July 1971: Colin Hart, a Geordie lad from South
Shields was on his first tour of America as roadie for MATTHEW'S
SOUTHERN COMFORT. The group was part of a three-band bill with THE FACES and DEEP PURPLE. Following the tour, he joined DEEP PURPLE's road
crew. Ian Gillan just knew Colin had to join the PURPLE entourage after seeing him pour a pint of beer over Rod Stewart! Forty
years on, and Wymer Publishing is pleased to announce "A Hart
Life", Colin Hart's life story as both DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW's
tour manager.
Hart devoted over thirty years of his life to these great rock
musicians. This is his story and indeed theirs. A tale of excess in terms of
greed, petulance, anger and devotion. It is counter-balanced by extremes of
pure talent, showmanship and, of course, musicianship. He was the constant
"man in the middle" through all of the breakups, makeups and
revolving door lineup changes. Joining them at twenty-four years old and
leaving thirty years later, he was there every step of their rock 'n' roll way.
A story of two of the most innovative, often copied, rock bands; seen through
the eyes, ears and emotions of their "mother hen" (as Jon Lord described him). He was their minder, chauffeur, carer, provider, protector,
father confessor and confidant. In truth, he is the only one who can tell this
tale of both bands as he was the only one there on the road throughout the life
of, not one, but both gigantic bands.
Hart endured a roller coaster ride, working for PURPLE, during
the band's most successful period. He was there when the casino burnt down in
Montreux, and witnessed "Smoke On The Water" being born; the
legendary concerts in Japan; the breakup of the Gillan / Glover lineup; the auditions that saw David Coverdale join the band, and the
huge CalJam concert in front of 400,000.
When Ritchie Blackmore left DEEP PURPLE in early 1975 and formed RAINBOW, Colin went with him and continued as RAINBOW's tour manager
through the ever-revolving lineups. He was invariably the man who had to break
the news to many of the hopefuls that auditioned for the band: "We'll get
back to you" being the stock reply!
Once again, Colin was in the thick of it during RAINBOW's
nine-year tenure; The classic "Rainbow Rising" period,
"the best lineup" in his eyes; the dramas during the making of "Long
Live Rock 'N' Roll"; the departure of kingpin Ronnie James Dio;
the Graham Bonnet era, culminating in the first Monsters Of Rock festival at Donington; and the successful commercial period with frontman Joe
Lynn Turner.
In 1984, when Blackmore disbanded RAINBOW for the DEEP PURPLE reunion, Colin naturally resumed his role with these rock giants as they
embarked on a world tour that included the hugely successful 1985 U.S leg — the
second-biggest-grossing U.S tour that year after Bruce Springsteen. A
déjà vu situation occurred as Colin was in the middle of yet more band
breakups as first, Gillan departed, Turner joined, Gillan returned and Blackmore departed while Steve Morse emerged to take
the band into the new millennium, although for Colin his thirty years on
the road with two of the biggest bands in rock history came to an end in 2001.
"A Hart Life" is written with life-long friend Dick Allix,
former drummer with Sixties band VANITY FARE. Hart tells the
story of his life from humble beginnings in South Shields, to setting up home
in California with RAINBOW, and eventually settling in Florida, where he
still lives today; of touring the world several times over with two of
Britain's greatest bands, DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW; a story that
also crosses paths with Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Elton
John, Eric Clapton, LED ZEPPELIN, AC/DC, DEF
LEPPARD, SCORPIONS and IRON MAIDEN, to mention just a few! A
truly fascinating insight into the world of rock 'n' roll from the other side
of the stage. It includes forewords by DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW bassist Roger Glover and Hart's nephew Paul Mann, who
conducted the London Symphony Orchestra alongside DEEP PURPLE at
the 1999 "Concerto For Group & Orchestra" shows.
"A Hart Life" was originally published in Japan in 2008
under the title "Between A Rock & A Hard Place".
To purchase a copy, go to this location.
Classic-era AC/DC bassist Mark Evans has written "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC", a humorous and
honest account of his years with the band. The book is scheduled for November
2011 release in North America, and is
currently available for preorder with a limited color metal badge from publisher Bazillion Points.
For more information, visit www.dirtydeedsbook.com.
Among many standout episodes in the book, Evans recounts AC/DC's
first London gig, on April 23, 1976, after
making the big move from Australia.
"Gig time at the Red Cow was approaching and the crowd, if you could call
it that, was very thin," he writes. "There were maybe thirty people
in the room. We didn't care; we were playing again and our vibe was sky-high. Angus [Young], who could be very jumpy before a gig, was as happy as I'd ever
seen him. He was vibing and smiling up large, flashing those god-awful teeth of
his. We were ready, in control of our emotions, as always, but there was this
pent-up emotion that was palpable. If I was to point to one moment in my time
with AC/DC when we felt like brothers, well, this was it. This really
felt like the start of something, even if were playing to thirty drunken
punters at the Red Cow. They had no idea what was about to hit them.
"We opened with 'Live Wire'. My bass intro drifted in the air, Mal's
[guitarist Malcolm Young] ominous guitar chords joined in, Phil's
[Rudd, drums] hi-hat cymbals tapped away and then the song exploded when Angus and the drums absolutely fucking erupted. I felt like I was lifted
off the ground, it was that powerful. It just sounded so much like AC/DC.
That may seem to be a ridiculous thing to say, but we hadn't played a gig for
ages and we were ready to make a statement. There was that great feeling of
power; not the chaotic, noisy, out-of-control power that is very common in
bands, but the AC/DC brand of power. We were back and firing and Bon
[Scott, vocals] hadn't even opened his trap yet.
"Our thirty or so new friends from the Red Cow were firing, too; they were
well into it. I'm not sure what they made of the barrage but we certainly got
their attention. After the first set we were surprised to see people leaving.
In fact, most of them disappeared, which did seem strange. The few that
remained were refreshing their drinks or making calls on the public phone. We
shrugged it off. However, as the second set neared, the crowd started to build
up again. The punters that were there at the start had returned with their
mates. The place was full by the time we got back onstage. Clearly we were on
our way...."
At nineteen years old in 1975, Mark Evans joined AC/DC, one of
the hardest-working and loudest barroom bands in Australia. His memoir, "Dirty
Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside Of AC/DC", is the first bio written by a
band insider during the early years, giving insight into the struggles and
camaraderie that fueled the rise of hard rock's most successful group. His
likeable stories capture the energy and essence of Malcolm Young, Angus
Young, Phil Rudd, and the late Bon Scott.
In this week's issue of U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine, JUDAS
PRIEST frontman Rob Halford offered his take on why the British rock
and metal scene is so special.
"Where do you start?" says Halford. "There's no doubt
that all of the great British rock bands and metal bands that have been around
since the whole movement began have been incredibly important in the bigger
scene of rock and roll around the world I think it's just something that all of
us as British musicians are proud of, because you've only got to look at what's
happening right now on the world scene and there's a tremendous amount of U.K.
musicians that are at the forefront of the stages all over the planet.
"I've said a bazillion times that we fly the flag for British heavy metal.
We played just about every single place there is to play in the UK. You name
it, we played it — every pub, every club, every workingmen's club, whatever it
might be.
"I think it's great that there's this tremendous variety of choice right
now, which is brilliant. I really like YOU ME AT SIX, and you probably
know I'm a big fan of BRING ME THE HORIZON. It's exciting to see HORIZON blazing a new trail, because they're out there doing it on their own merits and
because of their ability. It's great because they're thinking outside the box,
and I see a little bit of PRIEST in those guys.
"I get Kerrang! every week and I see all of these bands and I'm
like, 'Oh my God, I've never heard of this band and I've never heard of that
band, and it's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant."
Back On Black Rock Classics will release four
original ALICE COOPER albums on vinyl. The titles will be released in
October on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeves.
The first 1,000 copies of each title will come on limited-edition colored
vinyl.
"Brutal Planet" is the 21st studio album by Alice Cooper,
released in 2000. Lyrically, "Brutal Planet" deals with themes
of dark "social fiction," including domestic violence ("Take
it Like a Woman"), war ("Pick Up The Bones") and
school shootings ("Wicked Young Man"). The album has been
erroneously reported as being the second in a trilogy (beginning with "The
Last Temptation" and ending with "Dragontown");
however, Cooper has stated that this is in fact not the case.
"Dragontown" is the 22nd studio album by Alice Cooper,
released in 2001. Like "Brutal Planet", the album displays a
heavier style than many of his previous releases.
"The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" is the twenty third album by Alice
Cooper, that was released in 2003. Although it has been said that the title
is a reference to the 2000 documentary known as "The Eyes of Tammy
Faye", in October 2007, Alice said that was not the case. With this album, Cooper returned to his earlier
hard rock sound, in the vein of "The Last Temptation", and
left the heavy industrial metal sound found in his last two studio albums.
"Dirty Diamonds" is the 24th studio album by Alice Cooper.
It was released on July 4, 2005 internationally and on August 2nd for North America. The album peaked on Billboard's Top
Independent Albums chart at position #17, and on the Billboard 200 album chart
at #169 — Cooper's highest charting album since "The Last
Temptation", 11 years prior.
Worldwide rock star Alice Cooper is set to launch his
very own theme park ride as part of this year's Halloween festivities in the U.S.
The rocker's very own ride, "Welcome To My Nightmare", is
located at the Universal Studios theme park in Los Angeles, California.
The premise behind the attraction is its "spooky" maze which will
form a major part of Universal Studios' Halloween extravaganza, running
from September 23 to October 31. Universal Studios' creative director, John
Murdy is delighted to work alongside Cooper to provide an exciting
spectacle for Halloween. He said, "As a life-long Alice Cooper fan
who's been motivated and inspired by his craft, I am absolutely thrilled by
this incredible opportunity. It's a nightmare come true." Cooper was equally excited to endorse the Studios' new Halloween ride as part
of his forthcoming album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare". "[The
ride] is a nightmare that will haunt visitors' dreams for a long time to come…
[It's a] living horror movie, so there's no place more appropriate to offer a
preview of the new record," said the 63-year-old singer.
Alice Cooper is also preparing to play a six-date tour of the U.K. as part of
his "Halloween Night Of Fear" tour. Halloween continues to
grow in popularity on the British Isles, with U.K. discount fancy dress costume
retailer All Fancy Dress anticipating a fruitful October with Halloween
Costumes and accessories in great demand for the thousands of parties held
nationwide on October 31. As one of the U.K.'s leading online fancy dress
retail outlets consumers can purchase online safe in the knowledge that almost
every Halloween theme is covered by the good people at AFD for all ages
and sizes.
According to Jazz Journal, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich will be interviewed about his love of jazz on the September 20 edition of the "Jamie
Cullum" show on BBC Radio 2. Ulrich discusses his
father's influence as a jazz musician, and the impact jazz artists in his home
had on his future works.
The "Jamie Cullum" show airs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. U.K. time on BBC
Radio 2, 88-91 FM, online, on digital.
Ulrich's father Torben played New Orleans
jazz clarinet on the Danish scene in Copenhagen
in the 1950s, connecting with Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon. Gordon was Lars's godfather.
Jamie told NewsOnNews.net, "Long before I was into jazz, I
was a fan of heavy metal music. METALLICA are one band that really did
it for me in my early days. I've always been interested in the technical
mastery it took to play both jazz and heavy metal. When I discovered Lars
Ulrich, one of the founder members of METALLICA, is into his jazz, I
had to get him onto my Radio 2 show."
DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott will co-host Nikki
Sixx's (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIXX: A.M.) nationally syndicated "Sixx
Sense With Nikki Sixx" radio show for the next two nights with Kerri
Kasem, filling in for Nikki who's currently on vacation. The shows
will air tonight and tomorrow between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m.
For listening options and a list of affiliates, click
here.
Five shows on the DEF LEPPARD/HEART summer tour were rescheduled
due to the death of Joe Elliott's father. The trek reconvened on July 27
at Cincinnati, Ohio's
Riverbend Music Center.
Recently released is DEF LEPPARD's CD/DVD set, "Mirror Ball:
Live And More". The concert collection — which is the band's first —
was recorded during DEF LEPPARD's 2009 tour, entered the Billboard 200
album charts at No. 16, hit No. 7 on the Rock Albums chart, and debuted at No.
1 on the magazine's Hard Rock Albums chart.
MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars revealed via Twitter earlier today (Thursday, September 8)
that he was in the studio working on new music with bassist Twiggy Ramirez (real name: Jeordie White) of MARILYN MANSON.
Vocalist Andy Biersack of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES told "Talking Metal" in July that he collaborated with Mars on a song that is expected to appear on the MÖTLEY CRÜE axeman's
upcoming solo album. He said, "It's something that's been a work of his
for awhile and hopefully in time he will complete it. But I will say one thing: Mick Mars is one of the greatest songwriters I've ever met in my life
and had the pleasure to work with. I can't wait to hear his full album. In
terms of this record, he's really worked with the heavy hitters in the rock and
metal industry. So to be a part of that is a great honor and I can't wait to
hear the completed record."
Mars told the Dallas Observer in June that he recently jammed
with legendary jazz guitarist George Benson, and the two found that they
had a lot in common — namely that they're both fans of Wes Montgomery.
The session so affected Mars that he is considering releasing a solo
effort of R&B, soul, and blues songs. However, he was no rush to enter the
studio — according to the guitarist, it will happen "if and when I find
the right people." He added, "I found the right drummer, and I've
asked Macy Gray if she'd like to guest on it. It's not going to be
anything like MÖTLEY CRÜE, but a lot of different cultural beats. I call
it 'pure music,'" citing the work of Carlos Santana as an example
of what might come.
Mick Mars' signature guitar sound has become a staple of American music
and Mars has been deemed one of the world's greatest guitar players from
critics around the globe to many recording artists and musicians who credit Mars as an influence, which include such notables as Slash, Joe Perry from AEROSMITH, Carmine Appice, Alice Cooper, BUCKCHERRY,
and Marilyn Manson, just to name a few.
SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo will take part in
a clinic at Sam Ash Music on 48th Street in New York City on Tuesday, September 13. The clinic will be
held between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
For more information, go to this location.
Lombardo is a Cuban-American heavy metal drummer best known for his work
with American thrash metal band SLAYER. Lombardo's music career
has spanned more than 30 years, during which he has been involved in the
production of more than 30 commercial recordings spanning a number of major
genres with bands such as GRIP INC., FANTÔMAS, and TESTAMENT in addition to SLAYER.
Lombardo's musical interest was sparked by playing along to a SANTANA record with bongo drums and was later influenced by the musical styles of LED
ZEPPELIN and KISS.
Lombardo is known as an aggressive heavy metal drummer and his use of
the drums have been called "astonishingly innovative" and earned him
the title "the godfather of metal double bass" from Drummer World.
Over his career, he has had a significant influence on the metal scene, and has
inspired many modern metal drummers.
The Pulse Of Radio reports that the latest rumor to
circulate about the upcoming new album from VAN HALEN was that guitarist Eddie Van Halen was unhappy with some of David Lee Roth's vocals
and wanted them re-recorded. According to MelodicRock.com, an unnamed
source denied rumors that the record was being shelved completely, but added,
"The delay lies within the vocals. That seems to be the main roadblock. Eddie is just not satisfied with the vocals that have been recorded and re-recorded
which has caused a lot of frustration with both the Van Halen and Roth camps alike." The site issued an update a short time later, however,
saying that the issues "have been sorted."
The site also claims that the band's management is shopping for a record deal,
although no one outside the VAN HALEN organization has heard the album.
Although the idea of an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart had reportedly been
discussed, the band is now apparently looking for a huge worldwide deal with a
single record company.
While a pre-Christmas release date is still the goal, it's not certain that the
album will see the light of day before the end of 2011.
A North American tour in the first three months of 2012 has also been rumored,
but as with everything related to VAN HALEN, nothing is confirmed.
Singer/songwriter Geoff Tate has
been Queensryche's fearless front man for the past 30 years, and is the
creative force behind some of the most progressive metal/rock on the
block. His proclivity for The
Theatrical has enabled him to expose the hidden treasures of his genre and
help formulate The Band's trademark sound.
Queensryche was formed in 1981 and has since released twelve studio albums - 20 million of
which have sold worldwide. It was their 1988 narrative concept album
titled Operation: Mindcrime and the subsequent release of Empire in 1990 that
put the Seattle-based band on the map, however, establishing them as a vital
force in the heavy metAl Music industry.
Geoff,
who has a four-octave vocal range, is ranked 14th on Hit Parader's list of the
100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time and is listed as the 12th Greatest
Male Vocalist in the Rock genre by Digital Dream Door. His unique style
can be credited for much of the band's success with songs like
"Silent Lucidity," "Jet City Woman," "Eyes of a
Stranger," and "Empire."
Recognized for their
innovative nature and diversified rock portfolio, Geoff and fellow band mates
Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, and Parker Lundgren embarked
on The Queensryche Cabaret tour in 2010. The show offered yet another
departure from The Band's previous outings and combined an
interactive musical presentation with a visually flamboyant performance by
Geoff and his supporting cast of burlesque dancers, drag queens,
jugglers, acrobats and go-go girls. (See our review of
Queensryche's Cabaret at Chicago's
House of Blues). Billed as the "first adults-only rock show,"
it provided Geoff and The Band with a break before working on what
would be their twelfth (and most recent) album - Dedicated to Chaos..
We
recently had a conversation with Geoff about his 30-year tenure with
Queensryche and the legacy they have created together. In part one of
this two-part interview, Geoff discusses elemental aspects of the new album,
the nuances of chaos, and his self-admitted creative obsession. He also
addresses the reluctance of some Queensryche fans to embrace The
Band's creative progression.
Let's start with the new
record Dedicated to Chaos. Tell us first how you arrived at the title.
It's
a title that could mean a lot of different things I suppose. To me, chaos
is that place where creativity is born, and we're definitely a band that is
very dedicated to creativity - of pushing our creativity that we have together
as far as we can take it. We've been kind of doing that through our
whole career. We've done a lot of different things, a lot of different
kinds of music, a lot of different kinds of tours and presentations, and so the
title sort of aptly fits the mindset of The
Band. And also I think it pertains to the album itself. It's
kind of a chaotic mixture of different kinds of music. It's not a concept
record, which we wanted to take a break from. We wanted to stretch out
musically and try some different things. We wanted to focus on the rhythm
section of The Band and let that carry the momentum of the
songs, and use the guitars as a sort of accent paint brush so to speak.
So we tried some different things on this record and some might view it as a
chaotic mixture of music so we thought this kind of fits this title.
True
that, and the record seems to have some relevant material addressing the
absurdity and over-reliance of technology as in the song "Hot Spot
Junkie." In the song "Retail Therapy," you take a poke at
our overindulgence in The Material world and a declining focus on
core values. So while there's a thread of social commentary
throughout the record, you broach the subject in a tongue in cheek,
almost playful manner.
You
picked up on that. I'm happy you picked up on that.
How much of that depicts
your overall state of mind? Is the glass half full or half empty?
I
think we definitely have that choice on how to perceive our world. It's
all a matter of perspective, you know? All it takes is just a decision to look
at it a certain way and I know I struggle with that myself. I can look at
things and think "Oh God, it's all falling apart, then I can look at it
and say, "OK things are great!" all in the same moment
{laughs}. So it's a struggle of perspective really.
I
think the whole retail therapy thing is where we play that game. We have
this great need to fulfill ourselves. Our society enforces that around
us. "You gotta have this. You gotta have that. You gotta
achieve this," especially in America where we turn everything
into a competition. So to fill that gaping hole in our lives, we shop
{laughs}. We try to fill it up with all The
Stuff that we think we need and have to have.
Sometimes
success, and again I think its a matter of perspective, but success is just
being alive-being able to breathe that day and just take a moment to look
around at where you're at and what you have. Do you have good
relationships? We put more value in how you're making your house payment
or do you have a new car or computer or TV, rather than thinking about how your
relationship is with your kids. Or how is your relationship with your
spouse? That seems to take a way back seat, you know?
I have to ask you about
one last track because it's one of my favorites - "Got it Bad."
It's the sexiest song on the record, not Just
In terms of the lyrics but in its sultry rhythms and primal
back-beats. What (or who) inspired the song - or was it born of a more
universal feeling about love and obsession?
Well
I'm kind of obsessed with obsession {laughs}. I've always found that to
be a very interesting topic and maybe because it's one that strikes close to
home. I have a very obsessive personality. I love that song
too. I think the first line was really inspired by my wife, who I find a
lot of creative energy from. She has this personality that when she walks
into the room, people kind of gravitate towards her. She's got really
positive energy and I like that about her quite a bit. So I was watching
this scenario unfold at some event we went to and that line popped into My
Head so I had to right it down real quick so I didn't forget it.
{laughs}. So the whole song was brought about through that first line.
People
always ask me, "How do You Get inspired to write especially after the
length of time you guys have a been together as a band?" and I don't ever
have a problem with it. I think life is just so inspirational in itself,
especially the life we live. We're constantly moving, we're constantly in
different places. Every day I'm talking to interesting people and having
interesting conversations, There's never a dull moment. In fact, I'd have
to schedule a dull moment {laughs}. I have to take some time to stop and
just meditate a little bit.
Is
there a particular track from the album that you're partial to?
I'm
pretty connected to all of them, having written all of them, but I guess I feel
there are songs on the record that The
Band really stretched out on. One is "Got It Bad." We've
never written a song musically like that before. So I feel really good
about that. There's a song called "Broken" on the full length
album version which is an orchestral piece, and we've never done a full
orchestral piece before. There a song called "Higher" which
again, we've never attempted anything like that. In the past, we've used
the guitar as a real driving instrument and this time we took the guitar out of
the rhythm section on quite a few songs and made the guitar the accent
instrument.
Over the years, The
Band has evolved and at times released material that was outside the realm
of what many would expect to hear from Queensryche. There are fans who
have embraced the creative versatility of The
Band, and those who simply did not support it. What would you say to
them?
I
don't know if there's much you can say to somebody who is locked into a certain
record. I'm glad that they like something we do. Whether they like
everything we do, that's kind of a lot to expect from somebody because we all
listen to music differently. We all run it through our own life filters
and we attach certain music to points in our life that we're going through or
we get really involved with a song or an album and that becomes kind of The
Theme music to our lives. So I can't be too critical of people in
that sense. I do the same thing. I've had records that were really
special to me that bring back certain special memories to me in my life.
As an artist, art is meant to evolve. That's the nature of it, and you
don't want to stifle it and put it in a box and never go outside the lines
because The Artist becomes very despondent, I
think. The nature of it is to keep changing and moving and
evolving. I'm not the same person I was back in 1983 at all. I've
had so much more life experience, and that has to come through in the music or
else why do it? It is very much a self-indulgent occupation I must say
{laughs}.
Check back this weekend for Part II of our
interview with Geoff as he discusses Queensryche's 30 Year Anniversary
Tour, his proudest achievment, and his new adventure in wine
country.
RIOT has been confirmed for next year's edition of
the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which will set sail from Miami, Florida to Cayman Islands on January 23, 2012 and return four days
later. A total of 40 acts will perform on the cruise.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMORPHIS
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CORONER
DARK FUNERAL
ELUVEITIE
GOD DETHRONED
GRAVE DIGGER
HAMMERFALL
IN EXTREMO
MOONSORROW
MY DYING BRIDE
NIGHTWISH
OVERKILL
PESTILENCE
RIOT
SAMAEL
STRATOVARIUS
SUFFOCATION
TANKARD
THERION
TRISTANIA
VIRGIN STEELE
WHIPLASH
Ticket prices start at $666 plus $289 taxes and fees per person and include all
onboard entertainment, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals at
the dining rooms, most on-board restaurants and even 24-hour room service.
For more information, visit www.70000tons.com.
Websites: www.sebastianbach.com - www.facebook.com/sebastianbach
Interviewer: Ruben Mosqueda
Sebastian Bach has been in the news as of late -- he's got a new album
coming out entitled 'Kicking & Screaming' and his home was recently
condemned thanks to the storms created by Hurricane Irene. Sleaze Roxx caught
up with the former Skid Row front man to talk about his new album, producer Bob
Marlette, his new guitarist Nick Sterling, the possibility of a country album,
working on music with Slash and Duff, why he's become the target of Metal
Sludge and what it would take to get Skid Row back together. Sebastian was
exactly like you would expect -- an animated, intense, and over-the-top
interview subject. This interview turned out to be a goldmine and I hope you
enjoy it as much as I enjoyed conducting it.
Sleaze Roxx: First of all I'd like to give my condolences on the loss of
your house and all the musical and non-musical personal possessions inside --
as rock and metal fans we can relate with collecting things. And after all that
here you are doing interviews to promote your new album 'Kicking &
Screaming.'
Sebastian Bach:Well
thank you. I have to push forward. The album is the best thing in my life right
now by far. It's a great escape from the shit that is my life at this moment.
I'm talking to you from my hotel where I'm living. It's ironic that I wrote
this piece about Jani Lane
when he passed away and I just couldn't imagine how lonely it must have been to
have been alone in a Comfort Inn. Little did I know that a week later I'd be
living in a fucking Comfort Inn! (laughs) Right now, I'm talking to you alone
in a Comfort Inn!
Sleaze Roxx: One of the things that stands out about the new album 'Kicking
& Screaming' is that you still have your powerful vocals. I know you don't
like talking about Skid Row, but your vocal performance on the new album is
comparable to 'Slave To The Grind'.
Sebastian Bach: Hey thanks, that is a very cool thing of you to say. My
favorite bands are groups like Rush, AC/DC, Neil Young... bands that keep
putting out albums regardless of what the trends are. I'm a music collector and
I'm always looking for cool CD's, but the truth is that there are very few good
ones being released these days. I consider myself very lucky to be able to
release a new album in 2011. I'm not out to reinvent the wheel, I just want to
put out an album that is along the lines of 'Slave To The Grind' and 'Angel
Down'. I'm here kicking ass and screaming rock 'n' roll.
Sleaze Roxx: What was the inspiration behind this album, and would you agree
there is a 'Slave To The Grind' sound to it?
Sebastian Bach: That was a long time ago... 1991 -- that was twenty
years ago. I've followed a band like Rush who keep putting out albums, but all
their work sits together as one body of work or one big album. They are different
but alike, or similar, in some ways. I know what I like and I like great riffs,
high energy songs and killer vocals -- that's what I like. That's what I'll
continue to do until the day that I die.
This album turned out amazing. I have a new guitarist by the name of Nick
Sterling who just turned 21. The guy has added a whole new sound to my band for
sure. Nick has this youthful energy that you can't replace -- when you get
older you lose that. Luckily I'm extremely immature and haven't progressed past
14. (laughs) Nick and I fit together very well -- we kind of look the same too.
When we go out together people come up and ask if Nick is my son or brother.
Sleaze Roxx: You worked with Bob Marlette on 'Kicking & Screaming' who
has worked with Alice Cooper, Saliva, and Filter among others. What did Bob
bring to the table?
Sebastian Bach: Bob is amazing. He gets this huge bottom end sound on
the albums he produces that is really low and cool. With my high voice I need a
strong bottom end to even everything out. Like the bass on "Monkey
Business" from 'Slave To The Grind' is loud and powerful. When I sing that
high I have to have the bass like that to equal out sonically.
With 'Kicking and Screaming'
Bob made an incredible sonically crazy record. If you listen to the album on a
good stereo system, it doesn't matter if it's the CD or the vinyl edition, it
will blow you away. I'm a huge audiophile and a production nut. We spent weeks
in the studio, so it wasn't like we went in and cut the album is six days or
something. We really put our time in trying to make the album sonically
incredible. People are still listening to those Skid Row albums that were
recorded over 20 years ago. When I set out to record an album I want to record
something that you'll be listening to 20 years from now. So what I do now has
to stand up to that, which is not an easy thing to do.
Bob is also a great songwriter. We wrote the song "Kicking &
Screaming" with him and we also wrote a super-heavy tune called
"Dirty Power" with him too. It all came together very good and Bob is
great with the vocals -- he helped me get a great vocal performance. He let me
sing things as many times as I wanted -- though nobody is ever going to tell me
to stop singing! (laughs) Bob let me work as hard as I could which made me
completely happy. I'm completely happy with the record.
Sleaze Roxx: As you mentioned earlier Nick Sterling is your new guitarist.
How did you find him?
Sebastian Bach: I was on a plane and I was reading Guitar World Magazine.
I was shooting the show Celebrity Fit Club for VH-1 and I was going back and
forth for several weeks and was buying every magazine I could to read. I bought
an issue with Neil Young on the cover and I was flipping through the magazine
and saw an amplifier ad that read something like, 'Nick Sterling has his'. The
guy looked cool and he had this rock star look. I went to his website and the
riff that came through the computer speakers to "Dance On Your Grave"
took my head off. It was right then and there that I said, "I want to sing
on that." I got a hold of Nick and I was about to head out on the road
with Guns N' Roses the next month. I asked him, "Hey dude, you want to
join my band and play stadiums in South America
with Guns N' Roses?" He said, "Yeeeeeeeeeeah!" (laughs) We went
on the road immediately with Alice Cooper and then we did the Guns N' Roses
tour. That was two years ago and now we have this incredible record and I look
forward to making more albums with him.
Sleaze Roxx: In my opinion the songs that hit the spot are "Kicking
& Screaming" and "Dirty Power", as far as rockers go, and
then the ballads "I'm Alive" and "Dream Forever". These
songs are great and are comparable to the classic Skid Row sound.
Sebastian Bach: Don't forget the last song on the record dude -- it
wouldn't be a Sebastian Bach record without ballads dude. (laughs) I've always
been known as a singer that does ballads. People love "18 And Life"
and "I Remember You". When I did Broadway I was known for belting out
"This Is The Moment" in Jekyll and Hyde. My voice sounds very unique
when I sing ballads. I've learned a lot from Steve Perry of Journey and I can
sing in that high tenor range. It's that "Don't Stop Believing"
higher tenor range that people latch onto. People freak out when you can sing
that kind of stuff! (laughs) Just like they freak out when you can hit all the
high register stuff on a song like "I Remember You." I love singing
ballads. I remember my old band did an interview and they were talking about
doing a new album with no ballads. I wish people would ask me why I'm not in
that band -- I'm not going to be in a band that doesn't do ballads! (laughs)
Sleaze Roxx: Regardless of what I think or don't think about Skid Row these
days, your input is sorely lacking in that band.
Sebastian Bach:Well
thank you. I was really the metal head in that band. I was the guy in the
studio with producer Michael Wagener working on guitar tones and screams. I was
into metal while some of those others guys were into Bruce Springsteen or The
Sex Pistols. I was into Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Dio -- that's where I
came from. I look at it this way, other forms of music come and go but metal
never goes away. That's the kind of music that once it gets in your blood you
need it to survive. Heavy cool riffs is what I enjoy.
Sleaze Roxx: What would it take to get you and Skid Row back together?
Sebastian Bach: For me what it would take is some new music, that's what
I'd be interested in. We could get back together and do a tour but when the
tour ends there's nothing to show for it. Going on tour and playing only 20
year old songs doesn't interest me -- I don't want to be a nostalgia act.
Something like that doesn't interest me at all. I want to put out new music,
and there is no reason why we couldn't do that. I got into this because of the
music. When we are dead and gone the music will be left behind and it will live
on. To me that's a form of immortality and it's more appealing and interesting
to me at this point.
Sleaze Roxx: As you've mentioned, you maintained a relationship with Axl
Rose for years now. If he comes calling would you do a North American tour with
him?
Sebastian Bach: I'm sure there's a chance of it. I haven't received any
word on that at this point, but he's taken me out so much that if he doesn't
I'd be okay with it. I would love to play with him anytime. Who knows if it
will happen? If it does it would be great.
Sleaze Roxx: When Slash and Duff McKagan were putting together Velvet
Revolver did you audition for them to be in the band
Sebastian Bach: It wasn't an audition, I didn't walk in and sing some
songs -- it wasn't like that. I worked with them for a month or a little over.
The guys gave me five songs with no vocals so I wrote lyrics and melodies and
then we went into the studio to record it. So you see it was a little more than
an audition. I still have those songs on my iPod.
What happened was that I was in the play 'Jesus Christ Superstar', on a
national tour, they were paying me and Velvet Revolver was not. I had to take
care of my family so I went on the road with 'Jesus Christ Superstar.' They
chose Scott Weiland, so they put their faith in a heroin addict. How did that
work out for them? I would put my faith in a drug addict alright! (laughs) I
might drink a little bit of wine, and on occasion stain my teeth, but that's
it! Listen, if they had picked me we'd probably still be together right now.
I'm a musician like them -- I'm not a junkie and not into that kind of thing.
So they don't have a singer and I have a new album. Let's rock! (laughs)
Sleaze Roxx: You participated in the show 'Gone Country' and you wrote and
recorded the song "Battle
With The Bottle." There was talk of a country album at one point, what
happened to that?
Sebastian Bach:Great
question... I have the answer. You're the first one to ask me that. On the
deluxe edition of 'Kicking & Screaming' there's a DVD 'As Long As I've Got
The Music' which is an hour long movie that we made. There's live footage from
around the world -- from Santiago, Chile, Bogota, Colombia, San Sebastian,
Spain, London,
England and Fairfax, Canada.
The DVD features live footage from all of those places, the three music videos
that we shot for the album, and behind the scenes of the making of the record.
It's a great DVD if I do say so myself. There's an Easter Egg on the DVD which
is an HD quality video clip of "Battle With The Bottle". I don't know
how to access it, but I know it's there! (laughs)
Now on the CD the bonus track "Jumping Off The Wagon" is another cool
and fun song that was produced by John Rich. That was written by Jeffery
Steele, Vicky McGhehee and myself. On the iTunes release there's a demo of a
song that I wrote with Jeffery Steele and Vicky McGhehee that's called "Ain't
There Yet." That's a country flavored song that you can pick up on the
iTunes digital version on 'Kicking & Screaming.' So there you go, that
stuff is coming out.
Sleaze Roxx: Would you consider doing an album of country or country rock
material?
Sebastian Bach: I did at one time, back when I did 'Gone Country', but
rock 'n' roll took over. There are a couple songs left that are very good that
I wrote with Jeffery Steele and Vicky McGhehee. Since I have Nick Sterling in
the band I just can't see doing an album like that right now.
Sleaze Roxx: Last question, there's a particular website (Metal Sludge) out
there that for whatever reason has targeted you in particular. I don't know
exactly what went down -- can you share some insight as to what happened?
Sebastian Bach: Right, Stevie Rachelle's website. (pauses) I'll tell you
exactly what that's about. Stevie Rachelle was in a band called Tuff that was a
Skid Row/Poison kind of band that never made it. He came up with a website
about the bands that did make it. He's a jealous guy that never had any musical
success. When he started his website Stevie Rachelle emailed me asking me to do
an interview for the website. I went to look at the website and I said,
"No. I think your website sucks. I think this website is bullshit. I think
it's wrong that you have nothing better to do with your time than to fuck with
people's lives. You can hate me, but I'm not doing an interview for your
bullshit website." I received a response from him saying, "Well, then
we're going to make your life a living hell." That's exactly what he's
tried to do. He goes after my children, he goes after my ex-wife, he goes after
my current girlfriend -- I'm divorced because of some of the stuff on that
website and my kids don't have their father partially due to that website. Let
me just say that I really look forward to meeting him again in person -- as
soon as I can. I certainly have some things to say to Stevie Rachelle from
Tuff... we'll see whose tough in person.
Sleaze Roxx: Ever wonder why you? To the best of my knowledge you weren't
the only musician to decline doing an interview for the site?
Sebastian Bach: The only thing that I can think of is that I was the guy
that he probably wanted to be. I'm sure if there's a jealousy factor I make him
more jealous than anybody! (laughs)
Finnish
melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA will release a concert DVD, "Live
In Finland",
on October 28. The set will include the band's entire April 15, 2011
performance at Club Teatria in Oulu, Finland as well as a bonus disc containing four
songs that were filmed at the band's own festival on August 8, 2009 in Kemi, Finland.
Also featured on the DVD will be SONTA ARCTICA's promotional videos for
the songs "Don't Say A Word", "Paid In Full" and "Flag In The Ground" as well as a photo gallery and
behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the DVD. There will also be a
bonus CD containing eight songs that were recorded at the Kemi festival
concert.
DVD1:
Sonata Arctica: Live in Finland
01. Intro (Everything Fades To Gray)
02. Flag In The Ground
03. Last Amazing Grays
04. Juliet
05. Replica
06. Blank File
07. As If The World Wasn't Ending
08. Paid In Full
09. Victoria's
Secret
10. Instrumental Exhibition
11. The Misery
12. Fullmoon
13. In Black & White
14. Mary-Lou
15. Shy
16. Letter To Dana
17. Caleb
18. Don't Say A Word
19. Outro (Vodka / Everything Fades To Gray)
DVD 2:
Extra Features:
Sonata Arctica Open Air II:
01. White Pearl, Black Oceans
02. Draw Me
03. In Black & White
04. Don't Say A Word
* Making of "Live in Finland"
* Making of "Flag In The Ground"
* Latin-American Tour Documentary
* "Made In Finland" Tour Documentary
Music Videos:
* Don't Say A Word
* Paid In Full
* Flag In The Ground
* Acoustic live at Alcatraz, Milano
* The "Flag In The Ground" cover contest
* Photo Galleries
Commented SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik "Lance"
Klingenberg: "It's been a very hot summer here in Finland, and while
most people headed to the beach, we've been working our asses off editing and
compiling our new DVD.
"This time around we wanted to give you a show from our home country Finland.
"The main show was filmed at the Teatria club in Oulu, Finland,
last April. It showcases SONATA ARCTICA towards the end of 'The Days
Of Grays' world tour, which started back in 2009.
"We played a total of over 180 shows in almost 40 countries during the
tour.
"This will be a two-DVD release with lots of bonuses. We'll have tour
documentaries, making-ofs as well as music videos and bonus songs from our very
own Sonata Arctica Open Air festival, held in our hometown Kemi in
August 2009.
"Whether you missed us or checked us out during this world tour, this DVD
will be the complete guide to what we've been up to these past two years.
"I'm sure you all will enjoy watching this DVD as much as we've enjoyed
making it.
"'The Days Of Grays' world tour has been absolutely fantastic and
I'm very happy that we've managed to capture all the ups and downs on film.
You'll know what I'm talking about when we get this monster package out!"
"The Days Of Grays", the latest album from SONATA ARCTICA,
sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release,
according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 19 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.
"The Days Of Grays" was released on September 22, 2009 in North America through Nuclear Blast Records.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/sonatadvd.jpg
Finnish "battle metal" warriors TURISAS have announced that Jukka-Pekka Miettinen (ex-ARTHEMESIA, ENSIFERUM)
will be joining the band on bass for forthcoming shows, and Robert Engstrand (ex-KOTIPELTO, THE FLOWER KINGS) will be coming into a completely
new role in the band — as keyboard player. This change is in response to the
sad news that current bassist Hannes Horma and accordionist Netta
Skog have decided to leave the band due to personal and motivational
reasons. This announcement will NOT affect TURISAS' tours this fall in
any way: the band will perform as advertised at this year's Heidenfest tour in Europe, and afterwards will take part a full-length headlining tour in
the U.K., Ireland, Spain
and Portugal.
Commented the group in a statement: "A band is not something that can be
kept together by force. If someone wants to quit, there's not much the rest of
us can do about that. Both for Hannes and Netta, it came down to
the same thing: a choice between the band and other personal interests had to
be made. We tried to find a compromise where both could be combined, but
unfortunately in both cases it didn't seem possible at their end. Neither Hannes or Netta played a critical role in the creative process and studio work
of the band, so in this sense not much will change. Still, they were always
great onstage and we shared many memorable moments together.
"We would like to make it very clear that there is no drama here, and
thankfully no hard feelings. Both Hannes and Netta made their
decisions completely independently, based on their own personal reasons. Their
departures are not connected in any way, it was just that this short quiet
period between the Euro festivals and the forthcoming touring was the only
meaningful time to make a smooth changeover to the new members.
"We'd like to thank Hannes and Netta for all the good times
we had together over the years, and wish them both the best of luck in the
future.
"As far as Jukka-Pekka and Robert go, these guys are both
very talented musicians, and we are very excited about hitting the road with
this new lineup.
"Please welcome our newest reinforcements; this is the beginning of a new
era!"
Hannes Horma, who joined TURISAS right after the release of the
band's debut album, "Battle
Metal", says, "My career with the band started 2004. At the time
I was only nineteen years old. It felt like a dream come true and since then,
we've had some amazing time and unbelievable shows during these years.
"For the past couple of years I've been studying orchestral composing,
arranging and classical singing and with the touring responsibilities, I
haven't had a lot of free time and couldn't pursue my other interests. Lately,
I've also felt that the 'flame' is not there anymore for me personally: it was
time for me to move on to do the things I feel most passionate about.
"I love playing concerts with TURISAS but I cannot be on tour for
six or more months a year and try to study at the same time — no one can.
"I would like to thank everybody I've met during the years, all the fans
around the world, the bands we're toured with and our crew — you rock! I also
hope all the best for everybody in TURISAS: thanks for letting me to be
a part of this for all these years. It's been a hell of a ride but now it's my
time to jump off. Hopefully we'll meet again, someday, somewhere."
Netta Skog, who has been with TURISAS since 2008, was only 16
years old when she first joined the band as a last minute stand-in player for a
European tour in 2007, subsequently becoming a full-time member. Earlier this
year, she was forced to leave the band's U.S. tour because of personal
issues, but returned for summer festivals. She says: "I sadly announce
that now is the time when I have to say goodbye to TURISAS. I'm going to
start my studies in college soon and also need to focus on my personal life;
thus, I had to make the decision and this is the final result.
"These almost four years with the band have been amazing. I've got a lot
of new friends and seen the world all around. I'm so lucky I was the one the
band wanted to have as their accordion player and there are definitely no
regrets. All the good memories will stay in my heart forever! Of course, it's
sad to leave but still, I have to think that this band was one chapter in my
life, and now it's time for me to turn the next page. I'm more than thankful to
all of you for your amazing support and just for being amazing fans! I've had
so much fun and I will never forget you. Thank you for everything."
ALL SHOOK DOWN, the band featuring THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving alongside Gunnar Frick, Stefan Bellnäs, Johan Håkansson and Tommy Sahlin, will perform cover versions of
classic American rock songs at a one-off show on October 13 at Stora Teatern in
Gothenburg, Sweden.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, go to this location.
THE HAUNTED's seventh studio album, "Unseen", sold
around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD
landed at position No. 33 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.
"Unseen" was released on March 29 via Century Media Records.
The CD was once again recorded with longtime producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL) at his Antfarm
Studio in Århus, Denmark.
Finnish metal marauders FINNTROLL will release a
special tour edition of their last album, "Nifelvind", at the
end of September. The digipak tour edition comes with new artwork by the band's
guitarist, Skrymer, and an extra CD including three brand-new cover
versions: "Insects" (OINGO BOINGO), "Can You
Forgive Her?" (PET SHOP BOYS) and "The God That
Failed" (METALLICA). The cover versions were recorded and mixed
at Sonic Pump Studios between June 27 and July 4 by FINNTROLL and Nino Laurenne.
FINNTROLL's Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali stated about the
band's decision to cover OINGO BOINGO's "Insects":
"Because we don't know how to play funky horn sections, we replaced them
with Kazoos and various squeaky bladders. And instead of slap bass, we slapped
the crap out of various ethnic percussions. Now when an uncivilized brute in a FINNTROLL shirt will ask you what the living insect is this OINGO BOINGO, you can
always answer, 'It's the band FINNTROLL made famous by doing a cover
version of one of their songs.' No, there is absolutely nothing else in this
band worth mentioning, trust me. No famous composers, orchestrators or anything
used to play in this band. No huge world tours, movie soundtracks, stunning
videos, incredible visuality, nothing. This band or none of its members other
works have never affected FINNTROLL anyway, and I strongly suggest you
to not ever check it out and stick with SLAYER instead."
The "Nifelvind - Tour Edition" 2CD in digipak with slipcase
will be released on the following dates:
* Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Norway:
Friday, September 23, 2011.
* Spain, Italy: Tuesday, September 27
* Sweden, Finland, Hungary:
Wednesday, September 28
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, September 26
* Australia, New Zealand: Friday, September 30
Fans in North America can purchase the CD at www.cmdistro.com.
"Nifelvind" was released in North America
on March 9, 2010 via Century Media Records.
Legendary KISS drummer Eric Carr was an
integral part of the band for over 11 years. His powerful drumming rocked the
music world through the metal Eighties. Carr is still an influence on
drummers and rock fans alike.
Due on November 8 through a label imprint set up by Eric's sister Loretta
Caravello, "Unfinished Business" is a special 20th-year
commemorative CD release that features over 17 rare Eric Carr recordings, including previously unreleased music, live performances, interview
clips and more. Guests include current and former members of KISS, TWISTED
SISTER, SEETHER, ZO2, EUROPE, DANGER DANGER and more.
This CD is a testament to a man whose personality and heart were as big as his
enormous talent. Eric's spirit is alive in each and every song.
For more information, go to this
location.
Greg Prato, the author of such books as "Grunge Is Dead: The
Oral History Of Seattle Rock Music", "Touched By Magic: The
Tommy Bolin Story" and "A Devil On One Shoulder And An Angel
On The Other: The Story Of Shannon Hoon And Blind Melon", last year
released "The Eric Carr Story", the first-ever book to tell
the life story of KISS drummer Eric Carr. Comprised of all-new
interviews, the book also doubles as a study of 1980s-era KISS. You'll
find insight into all of KISS' albums that featured Carr (from
producers Bob Ezrin, Michael James Jackson, and Ron Nevison),
as well as those closest to him (sister Loretta Caravello, girlfriend Carrie
Stevens, KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick), and music-related
friends (Eddie Trunk, DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy, ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante). Also included is one of the last-ever interviews conducted
with KISS' original manager, Bill Aucoin, and for the first time
ever, KISS fans will be able to learn what the real story line to KISS'
controversial release "(Music From) The Elder" was all about
(thanks to an explanation from Ezrin).
With the 20-year anniversary of Eric Carr's passing (November 24, 1991)
approaching in 2011, what better way to celebrate the subjects than with
all-new book? The book is set up in an "oral history" format (in
other words, you're getting the story straight from the source) and is
chock-full of rarely seen (or, in many cases, never-before-seen) photographs.
The Eric Carr book is 256 pages long and priced at $19.99 (ISBN #
978-0-578-07424-5).
Dutch "atmospheric doomsters" OFFICIUM TRISTE entered the studio of the band's keyboardist, Martin Kwakernaak, in
April to begin recording their fifth full-length album, tentatively titled "Mors Viri". The CD is being mixed by Ronnie
Björnström of Enhanced Audio Productions.
"Mors Viri" track listing:
01. Your Fall From Grace
02. Burning All Boats And Bridges
03. Your Heaven, My Underworld
04. Interludium
05. To The Gallows
06. The Wounded And The Dying
07. One With The Sea (Part II)
09. Like Atlas
OFFICIUM TRISTE is currently seeking a suitable record label to release "Mors Viri".
OFFICIUM TRISTE's fourth full-length album, "Giving Yourself
Away", was released on May 28, 2007 via Displeased Records. The
CD was recorded at Excess studio in Rotterdam,
Holland.
earMUSIC, the Hamburg,
Germany-based based rock label part of Edel Group, will release the new BUSH album, "The Sea Of Memories", in Europe
on October 28.
The first studio album in over 10 years by BUSH will be released as CD
and as a double CD limited edition with eight exclusive tracks picked
personally by the band for the European market from their archive of unreleased
remixes, and live performances.
The British-born band has had more success over the course of their first
half-dozen years than most artists do in a lifetime. From "Sixteen
Stone" to "The Science Of Things", they made some of
the most successful rock albums in recent memory. The seminal outfit also
forged a sound that would come to characterize an entire decade.
"We are the sum of everything we've done — right, wrong and
in-between," says singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale ironically.
"We're all victims, and benefactors, of our past."
"The Sea Of Memories" is
drenched in BUSH's trademark intensity and driven by Rossdale's emotive,
bittersweet vocals, but it's also infused with an immediacy that pushes the
album into new, compelling directions. From their lead single, the atmospheric
powerhouse "The Sound Of Winter", to the rapid-fire exuberance
of "All My Life", BUSH reveals itself as a re-energized
band. It's a fresh mindset that's at least partially influenced by events
surrounding the making of this record.
"The Sea Of Memories" is BUSH's
first indie effort since the early 1990s. Rossdale's own imprint, Zuma
Rock Records, will issue the album through an exclusive partnership with earMUSIC in Europe.
"It's been a relief and a breath of fresh air," says Rossdale of making the leap from a major label, and being able to work under fewer
creative constraints. "There's a pressure that comes with being on a
major. If you're nurtured and looked after properly, it gives you the freedom
and confidence to be creative, and from that comes good results. But it can
also be disheartening. This feels good. This feels right."
Max Vaccaro, director of earMUSIC, welcomes BUSH as
"one of the bands we wished we would work with, since we started the earMUSIC project. It feels like the rock community demanded this comeback. You can hear
the influence of BUSH on so many records released in the last several
years. It's no surprise that rock fans are responding so enthusiastically to
the news of this album and the European tour. We are proud and delighted of BUSH's
decision to choose earMUSIC as the partner for this key album in their
history."
"The Sea Of Memories" track listing:
01. The Mirror Of The Signs
02. The Sound of Winter
03. All My Life
04. The Afterlife
05. All Night Doctors
06. Baby Come Home
07. Red Light
08. She's a Stallion
09. I Believe in You
10. Stand Up
11. The Heart of the Matter
12. Be Still My Love
Disc Two (limited edition):
01. The Year Of Danger
02. Ghost
03. Lay Down Your Guns
04. The Sound Of Winter (Junior Sanchez Remix)
05. The Afterlife [featuring Cecile] (Remix by Washroom & Bass Over
Babylon)
06. All Night Doctors (original version)
07. Landslide (written by Stevie Nicks - Live from the Bridge School
Benefit)
08. Float (acoustic)
The current BUSH lineup includes original drummer Robin Goodridge,
guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz. Traynor replaced original axeman Nigel Pulsford in 2001 while Britz has
stepped in for Dave Parsons.
On November 1, Los Angeles hardcore/metal band TERROR will release
the "Defining The Faith" DVD as part of the special deluxe
reissue of the group's latest CD, "Keepers Of The Faith".
Produced, edited, and authored by Carlo Oppermann and Ambitious.Films, "Defining The Faith" features a full live set that is composed
of three different TERROR shows in three distinct settings: a small
club, a big hall, and a massive European festival. These live performances were
filmed at the following concerts: Mach1 festival in Montabaur (June 24),
Cafe Central in Weinheim (June 28), and Essigfabrik in Köln (June 29), and the
complete set-list for the DVD is below.
"Defining The Faith" live DVD set-list
01. Stick Tight
02. Out Of My Face
03. One With The Underdogs
04. Push it Away
05. Never Alone
06. Lowest Of The Low
07. Betrayer
08. Spit My Rage
09. Always The Hard Way
10. Keep Your Mouth Shut
11. Hell And Back
12. Life & Death
13. You're Caught
14. You're Enemies Are Mine
15. Overcome
16. Keepers Of The Faith
"Defining The Faith" also features a European tour documentary
with band interviews, backstage footage, and more-plus, four music videos taken
from the band's "Keepers Of The Faith" album: "Stick
Tight", "Keepers Of The Faith", "Return To
Strength", and "You're Caught". And as yet another
additional bonus, the making-of footage for the band's latest music video, "You're
Caught", will also be included in the DVD.
A trailer for the DVD can be seen below.
In support of this upcoming release, TERROR will be back on the road
this fall with THE ACACIA STRAIN, STRAY FROM THE PATH, and HARM'S
WAY for the "God Damn" tour.
TERROR's fifth album, "Keepers Of The Faith", sold
around 2,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD
landed at position No. 11 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.
"Keepers Of The Faith" was released on August 30, 2010 in Europe
and September 14, 2010 in North America via Century
Media Records. Doom Patrol issued the album in Japan on
September 1. The CD contains 13 new tracks produced by Chad Gilbert of NEW
FOUND GLORY at Buzzbomb Studios in Orange County, California.
It was engineered by Paul Miner (DEATH BY STEREO, ADAMANTIUM)
and mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED).
"Keepers of The Faith" was made available in three different
versions worldwide, with the U.S.
and European editions each released as a digipak with a special fold-out
poster.
Kristen Dunleavy of myYearbook recently conducted an interview with DEVILDRIVER/ex-COAL
CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara. A couple of excerpts from the chat
follow below.
myYearbook: Would you ever consider taking time off of touring?
Dez: We do, but we put out a record about every two years. If you're
going to make people wait longer than that, there's no point to it; you gotta
tour on your current record. When we do take time off, it's three weeks here,
it's a month there, but we do get enough time to get rested. We like the road.
myYearbook: You seem to be writing constantly. What's been inspiring
your songwriting lately?
Dez: We're writing right now. We write every day. I get up every morning
and these guys will already have four or five tunes written as well. It's just
what you do; if you're a musician, you write. There's no reason for bands to
make you wait three, four, five years to make a record, especially now in this
day and age.
myYearbook: Are you aware of the harsh words from metal heads and
metalcore scene kids about DEVILDRIVER?
Dez: No, I don't care about any of that. We don't fit in; we're the
round peg in a square hole. You can't put a genre on us. We're not death metal,
we're far from metalcore and we're not this new American metal. We've got our
own influences because we listen to such a varied style of music; everything
from goth to punk to metal. Different styles will make different sorts of
music. But I don't listen to people, especially critics, like one dude behind a
computer who has probably traveled 20 yards out of his house. When you travel
the world and you see fans every day, you don't listen to one guy on the
computer.
myYearbook: Do you pay attention to chart positions, and do you ever
feel pressure to outdo yourselves musically?
Dez: The old model of the record industry is dying. I just had myself
taken off SoundScan; I don't want to be sent reports. It doesn't matter;
it doesn't translate to who has your record. I know firsthand, I have three
young boys at home and they don't own any CDs. If they want a record, they get
it off iTunes. The old model will be squashed, they're gonna have to
come up with a new one. A band should be releasing maybe one song a month for
two years straight, and that'll be your record. Whole, inclusive records don't
work anymore, the model doesn't work anymore. It's broken completely. They need
to go back to the single model, where people get a single once a month and they
get excited about it — or once every two weeks, if the band is prolific and
proficient enough with their writing, which we definitely are. When we go into
the recording process, we write anywhere from 15 to 25 songs.
myYearbook: Would you ever get back together with COAL CHAMBER?
Dez: Yeah, definitely, I would do shows with them. It's been 10 years,
we put the past behind us. Meegs and my drummer Mike are clean
off hard drugs. The reason I left COAL CHAMBER was because they got into
methamphetamines and I just can't be around that kind of thing. I'm a family
man and I don't do any hard drugs. I had to leave, which sucked, but taking the
money out of their pocket made them stop and get clean. We've been friends for
years; they come out to DEVILDRIVER shows. You can see videos on YouTube of Meegs doing "Loco" with DEVILDRIVER. I don't
know if I'd entertain a reunion, but I would entertain some shows, definitely.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED
LAND held a press conference in Tel Aviv earlier today (Thursday, September
8) ahead of their September 10 concert at the Unirock Open Air festival
in Istanbul, Turkey. During the press
conference, they expressed their hope that their success and the adoration of
their fans from countries branded by Israel
as "enemy states" could be used as a model for repairing ties with Turkey.
"A situation has been created where we are Israel's
only ambassadors to Turkey,"
lead vocalist Kobi Farhi said, adding "we have become an example
that can be used as a model for our leaders. It's about how through music you
can create something as simple as friendship between the two peoples. It
happens at our shows when I turn the microphone to the crowd and they sing back
to me in Hebrew, or when I sing to them in Turkish or Arabic."
Farhi said that some have called for the band to boycott Turkey,
especially following the recent downgrade in ties.
"Artists don't boycott and I don't appreciate those artists who decide to
boycott one person or another," he said. He added the band hasn't
considered canceling because "in Turkey we feel at home. At times we
felt some fear about going right now, but we they can't let this feeling stop
us at a time like this because these days, we're Israel's
only ambassador in Turkey
and in the Arab world. We are flying as musicians, but we also feel that we're
going as representatives of our country and our people. We're hearing so many
voices of anger and conflict between the two sides these days, and we want
people to hear a different voice, a voice that says look, here's a crowd of
thousands that is getting along perfectly, let this be an example."
"New Death Celebrity", the sophomore album
from Athens, Greece-based death/thrash metal band DESCENDING, has had
its release date pushed back to October 28 (via Massacre Records) from
the previously announced September 23. A single, "How Much This Life
Weights?", is now available for free download at this location.
"New Death Celebrity" track listing:
01. No Other Gods Before Me
02. Suicide Promise
03. Until I Generate
03. How Much This Life Weights?
04. I Keep Returning
05. The Energy
06. Shared Planet
08. Escape The Mirror
09. The Ghost Of Nation Past
10. Path To Healing
The album cover, which was created by Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISELOST, SEPTICFLESH), can be
seen below.
"New Death Celebrity" was produced by Fredrik Nordström,
who has previously worked with IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR and ARCH
ENEMY, among others.
Commented DESCENDING: "In 'New Death Celebrity', symbolism,
is being the protagonist in all the aspects of this creation, from the lyrics
to the music and the artwork. Even the way it produced and mixed served a
specific purpose, so nothing is accidental, as all the elements fulfill the
bigger idea."
According to a press release, DESCENDING combines "both bombastic
aggressive metal riffage and melodic hook lines in their songs. Their debut
album 'Enter Annihilation' [shakes] the foundations of modern metal
community! This modern metal masterpiece features astonishing belting vocals by Jon Simvonis giving a deadly touch with his wide range of vocal palette,
from deep growls-to ecstatic emotional screams. Also blazing rhythm/lead guitar
work by a new guitar hero Constantine (ex-NIGHTRAGE) who combines his fast and furious solo pyrotechnics along
with his strong melodic phrasing giving to the album a unique flavour of his
own shredcore fashion."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/descendingcelebrity.jpg
Brazilian death
metallers KRISIUN will release their new album, "The Great
Execution", on October 31 in Europe and November 1 in North America via Century Media Records. The
band's eighth studio CD "musically expands KRISIUN trademark
high-speed death metal violence with a heavily increased amount of diversity
ranging from extreme tempo variations over distinct rhythm patterns to clean
guitars and even Flamenco parts!" according to a press release.
KRISIUN only used analog gear and instruments this time to avoid the
compressed sound that so many musicians produce today. This wise decision
resulted in a more organic sound, with the songs on "The Great
Execution" possessing both warmth and rawness, which are so often lost
through digital production. The low end is deeper, with drums that pound
instead of bounce and guitar tones that sear rather than hiss.
"With our new record we managed to capture the sound and the vibe that we
were always looking for," says KRISIUN vocalist/bassist Alex
Camargo.
Going back to Stage One Studio in Germany and working with producer Andy
Classen again was the right choice: the album came out with a very
distinctive and natural sound, shattering the boundaries of the style once
more.
The cover artwork was created by Japanese artist Toshihiro Egawa who has
been doing tons of great designs for acts like SUICIDE SILENCE, HEAVEN
SHALL BURN, DEVOURMENT and DYING FETUS, among others.
"The Great Execution" will be available as a limited-edition
digipack including a re-recorded version of the classic KRISIUN song "Black
Force Domain" as a bonus track, as a 180-gram gatefold vinyl and as a
digital download.
Classen previously worked with KRISIUN on the "Conquerors
Of Armageddon" (1999), "AssasiNation" (2005) and "Southern
Storm" (2008) releases.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/krisiunexecution.jpg
0 comments:
Post a Comment