus
04. All My Life
05. White Swan
06. The Demon In Me
07. Glow Worm
08. Little Owl
09. Chestnuts & Fireflies
Recording lineup:
* Keith Mina Caputo - Vocals, Piano, Acoustic, Bass Fender Rhodes,
Electric Piano, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Subharmonics
* Ryan Oldastle - Vocals, Piano, Acoustic, Electric Guitars, Electric
Bass, Synthesizers, Subtractive & Additive Synths, Frequency Modulations
As previously reported, Caputo has revealed that he is
"transitioning" into life as a woman and has begun to refer to
himself as "her" on his official web site, KeithCaputo.com.
In a June 5, 2011 interview with "DeadDave's Internet Radio Show", Caputo stated, "I live a completely, totally different lifestyle.
I'm a completely different human being. I have a very different path in life.
I'm not living life as a man anymore and stuff. So, yeah, my life is completely
different, but music will always be… music is definitely my driving force."
Caputo previously used cross-dressing images of himself in the artwork
for his 2008 album "A Fondness For Hometown Scars" and
dedicated the CD to androgynous people.
During his appearance on "DeadDave's Internet Radio Show", Caputo spoke about LIFE OF AGONY's future plans, stating, "We realize that LIFE OF AGONY has become an extremely nostalgic act and the music that
used to not be dated, in our eyes, is dated, and the whole situation is dated.
It's a nostalgia, and we don't want to take advantage of that nostalgia
anymore, nor do we wanna take advantage of the fans. We've got three shows this
year and it's probably gonna be the last shows that we do for a very long time.
In fact, we just may call it quits. Because we feel like we set out to do what
we needed to collectively. We're very honest people, we love each other dearly,
but we just can't get it on; we can't turn each other on in the studio. We hit
a brick wall together, and it ain't cool. So there's probably not gonna be a
new [LIFE OF AGONY] album, nor a new single… So people better start
getting used to [the 2005 album] 'Broken Valley', because
that's probably the last piece of music that they'll hear from the band."
Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to their new album, "Imaginarium",
but also planning a movie of the same name. If all goes well, the CD will be
released in early 2012, to be followed by the movie at some point further down
the line. The first single off the album as well as the trailer for the film
should arrive well before the end of 2011.
"Imaginarium" is one of the projects which recently received
grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film
Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on
his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old,
and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7
million budget.
The Finnish Film Foundation grants support for professional Finnish film
production. The Foundation's goal is to promote high-quality, versatile
and unique Finnish film. The support can be granted for feature-length, short
and episodic fiction, documentary, animation and children's films.
The production support is granted for the writing of a film script, development
of a film project, the actual production of a film and for the marketing and
distribution of the film in Finland.
The Foundation also grants post-release support on the basis of a film's
total attendance.
In a brand new update on the band's official web site, NIGHTWISH states,
"Secretly we all hoped that at some point we would be able to say this
aloud: The dream is about to become reality! It's been a hard battle beyond all
measures, as it is in all projects this size, but finally creativity and heart
took over the evil called money.
"'Imaginarium' will be shot in September in a location we still
need to keep as a secret but it will be quite far from our homely Finland and
Sweden.
"The casting of the characters is now done. The cast is chosen not only
because of their talent but because of the personal passion of everyone
involved.
"The actors and their representatives have been overly enthusiastic about
the auditions after reading the script. We believe many of you will be very
surprised once you see the final result and the story behind it.
"This long journey began more than three years ago, and neither NIGHTWISH or Stobe had a clear idea of where the path would lead. The script is
now fantastic. It's about life, and the little spark of light you see during
the darkest and most hopeless times. The same spark we've had to find over and
over again during the process of making this film happen.
"The production crew is a group of professionals with one aim only: To
realize the original vision of 'Imaginarium' that Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist/main songwriter] and Stobe had. All the
pieces of the puzzle are now on the tables, and the building of the props,
costume design, schedule planning, special FX production, dialogue and band
performance rehearsals, etc. has begun.
"It's easy to shed some tears while writing this, since we now know the
story will have an ending after all.
"'She spins around elegantly, softly. The chords are now found and
something that was broken never needed to be fixed.'"
On the topic of the movie score, it was previously revealed that Holopainen was working on variations with Petri Alanko, renowned for his
prize-winning music for the "Alan Wake" video game. The score
will be based on the songs on the album and their main themes in a way that —
like many other things with the "Imaginarium" movie — is a
first in the history of motion pictures.
NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginarium" world tour in
Los Angeles.
The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California
on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show
production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be
no U.S.
tour until later in 2012.
Eric Lochridge of the Rapid City Journal recently conducted an interview with POISON singer Bret Michaels. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Rapid CityJournal: As POISON celebrates 25 years together, are you surprised
the band is still at it?
Bret: I think I did imagine a lifelong career with them. Life is about
loyalty to me — you stick together. I'm still amazed by POISON and by
what we've done together in our career so far. We turned nothing into
something. And we never faked it. Being real more times is the one ingredient
that leads to longevity, and 25 years later, here we are. I honestly believe
that having that kind of experience behind us, we're a better band than we have
ever been. POISON loves to give our fans a great show, and obviously we
aren't kids anymore, but it's still about having a great time. And that's what
it's always been about.
Rapid CityJournal: What is it about POISON's songs that people relate to?
Bret: It's a simple formula, but it's built on authenticity. The fans
aren't dumb; they recognize when you're putting your all in what you're doing,
and they also see straight through you when you're not. So if you want to keep
your fans and gain new ones, you don't cut corners. You do what you love and
you do it with as much energy and intensity as you can muster. I think that
genuine spirit comes across in our music — you don't stay in this business for
25 years unless you really love what you're doing. Because if you love what
you're doing, then you work hard, and if you work hard and you pour your
passion into what you're creating, you make the kind of music that draws a fan
base.
Rapid CityJournal: What are the band's plans for the future? Any new music?
Bret: We recently released a 25-year greatest hits package that came out
last May called "Double Dose of Poison: Ultimate Hits". As far
as writing all new material, I'm not sure when that will happen. But I'm sure
that it will one day. I love writing music and I love those guys. When the time
is right and the inspiration hits, I'm sure we'll all find ourselves back in
the studio together. But the bottom line is that both POISON and my solo
career have co-existed for quite some time now. They are each a huge part of my
life, and I will certainly continue to put my all into both. I also have a solo
album out this fall called "Get Your Rock On", so be on the
lookout for that.
Vocalist Jens Broman has decided to leave Swedish
thrashers DARKANE. His replacement is Lawrence Mackrory, who sang
on the band's debut album, "Rusted Angel" (1999), and made a
guest appearance on the song "Chaos vs. Order" on DARKANE's
2002 effort "Expanding Senses" (2002).
Lawrence will make his live comeback with DARKANE on September 20 in Strasbourg, France at the
opening show of the group European headlining tour, with support from DESTINITY and DEVASTATING ENEMY.
Commented Broman: "[My leaving DARKANE] has to do with
personal issues. At the moment my life is in a phase where I'm unable to find
inspiration for new adventures with DARKANE and therefore it's best for
me to pass on the mic. I will miss you all, the tours, all you dedicated fans
and most of all my band mates. But know that DARKANE have found a superb
replacement in Lawrence Mackrory. Good luck and stay metal!"
Added Mackrory: "It is with great pleasure I can finally announce
my return to DARKANE. I have been waiting for this opportunity to appear
and finally the time was right for me to continue what we started 13 years ago.
Both Andreas and Jens have done a tremendous job with the band, which
will keep me on my toes while performing live, for sure.
"The first time I met Peter, Christofer, Klas and Jörgen was when they arrived at the studio in my hometown in Uppsala to record the
debut album, 'Rusted Angel'. We had only spoken on the phone before and
yet there I was, ready to record an album with them. After my departure, we
remained good friends but didn't really see much of each other since we lived
in different parts of the country. Now the chemistry between the five of us is
more vibrant than ever and I can't wait to go on tour and perform songs from
all five albums.
"The new DARKANE album is already in the works and I can guarantee
that all fans, both old and new, will enjoy this record. So far the demos sound
awesome, let's just leave it at that.
I'm looking forward to finally meeting all DARKANE fans on the
road."
Commented DARKANE: "We are all very excited about the future, and
are also working hard on the new album. We recently finished building the
studio that we've been working on over the last 18 months, and we are very
satisfied."
Mackrory's new gig with DARKANE with not affect his position in F.K.Ü. and he will remain an active member of both bands.
New rehearsal footage ofDARKANE with Mackrory on vocals can be
seen below.
"Demonic Art", the fifth album from DARKANE, debuted at
No. 104 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.
"Demonic Art" was released in North America in February 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The
North America version of the CD, which came out in Europe
on October 24, 2008 via Massacre Records, contains a bonus track and a
bonus DVD.
Candlelight Records has announced the signing of
English black metal outfit NINE COVENS. The band's new album, "…On
The Coming Of Darkness", will be released in October.
Featuring current and former members of some of the key extreme bands from the
last decade, NINE COVENS came together to explore the darker, more
brooding aspects of black metal and in doing so has created a virulent,
belligerent and passionate account of the weakness that exists in humanity.
Their need to challenge these human failings and those of all enemies of reason
have resulted in their debut album "…On The Coming Of Darkness".
A confrontation to the eternally weak and all who follow without question to
reflect on themselves and consider an alternative.
Commented the band: "We are privileged to have signed to Candlelight for the release of our new album '…On The Coming Of Darkness' and are
honored to now be considered amongst the ranks of the many classic and
genre-defining bands who have released albums on such an important label. For
us, Candlelight was the only label we could work with on this project,
as they care just as much as we do about releasing quality music; with the
added bonus of being one of the only labels to get actively behind British
black metal and actively nurture homegrown bands."
"…On The Coming Of Darkness" track listing:
On the Resurrection and the Harrowing of Hell
Pt. 1: To Heaven's Door in Swart Night
Pt. 2: Concealed in Darkness, He
Pt. 3: Resided to the Darkness, Fall
On The Ascension and the Torment of Hell
Pt. 1: Cold Exile of a Fallen Idol
Pt. 2: In Darkness Find the Light of Solace
On The Day of Judgement
Pt. 1: Quake Before Thy Earthly Judge
Pt. 2: A New Light For The Earth Shall Shine (feat. Grutle From
ENSLAVED)
The Exiles Complaint
Pt. 1: A Friendless Exile
Pt. 2: A Mind Sorrows Rest
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