Ozzy Osbourne's 25-year-old son Jack confirmed to CNN's Piers Morgan earlier tonight that he and fiancée Lisa Stelly are expecting their first child.
"I'm excited. I'm a little nervous." Jack said.
Ozzy reportedly jumped for joy and hearing the news, saying "I'm shocked. I think it's fabulous."
Jack's mother, Sharon, who also manages Ozzy's career, said, "I'm happy because it's what Jack wants so I'm happy, and I've always wanted to be a grandma so it couldn't be better."
Ozzy already has four grandchildren; two each from daughter Jessica and son Louis from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley.
It'll be the first child for Osbourne and Lisa Stelly, who gushed about her future husband when announcing their engagement.
"The most amazing man I've ever met asked me to marry him....and he wasn't joking!" Stelly, 26, tweeted last month. "Crazy, right? :)."
Jack found fame through his family's MTV reality show "The Osbournes" and has since appeared in several other TV programs. Earlier this year he produced a documentary about his father called "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne".
"I'm excited. I'm a little nervous." Jack said.
Ozzy reportedly jumped for joy and hearing the news, saying "I'm shocked. I think it's fabulous."
Jack's mother, Sharon, who also manages Ozzy's career, said, "I'm happy because it's what Jack wants so I'm happy, and I've always wanted to be a grandma so it couldn't be better."
Ozzy already has four grandchildren; two each from daughter Jessica and son Louis from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley.
It'll be the first child for Osbourne and Lisa Stelly, who gushed about her future husband when announcing their engagement.
"The most amazing man I've ever met asked me to marry him....and he wasn't joking!" Stelly, 26, tweeted last month. "Crazy, right? :)."
Jack found fame through his family's MTV reality show "The Osbournes" and has since appeared in several other TV programs. Earlier this year he produced a documentary about his father called "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne".
With "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor" (Grand Central Publishing — the new book by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres that's available wherever books are sold starting today, Tuesday, October 11 — the rock legend has taken to his social networks (Twitter and Facebook) with "Dr. Ozzy's Seven-Day Guide To Better Living." The weeklong series of free advice and helpful hints launches today, with followers being treated to words of wisdom from the book. Dr. Ozzy revealed his first better-living tip today: "Always get a 2nd opinion — even if it means calling the doctor's cell from 6ft underground to ask if he's 100% sure you're dead."
Ozzy Osbourne will sign copies of his "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" at the following locations:
Tuesday, October 11, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
Huntington, CA
Thursday, October 13, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
10775 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA
Friday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
3490 Tyler Street
Riverside, CA
Saturday, October 15, 3:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.
Hastings
1306 West Davis
Conroe, TX
Wednesday October 19, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
5130 East Broadway
Tucson, AZ
Thursday October 20, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
2191 North Rainbow Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV
Friday October 21, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
1725 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA
Saturday October 22, 3:00 p.m.
Booksmith with Amoeba Music
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA
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.
Based on his ongoing Rolling Stone (U.S.) Sunday Times (U.K.) columns, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" will include some of the best material from the columns, as well as survival stories not found in Ozzy's memoir, his answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts and sidebars, and much more. The best way to describe this book is 100% Ozzy — part memoir and part advice column, delivered with Ozzy's famous wit and humor. It's comprised of reader-submitted medical and lifestyle questions, Ozzy digs deep into his murky past, searching for pearls of "wisdom."
The genesis of the Dr. Ozzy columns began last year, when Ozzy decided to have his DNA mapped to determine if science could perhaps explain how he survived his nearly four decade avalanche of drugs and alcohol. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered. In fact, the findings made headlines around the world and even led to Ozzy hosting a prestigious TED conference.
The official book description reads as follows: "Wondering if science could explain how he survived his 40-year avalanche of drugs and alcohol, Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The 'Full Ozzy Genome' contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy', Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy' will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more."
Ozzy last year said that his column in the Times is not meant to be taken seriously. "It's not a serious thing," he said. "I mean, I'm the last person to ask advice about health. It's just, it's not fit to be taken seriously. I mean — and I'm not doing it, I'm not writing the column personally, I've got a guy coming around, the guy who did my book, Chris Ayres, is doing the column. He brings me the column things and I just joke about it, you know. 'Cause if you believe me, you'll end up in the lunatic asylum."
Ozzy said in his first column for the Times, "If people can learn from my stupid mistakes without having to repeat any of them, or if they can take some comfort from the crazy things my family has been through over the years . . . that's more than enough for me."
Ozzy added in the column, "By all accounts, I'm a medical miracle. When I die, I should donate my body to the Natural History Museum."
In response to a Rolling Stone reader by the name of Hugh from New Mexico who asked if he should go to one of those "rub 'n' tug" massage parlors given that his girlfriend will never know, Ozzy replied, "A hand job is a very personal thing, and after a lifetime of practice, most blokes get a pretty specific preference for the kind of technique they like. So unless you're acting as a co-pilot and barking out instructions to your dodgy masseuse every two seconds, it might end up feeling more like she's skinning a dead rabbit than driving you wild with forbidden pleasure. In fact, it sounds to me like you've already built this up in your head to the point where it's gonna be an expensive disappointment. You also ain't factored in guilt. It's all very well you telling Dr. Ozzy that 'it doesn't seem wrong' to hire an extra pair of hands to help out in the monkey-spanking department, but I'm afraid to say that if you're anything like me, your conscience won't agree."
"I Am Ozzy" marked Ozzy's first foray into the book world; it tells his unbelievable story, for the first time, in his own hilarious, witty, and inimitable voice. In the end it was love that saved him: the love of his wife Sharon and kids Aimee, Kelly, and Jack.
Ozzy Osbourne will sign copies of his "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" at the following locations:
Tuesday, October 11, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
7881 Edinger Avenue
Huntington, CA
Thursday, October 13, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
10775 Westview Parkway
San Diego, CA
Friday, October 14, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
3490 Tyler Street
Riverside, CA
Saturday, October 15, 3:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
189 The Grove Drive
Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m.
Hastings
1306 West Davis
Conroe, TX
Wednesday October 19, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
5130 East Broadway
Tucson, AZ
Thursday October 20, 6:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
2191 North Rainbow Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV
Friday October 21, 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
1725 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA
Saturday October 22, 3:00 p.m.
Booksmith with Amoeba Music
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA
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.
Based on his ongoing Rolling Stone (U.S.) Sunday Times (U.K.) columns, "Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy" will include some of the best material from the columns, as well as survival stories not found in Ozzy's memoir, his answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts and sidebars, and much more. The best way to describe this book is 100% Ozzy — part memoir and part advice column, delivered with Ozzy's famous wit and humor. It's comprised of reader-submitted medical and lifestyle questions, Ozzy digs deep into his murky past, searching for pearls of "wisdom."
The genesis of the Dr. Ozzy columns began last year, when Ozzy decided to have his DNA mapped to determine if science could perhaps explain how he survived his nearly four decade avalanche of drugs and alcohol. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered. In fact, the findings made headlines around the world and even led to Ozzy hosting a prestigious TED conference.
The official book description reads as follows: "Wondering if science could explain how he survived his 40-year avalanche of drugs and alcohol, Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The 'Full Ozzy Genome' contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy', Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, 'Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy' will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more."
Ozzy last year said that his column in the Times is not meant to be taken seriously. "It's not a serious thing," he said. "I mean, I'm the last person to ask advice about health. It's just, it's not fit to be taken seriously. I mean — and I'm not doing it, I'm not writing the column personally, I've got a guy coming around, the guy who did my book, Chris Ayres, is doing the column. He brings me the column things and I just joke about it, you know. 'Cause if you believe me, you'll end up in the lunatic asylum."
Ozzy said in his first column for the Times, "If people can learn from my stupid mistakes without having to repeat any of them, or if they can take some comfort from the crazy things my family has been through over the years . . . that's more than enough for me."
Ozzy added in the column, "By all accounts, I'm a medical miracle. When I die, I should donate my body to the Natural History Museum."
In response to a Rolling Stone reader by the name of Hugh from New Mexico who asked if he should go to one of those "rub 'n' tug" massage parlors given that his girlfriend will never know, Ozzy replied, "A hand job is a very personal thing, and after a lifetime of practice, most blokes get a pretty specific preference for the kind of technique they like. So unless you're acting as a co-pilot and barking out instructions to your dodgy masseuse every two seconds, it might end up feeling more like she's skinning a dead rabbit than driving you wild with forbidden pleasure. In fact, it sounds to me like you've already built this up in your head to the point where it's gonna be an expensive disappointment. You also ain't factored in guilt. It's all very well you telling Dr. Ozzy that 'it doesn't seem wrong' to hire an extra pair of hands to help out in the monkey-spanking department, but I'm afraid to say that if you're anything like me, your conscience won't agree."
"I Am Ozzy" marked Ozzy's first foray into the book world; it tells his unbelievable story, for the first time, in his own hilarious, witty, and inimitable voice. In the end it was love that saved him: the love of his wife Sharon and kids Aimee, Kelly, and Jack.
Metal God Records and Rob Halford have just released a new 5.1 Surround Sound, multi-camera, HD live-concert film, "Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena". The "Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena Original Soundtrack" CD will follow on November 21.
"Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" features Rob Halford on vocals, Roy Z. on guitar, "Metal" Mike Chlasciak on guitars, Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums. It contains fifteen 5.1 Surround Sound audio recordings spanning The Metal God's HALFORD, FIGHT and JUDAS PRIEST catalog.
HALFORD's first high-definition, 5.1 Surround Sound audio production, the "Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" Blu-ray release features exclusive footage with Rob Halford commentary.
"Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" track listing:
01. Resurrection
02. Made In Hell
03. Locked And Loaded
04. Drop Out
05. Made Of Metal
06. Undisputed
07. Nailed To The Gun
08. Golgotha
09. Fire And Ice
10. Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)
11. Diamonds And Rust
12. Jawbreaker
13. Cyber World
14. Like There's No Tomorrow
15. Thunder And Lightning
"Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" features Rob Halford on vocals, Roy Z. on guitar, "Metal" Mike Chlasciak on guitars, Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums. It contains fifteen 5.1 Surround Sound audio recordings spanning The Metal God's HALFORD, FIGHT and JUDAS PRIEST catalog.
HALFORD's first high-definition, 5.1 Surround Sound audio production, the "Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" Blu-ray release features exclusive footage with Rob Halford commentary.
"Halford Live At Saitama Super Arena" track listing:
01. Resurrection
02. Made In Hell
03. Locked And Loaded
04. Drop Out
05. Made Of Metal
06. Undisputed
07. Nailed To The Gun
08. Golgotha
09. Fire And Ice
10. Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)
11. Diamonds And Rust
12. Jawbreaker
13. Cyber World
14. Like There's No Tomorrow
15. Thunder And Lightning
HALFORD's latest album, "Halford IV - Made Of Metal", sold around 3,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 160 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 5 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.
HALFORD's previous CD, "Halford III - Winter Songs", opened with 1,400 units to debut at No. 26 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.
"Halford IV - Made Of Metal" was released on September 27, 2010 in Europe and September 28 in North America. Produced by Roy Z. and recorded during 2009 and 2010, the CD features 14 new songs penned exclusively by Rob Halford.
HALFORD played its first show in more than seven years on July 17, 2010 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
HALFORD's previous CD, "Halford III - Winter Songs", opened with 1,400 units to debut at No. 26 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.
"Halford IV - Made Of Metal" was released on September 27, 2010 in Europe and September 28 in North America. Produced by Roy Z. and recorded during 2009 and 2010, the CD features 14 new songs penned exclusively by Rob Halford.
HALFORD played its first show in more than seven years on July 17, 2010 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
The musical collaboration between Lou Reed and METALLICA, "Lulu", will be released on November 1 in North America via Warner Bros. Records and one day earlier (October 31) in the rest of the world through Universal Music. The CD was co-produced by Reed, METALLICA, Hal Willner — who has produced albums for Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Laurie Anderson, among others — and Greg Fidelman. Fidelman also mixed the record.
"Lulu" final track listing:
01. Brandenburg Gate (4:19)
02. The View (5:17)
03. Pumping Blood (7:24)
04. Mistress Dread (6:52)
05. Iced Honey (4:36)
06. Cheat On Me (11:26)
07. Frustration (8:33)
08. Little Dog (8:01)
09. Dragon (11:08)
10. Junior Dad (19:28)
"Cheat On Me" lyrics:
Why do you cheat on me
Why do I cheat on thee
Why do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on me
I have a passionate heart
It can tear us apart
I have the loves of many men
But I don't love any of them
Why do I cheat on me
You have your feelings
I have mine
I spit upon you and change my mind
I have many hearts to break
And many, many, many more to take
Let the light of stars pour out
Like a candle in a spout
Let the wick recede and break
Let the starlight radiate
Why do you cheat on me
Why do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on thee
Why do I desecrate me
Why do I piss my dreams
That's because that's what it is
I have the drive
I got the scope
If I, if I, if I, could I give you a rope
Your love means zero to me
I'm a passionateless wave upon the sea
Passionateless wave upon the sea
Why, why, why
Do you cheat on me
Why, why, why
Do I cheat on thee
Oh why, do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on myself
Well I got nobody else
I'm only young once
I want to taste it all and have fun
I have no real feelings in my soul
Where most have passion I got a hole
I really got nobody else
I want lovers like the rain
So many of them, so much the same
You say you love me, I know it's true
But I, I, I don't love you
Why do I cheat on me
Why do you cheat on me
Your love means zero to me
A passionateless wave
Your love means zero to me [End of lyrics]
The idea for these two giants of modern music to work together was born after the 25th anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame concerts in New York City in October 2009. METALLICA — singer/guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — played with Reed on VELVET UNDERGROUND classics "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat". "We knew from then that we were made for each other," Reed says.
After that triumphant performance, Reed suggested they all make a record together. At first they planned to record an album of Reedfraven's older material, what Ulrich describes as "some of Lou's lost jewels — songs that he felt he'd like to give a second spin, and we could do whatever it is we do to some of those songs." That idea "hung in the air for a couple of months." Then, a week or two before that session was to begin, "Lou called up and said, 'Listen, I have this other idea.'"
That idea was to record a series of songs Reed had written for American avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson and German theater group the Berliner Ensemble's production of the "Lulu Plays", which premiered in April at the Theatre am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, founded by Bertolt Brecht. The songs are inspired by German expressionist Frank Wedekind's early 20th century plays "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box", and were a rewrite of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", which emerged as a graphic novel on Fantagraphics Press.
"We were very interested in working with Lou," says Hetfield. "I had these giant question marks: What's it going to be like? What's going to happen? So it was great when he sent us the lyrics for the 'Lulu' body of work. It was something we could sink our teeth into. I could take off my singer and lyricist hat and concentrate on the music part. These were very potent lyrics, with a soundscape behind them for atmosphere. Lars and I sat there with an acoustic and let this blank canvas take us where it needed to go. It was a great gift, to be asked to stamp 'TALLICA on it. And that's what we did."
"We had to bring 'Lulu' to life in a sophisticated way, using rock," Reed says. "And the hardest power rock you could come up with would have to be METALLICA. They live on that planet. We played together, and I knew it: dream come true. This is the best thing I ever did. And I did it with the best group I could possibly find. By definition, everybody involved was honest. This has come into the world pure. We pushed as far as we possibly could within the realms of reality."
"It's definitely not a METALLICA album, or a Lou Reed album," adds Hammett. "It's something else. It's a new animal, a hybrid."
A variety of physical "Lulu" releases are available for pre-order at LouReedMetallica.com:
** 2CD Package - $19.99
Contents: Double CD with 24-page booklet including all lyrics.
** Deluxe 2CD Poster Set - $119.99
Contents: Limited-run tube including a poster of the "Lulu" mannequin and song lyrics, three high-quality prints of Anton Corbijn photos of Lou Reed and METALLICA, and the double CD of "Lulu" in a unique folding slipcase. Each tube is numbered. Dimensions of the tube are approximately 5.5 inches in diameter by 49 inches long.
** Deluxe Book 2CD - $109.99
Contents: Limited-run two-book set, each book 12" x 12" square bound with a hard cover. The Anton Corbijn book is 20 pages of photos taken of Lou Reed and METALLICA in Gothenburg, Sweden in the summer of 2011. The lyric book is 28 pages with lyrics from each song along with imagery from the objects collection of WerkbundarchiV Museum Der Dinge, Berlin, Germany. The two "Lulu" CDs are also included in the lyric book. All housed in a clear plastic slipcase.
** Vinyl 2LP Set
2CD Package
"Lulu" final track listing:
01. Brandenburg Gate (4:19)
02. The View (5:17)
03. Pumping Blood (7:24)
04. Mistress Dread (6:52)
05. Iced Honey (4:36)
06. Cheat On Me (11:26)
07. Frustration (8:33)
08. Little Dog (8:01)
09. Dragon (11:08)
10. Junior Dad (19:28)
"Cheat On Me" lyrics:
Why do you cheat on me
Why do I cheat on thee
Why do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on me
I have a passionate heart
It can tear us apart
I have the loves of many men
But I don't love any of them
Why do I cheat on me
You have your feelings
I have mine
I spit upon you and change my mind
I have many hearts to break
And many, many, many more to take
Let the light of stars pour out
Like a candle in a spout
Let the wick recede and break
Let the starlight radiate
Why do you cheat on me
Why do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on thee
Why do I desecrate me
Why do I piss my dreams
That's because that's what it is
I have the drive
I got the scope
If I, if I, if I, could I give you a rope
Your love means zero to me
I'm a passionateless wave upon the sea
Passionateless wave upon the sea
Why, why, why
Do you cheat on me
Why, why, why
Do I cheat on thee
Oh why, do I cheat on me
Why do I cheat on myself
Well I got nobody else
I'm only young once
I want to taste it all and have fun
I have no real feelings in my soul
Where most have passion I got a hole
I really got nobody else
I want lovers like the rain
So many of them, so much the same
You say you love me, I know it's true
But I, I, I don't love you
Why do I cheat on me
Why do you cheat on me
Your love means zero to me
A passionateless wave
Your love means zero to me [End of lyrics]
The idea for these two giants of modern music to work together was born after the 25th anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame concerts in New York City in October 2009. METALLICA — singer/guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — played with Reed on VELVET UNDERGROUND classics "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat". "We knew from then that we were made for each other," Reed says.
After that triumphant performance, Reed suggested they all make a record together. At first they planned to record an album of Reedfraven's older material, what Ulrich describes as "some of Lou's lost jewels — songs that he felt he'd like to give a second spin, and we could do whatever it is we do to some of those songs." That idea "hung in the air for a couple of months." Then, a week or two before that session was to begin, "Lou called up and said, 'Listen, I have this other idea.'"
That idea was to record a series of songs Reed had written for American avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson and German theater group the Berliner Ensemble's production of the "Lulu Plays", which premiered in April at the Theatre am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, founded by Bertolt Brecht. The songs are inspired by German expressionist Frank Wedekind's early 20th century plays "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box", and were a rewrite of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", which emerged as a graphic novel on Fantagraphics Press.
"We were very interested in working with Lou," says Hetfield. "I had these giant question marks: What's it going to be like? What's going to happen? So it was great when he sent us the lyrics for the 'Lulu' body of work. It was something we could sink our teeth into. I could take off my singer and lyricist hat and concentrate on the music part. These were very potent lyrics, with a soundscape behind them for atmosphere. Lars and I sat there with an acoustic and let this blank canvas take us where it needed to go. It was a great gift, to be asked to stamp 'TALLICA on it. And that's what we did."
"We had to bring 'Lulu' to life in a sophisticated way, using rock," Reed says. "And the hardest power rock you could come up with would have to be METALLICA. They live on that planet. We played together, and I knew it: dream come true. This is the best thing I ever did. And I did it with the best group I could possibly find. By definition, everybody involved was honest. This has come into the world pure. We pushed as far as we possibly could within the realms of reality."
"It's definitely not a METALLICA album, or a Lou Reed album," adds Hammett. "It's something else. It's a new animal, a hybrid."
A variety of physical "Lulu" releases are available for pre-order at LouReedMetallica.com:
** 2CD Package - $19.99
Contents: Double CD with 24-page booklet including all lyrics.
** Deluxe 2CD Poster Set - $119.99
Contents: Limited-run tube including a poster of the "Lulu" mannequin and song lyrics, three high-quality prints of Anton Corbijn photos of Lou Reed and METALLICA, and the double CD of "Lulu" in a unique folding slipcase. Each tube is numbered. Dimensions of the tube are approximately 5.5 inches in diameter by 49 inches long.
** Deluxe Book 2CD - $109.99
Contents: Limited-run two-book set, each book 12" x 12" square bound with a hard cover. The Anton Corbijn book is 20 pages of photos taken of Lou Reed and METALLICA in Gothenburg, Sweden in the summer of 2011. The lyric book is 28 pages with lyrics from each song along with imagery from the objects collection of WerkbundarchiV Museum Der Dinge, Berlin, Germany. The two "Lulu" CDs are also included in the lyric book. All housed in a clear plastic slipcase.
** Vinyl 2LP Set
2CD Package
Over 100 million units sold. Topping every 80s hard rock song countdown ever. Writing megahits that miraculously manage to straddle the uneasy divide between metal energy and pop bliss. That's Def Leppard. The Leps are heading back to Oz this month for a series of shows with Heart and the Chiorboys in support of their killer new live album, Mirrorball. A two-disc set which also features three new songs ("Undefeated," "Kings Of The World" and "It's All About Believing"), Mirrorball showcases the band at the top of their game. So, vocalist Joe Elliott, why don't you tell us about it?
Q. I saw you on the last tour a few years ago with Cheap Trick, and now you're coming back with Heart, who you've been touring with in the States. How have those shows been going?
A. Brilliant! They're such a fantastic band to tour with, and apparently this is their first time down there, so it should make for a bit of excitement for the rock fan who's open for both bands. When we were down there three years ago it was the first time for us in 18 years. The last time we'd been there before that was 1993. Now we're back three years later, and we're trying to not leave it as long. If we left the gaps the same I'd be 80 years old by the time the next show comes out, which would be ridiculous! But y'know, touring with Heart was great but the American tour was difficult.
My father passed away just as we got going and we had to stop for three weeks so I could go home to bury him – well, not bury him, we cremated him, but I went home to sort that out and make sure my mum was alright. So some shows were moved on to the end, which put us into a 9 1/2 week run. And 9 1/2 weeks without seeing your family, pretty much, is a long, tough sentence that was lightened up for 90 minutes a night by some wonderful gigs.
For me, personally, it was a bit of a tough experience. I haven't properly grieved for my father yet because I had to be back out two days after we cremated him. But life is life. He was in hospital when the tour started and he was insistent that I went. He said "You have to do this." But I had to come back when I knew he wasn't going to recover. So it was a little difficult and it still is a little painful and raw. But just forgetting that, if it's at all possible to, or just putting that to one side at least, the actual shows, we had some fantastic gigs. Being able to showcase one of the new songs was brilliant, so it's not all just old stuff. And playing with Heart was an absolute pleasure.
Q. The three new songs on Mirrorball really stand up against all the classics.
A. The thing I'm most happy about is how vastly different they are from each other. It's not like, say – and all due respect, if you're reading this please don't take this as a criticism, but if AC/DC release three new songs, chances are there'd be a slight connection! They'd sound a bit more similar because that's what they do. And I'm not knocking it, I think it's brilliant. I'm a huge fan of AC/DC. But they're never likely to do ballads, or a song like "Kings Of The World," which is obviously a very Queen-influenced piece, or "Undefeated," which is a very arena rock anthem-style song, if you like.
So we've got the intensity of something like "Kings Of The World," and then we've got the total pop sensibility of "It's All About Believing." And the thing that they all have in common is that lyrically there's an enormous amount of positivity coming out of just the titles alone, this positive thumbs-up thing, which came out of taking a year off the road. I'm convinced of it. The pressure was off. We were all spending a bit of domestic time, which we hadn't been able to do for five years. I'd forgotten what my house looked like! I had never seen my garden bloom in twenty years! I was always never year. And it energised us. By taking that time off, we came back a much better band for it.
Q. I was glad to hear that you're playing "Undefeated" on this tour.
A. Yeah! We're going to start working one of the other two new ones into the set as well. We're also bringing some old new ones back, if you like. Stuff that's old but that we've never played before or we haven't played for many, many years. So we're trying to expand it a little bit so that maybe we can play a totally different show if we have two nights in the same town. But we needed to get settled in on this tour.
A lot of people get temped to change the set because somebody starts moaning on the internet. What they tend to forget, these people …and I had a big fight with one, we've named him Dorito Boy because he obviously lives in his mum's basement and he can't get out of the chair because he weighs 500 pounds. He's the guy the FBI go to when they need somebody to hack into the Kremlin. He moans that we played the same set four nights running. He's not taking into consideration that we don't pack the crowd up and take them with us and play the same songs to the same people!
If we do a gig in New York and we all come offstage and go "That was the most perfectly paced set we've ever played," why would we not want to play that in Kansas or LA or Chicago? It's not the same crowd! We don't play to the internet brigade! But there's always this temptation to keep changing the set to keep them happy. They don't come to the gigs! So that's always a tough call really, but it's just one of the things you have to deal with.
Q. Well it's funny, after one of my recent online interviews a fan left a comment along the lines of, "Oh man, another interview with this guy?" But you've got to do press, and bands have always done this much press, it's just that now you can read all of them on the internet!
A. Well god knows what they're going to say about me then, because this is my 900th interview this year! I'm never off the phone! They want me to promote the tour, they want me to promote this and that. I never shut up! So that guy would really not like me. It was probably Dorito Boy!
- Peter Hodgson
Def Leppard Australian tour dates:
Saturday 15 October Perth, NIB Stadium, Buy Tickets 136 100
Tuesday 18 October Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre Buy Tickets 132 849
Thursday 20 October Sydney, Sydney Entertainment Centre Buy Tickets 136 100
Saturday 22 October Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena Buy Tickets 132 849
Tuesday 25 October Canberra, AIS Arena Buy Tickets 132 849
Thursday 27 October Brisbane, Brisbane Entertainment Centre Buy Tickets 132 849
Saturday 29 October Newcastle, Newcastle Entertainment Centre Buy Tickets 132 849
The publicist for GUNS N' ROSES has released the following official statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding the reports that the band was two hours late in taking the stage at this year's Rock In Rio festival on October 2 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil:
"GUNS N' ROSES would like to set the record straight on Rock In Rio. The festival's inadequate production and the downpour of rain delayed the event. Anyone who was there knows that SYSTEM OF A DOWN did not leave the stage until close to 1:15 in the morning. SYSTEM's extensive stage production did not finish coming offstage until 1:45 a.m. GN'R's production was up and ready to go at 2:15 a.m. Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES lead singer] got to the venue before 1 a.m. and he came ready to go onstage. The inadequate cover of the Rock In Rio stage caused a further delay when the soundboard went down due to water damage and was replaced as quick as possible. GN'R walked onstage at 2:40 a.m. and played for two-and-a-half hours in the pouring rain. GN'R would never seek to intentionally disrespect anyone, especially their fans."
GUNS N' ROSES' official statement comes a day after Rock In Rio festival organizer Roberto Medina told Globo.com's Extra that Axl Rose's behavior at this year's event exhibited a "lack of commitment" and "respect for the public."
GUNS N' ROSES' 2001 show at Rock In Rio also saw the band take to the stage two hours late, and while the crowd waited patiently for them on that occasion, this has not been the case at other shows.
In 2010, organizers of the Reading festival in England pulled the plug on GUNS N' ROSES' PA, silencing them after they took to the stage an hour late and tried to overrun the event's curfew time by over half an hour.
GUNS N' ROSES' was reportedly fined $108,000 (£72,000) by officials at London's O2 Arena in October 2010 after Rose's late stage appearance meant he and his bandmates went over the venue's strict 11 p.m. curfew. The fans were so upset about GUNS N' ROSES' tardiness at the first of the two London shows that they were throwing things at Axl Rose. He told the audience not to be doing that because they could miss him and hit someone at the front of the stage by accident. They wouldn't want that to happen, he added. The concert organizers allowed them to play for the extra hour over curfew for two gigs.
At GUNS N' ROSES' lone U.S. concert appearance in 2010 in Sturgis, South Dakota, the crowd — composed largely of bikers — was forced to wait the usual two hours before Rose arrived. Rather than rioting, however, those in attendance either littered the stage with debris or simply left.
In 2002 fans in Vancouver, Canada and Philadelphia in the U.S. rioted when shows were canceled on the day.
"GUNS N' ROSES would like to set the record straight on Rock In Rio. The festival's inadequate production and the downpour of rain delayed the event. Anyone who was there knows that SYSTEM OF A DOWN did not leave the stage until close to 1:15 in the morning. SYSTEM's extensive stage production did not finish coming offstage until 1:45 a.m. GN'R's production was up and ready to go at 2:15 a.m. Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES lead singer] got to the venue before 1 a.m. and he came ready to go onstage. The inadequate cover of the Rock In Rio stage caused a further delay when the soundboard went down due to water damage and was replaced as quick as possible. GN'R walked onstage at 2:40 a.m. and played for two-and-a-half hours in the pouring rain. GN'R would never seek to intentionally disrespect anyone, especially their fans."
GUNS N' ROSES' official statement comes a day after Rock In Rio festival organizer Roberto Medina told Globo.com's Extra that Axl Rose's behavior at this year's event exhibited a "lack of commitment" and "respect for the public."
GUNS N' ROSES' 2001 show at Rock In Rio also saw the band take to the stage two hours late, and while the crowd waited patiently for them on that occasion, this has not been the case at other shows.
In 2010, organizers of the Reading festival in England pulled the plug on GUNS N' ROSES' PA, silencing them after they took to the stage an hour late and tried to overrun the event's curfew time by over half an hour.
GUNS N' ROSES' was reportedly fined $108,000 (£72,000) by officials at London's O2 Arena in October 2010 after Rose's late stage appearance meant he and his bandmates went over the venue's strict 11 p.m. curfew. The fans were so upset about GUNS N' ROSES' tardiness at the first of the two London shows that they were throwing things at Axl Rose. He told the audience not to be doing that because they could miss him and hit someone at the front of the stage by accident. They wouldn't want that to happen, he added. The concert organizers allowed them to play for the extra hour over curfew for two gigs.
At GUNS N' ROSES' lone U.S. concert appearance in 2010 in Sturgis, South Dakota, the crowd — composed largely of bikers — was forced to wait the usual two hours before Rose arrived. Rather than rioting, however, those in attendance either littered the stage with debris or simply left.
In 2002 fans in Vancouver, Canada and Philadelphia in the U.S. rioted when shows were canceled on the day.
According to Tempo Interactive, at least 1,500 tickets were sold to a MÖTLEY CRÜE concert in Jakarta, Indonesia that was never officially confirmed by the band. Each ticket cost IDR 350,000 (approximately $39).
An article appeared in The Jakarta Globe on September 21 announcing that MÖTLEY CRÜE would play its first-ever how in Indonesia on October 8 at Pantai Karnival in Ancol, North Jakarta. Within 24 hours, the band issued a press release insisting that it never made any agreements for a show at Pantai Karnival in Jakarta or anywhere else in the country. The group also advised its fans to be wary of any vendors advertising ticket sales.
Dedi Supriadi, one of the ticket buyers from Salemba Tegalan, East Jakarta, told Tempo Interactive, "We only believed the concert was going to be held because we've been to many concerts before."
Dedi said he purchased the ticket from PT Multi Live Mandiri in Bulungan, South Jakarta, on August 25. However, Dedi became suspicious when he checked the official Twitter account of the band and asked about their concert plan in Indonesia. "They replied through Twitter that there is no concert in Indonesia," Dedi said.
MÖTLEY CRÜE has just completed a tour of Australia and Japan.
The band wrapped one of summer's biggest rock tours as headliners and honorees for the Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) live on Sunset Boulevard on August 20.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's summer trek landed the group on the Billboard "Hot Tours" chart six times since the tour launch, marking it as one of the legendary rock group's most successful tours to date. The 48-city trek tour — which launched on June 24 and wrapped in August — was one of the summer's highest grossing, packing amphitheaters and arenas all summer long, drawing half a million fans.
An article appeared in The Jakarta Globe on September 21 announcing that MÖTLEY CRÜE would play its first-ever how in Indonesia on October 8 at Pantai Karnival in Ancol, North Jakarta. Within 24 hours, the band issued a press release insisting that it never made any agreements for a show at Pantai Karnival in Jakarta or anywhere else in the country. The group also advised its fans to be wary of any vendors advertising ticket sales.
Dedi Supriadi, one of the ticket buyers from Salemba Tegalan, East Jakarta, told Tempo Interactive, "We only believed the concert was going to be held because we've been to many concerts before."
Dedi said he purchased the ticket from PT Multi Live Mandiri in Bulungan, South Jakarta, on August 25. However, Dedi became suspicious when he checked the official Twitter account of the band and asked about their concert plan in Indonesia. "They replied through Twitter that there is no concert in Indonesia," Dedi said.
MÖTLEY CRÜE has just completed a tour of Australia and Japan.
The band wrapped one of summer's biggest rock tours as headliners and honorees for the Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) live on Sunset Boulevard on August 20.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's summer trek landed the group on the Billboard "Hot Tours" chart six times since the tour launch, marking it as one of the legendary rock group's most successful tours to date. The 48-city trek tour — which launched on June 24 and wrapped in August — was one of the summer's highest grossing, packing amphitheaters and arenas all summer long, drawing half a million fans.
Rob Zombie has tapped his guitarist John 5 to score Zombie's upcoming film, "The Lords Of Salem".
According to Rob, John 5 — who has released several solo albums and has previously worked with Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford and David Lee Roth, among many others — "totally understands the vibe of the film and is the perfect choice to create the music."
Zombie recently told Empire magazine that "The Lords Of Salem" will be his "bleakest" outing yet — this from the man whose four previous directorial efforts include the ultra-violent "The Devil's Rejects" and two grim "Halloween" movies. As for the plot of "Salem", Zombie gave a more detailed outline than before, saying, "There were twenty people that everyone knows about — obviously all innocent — executed as witches in Salem . . . there were a further four who actually were witches, who were killed secretly, and vowed one day to return to wreak havoc on Salem's descendants. That's when the movie jumps ahead to the present day and things start to go wrong."
Zombie said he's had the idea for the movie for years, even before he recorded the song of the same name.
Zombie, who directed all his own music videos, made his debut as a feature film writer and director with 2003's "House Of 1000 Corpses".
According to Rob, John 5 — who has released several solo albums and has previously worked with Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford and David Lee Roth, among many others — "totally understands the vibe of the film and is the perfect choice to create the music."
Zombie recently told Empire magazine that "The Lords Of Salem" will be his "bleakest" outing yet — this from the man whose four previous directorial efforts include the ultra-violent "The Devil's Rejects" and two grim "Halloween" movies. As for the plot of "Salem", Zombie gave a more detailed outline than before, saying, "There were twenty people that everyone knows about — obviously all innocent — executed as witches in Salem . . . there were a further four who actually were witches, who were killed secretly, and vowed one day to return to wreak havoc on Salem's descendants. That's when the movie jumps ahead to the present day and things start to go wrong."
Zombie said he's had the idea for the movie for years, even before he recorded the song of the same name.
Zombie, who directed all his own music videos, made his debut as a feature film writer and director with 2003's "House Of 1000 Corpses".
The critical community has had nearly 30 years to chew over the impact of 1980s thrash metal, and, for some reason, New York City's own Anthrax still appears to be the black sheep of the flock.
Sure, die-hard fans of the genre are well aware of the band's significance, but those in control of terrestrial radio have come to espouse the belief that thrash begins and ends with that modest little outfit from San Francisco called Metallica.
Don't get me wrong, I hold the first three Metallica albums in the highest esteem, but I challenge anyone to argue that, album for album, Anthrax's catalog doesn't pack the same punishing authority as the other groups that comprise "The Big 4."
These guys bring it, plain and simple.
With their first new record in eight years, "Worship Music," the band has, in my opinion, reasserted itself atop the metal mountain with a commanding set of tunes that rivals their 1987 masterpiece "Among the Living."
Having Joey Belladonna manning the microphone once again is a nostalgic move, but also a savvy artistic decision that rewards both the band and listening audience in equal doses.
With less than a month until Anthrax's scheduled gig at Buffalo's Town Ballroom, I spoke with drummer Charlie Benante about the new record, and how it felt to reunite with Belladonna after 18 years without his services.
Question: As amazing as "Among the Living" is, I think "Worship Music" is the best sounding Anthrax album yet. What were your expectations when you first began recording?
Benante: We didn't really have any expectations. By about the fifth song, we could feel the record starting to take shape, and we were able to go back and rewrite anything that didn't work. A lot of what we had in the beginning stayed, because we knew it sounded the way we wanted it to.
Question: How does it feel to have Joey Belladonna back in the fold?
Benante: It's awesome, you know? Back in the early 90s, we were different people and not as mature as we are now. Some unwise decisions were made, but you just have to roll with it. There was a moment while recording where I listened to Joey sing, and I knew right then that Anthrax was back. I immediately said, 'That sounds like Anthrax.'
Question: I read that you began work on the album a while ago, but didn't have any long term plans at the time. How did the music evolve once you knew that Joey would be singing?
Benante: We were on tour with Slayer and Megadeth at the time, and Scott (Ian) and I would write in the back of the bus whenever we had a chance. When we decided that Joey was in, I was excited and, during the rewrites, we honed in some things that fit well with his style.
Question: What do you think Joey brings to the band that previous singers didn't?
Benante: For the most part, I think he brings familiarity. He was our singer in the 80s, and, for people who grew up on our music, I think it will be a huge boost to the band's appeal. As I said before, listening to him in the studio gave me a feeling that I hadn't had in a while, which reinforced what we as a band already knew. That he's the perfect fit for us.
Question: How does the released version differ from the unreleased version of the album?
Benante: Well, some things we kept, and others we didn't. Overall, it didn't change too much.
Question: I really like the song "The Devil You Know." How did that come about?
Benante: That was a different song for us. It was kind of our version of AC/DC combined with the boogie beat of "Caught in a Mosh," which brought with it a killer chorus. I love the driving beat the song has.
Question: "In the End" is arguably the greatest song you guys have ever written. Where would you rank it among the catalog?
Benante: It's my favorite. Because of the emotional tie I have to that song, the meaning runs a lot deeper for me.
Question: How did the song "Judas Priest" come about?
Benante: We were really bummed out when Judas Priest announced their decision to break up, so we thought it would be cool to name a song after them. I'm very proud of that song.
Question: How cool was it to play a "Big 4" show in front of your hometown fans at Yankee Stadium?
Benante: That was one of my favorite shows of all time. For the first time in a long time, all the families were there, and it really felt like an official homecoming.
Question: When you guys come to Buffalo, you'll be playing a club. What's the biggest adjustment you guys make in a club as opposed to a stadium?
Benante: For us, it's doesn't matter where we play. We like the intimacy of a club, but we're going to bring the same level of energy regardless of the venue.
"Worship Music" is available now.
You can catch Anthrax with Testament and Death Angel at Town Ballroom on Nov. 15.
A lot has happened for Anthrax over the past year. After all their years as a band it finally seems they are getting the credit and recognition they deserve. It doesn't hurt that they just recently released their massive new album, Worship Music. After many roadblocks and years of work the album finally came to light. Better yet, with Joey Belladonna handling vocals! He sounds better than ever at the mic, and the band seems to have awakened an old energy that shows in their music and live performances. Worship Music is easily one of the best albums of the year. I got the chance to talk about all this and more with Joey Belladonna recently. We discussed his return to Anthrax, playing at Yankee Stadium, and their amazing new album.
First off, I just want to thank you for taking some time to speak with me and answer a few questions. It's an honor to be able to talk to you.
Oh man, you got it. Likewise.
How does it feel to be back in Anthrax after all these years? Has it changed any?
Well, I think at this point in time we're all aiming for a bigger and better shot at what we do. Just keeping it real and doing the right thing to being a band; working to move forward making some good records and playing some great shows. We're just moving forward on a solid note.
Before Worship Music did you ever see a reunion with Anthrax as a possibilty? Was coming back an easy decision to make?
Yeah, I didn't mind doing it. It's just as easy as getting a memo and doing it, ya know? Obviously, you wanna make sure everyone's on the same page. We all like to work together, and just like everything else, you wanna hang out with the best of friends. So, yeah, it was pretty easy. It's just, who knew that anyone would be willing to try? It wasn't really my decision to call everybody. I wish I could do that. I would've done it a long time ago. Apparently we're all willing to go, so I'm happy for that.
How much material did you end up having a hand in writing in on Worship Music? How much was rewritten when you rejoined the band?
It's a lot of new stuff. I'd plug in some vocal stuff, and I added a lot of cool ideas to what they had. Musically, the actual range of the stuff is pretty solid to what we wanted. There's a lot of new bass, guitars, and drum tracks. Just all the vocals in a most ways.
Was it hard to fit into the material that had already been written?
No, you can give me a song, and I'll take it and run with it. It's not hard for me to put stuff together. In our case things are usually pretty well done before they reach me as far as the actual skeleton of the song and the arrangements. Of course, then the words, they can be fit in there. When your dealing with something that's not well written, say someone gave me a song that's wasn't really well thought out. It's not the easiest thing; I mean, I'll still sing on it, but I don't think you'll get the breath of it.
I even held back on some of the stuff because I didn't wanna get too wild with it. I knew where I was going with it. I'd get real creative. I didn't have much time or very many days to do it. I only had fourteen days in a couple months time so I didn't get too dangerous.
So, do you feel that you could have just as easily been the vocalist on the Anthrax albums between Persistence of Time and Worship Music?
Oh, there's no reason I couldn't have been. Just take John out of that equation. I think it was me from the start. Without hearing the material or trying to compare it to anything I know I could have been on anything. It would've been different that's for sure. I don't know, I never thought that we would worry about changing anything, but apparently we did. Now we're back doing what we normally do, and that's a little more natural. I think we do well. I think we do great for where we are line-up wise. Just some good shit, ya know?
Worship Music marks the first time in over twenty years you've been on an Anthrax album. How have you managed to to keep your vocals so strong over the years?
I just think that walking into something after a while it just seemed to give me a little bit of a clean slate. I've been singing since those days. I sing more than I did when I was with the band originally. Even in my cover band. I'd do four a night straight doing classic shit. Even though it's classic rock and not heavy metal, well, some of it is. I've just kept singing.
I gotta say you sound just as good, if not better, now then you did with you r original run with Anthrax.
Thank you. After a while I think all of these songs might really sink in right like "Indians" did and "Madhouse" and all that stuff. Where it just really sits and after a while rings out when you listen to it. Hopefully these songs will sink in like that too.
With such a unique vocal style for thrash metal with your range and power who do you consider influences on your singing style?
I'm more old-schooler. I'm more of a bluesy, rock oriented kinda guy. Like the Rush, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, and Ronnie Dio. I have nobody in particular that I follow. I just love listening to that kind of singing. I listen to such a wide range of music that you could just get lost in all of it.
What has the fan reception been like playing live shows since you've been back with Anthrax?
It's been great. Everybody digs what we do, and we got a lot of energy. We aren't fucking around when we do what we do. Everything happens without any kind of note or anything in particular. It's just natural, and that's the cool thing about it. I love that as a band. I remember that from day one when we used to go out and do our thing. It's hard to find that and gather it up as a group. It really is. I love that energy.
When you guys recently played the Big 4 show at Yankee Stadium what was it like stepping onto that stage and playing that show.
Wow, it was magical. It was just nice to be able to play a venue like that and be able to be let in the doors. It was great. It's home for everybody, so we are all just extra excited. It was a pleasure to be able to be there.
"The Devil You Know" from Worship Music seems like a declaration from you that you're back and that you were the right choice all along. Was this intentional?
Oh, I never thought of it like that, but, no, I don't believe so. It's funny, somebody was talking to me the other day about a lyric and said, "that coulda been about you" and I said, "I doubt it." I mean, yeah, a lot of the stuff was very relevant to a lot of subjects in some way or another. If it makes you feel that way it's always cool to leave it as the way you hear it versus what it may or may not have been about. I kinda like it that way. Then you can really just venture into this little story or plot of your own whether it's that or not. I like the way I do it.
What do you consider your best Anthrax memory?
Well, joining for the first time was really special. I had never heard of the music before. I got a call outta the blue from them wanting to check me out. They asked me to join the band. It was kind of a miracle. Who knew I'd run into these guys? They were in New York, and I'm upstate; I would've never have found them. That's one of the coolest moments really. Now, just being able to be focused on what we do and to keep succeeding. We keep moving forward and are never sitting on what we do. Unfortunately, there was a little gap in between, but never say never and that you can't do it again because that's where we are now.
What do you see next for Anthrax after completing the upcoming tour?
We got Japan and Indonesia after this tour. We probably have a bunch of summer stuff coming up. Who knows what kind of double or triple bills we'll be doing like with this tour with Death Angel and Testament. We'll keep touring, and I hope we can write some more music along the way before the year is up.
I just wanna say thanks once again. It was great talking to you.
Well, thank you. Just Keep an eye out for where we're going, and thanks to all our fans out there.
You can expect more Anthrax coverage from Metal Delirium when we see them live next month. If you haven't done so already, be sure to pick up a copy of Worship Music. This is a MUST HAVE album and one of the best ever from these thrash legends.
Razor & Tie has announced the signing of two-time Grammy-nominated metal act SHADOWS FALL to a multi-album, North American deal. The band entered Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts to begin recording its new album for a spring release. The group's seventh official studio record sees them reuniting with longtime friend, producer/engineer and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/TIMES OF GRACE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. Adam D., who has previously helmed the boards on albums by ALL THAT REMAINS, AS I LAY DYING, UNEARTH, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and EVERY TIME I DIE, is also intimately involved in the writing of the new SHADOWS FALL material.
Watch the band on Livestream.com Wednesday, October 12 at 5 p.m. EST and get a first exclusive look at the band as they begin the creative process of their new record.
SHADOWS FALL will continue to offer fans a fly-on-the-wall perspective of their recording sessions. Additional streams are scheduled for October 19 and November 9 at 5 p.m. exclusively on Livestream.com. The band will also turn the video stream on intermittently while in the studio.
"We haven't had this type of fire underneath us to make a record in a long time. I feel that with our new partnerships in place, as well as bringing Adam D. on board to produce, together, we've brought a renewed life to the band which will result in the best SHADOWS FALL record to date," commented SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner.
"SHADOWS FALL is very excited about our new partnership with Razor & Tie," adds SHADOWS FALL lead vocalist Brian Fair. "The music industry has been in such a constant state of flux these days, it takes a progressive approach and a willingness to rethink the antiquated business model in order to achieve the success we still long for and desire. Razor & Tie is a company that embraces this idea and understands what it takes to promote and support a band in today's marketplace. We are looking forward to working with a team that not only understands our band, but also has the knowledge and desire to help us achieve our goals."
"SHADOWS FALL has always been a band that tried our hardest to not be confined by the restraints of a single sub-genre of metal. We cover a ton of ground on this new album — encompassing everything we have done musically over our career and incorporating new ideas into the mix. Our influences are an eclectic mix that cover the full spectrum of heavy music and it's always been our goal to combine those ideas into our own unique sound that is constantly evolving. The songs on this forthcoming new record reflect that goal to the fullest."
SHADOWS FALL's "Madness In Manila: Shadows Fall Live In The Philippines 2009" concert DVD/CD was released on October 25, 2010 via Everblack Industries/Ferret Music. The set includes over 60 minutes of footage that was shot on April 30, 2009 at the Pulp Summer Slam in Manila, Philippines as well as a live audio CD.
SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Retribution", came out on September 15, 2009. The CD sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort was made available via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.
Watch the band on Livestream.com Wednesday, October 12 at 5 p.m. EST and get a first exclusive look at the band as they begin the creative process of their new record.
SHADOWS FALL will continue to offer fans a fly-on-the-wall perspective of their recording sessions. Additional streams are scheduled for October 19 and November 9 at 5 p.m. exclusively on Livestream.com. The band will also turn the video stream on intermittently while in the studio.
"We haven't had this type of fire underneath us to make a record in a long time. I feel that with our new partnerships in place, as well as bringing Adam D. on board to produce, together, we've brought a renewed life to the band which will result in the best SHADOWS FALL record to date," commented SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner.
"SHADOWS FALL is very excited about our new partnership with Razor & Tie," adds SHADOWS FALL lead vocalist Brian Fair. "The music industry has been in such a constant state of flux these days, it takes a progressive approach and a willingness to rethink the antiquated business model in order to achieve the success we still long for and desire. Razor & Tie is a company that embraces this idea and understands what it takes to promote and support a band in today's marketplace. We are looking forward to working with a team that not only understands our band, but also has the knowledge and desire to help us achieve our goals."
"SHADOWS FALL has always been a band that tried our hardest to not be confined by the restraints of a single sub-genre of metal. We cover a ton of ground on this new album — encompassing everything we have done musically over our career and incorporating new ideas into the mix. Our influences are an eclectic mix that cover the full spectrum of heavy music and it's always been our goal to combine those ideas into our own unique sound that is constantly evolving. The songs on this forthcoming new record reflect that goal to the fullest."
SHADOWS FALL's "Madness In Manila: Shadows Fall Live In The Philippines 2009" concert DVD/CD was released on October 25, 2010 via Everblack Industries/Ferret Music. The set includes over 60 minutes of footage that was shot on April 30, 2009 at the Pulp Summer Slam in Manila, Philippines as well as a live audio CD.
SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Retribution", came out on September 15, 2009. The CD sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort was made available via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.
On the back of their latest release Relentless Reckless Forever, Children of Bodom have further solidified their standing as one of the leading new generation metal bands, but in saying that, the band formed in 1993, so they aren't exactly that new! On their seventh album the band once again effortlessly blend crushing metal riffs, haunting melodies, stadium sized metal anthems, keyboards and slashing fret work, that has seen front man Alexi Laiho establish himself as one of the leading metal guitarists in the world today.
Escaping the onset of their native Finnish winter, Children of Bodom will be heading to Australia in November for a bunch of shows on what will be their third tour down under.
We chatted with Alexi about their upcoming tour, the making of their latest album Relentless Reckless Forever, and give Alexi a minute or 2 for some free advertising!
Hey Alexi, thanks for taking the time to chat, so where in the world do we find you today?
I'm calling in from Helsinki at the Spinefarm office.
I'm calling in from Helsinki at the Spinefarm office.
And is it starting to get cold over there now?
Oh dude it sucks, it's cold and rainy and just down right depressing!
Oh dude it sucks, it's cold and rainy and just down right depressing!
In November you are headed out to Australia as part of The Ugly World tour, you have been out to Australia a few times now, what are you looking forward to about being back here?
Pretty much everything, I've always liked the country. We've done like two tours there and have had good crowds. You guys are really cool people in general and I have nothing but good memories about Australia so we are definitely really psyched about coming back.
Pretty much everything, I've always liked the country. We've done like two tours there and have had good crowds. You guys are really cool people in general and I have nothing but good memories about Australia so we are definitely really psyched about coming back.
This year you either have, or will be, touring places such as Russia, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and of course Australia, you sure have been getting around the world!
Well coming up we actually have dates in Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines and then South Africa. There are a couple of dates in South America as well so it's definitely exciting to hit new places and not always do the same shit.
Well coming up we actually have dates in Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines and then South Africa. There are a couple of dates in South America as well so it's definitely exciting to hit new places and not always do the same shit.
Have you found that with this album in particular, it has opened doors in these other markets?
Well given we have covered Europe and USA pretty well and we did a tour In Japan, basically those markets are the most important for us, but now it's the perfect moment for us to do the rest of the world. We've actually done a lot of dates in the UK this time around. The shows were a little bit bigger than before, so that was really cool too with things finally picking up there as well.
Well given we have covered Europe and USA pretty well and we did a tour In Japan, basically those markets are the most important for us, but now it's the perfect moment for us to do the rest of the world. We've actually done a lot of dates in the UK this time around. The shows were a little bit bigger than before, so that was really cool too with things finally picking up there as well.
Speaking of the UK, this year you played at Download festival and then also Wacken in Germany, how do you like playing on those big festival lineups as opposed to doing your own headline tours?
It's such a different vibe and you can't really compare the two. If I had to choose I would go for a really insane, sweaty club show as opposed to an outdoor thing. Then again there are the positives of doing festivals, obviously the crowds are bigger and just in general it's a lot of fun doing festivals, as there are so many bands and some you don't get to see that often.
It's such a different vibe and you can't really compare the two. If I had to choose I would go for a really insane, sweaty club show as opposed to an outdoor thing. Then again there are the positives of doing festivals, obviously the crowds are bigger and just in general it's a lot of fun doing festivals, as there are so many bands and some you don't get to see that often.
Travelling the world as you do, have you got a sense of the type of people that Children of Bodom fans generally seem to be?
Well it's funny, our fan base is just so diverse. We have a bunch of 50 something biker dudes and then there are kids that are under 10 years old who come to the shows with their parents! Which I think is really cool, it's not just a certain age going to these shows. What I have noticed on the tours we have done this year, there's a lot of younger kids now in the audience than there used to be. Which I think is a good thing, at least that means a bunch of todays youth are into metal.
Well it's funny, our fan base is just so diverse. We have a bunch of 50 something biker dudes and then there are kids that are under 10 years old who come to the shows with their parents! Which I think is really cool, it's not just a certain age going to these shows. What I have noticed on the tours we have done this year, there's a lot of younger kids now in the audience than there used to be. Which I think is a good thing, at least that means a bunch of todays youth are into metal.
So what can we expect as far as the set list goes here in Australia, will that be pretty similar to what you have been touring with so far this year?
Well basically we always try and play stuff from each album, but we need to play some stuff from the new album as well, maybe four or five songs. We haven't really decided what the set list will be just yet, but we are going to start rehearsing soon.
Well basically we always try and play stuff from each album, but we need to play some stuff from the new album as well, maybe four or five songs. We haven't really decided what the set list will be just yet, but we are going to start rehearsing soon.
What have been some of your personal favourites to play from the new album?
Well as far as the crowd response Shovel Knockout is when the crowd usually get really fucking wild and also Roundtrip To Hell And Back, these songs come in a row and it's a good contrast as it's a slower tempo but still heavy.
Well as far as the crowd response Shovel Knockout is when the crowd usually get really fucking wild and also Roundtrip To Hell And Back, these songs come in a row and it's a good contrast as it's a slower tempo but still heavy.
Relentless Reckless Forever has been out now for about 6 months, have you generally been happy with the way the way the fans have responded to the album?
It's been really great, like for real. I've only heard good feedback but it's not like people are going to come up to you and tell to your face, dude the album sucks! I mean they do that on the Internet, but I don't even usually go to our website or check any online stuff as I'm not into that stuff. But all the stuff I have seen, it's pretty much been positive!
It's been really great, like for real. I've only heard good feedback but it's not like people are going to come up to you and tell to your face, dude the album sucks! I mean they do that on the Internet, but I don't even usually go to our website or check any online stuff as I'm not into that stuff. But all the stuff I have seen, it's pretty much been positive!
As far as the whole process of recording and writing that album, would you say that was probably your most enjoyable or difficult, what is the feeling now when you look back on it?
It was both, it was definitely tough as we had less time in the studio than what you are normally used to. We took a bit more time on the song writing and we worked with a producer this time, which was new for us. He was a good dude, Matt Hyde, he made sure the wheels were in motion and cracking the whip, something was always happening and people were not slacking off or anything. It was kind if tough but I did enjoy it a lot, working so hard. Usually we will spend about 6 weeks in the studio just to record usually everything except for the vocals. Recording for us, whilst we take it very seriously, it's also been a big party for us. I'm actually really proud of this one as it was pretty much recorded in three weeks and it's better played than anything we have done before.
It was both, it was definitely tough as we had less time in the studio than what you are normally used to. We took a bit more time on the song writing and we worked with a producer this time, which was new for us. He was a good dude, Matt Hyde, he made sure the wheels were in motion and cracking the whip, something was always happening and people were not slacking off or anything. It was kind if tough but I did enjoy it a lot, working so hard. Usually we will spend about 6 weeks in the studio just to record usually everything except for the vocals. Recording for us, whilst we take it very seriously, it's also been a big party for us. I'm actually really proud of this one as it was pretty much recorded in three weeks and it's better played than anything we have done before.
Some bands will start working on songs for their new album practically as soon as the current one has been completed, are you one of those bands, or do you only write when the time comes to start thinking about a new album?
We are definitely not one of those bands! When an album is done, we just concentrate on the touring. Like you said, I know a lot of people can actually do writing whilst touring, but for me it doesn't work out man. Just the tour environment, it's so wrong for writing, at least for me anyway. So we just want up concentrate on the touring and when that's over, it's all about the song writing, that's how it works for us.
We are definitely not one of those bands! When an album is done, we just concentrate on the touring. Like you said, I know a lot of people can actually do writing whilst touring, but for me it doesn't work out man. Just the tour environment, it's so wrong for writing, at least for me anyway. So we just want up concentrate on the touring and when that's over, it's all about the song writing, that's how it works for us.
You have a number of signature model ESP guitars on the market, is there anything new happening in that space at the moment such as new guitar releases on the horizon?
Well actually I have been working on one new guitar, but I can't really tell you the specifics yet. But it's going to be pretty much the same, but there are a few details that will be different.
Well actually I have been working on one new guitar, but I can't really tell you the specifics yet. But it's going to be pretty much the same, but there are a few details that will be different.
Now while we are on the subject of plugging things, how is the Wild Child Industries clothing line going?
It's going, you know, slow but steady. We are still working on new designs and stuff and so far it's still worth doing. We enjoy doing it and it's so fucking hard to find cool t-shirts these days and it's easier to make your own!
It's going, you know, slow but steady. We are still working on new designs and stuff and so far it's still worth doing. We enjoy doing it and it's so fucking hard to find cool t-shirts these days and it's easier to make your own!
Ok, here's a question that will probably put you on the spot, If you could put together your ideal G3 line-up, who would you choose?
Wow….haha! Well Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai and…..lets fucking throw Zakk Wylde in there.
Wow….haha! Well Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai and…..lets fucking throw Zakk Wylde in there.
I saw Paul Gilbert with Mr.Big at Sweden Rock Festival in June, he was amazing, it was great to finally see him perform live.
Yes, he definitely is an amazing guitar player.
Yes, he definitely is an amazing guitar player.
Children of Bodom has been in existence for over 15 years, how has the metal scene in Finland changed in that time, is that very different to when you first started out?
It's definitely different, as much as I've been able to follow the metal scene around here it just seems now it's the whole kind of Folk metal stuff with people dressed up wearing bear skins and stuff like that. That really seems to be the flavour of the month right now and there's a couple of decent bands that play that who I can listen to. Back in the day it was different there was either really underground extreme death metal bands or more like 80′s Helloween type bands like Stratovarius. Then just the fact of how big and popular metal has become over those 15 years. Metal music here in Finland is seriously considered mainstream and it's kind of like a double edged sword. It's a good thing with albums and sales, but the one thing that appealed about metal to me was the whole rebellious nature, like it was our thing, not like the family fun thing! But what are you going to do, I can't complain!
It's definitely different, as much as I've been able to follow the metal scene around here it just seems now it's the whole kind of Folk metal stuff with people dressed up wearing bear skins and stuff like that. That really seems to be the flavour of the month right now and there's a couple of decent bands that play that who I can listen to. Back in the day it was different there was either really underground extreme death metal bands or more like 80′s Helloween type bands like Stratovarius. Then just the fact of how big and popular metal has become over those 15 years. Metal music here in Finland is seriously considered mainstream and it's kind of like a double edged sword. It's a good thing with albums and sales, but the one thing that appealed about metal to me was the whole rebellious nature, like it was our thing, not like the family fun thing! But what are you going to do, I can't complain!
Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL will take part in an in-store signing session on Saturday, October 22 at Soundcheck Hollywood in West Hollywood, California beginning at 2:00 p.m.
For more information, see the flyer below.
DEATH ANGEL will release a DVD entitled "A Thrashumentary" in the spring of 2012. According to a press release, "A Thrashumentary" is a combination live video and documentary, all wrapped up in one thrashing DVD. The footage was directed by Tommy Jones (SOILWORK, KATAKLYSM) and mixed by Chris Clancy of The Studio. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into one of the longest-running thrash acts out of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region known for turning out historic thrash bands such as METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS.
"Relentless Retribution", the latest album from DEATH ANGEL, sold 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 10 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. The band's previous album, "Killing Season", opened with around 2,300 units back in March 2008. This number was in line with the performance of its predecessor, "The Art of Dying", which registered a first-week sales tally of around 2,100 back in May 2004.
For more information, see the flyer below.
DEATH ANGEL will release a DVD entitled "A Thrashumentary" in the spring of 2012. According to a press release, "A Thrashumentary" is a combination live video and documentary, all wrapped up in one thrashing DVD. The footage was directed by Tommy Jones (SOILWORK, KATAKLYSM) and mixed by Chris Clancy of The Studio. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into one of the longest-running thrash acts out of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region known for turning out historic thrash bands such as METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS.
"Relentless Retribution", the latest album from DEATH ANGEL, sold 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 10 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. The band's previous album, "Killing Season", opened with around 2,300 units back in March 2008. This number was in line with the performance of its predecessor, "The Art of Dying", which registered a first-week sales tally of around 2,100 back in May 2004.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer Christopher Kinder has issued the following update:
"Jon [Oliva, JON OLIVA'S PAIN/SAVATAGE mastermind] and I will begin the daunting task of going through new material as we prepare for a new JON OLIVA'S PAIN CD, due out in 2012. First day is always interesting. You never know what Jon Oliva has up his sleeve."
JON OLIVA'S PAIN guitarist Matt Laporte passed away at his home in Florida on April 20. A memorial concert was held on July 23 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's fourth album, "Festival", was released in North America on April 12, 2010. The CD, which was issued in Europe on February 19, 2010 via AFM Records, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 87.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's third album, "Global Warning", came out in the U.S. in May 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD featured a guest appearance by guitarist Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on two songs: "Adding The Cost" and "You'll Never Know".
"Jon [Oliva, JON OLIVA'S PAIN/SAVATAGE mastermind] and I will begin the daunting task of going through new material as we prepare for a new JON OLIVA'S PAIN CD, due out in 2012. First day is always interesting. You never know what Jon Oliva has up his sleeve."
JON OLIVA'S PAIN guitarist Matt Laporte passed away at his home in Florida on April 20. A memorial concert was held on July 23 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's fourth album, "Festival", was released in North America on April 12, 2010. The CD, which was issued in Europe on February 19, 2010 via AFM Records, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 87.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's third album, "Global Warning", came out in the U.S. in May 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD featured a guest appearance by guitarist Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on two songs: "Adding The Cost" and "You'll Never Know".
Five Finger Death Punch is the biggest and most exciting show you can find in Metal music right now. They are set to release their third studio album American Capitalist which features the popular single "Under and Over It" and the song "Back For More," featured in the latest game offered in the Madden franchise. They are about to go out on their Fall headlining "Share the Welt" tour with All That Remains.
Amy spoke with lead guitarist Zoltan Bathory and band newcomer and bassist Chris Kael at X-Fest in Dayton, Ohio. The three discussed the upcoming album and why the band's music moves a more aggressive crowd. The new album, "American Capitalist" will hit shelves on October 11th.
Amy: I want to talk about the new record "American Capitalist," it's all over the radio but I actually heard "Back For More" for the first time this past week and I think I like it better than the first single. I'm excited. What's the story behind that one?
Zoltan: The interesting thing about that one is, that particular song is on the soundtrack for "Madden 2012," and we were looking at the record and trying to pick the first single. Basically what we did this time, we kind of wanted to pick something that was not so obvious. There are a couple really nice ballads, a couple really heavy songs, and there is potential for many more songs that are singles. This time, we went with something unexpected, we did this with the first single, the album cover, everything. We wanted to shake it up. It's funny that you mention "Back For More" because we were going "Which one? Which one? Which one?" will be the first single. We went with "Under and Over It" because we wanted to wait for Madden to debut "Back for More."
Amy: The new Madden, with the Browns on the front cover.
Zoltan: Some people love the Browns. I am just saying that is the reason we ended up going with this one because we gave that song to them and we wanted them to debut it. Madden debuted that song and then the single "Under and Over It" is out there. So you have two songs that are a little bit up-tempo out there and floating.
Amy: Let's talk football for a minute. The reason I ask this, I live in Cincinnati and am a Bengals season ticket holder and at the games they play "Bad Company" constantly so I always think of you at football games. Do you have a partnership with the NFL or do the teams just gravitate toward your songs?
Zoltan: The interesting thing about our band and the mentality we have and the general overall message. Every time that you listen to music, you usually put in a CD that will put you in a specific mood. If you are depressed, you are going to gravitate to music that will speak to that mood. If you are happy maybe the Beach Boys is what you go to for that kind of music. Every style of music puts you in specific mood, and if you look at Five Finger Death Punch, at least I'd like to think, it's the kind of music that pumps you up or "Let's go, let's take it" kind of mood. Most of our fans are already football fans, soldiers, people that are "Let's get up and fucking do this." So it's kind of like our music resonates with people that are ready to go and pumped up, and it's just football. It's every Sunday. It's not just them but a couple different football teams are playing that song.
Amy: I think I heard it in Cleveland as well.
Zoltan: It's a pretty common song to play in arenas.
Chris: Last night in the UFC fight too. Somebody also waked out to it.
Zoltan: Stan, a former Marine, one of the UFC fighters walks out to it. Jake Ellenberger walks out to it. Kyle Watson walks out to it. In fact, I am friends with these guys.
Amy: I know you fight. You have talked about this a lot before. Do you work out to your own music?
Group: YES!!
Chris: "Under It, Over It" that's a good stomp, you can time it right to the treadmill. It works out real well.
Amy: You are the newest member?
Chris: I am the newest member.
Amy: How did you come about being in the band?
Zoltan: Tell her the story of how you ended up in Vegas. His car broke down while he was heading to LA.
Chris: I got to Vegas about ten years ago, went out there to pursue music, did things for quite a while. I heard they were looking for a bassist through friends of theirs. My old friend from high school is actually their drum tech, Saul. He has been working for those guys for a little bit now. I heard they were looking so I kept telling Saul, "Get me an audition, do what you can." So finally, I had been trying and hadn't heard anything, went to go see System of a Down at the Palms and was watching those guys on the stage and turned around and looked at the stage and it hit me, "If you want it, go after it." So that night I went home and Facebooked Jason Hook, a real brief message, "I'm your guy. Call me. All I need is an audition." He messaged me back the next day and asked "How are your vocals?" Other projects I had done before I did lead vocals so I sent him a track from something I had written and was singing on as well. I guess they liked it because I was invited to do the audition. I came in that Saturday.
Zoltan: It's an interesting thing because when he showed up, it was kind of the audition with the friends of friends, people that we kind of knew. Because you never know what you're gonna get. You get the crazy person and have to live with him. It's not just a musical thing that has to click but personally. He walks in, and he is a laid back guy and when I saw his Muay Thai T-shirt, he is a fighter too.
Amy: I'm scared you all are going to get hurt in the parking lot. Look at him, he's ready.
Chris: That shirt was worn by design.
Zoltan: And I was like, "This guy is a fighter" and he has a pro record already.
Chris: Not a good one though.
Zoltan: What is it, 1-0?
Chris: 0-1
Zoltan: When he walks in, it takes balls to get in the ring. It takes balls. Whoever says otherwise, it is you and the other guy and there is no way out unless you die. So he walks in as a laid back guy and I see the shirt and I ask him, "Do you fight?" He says, "Yeah, yeah." It's a hobby on the road touring.
Chris: So he got a work out partner.
Zoltan: You have to have a laid back guy that you can live with on the bus for 300 days a year. I want some guy who is chilled, nice to people.
Chris: Boy did I have him fooled.
Zoltan: No, he sounds awesome. I loved his bass tone. Ivan wasn't there and we called him, "We got the guy. We got the guy." That night we went to dinner with Ivan and Ivan loved him too. It was done.
Chris: It was one of those things, it was a good proposition. During the audition, very first song, I felt it. I'm sure they felt it as well. Very first song, right into the chorus.
Amy: You just knew.
Chris: Him and Jeremy during the first chorus.
Zoltan: It's really interesting, musicians know. Some people who are not musicians may not, you have to have connections. It is how bands survive. It is not necessarily about success, not necessarily about music. The first and foremost issue with bands on why they break up is personal, it's always personal issues. So the bands that never have success and fall out are either about substance abuse issues or personal issues amongst members. So, half of the success is keeping your fucking band together. Therefore, you have to have the right member. He was the right guy.
Amy: Have they played any jokes on you yet?
Chris: Not really. It has been pretty low key. There have been a couple little small things. If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
Amy: I am excited about the new album. I look forward to seeing you guys on tour. You guys are going to be touring again for this album soon right?
Zoltan: The album comes out October 11th. We are really proud of it. It is a really strong album. We are Five Finger Death Punch. We will never try to be something else. We play the music we love.
Amy: Well you guys have a huge fan base.
Zoltan: Yeah, but you have to look at it this way. We played the music that we love and then we got signed. We already had a record before we got signed. We are just lucky that a lot of people out there have similar taste. Really that's how it works. I can't twist your arm to like me. I can't give you money and say, "Hey, listen to us please." You are not going to. If I give you a free CD and you don't like it. Because it is free are you going to listen, no.
Amy: I get them every week. I do not listen.
Zoltan: It is pretty much that we are blessed to have so many fans and we are blessed that we love what we do. And that's what happens. We look at recording as we are the same.
Amy: The new record sounds the same. You are not going to alienate the fans.
Zoltan: We have a bonus CD that has some interesting remixes but those are remixed because they are interesting.
Amy: I have only heard two hard songs off of it so far. Any ballads? Any "Bad Company"?
Zoltan: Yeah we have a couple, there is a song that is called "I Remember" and it sounds like an 80's ballad out of the book. All of us listened and thought it was really 80's but it is such a good song that we have to use it. The fans, we love. The haters, I don't care what they have to say. Listen to something else. We play for our fans. We know who those guys are. Everybody else, we don't care. Do whatever, it's your life, this is ours. Oh yeah, you got your ballads. There is one that's a ballad and one that is slower and ballad-y. There are no "Bad Company's" but it's not really a ballad anyway. It is not a song that you could call a typical ballad.
Chris: And coming from the outside…
Amy: Did you know every song when you auditioned? You were ready?
Chris: No, for the audition I learned three songs. I came in and did those. He gave me a heads up later in the week saying, "You might want to go ahead and start learning these other ones too." He gave me the heads up and we got it done. But yeah, the new album…
Amy: Do you like it?
Chris: I really do, coming in.
Zoltan: We had finished the album by the time we found him. The album was done.
Amy: Sounds like approval for an official external opinion.
This Wednesday, heavy metal band Firewind (don't call them power metal - see below) will blaze into the Gramercy Theatre with Arsis and White Wizzard in tow. Earlier today I spoke with lead guitarist and band founder Gus G, a man reknown not only for his insane guitar talents, but as Ozzy Osbourne's handpicked guitarist as well. Read my interview with Gus below, and be sure to grab tickets for Firewind this Wednesday if you haven't already!
Examiner: Hi Gus, thanks for speaking with me today. How have you been?
Gus: Good, thank you!
Examiner: Where are you calling from right now?
Gus: Somewhere in Georgia, on the way to a gig in Atlanta, on the bus.
Examiner: How's the weather down there?
Gus: Sucks! It's raining.
Examiner: Well it's gorgeous here in New York today. So Firewind is coming to New York later this week... when you're on tour, do you get a chance to enjoy the city, or do any sightseeing?
Gus: It depends, on what I have to do each day. If I have to do a lot of press or a lot of stuff, I won't do any sightseeing. But if I have an off day... I can tell you, this time in New York there's not going to be any offtime, but I have enjoyed New York City in the past, it's a beautiful city, I love it.
Examiner: Talk to me about setlists. Do you prefer to pick a setlist and follow it the whole tour, or do you like to mix things around from show to show?
Gus: I like to stick to one setlist. Usually, we'll work out a setlist for the first couple of shows and then we'll talk about it, figure out what we should change here or there, and we'll make adjustments and go from there, and more or less stick with it til the end of the tour.
Examiner: I know you've been opening with The Ark of Lies for a year or so now, what makes a song a good opener for the show?
Gus: What is always on my mind is, if you're promoting a record you should always open with the opening track of the record. So we're still on the Days of Defiance cycle, so I thought it would be good to open with that song. It has that acoustic intro, so it's a good song to hype up and get the show started.
Examiner: You guys are playing at the Gramercy Theatre on Wednesday, and coincidentally Dragonforce plays there next Friday. I know you've toured with them before - who puts on the better show?
Gus: Yeah, they're really good friends of ours. We have a good relationship over the years. I didn't know they were playing there, I thought it was later... Who puts on a better show? Um, I don't know man. I guess I have to say us.
Examiner: What do you think of their new singer?
Gus: I haven't checked him out yet, to be honest. But I have confidence that they picked someone who can do it all.
Examiner: Are there any bands you want to tour with that you haven't already?
Gus: Oh yeah. I'd like us to get on a bigger tour with a bigger band, hopefully get on a bill with Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. We actually did some Judas Priest shows this summer but I'd like to do some bigger shows like that, someday.
Examiner: Do you consider Firewind a power metal band?
Gus: No, not really. I mean, I guess in this day and age in the music world you have to be tagged somehow, you have to go by a name, but that's what people say, what press says about us, but I don't feel that way. Because power metal is kind of a thing that started in Germany in the late 80's, it's still popular over there. I could see why people would call us that, I can see the similarities sometimes on some of our songs, especially our faster stuff. But I think our influences come more from traditional heavy metal, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, or even 70's bands like Black Sabbath or Thin Lizzy. Things like that, you know?
Examiner: Would you consider yourselves thrash metal?
Gus: No, definitely not thrash. We're just a heavy metal band, man. Just straightforward metal. We don't play New Wave of British Heavy Metal, we just play traditional heavy metal like Sabbath, Maiden, Priest.
Examiner: Do you personally listen to much non-metal?
Gus: Maybe some blues. But mostly like hard rock and metal, some classic rock. I've been listening a lot to Gary Moore's blues albums the last couple of years.
Examiner: Do you listen to any rap or pop music?
Gus: No, not really. I mean I think there's some good pop music out there, some great songwriters like Lady Gaga. But I'm not really listening to that.
Examiner: Firewind is probably the best known Greek band, honestly the only one I can think of offhand. Greece has been in the news a lot this past year because of the debt and austerity measures, do you follow these economic developments personally?
Gus: Well, I haven't been home much lately because I'm on tour so much, but whenever I'm there I see what's going on, a lot of people going out of business, people out of jobs. So it's been tough there, you know? What can I say about these things, I don't really get involved in politics. My job is always to entertain people and make them forget about their problems.
Examiner: So obviously you caught a huge break when Ozzy picked you to take over for Zakk Wylde, and I've personally seen how quickly fans cheer for you at the Ozzy shows, usually right about when you take your solo is when everyone in the crowd starts saying "oh yeah, this guy can totally stand up to what Zakk has been doing." Do you feel a lot of pressure to live up to previous Ozzy guitarists?
Gus: When I first started off, that first year, of course there was pressure there, but it was something that I really embraced, to be honest, because not only am I fan of those guys, all of those guitar players that have been there before me, but also because I thought this was my one and only chance to show my skills and prove why the hell I was practicing for the last 20 years. So I told myself, this is your time now, just go for it, show them what you got. I've gotten a really great response from Ozzy's fans, so thanks for that.
Examiner: How did you actually get the Ozzy gig?
Gus: Management. I got an email out of the blue.
Examiner: And they just asked, hey do you want to be Ozzy's new guitarist?
Gus: They asked me if I wanted to come down and audition, I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know they were looking for a guitar player. I thought, okay, it might have something to do with Ozzfest, maybe they want Firewind on Ozzfest or something. But then it was the audition process, so that was amazing.
Examiner: What songs did you play at your audition?
Gus: I played Suicide Solution, I Don't Know, Crazy Train, Paranoid.
Examiner: Now when you write music, do you find yourself having to decide if something is better for Firewind or the next Ozzy record?
Gus: Not really. Because both bands are heavy metal, but Ozzy has a such a different sound from Firewind, so I know where my ideas are going to be at. So I never have trouble.
Examiner: Do you find that the Ozzy publicity and exposure is bringing more fans to Firewind shows?
Gus: I think slowly, I see more Ozzy shirts now and then at the gigs. I think people who have followed more closely, they're aware of it, and I think more people are getting into it so I think in the long run it will do us. So yeah I'm seeing more people getting interest like that.
Examiner: Could you ever see Firewind opening up for Ozzy on tour, or is that too much for you?
Gus: I don't know how that would work out. I wouldn't want to get tired before the Ozzy show, but if it was like an Ozzfest, where Firewind could go on earlier, for example if there was a big break in between, then I'd love to do it. But if it was an indoor arena where I'd have to go on right before Ozzy, then I don't think so.
Examiner: Finally, the last album came out about a year ago. Do you want to ride this one out for awhile, or is new material already in the works?
Gus: Yeah, we've already been writing songs for the next one, it's actually more or less done, the songwriting process, we're looking at entering the studio right after this tour ends. So at the end of the year we're going to enter a studio and yeah, hopefully we'll release around next spring.
As always, stay tuned to the Hard Rock Examiner for further information on tickets and all local rock and heavy metal news by subscribing at the top of this page, or follow me at twitter.com/NYROCKEXAMINER.
"Revival", the third album from Irish rockers THE ANSWER, entered the official chart in the U.K. at position No. 39.
"Revival" was released on October 3 via Spinefarm Records. The initial run of the album is a limited-edition deluxe format with 24-page booklet and band sleeve notes, plus an 11-track second disc containing previously unreleased studio, acoustic, demo and cover material.
"Revival" was produced by Chris "Frenchie" Smith and mixed by Chris Sheldon.
The track listing for the limited-edition deluxe version is as follows:
Disc 1:
01. Waste Your Tears
02. Use Me
03. Trouble
04. Nowhere Freeway
05. Tornado
06. Vida (I Want You)
07. Caught On The Riverbed
08. Destroy Me
09. New Day Rising
10. Can't Remember, Can't Forget
11. One More Revival
12. Lights Are Down
Disc 2:
01. Piece By Piece
02. Faith Gone Down
03. Nowhere Freeway (live acoustic)
04. Tailspin (demo)
05. Fire And Water (FREE cover)
06. What I Am (demo)
07. Caught On The Riverbed (live acoustic)
08. The Enemy (demo)
09. Show Me The World (demo)
10. One More Revival (live acoustic)
11. Lights Are Down (piano and vocals)
The first single/video from the album is "Vida (I Want You)" backed with "Can't Remember, Can't Forget" (live acoustic). The album also contains a duet, "Nowhere Freeway", which sees singer Cormac Neeson pairing up with rock 'n' soul vocalist and SAINT JUDE frontwoman Lynne Jackaman for an impressive vocal display.
Commented Neeson: "The studio we used was on a ranch in the middle of a pecan orchard near El Paso, next to the Mexican border — a wonderful place for creating music, with that whole Wild West vibe, and 'Frenchie' was always encouraging us to dream that bit bigger and rock that bit harder. We had a lot of fun, and the experience was a positive one from start to finish."
"Revival" was released on October 3 via Spinefarm Records. The initial run of the album is a limited-edition deluxe format with 24-page booklet and band sleeve notes, plus an 11-track second disc containing previously unreleased studio, acoustic, demo and cover material.
"Revival" was produced by Chris "Frenchie" Smith and mixed by Chris Sheldon.
The track listing for the limited-edition deluxe version is as follows:
Disc 1:
01. Waste Your Tears
02. Use Me
03. Trouble
04. Nowhere Freeway
05. Tornado
06. Vida (I Want You)
07. Caught On The Riverbed
08. Destroy Me
09. New Day Rising
10. Can't Remember, Can't Forget
11. One More Revival
12. Lights Are Down
Disc 2:
01. Piece By Piece
02. Faith Gone Down
03. Nowhere Freeway (live acoustic)
04. Tailspin (demo)
05. Fire And Water (FREE cover)
06. What I Am (demo)
07. Caught On The Riverbed (live acoustic)
08. The Enemy (demo)
09. Show Me The World (demo)
10. One More Revival (live acoustic)
11. Lights Are Down (piano and vocals)
The first single/video from the album is "Vida (I Want You)" backed with "Can't Remember, Can't Forget" (live acoustic). The album also contains a duet, "Nowhere Freeway", which sees singer Cormac Neeson pairing up with rock 'n' soul vocalist and SAINT JUDE frontwoman Lynne Jackaman for an impressive vocal display.
Commented Neeson: "The studio we used was on a ranch in the middle of a pecan orchard near El Paso, next to the Mexican border — a wonderful place for creating music, with that whole Wild West vibe, and 'Frenchie' was always encouraging us to dream that bit bigger and rock that bit harder. We had a lot of fun, and the experience was a positive one from start to finish."
Progressive rock/metal band CYNIC will be joined by Brandon Giffin on bass and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals during the group's upcoming North American and European tours in support of CYNIC's new EP, "Carbon-Based Anatomy".
The dates are as follows:
North America:
Nov. 03 - West Chester, PA - The Note
Nov. 05 - New York, NY - Gramercy (The Metal Suckfest)
Nov. 07 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Nov. 09 - Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Electriques
Nov. 10 - Toronto, ON - The Annex Wreck Room
Nov. 11 - Pontiac, MI -Clutch's Cargo - iLounge
Nov. 12 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
Nov. 13 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
Nov. 15 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
Nov. 16 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Nov. 17 - Sparks, NV - The Alley
Nov. 18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne
Nov. 19 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Nov. 22 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Nov. 23 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
Europe:
Dec. 03 - The Village, Dublin, Ireland
Dec. 04 - Limelight, Belfast, UK
Dec. 05 - The Underworld, London, UK
Dec. 07 - Baroeg, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Dec. 08 - Divan Du Monde Paris, France
Dec. 09 - Kiff, Aarau, Switzerland
Dec. 10 - Rock'n'Roll Arena, Romagnano Sesia (NOVARA), Italy
Dec. 11 - Gala Hala, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec. 12 - Arena, Vienna, Austria
Dec. 13 - Club 202, Budapest, Hungary
Dec. 14 - Randall, Bratislava, Slovakia
Dec. 15 - KD Kyje , Prague, Czech Republic
Dec. 18 - Templet, Lyngby, Denmark
Dec. 20 - P60, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
Dec. 22 - Plan B, Moscow, Russia
Support on the North American trek will come from 3 and SCALE THE SUMMIT.
"Carbon-Based Anatomy" will be released on November 11 in Europe and November 15 in North America via Season Of Mist. Unlike last year's "Re-Traced", this new EP consists exclusively of brand new material.
"Carbon-Based Anatomy" track listing:
01. Amidst The Coals
02. Carbon-Based Anatomy
03. Bija!
04. Box Up My Bones
05. Elves Beam Out
06. Hieroglyph
Check out a preview in the YouTube clip below.
The artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced".
Paul Masvidal describes this new EP as "both a philosophical as well as a musical journey, one that begins in the Amazon jungle on the lips of a shamanic wisewoman (as portrayed by Amy Correia) and ends in outerspace."
All bass parts on "Carbon-Based Anatomy" were recorded by one-time CYNIC bassist Sean Malone.
CYNIC last year parted ways with bassist Robin Zielhorst and guitarist Tymon Kruidenier due to the "logistical challenges of maintaining a band that is half based in The Netherlands and the other half in the United States" (drummer Sean Reinert and Masvidal live in California).
CYNIC last fall completed Decibel magazine's inaugural Hall Of Fame tour. Historic in every sense, the trek, dubbed "Re-Traced / Re-Focused Live", saw the band performing Hall Of Fame album "Focus" in its entirety, along with tracks from the group's lauded second album, "Traced in Air", and more. Direct support came from progressive masters INTRONAUT and DYSRHYTHMIA.
In May 2010, CYNIC released "Re-Traced", featuring reinterpretations of four songs from the group's critically acclaimed "Traced In Air" album as well as a previously unreleased song.
The dates are as follows:
North America:
Nov. 03 - West Chester, PA - The Note
Nov. 05 - New York, NY - Gramercy (The Metal Suckfest)
Nov. 07 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Nov. 09 - Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Electriques
Nov. 10 - Toronto, ON - The Annex Wreck Room
Nov. 11 - Pontiac, MI -Clutch's Cargo - iLounge
Nov. 12 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
Nov. 13 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
Nov. 15 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
Nov. 16 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
Nov. 17 - Sparks, NV - The Alley
Nov. 18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne
Nov. 19 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Nov. 22 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Nov. 23 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club
Europe:
Dec. 03 - The Village, Dublin, Ireland
Dec. 04 - Limelight, Belfast, UK
Dec. 05 - The Underworld, London, UK
Dec. 07 - Baroeg, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Dec. 08 - Divan Du Monde Paris, France
Dec. 09 - Kiff, Aarau, Switzerland
Dec. 10 - Rock'n'Roll Arena, Romagnano Sesia (NOVARA), Italy
Dec. 11 - Gala Hala, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dec. 12 - Arena, Vienna, Austria
Dec. 13 - Club 202, Budapest, Hungary
Dec. 14 - Randall, Bratislava, Slovakia
Dec. 15 - KD Kyje , Prague, Czech Republic
Dec. 18 - Templet, Lyngby, Denmark
Dec. 20 - P60, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
Dec. 22 - Plan B, Moscow, Russia
Support on the North American trek will come from 3 and SCALE THE SUMMIT.
"Carbon-Based Anatomy" will be released on November 11 in Europe and November 15 in North America via Season Of Mist. Unlike last year's "Re-Traced", this new EP consists exclusively of brand new material.
"Carbon-Based Anatomy" track listing:
01. Amidst The Coals
02. Carbon-Based Anatomy
03. Bija!
04. Box Up My Bones
05. Elves Beam Out
06. Hieroglyph
Check out a preview in the YouTube clip below.
The artwork was designed by the great Robert Venosa, the artist behind the covers of CYNIC's previous releases "Focus", "Traced in Air" and "Re-Traced".
Paul Masvidal describes this new EP as "both a philosophical as well as a musical journey, one that begins in the Amazon jungle on the lips of a shamanic wisewoman (as portrayed by Amy Correia) and ends in outerspace."
All bass parts on "Carbon-Based Anatomy" were recorded by one-time CYNIC bassist Sean Malone.
CYNIC last year parted ways with bassist Robin Zielhorst and guitarist Tymon Kruidenier due to the "logistical challenges of maintaining a band that is half based in The Netherlands and the other half in the United States" (drummer Sean Reinert and Masvidal live in California).
CYNIC last fall completed Decibel magazine's inaugural Hall Of Fame tour. Historic in every sense, the trek, dubbed "Re-Traced / Re-Focused Live", saw the band performing Hall Of Fame album "Focus" in its entirety, along with tracks from the group's lauded second album, "Traced in Air", and more. Direct support came from progressive masters INTRONAUT and DYSRHYTHMIA.
In May 2010, CYNIC released "Re-Traced", featuring reinterpretations of four songs from the group's critically acclaimed "Traced In Air" album as well as a previously unreleased song.
Former MEGADETH/KING DIAMOND guitarist Glen Drover's solo band has parted ways with drummer Chris Sutherland. Glen states in an online posting, "It's a sad story, but something we had to do for us to move forward properly." He adds, "We are looking at a few very dangerous drummers right now, but are still welcoming submisions. Serious drummer can contact us at glendroverband@gmail.com."
Drover earlier in the year released a solo single, "Ground Zero", through iTunes. Magna Carta Records pressed a very limited amount of CD copies, which are available through Amazon.com. This single also features an alternate version of the song, which contains different solos from Glen and Jim Gilmour (keyboards), as well as a different mix.
"Ground Zero" was the first single from Drover's debut solo album, "Metalusion", which was released on April 5 via Magna Carta Records.
"Metalusion" track listing:
01. Ground Zero
02. Frozen Dream
03. Egyptian Danza
04. Colors Of Infinity
05. Illusions Of Starlight
06. Don't Let The World
07. Mirage
08. Ascension
09. The Purple Lagoon
10. Filthy Habits
Drover earlier in the year released a solo single, "Ground Zero", through iTunes. Magna Carta Records pressed a very limited amount of CD copies, which are available through Amazon.com. This single also features an alternate version of the song, which contains different solos from Glen and Jim Gilmour (keyboards), as well as a different mix.
"Ground Zero" was the first single from Drover's debut solo album, "Metalusion", which was released on April 5 via Magna Carta Records.
"Metalusion" track listing:
01. Ground Zero
02. Frozen Dream
03. Egyptian Danza
04. Colors Of Infinity
05. Illusions Of Starlight
06. Don't Let The World
07. Mirage
08. Ascension
09. The Purple Lagoon
10. Filthy Habits
Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to their new album, "Imaginaerum", but also planning a movie of the same name.
"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.
During a September 8 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen revealed that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie will be done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production will take place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.
Stobe Harju has issued the following update on the "Imaginaerum" film:
"Four years have passed now since the first idea of the film got out and when I thought NIGHTWISH, Tuomas and I were merely crazy dreamers.
"As many of you know, we've already shot the film's principal photography, and only in 18 days. I promise you, though, the material says different. The shots we got in that short period of time were priceless and there's no way you could tell we were in a hurry.
"I have learned a lot since we first began shooting.
"Everyone has to understand that most feature films, even with great concepts, never get shot. The team, the production staff, me and, most of all, the band have battled and bled to get the shootings on the way and the job done. That said, you have to be aware that many battles are still to be fought in the editing room, the visual effects, sound mixing, original score and the distribution of this film. Nothing is clear when it comes to filmmaking. However, with this team: our producers and the post-production specialists, it's nearly impossible to fail.
"Now, as the editing phase has begun and there's not much more to tell than it is going very well, the scenes look great and that I'm homesick, we're trying to get you as much candy as possible.
"Here are SOME of the names of our great cast, who all believed into the screenplay and carried out performances I've been never able to witness before.
* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen
"One battle has gone past with a triumph by the greatest team and crew imaginable. You could think we've been lucky but luck never comes to us without hard work, heart and faith. I myself couldn't thank the fantastic Montreal crew enough and you, the fans of NIGHTWISH, for believing into this project. Keep it up. There are still miles to go. The journey to 'Imaginaerum' continues, and for now, I'd like to say thank you for your support."
"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.
During a September 8 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen revealed that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie will be done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production will take place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.
Stobe Harju has issued the following update on the "Imaginaerum" film:
"Four years have passed now since the first idea of the film got out and when I thought NIGHTWISH, Tuomas and I were merely crazy dreamers.
"As many of you know, we've already shot the film's principal photography, and only in 18 days. I promise you, though, the material says different. The shots we got in that short period of time were priceless and there's no way you could tell we were in a hurry.
"I have learned a lot since we first began shooting.
"Everyone has to understand that most feature films, even with great concepts, never get shot. The team, the production staff, me and, most of all, the band have battled and bled to get the shootings on the way and the job done. That said, you have to be aware that many battles are still to be fought in the editing room, the visual effects, sound mixing, original score and the distribution of this film. Nothing is clear when it comes to filmmaking. However, with this team: our producers and the post-production specialists, it's nearly impossible to fail.
"Now, as the editing phase has begun and there's not much more to tell than it is going very well, the scenes look great and that I'm homesick, we're trying to get you as much candy as possible.
"Here are SOME of the names of our great cast, who all believed into the screenplay and carried out performances I've been never able to witness before.
* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen
"One battle has gone past with a triumph by the greatest team and crew imaginable. You could think we've been lucky but luck never comes to us without hard work, heart and faith. I myself couldn't thank the fantastic Montreal crew enough and you, the fans of NIGHTWISH, for believing into this project. Keep it up. There are still miles to go. The journey to 'Imaginaerum' continues, and for now, I'd like to say thank you for your support."
For the past two days, Chimaira frontman Mark Hunter has been going at it nonstop on Twitter. While his tweet-a-thon has included responses to fans' questions and interactions with the likes of Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe and Metal Blade's Brian Slagel, a chunk of his tweets have addressed the core issues bands struggle with day to day. Hunter's candid insight into the "misconception" many have about the recording industry is truly an eye opening read.
While we covered his interaction with Brian Slagel about Spotify, we realized that it was going to be very difficult to give Hunter's tweets the proper coverage they deserve (seriously, he'd post anywhere from 10 to 30 tweets per hour). As we were trying to determine the best way to cover this during the first day of his Twitter rampage, it suddenly occurred to us: "Why don't we actually talk to the Chimaira frontman himself?!"
Hunter was gracious enough to step away from his computer to talk directly with us. Hunter took the time to further break down the structures of record labels and touring, as well as frankly discuss the hardest part of going through lineup changes, why Spotify is a brilliant service, and how social networking has the power to do remarkable things.
First off, thanks for taking time away from Twitter to talk with us!
[laughs] Well thanks for pulling me away from it!
Is this the first time you've talked openly about the music industry, besides via Twitter?
I've kind of been more of a behind the scenes guy. I've really been in charge of handling a lot of the business for Chimaira. So I've fortunately seen a lot of what goes on. It's kind of like one of those things you see where some people start to open up and you realize how important it is to be forward. And I guess since yesterday [September 27] there was just something inside that was like "It's time to start talking about something real!" Some people have been doing it earlier than me, but I guess yesterday was my day to say "I'm over the misconception!"
Well yesterday (9/27), you really covered a lot about the music industry (including downloading, touring, etc.). So to start things off, what would you say is your biggest concern facing musicians right now?
Well, the reality is, the format that we were all releasing music on is virtually dead. So it becomes very difficult to understand how there's any revenue, how there's supposed to be a relationship between the artist and record label if neither are getting the revenue that they need to do the job.
Would you say that the labels are more at blame for the current problems, or the fans for illegally downloading?
I don't think you can point a finger, honestly. For example, it's really easy for an artist to blame the label for something. But at the same time the artist can be making stupid mistakes that they're unaware of, and the only person they can blame is the label when the label might not have any idea what that issue is. So you can't just blame people and you can't just expect things to revert and go back to normalcy, but you also can't keep these issues hidden from the young aspiring band, maybe people currently in the industry wondering why everything is so weird. I think it's just time to realize the fact that the industry has changed and it's time to adapt.
What would you say is the best way for musicians and the industry to adapt?
Ok, well I think it starts with the artist having to be good. And right now, what has been happening, labels will maybe get lucky with one band or they see success that another label is doing with one band. So you get a lot of copycatting and imitating. And I think what this period of time that we're in [needs] is a reorganization, and you have to squeeze it so hard that you get rid of a lot of the bands and labels that are just trying to grab onto a quick cash grab. I think there needs to be an emergence of extreme originality. And it's so difficult to believe that I can't hardly find a metal band anymore that doesn't sound exactly like the metal band that was just released last week or the week before that. It's just this whole…I don't know what it is, this Pro Tools generation. But I think that you're going to, hopefully, see the end of that.
During some of your tweets, you explained how a record deal breaks down (with the label making 6-7 times more than the band). Though you highlight how labels are an important source of funding for promotion and production, you also admit that Chimaira is currently at a status where (though still not the biggest band) you can still get major media coverage without labels. Why, then, did the band decide to sign a recording deal with eOne Records last year when you guys were free agents? Did the band ever consider going DIY?
Yes, honestly, once we became free agents, that was the goal. We were fully intent on pushing forward and being completely independent. And I thought to myself "Ok, well if we wanted a publicist, we would hire the same publicist who was working for us at the same time, Maria Ferrero [Adrenaline PR]," and I would go to Maria and say "Hey, we're without a label, could you do me a favor?" Maybe she would have, maybe wouldn't. Either way, we would've paid her to do this service. Then there's radio, we would've contacted the radio department. Marketing, we would've contacted Marc Shapiro [Branch Marketing Collective]. So all the people that our label were contacting to hire and outsource, we could do the same exact thing. Now then the biggest obstacle from that point would be getting it distributed, how you're going to get it in the stores. We would've tried to do what's called a "distro" deal with RED Distribution, who are familiar with Chimaira as they've distributed all of our other albums. So it's essentially what's called "cutting out the middle man."
But what we came to realize was the bankroll, and getting that initial funding to do those things. To record an album costs us anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000. Then there's hiring a publicist, perhaps it's around anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000 a month? I don't even know these costs, I'm kind of making them up. Let's just say you're up to about $100,000. Well, it would be nice if Chimaira had 100 grand parked in the savings account to go forward and do that, but unfortunately we did not. So at that time, it made more sense to sign up with a team that would help us promote and reach further than we could on our own. And another giant factor in that was Europe. The market over there is completely different than it is here, and we knew that we know nothing about that. It would've been career suicide to try to do that on our own over there right now. So as we're still part of the paradigm shift, it's essential to hold onto it while we can because they still do help. I don't see them as such a negative, but my purpose for informing people, bands, fans, and aspiring musicians is maybe they'll appreciate what the artists are doing just a little bit more and what they go through.
It's not what it's cracked up to be. Yes, if we were Lil Wayne, we'd be making a lot of money, but that's not the case. This is below minimum wage for so many people, below the poverty line for so many people, and all of it is for an appreciation of art and the connection with the fans. So if they realize that, maybe when the go see the bands, they go off a little harder or instead of buying 15 beers at the show, maybe they buy 14 and a t-shirt. These things are important because otherwise all of our favorite bands are going to eventually start dropping like flies. It's already happening. It's not going to start happening, it's happened.
I was curious then whether eOne has met your expectations or not so far (with Chimaira's new album The Age Of Hell having been out since August).
I take no issue with eOne at all. There has been a really good communication with the team there, and I feel they did a solid job, and they had many obstacles. For example, Best Buy, who was the number one seller for Chimaira for our entire career, made it extremely difficult for us to get our product in the store. So if you're a metal head and all your favorite mom and pop stores are closing down, you're going to Best Buy because it's cheap and you know stuff is there. Well, if our record's not there and you want the physical product, where are you getting it? F.Y.E. for $16.99? I don't think so! So there's Hot Topic, but you have the whole stigma that some metal heads don't even want to walk in there [laughs]. So it makes it extremely difficult and our backs are against the wall.
But do I think eOne did a good job? Yes. I mean, they did everything that we've had done in the past, and they went a little outside the box as well and really let me be the nut that I am and be in charge of the little guerilla marketing ideas I'd have in the middle of the night. They were really interested in everything that we've had to say. Do I think there could've been better sales or stuff? Yeah. Do I think that's their fault? No. I think that they did what they could do with what they were given, given the circumstances and the time that we live in.
I loved that you mentioned just now about Best Buy. I would normally go to Best Buy as a kid, and when I walked in recently for the first time in years, I was amazed by how small the CD selection had become. It killed me.
Yeah, when I was a kid, I used to collect VHS tapes. And when the DVD came out, I saw the DVD section went from 1 aisle and the VHS was about seven aisles, and then within a few years that entire shelving system was reversed. I don't think I've even walked into a Best Buy in two years. I don't even know what it looks like. I can't imagine [laughs].
It's better than F.Y.E., but you're not missing much!
I went into an F.Y.E. yesterday. [laughs]
I saw that picture! [laughs]
Yeah, of course they didn't have the new album and were overpriced. Who's going to pay $16.99 for that CD? Who?! You can get a subscription to Spotify for less.
Speaking of Spotify, I love that you admitted that your Twitter rampage actually started when you couldn't listen to Cannibal Corpse on Spotify. And you even got [Metal Blade CEO/founder] Brian Slagel to make his first public statement about Spotify. After being in contact with Slagel and hearing what actually went down between Spotify and Metal Blade, have your feelings toward the service changed?
No, not at all. First I'd like to say that Brian is one of the very few in this industry that is genuine and cares about his artists. And he truly is a fan, and that's amazing to see. Even though we've never been on the label, every time we've encountered each other, from the first day it's been smiles and handshakes and "Hey, how are you doing?," just deep respect for each other. So he's genuine, and that's rare.
And I don't even want to be a Spotify poster boy by any means because from talking with my friends, they're like "Well, you can still do the same stuff on YouTube, and I can listen to Pink Floyd and Metallica on YouTube. I can't listen to them on Spotify." But I still think that the service is amazing, and once I saw the Facebook integration happen and fans were listening to some of the weirder music I listen to and commenting on it and discovering it, I was like "Aw man, this is huge!" And the reach that Facebook has already, whether you hate the site or not, is unquestionable. So as an artist, I imagine fans listening to Chimaira on Spotify and then new people becoming fans of us because of that. And as an artist, that is all you want, is to have fans. So I find the service to be brilliant and the integration sealed the deal for me. Even if the royalty system sucks, I think that with the amount of fans you can potentially gain from the people that are interested in our music, that could translate into the live scenario and/or maybe extra merchandise sales, which are the things that truly matter to keep the band's wheels going anyway.
Do you see why independent labels might seem hesitant, though, to partner with Spotify because of the low royalties, or are they missing the point?
Well, every label has their own reasoning, and I don't know what's going on with that honestly to comment. I'm sure that it is not a good system, but the reason I called Brian out was because, like you pointed out, he had not commented. And from what I'm reading from other people, it doesn't seem, I guess, are they just pulling out because they want more money or because they want more money for the artists? Because I don't see how the artists are going to get more money. Why is Spotify going to be like "You know what, we really need Cannibal Corpse"? They don't! So I'm just really trying to figure out what the catch is behind it. I was hoping that as innovative as Brian is that he did want to be a part of this service because he has some great bands on there that can definitely benefit from the service.
You highlight numerous times in your tweets how not only does a lot of money go into touring (for very little return), but also a lot of politics. Can you explain a little further the exact process that goes into getting a band like Chimaira on a tour package? Is it as difficult as putting together a headlining tour?
Both are their own challenges. For example, when we were a young band and we got an offer to tour with Slayer, that was huge for us, right? So of course as fans we want to take that tour more than anything in the world. And the reality of our situation was the guarantees were just about enough to cover the gas. So we were left with a pretty big wall to get over. So at the time our label, Roadrunner, offered what's called tour support. And they invest what they, I'm just going to throw a bullshit number, let's say they invest $25,000 and they give you that so you can do the tour. Well that $25,000 is paid back at such a slow rate that you're just digging yourself into such a hole you'll never get out of it. You'll have to sell millions of records. And as a young band, you get really shit guarantees. So you have to rely on the tour support.
So what had happen was with our entire first album, we got all these cool tours but offered low guarantees, and we had to go into the hole with Roadrunner. And the first album Pass Out Of Existance didn't perform that well to merit those costs. So when The Impossibility Of Reason came out, we were faced with either getting dropped or our advance would be reduced. Of course we didn't want to get dropped, so we took an advanced reduction. And just went and made the album the best way we could and then that album started to do well. And when it really started to do well, there was no money left over from the first album to really put forth an extra umph into maintaining it. So here we are at a peek of our career, touring with Slipknot, playing in front of thousands of kids a night, but there's no marketing behind it, there's less than 700 records in stores in the United States, and you see it's our fault but it's not our fault.
It's so weird [laughs], that's the word I guess I can use. It's like they loan you the money so you can get on that tour and get bigger and once you get bigger if you need that extra money but if you haven't paid back the loan, oh well. And I just didn't understand that. To me it's like they weren't protecting their investment, but they certainly protected their investment because they made it back and then some. It's just not on paper for us because the way that artists pay back is at a slow percentage. If you get handed $100,000 and your royalty rate is $1 per CD, you have to sell then a 100,000 CDs to recuperate. So the more you go into the hole, the less chances of ever seeing a profit. I don't know if I can answer the question fully [laughs] I tend to rant a lot.
No that's good! Now how does that compare to the process of putting together a headlining tour?
Well the obstacles of a headlining tour, for example, because right now the economy is weird and certain promoters have taken a big hit. But say we need to get from Cleveland to Texas and in between those markets you have Kentucky, St. Louis, or whatever. Well let's just say Kentucky offers you $2,000 and you're like "Ok, we can do that." So the agent marks that on the calendar. "Alright, what's the next city in line? It's North Carolina." Well North Carolina, they're not doing any shows. If there are too many shows in the market, they don't make an offer. Things like that happen all the time. And then the bands will sit there and complain that "Oh, it looks like it was booked by a monkey throwing darts at a map." Well that's kind of how it is because you can't always just get where you want to be when you want to be. So there's a lot of challenges with that. And then sometimes you might need to go from Seattle to California and the only thing in the way is Portland, and Portland is only offering $1,000 or $500. It's like, well do you tell them to just fuck themselves or do you take the money because you need it for the day? So you never know what you're gonna get. You have no idea what's ahead and all bands get different salaries. Some bands are lucky to get $100 a night, some bands are making over $10,000 a night and that $10,000 isn't enough for them. It's all relative to the band, but we all face the same tasks and challenges and it's just different numbers, that's all.
I remember you tweeting earlier today [September 28] about how Daath didn't get paid during a tour you did with them. I imagine that there are some nights where it's common for even the headliner to get screwed out of money as well?
Definitely. We did a whole tour in 2009 and that promoter of that still owes us over $10,000. So it's like you go and do this tour and you come home and you're like "Where's the money?" Well the money's not coming. So everyone's just away from their family, away from the chance to make some side money. Sure the shows were fun, but then when you come home and there's nothing to see for it, it's a pretty rotten taste in your mouth.
You've kind of just touched upon this, and you also admit this via Twiiter, but do you think that had a major role in Chimaira's lineup changes this past year?
100%. Nobody likes to work for free, nobody likes to feel underappreciated, and nobody knows where this thing is going. You feel a lot of tension, a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress, and maybe throw in your personal life too [laughs]. And now your personal life is "Oh how am I paying my mortgage?, or "I have a kid!," or "I need to eat!" So those stressors come into the camp and it comes across in the performance. It comes across in the sound. I can just hear, it's like "Man, we are out of gas!" You really have to be able to just slip your own perspective to move forward. And as bleak as I see things are, maybe I also see a beauty in that and I don't mind that. It doesn't scare me. It doesn't stress me out maybe as much as it would someone in the group that has a child. I don't have that type of responsibility. So I guess I can afford to be a pioneer even if it's a disastrous choice.
You mention in a tweet how lineup changes are unavoidable. What would you say, though, is the biggest difficulty about going through a change in the band like that?
Honestly, the biggest difficulty… well there's two, and they're totally different because one side is for the business and one side is for your personal. The personal side is like a relationship. You don't want to see your friends go, you don't want to see that happen. The guys that have left this group have spent almost ten years if not more on the road, and you know these people inside out, you care about them deeply. And you realize that we just needed a break. Whether that break was a vacation or someone handed us a fat paycheck [laughs], or where we could kind of just rest for a minute, and that works a lot. But to work so hard on a relationship and have it crumble because of extraneous circumstances and petty things, that hurts. It be like if you were dating a girl for a year and a half and you proposed and you went 'Alright, now we're going to get married,' and you're going down the altar and next thing you know all the problems just unravel. You're going to have a pretty shitty feeling. So that's difficult.
On the business side and the reality side of the business are fans and their reaction. The assumption of the fan is that we are like the three musketeers or the six musketeers, if you will, that we're all in this 'one for all' and we're writing a song and it's all six guys and they're playing their part, and this and that. And well, if Jim [LaMarca, ex-bassist] is gone, then the sound is going to suffer. That's just unfortunately not the truth, and how do you make a fan understand that? You can't. So we never tried to. All we can do is put out an album and say 'Hey, does it still sound like Chimaira to you? Is it worthy of having the name?' And that's all you can hope for, is that the fan enjoys the music despite the changes. But right off the bat, there's a preconceived notion that everything is different. Well of course everything is different! Even if it was the same, we're not going to make the same album we just made. [laughs] And a big thing that fans complain about anyway is that every album changes from sound to sound, but that's what we've done. So to have lineup changes happen for us brings in new life, brings in new energy and brings in creativity. We see the positive and the negative.
In addition to your persistence on Twitter, I think it's amazing how you've not only gotten fellow musicians and names in the industry to react, but also have gotten them to join the discussion. Do you think that the past two days have shown how powerful social networks can be when used properly?
Exactly! Thank you for saying it like that. I can't count how many times I talked to friends and I'm like, 'We have mastered the ability to communicate with each other at a level that is unprecedented, and we use it to show the pictures of what we're eating and talk about how shitty Mondays are!' And the vanity retweets where we're like 'Hey, love the band.' Yeah we know! So I'm just sick of it. Not saying I haven't been guilty [laughs]. We can use this for whatever we wanted to. We have a voice. We can make our own destiny, our own reality. And it could be a bunch of older industry guys flapping their jaws on Twitter and that is a meaningful message to some, or you can use it for good. Whether it's politics or maybe a social issue that you hold dear to your heart, I feel if you approach the conversation with a respect and don't just try to degrade and attack somebody's interests or feelings or thoughts on the matter, it leaves it open for a good debate.
For example, Randy [Blythe, singer of Lamb Of God] loves to go to the store and buy the CD. I used to love that too, but I don't find personal joy in that anymore. It doesn't mean that we're going to sit there on the internet and say 'Well you're wrong and I'm right!' That's just ridiculous, but that's exactly what happens. I think that us as artists are smart enough and have been through enough that we can have the ability to show people that you can have an open dialogue about serious things and show the good sides, show the bad sides, just show what's real. And unfortunately some people don't like to hear the truth. I've had kids on there [Twitter] say I'm whining, but I'm not whining about anything. What am I whining about? I love what I do, I've made that clear. I'm just showing that I ain't driving around in a Maserati and I don't have three Latino bitches in my car with me giving me head while I blow coke off their tits. I sit at home with a couple of dogs and just try to make ends meet like everyone else.
During all of this, you actually got introduced to Kickstarter. You even said that the band might consider doing a video via donations through the service. Have you and the band discussed any possibility of using Kickstarter in the future?
I want to look into it. Right now, a good friend of mine, a young up and coming art student, really wants a shot at making a video, and he gave a pretty respectable budget. And now that I put a feeler out there to see what the reaction would be, I don't mind trying it. We don't want to do something that's ridiculous or where we need four hundred grand for this because we want to blow up couple porches [laughs]. We're going make something that's of artistic quality and something that will visually entertain you to accompany the song. I think that'd be interesting because I as a fan love the video world, but the reality for us is that nobody is going to pay for it. So if you want to see another Chimaira video, we got to figure something out. I want to see one, don't you? So let's figure this out.
What song would you possibly do a video for?
The friend of mine that wants to do the video suggested the track "Losing My Mind." What I thought was cool yesterday was that a fan proposed that they get to possibly vote on which video we would do one for. I like that idea too. So maybe we could do both or something and see if we can get two.
That would be really cool. So you have the tour with Unearth and Skeletonwitch coming up. Any plans after that?
Yeah, well we're touring for the next nine weeks in the States, and then we're going to go overseas in 2012. I'm sure we'll do couple more shows in the States in 2012 without question. We also have our 12th annual Christmas show, which is at the end of the year and is always a big deal for us. And just business as usual, and it's good to go back on the road and on the full touring schedule because we haven't really done that in almost four year as a headliner. So it's a little overdue.
Well thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. Are you going to continue the tweets or are you going to try to slow down on that?
What do you think I should do?
I think you should do whatever you think feels right! [laughs]
[laughs] You know, I got to entertain myself, I'll be honest with you. My girlfriend is out of town and I…
Oh NOW we find out why you're doing Twitter so much! [laughs]
Yeah! [laughs] No, I have extra time man. I'll be honest, I'm always on Twitter. I'm always looking. There's so many times when I just have my phone in my hand, I'm one of those phone junkies, and I'm just constantly looking and I just never say anything. I'm always like "Ugghhh, I wanna say that," but I guess I've just never been able to jump off the diving board until yesterday. And it feels good. It feels good to start swimming. [laughs]
You just mentioned about having your phone, I just got an Android recently and I'm still amazed at how connected I feel to the world. Even while I'm walking outside, the possibilities are endless. I can't even imagine how I was before not having the internet on my phone. It really is amazing.
Precisely, and the fact that we're going to be on tour and we all have phones, I mean there's so much down time on tour. It's unbelievable. So I think I'd like to continue. Maybe not with as such a bombardment [laughs], but I think I really like talking about real stuff. That doesn't mean I'm not going to talk about what I'm eating and where I'm hanging out at or with whom, but I think that this has opened up a serious dialogue for many people about whatever issue they want to talk about and hopefully the trend is followed. Continued I should say, not followed.
Reactivated legendary 1980s Finnish/Swedish heavy metal band OZ will release its new album, "Burning Leather", on November 18 via AFM Records.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Dominator
02. Searchlights
03. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
04. Fire In The Brain
05. Seasons In The Darkness
06. Turn The Cross Upside Down
07. Burning Leather
08. Gambler
09. Enter Stadium
10. Total Metal
11. Third Warning
OZ's "Dominator" video can be viewed below. The song was recorded at Park studio in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Nicke Andersson (a former member of ENTOMBED and HELLACOPTERS). The clip was directed by Amir Chamdin, a member of the Swedish hip hop band INFINITE MASS who has previously directed videos for THE CARDIGANS and HELLACOPTERS, among others.
OZ's current lineup includes the classic trio of Ape De Martini (real name: Tapani Hämäläinen), Jay C. Blade (real name: Jukka Lewis) and Mark Ruffneck (real name: Pekka Mark).
OZ is best known in the metal underground for its 1983 "Fire In The Brain" album and the classic "Turn The Cross Upside Down" single (a song that was subsequently covered by the band STORMWARRIOR). It has also come to light that BATHORY mastermind Quorthon was responsible for designing the cover art for both "Fire In The Brain" and "Turn The Cross Upside Down".
For more information, visit www.ozofficial.com.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Dominator
02. Searchlights
03. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
04. Fire In The Brain
05. Seasons In The Darkness
06. Turn The Cross Upside Down
07. Burning Leather
08. Gambler
09. Enter Stadium
10. Total Metal
11. Third Warning
OZ's "Dominator" video can be viewed below. The song was recorded at Park studio in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Nicke Andersson (a former member of ENTOMBED and HELLACOPTERS). The clip was directed by Amir Chamdin, a member of the Swedish hip hop band INFINITE MASS who has previously directed videos for THE CARDIGANS and HELLACOPTERS, among others.
OZ's current lineup includes the classic trio of Ape De Martini (real name: Tapani Hämäläinen), Jay C. Blade (real name: Jukka Lewis) and Mark Ruffneck (real name: Pekka Mark).
OZ is best known in the metal underground for its 1983 "Fire In The Brain" album and the classic "Turn The Cross Upside Down" single (a song that was subsequently covered by the band STORMWARRIOR). It has also come to light that BATHORY mastermind Quorthon was responsible for designing the cover art for both "Fire In The Brain" and "Turn The Cross Upside Down".
For more information, visit www.ozofficial.com.
Dutch symphonic black metal act CARACH ANGREN has inked a deal with the French record label Season Of Mist.
Commented the band: "We are very proud to be on Season Of Mist's roster! This covenant will enable us to release more hauntings upon the world in the years to come. Furthermore we want to thank everyone (crew, friends, fans) for supporting us over the years, especially Phil [of] Maddening Media who put us on the map!
"A new horrific concept album is being written this autumn and recordings will start in less than two weeks. We promise you it will be darker and more epic than ever before!"
CARACH ANGREN's "The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom" video can be viewed below. The clip was shot over a period of about six months by CARACH ANGREN and Erik Wijnands of Negakinu Photography at different locations. The band states, "The dedication and creative view of Erik Wijnands, combined with everything that CARACH ANGREN represents, materialized into those few minutes of footage you now see before you. Take this for what it is: a glimpse into the haunting rituals of CARACH ANGREN, a new chapter for the band and a promise of things to come!"
"The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom" comes off the band's CARACH ANGREN's second album, "Death Came Through A Phantom Ship", which was released in early 2010 via Maddening Media. The CD was recorded at Tidal Wave Studio in Karlsdorf, Germany.
CARACH ANGREN's previous concept album, "Lammendam", was released in April 2008 via Maddening Media, the label run by LE GRAND GUIGNOL singer Philip Breuer.
Commented the band: "We are very proud to be on Season Of Mist's roster! This covenant will enable us to release more hauntings upon the world in the years to come. Furthermore we want to thank everyone (crew, friends, fans) for supporting us over the years, especially Phil [of] Maddening Media who put us on the map!
"A new horrific concept album is being written this autumn and recordings will start in less than two weeks. We promise you it will be darker and more epic than ever before!"
CARACH ANGREN's "The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom" video can be viewed below. The clip was shot over a period of about six months by CARACH ANGREN and Erik Wijnands of Negakinu Photography at different locations. The band states, "The dedication and creative view of Erik Wijnands, combined with everything that CARACH ANGREN represents, materialized into those few minutes of footage you now see before you. Take this for what it is: a glimpse into the haunting rituals of CARACH ANGREN, a new chapter for the band and a promise of things to come!"
"The Sighting Is A Portent Of Doom" comes off the band's CARACH ANGREN's second album, "Death Came Through A Phantom Ship", which was released in early 2010 via Maddening Media. The CD was recorded at Tidal Wave Studio in Karlsdorf, Germany.
CARACH ANGREN's previous concept album, "Lammendam", was released in April 2008 via Maddening Media, the label run by LE GRAND GUIGNOL singer Philip Breuer.
German death metallers LAY DOWN ROTTEN are recording their sixth album, "Mask Of Malice", at Desert Inn Studios in Germany for a February 2012 release via Metal Blade Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Deathchain", "…And Out Come The Wolves", "Hades Resurrected" and "Swallow The Bitterness".
Comments the band: "We are almost done recording our sixth album. We recorded at the Desert Inn Studio where we also worked on the last five albums. The new album will be called 'Mask Of Malice' and it features ten killer tracks that combine the raw dynamics of the typical LAY DOWN ROTTEN sound with the bittersweet melodies of death metal hymns you wanna bang your head to!"
LAY DOWN ROTTEN is:
Jost Kleinert - Vocals
Nils Förster - Guitar
Daniel Seifert - Guitar
Uwe Kilian - Bass
Timo Claas - Drums
LAY DOWN ROTTEN released its fifth album, "Gospel Of The Wretched", in May 2009 via Metal Blade Records (May 8 in Germany). The CD was recorded at Desert Inn Studios and was mixed by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) at Unisound Studios in Örebro, Sweden. It featured guest vocals by death metal legends Dan Swanö, Martin Van Drunen (ASPHYX, PESTILENCE) and Marc Grewe (MORGOTH).
Comments the band: "We are almost done recording our sixth album. We recorded at the Desert Inn Studio where we also worked on the last five albums. The new album will be called 'Mask Of Malice' and it features ten killer tracks that combine the raw dynamics of the typical LAY DOWN ROTTEN sound with the bittersweet melodies of death metal hymns you wanna bang your head to!"
LAY DOWN ROTTEN is:
Jost Kleinert - Vocals
Nils Förster - Guitar
Daniel Seifert - Guitar
Uwe Kilian - Bass
Timo Claas - Drums
LAY DOWN ROTTEN released its fifth album, "Gospel Of The Wretched", in May 2009 via Metal Blade Records (May 8 in Germany). The CD was recorded at Desert Inn Studios and was mixed by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) at Unisound Studios in Örebro, Sweden. It featured guest vocals by death metal legends Dan Swanö, Martin Van Drunen (ASPHYX, PESTILENCE) and Marc Grewe (MORGOTH).
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