"Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor", the new book from legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, landed at position No. 12 on the New York Times "Hardcover Advice & Misc." best sellers list.
In "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy", Ozzy Osbourne embraces his status as a medical marvel to tell incredible stories, offer advice as only he can and shed light on his seemingly superhuman ability to stay alive. Released on October 11, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor" by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres (Grand Central Publishing) is the follow-up to 2010's New York Times bestselling memoir "I Am Ozzy", which landed at #2 and #3 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal non-fiction charts, respectively.
Based on his ongoing Rolling Stone (U.S.) Sunday Times (U.K.) columns, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" includes some of the best material from the columns, as well as survival stories not found in Ozzy's memoir, his answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts and sidebars, and much more. The best way to describe this book is 100% Ozzy — part memoir and part advice column, delivered with Ozzy's famous wit and humor. It's comprised of reader-submitted medical and lifestyle questions, Ozzy digs deep into his murky past, searching for pearls of "wisdom."
The genesis of the Dr. Ozzy columns began last year, when Ozzy decided to have his DNA mapped to determine if science could perhaps explain how he survived his nearly four decade avalanche of drugs and alcohol. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered. In fact, the findings made headlines around the world and even led to Ozzy hosting a prestigious TED conference.
The official book description reads as follows: "Wondering if science could explain how he survived his 40-year avalanche of drugs and alcohol, Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The 'Full Ozzy Genome' contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy', Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy' will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more."
Ozzy last year said that his column in the Times was not meant to be taken seriously. "It's not a serious thing," he said. "I mean, I'm the last person to ask advice about health. It's just, it's not fit to be taken seriously. I mean — and I'm not doing it, I'm not writing the column personally, I've got a guy coming around, the guy who did my book, Chris Ayres, is doing the column. He brings me the column things and I just joke about it, you know. 'Cause if you believe me, you'll end up in the lunatic asylum."
Ozzy said in his first column for the Times, "If people can learn from my stupid mistakes without having to repeat any of them, or if they can take some comfort from the crazy things my family has been through over the years . . . that's more than enough for me."
Ozzy added in the column, "By all accounts, I'm a medical miracle. When I die, I should donate my body to the Natural History Museum."
In "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy", Ozzy Osbourne embraces his status as a medical marvel to tell incredible stories, offer advice as only he can and shed light on his seemingly superhuman ability to stay alive. Released on October 11, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor" by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres (Grand Central Publishing) is the follow-up to 2010's New York Times bestselling memoir "I Am Ozzy", which landed at #2 and #3 on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal non-fiction charts, respectively.
Based on his ongoing Rolling Stone (U.S.) Sunday Times (U.K.) columns, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" includes some of the best material from the columns, as well as survival stories not found in Ozzy's memoir, his answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts and sidebars, and much more. The best way to describe this book is 100% Ozzy — part memoir and part advice column, delivered with Ozzy's famous wit and humor. It's comprised of reader-submitted medical and lifestyle questions, Ozzy digs deep into his murky past, searching for pearls of "wisdom."
The genesis of the Dr. Ozzy columns began last year, when Ozzy decided to have his DNA mapped to determine if science could perhaps explain how he survived his nearly four decade avalanche of drugs and alcohol. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered. In fact, the findings made headlines around the world and even led to Ozzy hosting a prestigious TED conference.
The official book description reads as follows: "Wondering if science could explain how he survived his 40-year avalanche of drugs and alcohol, Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The 'Full Ozzy Genome' contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy', Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy' will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more."
Ozzy last year said that his column in the Times was not meant to be taken seriously. "It's not a serious thing," he said. "I mean, I'm the last person to ask advice about health. It's just, it's not fit to be taken seriously. I mean — and I'm not doing it, I'm not writing the column personally, I've got a guy coming around, the guy who did my book, Chris Ayres, is doing the column. He brings me the column things and I just joke about it, you know. 'Cause if you believe me, you'll end up in the lunatic asylum."
Ozzy said in his first column for the Times, "If people can learn from my stupid mistakes without having to repeat any of them, or if they can take some comfort from the crazy things my family has been through over the years . . . that's more than enough for me."
Ozzy added in the column, "By all accounts, I'm a medical miracle. When I die, I should donate my body to the Natural History Museum."
Durung a recent interview with U.K.'s Express & Star, DEEP PURPLE frotnman Ian Gillan was asked when fans might be able to expect the band's follow-up to 2005's "Rapture Of The Deep" album.
"The fact is that we've been touring flat out," said Gillan. "We did 48 countries last year. We're getting so much off on that we just don't feel the drive at the moment for writing."
Gillan did reveal, though, that DEEP PURPLE convened for a mini writing session earlier in the year.
"We were in Spain for a little while and we had a week off," he said. "We spent most of the time in the bar, to be honest with you. It was a good session, but nothing absolutely dynamic came out of it.
"I think to get some progress as far as an album's concerned you've got to have a target, you've got to work to a date, and that gives you pressure. If you've got the pressure, you get stuff done. We don't have a plan, to be honest.
"Things have always been chaos, certainly since I joined, and we've never been able to plan anything. If we'd been able to make plans, we'd probably have retired by now!"
"People like to do stuff that they're good at, that they enjoy, that they get something out of. So while it's fun and we're all getting older and bits are dropping off here and there, it's still great. I think there probably will be another album.
"And because we're not doing an album (right now) doesn't mean I don't write every day. It's a day off today and for me it's a full day at the office. This morning is interviews and this afternoon I've got two or three interesting pieces I'm working on at the moment. I write every day and so when I do come round to making an album there's never a shortage of what I call colour material."
DEEP PURPLE's 18th studio album, "Rapture of the Deep", was released in November 2005. It was the fourth studio CD from DEEP PURPLE since guitarist Steve Morse joined the band in 1994. It was also the second album to feature veteran keyboardist Don Airey.
"Rapture of the Deep" was produced by Mike Bradford, who also worked on the band's previous release, 2003's "Bananas".
"The fact is that we've been touring flat out," said Gillan. "We did 48 countries last year. We're getting so much off on that we just don't feel the drive at the moment for writing."
Gillan did reveal, though, that DEEP PURPLE convened for a mini writing session earlier in the year.
"We were in Spain for a little while and we had a week off," he said. "We spent most of the time in the bar, to be honest with you. It was a good session, but nothing absolutely dynamic came out of it.
"I think to get some progress as far as an album's concerned you've got to have a target, you've got to work to a date, and that gives you pressure. If you've got the pressure, you get stuff done. We don't have a plan, to be honest.
"Things have always been chaos, certainly since I joined, and we've never been able to plan anything. If we'd been able to make plans, we'd probably have retired by now!"
"People like to do stuff that they're good at, that they enjoy, that they get something out of. So while it's fun and we're all getting older and bits are dropping off here and there, it's still great. I think there probably will be another album.
"And because we're not doing an album (right now) doesn't mean I don't write every day. It's a day off today and for me it's a full day at the office. This morning is interviews and this afternoon I've got two or three interesting pieces I'm working on at the moment. I write every day and so when I do come round to making an album there's never a shortage of what I call colour material."
DEEP PURPLE's 18th studio album, "Rapture of the Deep", was released in November 2005. It was the fourth studio CD from DEEP PURPLE since guitarist Steve Morse joined the band in 1994. It was also the second album to feature veteran keyboardist Don Airey.
"Rapture of the Deep" was produced by Mike Bradford, who also worked on the band's previous release, 2003's "Bananas".
Tonight's AEROSMITH concert in Paraguay has been rescheduled for tomorrow after the band's frontman Steven Tyler fell in his hotel bathroom and was was taken to a hospital in the country's capital.
According to Reuters, a bellboy at the Bourbon Hotel in Asuncion told local radio that Tyler slipped when he was taking a shower and "had a nasty fall." The singer reportedly had a bloody face and had lost several teeth before he was brought into the hospital emergency room.
Tyler was pushed by guitarist Joe Perry off a catwalk and into the crowd during the band's August 17, 2010 concert at Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Air Canada Centre.
In August 2009 Tyler fell from a stage in Sturgis, South Dakota, leading to the cancelation of a tour and rumors that the long-sober rocker was off the wagon again.
According to Reuters, a bellboy at the Bourbon Hotel in Asuncion told local radio that Tyler slipped when he was taking a shower and "had a nasty fall." The singer reportedly had a bloody face and had lost several teeth before he was brought into the hospital emergency room.
Tyler was pushed by guitarist Joe Perry off a catwalk and into the crowd during the band's August 17, 2010 concert at Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Air Canada Centre.
In August 2009 Tyler fell from a stage in Sturgis, South Dakota, leading to the cancelation of a tour and rumors that the long-sober rocker was off the wagon again.
According to TMZ.com, AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler was suffering from dehydration caused by a bout of food poisoning when he collapsed in a Paraguay hotel shower today.
Tyler was treated at a hospital in Paraguay's capital for injuries to his face, including the loss of two teeth and cuts to his eyebrow and mouth.
TMZ.com spoke with the singer's manager, who described Tyler's injuries as "minor" and said Steven has already been released from the hospital.
AEROSMITH rescheduled its Tuesday night concert in Asuncion to Wednesday evening, and the band rep tells TMZ.com that Tyler would like to "sincerely apologize" for any inconvenience this may have caused his fans.
As previously reported, Tyler hinted to Women's Wear Daily that a film version of his recently released memoir, "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?", could be in the works. Tyler explained, "It's either as soon as the plane goes down, or in my lifetime. I'm thinking since (director) Ron Howard bought my book, his production company is thinking about doing something." The singer added, "This whole thing with AEROSMITH has been like a dream come true. It's like it's been plotted out and planned and written about before. Every time something happens, I think, 'Is this a movie?'"
"Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction best seller list when it came out last May. A paperback edition will arrive in January 2012.
Tyler, whose past addictions to drugs are well-documented, told The Pulse Of Radio that writing the book helped him see how his efforts to balance his career and family life sometimes proved too much to handle. "It's been a fight between band lifestyle and marriage lifestyle and family lifestyle, and it's been a real hard juggle making all those work," he said. "If you don't think family is a full-time job, then try being in a band and having, you know, four children. It made realize writing this book how hard it all was and why I maybe reached out to substances to make me feel good at the end of the day."
Speaking about his addictions to People.com when the book first came out, Tyler said, "I blew 20 million. I snorted my Porsche, I snorted my plane, I snorted my house in that din of drugs and booze and being lost."
AEROSMITH began working in July on its 15th studio album with producer Jack Douglas, who produced several of the group's early classics, including "Get Your Wings", "Rocks" and "Toys In The Attic".
The CD, due out in 2012, will be the group's first set of original material since 2001's "Just Push Play" and first studio offering since 2004's covers CD, "Honkin' On Bobo".
Tyler was treated at a hospital in Paraguay's capital for injuries to his face, including the loss of two teeth and cuts to his eyebrow and mouth.
TMZ.com spoke with the singer's manager, who described Tyler's injuries as "minor" and said Steven has already been released from the hospital.
AEROSMITH rescheduled its Tuesday night concert in Asuncion to Wednesday evening, and the band rep tells TMZ.com that Tyler would like to "sincerely apologize" for any inconvenience this may have caused his fans.
As previously reported, Tyler hinted to Women's Wear Daily that a film version of his recently released memoir, "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?", could be in the works. Tyler explained, "It's either as soon as the plane goes down, or in my lifetime. I'm thinking since (director) Ron Howard bought my book, his production company is thinking about doing something." The singer added, "This whole thing with AEROSMITH has been like a dream come true. It's like it's been plotted out and planned and written about before. Every time something happens, I think, 'Is this a movie?'"
"Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction best seller list when it came out last May. A paperback edition will arrive in January 2012.
Tyler, whose past addictions to drugs are well-documented, told The Pulse Of Radio that writing the book helped him see how his efforts to balance his career and family life sometimes proved too much to handle. "It's been a fight between band lifestyle and marriage lifestyle and family lifestyle, and it's been a real hard juggle making all those work," he said. "If you don't think family is a full-time job, then try being in a band and having, you know, four children. It made realize writing this book how hard it all was and why I maybe reached out to substances to make me feel good at the end of the day."
Speaking about his addictions to People.com when the book first came out, Tyler said, "I blew 20 million. I snorted my Porsche, I snorted my plane, I snorted my house in that din of drugs and booze and being lost."
AEROSMITH began working in July on its 15th studio album with producer Jack Douglas, who produced several of the group's early classics, including "Get Your Wings", "Rocks" and "Toys In The Attic".
The CD, due out in 2012, will be the group's first set of original material since 2001's "Just Push Play" and first studio offering since 2004's covers CD, "Honkin' On Bobo".
An Japanese IRON MAIDEN "2 Minutes To Midnight" seven-inch promotional EP was sold on eBay for $3,350. The EP was reportedly issued as a "special DJ copy" and is considered by collectors to be one of the rarest MAIDEN records of all time.
The "2 Minutes To Midnight" EP — which is said to be one of only five Japanese vinyl seven-inch promos — has a white label with a color sleeve front and a Japanese one-sheet. It was listed in "very good condition" and was sold in an auction that drew 16 bidders before closing on October 21.
The "2 Minutes To Midnight" EP — which is said to be one of only five Japanese vinyl seven-inch promos — has a white label with a color sleeve front and a Japanese one-sheet. It was listed in "very good condition" and was sold in an auction that drew 16 bidders before closing on October 21.
GulfNews.com recently conducted an interview with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
GulfNews.com: In terms of new music, your last album, "Death Magnetic", was out in 2008, and you have been touring heavily with that. Are you currently working on new material?
Trujillo: We've been busy writing and recording. We've got a couple of new songs we have been working on the past couple of weeks. The writing process for the new METALLICA album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during the most of next year. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. But the great thing is that we have sort of already jumped off the launch pad and we're swimming. It's happening. It's reality. It's a lot of fun, there are a lot of ideas, and we're really excited about the new record. For me, personally, "Death Magnetic" was the launch pad for the next record. This is the beginning of something very, very cool.
GulfNews.com: The band have been going strong for 30 years. What keeps the passion alive?
Trujillo: When we go into the studio and put our guitars on, and Lars [Ulrich] gets behind the drums, we feel like teenagers again, hanging out in the garage jamming to [IRON] MAIDEN or BLACK SABBATH, and we still do that. And the jokes fly around, and there's really good energy. There's new riffs and new song ideas. And that's where it is very special, because a band like METALLICA have been around for nearly 30 years now, and we haven't lost that spark. Unfortunately, a lot of older bands lose that spark after a while. We're excited to create and we still feel like punk kids.
GulfNews.com: How do you balance your work life with your family life?
Trujillo: We like to keep things flowing in a positive way, and believe it or not, a lot of what we do revolves around our family. We centre our tours around what is going on in our family life to keep things solid at home as well. In the summertime, we bring the kids out on tour with us. You can have the best of both worlds. During the course of "Death Magnetic", the reason the record took so long for us to finish was because we had five kids born between us. Two from my wife, and Kirk [Hammett, guitar] had two children and Lars had a child. It is a large family now, because James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] already has three older children, and Lars has two older children.
GulfNews.com: METALLICA fans are arguably like no other. What do the fans mean to METALLICA?
Trujillo: The fans are very passionate. They embrace the lyrics that James brings to them. There's something wonderful about having them take something that you identify with in your life and have it mean so much to them as well, so it's very soulful. We really like to meet our fans, so every show we would have a meet and greet with a few fans. Obviously it is impossible to meet 20,000 fans in one setting, but we do take the time to meet about 20 fans per night, shake their hands and sign things for them. And that goes a long way.
GulfNews.com: In terms of new music, your last album, "Death Magnetic", was out in 2008, and you have been touring heavily with that. Are you currently working on new material?
Trujillo: We've been busy writing and recording. We've got a couple of new songs we have been working on the past couple of weeks. The writing process for the new METALLICA album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during the most of next year. We've got a lot of work ahead of us. But the great thing is that we have sort of already jumped off the launch pad and we're swimming. It's happening. It's reality. It's a lot of fun, there are a lot of ideas, and we're really excited about the new record. For me, personally, "Death Magnetic" was the launch pad for the next record. This is the beginning of something very, very cool.
GulfNews.com: The band have been going strong for 30 years. What keeps the passion alive?
Trujillo: When we go into the studio and put our guitars on, and Lars [Ulrich] gets behind the drums, we feel like teenagers again, hanging out in the garage jamming to [IRON] MAIDEN or BLACK SABBATH, and we still do that. And the jokes fly around, and there's really good energy. There's new riffs and new song ideas. And that's where it is very special, because a band like METALLICA have been around for nearly 30 years now, and we haven't lost that spark. Unfortunately, a lot of older bands lose that spark after a while. We're excited to create and we still feel like punk kids.
GulfNews.com: How do you balance your work life with your family life?
Trujillo: We like to keep things flowing in a positive way, and believe it or not, a lot of what we do revolves around our family. We centre our tours around what is going on in our family life to keep things solid at home as well. In the summertime, we bring the kids out on tour with us. You can have the best of both worlds. During the course of "Death Magnetic", the reason the record took so long for us to finish was because we had five kids born between us. Two from my wife, and Kirk [Hammett, guitar] had two children and Lars had a child. It is a large family now, because James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] already has three older children, and Lars has two older children.
GulfNews.com: METALLICA fans are arguably like no other. What do the fans mean to METALLICA?
Trujillo: The fans are very passionate. They embrace the lyrics that James brings to them. There's something wonderful about having them take something that you identify with in your life and have it mean so much to them as well, so it's very soulful. We really like to meet our fans, so every show we would have a meet and greet with a few fans. Obviously it is impossible to meet 20,000 fans in one setting, but we do take the time to meet about 20 fans per night, shake their hands and sign things for them. And that goes a long way.
METALLICA made its first-ever live appearance in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates earlier tonight (Tuesday, October 25) at Yas Island.
The band had arrived in the country shortly before showtime after attending a listening party Monday night in New York City for "Lulu", their collaborative album with former VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman Lou Reed.
"A lot of us just stared out of the window in the plane and to just see this stretch of desert, followed by a strip of water and then this body of land is just amazing," METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo told The National.
"It's really great to be doing things for the first time, to come here and then go to India after this for the first time also, it keeps thing fresh."
"I travelled many places and to see people from different cultures together in unity, having fun and singing the exact same words at the exact same time is a really beautiful feeling. It is things like this that keeps us going."
METALLICA's setlist for tonight's concert was as follows:
01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom the Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride the Lightning
05. Fade to Black
06. Cyanide
07. The Memory Remains
08. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
09. Sad But True
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
Encore:
16. Am I Evil?
17. Motorbreath
18. Seek & Destroy
The band had arrived in the country shortly before showtime after attending a listening party Monday night in New York City for "Lulu", their collaborative album with former VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman Lou Reed.
"A lot of us just stared out of the window in the plane and to just see this stretch of desert, followed by a strip of water and then this body of land is just amazing," METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo told The National.
"It's really great to be doing things for the first time, to come here and then go to India after this for the first time also, it keeps thing fresh."
"I travelled many places and to see people from different cultures together in unity, having fun and singing the exact same words at the exact same time is a really beautiful feeling. It is things like this that keeps us going."
METALLICA's setlist for tonight's concert was as follows:
01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom the Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride the Lightning
05. Fade to Black
06. Cyanide
07. The Memory Remains
08. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
09. Sad But True
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
Encore:
16. Am I Evil?
17. Motorbreath
18. Seek & Destroy
HDNet Concerts will air MEGADETH's "Blood In The Water: Live In San Diego" on Sunday, October 30 at 11:40 p.m. ET. The footage was shot on May 20, 2008 at the Cox Arena in San Diego, California on the Gigantour tour.
MEGADETH's new album, "TH1RT3EN", is scheduled for release on November 1 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others. The artwork was once again created by artist John Lorenzi, who worked on the last two MEGADETH studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame", as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest".
MEGADETH's new album, "TH1RT3EN", is scheduled for release on November 1 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at mainman Dave Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California with producer Johnny K (full name: John Karkazis), who has previously worked with DISTURBED, SEVENDUST, MACHINE HEAD and STAIND, among others. The artwork was once again created by artist John Lorenzi, who worked on the last two MEGADETH studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame", as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest".
Alex Woodward of Gambit recently conducted an interview with guitarist Kim Thayil of reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Gambit: It's interesting hearing you go from more song-oriented stuff to a heavier realm. Now you guys are writing again, are you coming from that background?
Kim: We're definitely putting on the shoes that fit, the four of us. It's interesting you bring that up, because over the past decade or so I've certainly gone in the direction of more heavy and also freer — elements of chaos of wildness I've always liked in music. It's amazing I never outgrew it, more so now than when I was in college or high school, more so now than in SOUNDGARDEN's heyday. But that's me. I'm a guitarist. I think singers are going to orient things toward their voice and lyrics, you know. I might've brought some of that element to the new material, but that element is going to be limited by the format of a song.
Gambit: Are you writing together?
Kim: Yeah. There's individual compositions, certainly. Chris [Cornell, vocals] has done very well over the years writing solo compositions, where he's writing the music and lyrics. He brings it to the band, and we twist it around and add our flavor to it. But there's also collaborative songs on this. I think probably one of the earliest… I can't really speculate, but if things are going the way we've been talking, one of the earliest songs we release will be a collaboration where we all wrote. It came about out of an idea of Matt's [Cameron, drums]. We all contributed some music, Chris came up with the lyrics afterwards. It's funny you should bring up that ambient, psychedelic stuff. That goes back to the conversation about THE BEATLES, where I liked the heavy and fast, and that sort of psychedelic element, that dark psychedelia is certainly present in some of the early records of BORIS, and SUNN O))), and bands like OM. You get the heavy, you get the trippy. It's excellent.
Gambit: So what spurred the reunion?
Kim: You know it's just a matter of time. I think the initial thing was tending to a neglected catalog and merchandising. We had some records that had gone out of print, we had lots of fans and friends of friends who had kids that said, "Hey man, we were at the store and we couldn't find any SOUNDGARDEN T-shirts or posters." And we had no e-presence, or Internet presence. We didn't have a MySpace page or Facebook. There's a Wikipedia entry for us. We didn't have a website. "Let's take care of these things, guys." But that was not anything we really considered before. Matt's busy with PEARL JAM, Chris is doing his solo stuff. These guys had time available to them.
Gambit: So as a posterity kind of thing?
Kim: No, not posterity. It was neglect. Would've been decades of neglect. The band's legacy has always been very, very important to me. It's a paramount issue since we were younger. It's, like, well look… I'd always look at how the records would be perceived. It's like, my record collection. You want to make sure the record company would treat them with a degree of regard or reverence as you would, as one would. What had happened was — without getting too much into detail about the financial, management, legal things — there's a decades-long neglect. After the band broke up, no one was… I was the guy who would oversee the catalog. But a lot of things happened. The band broke up, a few years later, the record company A&M dissolved ... and everyone we worked with there either quit or was fired, everyone was almost gone from A&M. That made it really difficult because the record label no longer existed. And then management — our manager, that would be Chris' wife at the time, ex-wife now of many years — she managed ALICE IN CHAINS as well, and ALICE IN CHAINS went on hiatus and was no longer, and she became a mom. The management company went from being this vital thing dealing with a few prominent bands to being a post office box and a voicemail. So the maintenance of SOUNDGARDEN's catalog… look, even THE BEATLES have been broken up for 40 years. They still have T-shirts and posters and records and books out there, they still have a catalog and shared interest and properties. Jimi Hendrix, man, he's been dead just as long, they're still making records and everything. So nobody is minding that store. I like to think it as a museum than as a store, because I don't want to be cynical about it. That's the way I see it. I see these things as valuable, as something we accomplished by recording these albums, writing these records, overseeing the design of these album covers and shirts. So, that was it. Band was gone, record company was gone, management was gone. There was nobody looking after the fact that we don't have DVDs out or a website. These were the things bringing us back to the table. There's some little more time available, there's some management interest, saying "Hey guys, look what you haven't been paying attention to." We're like, "Yes, we know, let's get this going." That really was the impetuous to get us working and talking, to pay attention to that. Unreleased things — some which is still yet to come out. Unreleased songs, unreleased tapes, compilations. We definitely want to get these things out there. We will. At first we were probably a little eager — "We'll get this stuff out in five years!" I imagine it'll take a little bit longer, 'cause now we're making new records (laughs).
Gambit: It's interesting hearing you go from more song-oriented stuff to a heavier realm. Now you guys are writing again, are you coming from that background?
Kim: We're definitely putting on the shoes that fit, the four of us. It's interesting you bring that up, because over the past decade or so I've certainly gone in the direction of more heavy and also freer — elements of chaos of wildness I've always liked in music. It's amazing I never outgrew it, more so now than when I was in college or high school, more so now than in SOUNDGARDEN's heyday. But that's me. I'm a guitarist. I think singers are going to orient things toward their voice and lyrics, you know. I might've brought some of that element to the new material, but that element is going to be limited by the format of a song.
Gambit: Are you writing together?
Kim: Yeah. There's individual compositions, certainly. Chris [Cornell, vocals] has done very well over the years writing solo compositions, where he's writing the music and lyrics. He brings it to the band, and we twist it around and add our flavor to it. But there's also collaborative songs on this. I think probably one of the earliest… I can't really speculate, but if things are going the way we've been talking, one of the earliest songs we release will be a collaboration where we all wrote. It came about out of an idea of Matt's [Cameron, drums]. We all contributed some music, Chris came up with the lyrics afterwards. It's funny you should bring up that ambient, psychedelic stuff. That goes back to the conversation about THE BEATLES, where I liked the heavy and fast, and that sort of psychedelic element, that dark psychedelia is certainly present in some of the early records of BORIS, and SUNN O))), and bands like OM. You get the heavy, you get the trippy. It's excellent.
Gambit: So what spurred the reunion?
Kim: You know it's just a matter of time. I think the initial thing was tending to a neglected catalog and merchandising. We had some records that had gone out of print, we had lots of fans and friends of friends who had kids that said, "Hey man, we were at the store and we couldn't find any SOUNDGARDEN T-shirts or posters." And we had no e-presence, or Internet presence. We didn't have a MySpace page or Facebook. There's a Wikipedia entry for us. We didn't have a website. "Let's take care of these things, guys." But that was not anything we really considered before. Matt's busy with PEARL JAM, Chris is doing his solo stuff. These guys had time available to them.
Gambit: So as a posterity kind of thing?
Kim: No, not posterity. It was neglect. Would've been decades of neglect. The band's legacy has always been very, very important to me. It's a paramount issue since we were younger. It's, like, well look… I'd always look at how the records would be perceived. It's like, my record collection. You want to make sure the record company would treat them with a degree of regard or reverence as you would, as one would. What had happened was — without getting too much into detail about the financial, management, legal things — there's a decades-long neglect. After the band broke up, no one was… I was the guy who would oversee the catalog. But a lot of things happened. The band broke up, a few years later, the record company A&M dissolved ... and everyone we worked with there either quit or was fired, everyone was almost gone from A&M. That made it really difficult because the record label no longer existed. And then management — our manager, that would be Chris' wife at the time, ex-wife now of many years — she managed ALICE IN CHAINS as well, and ALICE IN CHAINS went on hiatus and was no longer, and she became a mom. The management company went from being this vital thing dealing with a few prominent bands to being a post office box and a voicemail. So the maintenance of SOUNDGARDEN's catalog… look, even THE BEATLES have been broken up for 40 years. They still have T-shirts and posters and records and books out there, they still have a catalog and shared interest and properties. Jimi Hendrix, man, he's been dead just as long, they're still making records and everything. So nobody is minding that store. I like to think it as a museum than as a store, because I don't want to be cynical about it. That's the way I see it. I see these things as valuable, as something we accomplished by recording these albums, writing these records, overseeing the design of these album covers and shirts. So, that was it. Band was gone, record company was gone, management was gone. There was nobody looking after the fact that we don't have DVDs out or a website. These were the things bringing us back to the table. There's some little more time available, there's some management interest, saying "Hey guys, look what you haven't been paying attention to." We're like, "Yes, we know, let's get this going." That really was the impetuous to get us working and talking, to pay attention to that. Unreleased things — some which is still yet to come out. Unreleased songs, unreleased tapes, compilations. We definitely want to get these things out there. We will. At first we were probably a little eager — "We'll get this stuff out in five years!" I imagine it'll take a little bit longer, 'cause now we're making new records (laughs).
It's pretty cool to talk to bands you grew up on and learn a thing or two you didn't know. To me, there were 80s rock bands and then there was RATT. I have no qualms admitting my total fan boy adoration for the rodents back in my school days and I still feel the same way. They were the epitome of 80s sleaze hard rock and so I was pretty surprised to be talking to yet another member of RATT. In the interest of fairness, we talked to drummer Bobby Blotzer about his response to our interview with Juan Croucier, his new wine and sauce business, his relationships with the other RATT guys and more. Read on…
Q: The obvious first question….how did you end up in the food and beverage business Bobby?
A: Well…I found out we were going to be taking a little hiatus from RATT this year because that's what my bandmates wanted to do. I didn't think I was really going to have time to join a project musically because RATT is so unpredictable and you never know. They could get ahold of me and say they changed their mind and want to go out on the road and I didn't want to half commit to another project. I wanted something to do and step forward with something else and start some companies. It's something I've always wanted to do anyway.
Q: Is the hot sauce something you've always dabbled with anyway over the years?
A: Yeah, I've always made my own salsa for about 35 years. Family and friends have always encouraged me to put it out because it's pretty delicious, so we have that coming soon, it's called Blotz Sauce. The first sauce which is out NOW is called PI-RATT and it's a hot Caribbean rum sauce. The tag line is "If it's too hot, you're too old". It's the first of five sauces we're comin out with. It's really good, I just debuted it down at a convention over the weekend in Orlando and the response has been phenomenal. The wine went over really well too, I sold out of ALL the wine and all the rum sauce. The products are available online through www.artistwine.com and www.bobbyblotzer.com you can have them delivered to your house. I'm proud of it all because it's all really good stuff and I've been personally involved in all of it. I have a series of books coming out called WANTED…Things You NEED to Know. It's kind of an interesting concept because it's an interactive book series between the fans and I. Fans submit ideas and questions and I just roll with it. The books are going to focus on all kinds of things, anything about rock, music, publishing, touring, hotels, recording, you name it and it will be covered. The first one focuses on 80s rock and its in the finishing stages.
Are these other projects as fulfilling creatively as they are business wise?
A: Absolutely. The Wine in of itself is a really cool project. I partnered with a true friend and expert Kristian Story to make two signature Out of the Cellar wines, one called "Slip of the Lip" and one called "Body Talk". It's a more complicated process than a lot of people would think but it's definitely fulfilling.
Q: You're also still promoting your autobiography, Tales of a RATT. I know some of your bandmates have taken swipes at you in the press about it, including Juan and Jizzy here. I've just started reading it but it looks pretty straightforward actually. Normal kid from Pennsylvania trying to make his way thru rock stardom….
A: It's going great John….I think you'll really like it. It's been an really revealing and expressive thing for me to do this. It's been out over a year and it's still selling well on Amazon and on my website and I have heard nothing but great things about it. Fans are overwhelmingly giving me positive vibes about it. I've poured my heart and soul into this and all of these stories of my 52 years on this planet. I wanted to share all of these crazy stories, all of my friends that talk to me wanted me to share them. I'll have friends out on my boat or on a ski trip and just be bullshitting and talking and they've always been like "Blotz…you need to put that stuff out in book form, you need to do it". So I did. It really means a lot to me that people actually take the time to read it. It's my book, it's all done in my words, my co-author really helped with things like timing and context and color. Stephen Pearcy was just on That Metal Show and said it was a work of fiction, it's not. It's all me, why would I bluff my own story. How can it be when it's about my life. Don't you think I KNOW my life? (laughs). I'd just like to know how that's even possible. How do you sham or flim flam your own life experiences? Juan told you that he's not interested in reading it and that's because he's scared to read the truth. He already knows the truth. Jizzy is someone who is very intelligent and very well spoken and I have a lot of respect for. I enjoyed working with him. He is also the biggest conspiracy theorist on earth. He is a conspiracy theorist across the board UNLESS it involves himself. He is the only person on the planet who's doing the right thing. That's not a knock on Jizzy, it's just the truth. As far as Jizzy saying in your interview that most rock and roll books are B.S. and in need of spellcheck maybe he's referring to his own books. He's sure as hell not speaking of mine. You know what's funny about all this is that I was absolutely dead set on not writing anything just to be sensational or anything that would embarrass anybody's children, wives or ex-wives. I really handled stuff that was UNAVOIDABLE to talk about and it's not even stuff that hasn't already been spoken about in venues such as Behind The Music. I had to talk about those things and I had to talk about them in more detail. How stupid would I be to not talk about them. You take a poll of anyone who's finished that book and ask them what they think, everyone has been overwhelmingly positive.
Q: Maybe it's just the fact that you were the first RATT to come out with a book and give your take on things?
A: I don't know. I will tell you I knew when to pull back the reins and what NOT to say so I am pretty surprised that some of the people I've played music with are saying these things. Stephen said that on "That Metal Show" and I called him on it. I said "Stephen …..what you said isn't true….have you even read it?" and he said "No, but people have told me this and that". I said "Let me tell you something Stephen…there's no fiction in there. It's all true and believe me when I say I actually held BACK on some things". Go get it on Kindle for ten bucks and see for yourself man. (laughs). Fans and people I talk to have told me they love it and it's the best autobiography they've ever read including Motley's or Ozzy's. I'm not saying that to be cocky, it's just that it is a FUN book. It's not all misery and excess there's a lot of good times and fun in my book. There are ups and downs, sure, there are the sad parts and peaks and valleys in anyone's life story but by and large it is a fun book.
Q: Well, you definitely have some stories. The RATT Behind the Music is one of the best in the series. Do you still get a lot of feedback on it?
A: (laughs) Yeah. I remember before my Mom died she was like "Oh Bobby!!!" and I was like "Mom, I'm in a band called RATT not a band called the Boy Scouts okay? This is what we did. It was the way we lived and it's not just us Mom, all those entertainers whether it was country or whatever they were in the same boat. The road's a lonely place and the only thing there is to do is party and have a good time to keep from going nutty."
Q: It was a good episdode but as a Robbin fan it seemed like they really edited it to make it look like he was the only fuckup of the band right down to the style and editing of it. Was it ever a case of Warren or you or Stephen fuckin things up, not having your shit together or causing things to go wrong?
A: Absolutely John. Everybody was guilty of that back in those days okay. So let's just clear that up right now. Stephen took it to one level, Robbin took it to one level, eceteera there's different levels. The thing about Behind the Music is that they edit it to dramatize and patronize and they edit things out of context. Take for instance that opening scene of me going "Ohh, I threw up in the ashtray". That was me hamming it up for the camera in japan doing an IMPERSONATION of Juan from the night before. I was like "Dude, Juan, this was YOU last night…." and we had the camera rolling. I went into my version of Juan being so wasted the night before and was just joking around talking about Juan. Then VH1 gets the footage and number one misses the point that I was joking and number two makes it look like I was talking about myself.
Q: Speaking of Japan, is that something you wanna do again?
A: Every year I wanna be in Japan. I think we should always include Japan in our itinerary. We should be playing over there, I know we can draw people and earn over there. This band touring in general can earn. We should be playing 100 shows a year at least but we're not.
Q: Since you guys were always one of my favorites and I am a huge Robbin Crosby fan I would be remiss to not ask you. How important was Robbin in the development and signature sound of RATT?
A: Well, he was obviously one of the main architects as far as the sound of the band. He wrote SO many of the original lead melodies and riffs of those classic RATT songs both lead guitar and rythym guitar. He helped out with the lyrics, people loved him, he was a good looking guy. He was really, really good to the fans and everyone in general, band members families. He was just a really good guy. He was very well educated and intelligent which always bothered me that he wasn't able to physically or mentally resist smack. I didn't even know for YEARS that he was doing that shit. I'd never seen smack before in my life. It really irked me to visit him and see him in the condition that he was in knowing full well what he was capable of. The way he left this earth is pretty insanely hard to deal with. I would ask him "Why are you doin this?…..It's one thing to snort blow on the bus back in the day just to keep partying or whatever but even THAT I've never been addicted to". He on the other hand told me "I don't ever want anyone to even TRY it, once you do it that euphoric feeling that comes over you just CONSUMES you and you always want to have that feeling. It's unexplainable to you someone who hasn't done it and it sucks that you can't stop chasing that feeling". Some people, somehow are able to stop but of course our buddy Robbin couldn't find his way, his cure, to get off it. The fact that he is truly gone and the five of us will never be onstage together HAS hit me several times. To be honest it has hit me many, many times over the years and it just sucks. I'm a big Beatles fan…It sucks just like it sucks to know that two of those guys are gone. Life is just weird, it can be great but sometimes it can just be a shitty, down place to be. Life is weird. I miss Robbin for sure.
Q: Given the circumstances do you think Carlos (Cavaso) has done a pretty good job of filling that void? It must be hard for him, first taking over for Randy Rhoads and then taking over for Robbin.
A: I do, I think he does a great job of playing guitar in RATT. I liked having Corabi but he wasn't really the same style of player as Robbin. Carlos is much closer to that style and vein and everybody seems to pick up on it. He is also super easy to work with as was Robbin, really mellow and likable. I really enjoy having Carlos be a part of RATT. He's not only a great guy but a great player and he will continue to be a part of RATT, we've started writing tunes for this next record.
Q: Speaking of moving forward with RATT. How much of a distraction is it to the business of RATT when Stephen's off doing solo albums and tours and Warren's off doing his thing?
A: It's a JOKE to me the way that these guys handle business. We should have been working this past summer, out there touring or getting ready for the next record. Those two guys took it upon themselves to basically refuse to work or tour, and then incidentally when Stephen finally gave in and decides "Okay, whatever let's get out there and tour" suddenly Warren decides he's not going to tour, I guess to teach Stephen a lesson. In my opinion, it's all just really bad business and really petty. I don't think coming off a really great record like "INFESTATION" that this was the right move for the band to be making. We did a record that was a true return to form, we had two Grammy considerations, top five album in Japan and Canada, top 30 in the States. We should be STEAMROLLING right now and as far as Stephen doing a solo album, that is something I do not understand. Stephen is a part of RATT and our label Roadrunner picked up our option for the next album, I don't think Stephen or anyone is able to release ANYTHING. He shouldn't be putting anything out unless it's a RATT record.
Q: Sometimes I've heard some of his solo projects and thought to myself "Why not release that as RATT?"
A: That's just it though. He's put out these records and I don't think ANY of it compares to RATT. I don't think I've heard anything on his albums over all these years that I would at all consider RATT. Granted, I haven't heard every song or even every record he's done but what I have heard of Stephen without us has always been like "Ok, whatever, I'm not too concerned about that". You know? That goes for a lot of bands' solo projects. It's only RATT when you take us and get us all together with each other's material. Then it becomes RATT music. You will not hear songs like we've had on RATT records on anybody else's solo material.
Q: So how are things between you and Warren at this point?
A: I'd say "lukewarm". That's a good term. I talked to him for the first time in about a year. I mean, it WAS a good conversation but honestly I would characterize it as lukewarm. Stephen and I talk frequently and that is what it is, we're not at all on non-speaking terms. I ran into Juan Croucier actually about a month ago and had a good ten minute talk with him which was….interesting. I've actually got the Juan interview with you guys right here in front of me as I'm talking to you, someone sent it to me. Typical bullshit from him.
Q: Wow. That's interesting. Yeah, he actually said he was holding back and didn't want to say anything to add fuel to the fire. You took issue with some of what he said?
A: Well, there's a lot of outright lies. Like I said, typical. The truth in his interview is that we did grow up together, went to school together and definitely had a great time together. Where it starts to bother me is when he's discussing his coming BACK to RATT. He states that it ISNT true that he wouldn't come back to us for family reasons. Not true. That WAS one of the reasons he wouldn't come back, actually one of the first and foremost reasons in 1996 that he gave for not wanting to reuinite. Then in 2007 when Stephen came back we were all on the phone for three months plotting the course. We were setting up the guidelines and plotting the course to the official reunion of the four of us. At the very last moment and at a very inopportune time for the band we get an EMAIL from Juan making all of these demands. He said "Unless I am reimbursed 200,000 dollars in restitution from you guys for the past ten years I will not do this reunion". Which was pretty shocking since the last time in 1996 he lost his position in RATT because he was hedging and hesitating and preventing us from being able to reunite. His position in 1996 was "If I'm not doing it then NOONE's doing it" and he tried to prevent the rest of us from going out because HE didn't want to. I personally begged him to do it. Begged. I begged his brother to talk some sense into him. So of course we just steamrolled over that and went out with Robbie Crane. This is the TRUTH that I am telling you. This is the definition of truth. If Juan wants to talk to LEGENDARY ROCK INTERVIEWS and state otherwise then he is not only lying to you and your audience but he is lying to HIMSELF. The funny thing, or the sad thing is that before he pulled that stunt via email in 2007 the conversations were going well. We were on course to reunite the four of us and do the album and tour. In 2007 I was in Texas producing other records and the RATT guys were all out in California and we just started flinging around the idea of getting the original band back together and doin it. We wanted to give ourselves and the fans EXACTLY what we wanted and he pulls this stunt and made these demands. His reaction was "Oh, They're blown away" by the fact that he did it. I'll tell you. I wasn't blown away. It was just typical Juan. It didn't work out for a reason and he wasn't on the record for a reason, it would have never survived. It would have never made it through recording the new record because Juan is just an incredible egomaniac. He has worked hard at perfecting an image and can come across kind and articulate to you in interviews or whatever but the truth is it is an act. He is passing himself off that way, he does come off very well spoken but I don't even know if he graduated high school, we were so busy playing at that point. I know I did. The other thing he is blatently lying to you about his how busy he has been playing out since RATT. He has done like 5, 10 gigs in the last 20 years. He's on your page saying all this bullshit about how he didn't refuse RATT because of family or kids and how he's in all these bands. That's not the truth Juan. I don't dig it when people don't tell the truth. If you're gonna make it a point to put yourself out there and do interviews and everything you shouldn't LIE. They're your words, your story, no REASON to lie. But he is.
Q: So you're saying he should have been on "INFESTATION"?
A: Absolutely. Not just on the record but he also should have been out with us in 2007 before that on the RATT/POISON tour. But he has to shoot himself in the foot. He has to pull out at the last minute or be totally impossible to deal with. When he's making demands to pay HIM for us not including him the first time around when it was HE who wouldn't participate??? At that point the official reunion of the four of us was off the table. One other thing about Juan that a LOT of people don't know. It was HE who chose to break the news about Robbin's cause of death to Behind The Music in his private interview. Everyone knew that Robbin was suffering from AIDS but nobody knew that Robbin had succumb to a heroin overdose. Nobody, I mean nobody put that out there as public knowledge, not Robbin's family, not the band, noone. Juan took it upon himself to reveal that on Behind the Music and it was so wrong and unfair to Robbin's family . It was so hurtful and so wrong moralistically to put that out there without consent. Let me tell you, he infuriated the RATT camp in general with that comment. It wasn't made public by any news source or anything but Juan took it upon himself to do step over the family and release that information. I have no idea why other than the fact that he is just an egomaniacal and bitter individual. You can see it on his face in those interviews, he may be happy about his life now and his family that he loves but when it comes to this band he is the most bitter individual hands down.
Q: Just wondering….25 years ago, during that era, which band member were you closest with? Who did you confide in or get along best with?
A: Probably Robbin to be honest. He was the most reasonable and sensible. Like I said, he was a really intelligent and likeable guy. The good thing about comin up and making it in a band is usually that everyone's business sense and decision making is usually pretty straightforward and clear, GOAL FOCUSED. Now, there's two guys in the band who have all these demands and Warren and I are left owning the name and Stephen, who doesn't own the name. Up until now that had been fine with him but then recently Stephen started making all these moves and demands and as I said refused to tour. Now that Stephen is seeing eye to eye we have Warren DiMartini refusing to tour. I'm just left here trying to hold it all together. It's not easy (laughs).
Q: Realize it's going back a ways but what do you take out of the earliest era of the band? Was it a struggle leading up to making that first self-titled EP?
A: Not really (laughs). It was pretty quick actually. I'm trying to remember, June of 1982. The recording went pretty quick and then it came out in 1983 which led to the deal with Atlantic. It was an exciting time for sure. I go into a LOT of detail about that in my book. It all took off like gangbusters from that point forward.
Q: "Out of the Cellar" was just massive right out the gate. What was it like being launched into instant headliner status on your first full length album?
A: Yeah, obviously it was pretty cool but pretty crazy also. We were out on the road opening for Ozzy. Then it started…. we were headlining theaters and then it just kept building and building. The album went platinum several times and we were all over MTV. It was the first taste and test of fame. Next thing we knew we were huge over in Japan and headlining arenas here. Quite a jump to go from playing in clubs to having three or four semi's worth of gear.
Q: You then did "Invasion of Your Privacy" and "Dancin Undercover", both great albums. It got to the point where we could count on there being a Ratt album in a timely fashion but it must have been challenging. Were there times in that era 85-88 where it seemed like you really didn't even have a chance to breath as a band? Like " the machine" was just propelling you forward?
A: Definitely. That's a good way of putting it. We never had enough time to breathe between albums. Never, not ever. That's exactly what it was, it was a machine, building steam, steamrolling over everything.
Q: Juan mentioned that you toured with Cheap Trick in those days. When was that and what was that like, having an established band tour with you as openers?
A: I think that was 86. It was 86/87. I thought it was pretty cool because I was in Top 40 bands growing up playing Cheap Trick tunes, cover tunes. That was years before that but still it was pretty cool and they were pretty cool guys, nice guys. We got along pretty good and had fun during that time. It was nice being able to play every night and also get to see CHEAP TRICK!
Q: That sort of says a lot about how big RATT got in that time, how high you scaled the heights, doesn't it? You also had Metallica open up for you during your club days!!
A: When the occasional person who doesn't know me asks who RATT is, I always ask them "Have you ever heard of Bon Jovi?" and of course they go "Yeah!!!" and I go "Yeah, they were our opening band". (laughs). They'll be like "No, you're serious???" (laughs). At the end of the day it's cool to look back on everything we've done and know that there's still time to do more. Still more new people to introduce the music to.
U.D.O.'s November 16 concert at Hristo Botev Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria will be professionally filmed for the band's next official live DVD.
As previously reported, U.D.O. has been for confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany. The group states, "The show will be recorded for the forthcoming live DVD! Furthermore, there are more surprises currently in the works."
"Rev-Raptor", the new album from U.D.O., was released on May 20 via AFM Records. The effort was made available in the following formats:
* CD (Jewel Case)
* CD (Digipak)
* CD (Japan)
* Vinyl black
* Vinyl green
* Limited Box
The digipak contains the two bonus tracks "Time Dilator" and "Heavy Metal W:O:A" plus the videos for "Leatherhead" and the second single, "I Give As Good As I Get".
The Japanese version of "Rev-Raptor" includes the bonus tracks "Stormbreaker" and "Bodyworld".
The green-vinyl edition of "Rev-Raptor" is limited to 200 copies and available exclusively via Nuclear Blast mailorder.
The recordings for "Rev-Raptor" took place between June 2010 and February 2011 at Roxx studios (owned by U.D.O. guitarist and ex-ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann) in Pulheim, Germany. The CD was mastered by Manfred Melchior at MM Sound Digital studios in Steinhagen, Germany. The album's cover artwork is once again a comic-like motif: but the "Dominator" character is this time "a lot more effectual and colorful," according to a press release.
U.D.O. is:
Udo Dirkschneider - Lead Vocals
Stefan Kaufmann - Guitar, Vocals
Igor Gianola - Guitar
Fitty Wienhold - Bass, Vocals
Francesco Jovino - Drums
As previously reported, U.D.O. has been for confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany. The group states, "The show will be recorded for the forthcoming live DVD! Furthermore, there are more surprises currently in the works."
"Rev-Raptor", the new album from U.D.O., was released on May 20 via AFM Records. The effort was made available in the following formats:
* CD (Jewel Case)
* CD (Digipak)
* CD (Japan)
* Vinyl black
* Vinyl green
* Limited Box
The digipak contains the two bonus tracks "Time Dilator" and "Heavy Metal W:O:A" plus the videos for "Leatherhead" and the second single, "I Give As Good As I Get".
The Japanese version of "Rev-Raptor" includes the bonus tracks "Stormbreaker" and "Bodyworld".
The green-vinyl edition of "Rev-Raptor" is limited to 200 copies and available exclusively via Nuclear Blast mailorder.
The recordings for "Rev-Raptor" took place between June 2010 and February 2011 at Roxx studios (owned by U.D.O. guitarist and ex-ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann) in Pulheim, Germany. The CD was mastered by Manfred Melchior at MM Sound Digital studios in Steinhagen, Germany. The album's cover artwork is once again a comic-like motif: but the "Dominator" character is this time "a lot more effectual and colorful," according to a press release.
U.D.O. is:
Udo Dirkschneider - Lead Vocals
Stefan Kaufmann - Guitar, Vocals
Igor Gianola - Guitar
Fitty Wienhold - Bass, Vocals
Francesco Jovino - Drums
According to The Associated Press, POISON frontman Bret Michaels is donating TVs and sound systems for a waiting room at the St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was treated in April 2010 for a brain hemorrhage. The equipment will allow families to relax and listen to music. In return, the waiting room will be named after Michaels.
Michaels was rushed to St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute last April after suffering from a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The brain hemorrhage left the musician in critical condition and hospitalized at Barrow for several days. He returned to St. Joseph's in January to undergo a heart procedure to close a hole in his heart.
Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is an internationally renowned medical center that offers care for people from throughout the world with brain and spine diseases, disorders and injuries. It includes the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. U.S. News & World Report routinely lists St. Joseph's as one of the top 10 best hospitals in the nation for neurological and neurosurgical care.
Michaels was rushed to St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute last April after suffering from a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The brain hemorrhage left the musician in critical condition and hospitalized at Barrow for several days. He returned to St. Joseph's in January to undergo a heart procedure to close a hole in his heart.
Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is an internationally renowned medical center that offers care for people from throughout the world with brain and spine diseases, disorders and injuries. It includes the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. U.S. News & World Report routinely lists St. Joseph's as one of the top 10 best hospitals in the nation for neurological and neurosurgical care.
Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY, DETHKLOK) will demonstrate his killer technique, discuss his projects, share tips and methods, and answer your questions during the following drum clinics in Canada:
Nov. 25 - The Studio - Edmonton, Alberta
Nov. 26 - The New Black - Calgary, Alberta
Gene Hoglan recently released his long-awaited instructional DVD, "The Atomic Clock". Available on Hoglan Industries in the U.S. and on Reversed Records in Canada, the disc showcases Hoglan's three decades of experience of performing and recording with the world's most well-known metal bands such as DEVIN TOWNSEND, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT, ZIMMER'S HOLE, and most recently FEAR FACTORY, along with many others on his resume.
Nov. 25 - The Studio - Edmonton, Alberta
Nov. 26 - The New Black - Calgary, Alberta
Gene Hoglan recently released his long-awaited instructional DVD, "The Atomic Clock". Available on Hoglan Industries in the U.S. and on Reversed Records in Canada, the disc showcases Hoglan's three decades of experience of performing and recording with the world's most well-known metal bands such as DEVIN TOWNSEND, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT, ZIMMER'S HOLE, and most recently FEAR FACTORY, along with many others on his resume.
Drummer Steven Spence of the Miami hard rock quartet BLACK TIDE has issued the following update:
"Our tour bus just dropped us back off at home a few days ago! It feels great to be back in a bed that's not traveling 80 miles per hour every night! However, the last couple of months on the road were unforgettable.
"When I first got the news about the full lineup for the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, I think it's needless to say that my hopes were high, but nothing could have prepared me for what was coming our way. I think I can safely say that Uproar has been the best tour of our career so far. Between the friendships we've made, the insane crowds we've performed in front of, and the ridiculous after-parties we've hosted, I'd say that this tour is going to leave a long-lasting impression on our lives. The rest of this new touring cycle is going to have a lot to live up to.
"When I think of our best crowd-response experiences, a few cities come to mind in particular. In general, it's just great to see our fans come out and show us love and support by bringing a ton of energy and singing along to our new songs, especially because they were released fairly recently.
"Releasing this new album was a huge step for us and everyone's support truly means the world to us. It's been very refreshing being able to perform some new tunes for everyone and we're excited to continue doing so.
"Even though right now we're all pretty stoked to be back home for a couple of weeks, I'm sure that within a few days we'll all be eager to get back on the road and set out to continue working towards our goal!: WORLD DOMINATION!"
In addition to BLACK TIDE, this summer's edition of Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival featured AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SEVENDUST and more.
"Post Mortem", the sophomore album from BLACK TIDE, sold 5,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on August 23 via DGC/Interscope Records.
"Post Mortem" was written and recorded in the summer of 2010, and is the follow-up to 2008's "Light From Above", which garnered instant critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Spin, Revolver and more.
The band followed the release of "Light From Above" with an appearance on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, performed on the main stage of Download 2008 and capped it off by playing the entire 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
In April 2011 BLACK TIDE was added as support for the only two announced U.S. dates of IRON MAIDEN's "The Final Frontier" world tour, which took place in BLACK TIDE's home state of Florida.
"Our tour bus just dropped us back off at home a few days ago! It feels great to be back in a bed that's not traveling 80 miles per hour every night! However, the last couple of months on the road were unforgettable.
"When I first got the news about the full lineup for the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, I think it's needless to say that my hopes were high, but nothing could have prepared me for what was coming our way. I think I can safely say that Uproar has been the best tour of our career so far. Between the friendships we've made, the insane crowds we've performed in front of, and the ridiculous after-parties we've hosted, I'd say that this tour is going to leave a long-lasting impression on our lives. The rest of this new touring cycle is going to have a lot to live up to.
"When I think of our best crowd-response experiences, a few cities come to mind in particular. In general, it's just great to see our fans come out and show us love and support by bringing a ton of energy and singing along to our new songs, especially because they were released fairly recently.
"Releasing this new album was a huge step for us and everyone's support truly means the world to us. It's been very refreshing being able to perform some new tunes for everyone and we're excited to continue doing so.
"Even though right now we're all pretty stoked to be back home for a couple of weeks, I'm sure that within a few days we'll all be eager to get back on the road and set out to continue working towards our goal!: WORLD DOMINATION!"
In addition to BLACK TIDE, this summer's edition of Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival featured AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SEVENDUST and more.
"Post Mortem", the sophomore album from BLACK TIDE, sold 5,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on August 23 via DGC/Interscope Records.
"Post Mortem" was written and recorded in the summer of 2010, and is the follow-up to 2008's "Light From Above", which garnered instant critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Spin, Revolver and more.
The band followed the release of "Light From Above" with an appearance on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, performed on the main stage of Download 2008 and capped it off by playing the entire 2009 Vans Warped Tour.
In April 2011 BLACK TIDE was added as support for the only two announced U.S. dates of IRON MAIDEN's "The Final Frontier" world tour, which took place in BLACK TIDE's home state of Florida.
The cover artwork for "The Serpentine Ritual", the forthcoming debut album from KILL RITUAL, the new band featuring former members of IMAGIKA, DARK ANGEL and ELDRITCH, can be seen below. The piece was designed by Brazilian artist Jobert Mello's Sledgehammer Graphix (SABATON, BAD COMPANY).
"The Serpentine Ritual" was mixed at KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's's Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque also plays a guest guitar solo on the track "Coat Of Blood". Guitarist Steve Rice engineered the CD, which was tracked at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California and Fossil Studios in San Jose, California.
According to a press release, "The Serpentine Ritual" "finds KILL RITUAL unleashing 10 tracks of straight-up metal that is both modern and classic while retaining the legacy of their past bands."
"The Serpentine Ritual" track listing:
01. The Serpentine Ritual
02. Torn Down
03. Time To Kill
04. Ambush
05. Old School Thrasher
06. Coat Of Blood
07. Cold Hard Floor
08. Law Of The Land
09. The Day The World Dies
10. Prisoner Of The Flesh
The "The Serpentine Ritual" title track is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.
KILL RITUAL is looking for a suitable label to release "Serpentine Rituals". Interested parties can contact the band at killritualmetal@gmail.com.
Formed in late 2010 by former IMAGIKA lead guitarist Steven Rice and drummer Wayne De Vecchi, KILL RITUAL is completed by former ELDRITCH guitarist Roberto Proietti, former DARK ANGEL bassist Danyael Williams and Bay Area vocalist Josh Gibson.
Commented Steven: "After the demise of IMAGIKA, Wayne and I decided to form a new band that would bring life to the music we had been working on after IMAGIKA called it a day. We had a goal in mind of writing music that reflected our influences from thrash, classic, progressive, power, whatever-kicks-ass metal and this required bringing in experienced players that have been there and done that. We were lucky enough to come in contact with Roberto and Danyael, who had the kind of pedigree and experience we were definitely looking for.
"Having both been in bands that have released numerous albums worldwide and toured extensively, they are a perfect fit for this new band. The missing element was, of course, vocalist Josh, who came into the band with the work ethic, experience and attitude that is essential as a vocalist to help the songs take on a life of their own. His unique and identifiable vocal style is the change we needed from our past projects as we definitely had the idea of KILL RITUAL taking a new direction from our collective past bands and I think we have achieved that. I mean, what's the point of rehashing what you've already done? I feel the four rough demo tracks [we have released] show this and are only a hint of what's to come."
KILL RITUAL is:
Josh Gibson - Vocals
Steven Rice - Lead Guitar
Roberto Proietti - Guitar
Wayne De Vecchi - Drums
Danyael Williams – Bass
"The Serpentine Ritual" was mixed at KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's's Sonic Train Studio in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque also plays a guest guitar solo on the track "Coat Of Blood". Guitarist Steve Rice engineered the CD, which was tracked at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California and Fossil Studios in San Jose, California.
According to a press release, "The Serpentine Ritual" "finds KILL RITUAL unleashing 10 tracks of straight-up metal that is both modern and classic while retaining the legacy of their past bands."
"The Serpentine Ritual" track listing:
01. The Serpentine Ritual
02. Torn Down
03. Time To Kill
04. Ambush
05. Old School Thrasher
06. Coat Of Blood
07. Cold Hard Floor
08. Law Of The Land
09. The Day The World Dies
10. Prisoner Of The Flesh
The "The Serpentine Ritual" title track is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.
KILL RITUAL is looking for a suitable label to release "Serpentine Rituals". Interested parties can contact the band at killritualmetal@gmail.com.
Formed in late 2010 by former IMAGIKA lead guitarist Steven Rice and drummer Wayne De Vecchi, KILL RITUAL is completed by former ELDRITCH guitarist Roberto Proietti, former DARK ANGEL bassist Danyael Williams and Bay Area vocalist Josh Gibson.
Commented Steven: "After the demise of IMAGIKA, Wayne and I decided to form a new band that would bring life to the music we had been working on after IMAGIKA called it a day. We had a goal in mind of writing music that reflected our influences from thrash, classic, progressive, power, whatever-kicks-ass metal and this required bringing in experienced players that have been there and done that. We were lucky enough to come in contact with Roberto and Danyael, who had the kind of pedigree and experience we were definitely looking for.
"Having both been in bands that have released numerous albums worldwide and toured extensively, they are a perfect fit for this new band. The missing element was, of course, vocalist Josh, who came into the band with the work ethic, experience and attitude that is essential as a vocalist to help the songs take on a life of their own. His unique and identifiable vocal style is the change we needed from our past projects as we definitely had the idea of KILL RITUAL taking a new direction from our collective past bands and I think we have achieved that. I mean, what's the point of rehashing what you've already done? I feel the four rough demo tracks [we have released] show this and are only a hint of what's to come."
KILL RITUAL is:
Josh Gibson - Vocals
Steven Rice - Lead Guitar
Roberto Proietti - Guitar
Wayne De Vecchi - Drums
Danyael Williams – Bass
The Pulse Of Radio reports: Although HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale is in a steady relationship with the band's guitarist, Joe Hottinger, she admits to having a "crush" on STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor. Hale told Loudwire, "I'm gonna totally ruin his hard-ass reputation right now, but, you know, there's something that I've always liked about the scary-looking guy that will, you know, in the morning call me 'darling' . . . I don't think that anyone has really ever given him the recognition for what an incredibly handsome smile he has. He never gets recognized for that."
Hale added that she thinks SLIPKNOT's "Gehanna" is the sexiest metal song around, saying, "Every time that song comes on, I still get chills, you know? I guess it's the combination of the performance of Corey and just, you know, the words actually speak to me more so than anything else . . . It's definitely a sexy song."
Known for sexy songs herself like "I Get Off", Hale and her bandmates are prepping their second album for an early 2012 release. After playing two new songs live earlier this year, Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that the response made her excited to get the whole record out there. "It's like they're already out there on the radio, and it's like the album's already out," she said. "And it's crazy, man, it gives me such a great feeling for this new record. I'm so excited right now because it's already starting to cultivate and the energy is already starting for this new record. So I cannot wait to release it and give these people these songs for real."
HALESTORM's follow-up to its 2009 debut was originally supposed to come out this fall, but was pushed back, as Hale explained, because "we wanted to see how far we could take it — or how far I could take it, at least."
Some of the new song titles that could make it to the next CD are "American Boys", "Love Bites (And So Do I)" and "I Hate It When You See Me Cry".
Hale added that she thinks SLIPKNOT's "Gehanna" is the sexiest metal song around, saying, "Every time that song comes on, I still get chills, you know? I guess it's the combination of the performance of Corey and just, you know, the words actually speak to me more so than anything else . . . It's definitely a sexy song."
Known for sexy songs herself like "I Get Off", Hale and her bandmates are prepping their second album for an early 2012 release. After playing two new songs live earlier this year, Hale told The Pulse Of Radio that the response made her excited to get the whole record out there. "It's like they're already out there on the radio, and it's like the album's already out," she said. "And it's crazy, man, it gives me such a great feeling for this new record. I'm so excited right now because it's already starting to cultivate and the energy is already starting for this new record. So I cannot wait to release it and give these people these songs for real."
HALESTORM's follow-up to its 2009 debut was originally supposed to come out this fall, but was pushed back, as Hale explained, because "we wanted to see how far we could take it — or how far I could take it, at least."
Some of the new song titles that could make it to the next CD are "American Boys", "Love Bites (And So Do I)" and "I Hate It When You See Me Cry".
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."
"...In Unholy Mourning..." track listing:
01. Rotten Death Prayer
02. Dawn Of Heresy
03. Cursed Be Thou
04. Deny The Light
05. A Dream Of Blasphemy
06. Hail The Metal Of Death!
07. Into The Nightmare (THRASHMASSACRE cover)
08. Unexorcised (Haunting Your Exorcist)
09. In Unholy Mourning
10. Lightless…
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."
"...In Unholy Mourning..." track listing:
01. Rotten Death Prayer
02. Dawn Of Heresy
03. Cursed Be Thou
04. Deny The Light
05. A Dream Of Blasphemy
06. Hail The Metal Of Death!
07. Into The Nightmare (THRASHMASSACRE cover)
08. Unexorcised (Haunting Your Exorcist)
09. In Unholy Mourning
10. Lightless…
HEADHUNTER D.C. has started the process of booking dates for its next Brazilian/South American tour in support of "...In Unholy Mourning..."
THE UNGUIDED — the new project featuring former SONIC SYNDICATE members Richard Sjunnesson (vocals) and Roland Johansson (vocals), along with current SONIC SYNDICATE guitarist (and Richard's brother) Roger Sjunnesson — will release its debut album, "Hell Frost", on November 30 via Despotz Records.
Commented the band: "['Hell Frost'] will indeed bring you on a lot of different adventures. Some paths are possibly common ground for both of us. But we can also guarantee that this album will bring you to places where none of us have ventured together before. This is the proudest moment in our career as we are about to release what we consider the best effort we've done up to date. For whatever past endeavors we accomplished and for whatever future victories we shall have, it's with a lot of honor and pride in our hearts we now give to you ['Hell Frost']."
"Hell Frost" track listing:
01. Inherit The Earth
02. Phoenix Down
03. Betrayer Of The Code
04. My Own Death
05. Serenade Of Guilt
06. Collapse My Dream
07. Green Eyed Demon
08. Iceheart Fragment
09. Pathfinder
10. Where The Frost Rose Withers
11. The Miracle Of Mind (bonus song, only available on jakebox CD)
Commented the band: "['Hell Frost'] will indeed bring you on a lot of different adventures. Some paths are possibly common ground for both of us. But we can also guarantee that this album will bring you to places where none of us have ventured together before. This is the proudest moment in our career as we are about to release what we consider the best effort we've done up to date. For whatever past endeavors we accomplished and for whatever future victories we shall have, it's with a lot of honor and pride in our hearts we now give to you ['Hell Frost']."
"Hell Frost" track listing:
01. Inherit The Earth
02. Phoenix Down
03. Betrayer Of The Code
04. My Own Death
05. Serenade Of Guilt
06. Collapse My Dream
07. Green Eyed Demon
08. Iceheart Fragment
09. Pathfinder
10. Where The Frost Rose Withers
11. The Miracle Of Mind (bonus song, only available on jakebox CD)
According to The Times Of India, Delhi-based band GUILLOTINE and Delhi DJ Sidharth Talwar have been chosen as the support acts — along with Scottish band BIFFY CLYRO — for METALLICA's first-ever concert in India, scheduled for this coming Friday, October 28 in Gurgaon.
GUILLOTINE was selected by a jury as part of a contest run by Talenthouse India for F1 Rocks in Mumbai Monday night after a month-long search. The band's lead vocalist Karan Nambiar told The Times Of India, "We are speechless. It has not sunk in yet. I don't know about the other members, but I'll certainly cry on stage, I think." He added, "We usually play death metal mixed with jazz, funk, blues and electronics, and that's what we'll play at the concert too. It'll be our creations. We usually pick up social issues through our songs and we'll try and do the same here. It's our crowd, and we want to ensure they have a good time." Arun Mehra, CEO, Talenthouse India, said, "It was very difficult to choose eight bands from over 250 that had participated. It took over a week to freeze on the eight finalists from the shortlisted 25."
GUILLOTINE was selected by a jury as part of a contest run by Talenthouse India for F1 Rocks in Mumbai Monday night after a month-long search. The band's lead vocalist Karan Nambiar told The Times Of India, "We are speechless. It has not sunk in yet. I don't know about the other members, but I'll certainly cry on stage, I think." He added, "We usually play death metal mixed with jazz, funk, blues and electronics, and that's what we'll play at the concert too. It'll be our creations. We usually pick up social issues through our songs and we'll try and do the same here. It's our crowd, and we want to ensure they have a good time." Arun Mehra, CEO, Talenthouse India, said, "It was very difficult to choose eight bands from over 250 that had participated. It took over a week to freeze on the eight finalists from the shortlisted 25."
Indie Recordings has postponed the release of GOD SEED's "Live At Wacken" DVD and CD "until further notice." The label states, "We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause and we will hopefully soon come with updates concerning the planned release."
In other news, the number of tracks on the "Live At Wacken" DVD has been reduced to nine from the previously announced 13.
GOD SEED was the Norwegian band featuring former GORGOROTH members King (bass; real name: Tom Cato Visnes) and Gaahl (vocals; real name: Kristian Espedal).
"Live At Wacken" will include footage of the group's infamous live show from the 2008 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany where they performed on the main stage in front of 75,000 screaming fans.
The Wacken performance was a reconstruction of GORGOROTH's controversial "Black Mass" show from Krakow in 2004 filmed in a TV studio in Kraków, Poland. The concert featured sheep heads on stakes, "crucified" nude models, satanic symbols, and eighty liters of sheep's blood. The band came under fire for violating Polish anti-blasphemy laws as well as Polish animal-rights laws, resulting in a police investigation with allegations of religious offence and cruelty to animals. The band went free of all charges and at Wacken 2008 they recreated this now-legendary show in all its glory.
This spectacular show is made available as a live CD, including the film of the entire show on DVD. The album is only available in a deluxe digipack edition and holds liner notes from the band about the process of recreating this special show.
"Live At Wacken" features session players Nick Barker (drums) and Ice Dale (guitar) alongside King and Gaahl.
"Live At Wacken" revised track listing:
01. Procreating Satan
02. Forces Of Satan Storms
03. Teethgrinding
04. Carving A Giant
05. A Sign Of An Open Eye
06. Wound Upon Wound
07. Godseed
08. Of Ice And Movement
09. Prosperity And Beauty
GOD SEED came to life after Gaahl and King lost a court battle in early 2009 against guitarist Infernus (real name: Roger Tiegs) over the rights to the GORGOROTH band name.
Commented King: "GOD SEED represents a more spiritual side to us than what GORGOROTH did. GOD SEED represents the will to grow; the will to be the super man, so to speak. I think it's a suitable name for what we will represent in the future. I am also aware of the fact that we use the word 'God' in the name. It will challenge the weak minded in the respect that we in the past used the word Satan a lot, but it's all about the same thing. The God within man, and the God within nature. I never believed in a Christian force named Satan. I believe in the God within man."
Gaahl left GOD SEED in 2009 because he chose to retire from metal music.
In other news, the number of tracks on the "Live At Wacken" DVD has been reduced to nine from the previously announced 13.
GOD SEED was the Norwegian band featuring former GORGOROTH members King (bass; real name: Tom Cato Visnes) and Gaahl (vocals; real name: Kristian Espedal).
"Live At Wacken" will include footage of the group's infamous live show from the 2008 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany where they performed on the main stage in front of 75,000 screaming fans.
The Wacken performance was a reconstruction of GORGOROTH's controversial "Black Mass" show from Krakow in 2004 filmed in a TV studio in Kraków, Poland. The concert featured sheep heads on stakes, "crucified" nude models, satanic symbols, and eighty liters of sheep's blood. The band came under fire for violating Polish anti-blasphemy laws as well as Polish animal-rights laws, resulting in a police investigation with allegations of religious offence and cruelty to animals. The band went free of all charges and at Wacken 2008 they recreated this now-legendary show in all its glory.
This spectacular show is made available as a live CD, including the film of the entire show on DVD. The album is only available in a deluxe digipack edition and holds liner notes from the band about the process of recreating this special show.
"Live At Wacken" features session players Nick Barker (drums) and Ice Dale (guitar) alongside King and Gaahl.
"Live At Wacken" revised track listing:
01. Procreating Satan
02. Forces Of Satan Storms
03. Teethgrinding
04. Carving A Giant
05. A Sign Of An Open Eye
06. Wound Upon Wound
07. Godseed
08. Of Ice And Movement
09. Prosperity And Beauty
GOD SEED came to life after Gaahl and King lost a court battle in early 2009 against guitarist Infernus (real name: Roger Tiegs) over the rights to the GORGOROTH band name.
Commented King: "GOD SEED represents a more spiritual side to us than what GORGOROTH did. GOD SEED represents the will to grow; the will to be the super man, so to speak. I think it's a suitable name for what we will represent in the future. I am also aware of the fact that we use the word 'God' in the name. It will challenge the weak minded in the respect that we in the past used the word Satan a lot, but it's all about the same thing. The God within man, and the God within nature. I never believed in a Christian force named Satan. I believe in the God within man."
Gaahl left GOD SEED in 2009 because he chose to retire from metal music.
Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED have entered the studio to begin recording their 11th full-length album for a spring 2012 release.
UNLEASHED's most recent CD, "As Yggdrasil Trembles", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 85 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.
"As Yggdrasil Trembles" was released on April 6, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at guitarist Fredrik Folkare's Chrome studio, and is "the logical continuation from 'Midvinterblot' [2006] and 'Hammer Battalion' [2008]," according to the group. "Lyrically, you will recognize what has become the UNLEASHED trademark since more than 20 years, the combination of the past, present and future of viking struggle and way of life. A few of the songs also mark the beginning of a story never before told."
UNLEASHED's current lineup:
Johnny Hedlund: Bass, Vocals
Tomas Måsgard: Guitar
Fredrik Folkare: Guitar
Anders Schultz: Drums
UNLEASHED's most recent CD, "As Yggdrasil Trembles", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 85 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.
"As Yggdrasil Trembles" was released on April 6, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at guitarist Fredrik Folkare's Chrome studio, and is "the logical continuation from 'Midvinterblot' [2006] and 'Hammer Battalion' [2008]," according to the group. "Lyrically, you will recognize what has become the UNLEASHED trademark since more than 20 years, the combination of the past, present and future of viking struggle and way of life. A few of the songs also mark the beginning of a story never before told."
UNLEASHED's current lineup:
Johnny Hedlund: Bass, Vocals
Tomas Måsgard: Guitar
Fredrik Folkare: Guitar
Anders Schultz: Drums
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