QUEEN, one of the most dynamic and influential rock bands of all time, will be honored with the Global Icon Award at the "2011 MTV EMA", MTV announced today. The legendary rock band will also take the stage for a special performance. This year marks the 40th anniversary of QUEEN's formation in 1971; since then, these Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have garnered a long list of accomplishments and accolades, including career sales of more than 300 million albums, 16 No. 1 albums, 18 No. 1 singles and the U.K.'s top-selling album of all time (their "Greatest Hits" compilation has sold a staggering 5.7 million copies).
Hosted by Selena Gomez, the "2011 MTV EMA" will take place Sunday, November 6 at 9 p.m. CET from Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the U.S., the show will premiere on Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas on Sunday, November 6 at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT, and on mtvU on Monday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET/PT.
"We are honored to be designated a Global Icon. We will do our best to be worthy!" said QUEEN's Brian May.
"Over the past four decades, QUEEN has made an indelible impact on the pop music landscape. They are passionately revered by generations of fans and musicians across the globe," said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Vice President of Talent and Music Programming / Events for Viacom International Media Networks. "We are absolutely thrilled that they will be joining us at this year's MTV EMA, and we look forward to a very special performance."
Hosted by Selena Gomez, the "2011 MTV EMA" will take place Sunday, November 6 at 9 p.m. CET from Belfast, Northern Ireland. In the U.S., the show will premiere on Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas on Sunday, November 6 at 6:00 p.m. ET/PT, and on mtvU on Monday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET/PT.
"We are honored to be designated a Global Icon. We will do our best to be worthy!" said QUEEN's Brian May.
"Over the past four decades, QUEEN has made an indelible impact on the pop music landscape. They are passionately revered by generations of fans and musicians across the globe," said Bruce Gillmer, Executive Vice President of Talent and Music Programming / Events for Viacom International Media Networks. "We are absolutely thrilled that they will be joining us at this year's MTV EMA, and we look forward to a very special performance."
"The Chosen Few", the newly released compilation album from British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, sold 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The collection, which came out on October 11 via Legacy/Sony, contains songs that were selected by some of the biggest names of the hard rock/heavy metal world, including KISS' Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, METALLICA's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, Alice Cooper and SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor.
"This is a collection of songs chosen by our friends and respected peers," PRIEST frontman Rob Halford told RollingStone.com. "So we hope all the metal maniacs out there will rock out to the tunes enjoyed by metal legends."
"The Chosen Few" contains explanations from the artists about each of their selections, including Taylor making the argument that PRIEST's early MTV anthem "You've Got Another Thing Coming" established the group as "the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band."
Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) on "Beyond The Realms Of Death": "The blueprint for the epic rock ballad. Copied thousands of times, never eclipsed."
Ozzy Osbourne on "The Ripper": "This has always been one of my favorite JUDAS PRIEST songs… I just want to know what the fuck that note is that Rob Halford hits in the beginning of the song. Fucking hell!! That note is probably just below what only dogs can hear."
Alice Cooper on "Living After Midnight": "For a metal band, PRIEST has always used tons of melody... when you have a singer as great as Rob Halford, you have to write great riffs WITH great melodies, you can't just have riffs. 'Living After Midnight' is the perfect example…"
Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) on "Screaming For Vengeance": "JUDAS PRIEST have put out their fair share of great albums to be sure. But my all-time favorite is 'Screaming For Vengeance'. It was and still is, one of the best metal records ever produced and the title track is in my humble opinion, still ahead of its time."
Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) on "You've Got Another Thing Coming": "JUDAS PRIEST: the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band..."
"The Chosen Few" track listing:
01. Diamonds And Rust (1977) - chosen by Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
02. Dissident Aggressor (1977) - chosen by Steve Vai and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)
03. Exciter (1978) - chosen by ACCEPT
04. Beyond The Realms Of Death (1978) - chosen by Lars Ulrich (METALLICA)
05. Delivering The Goods (1979) - chosen by Kerry King (SLAYER)
06. The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown) (1979) - chosen by David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE) and Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD)
07. The Ripper (1979) - chosen by Ozzy Osbourne
08. Victim Of Changes (1979) - chosen by James Hetfield (METALLICA)
09. Breaking The Law (1980) - chosen by Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD)
10. Rapid Fire (1980) - chosen by Vinnie Paul (PANTERA, HELLYEAH)
11. Grinder (1980) - chosen by Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
12. Living After Midnight (1980) - chosen by Alice Cooper and Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH)
13. Screaming For Vengeance (1982) - chosen by Slash (GUNS N ROSES)
14. You've Got Another Thing Coming (1982) - chosen by Klaus Meine (SCORPIONS) & Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT)
15. The Sentinel (1984) - chosen by Chris Jericho (FOZZY)
16. Turbo Lover (1986) - chosen by Jonathan Davis (KORN)
17. Painkiller (1990) - chosen by Joe Satriani
"This is a collection of songs chosen by our friends and respected peers," PRIEST frontman Rob Halford told RollingStone.com. "So we hope all the metal maniacs out there will rock out to the tunes enjoyed by metal legends."
"The Chosen Few" contains explanations from the artists about each of their selections, including Taylor making the argument that PRIEST's early MTV anthem "You've Got Another Thing Coming" established the group as "the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band."
Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) on "Beyond The Realms Of Death": "The blueprint for the epic rock ballad. Copied thousands of times, never eclipsed."
Ozzy Osbourne on "The Ripper": "This has always been one of my favorite JUDAS PRIEST songs… I just want to know what the fuck that note is that Rob Halford hits in the beginning of the song. Fucking hell!! That note is probably just below what only dogs can hear."
Alice Cooper on "Living After Midnight": "For a metal band, PRIEST has always used tons of melody... when you have a singer as great as Rob Halford, you have to write great riffs WITH great melodies, you can't just have riffs. 'Living After Midnight' is the perfect example…"
Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) on "Screaming For Vengeance": "JUDAS PRIEST have put out their fair share of great albums to be sure. But my all-time favorite is 'Screaming For Vengeance'. It was and still is, one of the best metal records ever produced and the title track is in my humble opinion, still ahead of its time."
Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) on "You've Got Another Thing Coming": "JUDAS PRIEST: the blueprint for the ultimate heavy metal band..."
"The Chosen Few" track listing:
01. Diamonds And Rust (1977) - chosen by Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
02. Dissident Aggressor (1977) - chosen by Steve Vai and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)
03. Exciter (1978) - chosen by ACCEPT
04. Beyond The Realms Of Death (1978) - chosen by Lars Ulrich (METALLICA)
05. Delivering The Goods (1979) - chosen by Kerry King (SLAYER)
06. The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown) (1979) - chosen by David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE) and Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD)
07. The Ripper (1979) - chosen by Ozzy Osbourne
08. Victim Of Changes (1979) - chosen by James Hetfield (METALLICA)
09. Breaking The Law (1980) - chosen by Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD)
10. Rapid Fire (1980) - chosen by Vinnie Paul (PANTERA, HELLYEAH)
11. Grinder (1980) - chosen by Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
12. Living After Midnight (1980) - chosen by Alice Cooper and Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH)
13. Screaming For Vengeance (1982) - chosen by Slash (GUNS N ROSES)
14. You've Got Another Thing Coming (1982) - chosen by Klaus Meine (SCORPIONS) & Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT)
15. The Sentinel (1984) - chosen by Chris Jericho (FOZZY)
16. Turbo Lover (1986) - chosen by Jonathan Davis (KORN)
17. Painkiller (1990) - chosen by Joe Satriani
METALLICA lead guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed to Mojo that he and frontman James Hetfield were both brought to tears during the sessions for the band's upcoming collaborative album with Lou Reed, titled "Lulu". Hammett explained that the outbursts occurred while they were recording a song called "Junior Dad", saying, "I had just lost my father literally three or four weeks previous. I had to run out of the control room, and I found myself standing in the kitchen, sobbing away. James came into the kitchen in the same condition — he was sobbing, too. It was insane."
The lyrics that apparently got to the two metal men were "Say hello to junior dad/The greatest disappointment/Age withered and changed him."
Hammett added, "[Reed] managed to take out both guitar players in METALLICA in one fell swoop, with his amazing poetic lyrics."
James Hetfield's father abandoned his family when James was just 13, an experience that the singer/guitarist has spoken about at length in a new documentary called "Absent".
"Junior Dad" lyrics:
Would you come to me
If I was half drowning
An arm above the last wave
Would you come to me
Would you pull me up
Would the effort really hurt you
Is it unfair to ask you
To help pull me up
The window broke the silence of the matches
The smoke effortlessly floating
Pull me up
Would you be my lord and savior
Pull me up by my hair
Now would you kiss me, on my lips
Burning fever burning on my forehead
The brain that once was listening now
Shoots out its tiresome message
Won't you pull me up
Scalding, my dead father
Has the motor and he's driving towards
An island of lost souls
Sunny, a monkey then to monkey
I will teach you meanness, fear and blindness
No social redeeming kindness
Or – oh, state of grace
Would you pull me up
Would you drop the mental bullet
Would you pull me by the arm up
Would you still kiss my lips
Hiccup, the dream is over
Get the coffee, turn the lights on
Say hello to junior dad
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad
Psychic savagery
The greatest disappointment
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad [End of lyrics]
Due 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, "Lulu" was secretly recorded in May at METALLICA's studio in the Bay Area. The album is based around music Reed originally wrote for a theatrical production of "The Lulu Plays". 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)
"Brandenburg Gate" lyrics:
I would cut my legs and tits off
When I think of Boris Karloff and Kinski
In the dark of the moon
It made me dream of Nosferatu
Trapped on the isle of Doctor Moreau
Oh wouldn't it be lovely
I was thinking Peter Lorre
When things got pretty gory as I
Crossed to the Brandenburg Gate
I was feeling snappy perhaps I'd been napping
And I'd just ate
A following heart can tear you apart
On a midnight to 8 shift
A graveyard romance can only give one chance
As the tombstones weave and breathe
Feeling happy when my heart got beating
On a Sunday afternoon
I dreamt of breezes going through the treeses
And stars were still illumed
I have three hearts that I keep apart
Trying to relate
To normal feelings and the nightime reelings
And some absynthe drunk so late
The cook got drunk and all the whores they shrunk
Onto the size of dessert plates
But me I'm happy cause I got my little nappy
And some opium to set me straight
I'm just a small town girl who wants to give it a whirl
While my looks still hold me straight
Straight up to illusion and fantasy's fusion
Of reality mixed with drink
I'm just a small town girl who's gonna give life a whirl
Looking at the Brandenburg Gate [End of lyrics]
The lyrics that apparently got to the two metal men were "Say hello to junior dad/The greatest disappointment/Age withered and changed him."
Hammett added, "[Reed] managed to take out both guitar players in METALLICA in one fell swoop, with his amazing poetic lyrics."
James Hetfield's father abandoned his family when James was just 13, an experience that the singer/guitarist has spoken about at length in a new documentary called "Absent".
"Junior Dad" lyrics:
Would you come to me
If I was half drowning
An arm above the last wave
Would you come to me
Would you pull me up
Would the effort really hurt you
Is it unfair to ask you
To help pull me up
The window broke the silence of the matches
The smoke effortlessly floating
Pull me up
Would you be my lord and savior
Pull me up by my hair
Now would you kiss me, on my lips
Burning fever burning on my forehead
The brain that once was listening now
Shoots out its tiresome message
Won't you pull me up
Scalding, my dead father
Has the motor and he's driving towards
An island of lost souls
Sunny, a monkey then to monkey
I will teach you meanness, fear and blindness
No social redeeming kindness
Or – oh, state of grace
Would you pull me up
Would you drop the mental bullet
Would you pull me by the arm up
Would you still kiss my lips
Hiccup, the dream is over
Get the coffee, turn the lights on
Say hello to junior dad
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad
Psychic savagery
The greatest disappointment
The greatest disappointment
Age withered him and changed him
Into junior dad [End of lyrics]
Due 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, "Lulu" was secretly recorded in May at METALLICA's studio in the Bay Area. The album is based around music Reed originally wrote for a theatrical production of "The Lulu Plays". 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)
"Brandenburg Gate" lyrics:
I would cut my legs and tits off
When I think of Boris Karloff and Kinski
In the dark of the moon
It made me dream of Nosferatu
Trapped on the isle of Doctor Moreau
Oh wouldn't it be lovely
I was thinking Peter Lorre
When things got pretty gory as I
Crossed to the Brandenburg Gate
I was feeling snappy perhaps I'd been napping
And I'd just ate
A following heart can tear you apart
On a midnight to 8 shift
A graveyard romance can only give one chance
As the tombstones weave and breathe
Feeling happy when my heart got beating
On a Sunday afternoon
I dreamt of breezes going through the treeses
And stars were still illumed
I have three hearts that I keep apart
Trying to relate
To normal feelings and the nightime reelings
And some absynthe drunk so late
The cook got drunk and all the whores they shrunk
Onto the size of dessert plates
But me I'm happy cause I got my little nappy
And some opium to set me straight
I'm just a small town girl who wants to give it a whirl
While my looks still hold me straight
Straight up to illusion and fantasy's fusion
Of reality mixed with drink
I'm just a small town girl who's gonna give life a whirl
Looking at the Brandenburg Gate [End of lyrics]
Legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) has completed the first recording session for his upcoming solo album at Barefoot Recording in Hollywood, California with producer Eric Valentine (QUEENS OF STONE AGE, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS). Joining Slash in the studio were the members of his touring band: vocalist Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE), rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, bassist Todd Kerns (SIN CITY SINNERS, formerly of AGE OF ELECTRIC), and drummer Brent Fitz (formerly of THEORY OF A DEADMAN).
Slash played three of the newly recorded songs — "Halo", "Standing In The Sun" and "Bad Rain" — for VH1 Classic "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk, who tweeted yesterday, "I can tell you the three songs I heard are heavy with killer riffs and vocals. It's the same band that he has been touring with last couple years on the album, and it sounds more cohesive because of it. Really strong!"
Slash's as-yet-untitled new album is tentatively due next April.
In a recent interview, Slash stated about the musicians in his band, "I was really fortunate. When I'd done the [first solo] record, I thought, 'I've gotta tour on this.' And I had to figure how I was gonna actually pull that off. And I set about auditioning musicians in L.A. and I just happened to meet Brent Fitz, who I'd never played before and who is not from Los Angeles; he was one of the guys I auditioned and he was great. And then he introduced me to Todd Kerns, who fit in perfectly. And it turned out to be a great band from the start — definitely worth going in and making a record with."
Valentine previously worked with Slash on the guitarist's self-titled solo album. But "the big difference," according to Slash, will be that Eric is "also gonna be mastering this one" in addition to recording and mixing the CD. "So it's like one-stop shopping, which is pretty cool," the axeman said.
Regarding the musicial direction of his new material and how it compares to last year's self-titled effort, Slash said, "This one's definitely a very focused… Very hard. Some of it's very heavy. It's got sort of a more unified sound to it, especially with one vocal all throughout."
"Slash" was released in North America in April 2010 via EMI Label Services. The album featured an all-star roster of guest musicians, including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of MAROON 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockdale of WOLFMOTHER.
"Slash" was completed with the rhythm section of bassist Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) and drummer Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS). Slash handled the majority of arranging and songwriting duties and hand-picked each guest artist. The album's guests worked collaboratively with Slash to round out the song.
Slash played three of the newly recorded songs — "Halo", "Standing In The Sun" and "Bad Rain" — for VH1 Classic "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk, who tweeted yesterday, "I can tell you the three songs I heard are heavy with killer riffs and vocals. It's the same band that he has been touring with last couple years on the album, and it sounds more cohesive because of it. Really strong!"
Slash's as-yet-untitled new album is tentatively due next April.
In a recent interview, Slash stated about the musicians in his band, "I was really fortunate. When I'd done the [first solo] record, I thought, 'I've gotta tour on this.' And I had to figure how I was gonna actually pull that off. And I set about auditioning musicians in L.A. and I just happened to meet Brent Fitz, who I'd never played before and who is not from Los Angeles; he was one of the guys I auditioned and he was great. And then he introduced me to Todd Kerns, who fit in perfectly. And it turned out to be a great band from the start — definitely worth going in and making a record with."
Valentine previously worked with Slash on the guitarist's self-titled solo album. But "the big difference," according to Slash, will be that Eric is "also gonna be mastering this one" in addition to recording and mixing the CD. "So it's like one-stop shopping, which is pretty cool," the axeman said.
Regarding the musicial direction of his new material and how it compares to last year's self-titled effort, Slash said, "This one's definitely a very focused… Very hard. Some of it's very heavy. It's got sort of a more unified sound to it, especially with one vocal all throughout."
"Slash" was released in North America in April 2010 via EMI Label Services. The album featured an all-star roster of guest musicians, including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of MAROON 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockdale of WOLFMOTHER.
"Slash" was completed with the rhythm section of bassist Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) and drummer Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS). Slash handled the majority of arranging and songwriting duties and hand-picked each guest artist. The album's guests worked collaboratively with Slash to round out the song.
California may have been the epicenter of the emerging thrash-metal scene at the dawn of the 1980s, but the NYC headbangers of Anthrax unquestionably earned their place in the genre's history. As an East Coast counterpart and early ally of Metallica, Anthrax crafted its own unique template by mixing hardcore punk's breakneck tempos and shouted gang vocals with brutal guitar riffs on classic tunes like "Caught in a Mosh" and "A.I.R."
While the band has drifted back and forth between '80s vocalist Joey Belladonna and latter-era singer John Bush for much of the past decade, Anthrax recently released Worship Music, the first album to feature Belladonna since the ambitious 1990 opus Persistence of Time. Featuring some of the most indelible melodies and catchiest choruses on a metal album this side of Iron Maiden's iconic Number of the Beast, the new Anthrax effort marks a brilliant return to form without sacrificing an iota of the band's characteristic aggression. All Shook Down recently spoke with band founder and guitarist Scott Ian about his inspirations for the songs on Worship Music, playing a hometown show with the Big 4 at the House That Ruth Built, and the band's upcoming tour with Bay Area thrash heroes Testament and Death Angel, which comes to the Warfield on Sunday, Oct. 23.
It sounds like the genesis for the songs on the album was you, Frank [Bello], and Charlie [Benante], working out ideas in a rehearsal room. I was wondering -- especially given how hooky the vocal melodies are throughout -- at that early stage, do you mess around with a guide vocal? Or are those melodies left in the singer's hands?
Not really at that early stage, no. It's more just getting the arrangements together. And then once basic arrangements of the music are done, we start focusing on melody lines and I start focusing on lyrics. Sometimes based on words I start coming up with I have melody ideas for how I want the words to go. But just as many times Charlie and Frankie will send me MP3s of them just "la la la-ing" along to the arrangements with melody ides as well. And then I'll just start plugging in the words based on usually what I think is the best melody idea for the part, whether its Charlie's, Frankie's, or mine. A lot of times it ends up being a combination of ideas.
Joey Belladonna sings as well as I've ever heard on Worship Music. How much of the vocal melodies were already established prior to his coming back in the band?
Well, they all were. The songs were written. When Joey came back, we had like 14 songs in some state of being finished. We didn't even know what that earlier version of the album was going to be 100 percent, because not all of it was mixed yet. It was still kind of a work in progress at the point when everything got shut down.
It wasn't until a year later, almost when Joey was back in the band, and we were on tour with Slayer and Megadeth last fall in the States -- that's when we knew everything was moving forward and we were going to finish the record. On that tour, we just sat every day in the dressing room with a bunch of gear set up and listened song by song -- a song a day, kind of -- and really nitpicked even more than we normally would, because now we'd had a year to really live with the stuff. In some crazy way, we had the luxury of hindsight which we'd never had before.
So we would just go through the songs and listen to them and say "Okay, does anyone any issues with this one? Yes? No?" Some songs we felt still held up 100 percent, there was nothing to change, and we loved everything about them. There was nothing we could do to make them better. And then there were songs that we felt "Okay, maybe this chorus could be better. We were never happy with this even a year ago, so let's fix it." And then there were some songs that were complete rewrites. So by the time we finished that run we had narrowed it down from 14 songs down to ten. And out of those ten, three were re-recorded. The bass was re-recorded on everything, but three songs were re-recorded from the ground up, rewritten lyrically and melody-wise. And I'd say there were five or six that stayed exactly the same.
Which were the three songs that underwent the biggest transformation?
"In the End," "Judas Priest," and ... I guess you could say "Fight Until You Can't," because we did re-record that. We had been playing it live for a while, but we also changed the way the whole bridge section was sung. Those three would be the ones that went through the most changes.
Prior to listening to the song with the lyrics in front of me, I was thinking "Devil That You Know" was another horror movie tribute, because of the line "Let the Right One In" in the chorus. After reading the lyrics, I didn't catch any elements to the Swedish vampire movie, but did it provide you with inspiration in some way?
No, not at all. It really has nothing to do with that. If anything, the initial kernel of the idea for that song was the character Marv from Frank Miller's Sin City books. I have a hard time putting this idea into words, but it's about men who don't really exist anymore in this day and age; guys who came back from World War II. It's kind of my ode to a time gone by, and it's also about trust and not judging a book by its cover. There's a whole bunch of different elements. With this record, for a lot of the songs there's not just one subject or theme. Every line could be about something that has nothing to do with the line after it because I had so many ideas running through certain things.
The goal for me was just trying to make it work cohesively somehow. I mean you have songs like "In the End," which is about one thing -- our feelings for [late Pantera and Damageplan guitarist] Dimebag Darrell and Ronnie James Dio -- but there's other songs where there's 50 ideas running through them.
In other interviews I've read, you've talked about how songs were born out of the struggle of the past four years as a band. While lyrically songs don't get into politics too explicitly, "Earth on Hell," "Devil You Know," and "Revolution Screams" all seem to speak to current turmoil in the world. Did you draw on that as well, or does it just happen to mirror what you were going through personally?
Certainly "Revolution Screams" and "Earth on Hell" are definitely about what's going on in the world, but more specifically what's going on here in America and my general dissatisfaction with the way things are run in this country and the way things are probably going to be run in this country for the foreseeable future.
I think the titles are pretty self-explanatory. In "Earth on Hell" the first line of the song is "The kids have gone wild in the streets." I wrote the lyrics to that song years before all this stuff started going down in Egypt. It was weird when that all started kicking off and I was watching it on CNN. I basically wrote two songs about this exact thing: what if the people decide they want to take the power back?
I've thought about this quite a bit throughout my life. I came up through the Reagan era. That's my first real experience with politics. Obviously the Reagan era was good for some people and bad for some people. For me, that whole time in the '80s I considered government bad for me in sense that they were trying to shut me down and the bands that I came up with during the whole PMRC thing. I think back to the '60s where here in America the people did for a moment in time take some amount of power into their hands and were able to force change.
That hasn't happened since in this country, and now you see it happening all over the world. Everywhere it seems except for here. Obviously it's not going to happen in China, not in our lifetime anyway. Basically, I would just love to see what would happen if that did happen here. I guess we saw a small version of it on Wall Street recently*. At least we weren't rolling tanks and shooting people, so there were some positives to be taken out of that. But "Revolution Screams" and "Earth on Hell" are very much about people taking the power back.
A few weeks ago, Anthrax played a hometown show in the Bronx as part the second "Big 4" show in the U.S. What was it like to step on the stage in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium?
I can say -- now having done it -- it was pretty much the highlight of my career in the band. It was just incredible. It's not even something I can say is a dream come true, because I never dreamed we would play Yankee Stadium. Not that I didn't think we would ever play a stadium show in New York, but it's just that Yankee Stadium doesn't do shows. It's such a rare thing for them to do a concert, let alone a metal show like the Big 4 show. It's something that I really didn't think would ever happen. It just never seemed in the realm of possibility. And then actually doing it and it going so well, it couldn't have gone any better. It was an amazing day all around.
As someone who grew up in the Bay Area during the early '80s rise of thrash metal, I'm still hoping the Big 4 will actually play here at some point. I mean, the Giants aren't going to be doing anything at AT&T Park anytime soon, so you guys could tear the shit out of the place. Is that still under consideration?
Well, you should go knock on Lars [Ulrich's] door. You're in San Francisco [laughs]. Go ask the person who may have the answer to that. It's funny that I've done 400 interviews I guess in the last month for this record and that's the one question I've been asked in every interview. And I tell everybody, "What makes you think we have any say at all over what happens with the Big 4?" I mean, I get it; we're a part of it and all that, but Metallica is steering the ship. This is their thing. They installed this red phone with a big red "4" at our manager's office and when it rings, you just say when and where. I'm obviously kidding about that, but it might as well be the truth.
It's an incredible thing to get to be a part of and we love so much the fact that Metallica decided that this was something that they wanted to do, to have us and Slayer and Megadeth go out and do these shows. It's just been amazing for all of us. The guys from Slayer and Megadeth will say the same thing that I'm saying about it. It's just been incredible. The shows are awesome. If it were up to me, we'd do a hundred more Big 4 shows. I can only hope there's going to be more. All the guys in the bands want to do them, including the guys in Metallica, so that makes me think there will be more shows at some point. But as far as when and where, I don't have a clue. How they could not play San Francisco would be really curious, being that it's obviously their hometown show. If they did L.A. and New York, how could they not do the Bay Area?
The recent thrash revival has given me a chance to see a lot of bands I grew up with, and I'm happy to get to see you, Testament, and Death Angel together when the tour comes to S.F. How did you settle on those two Bay Area bands for the tour?
We just started having conversations with our agent about how we were going to kick it off for this record, and the idea was floated to us "How about Testament?" And everyone just instantly said yes. We just thought it was a great idea. They've been back on the scene for a few years now, and their last album did really well. It just seemed like a great thing to go do. Why not? We've all been friends for so long. Both bands are still current and happening. So we reached out to the Testament guys and they were all into it. And Death Angel we had played a bunch of shows with recently. They were out opening for us in Southeast Asia and places like that. So it just seemed like a really easy thing to put together and, at the same time, something that audiences around the country would really want to see.
*This interview was given very shortly after the start of the Occupy Wall Street protests.
Also, this post has been updated with a current photo of Anthrax, instead of the old one we ran with the wrong line up.
Reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT have scheduled the following European tour dates:
April 06 - Paris, France - Bataclan
April 07 - Mons, Belgium - PPM Fest
April 10 - Kempten, Germany - Big Box
April 11 - Stuttgart, Germany - Pilharmonie
April 13 - Straubing, Germany - Messehalle
April 14 - Geiselwind, Germany - Event Center
April 15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
April 17 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
April 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
April 19 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
April 21 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Euronics
April 22 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
Following the tremendous success of ACCEPT's comeback album, "Blood Of The Nations", and accompanying world tour — which consisted of more than 180 shows around the globe — the band has now withdrawn from the stage to start work on its next CD. The group is writing material for its new LP, which will be released in the spring of 2012 and will once again be helmed by British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY).
Commented ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffman: "ACCEPT and Andy Sneap have the perfect synergy. This was so clear with 'Blood Of The Nations' and we are excited to continue on that path. Andy is not only an amazing and prolific producer but also a very good friend who has long become a member of the ACCEPT family."
ACCEPT's July 15 performance at this year's edition of the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany filmed for a future DVD release. The concert marked the band's return to a five-piece format after the group spent a couple of months touring as a quartet due to the fact that guitarist Herman Frank suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in a stage fall on May 6 in San Antonio.
"Blood Of The Nations" was released in North America on September 14, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. Recorded at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England with acclaimed British producer and SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, MASTERPLAN), the CD marked the debut of the band's latest addition, vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK).
ACCEPT 2011 is:
Wolf Hoffmann: Guitar
Peter Baltes: Bass
Herman Frank: Guitar
Mark Tornillo: Vocals
Stefan Schwarzmann: Drums
April 06 - Paris, France - Bataclan
April 07 - Mons, Belgium - PPM Fest
April 10 - Kempten, Germany - Big Box
April 11 - Stuttgart, Germany - Pilharmonie
April 13 - Straubing, Germany - Messehalle
April 14 - Geiselwind, Germany - Event Center
April 15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
April 17 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
April 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
April 19 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
April 21 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Euronics
April 22 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
Following the tremendous success of ACCEPT's comeback album, "Blood Of The Nations", and accompanying world tour — which consisted of more than 180 shows around the globe — the band has now withdrawn from the stage to start work on its next CD. The group is writing material for its new LP, which will be released in the spring of 2012 and will once again be helmed by British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY).
Commented ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffman: "ACCEPT and Andy Sneap have the perfect synergy. This was so clear with 'Blood Of The Nations' and we are excited to continue on that path. Andy is not only an amazing and prolific producer but also a very good friend who has long become a member of the ACCEPT family."
ACCEPT's July 15 performance at this year's edition of the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany filmed for a future DVD release. The concert marked the band's return to a five-piece format after the group spent a couple of months touring as a quartet due to the fact that guitarist Herman Frank suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in a stage fall on May 6 in San Antonio.
"Blood Of The Nations" was released in North America on September 14, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. Recorded at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England with acclaimed British producer and SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, MASTERPLAN), the CD marked the debut of the band's latest addition, vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK).
ACCEPT 2011 is:
Wolf Hoffmann: Guitar
Peter Baltes: Bass
Herman Frank: Guitar
Mark Tornillo: Vocals
Stefan Schwarzmann: Drums
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has ruled that Ottawa, Ontario radio station CKQB-FM (106.9 The Bear) did not violate any broadcasting codes administered by the CBSC when it aired an edited version of the song "Crazy Bitch" by BUCHCHERRY on March 14, 2011, just after 5 a.m.
The commission delivered its ruling in response to a complaint submitted by an Ottawa resident who claimed that the song "repeatedly demonstrates the appalling acceptability of condoning — to the point of glorifying — oppressive language; so mainstream that an eight-year-old can turn on the radio and sing along to 'you're a crazy bitch but you fuck so good, I'm on top of it."
"Crazy Bitch" was described by Billboard as "a riff-driven, F-bomb-laden rock anthem that celebrates a woman's sexuality in the tradition of MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Girls, Girls, Girls'." The song was the No. 8-selling ringtone of 2007 and scored a Grammy nomination for best hard rock performance. Strippers loved it.
"It became a song every dancer wanted to dance to," BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd told Billboard, acknowledging he witnessed some of their appreciation firsthand.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is an independent, non-governmental organization created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to administer standards established by its members, Canada's private broadcasters. The Council's membership includes more than 730 private sector radio and television stations, specialty services and networks from across Canada, programming in English, French and third languages.
The commission delivered its ruling in response to a complaint submitted by an Ottawa resident who claimed that the song "repeatedly demonstrates the appalling acceptability of condoning — to the point of glorifying — oppressive language; so mainstream that an eight-year-old can turn on the radio and sing along to 'you're a crazy bitch but you fuck so good, I'm on top of it."
"Crazy Bitch" was described by Billboard as "a riff-driven, F-bomb-laden rock anthem that celebrates a woman's sexuality in the tradition of MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Girls, Girls, Girls'." The song was the No. 8-selling ringtone of 2007 and scored a Grammy nomination for best hard rock performance. Strippers loved it.
"It became a song every dancer wanted to dance to," BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd told Billboard, acknowledging he witnessed some of their appreciation firsthand.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council is an independent, non-governmental organization created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to administer standards established by its members, Canada's private broadcasters. The Council's membership includes more than 730 private sector radio and television stations, specialty services and networks from across Canada, programming in English, French and third languages.
Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Icon Vs. Icon: Looking back on your body of work, how do you feel you evolved as an artist over the years?
Bach: I think that I have gotten better as a songwriter. I think that the songs that I am writing now are better than the ones that I was writing when I was in SKID ROW. I was very young then, so it has taken me awhile to come into my own. When I listen back to this new album, I am just so proud of it! Out of all of the CDs that I have done, this is the one that I have listened to the most. I think that it sounds great and I just love listening to it.
Icon Vs. Icon: You are pretty active in terms of using social media. Has that had a big impact on you as an artist?
Bach: I think that Facebook is where you find your friends and that Twitter is where you get to know them. I feel that people can really get to know me through my tweets and see my life in a new way. I think that is really cool. You can't control fame and you have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes people can be really mean on the Internet. I really don't care if you say things about me because I am famous but if you talk about my family members or things like that, that really bugs me. But like I said, you can't control fame so you have to take the good with the bad.
Icon Vs. Icon: Understandable! But you would consider it a positive experience overall?
Bach: Oh yeah. Yeah! I have around 170,000 people that follow me on Twitter. That's a fuckin' lot of people! [laughs] I appreciate that they follow me and that I have that many people interested in reading what I am doing. It's unbelievable!
Icon Vs. Icon: It is no secret the rock media tends to focus in on snippets of what a star says and many times puts a negative spin on it to generate controversy. What do you think of the current state of rock media?
Bach: I don't need the rock media as much as the rock media needs me. Because, when you have your own web site or you have 170,000 followers on Twitter, it helps the media as much as it helps me because they want to get access to my fans. The great thing about the rise of social media is that it puts the artist in direct contact with the fans and the world. So, I can control it in a way. If someone says something shitty, well, I can just delete them off of my page! [laughs] So, be careful what you say, because I don't fuckin' care! I'll delete your ass! [laughs] I can control it! I think that it is really good for the artist.
Icon Vs. Icon: You have done everything from music, performing on stage, to doing reality television. Is there something you want to focus your energy on and take on in the future?
Bach: Yeah, that is my easiest answer. I want to go on tour in big places, like I could if I were to rejoin SKID ROW. If I did that, we would be booked in all of the big places. Ya know, I just went to see FOREIGNER two nights ago and there was not one member of FOREIGNER in FOREIGNER! It was five other guys! [laughs] There were 20,000 people there with their beers held up in the air, singing along and nobody cared! It was shocking to me! I think that I have established myself in the recording area and I want to tour properly, in big places, like FOREIGNER can — and it's not even FOREIGNER! I am Sebastian and it's really me! [laughs] So that is a very easy answer!
Icon Vs. Icon: Looking back on your body of work, how do you feel you evolved as an artist over the years?
Bach: I think that I have gotten better as a songwriter. I think that the songs that I am writing now are better than the ones that I was writing when I was in SKID ROW. I was very young then, so it has taken me awhile to come into my own. When I listen back to this new album, I am just so proud of it! Out of all of the CDs that I have done, this is the one that I have listened to the most. I think that it sounds great and I just love listening to it.
Icon Vs. Icon: You are pretty active in terms of using social media. Has that had a big impact on you as an artist?
Bach: I think that Facebook is where you find your friends and that Twitter is where you get to know them. I feel that people can really get to know me through my tweets and see my life in a new way. I think that is really cool. You can't control fame and you have to take the good with the bad. Sometimes people can be really mean on the Internet. I really don't care if you say things about me because I am famous but if you talk about my family members or things like that, that really bugs me. But like I said, you can't control fame so you have to take the good with the bad.
Icon Vs. Icon: Understandable! But you would consider it a positive experience overall?
Bach: Oh yeah. Yeah! I have around 170,000 people that follow me on Twitter. That's a fuckin' lot of people! [laughs] I appreciate that they follow me and that I have that many people interested in reading what I am doing. It's unbelievable!
Icon Vs. Icon: It is no secret the rock media tends to focus in on snippets of what a star says and many times puts a negative spin on it to generate controversy. What do you think of the current state of rock media?
Bach: I don't need the rock media as much as the rock media needs me. Because, when you have your own web site or you have 170,000 followers on Twitter, it helps the media as much as it helps me because they want to get access to my fans. The great thing about the rise of social media is that it puts the artist in direct contact with the fans and the world. So, I can control it in a way. If someone says something shitty, well, I can just delete them off of my page! [laughs] So, be careful what you say, because I don't fuckin' care! I'll delete your ass! [laughs] I can control it! I think that it is really good for the artist.
Icon Vs. Icon: You have done everything from music, performing on stage, to doing reality television. Is there something you want to focus your energy on and take on in the future?
Bach: Yeah, that is my easiest answer. I want to go on tour in big places, like I could if I were to rejoin SKID ROW. If I did that, we would be booked in all of the big places. Ya know, I just went to see FOREIGNER two nights ago and there was not one member of FOREIGNER in FOREIGNER! It was five other guys! [laughs] There were 20,000 people there with their beers held up in the air, singing along and nobody cared! It was shocking to me! I think that I have established myself in the recording area and I want to tour properly, in big places, like FOREIGNER can — and it's not even FOREIGNER! I am Sebastian and it's really me! [laughs] So that is a very easy answer!
BAD RELIGION, STAIND, WEDNESDAY 13, UNEARTH, CATHEDRAL, SHADOWS FALL and KITTIE are among the newly confirmed bands for next year's Soundwave festival in Australia, set to take place in late February/early March.
Newly confirmed acts:
BAD RELIGION
STRUNG OUT
STAIND
WEDNESDAY 13
UNEARTH
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
CATHEDRAL
SHADOWS FALL
TONIGHT ALIVE
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
BREAK EVEN
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
YOUR DEMISE
A ROCKET TO THE MOON
THE READY SET
THE MENZINGERS
DREAM ON, DREAMER
KITTIE
DREDG
ATTACK! ATTACK!
THE SMOKING HEARTS
THE SUMMER SET
Previously announced bands:
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
SLIPKNOT
LIMP BIZKIT
MARILYN MANSON
HOLE
A DAY TO REMEMBER
MACHINE HEAD
LAMB OF GOD
TRIVIUM
ALTER BRIDGE
LOSTPROPHETS
ANGELS & AIRWAVES
COBRA STARSHIP
THE USED
YOU ME AT SIX
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
UNWRITTEN LAW
COAL CHAMBER
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL
THURSDAY
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS
RAISED FIST
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
ZAKK WYLDE'S BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
MASTODON
UNDEROATH
SAVES THE DAY
CIRCA SURVIVE
STEEL PANTHER
JACK'S MANNEQUIN
MESHUGGAH
THE SISTERS OF MERCY
ENTER SHIKARI
FOUR YEAR STRONG
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
MADINA LAKE
ZEBRAHEAD
HATEBREED
BIOHAZARD
TIMES OF GRACE
CKY
STREET DOGS
DRAGONFORCE
GOJIRA
KVELERTAK
LETLIVE
HELLYEAH
CRO-MAGS
THE CAB
RELIENT K
VERSA EMERGE
HEROES FOR HIRE
KILL HANNAH
THE DANGEROUS SUMMER
CHIMAIRA
FRAMING HANLEY
WATAIN
ROYAL REPUBLIC
I AM THE AVALANCHE
TURISAS
RIVER CITY EXTENSION
Another five names will be released in a third announcement later this year.
The dates:
Feb. 25 - RNA Showgrounds - Brisbane
Feb. 26 - Olympic Park - Sydney
Mar. 02 - Showgrounds - Melbourne
Mar. 03 - Bonython Park - Adelaide
Mar. 05 - Claremont Showgrounds - Perth
For more information, visit www.soundwavefestival.com.
Newly confirmed acts:
BAD RELIGION
STRUNG OUT
STAIND
WEDNESDAY 13
UNEARTH
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
CATHEDRAL
SHADOWS FALL
TONIGHT ALIVE
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
BREAK EVEN
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
YOUR DEMISE
A ROCKET TO THE MOON
THE READY SET
THE MENZINGERS
DREAM ON, DREAMER
KITTIE
DREDG
ATTACK! ATTACK!
THE SMOKING HEARTS
THE SUMMER SET
Previously announced bands:
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
SLIPKNOT
LIMP BIZKIT
MARILYN MANSON
HOLE
A DAY TO REMEMBER
MACHINE HEAD
LAMB OF GOD
TRIVIUM
ALTER BRIDGE
LOSTPROPHETS
ANGELS & AIRWAVES
COBRA STARSHIP
THE USED
YOU ME AT SIX
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
UNWRITTEN LAW
COAL CHAMBER
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL
THURSDAY
FOREVER THE SICKEST KIDS
RAISED FIST
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
ZAKK WYLDE'S BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
MASTODON
UNDEROATH
SAVES THE DAY
CIRCA SURVIVE
STEEL PANTHER
JACK'S MANNEQUIN
MESHUGGAH
THE SISTERS OF MERCY
ENTER SHIKARI
FOUR YEAR STRONG
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
MADINA LAKE
ZEBRAHEAD
HATEBREED
BIOHAZARD
TIMES OF GRACE
CKY
STREET DOGS
DRAGONFORCE
GOJIRA
KVELERTAK
LETLIVE
HELLYEAH
CRO-MAGS
THE CAB
RELIENT K
VERSA EMERGE
HEROES FOR HIRE
KILL HANNAH
THE DANGEROUS SUMMER
CHIMAIRA
FRAMING HANLEY
WATAIN
ROYAL REPUBLIC
I AM THE AVALANCHE
TURISAS
RIVER CITY EXTENSION
Another five names will be released in a third announcement later this year.
The dates:
Feb. 25 - RNA Showgrounds - Brisbane
Feb. 26 - Olympic Park - Sydney
Mar. 02 - Showgrounds - Melbourne
Mar. 03 - Bonython Park - Adelaide
Mar. 05 - Claremont Showgrounds - Perth
For more information, visit www.soundwavefestival.com.
"American Capitalist", the third album from Las Vegas, Nevada-based metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, sold 91,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "War Is The Answer", opened with 44,000 units back in September 2009 to debut at No. 7. The CD followed up FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's 2007 debut, "The Way Of The Fist", which has sold more than 510,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"American Capitalist" was released as a standard CD, and a limited-edition deluxe CD format complete with special packaging plus second disc containing a number of exclusive remixes, including one for "Under And Over It". Meanwhile, the iTunes version carries the bonus track "The Tragic Truth".
"American Capitalist" track listing:
01. American Capitalist
02. Under And Over It
03. The Pride
04. Coming Down
05. Menace
06. Generation Dead
07. Back For More
08. Remember Everything
09. Wicked Ways
10. If I Fall
11. 100 Ways To Hate
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH kicked off the Share The Welt tour on October 16 in San Francisco. The trek is the first for new FIVE FINGER bassist Chris Kael, who replaced Snell earlier this year. Kael has played just a handful of gigs so far with the group but was looking forward to his first full tour: "It's very liberating to kind of free the ties of quote-unquote real life and go up there and, you know, play the role as the new bass player for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, playing in front of thousands upon thousands of people that are into you and you really feel that vibe," he said. "I'm real excited about it, finally glad to be quote-unquote living the dream, and it's a damn good feeling."
Joining FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on the Share The Welt tour are ALL THAT REMAINS, HATEBREED and REV THEORY.
"American Capitalist" was released as a standard CD, and a limited-edition deluxe CD format complete with special packaging plus second disc containing a number of exclusive remixes, including one for "Under And Over It". Meanwhile, the iTunes version carries the bonus track "The Tragic Truth".
"American Capitalist" track listing:
01. American Capitalist
02. Under And Over It
03. The Pride
04. Coming Down
05. Menace
06. Generation Dead
07. Back For More
08. Remember Everything
09. Wicked Ways
10. If I Fall
11. 100 Ways To Hate
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH kicked off the Share The Welt tour on October 16 in San Francisco. The trek is the first for new FIVE FINGER bassist Chris Kael, who replaced Snell earlier this year. Kael has played just a handful of gigs so far with the group but was looking forward to his first full tour: "It's very liberating to kind of free the ties of quote-unquote real life and go up there and, you know, play the role as the new bass player for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, playing in front of thousands upon thousands of people that are into you and you really feel that vibe," he said. "I'm real excited about it, finally glad to be quote-unquote living the dream, and it's a damn good feeling."
Joining FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on the Share The Welt tour are ALL THAT REMAINS, HATEBREED and REV THEORY.
Vocalist Kyle Thomas of legendary New Orleans metallers EXHORDER has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"On behalf of Jay Ceravolo [EXHORDER guitarist] and myself, it is with much regret and disappointment that we are both leaving EXHORDER.
"There is much darkness surrounding EXHORDER at this time due to business and personal differences.
"We extend deep apologies to those that this has both inconvenienced and disappointed.
"In the wake of the passing of [EXHORDER bassist] Frankie Sparcello [in March] and the constant state of disarray that the band has found itself in since reforming, the negatives have far outweighed the positives. We both feel that this is what we must do, and wish that things could have turned out better, as EXHORDER has never attained the potential that it so rightfully should have.
"I wish all of my brothers involved well and good luck in whatever the future brings them, whether or not EXHORDER continues."
EXHORDER relased two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE (and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE). Thomas subsequently spent time fronting PITTS VS PREPS, which he described as "center[ing] around the truest sound of heavy metal in the realm of old JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN."
"On behalf of Jay Ceravolo [EXHORDER guitarist] and myself, it is with much regret and disappointment that we are both leaving EXHORDER.
"There is much darkness surrounding EXHORDER at this time due to business and personal differences.
"We extend deep apologies to those that this has both inconvenienced and disappointed.
"In the wake of the passing of [EXHORDER bassist] Frankie Sparcello [in March] and the constant state of disarray that the band has found itself in since reforming, the negatives have far outweighed the positives. We both feel that this is what we must do, and wish that things could have turned out better, as EXHORDER has never attained the potential that it so rightfully should have.
"I wish all of my brothers involved well and good luck in whatever the future brings them, whether or not EXHORDER continues."
EXHORDER relased two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE (and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE). Thomas subsequently spent time fronting PITTS VS PREPS, which he described as "center[ing] around the truest sound of heavy metal in the realm of old JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN."
Chicago-based progressive thrash band TWELFTH GATE has reunited with original singer Scott Huffman and guitarist Rich Knight. The group's comeback show will take place on Saturday, December 10 at Reggie's Rock Club (17+ event) in Chicago. Rounding out the live lineup will be original bass player Rob Such, original live rhythm guitarist Gabe DeLaurie, and drummer Sean Scala.
TWELFTH GATE is planning on performing its debut album, "Summoning" (2003, Crash Music), in its entirety, along with a select track or two off the band's sophomore CD, "Threshold Of Revelation" (2006, Season of Mist).
Commented Rob: "Jamming with Rich and Scott again has made me realize how much I really missed the old TWELFTH GATE lineup. The chemistry we have, both musically and as friends, just makes jamming that much more fun! Also, bringing Gabe back into the fold, with his flawless execution of our songs, and adding the monster of a drummer in Sean, has brought a new life back into the band. I believe that without all these players, the reunion would not have been possible. Rich and I have also always been a great writing team, and the material we're already coming up with is proof positive of that fact! I can't wait to finish some of these new ideas and have Scott add his unquestionable creativity into the mix. Once everything gets rolling again, there will be nothing stopping us... TWELFTH GATE is back!"
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TwelfthGate.
TWELFTH GATE is planning on performing its debut album, "Summoning" (2003, Crash Music), in its entirety, along with a select track or two off the band's sophomore CD, "Threshold Of Revelation" (2006, Season of Mist).
Commented Rob: "Jamming with Rich and Scott again has made me realize how much I really missed the old TWELFTH GATE lineup. The chemistry we have, both musically and as friends, just makes jamming that much more fun! Also, bringing Gabe back into the fold, with his flawless execution of our songs, and adding the monster of a drummer in Sean, has brought a new life back into the band. I believe that without all these players, the reunion would not have been possible. Rich and I have also always been a great writing team, and the material we're already coming up with is proof positive of that fact! I can't wait to finish some of these new ideas and have Scott add his unquestionable creativity into the mix. Once everything gets rolling again, there will be nothing stopping us... TWELFTH GATE is back!"
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TwelfthGate.
French female-fronted symphonic metallers KELLS will release their third album, "Anachromie", on January 20, 2012 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded and mixed by Yann Klimezyk (MYPOLLUX) at MS Studio and was mastered by Ted Jensen (KORN, DEFTONES, MUSE) at Sterling Sound Studio in New York City.
KELLS recently filmed a video clip, which will be made available in a couple of weeks in both French and English versions.
KELLS' sophomore album, "Lueurs" (French for "lights"), was released in 2009 in France via Season Of Mist. The follow-up to 2005's "Gaïa" featured a guest appearance by vocalist Candice Clot from the French metalcore band ETHS on the track "La Sphère".
KELLS last year parted ways with drummer Jean "Jano" Padovan and replaced him with Julien Nicolas (FURIA).
KELLS is:
Virginie Goncalves - Vocals
Patrick Garcia - Lead Guitar
Laurent Lesina - Bass
Julien Nicolas – Drums
KELLS recently filmed a video clip, which will be made available in a couple of weeks in both French and English versions.
KELLS' sophomore album, "Lueurs" (French for "lights"), was released in 2009 in France via Season Of Mist. The follow-up to 2005's "Gaïa" featured a guest appearance by vocalist Candice Clot from the French metalcore band ETHS on the track "La Sphère".
KELLS last year parted ways with drummer Jean "Jano" Padovan and replaced him with Julien Nicolas (FURIA).
KELLS is:
Virginie Goncalves - Vocals
Patrick Garcia - Lead Guitar
Laurent Lesina - Bass
Julien Nicolas – Drums
Marseille, France-based female-fronted metalcore band ETHS has entered the studio to begin recording its third album for an early 2012 release via Season Of Mist. The group states, "We are having a lot of fun playing those new songs, which we can't wait to share with you, especially on stage!"
In other news, ETHS has been rejoined by the band's original drummer, Guillaume Dupré.
ETHS' sophomore album, "Tératologie", was released in France in October 2007 and was made available in other parts of Europe in April 2008 via Season of Mist. The band's sound is described in a press release as "dark and powerful metal with tortured atmospheres, led by charismatic female singer Candice Clot, who with her amazing voice sings, talks, whispers and growls."
In other news, ETHS has been rejoined by the band's original drummer, Guillaume Dupré.
ETHS' sophomore album, "Tératologie", was released in France in October 2007 and was made available in other parts of Europe in April 2008 via Season of Mist. The band's sound is described in a press release as "dark and powerful metal with tortured atmospheres, led by charismatic female singer Candice Clot, who with her amazing voice sings, talks, whispers and growls."
"American Idol" finalist James Durbin is gearing up for the release of his Wind-Up album "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" on November 21, and is giving fans a taste of what's to come as he reveals the track list and first two singles from the highly anticipated debut. The anthemic lead single "Stand Up" will go to rock radio and the power-charged "Love Me Bad" will go to Top 40.
Unforgettable performances on the "Idol" stage with legends such as JUDAS PRIEST and Zakk Wylde led Durbin's own "Idols" to support the rocker's first-ever release, including Mick Mars of MÖTLEY CRÜE, songwriters James Michael (SIXX: A.M., MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, BUCKCHERRY, OZZY OSBOURNE), along with Swedish rock band HARDCORE SUPERSTAR. Durbin, who co-wrote five of the albums tracks exclaimed it was "surreal" to be working with this bevy of rock royalty and recalls, "When Mick Mars started shredding on his guitar I literally lost my mind." The long-time MÖTLEY CRÜE fan continued saying, "He's a true rock legend and he's playing on my record. It doesn't get any cooler than that." Mick Mars echoed the same fervor, "It was sick to have played on James' debut album. To be the only featured guest artist on the record was really cool as I know a lot of others wanted to be on it. James Durbin kicks ass; he's the real deal."
"Stand Up" is a gleaming showcase for Durbin's signature rock-star yowl and powerful, energetic voice and the NFL agrees. It has tapped the single as its stadium anthem for the 2011 season featuring it on jumbotrons nationwide during games this fall and is featuring it on their "Game Day" EP as the song impacts radio.
22-year-old Durbin was guided throughout the making of "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" by leading rock producer, Howard Benson. Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, DAUGHTRY, MOTÖRHEAD) gives Durbin room to evolve musically on the hard-hitting album, saying the opportunity to work with Durbin was "pretty simple: I loved his voice. I think he has a compelling story to tell." Benson, who kept his eye on Durbin throughout 'Idol' thought, "It was interesting that he spoke his mind and didn't back down from who he was. That's always a good sign."
On "American Idol", James Durbin waved the flag for rock and it was that devotion to rock that helped him overcome his private struggles with tourette's and Asperger's Syndrome. He touched the hearts of people everywhere while on the show, and with the release of "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" he is ready to wave that flag high again.
"Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" track listing:
01. Higher Than Heaven
02. All I Want
03. Love In Ruins
05. Right Behind You
06. Love Me Bad
07. Deeper
08. May
09. Screaming
10. Outcast - feat. Mick Mars
11. Everything Burns
12. Stand Up
In a recent interview with SoundSpike, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford called Durbin "brilliant. Absolutely sensational." He added, "The first we heard about James and the connection with PRIEST was when he covered our song 'You've Got Another Thing Comin''. We were really excited to hear that was taking place. As we kind of followed his growth through the last season of 'Idol' and listening to him speak, it became clear he was a champion for heavy metal music.
"I can recall, right from these early weeks, thinking, 'If this guy gets to where we hope he's going to get, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if something comes our way, in terms of do we want to get involved.' When the call came, we weren't 100 percent surprised. We were absolutely delighted. We dropped everything to fly to Los Angeles and then fly back to London, all within the space of a couple days. It was a great moment for James and, more importantly, it was a great moment for heavy metal music because it was suddenly in the arms of 30-odd-million-plus households throughout the USA. And then, of course, it bounced around the rest of the world afterward. Everything that we've done in those types of appearances for us has been not only for PRIEST but championing the cause of heavy metal music."
Unforgettable performances on the "Idol" stage with legends such as JUDAS PRIEST and Zakk Wylde led Durbin's own "Idols" to support the rocker's first-ever release, including Mick Mars of MÖTLEY CRÜE, songwriters James Michael (SIXX: A.M., MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, BUCKCHERRY, OZZY OSBOURNE), along with Swedish rock band HARDCORE SUPERSTAR. Durbin, who co-wrote five of the albums tracks exclaimed it was "surreal" to be working with this bevy of rock royalty and recalls, "When Mick Mars started shredding on his guitar I literally lost my mind." The long-time MÖTLEY CRÜE fan continued saying, "He's a true rock legend and he's playing on my record. It doesn't get any cooler than that." Mick Mars echoed the same fervor, "It was sick to have played on James' debut album. To be the only featured guest artist on the record was really cool as I know a lot of others wanted to be on it. James Durbin kicks ass; he's the real deal."
"Stand Up" is a gleaming showcase for Durbin's signature rock-star yowl and powerful, energetic voice and the NFL agrees. It has tapped the single as its stadium anthem for the 2011 season featuring it on jumbotrons nationwide during games this fall and is featuring it on their "Game Day" EP as the song impacts radio.
22-year-old Durbin was guided throughout the making of "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" by leading rock producer, Howard Benson. Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, DAUGHTRY, MOTÖRHEAD) gives Durbin room to evolve musically on the hard-hitting album, saying the opportunity to work with Durbin was "pretty simple: I loved his voice. I think he has a compelling story to tell." Benson, who kept his eye on Durbin throughout 'Idol' thought, "It was interesting that he spoke his mind and didn't back down from who he was. That's always a good sign."
On "American Idol", James Durbin waved the flag for rock and it was that devotion to rock that helped him overcome his private struggles with tourette's and Asperger's Syndrome. He touched the hearts of people everywhere while on the show, and with the release of "Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" he is ready to wave that flag high again.
"Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster" track listing:
01. Higher Than Heaven
02. All I Want
03. Love In Ruins
05. Right Behind You
06. Love Me Bad
07. Deeper
08. May
09. Screaming
10. Outcast - feat. Mick Mars
11. Everything Burns
12. Stand Up
In a recent interview with SoundSpike, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford called Durbin "brilliant. Absolutely sensational." He added, "The first we heard about James and the connection with PRIEST was when he covered our song 'You've Got Another Thing Comin''. We were really excited to hear that was taking place. As we kind of followed his growth through the last season of 'Idol' and listening to him speak, it became clear he was a champion for heavy metal music.
"I can recall, right from these early weeks, thinking, 'If this guy gets to where we hope he's going to get, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if something comes our way, in terms of do we want to get involved.' When the call came, we weren't 100 percent surprised. We were absolutely delighted. We dropped everything to fly to Los Angeles and then fly back to London, all within the space of a couple days. It was a great moment for James and, more importantly, it was a great moment for heavy metal music because it was suddenly in the arms of 30-odd-million-plus households throughout the USA. And then, of course, it bounced around the rest of the world afterward. Everything that we've done in those types of appearances for us has been not only for PRIEST but championing the cause of heavy metal music."
"Forever Abomination", the new album from Athens, Ohio's SKELETONWITCH, sold 3,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 153 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at No. 3 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.
SKELETONWITCH's previous album, "Breathing the Fire", opened with around 3,500 units back in October 2009 to land at No. 151.
"Forever Abomination" was released earlier this month via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Breathing The Fire" was recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, KREATOR). The effort includes the track "The Infernal Resurrection", the demo version of which appears as the B-side on the final seven-inch of a limited-edition vinyl trilogy. This marks SKELETONWITCH's first recording with the group's new drummer, former DEMIRICOUS skin-pounder Dustin Boltjes. The album was issued in three formats: digital download; a six-panel, plastic-free digipak; and a triple-gatefold LP (which in turn will be available in several color variants). More details are available at ForeverAbomination.com.
SKELETONWITCH's previous album, "Breathing the Fire", opened with around 3,500 units back in October 2009 to land at No. 151.
"Forever Abomination" was released earlier this month via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Breathing The Fire" was recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, KREATOR). The effort includes the track "The Infernal Resurrection", the demo version of which appears as the B-side on the final seven-inch of a limited-edition vinyl trilogy. This marks SKELETONWITCH's first recording with the group's new drummer, former DEMIRICOUS skin-pounder Dustin Boltjes. The album was issued in three formats: digital download; a six-panel, plastic-free digipak; and a triple-gatefold LP (which in turn will be available in several color variants). More details are available at ForeverAbomination.com.
ABOMINATION — the acclaimed 1990s death/thrash metal band formed by MASTER mainman Paul Speckmann — will embark on a European tour in November. The group will be promoting the reissue of its early material, which will be made available on November 4 via Nuclear Blast. The two-CD set includes the albums "Abomination" (1990) and "Tragedy Strikes" (1991) as well as rare demos and EP.
Commented Speckmann: "With the re-release of the Nuclear Blast CDs, I am proud to announce a short eight-day trek with ABOMINATION across Europe featuring guitar extraordinaire Demetrio Scopelliti and the infamous Raphael Saini on drums."
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 11 - Santi Angeli, Italy - Plettro Club
Nov. 12 - Milan, Italy - SGA
Nov. 13 - Parma, Italy - Circolo Onirica
Nov. 14 - Antwerp, Belgium - De Rots
Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Cave
Nov. 16 - Cottbus, Germany - Gladhouse
Nov. 17 - München, Germany - Backstage
Nov. 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore
"The Ultimate Abomination Legacy" track listing:
CD1:
Abomination:
01. The Choice
02. Murder, Rape, Pillage and Burn
03. Reformation
04. Redeem Deny
05. Possession
06. Suicidal Dreams
07. Life And Death
08. Victim Of The Future
09. Tunnel Of Damnation
10. Follower (Bonus CD)
11. Impending Doom
Demo (1988):
12. Over The Edge
13. Reformation
14. Impending Doom
15. Curses Of The Deadly Sin
16. Tunnel Of Damnation
17. Follower
CD2:
Tragedy Strikes:
01. Blood For Oil
02. They're Dead
03. Pull The Plug
04. Will They Bleed
05. Industrial Sickness
06. Soldier
07. Kill Or Be Killed
08. Oppression
Final War (EP):
09. Face In The Crowd
10. You Could Be Next
11. Take A Sip Of Power
12. Man Created God
13. Mistaken Reality
Demo (1987):
14. Victim Of The Future
15. Social Outcast
16. Raping The Grave
17. Possession
18. Doomed By The Living
19. The Truth
Check out a commercial below.
When asked about ABOMINATION's split and the possibility of a reunion, Speckmann stated in a 2009 interview, "Management played a big part in the fall of ABOMINATION and [the band's record label] Nuclear Blast made many mistakes as well. As for a reunion, this will never happen as guitarist Dean Chioles died of multiple sclerosis many years ago and this was a sad loss for all."
Regarding what significance ABOMINATION has had for him personally and musically, Speckmann said, "ABOMINATION was a group that experimented with many genres of music and wasn't afraid to try new ideas out and this was a chance to try out many of my crazy changes and the band would successfully implement them in their songs. I had the pleasure of bringing my ABOMINATION vision to Europe one time only for 26 performances and I will never forget this."
Commented Speckmann: "With the re-release of the Nuclear Blast CDs, I am proud to announce a short eight-day trek with ABOMINATION across Europe featuring guitar extraordinaire Demetrio Scopelliti and the infamous Raphael Saini on drums."
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 11 - Santi Angeli, Italy - Plettro Club
Nov. 12 - Milan, Italy - SGA
Nov. 13 - Parma, Italy - Circolo Onirica
Nov. 14 - Antwerp, Belgium - De Rots
Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - The Cave
Nov. 16 - Cottbus, Germany - Gladhouse
Nov. 17 - München, Germany - Backstage
Nov. 18 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore
"The Ultimate Abomination Legacy" track listing:
CD1:
Abomination:
01. The Choice
02. Murder, Rape, Pillage and Burn
03. Reformation
04. Redeem Deny
05. Possession
06. Suicidal Dreams
07. Life And Death
08. Victim Of The Future
09. Tunnel Of Damnation
10. Follower (Bonus CD)
11. Impending Doom
Demo (1988):
12. Over The Edge
13. Reformation
14. Impending Doom
15. Curses Of The Deadly Sin
16. Tunnel Of Damnation
17. Follower
CD2:
Tragedy Strikes:
01. Blood For Oil
02. They're Dead
03. Pull The Plug
04. Will They Bleed
05. Industrial Sickness
06. Soldier
07. Kill Or Be Killed
08. Oppression
Final War (EP):
09. Face In The Crowd
10. You Could Be Next
11. Take A Sip Of Power
12. Man Created God
13. Mistaken Reality
Demo (1987):
14. Victim Of The Future
15. Social Outcast
16. Raping The Grave
17. Possession
18. Doomed By The Living
19. The Truth
Check out a commercial below.
When asked about ABOMINATION's split and the possibility of a reunion, Speckmann stated in a 2009 interview, "Management played a big part in the fall of ABOMINATION and [the band's record label] Nuclear Blast made many mistakes as well. As for a reunion, this will never happen as guitarist Dean Chioles died of multiple sclerosis many years ago and this was a sad loss for all."
Regarding what significance ABOMINATION has had for him personally and musically, Speckmann said, "ABOMINATION was a group that experimented with many genres of music and wasn't afraid to try new ideas out and this was a chance to try out many of my crazy changes and the band would successfully implement them in their songs. I had the pleasure of bringing my ABOMINATION vision to Europe one time only for 26 performances and I will never forget this."
AOSOTH, the French "religious black metal" band formed by MKM (ANTAEUS) and BST (THE ORDER OF APOLLYON, BALROG, ABORTED), has re-signed with Agonia Records for an additional two albums. The band's follow-up to this year's "III" is tentatively due before the end of 2012. A seven-inch EP will be made available in early 2012 through Inferna Produndus Records.
AOSOTH has been confirmed for next year's edition of Hellfest, set to take place June 15-17, 2012 in Clisson, France.
AOSOTH has been confirmed for next year's edition of Hellfest, set to take place June 15-17, 2012 in Clisson, France.
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