FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. will take part in a guitar clinic on Thursday, September 8 at The Boileroom in Guildford, England, courtesy of Andertons
Music Co. and Blackstar Amplification. The evening will feature an
incredible set from Gus, plus your chance to ask questions directly to one of
the world's greatest guitarists. Tickets are £6 each, and are strictly limited.
Everybody who buys a ticket and comes along to the night will be given a free
limited edition Blackstar Gus G. t-shirt, too!
Thursday, September 8
The Boileroom
Stoke Fields, Guildford
GU1 4LS
Doors open at 7:30pm
Show runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (approximately)
Ticket Price: £6
Gus G.'s new instructional DVD for Rock House, "Lead
& Rhythm Techniques", was released last October 17. In this
program, Gus reveals the secrets that have propelled him into the guitar
stratosphere and shows you how to incorporate them into your playing. Learn the
natural minor and Phrygian major scales, patterns, scale sequences and full
neck runs he uses to take control of the fret board to form soulful leads that
rip into shred masterpieces. Learn diminished sweep and chromatic arpeggios,
emotional bending techniques and how to create a minor 3rd harmony lead. Gus reveals the chords, voicings, syncopated, pivoting staccato, interval, and
clean picked rhythms that form the foundation of his style. He analyzes many of
his FIREWIND leads and song structures complete with full band backing
tracks that you can use the apply what you learn.
DVD includes:
* More than 40 lessons
* 46-page interactive tab book you print from DVD
* Free lifetime web membership for online support
* Behind-the-scenes photos and video
* Interview, live performances & more
* iPod-ready video
Language: English
Length: 120 minutes
Zones: The DVD is zoned to play anywhere in the world
"Lead & Rhythm Techniques" is available for order at this
location.
"Gus plays with a great sense of melody and when he combines his
technical chops and tone, out comes mind-blowing riffs," said Joe
Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House. "More than just a
shredder, Gus really plays with tremendous amounts of feel. His work with FIREWIND and DREAM EVIL show his has incredible writing abilities
and versatility."
Warburn
Estate,
one of Australia's
top wineries, has issued a new AC/DC wine collection which will be
available through Woolworth's, Dan Murphy, and BWS.
AC/DC The Wine will be available in four different selections:
* "AC/DC Back In Black Shiraz" (2010 750mL Dry Red)
* "AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato" (2011 750mL
Sweet White)
* "AC/DC Highway To Hell Cabernet Sauvignon" (2008 750mML Dry
Red)
* "AC/DC Hells Bells Sauvignon Blanc" (2010 750mL Dry White)
AC/DC singer Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980 in London,
England after he choked on his own vomit while sleeping in a friend's car
following a night of drinking.
A number of rock bands have launched their own wine labels or wine collections
over the last few years, including members of KISS, MOTÖRHEAD, WHITESNAKE, QUEENSRŸCHE, WARRANT and SATYRICON.
As previously reported, USAopoly has just released the AC/DC
Collector's Edition Monopoly board game.
The AC/DC Collector's Edition Monopoly is the first and only game that
combines the risk taking, deal making Monopoly game play with one of the most
legendary and enduring rock and roll bands of all time, allowing fans to vie
for control of AC/DC's most iconic albums and international locations.
AC/DC follows METALLICA, KISS, THE BEATLES, ELVIS
PRESLEY and THE GRATEFUL DEAD, among other artists, who have their
own Monopoly games.
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Despite all the KISS-related merchandise and
marketing tie-ins, guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley tells Spinner.com that he never worries the band name is branded
on too much stuff.
"It's misleading because of the volume of things we have, that KISS is just a schlock house," Stanley says. "The truth of the matter is, we have pride in everything we do. At
the core this is a rock 'n' roll band, but we don't put our name on anything
that we don't believe in, or that the fans don't believe in.
"People sometimes say, why do you have things like KISS sleeping
bags? Because a fan asked for it. We're not great merchandisers — we're great
listeners. We give the fans what they want. If that's a crime, I'm ready for my
trial."
When asked what makes the KISS brand endure like it does, Stanley tells Spinner.com,
"KISS is a timeless truth. It was true 100 years ago and it will be
true 100 years from today. It's all about self-empowerment, it's about
believing in yourself and believing that the only thing in the way of you and
your dreams is hard work. We believe a great work ethic will pretty much get
you wherever you want to go."
He adds, "KISS will outlive me, for sure. What we've done is create
a way of thinking, an ideal that hopefully will go on beyond me and the other
guys in the band because the idea is bigger than any individual."
The Kiss Coffeehouse's fifth-anniversary party is
going to be a rock 'n' roll celebration — an "all-day-and-all-nite,
rain-or-shine" rock 'n' roll party, with very special guests, KISS drummer Eric Singer and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer. KISS'
official web site, KissOnline.com, will also be at this very special,
and historic event, and KISS ARMY — "the coolest band in the
world" — will perform a live "KISS" concert!
This is a very rare, and unique opportunity to meet both Eric and Tommy,
together for the first time at the Kiss Coffeehouse, to talk to, to take
photos with, and to sign autographs, as well as to take part in an intimate
question-and-answer session with. All professional, high-resolution photographs
taken with Eric and Tommy will be e-mailed to all fans purchasing
either the Platinum or Double Platinum package within 1-2 weeks of the event.
This will be Kiss Coffeehouse's last anniversary party for the next five
years! This very special and historic event is sure to sell out quickly!
Tickets are limited, so if you want to be a part of Kisstory" and
celebrate this very special, and historic milestone, purchase your tickets
today. Tickets are available online only at KissCoffeehouse.com.
Speaking to TheSunNews.com, Thayer was asked how the extra
interaction with fans, such as through the party this weekend in Myrtle Beach,
remind him how the KISS name, concept, sound and look have remained a
cultural touchstone for fans through the decades. "It just shows you the
uniqueness of KISS and what it promotes," he said. "It's just
an opportunity, now that we are off tour, to get together with some of our
dearest and nearest fans, at a Kiss Coffeehouse. What other bands can
say something like that?"
When asked if he had a favorite KISS song before he joined the group,
and what was a tune he loved performing on stage from almost a decade on stage
with the group, Thayer said, "I remember one of my first favorite KISS songs, from the first KISS album, in 1974. That was 'Black Diamond'.
It's always been one of my favorite KISS songs. In live performance, I
love 'God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You'. It's actually more complex than
other KISS songs. It's a very guitar-driven anthem, which I love."
Regarding what extra publicity the A&E series "Gene Simmons
Family Jewels" and Simmons' role on Donald Trump's "The
Celebrity Apprentice" provided for the band's continuing popularity,
Thayer said, "Gene and Paul [Stanley] together have continued the KISS legacy for 40 years. You have to really tip your hat to both of them. …Gene's
TV shows have been very popular, and I think that has brought some awareness,
too. … Paul is producing the new KISS studio album. When it comes
to … the mission of what KISS is, looks and sounds like, he's more
hands-on in that. Sometimes Paul doesn't say as much, and he keeps a
lower profile, but that shouldn't conceal the fact that he's more of the
driving force behind KISS."
The Kiss Coffeehouse is a specialty coffee retailer operating at
Broadway at the Beach, an entertainment complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Its theme revolves around the band KISS, who own the franchise. A number
of items from KISS' stage shows, such as costumes, are also on display
at the establishment.
The Kiss Coffeehouse, which opened to huge crowds in the summer of 2006,
features signature KISS coffees, including Kiss Army Blend and French
Kiss Vanilla, the Kiss Frozen Rockuccino, cookies, brownies and other sinful
sweets.
The grand opening of the store was attended by founding KISS bandmembers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
On July 9, 2006, Lisa-Holly Friedman and Ronald K Marukawa (two
longtime KISS fans) were married on the premises, with Paul Stanley telephoning during the proceedings to wish them well.
Tom Cruise stars in the upcoming film adaptation of
the hit Broadway musical "Rock Of Ages", which showcases
popular rock songs from the '70s and '80s. The actor stars as Stacee Jaxx,
an aging musician whose glory days are long past. Among the tunes Cruise will perform are DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", SCORPIONS' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", BON JOVI's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and STYX's "Renegade".
DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen recently told VH1 Classic
Rock Nights that he and his bandmates got to meet Cruise and that
the actor "was a super-lovely guy." Collen added, "I was
so impressed because he hadn't sung before and he had vocal lessons. He was
literally doing five hours a day, five days a week, like truly real, getting in
there and doing it. And we saw him and he was amazing, it was like Iggy Pop meets someone else and he's in great shape and it was like, 'What!?!' It was
surreal, but he really pulls it off and it was like he's a total rock
star."
It was previously reported that Cruise was preparing for his role by
training with Axl Rose's vocal coach. "He's been studying with —
seriously — Axl Rose's voice teacher like five hours a day,"
director Adam Shankman told The Wrap in April. "The
prognosis is more than excellent."
The movie is a love story told through the music ofPAT BENATAR, BON
JOVI, JOURNEY, POISON, TWISTED SISTER and other
artists from the 1980s.
"Rock Of Ages" also stars Alec Baldwin, Russell
Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman and many others. It scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 1, 2012.
Valerie Bertinelli, the ex-wife of VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen and the mother of the band's bassist, Wolfgang
Van Halen, says that even she has yet to hear the group's long-awaited new
album, which is tentatively due in the fall.
"Who do I have to give birth to to get a copy of the new VAN HALEN record?" the actress tweeted in response to a fan's question about how the new
music was coming along.
Bertinelli and Van Halen's divorce was finalized in December 2007
after 26 years of marriage.
VAN HALEN was supposed to play five shows in Australia in late September and
early October as part of the Soundwave Revolution festival, but the
entire event was abruptly scrapped earlier this week by the promoters, who
cited the exit of a second, unnamed headliner and low ticket sales as the
reasons for the plug being pulled.
The festival's lineup also included ALICE COOPER, HELLYEAH, HOLE, BAD RELIGION, ALTERBRIDGE and PANIC!
AT THE DISCO, among others.
Australia's Triple M Radio reported that AEROSMITH was the second headliner
that promoters were trying to secure, but were unable to do so.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, one theory suggested that the
cancellation was the fault of another act rumored to be on the bill, LIMP
BIZKIT. But singer Fred Durst was quick to shoot that down, saying
online, "We were never on the bill to play any festival down under. So it
looks like VAN HALEN cancels and we get thrown into the mix."
There is in fact a lot of speculation that VAN HALEN itself pulled out
of the festival, but the Van Halen News Desk reported adamantly that the
band had nothing to do with the cancellation of the event.
The Australian shows would have been VAN HALEN's first since its reunion
tour with singer David Lee Roth wrapped up in the summer of 2008.
ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian announced today
that he will appear in makeup on the AMC series "The Walking
Dead". He tweeted, "What have I wanted to do since 1978? Be a
ZOMBIE!!! Full story on my day on 'Walking Dead' coming later!!!"
A photo of Scott's "The Walking Dead" makeup can be
seen below.
"The Walking Dead" is a monthly black-and-white American comic
book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was
created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was
replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to
do the covers through issue #24.
The story chronicles the travels of a group of people trying to survive in a
world stricken by a zombie apocalypse. The series won the 2010 Eisner Award for "Best Continuing Series" at San Diego Comic-Con International.
A television series was announced to be in production on August 11, 2009 and
premiered on October 31, 2010 on AMC.
ANTHRAX's new song "Fight 'Em Til You Can't" was
reportedly written about killing zombies.
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According to The Batavian, two people were arrested and two people
received citations in connection with the JOURNEY/FOREIGNER concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Lake, New York
on Wednesday (August 10).
Arrested were:
* A 34-year-old man of Lancaster
was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly knocking another patron
down during the concert.
* A 22-year-old man of Rochester,
was charged with trespass after allegedly re-entering the concert venue after
leaving and being told he could not reenter.
Two 17-year-olds, both from Ontario,
Canada, where
charged with underage drinking.
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. Eight people, all from outside the area, were charged
with underage drinking. All were issued tickets to appear August 15 in Darien Town Court.
At least five people were accused of driving drunk after the Rockstar Energy
Drink Mayhem Festival concert on July 26 at the Darien Lake Performing Arts
Center.
Former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm has accused
the current version of the band of "misleading" the fans and
"false advertising" by recruiting a singer, Kelly Hansen,
whose delivery so closely mimics Gramm's performance on such classic
songs as "Cold As Ice", "Waiting For A Girl Like
You" and "Feels Like The First Time".
When asked by Spinner.com if it's strange to know that he is being
"replicated," in a sense, at FOREIGNER's current concerts, Gramm replied, "It is. It totally is. But what's stranger to me is that, as I've
learned talking to people who see those shows, is that in many cases the audience,
especially if they're younger, don't even know it's not the original lead
singer. In FOREIGNER's case, as I understand it, the singer was actually
trained to deliver pretty much exactly everything as I did it, note for note.
If I were in the audience and learned that while I was there, I'd get up and
leave. I think when the band name remains the exact same, but something as
important as the lead vocal is different, it's misleading. It's like false
advertising."
According to AllMusic Guide, Gramm was sidelined with several
health issues in the late 1990s. He was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor on
the eve of the band's planned Japanese tour in 1997, and the surgery that
followed damaged his pituitary gland. After a year of rehabilitation and radiation
treatment, the singer made a full recovery and resumed touring in 1999. He
split with FOREIGNER once again in 2003, however, preferring to tour in
support of his solo material instead.
"Occupants", a brand new book of
photographs and writings by punk rock icon Henry Rollins, is scheduled
for release on September 30.
Regarding how the book came about, Rollins said, "Many years ago, I
started working on a collection of photographs for eventual publication. I do a
lot of traveling, and as much as I write when I am in these places, a
photograph speaks a different language, so I started hauling camera gear around
with me everywhere I went and documented moments as best as I could.
"At some point, I upgraded my gear and took a lesson from a woman named Maura on basics and eventually started shooting in manual.
"As I traveled and took more photographs, I came to the conclusion that
the book had to be more than merely a collection of images. If you are a real
photographer, you could perhaps get away with that, but not me. I am not a
photographer, just someone with a lot of visas in his passport and a camera on
his shoulder. The last thing I wanted was for someone to think I was being
pretentious. I thought about what I could do to make the book be more time intensive
on my part, so there would be more for the person who endeavored to get the
book. I came to the conclusion that I would write something for each photo. In
fact, I would write two things; an impression of the photograph and a caption
that provided more of the practical information about where the image was
captured, etc.
"The writing was difficult and there was a lot of it to do. I committed
myself to completing the project and eventually, it was finished. It ended up
being one of the most time intensive projects I have ever put myself though.
Not only was the writing tasking but I had to teach myself how to process
photographs. The learning curve was pretty steep on that part of it, but I
think I did OK.
"I decided to call the book 'Occupants'. I figure that's what we
are. We get some time on the planet and that's it.
"We are taking pre-orders on the book. In September, I will be
flying to Dulles, renting a car and driving down to Musictoday and will
sign the first 2,000 pre-ordered books for as long as it takes. Everyone that
pre-orders will be automatically entered to win a voicemail greeting by me.
"I have never done a book like 'Occupants' before. We are very
excited about this one."
Metal Mind Productions will release Doogie White's
solo album, "As Yet Untitled", on October 24 in Europe and
November 7 in the U.S.
(via MVD).
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Come Taste The Band
02. Time Machine
03. Dreams Lie Down And Die
04. Lonely
05. Land Of The Deceiver
06. Secret Jesus
07. SeaOf Emotion
08. Catz Got Yer Tongue
09. Living On The Cheap
10. Times Like These
This Scottish vocalist came to the attention of the worldwide audience when Ritchie
Blackmore asked him to be the lead singer in his reformed RAINBOW.
They recorded one album together — "Stranger in Us All". Doogie would go on to sing with Swedish neo-classical guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen for over a six-and-a-half-year period, record two albums and tour the world. He
also recorded four albums and toured with CORNERSTONE and is currently
the lead singer of TANK, who embark on selected European dates starting
this August.
According to a press release, "As Yet Untitled" is a
collection of 10 dramatic and hard-hitting rock songs co-written by White and some good friends he has made over the years on the rock scene.
Commented White: "I always thought my first solo album should be
called this. The journalists at Sounds and Kerrang! always had a
line that so and so are in the studio recording an album, as yet untitled…
Well, now I have actually done that.
"I always like to be part of a band but I found myself isolated for a
short while and decided to record some of the songs that I had been working on,
while either on the road or back at home.
"I won't sit around and wait for the phone to ring. A bored Doogie is a dangerous thing!
"I gathered the good and the great, companions who had travelled the world
with me at various times. Friends who I knew were outstanding players and to a
man and one beautiful woman they gave freely of their talents and time. I am
forever in their debt."
The list of guest musicians involved in the recording of "As Yet
Untitled" looks impressive:
* Patrick Johansson (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Drums
* Thomas Broman (GLENN HUGHES) - Drums
* Derek Sherinian (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) - Keyboards
* Tony Carey (RAINBOW) - Keyboards
* Neil Murray (WHITESNAKE) - Bass
* Greg Smith (TED NUGENT) - Bass
* Paul Logue (EDEN'S CURSE) - Bass
* Pontus Norgren (HAMMERFALL) - Guitar
* Marcus Jidell (ROYAL HUNT) - Guitar
* Phil Hilborne (QUEEN Musical) - Guitar
* Mick Tucker (TANK) - Guitar
* Patti Russo (MEATLOAF, CHER) - Guest vocals.
The album was recorded at various studios in Florida,
Germany, and Scotland but most of the production was handled
in Sweden
with Pontus Norgren (HAMMERFALL) at the helm.
Added White: "Pontus and I became great friends through our time with Yngwie. He shone a
bright light on the songs with his production. He brought a certain calmness to
the madness and made sure that everything that was in the song had to be there
for a reason. Even when the hard drive with the initial mixes was stolen, I
knew that Pontus could sort it out."
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American metal icons RIOT will be the "special
guests" on the first leg of dates on Swedish melodic metallers HAMMERFALL's
upcoming "European Outbreak 2011" tour. Support on all dates
will comes from AMARANTHE.
Commented HAMMERFALL singer Joacim Cans: "For thirty years I
have been a true and devoted RIOT fan. Albums like 'Fire Down Under' and 'Thundersteel' have inspired me immensely, both as a singer and a
songwriter, and the honest truth is that I would probably not be here today if
it wasn't for RIOT. As a homage to the band we also covered their
classic song 'Flight of the Warrior' on the album 'Masterpieces' in 2008.
"I am totally psyched about having RIOT as our special guest for
the first leg of the European tour and I can assure you that I will be in the
audience banging my head and singing along in every song...every single night!
Hell yeah!"
RIOT's founding member Mark Reale is equally enthusiastic:
"This tour is going to blow a lot of cobwebs away. We've been dying to get
the band back over the Europe where we've
always had such a loyal following. This is like a dream come true for all of
us, and the timing, with the new album ready to roll, couldn't be better."
This will be the first time RIOT's legendary "Thundersteel" and "The Privilege Of Power" lineup of Tony Moore (vocals), Mark Reale (guitar), Mike Flyntz (guitar), Don Van
Stavern (bass) and Bobby Jarzombek (drums) has played in Europe on a
full tour, after the band's celebrated one-off show at Sweden Rock Festival in 2009. Having signed with SPV worldwide, except for Japan where
they are signed to Avalon Marquee, RIOT is currently finalizing
its new album, "Immortal Soul", for an October release. The
dates with HAMMERFALL will therefore also be an opportunity for fans to
hear new material from the band's upcoming — and long-awaited — fourteenth
album.
AMARANTHE founder Olof Mörck commented: "All of us in AMARANTHE are mighty proud to go tour with our metal brothers from Gothenburg, the
legendary HAMMERFALL! To take part on this huge tour that will take us
to every corner in Europe is sure to be a
pleasure, and we hope their fans will receive us kindly! We are sure to do our
best to deliver as good of a show as possible, every single night from October
through November! See all of you on tour this fall!"
The dates are as follows:
With RIOT and AMARANTHE:
Oct. 28 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Lisebergshallen
Oct. 29 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
Oct. 31 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
Nov. 01 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
Nov. 02 - Filderstadt, Germany - Filharmonie
Nov. 04 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
Nov. 05 - Paris, France - Bataclan
Nov. 06 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
Nov. 07 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkhaus
Nov. 09 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
Nov. 10 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
Nov. 11 - Milan, Italy - Magazinni Generali
Nov. 12 - München, Germany - Theaterfabrik
Nov. 15 - Warzaw, Poland - Stodola
Nov. 16 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
Nov. 17 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
Nov. 18 - Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
With AMARANTHE:
Nov. 27 - Trencin, Slovakia - Piano
Nov. 28 - Budapest, Hungary - Petöfi Hall
Nov. 30 - Bucharest, Romania - Hard Rock Café
Dec. 01 - Belgrade, Serbia - SKC
Dec. 02 - Zagreb, Croatia - Boogaloo
Dec. 03 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Siska
Dec. 04 - Passau, Germany - Dreiländerhalle
Dec. 06 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1
Dec. 07 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Heineken
Dec. 08 - Seville, Spain - Fanatic
Dec. 09 - Porto, Portugal - Hard Club
San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD mastered their new album, "Unto The Locust", this past
Tuesday, August 9 at Sterling Sound in New York City. Due on September 27 via
longtime label Roadrunner Records, the CD was recorded at JingleTown
Studios in Oakland,
with frontman Robb Flynn producing. The mixing duties were handled by Flynn and Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SADUS, TESTAMENT, NIGHT
RANGER, VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, VILE, CATTLE
DECAPITATION). (Note: Due the recent passing of his ex-wife and manager, Colin
Richardson [BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR
FACTORY, TRIVIUM] was unable to oversee the mix.)
"Unto The Locust" standard CD track listing:
01. I Am Hell (Sonata In C#)
I) Sangre Sani
II) I Am Hell
III) Ashes To The Sky
02. Be Still And Know
03. Locust
04. This Is The End
05. Darkness Within
06. Pearls Before The Swine
07. Who We Are
"Unto The Locust" special-edition CD track listing:
01. I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
I) Sangre Sani
II) I Am Hell
III) Ashes To The Sky
02. Be Still And Know
03. Locust
04. This Is The End
05. Darkness Within
06. Pearls Before The Swine
07. Who We Are
08. The Sentinel (JUDAS PRIEST cover) *
09. Witch Hunt (RUSH cover) *
10. Darkness Within (Acoustic) *
* Bonus tracks
DVD:
* "The Making Of Unto The Locust" Documentary
An advance mix of the new MACHINE HEAD song "Locust" was released via iTunes on June 14 and was included on an iTunes
Mayhem digital sampler. Download cards for the digital sampler are being
distributed at every date of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival so fans can redeem the song after being summarily kicked in the face by MACHINE
HEAD's always devastating live show.
Flynn previously stated about the meaning of the song, "'Locust' is a metaphor. Locusts fly in a swarm, but they can't control which direction
they fly; they float on the wind, they land, cause massive destruction, and
then float away on the wind to leave you in the aftermath. The song is a
metaphor for a type of person that sometimes comes into your life and has a
similar effect."
Musically, the song is the essence of what MACHINE HEAD have been doing
for nearly two decades. "It feels like the culmination of what we've been
doing for the last 17 years: power grooves, patented MACHINE HEAD harmonics, crushing guitars and dark melodies, but taken to a new level," Flynn said. "It's a natural progression from [2007's] 'The Blackening',
but different than anything on that record. In the past, when we debuted a new
song, it was usually the fastest, thrashiest tune. This time we wanted to go
with something just straight-up heavy."
The song is eight minutes in length, which is not unfamiliar territory for the
band. Flynn even joked, "We still can't seem to write a damn song
under six minutes. But MACHINE HEAD aren't writing music for the radio
or MTV. This is for us. This is for the metalhead who let's music take
him on a journey. This for the metalhead for whom music is the only thing that
matters, to whom music is a savior. The music fan who's going to study every
detail of the artwork, go online and find the lyrics and memorize every word,
and let it take them away from their fucked up life for a while. It's for the
music freak, who maybe just wants to get hammered, air-guitar and sing at the
top of his lungs, and act like an friggin' idiot while starting a moshpit in
their living room with reckless abandon. Because that's who wrote this song,
and that is the only people we care about connecting with."
"Locust" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below
(courtesy of Roadrunner Records).
MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel's track-by-track breakdown of "Unto
The Locust" (courtesy of Sonic Excess):
01. I Am Hell (Sonata In C#) consisting of three parts I) Sangre Sani
II) I Am Hell and III) Ashes To The Sky
Demmel: "I Am Hell", the opener, is actually a sonata.
It's a song in three parts, and it's the pyromaniac song that I was talking
about. You know, it's the most brutal song MACHINE HEAD has ever
written. It's got to at least be eight minutes long. So, it starts off with,
you know, I'm not going to break down the music too much. I mean it's still
pretty early before the record comes out but it's a three-part tune.
02. Be Still And Know
Demmel: "Be Still And Know", which is, uh, kind of a
few riffs that I threw together that kind of got shelved for a minute, got put
away, and got brought back from the dead when I came in one day and those guys
were kind of jamming on it. It kind of got some chest compressions, and it got
brought back to life. Epic jam. It's about struggle, and overcoming struggle,
and knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is only there if that light
shines inside of you. The title was… Like, my grandmother handed down all of
her grandchildren bible verses in all their Easter cards and Christmas cards.
She used to sign one to each, and mine was Psalm 46, which is, "Be still,
and know that I'm the Lord". Basically, be steadfast. Know that you will
get through, and this shall pass. It kind of fit into the tune and kind of fit
into the chorus. I mean, I got it tattooed on my arm around eight years ago.
So, it's been kind of my mantra through my life. So, I'm really stoked that Robb chose to title the song that.
03. Locust
Demmel: "Locust", is a concept I came up with, based on
a few people I have encountered in my life, just like everybody has. The type
of person that just comes into your life under a different guise, under false
pretenses, to befriend you, be your buddy, be your man, be on your team, or,
you know, to be your lover or whatever. Their goal is just to soak up all your
resources and just to drain you of all you've got, whatever you have to offer.
Once they're discovered, they fly off into the next crop and drain that of
everything. Yeah, it just feels like hell.
04. This Is The End
Demmel: "This Is The End", a burner, one of the faster MACHINE
HEAD songs ever. (laughs) Robb and David [McClain,
drums] got together, and we took a break from everything after touring for
three years. We took about a six-month break, got back together, and wrote this
song. It's really fast. Kind of a death metal song, but it's got the classical
sound like a death metal tune. The whole record has kind of neo-classical feel
to it. The song, Robb's going to have to describe the lyrics. It's
basically about people kind of living and not being able to accept present
times and moving on to things.
05. Darkness Within
Demmel: "Darkness Within", this song is probably the
biggest departure of our record, in terms of when we did "Descend The
Shades Of Night" on "Through The Ashes". It's kind of
a ballad, with acoustic guitars. This one I'm going to leave up to something of
a surprise. All of my friends that aren't kind of into metal say, "Damn,
is that you guys?" It's a beautiful, beautiful song. Still heavy, but us
growing as musicians. It has my favorite, the best solo I've ever done for this
band, so far, dripping with emotion. I'll leave it at that.
06. Pearls Before The Swine
Demmel: "Pearls Before The Swine", which was a song
about addiction. It was a song without lyrics really for a while, without a
concept. We kind of came up with an idea to write about addicts and addiction,
when talking to each other and watching "Breaking Bad" episodes to kind of catch up and start again to see it. (laughs) It's not a
song about hope. It's just a song about being in the throes of addiction, in
its claws, and a lot of my lyrics are in there. So, there's a lot of
descriptive thoughts of addiction. It's not a song of hope for sure. It's not "Stairway
To Heaven". It's not a song of hope for sure.
07. Who We Are
Demmel: And the last song is a song called "Who We Are",
which another song that Robb wrote. He and Dave kind of had it
before I started writing for the record. I took some time off last year to deal
with some personal stuff. This one and the other one I talked about earlier are
the two that Robb had already written and brought. You know, he had all
this music pouring out of him, and he had to get it out…so. Yeah, I don't know
really how to describe those two, so I'm going to refrain from doing that.
Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis will
enter the studio on August 23 to begin tracking his new solo album. Dirk
Verbeuren of SOILWORK will play drums on the follow-up to 2008's "Zero
Order Phase", which will feature three or four tracks with vocals. Christine
Rhoades, who previously collaborated with NEVERMORE on the "Dreaming
Neon Black" CD, will sing on selected tracks and Shane Lentz will handle the bass. Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) will produce
the effort.
"[Smith] has been a friend for a while now and has helped me out
with various recording projects over the years," says Loomis.
"We've been working on demos and pre-production for the past few weeks and
are very happy with the way things are turning out."
He adds, "Doing drums, as most of you know, is Dirk Verbeuren. I
don't think there's really anything else I can add to that. His name just sort
of speaks for itself.
"Up until about two weeks ago, I was planning on doing the bass parts
myself but then saw this amazing bass player on YouTube and said to
myself, 'I need to have him on the record.' I got in touch and was thrilled to
find out he was into it. I'm really looking forward to hearing what he's going
to be bringing to these songs."
New video footage of former Loomis shredding the axe in preparation for
the recording sessions for his second solo album can be seen below.
Shortly after wrapping up in the studio, Jeff will embark on a
three-week tour of special Schecter guitar clinics in China,
scheduled for October.
Jeff was the lead guitar player and main songwriter of NEVERMORE,
a band that has certainly made its mark on modern music by forging a unique
sound that fuses different forms of metal that has given birth to an authentic
and very influential style. His solo CD, "Zero Order Phase",
took the #4 spot in a April 2009 Guitar World magazine's readers' poll
in the "Best Shred Album Of The Year" category — a notable
accomplishment when you consider the top three vote-getters, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani. Jeff has become one of
his generation's most recognizable guitarists and the source of many of the
last decade's best riffs.
Jeff's complex shredding has been a central part of the progressive
power guitar scene since 1992 and is responsible for some of the most awe-inspiring
riffs modern metal has ever heard. Nearly every aspiring musician who has been
listening to metal for the past 10 years or so has undoubtedly had the pleasure
of hearing Jeff Loomis' progressive and technically superior playing.
"Jeff epitomizes the very essence of modern guitar playing; there
is a huge fan base that has waited a long time for this type of product from
him," stated Joe Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House.
Loomis' first solo album, "Zero Order Phase", was
released in September 2008 through Century Media Records.
"Under And Over It", the new single from FIVE
FINGER DEATH PUNCH, made an immediate impact in its first week with 31,018
singles sold, making it one of the biggest single debuts from a hard rock/
metal artist in the last five years. During its first week, the track was the
most-added song on the Active Rock radio chart (BDS/MediaBase) and the
top-selling song on both the iTunes Rock chart and the AmazonMP3.com's
Hard Rock/ Metal chart. The track also burst into the Top 40 Singles on iTunes last week, making it the only hard rock/metal song in the Top 100.
Hard-rock and heavy-metal musicians "salute the troops" in the new
issue of Revolver magazine, available everywhere on August 16 in
anticipation of the 10-year anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy. Inside, cover
stars FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH talk about how their 2010 trip to the
Middle East to play for U.S.
troops helped bring them closer together.
With one controversial album title behind them in 2009's "War Is The
Answer", FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has chosen another provocative
name for the band's third set, "American Capitalist". With
debates raging in the country right now about the economy and wealth and Wall
Street, guitarist Jason Hook told The Pulse Of Radio why it was the
right title for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. "You know, it's kind of
wearing it on our sleeves how we feel about just the competition and struggles
in life and business in general," he said. "You know, it's kind of
like dog eat dog, it's the survival of the fittest, and we're sort of putting
it out there as a positive thing. It's like, we are American capitalists, we
will divide and conquer, we will — we're going for the throat and we're not
ashamed to say that."
"American Capitalist" arrives on October 11.
Following some festival dates this month and next, the band will headline a
package tour called "Share The Welt" that kicks off on October
16 in San Francisco.
Joining FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in the lineup will be ALL THAT
REMAINS, HATEBREED and REV THEORY.
"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.
The September 2011 issue of Germany's Rock Hard magazine
will include a big cover story and world-exclusive live CD by Swedish
progressive metallers OPETH that won't be available at record stores. "The
Devil's Orchard - Live At Rock Hard Festival" is a five-song,
50-minute effort which is described as "an outstanding recording made in
2009" when the band stunned the audience with an awesome performance in
Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The CD will also include "The Devil's Orchard",
the first single from OPETH's long-awaited new studio album, "Heritage".
Commented Rock Hard publisher Holger Stratmann: "OPETH are among the most important contemporary metal bands — and after that
extensive U.S.
tour, they were really able to strut their stuff. That was certainly one of the
best performances ever in the history of our festival."
"The Devil's Orchard - Live At Rock Hard Festival" track
listing:
01. Heir Apparent
02. Ghost Of Perdition
03. The Leper Affinity
04. Hessian Peel
05. Deliverance
Snippets from the CD can be heard in the YouTube clip below.
The September 2011 issue of Rock Hard will be available at newsstands in
Germany
on August 24. You can order a copy directly from the publishing company by
writing to versand@rockhard.de.
"Heritage" is scheduled for release on September 20 (one day
earlier internationally) via Roadrunner Records. The CD was produced by OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeldt and was recorded earlier this year at Atlantis studios (formerly Metronome studios) in Stockholm. Mixing duties were handled by Steven
Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE) and Åkerfeldt. Longtime collaborator Travis
Smith also worked with Åkerfeldt to create, design and execute the
album's artwork, which can be seen below.
"Heritage" will be released in several configurations that
will certainly incite the interest of OPETH's legion of fans, known for
their passion for collecting and collectibles. The album will be released as a
standard version; as a special edition loaded with extras; as a box set exclusive
to the Roadrunner and the band's own official Omerch webstore;
and as a double LP.
According to TMZ.com, former WARRANT singer Jani Lane was
found dead earlier this evening (Thursday, August 11) at a Los Angeles-area
hotel. He was 47 years old.
Lane's body was discovered at the Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, California.
So far, no official cause of death has been released.
On July 23, Lane took part in a taping of an upcoming episode of the "That
Metal Show" alongside Michael Sweet (STRYPER) and Taime
Downe (FASTER PUSSYCAT) (see photos below). The program featuring Lane is scheduled to air on October 1 on VH1 Classic.
Michael Sweet (STRYPER): "My heart, thoughts and prayers go
out to the family and friends of Jani Lane. Had the pleasure of meeting him on 'That
Metal Show' and he was a great guy."
Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES, ADLER'S APPETITE): "Jane Lane, you
were a great talent. The world will miss you. R.I.P. my brother."
Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, BLACK
SABBATH): "[Rest in peace] Jani Lane... another one lost."
Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER): "Fly to the angels, Jani.
RIP my friend."
Eddie Trunk (VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show"):
"My God, Jani Lane found dead. Just saw him and he is in the new season of 'That Metal Show'.
I am stunned. So sad. . . Just had a great time with him in L.A. RIP. Another
talent gone way too soon."
Chris Jericho (FOZZY): "Sad to hear about the passing of Jani Lane. Jani was a good guy and one of the best songwriters in the late '80s. 'Dog Eat
Dog' — very underrated."
In February, Lane canceled all of his previously announced solo tour
dates two days before the first show was due to take place. No explanation was
offered for the cancelation.
WARRANT announced in September 2008 that it was splitting with Lane six months after the band reunited with the troubled vocalist. He has since
been replaced by Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, CRY OF LOVE, BIG
COCK).
Lane originally left WARRANT in March 1993 but rejoined the band
in September 1994. The group went on to record the "Ultraphobic" (1995), "Belly To Belly" (1996) and "Greatest &
Latest" (1999) albums and issued and collection of covers, "Under
The Influence", in 2001. Jani quit WARRANT again in 2004
before reuniting with the group four years later.
Lane released a solo album, "Back Down to One", in
2003, but shortly after was admitted to a rehab center for alcohol and
drug-related exhaustion. He also appeared on VH1's reality series "Celebrity
Fit Club".
On July 19, 2010, Lane pled no contest to DUI stemming from his arrest
two months earlier — and was ordered to serve 120 days in jail. In addition, Lane lost his license for three years and had to complete a 30-month
alcohol-education program.
Prior to serving time in jail for his most recent legal troubles, Lane issued a statement in which he said, in part, "My true hope is that anyone
out there dealing with personal problems... the consequences do not get
lighter. I can only say I've never regretted a good decision or action and
never been proud of bad ones. People have an astounding ability to forgive... I
have to start with forgiving myself. That is something that I find far more
difficult than I imagined. I think it starts with gratitude."
In a June 2010 interview, Lane spoke about his battle with alcoholism
and the negative impact it has had on his career.
"The last year, I've suffered some consequences from drinking that I've
never suffered in my entire life," he said. "It's really made me take
a step back and go, 'Is this how you want to continue? Is this how you want to
finish up?' The answer is no."
He continued, "I'll tell you, one day you think that this is absolutely
normal, this is expected, 'This has been my lifestyle for 20 years, what's the
problem?' And, all of a sudden, things take a turn, and you go, 'I don't like
these consequences. I don't like how this affects my family, I don't like how this
affects my career, I don't like how this affects anything.' Then you begin to
work."
When asked if his treatment involved going to a rehab, Lane replied,
"I have gone to rehabilitation, absolutely. I know some people who want to
be quiet about that kind of stuff, but I am not the kind of person who pride is
going to win out over saying, 'Hey, I'm honestly getting this in check and
fixing this.' It is a very important thing to me. I mean, this just doesn't
affect me like it used to. It affects everything in my life, including the
people I love. To be honest, I get tired of giving ammo to the people who don't
wish me well."
Jani Lane's
older sister, Vicky Oswald-Ley, spoke to RadarOnline.com about her brother's decade-long battle with
alcoholism which led him in and out of numerous rehab facilities over the
years.
"Alcoholism is not something he chose," Vicky Oswald-Ley said.
"It's something he fought every day and it just won."
"There were no drugs. That was one thing he could not tolerate, he
couldn't stand them. He did not do drugs.
"We don't have the autopsy report back yet, but he was a heavy drinker and
I can only guess that alcoholism has a lot to do with it.
"He would get clean and sober and then fall off the wagon. Our mom died
seven years ago, and she was always the glue that kept us together. She would
always talk him into going to rehab and hospitals. I think when she passed that
desire to stay healthy died too."
"He was so talented and witty and bright, but he shut his siblings out and
I know that is because he was ashamed of his drinking. We would all have flown
out to Los Angeles from Ohio to bring him back if he'd let us but he
isolated himself.
"There wasn't a day when one of us didn't try to contact him."
According to TMZ.com, investigators found a half-empty bottle of vodka
and prescription medication in the hotel room where former WARRANT singer Jani Lane was found dead yesterday (Thursday, August 11).
Lane was pronounced dead by Fire Department personnel who responded to a
call shortly before 5:30 p.m. in the Comfort Inn in the 20100 block of Ventura Boulevard
in Woodland Hills, California, the Los Angeles Police
Department said.
An autopsy is scheduled for later today.
According to TMZ.com, Lane's death is being treated as an
accidental overdose or a possible death from natural causes.
Lane (real name: John Kennedy Oswald) is survived by four
children — Taylar, Brittany, Madison and Ryan — from two previous marriages. (Taylar's mother is model Bobbie Brown,
his first wife, who starred in WARRANT's classic "Cherry
Pie" video.) According to Lane's Twitter account, his
third wife is named Kimberly. He has three sisters — Marcine, Michelle and Victoria.
On July 23, Lane took part in a taping of an upcoming episode of the "That
Metal Show" alongside Michael Sweet (STRYPER) and Taime
Downe (FASTER PUSSYCAT) (see photos below). The program featuring Lane is scheduled to air on October 1 on VH1 Classic.
In February, Lane canceled all of his previously announced solo tour
dates two days before the first show was due to take place. No explanation was
offered for the cancelation.
WARRANT announced in September 2008 that it was splitting with Lane six months after the band reunited with the troubled vocalist. He has since
been replaced by Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, CRY OF LOVE, BIG
COCK).
Lane originally left WARRANT in March 1993 but rejoined the band
in September 1994. The group went on to record the "Ultraphobic" (1995), "Belly To Belly" (1996) and "Greatest &
Latest" (1999) albums and issued and collection of covers, "Under
The Influence", in 2001. Jani quit WARRANT again in 2004
before reuniting with the group four years later.
Lane released a solo album, "Back Down to One", in
2003, but shortly after was admitted to a rehab center for alcohol and
drug-related exhaustion. He also appeared on VH1's reality series "Celebrity
Fit Club".
On July 19, 2010, Lane pled no contest to DUI stemming from his arrest
two months earlier — and was ordered to serve 120 days in jail. In addition, Lane lost his license for three years and had to complete a 30-month
alcohol-education program.
Vicky Oswald-Ley told RadarOnline.com that neither Lane's
wife of a year, Kimberly, nor his manager have contacted the family
since the singer's body was found.
"It would be common courtesy to call," she said. "We don't even
know if there's a service.
"Why was he in a hotel? Why was he away from her (his wife)? Why was there
isolation?" asked Vicky. "We have so many questions and don't
know where to turn for answers."
ccording to TMZ.com, the current lineup of WARRANT will pay
tribute to its former lead singer, Jani Lane, at its concert in North Dakota Friday
night (August 12).
Guitarist Erik Turner — who co-founded the band — tells the site,
"We will be making a tribute before we play the song 'Heaven' tonight."
He adds, "We never thought that when the song 'Heaven' was written we
would be playing it some day in the memory of Jani's untimely death.
"This is a very sad day for rock and roll.
"One of the great things about music is that it lives on forever."
Lane penned three Top 40 hit singles from WARRANT's debut album, "Dirty
Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" (1989): the smash hit "Heaven", "Down Boys" and "Sometimes She Cries". The
band's follow-up record, "Cherry Pie" (1990) featured another
trio of Billboard Hot 100 tracks: "I Saw Red", "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" and the smash hit "Cherry Pie". Widely
considered WARRANT's best-known release, VH1 named "Cherry
Pie" the 56th best hard rock song of all time.
TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has
released the following statement regarding the passing of WARRANT singer Jani Lane:
"Jani Lane's is yet another sad story of a boy who attained his
dreams of greatness, only to be blindsided by the pressures, temptations and
disappointments of those same dreams. We all watched over the years, as he
soared, stumbled, fell, then got up again and again. Tragically, he will get up
no more. [Rest in peace], Jani."
Lane was found dead yesterday evening (Thursday, August 11) at a Los
Angeles-area hotel. He was 47 years old.
The cause of death was unknown, and the case was turned over to the Los Angeles county coroner's
office, LAPD officer Sara Faden told the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Police Department has sent out the
following news release regarding the passing of former WARRANT singer Jani Lane:
"On August 11, 2011, patrol officers from Topanga station responded to a
9-1-1call of a death investigation in Woodland Hills.
"At around 5:30 p.m., Los Angeles
Fire Department paramedics arrived to the 20100 block of Ventura Boulevard, immediately followed
by Topanga Area officers. When emergency personnel arrived, the Fire Department
pronounced the death of a 47-year-old man, later identified as Jani Lane,
the lead singer of the popular rock band WARRANT.
"The cause of death is unknown and the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office
is conducting an investigation into Mr. Lane's death."
According to TMZ.com, investigators found a half-empty bottle of vodka
and prescription medication in the hotel room where Lane was found dead.
An autopsy is scheduled for later today.
According to TMZ.com, Lane's death is being treated as an
accidental overdose or a possible death from natural causes.
On July 23, former WARRANT singer Jani Lane —
who was found dead yesterday in a Los Angeles-area hotel — took part in a
taping of an upcoming episode of the "That Metal Show" alongside Michael Sweet (STRYPER) and Taime Downe (FASTER
PUSSYCAT) (see photos below). The program featuring Lane is
scheduled to air on October 1 on VH1 Classic.
In a new online posting, Sweet said, "I'm still in shock over the
sudden passing of Jani. I was just sitting in a dressing room with him
less than a month ago. Had I known, I would have spent more time with him. He
was a good-hearted guy with a gentle soul. I know he had a tough life and many
battles, but who doesn't? He seemed to be genuinely working so hard at sorting
things out and getting things in order. It's a true shame."
Jani Lane's ex-bandmates in WARRANT have released the following statement regarding their former singer's passing:
"We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Jani's passing. Our
thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
"Jani was a very important part of our lives for a long time. We
will always be incredibly proud of the music we created together. He was a true
talent and will be missed by all of us."
WARRANT announced in September 2008 that it was splitting with Lane six months after the band reunited with the troubled vocalist. He has since
been replaced by Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, CRY OF LOVE, BIG
COCK).
Lane originally left WARRANT in March 1993 but rejoined the band
in September 1994. The group went on to record the "Ultraphobic" (1995), "Belly To Belly" (1996) and "Greatest &
Latest" (1999) albums and issued and collection of covers, "Under
The Influence", in 2001. Jani quit WARRANT again in 2004
before reuniting with the group four years later.
Jani Lane's
manager and good friend Obi Steinman has released the following
statement regarding the passing of the former WARRANT singer:
"It is with great sadness that I announce to the music world and to all of
Jani's fans that he has passed away.
"I lost a very dear friend.
"His family, including his young children, asks for privacy during this
difficult time.
"Jani never gave up on his dream to entertain and bring music to
the world. His memory will live on in his music and his songs helped shape '80s
rock. I will miss him tremendously.
"Again, his wife and children ask for respect during this sorrowful
time."
Born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio, Lane's musical
talent became evident at the age of four when the youngest of five children mastered
the drums. The protégée spent his high school years entertaining and excelling
at high school sports.
After high school, Lane moved to Florida
to further pursue music. In 1985 he formed PLAIN JANE with future WARRANT bandmate Steven (Chamberlin) Sweet. He had moved from behind the
drum kit to the lead vocals and adopted the stage name "Jani"
as a take on the German pronunciation of Johnny.
When PLAIN JANE moved to the Los Angeles club circuit, Lane's songwriting and
stage performance gained notice of WARRANT founder Erik Turner.
With WARRANT, Lane would go on to create some of the '80s metal
era's biggest anthems.
Lane penned three Top 40 hit singles from WARRANT's debut album, "Dirty
Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" (1989): the smash hit "Heaven", "Down Boys" and "Sometimes She Cries". The
band's follow-up record, "Cherry Pie" (1990) featured another
trio of Billboard Hot 100 tracks: "I Saw Red", "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" and the smash hit "Cherry Pie". Widely
considered WARRANT's best-known release, VH1 named "Cherry
Pie" the 56th best hard rock song of all time.
Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING have issued the
following update:
"We are back from this rollercoaster called the South American Ghost
Ride Tour. It was great. Thank you all for coming!
"As you probably know, we had our problems with volcanoes, flights
overbooked and cancellations, but the warm welcome in every country was
overwhelming! Thanks!
"We get a lot of mail from people who want to know when the new album will
be out. Unfortunately, this will not happen this year. We're still writing and
recording, and trying not to finish things in a hurry. For sure the album will
be out in 2012! Maybe we will release another free download, like we did with 'Heroes
For Ghost'. You can also enjoy the magnificent video Marcus Moonen made [see below]. We will keep you informed.
"Something else: we have another festival date for you! THE GATHERING will play at the Baroeg Open Air festival the 24th of September in Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. It's a free festival, so you can spend all your money drinking
beer (or cola). We heard that lots of Dutch Almanaks say the weather will be
splendid in September (a real Indian summer), so no excuses. It will also be
the last THE GATHERING gig this year (though you never know what
happens). We hope to see you all there (and/or of course in Helmond
or Amersfoort,
which we will rock a week earlier)."
THE GATHERING's latest album, "The West Pole", was
released in North America on June 2, 2009 via Season
of Mist. The CD was issued in most of Europe
on May 4, 2009 via the group's own label, Psychonaut Records.
"The West Pole" marks the recording debut of new THE
GATHERING singer Silje Wergeland, who was previously in the
Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI. It also includes two very talented guest
vocalists, Anne van den Hoogen and Marcela Bovio (STREAM OF
PASSION), along with other guest musicians.
Singer Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since launched a project called AGUA DE ANNIQUE, which
has released three albums so far: "Air" (2007), "Pure
Air" (2009) and "In Your Room" (2009).
"Blood Of The Saints", the fourth album
from multinational metallers POWERWOLF, has entered the German Media
Control chart at position No. 23.
Commented POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew Greywolf: "This is
incredible; we're really overwhelmed! This is a real triumph for the wolves,
but as well a triumph for you — our fans — you made this happen, you made it
possible that the wolves set an example in the name of metal among all the
pop-acts in the charts! Thanks a lot — see you all on the Power Of Metal tour to celebrate this together!"
"Blood Of The Saints" was released in Germany, Austria
and Switzerland on July 29;
and August 1 in the rest of Europe via Metal Blade Records in Europe. The CD was made available as a regular CD, a
limited-edition digibook 2-CD (exact content to be revealed shortly) and on
vinyl. The cover art was created by POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew
Greywolf.
"Blood Of The Saints" track listing:
01. Agnus Dei (Intro)
02. Sanctified With Dynamite
03. We Drink Your Blood
04. Murder At Midnight
05. All We Need Is Blood
06. Dead Boys Don't Cry
07. Son Of A Wolf
08. Night Of The Werewolves
09. Phantom Of The Funeral
10. Die, Die, Crucified
11. Ira Sancti (When The Saints Are Going Wild)
The "We Drink Your Blood" video can be seen below (courtesy of Metal Hammer magazine). The clip was filmed in an ancient monastery
church.
Commented POWERWOLF organist Falk Maria Schlegel: "Shooting
the video in such a special and atmospheric place was incredible. The
combination of the sacral interior of the church, including altar, confessional
box and a church organ with a lot of fire, fog and metal insanity was the
perfect set for a POWERWOLF video."
The title "We Drink Your Blood" is an allusion to the
congregation in the Christian liturgy: "Take this, all of you, and drink
from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting
covenant." In the very own style, the members of POWERWOLF have
adapted this to a typical suggestive horror story.
Swedish hard rockers BULLET have inked a deal with Nuclear
Blast Records.
Commented the band: "We've always been a band with a lot of ideas and now
it's time to let them all loose.
"We think Nuclear Blast is the right label to help us out to make
better records, cooler shows and more of everything that you've come to know as BULLET.
"We are really looking forward to releasing a new album on Nuclear
Blast, because it is a great chance for us to reach new crowds and
countries.
"BULLET will always be BULLET, hate it or love it. Now is
the time to make it more powerful."
Added Andy Siry, head of A&R at Nuclear Blast Records:
"We're highly delighted to welcome BULLET at the Nuclear Blast family.
"The boys of BULLET aren't only downright likeable and honest guys,
they also live their music and embody the original spirit of rock 'n' roll.
"BULLET are superb on their albums as well as live on stage and
we're noticing a constant development. Now we want to vault the 'Highway
Pirates' into a higher division."
"Stay Wild", the latest video from BULLET, can be seen
below. The song comes off the band's third full-length album "Highway
Pirates", which entered the official chart in the band's home country
at position No. 3.
"Highway Pirates" was mixed by Tobias Lindell, who has
previously worked with such Swedish rock bands as EUROPE, MUSTASCH and HARDCORE SUPERSTAR. Their combined efforts have
"succeeded in creating a sound that is retro and modern at the same
time," according to a press release. "Hampus Klang's and Erik
Ahlström's guitar sound is incredibly pure."
On February 5 a huge release party was held in BULLET's hometown of
Växjö. The event was totally sold out, with almost 1,000 people attending, and
the band delivered a classic rock show, finishing off with singer Hell Hofer "sawing off" the arm of a guy playing keyboards. In true BULLET spirit, specially made BULLET beer and hot dogs were served.
Brazilian progressive power metal band ALMAH — the
side project of ANGRA members Edu Falaschi (vocals) and Felipe
Andreoli (bass) — will release its third album, "Motion",
this fall via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Norcal Studio in São Paulo, Brazil. 10 songs were tracked for
the effort, which was composed by the entire band and is described in a press
release as "really heavy and up-to-date with less influences of typical
melodic metal."
"Motion" track listing:
01. Hypnotized
02. Living And Drifting
03. Days Of The New
04. Bullets On The Altar
05. Zombies Dictator
06. Trace Of Trait
07. Soul Alight
08. Late Night In '85
09. Daydream Lucidity
10. When And Why
Commented Falaschi: "ALMAH is coming closer and closer to
the moment when we release our third studio album, 'Motion'! We are excited as
much as everyone who follows us over the years, and now we are happy to show
you the names of our new songs!
"I can reveal that 'Motion' is not a conceptual album. Every song
tells its own story, but at the same time all of them have something related to
movements, changes and evolution. No fantastic themes, no fairytales, no
parallel meanings, no hidden stories, everything is real and direct. This time,
we want to talk about the people's real life! REALITY!"
Regarding the "Motion" cover artwork, which can be seen below, Falaschi previously said, "The cover has been created by myself
with my own iPhone. I took a picture in Paris
and used some applications to create that motion effect. Then Felipe [Andreoli,
bass] used my picture and re-created this artwork in high resolution using Photoshop and completed it with new elements.
"This time we wanted something modern and direct to represent our music
and we are totally sure that we got the result we really wanted since the very
beginning. This CD will show the real ALMAH's language and
personality!"
ALMAH's sophomore album, "Fragile Equality", was
released in October 2008 via AFM Records.
ALMAH is:
Edu Falaschi - Vocals
Felipe Andreoli - Bass
Marcelo Barbosa - Gutar
Paulo Schroeber - Guitar
Marcelo Moreira - Drums
ALMAH released its debut CD in the U.S. in July 2007 via Candlelight.
While they have a break from the road, U.K. progressive
metal hopefuls TESSERACT have begun work on a new music video for the
track "Eden", which appears on the band's debut album, "One".
In association with Escape Plan Productions, "Eden" will feature the artistic
vision of director Ganesh Rao (EMPYREAN) and director of
photography Jonny Greenwald.
Commented bassist Amos Williams: "We like to keep a close eye on
what's happening in the underground and the scene from which we were born. One
day a jaw-dropping, stunning video appears on Got-Djent.com. I mean,
beautiful, cinematic, and emotive. Ganesh Rao created not only a great
example of 'djent' with his entirely self-created EMPYREAN project, but
as director of the video, made something that has truly risen the bar for
independent creators. Now, as it happened we were looking for a director to
work with us for our upcoming video for 'Eden', so it was a no-brainer to approach Ganesh to try and make it happen.
"We're very excited to see what we can create together. The hope is that
it's a piece of art, not a bullshit piece of marketing that does nothing but to
self-serve and ego-boost the band. A lasting composition that can be enjoyed
both visually and aurally. It won't be MTV, but like all things TESSERACT,
it should be intense, emotive, and enthralling."
Beginning this fall, TESSERACT will also join BETWEEN THE BURIED AND
ME and ANIMALS AS LEADERS for the ultimate progressive metal tour, "Saints
And Sinners".
Canadian modern metal masters THREAT SIGNAL will
release their third, self-titled album on October 7 via Nuclear Blast
Records. The CD was recorded at Planet Z studios in Hadley, Massachusetts
with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (CHIMAIRA, HATEBREED, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE ACACIA STRAIN, BORN OF OSIRIS, SHADOWS
FALL).
"Threat Signal" track listing:
01. Uncensored
02. Comatose
03. New WorldOrder
04. Trust In None
05. Face The Day
06. Fallen Disciples
07. Disposition
08. Death Before Dishonor
09. Buried Alive
10. Resistance (bonus track)
Check out the cover artwork below.
Regarding what fans can expect to hear from the new THREAT SIGNAL CD,
the band recently said, "Basically we said, 'Let's write the heaviest
fuckin' record we possibly can.' We've been experimenting with seven-string
guitars and drop tunings since the early days, so we have decided to write
almost the whole new record that way. We are headed back to the 'Under
Reprisal' days but with bigger balls."
Fan-filmed video footage of THREAT SIGNAL performing a brand new song, "Fallen
Disciples", on May 13, 2011 at Foufounes Électriques in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be
viewed below.
THREAT SIGNAL recently parted ways with drummer Norm Killeen and
guitarist Adam Weber and replaced them with Alex Rudinger from Frederick, Maryland and Chris
Feener from Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland,
Canada,
respectively.
THREAT SIGNAL last year completed the "Threat Over Europe
2010" headlining tour with RAUNCHY (Denmark), SYBREED (Switzerland), M.A.N (Sweden) and ILLIDIANCE (Russia).
THREAT SIGNAL's sophomore album, "Vigilance", sold
around 1,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD
landed at position No. 32 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.
THREAT SIGNAL members Jon Howard and Pat Kavanagh are also
involved with ARKAEA, the band featuring FEAR FACTORY members Raymond
Herrera (drums) and Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar).
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/threatsignalnewcd.jpg
EVANASCENCE singer Amy Lee recently spoke to MTV News about the band's new track "Never Go
Back", which she described as "beautiful [and] epic ... about
loss from the perspective of someone losing someone in a tragedy."
When asked to elaborate on the track's lyrical theme, Lee said, "It
wasn't about my life so much. ... When we first got into pre-production, the
earthquakes and tsunami happened in Japan, and we were all just totally glued
to paying attention to it, all these incredibly heartbreaking images, and we
just [thought], 'Wow,' " she said. "And I was thinking about it a
lot. It was consuming my mind, and we were working on that song at the same
time. I was kind of working on lyrics at night; we'd practice all day, and I'd
go home at night and be working on lyrics by myself. And I came in the next day
and was like, 'Guys, I'm going to make this song about the tsunami. . . I was
singing it to [my bandmates] in the car, and everyone was like, 'I got goose
bumps.' I'm feeling this human connection with [the Japan tragedy]; obviously, I
haven't experienced it, but it was cool to write about something a little bit
outside myself, that isn't what I usually do. And I love that song."
A five-year drought ended for EVANESCENCE fans on Monday night (August
8) when the band performed its new single, "What You Want",
live on MTV, with the song also heading to rock radio and iTunes at the same time. The track is taken from the band's upcoming third major label
album, a self-titled affair due out on October 11.
The new record is the band's first since 2006's "The Open Door".
EVANESCENCE will play Nashville on August
17 and Winnipeg, Canada
on August 20, but will kick off a 15-city North American run on October 10 in Oakland, California.
The current lineup of EVANESCENCE features guitarists Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt in addition to Lee.
"The Corruption Of Mercy", the sophomore
solo album from British vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva — who has toured
and/or recorded with CRADLE OF FILTH, THERION, MORTIIS and ANGTORIA — will be released in the U.S. on August 30. According to
Sarah, the U.S.
version of the CD "includes one extra track, a cover song that I am sure
the press will adore." It also comes with the video for the song "The
World Won't Hold Your Hand", which can be seen below.
"The Corruption Of Mercy" was released in Europe
on June 27 via Listenable Records. The cover art for the CD was created
by CRADLE OF FILTH artist Matt Lombard and will come in a
slipcase due to its slightly "dark/close-to-the-mark" nature.
Commented Sarah: "We decided on the song 'The World Won't Hold
Your Hand' and shot the video at Murder Mile Studios in London, which is owned by Adrian and Amber Erlandsson. The producer of the video is David
Kenny, who did the last video, 'A Sign Of Sublime', but has also
produced video's forTRIGGER THE BLOODSHED and THE DEAD LAY WAITING."
"The Corruption Of Mercy" track listing:
01 No Paragon Of Virtue
02 The World Won't Hold Your Hand
03 A Matter Of Convenience
04 Silence Please
05 Zombie
06 Pretty With Effects
07 What Lies Before You
08 Sirens
09 The Eyes That Lie
10 The Corruption Of Mercy
Commented Sarah: "We [wrote] the new album, 'The Corruption Of
Mercy', over the last 12 months, in between shows and other musical
priorities at Escape Route Studios in Essex, England. A majority of the
album was written by myself and Dan Abela but further down the line, we
enlisted the help of Pzy Clone from THE KOVENANT for his amazing
orchestrations and programming. Pzy Clone truly was the icing on the
cake for this album.
"In our eyes, this album should have been the first CD released under the Sarah
Jezebel Deva name and we feel it's totally on par with ANGTORIA's 'God
Has A Plan For Us All'."
Lineup:
Dan Abela - Guitar
Jamie Abela - Drums
Jonny Gray - Guitar
Ablaz - Bass
Sarah Jezebel Deva - Vocals
Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR, VOID
OV VOICES) and New York City guitarist Dennis Deen recently spent
time in Oslo collaborating on a new project which Attila has described
as "a cross between old TORMENTOR, SKINNY PUPPY and BIOHAZARD."
"For me, I hear and see a mix of 'Diary Of A Madman' [OZZY
OSBOURNE] and 'Antichrist Superstar' [MARILYN MANSON] in the
project being that I'm very influenced by Randy Rhoads," Deen tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET.
He adds, "The new show and record is full of kick-ass guitar riffs. The
show will literally scare the fuck out of you. It's a heavy sound; very
negative, dark stuff here [with] a little VOID OV VOICESthrown in. I
literally dug out my blackest of demons from my soul to create this. A lot of
pain went into my guitar sound.
"I cannot really say much more other than we are looking for a bassist and
drummer to do the tour. The studio lineup and details are coming."
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.
Florida
death metal veterans DEICIDE will embark on the North American
headlining "March Of Death 2012" tour in March 2012. Support
on the trek will come from JUNGLE ROT, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and LECHEROUS
NOCTURNE.
The dates are as follows:
March 01 - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx
March 02 - Reading, PA - Reverb
March 03 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
March 04 - Montreal, QUE - FouFounes
March 05 - Quebec City, QUE - Imperial de Quebec
March 06 - Toronto, ONT - Opera House
March 07 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
March 08 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
March 09 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
March 10 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's Rock Club
March 12 - Winnipeg, MB - The Osbourne Village Inn
March 13 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
March 14 - Edmonton, AL - Starlite
March 15 - Calgary, AL - Dickens
March 16 - Kelowna, BC - Rutland Centennial Hall
March 17 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
March 18 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
March 19 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
March 20 - San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom
March 21 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
March 22 - Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
March 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
March 24 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
March 26 - Dallas, TX - Trees
March 27 - Austin, TX - Emo's Alternative Lounging
March 28 - New Orleans, LA - The Hangar
March 29 - Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone
"To Hell With God", the new album from DEICIDE, sold
2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was
issued on February 15 via Century Media Records. It was produced by Mark
Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA) at Audiohammer
Studios in Sanford, Florida.
DEICIDE's previous CD, "Till Death Do Us Part", opened
with 2,900 copies back in May 2008.
DEICIDE earlier in the year completed the "God Is Dead – To Hell
With God Tour" with support from BELPHEGOR, BLACKGUARD, NEURAXIS and PATHOLOGY.
Three members of the legendary Swedish death metal band GRAVE have joined forces with Florida-based guitarist Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE) in a brand new group called REDSCREAM. The project is
currently writing material in Stockholm
while seeking a lead singer to complete the band's lineup.
Regarding how REDSCREAM came together and its future plans, the group
tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "In April, OBITUARY, GRAVE,
and PATHOLOGY toured Europe together on
the 'Metal Chainsaw Massacre' tour. Everyone involved agreed that it was
one of the best, most fun tours we had ever done, and the chemistry on the bus
was really good. The 'Late Night Party Crew' (Trevor Peres, Ronnie
Bergerstål, Oscar Ramirez, Tobbe Cristiansson, Ralph
Santolla, Ola Lindgren, and Tim Tzsieconanovichski) also
found we all loved the same classic rock, classic metal, and Southern rock.
After many nights of cranking THIN LIZZY, RIOT and DEEP PURPLE,
the guys in GRAVE and Ralphy decided to form a band and call it REDSCREAM (cheap wine). Well, now Ralph has been in Stockholm for a month and we've been writing
like crazy. Today we actually finished our fourth song.
"It's hard to describe a sound, but every day before practice we listen to
hours of IMMORTAL, DEF LEPPARD, DIMMU BORGIR, KATY
PERRY, SCORPIONS, KISS, RAINBOW and TRIPTYKON.
Strange but true!
"We have another week of work, then a break for the GRAVE U.S.
tour, then we will spend the whole month of October writing and meeting with
prospective singers."
REDSCREAM is:
Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE) - Guitar
Ola Lindgren (GRAVE) - Guitar
Tobias Cristiansson (GRAVE) - Bass
Ronnie Bergerstål (GRAVE) - Drums
[To Be Announced] - Lead Vocals
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/redscreamofficial.
On Tuesday, Century Media and its associated labels — InsideOutMusic, Superballmusic and People Like You — announced that they had decided to pull their repertoire
from streaming music service Spotify in an attempt "to protect the
interests of their artists." Now, Spotify has issued a statement to Digital Music News responding to that removal, as well as
broader claims that its service undercuts rights holders.
"We are sorry that Century Media have opted not to offer its music
to their fans through Spotify," Spotify said. "Spotify has one of the biggest music libraries in the world — of over 15 million tracks
- and is committed to offering our users the widest possible selection of music
across artists and genres from around the world.
"Spotify was launched out of a desire to develop a better, more
convenient and legal alternative to music piracy. Spotify now monetizes
an audience the large majority of whom were downloading illegally (and
therefore not making any money for the industry) before Spotify was
available.
"Spotify is now generating serious revenues for rights holders;
since our launch just three years ago, we have paid over $100 million to labels
and publishers, who, in turn, pass this on to the artists, composers and
authors they represent. Indeed, a top Swedish music executive was recently
quoted as saying that Spotify is currently the biggest single revenue
source for the music industry in Scandinavia.
"Spotify is now also the second single largest source of digital
music revenue for labels in Europe (IFPI,
April 2011). Billboard reported in April that Spotify territories
saw an average digital growth rate of 43% last year. By contrast, neighbouring
countries (without Spotify) saw only 9.3% digital growth.
"We are very proud of the positive contribution that Spotify makes
towards growth in the music industry."
The U.S. version of Spotify, which gives its users access to all the
songs in its cloud to organize into playlists and listen to as they please, has
reportedly attracted 1.4 million registered users so far in spite of its
current invite-only status. Of those users, roughly 175,000 are said to be
"paying users." In Europe, where Spotify has been available in seven countries since its launch in 2008, the company
currently has around 1.6 million paying users, according to published reports.
According to the an infographic on the Information Is Beautiful web site, which visualizes the
different monetization methods available to artists and how profitable they
are, if you are a solo musician, at $0.00029 per play on Spotify, you
will have to receive 4,053,110 plays per month to earn the U.S. minimum wage of
$1,160.
According to LA Weekly, John Strachan of Los Angeles blackened-death band THE FUNERAL PYRE has joined the
San Francisco
hardcore group EARLY GRAVES as that act's new vocalist.
Strachan will make his live debut with EARLY GRAVES this
Saturday, August 13 at The Power Of The Riff festival at The Echo and
Echoplex in Los Angeles.
EARLY GRAVES vocalist Makh Daniels tragically passed away last
August in a van accident while on tour in Oregon.
EARLY GRAVES' sophomore album, "Goner", was released in
June 2010 via Ironclad/Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to
2008's "We: The Guillotine" was recorded at Louder Studios (MELVINS, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, SAVIOURS) by Tim
Green (THE FUCKING CHAMPS, NATION OF ULYSSES) and mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering. The artwork was created by Nat
Damm Design (MONOTONIX, AKIMBO, THE FUCKING WRATH).
"Goner" is described in a press release as "a ragged,
pissed off amalgamation of heavy self-medication, year-long blackouts and all
the depression of an a thousand-yard stare. . . Combining the best elements of HELLACOPTERS/TURBONEGRO rock n' roll with BLACK FLAG- and BAD BRAINS-inspired hardcore
with a crushing balance of both MORBID ANGEL's heaviness and the raw
intensity of power violence pioneers DROPDEAD and MASSKONTROLL, EARLY
GRAVES have set the bar for complete, unhinged self-destruction."
German melodic death metallers NIGHT IN GALES have
inked a deal with Lifeforce Records. The band's fifth album, "Five
Scars", will be released on November 7 in Europe and a day later in North America. According to a press release, the CD
"successfully combines all of the band's past trademarks within the
typically Swedish melodic death metal sound structure without rejecting new
influences and thus making it both the most melodically accessible as well as
also the most aggressive effort in the band's history so far, smoothly rounded
off with a killer sound mix courtesy of scene icon Dan Swanö (EDGE OF
SANITY, BLOODBATH)."
Commented NIGHT IN GALES guitarist Jens Basten: "We're back,
fuck yeah! 17 years after initially cooking our very own brew of German melodic
death metal, there's a new NIGHT IN GALES album coming your way! 'Five
Scars' will definitely be a feast for the melo-death gourmets who might be
fed up with all the wannabes who led this great metal style into total
insignificance! Lifeforce Records proved themselves as true epicureans,
hence we are proud to be part of the Lifeforce family now! 'Five
Scars' will be out on November 4th, and we're looking forward to fire up
the kitchen with a strong new partner aside!"
NIGHT IN GALES' most recent full-length album, "Necrodynamic",
was released in 2001 via Massacre Records. Prior to signing with Massacre,
the band released three albums through Nuclear Blast Records (1997's "Toward
the Twilight", 1998's "Thunderbeast" and 2000's "Nailwork").
Danish black metallers HORNED ALMIGHTY have started
writing material for their fifth album. The as-yet-untitled effort will be
recorded in late 2011/early 2012.
HORNED ALMIGHTY released its fourth CD, "Necro Spirituals",
in North America on January 25 via Candlelight
Records. The album, which was issued in Europe
last October, was recorded in May-June 2010 and mixed and mastered by Jacob
Bredahl (HATESPHERE, KOLDBORN) at Dead Rat Studios.
The CD is "comprised of the strongest and most fierce material written in
the band's eight-year existence," according to a press release. "Yet
again, crushing all doctrines and rules with their 'don't-give-a-shit' take on
black metal, as a testament to all that is extreme."
Sumerian black/thrash metal kings MELECHESH will be
joined by a new bass player for their upcoming festival appearances. The band's
founder, mainman, vocalist and guitarist Ashmedi explains: "The
relationship is in a strict tryout phase which will allow the bass player to
find his way into the band and to see if he fits in well. Additionally — as
often before — [MELECHESH guitarist] Moloch won't be able to be
part of the live lineup on our European tour as well as on two festivals due to
his PHD finalisation and other commitments, which he had to reschedule because
of our previous U.S. and European tours. But, as always, we'll have a trusted
backup guitarist who toured with us in the past."
MELECHESH recently amicably parted ways with bassist Rahm, who
joined the band last year. The remaining members of the group cited
"professional reasons" as the reason for the split.
MELECHESH's latest album, "The Epigenesis", was
recorded in the newly built Babajim Studios in Istanbul, Turkey
and was mixed by Reuben de Lautour and mastered by Pieter Snapper.
The "The Epigenesis" cover art was created by the U.K.-based
renowned occult artist John Coulthart, who had already collaborated with MELECHESH in the past.
Arizona-based death/thrash metallers SARGON, whose
current lineup includes ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION and SOLSTICE drummer Alex Marquez, have inked a deal with the old-school/extreme
metal label Old Cemetery Records for the physical release of the band's
debut album. "In Contempt". Due on September 23, the effort
will coincide with a CD-release show in Phoenix,
the details of which will be announced very soon.
In other news, SARGON has announced the addition of ex-DEATH/MONSTROSITY bassist Kelly Conlon to the group's ranks. The band states, "It's
an absolute honor to be playing with Kelly, for his experience,
professionalism, killer bass playing, and on-stage madness are a great fit for SARGON and are sure to crush some skulls live."
SARGON will perform at this year's The Goregrowler's Ball on
November 18 in San Antonio, Texas.
Marquez will take part in a drum clinic on August 27 in San Antonio. See the flyer below for all the
details.
Bob Larson, an American radio and television
evangelist and one of the leading practitioners of modern, Christian exorcisms,
has confirmed that he will conduct an exorcism next week on Jørn Stubberud,
best known as the bassist in the legendary Norwegian black metal band MAYHEM (where he performs under the stage name Necrobutcher). The entire event
will be filmed by NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the
Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and
the largest media organization in Norway,
for a special program which will be aired in Norway in October.
In a written statement to the German edition of the Metal
Hammer magazine, Larson said, "I have confirmed my willingness
to perform an exorcism on 'Necrobutcher' with certain conditions I will
discuss with the TV crew.
"I have toured with SLAYER and have had frequent interaction with
groups such as DEICIDE (Glen Benton recently posted on my Facebook page), MORBID ANGEL and many other such groups.
"I am willing to confront Necrobutcher's demons if he is willing to
allow his demons to confront me. He needs to know this is not a battle between
him and me, but between him and the devil.
"My prayer is Jørn may come to know the love of God. Christ died on
the cross for Jørn and I'm sorry if he has such a bad idea of Christianity.
Perhaps some Christians in Norway
have not done such a good job of letting Jørn know God's love. Satan is
battling for Jørn's soul I will do all I can to help him escape and
experience the peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit."
In an interview with the German edition of the Metal Hammer magazine at
this month's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken,
Germany, Stubberud said, "NRK is sending me over to Phoenix, Arizona
next week. There's this famous preacher. I'm not a believer, so I think he's a
quack. A very religious guy. He's an excorcist; that's what he does. I'm just
there for the fun of it. He's gonna perform an exorcism on me on national TV.
So it's gonna be wild as fuck and, of course, I don't expect to suddenly be
free from some demons or whatever. I'm just there for the fun of it and for the
hell of it."
He added, "All religious people, when they talk about [how] they talked to
God or God talked to them, stuff like that, I know it's a lie. Because they
look at all the people, they speak in tongue, it's a mass, they get into that
stuff, they think, 'If I behave like that guy, all the people will think that I
truly have an open connection straight to God' or whatever. But for us,
enlightened people, we know that it's all bullshit, that they're full of
fucking lies and shit. And that's why I'm there — to give a little punch and a
kick in the ass to this little quack and people saying that they have direct
contact with God and shit like that."
By the late 1980s, in what would come to define his later ministry, Larson was often heard performing exorcisms of callers on the air, including Glen
Benton of the death metal band DEICIDE, who became a regular caller.
MAYHEM vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin committed suicide in
1991, and guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth was murdered
in 1993.
Swedish black metal veterans PAGAN RITES have
completed work on a new mini-album, "Preachers From Hell". The
CD was recorded in Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden
with Stefan Karlsson (ex-SOUL REAPER) and was mastered by Andy
La Rocque (KING DIAMOND).
"Preachers From Hell" track listing:
01. Curse Of Gods
02. King Of Evil
03. Catholic Sodomy
04. Vengeance From Hell
05. Unhallowed Ground
"Preachers From Hell" will be released later in the year via Unexploded
Records.
Norwegian "bear metal" band SVÖLK has inked
a deal with Napalm Records.
"Bear metal" is described as "the perfect blend of stoner,
metal, and Nordic redneck attitude."
Commented the band: "We are thrilled and proud to announce that we've
signed a worldwide record deal with one of the biggest labels in the world, Napalm
Records! Now we're a part of the Napalm family, along with many
great bands, such as MONSTER MAGNET, BRANT BJORK and ALESTORM,
to name a few. We're looking forward to spread our bear-metal throughout the
world! There's no secret that we love the smell of Napalm in the
morning... Svölk 'em all!"
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