Did you learn anything about yourself from writing the book?
I shocked myself with the amount of things I've done and the things I forgot about doing. I look back and it all seems a bit confusing.
Are you more proud than confused?
It's been a long battle but it's been great. I've had great times with different line-ups of the band. That's as far as the music's concerned. The marriages have been a different story – the current one's great but there have been some ups and downs with the others.
What are you proudest of achieving in your career?
I've got hundreds of gold and platinum discs, so I can't complain. We'd heard: 'You'll never make anything of this, get a proper job,' from our families. So when the first album got in the charts that was a proud moment, and our families were proud too.
Do you see your influence on new rock bands?
Yes, and it's not me saying that, they tell me themselves. Metallica, Soundgarden, Nirvana – they all said Sabbath influenced them. And there's people who I'd never have thought of such as Ice T and Lil Wayne, he does a bit of Iron Man on one of his tracks. Sometimes they say: 'You've influenced my music.' I can't see how but it's a nice compliment.
Does touring get harder as you get older?
The travelling is the hard part – we travel in the best way but it still tires you out. It's worth it for the hour and a half I play on stage.
How has the music industry changed since you started?
When we started you had people who followed you for a long time, we still do, but it turns over fast now. In the old days you'd get a five-album record deal, now it's one album and if it doesn't sell a million, you're gone. Its sad record stores have gone. It was great to go into them and look at album covers and have a look around. It's all online now, which is more convenient I suppose.
What lessons has the music industry taught you?
I'm still learning. For years, when we were meeting producers and executives, we were told: 'You should be doing this and that.' But I just got on with it and did what I believed in. That's pushed us through.
What's the worst advice you've been given in your career?
'Sign this.' In the early days we signed so many deals with management, not thinking, just wanting to go out there and play. You learn the hard way.
What's your relationship with Ozzy Osbourne like now?
It's good. We've had our ups and downs in the past but it's been blown out of proportion to the point where, from the outside it looks really bitter, but we've never really fallen out.
He sued you over who owns the name of the band though.
Yes, but we've sorted that out now. These things crop up. You sort them out and then they go away.
Will you record with him again?
Who knows? It's like when we had Ronnie James Dio with us, we broke up, got back together, did another album and tour. You can never tell. We got back together with Ozzy in 1997 and toured so you never know what's around the corner.
You live in the Midlands – why don't you have a big LA mansion?
I lived there for five years but I missed sarcasm. My solid friends are here. You're on your own a lot of the time on tour so it's great to come home and see friends and be yourself without having to meet people and sign things all the time.
What have you got left to achieve in your career?
I'm doing the soundtrack to three horror films, which I'm looking forward to. I've got a lot of ideas but won't know where to start until I see the films.
Legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne will be a guest on next Tuesday's (October 25) edition of the CBS program "The Talk", which is co-hosted by Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon. He will discuss his new book, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor", and "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne", the feature-length documentary that Ozzy's son, Jack Osbourne, co-produced.
Although Ozzy said at the start that his medical advice column was not meant to be taken seriously, he said on the October 13 edition of NBC-TV's "Today" show that he now thinks he's the perfect person to dispense health tips to people. Speaking with interviewer Jenna Hager, Ozzy said, "It started as a joke at first. I survived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and the drinking and the drugs and I learned to tell the tale. People along the way would say what's this pill? What's that pill? Is this any good for that? And I'd go, 'Well, I've sampled quite a variety and so I think I thought it would be funny to do a spoof on that.'"
Now, however, Ozzy is not joking about some of the advice he doles out, especially to young men, whom he says should seek out medical attention the minute they see a strange lump or rash. Ozzy said, "Go see your doctor, that's what they're there for."
Ozzy said that his own paranoia about health made him convince his wife Sharon to visit a doctor when she was not feeling well. She ended up being diagnosed with colon cancer and getting successfully treated for it.
Ozzy appeared on the "Today" show to promote his new book, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy", which compiles the best advice from the column.
The BLACK SABBATH singer — who is in the early stages of reuniting with the group for a new album and tour — said he's sober but "still crazy" nowadays, adding that sobriety allowed him to finally get his driver's license and buy his own car, a Ferrari.
Although Ozzy said at the start that his medical advice column was not meant to be taken seriously, he said on the October 13 edition of NBC-TV's "Today" show that he now thinks he's the perfect person to dispense health tips to people. Speaking with interviewer Jenna Hager, Ozzy said, "It started as a joke at first. I survived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle and the drinking and the drugs and I learned to tell the tale. People along the way would say what's this pill? What's that pill? Is this any good for that? And I'd go, 'Well, I've sampled quite a variety and so I think I thought it would be funny to do a spoof on that.'"
Now, however, Ozzy is not joking about some of the advice he doles out, especially to young men, whom he says should seek out medical attention the minute they see a strange lump or rash. Ozzy said, "Go see your doctor, that's what they're there for."
Ozzy said that his own paranoia about health made him convince his wife Sharon to visit a doctor when she was not feeling well. She ended up being diagnosed with colon cancer and getting successfully treated for it.
Ozzy appeared on the "Today" show to promote his new book, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy", which compiles the best advice from the column.
The BLACK SABBATH singer — who is in the early stages of reuniting with the group for a new album and tour — said he's sober but "still crazy" nowadays, adding that sobriety allowed him to finally get his driver's license and buy his own car, a Ferrari.
In 1971, four college students got together to form a rock band. Since then, that certain band called QUEEN have released 26 albums and sold over 300 million records worldwide. The popularity of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is stronger than ever 40 years on.
But it was no bed of roses. No pleasure cruise. Queen had their share of kicks in the face, but they came through and this is how they did it, set against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe. Days Of Our LIves, the critically acclaimed documentary on the world's greatest rock band, is now to be available on DVD and Blu Ray.
But it was no bed of roses. No pleasure cruise. Queen had their share of kicks in the face, but they came through and this is how they did it, set against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe. Days Of Our LIves, the critically acclaimed documentary on the world's greatest rock band, is now to be available on DVD and Blu Ray.
"We will be releasing this amazing documentary with extra unseen content on standard DVD and Blu-
! The story is amazing and a must have… In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Featuring brand new interviews and unseen archive footage (including their recently unearthed, first ever TV performance), it is a compelling story told with intelligence, with, plenty of humour and painful honesty." Further details, including tracklisting, can be found at this location.
have announced that Queen will be honoured with the Global Icon Award at the 2011 MTV EMA. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Queen's formation in 1971; since then, these Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have garnered a long list of accomplishments and accolades, including career sales of more than 300 million albums, 16 #1 albums, 18 #1 singles and the UK's top-selling album of all time (their Greatest Hits compilation has sold a staggering 5.7 million copies).
Hosted by Selena Gomez, the 2011 MTV EMA will take place Sunday, November 6th at 9 PM (CET) from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is sponsored by Dell, Replay, Hyundai and Swatch. In the US, the show will premiere on Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas on Sunday, November 6th at 6 PM (ET/PT), and on mtvU on Monday, November 7th at 12 PM (ET/PT).
"We are honoured to be designated a Global Icon. We will do our best to be worthy!" said Queen's Brian May.
"Over the past four decades, Queen has made an indelible impact on the pop music landscape. They are passionately revered by generations of fans and musicians across the globe," said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Vice President of Talent and Music Programming / Events for Viacom International Media Networks. "We are absolutely thrilled that they will be joining us at this year's MTV EMA, and we look forward to a very special performance."
Rob Halford still pushing limits as lead singer of Judas Priest, rocking stage this weekend
Posted: Oct. 21, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.
And now: Three quickies with Rob Halford, the most hard-charging, intellectual gay metal rocker of all time.
1. THE HARD-CHARGER
In 1991, Halford drove his Harley-Davidson onstage in Toronto, hit the drum riser, broke his nose, then got up and performed a whole concert.
Last month in Brazil, he drove his Harley onstage while pyrotechnics shot around him. He hurtled his motorcycle into a large stack of speaker monitors. The Harley landed on him. Then he got up and sang a whole concert.
Rob Halford is unfazed, because Rob Halford laughs in the face of death.
"It's my latest contribution to YouTube," he says in his British accent and laughs.
Brazil was the latest time he almost died.
There was also the time Judas Priest was driving in a car to Newcastle for a show and their car spun out of control on the icy motorways of England.
And there have been a handful of emergency landings in airplanes, plus tour bus incidents, he says.
"You know those images that flash before your eyes? I can see several of those in the life of Judas Priest," he says calmly.
"In rock 'n' roll, you definitely are pushing the limits when it comes to the excesses of travel. But as long as you're alive at the end of the show, that's all that matters."
2. THE INTELLECTUAL
Halford has never backed down from rock.
In 1990, Judas Priest was infamously sued by parents in Sparks who claimed their children, ages 18 and 20, killed themselves after listening to Judas Priest. That lawsuit was dismissed.
Halford says people still need to buck up against puritan scapegoaters.
"The latest ridiculous thing I read about was 'SpongeBob SquarePants' apparently 'distorting and morally twisting the minds of children,' " he says and laughs again.
"It's a cartoon, for God's sake!" he says. "A cartoon hasn't made anybody kill themselves. A piece of music hasn't made anybody kill themselves. A movie hasn't made anybody kill themselves."
Halford asserts that when young people behave badly or sadly, it's usually associated with their "malfunctioning family background," with mental or physical abuse or drug and alcohol abuse.
"People are very susceptible to pointing the finger and laying the blame onto an outside source of their own creation," he says of bad parents.
Scapegoats who are blamed falsely must stand up and defend themselves, he says.
"The world has never been in the best of shape. There are still millions of people that go to bed at night who are starving because they have no food in their belly, or shoes on their feet," he says.
"So let's get our priorities sorted out, please."
3. THE GAY METAL ROCKER
He is gay, yet some women still tell him they want to jump his bones.
"Even though I'm a gay man, they still try to do that. God bless my female fans!"
When, in 1998, he revealed he was gay, it seemed to him that everyone was supportive.
"It just showed intelligence and compassion" on behalf of fans, he says.
If he had come out 15 years earlier, he's certain there would have been more of an anti-gay backlash.
"I couldn't have done it in the '80s, no way -- even though a lot of bands were dressing like women onstage. That was perfectly acceptable. But if they had been gay at the same time, whoa, (society) would not have coped with that."
Today, it's easier to be publicly out, but gay kids still need to be told it's OK to be gay, he says, since some commit suicide after dealing with anti-gay forces.
"The only way you can stop that type of occurrence is to get the word out: It's OK to be who you are. Don't think about what anybody else thinks about you. You are you. Believe in yourself. There are people who love you for who you are and accept you for who you are."
And those people that don't accept gay people? They don't need to be in your life, he says.
Rob Halford does not put up with people who don't put up with him.
Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
For a band on the verge of supposed retirement, UK metal gods JUDAS PRIEST certainly have a lot on their plate to appease fans across the globe. For starters, the newly Chosen Few compilation and Singles Cuts box set have collectors frothing at the mouth. And the five-piece are causing a frenzy amongst tour-goers wondering if this will indeed be the final Epitaph? And of course with new guitarist Richie Faulkner in the ranks, the Priest are firing with all cylinders again. Guitarist Glenn Tipton - who has duelled on-stage with K.K. Downing for nearly forty years before his exit earlier this year - is in fine spirits and rises over any drama in a calm, cool and most certainly collected manner. The revered guitarist spoke to BraveWords.com on the phone from a warm and sunny Reno, Nevada this week, just prior to yet another farewell (?) show. A chat with one of the metal gods can be read below:
BraveWords.com: Is there an air of sadness knowing that you may not see some of these faces again?
Tipton: "Yeah, there is. We've had such incredible reaction on this tour that it's very emotional and you know that part of it is that we'll never be able to give it up really. But all things have rot come to an end. But we've said this is our last world tour. We haven't ruled out doing a string of dates if they made sense at some point in the future. And we certainly, I'm sure, will do at least one more album. It's not the end of the band but there is a twinge of sadness. But when we eventually hang out hats up there will be a big part of our lives missing."
BraveWords.com: We've had a long history of dealings with the mighty Priest and we knew deep down that this probably wouldn't be the band's final hour on the road.
Tipton: "We are enjoying every second on stage at the moment and as long as you do enjoy the performance it's the best reason in the world to keep on doing it for the fans. As soon as it starts to become a chore on stage, that's the time to give up. We're having a great time every night."
BraveWords.com: And speaking of fans, there are a few that can be found on your new compilation, The Chosen Few, including OZZY OSBOURNE, METALLICA's James Hetfield, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister, SLAYER's Kerry King, DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, SLASH and many more. The collector rises above another dreaded hits package it seems and the idea is kinda unique.
Tipton: "Yes, we talked to the record company about it and the last thing we want to is keep pawning off compilation albums onto our fans. We've always deterred the record company from actually doing that. We both felt that it was pretty unique and a very interesting concept to get some of our peers, some people that we have great respect for. Some great musicians, some great talent. Just good friends throughout the years that have come up with their favourite Priest track and their comment why."
BraveWords.com: Was there any track/comment that surprised you?
Tipton: "Not really, because everybody has got their own favourite Priest song. You might expect some of the people to like some of the harder tracks like 'Painkiller', and may expect some people to like a softer track. At the end of the day it's a personal choice and Priest means different things to everybody. Certain Priest songs remind you of a certain time in your life or a certain period. It may have been a sad period where a Priest track helped get you through or it may have been a happy time and Priest tracks remind you of those. There's no surprises really. I've given up being surprised by what people want from Priest in terms of a set list as well. There's always a difficulty in picking a set-list where you leave certain people's favourite tracks out. We can't every song we've written."
BraveWords.com: I must tell you a Wacken tale speaking of chosen Priest classics. I witnessed the Epitaph set at Wacken in Germany this past summer and I amazed to see the response to 'Turbo Lover' in 2011! The Turbo album was quite controversial following the power of Defenders Of The Faith and some of us thought that you had lost the faith and traded it in for lipstick and hairspray! But to be in the middle of a 100,000-strong sing-along to 'Turbo Lover' was quite bewildering and it was virtually the peak of the night!
Tipton: "I know exactly what you are saying Tim. When we recorded the Turbo album we came under fire a little bit. There was a certain amount of criticism. It was a little bit different with the synthesized guitars. We heard 'oh you can't use synthesized guitars with heavy metal.' We never adhered to any rules, we just did what we like. And probably, ione of the most powerful songs that we do is 'Turbo Lover'. It's contradictory in a sense and that's why we've always been willing to experiment because at the end of the day things change and our live performance version of songs are different anyway. I know what you mean, that whole arena sing-along with 'Turbo Lover' is one of the favourites. But I've always loved it … and I've always been a turbo lover!"
BraveWords.com: Another quite remarkable fact is was the presence of Richie Faulkner. He walked around with ease and it just seemed like nothing happened following the parting of the ways with K.K.
Tipton: "It's the most amazing thing about Richie … when K.K. left - it was last November when he told us - we were pretty much devastated. We didn't do anything for at least three months in case he changed his mind, but he was quite adamant. In all honesty, I didn't think we'd find anybody to replace Ken at all. We put the feelers out and we found Richie. As I said in many interviews, he just never cases to amaze me the way he blended straight into the band. He's such a talented guitar player. What he plays with us just scratches the surface of what he's capable of doing. And that's why, he's got such a cushion of talent there. He just naturally blended in and captured the essence of Priest. He still does his own little things. There subtle but they work. If it wasn't for Richie I'm sure we wouldn't be out now. The band would've retired."
BraveWords.com: Are you still on good terms with K.K? Has he made any remarks about Richie?
Tipton: "Nobody has had much contact with K.K. since he left. One of his wishes - and I understand why - was that we don't try to persuade him or talk him back into the band. He obviously made a very difficult decision and he must've thought about it a long time. I can see his point. We respect his decision and we've respected his decision."
BraveWords.com: K.K.'s departure must have been difficult on you personally and as a musician given that you virtually helped spawn the twin-axe attack and were thought to be inseparable. Besides, the Halford/Tipton/Downing credit is stamped over an immense amount of Priest material. Did it break your heart?
Tipton: "It was shocking more than anything else. And as I say, we did nothing for a few months. And I thought it was probably time to retire."
BraveWords.com: Or to continue your solo career. Did that cross your mind at the time?
Tipton: "I hadn't really thought it through. When you've been with a band like Priest for forty years, if it looks like the end, you are more devastated than really trying to think about the future in terms of a solo career. But the solo albums I did were done at a point when Priest was inactive. Doing solo albums and working with other people is fun, but my priority has always been Judas Priest and it will always will be."
BraveWords.com: Let's talk about your Singles Cuts box. Heavy metal and the CD single is almost foreign concept to fans in North America.
Tipton: "It's all the singles that were released in the UK. But as you know, we're not really a singles band as such. We've never been all over the radio. Certainly in Great Britain that's for sure. Although we've had some hits with You've Got Another Thing Comin'', 'Breaking The Law', 'Livin' After Midnight', a lot of these releases may have been a directed to radio, but they were mainly used to premier each album and that was the idea of their release. To showcase the album a little bit and introduce people to the album and hopefully get some radio play from it. But we've never been a singles band. The only thing we can call them is single cuts. There's a really interesting array of songs that show all the different characteristics of Judas Priest. I think it's a really binge collectors piece. We've always tried to make sure that everything we release is worth releasing you know. Does it have a valid reason to be released? Is it a good collector's piece for a Judas Priest fan?"
BraveWords.com: And you usually only see singles bands on American Idol. So you must've done something right to have the US put you on one of the most-watched television shows!
Tipton: "Our mission has always been to fly the flag for metal and to promote metal. I mean, people underestimate the importance of heavy metal. We'll go to far remote places on the earth like Turkey or Chile and thousands of heavy metal kids will show up. It's a farm of music that's really underestimated. And it really does a lot of good. Everybody forgets their differences and they all have one thing in common and that's the music and in our case it's heavy metal. So when there's a chance to promote heavy metal we certainly wouldn't turn it down. And when you can promote the band, our music hand heavy metal to over 30 million viewers. There's no reason in the world why would refuse. Especially working with James Durbin. He's a total metalhead who believes in it who has stuck to his guns and is a nice guy. So we jumped at the chance."
BraveWords.com: So the burning question is, will we see a new Judas Priest studio album? And will Richie be tossed into the mix in terms of writing?
Tipton: "Yes, having Richie write is obviously new territory. Me and Rob did some writing in January and February. Our problem at the moment is time. We have such a heavy schedule and we'll need a break before we go back into the studio and carry on writing it. And now we have Richie's involvement. I've already heard some of his ideas which are very Priest-like in a sense; very appropriate, very good. So that's very exciting as well. But our problem is finding some time to sit down and all get in a room and start trying to create the next Priest. And let's hope it's a masterpiece."
MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn recently spoke to Revolver magazine about opening for METALLICA on the "Death Magnetic" tour.
"To me, one of the raddest things in the world was touring with METALLICA and watching 'Master of Puppets' — not 'Enter Sandman'. I get why 'Enter Sandman' is so frickin' huge, but to watch 'Master Of Puppets', this eight-minute song with a million parts in the middle of it with complicated choruses and off-time rhythms — to watch arenas every night sing every fuckin' word, that was amazing. There's this whole other part of music that can be well-written and well-constructed that can be somewhere over here [points away from him] and still translate to millions of fuckin' people.
He added, "It's amazing to see how passionate those dudes still are about music. They don't have to give a shit about music at this point. They don't have to care about other bands. They're fucking METALLICA. But there were times when I'd sit there and talk to Lars [Ulrich] or [James] Hetfield and listen to them geek out on a band. Lars and I went and saw THE SWORD, and he's singing every word and doing air guitar to all the right parts. I'm like, 'You know every fucking word to THE SWORD's songs?'"
Flynn also spoke about having one of his musical idols — METALLICA frontman James Hetfield — join MACHINE HEAD on stage on May 16, 2009 and May 17, 2009 in Oberhausen and Cologne, Germany, respectively, to perform the song "Aethetics Of Hate", taken from MH's 2007 album, "The Blackening". According to Robb, the jam came about when Hetfield walked into MACHINE HEAD's dressing room and the two started talking. When Hetfield noticed there was an electronic drum kit set up in the corner of the dressing room, Hetfield took a seat behind the kit.
"He said, 'Do you know any 'TALLICA?'" Flynn said. "I'm like, 'Do I know any METALLICA?! Fuckin' call it.' So we did 'Master Of Puppets'. Then he goes, 'Do you know any MAIDEN?' And I'm like, 'Fuckin' 'Wrathchild'. And then I realize, 'Oh my God, I'm jamming with Hetfield and he's on the fuckin drums, playing it killer.' Then he says, 'Let's jam [MACHINE HEAD's] 'Aesthetics Of Hate'.' I'm like, 'You know 'Aesthetics Of Hate' on the drums?' He knew every fuckin' drum beat, every part, and that ain't an easy song to play. While we're playing, Dave [McClain, MACHINE HEAD drummer] comes in and goes, 'He's playing my drum parts. This is amazing!' To see a band at that level and think, 'Wow, man, those dudes are still fans. They still love music' is kind of a revelation. But I mean, I don't know why I didn't know [they still loved metal]. I think I might have thought they'd be different now because they're huge and they're METALLICA."
"To me, one of the raddest things in the world was touring with METALLICA and watching 'Master of Puppets' — not 'Enter Sandman'. I get why 'Enter Sandman' is so frickin' huge, but to watch 'Master Of Puppets', this eight-minute song with a million parts in the middle of it with complicated choruses and off-time rhythms — to watch arenas every night sing every fuckin' word, that was amazing. There's this whole other part of music that can be well-written and well-constructed that can be somewhere over here [points away from him] and still translate to millions of fuckin' people.
He added, "It's amazing to see how passionate those dudes still are about music. They don't have to give a shit about music at this point. They don't have to care about other bands. They're fucking METALLICA. But there were times when I'd sit there and talk to Lars [Ulrich] or [James] Hetfield and listen to them geek out on a band. Lars and I went and saw THE SWORD, and he's singing every word and doing air guitar to all the right parts. I'm like, 'You know every fucking word to THE SWORD's songs?'"
Flynn also spoke about having one of his musical idols — METALLICA frontman James Hetfield — join MACHINE HEAD on stage on May 16, 2009 and May 17, 2009 in Oberhausen and Cologne, Germany, respectively, to perform the song "Aethetics Of Hate", taken from MH's 2007 album, "The Blackening". According to Robb, the jam came about when Hetfield walked into MACHINE HEAD's dressing room and the two started talking. When Hetfield noticed there was an electronic drum kit set up in the corner of the dressing room, Hetfield took a seat behind the kit.
"He said, 'Do you know any 'TALLICA?'" Flynn said. "I'm like, 'Do I know any METALLICA?! Fuckin' call it.' So we did 'Master Of Puppets'. Then he goes, 'Do you know any MAIDEN?' And I'm like, 'Fuckin' 'Wrathchild'. And then I realize, 'Oh my God, I'm jamming with Hetfield and he's on the fuckin drums, playing it killer.' Then he says, 'Let's jam [MACHINE HEAD's] 'Aesthetics Of Hate'.' I'm like, 'You know 'Aesthetics Of Hate' on the drums?' He knew every fuckin' drum beat, every part, and that ain't an easy song to play. While we're playing, Dave [McClain, MACHINE HEAD drummer] comes in and goes, 'He's playing my drum parts. This is amazing!' To see a band at that level and think, 'Wow, man, those dudes are still fans. They still love music' is kind of a revelation. But I mean, I don't know why I didn't know [they still loved metal]. I think I might have thought they'd be different now because they're huge and they're METALLICA."
Megadeth's upcoming CD, TH1RT3EN, is drummer Shawn Drover's third with the band (he joined in 2004, along with his guitarist brother Glen), and it's a great vehicle for him to demonstrate facility in a variety of styles; there's some thrashy material as furious as anything on 2009's Endgame, but there's a lot of melodic, anthemic music, too, like first single "Public Enemy No. 1." We reached out to Shawn to find out how he feels about playing with prodigal bassist Dave Ellefson, what he feels he brings to classic Megadeth material onstage, and more.
(This is the second in a four-part series of interviews with all four members of Megadeth, leading up to the release of TH1RT3EN on November 1.)
How do you feel the Big Four show at Yankee Stadium went?
It was awesome! We're the first hard rock/metal bands that have ever played Yankee Stadium as far as I know. I know Eminem and Jay-Z had played Yankee Stadium previously, but as far as I know we are the first metal bands to play Yankee Stadium, so that in itself is quite an achievement and quite a great thing for metal. The show itself was fantastic, the place was packed—it's Yankee Stadium, you know? I wouldn't even put that on my bucket list, it's such a monumental thing that I didn't think I would ever play something like that in my lifetime. Madison Square Garden, yes, of course we've played that, but Yankee Stadium was quite an honor, I've gotta say.
How did recording TH1RT3EN compared to your previous experiences doing Megadeth records?
It's weird—speaking for myself, but I think I can say that for pretty much everybody, the record was a very easy process. I'm not really sure why. Everything went very smoothly, we just rolled along and got things done at a very quick pace. We had about nine weeks between tours to record this record, and we really pulled it off. We're ecstatic about the results of the record. We think it's a great record, and we hope the fans will as well. I think the biggest difference between this and United Abominations, Endgame before it, and so on and so forth, is how easy it was. There is no special reason why. Everything just seemed to click. Songs came together very well and very effortlessly, and it was just a really enjoyable record for us to make. Certainly on my behalf, that's for sure.
Did having David Ellefson back after a long absence contribute to that ease?
You know, I don't think that contributed to the record being easier. He had a lot of input on the riffs we used, but we all did, we all fed off of each other. Dave [Mustaine] has such a library of riffs that he's recorded on tour, riffs that we've recorded on previous tours. He just keeps everything on file, so he's got such an abundance of riffs, partial songs, finished songs, all sorts of things he can choose from that we never have an issue like, "oh, we don't have enough material." We always have more than enough material. Which is a great thing to have. So it's not the reason the record was easier to make, but I'll tell you what, it was great being on a record, for me personally, with both Daves. He was one of the ones that started the band, and having him back in the band and back on the record is certainly a great thing in my opinion. I'm loving it. We get along very well, and I'm glad he's back in the band.
Did you find it easy to establish the chemistry with him as the other half of the rhythm section?
Yeah. We clicked. It's funny, the first time David came down to Arizona to rehearse with us, this was just before the Rust in Peace tour that we were going to do—and I've met him several times before, but this was the first time we'd ever gotten in a room and jammed together and stuff. He plugged in, and we started playing tunes, and right away everything just locked in. Not that it was any better or any worse with James LoMenzo or James MacDonough, they were fantastic as well, but there was something about performing with someone who was on those records and performed the original bass parts. For the most part, I'm emulating other drummers and trying to bring their nuances to songs that I haven't played on. It was cool to play with someone who had played on pretty much all the records for the first 20 years of the band, to play all those old classics again and have the original bass player and guitar player play on that stuff.
When you play songs from before your tenure in the band, do you try to emulate them as closely as possible or do you try to throw in some of your own identity?
I keep a pretty close. There are certain things here or there, certain things I feel are not as important—like if there is a certain drumroll on a song, or something that's really integral to the song, I would never change anything like that. But there are a few things here or there where I try to add a little of my own flavor to it while not deterring from the original recording. We try to keep things as close as you can get to the original recording. It's almost impossible to have everything note perfect and jump around on stage and headbang and all that crazy stuff. I try to keep it as close as I can just out of respect to the previous drummers and out of respect to the fans who want to hear stuff close to the record.
When writing the new material, do you come up with the drum parts yourself?
In the studio, it's a collaborative effort. When we are tracking, I'll get in there and play a track to it, and then we'll listen to it—myself, the producer, and Dave—we'll all sit down and talk about it, and sometimes they'll have ideas like "why don't you add to this part, or why don't you do this instead of that" and we talk about it. If I feel very strongly about something, and I know the way that I played it is better than the way that they're suggesting, I'll speak up about it. But in the end, it's a collaborative effort. It all stems from the track that I lay down, we just change certain parts. Sometimes we change parts more than others, and some we barely change it at all from my original idea. At the end of the day, it's a collaborative effort between the three of us. I look at it as three heads are better than one, because sometimes they'll come up with an idea that's better than the one I originally had in mind. At the end of the day, we want to service the song. I want the song to be as good as possible and play what the song requires.
Megadeth's TH1RT3EN will be in stores November 1, but you can pre-order it now on CD or deluxe double picture disc vinyl at this link.
(This is the second in a four-part series of interviews with all four members of Megadeth, leading up to the release of TH1RT3EN on November 1.)
How do you feel the Big Four show at Yankee Stadium went?
It was awesome! We're the first hard rock/metal bands that have ever played Yankee Stadium as far as I know. I know Eminem and Jay-Z had played Yankee Stadium previously, but as far as I know we are the first metal bands to play Yankee Stadium, so that in itself is quite an achievement and quite a great thing for metal. The show itself was fantastic, the place was packed—it's Yankee Stadium, you know? I wouldn't even put that on my bucket list, it's such a monumental thing that I didn't think I would ever play something like that in my lifetime. Madison Square Garden, yes, of course we've played that, but Yankee Stadium was quite an honor, I've gotta say.
How did recording TH1RT3EN compared to your previous experiences doing Megadeth records?
It's weird—speaking for myself, but I think I can say that for pretty much everybody, the record was a very easy process. I'm not really sure why. Everything went very smoothly, we just rolled along and got things done at a very quick pace. We had about nine weeks between tours to record this record, and we really pulled it off. We're ecstatic about the results of the record. We think it's a great record, and we hope the fans will as well. I think the biggest difference between this and United Abominations, Endgame before it, and so on and so forth, is how easy it was. There is no special reason why. Everything just seemed to click. Songs came together very well and very effortlessly, and it was just a really enjoyable record for us to make. Certainly on my behalf, that's for sure.
Did having David Ellefson back after a long absence contribute to that ease?
You know, I don't think that contributed to the record being easier. He had a lot of input on the riffs we used, but we all did, we all fed off of each other. Dave [Mustaine] has such a library of riffs that he's recorded on tour, riffs that we've recorded on previous tours. He just keeps everything on file, so he's got such an abundance of riffs, partial songs, finished songs, all sorts of things he can choose from that we never have an issue like, "oh, we don't have enough material." We always have more than enough material. Which is a great thing to have. So it's not the reason the record was easier to make, but I'll tell you what, it was great being on a record, for me personally, with both Daves. He was one of the ones that started the band, and having him back in the band and back on the record is certainly a great thing in my opinion. I'm loving it. We get along very well, and I'm glad he's back in the band.
Did you find it easy to establish the chemistry with him as the other half of the rhythm section?
Yeah. We clicked. It's funny, the first time David came down to Arizona to rehearse with us, this was just before the Rust in Peace tour that we were going to do—and I've met him several times before, but this was the first time we'd ever gotten in a room and jammed together and stuff. He plugged in, and we started playing tunes, and right away everything just locked in. Not that it was any better or any worse with James LoMenzo or James MacDonough, they were fantastic as well, but there was something about performing with someone who was on those records and performed the original bass parts. For the most part, I'm emulating other drummers and trying to bring their nuances to songs that I haven't played on. It was cool to play with someone who had played on pretty much all the records for the first 20 years of the band, to play all those old classics again and have the original bass player and guitar player play on that stuff.
When you play songs from before your tenure in the band, do you try to emulate them as closely as possible or do you try to throw in some of your own identity?
I keep a pretty close. There are certain things here or there, certain things I feel are not as important—like if there is a certain drumroll on a song, or something that's really integral to the song, I would never change anything like that. But there are a few things here or there where I try to add a little of my own flavor to it while not deterring from the original recording. We try to keep things as close as you can get to the original recording. It's almost impossible to have everything note perfect and jump around on stage and headbang and all that crazy stuff. I try to keep it as close as I can just out of respect to the previous drummers and out of respect to the fans who want to hear stuff close to the record.
When writing the new material, do you come up with the drum parts yourself?
In the studio, it's a collaborative effort. When we are tracking, I'll get in there and play a track to it, and then we'll listen to it—myself, the producer, and Dave—we'll all sit down and talk about it, and sometimes they'll have ideas like "why don't you add to this part, or why don't you do this instead of that" and we talk about it. If I feel very strongly about something, and I know the way that I played it is better than the way that they're suggesting, I'll speak up about it. But in the end, it's a collaborative effort. It all stems from the track that I lay down, we just change certain parts. Sometimes we change parts more than others, and some we barely change it at all from my original idea. At the end of the day, it's a collaborative effort between the three of us. I look at it as three heads are better than one, because sometimes they'll come up with an idea that's better than the one I originally had in mind. At the end of the day, we want to service the song. I want the song to be as good as possible and play what the song requires.
Megadeth's TH1RT3EN will be in stores November 1, but you can pre-order it now on CD or deluxe double picture disc vinyl at this link.
In a recent interview with ViperRoom.com, THE CULT bassist Chris Wyse stated about the status of the band's long-awaited ninth album, "The new THE CULT deal is with [the] Cooking Vinyl [label]. We're in good company with THE PRODIGY and MARILYN MANSON. The record is nearly done; Ian [Astbury] is probably doing vocals right now. It is due out April 2012!! This record is kind of a ZEP/STOOGES mix of energy, and I believe showcases a new level of depth for THE CULT."
THE CULT's new album is once again being produced by Chris Goss, frontman of MASTERS OF REALITY and producer on various QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE releases.
THE CULT's "Capsule 2: New Blood Deep Cuts" featured new songs "Embers" and "Until The Light Takes Us", live recordings of some of the band's huge hits and an intimate look into THE CULT's rehearsal space, with a never-before-seen warm-up performance of "Black Angel".
Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long form CD, the band pioneered a new way of providing material. Capsules span multiple media formats including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats, and can be purchased at CultCapsuleStore.com.
THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), Chris Wyse (bass), John Tempesta (drums) and Mike Dimkich (rhythm guitar).
THE CULT's new album is once again being produced by Chris Goss, frontman of MASTERS OF REALITY and producer on various QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE releases.
THE CULT's "Capsule 2: New Blood Deep Cuts" featured new songs "Embers" and "Until The Light Takes Us", live recordings of some of the band's huge hits and an intimate look into THE CULT's rehearsal space, with a never-before-seen warm-up performance of "Black Angel".
Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long form CD, the band pioneered a new way of providing material. Capsules span multiple media formats including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats, and can be purchased at CultCapsuleStore.com.
THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), Chris Wyse (bass), John Tempesta (drums) and Mike Dimkich (rhythm guitar).
The ESP Unplugged European Winter Tour featuring current KISS drummer Eric Singer, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick and former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi has been announced. Corabi and Kulick will also be performing a couple of Unplugged & United as noted below.
ESP dates include:
November
25 - Madrid KISS Expo - Spain - Sala Ramdall (Corabi and Kulick only)
26 - Helsinki KISS Expo - Finland - Nosturi (Corabi, Kulick and Bob Kulick)
December
1 - Veysonnaz, Switzerland - Bar Vague à l'Ame
2 - Telfs, Austria (Corabi and Kulick only)
3 - Moutier, Switzerland - Aula Chantemerle
4 - Nürenberg, Germany - Rockfabrik
7 - Toscany, Italy - venue TBA
8 - Milano, Italy - venue TBA
9 - Oslo, Norway - venue TBA
10 - Wroclaw, Poland - venue TBA
More details will be confirmed soon.
ESP dates include:
November
25 - Madrid KISS Expo - Spain - Sala Ramdall (Corabi and Kulick only)
26 - Helsinki KISS Expo - Finland - Nosturi (Corabi, Kulick and Bob Kulick)
December
1 - Veysonnaz, Switzerland - Bar Vague à l'Ame
2 - Telfs, Austria (Corabi and Kulick only)
3 - Moutier, Switzerland - Aula Chantemerle
4 - Nürenberg, Germany - Rockfabrik
7 - Toscany, Italy - venue TBA
8 - Milano, Italy - venue TBA
9 - Oslo, Norway - venue TBA
10 - Wroclaw, Poland - venue TBA
More details will be confirmed soon.
Original German pirate metallers RUNNING WILD are back! To the delight of his countless fans, Captain Rock'n'Rolf has announced the release of the new album, Shadowmaker, seven years after Running Wild's last studio album, Rogues En Vogue.
"My comments in spring 2009 about the demise of Running Wild were absolutely serious at the time. I really needed time out and, to be honest, couldn't imagine even in January 2011 that I would ever feel like recording a new album again," says Rolf. "But when I had the inspiration for a best-of album, to which I wanted to contribute four new numbers, I rediscovered how much I enjoy composing. From then on it was only a small step to record a full new studio album."
Rock'n'Rolf has written ten new tracks for Shadowmaker, among them are the midtempo opener 'Piece Of The Action', the uptempo number 'Shadowmaker' ("roughly the same pace as 'Angel Of Mercy'") and the monumental eight-minute track 'Dracula', based on Bram Stoker's novel and the Christopher Lee movies. "To me, Shadowmaker is a very special album because there was no pressure, timewise or otherwise. I feel it's clearly audible that this relaxed attitude helped me to write one of the strongest Running Wild recordings of all time."
Rock N´Rolf recaps his thoughts about the new album, the past and the future in a video message for the fans:
Shadowmaker will be released worldwide on Steamhammer/SPV in April 2012, a cooperation which the Running Wild captain refers to as "a real stroke of luck and ideal partnership". Rock'n'Rolf: "SPV/Steamhammer are a long-established label with an experienced team, so I know that Running Wild are in good hands. Besides, my band and the record company are based in the same German city (Hannover), which can't be a disadvantage for a smooth cooperation."
Olly Hahn, A&R at Steamhammer/SPV, is equally delighted: "That a style-defining act such as Running Wild signed with us comes close to an accolade. Band leader Rock'n'Rolf is one of the metal scene's last originals, and we at SPV are unbelievably proud that his choice fell on us."
"My comments in spring 2009 about the demise of Running Wild were absolutely serious at the time. I really needed time out and, to be honest, couldn't imagine even in January 2011 that I would ever feel like recording a new album again," says Rolf. "But when I had the inspiration for a best-of album, to which I wanted to contribute four new numbers, I rediscovered how much I enjoy composing. From then on it was only a small step to record a full new studio album."
Rock'n'Rolf has written ten new tracks for Shadowmaker, among them are the midtempo opener 'Piece Of The Action', the uptempo number 'Shadowmaker' ("roughly the same pace as 'Angel Of Mercy'") and the monumental eight-minute track 'Dracula', based on Bram Stoker's novel and the Christopher Lee movies. "To me, Shadowmaker is a very special album because there was no pressure, timewise or otherwise. I feel it's clearly audible that this relaxed attitude helped me to write one of the strongest Running Wild recordings of all time."
Rock N´Rolf recaps his thoughts about the new album, the past and the future in a video message for the fans:
Shadowmaker will be released worldwide on Steamhammer/SPV in April 2012, a cooperation which the Running Wild captain refers to as "a real stroke of luck and ideal partnership". Rock'n'Rolf: "SPV/Steamhammer are a long-established label with an experienced team, so I know that Running Wild are in good hands. Besides, my band and the record company are based in the same German city (Hannover), which can't be a disadvantage for a smooth cooperation."
Olly Hahn, A&R at Steamhammer/SPV, is equally delighted: "That a style-defining act such as Running Wild signed with us comes close to an accolade. Band leader Rock'n'Rolf is one of the metal scene's last originals, and we at SPV are unbelievably proud that his choice fell on us."
SOULS ON 11, featuring ex-MEGADETH guitarist Jeff Young and vocalist Guernica Mancini, recently confirmed a shows in Los Angeles at the Genghis Cohen Restaurant, Bar & Music tonight (October 21st). According to an update, ex-Megadeth bassist James Lomenzo will perform with the band, with Debby Holiday as special guest vocalist.
Start time is 10:00pm. Watch the official Souls On 11 ReverbNation page here for updates.
Start time is 10:00pm. Watch the official Souls On 11 ReverbNation page here for updates.
Mancini takes over where the project's preliminary singer Twinkle left off. Due to various "personal and family situations," Twinkle was unable to move forward with the project. Young immediately followed in the footsteps of mentor, Neal Schon (JOURNEY) and began searching the internet for the perfect voice.
Seeking a vocalist of European sensibility, led the guitarist back to his alma mater, Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA. Mancini is a recent graduate of MI's Vocal Institute Of Technology. She is currently attending courses in Music Business at UCLA, and interns at a reggae music label. During her tenure at VIT, Mancini went through a self-proclaimed '80s metal phase, exploring a natural affinity and the uncanny ability to sing in the style of DIO, SKID ROW, JANIS JOPLIN and the like.
Souls On 11 also features the world-class rhythm section of bass monster, James Lomenzo (ex-Megadeth / BLACK LABEL SOCIETY / WHITE LION) and drummer Jeff Bowders (PAUL GILBERT / PUDDLE OF MUDD).
Roadrunner Records will release a special TYPE O NEGATIVE vinyl box set exclusively via independent retailers on Black Friday, which lands on November 25th this year.
As the first band to achieve platinum status on the Roadrunner roster, Type O Negative didn't rewrite the rules. They simply tore the rule book up, burned what was left of it and did whatever the hell they wanted with the smoldering ash. The result was nothing short of brilliant, as they combined dirge-like doom with head down, gothy grooves, all the while retaining the sort of signature melody that made their songs utterly memorable, infesting your brain like a virus.
exclusively via independent retailers on Black Friday, which lands on November 25th this year. As the first band to achieve platinum status on the Roadrunner roster, Type O Negative didn't rewrite the rules. They simply tore the rule book up, burned what was left of it and did whatever the hell they wanted with the smoldering ash. The result was nothing short of brilliant, as they combined dirge-like doom with head down, gothy grooves, all the while retaining the sort of signature melody that made their songs utterly memorable, infesting your brain like a virus.
The vinyl box includes all Roadrunner released Type O Negative material. Each album will be issued on double green vinyl, with the album art recreated, including the controversial, rarely seen original cover of The Origin Of The Feces. Type O fans know all about that cover and the anatomy which it features. Click here to see a possibly-NSFW photo of the box's full contents.
Each album will also have new, branded liner notes documenting the genesis and completion of each album.
An exclusive sticker sheet with six mini bumper stickers will also be included in this "must own" set for Type O Negative diehards. It's an instant collector's item.
The set includes the following releases:
Slow, Deep And Hard
The Origin Of The Feces
Bloody Kisses
October Rust
World Coming Down
Life Is Killing Me
Said Type O drummer Johnny Kelly: "This looks great, but we're disappointed that RR couldn't get it together to do the scratch 'n' sniff cover we wanted for The Origin Of The Feces."
WEDNESDAY 13's new album Calling All Corpses is available now. In addition to his already lengthy tour schedule, W13 has added several new shows next year. The complete itinerary is as follows:
October (with VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE, POLKADDOT CADAVER)
22 - Moe's - Englewood, CO
23 - House Of Bricks - Des Moines, IA
24 - Fubar - St. Louis, MO
25 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
26 - Radiodown - Covington, KY
27 - Alrosa Villa - Columbus, OH
28 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
29 - Reverb - Reading, PA
30 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
31 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
November (with Vampires Everywhere, Polkaddot Cadaver)
1 - Arizona Pete's - Greensboro, NC
3 - Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC
4 - The Haven - Winter Park, FL
5 - State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
7 - Hangar - New Orleans, LA
8 - Warehouse Live -
class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" v:shapes="_x0000_i1030">, TX 9 - Trees -
' class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" v:shapes="_x0000_i1031"> , TX 10 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
November
19 - Sugar Factory - Amsterdam
20 - Luxor - Koln, Germany
21 - Magnet - Berlin, Germany
November (with MICHAEL MONROE, CRASHDIET)
24 - Wulfurn - Wolverhampton,UK
25 - Ritz - Manchester,UK
26 - Rock City - Notthingham, UK
27 - Garage - Glasgow, UK
28 - Academy - Newcastle, UK
29 - Academy - Leeds, UK
December (with Michael Monroe, Crashdiet)
1 - Academy - Bristol, UK
2 - Electric Ballroom - London, UK
December
5 - KB - Malmo,
6 - Gota Kallare - Stockholm, Sweden
8 - Nosturi - Helsinki, Finland
January (with AIDEN and MODERN DAY ESCAPE)
6 - Soma - San Diego, CA
8 - The Rock - Tucson, AZ
10 - Lowbrow Place - El Paso, TX
12 - Marquee Theatre - Tulsa, OK
13 - Scenery - Wichita, KS
16 - Shilo Convention Center - Idaho Falls, ID
18 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA
19 - Branx - Portland, OR
21 - The Pound - Oakland, CA
February (SOUNDWAVE)
25 - RNA Showgrounds - Brisbane, Australia
26 - Olympic Park - Sydney, Australia
March (Soundwave)
2 - Showgrounds - Melbourne, Australia
3 - Bonython Park - Adelaide, Australia
5 - Claremont Showgrounds - Perth, Australia
Calling All Corpses contains the following 13 songs:
'Blood Fades To Black'
'I Wanna Be Cremated'
'Ghoul Of My Dreams'
'One Knife Stand'
'Calling All Corpses'
'Miss Morgue'
'Silver Bullets'
'Bad At Being Human'
'London After Midnight'
'Candle For The Devil'
'We All Die'
'Something Wicked This Way Comes'
'Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)'
HAIL! - the band featuring vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (DIO DISCIPLES, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA) alongside a rotating list of musicians, including drummers Paul Bostaph (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN) and Mike Portnoy (ADRENALIN MOB, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), and bassists James Lomenzo (MEGADETH) and David Ellefson (Megadeth) - performed in Istanbul, Turkey on October 15th at Kucukciftlik Park, featuring UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane up front in place of Owens, and ex-MEGADETH guitarist Glen Drover.
The band have issued the following update:
"In an unexpected twist of fate, Hail! invaded the education system. Following our concert in Istanbul, singer Whitfield Crane and band manager, Mark "Abba" Abbattista, received the gracious invitation to be guest speakers at one of the most prestigious private high schools in Istanbul. Speaking to Mrs. Babaoglu's 9th grade class provided the unique opportunity to interact with the students in a fun, informal way and a wonderfully insightful experience was had by all.
The band have issued the following update:
"In an unexpected twist of fate, Hail! invaded the education system. Following our concert in Istanbul, singer Whitfield Crane and band manager, Mark "Abba" Abbattista, received the gracious invitation to be guest speakers at one of the most prestigious private high schools in Istanbul. Speaking to Mrs. Babaoglu's 9th grade class provided the unique opportunity to interact with the students in a fun, informal way and a wonderfully insightful experience was had by all.
"How cool was this?" asked Whit, "It was absolutely amazing! The fact that the school provided us with this opportunity to meet these 15 year old kids at a time in their lives when they are just starting to really experience music and the world was incredible - I loved it! Sure, we can play our music to our fans but being able to connect, interact, talk and share our life experiences to a group of teenagers, especially in a formal school setting like this, was super rad. My high school never provided anything like this."
Mixing humor with sage advice, the guys shared their personal experiences of music business careers, road stories and world travel (along with their opinions of Justin Bieber).
"Our life experiences are obviously different from most people because some of our choices have been less than traditional. In my case, education is the key that provided me with the opportunity to travel the world and live the lifestyle that I do. Education provided the freedom to follow my dreams and live my life in this very special way. Developing your own personal skills, talents and desires, whether they are music, law, art, science, athletics, love or whatever, and passionately embracing your dreams should be the ultimate goal in life. So many people get sidetracked or disillusioned along the way and unfortunately they wander off their own path to true happiness," said Abba. "It was a huge inspiration for me to be with them and hopefully we touched these kids in a personal way that will inspire them and help reaffirm and validate the life choices that they will ultimately make," added Whit.
A huge thank you to the school, the kids and the coolest teacher we know, Seyda Babaoglu, for arranging this special event. Hail!"
The band's lineup for the Istanbul show was follows:
-- Whitfield Crane (vocals)
-- Glen Drover (guitars)
-- James Lomenzo (bass)
-- Mike Portnoy (drums)
Drover posted a pre-gig band photo on Twitter. Check it out below, along with live footage from the show.
The band's setlist on the night was as follows:
'Ace Of Spades' (MOTÖRHEAD)
'Walk' (PANTERA)
'Grinder' (JUDAS PRIEST)
'Sympony Of Destruction' (MEGADETH)
'Fairies Wear Boots' (BLACK SABBATH)
'22 Acacia Avenue' (IRON MAIDEN)
'Diamonds & Rust' (JUDAS PRIEST/JOAN BAEZ)
'The Four Horsemen' (METALLICA)
'Dirty Deeds' (AC/DC)
'S.A.T.O.' (OZZY OSBOURNE)
'Heaven and Hell' (BLACK SABBATH)
'Running Free' (IRON MAIDEN)
'Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?' (MEGADETH)
The band commented on the show: "The show in Istanbul was amazing. Despite the constant rain, the fans were once again great in welcoming us back to Turkey.
This first-time lineup of James Lomenzo, Mike Portnoy, Whitfield Crane and Glen Drover had the opportunity to experiment with a bunch of new songs and despite only one day of rehearsals we slammed it hard! Before the show, we did a photo meet-and-greet and it was great to meet more fans.
We love meeting all of you and sharing this communal celebration whereever we go. Our fans are always so gracious, friendly and super-excited that no matter where we are they make us feel loved by showing their tremendous appreciation for what it is that we are committed to doing. Tonight we even had one fan come up with a the idea that because of our fist logo we should call our fanclub, HAIL!'s Knuckleheads! What does everybody think? Fists in the air — raise your knucks high!
We had a great time in Turkey again — the people rule, the food is delicious, the culture is historically diverse and the people who put this together were excellent.
"Special thank you's go out to Erdem for once again making it all possible, our new 'mom' Seyda (and her hub) for taking such wonderful care of us, Adnan, Bugra, Drum Guy, Mehmet, all the press people and fans — tessukur erderim!"
Beatbox Booking confirms that long running Danish rockers D-A-D will visit Sweden ' class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" v:shapes="_x0000_i1026"> and Finland during the Scandinavian leg of the Fast On Wheels 2012 tour. Details will be revealed on Monday, October 24th.
D-A-D will release their upcoming 11th studio album, DIC.NII.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK, on November 11th inGermany and November 14th in their homeland. The album title is a play on their previous band name DISNEYLAND AFTER DARK, which had to be changed after a threatening lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company.
' class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" v:shapes="_x0000_i1026"> and Finland during the Scandinavian leg of the Fast On Wheels 2012 tour. Details will be revealed on Monday, October 24th. D-A-D will release their upcoming 11th studio album, DIC.NII.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK, on November 11th in
and November 14th in their homeland. The album title is a play on their previous band name DISNEYLAND AFTER DARK, which had to be changed after a threatening lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company.Brazilian thrashers HEADHUNTER D.C. will release their fifth album, "...In Unholy Mourning...", before the end of the year in South America through a partnership between Eternal Hatred Records and Mutilation Records. Vocalist Sérgio "Baloff" Borges says, "I am very anxious and excited about the release of our new opus, and I am also very optimistic about this unholy partnership between HEADHUNTER D.C., Eternal Hatred (whose name is in homage to us due to our song with the same title on the '...And The Sky...' album) and Mutilation Records in Brazil.
"We needed a strong coalition for the arrival of the 25th anniversary of the Death Cult in 2012 and to help us spreading the word the way we need, then I think we made the right choice.
"'...In Unholy Mourning...' comes to give continuity to our saga on behalf of the true Unholy Metal of Death, and as well as in all our albums, its songs accurately reflect our feelings regarding the brutal, heavy, morbid and dark death metal, the way it was meant to be."
HEADHUNTER D.C. has started the process of booking dates for its next Brazilian/South American tour in support of "...In Unholy Mourning..."
"We needed a strong coalition for the arrival of the 25th anniversary of the Death Cult in 2012 and to help us spreading the word the way we need, then I think we made the right choice.
"'...In Unholy Mourning...' comes to give continuity to our saga on behalf of the true Unholy Metal of Death, and as well as in all our albums, its songs accurately reflect our feelings regarding the brutal, heavy, morbid and dark death metal, the way it was meant to be."
HEADHUNTER D.C. has started the process of booking dates for its next Brazilian/South American tour in support of "...In Unholy Mourning..."
Polish black metallers BEHEMOTH are the latest act confirmed for Metalfest 2012, the event that will hit the following countries next May and June: Austria, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic
Confirmed to play Metalfest 2012:
BEHEMOTH
BLIND GUARDIAN
DEATH ANGEL
ENSIFERUM
KREATOR - exclusive festival shows 2012
HYPOCRISY - exclusive festival shows 2012
IN EXTREMO
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
POWERWOLF
SALTATIO MORTIS
VADER
Note: Blind Guardian will not play Metalfest Dessau.
Get the early-bird fan-package now for the price of only 54,00 Euros + advance sale fee. The package includes ticket, t-shirt and a NoiseArt CD of your choice
More ticket info at Hardticket.eu.
Metalfest 2012 dates:
May 31 - June 2: Mining - Metalfest Austria
May 31 - June 2: Dessau - Metalfest Germany/East
June 1-3: Jaworzno - Metalfest Poland
June 3-5: Zadar - Metalfest Croatia
June 5-6: Milan - Metalfest Italy
June 7-9: Loreley - Metalfest Germany/West
June 7-10: Pratteln - Metalfest Switzerland
June 8-10: Plzen - Metalfest Czech Republic
Austrian black metallers BELPHEGOR have announced that all band activities have stopped since the end of September. Frontman/ guitarist/ founding member Helmuth Lehner went through a serious and difficult operation 16 days ago after the band's South American tour. As result of this, the band are forced has to cancel all shows until May 2012. An update on his condition will be revealed in the following weeks.
Belphegor have been touring in supporting their latest album Blood Magick Necromance.
Belphegor have been touring in supporting their latest album Blood Magick Necromance.
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