Eagle
Rock Entertainment has set a November 15 release date for the DVD and
Blu-ray editions of "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne", the
feature-length documentary about the life of the legendary heavy metal singer
that Ozzy Osbourne's son, Jack Osbourne, co-produced.
During the documentary, Ozzy recounts his troubled youth, his early
career with BLACK SABBATH and the impact of fame and addictions on his
first marriage. Viewers also witness the second chapter of his life as a family
man with Sharon,
during which his addictions grew to a frightening level, as well as hear Ozzy and his children explain his attempts at staying clean, ultimately resulting in
more than five years of sobriety. Music fans also see live performances from
around the world, including rare behind-the-scenes clips of Ozzy on and
off stage, in his dressing rooms pre-show, to his nights in a series of hotel
rooms. Throughout "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne", audiences are
given an inside look into the life of a rock star, from the good times to the
bad.
"This is the most honest portrait of my father. I set out to tell the
truth — regardless of how raw it might be — and I think we accomplished just
that," said Jack Osbourne.
"God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" was co-produced by Jack Osbourne and is the first film released by Jack's production company, Jacko
Productions. The documentary, which was originally titled "Wreckage
Of My Past: The Ozzy Osbourne Story", was directed by Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli.
"God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" premiered on April 24 at the Tribeca
Film Festival in New York City and received a positive review from Entertainment
Weekly, which said, "What could have been a glossy, fawning tribute to
the most visible face in heavy metal music history — especially considering it
was co-produced by his son, Jack — actually turned out to be a
remarkably evenhanded look at Ozzy's monumental musical influence as
well as his less exemplary life as an addict and often-absent father."
Critic Joseph Brannigan Lynch added, "'God Bless Ozzy Osbourne' may not answer the question 'What makes Ozzy act so... Ozzy-like?',
but it's hardly a fluffy tribute. This documentary succeeds in offering a
balanced portrait of a man who made many mistakes over the course of his
addiction-riddled life and also happens to be one of the most influential hard
rock singers ever."
Lynch also wrote that the film "starts with Osbourne's poor
childhood in the cramped quarters of inner-city Birmingham, England, and goes
up to his long-sought sobriety following the end of the water-cooler fodder
reality series 'The Osbournes'."
While the movie does not delve into certain aspects of Ozzy's life —
such as his attempted strangulation of wife/manager Sharon years ago —
frank interviews with his five children "portray him as an absentee father
even when he was physically present due to his mind-numbing abuse of pills,
cocaine and liquor," according to Lynch.
The film features interviews with many of Ozzy's family members, friend
and colleagues, including Paul McCartney, the members of BLACK
SABBATH and MÖTLEY CRÜE's Tommy Lee.
Originally released in 1973, The Dark Side of The Moon became the band's first
number 1 album in the US,
remaining on the chart for 741 weeks between 1973 and 1988. One of the
best-selling and most critically acclaimed albums of all time The Dark Side of
The Moon also introduced The iconic album cover artwork by Hipgnosis featuring
a prism representing the band's stage lighting, the record's lyrics, and the
request for a 'simple and bold' design. The Immersion version features the
classic Studio album digitally remastered and presented as a limited edition
high quality boxset featuring 6 discs of rare and unreleased audio and video material, plus a new 40 page oversized perfect-bound booklet, a book of original
photographs edited by Jill Furmanovsky, exclusive merchandise and facsimile
collectables.
The Dark Side Of The Moon - Immersion Box contents:
Disc 1 – CD 1:
The Dark Side Of The Moon digitally remastered by James Guthrie 2011
Disc 2 – CD 2:
The Dark Side Of The Moon performed live at Wembley in 1974 (2011 Mix and
previously unreleased)
Disc 3 – DVD 1, all audio:
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix (previously
released only on SACD) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix (previously
released only on SACD) in high resolution audio at 640 kbps
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, LPCM Stereo mix (as disc 1)
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, Alan Parsons Quad Mix (previously released only on
vinyl LP/8 track tape in 1973) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, Alan Parsons Quad Mix (previously released only on
vinyl LP/8 track tape in 1973) in high resolution audio at 640 kbps
Disc 4 - DVD 2, all audio visual:
- Live In Brighton 1972:
'Careful With That Axe, Eugene' (previously unreleased on DVD)
'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun' (previously unreleased on DVD)
- The Dark Side Of The Moon, 2003 documentary (25 min EPK)
- Concert Screen Films (60 min total):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
Screen films play in stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound
Disc 5 – Bluray, Audio+audio Visual
- Audio: The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix
(previously released only on SACD) in high resolution audio at 96 kHz/24-bit
- Audio: The Dark Side Of The Moon, Original stereo mix (1973) mastered in high
resolution audio at 96 kHz/24-bit
- Audio visual: Live In Brighton 1972:
'Careful With That Axe, Eugene' (previously unreleased on DVD/BluRay)
'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun' (previously unreleased on
DVD/BluRay)
- Audio visual: The Dark Side Of The Moon, 2003 documentary (EPK)
- Audio visual: Concert Screen Films (5.1 Surround Mix):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
- Audio visual: Concert Screen Films (High Resolution Stereo Mix):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
Disc 6 - CD3:
- The Dark Side Of The Moon 1972 Early Album Mix engineered by Alan Parsons
(previously unreleased)
- 'The Hard Way' (from Household Objects project)
- 'Us And Them', Richard Wright Demo (previously unreleased)
- 'The Travel Sequence', live from Brighton June 1972 (previously unreleased)
- 'The Mortality Sequence', live from Brighton June 1972 (previously
unreleased)
- 'Any Colour You Like', live from Brighton June 1972 (previously unreleased)
- 'The Travel Sequence', studio recording 1972 (previously unreleased)
- 'Money', Roger Waters' demo (previously unreleased)
Extras:
- 40 page 27cm x 27cm booklet designed by Storm Thorgerson
- Exclusive photo book edited by Jill Furmanovsky
- 27cm x 27cm Exclusive Storm Thorgerson Art Print
- 5 x Collectors' Cards featuring art and comments by Storm Thorgerson
- Replica of The Dark Side Of The Moon Tour Ticket
- Replica of The Dark Side Of The Moon Backstage Pass
- Scarf
- 3 x Black marbles
- 9 x Coasters (unique to this box) featuring early Storm Thorgerson design
sketches
- 12 page credits booklet
Whether
he's replacing one legendary singer or celebrating the life of another, Tim "Ripper"
Owens is simply doing what he was born to do. Boasting some of the most
insane chops in heavy metal that have him steering down a similar path to
greatness, Owens could easily be placed on a short list of today's vocalists
based on his work in Beyond Fear, Iced Earth, and Charred
Walls of the Damned -- or with guitar virtuoso Yngwie
Malmsteen and All-Star tribute band Hail!. His solo work ain't too shabby, either. Check out
his Play My Game album.
But
Owens was put on a broader map within the metal community when he took over for
Rob Halford in Judas
Priest from 1996-2003. Heck, Ripper's time as the Priest's frontman
inspired the 2001
movie "Rock Star." How many musicians can say that? The film
starred Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston and various metal musicians including
Dokken, Dio and Foreigner bassist Jeff
Pilson and current Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy (view clip here) -- although Owens
isn't exactly thrilled with the finished product.
Though
Owens continues to juggle musical adventures, he cast all of them aside after
being asked to keep alive the legacy of the late Ronnie James Dio.
After Dio lost his battle to stomach cancer on May 16, 2010, in Houston, Wendy Dio and
some of Dio's bandmates decided his music should live on in concert.
The
end result is the Dio Disciples. The group will make its San Antonio debut with an hour-long set during
the South Texas
Rock Fest on Oct. 8 at Sunken Garden Theater (details at bottom). Owens and Toby
Jepson (Fastway) share vocal duties with veteran bassist Rudy Sarzo and
longtime Dio members Craig Goldy on guitar, Scott Warren on keyboards and Simon
Wright behind the drums.
Three
days after that performance, Charred Walls of the Damned releases its second
album Cold Winds On Timeless Days. Two days after that, Owens embarks on
a tour with Malmsteen -- with whom he's released two albums and covered songs
ranging from Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" to Michael
Jackson's "Beat It."
For
good measure, Owens is part-owner of The Tap House restaurant in his native Akron, Ohio.
Ripper, who turns 44 on Sept. 13, phoned me over the weekend:
Q:
We're all looking forward to Dio Disciples coming to the South Texas Rock Fest. When was the last time you played San Antonio, and do you
have any special memories?
A:I
do, I have a memory of Sunken Gardens, playing there. I
was with Judas Priest and had some friends there. It was just a great time,
hanging out backstage. One of my buddies, Omar Uresti
from the PGA Tour, had a nice polo golf shirt on, and Glenn went over and
started to sign it. And the guy's facial expression started changing. I could
tell it was a real expensive shirt. I just can't forget this guy's face. It was
like, "I know you're Glenn Tipton and all, but . . ." Glenn started
writing on his nipple. It was pretty funny. I look forward to it and seeing
some friends. Hopefully, Omar can come out again. He lives in Austin.
Q:
When this was starting to come together, did you approach the guys or vice
versa?
A:Vice
versa. I think the basic thing was Ronnie and I were -- obviously, Wendy
manages me. Knowing in her mind, when they were starting to get a singer, we
wanna do Ronnie's legacy good and celebrate his music, not try to be Ronnie or
anything. With us being friends and me being one of his favorite singers, it
was a no-brainer. We're all friends and started throwing ideas around. We want
to keep the live experience.
Q: So it was a situation where even though you've got so much going on with
other bands, you said, "I'll drop everything?"
A: That's exactly what it is. People don't understand. We don't need to do it. I want to do it. I'm touring with Hail! Touring with Yngwie. The
point is I wanna do it. That's the point with everyone in the band.
Q:
Simon and Craig played on Play My Game, right? So that probably helped.
A:Simon and Rudy played on the most songs.
Ah, Rudy.
Yeah, they did, and I know the guys. James LoMenzo (ex-White Lion and Megadeth
bassist), who played the (Dio Disciples) shows in Europe,
filled in before with Hail! So we all knew each other.
Q:
How often did your paths cross with Ronnie? Did you tour with him?
A:I
did, I toured on a couple of his Heaven and Hell tours in Europe.
And then there was a solo run I did with Simon on drums, David Ellefson on bass
and Christopher Caffery on guitars. I was fortunate to tour with him, and it
was an honor. I learned a lot from him.
Q:
If you could pick one Dio song that you feel epitomized his legacy, what would
it be?
A:Wow!
One song (pause). I think "Heaven and Hell." My favorite material is
probably his own, his Dio stuff. But that song has a little bit of everything
in it.
Q:
I had the pleasure of interviewing Doro Pesch three weeks ago (see link at
bottom), who of course filled in for you at three shows in Spain. She told
me how nervous she was, wanting to do so good for Ronnie and for the fans. It
hit me that this is a veteran rock star who's been in the business for 25
years, and yet she still felt that way because of the emotion involved and what
Ronnie meant to her. Did you have similar feelings of nerves your first couple
gigs?
A:Well, you always do, but my goal is to sing as good as I can no matter what I'm
doing. Listen, for me, I'm celebrating Ronnie's music, so it's not as hard. I'm
not replacing him. I had to replace Rob Halford. Basically, if I go up and sing
the songs like I can and should, I should be alright. Doro's great. She came in
and did fabulous. She came out to one of the earlier shows, in Hamburg, I think, and
she jumped up on stage. She's a wonderful person and so professional.
Q:
What is your favorite band or project you've been involved in?
A:My
solo stuff and Beyond Fear. Touring solo is great because I can just go, and
there's a band waiting for me, and you get to show up and sing. I love doing my
solo stuff.
Q:
I have an Iced Earth question for you. I know Jon Schaffer wrote most of the
lyrics on The Glorious Burden, but with the 10th anniversary of
9/11 coming up, is there any extra meaning behind "When The Eagle
Cries" or a story you can share from the making of that tune?
A:Doing that
video. It's a wonderful video. If there's anybody who hasn't seen it, they
should. Sitting in that fake rubble and singing those lyrics, it was pretty
amazing.
Q:
I was excited to learn you had joined Yngwie in 2008, though he usually only
lasts one or two albums with the same singer. What happened in your case?
A:I'm
still with Yngwie.
Q: Oh, really? I had read where you said you didn't know about his Relentless album coming out with you on it, so it sounded like you weren't in the band
anymore.
A: I had been asked in an interview about Yngwie releasing an album, and I
didn't know about it. The songs that were left after Perpetual Flame (in 2008) weren't actually leftovers.
They were extra material. I actually like Relentless better than Perpetual
Flame. But Yngwie releases a lot of instrumentals, so I didn't know if
those songs were going to be released. I actually leave the Dio Disciples tour
and go on tour with Yngwie.
Q: Great, will that be coming here?
A: Let's see, I've got an itinerary here. We've got Houston and Dallas
right now. It's kind of a two-way street with him. They don't really promote
Yngwie's stuff. When you read press releases about it, they don't say that I'm
singing for him. But I love Yngwie. I love being with him, hanging out with
him, watching him play guitar and singing for him. But the band is called Yngwie Malmsteen.
Q:
When you were in Priest, how hard was it on you as the rumors kept building
regarding Rob's return, and the rest of the guys doing interviews and being
asked about him?
A:Well, I knew it was going to happen someday, but everyone around me was so
professional in the way they handled it. The band and I, we're friends, you
know. Listen, the proof was in the pudding when I got on stage and I could sing
the material. Now when you look back after all these years, if you compare Jugulator and Nostradamus, I think Jugulator is better. But
Rob is the man. I understand that, and I knew it was going to come. And to tell
you the truth, I was actually alright with it coming. I tour more and do more
stuff in my life now. But if I hadn't done Priest, I wouldn't be doing some of
the stuff I do now, either.
To me it was the best of both worlds, with you filling in and doing great
with the rest of the guys, and Rob bringing us another side of his music that
we normally don't get to hear.
Well, thank you. The funny thing is, Rob and I are friends, and the press
hasn't gotten us to tear each other apart. They've tried, though.
Well, I would never do that to ya (laughing). In fact, I interviewed Rob in
December 2009 right after his Christmas album came out and asked him if he had
recommended you for the gig. But I came to find out that wasn't quite right.
No, you know, I never actually met Rob until I was in Priest. It was Scott
Travis actually.
Q:
So what do you think of K.K.'s
departure? When was the last time you saw him or spoke with him?
A:You
know, it's just one of those things. I'd rather see him in the band. Hopefully,
it will work out one day, and everything will be hunky-dory. I'm glad
everyone's happy and Ken's happy. They've had this so-called last tour, but
they're not really advertising it as such anymore, and maybe that has to do
with Ken not being there. I don't know. Maybe someday it'll work out again, and
they'll make another record (with him) or go out again. I saw him in Manchester, England,
a few months back, maybe in June, at one of the Dio Disciples shows.
Q:
I'm sure you get asked about "Rock Star" a lot, but you are the best authority to critique the movie. Your thoughts?
A: Ah,
you know, it's a movie. Originally it was going to be based on me. It just
didn't work out. We couldn't see eye-to-eye on stuff. It was alright, but it
could've been a lot better. Unfortunately, they have to do the Hollywood stuff, and it doesn't always work out.
Q:
I asked social media followers who are fans of yours if they had any questions
to submit. One of them wants to know if you've had any vocal lessons or if you
are self-taught?
A:I'm
pretty much self-taught, but I did some high school singing in a choir. I was
fortunate to have some good choir teachers in school. I read up on it for
different exercises to do and as far as the best way to take care of that.
Q:
What can you tell me about the Charred Walls of the Damned album?
A:It's
a great album, and it's ready to come out. I know there's a song already out on
the Internet. You know what, I gotta tell you, it came out even much better
than I thought it would. When you make an album, you're not quite sure. I'm
doing vocals (in the studio), but sometimes the melodies aren't there, not everything's
there as you're doing it.
Well I thought you did great covers of Powermad's
"Nice Dreams" with Charred Walls and "Mr. Crowley" with
Yngwie. Your shriek on the intro to "Mr. Crowley" is priceless.
Yeah, good ol' Mr. Crowley!
Thanks,
Ripper, for taking the time. If I ever make it to Akron, the Tap House will be the first place
where I grab a bite to eat.
Yes, you gotta come to the Tap House! It's a good ol' rocking place.
In the meantime, I hope to thank you in person and shake hands here at the
Rock Fest.
Absolutely, come say hi. Take care.
* WHAT: South Texas Rock Fest
* WHO: Dio Disciples, UFO, Saxon, Quiet Riot, Moxy, Stephen Pearcy, Warrant, Pretty Boy Floyd and more. View lineup and schedule here.
* WHEN: Oct. 7-8
* WHERE: Sunken Garden Theater (3875 N. St. Mary's St.)
* TICKETS: $35-$250 at H-E-B locations and Flipside Records; more info here.
* OF NOTE: Dio Disciples' U.S. tour dates, with more to come, are as follows:
1. 9/22/2011 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
2. 9/23/2011 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
3. 9/24/2011 Springfield, VA Jaxx
4. 9/26/2011 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
5. 9/27/2011 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
6. 9/28/2011 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
7. 9/29/2011 Chicago, IL House of Blues
8. 9/30/2011 Medina, MN Medina Entertainment Center
9. 10/6/2011 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
10. 10/7/2011 Houston, TX Scout Bar
11. 10/8/2011 San Antonio, TX Sunken Gardens
12. 10/9/2011 Dallas, TX Trees
According to the usually reliable VAN HALEN fan site Van Halen News Desk, the mixing of the new VAN HALEN album began in July was completed in August. The band's first LP in 27 years to
feature original singer David Lee Roth is scheduled to be mastered
mid-September, with the process expected to take about a week.
There has virtually no info from the VAN HALEN camp about album or tour
plans. Rumors have also suggested that the band pulled out of an Australian
festival tour, which was scheduled to kick off later this month.
One person who doesn't think VAN HALEN can get together and continue its
comeback is Roth replacement and former singer Sammy Hagar.
"They can't get it together," he said. "You know, they can't. I
was there. I saw it. Eddie [Van Halen, guitar], doesn't matter if
he's clean and sober, like they — even if he is, too much damage. They're just too
wacky. They're so out of it. And it could be cool, time warpy, if they were the
original band and everybody was on the same page."
Producer Ross Hogarth, who has worked on the VAN HALEN album,
spoke briefly about it in an interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, saying,
"I'm really stoked about it, as it is the original band, Eddie and Alex [Van Halen, drums] with Wolf [Eddie's son] playing bass,
and David Lee Roth singing, it's the killing side of VAN HALEN at
the top of their game again . . . and the band on fire."
ALTERBRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti recently said in an interview that he had gotten an opportunity to hear the
music through his friendship with Wolfgang Van Halen, saying it sounded
like "vintage VAN HALEN."
VAN HALEN reunited with Roth in 2007 for a successful year-long
reunion tour — minus original bassist Michael Anthony, who now plays
with Hagar in CHICKENFOOT.
MEGADETH will headline the Hell And Heaven Metal
Fest, set to take place on Saturday, November 19 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Billed as "the only open-air metal festival in Mexico," the event will
feature 57 bands performing on four stages in front of an expected audience of
20,000.
Confirmed international artists:
MEGADETH (USA)
OVERKILL (USA)
FEAR FACTORY (USA)
MOONSPELL (Portugal)
KATAKLYSM (Canada)
DESTRUCTION (Germany)
MAYAN (Holland)
DARK FUNERAL (Sweden)
TRISTANIA (Norway)
WEHRMACHT (USA)
WITHIN THE RUINS (USA)
VITAL REMAINS (USA)
LIZZY BORDEN (USA)
PROFECIA (USA
Confirmed Mexican bands:
HERE COMES THE KRAKEN
TRANSMETAL
HARDWARE
NEXT
VOLTAX
SKORCHO
MALIGNO
MYSTICA GIRLS
WRECKER
SPLIT HEAVEN
THELL BARRIO
ANARCHUS
IRA
ULTRATUMBA
CEMICAN
AVATAR
LECUMBERRY
DIRTY WOMAN
PENTAGRAM
TRAGICO BALLET
THANTRA
VELHEM
BELICA ESCARLATA
PSICOVOMITOSIS
LEGION OF HETHERIA
FAHRENHEIT
GODLESS PROCESSION
NOSTRA MORTE
WITH NO MERCY
BROKEN BIT
ISAKOATL
REJEXION
IGNIS ATRUM
DRAMATUM
PIFAS
EL CUERVO DE POE
DIVINE SWORD
REAL
SEAS AGAINST THE SKY
RAIN SHATTHER
SIEMPRE FUERTES
MORTOSS
ASTORIA
For more information, visit www.hellandheavenfest.com.
North Carolina-based traditional metallers WIDOW have
inked a deal with Pure Steel Records.
Commented the band: "WIDOW is very excited to sign with Pure
Steel Records. They have become THE label for amazing traditional metal and
we are honored to work with them. They have been very supportive of us and what
we do and they are true fans of real heavy metal! The future starts now!!"
Added the label: "We are in contact with WIDOW regularly since a
long time. Since their beginnings they released very strong material without
any exception and combine NWOBHM influences with traditional '80s U.S.
metal at the best way possible. So you always can expect timeless melodic metal
songs at highest level. Chris [Bennett, guitar/vocals]is a real Pure
Steel fan, so, of course, the cooperation was the logical move. So we are
very happy to have WIDOW on our label! A very fantastic band."
WIDOW's third album, "Nightlife", came out in 2007.
Since the release of its first album, "Midnight Strikes", in
2003, WIDOW represented a sort of melting-pot of the '80s hard rock /
heavy metal culture and the modernity of melodic death metal mainly expressed
by their fast guitar-riffing and vocals. Lyric-wise they always liked to play
with werewolves and witches burnt at stakes, with the great tradition of '80s
horror movies , movies that in a moment were vulgarly despised as "B
movies" but which in the end, have influenced a whole generation of young
Americans.
WIDOW lineup:
Chris Bennett - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Peter Lemieux - Drums
John E. Wooten IV - Lead Vocals, Bass
Reactivated
classic U.S.
metallers EXXPLORER will release their new album, "Vengeance
Rides An Angry Horse", on October 21 via Pure Steel Records.
The CD's cover artwork can be seen below.
"Vengeance Rides An Angry Horse" track listing:
01. Gypsy
02. Glory Hunter
03. Chasing The High
04. The Vengeance
05. As The Crow Flies
06. S.N.O.E
07. ValleyOf Doom
08. Spirits Of The Wind
09. Freight Train To Hell
10. Return Of The Cycle
EXXPLORER was formed over 25 years ago in West Keansburg, New Jersey. The band's
first album, "Symphonies of Steel", has been "recognized
for well over 20 years as one of the most innovative heavy metal albums of all
time," according to the group's official bio. "The LP topped the
charts in several countries for overall import sales, and appeared at the top
of hundreds of radio play lists throughout Europe,
and in many then-still-communist countries. During this period of time, EXXPLORER continued to be one of the tri-state area's favorite heavy metal bands,
appearing in concert with an elaborate stage show, and the powerful momentum
generated from their European success."
EXXPLORER's second album, "A Recipe for Power", was
released in 1994. Although a long time had passed between the first and second
albums, the fans loved "A Recipe for Power" for its blend of
Eighties progressive power metal and an up-to-date Nineties feel. These were
the songs that the band honed during the period of time when they were going
through numerous management and personal trials.
Soon after the release of "A Recipe for Power", EXXPLORER had major personnel changes. Vocalist Lennie Rizzo, bassist Jimmy
Gardner, and guitarist Kevin Kennedy left the band for personal
reasons. Jay MaCaffrey took over as the new bassist, Barry Hocking
Jr. took control of vocals, and Fred Gorhau took over as the new
guitarist. The new lineup spent 1997 recording "Coldblackugly" with producer Bruce Buchanan. Due to creative and directional
differences, this version of the band split in 1999.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/exxplorercd.jpg
ADRENALINE MOB — the new band featuring drummer Mike
Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen, guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC
STOMP), bassist Paul DiLeo and STUCK MOJO/FOZZY axeman Rich Ward — has released the following statement:
"We regret to announce that our upcoming shows in Las Vegas and Tulsa will
unfortunately be cancelled. Our bus had major mechanical failure today and we
are stuck in San Francisco.
With the holiday weekend here, we cannot get the part we need in time to make
the shows. We truly regret and apologize for any inconvenience this will cause
for our fans. We were looking forward to playing for you and will hopefully get
back to your town soon!"
Affected dates:
Sep. 04 - Las Vegas, NV
- LVCS
Sep. 06 - Tulsa, OK - The Marquee
The self-titled debut EP from ADRENALINE MOB sold 1,800 copies in its
first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 13 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.
"Adrenaline Mob" is available via iTunes and is being
sold in physical form at the group's shows and online store. Self-produced by
the band, the effort features four original tracks as well as a blistering
cover of the Ronnie James Dio-era BLACK SABBATH classic "The
Mob Rules". From the opening riff of "Psychosane" through the over-six-minute epic-sounding "Hit The Wall", it
is clear that ADRENALINE MOB are in class all their own as musicians.
"Releasing the EP gives fans around the world a chance to get a taste of
the MOB NOW without having to wait until the full-length album comes out
at the beginning of next year," states Portnoy.
"Adrenaline Mob" track listing:
01. Psychosane
02. Believe Me
03. Hit The Wall
04. Down To The Floor
05. The Mob Rules
The EP is now available for streaming in its entirety using the player below.
ADRENALINE MOB's first-ever headline tour runs through mid-September.
The trek will make stops in various markets, including Chicago,
Denver and San Francisco. ADRENALINE MOB has also been tapped
to open for GODSMACK on select dates of the Massachusetts act's headlining tour.
ADRENALINE MOB formed in early 2011 when Orlando approached Allen with
some material the guitarist had written. Allen and Orlando refined those ideas, at which time Allen reached out to longtime friend Portnoy to see if he had any interest in playing with them. Portnoy jumped on
board and soon thereafter DiLeo and Ward were recruited to join
the family. From the very first note, the chemistry was apparent and the beast
that is known as ADRENALINE MOB was born.
One of the top stories in the world of metal has been the
ongoing saga of drum God, Mike Portnoy. For 25 years he was the backbone of the
biggest progressive metal band in the U.S. and quite possibly the world,
Dream Theater. Portnoy was much more than just the band's award winning
drummer, Dream Theater was his baby. He was a co-founder, co-producer, main
lyricist and oversaw every aspect of the daily activities from doing most of
the press to picking out the set list. His Dad even named the band. Not a
single decision was made without going through Portnoy first.
That all came to an end nearly a year ago when after asking to take some time
off, Portnoy's bandmates decided to instead continue on without him. Now Mike
is back with a new band, featuring longtime friend and stellar vocalist Russell
Allen (Symphony X), guitarists Mike Orlando (Sonic Stomp) and Rich Ward (Fozzy,
Stuck Mojo) and bassist Paul DiLeo called Adrenaline Mob.
The origins of this new band can be traced back a couple of years ago when
Allen and Orlando started working together on some songs. Portnoy would be the
next to come on board. "After my time with Dream Theater and Avenged
Sevenfold came to an end last year, Russ knew I was available and looking for
something new," Mike explains. "He called and played me these tunes
they'd been working on and 30 seconds into the first song I said I was totally
in. From there we added Paul DiLeo and Rich Ward to the band."
It comes as no surprise that Allen and Portnoy would eventually work on
something together. "I've known Russ for many years and he's one of my
favorite singers," Portnoy reveals. "When Dream Theater co-headlined
Gigantour in 2005, Dave Mustaine let me personally pick any band for the tour I
wanted and I brought in Symphony X for that. Then I brought them out on Dream
Theater's Systematic Chaos European tour as well."
But despite Portnoy and Allen's progressive metal pedigree, Adrenaline Mob does
not sound anything at all like Dream Theater with Symphony X's singer.
"That's the whole fucking point," Portnoy exclaims. "People need
to realize before they even pop in our CD or come to one of our shows that if
they're expecting anything in the vein of Dream Theater or Symphony X they're
in for a shock because this is a whole other animal. Russ and I have been doing
progressive metal forever and we both wanted to do something different. Even
when I was doing Transatlantic, O.S.I. or Liquid Tension Experiment, all those
projects had prog elements in them. Adrenaline Mob is just straight ahead,
balls out, slammin', groovin' metal. If you're into Pantera, Stone Sour and
Black Label Society I think you'll dig this as much as I do. Yeah, I'm a prog
guy and I've spent 25 years in a prog band but I also love Slayer, Megadeth,
Iron Maiden and Metallica."
"Fans that come into this without any preconceived ideas about what it
should sound like should enjoy this, especially after they've seen the live
show. Anybody that was unsure coming in walks away from the live show
completely convinced this is the real deal. When you come see the show live,
it's literally a five ring circus. For the first time in my career I'm
surrounded by guys that are flying off the handle with energy. If anything I'm
probably the most low key and that's a first for me in any band I've ever been
in. That's why the name is so fitting. The adrenaline in this band is completely
off the charts."
Once they had the band's name figured out, a certain Black Sabbath/Ronnie James
Dio cover song was inevitable. "Before I became involved they were going
to name the band Undaunted and then they were kicking around the name
Adrenaline Fueled Junkies," Mike confesses. "I really liked the word
"adrenaline" and thought that was pretty cool. Then I had the idea of
adding "mob" to it because this band is really like a gang, a Mafia
or a band of brothers. The day we agreed on the name Adrenaline Mob I looked at
the guys and said, "You know, we HAVE to cover "The Mob Rules"
now" and everyone agreed that it was perfect. Obviously, Russ' voice is so
fitting."
Currently Adrenaline Mob is on the road in support of Godsmack and headlining
club gigs on their off days. "We were gonna wait until the album came out
and tour next year," Portnoy notes. "But then we got the Godsmack
offer and in the immortal words of The Godfather, "It was an offer we
couldn't refuse." Musically, it's a great double bill. Our music is rooted
in riffs and grooves and that's what Godsmack does. When I was in Avenged
Sevenfold, we did the (Rockstar Energy) Uproar tour with Stone Sour, Disturbed
and Hellyeah. After I left I knew I wanted to do something in that vein and tap
into that audience."
A five song EP is available online and at the shows for fans who can't wait a
year for Adrenaline Mob's full length debut album. Also on the horizon for
Portnoy is a yet unnamed project with guitarist John Sykes (Thin Lizzy,
adrenaline-mob, Blue Murder) and another unnamed project with Neal Morse
(Transatlantic, Spock's Beard), Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs), Dave
LaRue (Dixie Dregs) and Casey McPherson. "That's what I wanted to do after
Dream Theater," Portnoy states. "I wanted to spread my musical wings
and work with musicians and artists that I admire and respect and play music
that branches out beyond what I've done the last 25 years. Basically the three
bands or projects that I am currently in or unveiling are all completely different
musical worlds from each other and show the different sides of my musical
tastes."
For Portnoy there is life after Dream Theater, but is there any hope at all for
a reconciliation somewhere down the line? "I never say never," Mike
answers. "They've moved on and I've moved on. (New Dream Theater drummer)
Mike Mangini's an amazing drummer. But if the opportunity presented itself a
few years down the road and I was available I would definitely consider it.
That band was my heart and soul for 25 years. There's too much history there to
ignore."
SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell joined PEARL
JAM on stage Saturday (September 3) at Wisconsin's Alpine Valley Music Theater for a four-song TEMPLE OF THE DOG mini-set at the kickoff of the
two-day festival celebrating PEARL JAM's 20th anniversary. Cornell appeared during the second encore for a set that included TEMPLE gems "Hunger
Strike", "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and "Reach
Down", as well as a cover version of the song "Stardog
Champion" from the pre-PEARL JAM band MOTHER LOVE BONE.
TEMPLE OF THE DOG was conceived in 1990 by Cornell as a tribute
to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of MALFUNKSHUN and MOTHER LOVE BONE. The lineup included Stone Gossard on rhythm
guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of MOTHER LOVE
BONE), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums
and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. The band released
its only album, the self-titled "Temple
of the Dog", in April 1991 through A&M Records.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MLJr7IJ47E&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_1LrT0cnsc&feature=player_embedded
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"I
don't want to be limited by other peoples desires or abilities." (Jordan
Rudess)
Interview
with Jordan Rudess by Phil Ashcroft
To
the outside eye things had seemed pretty stable in the Dream Theater camp.
Founder members John Petrucci (guitars), John Myung (bass) and Mike Portnoy
(drums) had been mainstays since the mid-80s, whilst singer James LaBrie had
joined in the early 90s and appeared on all but the debut album, and even the
new guy, keyboard wizard Jordan Rudess, has been around for over a decade.
Therefore it came as a huge shock to the band and its fans when undisputed band
leader Portnoy announced his departure late in 2010. After a brief period of
confusion the rest of the band decided to carry on without him and started to
audition many of the world's top rock drummers. Obviously surprised by this
development, Mike Portnoy asked for some sort of reconciliation, stating that
he'd only wanted some time off, but with personality issues obviously going
deeper than anyone realised, the remaining members declined his offer and
continued their audition process, selecting the wonderful Mike Mangini and
entering the studio in the new year to record their new nine-track opus – the
autobiographically titled 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events'.
All
my previous Dream Theater interviews have been with either Mike Portnoy or
singer James LaBrie, so I was particularly looking forward to speaking with
Jordan Rudess for a different view. So the first big surprise as I waited in
the press area at London's High Voltage festival was that the whole band turned
up to do five separate interviews simultaneously, even the usually reticent
John Myung and new drummer Mike Mangini are on press duty. I shook Jordan's hand
as we were introduced and expressed my surprise about this unexpected
situation, to which the keyboard player quipped with a grin, "Yes, these days even
the unheard Dream Theater members get to be heard!"
With
Portnoy having played such a huge role in every aspect of the band's career it
was perhaps inevitable that everyone in the band would have to change their
roles slightly to take up the slack.
"Yeah, in a way there's been a kind of natural shift just to make up for the
fact that we lost a member," agrees Rudess, "and now we have a member that's
new and has different concerns and a different personality. At first it was a
little bit 'Oh my God! What are we going to do now?', but then we started
making lists of what needs to get done in this band. Mike Portnoy had so much
to do with so many things that we really needed to step up to the plate and
say, 'OK, we've been a little bit complacent here, let's figure out what needs
to happen,' which I think we've done quite successfully."
As
for making their first Portnoy-less album, Jordan reveals that the band had
absolutely no doubts that they could pull it off.
"We went into it with a feeling of really wanting to focus, do our thing and be
able to create the best music that we knew how to do, just to show people that
Dream Theater can continue on in a positive, strong and musical way," he
explains. "Actually the least of our concerns was the music. If you look at the
bigger picture then the guys in this band are all very capable musicians and
writers, so going into this album was more about continuing on with the music
as we've done before and showing people that everything is still cool in Dream
Theater land."
Another
area where work has been spread around since Portnoy's departure is the
songwriting.
"Well," begins Rudess, "our new drummer Mike Mangini was not there at that
point so he wasn't involved, but the main writers are John Petrucci and myself,
and John Myung was very involved in the process, he contributed freely and he
came up with some great riffs, and James (LaBrie) was very particular about the
vocal melodies and said what he did and didn't like, and what he wanted to
keep." But are there any songs that definitely wouldn't have happened if Mike
Portnoy was still in the band? "Yes!" he says without hesitation. "As creative
and talented as Mike obviously is, his opinion and his style of drumming would
sometimes push us in a different direction, whereas this way we could write
whatever we wanted and then later tell Mike Mangini how to play it. It worked
out quite well for us because as composers it opened us up a little bit and
gave us more freedom to do what we wanted. I liked that, I don't want to be
limited by other peoples desires or abilities."
One
of the things that the guys have complained about in the past was Mike Portnoy
insisting they rehearse far more songs than they really need so that he could
change the set almost nightly.
"That's something that we don't want to do that much anymore," says the
obviously relieved keyboardist, "and right now we're sticking to the songs we
most want to play. I don't know how we're going to approach it in the future
but I can pretty much promise that no-one is particularly into changing the set
every night. What we really value and what everybody could never really do to a
point where we were comfortable, was nailing down a show. We have sound people
and lighting people and what they really need to do is time everything so that
the show is really smooth, and it's really important to all of us in this
period of transition to say 'You know what? We have the opportunity to really
work out a show, so that when we move from one song to another it'll be really smooth
and professional!' We think the fans will really enjoy it more that way."
Does
Jordan
think that the set has suffered because of that before? He pauses before
replying,
"I think that the show has suffered. I think there are fans out there who value
having a different set every night because they go to more than one show, but
they're relatively few, and I think sometimes our performance has suffered
because of that approach. There's a lot to be said for a show that's dialled in
– I mean we're playing in different towns, so how many people are seeing it
from night to night? Only a few I think, so why not just do the same set and
work on it until it's dialled in, so that's what we're doing and it's really
working so far, there's a lot of good stuff. That's not to say it's not without
its challenges, and nothing against what Portnoy did - he led this band for
quite a number of years and did a good job - but we're enjoying where we're at
now, the music is really happening, we're running around the stage and we're
smiling, and it seems like the audience seems to be really elated."
'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' will be released by Roadrunner on September
12th.
Read the full double page spread where Jordan talks about the new album in
detail, speaks about new drummer Mike Magnini and the various special editions
of the record in Fireworks #47. Available from:
Legendary U.S. metal band RIOT has revealed the
cover artwork and track listing for its new album, "Immortal Soul",
which will be released on October 21 in Japan via Marquee/Avalon;
October 26 in Scandinavia; October 28 in Germany; Austria and Switzerland;
October 31 in the rest of Europe; and November 22 in the U.S. and Canada
through Steamhammer/SPV.
"Immortal Soul" track listing:
01. Riot
02. Still Your Man
03. Crawling
04. Wings Are For Angels
05. Fall Before Me
06. Sins Of The Father
07. Majestica
08. Immortal Soul
09. Insanity
10. Whiskey Man
11. Believe
12. Echoes
The artwork was created by the band's vocalist Tony Moore and can be
seen below.
With lineup changes knocking their momentum and the Eighties developing into a
thrash-fest, a new-look RIOT bounced back in 1988 with the
widely-acclaimed "Thundersteel". Although the faces might have
looked unfamiliar, with only guitarist Mark Reale now left from the
band's formative years, the aggression and musicianship remained unrivalled and
unchallengeable. With Tony Moore's distinctive vocals, the muscle and
might of bassist Don Van Stavern and drummer Bobby Jarzombek powering the songs along, and Reale's precision playing RIOT were
reborn, and followed "Thundersteel" two years later with the
jaw-dropping "The Privilege Of Power", an inspiring and at
times truly epic album. However, by this time the music world was turning into
a very different place, and RIOT found themselves struggling against a
tide of apathy. Reale continued to guide the ship through the next two
decades, delivering albums of consistent, quality metal, culminating in 2006's "Army
Of One" — a true statement of intent, as if one were needed.
But the army of one is an army of five once more as RIOT's classic "Thundersteel" and "Privilege…" lineup has reunited, adding guitarist Mike
Flyntz who played in the live band at that time.
RIOT has been confirmed as special guest on the first leg of HAMMERFALL's
European tour this winter. The trek kicks off on October 26 in Copenhagen,
Denmark, and ends on
November 18 in Cologne, Germany. This will be the first
time the legendary "Thundersteel" and "The Privilege
Of Power" lineup of Tony Moore (vocals), Mark Reale (guitar), Mike Flyntz (guitar), Don Van Stavern (bass) and Bobby
Jarzombek (drums) has played in Europe on a full tour, after the band's
celebrated one-off show at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2009.
Commented Olly Hahn, A&R representative at Steamhammer:
"Mark, Tony, Don, Bobby and Mike are
really fired up once more, and 'Immortal Soul' will be a true successor
to the legacy of 'Thundersteel' and 'Privilege…'. Classic metal
will never die, and who did it better than RIOT?"
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FASTWAY, the brainchild of ex-MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke, has inked a European deal with Steamhammer/SPV.
The band's first studio album since 1990, "Eat Dog Eat", will
be released on November 14 (three days earlier in Germany). The CD, which features
new vocalist Toby Jepson (ex-LITTLE ANGELS), is described by Clarke as "by far the best thing I have done since the first FASTWAY album. This is classic rock at its best!"
Commented Olly Hahn, A&R representative at Steamhammer:
"It`s an honor to have Fast Eddie Clarke and his band on our label.
He was THE guitar player in MOTÖRHEAD but also with FASTWAY he
delivered awesome music. With 'Eat Dog Eat' he's definitely back...
probably better than ever!"
Formed in 1983, FASTWAY's self-titled debut album entered the U.K. charts at
No. 43 and received very good reviews. One year later, "All Fired
Up" was released and was a great success, thanks in no small part to
high-profile support tours in the U.S. with SCORPIONS and RUSH.
In 1985 "Waiting For The Roar" saw the light of day and was
followed by dates with AC/DC on the "Fly On The Wall" tour. In 1986 FASTWAY wrote the soundtrack to the horror movie "Trick
Or Treat" starring Ozzy Osbourne and Gene Simmons.
After 1986, FASTWAY released two more studio albums with a different
lineup and issued several live and best-of LPs.
01. Deliver Me (4:41)
02. Fade Out (4:05)
03. Leave The Light On (3:55)
04. Loving Fool (4:30)
05. Dead And Gone (5:49)
06. Sick As A Dog (3:44)
07. Freedom Song (3:52)
08. Do You Believe (4:04)
09. Love I Need (4:37)
10. On And On (3:53)
11. Only If You Want It (4:06)
'80s rockers SNOW, featuring original members Carlos
Cavazo (QUIET RIOT, RATT) on guitar, Tony Cavazo (QUIET
RIOT, HURRICANE) on bass and Stephen Quadros on drums, are
set to begin a new chapter in their joint musical history.
The brothers Cavazo and Quadros have been in discussions for some
time to reunite, but previous business obligations — Carlos recording
and touring with RATT, Tony gigging with HURRICANE (and
others), and Stephen as the color commentator for Showtime Sports'
mixed martial arts programming — have taken precedence… until now!
Stephen recently attended a HURRICANE show in Hollywood, California,
where Tony introduced him backstage to lead vocalist Andrew Freeman,
who is enthusiastic about taking on the vocal role in the revamped SNOW.
SNOW released a self-titled five-song EP in 1980 that included the
tracks "Crack The Whip" and "No Way To Treat A
Lady". The effort, which has become somewhat of a collector's item,
received radio airplay on KROQ and KLOS.
Mónica Castedo-López of Rocktopia recently conducted an interview with former SKID
ROW frontman Sebastian Bach. A couple of excerpts from the chat
follow below.
Rocktopia: I really like the ["Kicking & Screaming"]
album and think the cover artwork reflects very well the music. What is your
view on the overall product?
Bach: The title is very appropriate for me because the way I write songs
I'm always looking for words or little catch phrases that catch my eye. I write
them down in my cell phone and then I have them all in my computer. When we
need lyrics, a song title or a song idea, I just go through all the stuff that
I collected over the years. Bob [Marlette, producer] and Nick [Sterling,
guitarist] wrote that song, "Kicking & Screaming",
musically, and they played me the music. I went through all my ideas and it
said "kicking and screaming," and I go. "That sounds exactly
like kicking and screaming!" so that's what we wrote it about. The song
has to do with two things: it says "in the night we'll be kicking and
screaming," that's actually "fuck it!," but it also means going
out and partying too, like going out to a show and having a good time. With
regards to the cover, I just got divorced from my wife of 19 years and I've always
been called a bad boy, which is a cliché that I think is funny and hilarious.
But the cover is me being dragged into hell and I'm fighting, kicking and
screaming to not be dragged into hell. That has to do with relationships and
the girl is slitting my throat, which is what I've been feeling like. So that
is what it's about.
Rocktopia: I know you always like to perform very heavy tracks and this
album has a lot of that. Would you ever consider going to the early SKID ROW days and writing something a bit more melodic for the fans of that generation?
Bach: I actually think that this album is very melodic with songs like "I'm
Alive", "Dream Forever" and "Wishing",
the three ballads. A lot of the singing I'm doing on this record is very clean
and clear singing. "My Own Worst Enemy" is a very heavy and
fast song, but I'm singing it as clean, clear and pure as possible. I always
liked that sound. On "Angel Down" we had a song called "You
Don't Understand" that was very heavy, but I'm singing it very clean.
On "Kicking & Screaming" there's a song called "Caught
In A Dream" that I totally think could have been on the first SKID
ROW record, especially the chorus. I'm not trying to clone anything that I
did before, but there's definitely lots of ballads here. The first song I'm
screaming my ass off and Bob Marlette said my voice sounds incredible! I
like it, too, and my voice has a lot of different sounds. I can sound one way
in one verse and another way in the next verse. Another real melodic song is "As
Long As I Got The Music". To me, that is like a good time, party-rock
anthem song. It's like KISS or DEF LEPPARD to me, arena rock. But
I think that there is a lot of melody on this record.
Rocktopia: Do you have any kind of contact with any of the SKID ROW guys?
Bach: No.
Rocktopia: And you don't want to?
Bach: If you got fired from a job, would you be going back to the job
and say, "Hey, man, what's going on?" You'd be like, "Fuck your
fucking stupid job!" I mean, if you got fired from this magazine, would you
be calling the magazine all the time? I'm a human being — if you don't want me
in your band, I'm not going to beg you to be in your band; I'll just create my
own band!
Rocktopia: Fair enough, but do you keep any good memories of your time
with SKID ROW?
Bach: It's a double-edged sword, because I want to go on tour so bad
with my solo band that it puts a bad flavor in my brain about all of that; it's
kind of like a trap, almost. Maybe it's the wrong time to ask me that question!
[laughs] I mean, I do, of course, have good memories of it, but it doesn't
exist anymore, so it's frustrating having this all put in my face. It's like Slash always gets asked about GUNS N' ROSES and he's tired of it. The same
with Duff McKagan and it's the same with me. But Slash is able to
go on tour as Slash, and I just have to get to that point.
BËEHLER — the Canadian band featuring the former EXCITER drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler, AGGRESSOR bassist Brian
Stephenson and guitarists Sean Brophy and Scott Walsh — has
inked a deal with the German label High Roller Records. The group's
debut album, "Messages To The Dead", will contain 12 songs and
will be released on both LP and CD (the exact release date to be announced
soon).
"Messages To The Dead" track listing:
01. Jet Black
02. March Of Death
03. Eternal Tormentor
04. Message To The Dead
05. Destitude Abuser
06. In Know One We Trust
07. Organized Mayhem
08. Destroy
09. Megalodon
10. Save Me From Myself
11. Kill The Witch
12. The End Of The World
BËEHLER has already started working on its next studio album, which will
mark a return to the classic EXCITER sound of the "Unveiling The
Wicked" and "Long Live The Loud" LPs.
Commented Dan: "I vowed never to play again after EXCITER.
My brother Richard was my mentor and fourth silent member of EXCITER,
co-writing songs such as 'Under Attack' and 'Rain Of Terror'. He
was the only reason I ever went anywhere in music. He did all the grunt work
for EXCITER, critiqued every song and never missed a rehearsal. He
begged me to do another album and play METAL again. I said no!
"When he passed away, Scott Walsh threw me in his studio, put the
sticks back in my hands and said, 'Do it for your brother and call it 'BËEHLER.'
"Sean Brophy picked me up, gave me my confidence back. He worked
like a dog, dedicated his life to BËEHLER. He kicked my ass, never gave
up and without him there would be no BËEHLER. Together with Al
Johnson [former BËEHLER/EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson]
and Scott, they gave me an opportunity to play metal once more. I owe
them and my family so much!
"This was Richard's dream, his spirit lives through these
recordings. I even dug up his old lyrics once again and added them to 'Kill
The Witch'.
"'Messages To The Dead' explains the communication existed and we
truly believe he is at the helm of BËEHLER.
"Every song on this album was written about people who have touched my
life, singing and recording it was an emotional roller coaster for me.
"For myself and the band, it goes much deeper than a collection of songs.
The guys understand the journey that I'm on, driven by you know who!
"Richard, your spirit created this album..."
BËEHLER's sound is described in a press release as "a journey from
speed to doom, heavily saluting their mentors like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON
MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD." "All we want to do is bring it back
as a tribute to our metal heroes," the band said.
SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown"
Crahan will present an inductee at the Iowa Rock N Roll Music
Association's 2011 Hall Of Fame spectacular today (Sunday, September 4) at
the Okoboji High School Theatre for the Performing Arts in Milford. The ceremony will be followed by a
concert at 7 p.m. in the Roof Garden at Arnold's
Park. General-admission seating for the concert is $30 per ticket.
Admission into the induction ceremony is free for all Sunday night ticket
holders and $15 for those who have not purchased tickets for the concert.
Tickets are available at the door, by calling 712-338-2096, or visiting the Iowa
Rock N Roll Music Association Hall Of Fame web site at www.iowarocknroll.com.
"Fallen Angels", the new album from British
black metal pioneers VENOM, has had its release date pushed back to the
"Halloween period" (October/November) via Universal Music. The
CD was mixed with producer Tom Belton at his London studio and will contain 13 new
"classics." The band is also in the process of making a promotional
video for one of the new songs, as well as finalizing live DVD footage.
"Fallen Angels" will feature the following songs:
* Hammerhead
* Nemesis
* Pedal To The Metal
* Lap Of The Gods
* Damnation Of Souls
* Beggarman
* Hail Satanas
* Sin
* Punk's Not Dead
* Death Be Thy Name
* Lest We Forget
* Valley Of The Kings
* Fallen Angels
Two bonus tracks were also laid down during the "Fallen Angels" sessions and will be included on special editions of the album.
Regarding what fans can expect to hear from the next VENOM studio LP,
bassist/vocalist Conrad "Cronos" Lant told The Quietus,
"The new tracks are tremendous. Basically, if you think of the way [former VENOM drummer] Antton [Antony Lant, who is also Cronos'
brother] was playing, especially on the last album 'Hell', he is a
nu-metal drummer and comes from that kind of background. He's hung 'round VENOM most of his life and it was just good to introduce him to the whole VENOM concept of playing like the way [original VENOM drummer] Abaddon used to play. Basically Abaddon came from a rock background and then
basically developed a black metal, speed metal, thrash metal style. The
nu-metal drumming is very different and it was a steep learning curve for him.
At the end of the day he's got his own style and he wants to be known for what
he's done and not be in my shadow, which is totally understandable. Some of the
guys we had coming to the rehearsals were not ex-CRADLE OF FILTH but
they were still, 'I've been in this band, I've been in that band,' but they
were all far too young, you know. We were looking for someone in their thirties
upwards who understood rock music."
When asked how the new songs compare to those off "Hell", Cronos said, "I would say more like those off 'Metal Black'. More like our
earlier stuff. 'Hell' was getting a bit too much like session tracks.
Too . . . polished. And polish isn't a good word for VENOM songs. VENOM songs need to be off the cuff, loose, a little bit thrash. Once you start
polishing songs up a bit much you end up going in the wrong direction. There's
a spontaneity about VENOM songs that I've always loved. When we're
coming up with new VENOM songs there's one thing that I always try and
keep in mind: 'Is that kid in his bedroom on his knees playing air guitar and
going 'Yeah! Get in!'' You know? I'm not interested in Joe Satriani sitting there and discussing whether it's technically correct or not! That's
the last thing on my mind."
Swedish death metallers SKINEATER have announced the
addition of drummer Matte Modin (DARK FUNERAL, RAISED FIST, DEFLESHED, SPORTLOV) to the group's ranks. The band is currently
working on its debut album, "Dermal Harvest", for a 2012
release via Pulverised Records.
Formed in late 2008, SKINEATER features scene veterans Håkan
Stuvemark (ex-WOMBBATH, ex-IN THY DREAMS), Stefan
Westerberg (ex-CARNAL FORGE, ex-IN THY DREAMS) and Jörgen
Ström (THE MARY MAJOR).
Regarding the band's deal with Pulverised, Stuvemark said,
"All we've heard about [Pulverised] — and through our own
experience during negotiating with the label — has been good! We are ready to
cause some damage, so keep yer eyes and ears open!"
Added Pulverised Records A&R manager Calvin Chiang:
"After we heard about SKINEATER, it was obviously a no-brainer that
their brand of crushing death metal fitted the Pulverised roster
perfectly. With their downright devastating and ruthless vibe combined with a
slight tinge of melodic elements; we knew there was something remarkable about SKINEATER!"
SKINEATER is:
Jörgen Ström - Vocals
Håkan Stuvemark - Guitars
Stefan Westerberg - Bass
Matte Modin - Drums
For more information, go to this location.
Poland's Catholic
Association Of Journalists (Katolickie Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy,
or KSD) has released a statement protesting BEHEMOTH frontman Adam
"Nergal" Darski's involvement with the Polish version of the hit
American singing competition "The Voice", appropriately named "The
Voice Of Poland".
"The participation of Adam Darski — a Satanist and outspoken enemy
of Christian values — contradicts the missionary nature of Polish
television," the statement reads.
In a recent interview with Terrorizer magazine, Nergal stated
about his new television gig, "It's going to be fun. The first black metal
judge ever in history doing a mainstream thing, you know? People are going to
freak out! Some are going to love it, some are going to fucking hate it. But
that's what this music has always been about, right? To provoke, to cause
different opinions. The more extreme opinions, the better, I think."
He added of the attention he has received in his home country, "This
so-called celebrity life is not my environment at all, but I am a part of it if
I want it or not. So it's been crazy. Then the whole case with my sickness and
me getting out alive [Nergal was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2010
and underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure in December. — Ed.], it just
brought some extra attention to it. And there's definitely some people that
want to make some money on it because it's a cool story for them to write about
and stuff, but I was like, 'Okay, if they're going to make money, I want to
have my share, too.' I was away from music and away from being active live for
a good year, so yeah, I need to get something in return!"
It was previously reported in the Polish media that the producers of "The
Voice Of Poland" were hoping that Nergal's presence on the program would attract a new
audience as well as improve its chances of competing against rival television
talent-show franchise "X Factor".
The American version of "The Voice" was a big hit for NBC and helped breathe new life into the careers of coaches Adam Levine, Blake
Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green.
Darski was found innocent last month of offending religious feelings in
connection with a September 2007 incident when he reportedly called the
Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the
band's performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it
"a book of lies."
A Polish judge ruled on August 18 that Darski's ripping up of a Bible
during a show was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of
his band.
Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski said he considered Darski's actions
"a form of art." He added that the court had no intention of limiting
freedom of expression or the right to criticize religion.
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