Original KISS drummer Peter Criss and his wife Gigi will walk again this year in support of Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer.
The event will take on place Sunday, October 16 in Point Pleasant Beach, New
Jersey beginning at 10 a.m.
While some men feel embarrassed because of "this macho crap," Criss told CNN surviving breast cancer was actually a blessing. He was treated
before the tumor could spread and said he was speaking about male breast cancer
to raise the profile of this rare disease.
Criss, who played drums for KISS and was known as
"Catman," offered this advice to men who spot lumps in their breast:
"Don't sit around playing Mr. Tough Guy. Don't say 'It's going to go
away.' It might not and you might not see life anymore and how beautiful that
is."
Criss, who is currently working on a new rock album, told Reuters his bout with cancer had affected his songwriting.
"My lyrics are not so deep and dismal," he said. One of the tracks on
the album, expected next year, is called "Hard Rock Knockers".
According to WorldScreen.com,
the 3D version of ALICE COOPER's "Halloween Night Of Fear" will be offered to broadcasters at MIPCOM from BBC Worldwide. The "Halloween Night Of Fear" will be filmed on October 29, with
the set including classics such as "School's Out", as well as
tracks from Cooper's new album. The two-hour mix will be available on
October 30 for Halloween broadcasts.
Commented Salim Mukaddam, the VP of music television at BBC Worldwide:
"Capturing music performances in 3D brings a whole new experience to the
viewer and arguably benefits from the technology more than any other genre,
allowing the viewer to really feel as if they were at the live event. For BBC
Worldwide to be able to launch its 3D offering with titles of this caliber
is truly fantastic."
According to Ticketmaster.com, GUNS N' ROSES will perform the
following U.S. dates in
October/November:
Oct. 28 - Amway Center
- Orlando, FL
Oct. 29 - AmericanAirlines Arena - Miami, FL
Nov. 12 - Sprint Center
- Kansas City, MO
More U.S. shows will be announced soon.
GUNS N' ROSES made its first U.S.
concert appearance in four years and only one of 2010 when it headlined the
fifth and final night of the Rock 'N Rev Festival at the 70th annual Sturgis
Bike Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota on August 13, 2010.
GUNS N' ROSES last toured the U.S. in 2006, and has not played
any other American shows since the November 2008 release of its "Chinese
Democracy" album.
"Chinese Democracy" was made available exclusively through Best
Buy. The long-in-the-making, 14-song CD finally arrived 17 years after the
last full-length collections of original GUNS material, "Use
Your Illusion I" and "II", were released, and nine
years after the non-album track "Oh My God" surfaced on the
soundtrack of the movie "End Of Days".
Next week
is a big, big week for Anthrax. Not only are they playing on their home
turf on the 14th as part of the massive Big Four show at Yankee Stadium
and being feted by the Borough of the Bronx that same day ("Anthrax Day" in New York City, amazing!), but their long, no, make that long-awaited
tenth album Worship Music will be released on Tuesday the 13th. I caught
up with founding member Scott Ian at his Los Angeles home a couple weeks ago, and the
amiable guitarist chatted about the new record, singerJoey Belladonna's first
performance on an Anthrax album in 20 years, and the band's huge
homecoming next week. Here's the first half of the conversation, with the
second half to follow tomorrow:
So
how much of a relief is it to finally see this record coming out?
Scott
Ian: It's
definitely satisfying, just after having put so much time and work and effort.
Almost four years of our lives went into this record. Having worked so hard, to
finally have it coming out is satisfying.
Were
you ever worried that with the album on the shelf for so long you were missing
out on a chance to strike while the iron was still hot?
That
would have been really frustrating if we really would have felt we had a certain
window, like if 2009 was the only window to put this album out and then after
that everything was going to change again. But things have only gotten better I
think, as far as the climate for this record goes. This happy accident, the
fact that the album comes out the day before the Big Four show, things
like that have obviously made it still possible to strike while the iron is
very hot.
How
much of a strain was that whole period where you went from Joey singing, to Dan
Nelson, to John Bush, and back to Joey?
It
was definitely interesting. [laughs] I guess I can look back on it now
and say it was like a series of tests we needed to pass in order to be able to
graduate and finish our album. That's kind of how we look at it now. When
you're in it, of course it was definitely daunting at some point and certainly
frustrating, but music kept us going, and we knew there was a right way out of
the tunnel that we were stuck in for a little bit. We just needed to find that
way and that was basically asking Joey to rejoin the band at the
beginning of 2010. Everything's seemed to be going in the right direction
ever since.
How
easy was it getting back to work with Joey back in the fold?
Extremely
easy. We've all known each other a really long time, and having done that
reunion tour with Joey in 2005-2006, we got the getting to know each
other phase already out of the way. So this time when we got back together in New York we literally
sat down over coffee and just laid it out on the table. "Here's what we want to
do. We want to finish this record with you, we want you to be the singer with
the band, we want to go play these Big Four shows. We just want this to
be the band, are you into it?" And he said, "Yeah, that's what I want to do."
It was that simple. It's really easy to work together with Joey. And then once
we really started getting into the music and the songs, re-opening the books on
the record after sitting on it for a year…I don't know that I even listened to
it for almost a year. And then last fall we were on tour in the States with Slayer and Megadeth, and we spent every day in the dressing room working on
the material and going through it, seeing what we felt still held up, what was
still great, what we were totally in love with. And then other stuff still
needed work. By the time that tour finished we had a really good idea of
exactly what we needed to do to get the record finished. That enabled Joey to
go in and start singing right after the New Year and start moving forward. It
was just a really good time and a good place to be, because after having sat on
the record, being able to have this sudden luxury of hindsight and go in and
fix stuff that we didn't feel was as good anymore, once we started doing that
it was like all this energy, all this creativity that had been stifled because
of the situation we were in was able to kind of explode. It just made the
record that much better.
That's
quite a blessing in disguise, gaining that perspective from not listening to
the album for a year.
Exactly.
We never expected that this was the way this record was going to get made when
we first started writing it in 2007. Coming out on the other side of this now
and seeing everything we went through, the biggest thing to me was the fact
that we sat on the record for a year, literally walked away from it. And it
wasn't even just a record, it was 14 songs in some state of almost being
finished. To walk away from that and come back to it when we were in kind of
the polar opposite state of mind, out on tour in the States playing these
killer shows with our buddies in Slayer and Megadeth, with Joey back in the band, everything's going great, we knew, now we really need to go
in because we're all in a really good headspace. To approach it from that angle
and that mindset, I wish we could do that every album. Of course you couldn't
force all of that stuff to happen, but even the idea of just writing a bunch of
songs and walk away from them, even for a couple months, even sounds like a
good idea to me. Really just having that time away from it definitely gives you
perspective on things, it really challenges you to be honest with yourself as
far as, "Okay, is this good or is this bad?" Being able to throw stuff in the
garbage that you felt was great at one point.
How
much work had to be done making the songs comfortable for Joey to sing?
That
wasn't really the case. It's not that we worked on them to make them more
conducive to Joey, we just worked on them to make them the best songs
that they can be. We've never written an Anthrax album with anything in
mind as far as who was singing on the record. When we wrote Spreading the
Disease, Joey wasn't even in the band. Obviously from that point on,
when we did Among the Living and everything, we never write songs
thinking about who our singer is, we just write songs. That's how it's always
been in this band. So we let Joey take them this time around. When
everything was done he went into the studio on his own with the producer and
was able to pretty much have his way with it, make his own choices and do his
own thing. That's his opportunity to throw himself into it, and it's not up to
us to write songs with him in mind.
I
think it's the best thing he's ever done. He just really sounds incredible. He
really shines on this. A number of things he might be able to answer himself
better, but in my opinion I think him having the freedom where it was just him
and Jay Ruston in the studio together opened a lot of doors for him.
Back in the '80s when we would make records, when it'd be time for the vocals
we'd all be in the studio like judge and jury, hanging around and making lost
of comments, "Do this, do that." It was very dictatorial as far as, "Okay,
here's how we want things done." This time it was the opposite of that, just him
and Jay, and we all stayed out of their way and let them create what
they created. Of course, he had templates on some of the stuff, like, "Here's
some stuff but nothing's written in stone, and if you want to change things and
if you have a different idea, a different feeling for something, you've got all
the freedom in the world. Don't call us." [laughs] I think it probably
instilled a lot of energy and confidence into him, especially coming back in
after all these years and then us basically giving him the keys to the car has
got to feel good.
He
shows a range on this record, there's stuff he does on this record, like the
stuff he does on "Crawl", on "Judas Priest", I didn't know he had it in him,
truthfully. He's' completely opened up his range, doing more things creatively
and vocally than I've ever heard him do on any Anthrax record before.
Maybe that's just 20 more years of experience. He hasn't sung on an Anthrax record in 20 years, and he obviously brought a lot to the table going in. I'm
sure that had to feel good, I'm sure he had a lot to get out of him and a lot
to say in his performance. I just think it's all on there.
What
song needed the most tweaking?
The
song "In the End" was a completely different animal before it became that song.
That's something that was pretty much rewritten from the ground up. "Judas
Priest" was also completely different before, it was a song I don't think would
have even made the record in 2009, we basically pulled it apart, changed
things, rewrote things, put it back together, and it became what it was. I
think there were three that were completely different things before that got
rewritten and re-recorded, from the drums all the way through to the vocals. Frankie
[Bello] replayed
his bass on the whole album. He'd gotten a better tone. When we re-recorded he
was so much happier with his new tone and so much happier with the way he was
playing stuff after having played it more, so he went in and actually
re-tracked the whole record. I only re-tracked three or four of the songs.
Also, we had 13, 14 songs before, and we really focused it and got it down to
the ten that's on the record. There are two other things, they're not complete
at this point, but they certainly are riff-wise on the same level as the stuff
that's on the record, and after a little bit of work will be equal to anything
on this album. Which is kind of cool, because whether we use them in the near
future for something or we just save them for the next record, we already have
a head start on the next thing.
You've
lived with these songs for a long time now...is there one track that's grown
into a personal favorite?
The
most consistent one for me as probably been "In the End". For me it's the most
personal, lyrically, on the record, and I think it's the most important song on
the record. It's kind of the centerpiece of the whole album when you look at
it. It's just such an epic seven minutes, and we've never really done anything
like that before. We were able to do it without it ever lagging or dragging or
getting boring. From start to finish, it's amazing to me. I listen to it like
I'm not even listening to my own band, just to hear Joey sing it. Just
structure-wise, songwriting-wise, it's kind of more overtly traditional heavy
metal sounding than a lot of our stuff. There's just so much I love about it,
just because to me it sounds different for Anthrax and also because it's
just such an epic.
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have issued
the following update:
"We've always said we have the best fans in the world; they never fail us!
This includes our dear friends in Japan who've been through so much
this year.
"Today we heard from our label that our new album, 'A Dramatic Turn Of
Events', went in — on the day of release — at #1 on the total album sales
chart! That's the chart for both the domestic and international artists.
"We are massively proud! Thanks to all the believers! And Japan, stay
strong!"
"A Dramatic Turn Of Events" — which marks new drummer Mike
Mangini's recorded debut — will be released in North America on September
13 via Roadrunner Records.
"We have poured our hearts and minds into the creation of this
album," keyboardist Jordan Rudess said. "All the life-changing
events that surrounded us before, as well as during the whole process, fueled
our desire to dig deep within ourselves and create the best music we possibly
could."
Vocalist James LaBrie added, "In the grand scheme of DREAM
THEATER's career, the last several months have been such an incredibly
positive, fulfilling and rewarding experience. The new songs and sound has
never been so spirited or rejuvenating. I cannot wait for every one of our fans
to sink their audio senses into this batch of tunes."
German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have finished
recording their new album, "Unbreakable", and will begin
mixing the effort on Monday, September 12. The CD, which is scheduled for a
January 20, 2012 release via Frontiers Records, was tracked at House
Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with
producer/bassist Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN).
"Unbreakable" will feature the following songs:
* Blaze Of Glory
* Marching Again
* And There Was Silence
* Night Of The Jumps
* Give 'Em Hell
* Born Again
* Where Angels Die
* Bad Guys Wear Black
* Strike
* Metal Nation
* Conviction
* Raise Some Hell
Regarding the musical direction of the new PRIMAL FEAR album, vocalist Ralf
Scheepers told Greece's Rock
Overdose, "You can really expect an album which is somehow skipping
back again to the very basics of PRIMAL FEAR, with very rough metal
riffs and screaming vocals and good melodies on it. So people can really expect
a pure PRIMAL FEAR album with melody and beating drums and very harsh
guitars."
He added, "Of course, every musician will somehow advertise his own album,
but I'm really convinced that people will like this one, because it's got very
catchy hooklines and it's a really 'bang-your-head' metal album.
"When you look back on the [PRIMAL FEAR] back catalog, from the
very first album to this album now, I think there were quite some changes — on 'Seven
Seals', for instance, and also when we came [out with] 'New Religion'.
We somehow now have a combination in between a good, bombastic sound with more
back-to-the-basics guitar riffing stuff. Also we have two ballads on it, which
are not [really] ballads. There's one mid-tempo song with some acoustic guitars
in it and one song which has a little bit more keyboards. It's still not an
acoustic-guitar ballad— it's still with drums and stuff — so I think it's a
pretty tough album [overall]."
"Something Wicked This Way Comes", the new
solo single from MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13, will be made
available via iTunes on September 13 (September 16 in Australia). The track comes off Wednesday
13's new album, "Calling All Corpses", which is scheduled
for release on October 11. The artwork for the CD was created by D.A.
Frizell, who has worked on SEVENDUST's "Cold Day
Memory" as well as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare", "Book Of Nightmare" and "Diamonds In The Rough/ Live
In The LBC" and the AVENGED video "A Little Piece Of
Heaven".
"Calling All Corpses" was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision
Mastering who has previously worked with NINE INCH NAILS, ROB
ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON and MINISTRY, among others.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Blood Fades To Black
02. I Wanna Be Cremated
03. Ghoul Of My Dreams
04. One Knife Stand
05. Calling All Corpses
06. Miss Morgue
07. Silver Bullets
08. Bad At Being Human
09. LondonAfter Midnight
10. Candle For The Devil
11. We All Die
12. Something Wicked This Way Comes
13. Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)
A snippet of a rough mix of the song "I Wanna Be Cremated" can
be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.
Wednesday 13 will embark on a U.K. co-headlining tour with former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe in late November/early
December. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are Swedish glam rockers CRASHDIET.
Austrian symphonic metallers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS will
release a new EP called "Maria Magdelena" on October 21.
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Maria Magdalena
02. Melancholia
03. Change Of Tides
04. Last Shut Of Your Eyes
05. Distant Shores
06. Beyond Horizon- The Poem Pt. II
Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH will
release their new album, "Imaginaerum", in Finland on Wednesday, November 30 and the rest
of Europe on Friday, December 2 via Nuclear
Blast Records. The CD will be made available in North America through Roadrunner Records.
"Imaginaerum" track listing:
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. GhostRiver
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
13. Imaginaerum
Regarding the "Imaginaerum" cover artwork, which can be seen below, NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen said, "Originally, this was
supposed to be the centerfold image of the album, but once I and some mates saw
the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork
was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet,
capturing the deepest essence of what 'Imaginaerum' is all about. The
power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing
and the surreal.
"I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen
in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate,
'all this waiting for you, and you only' feeling.
"All you need is the courage to enter."
Short "Imaginaerum" track-by-track commentary from Tuomas:
01. Taikatalvi
"This world is but a canvas for our imagination."
02. Storytime
"How would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the
most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated 'Yuletide' film?
The meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and
imagination. They are at the very core of humanity."
03. GhostRiver
"Life is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors.
Love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. And we need them all to survive and
enjoy the journey. Good, Evil, Pain and Pleasure — members one of
another."
04. Slow, Love, Slow
"Truest love needs no words, demands or promises. It is wordless
territory, and thoroughly unconditional."
05. I Want My Tears Back
"Longing for things long gone, but still possible to bring back."
06. Scaretale
"Monsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and
flesh-ripping harpies. A peek into childhood's unforgettable nightmares- a
vivid and twisted circus sideshow."
07. Arabesque
"A catharsis to a nightmare. Giving birth through a death-dance."
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
"We quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last
journey...forever now, a haunting moment of beauty and comfort."
09. Rest Calm
"Memories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. The
sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and
inspiration."
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me Truth" - Henry
David Thoreau. Love is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper
state.
11. Last Ride Of The Day
"The theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one
more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. It`s dark and the
fireworks have just started. Moments such as these are portals to infinite
dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a
speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos."
12. Song Of Myself
"Our homage and version of Walt Whitman`s transcendental celebration of
life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis."
13. Imaginaerum
"Thank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The
stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning..."
NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to the "Imaginaerum" album, but also planning a movie of the same name.
"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received
grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film
Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on
his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old,
and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7
million budget.
NIGHTWISH's new single, "Storytime", will be released
on Friday, November 11 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Regarding the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon wrote on her official blog, "I think it's a
great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of
elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the
listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. [2007's] 'Dark
Passion Play' is a great album and this one, too, so I don't know yet which
one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do
since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style."
NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginaerum" world tour in
Los Angeles.
The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California
on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show
production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be
no U.S.
tour until later in 2012.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/nightwishstory.jpg
After eight years of touring and three records, bassist Sean
Delson has left FOZZY by mutual decision.
"Ever since the success of 'Chasing The Grail' and the subsequent
world tours that followed, it became apparent that Sean's mindset and
goals for FOZZY were different from ours," says frontman Chris
Jericho. "So we decided it would be best to make a change now rather
than later and he agreed. But we love Sean as a brother and a player and
we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors."
Effective immediately, FOZZY is proud to announce the addition of Paul
DiLeo as their new four-stringer. Paul is a seasoned veteran who's
played with such legendary performers as Billy Joel and Joe Lynn
Turner and currently plays with FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward in ADRENALINE
MOB.
"Paul DiLeo is a greasy groovin', power-pocket, monster-tone
producing, master showman of the highest caliber," says Rich.
"Together onstage over the last few months we have become the Wonder Twins
of metal and I know he's gonna blow our fan's minds!!"
Chris continues, "I'm excited and honored to have such a talented
player and performer like Paul in FOZZY! I'm convinced he's a big
piece of the puzzle who's going to help us continue to rise to the next level
worldwide."
DiLeo will join FOZZY at the end of September when the band
headlines the second stage of Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar in Calgary, Edmonton, Canada and Seattle, Washington and on the The
Madness Returns European tour in November.
FOZZY released the "Remains Alive & Chasing The Grail" two-CD set on July 18 via Edel's international rock label earMUSIC.
FOZZY was already on the map as the band with the pro wrestler singer,
but "Chasing The Grail" broke them as a proper band. It hit #6
on the U.S. Heatseekers charts and the single "Martyr No More" was a theme song for the WWE Royal Rumble. "Remains Alive" is a 2005 live album (recorded in Australia) that was previously
available in digital format only.
FOZZY's latest album, "Chasing The Grail", sold around
2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD
landed at position No. 6 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.
German progressive metal/post hardcore enigmas THE OCEAN will support the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT beginning October 12 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The dates are as follows:
Oct. 08 - Station 4 - Minneapolis, MN (no THE OCEAN)
Oct. 09 - Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI (no THE OCEAN)
Oct. 10 - Ravari Room - Columbus, OH (no THE OCEAN)
Oct. 12 - Sound Stage - Baltimore, MD
Oct. 13 - The Note - Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 14 - Rock And Shock - Worcester, MA
Oct. 15 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
Oct. 16 - The Altar - Pittsburgh, PA
Oct. 17 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
Oct. 18 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
Oct. 19 - Reggie's - Chicago, IL
Oct. 21 - Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
Oct. 22 - Marquis - Denver, CO
Oct. 24 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 25 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 27 - Hawthorne - Portland, OR
Oct. 28 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
Oct. 29 - Commodore Theater - Vancouver, BC
THE OCEAN's latest album, "Anthropocentric", was
released last November via Metal Blade Records. The CD is the sequel to "Heliocentric",
which came out in April 2010. Together the records serve as a separately-issued
double album, a mammoth conceptual effort that took almost two years to
complete. From a lyrical and artistic point of view, the albums represent a
fundamental and philosophical critique of Christianity.
Austrian symphonic metallers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS will
release a new EP called "Maria Magdelena" on October 21.
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Maria Magdalena
02. Melancholia
03. Change Of Tides
04. Last Shut Of Your Eyes
05. Distant Shores
06. Beyond Horizon- The Poem Pt. II
An audio sample of the song "Melancholia" is now available for
streaming on the band's Facebook page.
A 30-second audio sample of the EP's title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.
THE HAUNTED and ENTOMBED will join forces for
the 2011 edition of the "Close Up Made Us Do It" tour of Sweden. Support
on the trek will come from WALKING WITH STRANGERS.
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 24 - Stockholm, SWE - Göta Källare
Nov. 25 - Gothenburg, SWE - Brew House
Nov. 26 - Malmö, SWE – Kulturbolaget
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.
In addition to the regular CD as well as a limited LP version (180-gram black
vinyl with the full album on CD as bonus!) and the digital download format of
the record, a very special limited edition (pictured on top!) of "Unseen" was released in Europe as a silver-foil-wrapped digipak, including not only
classy packaging and extended artwork but also three bonus audio tracks: The
brand new song "Attention" as well as radio-session live versions
of the tracks "The Reflection" and "The Fallout".
ENTOMBED's latest album, "Serpent Saints - The Ten
Amendments", was released in the U.S. on July 31, 2007 via Candlelight/Threeman
Recordings. The 10-song effort marked the group's first release with
drummer Olle Dahlstedt (ALPHA SAFARI, ex-MISERY LOVES CO.), who replaced Peter Stjärnvind in 2006.
Mastering duties were handled by Soren Elofsson at Cosmos Mastering in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments" entered the Swedish national
chart at position No. 3. This was the highest chart position in the band's
career.
The current lineup of ENTOMBED features Victor Brandt (TOTALT
JÄVLA MÖRKER, AEON, SATYRICON) and second guitarist Nico
Elgstrand (who previously played bass for the group).
In a May 2011 interview with the Stormbringer.at webzine, ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid stated about the progress of the songwriting
sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to "Serpent Saints",
"We're just taking our time getting the pieces together properly this
time. We just wanna make sure that it's a really good album. Now we have a
complete lineup again also, and a lot of fresh, new blood as well. So it's
gonna be fun to create something new now. . . We wanna get the group together
and get a strong foundation to create something good; that's the goal
here."
"We'll just concentrate on [creating] something great. I [try not] to
focus on too much at the same time. [My attitude] is 'Let's just make one great
song to start with,' and then we'll take it from there.
"We have a pretty broad palette of things we can do, and we'll try and
find a place for anything. 'Cause we enjoy everything from the fastest
death/black metal stuff to whatever, so the songs that we come up with, we'll
just have to find a space for them — some stuff might be [releases as] an
album, some stuff might be a single…
"I think it's kind of boring, in a way, to just think in terms of a
full-length] 'album,' especially when nobody seems to really create classic
albums anymore, and a lot of people don't even buy them anymore. If wanna
record our favorite cover songs, there should be a place for that as well.
"It's been four years [since the last album came out] and I feel that we
have so much creativity in the band and so many things that we can all put
under this roof of things that we like collectively. And what I wanna do is for
us to find a way to channel all our creativity and also make it the best and
the greatest it can be."
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS recently announced the addition of guitarist Cris
Tian to the group's ranks.
VISIONS OF ATLANTIS's fourth album, "Delta", was
released in North America on March 15 via Napalm
Records. The CD was recorded Dreamscape Studios in Munich, Germany
and marks the debut of the band's new singer, Maxi Nil, who joined the
group in 2009.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based thrash metal band OVIF,
which features former members of MELODYACT, will enter the studio on
October 1 to begin recording its sophomore album for a January 2012 release.
The group previously described the new material as "thrash galore."
OVIF's debut album, "Devast", was recorded with veteran
producer Glen Robinson (VOIVOD, GWAR, ANNIHILATOR)
and contains 13 songs, five of which are sung in French.
The band's official lineup consists of only two members — Erick Paquin (guitar, drums) and Jessy Bilodeau (bass, vocals) — with session
musician Olivier Beaudoin on drums.
"Assassins Of Youth", the new video from STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static, can be viewed below. The song comes off Static's
first solo album, "Pighammer", which will be released on
October 4 via Dirthouse Records.
"Assassins Of Youth" was inspired by Static's last days
of drugs and partying and to re-create this turbulent time in his life Matt
Zane (singer of SOCIETY 1) was chosen to direct and edit the
controversial images.
Commented Zane: "After hearing Wayne's idea's based on his extreme
debauchery and excess, I was immediately inspired. I actually interviewed him
and [Wayne's
wife, former adult-film star] Tera [Wray] on camera prior to writing
a treatment because there were so many incidents that occurred during that time
in his life I was overwhelmed. It was difficult to figure out how I was going
to express all of them in three minutes."
The shooting — which took place over the course of three and a half days —
featured excessive drug paraphernalia, cross dressing band members, a naked Wayne
Static and a fully functional police car.
"Every aspect of the video was so over the top but the hotel set with all
the fake drugs and alcohol was really a site to be seen," said Zane.
"It just looked so authentic. I actually took a couple pictures of me in
the room and sent it to a few friends who then believed I was on a serious
binger."
With drugs be such a central theme surrounding the video, specifically the use
of whippits, Zane was curious as to what effect they had on perception.
"I remember asking Wayne what the deal was with whippits and he attempted to explain to me what happens
when on them," he said. "That's when I had the idea to really make
the bridge of the song as if the viewer was catching a glimpse of the
drug-fueled frenetic world that Wayne and Tera were living in at the time."
According to a press release, "Pighammer" "has a
disarming raw quality of heavy driving guitar riffs and lyrics that will take
hold of your bowels and into the mind of Static's dark past and warped
mind.
"I wrote ['Assassins'] while living in a hotel room, listening to PINK
FLOYD, drinking Crown and doing whippits," explains Static. "I
started the song in that condition but never finished it until years later
after dumping off the drugs. Now the song has a whole new meaning from when I
started it."
"Assassins Of Youth" is an old-school term for drugs. The first verse
is about doing drugs, the chorus is going dry and the second chorus is about
getting off and no longer being slave to the drugs.
With Static's transformation, his mind has creatively twisted to a side
that he has waited to unleash.
"The 'Pighammer' concept conjures up bizarre images," Static explains. "It's about a mad plastic surgeon, with a pig fetish, that likes
to convert hot chicks into pigs. It is the total opposite if what a plastic
surgeon would do. He has this crazy hammer device made from a pig foot. The
images of the surgery in the CD package are only a dark comedic visualization
of the real theme of the album, which is my transformation."
"Pighammer" is the bastard child of Wayne Static's
transformation after a 12-year journey of metal annihilation.
"It's hard to believe that it's 12 years since the release of [STATIC-X's
debut album] 'Wisconsin Death Trip',
and now my warped musical lunacy will take me down a new path of metal
destruction. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on the upcoming fall
tour."
"Pighammer" track listing:
01. Pighammer
02. Around The Turn
03. Assassins Of Youth
04. Thunder Invader
05. Static Killer
06. She
07. Get It Together
08. Chrome Nation
09. Shifter
10. Slave
11. The Creatures Are Everywhere
12. Behind The Sky
Wayne Static will embark on a string of dates this fall in support of "Pighammer". Static will be accompanied by special guests EYE EMPIRE, KYNG, ONE EYED DOLL and GEMINI SYNDROME. He will play select tracks off
his solo CD and a number of classic STATIC-X songs, giving fans the hard
driving metal they crave.
"I can't wait to get on stage again," exclaims Static.
"It's been far too long! I know everyone is curious as to what the new
show will be like... and it's going to be even a bigger party than before with
some fun surprises. I have an awesome new touring band that includes some of
the best players in LA. We'll be doing plenty of shots on stage, playing some
new songs off 'Pighammer', and, of course, playing a ton of classic STATIC-X songs. Let the Evil Disco party begin!"
Italian masters of
thunderous psychedelic doom UFOMAMMUT have inked a deal with Neurot
Recordings for the release of their next album. According to a press
release, the band's last CD, "Eve", "was met with great
critical acclaim worldwide, and judging by the studio updates we are receiving,
their next opus will be even more epic in its proportions and probably their
heaviest and most cacophonous record to date."
Neurot owner Steve Von Till had this to say about the signing:
"Welcome UFOMAMMUT to the Neurot family.
"UFOMAMMUT is our kind of band. These sonic brothers from Italy are
heavy, psychedelic, and driven. We couldn't be happier than to have them
working with Neurot Recordings for their next full-length album.
"Though we have been fans of their music for a while, being able to meet
them and share the stage with them on our recent trip to Europe
was awesome. We formed a great and meaningful bond, which, of course, is the
most important aspect of what we do. We admire their prolific nature as
visionary musicians, as members of the Malleus art collective, and as owners of
their own label, Supernatural Cat. They truly embody the same spirit of
music and art that we all strive for.
"UFOMAMMUT is in the studio at this very moment working on their
next epic."
UFOMAMMUT added in a statement: "Working with Neurot signals
an evolutionary change for UFOMAMMUT. In the last years we've built up
our own music world, doing everything by ourselves, working on our own art and
recordings, creating a label, and taking care of every aspect of our projects.
"We feel very excited by this change because this confirms that we did a
good job, especially coming from these guys who we have always considered a
great inspiration.
"We're sure this Neurot and UFOMAMMUT friendship will open
new perspectives and directions in our sonic adventure, because we feel we have
the same vision and attitude about what music should be.
"In few words, we feel totally honored and proud to become a part of the Neurot family."
Norwegian
symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR have announced their first-ever
performances on Irish soil! Confirmed dates are as follows:
Nov. 28 - Belfast - Spring and Airbrake
Nov. 29 - Dublin - Academy
The shows will be a part of their intimate club tour of the U.K. which now includes the Republic of Ireland.
There will be no support band and DIMMU will perform two sets. The first
set will be a full album in its entirety as chosen by the fans and the second
set will include a variety of DIMMU classics.
Fans can vote for the following three albums on DIMMU's official Facebook page.
A) 1994's "For All Tid"
B) 1996's "Stormblåst"
C) 1997's "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant"
DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje
Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.
"Abrahadabra", the ninth album from DIMMU BORGIR, sold
9,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at
position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "In
Sorte Diaboli", opened with 14,000 units back in May 2007 to debut at
No. 43. This was more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its
predecessor, "Death Cult Armageddon", which came out in
September 2003 and landed at position No. 169 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The word "abrahadabra" (which roughly translates into "I will
create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of "Liber
AL vel Legis" (commonly referred to as "The Book of the
Law") written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt
in 1904.
"Abrahadabra" was released in Germany
on September 24, 2010, in the rest of Europe on September 27, 2010, and it was
made available in North America on October 12,
2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.
ENGEL — the Gothenburg, Sweden-based quintet featuring guitarists Marcus Sunesson (THE CROWN) and Niclas Engelin (PASSENGER, ex-GARDENIAN, IN FLAMES), vocalist Mangan Klavborn, drummer Jimmy Olausson (ex-MARIONETTE) and bassist Steve Drennan (AMON AMARTH, LOCUS)
— will support PAIN on a European tour which kicks off on October 5 in
Hamburg, Germany. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are TURMION KÄTILÖT (on the first 12 European shows) and RAUBTIER (in Sweden).
TAROT was forced to cancel its participation in the tour due to a
serious illness in the family of one of the bandmembers.
For a complete list of upcoming shows, go to this location.
ENGEL recently recorded two songs with Hellmans Drengar, the
all-male choir from Gothenburg, Sweden.
ENGEL will play two shows with Hellmans Drengar at
Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg on September 9 and September 10. The band
says, "It will be two evenings where two different worlds collide into one
massive, heavy and rocking HELL."
ENGEL's second album, "Threnody", was released in
Europe on November 8, 2010 and in the U.S. on January 11, 2011 via Season
Of Mist. The CD was issued in Japan on April 20, 2010 via Avex.
ENGEL recorded "Threnody" at PUK studio in Gjerlev, Denmark
with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HIMSA, SICK OF
IT ALL).
The band was previously signed to SPV Records which issued ENGEL's
debut album, "Absolute Design", in 2007.
ENGEL last year parted ways with drummer Daniel "Mojjo"
Moilanen and replaced him with Olausson.
Legendary San Francisco Bay
Area gore grind act AUTOPSY has issued the following update:
"We go into the studio at the end of October to record three new songs. It
will be a taste of the new album that will soon follow. The three new songs
will be released on a special release by Peaceville Records. It will
also include all the EPs ('Tomb Within', 'Fiend for Blood', 'Retribution
For The Dead', 'Horrific Obsession' 7", and 'Funereality')
that are out of print. A jackhammer to your skull."
"Macabre Eternal", the first full-length album from AUTOPSY since 1995's "Shitfun", sold around 600 copies in the United States
in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 67 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.
"Macabre Eternal" was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
and includes AUTOPSY's first 10-plus minute song "Sadistic
Gratification".
AUTOPSY drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert previously said about "Macabre
Eternal": "We've brewed up the sickest and heaviest material that
our rotten souls could possibly spew forth, and we are confident that it's our
best stuff yet. The EP was a taste of what's to come, but now it's time for the
full assault from beyond the grave."
He continued, "The album contains no repeated EP tracks, no re-recorded
old songs, no triggered trickery, and nothing less than the pure death metal
brutality that AUTOPSY has always delivered."
AUTOPSY had previously decided to make an official comeback after
working together on two songs for the special 20th-anniversary edition of debut
album, "Severed Survival", in late 2008; the band having
originally split before the release of its fourth album, "Shitfun",
in 1995. A five-song EP, "The Tomb Within", came out last
September and saw the original trio of Chris Reifert, Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler joined on bass by Joe Trevisano (ex-ABSCESS).
California
melodic death metallers DREAMING DEAD are putting the finishing touches
on their new full-length album for a fall release. The follow-up to 2009's "Within
One" (Ibex Moon) will include the song "Midnightmares",
a demo version of which can be streamed on the band's Facebook page("Like" required).
Fronted and founded by Elizabeth Schall, DREAMING DEAD released
its first recording, "Through The Eyes Of Insanity", in 2006
under the group's previous moniker, MANSLAUGHTER. Influenced by the
likes of DEATH, SLAYER, CRYPTOPSY and OPETH, the CD
received stellar reviews, leaving listeners aching for more of the band's
blackened, death-thrash attack. "Within On" was met with
similar accolades. About.com called the record "sometimes extreme,
sometimes delicate and usually compelling," while BLABBERMOUTH.NET noted, "DREAMING DEAD are on; it's easy to see world domination in
their future." Metal Maniacs agreed, calling "Within
One" "...a smattering of classic US DM stylings and high-velocity
thrash, set the tune of Schall's scathing vocals and surprinsingly and
agile guitar runs."
DREAMING DEAD will play two special shows this fall — one opening for MORBID
ANGEL in West Hollywood later this month and another at the Goregrowler's
Ball in San Antonio alongside DECEASED, HOD, LAIR OF THE
MINOTAUR and many others.
DREAMING DEAD is:
Elizabeth Schall - Vocals/Guitar
Juan Ramirez - Bass
Michael Caffell - Drums/Vocals/Samples
Vocalist Johan Lindstrand has rejoined reactivated
Swedish death/thrash metallers THE CROWN.
THE CROWN's current lineup:
Johan Lindstrand - Vocals
Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
Marko Tervonen - Rhythm Guitar
Janne Saarenpää - Drums
Marcus Sunesson - Lead Guitar
Commented the band: "We would like to thank our metal brother Jonas
Stålhammar for the amazing teamwork for the last couple of years!!!
Respect!!! Next week we'll start rehearsing new material (6-7 news songs
written at this point). We hope to enter the studio early 2012.
"We are thinking of doing a few Swedish dates within a couple of months
(most likely a first reunion show in our hometown Trollhättan, this time in a
proper club) and then focus on doing some kick-ass festivals in 2012."
Added Lindstrand: "Once again I have been blessed with the
opportunity to join my oldest friends and brothers in arms Marko, Janne, Magnus and Markus. I'm am so grateful for this and I will do my
best to make the original lineup live up to all expectations and we will
definitely have a total blast together while rippin' the world to pieces with a
lot more years to come.
"Yeah, from now on I am the lead singer in this classic death metal outfit
called THE CROWN. Damn! That feels good to say. I will also take some
time here to thank Jonas Stålhammar, 'cause he did an amazing job on
'Doomsday King'. You rule, dude!
"Other than that I have to say: THE ORIGINAL FIVE HAS RETURNED!!! Go hide
your children."
Jonas Stålhammar stated: "Come in Number 51, your time is up! It's
fitting quoting the classic PINK FLOYD song right about now.
"My time with THE CROWN comes to an end with the return of the true
voice of THE CROWN, Johan Lindstrand.
"It's been a bumpy but really enjoyable ride for me being a member of THE
CROWN. It's with great respect I step down to let Johan take his
rightful place in the band again. I wish them all the best and they are truly
my brothers still."
THE CROWN's latest album, "Doomsday King", was released
in September 2010 via Century Media Records.
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