As the Rolling Stones' pivotal 1978 album Some Girls is reissued, Messrs Jagger, Richards, Wood and Watts talk about sex, drugs and survival – and the chance of a celebration tour
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The Rolling Stones in 1978. From left: Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Photograph: Helmut Newton
Ronnie Wood, wizen-faced survivor of rock'n'roll excess, is sipping daintily on a glass of coconut water. "Love it, 100%," he says, his leg jiggling with enthusiasm so that the ice cubes in the white liquid clink as he talks. "Little taste of holiday, right there." Wood laughs throatily. "I drink so much coffee, this helps balance me out."
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When a Rolling Stone admits that coffee is his greatest vice, you know times have changed. During his time as guitarist for the band, Wood estimates he's burned through £20m on drugs and alcohol. His bandmates didn't think this was particularly exceptional. Keith Richards, after all, used to indulge in speedballs of cocaine and heroin with such regularity that he cheerily referred to the toxic cocktail as "the breakfast of champions".
But nowadays things are rather different. The Stones have all grown up – Wood, at 64, is the youngest in the band; drummer Charlie Watts the eldest at 70 – and, despite hovering perilously around retirement age, they are still working. This month sees the release of a re-mastered version of their hit 1978 album Some Girls, including new tracks unearthed from the archives by producer Don Was. The expanded album will also feature a previously unseen Helmut Newton photo session from the time, depicting the band in a series of moody rock'n'roll poses – all cheekbones and pouty insouciance.
Today, when I meet Wood in the upholstered plushness of a central London hotel, he looks essentially the same as he did three decades ago – a bit more weather-beaten, perhaps, but still sporting an identical Worzel Gummidge hairstyle and spray-on skinny jeans that seem to have been beamed in directly from the 1970s. Does it feel surreal looking back to those photographs now?
"Yeah," he says. "It doesn't seem like it's been all those years. What is it, 30?"
Thirty-three.
He gapes in mock horror. "The 80s only seem like yesterday to me. The 90s went so fast. Before you know it, time has flown by."
In their time as the world's most famous rock band, the Rolling Stones have sold more than 200m albums and released eight number one singles. When they took to the road to promote their 2005 A Bigger Bang album, it became the highest-grossing tour of all time (since bettered by U2's 360˚ tour of 2009-11) – at one concert alone, on Copacabana beach, 1.5 million people turned up to watch them live.
As a band, they have swaggered their way through the decades: a multi-headed, hard-partying, hard-living, rock'n'roll beast that hoovered up drugs, bedded glamorous women and all the while managed to produce some of the finest popular music of the 20th century, including "Wild Horses", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Gimme Shelter", "Brown Sugar", "Satisfaction", "Paint it Black" and "Sympathy for the Devil". And they're still going.
"In a way, they are the template for every rock band that's come along in the last 40 years," says Philip Norman, the author of a biography of the Rolling Stones and one of Mick Jagger, which is coming out next year. "It seems very weird they've lasted so long because for years and years, all through the 60s, they were the most unstable of any band out there. I think their longevity is due to this incredible image that was given to them, of being wicked, of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. It's extraordinary that it's stuck… These men are now getting on for 70 and they're still exciting for terribly young kids. They are the first old white musicians ever to be cool."
But arguably the Stones' greatest achievement is the simple fact of their survival. Next year, the band marks its 50th anniversary, a feat of longevity that seems all the more remarkable in the face of their seemingly hell-bent desire to kill themselves. Keith Richards, for one, only gave up cocaine in 2006 after falling out of a tree in Fiji and undergoing surgery for a blood clot on his brain. When I speak to him over the phone from his home in Los Angeles, the 67-year-old is sanguine about cleaning up his act.
"Everybody's got to grow up eventually," Richards says in a dry voice that sounds oddly like Bill Nighy's impersonation of an ageing rock star in the film Love Actually. "All of my stuff, I considered it all an experiment that went on too long." Does he miss the drugs? "No, darling. Once you've sniffed it, you've sniffed it."
At 68, Mick Jagger, to whom I also speak over the phone, is less forthcoming. Does he have any regrets? "You're not honestly asking that question, are you?" he says, snorting. "I can't possibly answer that."
Back in the hotel room, drinking his coconut water, Wood gives an impish grin when I ask if he feels like a survivor. "Yeah, definitely," he says, nodding his head vigorously. "Yeah, I've seen all the people dropping like flies over the years and it makes me realise how lucky I am."
Watch the Rolling Stones perform Beast of Burden at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Forth Worth, Texas on July 18, 1978 Link to this video
The re-release of Some Girls is especially poignant for Wood because the album marked the first time he was officially recognised as a member of the band – "I felt I was finally home," he says. Although the Rolling Stones were formed in 1962 by Jagger and Richards (who were at primary school together), they have, like a particularly prolonged game of consequences, undergone a series of personnel changes over the years. Guitarist Brian Jones, one of the original lineup, drowned in his swimming pool in 1969. Mick Taylor took his place, before eventually being replaced by Wood, while bassist Bill Wyman retired from the Stones in 1992.
Before the release of Some Girls, the band was undergoing something of an identity crisis. The freewheeling optimism of the 1960s had given way to the drug-addled reality of the 1970s and they were battered and bruised from 16 years on the road. There had been the notorious Redlands bust in 1967, after which Jagger and Richards had been jailed for possession of cannabis and amphetamines, famously prompting William Rees-Mogg to ask: "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" in a Times editorial. Two years later, during a Stones performance at a rock concert in Altamont, California, an 18-year-old fan was murdered by a group of Hell's Angels.
Then, just as the band were about to start recording in early 1977, Richards was arrested for heroin possession in Toronto, where the Stones had been touring, leading to the very real possibility that he might be sent to jail for years and the album would never be made.
"Oh yeah, I was under several indictments dotted all over the globe," says Richards with customary laconicism when reminded of this. "But that was just my day-to-day life."
When I meet Charlie Watts, he remembers it as being a "pretty serious" situation. To complicate matters, Wood was simultaneously having an affair with Margaret Trudeau, wife of the then Canadian prime minister. "It was a bit worrying," says Watts, a thoughtful wrinkle appearing on his brow.
In the end, Richards got away with a light sentence in return for promising to perform a charity show for the Canadian National Institute of the Blind (which took place in 1979). Partly in celebration at this second lease of life and newfound charitable impulse, Richards reinstated the "s" at the end of his surname, which had disappeared after a former manager deemed it wasn't rock'n'roll enough.
"I just thought, you know, I'm not Cliff Richard, and that's for sure," says Richards with a guttural laugh. Down the crackly phone line, it sounds like sandpaper being scraped against a pebbledash wall.
With Richards a free man once more, the band traipsed off in varying states of health and sobriety to Paris to record the album in a small studio in Boulogne-Billancourt. According to Jagger, the fact that they were all living and working together over a sustained period meant that "one of the good things about the record is this unity – it was all done in Paris in a relatively short space of time. There were a lot of Keith problems but once we were in there, it was pretty concentrated."
There was also a sense in which the Rolling Stones wanted to prove they were still relevant. At the time, their brand of rhythm-and-blues soul music was in danger of seeming outdated in comparison with the raw, stripped-back anger of punk or the frenetic energy of disco.
"The punks had given us a kick up the ass," says Richards. "Or let's say 'arse' as it's England. It felt like we'd been sitting on our laurels for a couple of years. There'd been the Sex Pistols, the punk movement. We wanted to strip the band down so there weren't a lot of horns or extra musicians… We decided to keep it strictly guitar."
The result was a series of songs marked by thumping guitar riffs and a moody dance beat, the most famous of which – "Miss You" – reached number one in America. The album went six times platinum in the US and garnered an extremely positive critical response.
In fact, the Some Girls tour in 1978 produced some of the most electrifying live performances of the Stones' careers – a DVD featuring unseen footage of the band playing a tour date in Fort Worth, Texas, will be released later this month and shows Jagger at the top of his game, strutting across the stage like a demented cockerel.
"I started off thinking about what being a performer meant when I was about 16," says Jagger when I ask him about the tour. "I hope I'm not being immodest, but I realised I would go out and do it, and the more people seemed to like it the more I seemed to do stupid things and dance. You sort of realise that's your fate and you develop it."
Does he think he's a good dancer?
"Not really. I do my best but really it's about song interpretation, being the character of the song…It's about keeping the audience enthused, keeping them involved. They don't come to see a dancer par excellence."
The album had its quieter moments too, most in evidence on the bluesy "Beast of Burden". Richards has, in the past, said he wrote the track as an apologetic acknowledgement of all the difficulties his drug problems had caused Mick Jagger.
"Actually, if anything, I was trying to say sorry to Mick for passing on the weight of running this band," Richards says now. "We were at the stage where we were getting bigger. The whole music business was getting bigger, and I was basically trying to say to Mick: 'You don't have to do it on your own.'"
Did Jagger listen? Richards erupts. "No. He very rarely does. That's why I love him."
Apart from the music, the partying and the trail of beautiful women, perhaps the most fundamental reason for the enduring public fascination with the Rolling Stones is the friction surrounding its central creative partnership. Jagger and Richards seem forever locked in an epic battle between love and hate, admiration and mistrust, that has twisted and turned throughout the last half century like the rock'n'roll equivalent of the naked wrestling scene in Women in Love.
Is it, I ask Richards, a bit like working with your brother? "No, it's like working with Maria Callas," he shoots back. "The diva is right and we've got to try and put music together without annoying the diva. If the diva gets too annoyed, then I get pissed off. Do you think when we get together we're all like happy families? Forget about it. We've been fighting cats and dogs all our career.
"We're like brothers in that sometimes we love each other and sometimes we hate each other and sometimes we don't even care. I've been playing guitar, watching that bum [dance in front of me] for years."
Relations between the two, always fractious, probably weren't helped by the publication last year of Richards's rollicking autobiography, Life, in which he claimed – among other things – that Jagger was "unbearable" and in possession of "a tiny todger… he's got an enormous pair of balls – but it doesn't quite fill the gap".
I have been told by the PR that I'm not allowed to ask about "big and small willies", which is the only time genitalia size has been listed as a verboten topic in any interview I've ever done. Still, how are things with Mick now?
"Oh fine," says Richards. "We're OK."
"We don't squabble very much to be honest," Jagger says.
I don't have the balls to ask Jagger about… well… the balls, given that he can barely conceal his disdain for some of my questions. When I have the temerity to ask him about how he squared his anti-establishment reputation with accepting a knighthood in 2003, Jagger replies: "It's a bit old hat as a question, if you don't mind me saying. It was quite a long time ago. I think if you're offered these things, if you refuse it's almost like a parody of being a rebel in a way. If you insist on using your title, then it's really silly. It's almost, in our sort of society, rude to turn things down and silly to take them seriously. As Confucius said: 'All honours are false.'"
Is there any other rock star on the planet who could get away with quoting Confucius? Probably not. Somewhere, on the other side of the Atlantic, Keith Richards is probably rolling his eyes.
The unpredictable dynamic between Richards and Jagger means that, like the children of perpetually squabbling parents, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts have tended to get caught in the middle. Thirty-three years on from the release of Some Girls, they both have different approaches for dealing with the fall-outs. Watts, who has been married for 47 years and doesn't consider himself a rock star, retreats to his wife Shirley's stud farm in Devon when things get too heated.
"I've never been enamoured of rock'n'roll," he says, smoothing down the trouser legs of his impeccably cut three-piece suit. "I mean, I love going on stage and people clapping but I never believed anything outside that." There is a long pause. "It felt a bit minor to me, the whole thing. It's never impressed me that much."
Wood, by contrast, is frequently cast as peacemaker. "I can't see people angry or holding something against each other," Wood says. "I have to bring it out in the open and say: 'You've got to patch this up, you guys.'"
Like all of them, Wood's dedication to the band and the lifestyle it embodied has come at some personal cost. In 2008, he left his second wife, Jo, generally seen as a stabilising influence, for a Russian cocktail waitress called Ekaterina Ivanova. Their four children were devastated by the split. Wood began drinking again and was arrested a year later after witnesses claimed he tried to throttle his girlfriend during a drunken row in the street. He went into rehab for the eighth time and has now been sober for almost two years.
"I became an annoying kind of drunk," Wood recalls. "I annoyed myself and it wasn't working any more… I thought, 'This is not me, this is horrible.'
"I would have long times – months – of sobriety and then say, 'I've got it, I can have a drink now, I can have a drug now' and it would all explode and go terribly wrong… I'm still learning from my mistakes and I'm determined I'll never do anything stupid like that again."
Does he feel his age? "No, I think that's something that saves me. I still feel 29. Maybe I should act my age more, but I just can't."
These days, Wood is contentedly single (after a brief relationship with Brazilian model Ana Araújo) and concentrating on his art – a solo show of his charcoal portraits and oil paintings opened earlier this month. Watts, meanwhile, is much in demand as a jazz drummer after having survived a battle with throat cancer seven years ago. Jagger has formed a new band, SuperHeavy, with singer Joss Stone and Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart, and continues to produce films through his own production company. Richards, the former hellraiser-in-chief, is married to former model Patti Hansen with whom he has two daughters. Nowadays, Richards tells me: "The best drug is breathing." Pause. "I mean, heroin is fantastic. Until you've had too much of it and then you're likely to be dead."
But despite the fact that they are all happily settled and doing their own thing, there is an undeniable frisson when the question of a Rolling Stones reunion is mooted, as if none of them can quite let go of the excitement that comes from being in the band.
Wood says he's having a long overdue operation next month to fix a cracked bone in his foot "so I'm ready for action next year just in case". In case of a tour? "Fifty years!" he shrieks. "It's got to be done."
Watts is, characteristically, more circumspect. "I would like to think we'd do a tour. Um, if we don't, we don't. I mean, I've felt like that for the last 50 years. It's never bothered me if the Rolling Stones stopped tomorrow."
Jagger gives me predictably short shrift. "I've no idea," he sniffs. "We don't really get together that much as a group."
And what about Richards? Can he envisage a reunion tour? "Envisage?" he guffaws. "Yeah. I dream of it."
Some Girls is out on 21 November on Universal; a companion DVD, Some Girls Live in Texas 1978, is released the same day on Eagle Rock
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The surreal picture created by Robert Brownjohn for band's 1969 album is expected to fetch up to £40,000
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NEW YORK — Keith Richards equates the rush to release the Rolling Stones' seminal album "Some Girls" as "the same as cutting off your baby's head."
"We couldn't release a double album and we were on deadline," the guitarist said of the 1978 recording. "Sometimes you're really getting into tracks you want to finish, but they don't make (it) because time was up."
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Mick Jagger said "Some Girls" was a pivotal album for the band.
"The records that came before this were not as good. This was better," Jagger said, referencing the heavily produced "Goats Head Soup," and "It's Only Rock and Roll," which preceded it.
At the time, punk rock and disco were threatening the old "dinosaur rockers," as Richards said, so the band had to get back to its basic stripped-down sound.
"The punks started to kick us ... the Sex Pistols, and The Clash, and other bands were coming out and we realized we were already in a second generation," Richards said.
One of the album's biggest hits, and also the most criticized at the time, was the dance track "Miss You."
"It's not like we wanted to make a career out of disco; it just happened to be that beat, and Mick came up with this beautiful idea. If you're ever gonna do disco, you got to do it now. It was like a one-off," Richards said.
Jagger, who says he loves all forms of dance music from the 1930s to house music, didn't know why it mattered.
"I never thought for one minute that people would criticize you for doing something with a dance beat," Jagger said. "So the idea of it being 'Bob Dylan going electric' never occurred to me."
The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart, and spawned a variety of dance mixes.
Next year, the band will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and there's a great deal of speculation as to whether the band will tour for their milestone.
"I'm hoping to do something about it. Right now, I don't want to go too much into it. I'm pulling the boys together and (will) see what happens. It's a work in progress. I'm not Nostradamus on this, but we all want to do something for the big 5-0," Richards said.
All Jagger would say is that "we have a lot of things planned, who knows what will come to fruition."
According to Richards, he and Jagger recently mended fences after Richards revealed too much about his songwriting partner in his autobiography earlier this year.
"He's a brother, a best friend, and probably the most contentious person I know. All collaborations are like that. Nothing goes totally smoothly, but we always patch it up. We patched it up now. The thing is we enjoy working with each other; it's the idea of it that's frightening," Richards laughed.
The duo has written most of the Rolling Stones music, and though Jagger usually sings them, Richards does have his signature tracks. Among them is "Before They Make Me Run" from "Some Girls"; it has become one of his favorite songs to perform.
"It's pretty autobiographical. ... I was feeling a little hounded, so I think it came out of feeling that. I was on the run, basically. Very few countries would accept me at the time," said Richards, who was facing a potentially long prison sentence at the time because of a heroin possession charge in Toronto.
Other major hits from the album include, "Shattered," the Temptations cover of "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," and "Beast of Burden."
While Richards said the unreleased music was ready to go, Jagger did say he tinkered with the remixes.
"'Claudine' and 'Tallahassee Lassie' were all more or less as (they) were. I just listened and said, 'Do they need a bit of percussion or a harmony vocal?,' but apart from that they're fine," Jagger said.
Richards is just happy that the band gets to release "Some Girls" with the songs they wanted to include.
"In a way it's interesting to put the head back on the baby," Richards said.
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The first item the band are releasing is the long-awaited download of a legendary 1973 concert, recorded at the Forest National in Belgium. Long hailed by die-hard Stones fans as one of the band's greatest live performances, The Brussels Affair has been a mainstay in the underground music world for years. The original bootlegs, sold under such titles as Europe 73, Bedspring Symphony and Brussels Affair, were cobbled together from assorted radio broadcasts, including the syndicated radio programme King Biscuit Flower Hour, and usually contained songs performed at other venues. The new edition, pulled exclusively from the two Brussels gigs, was taken from the original multi-track masters recorded by Andy Johns on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Longtime Stones collaborator Bob Clearmountain applied the final mix.
Brussels was the penultimate stop on a European tour that the Stones embarked upon in the autumn of 1973 to promote the album Goats Head Soup. At the time, the Stones were by far the biggest stars on the planet, and the 21-city tour was met by ecstatic crowds, causing the band to frequently perform two shows a day, as they did at the Forest National arena in Brussels. Despite the frenetic pace, the road trip yielded some of the band's greatest music on stage.
The Brussels Affair captures that greatness. From the opening chords of "Brown Sugar" to the closing crescendo of "Street Fighting Man", the Stones were firing on all cylinders: Keith and Charlie churning out a locomotive-like rhythm section (can any song be played faster than this rendition of "Rip This Joint"?), Mick Taylor delivering a barrage of blistering leads, and Jagger growling and grinding in his blue-sequined best.
Although the Stones began readying a live album of the show for commercial release, the idea was ultimately shelved - a tragedy given the ferocity of the set and the definitive live versions of Stones classics that it presents. Fortunately, that has all changed today. If there was one Rolling Stones bootleg that needed to find its way into the mainstream, Brussels '73 was it.
The bootleg is available to American fans at the new Google Music site.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will meet in December to decide how the Rolling Stones will celebrate next year's 50th anniversary, according to a top tour-industry source. "I don't see why in the world the Stones can't put together some kind of show next year," says Richards. "I'd almost count on it. It doesn't have to be the whole spectacle bullshit again, but we've got to find our own way through this."
"It is quite amazing when you think about it," Jagger adds. "Anything's possible."
A top source tells Rolling Stone that AEG Live, Live Nation and veteran Stones promoter Michael Cohl have already reached out about acquiring the band's anniversary tour, which has the potential to be the biggest of all time. "It would be a total home run," says the source.
The rock world is paying attention: "The Stones are iconic figures in Western society," says Sting. "I hope they'll stop bickering. I'd like to see them doing what they do." Adds Joe Perry, "I would love to see them just go and do arenas and have it be as stripped-down as possible, the way they did on the Exile tour – where they had the horn section and Ian Stewart playing keyboards. As close as they could get to that would be great."
Following a band meeting in September at the Stones' London office, Richards, guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts were set to convene in November to jam in London. "I would suggest a lot of blues in the beginning," says Richards. "That's where the band's roots are. We'll start playing some Jimmy Reed stuff and some Muddy Waters stuff and then things will blossom from there. It might bore Mick to death – and that's the idea. We're just going to go, and you start from Day One. You've got the drums and a couple of guitars and you start hammering away.
"Mick is welcome," Richards adds. "I'm sure he'll turn up."
Richards' nasty, gossip-packed 2010 memoir, Life, painted an unrelentingly negative portrait of Jagger and his contributions to the Stones – straining the duo's relationship. "I think there's a healing process waiting to take place," Wood says. "I think it's happening now as we speak, but it has to be resolved. Something has to be resolved there. They have to come to terms with going on a working basis, which Charlie and I will help make happen. Wish me luck."
"That old healing process," says Stones saxophone player Bobby Keys with a laugh. "Boy, that is an ongoing process. But last time I was onstage with them, there was no blood lost. They always seem to work it out." Adds longtime friend Peter Wolf, "If one looks at the history of great collaborations, Gilbert and Sullivan didn't always have a good time at it, either. But once they choose to get together to work, that is usually the great healer."
Richards says he's up for another massive world stadium and arena run like 2005's Bigger Bang tour, but isn't sure Jagger wants to make such a large commitment. "I don't know about that," Richards says. "I don't think Mick would. We'd like to be ready to be able to do it if the idea starts to happen. I'd even invite Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor back in. Why not? It's 50 years. Everyone deserves a party."
Adds Jagger, "That'd be very complete if it all happened." Taylor and Wyman have both worked with the Stones recently: Taylor, who left the band in 1974 to pursue a solo career, contributed new guitar work on last year's Exile on Main St. box set, and Wyman, who departed in 1992, plays bass on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" that the band recorded for a 2011 tribute album to late keyboard player Ian Stewart. "I've been reading about the possibilities in the press, but Keith hasn't turned his lips in my direction yet," says Wyman. "Let's see what transpires over the next few weeks, and I can then make a serious decision. I've got my chops together, and I know that my mate Charlie has – so let's see if it ever happens."
One option some insiders floated has the band camping out for multinight runs in major cities. "I think the idea of doing multiple shows in certain cities – New York, L.A., maybe Chicago, maybe Atlanta – would be wonderful," says longtime keyboardist Chuck Leavell. Bobby Keys agrees: "In my fantasy of Rolling Stones gigs, I would like to see a gig that's centralized in one place: Let the people come to us instead of making all that traveling. That's always the main thing that bothers me about going on the road. It didn't used to, but hell, now we're all in our late sixties and shit, and it's just kind of a pain in the ass."
For its 40th anniversary in 2002, the band launched the massive Licks Tour, playing stadiums, arenas and small venues (sometimes all in the same city) and releasing a career retrospective with new songs. But this time around, there is no sign of new material. "I'm not writing for them right now," says Richards, who has been working on a solo project "reminiscent of early Chess records." "I'm cutting my own stuff with [producer and drummer] Steve Jordan," he says. "There's no point in writing for the Stones until I know that Mick Jagger's in. He could have every song I've ever written. They're all for him. If he doesn't like them – or if he poo-poos them – I take them somewhere else." Adds Wood, "I think we have so much back catalog that we would go out without new material, but then again one of the boys might go, 'No, I wouldn't dream of going out unless we have new material. I don't mind, really.'"
The band last played live together in August 2007 at London's O2 Arena, wrapping the two-year, $558 million Bigger Bang tour. "We were riding the top of the wave," says Wood. "I didn't want it to end." Since then, the Stones have been unusually busy: Jagger released an album with reggae-soul supergroup SuperHeavy; Richards published the bestselling Life; Watts toured with his longtime jazz group; and Wood released a solo album, exhibited paintings and hosted a U.K. classic-rock radio show. In between, the group went back into the studio to add new parts to outtakes included with the stellar Exile and Some Girls reissues.
For Jagger, probably the least-nostalgic Stone, the looming anniversary has him reflecting on just how far the band has come. "It's a very different group than the one that played 50 years ago," he says. "When I think about it, one part of me goes, 'We're slightly cheating,' because it's not the same band – still the same name, but it's only Keith and myself that are the same people, I think. I've tried to find out when Charlie's first gig was [but can't]. But it's an amazing achievement. It's fantastic and I'm very proud of it."
Some Girls was the Rolling Stones' resurrection. Goaded by punk, disco, and the threat of Keith Richards' impending incarceration (eventually deferred) they threw aside their mid-'70s lethargy and returned with a snarling, rocking fightback.
This month's MOJO magazine throws the spotlight on the Stones' rambunctious '70s, with brand new interviews with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Ron Wood, concluding with a detailed look at Some Girls, featuring unseen shots by fashion photography legend Helmut Newton.
The latter has now been reissued with an exciting second disc of unreleased bonus tracks from contemporaneous sessions. Included is the mythical Claudine, about the French actress-singer Claudine Longet, jailed in 1977 after shooting her skier boyfriend Vladimir "Spider" Sabich to death.
In the course of interviews with MOJO's Mark Blake, Mick Jagger annoted another ten of the (in some cases, spruced-up) outtakes, exclusively for MOJO.
Tallahassie Lassie
Mick Jagger: "This is a song made famous by Freddy Cannon. The original version we did at the time of Some Girls sounds like it was recorded in a wind tunnel. It now sounds like we're coming towards the end of the tunnel. Quite funky. I left it alone. Didn't do anything new, except add some handclaps - which is very close the feel of the original."
Keep Up Blues
MJ: "This contains a very humorous lyric all about keeping up with the times. It's an amusing one. No angst involved."
When You're Gone
MJ: "A good blues song. It's also amusing. But slightly more angst-ridden."
No Spare Parts
MJ: "It's a country tune. The idea for the song began at the Some Girls sessions, but I finished the idea and turned it into a complete piece. It's all about driving from San Antonio to Los Angeles to meet a woman, which I did once, so it's based on my own experience. Was it worth the trip? Well, it's lovely drive, dear, you shouldn't miss it."
Do You Think I Really Care
MJ: "I'd describe it as country-rockish. A sort of Dead Flowers, Let It Bleed thing, but set in New York, like so much of Some Girls."
We Had It All
MJ: "Keith sings this one. It's an old-time country song written by Donnie Fritts and Troy Seals. I know this because I was mixing it and I said to Don Was, "Did Keith write this song?" I didn't know 'cos I'm not on it. Don said, "No, it's an old cover tune." Waylon Jennings did a version, which is where I think Keith got it from."
So Young
MJ: "A heavy blues, about meeting a very young girl and then getting wet feet. There's a line in it that says, "I took her to Barney's to buy her boots."
Don't Be A Stranger
MJ: "This has a Latin tinge. Originally, there was no melody or lyrics. So it had to be built up from scratch. At first, I was like, 'I can't do anything with this,' but then you chip away at it and something comes."
You Win Again
MJ: "It's the Stones doing the old Hank Williams song. My goal is always to keep the spirit of the thing. I imagine everything was recorded last week and I just had to come in and finish them - a line here or a line there."
I Love You Too Much
MJ: "This is an old rocker - it's very Rolling Stones. I left the vocal but I changed a couple of lines 'cos I got bored with the repetition in the lyrics. You'd never know which lines they were, though. Keith added a few bits here and there."
METALLICA will perform the band's top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," at the following European festival appearances next June:
June 01 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
June 02 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
June 09 - Donington, England - Download
June 10 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock
More shows will be announced soon.
Asked why METALLICA decided to do the Download gig, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Kerrang! magazine, "The people at Download asked. It wasn't our idea.
"The thing is, although we haven't played at Donington for six years, we have been to the U.K. pretty much every single summer since then."
He added, "So they wanted us to do something different, and that's what they came up with. I quite like the fact that come next summer it'll be the 21st anniversary of the 'black album,' not the 20th."
Asked whether he and his bandmates would have to re-learn the two songs from the record — "Don't Tread On Me" and "The Struggle Within" — that METALLICA has never played live before, Lars said,"Yeah. Although to be honest with you, a song like 'The Struggle Within' is a lot easier to re-learn than 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity'.
"I don't think it's going to be too difficult for us to figure out these songs."
METALLICA's 1991 self-titled fifth album, commonly known as "the black album," in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold 15,717,000 copies in the United States.
Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
June 01 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
June 02 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
June 09 - Donington, England - Download
June 10 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock
More shows will be announced soon.
Asked why METALLICA decided to do the Download gig, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Kerrang! magazine, "The people at Download asked. It wasn't our idea.
"The thing is, although we haven't played at Donington for six years, we have been to the U.K. pretty much every single summer since then."
He added, "So they wanted us to do something different, and that's what they came up with. I quite like the fact that come next summer it'll be the 21st anniversary of the 'black album,' not the 20th."
Asked whether he and his bandmates would have to re-learn the two songs from the record — "Don't Tread On Me" and "The Struggle Within" — that METALLICA has never played live before, Lars said,"Yeah. Although to be honest with you, a song like 'The Struggle Within' is a lot easier to re-learn than 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity'.
"I don't think it's going to be too difficult for us to figure out these songs."
METALLICA's 1991 self-titled fifth album, commonly known as "the black album," in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold 15,717,000 copies in the United States.
Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
According to Decanter.com, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee of Canadian rock legends RUSH has had a wine scholarship created in his name.
The honor has been conferred by his fellow directors at the charitable foundation Grapes For Humanity.
The board voted unanimously to create a scholarship in his name, in perpetuity, for a student of winemaking at Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.
Grapes For Humanity Canada has committed $26,500 to establish the Geddy Lee endowed scholarship, which will be matched by the provincial government's Ontario Trust For Student Support program.
The income will be used to provide an annual scholarship for a student in the second year of Niagara College's Wine And Viticulture Technician program who intends to pursue a career path in winemaking after graduation.
"Niagara College is thrilled that Grapes For Humanity Canada is making this significant investment to support student learning and success, and the wine industry," said Sean Kennedy, CEO of the Niagara College Foundation and acting vice-president, Academic.
"We are very pleased to support students in winemaking in recognition of this Canadian icon's magnificent contribution as a director of our charitable foundation," said Tony Aspler, president & CEO of Grapes For Humanity Canada. "We hope that the annual recipient of this scholarship will bring to his or her calling the same dedication to quality and to public spiritedness as Geddy Lee has brought to Canada's musical legacy."
The Grapes For Humanity gift is part of the Building Futures Campaign, which supports student learning and success through new facilities, equipment and learning resources, applied research, and scholarships and bursaries.
Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and aesthetics. For more information, visit NiagaraCollege.ca.
Geddy Lee is an award-winning musician best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and keyboardist for the legendary Canadian rock group RUSH. Mr. Lee has played a crucial role in the success of Grapes For Humanity since its inception in 2001 and continues as a Board member today. He launched the Grapes Under Pressure Rock Memorabilia Charity Auction. The Geddy Lee award is established in recognition of Mr. Lee's outstanding contribution to the organization, and to the dedication to quality and public spiritedness that he brings to Canada's musical legacy.
The honor has been conferred by his fellow directors at the charitable foundation Grapes For Humanity.
The board voted unanimously to create a scholarship in his name, in perpetuity, for a student of winemaking at Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.
Grapes For Humanity Canada has committed $26,500 to establish the Geddy Lee endowed scholarship, which will be matched by the provincial government's Ontario Trust For Student Support program.
The income will be used to provide an annual scholarship for a student in the second year of Niagara College's Wine And Viticulture Technician program who intends to pursue a career path in winemaking after graduation.
"Niagara College is thrilled that Grapes For Humanity Canada is making this significant investment to support student learning and success, and the wine industry," said Sean Kennedy, CEO of the Niagara College Foundation and acting vice-president, Academic.
"We are very pleased to support students in winemaking in recognition of this Canadian icon's magnificent contribution as a director of our charitable foundation," said Tony Aspler, president & CEO of Grapes For Humanity Canada. "We hope that the annual recipient of this scholarship will bring to his or her calling the same dedication to quality and to public spiritedness as Geddy Lee has brought to Canada's musical legacy."
The Grapes For Humanity gift is part of the Building Futures Campaign, which supports student learning and success through new facilities, equipment and learning resources, applied research, and scholarships and bursaries.
Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs at campuses in Welland, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, horticulture and aesthetics. For more information, visit NiagaraCollege.ca.
Geddy Lee is an award-winning musician best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and keyboardist for the legendary Canadian rock group RUSH. Mr. Lee has played a crucial role in the success of Grapes For Humanity since its inception in 2001 and continues as a Board member today. He launched the Grapes Under Pressure Rock Memorabilia Charity Auction. The Geddy Lee award is established in recognition of Mr. Lee's outstanding contribution to the organization, and to the dedication to quality and public spiritedness that he brings to Canada's musical legacy.
Concert Live, which enables fans all over the world to relive the experience with instant recordings of live gigs available within minutes of the last note being played, will team up with progressive rockers URIAH HEEP to produce exclusive live CDs from the band's European tour.
To pre-order your exclusive CD of URIAH HEEP's recent Wolverhampton, England show, click here.
URIAH HEEP's latest album, "Into The Wild", was released on April 15 in Europe and will be made available on May 3 in North America via Frontiers Records. The CD was produced by Mike Paxman (STATUS QUO, ASIA) and features cover artwork (see below) by the renowned Greek-American artist Ioannis (LYNYRD SKYNYRD, STYX, SAGA).
To pre-order your exclusive CD of URIAH HEEP's recent Wolverhampton, England show, click here.
URIAH HEEP's latest album, "Into The Wild", was released on April 15 in Europe and will be made available on May 3 in North America via Frontiers Records. The CD was produced by Mike Paxman (STATUS QUO, ASIA) and features cover artwork (see below) by the renowned Greek-American artist Ioannis (LYNYRD SKYNYRD, STYX, SAGA).
MÖTLEY CRÜE/SIXX: A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx is working on two new books, the first one of which is due in May-June 2012, to be followed by the second one in 2013. Sixx writes on his Facebook page, "Neither book is like anything I have done before (I guess you can say the same thing about 'The Heroin Diaries' and 'This Is Gonna Hurt', too). I pride myself on not writing the same book over and over and also not using a ghost writer. Of course, it takes longer, but raw honesty through words is what I am driven to publish... After I get it all out on paper, I use a trusted editor to help me carve it into a palatable experience..."
Sixx's latest book, "This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx", debuted at No. 4 on The New York Times "Hardcover Advice & Misc" best seller list. The book came out on April 12 via the HarperCollins imprint William Morrow.
You can "browse inside" the book at HarperCollins.com.
Nikki Sixx is the creative force behind a multitude of projects. As the founder, bass player and songwriter for the genre-defining rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE, he led the band through an unbridled career of rock 'n' roll, addictions, recovery, exploits, breakups, and girls, sending their first five albums to platinum status in the process. From their debut album in 1981 ("Too Fast For Love") through to 2008's "Saints of Los Angeles", MÖTLEY CRÜE have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, emerging as one of the most influential and enduring rock acts of their era. Their '89 release "Dr. Feelgood", topped The Billboard 200 chart, marking the band's most successful and best-selling album to date. The new millennium saw the band issue a best-selling, tell-all biography entitled "The Dirt" — and the launch of Crüe Fest, the highest-grossing summer rock tour package in 2008.
In 2007, Sixx published "The Heroin Diaries". This haunting chronicle of addiction stayed atop the New York Times Best Seller list for more than six months and went on to sell over 350,000 copies in the U.S. alone. In a fitting crescendo, the accompanying soundtrack by SIXX: A.M. — featuring Sixx, James Michael and D.J. Ashba — sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S. and solidified the group with "Life Is Beautiful", the most played rock track of 2008. Sixx's most recent venture is the syndicated radio show "Sixx Sense" and its companion weekend show "The Side Show Countdown With Nikki Sixx", carried nightly and on the weekends, respectively, on 60 rock/alternative music stations in the U.S. and Canada. Hosted by Sixx himself and co-host Kerri Kasem, the shows feature straight, honest talk from special celebrity guests, bands and friends and the hottest and newest music in rock.
The "This Is Gonna Hurt" book explores a new, more introspective side, the first-ever public showing of his photography and insights on his life yesterday, today and tomorrow. "This Is Gonna Hurt" takes Sixx to a whole new level as an artist, musician and photographer. Accompanying the book, and slated for a May 3 release, will be a new CD by SIXX: A.M. complementing the book's themes and showcasing the incredible songwriting and musicianship of Sixx and SIXX: A.M. bandmates James Michael and D.J. Ashba.
Sixx's latest book, "This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx", debuted at No. 4 on The New York Times "Hardcover Advice & Misc" best seller list. The book came out on April 12 via the HarperCollins imprint William Morrow.
You can "browse inside" the book at HarperCollins.com.
Nikki Sixx is the creative force behind a multitude of projects. As the founder, bass player and songwriter for the genre-defining rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE, he led the band through an unbridled career of rock 'n' roll, addictions, recovery, exploits, breakups, and girls, sending their first five albums to platinum status in the process. From their debut album in 1981 ("Too Fast For Love") through to 2008's "Saints of Los Angeles", MÖTLEY CRÜE have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, emerging as one of the most influential and enduring rock acts of their era. Their '89 release "Dr. Feelgood", topped The Billboard 200 chart, marking the band's most successful and best-selling album to date. The new millennium saw the band issue a best-selling, tell-all biography entitled "The Dirt" — and the launch of Crüe Fest, the highest-grossing summer rock tour package in 2008.
In 2007, Sixx published "The Heroin Diaries". This haunting chronicle of addiction stayed atop the New York Times Best Seller list for more than six months and went on to sell over 350,000 copies in the U.S. alone. In a fitting crescendo, the accompanying soundtrack by SIXX: A.M. — featuring Sixx, James Michael and D.J. Ashba — sold over 300,000 copies in the U.S. and solidified the group with "Life Is Beautiful", the most played rock track of 2008. Sixx's most recent venture is the syndicated radio show "Sixx Sense" and its companion weekend show "The Side Show Countdown With Nikki Sixx", carried nightly and on the weekends, respectively, on 60 rock/alternative music stations in the U.S. and Canada. Hosted by Sixx himself and co-host Kerri Kasem, the shows feature straight, honest talk from special celebrity guests, bands and friends and the hottest and newest music in rock.
The "This Is Gonna Hurt" book explores a new, more introspective side, the first-ever public showing of his photography and insights on his life yesterday, today and tomorrow. "This Is Gonna Hurt" takes Sixx to a whole new level as an artist, musician and photographer. Accompanying the book, and slated for a May 3 release, will be a new CD by SIXX: A.M. complementing the book's themes and showcasing the incredible songwriting and musicianship of Sixx and SIXX: A.M. bandmates James Michael and D.J. Ashba.
Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker will play four shows in Japan in March. The dates are as follows:
March 27 - Namba Hatch - Osaka, Japan
March 28 - Diamond Hall - Nagoya, Japan
March 29 - Nakano Sun Plaza - Tokyo, Japan
March 30 - Nakano Sun Plaza - Tokyo, Japan
Schenker promises to "perform lots of classics from SCORPIONS, UFO and MSG" during the trek.
Michael's band for the tour will consist of the following musicians:
Michael Schenker - Guitar
Michael Voss - Vocals
Herman Rarebell - Drums
Elliott Rubinson - Bass
Wayne Findlay - Keyboards
Schenker's new album, "Temple Of Rock", was released in Europe on September 23 and in North America on October 11 on CD and LP through Schenker's own Inakoustik label via MVD Entertainment Group. The album was released in Japan on September 7.
"Recording lineup:
* Michael Schenker - Guitar
* Michael Voss - Vocals
* Herman Rarebell - Drums
* Pete Way - Bass
* Wayne Findlay - Keyboards
March 27 - Namba Hatch - Osaka, Japan
March 28 - Diamond Hall - Nagoya, Japan
March 29 - Nakano Sun Plaza - Tokyo, Japan
March 30 - Nakano Sun Plaza - Tokyo, Japan
Schenker promises to "perform lots of classics from SCORPIONS, UFO and MSG" during the trek.
Michael's band for the tour will consist of the following musicians:
Michael Schenker - Guitar
Michael Voss - Vocals
Herman Rarebell - Drums
Elliott Rubinson - Bass
Wayne Findlay - Keyboards
Schenker's new album, "Temple Of Rock", was released in Europe on September 23 and in North America on October 11 on CD and LP through Schenker's own Inakoustik label via MVD Entertainment Group. The album was released in Japan on September 7.
"Recording lineup:
* Michael Schenker - Guitar
* Michael Voss - Vocals
* Herman Rarebell - Drums
* Pete Way - Bass
* Wayne Findlay - Keyboards
ANTHRAX, LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and SKELETONWITCH have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Copenhell festival, set to take place June 15-16, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many more acts will be announced soon.
According to Rockfreaks.net, "the first-ever Copenhell was held [in 2010]. Only a few thousand people attended, but despite a few glitches and errors that always occur when you organize a festival for the first time, the festival was an enormous success in every way and encouraged the organizers and Live Nation to repeat the event one year later. In that short period of time, the festival had not only grown to a full-sized metal festival with nearly 9,000 people attending — a notable number in the P3/Gaffa/Soundvenue-dominated Danish musical landscape — but has also improved in all aspects from the year before."
According to Rockfreaks.net, "the first-ever Copenhell was held [in 2010]. Only a few thousand people attended, but despite a few glitches and errors that always occur when you organize a festival for the first time, the festival was an enormous success in every way and encouraged the organizers and Live Nation to repeat the event one year later. In that short period of time, the festival had not only grown to a full-sized metal festival with nearly 9,000 people attending — a notable number in the P3/Gaffa/Soundvenue-dominated Danish musical landscape — but has also improved in all aspects from the year before."
Veteran British female hard rockers GIRLSCHOOL have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 6-9, 2012 in Sölvesborg, Blekinge in southern Sweden. Around 70 bands will perform on the festival's five stages next summer.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
BONAFIDE
DANKO JONES
DIMMU BORGIR
EDGUY
GAMMA RAY
GIRLSCHOOL
GRAVEYARD
HELL
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
MÖTLEY CRÜE
PENTAGRAM
SACRED REICH
SLADE
SYMPHONY X
Three-day tickets (for the main festival days) and four-day tickets (including the Wednesday opening) for next year's event are available through www.swedenrock.com.
GIRLSCHOOL recently re-recorded its classic 1981 album "Hit And Run" to celebrate the LP's 30th anniversary. "Hit And Run Revisited" was released on September 26 via Wacken Records through UDR as a digipack, LP and digital download.
"Hit And Run" was originally made available in March 1981, followed a short time later by a single featuring the title track. Both releases were very successful in the U.K., with the album reaching position No. 5 and the single No. 32 on their respective charts. The LP also charted in New Zealand and in Canada, where it went gold.
GIRLSCHOOL's current lineup is amazingly the same as it was in 1981, apart from Jackie Chambers, who replaced the late Kelly Johnson. Guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe states about the album, "We've made quite a few changes. But I'm not gonna say anything about them because we're hoping that our fans will notice for themselves, just to see how well they know the original ones. Of course it's a different sound, we have Jackie play now, obviously, instead of Kelly, and also again, studio-wise it's just a completely different experience because the technology now is incredible compared to what we had in those days."
The U.S. version of "Hit And Run", which came out in 1982, featured a different track listing, including songs from GIRLSCHOOL's first album, "Demolition".
GIRLSCHOOL's 30th-anniversary album, "Legacy", was released in Europe in November 2008 via Wacken Records/SPV. "Legacy" features a plethora of special guests, including Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH), Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO), Lemmy and Phil Campbell from MOTÖRHEAD, "Fast" Eddie Clarke (FASTWAY, ex-MOTÖRHEAD) and a couple of members of TWISTED SISTER.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT
BONAFIDE
DANKO JONES
DIMMU BORGIR
EDGUY
GAMMA RAY
GIRLSCHOOL
GRAVEYARD
HELL
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
MÖTLEY CRÜE
PENTAGRAM
SACRED REICH
SLADE
SYMPHONY X
Three-day tickets (for the main festival days) and four-day tickets (including the Wednesday opening) for next year's event are available through www.swedenrock.com.
GIRLSCHOOL recently re-recorded its classic 1981 album "Hit And Run" to celebrate the LP's 30th anniversary. "Hit And Run Revisited" was released on September 26 via Wacken Records through UDR as a digipack, LP and digital download.
"Hit And Run" was originally made available in March 1981, followed a short time later by a single featuring the title track. Both releases were very successful in the U.K., with the album reaching position No. 5 and the single No. 32 on their respective charts. The LP also charted in New Zealand and in Canada, where it went gold.
GIRLSCHOOL's current lineup is amazingly the same as it was in 1981, apart from Jackie Chambers, who replaced the late Kelly Johnson. Guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe states about the album, "We've made quite a few changes. But I'm not gonna say anything about them because we're hoping that our fans will notice for themselves, just to see how well they know the original ones. Of course it's a different sound, we have Jackie play now, obviously, instead of Kelly, and also again, studio-wise it's just a completely different experience because the technology now is incredible compared to what we had in those days."
The U.S. version of "Hit And Run", which came out in 1982, featured a different track listing, including songs from GIRLSCHOOL's first album, "Demolition".
GIRLSCHOOL's 30th-anniversary album, "Legacy", was released in Europe in November 2008 via Wacken Records/SPV. "Legacy" features a plethora of special guests, including Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH), Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO), Lemmy and Phil Campbell from MOTÖRHEAD, "Fast" Eddie Clarke (FASTWAY, ex-MOTÖRHEAD) and a couple of members of TWISTED SISTER.
Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMON AMARTH
AXEL RUDI PELL
CORONER
CRADLE OF FILTH
DANKO JONES
DARK FUNERAL
DIMMU BORGIR
ENDSTILLE
FORBIDDEN
GAMMA RAY
HAMMERFALL
HENRY ROLLINS
IN EXTREMO
IN FLAMES
MACHINE HEAD
MINISTRY
MOONSPELL
NAPALM DEATH
OPETH
PARADISE LOST
SATURNIAN
SCORPIONS
SICK OF IT ALL
SIX FEET UNDER
SUICIDE SILENCE
U.D.O
VOLBEAT
WATAIN
WINTERFYLLETH
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMON AMARTH
AXEL RUDI PELL
CORONER
CRADLE OF FILTH
DANKO JONES
DARK FUNERAL
DIMMU BORGIR
ENDSTILLE
FORBIDDEN
GAMMA RAY
HAMMERFALL
HENRY ROLLINS
IN EXTREMO
IN FLAMES
MACHINE HEAD
MINISTRY
MOONSPELL
NAPALM DEATH
OPETH
PARADISE LOST
SATURNIAN
SCORPIONS
SICK OF IT ALL
SIX FEET UNDER
SUICIDE SILENCE
U.D.O
VOLBEAT
WATAIN
WINTERFYLLETH
JON OLIVA'S PAIN, the band led by SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva, is currently working on material for its fifth album for a 2012 release.
Commented JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer Christopher Kinder: "We received a bunch of emails asking about the demo phase of each record and how the songs are put together. We hope this shines an interesting light on the process...
"Jon and I record each and every idea whether it is a riff or entire parts of songs. We record as many instruments as possible. Guitars, bass, strings, and finger drums on the keyboard. Then I make a mix of those ideas and CDs are created.
"So far we have dozens of CDs to review and we will begin seaming some of those ideas together as working templates. From there he/I take them home and then we get together again and add or subtract from those ideas....and on and on.
"Jon plays all the instruments on the demos.
"We rarely, if ever, rehearse live to put these songs together. Everything can be done quickly in Pro Tools and then for further review.
"To address the band player situation...
"As for the 'band,' we have made no decisions on anything at this point. The first objective right now is the songs. So we will continue the process as we have done since 'Maniacal Renderings', which is basically Jon's ideas and me crafting them into working songs and then we will worry about the rest of the details. Everything and everyone else involved with work itself out in the very near future."
JON OLIVA'S PAIN guitarist Matt Laporte passed away at his home in Florida on April 20. A memorial concert was held on July 23 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's fourth album, "Festival", was released in North America on April 12, 2010. The CD, which was issued in Europe on February 19, 2010 via AFM Records, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 87.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's third album, "Global Warning", came out in the U.S. in May 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD featured a guest appearance by guitarist Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on two songs: "Adding The Cost" and "You'll Never Know".
Commented JON OLIVA'S PAIN drummer Christopher Kinder: "We received a bunch of emails asking about the demo phase of each record and how the songs are put together. We hope this shines an interesting light on the process...
"Jon and I record each and every idea whether it is a riff or entire parts of songs. We record as many instruments as possible. Guitars, bass, strings, and finger drums on the keyboard. Then I make a mix of those ideas and CDs are created.
"So far we have dozens of CDs to review and we will begin seaming some of those ideas together as working templates. From there he/I take them home and then we get together again and add or subtract from those ideas....and on and on.
"Jon plays all the instruments on the demos.
"We rarely, if ever, rehearse live to put these songs together. Everything can be done quickly in Pro Tools and then for further review.
"To address the band player situation...
"As for the 'band,' we have made no decisions on anything at this point. The first objective right now is the songs. So we will continue the process as we have done since 'Maniacal Renderings', which is basically Jon's ideas and me crafting them into working songs and then we will worry about the rest of the details. Everything and everyone else involved with work itself out in the very near future."
JON OLIVA'S PAIN guitarist Matt Laporte passed away at his home in Florida on April 20. A memorial concert was held on July 23 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's fourth album, "Festival", was released in North America on April 12, 2010. The CD, which was issued in Europe on February 19, 2010 via AFM Records, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 87.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN's third album, "Global Warning", came out in the U.S. in May 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD featured a guest appearance by guitarist Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, DEICIDE, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on two songs: "Adding The Cost" and "You'll Never Know".
"Necropolis", the new video from American melodic metallers KAMELOT, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "Poetry For The Poisoned", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was released in North America on September 14, 2010 via the group's own label, Kamelot Media Group (KMG Recordings), and in Europe on September 10 through earMUSIC/Edel. Marquee/Avalon Records made the CD available in Japan.
Commented KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood: "With this video, we gave [director] Owe [Lingvall of Village Road Film] free rein to create something unique and visually stunning. Him and his team did a fantastic job! Here you have 'Necropolis'!"
KAMELOT's recently completed North American, South American and European tours featured guest singer Fabio Lione of RHAPSODY OF FIRE following the departure of KAMELOT's longtime frontman, Roy Khan.
KAMELOT is now busy working on new songs and continuing to review audition videos from potential new singes.
"We are getting real close to making a choice," states KAMELOT bassist Sean Tibbetts.
"There are some amazingly talented singers out there.
"We are taking our time on this.
"The vocals for the new album will be done last, like always. So there is no rush to make the decision now."
KAMELOT will return to Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany in January with Sascha Paeth producing, to begin recording its new album. The production is expected to be several months long and will include special guests, orchestra arrangements and much more.
"The new songs are really coming along great — lots of variation, melody and energy," says Youngblood.
Lione stated in a recent interview that he would "would love" to join KAMELOT permanently. He said, "The KAMELOT songs are great, I really like the style and Khan is probably one of the few singers that I like. So, of course, I would consider that!!! But first let's do the North American [tour]. Then if they will ask me, I'll be more than happy to join the band permanently."
He added, "Since the first time we met and played together, we had a very good feeling. Everything was easy and natural like we knew each other for years and everybody who saw the band in South America or Europe said we did great shows. I'm happy for the guys and the fans, so let's see what the future will bring for us. Never say never."
Commented KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood: "With this video, we gave [director] Owe [Lingvall of Village Road Film] free rein to create something unique and visually stunning. Him and his team did a fantastic job! Here you have 'Necropolis'!"
KAMELOT's recently completed North American, South American and European tours featured guest singer Fabio Lione of RHAPSODY OF FIRE following the departure of KAMELOT's longtime frontman, Roy Khan.
KAMELOT is now busy working on new songs and continuing to review audition videos from potential new singes.
"We are getting real close to making a choice," states KAMELOT bassist Sean Tibbetts.
"There are some amazingly talented singers out there.
"We are taking our time on this.
"The vocals for the new album will be done last, like always. So there is no rush to make the decision now."
KAMELOT will return to Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany in January with Sascha Paeth producing, to begin recording its new album. The production is expected to be several months long and will include special guests, orchestra arrangements and much more.
"The new songs are really coming along great — lots of variation, melody and energy," says Youngblood.
Lione stated in a recent interview that he would "would love" to join KAMELOT permanently. He said, "The KAMELOT songs are great, I really like the style and Khan is probably one of the few singers that I like. So, of course, I would consider that!!! But first let's do the North American [tour]. Then if they will ask me, I'll be more than happy to join the band permanently."
He added, "Since the first time we met and played together, we had a very good feeling. Everything was easy and natural like we knew each other for years and everybody who saw the band in South America or Europe said we did great shows. I'm happy for the guys and the fans, so let's see what the future will bring for us. Never say never."
KREATOR, DARK TRANQUILLITY and GRAVEYARD have been confirmed for the first installment of next year's Close-Up Båten cruise, which will leave the Stockholm, Sweden port on March 8, 2012 for Åbo, Finland, and return the following day.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
KREATOR
GRAVEYARD
DARK TRANQUILLITY
THE KRISTET UTSEENDE
TORTURE DIVISION
YERSINIA
For more information, go to www.closeupmagazine.net.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
KREATOR
GRAVEYARD
DARK TRANQUILLITY
THE KRISTET UTSEENDE
TORTURE DIVISION
YERSINIA
For more information, go to www.closeupmagazine.net.
Danish/American metallers PYRAMAZE have recruited "longtime producer and very good friend" Jacob Hansen (INVOCATOR, ANUBIS GATE, BEYOND TWILIGHT) as the band's new guitarist.
Commented the group: "It seemed so natural to us to bring Jacob on board, given that he has always felt like an extra member of the band anyways. He has been with us since the beginning, producing, mixing and mastering 'Melancholy Beast' and 'Legend Of The Bonecarver', and mixing and mastering 'Immortal'.
"It's no secret that Michael [Kammeyer] was the main songwriter in PYRAMAZE, as well as the backbone of the band in every conceivable way. However, with our new lineup that also consists of original members Morten Gade (WUTHERING HEIGHTS) and Jonah Weingarten (STRUCTURE OF INHUMANITY, ECHOTERRA), longtime lead guitarist Toke Skjønnemand and new vocalist Urban Breed (TAD MOROSE), we have split up the songwriting duties, and pledge to put our hearts and souls into this new album and the future of PYRAMAZE.
"Michael's shoes are big ones to fill, (literally) and in doing so we feel that we are honoring his legacy to the best of our abilities.
"Before Michael and Niels (bass) had announced their departures from the band, we had already arranged to have Jacob mix the new album, so the transition has gone smoothly to say the least.
"We want to thank our fans for standing by us through all of our hardships, and we promise to deliver the best album we can. We love you all!"
PYRAMAZE parted ways with guitarist Michael Kammeyer and bassist Niels Kvist in February. In a statement, Kammeyer blamed his departure on his inability "to find the mental surplus as well as the sheer time to put into the large endeavor that PYRAMAZE has become." He added, "It has become increasingly taxing on me to find the energy that is needed to do all the stuff that I have to do. In fact, it has become difficult to the point where it's not justifiable anymore."
Vocalist Urban Breed joined PYRAMAZE in July 2008 following the departure of ex-ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow.
Barlow handled the vocals on PYRAMAZE's last album, "Immortal", which was released in the U.S. on June 24, 2008 via Locomotive Records.
"Immortal"'s vocal sessions were helmed by producer Jim Morris, who has worked with ICED EARTH on the group's last few releases. The CD was mixed by Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, INVOCATOR, MERCENARY).
Barlow originally joined PYRAMAZE as the replacement for Lance King who left the band in November 2006.
Commented the group: "It seemed so natural to us to bring Jacob on board, given that he has always felt like an extra member of the band anyways. He has been with us since the beginning, producing, mixing and mastering 'Melancholy Beast' and 'Legend Of The Bonecarver', and mixing and mastering 'Immortal'.
"It's no secret that Michael [Kammeyer] was the main songwriter in PYRAMAZE, as well as the backbone of the band in every conceivable way. However, with our new lineup that also consists of original members Morten Gade (WUTHERING HEIGHTS) and Jonah Weingarten (STRUCTURE OF INHUMANITY, ECHOTERRA), longtime lead guitarist Toke Skjønnemand and new vocalist Urban Breed (TAD MOROSE), we have split up the songwriting duties, and pledge to put our hearts and souls into this new album and the future of PYRAMAZE.
"Michael's shoes are big ones to fill, (literally) and in doing so we feel that we are honoring his legacy to the best of our abilities.
"Before Michael and Niels (bass) had announced their departures from the band, we had already arranged to have Jacob mix the new album, so the transition has gone smoothly to say the least.
"We want to thank our fans for standing by us through all of our hardships, and we promise to deliver the best album we can. We love you all!"
PYRAMAZE parted ways with guitarist Michael Kammeyer and bassist Niels Kvist in February. In a statement, Kammeyer blamed his departure on his inability "to find the mental surplus as well as the sheer time to put into the large endeavor that PYRAMAZE has become." He added, "It has become increasingly taxing on me to find the energy that is needed to do all the stuff that I have to do. In fact, it has become difficult to the point where it's not justifiable anymore."
Vocalist Urban Breed joined PYRAMAZE in July 2008 following the departure of ex-ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow.
Barlow handled the vocals on PYRAMAZE's last album, "Immortal", which was released in the U.S. on June 24, 2008 via Locomotive Records.
"Immortal"'s vocal sessions were helmed by producer Jim Morris, who has worked with ICED EARTH on the group's last few releases. The CD was mixed by Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, INVOCATOR, MERCENARY).
Barlow originally joined PYRAMAZE as the replacement for Lance King who left the band in November 2006.
U.S. metallers VIRGIN STEELE have confirmed a rare local performance for early next year. They will play at Ollie's Point in Amityville, New York on January 14, 2012. This will be a warm-up gig for the band's upcoming 30th-anniversary dates.
For more information, call 631-264-7712 (long-distance charges may apply).
SPV/Steamhammer will re-release VIRGIN STEELE's "Age Of Consent" album on November 28. This 2CD digipak reissue comes with bonus tracks, five of them previously unreleased, and a massive booklet with new liner notes and previously unseen photos. It will also be made available in vinyl for the first time since 1988.
VIRGIN STEELE's "By The Hammer Of Zeus (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor)" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "The Black Light Bacchanalia", which was released in November 2010 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was made available as a limited-edition digipak, standard CD, limited-edition LP box set and as a digital download. Each version had its own unique artwork.
For more information, call 631-264-7712 (long-distance charges may apply).
SPV/Steamhammer will re-release VIRGIN STEELE's "Age Of Consent" album on November 28. This 2CD digipak reissue comes with bonus tracks, five of them previously unreleased, and a massive booklet with new liner notes and previously unseen photos. It will also be made available in vinyl for the first time since 1988.
VIRGIN STEELE's "By The Hammer Of Zeus (And The Wrecking Ball Of Thor)" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "The Black Light Bacchanalia", which was released in November 2010 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was made available as a limited-edition digipak, standard CD, limited-edition LP box set and as a digital download. Each version had its own unique artwork.
Finnish metal/hard rock outfit AMORAL will film a new video tomorrow (Monday, November 28) at On The Rocks in Helsinki. According to a posting on the band's Facebook page, AMORAL "need[s] a few people to act as audience in one short scene. Anyone up for it? This would be around 15.00 - 16.00. Just show up there."
AMORAL's fifth album, "Beneath", entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 30. Released on October 26, the CD came equipped with a stunning 18-page poster booklet (made by Spanish artist Marta Nael), expanding the cover artwork into all its glory.
"Beneath" was recorded at Sound Supreme studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and was produced by Janne Saksa and guitarist Ben Varon.
"Beneath" marks the recording debut of AMORAL's new guitarist Masi Hukari. Hukari — who joined the group late in the songwriting process — immediately wrote two songs together with Varon, both which ended up on the album.
AMORAL's fifth album, "Beneath", entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 30. Released on October 26, the CD came equipped with a stunning 18-page poster booklet (made by Spanish artist Marta Nael), expanding the cover artwork into all its glory.
"Beneath" was recorded at Sound Supreme studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and was produced by Janne Saksa and guitarist Ben Varon.
"Beneath" marks the recording debut of AMORAL's new guitarist Masi Hukari. Hukari — who joined the group late in the songwriting process — immediately wrote two songs together with Varon, both which ended up on the album.
THE 11TH HOUR — the doom metal project led by Ed Warby (drums, guitar, bass, vocals, programming; GOREFEST, DEMIURG, HAIL OF BULLETS) — will release its second album, "Lacrima Mortis", on January 27, 2012 via Napalm Records.
According to a press release, "the seven tracks on 'Lacrima Mortis' are a dark collection of stories revolving around death, sorrow, and painful loss. Warby stays true to his chosen path of somber themes cloaked in funeral garb. Heavy and monumental riffs unite with melancholic piano arrangements to create a strong hypnotic vibe. The lyrics use both personal experiences, as well as fictitious accounts, to weave a funerary wreath ornamentally laid atop the music.
"Warby did not only compose all the tracks, but he also played all the instruments on this album. He took on the production and about half of the vocals, while Pim Blankenstein (OFFICIUM TRISTE) was responsible for the growls.
"'Lacrima Mortis' provides a window to the dying soul. It is a confident and thorough doom album that reveals the morbid complexities inherent in the world of human emotion and thus, will appeal to more than just fans of the genre."
"Lacrima Mortis" track listing:
01. We All Die Alone
02. Rain on Me
03. The Death of Life
04. Tears of the Bereaved
05. Reunion Illusion
06. Nothing but Pain
07. Bury Me
Commented Warby: "'Lacrima Mortis' is another glimpse into the darker side of my musical persona: a thick slab of epic doom metal dealing with the subject of death and its repercussions. I've worked on it feverishly for the past year and to my mind it surpasses 2009's 'Burden Of Grief' in every way. I hope you'll agree!"
According to a press release, "the seven tracks on 'Lacrima Mortis' are a dark collection of stories revolving around death, sorrow, and painful loss. Warby stays true to his chosen path of somber themes cloaked in funeral garb. Heavy and monumental riffs unite with melancholic piano arrangements to create a strong hypnotic vibe. The lyrics use both personal experiences, as well as fictitious accounts, to weave a funerary wreath ornamentally laid atop the music.
"Warby did not only compose all the tracks, but he also played all the instruments on this album. He took on the production and about half of the vocals, while Pim Blankenstein (OFFICIUM TRISTE) was responsible for the growls.
"'Lacrima Mortis' provides a window to the dying soul. It is a confident and thorough doom album that reveals the morbid complexities inherent in the world of human emotion and thus, will appeal to more than just fans of the genre."
"Lacrima Mortis" track listing:
01. We All Die Alone
02. Rain on Me
03. The Death of Life
04. Tears of the Bereaved
05. Reunion Illusion
06. Nothing but Pain
07. Bury Me
Commented Warby: "'Lacrima Mortis' is another glimpse into the darker side of my musical persona: a thick slab of epic doom metal dealing with the subject of death and its repercussions. I've worked on it feverishly for the past year and to my mind it surpasses 2009's 'Burden Of Grief' in every way. I hope you'll agree!"
Abyss Records has announced the signing of Sweden's CARNIVORE. The band will enter the studio in December to record its full-length debut for a 2012 release.
A limited-edition version of the band's previously released "Faces Of Death" EP will be made available early next year.
CARNIVORE was formed in 2010 when a former project of three of the members, called BEYOND HELL, underwent major lineup changes and decided to make a new start. The band played several local shows during 2010 and in 2011 recorded a three-song EP called "Faces Of Death".
According to a press release, "CARNIVORE's musical style is based on old-school elements with a modern and progressive touch, as well as an philosophical and occult lyrical element."
CARNIVORE is:
Daniel Ocic Sundberg - Vocals
Tobias Pettersson - Guitar
Jonas Davidsson - Guitar
Cedrik Petersson - Bass
Marcus Nieminen – Drums
A limited-edition version of the band's previously released "Faces Of Death" EP will be made available early next year.
CARNIVORE was formed in 2010 when a former project of three of the members, called BEYOND HELL, underwent major lineup changes and decided to make a new start. The band played several local shows during 2010 and in 2011 recorded a three-song EP called "Faces Of Death".
According to a press release, "CARNIVORE's musical style is based on old-school elements with a modern and progressive touch, as well as an philosophical and occult lyrical element."
CARNIVORE is:
Daniel Ocic Sundberg - Vocals
Tobias Pettersson - Guitar
Jonas Davidsson - Guitar
Cedrik Petersson - Bass
Marcus Nieminen – Drums
Norway's EL CACO will release its new album, "Hatred, Love And Diagrams", on January 27, 2012 in Europe and January 31, 2012 in North America via Indie Recordings.
"Hatred, Love And Diagrams" track listing:
01. After I'm Gone
02. Hatred
03. Autopsy
04. Equivalence
05. Go Forward
06. Confessions
07. Sixty To Zero
08. Skeleton
09. She Said
10. Disconnect
EL CACO has been an institution and a well-kept secret in the Norwegian music scene for the past decade. The band's music is a culmination of three very talented individuals, each with a very eclectic taste in music. Inspired by the best, but never stripping themselves of their own unique identity, they have the rare ability to grasp the finer elements of their influences and mould them into their own diverse sound.
On their new album, EL CACO "push the envelope even further than they have done before," according to a press release. "Having explored the melodic aspects of rock and metal for more than a decade, this album shows us yet another side of this multi layered band. With an organic and natural sound the trio displays true musicianship and great songwriting skills on this 10-track album which is their definitive peak, their Opus Magna. It sounds more like a band than most other bands. A true organic unit moving fluently with the songs, expressing the underlying emotions through their instruments in a way we know from the greater bands of history."
"Hatred, Love And Diagrams" track listing:
01. After I'm Gone
02. Hatred
03. Autopsy
04. Equivalence
05. Go Forward
06. Confessions
07. Sixty To Zero
08. Skeleton
09. She Said
10. Disconnect
EL CACO has been an institution and a well-kept secret in the Norwegian music scene for the past decade. The band's music is a culmination of three very talented individuals, each with a very eclectic taste in music. Inspired by the best, but never stripping themselves of their own unique identity, they have the rare ability to grasp the finer elements of their influences and mould them into their own diverse sound.
On their new album, EL CACO "push the envelope even further than they have done before," according to a press release. "Having explored the melodic aspects of rock and metal for more than a decade, this album shows us yet another side of this multi layered band. With an organic and natural sound the trio displays true musicianship and great songwriting skills on this 10-track album which is their definitive peak, their Opus Magna. It sounds more like a band than most other bands. A true organic unit moving fluently with the songs, expressing the underlying emotions through their instruments in a way we know from the greater bands of history."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/cacohatred.jpg
French metallers LONEWOLF have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's new album, "Army Of The Damned", in March 2012. In addition, LONEWOLF's classic longplayer "The Dark Crusade" will be re-released the very same month.
Commented the band: "The WOLF has joined the pack! We're proud and grateful to join forces with Napalm Records to release our new album, 'Army Of The Damned'. Our metal crusade continues. See you on tour! Hellbent on metal!"
"Army Of The Damned" was mixed at the MP Studio (SABATON, MORTICIAN) in Poland. The CD was produced by Bart Gabriel (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, CRYSTAL VIPER), who previously worked with the band on 2009's "The Dark Crusade". One of the new songs features a special guest appearance by ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley.
LONEWOLF is often described as the "new RUNNING WILD" as they mix classic metal influences of such bands as RUNNING WILD, ACCEPT and GRAVE DIGGER with the new attitude of groups like POWERWOLF.
The Polish label Skol Records (a division of Gabriel Media) has released a special limited deluxe edition of the two first rare LONEWOLF albums — "March Into The Arena" and "Unholy Paradise" — on one disc. Both albums were remastered, and the package includes a special booklet with all the lyrics and lot of old pictures.
For more information, visit www.lonewolfdivision.com.
Commented the band: "The WOLF has joined the pack! We're proud and grateful to join forces with Napalm Records to release our new album, 'Army Of The Damned'. Our metal crusade continues. See you on tour! Hellbent on metal!"
"Army Of The Damned" was mixed at the MP Studio (SABATON, MORTICIAN) in Poland. The CD was produced by Bart Gabriel (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, CRYSTAL VIPER), who previously worked with the band on 2009's "The Dark Crusade". One of the new songs features a special guest appearance by ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley.
LONEWOLF is often described as the "new RUNNING WILD" as they mix classic metal influences of such bands as RUNNING WILD, ACCEPT and GRAVE DIGGER with the new attitude of groups like POWERWOLF.
The Polish label Skol Records (a division of Gabriel Media) has released a special limited deluxe edition of the two first rare LONEWOLF albums — "March Into The Arena" and "Unholy Paradise" — on one disc. Both albums were remastered, and the package includes a special booklet with all the lyrics and lot of old pictures.
For more information, visit www.lonewolfdivision.com.
Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK, SCARVE) is back with the third pillar in his much-appreciated series of extreme metal MIDI for drums: "Library of the Extreme III - Fill Insanity".
Boasting more than one thousand different fills, played with butchering precision and offering an incredible diversity, this collection is likely to be your one-stop for any extreme metal fill. Just a simple drag and drop and you inject some of the mad genius of Dirk into your songs!
* More than one thousand different MIDI files, played by Dirk Verbeuren
* Straight/Swing variations in a wide range of different tempos
* Lead-in and stand-alone variations available in all tempos
Works with EZdrummer, Superior Drummer (optimized for 1 or 2 kicks, 1 snare, 2 toms, 1 floor-tom, 2 crash cymbals, 1 ride cymbal)
Boasting more than one thousand different fills, played with butchering precision and offering an incredible diversity, this collection is likely to be your one-stop for any extreme metal fill. Just a simple drag and drop and you inject some of the mad genius of Dirk into your songs!
* More than one thousand different MIDI files, played by Dirk Verbeuren
* Straight/Swing variations in a wide range of different tempos
* Lead-in and stand-alone variations available in all tempos
Works with EZdrummer, Superior Drummer (optimized for 1 or 2 kicks, 1 snare, 2 toms, 1 floor-tom, 2 crash cymbals, 1 ride cymbal)
Stuttgart, Germany-based metallers DAVIDIAN have inked a deal with Massacre Records. The band earlier in the year entered Antfarm studios in Aabyhøj, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HIMSA, SICK OF IT ALL) to begin recording its third album for an early 2012 release.
Metal fans who attended this past summer Summer Breeze open-air festival in Germany may already be familiar with DAVIDIAN as the band was one of the New Blood Award finalists who opened the event in the party tent.
DAVIDIAN has already released two albums: "Abuse Of Power" (2003, self-produced) and "Hear Their Cries" (2008, Limited Access Records, produced by Andy Classen).
DAVIDIAN's current frontman, Tobias Brasch, joined the band in 2010.
DAVIDIAN is:
Alex Schniepp - Guitar
Micha Weidler - Guitar
Tim Hinderer - Bass
Alex Scherf - Drums
Tobias Brausch – Vocals
Metal fans who attended this past summer Summer Breeze open-air festival in Germany may already be familiar with DAVIDIAN as the band was one of the New Blood Award finalists who opened the event in the party tent.
DAVIDIAN has already released two albums: "Abuse Of Power" (2003, self-produced) and "Hear Their Cries" (2008, Limited Access Records, produced by Andy Classen).
DAVIDIAN's current frontman, Tobias Brasch, joined the band in 2010.
DAVIDIAN is:
Alex Schniepp - Guitar
Micha Weidler - Guitar
Tim Hinderer - Bass
Alex Scherf - Drums
Tobias Brausch – Vocals
Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR will release their sixth album, "Samsara", on December 14. In the U.S. and Canada, the CD will be made avaialble on January 17, and in Mexico on January 19, 2012.
"Samsara" track listing:
01. Kissing The Flames (4:49)
02. Damned Rapture (5:12)
03. Cry For Love (IGGY POP cover) (4:21)
04. Death Comes in March (3:13)
05. Folie á Deux (7:11)
06. Hail Of Bullets (4:25)
07. Love's A Sickness (5:54)
08. Raving Hearts (3:48)
09. Oblivion: Vision (6:13)
10. Someday Somewhere Somehow (6:38)
Regarding the musical direction of the new material, vocalist Jape Perätalo previously stated, "[The next TO/DIE/FOR CD] is gonna be much darker compared to [2006's] 'Wounds Wide Open', but it will include some rocking ones, too."
He added, "We are not trying to create anything very 'technically nice' and very 'new'... We just record whatever the fuck we want to . . . We're gonna keep things simple but one thing is important for us... it must have real soul in it!"
TO/DIE/FOR's current lineup is as follows:
Jape Perätalo - Vocals
Juppe Sutela - Guitar
Antza Talala - Guitar
Eza Viren - Bass
Juska Salminen - Keyboards
Santtu Lonka - Drums
TO/DIE/FOR released a "best-of" collection, "Epilogue From The Past - Best Of", on January 27 via Spinefarm Records. Included on the set was the brand new song, "Angelica", which is slated to appear on the group's next studio album.
In December 2009, TO/DIE/FOR uploaded a demo version of a new song, "Unknown III", to the band's MySpace page. The track was one of four cuts — alongside "Angelica", "My Hysteria" and "Sad" (working title) — which were being used to try and procure new management and a record deal.
TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).
"Samsara" track listing:
01. Kissing The Flames (4:49)
02. Damned Rapture (5:12)
03. Cry For Love (IGGY POP cover) (4:21)
04. Death Comes in March (3:13)
05. Folie á Deux (7:11)
06. Hail Of Bullets (4:25)
07. Love's A Sickness (5:54)
08. Raving Hearts (3:48)
09. Oblivion: Vision (6:13)
10. Someday Somewhere Somehow (6:38)
Regarding the musical direction of the new material, vocalist Jape Perätalo previously stated, "[The next TO/DIE/FOR CD] is gonna be much darker compared to [2006's] 'Wounds Wide Open', but it will include some rocking ones, too."
He added, "We are not trying to create anything very 'technically nice' and very 'new'... We just record whatever the fuck we want to . . . We're gonna keep things simple but one thing is important for us... it must have real soul in it!"
TO/DIE/FOR's current lineup is as follows:
Jape Perätalo - Vocals
Juppe Sutela - Guitar
Antza Talala - Guitar
Eza Viren - Bass
Juska Salminen - Keyboards
Santtu Lonka - Drums
TO/DIE/FOR released a "best-of" collection, "Epilogue From The Past - Best Of", on January 27 via Spinefarm Records. Included on the set was the brand new song, "Angelica", which is slated to appear on the group's next studio album.
In December 2009, TO/DIE/FOR uploaded a demo version of a new song, "Unknown III", to the band's MySpace page. The track was one of four cuts — alongside "Angelica", "My Hysteria" and "Sad" (working title) — which were being used to try and procure new management and a record deal.
TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).
Swedish "Viking metal" act MÅNEGARM has inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's new album is scheduled for release at the end of 2012.
MÅNEGARM's most recent CD, "Nattväsen", was released in November 2009 via Regain Records.
"Vetrarmegin" (English translation: Winter Force), the latest video from MÅNEGARM, was shot in a "Viking village" near the band's hometown, Norrtälje, with an "incredible pre-renaissance atmosphere." The clip was helmed by Sweden's Standard Film Team, which has previously worked with DARK FUNERAL, PLECTOR and ZONARIA.
MÅNEGARM's most recent CD, "Nattväsen", was released in November 2009 via Regain Records.
"Vetrarmegin" (English translation: Winter Force), the latest video from MÅNEGARM, was shot in a "Viking village" near the band's hometown, Norrtälje, with an "incredible pre-renaissance atmosphere." The clip was helmed by Sweden's Standard Film Team, which has previously worked with DARK FUNERAL, PLECTOR and ZONARIA.
Finnish multi-instrumentalist Aleksi Sihvonen (NORTHER, MEDICATED, ex-IMPERANON) has launched a brand new project called ASXX. According to a posting on the band's Facebook page, "The idea behind ASXX is simple: A piece of music is composed. Then a drummer who was chosen to play that particular song lays down the drum tracks and Aleksi does the rest. That's it."
Polish extreme metal veterans BEHEMOTH have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 10-12 at Catton Hall in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, England.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
Ronnie James Dio Stage
ALICE COOPER
ANVIL
BEHEMOTH
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
DIMMU BORGIR
GRAND MAGUS
HATEBREED
PARADISE LOST
SANCTUARY
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
WATAIN
Sophie Lancaster Stage
ANAAL NATHRAKH
ORANGE GOBLIN
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
Ronnie James Dio Stage
ALICE COOPER
ANVIL
BEHEMOTH
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
DIMMU BORGIR
GRAND MAGUS
HATEBREED
PARADISE LOST
SANCTUARY
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
WATAIN
Sophie Lancaster Stage
ANAAL NATHRAKH
ORANGE GOBLIN
Drummer Pasi Pasanen (ex-SWALLOW THE SUN, PLUTONIUM ORANGE) has joined the Jyväskylä, Finland-based rock/metal band BONE5.
The group's new album, "From The Ashes", will be released on December 7. It was recorded in Jyväskylä with producer Teemu Liekkala.
BONE5 was founded in 2007.
"From The Ashes" track listing:
01. Morbid Desires
02. Back On Track
03. Rain
04. Black Eyed Beat
05. The Dark That Binds Me
06. Twisted
07. By Death
08. Long Gone
09. Futility Of War
10. Last Dance
BONE5 is:
* Tony Kaikkonen (CODE FOR SILENCE, DARK DAYS AHEAD) - Vocals
* Heikki Viinikainen - Guitar
* Mikko Argillander - Guitar
* Jani Juutilainen - Bass
* Pasi Pasanen (SONS OF AEON, PLUTONIUM ORANGE, ex-SWALLOW THE SUN) – Drums
The group's new album, "From The Ashes", will be released on December 7. It was recorded in Jyväskylä with producer Teemu Liekkala.
BONE5 was founded in 2007.
"From The Ashes" track listing:
01. Morbid Desires
02. Back On Track
03. Rain
04. Black Eyed Beat
05. The Dark That Binds Me
06. Twisted
07. By Death
08. Long Gone
09. Futility Of War
10. Last Dance
BONE5 is:
* Tony Kaikkonen (CODE FOR SILENCE, DARK DAYS AHEAD) - Vocals
* Heikki Viinikainen - Guitar
* Mikko Argillander - Guitar
* Jani Juutilainen - Bass
* Pasi Pasanen (SONS OF AEON, PLUTONIUM ORANGE, ex-SWALLOW THE SUN) – Drums
Former DIMMU BORGIR and current BORKNAGAR member ICS Vortex (real name: Simen Hestnæs) will handle the lead vocals on the upcoming debut album from GOD OF ATHEISTS, the Norwegian extreme metal project led by Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT, BORKNAGAR, TESTAMENT). Drums on the CD were recorded by Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON, ENSLAVED), while the rhythm guitars were laid down by Mickelson.
Commented Asgeir: "GOD OF ATHEISTS is the extreme metal project which I wrote most of the music for in 2008. One song were originally written for BORKNAGAR back in 2004, but was never finished, so I rewrote it and it's now way too brutal for BORKNAGAR's style. The overall style is kind of 'Norwegian black metal done death metal.' It's brutal but also very melodic.
"Both Mr. Vortex and I are looking forward to work on this album the upcoming months, and I'm sure Vortex's awesome vocal style will add a new dimension to the songs. I just need to write some venomous lyrics first… Thankfully, there's a lot of venom in my head…"
He added, "And if you like a project with Trym, Vortex and me, I think you will like the other musicians who've agreed to play on it."
Commented Asgeir: "GOD OF ATHEISTS is the extreme metal project which I wrote most of the music for in 2008. One song were originally written for BORKNAGAR back in 2004, but was never finished, so I rewrote it and it's now way too brutal for BORKNAGAR's style. The overall style is kind of 'Norwegian black metal done death metal.' It's brutal but also very melodic.
"Both Mr. Vortex and I are looking forward to work on this album the upcoming months, and I'm sure Vortex's awesome vocal style will add a new dimension to the songs. I just need to write some venomous lyrics first… Thankfully, there's a lot of venom in my head…"
He added, "And if you like a project with Trym, Vortex and me, I think you will like the other musicians who've agreed to play on it."
Cult U.S. death metallers EXMORTIS have inked a deal with Xtreem Music for the release of a new EP and a full-length album.
Due on December 20, the mini-CD, titled "Resurrection... Book of the Dead", was recorded by Brian Werking during September/ October 2011 at Shockwerks Audio in Tampa, Florida. It was then mixed and mastered by Javier Fernández at Room 101 Studios in Guadalajara, Spain in October/ November.
A press release from Xtreem Music states: "If you remember EXMORTIS from the early days of death metal, then you will enjoy this classic recording set in modern times. The extreme brutality it presents is undoubtedly some of their best work to date and will again engrave itself with a strong hold in the death metal underground where they plan to stay.
"EXMORTIS was originally inspired by such bands as DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, SLAYER, POSSESSED and the list goes on. If it's old, then that's what EXMORTIS represents. Even to this day EXMORTIS is and will always be an underground sensation."
"Resurrection... Book Of The Dead" track listing:
01. Creation (intro)
02. Book Of The Dead
03. The Slaughter Begins
04. And There Was Pain
05. Deep Red
06. Parade Of Chanting Ancients
The cover artwork for this CD was created by Eric Rot Engelmann and was colorized by Tinamarie Linares.
Due on December 20, the mini-CD, titled "Resurrection... Book of the Dead", was recorded by Brian Werking during September/ October 2011 at Shockwerks Audio in Tampa, Florida. It was then mixed and mastered by Javier Fernández at Room 101 Studios in Guadalajara, Spain in October/ November.
A press release from Xtreem Music states: "If you remember EXMORTIS from the early days of death metal, then you will enjoy this classic recording set in modern times. The extreme brutality it presents is undoubtedly some of their best work to date and will again engrave itself with a strong hold in the death metal underground where they plan to stay.
"EXMORTIS was originally inspired by such bands as DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, SLAYER, POSSESSED and the list goes on. If it's old, then that's what EXMORTIS represents. Even to this day EXMORTIS is and will always be an underground sensation."
"Resurrection... Book Of The Dead" track listing:
01. Creation (intro)
02. Book Of The Dead
03. The Slaughter Begins
04. And There Was Pain
05. Deep Red
06. Parade Of Chanting Ancients
The cover artwork for this CD was created by Eric Rot Engelmann and was colorized by Tinamarie Linares.
Dutch brutal death metallers SUPREME PAIN have announced the addition of drummer Eric De Windt to the group's ranks. According to the band, Eric "is a very experienced musician and was part of many bands, such as SEVERE TORTURE (vocalist), SINISTER (vocals on 'Aggressive Measures') and PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT, INHUME and DESTROYER666 (drums). At the moment he is also drummer for the Dutch death metal band TEMPLE."
Video footage of Eric De Windt rehearsing with SUPREME PAIN can be seen below.
SUPREME PAIN's third album, "Divine Incarnation", was released in Europe in May via Massacre Records and in North America on October 25 through Massacre's new distribution via AFM Records' deal with E1 Entertainment. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany with producer Jörg Uken. According to the group, the album contains "nine blasting death metal tracks with an evil and twisted atmosphere."
Drummer Paul Beltman was forced to leave SUPREME PAIN this past summer after suffering an injury.
The band's second full-length CD, "Nemesis Enforcer", came out last year via Metal Age Productions from Slovakia.
Video footage of Eric De Windt rehearsing with SUPREME PAIN can be seen below.
SUPREME PAIN's third album, "Divine Incarnation", was released in Europe in May via Massacre Records and in North America on October 25 through Massacre's new distribution via AFM Records' deal with E1 Entertainment. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studios in Leer, Germany with producer Jörg Uken. According to the group, the album contains "nine blasting death metal tracks with an evil and twisted atmosphere."
Drummer Paul Beltman was forced to leave SUPREME PAIN this past summer after suffering an injury.
The band's second full-length CD, "Nemesis Enforcer", came out last year via Metal Age Productions from Slovakia.
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