According to InlandSoCal.com, Ozzy Osbourne fan Ericka Chavez had the metal star autograph her arm at his book signing last Friday in Riverside, California so she could have the signature tattooed on her. Ericka states: "I had [the tattoo] done as soon as I left from the signing."
In his new book "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. Due out 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.
In his new book "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. Due out 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.
Legendary rock singer Paul Rodgers tells Billboard.com that he has heard the rumors about him reuniting with QUEEN for a performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. However, "no one's actually approached me yet," Rodgers, who worked with QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor from 2005-2009, tells Billboard.com. But he adds that he "would be open to something like that, I must say. (QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS) did great. I think we did fantastically well. We were up against potential disaster, really, and I think we really pulled it off. Toured the world a couple of times. Made a brand new studio album (2008's 'The Cosmos Rock'). I just didn't want to do it forever... But for something like (the Olympics), that would be ideal."
QUEEN will be honored with the Global Icon Award at the "2011 MTV EMA" on Sunday, November 6 at 9 p.m. CET from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance. This year marks the 40th anniversary of QUEEN's formation in 1971; since then, these Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have garnered a long list of accomplishments and accolades, including career sales of more than 300 million albums, 16 No. 1 albums, 18 No. 1 singles and the U.K.'s top-selling album of all time (their "Greatest Hits" compilation has sold a staggering 5.7 million copies).
QUEEN will be honored with the Global Icon Award at the "2011 MTV EMA" on Sunday, November 6 at 9 p.m. CET from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance. This year marks the 40th anniversary of QUEEN's formation in 1971; since then, these Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have garnered a long list of accomplishments and accolades, including career sales of more than 300 million albums, 16 No. 1 albums, 18 No. 1 singles and the U.K.'s top-selling album of all time (their "Greatest Hits" compilation has sold a staggering 5.7 million copies).
MEGADETH will perform on the Monday, October 31 episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (which will actually air the morning of Tuesday, November 1).
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".
"TH1RT3EN" marks the recorded return of bassist David Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. In a move that delighted the band's legion of diehards, Ellefson returned to performing live with MEGADETH in early 2010 and has remained a fixture on the stage ever since. This is the first time Ellefson has played on a MEGADETH record since 2002's "Rude Awakening".
MEGADETH filmed the "Public Enemy No. 1" video on September 17 in Santa Clarita, California. The clip was shot on a movie set where old Westerns are filmed.
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".
"TH1RT3EN" marks the recorded return of bassist David Ellefson who was part of the band's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002. In a move that delighted the band's legion of diehards, Ellefson returned to performing live with MEGADETH in early 2010 and has remained a fixture on the stage ever since. This is the first time Ellefson has played on a MEGADETH record since 2002's "Rude Awakening".
MEGADETH filmed the "Public Enemy No. 1" video on September 17 in Santa Clarita, California. The clip was shot on a movie set where old Westerns are filmed.
One of the leading bands of the 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal' movement, Saxon, has just released their 19th studio CD, Call to Arms, and is currently touring U.S. in support of this latest release. As evidenced by such ass-kickers as "Hammer of the Gods" and "Call to Arms," the group hasn't lost their grip on composing hard-hitting yet anthemic heavy metal with their latest offering.
Comprised of members Biff Byford (vocals), Doug Scarratt (guitar), Paul Quinn (guitar), Nibbs Carter (bass), Nigel Glockler (drums), Saxon is responsible for penning some of the 1980′s most enduring metal anthems, including "Wheels of Steel," "Strong Arm of the Law," "Motorcycle Man," "Princess of the Night," and "Never Surrender," and along with the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, helped breath life back into a metal scene that many had left for dead at the time.
It's been 35 years since Saxon was originally up and running and the group can still easily hold their own.
I was fortunate enough to sit with Biff Byford in NYC and chat about the new CD and what it was like to ride the British invasion of metal.
Biff Byford
******
Rob Cavuoto: The thing that I love about your new CD, Call to Arms, is how you managed to recapture your sound and vibe from '80s. What was your secret?
Biff Byford: We have a good team in place on this CD. The drums were recorded straight with no samples. All the guitar songs were organic. We went back to a more working-class sound. We intended to get back to our roots and got into that mindset from the beginning.
Rob: It seems with this new release there is resurgence in Saxon. Do you agree?
Biff Byford: Definitely, there is a fantastic vibe out now with for us with Call to Arms.
Rob: Many bands from the '80s have given up on making new CDs and just go out as nostalgia acts. Why do you continue to make and release new music?
Biff Byford: We are still climbing mountains because they are there. It's just within us to create new music and we are fortunate enough to do so. To write songs, put them out, and have people still find them relevant is exciting is a great feeling.
Rob: Tell me about the significance of the CD's title and artwork?
Biff Byford: We originally had all the song titles and once we finalized them we could have used any of them as a CD title. I really liked "Call to Arms," and it goes with the flavor of that song with the First World War. It's also a rallying cry to our fans as well. It works on two levels.
Rob: You voice is every bit as good as it was back in the '80s, your still a powerhouse. What do you attribute that to?
Biff Byford: I stopped smoking a while ago so I'm sure that helped. I guess I didn't abuse myself as a young man with liquor and drugs. We were too poor for those things, so that might have worked in my favor.
Rob: In the '80s Saxon was riding the crest of the British invasion of the metal scene. Looking back how important was it to be involved in that?
Biff Byford: It was massive. The metal scene is growing again, where many people who were young back then want to relive it now and the new young fans like the sound of it. They want to know how it all started and who influenced who.
Rob: Denim & Leather and Power and the Gloryreally spoke to me as a metal fan as well as a guitar player. Do you think it still speaks to kids nowadays?
Biff Byford: I think they do. The young fans in our audience are really getting off on them as well as the fans that have been with us since the beginning. Songs like "Power and the Glory" as well as the songs off Call to Armswere written to be performed live. People forgot that a lot of bands from our genera wrote songs for live shows and then went back and recorded them.
I think bands have moved away from that with huge productions and a million guitar overdubs. So we went back to that way of thinking. Take "Crusaders," the production wasn't as great as it could have been, but the actual song is a monster with over a million hits on You Tube. It was our biggest selling CD and when people hear it live it takes on a completely different meaning.
Rob: How do you keep yourself satisfied with touring after all these years? So many bands get tired of it at this point, but Saxon keeps going. How do you keep something that's so "old hat" fresh?
Biff Byford: We have a good chemistry in the band and we play quite aggressively. We aren't just standing up there. That keeps you on the edge and we are quite adrenalized on stage. We are playing all the big hits and always changing the set list a bit to keep it fresh. We are playing five new songs off Call to Arms. We also play a couple of songs also off Power and the Glorysince that was such a big LP here in the states.
Rob: I read that Spinal Tap was based on Saxon, is that true?
Biff Byford: I don't think it was totally based on Saxon. We'd have to be a big band to have it based off of us. The bass player in Spinal Tap modeled himself off Steve Dawson, I think that is connection. Steve is also a bit of a Spinal Tap type of character.
I think the old members in the band are trying to drum that up since they are planning to release a book. I personally think the movie was based on a lot of different bands.
Rob: Can you give me a great Spinal Tap moment?
Biff Byford: The first one that comes to mind is the time we were shooting a video with a lot of models in Spain. The truck that we were traveling would pull to the gig, and would back up to the back of the stage. Then, the doors would open and we would burst out onto the stage.
Unfortunately someone put something in front of the doors and we got stuck and couldn't get out. There we are in the back of this truck thrashing about trying to get out. The audience could see the truck wobbling and thrashing about.
Dividing his time between Down and Corrosion of Conformity, guitarist Pepper Keenan has little time for anything else, save a few causes that are dear to his heart. With Down back in the studio and preparing for a sold-out tour of South America — where he plans to "hit the streets and shop!" — Keenan is solely focused on making music with his guitar partner, Kirk Windstein, bassist Pat Bruders, drummer Jimmy Bower and vocalist Philip Anselmo.
Shortly before taking the stage in Texas during a recent string of Down dates, Keenan called to talk about the band's upcoming EP series and share his uncensored opinions about the music industry, the state — as in environmental state — of Louisiana, and the real meaning of tone.
How has your relationship with Kirk grown and how do you continue challenging each other?
We know each other's playing styles and we're pretty different guitar players. Kirk is more finesse-oriented and I'm more ham-fisted, pretty much of a hammer, downpicking kind of thing, so we play off of those things. I'll come up with a riff and Kirk will come up with a melody or harmony behind it or on top of it. As we've gotten older, playing guitar together, we use it as a starting point where the songs launch. Kirk comes up with riffs all the time. There's no leader; we're more focused on the song, the end product, rather than the sum of its parts. In the studio, generally I'll do the rhythm tracks first. Kirk goes after me and we double things that way. On this particular new stuff, we want to do Kirk in one speaker and me in the other speaker and try it super old school, like the NOLA record was. Whatever it takes to make the song do its thing. What we hear in our heads is what the end product is going to be.
Does he ever surprise you by taking a song in a different direction?
No, not necessarily. Sometimes we've come up with pretty cool stuff, like "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" and things like that. The song is never done until it's gone to the mastering plant. Sometimes Phil does something that gives me a whole new idea, and I'll go back and change the riff after he's already put the vocals down — either get out of the way more or let it breathe more once I've seen what he's done.
Over the course of twenty years, have you ever come close to calling it a day, especially with the current state of the industry?
I don't know. I'm so underground that I'm oblivious to it. I don't Facebook, I don't do any of that s--t, so I just keep trucking along for the love of playing music, and in the Down world I can't really notice a difference. I think people appreciate a real band like us. I don't think we've been as affected as some other bands because we have a loyal following and we're true to them and we expand. Each time we come through there's younger kids at the shows because I think they're tired of the bulls--t too. They want to see something real and they know they can rely on a band like Down. I think that's helped us out. It's probably hurt some bands that weren't in it for the real reasons, but the ones who really enjoy what they do and have a love of music are the ones who remain unscathed because they're not affected by something like that. But the fly-by-night bands who are trying to make something stick to the wall by networking or whatever the f--k you do, put s--t on the Internet and just rely on that instead of getting in the f---ing van and starving to death for the love of your music, that's the ones who say the industry sucks!
How does working with a second and even a third guitarist enhance your playing and give you the extra push?
It's another set of ears. I always liked two-guitar bands. AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy — I've always enjoyed what you could do with that. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top is such a master of overdubs that I always look at them as almost a two-guitar band, because if you listen to their studio records, his overdubs are so damn genius. I think having two guitars give you more of an outlet, and there's the old standby that it gives you a rhythm track when you're doing solos! So there's that thing, too, and for us it was heavier when we were dumb kids starting out: having two guitars is heavier than one. Pretty simple; it ain't rocket science!
Why the longevity? This band has outlasted most marriages.
The thing that's different about us is we grew up together. We knew each other before we were in this band. We were all kids in New Orleans, we all went to the same shows, so we know each other better than most people in bands know each other, I would guess. Through thick and thin, and all the drugs and booze and whatever else we f---ed up and all that s--t, we're still me and Kirk, so we have a good time and we still f--k with each other. We have constant feuds of guitar playing and who's the riff master and all this kind of s--t — constant.
You're working on an EP series. What is that about?
We've got a whole bunch of songs and a lot of different material, so we're going to separate these albums into different vibes. That gives us more freedom to go in a certain direction without having to constrain it for a particular album. We're going to have these things in a series and they'll all end up matching up together in the last one. It's a pretty big undertaking; I've never seen anybody do it. It gives us the freedom not to be so regulated doing a whole record. Especially in this new industry that everybody's talking about and how it sucks, we won't have to deal with all that s--t. We'll put out six songs. There will be four EPs, and the release dates, I guess, will be consistent with our recording schedule and touring schedule. We're touring a lot, so we've been going on this record for four years and still playing new places. Part of our goal was to become more of a global-type band, touring the world. Once you've got those people behind you, it gives you a lot more freedom.
Are you self-producing again?
Yes, yes, yes! We did the math and between all of us we've done 50-something records, so we've got it all figured out, and Phil doesn't like listening to people telling him what to do! Right or wrong, it's our way or no way. The last record came out in 2007 and I thought we'd be back in the studio after two years, but we kept touring and here we are. Time flies.
The last time we spoke, which was in 2002, you said, "I don't understand what's going on with music right now. It's this 'mall mentality.' If you consider yourself a musician, wouldn't you want to get back to the basics? That's what blues, jazz, bluegrass and country bands do, but rock bands are affected by MTV, and the standards have dropped drastically in rock and roll. What happened? How did it get so off course?" Ten years later …
I'm a prophet! There's been some good bands since I did that interview. We've got our ears to the street. I like Witchcraft a lot. Ghost is fantastic; they're writing serious songs. When Soundgarden called it quits, that was the end of anybody doing anything with any standard of quality. And Nirvana — everybody started ripping off poor Kurt Cobain and that cheap trash became ugly. We do what we do. I keep my bands pretty small and don't try to be everywhere all the time. It makes you more balanced in terms of creativity. Some people try to sell themselves so much it ends up sounding and looking fake. I don't have to sell anything. I enjoy what we do, and if I stay broke, I'm fine with that. I think it's quality over quantity.
What is your definition of tone? Guitarists always chase it. Is it overrated?
F---ing stupidly overrated! It's in your f---ing hands! You can give me the crappiest guitar and an amp and you don't need a million pedals. You don't need nothin'. You need volume. I think the whole trick for any good tone is volume. And my theory is if you're going to use an amp — I use an Orange amp, and if you're going to use an Orange amp, use pedals that were built in the era of the amp. I use a simple guitar, a Gibson ES-335 with stock pickups, no overdrive pedal, and the tone comes from your hands, your picking style and where you hit the f---ing string. Guitar playing is not an easy thing for me. I come from the Malcolm Young school: beat the f---ing s--t out of it. You don't need it to be like playing butter. That's a bunch of bulls--t. Any record I love is from an aggressive guitar player digging in, putting their thumbnail and index finger in the gut of the string. Digging in: that's where it comes from.
Select one Down song that you feel best represents your guitar sound.
Oh my god! [pause] I'd say that "Seed" is a pretty good song. That was drop B, drop-tuned on the lower end of the scale, like the first two frets is the main riff. It's hammered and big, long, drawn-out chords. We tracked that song at 4 in the morning, but the tone of it, once again … for instance, we were in the swamps, I had a monitor outside and put it on the roof of my pickup truck, and I stood in the bed of the pickup truck and did the solos in the middle of the swamp, no headphones, cranking the tracks through the monitors, under the trees, mosquitoes all over the place. That's the way you do it! It really varies. I would have to go back and do some homework, because I haven't listened to them and there's so many tones going on. "Learn From This Mistake" had some good s--t going on. On the last album we used so many different amps — I wouldn't even know where to start. Most of them were just a classic JCM 800 and we just cranked the living s--t out of it.
From the first time you picked up a guitar until now, what's changed and what has stayed the same? And when was the first time?
The first time I played, the story goes, a friend of mine was a guitar player in my neighborhood and he got killed outrunning the police on his motorcycle. He was the cool kid in the neighborhood and like my idol. When he died, me and my friend broke into his house and stole his guitar.
What?
I knew his mom wasn't going to do anything with it! So I took it and spray-painted it black and I started learning how to play. I bought a Ramones record and an AC/DC record and that was all I needed. It was off to the races from there.
What a touching story: "He died, so I broke into his house and stole his guitar." In memoriam.
[laughs] Exactly! I still enjoy playing, and I think my appreciation for the more classic-type tones is now set more in the authoritativeness of me playing the guitar and not searching for some bulls--t tone. I think the sooner somebody realizes that it comes from them, the better guitar player they'll be, instead of being a gear fool thinking that all that s--t's going to make you better. I'm really comfortable at this point in the game. I love playing junky guitars and freaking people out. I've done that on tour. I've played $50 and $75 Epiphones. At this point in the game, it's just the simplicity of it. I kind of look for quality-made stuff, not really fancy high-end but just the super-raw amps and guitars. When I was younger I didn't really know much. I was trying to make it distorted, and stabbing the speakers with a knife to make them break up and all that s--t.
What are you using onstage?
Two 335's and a Firebird. Two Orange amps, four Orange cabinets, loud as f--k! Orange is hand-wired, class-A electronic stuff and it sounds like that. You dig into it; you hit a G chord on a quality-made amp with good power and it works. That's the trick to me. The 335 through all that — it's like petting a snake! You gotta watch it and stay on your toes all the time or it'll squeal like a pig, so you gotta get out of the way. For volume, to me it's deep; not overly loud, but enough to push it and make it work for the microphone to pick up that clarity. I like to hear all the nuances of the pick hitting the strings — that Tony Iommi thing where he sounds f---ing loud. Most of the holy grail of tone is coming from vintage amps and vintage guitars. They're quality electronic s--t.
Also when we last spoke, C.O.C. was readying a screening of Live Volume: The Movie to raise money for the Afghan Women's Mission. What became of that?
The Afghan Women's Mission was just starting, and I wanted to do something to help these women. We were trying to raise money to buy video cameras, and we had a person who could get them to women in Afghanistan so they could film the atrocities going on. Video cameras were expensive in 2002. Now you can get them for pennies to the dollar, but then a small camera was 400 or 500 bucks. We got three or four cameras into Afghanistan and one or two were used. It helped out immensely and the footage got out. That was one of the coolest things I felt proud of doing. It's funny you say that, because I just found a ticket to that screening when I was going through a bunch of paperwork the other day.
Are you involved in other projects?
One of the things I'm passionate about, and I work with these guys pretty closely, is the Gulf Coast Restoration Network. Louisiana is losing massive amounts of coastline, mainly from the oil corporations and government building canals and pipelines all across the swamps and not taking any recourse or helping to restore these wetlands. It's a huge issue. Since Katrina hit, it really set it back pretty damn far. The United States government should really … this is a huge part of the United States. These guys are screaming and bitching about gas prices and all that, but a quarter of all the gasoline refined in the United States is refined in south Louisiana. The drilling offshore is really taking a toll on the land itself, so that's a pretty big thing that I suggest anybody check out. I've done some linking on our websites and I've gone on plane flights with these people before just so I could see it for myself, flown over the swamps with a couple of musicians. They're trying to get the word out any way they can, so these people can go out on the road and they can spout and spit venomous things. They figured I'd be a good candidate for that, so they put me on the plane! Really, Louisiana is like no place in the United States, and once it's gone, it's gone. I think people should be educated, and I have an opinion because I've traveled this country 50 times, in good times and bad, and I've seen how much money people spend. I see when they come to concerts. I've been to every damn place in the United States, so I think I know a lot more than some of these politicians do in terms of the working class, because they're our fans and we see them struggle.
Read more of Pepper Keenan's interview here: http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-getting-down-pepper-keenan-and-kirk...
Special thanks to Rob Fenn (www.MusicThroughTheLens.com) for the images of Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein that accompany their individual interviews. Fenn is the project founder and photographer of On The Road ... Where Music Lives. Learn more about the upcoming documentary and book, which detail Fenn's remarkable travels throughout summer and fall 2011, photographing artists and music festivals and discovering local independent record stores, by visiting his website.
Reunited U.K. rockers WOLFSBANE — featuring former IRON MAIDEN frontman Blaze Bayley — have set "Wolfsbane Save The World" as the title of their new album. Guitarist Jase Edwards states, "It's a suitably modest title... self-effacing, not too ambitious!!!! But the world does need saving and we are gonna start doing it with the help of our fantastic Howling Mad Shitheads. So spread the word and let's get this record out there to the people who NEED to hear it! They dont know they need to hear it, but they do!! So we can infect and affect the unknowing masses with our Howlingmad optimism and who gives a fuckery!!"
The "Wolfsbane Save The World" cover artwork can be seen below.
WOLFSBANE's new CD will be available from Wolfsbanehms.com as well as via the merchandise stand on the band's upcoming tour.
WOLFSBANE — which features Bayley, Jase Edwards, bassist Jeff Hateley and drummer Steve Danger — released its first record in 17 years in April. Entitled "Did It For The Money", it contained the brand new title track along with re-recordings of four old WOLFSBANE numbers.
Commenting on the reunion, Blaze said, "Although we have done other things over the years, we always had WOLFSBANE in our hearts and following our tour with THE QUIREBOYS last year, we had so much fun and have had so much interest that we decided to get back in the studio."
Formed in 1984 in Tamworth, England, WOLFSBANE signed to Def American Records, and Rick Rubin produced the band's first album, "Live Fast, Die Fast", released in 1989. WOLFSBANE's second release, an EP titled "All Hell's Breaking Loose Down", followed in 1990. The band's second studio album, "Down Fall the Good Guys", was released in 1991, giving WOLFSBANE its only U.K. chart entry, with the single "Ezy" landing at No. 68.
After Def American dropped WOLFSBANE, the band released a live album, "Massive Noise Injection", through the Bronze label in 1993. The group's third studio album, the self-titled "Wolfsbane", followed in 1994.
On September 9, 2007, WOLFSBANE reformed for a one-off short set at the Rock of Ages festival in Tamworth. This was followed by their first U.K. tour in 13 years, with the band playing five dates as support for the THE WILDHEARTS in December 2007. Their next tour came in December 2009 supporting THE QUIREBOYS on the aforementioned "A Little Bit of What You Fancy 20th Anniversary Tour".
The "Wolfsbane Save The World" cover artwork can be seen below.
WOLFSBANE's new CD will be available from Wolfsbanehms.com as well as via the merchandise stand on the band's upcoming tour.
WOLFSBANE — which features Bayley, Jase Edwards, bassist Jeff Hateley and drummer Steve Danger — released its first record in 17 years in April. Entitled "Did It For The Money", it contained the brand new title track along with re-recordings of four old WOLFSBANE numbers.
Commenting on the reunion, Blaze said, "Although we have done other things over the years, we always had WOLFSBANE in our hearts and following our tour with THE QUIREBOYS last year, we had so much fun and have had so much interest that we decided to get back in the studio."
Formed in 1984 in Tamworth, England, WOLFSBANE signed to Def American Records, and Rick Rubin produced the band's first album, "Live Fast, Die Fast", released in 1989. WOLFSBANE's second release, an EP titled "All Hell's Breaking Loose Down", followed in 1990. The band's second studio album, "Down Fall the Good Guys", was released in 1991, giving WOLFSBANE its only U.K. chart entry, with the single "Ezy" landing at No. 68.
After Def American dropped WOLFSBANE, the band released a live album, "Massive Noise Injection", through the Bronze label in 1993. The group's third studio album, the self-titled "Wolfsbane", followed in 1994.
On September 9, 2007, WOLFSBANE reformed for a one-off short set at the Rock of Ages festival in Tamworth. This was followed by their first U.K. tour in 13 years, with the band playing five dates as support for the THE WILDHEARTS in December 2007. Their next tour came in December 2009 supporting THE QUIREBOYS on the aforementioned "A Little Bit of What You Fancy 20th Anniversary Tour".
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/wolfsbanesave.jpg
The first official photo of the new lineup of Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE can be seen below.
RHAPSODY OF FIRE is:
Fabio Lione - Vocals
Alex Staropoli - Keyboards
Roberto De Micheli - Guitar
Tom Hess - Guitar
Oliver Holzwarth - Bass
Alex Holzwarth - Drums
Staropoli and RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli recently announced their decision to go their separate ways.
Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined by musicians Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth.
RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "From Chaos To Eternity", was released in North America on July 12 via Nuclear Blast Records. Described by the band as "the natural evolution" from last year's "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", the CD marks RHAPSODY OF FIRE's final release based on the fantasy saga started in 1997 with the group's debut album, "Legendary Tales".
RHAPSODY OF FIRE is:
Fabio Lione - Vocals
Alex Staropoli - Keyboards
Roberto De Micheli - Guitar
Tom Hess - Guitar
Oliver Holzwarth - Bass
Alex Holzwarth - Drums
Staropoli and RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli recently announced their decision to go their separate ways.
Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined by musicians Dominique Leurquin, Patrice Guers and Alex Holzwarth.
RHAPSODY OF FIRE's latest album, "From Chaos To Eternity", was released in North America on July 12 via Nuclear Blast Records. Described by the band as "the natural evolution" from last year's "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", the CD marks RHAPSODY OF FIRE's final release based on the fantasy saga started in 1997 with the group's debut album, "Legendary Tales".
Young people at risk of depression are more likely to listen habitually and repetitively to heavy metal music. University of Melbourne researcher Dr Katrina McFerran has found.
More information:
Dr Katrina McFerran: T: +613 8344 7382 E: k.mcferran@unimelb.edu.au
Ingrid Sanders (Media Unit): T: +613 8344 3845 M: 0408 112 728 E: ingrid.sanders@unimelb.edu.au
Ingrid Sanders (Media Unit): T: +613 8344 3845 M: 0408 112 728 E: ingrid.sanders@unimelb.edu.au
Young people at risk of depression are more likely to listen habitually and repetitively to heavy metal music. University of Melbourne researcher Dr Katrina McFerran has found.
A senior lecturer in Music Therapy at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Dr McFerran is immersed in a new study that aims to find out why some young people use heavy metal music in a negative way.
By conducting in-depth interviews with 50 young people aged between 13 and 18, along with a national survey of 1000 young people, Dr McFerran is looking to develop an early intervention model that can be integrated into schools to impact positively before behavioral problems occur.
"The mp3 revolution means that young people are accessing music more than ever before and it's not uncommon for some to listen to music for seven or eight hours a day," she said.
"Most young people listen to a range of music in positive ways; to block out crowds, to lift their mood or to give them energy when exercising, but young people at risk of depression are more likely to be listening to music, particularly heavy metal music, in a negative way.
"Examples of this are when someone listens to the same song or album of heavy metal music over and over again and doesn't listen to anything else. They do this to isolate themselves or escape from reality.
"If this behavior continues over a period of time then it might indicate that this young person is suffering from depression or anxiety, and at worst, might suggest suicidal tendencies."
Dr McFerran said parents should be aware of their children's music listening habits, pick up on early warning signs and take early action.
"If parents are worried, they should ask their children questions like – how does that music make you feel? If children say the music reflects or mirrors the way they feel then ask more about what the music is saying," she said.
"If listening doesn't make them feel good about themselves, this should ring alarm bells. Alternatively, if parents notice a downturn in their child's mood after listening to music this is also a cause for showing interest and getting involved."
As part of her study Dr McFerran is seeking input from young people, particularly those who suffer from depression and anxiety to better understand the affects of heavy metal. She is also interested in hearing from parents along with their teenagers.
Readers of the British metal magazine Metal Hammer have voted SLIPKNOT's self-titled 1999 album the best debut of the past 25 years.
Over 16,000 fans voted in Metal Hammer's special 25th-anniversary poll, with "Slipknot" managing to grab almost a third of all votes cast, beating off competition from the likes of GUNS N' ROSES, KORN, MACHINE HEAD and PANTERA.
Coming in a distant second was KORN, whose self-titled 1994 album received 8.88 percent of the vote. Just behind KORN was GUNS N' ROSES' breakthrough 1987 album "Appetite For Destruction", which brought in 8.84 percent of the vote.
Even though PANTERA self-released four full albums before being signed to Atco, the band's major-label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", took fifth place with 6.2 percent of the vote.
Metal Hammer readers' Top 10 debuts of the past 25 years:
01. SLIPKNOT - "Slipknot" (32.27%)
02. KORN - "Korn" (8.88%)
03. GUNS N' ROSES - "Appetite for Destruction" (8.84%)
04. RAMMSTEIN - "Herzeleid" (6.92%)
05. PANTERA - "Cowboys From Hell" (6.2%)
06. SYSTEM OF A DOWN - "System of a Down" (4.67%)
07. LINKIN PARK - "Hybrid Theory" (3.78%)
08. MACHINE HEAD - "Burn My Eyes" (3.35%)
09. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - "The Poison" (3.01%)
10. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - "Rage Against the Machine" (2.78%)
The special-edition CD/DVD reissue of SLIPKNOT's self-titled debut album — which came out in September 2009 — sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first, shortened week of release (the set came out on Wednesday, September 9 whereas new albums usually go on sale on Tuesdays in the U.S.). The album has shifted more than two million units domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Over 16,000 fans voted in Metal Hammer's special 25th-anniversary poll, with "Slipknot" managing to grab almost a third of all votes cast, beating off competition from the likes of GUNS N' ROSES, KORN, MACHINE HEAD and PANTERA.
Coming in a distant second was KORN, whose self-titled 1994 album received 8.88 percent of the vote. Just behind KORN was GUNS N' ROSES' breakthrough 1987 album "Appetite For Destruction", which brought in 8.84 percent of the vote.
Even though PANTERA self-released four full albums before being signed to Atco, the band's major-label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", took fifth place with 6.2 percent of the vote.
Metal Hammer readers' Top 10 debuts of the past 25 years:
01. SLIPKNOT - "Slipknot" (32.27%)
02. KORN - "Korn" (8.88%)
03. GUNS N' ROSES - "Appetite for Destruction" (8.84%)
04. RAMMSTEIN - "Herzeleid" (6.92%)
05. PANTERA - "Cowboys From Hell" (6.2%)
06. SYSTEM OF A DOWN - "System of a Down" (4.67%)
07. LINKIN PARK - "Hybrid Theory" (3.78%)
08. MACHINE HEAD - "Burn My Eyes" (3.35%)
09. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE - "The Poison" (3.01%)
10. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - "Rage Against the Machine" (2.78%)
The special-edition CD/DVD reissue of SLIPKNOT's self-titled debut album — which came out in September 2009 — sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first, shortened week of release (the set came out on Wednesday, September 9 whereas new albums usually go on sale on Tuesdays in the U.S.). The album has shifted more than two million units domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Calling All Corpses", the new solo album from MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13, sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 21 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.
"Calling All Corpses" was released on October 11. The artwork for the CD was created by D.A. Frizell, who has worked on SEVENDUST's "Cold Day Memory" as well as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare", "Book Of Nightmare" and "Diamonds In The Rough/ Live In The LBC" and the AVENGED video "A Little Piece Of Heaven".
"Calling All Corpses" was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering who has previously worked with NINE INCH NAILS, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON and MINISTRY, among others.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Blood Fades To Black
02. I Wanna Be Cremated
03. Ghoul Of My Dreams
04. One Knife Stand
05. Calling All Corpses
06. Miss Morgue
07. Silver Bullets
08. Bad At Being Human
09. London After Midnight
10. Candle For The Devil
11. We All Die
12. Something Wicked This Way Comes
13. Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)
Wednesday 13 will embark on a U.K. co-headlining tour with former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe in late November/early December. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are Swedish glam rockers CRASHDIET.
"Calling All Corpses" was released on October 11. The artwork for the CD was created by D.A. Frizell, who has worked on SEVENDUST's "Cold Day Memory" as well as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's "Nightmare", "Book Of Nightmare" and "Diamonds In The Rough/ Live In The LBC" and the AVENGED video "A Little Piece Of Heaven".
"Calling All Corpses" was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering who has previously worked with NINE INCH NAILS, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON and MINISTRY, among others.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Blood Fades To Black
02. I Wanna Be Cremated
03. Ghoul Of My Dreams
04. One Knife Stand
05. Calling All Corpses
06. Miss Morgue
07. Silver Bullets
08. Bad At Being Human
09. London After Midnight
10. Candle For The Devil
11. We All Die
12. Something Wicked This Way Comes
13. Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)
Wednesday 13 will embark on a U.K. co-headlining tour with former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe in late November/early December. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are Swedish glam rockers CRASHDIET.
Robert Gray of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Could you provide some background information on writing and recording "American Capitalist"?
Hook: We jumped in right away. When we finished up the touring cycle for "War Is The Answer", we all agreed that it would be better to push ourselves and dive right back in and go to work on another record rather than continue to tour on "War Is The Answer" for 2011. I think that the public — in this day and age — are anxious to consume all the time. We all live in an era of consumption, and the faster, quicker and more frequent things can come, the better. Having said that, we decided to go right back in and write another record. Even though it may seem premature, we'd rather push ourselves and shorten the gap between releases. We took a week off, and then we started writing. It was just basically everybody at their home studios cramming ideas on their systems, just getting together a couple of times a week, comparing notes, and sending the music back and forth. When we finally had a handful of tracks, we'd go and record them with our producer, Kevin [Churko], who's also in Las Vegas.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Were you fully involved in making "War Is The Answer", or did you join FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH midway through the process? You joined the band in 2009, I believe.
Hook: I co-wrote that record. From day one I was working on that record, and was very fortunate to have come into the band when I came into the band because I very much had my heart set on applying my creative input and my engineering and recording skills into the project. I was fortunate to be able to join just at the beginning of that record. We did a couple of months of touring in Europe, but then the first thing on the agenda was to come back and start working on a new record. I was really anxious to get started on that, so yeah, I was there for the entire record.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: What is your take on the album's title? "American Capitalist"?
Hook: First of all, we like to pick titles that are slightly risky. We don't like things that are safe, and we don't like things that are risk-free. The title of "War Is The Answer" made everyone perk up and scratch their heads, and think "What are these guys trying to say? War is the answer?" That's an awesome, bold thing to say. "Why did they decide to say that?" Everybody has a different definition of a capitalist. The word "capitalist" is taken from capitalizing things. People that are capitalists are — and this is for your reading audience — people that take advantage of opportunities, opportunists. They work hard to make sure that they can extract the most out of their given situation. Successful people, driven people, motivated people, competitive people. When we use the phrase "American capitalist," it really explains who we are and what our personalities are. We don't just like to fuck around; we wanna divide and conquer every step of the way, because we want success and we don't really hide that. We wear that on our sleeves, and anybody who's interested in that type of mentality, or anyone who's interested in pushing themselves a little harder, we'd suggest for them to come onboard. When you fight for something and you get it, it's really the best feeling out there and that's capitalizing on a given situation. That's why we called the album "American Capitalist", because we want everyone to realize that success isn't a negative thing. Success is a positive thing. I hope that I have fuckloads of money, and then I can have fuckloads of freedom and options and security, and all the things that we all want. American capitalists.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Do you feel that it comes with the territory? When bands who play this type of music achieve gold records, there always seems to be a backlash from certain quarters.
Hook: Yeah, sure. We're all living through it for the first time; we just got two gold records for the first two records that we released, and so obviously something's working. We don't look at that as an opportunity to get soft or lazy, but look at it like those records should've been platinum and we mustn't have worked hard enough (laughs). We look at it like, "Nice, we've got a couple of gold records. But the best is yet to come." I don't mean to sound clichéd, but our best effort is still yet to be released. Those records were recorded and done years ago — we basically put them in our back pocket, and we're not even thinking about those records. The fact that they actually went gold is like "Oh, they went gold? Cool, but wait 'till we get the new stuff done."
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Since you've toured the world with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH now, is there a synergy on "American Capitalist" that wasn't there as much on "War Is The Answer"?
Hook: I don't know. It felt very familiar to me. I think that one of the things that helped was Ivan [Moody], our singer, was living in Denver during the last record, and I was living in Los Angeles. We had to travel into Las Vegas, but right now we've all moved to Las Vegas. I just bought a new house, Ivan just bought a new house. We all live within five to ten minutes of each other, so it actually makes it easier to come together to work and also have some sort of peaceful separation at the end of the work day or at the end of the work week. We can be at our houses and enjoy our pool and relax, whereas during "War Is The Answer" we were all living together at the studio. We didn't get those on and off type releases that sometimes are needed during recording.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: What's working with Kevin Churko like?
Hook: Kevin Churko is really the industry's best-kept secret, in my opinion. He's an amazingly talented guy. He's one of these guys who has a very calm personality and a very good work ethic; he's a hard worker, likes to put in long days, never complains and never gets emotional. Yet he's always focused on the goal of completing something to the best of his ability. I've worked with producers where it's obvious that they're focused on getting paid, and the end result of the product is secondary. Kevin cares about what he's doing and he's got an extremely well-developed shit meter, so he pushes us to do our best even more than we do ourselves, which is why he sits in with us so well. He's also a multi-talented guy who plays guitar, plays bass, plays piano, everything. He's just one of those guys who really adds those different flavors when you're not around, so it's really nice to have. Somebody who can add to what we're doing already.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Could you provide some background information on writing and recording "American Capitalist"?
Hook: We jumped in right away. When we finished up the touring cycle for "War Is The Answer", we all agreed that it would be better to push ourselves and dive right back in and go to work on another record rather than continue to tour on "War Is The Answer" for 2011. I think that the public — in this day and age — are anxious to consume all the time. We all live in an era of consumption, and the faster, quicker and more frequent things can come, the better. Having said that, we decided to go right back in and write another record. Even though it may seem premature, we'd rather push ourselves and shorten the gap between releases. We took a week off, and then we started writing. It was just basically everybody at their home studios cramming ideas on their systems, just getting together a couple of times a week, comparing notes, and sending the music back and forth. When we finally had a handful of tracks, we'd go and record them with our producer, Kevin [Churko], who's also in Las Vegas.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Were you fully involved in making "War Is The Answer", or did you join FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH midway through the process? You joined the band in 2009, I believe.
Hook: I co-wrote that record. From day one I was working on that record, and was very fortunate to have come into the band when I came into the band because I very much had my heart set on applying my creative input and my engineering and recording skills into the project. I was fortunate to be able to join just at the beginning of that record. We did a couple of months of touring in Europe, but then the first thing on the agenda was to come back and start working on a new record. I was really anxious to get started on that, so yeah, I was there for the entire record.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: What is your take on the album's title? "American Capitalist"?
Hook: First of all, we like to pick titles that are slightly risky. We don't like things that are safe, and we don't like things that are risk-free. The title of "War Is The Answer" made everyone perk up and scratch their heads, and think "What are these guys trying to say? War is the answer?" That's an awesome, bold thing to say. "Why did they decide to say that?" Everybody has a different definition of a capitalist. The word "capitalist" is taken from capitalizing things. People that are capitalists are — and this is for your reading audience — people that take advantage of opportunities, opportunists. They work hard to make sure that they can extract the most out of their given situation. Successful people, driven people, motivated people, competitive people. When we use the phrase "American capitalist," it really explains who we are and what our personalities are. We don't just like to fuck around; we wanna divide and conquer every step of the way, because we want success and we don't really hide that. We wear that on our sleeves, and anybody who's interested in that type of mentality, or anyone who's interested in pushing themselves a little harder, we'd suggest for them to come onboard. When you fight for something and you get it, it's really the best feeling out there and that's capitalizing on a given situation. That's why we called the album "American Capitalist", because we want everyone to realize that success isn't a negative thing. Success is a positive thing. I hope that I have fuckloads of money, and then I can have fuckloads of freedom and options and security, and all the things that we all want. American capitalists.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Do you feel that it comes with the territory? When bands who play this type of music achieve gold records, there always seems to be a backlash from certain quarters.
Hook: Yeah, sure. We're all living through it for the first time; we just got two gold records for the first two records that we released, and so obviously something's working. We don't look at that as an opportunity to get soft or lazy, but look at it like those records should've been platinum and we mustn't have worked hard enough (laughs). We look at it like, "Nice, we've got a couple of gold records. But the best is yet to come." I don't mean to sound clichéd, but our best effort is still yet to be released. Those records were recorded and done years ago — we basically put them in our back pocket, and we're not even thinking about those records. The fact that they actually went gold is like "Oh, they went gold? Cool, but wait 'till we get the new stuff done."
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Since you've toured the world with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH now, is there a synergy on "American Capitalist" that wasn't there as much on "War Is The Answer"?
Hook: I don't know. It felt very familiar to me. I think that one of the things that helped was Ivan [Moody], our singer, was living in Denver during the last record, and I was living in Los Angeles. We had to travel into Las Vegas, but right now we've all moved to Las Vegas. I just bought a new house, Ivan just bought a new house. We all live within five to ten minutes of each other, so it actually makes it easier to come together to work and also have some sort of peaceful separation at the end of the work day or at the end of the work week. We can be at our houses and enjoy our pool and relax, whereas during "War Is The Answer" we were all living together at the studio. We didn't get those on and off type releases that sometimes are needed during recording.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: What's working with Kevin Churko like?
Hook: Kevin Churko is really the industry's best-kept secret, in my opinion. He's an amazingly talented guy. He's one of these guys who has a very calm personality and a very good work ethic; he's a hard worker, likes to put in long days, never complains and never gets emotional. Yet he's always focused on the goal of completing something to the best of his ability. I've worked with producers where it's obvious that they're focused on getting paid, and the end result of the product is secondary. Kevin cares about what he's doing and he's got an extremely well-developed shit meter, so he pushes us to do our best even more than we do ourselves, which is why he sits in with us so well. He's also a multi-talented guy who plays guitar, plays bass, plays piano, everything. He's just one of those guys who really adds those different flavors when you're not around, so it's really nice to have. Somebody who can add to what we're doing already.
Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Oregon Music News: FIREWIND released a new album, "Days of Defiance", last October. There wasn't much promotion in the United States due to your commitment to Ozzy. Why release it then rather than after you completed the touring cycle for [Ozzy's] "Scream"?
Gus: Yes, we actually did four shows in America last November. Those shows were like release parties with the band playing a set. Shortly after the release date of the album I had a week off from touring with Ozzy and we did those gigs. Like you said, there wasn't any extensive touring. It was due in part to touring with Ozzy but now that that tour is done we can promote "Days Of Defiance".
Oregon Music News: I'm curious as to the reasoning behind "Days Of Defiance" being issued last year when no proper promotion would be done. Was that your idea or the label?
Gus: If were up to me, I would have released the album after I would be available to tour behind it. This was the label's idea who wanted to the album out. Our current label, Century Media, wanted it released; they said, "We paid you to record the album and we want the masters." I said, "Okay here you go." I didn't feel good about it. This is the politics of the music business, I tried to make the label see that sure we'd get some press due to my involvement in Ozzy's band but we would not be able to tour. Waiting 10 months to tour behind an album isn't a good business. I'm doing this tour mainly for our fans that haven't had a chance to see us do the new songs. I know that we are not touring behind a hot record right now but we are keeping the FIREWIND name alive.
Oregon Music News: There's a trend among labels where they reissue albums with bonus tracks when the bands hit the road as a way to spark interest in the album. Like you said, the album isn't hot right now… but is an expanded version in the works now that you're hitting the road?
Gus: We have thought about it but it goes back to the politics with our label. This was our last album for Century Media and unless you're signed for long-term contract they aren't going to do much for you. So for FIREWIND, this time around, there wasn't any creative marketing behind the album. It's sad because I do feel that it's our best album to date and the fans absolutely love it. Unfortunately, there could have better promotion and Century Media should have waited a few months to release it, but that's record label politics for you.
Oregon Music News: FIREWIND released a new album, "Days of Defiance", last October. There wasn't much promotion in the United States due to your commitment to Ozzy. Why release it then rather than after you completed the touring cycle for [Ozzy's] "Scream"?
Gus: Yes, we actually did four shows in America last November. Those shows were like release parties with the band playing a set. Shortly after the release date of the album I had a week off from touring with Ozzy and we did those gigs. Like you said, there wasn't any extensive touring. It was due in part to touring with Ozzy but now that that tour is done we can promote "Days Of Defiance".
Oregon Music News: I'm curious as to the reasoning behind "Days Of Defiance" being issued last year when no proper promotion would be done. Was that your idea or the label?
Gus: If were up to me, I would have released the album after I would be available to tour behind it. This was the label's idea who wanted to the album out. Our current label, Century Media, wanted it released; they said, "We paid you to record the album and we want the masters." I said, "Okay here you go." I didn't feel good about it. This is the politics of the music business, I tried to make the label see that sure we'd get some press due to my involvement in Ozzy's band but we would not be able to tour. Waiting 10 months to tour behind an album isn't a good business. I'm doing this tour mainly for our fans that haven't had a chance to see us do the new songs. I know that we are not touring behind a hot record right now but we are keeping the FIREWIND name alive.
Oregon Music News: There's a trend among labels where they reissue albums with bonus tracks when the bands hit the road as a way to spark interest in the album. Like you said, the album isn't hot right now… but is an expanded version in the works now that you're hitting the road?
Gus: We have thought about it but it goes back to the politics with our label. This was our last album for Century Media and unless you're signed for long-term contract they aren't going to do much for you. So for FIREWIND, this time around, there wasn't any creative marketing behind the album. It's sad because I do feel that it's our best album to date and the fans absolutely love it. Unfortunately, there could have better promotion and Century Media should have waited a few months to release it, but that's record label politics for you.
CHICKENFOOT will perform on the Thursday, November 3 episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (which will actually air the morning of Friday, November 4).
CHICKENFOOT's sophomore album, "III", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's self-titled debut opened with 49,000 units back in June 2009 to debut at No. 6.
"III" was produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA) and is the much-anticipated follow-up album to the successful eponymous debut of a rock band packed with successful veterans.
Featuring guitar hero Joe Satriani and former VAN HALEN members Michael Anthony (bass) and Sammy Hagar (vocals), CHICKENFOOT's touring lineup includes legendary drummer/musician Kenny Aronoff, who is filling in for Chad Smith while Smith hits the road with his main band, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.
Commented Joe Satriani, "Kenny brings that same combination of super chops and wild energy to the band that we're used to; and, offstage, he's just as crazy as Chad."
"Chickenfoot III" features 10 tracks with so many moments of epiphany that one can barely take them all in on first listen. Colossal, stadium-shaking riffs abound on earth-movers such as "Alright, Alright", "Last Temptation", "Bigfoot" and "Lighten Up".
CHICKENFOOT's sophomore album, "III", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's self-titled debut opened with 49,000 units back in June 2009 to debut at No. 6.
"III" was produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA) and is the much-anticipated follow-up album to the successful eponymous debut of a rock band packed with successful veterans.
Featuring guitar hero Joe Satriani and former VAN HALEN members Michael Anthony (bass) and Sammy Hagar (vocals), CHICKENFOOT's touring lineup includes legendary drummer/musician Kenny Aronoff, who is filling in for Chad Smith while Smith hits the road with his main band, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS.
Commented Joe Satriani, "Kenny brings that same combination of super chops and wild energy to the band that we're used to; and, offstage, he's just as crazy as Chad."
"Chickenfoot III" features 10 tracks with so many moments of epiphany that one can barely take them all in on first listen. Colossal, stadium-shaking riffs abound on earth-movers such as "Alright, Alright", "Last Temptation", "Bigfoot" and "Lighten Up".
After a baptism of fire standing in for Alex Vuskans on the band's recent U.K. run with SYLOSIS, British modern metallers MALEFICE have announced that Andy Wilson will take over on a permanent basis.
Commented Wilson: "I am very excited to be taking on the MALEFICE slot full-time. The SYLOSIS tour couldn't have gone any better and the musical chemistry is undeniable. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the band."
Added frontman Dale Butler: "There's always controversy surrounding a bandmember leaving in any band. But I can't stress enough how there is none in this situation. Alex felt he could no longer continue to give 100% to MALEFICE, and between us, we decided that it would be better for him to leave. Alex is closer to me than most of my family, he'll always be my brother no matter what and nothing will change between us all on a personal level.
"Those of you that saw us on the SYLOSIS tour will have seen Andy at work. The guy is a fucking machine, and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as my lead guitarist! Andy has already brought new ideas to this band that we'll be working on together in the future!"
Vuskans has released the following parting statement: "I just want to say a massive massive thank you to everyone that's come to the shows, bought our albums and supported myself and the boys over the last 10 years that I've been in MALEFICE. You guys are awesome and have helped create memories that last with me for a lifetime. I also want to go on record and state that there is NO bad blood between myself and the other members in the band; they still and always will be my brothers no matter what. I simply feel that now is the time for me to try new things in my life, whatever they may be. I wish nothing but success to the guys for the future and look forward to following their continued journey as a fan and not an active member. It's been emotional!!"
MALEFICE's third full-length album, "Awaken The Tides", was released in the U.K. on July 18, in the rest of Europe on July 15, and in North America on August 2 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-song effort was recorded at The Face studios in Reading with drums laid down at Fortress Studios in London. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Justin Hill.
Commented Wilson: "I am very excited to be taking on the MALEFICE slot full-time. The SYLOSIS tour couldn't have gone any better and the musical chemistry is undeniable. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the band."
Added frontman Dale Butler: "There's always controversy surrounding a bandmember leaving in any band. But I can't stress enough how there is none in this situation. Alex felt he could no longer continue to give 100% to MALEFICE, and between us, we decided that it would be better for him to leave. Alex is closer to me than most of my family, he'll always be my brother no matter what and nothing will change between us all on a personal level.
"Those of you that saw us on the SYLOSIS tour will have seen Andy at work. The guy is a fucking machine, and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as my lead guitarist! Andy has already brought new ideas to this band that we'll be working on together in the future!"
Vuskans has released the following parting statement: "I just want to say a massive massive thank you to everyone that's come to the shows, bought our albums and supported myself and the boys over the last 10 years that I've been in MALEFICE. You guys are awesome and have helped create memories that last with me for a lifetime. I also want to go on record and state that there is NO bad blood between myself and the other members in the band; they still and always will be my brothers no matter what. I simply feel that now is the time for me to try new things in my life, whatever they may be. I wish nothing but success to the guys for the future and look forward to following their continued journey as a fan and not an active member. It's been emotional!!"
MALEFICE's third full-length album, "Awaken The Tides", was released in the U.K. on July 18, in the rest of Europe on July 15, and in North America on August 2 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-song effort was recorded at The Face studios in Reading with drums laid down at Fortress Studios in London. All tracks were mixed and mastered by Justin Hill.
BËEHLER — the Canadian band featuring the former EXCITER drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler, AGGRESSOR bassist Brian Stephenson and guitarists Sean Brophy and Scott Walsh — will release its debut album, "Messages To The Dead", on December 5 via the German label High Roller Records. The effort will contain 12 songs and will be made available on both LP and CD.
"Messages To The Dead" track listing:
01. Jet Black
02. March Of Death
03. Eternal Tormentor
04. Message To The Dead
05. Destitude Abuser
06. In Know One We Trust
07. Organized Mayhem
08. Destroy
09. Megalodon
10. Save Me From Myself
11. Kill The Witch
12. The End Of The World
BËEHLER has already started working on its next studio album, which will mark a return to the classic EXCITER sound of the "Unveiling The Wicked" and "Long Live The Loud" LPs.
Commented Dan: "I vowed never to play again after EXCITER. My brother Richard was my mentor and fourth silent member of EXCITER, co-writing songs such as 'Under Attack' and 'Rain Of Terror'. He was the only reason I ever went anywhere in music. He did all the grunt work for EXCITER, critiqued every song and never missed a rehearsal. He begged me to do another album and play METAL again. I said no!
"When he passed away, Scott Walsh threw me in his studio, put the sticks back in my hands and said, 'Do it for your brother and call it 'BËEHLER.'
"Sean Brophy picked me up, gave me my confidence back. He worked like a dog, dedicated his life to BËEHLER. He kicked my ass, never gave up and without him there would be no BËEHLER. Together with Al Johnson [former BËEHLER/EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson] and Scott, they gave me an opportunity to play metal once more. I owe them and my family so much!
"This was Richard's dream, his spirit lives through these recordings. I even dug up his old lyrics once again and added them to 'Kill The Witch'.
"'Messages To The Dead' explains the communication existed and we truly believe he is at the helm of BËEHLER.
"Every song on this album was written about people who have touched my life, singing and recording it was an emotional roller coaster for me.
"For myself and the band, it goes much deeper than a collection of songs. The guys understand the journey that I'm on, driven by you know who!
"Richard, your spirit created this album..."
BËEHLER's sound is described in a press release as "a journey from speed to doom, heavily saluting their mentors like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD." "All we want to do is bring it back as a tribute to our metal heroes," the band said.
"Messages To The Dead" track listing:
01. Jet Black
02. March Of Death
03. Eternal Tormentor
04. Message To The Dead
05. Destitude Abuser
06. In Know One We Trust
07. Organized Mayhem
08. Destroy
09. Megalodon
10. Save Me From Myself
11. Kill The Witch
12. The End Of The World
BËEHLER has already started working on its next studio album, which will mark a return to the classic EXCITER sound of the "Unveiling The Wicked" and "Long Live The Loud" LPs.
Commented Dan: "I vowed never to play again after EXCITER. My brother Richard was my mentor and fourth silent member of EXCITER, co-writing songs such as 'Under Attack' and 'Rain Of Terror'. He was the only reason I ever went anywhere in music. He did all the grunt work for EXCITER, critiqued every song and never missed a rehearsal. He begged me to do another album and play METAL again. I said no!
"When he passed away, Scott Walsh threw me in his studio, put the sticks back in my hands and said, 'Do it for your brother and call it 'BËEHLER.'
"Sean Brophy picked me up, gave me my confidence back. He worked like a dog, dedicated his life to BËEHLER. He kicked my ass, never gave up and without him there would be no BËEHLER. Together with Al Johnson [former BËEHLER/EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson] and Scott, they gave me an opportunity to play metal once more. I owe them and my family so much!
"This was Richard's dream, his spirit lives through these recordings. I even dug up his old lyrics once again and added them to 'Kill The Witch'.
"'Messages To The Dead' explains the communication existed and we truly believe he is at the helm of BËEHLER.
"Every song on this album was written about people who have touched my life, singing and recording it was an emotional roller coaster for me.
"For myself and the band, it goes much deeper than a collection of songs. The guys understand the journey that I'm on, driven by you know who!
"Richard, your spirit created this album..."
BËEHLER's sound is described in a press release as "a journey from speed to doom, heavily saluting their mentors like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD." "All we want to do is bring it back as a tribute to our metal heroes," the band said.
"This Mortal Coil", the fifth studio album from REDEMPTION, the U.S. progressive metal band featuring in its ranks guitarist/songwriter Nick van Dyk and legendary FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder, sold around 1,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 32 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.
Released on September 26 in Europe and October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music, the follow-up to 2009's "Snowfall On Judgment Day" was recorded and mixed with producer Neil Kernon (QUEENSRŸCHE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE). The CD's cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist and longtime band collaborator Travis Smith (OPETH, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, NEVERMORE).
"This Mortal Coil" track listing:
01. Path Of The Whirlwind
02. Blink Of An Eye
03. No Tickets To The Funeral
04. Dreams From The Pit
05. Noonday Devil
06. Let It Rain
07. Focus
08. Perfect
09. Begin Again
10. Stronger Than Death
11. Departure Of The Pale Horse
In North America, "This Mortal Coil" is also available as a 2CD package featuring a special bonus CD with the following six (!) cover versions:
01. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (ELTON JOHN)
02. Jane (STARSHIP)
03. Hold The Line (TOTO)
04. Edge Of The Blade (JOURNEY)
05. Love To Love (UFO)
06. Precious Things (TORI AMOS)
Nick van Dyk previously stated about REDEMPTION's new CD, "It was a pleasure to work with Neil Kernon during the production, although I dare say we had more challenges and curve-balls in this process than either of us is accustomed to. Nonetheless, we overcame everything in our path, from Internet failures to lightning strikes, and since one of the themes of this CD is essentially overcoming adversity, the production process served as a bit of a metaphor for the whole concept!
"The new CD continues our creative effort to combine heaviness with melody — fusing those disparate elements has always been part of REDEMPTION's sound, along with an element that I have called emotional urgency, which we've maintained here. All in all, it sounds like REDEMPTION — although importantly I think it's by far our best-sounding record, owing to the work of Neil Kernon and the mastering of Alan Douches."
Regarding the artwork, Van Dyk said, "We have worked once again with the incredibly talented Travis Smith on our art; we work very well together and he has a proven knack for bringing my concepts to life visually."
Released on September 26 in Europe and October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music, the follow-up to 2009's "Snowfall On Judgment Day" was recorded and mixed with producer Neil Kernon (QUEENSRŸCHE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE). The CD's cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist and longtime band collaborator Travis Smith (OPETH, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, NEVERMORE).
"This Mortal Coil" track listing:
01. Path Of The Whirlwind
02. Blink Of An Eye
03. No Tickets To The Funeral
04. Dreams From The Pit
05. Noonday Devil
06. Let It Rain
07. Focus
08. Perfect
09. Begin Again
10. Stronger Than Death
11. Departure Of The Pale Horse
In North America, "This Mortal Coil" is also available as a 2CD package featuring a special bonus CD with the following six (!) cover versions:
01. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (ELTON JOHN)
02. Jane (STARSHIP)
03. Hold The Line (TOTO)
04. Edge Of The Blade (JOURNEY)
05. Love To Love (UFO)
06. Precious Things (TORI AMOS)
Nick van Dyk previously stated about REDEMPTION's new CD, "It was a pleasure to work with Neil Kernon during the production, although I dare say we had more challenges and curve-balls in this process than either of us is accustomed to. Nonetheless, we overcame everything in our path, from Internet failures to lightning strikes, and since one of the themes of this CD is essentially overcoming adversity, the production process served as a bit of a metaphor for the whole concept!
"The new CD continues our creative effort to combine heaviness with melody — fusing those disparate elements has always been part of REDEMPTION's sound, along with an element that I have called emotional urgency, which we've maintained here. All in all, it sounds like REDEMPTION — although importantly I think it's by far our best-sounding record, owing to the work of Neil Kernon and the mastering of Alan Douches."
Regarding the artwork, Van Dyk said, "We have worked once again with the incredibly talented Travis Smith on our art; we work very well together and he has a proven knack for bringing my concepts to life visually."
COFFIN HUNTER, the country bluegrass project featuring EXODUS members Jack Gibson and Tom Hunting, has a number of U.S. dates scheduled through the end of the month.
A combination of Jerry Reed (famous for his "Smokey And The Bandit" hit "Eastbound And Down"), CW McCall (of '70s hit "Convoy" fame), and a Sergio Leone "spaghetti western" soundtrack, COFFIN HUNTER is Gibson's brainchild born out of his love for playing banjo and vintage Nashville music. The band lineup also features Larry "Uncle" Otis on lap steel, guitar, and mandolin, a music industry veteran and former session musician for Motown who's also performed with Bobby Womack, Billy C. Fargo (singer for the country rock band COMMANDER CODY AND HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN), and Ike and Tina Turner.
COFFIN HUNTER tour dates:
Oct. 20 - Tenacious Brothers Pub - Grand Junction, CO
Oct. 22 - Piper Down – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct. 24 - The Badlander – Missoula, MT
Oct. 27 - 2-Bit Saloon – Seattle, WA
Oct. 28 - San Dune Club – Manzanita, OR
Oct. 29 - The Pub – Cave Junction, OR
Oct. 30 - The Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA
Oct. 31 - The Railyard – Shasta, CA
A combination of Jerry Reed (famous for his "Smokey And The Bandit" hit "Eastbound And Down"), CW McCall (of '70s hit "Convoy" fame), and a Sergio Leone "spaghetti western" soundtrack, COFFIN HUNTER is Gibson's brainchild born out of his love for playing banjo and vintage Nashville music. The band lineup also features Larry "Uncle" Otis on lap steel, guitar, and mandolin, a music industry veteran and former session musician for Motown who's also performed with Bobby Womack, Billy C. Fargo (singer for the country rock band COMMANDER CODY AND HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN), and Ike and Tina Turner.
COFFIN HUNTER tour dates:
Oct. 20 - Tenacious Brothers Pub - Grand Junction, CO
Oct. 22 - Piper Down – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct. 24 - The Badlander – Missoula, MT
Oct. 27 - 2-Bit Saloon – Seattle, WA
Oct. 28 - San Dune Club – Manzanita, OR
Oct. 29 - The Pub – Cave Junction, OR
Oct. 30 - The Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA
Oct. 31 - The Railyard – Shasta, CA
JANE'S ADDICTION's new album, "The Great Escape Artist", is likely to sell between 25,000 and 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on October 18 via Capitol.
"The Great Escape Artist" is JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", and is only their fourth album of original material in 20 years. Like other bands that have reunited in recent years such as BLINK-182, the members of JANE'S ADDICTION recorded a lot of the album in separate studios. Drummer Stephen Perkins told The Pulse Of Radio why this worked in JANE'S' favor. "Back in the day, we spent all our time together playing," he said. "Now we have a big pie. JANE'S is just a slice of that pie. But we still want to work and be efficient musicians, so hey, you can't make it to Burbank, you're in Santa Monica? I'll send you the tracks, let's get to work. So it is still just as raw and as emotional as being in the same room together, but it also lets, I guess, a more efficient way of making the record nowadays that we have different things going on in our life."
"The Great Escape Artist" track listing:
01. Underground
02. End To The Lies
03. Curiosity Kills
04. Irresistible Force
05. I'll Hit You Back
06. Twisted Tales
07. Ultimate Reason
08. Splash A Little Water On It
09. Broken People
10. Words Right Out Of My Mouth
An additional look at the band's recording process and the album cover concept for "The Great Escape Artist" is available in the YouTube clip below.
The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Perkins, Perry Farrell on vocals and Dave Navarro on guitar.
Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.
Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced the new record, while Chris Chaney has returned as touring bassist.
Ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan also contributed to the album and has songwriting credits on three songs.
JANE'S ADDICTION plays Tuesday night in New York City and Friday (October 21) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
"The Great Escape Artist" is JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", and is only their fourth album of original material in 20 years. Like other bands that have reunited in recent years such as BLINK-182, the members of JANE'S ADDICTION recorded a lot of the album in separate studios. Drummer Stephen Perkins told The Pulse Of Radio why this worked in JANE'S' favor. "Back in the day, we spent all our time together playing," he said. "Now we have a big pie. JANE'S is just a slice of that pie. But we still want to work and be efficient musicians, so hey, you can't make it to Burbank, you're in Santa Monica? I'll send you the tracks, let's get to work. So it is still just as raw and as emotional as being in the same room together, but it also lets, I guess, a more efficient way of making the record nowadays that we have different things going on in our life."
"The Great Escape Artist" track listing:
01. Underground
02. End To The Lies
03. Curiosity Kills
04. Irresistible Force
05. I'll Hit You Back
06. Twisted Tales
07. Ultimate Reason
08. Splash A Little Water On It
09. Broken People
10. Words Right Out Of My Mouth
An additional look at the band's recording process and the album cover concept for "The Great Escape Artist" is available in the YouTube clip below.
The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Perkins, Perry Farrell on vocals and Dave Navarro on guitar.
Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.
Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced the new record, while Chris Chaney has returned as touring bassist.
Ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan also contributed to the album and has songwriting credits on three songs.
JANE'S ADDICTION plays Tuesday night in New York City and Friday (October 21) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Going back into time to move forward, STILLWELL — the new band featuring KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu on guitar — has decided to release "Surrounded By Liars", an EP containing six original versions of songs that appeared on its debut album, "Dirtbag". Due on November 21, the CD comes with an amazing looking stainless Steel (316L) STILLWELL charm of your choice of either the "Cross & Skulls" or the "Guitar Pick" with a stainless steel lobster claw and black 3mm leather cord necklace, designed by Jewelry My Tattoo. The six songs are, "Trepidation", "I Can't Be Stopped", "Cyclone", "Hate To Say I Told You So (Magnetic Daze)" and "Surrounded By Liars", along with the very first STILLWELL song ever recorded, "Killing Myself To Live".
Here's your chance to own a copy of STILLWELL history and to hear these songs in their original "street metal" style.
"Dirtbag" was released on May 10 via Nu Day Records. The CD features Fieldy on guitar, Q on vocals, Wuv (P.O.D.) on drums and Spider on bass.
STILLWELL opened for DISTURBED and KORN on the entire second leg of the "Music As A Weapon V" tour.
Here's your chance to own a copy of STILLWELL history and to hear these songs in their original "street metal" style.
"Dirtbag" was released on May 10 via Nu Day Records. The CD features Fieldy on guitar, Q on vocals, Wuv (P.O.D.) on drums and Spider on bass.
STILLWELL opened for DISTURBED and KORN on the entire second leg of the "Music As A Weapon V" tour.
Florida-based guitarist-turned-producer James Murphy, who is best known for his guitar work with TESTAMENT, DEATH, OBITUARY, CANCER and DISINCARNATE, recently expressed concern that the tumor he "battled and defeated" nine years ago may have recurred after discovering that the hormone indicator was 20 times higher than the low it reached as recently as one year ago. He has since issued the following update on his condition:
"After meeting with my doctor yesterday, I finally have the results of my recent MRI, and the prognosis for my immediate future: the tumor only grew a little, so no surgery is needed, and radiation therapy has been, at least for the moment, ruled out. We will treat the new growth pharmacologically by increasing my dose of the hormone inhibitor I currently take, or switching to the other (better but more expensive) drug that can treat my particular condition. So I will have another MRI in Six months to see if the pharmacological treatment has worked. In the meantime, the dose they want me to take of my current prescription would leave me wiped out for most of each day... Five pills per day is just too much of that particular drug, so i hope to be able to upgrade to the better drug, of which I'd have to take far less, and thus suffer far less side-effects, and be able to function normally. The really good news is that the funds raised by my good friends Deron Miller and his wife Felissa Rose Esposito Miller has paid outright for the MRI, bloodwork, and other lab tests I've had to have in relation to this so far, and whatever else they raise from here should allow me to afford the switch to the more expensive prescription, which will in turn allow me to function normally, keep working, and not go bankrupt. I owe a huge thanks to them, as well as to all of you that have reached out, contributed, wished me well, and sent me your good vibes.... thanks to you all!"
In August 2001, Murphy was discovered to have a massive tumor growth near the base of his brain and was quickly scheduled for an urgent life-saving operation. James underwent surgery on September 17, 2001 at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. Neurosurgeon Dr. Frank Vrionis and head and neck surgeon Dr. John Song, performed the operation using a Maxillary Swing procedure that made entry through the left side of the face. An incision was made underneath the left eye, along the side of the nose, and finally through the middle of the upper lip. The facial tissue was then pulled back and the cheekbone removed. They then cut through James' sinus and made entry below the orbit of the eye to remove a portion of the growth. More was removed through an incision made in the soft pallet inside the mouth. About 70% of the tumor was removed, the remainder being too close to vital structures to risk further damage. The sinus was then packed with fat tissue taken from the lower abdomen via an incision below the navel and reattached. The cheekbone was set back in place and held with two small titanium plates. The facial tissue was then sutured closed along with the soft pallet. His mouth was fitted with a prosthesis to protect the pallet tissue while it healed. The remaining 30% of the tumor was treated with a medication to shrink it called Parlodel (Bromocriptine), which James was told he would have to take for the rest of his life.
"After meeting with my doctor yesterday, I finally have the results of my recent MRI, and the prognosis for my immediate future: the tumor only grew a little, so no surgery is needed, and radiation therapy has been, at least for the moment, ruled out. We will treat the new growth pharmacologically by increasing my dose of the hormone inhibitor I currently take, or switching to the other (better but more expensive) drug that can treat my particular condition. So I will have another MRI in Six months to see if the pharmacological treatment has worked. In the meantime, the dose they want me to take of my current prescription would leave me wiped out for most of each day... Five pills per day is just too much of that particular drug, so i hope to be able to upgrade to the better drug, of which I'd have to take far less, and thus suffer far less side-effects, and be able to function normally. The really good news is that the funds raised by my good friends Deron Miller and his wife Felissa Rose Esposito Miller has paid outright for the MRI, bloodwork, and other lab tests I've had to have in relation to this so far, and whatever else they raise from here should allow me to afford the switch to the more expensive prescription, which will in turn allow me to function normally, keep working, and not go bankrupt. I owe a huge thanks to them, as well as to all of you that have reached out, contributed, wished me well, and sent me your good vibes.... thanks to you all!"
In August 2001, Murphy was discovered to have a massive tumor growth near the base of his brain and was quickly scheduled for an urgent life-saving operation. James underwent surgery on September 17, 2001 at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. Neurosurgeon Dr. Frank Vrionis and head and neck surgeon Dr. John Song, performed the operation using a Maxillary Swing procedure that made entry through the left side of the face. An incision was made underneath the left eye, along the side of the nose, and finally through the middle of the upper lip. The facial tissue was then pulled back and the cheekbone removed. They then cut through James' sinus and made entry below the orbit of the eye to remove a portion of the growth. More was removed through an incision made in the soft pallet inside the mouth. About 70% of the tumor was removed, the remainder being too close to vital structures to risk further damage. The sinus was then packed with fat tissue taken from the lower abdomen via an incision below the navel and reattached. The cheekbone was set back in place and held with two small titanium plates. The facial tissue was then sutured closed along with the soft pallet. His mouth was fitted with a prosthesis to protect the pallet tissue while it healed. The remaining 30% of the tumor was treated with a medication to shrink it called Parlodel (Bromocriptine), which James was told he would have to take for the rest of his life.
Austrian metallers THE SORROW have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's fourth studio album is tentatively due in early 2012.
Commented THE SORROW guitarist Andi Mäser: "We are thrilled about the cooperation with the entire Napalm team and are happy to have found a new 'partner in crime' after numerous successful years in the business."
THE SORROW's third, self-titled album, entered the official chart in Austria at position No. 24. The follow-up to 2009's "Origin Of The Storm" was recorded at Principal Studios (DIE TOTEN HOSEN, IN EXTREMO) in Senden, Germany with producer Toni Meloni and was mixed by Sky van Hoff. Mastering duties were handled by Jens Dreesen.
"The Sorrow" was released in North America on December 7 through Artoffact Records.
Commented THE SORROW guitarist Andi Mäser: "We are thrilled about the cooperation with the entire Napalm team and are happy to have found a new 'partner in crime' after numerous successful years in the business."
THE SORROW's third, self-titled album, entered the official chart in Austria at position No. 24. The follow-up to 2009's "Origin Of The Storm" was recorded at Principal Studios (DIE TOTEN HOSEN, IN EXTREMO) in Senden, Germany with producer Toni Meloni and was mixed by Sky van Hoff. Mastering duties were handled by Jens Dreesen.
"The Sorrow" was released in North America on December 7 through Artoffact Records.
"One For Sorrow", the new album from Finnish melodic death metallers INSOMNIUM, has entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 6. The group's previous CD, "Across The Dark", premiered at No. 5 on the same chart.
"One For Sorrow", which was released on October 18 in North America via Century Media Records, was recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden with sound engineer Daniel Antonsson (also bassist in DARK TRANQUILLITY and guitarist in DIMENSION ZERO) and at Fantom studios in Tempere, Finland, where the album was also mixed by Samu Oittisen.
According to a press release, "One For Sorrow" is "such an amalgamation of styles that pigeonholing [INSOMNIUM] into a single category would be to rob the band of its true complexity and ignore the very essence of its sound. Recalling art-metal titans CULT OF LUNA at one turn and brutal visionaries AMON AMARTH at others, 'One For Sorrow' displays the true musical breadth of a band that has clearly come into its own."
Guitarist Ville Friman comments on the album title: "The name 'One For Sorrow' comes from a traditional children's nursery rhyme. There are ten different scenarios in the original rhyme; likewise there are ten different songs and stories on our album. I think 'One For Sorrow' truly depicts what this album is all about: bereavement, grief and loss."
INSOMNIUM will embark on a European headlining tour in November with support from fellow Finns BEFORE THE DAWN and MYGRAIN.
"One For Sorrow", which was released on October 18 in North America via Century Media Records, was recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden with sound engineer Daniel Antonsson (also bassist in DARK TRANQUILLITY and guitarist in DIMENSION ZERO) and at Fantom studios in Tempere, Finland, where the album was also mixed by Samu Oittisen.
According to a press release, "One For Sorrow" is "such an amalgamation of styles that pigeonholing [INSOMNIUM] into a single category would be to rob the band of its true complexity and ignore the very essence of its sound. Recalling art-metal titans CULT OF LUNA at one turn and brutal visionaries AMON AMARTH at others, 'One For Sorrow' displays the true musical breadth of a band that has clearly come into its own."
Guitarist Ville Friman comments on the album title: "The name 'One For Sorrow' comes from a traditional children's nursery rhyme. There are ten different scenarios in the original rhyme; likewise there are ten different songs and stories on our album. I think 'One For Sorrow' truly depicts what this album is all about: bereavement, grief and loss."
INSOMNIUM will embark on a European headlining tour in November with support from fellow Finns BEFORE THE DAWN and MYGRAIN.
Colorado-based modern melodic death metallers ALLEGAEON will enter Lambesis Studios in San Diego, California in December with producer Daniel Castleman (AS I LAY DYING, CARNIFEX, MOLOTOV SOLUTION) to begin recording their second album for an early 2012 release via Metal Blade Records.
Commented guitarist Ryan Glisan: "All the songs are written and we are finishing up vocals and solos as we speak.
"What can you expect from our new album? I think we can all say that this album is where we have wanted to be as a band for a long time; it's fresh, super-heavy, melodic, [with] a ton of groove-oriented, old-school-style riffing [and] just as much blasting as down tempo beats. On the whole, the album has very cohesive and consistent sound that mixes intensity with musicality, and as usual there's about a thousand solos, haha. I think people will not necessarily hear what they are expecting to hear, but in a good way."
In other news, ALLEGAEON has announced the addition of drummer JP Andrade to the group's ranks. According to Glisan, "JP is as well-versed in extreme death metal styles as he is with other styles such as rock and jazz, etc."
Commented guitarist Ryan Glisan: "All the songs are written and we are finishing up vocals and solos as we speak.
"What can you expect from our new album? I think we can all say that this album is where we have wanted to be as a band for a long time; it's fresh, super-heavy, melodic, [with] a ton of groove-oriented, old-school-style riffing [and] just as much blasting as down tempo beats. On the whole, the album has very cohesive and consistent sound that mixes intensity with musicality, and as usual there's about a thousand solos, haha. I think people will not necessarily hear what they are expecting to hear, but in a good way."
In other news, ALLEGAEON has announced the addition of drummer JP Andrade to the group's ranks. According to Glisan, "JP is as well-versed in extreme death metal styles as he is with other styles such as rock and jazz, etc."
__._,_.___
MARKETPLACE
.
__,_._,___
0 comments:
Post a Comment