According to HindustanTimes.com, four officials of promoter DNA Networks, which is accused of cheating fans in connection with METALLICA's canceled October 28, 2011 concert in Gurgaon (a suburb of Delhi), India, have listed their bail plea in the Sessions Court, Gurgaon. The plea will be on the ground that it was not an orchestrated fiasco, as alleged and prima facie, there was no case of cheating as DNA has a reputation of organizing international shows successfully.
Police arrested Rajesh Kumar, the general manager of DNA Networks, and his colleagues Umesh Chinara, Ashok Singh and Savio Faleiro on reported fraud charges. The police asked DNA's local bank to freeze its account while the investigation was ongoing (although during preparations, DNA had given the local authorities a bank guarantee of $200,000).
A representative for DNA Networks told Pollstar that the cancelation of METALLICA's performance at the Indian Formula 1 motor racing Grand Prix show was caused by an "unruly" section of the crowd climbing over safety barriers and damaging the stage set.
Karuna Prithvi from the DNA's press department told Pollstar it's difficult to explain what sparked the fuss because "it was all so quick."
Prithvi said the company always has barriers in place for its shows and the problem was caused when fans broke through them.
She said unruly fans "vandalized and destroyed" a lot of stage equipment, which meant it was impossible to fix it and get permission for a new show within 24 hours.
Other media reports, however, claimed fans became unruly when the gates opened several hours later than the scheduled opening times. Still other media reports said fans became angry after DNA sold more tickets than the venue's estimated 30,000 capacity and because the organizers failed to inform ticket holders of the cancelation.
METALLICA issued a statement on its web site, explaining it was "deeply disappointed" about the gig's cancellation. The band added, "We arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play our first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However, immediately at the end of our afternoon press conference at a hotel near the venue, we were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans."
METALLICA performed on October 30 in Bangalore, India, at the Palace Grounds before an estimated 35,000 fans. METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the crowd, "India has been a life-changing experience for us."
Police arrested Rajesh Kumar, the general manager of DNA Networks, and his colleagues Umesh Chinara, Ashok Singh and Savio Faleiro on reported fraud charges. The police asked DNA's local bank to freeze its account while the investigation was ongoing (although during preparations, DNA had given the local authorities a bank guarantee of $200,000).
A representative for DNA Networks told Pollstar that the cancelation of METALLICA's performance at the Indian Formula 1 motor racing Grand Prix show was caused by an "unruly" section of the crowd climbing over safety barriers and damaging the stage set.
Karuna Prithvi from the DNA's press department told Pollstar it's difficult to explain what sparked the fuss because "it was all so quick."
Prithvi said the company always has barriers in place for its shows and the problem was caused when fans broke through them.
She said unruly fans "vandalized and destroyed" a lot of stage equipment, which meant it was impossible to fix it and get permission for a new show within 24 hours.
Other media reports, however, claimed fans became unruly when the gates opened several hours later than the scheduled opening times. Still other media reports said fans became angry after DNA sold more tickets than the venue's estimated 30,000 capacity and because the organizers failed to inform ticket holders of the cancelation.
METALLICA issued a statement on its web site, explaining it was "deeply disappointed" about the gig's cancellation. The band added, "We arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play our first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However, immediately at the end of our afternoon press conference at a hotel near the venue, we were notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. And our first and foremost concern is always for the safety of you, the fans."
METALLICA performed on October 30 in Bangalore, India, at the Palace Grounds before an estimated 35,000 fans. METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the crowd, "India has been a life-changing experience for us."
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine chats about awesome new Megadeth album 'Th1rt3en', the Big 4 Sonisphere show, returning to the UK and a whole heap more.
Thrash gods Megadeth recently released their ripping new album 'Th1rt3en', and Dave Mustaine has spoken extensively about the album, as well as many of the other burning issues that currently surround being the greatest ginger in metal.
Here's what he had to say…
Your latest album 'Th1rt3en' has just hit the shelves, what can fans expect from that album?
"I think fans are going to be able to expect a very exciting record. With David Ellefson coming back, it brought back the classic sound, but also with the progress that we made with Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick. I think that it's a very heavy modern sound, and then adding Johnny K to that with his production skills, this is the optimum record that we could've made right now. So I think that the fans are going to be very happy with this record."
What difference has having Dave Ellefson back in the band had on the creation of the new album?
"It's been almost two years now, and the time has just flown past because it's just so great to have my buddy back. When he came back, one of the first things he did was, we were recording a song called 'Sudden Death' for Guitar Hero, and I asked Dave and said, 'Hey, you want to do a bass track on this?', kind of like when we were hanging out in the very beginning and I'd say, 'Hey, you want a drink?'. He sat down, started doing the bass track and looked over at me and said, 'You know, I'm going to put a Diamond Head part right here', and then I got pretty excited! I was so thrilled, I just knew it was the right thing for us to reconcile."
"I think fans are going to be able to expect a very exciting record. With David Ellefson coming back, it brought back the classic sound, but also with the progress that we made with Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick. I think that it's a very heavy modern sound, and then adding Johnny K to that with his production skills, this is the optimum record that we could've made right now. So I think that the fans are going to be very happy with this record."
What difference has having Dave Ellefson back in the band had on the creation of the new album?
"It's been almost two years now, and the time has just flown past because it's just so great to have my buddy back. When he came back, one of the first things he did was, we were recording a song called 'Sudden Death' for Guitar Hero, and I asked Dave and said, 'Hey, you want to do a bass track on this?', kind of like when we were hanging out in the very beginning and I'd say, 'Hey, you want a drink?'. He sat down, started doing the bass track and looked over at me and said, 'You know, I'm going to put a Diamond Head part right here', and then I got pretty excited! I was so thrilled, I just knew it was the right thing for us to reconcile."
You chose Johnny K to produce this album, talk about why you chose him and what he is like to work with
"The reason I chose Johnny K to produce this record is because Andy Sneap wasn't available at the time we had our open opportunity to record. We had a two month window to record, and Andy was busy doing something else, and David Ellefson had recommended Johnny K, which was really exciting for us because Johnny brought a really great attitude and a level of professionalism and just a freshness that we were in need of – Andy had helped us get to a really great place and Johnny was the next step for us."
"The reason I chose Johnny K to produce this record is because Andy Sneap wasn't available at the time we had our open opportunity to record. We had a two month window to record, and Andy was busy doing something else, and David Ellefson had recommended Johnny K, which was really exciting for us because Johnny brought a really great attitude and a level of professionalism and just a freshness that we were in need of – Andy had helped us get to a really great place and Johnny was the next step for us."
Aside from being the 13th Megadeth album, please talk about any other meanings behind the name choice 'Th1rt3en'
"There is a lot of other different areas where thirteen has shown up. The obvious one is my birthday, born September 13th, this again being the 13th record, I started playing guitar when I was thirteen, and there's actually a lot of other areas where thirteen shows up. There's supposed to be thirteen lunar cycles, thirteen was associated with the Templar Knights when they were all killed off, that's where I'd been told the whole thing about Friday 13th being bad, but as far as I was concerned, 13 wasn't bad at all, it was the day I was brought into the world."
"There is a lot of other different areas where thirteen has shown up. The obvious one is my birthday, born September 13th, this again being the 13th record, I started playing guitar when I was thirteen, and there's actually a lot of other areas where thirteen shows up. There's supposed to be thirteen lunar cycles, thirteen was associated with the Templar Knights when they were all killed off, that's where I'd been told the whole thing about Friday 13th being bad, but as far as I was concerned, 13 wasn't bad at all, it was the day I was brought into the world."
You were credited by the BBC as being "the most consistent heavy metal group" after the release of Endgame. How much does press reaction matter to you as an artist with such career longevity?
"That is so flattering for me, having such a long career. At some point you can become irrelevant and there's a lot of bands that have been around as long as I have, or longer, and I think that sometimes we just get a tip of the hat because we've survived."
"That is so flattering for me, having such a long career. At some point you can become irrelevant and there's a lot of bands that have been around as long as I have, or longer, and I think that sometimes we just get a tip of the hat because we've survived."
What are your memories of the Big 4 shows?
"The first Big 4 show we did last year was really exciting, when we met up with the bands and we did that first show, you just kind of knew something magical had happened. Megadeth and Metallica and Slayer and Anthrax all getting together on the same stage and the subsequent touring that followed that, us playing in the states at Indio and the Yankee stadium and all the different places in Europe that we did…That was pretty reckless and it was exciting, but I tell you, looking out at the audience and seeing the faces of all the fans, that was the only thing energising enough that was able to pull that off because it was very difficult."
When can UK fans expect to see Megadeth live again?
"I think the UK fans can expect to see Megadeth next year, probably around spring or summer time. We love coming over and playing in the United Kingdom, anywhere overseas is always a treat for us but there's just something that really feels great for us when we're in England or Scotland or Ireland or Northern Ireland, sometimes we go to Wales but not all the time, but just being over in those countries, just you know, being a Yankee and sitting in the States and watching all of these great movies about the English history and stuff, it's really exciting to go back there and see it. That makes touring all the more exciting. There's just really something fascinating about English people and I enjoy being with them and hanging out with them so much."
"The first Big 4 show we did last year was really exciting, when we met up with the bands and we did that first show, you just kind of knew something magical had happened. Megadeth and Metallica and Slayer and Anthrax all getting together on the same stage and the subsequent touring that followed that, us playing in the states at Indio and the Yankee stadium and all the different places in Europe that we did…That was pretty reckless and it was exciting, but I tell you, looking out at the audience and seeing the faces of all the fans, that was the only thing energising enough that was able to pull that off because it was very difficult."
When can UK fans expect to see Megadeth live again?
"I think the UK fans can expect to see Megadeth next year, probably around spring or summer time. We love coming over and playing in the United Kingdom, anywhere overseas is always a treat for us but there's just something that really feels great for us when we're in England or Scotland or Ireland or Northern Ireland, sometimes we go to Wales but not all the time, but just being over in those countries, just you know, being a Yankee and sitting in the States and watching all of these great movies about the English history and stuff, it's really exciting to go back there and see it. That makes touring all the more exciting. There's just really something fascinating about English people and I enjoy being with them and hanging out with them so much."
What's in the pipeline for the next twelve months?
"What's in the pipeline for the next twelve months for Megadeth…there's gonna be a lot of touring, we've got South America, that's going to be coming up in a couple of days actually, and we're going to be doing Gigantour next year, and then springtime or summer, we're going to try to get back over to Europe again!"
"What's in the pipeline for the next twelve months for Megadeth…there's gonna be a lot of touring, we've got South America, that's going to be coming up in a couple of days actually, and we're going to be doing Gigantour next year, and then springtime or summer, we're going to try to get back over to Europe again!"
'Th1rt3en' is out now on Roadrunner
Motörhead's unmistakable front man Lemmy tells Thomas H Green that rock'n'roll is still his driving force .
Lemmy fronts Motörhead at a concert in Austin, Texas Photo: WIREIMAGE
6:24PM GMT 09 Nov 2011
13 Comments A familiar figure sits backstage in Wolverhampton Civic Hall, pushing coins into his own portable fruit machine. Motörhead may never have had the success of the Rolling Stones but their front man and bass-player, Ian Fraser Kilmister, known to all simply as Lemmy, has become instantly recognisable visual shorthand for rock'n'roll attitude in much the same way as Keith Richards.
In the flesh, public figures often seem smaller than expected, but Lemmy is a sturdy presence clad in regulation black, open-shirted with a German Iron Cross hanging round his neck, a US cavalry-style cowboy hat, and chunky leather boots. Throughout our encounter, prior to yet another gig on his endless round of global touring, he sips at a Jack Daniels and coke – of course – and smokes cigarettes. His eyes are shifty at first, his tone wary, but he slowly relaxes and becomes personable, his voice a wheezy rolling growl.
Motörhead have put out 21 studio albums since their inception in 1975, when Lemmy was thrown out of hippy underground act Hawkwind for taking "the wrong drugs", ie, amphetamines rather than psychedelics. The quality threshold of his music for well over three decades has been remarkably high, with Motörhead's latest album The World Is Yours as visceral and exciting as anything they've released. It must be frustrating, then, that the band is defined in the public eye by Lemmy's image rather than their music.
"That's about it, isn't it," Lemmy concurs, "Still, you can't have it all ways. My persona has given me a certain notoriety, if not international celebrity. I don't want any more stardom than we've got right now, I couldn't stand it, it'd be too much." Lemmy's profile has risen further lately. Partly this is due to Gregg Oliver and Wes Orshoski's 2010 documentary Lemmy which followed him for three years and featured fellow musicians from Ozzy Osbourne to Jarvis Cocker. Then there was an acoustic strum through Motörhead's signature song, Ace of Spades, on a TV ad for lager. Recording and gigging, however, remain Lemmy's priorities.
"On the road is where I believe the band belongs," he says, "proving it." Their new live DVD The World Is Ours rams this point home, as does the current sell-out tour. Motörhead are a finely honed heavy rock beast, one of the bands responsible for inventing speed metal, although Lemmy says they simply play rock'n'roll.
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"Metal is kind of the b------ son of rock'n'roll," he ventures, "If Eddie Cochran was alive now, or Buddy Holly, they'd be doing it. Or punk rock." Lemmy could have jumped on the punk bandwagon in the Seventies. He was pals with Sid Vicious, played regularly with The Damned, and Motörhead were suitably fast and rough. He might have had a different career if he'd simply cut his hair and shaved off his mutton chops in 1976.
"No, I've got these ears, see," he explains, "and without the hair behind them they look really large, like Prince Charles on steroids." There was probably more to it than that. Motörhead's amped-up boogie celebrated sex, drugs and fast living rather than punk's politics and nihilism. They briefly tasted chart fame at the dawn of the Eighties, even mustering a number one album with the live set No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, then settled into an old-fashioned, hard-working album-tour-album-tour career, with Lemmy basing himself in Los Angeles since the early Nineties. They have become a global cult, one that's successful enough to fund Lemmy's collection of Nazi military memorabilia, a hobby that's occasionally brought accusations of fascist sympathies, although he's scoffed at such suggestions for decades, pointing out a complete lack of racist behaviour throughout his life. On Motörhead's latest album the hedonistic revelry of Lemmy's lyrics is tempered with a dour fatalism. "Yeah, well, I'm not as young as I used to be," he says, "and the younger you are, the more immortal you are, which is sad but there you go. Also, you become more cynical as time goes by. The more you learn about everything, the more you learn that everything's fixed not in your favour." Lemmy's extra-curricular activities have taken in multiple film appearances, and he's starred in various TV ads, but despite his lack of explicit politics, the social turmoil of the Sixties and Seventies was probably his most formative influence. He didn't start Motörhead until he was almost 30, after years in the trenches of Sixties/Seventies alternative living. Loosely speaking, "sticking it to the man" remains a Lemmy theme.
"We did change the world a bit," he says of that era, "we knocked it off its axis a little, which made people question the government's doings. Unfortunately we get the backlash now and people say, 'Oh, the hippies were filthy dirty idiots,' but they weren't, man, that wasn't true." While he clearly enjoys the perks of fame, he has no time for celebrity culture, especially TV talent shows such as The X Factor.
"It's a joke," he rumbles darkly, "You can't win fame, you have to earn it. If you're given fame without working for it, then you're not going to be ready for it. Fame's quite a thing to digest, you know." Anyone who doubts his motivations need only check out his poky LA flat in the film Lemmy, in which he's featured playing video games among a clutter of bachelor pad detritus and war artefacts. His home is, in truth, a bit of a mess.
"That's how it is, I'm afraid," he half-laughs, half-sighs, "It's a very small place, you see. If a chick lived in it she'd probably throw half my [memorabilia] collection away, which would destroy my pension scheme." It's unlikely he will ever need his "pension scheme". Without wishing to be morbid, Lemmy will probably rock until he drops. As they hurtle towards the climax of their Wolverhampton set, hammering out the invigorating Killed By Death, a classic Motörhead roar of invincibility, they seem unstoppable, truly thrilling. Many cite the trio with whom Lemmy first achieved success circa 1979-82 as the classic Motörhead line-up but the current band, featuring Phil Campbell on guitar since 1984 and Mikkey Dee on drums since 1992, is probably their most brutally efficient incarnation.
Recent coverage has focused on how Lemmy is now in his mid-sixties and suffers from diabetes, culminating in a broadsheet interview earlier this year where he was portrayed as a lonely man, institutionalised by constant touring. This was not the Lemmy I met. He appeared an unapologetic, unreconstructed survivor of Sixties counterculture, a wryly funny and wilful contrarian whose life's passion – defying convoluted analysis – remains simply to play rock'n'roll as loudly as possible.
'The World Is Ours Volume 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else' DVD is out on November 14.
Drummer Chris Adler of Richmond, Virignia metallers LAMB OF GOD and Meinl cymbals have announced select special meet-and-greet dates taking place later this fall. Chris will appear at Sam Ash in New York City, New York (Manhattan) on Tuesday, November 15 from 4 to 8 p.m.; Sam Ash in Carle Place, New York on Wednesday, November 16 from 7 to 9 p.m.; and Just Drums in Midlothian, Virginia on Saturday, December 17 from 3 to 5 p.m. Make sure to stop by, say hello, check out the killer Meinl cymbal section at each appearance, and possibly win some great Meinl giveaway prizes!
For more information, head to MeinlCymbals.com.
LAMB OF GOD's self-taught rhythm wizard spent much of 2009 and 2010 headlining tours and major festivals behind the band's well-received "Wrath" studio album and "Hourglass" box set. In March 2011, Chris also set out on a successful clinic tour, wrote a number of articles for Modern Drummer, had a signature snare drum produced by Mapex, and released his first instructional book, "The Making Of New American Gospel: Drum Tablature, Short Stories And Reflections".
In a February 2011 interview with MetalInsider.net, Adler was asked if he still feels challenged as a metal drummer. "Yeah, absolutely!" he replied. "Every day! I think that's a secret that maybe nobody will let you know, that all of us are backstage with our fingers crossed. Holding on is a tricky rope. I just have to feel good about the songs that I write and performing them. They're rarely ever perfect, and I still get the jitters before we go onstage. I don't want to say I don't have any confidence as a drummer. I listen back and hear cool stuff and realize that I'm playing in a cool band, but I don't walk into it with a bunch of ego either. I don't go into the studio with the guys and think to myself, 'Hey, you're one special drummer that people write about in magazines!' I still have to challenge and prove it to myself all the time. I guess I'm a bit self-conscious about it in that I want to be as good as I can for the band. So yeah, it hasn't really changed over time. I've always wanted to never allow myself to, whether it's true or if I've gotten to that place where you're talking about, I haven't allowed myself to swallow that yet."
LAMB OF GOD will release its new album, "Resolution", in North America on January 24, 2012 via Epic Records (one day earlier internationally through Roadrunner Records). The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".
"Resolution" will feature 14 songs and will come in a digipack with artwork by longtime art director Ken Adams.
For more information, head to MeinlCymbals.com.
LAMB OF GOD's self-taught rhythm wizard spent much of 2009 and 2010 headlining tours and major festivals behind the band's well-received "Wrath" studio album and "Hourglass" box set. In March 2011, Chris also set out on a successful clinic tour, wrote a number of articles for Modern Drummer, had a signature snare drum produced by Mapex, and released his first instructional book, "The Making Of New American Gospel: Drum Tablature, Short Stories And Reflections".
In a February 2011 interview with MetalInsider.net, Adler was asked if he still feels challenged as a metal drummer. "Yeah, absolutely!" he replied. "Every day! I think that's a secret that maybe nobody will let you know, that all of us are backstage with our fingers crossed. Holding on is a tricky rope. I just have to feel good about the songs that I write and performing them. They're rarely ever perfect, and I still get the jitters before we go onstage. I don't want to say I don't have any confidence as a drummer. I listen back and hear cool stuff and realize that I'm playing in a cool band, but I don't walk into it with a bunch of ego either. I don't go into the studio with the guys and think to myself, 'Hey, you're one special drummer that people write about in magazines!' I still have to challenge and prove it to myself all the time. I guess I'm a bit self-conscious about it in that I want to be as good as I can for the band. So yeah, it hasn't really changed over time. I've always wanted to never allow myself to, whether it's true or if I've gotten to that place where you're talking about, I haven't allowed myself to swallow that yet."
LAMB OF GOD will release its new album, "Resolution", in North America on January 24, 2012 via Epic Records (one day earlier internationally through Roadrunner Records). The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".
"Resolution" will feature 14 songs and will come in a digipack with artwork by longtime art director Ken Adams.
Regina, Saskatchewan-based Canadian extreme progressive metallers INTO ETERNITY have issued the following update:
"As everybody already knows, our longtime singer Stu Block has joined ICED EARTH. We are very excited for him and he is killing it on tour in Europe right now! In the meantime, we are still getting gig offers from promoters. This means, we are looking for a touring-ONLY singer. It will not be an easy task to get someone like Stu, so it should be interesting to see who might be able to fill in!
"To audition, we're going to need to see a video of you singing an INTO ETERNITY song. In addition, we'd like to hear you sing our new single, 'Sandstorm'. Justin can email you the (instrumental) version of 'Sandstorm' to record vocals over."
You can contact the band at intoeternity@intoeternity.net.
For more information, visit www.intoeternity.net.
INTO ETERNITY earlier in the year released its first new material since 2008 in the form of a new song called "Sandstorm". The track, which is available on iTunes and Bandcamp, features guest death vocals by Rob Doherty and marks the recording debut of the band's new drummer Brian Newbury, who was previously known in the western Canadian metal scene as a member of Edmonton, Alberta-based group DEATH TOLL RISING.
"Sandstorm" was written the day the USA took out Osama Bin Laden, and is inspired by the events that transpired.
INTO ETERNITY entered the studio this past summer to record four new songs — "The Fringes Of Psychosis", "Fukushima", "Devoured By Sarcopenia" and an undisclosed acoustic track.
INTO ETERNITY's last album, "The Incurable Tragedy", came out in 2008 via Century Media.
"As everybody already knows, our longtime singer Stu Block has joined ICED EARTH. We are very excited for him and he is killing it on tour in Europe right now! In the meantime, we are still getting gig offers from promoters. This means, we are looking for a touring-ONLY singer. It will not be an easy task to get someone like Stu, so it should be interesting to see who might be able to fill in!
"To audition, we're going to need to see a video of you singing an INTO ETERNITY song. In addition, we'd like to hear you sing our new single, 'Sandstorm'. Justin can email you the (instrumental) version of 'Sandstorm' to record vocals over."
You can contact the band at intoeternity@intoeternity.net.
For more information, visit www.intoeternity.net.
INTO ETERNITY earlier in the year released its first new material since 2008 in the form of a new song called "Sandstorm". The track, which is available on iTunes and Bandcamp, features guest death vocals by Rob Doherty and marks the recording debut of the band's new drummer Brian Newbury, who was previously known in the western Canadian metal scene as a member of Edmonton, Alberta-based group DEATH TOLL RISING.
"Sandstorm" was written the day the USA took out Osama Bin Laden, and is inspired by the events that transpired.
INTO ETERNITY entered the studio this past summer to record four new songs — "The Fringes Of Psychosis", "Fukushima", "Devoured By Sarcopenia" and an undisclosed acoustic track.
INTO ETERNITY's last album, "The Incurable Tragedy", came out in 2008 via Century Media.
Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has always been vocal about the fact that his band never found a solid home in metal. While they've performed alongside genre-defining acts like Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne and Megadeath, purists found the band to be too "rock" for their taste. As a result, the group has forever been a trailblazer of the nu-metal diaspora, where their merging of hard rock with other genres like pop-rock and hip-hop paved the road for acts like Limp Bizkit, Deftones, Staind, and Papa Roach.
That said, it was no big surprise when Korn decided to release a full-length dubstep album. The Path of Totality features production work from dubstep's current "it guy," Skrillex, along with Noisia, Feed Me, 12th Planet, Excision and Kill the Noise. Strangely, these pairings really work. The album's end result is a set of eleven tracks that don't pander to either genre's affectations and instead meld into one loud, aggressive, angry rager. Heavy, scratchy bass grounds the band's token drum-kit and undercuts Davis' signiature vocals. The shrill computer-made melodies mirror the onslaught of guitars too. There's a weird understated balance to the whole thing that stems from a combination of production know-how and solidarity in the underground. The mutual sense of rage may have something to do with it too.
Hive talked with Davis about his introduction to dubstep, working with Skrillex, why new rock sucks, and the Illuminati conspiracy controlling the government.
You're currently on tour for your upcoming album — how is that going?
It's going really, really well. We're doing something different with this tour. We're doing three different sets. We start out with rarities that we never really play live for the old-school Korn fans. They lose their shit when they hear that. And then we go into our dub set for five songs off the new album. Then we do a set of our hits. The crowd seems to like it. You can tell they were nervous because they think they're not supposed to like it because it's electronic. But then, during the show, they like it. They don't really understand dubstep but then they relate to it because it's heavy and dark but not techno. They're like, "This isn't gay techno music. This is something different." That was someone's exact words. So, we're bringing something new to them with this.
It's going really, really well. We're doing something different with this tour. We're doing three different sets. We start out with rarities that we never really play live for the old-school Korn fans. They lose their shit when they hear that. And then we go into our dub set for five songs off the new album. Then we do a set of our hits. The crowd seems to like it. You can tell they were nervous because they think they're not supposed to like it because it's electronic. But then, during the show, they like it. They don't really understand dubstep but then they relate to it because it's heavy and dark but not techno. They're like, "This isn't gay techno music. This is something different." That was someone's exact words. So, we're bringing something new to them with this.
What made you want to work with dubstep producers and how did you get involved with the ones featured on The Path of Totality?
"With dance music labels, things are different. They're not pushing you. They want you to be you. They love you for your music and aren't trying to conform for radio or anything else. It's on some punk-rock shit. I love it."
I'm a huge electronic music fan. I've been DJing at bars, clubs, and my own shows for years. I've been a fan of dubstep since I started listening to it in 2009. It was right before Sonny Skrillex's album dropped that I called him and heard a track off of it. I was like, "Oh my god. This would totally work with what we do. Would you be into doing something?" I took the music and I played it for [Korn guitarist] Munky and [bassist] Fieldy and everyone and they were totally blown away. We decided to experiment for the fun of it and to see what would happen. When Skrillex first came out we did a few songs with him. We did "Get Up" which we finished in like three and a half hours. Then we did two more with him. There was no real effort with him because he had been in a band before called From First to Last and had been playing guitars since he was super young. He understood the concept of making a song in a traditional song-structured way.
Then I worked with the other guys, like Excision. Excision is one of the biggest dubstep guys in North America and is heavily metal-sounding too. The bass is really distorted and heavy. We worked with them next and they were deer caught in headlights 'cause this was totally new. We jammed stuff out with them until we came up with an idea and then we worked on it until we got it right. The only goal was to keep the integrity of the dubstep and drum-n-bass producers and also keep the integrity of what we do. To find a balance that was still true to both of us and actually worked. 'Cause it could have been bad. Really, really bad.
It was the hardest album I ever did. We were working eighteen-hours a day on these things. It was our trailblazing again. Like Follow the Leader all over again.
Your work with Skrillex make a lot of sense considering your shared backgrounds — both by location and your emo-core / nu-metal aesthetic. What are your thoughts on dubstep taking on this metal role via these kind of artists? It's like some dubstep is the new nu-metal.
It is. It really is. I don't know. Bands are starting to work with dubstep producers to help them out with their songs now but I'm not sure how good the end product will be. We're the first to make a record out of it in this way but we've also been working with the best. The fact that we got Noisia was huge for us. They're top of their game and considered gods as far as producing. Even the fact that they even considered working with us blew up the cred of this record ten times. Working with Feed Me and Kill the Noise too — back in the drum-n-bass days they had this super-group of guys doing it. Basically we got all these amazing guys that are the best at what they do.
It is. It really is. I don't know. Bands are starting to work with dubstep producers to help them out with their songs now but I'm not sure how good the end product will be. We're the first to make a record out of it in this way but we've also been working with the best. The fact that we got Noisia was huge for us. They're top of their game and considered gods as far as producing. Even the fact that they even considered working with us blew up the cred of this record ten times. Working with Feed Me and Kill the Noise too — back in the drum-n-bass days they had this super-group of guys doing it. Basically we got all these amazing guys that are the best at what they do.
Do you think that Korn fans will actually crossover into being dubstep fans though?
Some will, sure. I think we did that with Follow the Leader too. Hip-hop was blowing up at that time. Now it's all commercialized so this is kind of the new hip-hop in that sense. It was about being street and being underground and having skills. These guys, all the shows they do, the underground shows. You know, Skrillex for example, he does so much for the scene. People say he killed the genre, others say he made it huge. He has a lot of haters but he's got a lot of people who love him too. There are always purists. It's like all the purist metal-heads that said we were really rock when we came out. Trailblazers of any kind of music are going to get that flack. People are going to want to hold on the past. This is the future; it's the new hip-hop, it's the new metal, it's the new everything. Have you ever been to a dubstep show?
Some will, sure. I think we did that with Follow the Leader too. Hip-hop was blowing up at that time. Now it's all commercialized so this is kind of the new hip-hop in that sense. It was about being street and being underground and having skills. These guys, all the shows they do, the underground shows. You know, Skrillex for example, he does so much for the scene. People say he killed the genre, others say he made it huge. He has a lot of haters but he's got a lot of people who love him too. There are always purists. It's like all the purist metal-heads that said we were really rock when we came out. Trailblazers of any kind of music are going to get that flack. People are going to want to hold on the past. This is the future; it's the new hip-hop, it's the new metal, it's the new everything. Have you ever been to a dubstep show?
Yeah, I have.
So you know how the crowds are. Metal shows are all hate, like, "I'm going to fuck you up in the mosh pit." Electronic shows are all peace and love. They rage harder than metal fans. I played a show in New York and then watched Nero who sold out Webster Hall. That crowd went ten times harder than any metal crowd I've seen in my life. And Nero are soft dubstep, they're pop dubstep.
So you know how the crowds are. Metal shows are all hate, like, "I'm going to fuck you up in the mosh pit." Electronic shows are all peace and love. They rage harder than metal fans. I played a show in New York and then watched Nero who sold out Webster Hall. That crowd went ten times harder than any metal crowd I've seen in my life. And Nero are soft dubstep, they're pop dubstep.
I actually got to meet them after the show back stage and said I was a huge fan. They said they were huge Korn fans. I don't understand why. I was like, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me." It's cool when that happens. I watched the show from the stage and it was like watching an old Gary Numan show. The way the whole production was set up. It was just so cool. Kids are picking up on it now because they've never seen anything like that before. I'm forty years old, I saw Gary Numan do the '80s and all the other acts from back then. How cool music was back then. This felt fresh and cool like the '80s. There are so many different sub-genres and shit going on.
You recently told Rolling Stone that newer rock sucks because it all follows a certain cookie-cutter format. Can you expand on that?
Every single year everything is just so played out. Every single radio station playing the same songs with the same front-men trying to sing the same shit. It's their labels that push them to be that way to sell records. They force them to do that. With dance music labels, things are different. They're not pushing you. They want you to be you. They love you for your music and aren't trying to conform for radio or anything else. It's on some punk-rock shit. I love it.
Every single year everything is just so played out. Every single radio station playing the same songs with the same front-men trying to sing the same shit. It's their labels that push them to be that way to sell records. They force them to do that. With dance music labels, things are different. They're not pushing you. They want you to be you. They love you for your music and aren't trying to conform for radio or anything else. It's on some punk-rock shit. I love it.
At a rock show, I'm bored to death. I've done it for nineteen years and now it just bores me. I just like different stuff to keep me interested in the music.
A lot has changed within the music industry and within your personal life since Korn's inception, yet you still manage to channel the same sort of rage against society. I know that life is different for you now — you're sober and you have kids — so how do you maintain this intensely aggro sound?
It's just different and I just grew up. I'm 40 now. I've gotten over all those people who called me a faggot in high school. Or picking on me because I was different. I was listening to my kind of music while everyone else was wearing cowboy boots. I was getting my ass kicked every day in school. You get older and you move past it.
It's just different and I just grew up. I'm 40 now. I've gotten over all those people who called me a faggot in high school. Or picking on me because I was different. I was listening to my kind of music while everyone else was wearing cowboy boots. I was getting my ass kicked every day in school. You get older and you move past it.
I think everyone gets angry still. I get pissed off 'cause sometimes I feel like I don't have any real friends and everyone has an agenda. I moved back to my hometown because all my friends here knew me back before I was in Korn. I have two of them. Shit that happens when you get older and I still get pissed off about it.
Speaking of your childhood, I remember reading that before Korn you were interested in musicals. You auditioned for Jesus Christ Superstar?
Yeah, man. I love them. My favorite is Jesus Christ Superstar because my parents were part of a local production here in Bakersville. My mom played Mary Magdalene and my dad was the conductor and a player in the orchestra. It's a fun story. My mom ran off and left my dad for Jesus. [Laughs.] He's been my step-dad for thirty years now. So that's how I got into musicals.
Yeah, man. I love them. My favorite is Jesus Christ Superstar because my parents were part of a local production here in Bakersville. My mom played Mary Magdalene and my dad was the conductor and a player in the orchestra. It's a fun story. My mom ran off and left my dad for Jesus. [Laughs.] He's been my step-dad for thirty years now. So that's how I got into musicals.
"That's how they do it. They just push the country to near death — unemployment, nobody can survive — and then some guy comes along with the promise of new jobs or whatever and everyone looks to him. And then he becomes a crazy dictator or whatever."
But, yeah, that's a funny story. And then when I got older and understood the meaning behind it and how blasphemous it was for the time. How controversial it was, it just made me want to get more into rock music. One of my major influences was that musical, I think.
Are you still into them? Do you watch them with your kids?
We've watched a couple. I like watching TV with my kids. We have a couple of local arts channels that we watch together. Otherwise I'm watching their shows or Nickelodeon. But even when I'm on tour — I'll watch their shows on my bus to make sure that I can keep up with what they're watching back at home. I watch cartoons. That's all I watch. [Laughs.]
We've watched a couple. I like watching TV with my kids. We have a couple of local arts channels that we watch together. Otherwise I'm watching their shows or Nickelodeon. But even when I'm on tour — I'll watch their shows on my bus to make sure that I can keep up with what they're watching back at home. I watch cartoons. That's all I watch. [Laughs.]
When I have my own time I don't, obviously. I'll watch weird, interesting movies when they come out too. The last movie I watched was this Korean movie called I Met the Devil. Amazing, amazing horror film. It was disturbing as hell. Yeah, I would never watch that with my kids. That's for late at night, but, yeah, we end up watching a lot of Spongebob Square Pants.
Do they watch Glee? You know, Glee was supposed to have Javier Bardem guest-star as a Spanish heavy-metal star on the show. I think they canceled because a bunch of metal bands have animosity towards the show. Would you let them use a Korn song?
I've never seen that show in my life. I couldn't tell you what the premise of the show is or anything. If someone wants to use one of our songs and do it well then I don't care. People take themselves way too fucking seriously, I swear to god. [Laughs.]
I've never seen that show in my life. I couldn't tell you what the premise of the show is or anything. If someone wants to use one of our songs and do it well then I don't care. People take themselves way too fucking seriously, I swear to god. [Laughs.]
Korn was birthed eighteen years ago. That said, if Korn was a person, Korn would be able to vote. Who would Korn vote for in the upcoming presidential election?
I'm just waiting for a non-Illuminati candidate to run.
I'm just waiting for a non-Illuminati candidate to run.
You think they're all part of the Illuminati?
I'm all about the Illuminati conspiracies. I read all about it and it makes sense. Watching the things happen that they said they said would happen. The European Union started out and then there was North American Union — Canada, Mexico, us — and the Amero. It's crazy how many times I watch how they directly put us in recessions so that these other big banking companies could take over banks. Did you notice how many Chase [banks] have popped up since the recession? You know that Chase used to be Standard Oil back in the day? They helped fund hit-men in WWII. It's all connected. It all makes sense. They do this to try to take our rights away. The biggest one was when they started the Department of Homeland Security. There was someone else who did that. His name was Adolf Hitler when he started the Gestapo. It was the same exact fucking thing. He said it was for the security of the country, the Gestapo would protect him and the security of the country. It's the same shit if you look back and read it. Look it up on the internet — all this Illuminati shit. All this shit pops up and you'll be like, "Oh my god. This is all happening in front of me and I don't even realize what's going on."
I'm all about the Illuminati conspiracies. I read all about it and it makes sense. Watching the things happen that they said they said would happen. The European Union started out and then there was North American Union — Canada, Mexico, us — and the Amero. It's crazy how many times I watch how they directly put us in recessions so that these other big banking companies could take over banks. Did you notice how many Chase [banks] have popped up since the recession? You know that Chase used to be Standard Oil back in the day? They helped fund hit-men in WWII. It's all connected. It all makes sense. They do this to try to take our rights away. The biggest one was when they started the Department of Homeland Security. There was someone else who did that. His name was Adolf Hitler when he started the Gestapo. It was the same exact fucking thing. He said it was for the security of the country, the Gestapo would protect him and the security of the country. It's the same shit if you look back and read it. Look it up on the internet — all this Illuminati shit. All this shit pops up and you'll be like, "Oh my god. This is all happening in front of me and I don't even realize what's going on."
I mean, I get date-raped every time I go through a fucking airport. [Laughs.] Just because I have these pants on that have some metal on them, they play with my junk. I'm like, "You must love your job. Touching dicks all day." It's like, what the hell?
So basically Korn, the teenager, wouldn't vote.
Why? It's rigged anyways. It's all about electoral votes anyways. The way we set up our elections are by whether the state wins. That's the electoral vote. It's like how Bush got elected. His brother rigged the election. It was by two-hundred votes or something ridiculous. You know that his brother did that and that's how they got in. Listen, I've never been a political person but I'm all about what's really going on.
Why? It's rigged anyways. It's all about electoral votes anyways. The way we set up our elections are by whether the state wins. That's the electoral vote. It's like how Bush got elected. His brother rigged the election. It was by two-hundred votes or something ridiculous. You know that his brother did that and that's how they got in. Listen, I've never been a political person but I'm all about what's really going on.
The introduction of cellphones is our Big Brother now. They can know at any time where you are and what you got when you have your cellphone on. Everyone has one. They can track you and all this other stuff — it's like having a chip put on you. It's crazy.
It's just that everyone is so desperate because everyone is so broke or broken mentally in this country right now. They're going to chip us all. I mean, we'll be all chipped and all of our credit, our money, is going to be on that chip. And if you go against the government they can turn off all your money and they can just destroy you. Sorry, I know I sound crazy. People think I'm crazy about all the Illuminati stuff but…
I'm sure there are other people who share your view. Everyone's entitled to an opinion.
It's crazy. Obama is Illuminati proper. I did a song on the album called "Illuminati." He got in and got the most money ever, that any president has ever spent, and why? All the banks are taking over. Unemployment is going down. Shit happened in Germany when Hitler came around. I talk to my tour manager about this all the time. It's crazy. That's how they do it. They just push the country to near death — unemployment, nobody can survive — and then some guy comes along with the promise of new jobs or whatever and everyone looks to him. And then he becomes a crazy dictator or whatever. That's just how it's done. If you just look at how history repeats itself — it's been happening for thousands of years.
It's crazy. Obama is Illuminati proper. I did a song on the album called "Illuminati." He got in and got the most money ever, that any president has ever spent, and why? All the banks are taking over. Unemployment is going down. Shit happened in Germany when Hitler came around. I talk to my tour manager about this all the time. It's crazy. That's how they do it. They just push the country to near death — unemployment, nobody can survive — and then some guy comes along with the promise of new jobs or whatever and everyone looks to him. And then he becomes a crazy dictator or whatever. That's just how it's done. If you just look at how history repeats itself — it's been happening for thousands of years.
Just check out the Iluminati. Actually, my family…
…is part of the Illuminati?
Yeah, they were part of the Illuminati; the Davises from Wales. I went on Ancestory.com – that's another one of my hobbies, looking up my ancestory. I found a Griffith Davis that came over from Wales to America and is part of my family. My son actually showed it to me. They were the Davies at the time and changed it to Davis when they came to America. Anyways, [my son] was like "Dad, our family at the time was part of the original Illuminati when it was set up back when the Catholic Church was in power … and the masons and all that." I was like, "Wow, things are getting weird." Things are getting weirder every day.
Yeah, they were part of the Illuminati; the Davises from Wales. I went on Ancestory.com – that's another one of my hobbies, looking up my ancestory. I found a Griffith Davis that came over from Wales to America and is part of my family. My son actually showed it to me. They were the Davies at the time and changed it to Davis when they came to America. Anyways, [my son] was like "Dad, our family at the time was part of the original Illuminati when it was set up back when the Catholic Church was in power … and the masons and all that." I was like, "Wow, things are getting weird." Things are getting weirder every day.
Korn are currently on tour with Datsik and Downlink. Path of Totality is out December 6 via Roadrunner.
Nightwish France recently conducted an interview with singer Anette Olzon of Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Nightwish France: How was your recording of [the new NIGHTWISH album] "Imaginaerum" compared to [2007's] "Dark Passion Play"?
Anette: It was really nice and relaxed. The best time was for sure the demo recordings where just me, Tuomas [NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen] and Tero [Kinnunen, engineer] were in the improvised studio at Röskö, the camp in Finland, and I had my family with me. No stress, no pressure, just singing the songs after the first listening and improvising and that's my kinda thing. The real recordings were also nice but there's this thing that I love with being the first time I sing the songs and I can interpret them with totally fresh ears. After some months of listening to the songs over and over again, it's not the same feeling and therefore we ended up taking some takes from the first demo recordings instead.
Nightwish France: Your voice in "Scaretale" sounds quite new, a bit like a witch! Was it your idea?
Anette: Tuomas and me always have a talk before the recording where I ask what his idea of the song is so I can go into the mode and interpret it the way he wrote it. He said that the song was about all of a child's nightmares and when I started to sing, it felt natural to bring in the mean witch voice to it, and when I "spit" at one point, the guys were a bit shocked, but we kept it and now it's a fun part of the song.
Nightwish France: How would you describe "Imaginaerum"?
Anette: It's a big album again, like "Dark Passion Play", and saying it's like "Dark Passion Play 2" is a good way to describe it. Still bombastic, lots of stuff going on, needs more than one listen and it's like a ride on a roller coaster.
Nightwish France: Are you happy to go back on tour?
Anette: I am looking forward to it; it will be fun to be on stage again. I do not like the travelling part and being away so long, but that's something that comes with this job.
Nightwish France: How do you imagine the forthcoming tour? Tuomas said it will be a smaller one, but will there be some other changes compared to the "Dark Passion Play" tour?
Anette: It will be smaller and shorter, but still bigger venues over all. The stage will, of course, look different and be suited for "Imaginaerum", but if there will be any other changes, you have to wait and see.
Nightwish France: Since [you joined] NIGHTWISH, you've [made] several [guest appearances] with bands like BROTHERFIRE TRIBE, PAIN and THE RASMUS. How did they occur? Would you like to do some more?
Anette: I was asked by these bands and it's been so fun to sing with them all. I have done another song with a Finnish band [SWALLOW THE SUN]. Also a very nice band and a nice song. I like to do these kinda things but I always try to choose the songs I like and also not do to many of these things, 'cause people can get tired of hearing me everywhere.
Nightwish France: On August 13, 2009, you've played two NIGHTWISH songs with an orchestra in Stockholm ("Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" and "Meadows Of Heaven"). Can you tell us more about this experience, and why did you choose these two songs in particular?
Anette: This was a concert in a celebration of Finland and Sweden and I was really happy to be asked to be a part of it. I felt I wanted to show the Finnish people my gratitude for welcoming me into NIGHTWISH and therefore I chose to do Kuolema, even if I am so bad at Finnish. "Meadows Of Heaven" was also a song I felt I wanted to do live, since we had never done that, and when given a chance to perform with such a good orchestra, I needed to take that opportunity to try it out live.
Nightwish France: Is your solo album still planned? Can you tell us more about it?
Anette: Well, there are no set plans for the release, but I am pulling strings at the moment to get some really nice people to help me get the songs produced and ready so that I can release them hopefully in 2013. Let's see what happens.
Nightwish France: What is your feeling regarding your first years with NIGHTWISH? If you could, would you change anything since 2007?
Anette: If you would have asked me [this question] in 2009 after the hard tour and everything that went on in that tour, I would have said that I would never do it again 'cause it was really hard years for me. So many things happened during those years and I went from being "Anette" to the singer in NIGHTWISH, taking a role after another singer who was loved by the fans. I think I have learned a lot of things from everything that went on and I am stronger today, so I wouldn't change anything, 'cause I believe we learn from everything in life — good or bad things.
Nightwish France: How was your recording of [the new NIGHTWISH album] "Imaginaerum" compared to [2007's] "Dark Passion Play"?
Anette: It was really nice and relaxed. The best time was for sure the demo recordings where just me, Tuomas [NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen] and Tero [Kinnunen, engineer] were in the improvised studio at Röskö, the camp in Finland, and I had my family with me. No stress, no pressure, just singing the songs after the first listening and improvising and that's my kinda thing. The real recordings were also nice but there's this thing that I love with being the first time I sing the songs and I can interpret them with totally fresh ears. After some months of listening to the songs over and over again, it's not the same feeling and therefore we ended up taking some takes from the first demo recordings instead.
Nightwish France: Your voice in "Scaretale" sounds quite new, a bit like a witch! Was it your idea?
Anette: Tuomas and me always have a talk before the recording where I ask what his idea of the song is so I can go into the mode and interpret it the way he wrote it. He said that the song was about all of a child's nightmares and when I started to sing, it felt natural to bring in the mean witch voice to it, and when I "spit" at one point, the guys were a bit shocked, but we kept it and now it's a fun part of the song.
Nightwish France: How would you describe "Imaginaerum"?
Anette: It's a big album again, like "Dark Passion Play", and saying it's like "Dark Passion Play 2" is a good way to describe it. Still bombastic, lots of stuff going on, needs more than one listen and it's like a ride on a roller coaster.
Nightwish France: Are you happy to go back on tour?
Anette: I am looking forward to it; it will be fun to be on stage again. I do not like the travelling part and being away so long, but that's something that comes with this job.
Nightwish France: How do you imagine the forthcoming tour? Tuomas said it will be a smaller one, but will there be some other changes compared to the "Dark Passion Play" tour?
Anette: It will be smaller and shorter, but still bigger venues over all. The stage will, of course, look different and be suited for "Imaginaerum", but if there will be any other changes, you have to wait and see.
Nightwish France: Since [you joined] NIGHTWISH, you've [made] several [guest appearances] with bands like BROTHERFIRE TRIBE, PAIN and THE RASMUS. How did they occur? Would you like to do some more?
Anette: I was asked by these bands and it's been so fun to sing with them all. I have done another song with a Finnish band [SWALLOW THE SUN]. Also a very nice band and a nice song. I like to do these kinda things but I always try to choose the songs I like and also not do to many of these things, 'cause people can get tired of hearing me everywhere.
Nightwish France: On August 13, 2009, you've played two NIGHTWISH songs with an orchestra in Stockholm ("Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" and "Meadows Of Heaven"). Can you tell us more about this experience, and why did you choose these two songs in particular?
Anette: This was a concert in a celebration of Finland and Sweden and I was really happy to be asked to be a part of it. I felt I wanted to show the Finnish people my gratitude for welcoming me into NIGHTWISH and therefore I chose to do Kuolema, even if I am so bad at Finnish. "Meadows Of Heaven" was also a song I felt I wanted to do live, since we had never done that, and when given a chance to perform with such a good orchestra, I needed to take that opportunity to try it out live.
Nightwish France: Is your solo album still planned? Can you tell us more about it?
Anette: Well, there are no set plans for the release, but I am pulling strings at the moment to get some really nice people to help me get the songs produced and ready so that I can release them hopefully in 2013. Let's see what happens.
Nightwish France: What is your feeling regarding your first years with NIGHTWISH? If you could, would you change anything since 2007?
Anette: If you would have asked me [this question] in 2009 after the hard tour and everything that went on in that tour, I would have said that I would never do it again 'cause it was really hard years for me. So many things happened during those years and I went from being "Anette" to the singer in NIGHTWISH, taking a role after another singer who was loved by the fans. I think I have learned a lot of things from everything that went on and I am stronger today, so I wouldn't change anything, 'cause I believe we learn from everything in life — good or bad things.
"Balls Out", the sophomore album from the legends of the Sunset Strip, STEEL PANTHER, sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 40 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Balls Out" was released on November 1 via Universal Republic Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Feel The Steel" contains 14 soon-to-be classics such as "Just Like Tiger Woods", "Gold Digging Whore" and "Weenie Ride". The album also features cameos by Dane Cook on the album opener "In The Future" and NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and EXTREME axeman Nuno Bettencourt show up on an instant classic "It Won't Suck Itself". "Balls Out" was produced by Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Jay Ruston who produced the band's "Feel The Steel" debut and is known for his work with ANTHRAX, MEAT LOAF, THE DONNAS and MORRISSEY, to name a few.
STEEL PANTHER is Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums).
"Balls Out" track listing:
01. In The Future
02. Supersonic Sex Machine
03. Just Like Tiger Woods
04. 17 Girls In A Row
05. If You Really, Really Love Me
06. It Won't Suck Itself
07. Tomorrow Night
08. Why Can't You Trust Me
09. That's What Girls Are For
10. Gold-Digging Whore
11. I Like Drugs
12. Critter
13. Let Me Come In
14. Weenie Ride
Check out the "Balls Out" cover artwork below.
The official lyric video for "17 Girls In A Row", the first U.S. single from "Balls Out", can be seen below. The song showcases the band's ability to write memorable hooks while mixing them with their signature style lyrics like "I banged 17 girls in a grocery store and never lost my erection." With its driving opening drum beat and infectious guitar riff, "17 Girls In A Row" will be sure to heat up rock airwaves and give it a much-needed kick in the balls — no pun intended.
"Balls Out" was released on November 1 via Universal Republic Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Feel The Steel" contains 14 soon-to-be classics such as "Just Like Tiger Woods", "Gold Digging Whore" and "Weenie Ride". The album also features cameos by Dane Cook on the album opener "In The Future" and NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and EXTREME axeman Nuno Bettencourt show up on an instant classic "It Won't Suck Itself". "Balls Out" was produced by Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Jay Ruston who produced the band's "Feel The Steel" debut and is known for his work with ANTHRAX, MEAT LOAF, THE DONNAS and MORRISSEY, to name a few.
STEEL PANTHER is Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums).
"Balls Out" track listing:
01. In The Future
02. Supersonic Sex Machine
03. Just Like Tiger Woods
04. 17 Girls In A Row
05. If You Really, Really Love Me
06. It Won't Suck Itself
07. Tomorrow Night
08. Why Can't You Trust Me
09. That's What Girls Are For
10. Gold-Digging Whore
11. I Like Drugs
12. Critter
13. Let Me Come In
14. Weenie Ride
Check out the "Balls Out" cover artwork below.
The official lyric video for "17 Girls In A Row", the first U.S. single from "Balls Out", can be seen below. The song showcases the band's ability to write memorable hooks while mixing them with their signature style lyrics like "I banged 17 girls in a grocery store and never lost my erection." With its driving opening drum beat and infectious guitar riff, "17 Girls In A Row" will be sure to heat up rock airwaves and give it a much-needed kick in the balls — no pun intended.
ALTER BRIDGE is gearing up to play what will be one of the biggest headline shows of its career and all of it will be captured live on DVD for anyone who can't be there. The band's soon-to-be-sold-out performance at Wembley Arena in London, England on November 29 will be professionally filmed for release in 2012. Longtime ALTER BRIDGE director Daniel E Catullo III ("Live From Amsterdam", "One By One", "Isolation", webisodes, etc.) has been brought in to direct by The Dude Films, a new production and distribution company with offices in Laguna Beach, California and Maui, Hawaii headed up by "One By One" executive producer Stuart Margolis and executive producer Chris LaBabera. Lionel Pasamonte, who produced the band's last DVD, "Live From Amsterdam", will be producing with Catullo.
"I am excited to once again direct ALTER BRIDGE and I couldn't be more honored to be asked by the guys to once again capture their amazing live show," says Daniel E Catullo III. "Wembley is a special place and I know it has been a dream of the band to play there. I couldn't think of a better place to shoot this tour at."
ALTER BRIDGE has just released a special edition of its latest album, AB III". The special edition includes three additional songs — "Zero", "Home" and "Never Born To Follow" — making a total of 17 tracks on the album, as well as an extraordinary hour-long DVD documentary called "One By One".
"One By One" is a documentary by Daniel E. Catullo III intended to be an intimate behind-the-scenes look into the rise of ALTER BRIDGE. Featuring brand new interviews and concert footage shot all over the world, plus special interviews with Slash, ALTER BRIDGE's management team, and dozens of fans from every corner of the globe, viewers will learn about the sacrifices made by the band to get where they are today and why they continue to do what they do so passionately.
ALTER BRIDGE has been on the road since last year in support of its third album, "AB III".
"I am excited to once again direct ALTER BRIDGE and I couldn't be more honored to be asked by the guys to once again capture their amazing live show," says Daniel E Catullo III. "Wembley is a special place and I know it has been a dream of the band to play there. I couldn't think of a better place to shoot this tour at."
ALTER BRIDGE has just released a special edition of its latest album, AB III". The special edition includes three additional songs — "Zero", "Home" and "Never Born To Follow" — making a total of 17 tracks on the album, as well as an extraordinary hour-long DVD documentary called "One By One".
"One By One" is a documentary by Daniel E. Catullo III intended to be an intimate behind-the-scenes look into the rise of ALTER BRIDGE. Featuring brand new interviews and concert footage shot all over the world, plus special interviews with Slash, ALTER BRIDGE's management team, and dozens of fans from every corner of the globe, viewers will learn about the sacrifices made by the band to get where they are today and why they continue to do what they do so passionately.
ALTER BRIDGE has been on the road since last year in support of its third album, "AB III".
Arizona extreme metallers JOB FOR A COWBOY have finished recording their next album for an early 2012 release via Metal Blade Records. The CD was laid down at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER), who helmed the group's latest EP, "Gloom".
"Gloom" was released on June 7 via Metal Blade Records. The CD features the first new music from JOB FOR A COWBOY since 2009's "Ruination" LP, which landed at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Gloom" was released on June 7 via Metal Blade Records. The CD features the first new music from JOB FOR A COWBOY since 2009's "Ruination" LP, which landed at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart.
California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE filmed a video for an as-yet-undisclosed song earlier today (Wednesday, November 9) in Los Angeles. A photo from the video shoot can be seen below.
SUICIDE SILENCE's new album, "The Black Crown", sold around 14,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band's previous album, "No Time To Bleed", opened with 14,000 units in July 2009 to land at No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Black Crown" was released in North America on July 12 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with heavyweight producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, HATEBREED) and features guest appearances by KORN singer Jonathan Davis and SUFFOCATION frontman Frank Mullen.
The cover artwork for "The Black Crown" was created by the Delaware-based freelance graphic designer and illustrator Ken "K3N" Adams, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD.
SUICIDE SILENCE's new album, "The Black Crown", sold around 14,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band's previous album, "No Time To Bleed", opened with 14,000 units in July 2009 to land at No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Black Crown" was released in North America on July 12 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with heavyweight producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, HATEBREED) and features guest appearances by KORN singer Jonathan Davis and SUFFOCATION frontman Frank Mullen.
The cover artwork for "The Black Crown" was created by the Delaware-based freelance graphic designer and illustrator Ken "K3N" Adams, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD.
Finnish death metallers TORTURE KILLER are putting the finishing touches on a new three-song EP entitled "I Chose Death". The effort will mark the recording debut of the group's new singer, Pessi Haltsonen (RETALIATORY MEASURES), who is described by his new bandmates as "a perfect fit" and "a human powerhouse."
"I Chose Death" will include a cover version of an old DEMIGOD song from the "Unholy Domain" demo and will feature artwork by Mark Riddick.
TORTURE KILLER's third album, "Sewers" came out in 2009 via Dynamic Arts Records.
The band's sophomore CD, "Swarm!", was released by Metal Blade Records and featured legendary death metal vocalist Chris Barnes from CANNIBAL CORPSE and SIX FEET UNDER.
For more information, visit www.torturekiller.com.
"I Chose Death" will include a cover version of an old DEMIGOD song from the "Unholy Domain" demo and will feature artwork by Mark Riddick.
TORTURE KILLER's third album, "Sewers" came out in 2009 via Dynamic Arts Records.
The band's sophomore CD, "Swarm!", was released by Metal Blade Records and featured legendary death metal vocalist Chris Barnes from CANNIBAL CORPSE and SIX FEET UNDER.
For more information, visit www.torturekiller.com.
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