KISS frontman Paul Stanley has partnered with Washburn Guitars to release the PS21012 "Starfire" signature guitar.
The PS2012 features a carved "raised center" solid Mahogany body with chrome hardware, and has two Seymour-Duncan SM-3 Mini Humbuckers, controlled by two volume knobs, two tone knobs, and a 3-way toggle switch. A custom Tone-Pros Tune-O-Matic bridge and custom Paul Stanley tailpiece machined from solid aluminum completes this rocking body. This USA-made guitar is available in black and white. The neck is also mahogany and has a bound ebony fingerboard with 22 Jumbo frets and stunning "split" block inlays, with the top half being pearl, and the bottom being abalone. The PS2012 Starfire embodies rock and roll in a way only Paul Stanley and Washburn can.
Washburn Guitars is owned by U.S. Music Corp., located in Mundelein, Ilinois.
For more information, visit link textwww.washburn.com.
The PS2012 features a carved "raised center" solid Mahogany body with chrome hardware, and has two Seymour-Duncan SM-3 Mini Humbuckers, controlled by two volume knobs, two tone knobs, and a 3-way toggle switch. A custom Tone-Pros Tune-O-Matic bridge and custom Paul Stanley tailpiece machined from solid aluminum completes this rocking body. This USA-made guitar is available in black and white. The neck is also mahogany and has a bound ebony fingerboard with 22 Jumbo frets and stunning "split" block inlays, with the top half being pearl, and the bottom being abalone. The PS2012 Starfire embodies rock and roll in a way only Paul Stanley and Washburn can.
Washburn Guitars is owned by U.S. Music Corp., located in Mundelein, Ilinois.
For more information, visit link textwww.washburn.com.
When KISS hit the stage at Nippon Budokan in Japan in 1977 with guitarist Ace Frehley behind a Cherry Sunburst, three-pickup Les Paul Custom, the entire package — band, guitarist, guitar — embodied the height of glam-rock excess and success for the '70s. This was the ultimate marriage of pop and heavy rock, driven to meteoric heights by the record industry marketing machine, and ultimately attaining that otherworldly presence that great stadium rock should achieve: unbridled fantasy and party-hard reality rolled into one glorious explosion.
In celebration of Ace Frehley's unquestionable status as a rock icon, and the epitome of glam-rock stardom that KISS represented at this crystalline moment in time in 1977, Gibson Custom proudly announces the release of the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom, produced in a strictly limited edition of 50 hand-aged guitars signed by the artist, with a further 100 hand-aged guitars, and 150 guitars treated in Gibson Custom's VOS process. Offering everything you've come to expect from Gibson Custom's artist replica guitars, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is a painstaking recreation of Frehley's modified Les Paul Custom, based on intimate examination of the instrument's current condition.
The Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom has been created with close cooperation between Gibson Custom, Ace Frehley and the guitar's current owner, Matt Swanson. Digital scanning technology was used to capture every minute detail of the actual guitar.
In the image of the original Les Paul Custom, the guitar has a four-piece maple top glued to a mid-'70s "sandwich" body made from a middle and back section of solid mahogany joined by a thin maple veneer, with no chambering. The top is hand-sprayed in nitrocellulose to give it the same Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish as the original, with 150 hand-aged to match the wear of the existing guitar. The three-piece mahogany neck has been made made to match the original's thin profile. Decorative elements include mother-of-pearl block fingerboard inlays, multi-ply body and headstock binding, mother-of-pearl Gibson headstock logo and split-diamond inlay, and a cream pickguard.
To match Ace's original guitar, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is loaded with three period-correct double-cream DiMarzio humbucking pickups — two PAF models in the neck and middle positions, and a Super Distortion in the bridge. And just like on Ace's guitar, the traditional 3-way toggle switch has been modified to only allow the use of the bridge pickup, allowing you to be able to accomplish one of Ace's most noted effects. The DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup offers searing lead tones and fat, chunky rhythm for the ultimate hard-rock performance. Hardware includes the classic pairing of chrome ABR-1 bridge and stopbar tailpiece, with Ace's choice of Grover tuners with pearloid "banjo" buttons and Dunlop straplocks to keep the guitar securely strapped on through the wildest on-stage antics. In short, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is the ultimate embodiment of mid-'70s arena-rock balls and bluster, and it's available in strictly limited numbers. Check it out today at your authorized Gibson Custom dealer.
All guitars include a Gibson Custom hardshell case silkscreened with Ace's signature. Aged/signed guitars (limited to 50 worldwide) are all played by the artist during final approval, and include a leather-bound Certificate of Authenticity; aged guitars (100) include a leather-bound CoA, and VOS guitars (150) include a standard CoA.
In celebration of Ace Frehley's unquestionable status as a rock icon, and the epitome of glam-rock stardom that KISS represented at this crystalline moment in time in 1977, Gibson Custom proudly announces the release of the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom, produced in a strictly limited edition of 50 hand-aged guitars signed by the artist, with a further 100 hand-aged guitars, and 150 guitars treated in Gibson Custom's VOS process. Offering everything you've come to expect from Gibson Custom's artist replica guitars, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is a painstaking recreation of Frehley's modified Les Paul Custom, based on intimate examination of the instrument's current condition.
The Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom has been created with close cooperation between Gibson Custom, Ace Frehley and the guitar's current owner, Matt Swanson. Digital scanning technology was used to capture every minute detail of the actual guitar.
In the image of the original Les Paul Custom, the guitar has a four-piece maple top glued to a mid-'70s "sandwich" body made from a middle and back section of solid mahogany joined by a thin maple veneer, with no chambering. The top is hand-sprayed in nitrocellulose to give it the same Heritage Cherry Sunburst finish as the original, with 150 hand-aged to match the wear of the existing guitar. The three-piece mahogany neck has been made made to match the original's thin profile. Decorative elements include mother-of-pearl block fingerboard inlays, multi-ply body and headstock binding, mother-of-pearl Gibson headstock logo and split-diamond inlay, and a cream pickguard.
To match Ace's original guitar, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is loaded with three period-correct double-cream DiMarzio humbucking pickups — two PAF models in the neck and middle positions, and a Super Distortion in the bridge. And just like on Ace's guitar, the traditional 3-way toggle switch has been modified to only allow the use of the bridge pickup, allowing you to be able to accomplish one of Ace's most noted effects. The DiMarzio Super Distortion pickup offers searing lead tones and fat, chunky rhythm for the ultimate hard-rock performance. Hardware includes the classic pairing of chrome ABR-1 bridge and stopbar tailpiece, with Ace's choice of Grover tuners with pearloid "banjo" buttons and Dunlop straplocks to keep the guitar securely strapped on through the wildest on-stage antics. In short, the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom is the ultimate embodiment of mid-'70s arena-rock balls and bluster, and it's available in strictly limited numbers. Check it out today at your authorized Gibson Custom dealer.
All guitars include a Gibson Custom hardshell case silkscreened with Ace's signature. Aged/signed guitars (limited to 50 worldwide) are all played by the artist during final approval, and include a leather-bound Certificate of Authenticity; aged guitars (100) include a leather-bound CoA, and VOS guitars (150) include a standard CoA.
The Scorpions are well into their Farewell tour. The day is coming soon where there will be no more albums or songs or tours. No more "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "No One Like You."
I suppose all great things must come to an end, even Scorpions music, but before the end has arrived Scorpions fans will have two new releases to purchase. The most impressive is a 3D Blu-Ray titled Live in 3D. The special effects are well done and the song choice and sound are amazing. This is a band preparing to leave the stage at the top of their game.
The other release is a new CD. Yeah, a new CD is coming out despite the fact that the band went to great lengths to make sure everyone knew that the release before this one, Sting in the Tail, was the last new album they would make. To be fair, this is not really a full blown new release as much as it is a way for the band to have some fun in the studio and make a few extra bucks. The release, titled Comeblack, is a hodgepodge of re-recordings and 1960's cover songs. Not as exciting as Live in 3D but a lot of fun nonetheless. The band takes on T. Rex, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and The Kinks among others. Most surprising is the remake of "Tainted Love." Most people relate this song to the new wave version released by the Soft Cell in the early 1980's. The song was actually recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965…and now, in 2012 by the Scorpions.
Vocalist Klaus Meine took time to speak with Classic Rock Revisited.com about the new 3D concert and CD release. In the interview that follows we discuss playing to the camera, facing the reality that the band is coming to an end and even that fact that the band released another CD after they said they would not.
Maybe the winds of change that fuel the hurricane will blow another tour and album our way a few years down the line. Maybe not, as after forty years the band may actually be ready to retire. Either way, check out 3D Live, Comeblack and be sure to catch the band one more time on tour before the end arrives.
Jeb: I just finished watching Live in 3D and was blown away. It had to be great to do this in your homeland.
Klaus: We recorded that in April in Germany. It came up, I don't want to say out of the blue, but we got the opportunity to record this with the newest technology, which happened to be in Germany. We needed to make a quick decision to do this, as we really had just the one show to do it, as we were getting ready to go do a lot of dates in Russia. Rudolf Schenker had wanted to do this for many years. This came together very quickly and it is very exciting.
Jeb: The music sounds great and the 3D effects are very cool.
Klaus: There is a moment on "Blackout" where smoke is coming out of Rudolf's guitar and you can almost smell it. I take the microphone out into the audience for them to sing along and it is like Klaus is hitting you with the microphone. It really brings it to life in your living room.
Jeb: Did the 3D filming make you be more careful with your choreography onstage?
Klaus: The only difference is that you have to act to the cameras. Normally, you don't care about where the cameras are. We had meetings with the directors beforehand and they said, "We don't want you to overdo it, but once in a while it would be nice if you could take your guitar, or your microphone and really move it towards the 3D camera because that will give it a very special effect for the viewer." You can't do it the whole time because it is a regular concert but, now and then, you would be next to the 3D camera and you would do something because you know it will have a very special effect.
Jeb: As the farewell tour goes on are you starting to get emotional that the end is near?
Klaus: It is a weird thing to think about after forty years with this band. We are family. On the other side, we are a band that after forty years has survived punk and grunge. Classic rock music seems to be very popular with the new generation. Right now, we can put all of our energy into our concerts.
We are going to be doing the biggest heavy metal festival in the world called Wacken. People come from all over the world to see this show. We are really happening right now and we feel the energy. Our fans around the world will keep this energy going until the very end. They will keep it going until our rocking hurricane is downgraded to a tropical storm.
Jeb: On the Blu-Ray, during the song "Still Loving You" the camera pans the audience and every person in the crowd knows every word to your song. That is amazing.
Klaus: I don't need to sing at all anymore as the audience sings all the words to all the songs. It is quite something. We have a whole new audience which makes a nice mix with those fans who have been with the band for thirty or forty years. There are young fans standing right in front of the stage going totally nuts to "Blackout," "No One Like You" and "The Zoo" and other songs that were written way before they were even born.
It is wonderful to have those classics like "Still Loving You" and no matter where we play the fans react the same way and sing along. Scorpions fans make every show a lot of fun and it feels great. We can play Russia or New York City or somewhere in the jungle and the fans sing all of the words to the songs. It is a wonderful, wonderful feeling.
Jeb: I've got a bone to pick with you. I thought Sting in the Tail was supposed to be the last album by the Scorpions. I am holding in my hands the new album Comeblack.
Klaus: It was. We announced the album Sting in the Tail in conjunction with this tour that will take us all over the world and it became such a huge success that Sony said, "Okay, we want to support this with some product." What can you do? We just announced our last album and then things are so huge that they want us to get back in the studio. We decided that if we were going to do that then we would just go in and have some fun. We decided to re-record some of our classics like "The Zoo" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane." The idea was for us to blow off the dust from those vinyl records and to present them to a whole new audience in the sound of the 21st century. It was a lot of fun because you can do so much more today in the studio. At the same time, we thought that this can't be enough as we didn't want to put out a new album without some new songs on it. We thought about recording some covers and paying tribute to some of the legendary bands who inspired us in the '60's. We had a lot of fun trying things out and seeing what worked and what didn't work. We really were enjoying playing music from all of our heroes like the Beatles and the Stones. We did songs like "Tainted Love" which is a song that many people might not expect to hear us do but the riff worked well. We gave it a try and it worked. We did "Children of the Revolution" by T. Rex, which was outside of us in a lot of ways. They are all great bands.
Jeb: You really put a Scorpions stamp on these songs. Was that part of the reason these songs made the cut? You could pay homage to them but you can still be yourself.
Klaus: Those are all legendary compositions. You have to find your own adaptation of that music. You better do good. It doesn't make sense to record any of those songs unless it is going to be great. At this point, we had to be convinced that is was not only a great song but we had to put our own Scorpions DNA onto those songs. It was a very difficult issue to even choose the songs. You can't go in and choose "Hey Jude" or "Strawberry Fields," no way. When I did "Across the Universe" it worked well with my voice and everyone said, "Let's do it." Then Matthias [Jabs] said we should do a Rolling Stones song. It is impossible for me, with my voice, to sing a soul song. We found "Ruby Tuesday" and it came out not too bad. Then we went to Led Zeppelin and we figured out, no way could we do that. We love Led Zeppelin and they are one of our favorite bands of all time but at the end of the day it was impossible to pick any of those songs. I think we were talking about "Good Times Bad Times" but it didn't work. At the end of the day, we took a deep bow to Jimmy Page as we couldn't do justice to any of their songs.
Doing this album was so much fun that if someone had not told us it was time to stop then we would probably be in the studio still recording. We didn't need to write songs and we didn't need to write lyrics. We just had a great time.
Jeb: Before we have to go I want to talk about your voice. Back in the Blackout days you had major problems with your voice. Now, 30 years after that you still sound amazing. How did you do it?
Klaus: Thank you very much for that nice compliment. I try to take care of my instrument, which is my voice. I try to prepare it and not to slash it too much, which can happen on a long tour. At the end of the day, I am really very fortunate that my voice is still there.
Back in the day, when we recorded Blackout and I had surgery twice, I really had to work hard. When I look back to 1982, which is thirty years ago, we recorded the album and then we went on a long American tour and I came out of it with my voice intact. I was very happy. I got a second chance to rock the world with the Scorpions.
Jeb: Any final words?
Klaus: I want to let you know that we will be back over to see our fans in US before our Farwell tour is over. America has always been very, very important to our career and we never forget our American fans that have been very loyal for all of these years.
Legendary thrashers SLAYER have teamed up with Jammit to bring you the classic song "Angel Of Death" for this revolutionary software. Jammit gives you access to SLAYER's original multi-track masters, with instrument-specific versions available for guitar, bass, drums and vocals featuring precise notation and tablature.
In addition to being an exceptional learning tool, "Angel Of Death" can be analyzed by isolating the individual instruments from the rest of the mix, slowing down the speed (without changing the pitch) and looping difficult sections.
For more information, visit Jammit.com.
In addition to being an exceptional learning tool, "Angel Of Death" can be analyzed by isolating the individual instruments from the rest of the mix, slowing down the speed (without changing the pitch) and looping difficult sections.
For more information, visit Jammit.com.
In early September, as new students wandered onto the campus of Concordia Seminary in Clayton, they were joined by another group of theological rookies — mostly midcareer types — joining the school's program that allows students to train for the ministry online.
As the consultants, electricians, farmers and entrepreneurs in the Specific Ministry Program got to know one another in person, before reconnecting online from hundreds or thousands of miles away in the weeks that followed, one student had an orientation story that truly rocked.
David Ellefson was an honest-to-God founding member of the legendary thrash metal band Megadeth.
And Ellefson's studies at Concordia illustrate why distance learning seminary programs are increasingly popular nationwide as the convenience of Internet education brings new candidates to divinity schools who don't have to uproot their lives to attend.
But for Ellefson, his new quest for the ministry is also about a peculiar foray through the apparent contradictions of rock and religion that began in his childhood.
Ellefson grew up in the church. Each Sunday, his family drove from their farm in southwest Minnesota to Our Savior's Lutheran Church, where David attended Sunday school and was confirmed at age 16. His mother sang in the choir. His father was active on the building committee.
Just a few years after his confirmation at Our Savior's, in the summer of 1983, Ellefson moved to Los Angeles. Within a week of arriving, he had formed a band and named it Megadeth for the unit of measurement equal to the death of 1 million people by nuclear explosion. Soon, he was playing bass on stage in front of thousands of heavy metal fans in New York with other bands like Metallica and Slayer. In 1985, Megadeth released its first album, "Killing Is My Business ... And Business Is Good!"
In "The Skull Beneath the Skin," Ellefson and his bandmates sang:
"Mean and infectious the evil prophets rise
Dance of the Macabre as witches streak the sky
Decadent worship of black magic sorcery
In the womb of the Devil's Dungeon trapped without a plea"
RETURN TO CHURCH
In the 1980s and 1990s, Megadeth gained a reputation for an intelligent take on heavy metal, earning several Grammy Award nominations, and was known for its album covers, many of which depicted a character named Vic Rattlehead, a skeleton whose eyes, ears and mouth were fused closed with metal.
But by the time Ellefson was 25, the rock star lifestyle had caught up to him. In a 12-step recovery program, he was reintroduced to his faith and embraced it. He moved to Arizona, married and had children. He also began church shopping, eventually landing at Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in Scottsdale.
"I came from a good family, not a broken home," said Ellefson, 47. "That became a model for me, and I saw church at center of it."
The Rev. Jon Bjorgaard , pastor of Shepherd of the Desert, asked Ellefson to start a contemporary worship service. Ellefson began to use lyrics from the Old Testament as a springboard for songwriting, penning praise music — worship songs with a soft-rock hook.
"For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion," Ellefson said.
Combining his musical abilities and his faith led Ellefson to a deeper exploration of Christianity, he said. And it led him to start a new music ministry within the walls of Shepherd of the Desert.
He called it MEGA Life, partially a play on Megadeth. But it's also a reference to a verse from the Gospel of John: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
MEGA Life became so popular in Scottsdale that Shepherd of the Desert bought a new space for the ministry.
And last year, Bjorgaard asked Ellefson and MEGA Life director Jeremy DaPena to enroll in Concordia's Specific Ministry Program.
"Most people want to become a rock star," Bjorgaard said. "David's a rock star who wants to become a pastor."
After two years at Concordia, Ellefson will be eligible for ordination, something he hopes will happen.
"People take you more seriously when you've gone through the proper training to be able to help them," he said.
GROWING TREND
David Wollenburg, director of Concordia's distance learning, said more than 100 students are enrolled in the program, which is limited to students who have been sponsored by someone already working in the ministry. Classes include "Lutheran Distinctions," "Preaching I & II," "Introduction to Worship" and "Scripture and Faith."
Wollenburg said students are as young as 35 and as old as late 60s, and their interests are just as varied — from church planting to inner-city ministries. Students return to campus every so often for "residential retreats."
The trend of distance learning at divinity schools "is definitely growing," said Eliza Brown of the Association of Theological Schools, the accreditation body for U.S. seminaries. But there is some debate about its merits, Brown said.
"Some feel you can't be adequately formed as a church leader unless you're engaged in a residential program that has serious face-to-face formation components," she said. Despite that concern, 124 seminaries accredited by the organization offer some form of distance education.
Johnny Greer, 58, an electrician with GKN Aerospace, is a ministry leader at St. Peter's at Spanish Lake and a student in the Concordia program. He said he wanted to bring back churches in urban areas that were dying.
"There's a way to keep these churches going, but they need pastors," he said. Without Concordia's online program, "I wouldn't have been able to do this at all."
STUDYING WHILE TOURING
As Megadeth prepares to kick off a new tour with Motörhead next week in New Jersey, Ellefson is thinking about his studies — something he'll tackle during down time on the Megadeth tour bus with his laptop and some books.
He's under no illusion about how difficult it will be to balance school and a road schedule that has him in Denver one night and Dallas the next. "This is going to be the acid test," he said.
Classes begin each Monday, though homework is posted a few days earlier in case eager students want to get a jump on their classmates. On Tuesday nights, Ellefson and eight other students wired in from around the country sit in on a two-hour live session with a professor teaching from a Concordia classroom. Once a week, he meets with Bjorgaard to discuss that week's work. Finally, late in the week, he uploads his homework for the professor to grade.
"It makes higher education possible for me," he said. "As a guy my age, to be involved in any kind of higher learning is a great thing. And so far, it's worked."
He has learned to keep his faith and his onstage persona separate, he said, and in his songwriting, he tries to 'stay away from darker themes."
"Some people want to morph things together into one, but I have a hand in both worlds," he said. "I love praise and worship music, and I love heavy metal."
On Thursday, January 19 at The Grove in Anaheim, California, guitar icon Zakk Wylde, surrounded by Roastmaster Sharon Osborne and a slew of metal luminaries, will hold the distinctive honor of being the inaugural honoree of Guitar World's first-ever Rock 'N' Roll Roast to benefit MusiCares, which provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need.
A "Wylde" roast…not a bad way to launch a new creative alliance between photographer Mark Weiss and artist David Banegas. Two months ago when they shared an idea to collaborate their passion for music, art and "giving back," neither dreamed it would come together at such a high-profile stage so quickly. As the guests arrive via the red carpet to the sold out event, attendees will pass by a portrait of Zakk Wylde by photographer Mark Weiss and the mirror image created by artist David Banegas. David will also be painting "live," a Zakk Epiphone Signature Les Paul guitar on canvas to be auctioned off for MusiCares.
To photographer Mark Weiss, there is a special connection with Zakk. In 1987, Weiss, who has been Ozzy Osbourne's photographer since 1981, was helping Ozzy in his search to find a new guitarist. Mark, Sharon and Ozzy had just returned "empty-handed" from checking out a guitar player in Long Island. Mark's last words to Ozzy and Sharon were, "I'll keep my eyes open." The next day, Weiss' friend Dave Feld told Mark to give this kid he saw at a local club a listen. It was Zakk, a New Jersey teenager, still living at home with his parents. Mark sent the photo and cassette for Ozzy to check out. Sharon called Mark and told him to bring Zakk to L.A. to audition. And here we are, 25 years later, celebrating the incredible guitar work of the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman.
David Banegas grew up in Bolivia and has been painting since he was 6 years old. He explains his unique work as "something that happens at the moment, it flows, I can't explain it." If there is a name for this method it would be 'Action Painting,' it is done layer upon layer and is created with pure feeling." Once he captures the eyes, he is "locked in place and the rest of the painting then follows. It comes from letting go of all fears and painting what is felt and so this is a transcendent moment." The term "Action Painting" is very appropriate because David likes to paint "live."
Mark Weiss has been auctioning his iconic photographs to benefit Lunch Break, the soup kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey. At a Lunch Break fundraiser, David painted live from a photo of Elvis. David's unique execution of the image caught Mark's eye. The two had an idea to have David paint Mark's most iconic rock 'n' roll images. Both men, as artists who create visuals live, and in the moment, want their work to help bring focus and funds to charitable causes.
Says Zakk: "Not only is Father Weiss responsible for helping me get the gig with Ozzy, he's also responsible for some of the most iconic rock photography of rock's most legendary bands and artists of all time… Thanks, Father Weiss!!! You rule!!! Keep it iconic!!!"
A "Wylde" roast…not a bad way to launch a new creative alliance between photographer Mark Weiss and artist David Banegas. Two months ago when they shared an idea to collaborate their passion for music, art and "giving back," neither dreamed it would come together at such a high-profile stage so quickly. As the guests arrive via the red carpet to the sold out event, attendees will pass by a portrait of Zakk Wylde by photographer Mark Weiss and the mirror image created by artist David Banegas. David will also be painting "live," a Zakk Epiphone Signature Les Paul guitar on canvas to be auctioned off for MusiCares.
To photographer Mark Weiss, there is a special connection with Zakk. In 1987, Weiss, who has been Ozzy Osbourne's photographer since 1981, was helping Ozzy in his search to find a new guitarist. Mark, Sharon and Ozzy had just returned "empty-handed" from checking out a guitar player in Long Island. Mark's last words to Ozzy and Sharon were, "I'll keep my eyes open." The next day, Weiss' friend Dave Feld told Mark to give this kid he saw at a local club a listen. It was Zakk, a New Jersey teenager, still living at home with his parents. Mark sent the photo and cassette for Ozzy to check out. Sharon called Mark and told him to bring Zakk to L.A. to audition. And here we are, 25 years later, celebrating the incredible guitar work of the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman.
David Banegas grew up in Bolivia and has been painting since he was 6 years old. He explains his unique work as "something that happens at the moment, it flows, I can't explain it." If there is a name for this method it would be 'Action Painting,' it is done layer upon layer and is created with pure feeling." Once he captures the eyes, he is "locked in place and the rest of the painting then follows. It comes from letting go of all fears and painting what is felt and so this is a transcendent moment." The term "Action Painting" is very appropriate because David likes to paint "live."
Mark Weiss has been auctioning his iconic photographs to benefit Lunch Break, the soup kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey. At a Lunch Break fundraiser, David painted live from a photo of Elvis. David's unique execution of the image caught Mark's eye. The two had an idea to have David paint Mark's most iconic rock 'n' roll images. Both men, as artists who create visuals live, and in the moment, want their work to help bring focus and funds to charitable causes.
Says Zakk: "Not only is Father Weiss responsible for helping me get the gig with Ozzy, he's also responsible for some of the most iconic rock photography of rock's most legendary bands and artists of all time… Thanks, Father Weiss!!! You rule!!! Keep it iconic!!!"
Tonight's RIOT concert at Jaxx in West Springfield, Virginia has been canceled. According to a press release issued by the band's publicist, Freeman Promotions, "When the band arrived at the venue today, they were informed by the venue that the venue did not have their permits in place to have a show this evening."
RIOT's show in Rochester, New York on January 20 will go on as scheduled as will the band's appearance on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise.
RIOT played its first show without founding guitarist Mark Reale last night (Wednesday, January 18) at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
Reale was admitted to a San Antonio hospital last week in critical condition due to complications of Crohn's disease — an ailment he has battled for most of his life.
The band earlier in the week released the following update on his condition:
"Due to complications arising from treatment for Mark's illness, he remains hospitalized in San Antonio and will not be healthy enough to appear as scheduled.
"Mike [Flyntz, guitar], Tony [Moore, vocals], Bobby [Jarzombek, drums] and Don [Van Stavern, bass] have, at the strong urging of Mark's family, decided to perform the shows without Mark on guitar.
"We are receiving updates on his condition several times daily, and Mark is currently undergoing procedures to stabilize him. His father, in addition to several dedicated friends of the band and the family, are at Mark's side constantly as doctors work to restore him to health. In accordance with the family's wishes, no further details are being released at this time.
"While we are saddened by these developments, RIOT's music has been Mark's lifeblood for over 30 years. We have struggled with idea of performing without him, and we are continuing to prepare with heavy hearts, but the entire RIOT organization has agreed on the importance of bringing our music to the fans who have supported us for so long.
"Thank you for continuing to support RIOT during this difficult time, and we will see you at the shows."
Remaining RIOT shows (to be played without Mark Reale):
Jan. 20 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
Jan. 23-27 - Miami, FL - 70,000 Tons Of Metal
Mark has been battling Crohn's for most of his life, working and performing while enduring almost constant pain and the side effects of treatment for his illness. He was in Texas bravely attempting to practice for the shows, but was felled by a severe onset of Crohn's symptoms leaving him in the Intensive Care Unit at an undisclosed facility.
Mark was struggling with these symptoms throughout the production of RIOT's new album, "Immortal Soul", and guitarist Mike Flyntz recorded a major portion of the guitars on the LP with Mark's creative direction while he was unable to perform.
RIOT's show in Rochester, New York on January 20 will go on as scheduled as will the band's appearance on the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise.
RIOT played its first show without founding guitarist Mark Reale last night (Wednesday, January 18) at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
Reale was admitted to a San Antonio hospital last week in critical condition due to complications of Crohn's disease — an ailment he has battled for most of his life.
The band earlier in the week released the following update on his condition:
"Due to complications arising from treatment for Mark's illness, he remains hospitalized in San Antonio and will not be healthy enough to appear as scheduled.
"Mike [Flyntz, guitar], Tony [Moore, vocals], Bobby [Jarzombek, drums] and Don [Van Stavern, bass] have, at the strong urging of Mark's family, decided to perform the shows without Mark on guitar.
"We are receiving updates on his condition several times daily, and Mark is currently undergoing procedures to stabilize him. His father, in addition to several dedicated friends of the band and the family, are at Mark's side constantly as doctors work to restore him to health. In accordance with the family's wishes, no further details are being released at this time.
"While we are saddened by these developments, RIOT's music has been Mark's lifeblood for over 30 years. We have struggled with idea of performing without him, and we are continuing to prepare with heavy hearts, but the entire RIOT organization has agreed on the importance of bringing our music to the fans who have supported us for so long.
"Thank you for continuing to support RIOT during this difficult time, and we will see you at the shows."
Remaining RIOT shows (to be played without Mark Reale):
Jan. 20 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
Jan. 23-27 - Miami, FL - 70,000 Tons Of Metal
Mark has been battling Crohn's for most of his life, working and performing while enduring almost constant pain and the side effects of treatment for his illness. He was in Texas bravely attempting to practice for the shows, but was felled by a severe onset of Crohn's symptoms leaving him in the Intensive Care Unit at an undisclosed facility.
Mark was struggling with these symptoms throughout the production of RIOT's new album, "Immortal Soul", and guitarist Mike Flyntz recorded a major portion of the guitars on the LP with Mark's creative direction while he was unable to perform.
SOULFLY will support FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on the following dates:
Mar. 22 - San Diego, CA - 4th & B (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining)
Mar. 23 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
Mar. 24 - Pomona, CA - The Fox Theater
Mar. 26 - Fresno, CA - Rainbow Ballroom
Mar. 27 - Modesto, CA - Modesto Centre Plaza
Mar. 28 - Redding, CA - Redding Convention Center
Mar. 29 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining, with INCITE and LODY KONG)
Mar. 30 - Yakima, WA - Yakima Valley Sun Dome
Mar. 31 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
Apr. 01 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining)
Apr. 02 - Dawson Creek, BC - EnCana Events Centre
Apr. 04 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
Apr. 05 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Center
Apr. 07 - Regina, SK - Agribition
Apr. 09 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
Apr. 11 - Rapid City, SD - Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
Apr. 12 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center
SOULFLY will release its eighth album, "Enslaved", on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more. SOULFLY vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera also shared production duties.
SOULFLY's current lineup features Max and guitar dynamo Marc Rizzo, with STATIC-X's Tony Campos taking up the bass. The lineup is rounded out by drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), a new-school, extreme skinsman whose brutality behind the kit brings a new flavor to the band.
The band tracked 14 songs, 11 of which will be on the record, with the other three being made available for the special edition.
Track titles are as follows:
* Resistance
* World Scum
* Intervention
* Gladiator
* Legions
* American Steel
* Redemption Of Man By God
* Treachery
* Plata O Plomo
* Revengeance
* Chains
* Slave
* Bastards
* Soulfly VIII
Mar. 22 - San Diego, CA - 4th & B (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining)
Mar. 23 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
Mar. 24 - Pomona, CA - The Fox Theater
Mar. 26 - Fresno, CA - Rainbow Ballroom
Mar. 27 - Modesto, CA - Modesto Centre Plaza
Mar. 28 - Redding, CA - Redding Convention Center
Mar. 29 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining, with INCITE and LODY KONG)
Mar. 30 - Yakima, WA - Yakima Valley Sun Dome
Mar. 31 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
Apr. 01 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre (no FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SOULFLY headlining)
Apr. 02 - Dawson Creek, BC - EnCana Events Centre
Apr. 04 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
Apr. 05 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Center
Apr. 07 - Regina, SK - Agribition
Apr. 09 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
Apr. 11 - Rapid City, SD - Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
Apr. 12 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center
SOULFLY will release its eighth album, "Enslaved", on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more. SOULFLY vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera also shared production duties.
SOULFLY's current lineup features Max and guitar dynamo Marc Rizzo, with STATIC-X's Tony Campos taking up the bass. The lineup is rounded out by drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), a new-school, extreme skinsman whose brutality behind the kit brings a new flavor to the band.
The band tracked 14 songs, 11 of which will be on the record, with the other three being made available for the special edition.
Track titles are as follows:
* Resistance
* World Scum
* Intervention
* Gladiator
* Legions
* American Steel
* Redemption Of Man By God
* Treachery
* Plata O Plomo
* Revengeance
* Chains
* Slave
* Bastards
* Soulfly VIII
SEPULTURA's "Asian Relentless Tour 2012", which was scheduled to kick off on February 3, has been postponed until October. According to a statement that was posted on the band's official web site, the trek was called off after tragedy struck Shirazdeen Karim, owner and head of Malaysian promoter Netzah Productions, who was instrumental in convincing SEPULTURA to go on tour in Indonesia and Malaysia. Shiraz's grandmother, who raised him to adulthood and was a pillar of her extended family, died on Monday, January 16 after suffering a heart attack last week.
SEPULTURA was scheduled to return to Indonesia for the first time in 20 years to perform in five cities in February. The band was slated to play in Medan, North Sumatra, on Feb. 3; Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Feb. 4; Jakarta on Feb. 9; Surabaya, East Java on Feb.11; and finally in Bali on Feb. 12 as part of the "Asian Relentless Tour 2012". SEPULTURA was then set to continue its tour in the Malaysian cities of Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
SEPULTURA played its first show with new drummer Eloy Casagrande (GLÓRIA, ANDRÉ MATOS) on November 25 in Lichtenfels, Germany.
Casagrande joined SEPULTURA as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time.
Eloy is a 20-year-old drum prodigy from São Paulo, Brazil who won the Modern Drummer "Undiscovered Drummer" contest as a teenager in 2006.
Dolabella left SEPULTURA after a five-year run of relentless touring and two studio albums. He joined SEPULTURA in 2006 following the departure of the band's original drummer, Igor Cavalera.
SEPULTURA is touring in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.
SEPULTURA was scheduled to return to Indonesia for the first time in 20 years to perform in five cities in February. The band was slated to play in Medan, North Sumatra, on Feb. 3; Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Feb. 4; Jakarta on Feb. 9; Surabaya, East Java on Feb.11; and finally in Bali on Feb. 12 as part of the "Asian Relentless Tour 2012". SEPULTURA was then set to continue its tour in the Malaysian cities of Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
SEPULTURA played its first show with new drummer Eloy Casagrande (GLÓRIA, ANDRÉ MATOS) on November 25 in Lichtenfels, Germany.
Casagrande joined SEPULTURA as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time.
Eloy is a 20-year-old drum prodigy from São Paulo, Brazil who won the Modern Drummer "Undiscovered Drummer" contest as a teenager in 2006.
Dolabella left SEPULTURA after a five-year run of relentless touring and two studio albums. He joined SEPULTURA in 2006 following the departure of the band's original drummer, Igor Cavalera.
SEPULTURA is touring in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July 2011.
In the Book of Exodus, what plague came after hail and before darkness? Locusts! The heavy metal quartet known as Machine Head will soon swarm into Columbus playing material of the band's latest album "Unto the Locust."
Drummer Dave McClain took some time to tell UWeekly about the recording of the new album, what fans can expect from their upcoming show, and the immortal Dimebag Darrell:
UW: What did the band want from this new album on the heels of the success of "The Blackening?"
We didn't want to write "The Blackening" again. At that point, we were just so…from touring "The Blackening" for three years … we were just ready to get home, not that we were tired of touring or anything, but we were just kinda ready to close the door on "The Blackening" and get on with new stuff. We took a little bit of time off, a couple months, and then got back into it. We didn't know where the record was gonna go. We'd all been writing separately, so we didn't really have like one vision of where we were going and we never really do. Me and Robb (Flynn, lead vocals/guitar) got together first and he had the song "This is the End" and it started off completely different than anything that we were doing before with "Through the Ashes" or "The Blackening." It started off with this classical stuff … super hard, super thrashy, and kinda blast beat stuff going on. So it's cool, you know, just getting into that writing process with something completely different than what we've done.
UW: "Unto the Locust" has some pretty striking artwork. How was the art/artist selected?
Originally we kinda wanted to do something that was kinda similar to Van Halen's "Fair Warning" or Slayer's "Reign in Blood," that kind of weird art, you know? We just started looking at all this stuff and I think Robb just sort of stumbled upon this guy (Paul Gerrard) and he had some really cool stuff. It turned out that he was in college and stuff, and he used to listen to Machine Head a lot, so he was just pretty excited to do it.
UW: I know the band was close with Dimebag Darrell, do you have a particularly fond memory of him to share?
Nobody was safe from Dime, you know? laughs One time he grabbed one of Robb's guitars and went up on stage, just jumping around with it and knocked one of the tuning pegs off. And Robb was like, "Dude, you f*cked up one of my guitars." So, two shows later, Dime comes up in the middle of the show … interrupts the show and gets on the mic and basically tells the story and says, "I wanna apologize to Robb …" and for that he brought out these two guitars and gave one to Robb and one to Logan (Mader, guitar 1992-98). Gave 'em two Dimebag guitars, you know … amazing dude. Just the best. For that to have happened to that guy, not that it's right for that to happen to anybody, but Dimebag … he was just this iconic figure in metal. We refuse to even think about playing the Alrosa Villa since that happened. For us … man, I get like crazy emotional just thinking about walking into that … I can still picture that place. There's no way that any of us would be able to have a decent show being on the stage where this amazing dude died, you know?
UW: Is there a new song that you are particularly enjoying to play live?
Uh, yeah, a lot of them actually. We open up with "I Am Hell" and it's just insane right off the bat. Just full blast. Yeah, we're almost playing the whole record except "Pearls Before the Swine" … the cool thing about the record is that I think like every song is kind of different in its own way, so going from a song like "I Am Hell" to like "Be Still and Know" … they're all just so different. Maybe it's just that we're not sick of playing them yet. I don't know. laughs
Machine Head will be performing at the Newport Music Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets $18 advance/$20 day of show. Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour support. For more information, please visit www.machinehead1.com or www.promowestlive.com.
Interview with John Campbell from Lamb Of God: Heavy Decisions
—by Andrew Magnotta, January 18, 2012
There are few metal bands these days that aren't looking up at Lamb Of God. The Richmond, VA-based band that long branded their style as "Pure American Metal" hasn't lost a step in an increasingly competitive scene; they remain on top thanks to a stream of great albums and relentless live performances.
Their latest studio effort, Resolution, is due out on Jan. 24, and it's as searing a pile of metal as you're likely to crash into in 2012. From the lumbering sludge of opener "Straight For The Sun," to the single, "Ghost Walking," to the hardcore-affected "The Number Six" and insidious closer "King Me," the new album is stock Lamb Of God, and that's not something that can be taken lightly.
John Campbell, Lamb Of God bassist, humorist and all-around good guy, was busy preparing for a lengthy album cycle when he joined The Aquarian via phone for the following interview. The results—nay, the resolution follows.
What's your headspace as far as the new album goes?
We're very excited. It's like two and a half—three weeks now till it comes out. I feel strongly about this record. The cliché thing for a band dude to say is that it's the greatest thing that they've done and that they love the record, but this is actually true in this case.
We're kind of just enjoying the last few moments at home that we've had off the road since ending touring back in November of 2010, so, a pretty chaotic headspace to be honest. But exciting, and we're getting ready to fire up the touring machine.
You've haven't toured since 2010?
We finished touring in November of 2010. That was in Australia with Metallica. [We] came home for the holidays and had some time off with our families and then we started working on Resolution. That was a good five, six months of pretty straightforward work. We played one show this past year in Canada; we played a festival. That's been the one show we've played, and we've got one coming up here in Richmond, VA.
I didn't realize it had been that long since you guys had played.
Well, we had to put a record together, record it and make sure it was good, and get a little time in with our families. And we hit the road with a two-year plan in front of us.
Do you think there will be any cobwebs?
No, I don't think that's an issue. To be honest, I'm sitting in the rehearsal space right now, which is my routine. Just getting in the rehearsal space, where I have no distractions, and I'm playing by myself. In another week or so we start to get together the band. And we've been doing this for—well, we've been doing it for longer than we haven't been doing it; considering this year off, for the better part of 16 years. It's sort of like riding a bike at this point.
How did these songs come together?
This time was actually different from how we've done anything in the past. The songs had started to be written when we were on the road touring, with [guitarist] Mark Morton on his laptop demoing stuff. When we got back home in November, Willie [Adler, guitarist] started demoing stuff. And when we met in the rehearsal space with Josh [Wilbur], the producer, we had a ton of tracks to start plowing through to fine-tune, craft and trim the fat off of to make Resolution.
How come you never worked like that before?
I think partly because of the technology. The ability for Mark to sit and do that to fill his downtime on the road wasn't there. I thought it was somewhat therapeutic for Mark to start doing that to keep himself occupied on the road.
Before that, when you're out touring and you're playing five shows a week, you warm-up, play a show and then you put the instrument away and the next day you do the same thing. There's really not that much time in the process for just kind of jamming around, being in a creative space… In the past, we had been in the rehearsal space with nobody over our shoulder, just sitting around talking about concepts.
Why did you decide to call it Resolution?
Well, because we argued quite a bit about what the record should be titled, and when the dust settled, Resolution was what the record was called. It's not just a random word, and it can mean a lot of things, which I think is what makes it a great title. If you look at the cover of the record, there's a mass of burning wreckage and a burning plane. You can imagine that this wreckage is some sort of resolution. Resolution could also be just having the fortitude to just carry forward on whatever path you've chosen and on whatever endeavors you've chosen.
You can't pin down the meaning to the title to one thing. I think Resolution is exactly that.
The other thing that I was thinking about is that it might mean the resolution of the band. Are you concerned people might think that?
(Laughs) Shit, if people are worried about us, I'm happy. When people are on the internet slagging us, as we seem to have gotten to a level where people are doing that—I love the fact that people are spending their time thinking about us, be it good or bad.
What would you say is your favorite moment on the new album?
The record is full of moments, but probably the intro to "Ghost Walking," when the band kicks in from Mark's acoustic intro, the heavy drop is ridiculous to me; I love it. I'm looking forward to playing that loud through a P.A.
I get kind of a hardcore feel throughout the album. I think that's partially because some of the gang vocals and also some of the verses, like on "The Number Six" where it's just bass, drums and vocals.
Well, I don't know if we ever stop to dissect it quite as much as you just did, but that's part of the scene where we came up through, back in the mid-'90s. When we started as a band, heavy metal was a bad word and punk rock was king. We had to call ourselves a punk-metal band to get anybody to book us. But we come from a—not just a metal world—Randy [Blythe, vocals] and I were listening to punk rock coming up in high school. The scene definitely intertwines; it's part of who we are as Lamb Of God.
Is there anything in particular that you guys were jamming to during the writing?
I remember Willie bringing in some riffs and being like, "Man, check out this sweet Hatebreed riff that I wrote." If you can pull off a riff that is as heavy as a Hatebreed riff, then I think you got something.
Will there be another documentary to accompany Resolution?
I absolutely love those DVDs and have been very vocal about the fact that we should continue that. But what's happening with this run is that there's a documentary being produced that involves us—mostly our music and the affect that it has to people around the world who are in an oppressive [situation] or a situation that is tough to deal with and how Lamb Of God's music helps them in their situation, or what it means to them. And that's going to be filming as we tour around the world, but it's going to be mostly dealing with the fans, with the people and less to do with us.
Is that something that the band is producing?
We're involved in it, but I'm not putting a camera on my shoulder. You involve talented people to get these things done.
What about the DVDs do you love?
To me they're like home movies because it is a great representation of what those tours were like—at least the highlights. The guy who made those, Doug Spangenberg, he's a great dude, he's got a lot going on, and he just kind of interjected himself in with the camera. And the camera wasn't really there. Doug was just hanging out being the jerk with the camera, and it was a lot of fun having him around.
He's a talented dude and those were really fun tours back in the day. I'm really happy to have those to be able to look back on as documents of what was going on.
Do you ever worry about being too transparent?
No, I don't think we're really ones to put on airs. We're not wearing eyeliner, and I don't know if you've seen pictures of me, but I'm not really wasting much money on Just For Men. There's nothing to hide. It's a lot easier in that sense. Somehow people seem to be interested in what we are in our true form, so I guess we're lucky for that.
They're definitely entertaining…
We're some really good-looking, intelligent and humorous guys, I'd like to think.
You've talked a lot about being competitive as performers; do you still feel that way?
Absolutely! Yeah, from every moment that we're onstage that's kind of part of the character that we take on when we becoming Lamb Of God up onstage. Dethklok kind of mocks the idea, but when you're onstage, you're the fucking baddest band in the world. And if you're not, what the fuck are you doing onstage? For us, we've worked really hard writing songs that we feel are great songs, that we can perform and blow people away with. And we've made a career of doing that.
How do other bands that you play shows with react to that attitude?
There's a lot of crying, a lot of calls home to mom (laughs). But, honestly, I think everybody's doing the same thing. Everybody's trying to take home the prize for the night, so that people walk away from that show going, "Holy fuck, that band owned that show!" When you can get a bill where everyone's mentality is that, then the audience is gonna get their money's worth. That's just dudes going out there and putting everything they have into it.
And we're lucky enough to be able to go and do this for a living. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Lamb Of God will play Irving Plaza in NYC on Jan. 24 and The Trocadero in Philly on Jan. 26. For more information, go to lamb-of-god.com.
There is a new DVD on the market in which you show people phrases plus add some commentary about phrasing. But there is no too much talk and academic speeches
after introducing you just bring phrases to the table.
What could you say people who might be expected you to tell them more how to build they unique vocabulary and their own phrases?
That video has been available at my website for several years now. I think it is extremely helpful. Try the phrases on the video, and make them easier to suit your own fingering styles. By doing that you will create your own phrases. Even if you don`t change them, the will sound totally unique because you decide where to put them in a song.
Please write us how did you learn phrasing?
I never "learned phrasing". Phrasing means "expression" to me, so the way I express myself in music is heard in my phrasing. Phrasing grows and gets deeper and deeper as you continue to create new music.
Did you copy phrases from someone else from very beginning? Did you learn some about phrasing from other musicians?
I did a half-assed job of copying other players at the beginning, and from that my own style was born. I never intended to be a clone of some other great guitarist, so I never worked too hard trying to copy others correctly when I learned other people`s work.
I suppose your experiences from cooperation with japanese musicians also were lessons of phrasing although there were many exotic scales and elements in your music before you moved to Japan?
Every day I continue to play music, my phrasing gets one day deeper and "better", regardless of who I play with. I have been very lucky to play with musicians from all over the world, and I learn something, mostly indirectly, from every single one.
IF there were any musicians in Japan which really changed your approach to building phrases – could you write us some about it ? My "approach to building phrases" has never really changed but so many musicians in Japan have opened my mind musically, mainly Tsunku, Hyadain, Yasutaka Nakata and so many others.
The music you showed us on a few last releases contains many elements of dance music.
Do you like and listen also modern dance music (I mean that presented by DJs in clubs) etc?
Very much. It usually has very little guitar in it, and I always feel like I can give dance music a new guitar heavy flavor.
Music on Tokyo Jukeboxes sounds very optymistic and happy – a kind of opposite in comparison to what we heard in Megadeth. I guess you are a in very happy period of your life. Any comments?
That is a very good observation. I was happy in Megadeth and I am happy now. However I have many more musical challenges now and that`s why my music has so many more emotions now. Positive feelings come out in my music much more now, even when the music I`m making now at times is much heavier than Megadeth.
On Tokyo Jukebox you covered a lot of Japanese songs, did you did it again on Jukebox II? If yes could you write us some info about those songs (original performer, why you picked up particular song, when you first heard the song etc).
I chose songs that all Japanese people know, mostly current songs, but some classics as well.
The other reason I had for choosing songs, was I had to have a personal memory with the song.
Tokyo Jukebox 2 – did you use on that album any songs which did not make it on previous album or all of them are especially prepared / recorded for a new one?
All of the songs are new.
A few of your previous releases were disitributed in Europe by Mascot Records. Tokyo Jukebox 2 is now avaiable only in Japan. Are you going to release that record officialy in other countries?
I am hoping to release TJ2 worldwide sometime in 2012.
There are plenty great solos on latest album. For instance in 3 and 5 – how did you record them: straight into computer or via amp set? Are there recorded in one take or with any overdubs?
Always with an amp. Some are done in one take, some need a hundred takes. It`s not done untile I love it. Sometimes I love it right away, sometimes it takes time. Of course there are many overdubs.
In "Aitakatta" and few other songs did you play tuned down rhythm guitars? Could you write us some about tuning you use?
I use regular tunings, but on most songs I used 7- string guitars for rhythms.
Song Toire No Kamisana is made from a few different parts – there are classic Trash elements inside – and delicate notes from opposite side. Are the structure of the song typical for japanese music which melts different tempos and moods in one song?
No. That song was originally a slow acoustic folk song. I just made it extremely crazy.
Canon a la Koto contains a real canon between Koto and electric guitar. Did you record both parts by yourself? Are you into original japanese string, plucked instruments? Do you owe and practice them?
No way!! I could never play a Koto like that. That is one of the best Koto players in Japan, Sachiko Kaihou.
Sounds played on that traditional instrument sounded like modern classic music. What are inspirations behind that song ?
The song was done as a 30 second TV commercial for a major bank, where I appeared with the Koto player showing two different worlds existing together. Then I decided to create a full version for the album. It was a huge challenge especially for the Koto player, as my arrangement required her to change tunings 4 times. She is amazing!
Intro sounds to "I love you" reminds me very much Jeff Beck like style. Do draw any inspirations to that song from his music? I havent heard such a notes from you in the past ..
What a compliment! I know is a fine guitarist, but I know zero about his music or his playing. For some reason that style never appealed to me. But you are right that the intro solo sounds like "someone else". Usually no matter what I do it sounds very "Marty", so I love it when my playing sounds like "someone else" sometimes.
What is the story behind writing that song?
It is a cover song.
Your music changed after you moved to Japan – how did it affect your fans? Did you loose some of them and earn some ? Do you meet people nowadays which say to you: "Oh Marty I liked you more in Megadeth/Cacophony times because blah blah blah"?
How do you respond them?
I hear everything from fans. In Japan I have done so many different things, that only a small percentage of the people here know me from Megadeth. I`ve done over 400 TV shows here, so most people have a different image of me. Outside of Japan, I hear more about Megadeth and Cacophony, and it is usually overwhelmingly positive. The way I see it, if you enjoy my music from any time of my career, I`m happy about it.
You have lived in many places including Hawaii, Germany and California now you reside in Tokyo. How those changes influence you as an artists and human being? What did you learn ? What did you miss?
I am lucky to have lived among several cultures and so many interesting places, that gives me a musical freedom that is unusual. Different cultures accept different things. For example it is totally normal for rock and metal fans to love pop music, but in the US it is somewhat taboo.
You decided to record „Time to say goodbay" cover on Bad D.N.A album. Why did you choose that song? Are there any other pop standards which would you like to cover in the future ?
Honestly I ddn`t like the original so much, but someone who`s opinion I trust told me I could make a really cool version of it. I actually liked the result.
You seem to be very busy person. Once you confessed that you are a workaholic.
Please tell us about music and outside music professional projects you are involved now and will be involved in near future?
I just did the theme song to the new Kamen Rider movie, I`m producing two great bands, and promoting TJ2 like crazy in Japan.
How are you able to avoid "burning out" syndrome?
By picking and choosing what work I do, and turning down work that I don`t really want to do.
You're working a lot with japanes artists. Probably most of your european fans don't know them. Could you introduce in a few words the most famous of them ?
European fans may like Maximum the Hormone, I also work with Tamaki Nami, Nana Kitade, Nana Tanimura, Kirito, Aikawa Nanase, Kotoko, so many more
What could you tell us about guitar music in Japan? We all know that fans from Japan are very much into heavy rock / guitar oriented music but there are not too very well known guitarist from that country. Did you meet / record with any amazing players from Japan?
Could you tell us some names?
My favorite guitarists in Japan are Tak Matsumoto, and Hotei
You're probably first musician from Western World which writes double language facebook notes? Is it a exhausting experience? Do you experience some troubles when it comes to translate some language nuances (some idioms in japanese etc). Did you write first in japanese then translating or vice versa?
I don`t translate-I write things that Japanese fans can relate to in Japanese, and I write stuff for non-Japanese fans in English. The information is different. Non-Japanese people don`t know what is going on in Japan so even if I translated it it would mean very little to them.
Please tell us a secret – if something goes wrong and you just have to tell a curse – do you use japanes or english?
Both!! Thankfully I don`t curse much…
We remember "Exhibit A Live in Europe" release. Should we expect you with the band on the tour in Europe next year? If yes could you unveil us any details of the tour, band members etc ?
I toured 22 countries in Europe this year, my members are all Japanese guys in their early 20`s and amazing!
Many people ask you for Rock Fujiyama show which can be seen on youtube. Please tell us how did you start cooperation with producers of that show and if the show will be finally avaiable for fans outside Japan on DVDs ?
Never on DVD`s officially because it will be a publishing nightmare the way we destroyed so many songs…! My management is a TV management company so they often create opportunities for me to do TV, including the show Rock Fujiyama.
You wrote "I`m really proud of the first two bands to debut on my label, Gokukara Records". Could you tell us about idea of making that record company? What kind of music would you like to release on the label? Is it outfit also for your recordings ?
The label is for brand new bands that I put together and produce. My recordings are released on the Avex label. The music is modern J-pop with a rock and metal sound.
The most boring questions: equipment used in recording process of Tokyo Jukebox – guitar/amps/effects/plugins ….
About 25 different gtrs all makers, 3 Engl amps, a few Maxon and Boss FX and D`Addario strings
Did you meet guys from Megadeth when they're performing around your area? Are you still friends / colleagues?
Still friends, but I haven`t seen any of them in years.
Plains for the near future?
More music, hopefully a European tour in the works!
Thank you and hope to see you soon!
According to The Pulse Of Radio, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello is slated to appear on the new album from Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen manager Jon Landau confirmed Morello's appearance on the Boss' 17th studio effort, which may be titled "Wrecking Ball" and is due out this spring. Landau also said that the record may include contributions from former PEARL JAM drummer Matt Chamberlain.
Morello has joined Springsteen onstage at several of the Boss' Southern California shows, starting back in April 2008 when he joined him at two gigs in Anaheim. Morello told The Pulse Of Radio at the time how it came about. "We've been friends for about 10 years and I just ran into him at a recording studio a couple of days before the show, and he said, you know, 'We need to get you up onstage, Tommy!'" he said. "Like, I don't get nervous for too much, I've, you know, I've rocked my share of arenas, but I was terrified (laughs). But it went great. His crowd couldn't have been more appreciative, and soloing over the rocking E STREET BAND while the Boss nods his approval is...those are a couple of nights that I'll remember forever."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE covered Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" on its 2000 covers collection, "Renegades".
Morello may have another chance to join Springsteen onstage as the E STREET BAND is scheduled to hit the road in the U.S. this spring.
Morello has joined Springsteen onstage at several of the Boss' Southern California shows, starting back in April 2008 when he joined him at two gigs in Anaheim. Morello told The Pulse Of Radio at the time how it came about. "We've been friends for about 10 years and I just ran into him at a recording studio a couple of days before the show, and he said, you know, 'We need to get you up onstage, Tommy!'" he said. "Like, I don't get nervous for too much, I've, you know, I've rocked my share of arenas, but I was terrified (laughs). But it went great. His crowd couldn't have been more appreciative, and soloing over the rocking E STREET BAND while the Boss nods his approval is...those are a couple of nights that I'll remember forever."
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE covered Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" on its 2000 covers collection, "Renegades".
Morello may have another chance to join Springsteen onstage as the E STREET BAND is scheduled to hit the road in the U.S. this spring.
DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has commented on anti-social Internet behaviors, including hate speech and cyber-bullying, which is defined as the use of technology such as the Internet and phone texting to harass or humiliate others.
According to experts, hate speech on the Internet is increasing globally due to the advent of Web 2.0 technology like video file-sharing and social-networking sites.
In a series of tweets from earlier today — some of which were written in response to other Twitter users commenting on the same topic — Draiman said, "One of the biggest problems with Internet culture is people's tendency to write whatever, without thinking it through properly beforehand.
"I encourage everyone on here to make informed statements based on forethought and fact. Don't let the fact that you are simply sitting behind a keyboard, with no one watching, and nothing to be accountable for, lull you into believing that your words/actions do not have consequences. Measure your words carefully before you spit them out. Think before you type.
"By the way, anything is OK to type, that's what freedom of speech is; but to everything, there are consequences/repercussions.
"The point, to me, is the free flow of information and ideas. Like I said, there are consequences. Bullying, for example. Whether in person or online, it is immoral, and reprehensible, and the effects it has are crystal clear.
"People have been prosecuted for harrassment online, particularly in the cases of dire circumstances.
"There are always repercussions, from tweets to Facebook posts. Friends lost, relationships ended, criminals caught by bragging about the crimes they have done.
"Criminals have been prosecuted and imprisoned after bragging about their crimes on Facebook, for instance.
"Bullies have been called out and charged for such occurrences as well.
"The thing about the written word is that it stays.
"People without conscience are just that. Unfortunately, this medium gives them a greater opportunity to do damage."
DISTURBED went on an open-ended hiatus last fall, following the completion of the touring cycle for its 2010 album "Asylum".
DISTURBED frontman David Draiman has posted the following message on Twitlonger.com, a related Twitter site that allows one to send tweets that require more than 140 characters:
"My stance on file sharing/downloading;
"I have always been in favor of, that's correct, in favor of flie sharing and downloading digital music since day 1. I have never blamed the consumer for simply taking advantage of something that is readily and easily available to them, and enables the spread of great music and art to fans of it all over the globe.
"I have been in support of having nominal fees built into ISP subscription rates that would have enabled everyone to file share freely while still enabling artists to be compensated for their work. The proceeds could then have been payed out the same way writing/publishing royalties are, utilizing Internet monitoring systems, such as those developed by companies like Big Champagne, for example. The fans would get all the music they wanted for a nominal price, built into the Internet service that they are already paying for, and the artists and the ISPs would be able to still make it a viable busniess.
"Unfortunately, the RIAA [Recording Industry Association Of America] and music industry, simply chose to persecute the consumers, the very fans that give the artists and the labels the ability to exist, and bit the hand that fed them. This was a mistake in judgement, in my opinion. That is why when companies like Spotify came into existence, I was thrilled, because it gave the consumer the ability to have unlimited music at their fingertips, for a reasonable monthly subscription cost. It also enabled the exchange of music through social media as well, putting the icing on the proverbial cake.
"Make no mistake, however, that the culture that has been bred over the course of the last 10+ years of simply thinking that all music should be available for free is wrong, and immoral; plain and simple.
"This mentality has created an environment where it is more and more difficult for artists, particularly up-and-coming ones, to survive and sustain themselves.
"People wonder why fewer and fewer acts come out these days and are able to last. The status quo that exists is a huge factor in that. The creation of the '360 deal,' where labels now insist on taking a piece of everything new artists do, is a direct result of that.
"People's love of music is stronger than it ever has been, and the Internet has been an amazing tool, enabling artists to extend their respective reaches farther than ever before, but it has also created an environment where pirateers and websites that profit off of the traffic (by selling advertisements on their sites) created by offerring other people's life's work for free, is wrong and criminal in every sense of the word.
"People's argument, that 'I still buy tickets and t shirts and go to shows' is a valid one. All of us are eternally grateful for every fan's love and support, and much like test-driving a car, you should be able to try before you buy; but be aware that now record companies are demanding a huge chunk of that revenue (touring and merch), which used to be an musician's bread and butter, as a result. Again, there is a way to sample new music for free, and many bands (including us) offer samples of their music for free.
"We, as artists, love and appreciate our fans more than you know. We know that we could not exist without you, but we don't steal from you, not in any way, not ever. Wrong is wrong, no matter what color you paint it, or how you try to spin it.
"I am against [controversial anti-piracy bills] SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), because they limit people's freedom of expression and freedom of speech, not because they are trying to protect the rights of artists everywhere. I truly do hope that they re-write the legilation and get it right this time so that the music consumer can continue to have access to the music they love, at a reasonable cost, legally; and without censorship and restricting peoples freedom to express themselves on the greatest arena of free speech and expression in existence, the Internet."
"My stance on file sharing/downloading;
"I have always been in favor of, that's correct, in favor of flie sharing and downloading digital music since day 1. I have never blamed the consumer for simply taking advantage of something that is readily and easily available to them, and enables the spread of great music and art to fans of it all over the globe.
"I have been in support of having nominal fees built into ISP subscription rates that would have enabled everyone to file share freely while still enabling artists to be compensated for their work. The proceeds could then have been payed out the same way writing/publishing royalties are, utilizing Internet monitoring systems, such as those developed by companies like Big Champagne, for example. The fans would get all the music they wanted for a nominal price, built into the Internet service that they are already paying for, and the artists and the ISPs would be able to still make it a viable busniess.
"Unfortunately, the RIAA [Recording Industry Association Of America] and music industry, simply chose to persecute the consumers, the very fans that give the artists and the labels the ability to exist, and bit the hand that fed them. This was a mistake in judgement, in my opinion. That is why when companies like Spotify came into existence, I was thrilled, because it gave the consumer the ability to have unlimited music at their fingertips, for a reasonable monthly subscription cost. It also enabled the exchange of music through social media as well, putting the icing on the proverbial cake.
"Make no mistake, however, that the culture that has been bred over the course of the last 10+ years of simply thinking that all music should be available for free is wrong, and immoral; plain and simple.
"This mentality has created an environment where it is more and more difficult for artists, particularly up-and-coming ones, to survive and sustain themselves.
"People wonder why fewer and fewer acts come out these days and are able to last. The status quo that exists is a huge factor in that. The creation of the '360 deal,' where labels now insist on taking a piece of everything new artists do, is a direct result of that.
"People's love of music is stronger than it ever has been, and the Internet has been an amazing tool, enabling artists to extend their respective reaches farther than ever before, but it has also created an environment where pirateers and websites that profit off of the traffic (by selling advertisements on their sites) created by offerring other people's life's work for free, is wrong and criminal in every sense of the word.
"People's argument, that 'I still buy tickets and t shirts and go to shows' is a valid one. All of us are eternally grateful for every fan's love and support, and much like test-driving a car, you should be able to try before you buy; but be aware that now record companies are demanding a huge chunk of that revenue (touring and merch), which used to be an musician's bread and butter, as a result. Again, there is a way to sample new music for free, and many bands (including us) offer samples of their music for free.
"We, as artists, love and appreciate our fans more than you know. We know that we could not exist without you, but we don't steal from you, not in any way, not ever. Wrong is wrong, no matter what color you paint it, or how you try to spin it.
"I am against [controversial anti-piracy bills] SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act), because they limit people's freedom of expression and freedom of speech, not because they are trying to protect the rights of artists everywhere. I truly do hope that they re-write the legilation and get it right this time so that the music consumer can continue to have access to the music they love, at a reasonable cost, legally; and without censorship and restricting peoples freedom to express themselves on the greatest arena of free speech and expression in existence, the Internet."
Frontiers Records will celebrate PRETTY MAIDS' 30th anniversary with the release of the band's first-ever live 2CD/DVD package entitled "It Comes Alive (Maid in Switzerland)" on March 23 in Europe and March 27 in North America.
Following the highly acclaimed 2010 album "Pandemonium", Danish melodic hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS have been touring more or less constantly throughout 2010/2011. They undertook a full-scale European tour in 2010 and have since played several festivals and occasional gigs. The overwhelming response to the new songs and the ongoing requests coming from the fans prompted the band to take their chance and record a live 2CD/DVD last October 1, 2011. PRETTY MAIDS gathered in Pratteln, Switzerland with an enthusiastic and highly explosive crowd of die-hard fans and followers to fulfill the demand, for an energetic and memorable performance which was recorded with a fully equipped mobile studio and cameras.
"Riding on the success of our previous studio album 'Pandemonium' and with maybe the strongest lineup ever, we thought that we'd make some kind of a live document of what this band is all about in the present time," says singer Ronnie Atkins. "'It Comes Alive' is purely and simply a tribute to all our fans and supporters throughout the world, who gave us so many memorable moments, so much pleasure and making our childhood dreams come through."
He continued, "It's always difficult to make a set list that satisfies everyone. It's a combination of what the crowd expect us to play and what we like to play ourselves! But of course there are songs like 'Future World' and 'Red Hot And Heavy' that we have been playing for the last 25 years so, they still get a new life every time we play 'em and still seem to please our audience. But basically what you will find on this live album are the songs that we toured with on the 'Pandemonium' tour, with a few exceptions."
"It Comes Alive (Maid in Switzerland)" will be exclusively released in a lavish 2CD/DVD digipak released and will include the following tracks:
CD1:
01. Pandemonium
02. I.N.V.U.
03. Hell On High Heels
04. Wake Up To The Real World
05. Destination Paradise
06. Another Shot Of Your Love
07. Scream
08. Walk Away
09. It Comes At Night
10. Queen Of Dreams
11. Savage Heart
12. Clay
CD2:
01. Yellow Rain
02. Rock The House
03. Back To Back
04. Rodeo
05. Lovegames
06. Future World
07. Little Drops Of Heaven
08. Please Don't Leave Me
09. Red Hot And Heavy
10. Lethal Heroes *
* bonus track
DVD Contents:
01. Pandemonium
02. I.N.V.U.
03. Hell On High Heels
04. Wake Up To The Real World
05. Destination Paradise
06. Another Shot Of Your Love
07. Scream
08. Walk Away
09. It Comes At Night
10. Queen Of Dreams
11. Savage Heart
12. Yellow Rain
13. Rock The House
14. Back To Back
15. Rodeo
16. Love Games
17. Future World
18. Little Drops Of Heaven
19. Please Don't Leave Me
20. Red Hot & Heavy
+ Rockumentary (including backstage footage and interviews with the band)
Following the highly acclaimed 2010 album "Pandemonium", Danish melodic hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS have been touring more or less constantly throughout 2010/2011. They undertook a full-scale European tour in 2010 and have since played several festivals and occasional gigs. The overwhelming response to the new songs and the ongoing requests coming from the fans prompted the band to take their chance and record a live 2CD/DVD last October 1, 2011. PRETTY MAIDS gathered in Pratteln, Switzerland with an enthusiastic and highly explosive crowd of die-hard fans and followers to fulfill the demand, for an energetic and memorable performance which was recorded with a fully equipped mobile studio and cameras.
"Riding on the success of our previous studio album 'Pandemonium' and with maybe the strongest lineup ever, we thought that we'd make some kind of a live document of what this band is all about in the present time," says singer Ronnie Atkins. "'It Comes Alive' is purely and simply a tribute to all our fans and supporters throughout the world, who gave us so many memorable moments, so much pleasure and making our childhood dreams come through."
He continued, "It's always difficult to make a set list that satisfies everyone. It's a combination of what the crowd expect us to play and what we like to play ourselves! But of course there are songs like 'Future World' and 'Red Hot And Heavy' that we have been playing for the last 25 years so, they still get a new life every time we play 'em and still seem to please our audience. But basically what you will find on this live album are the songs that we toured with on the 'Pandemonium' tour, with a few exceptions."
"It Comes Alive (Maid in Switzerland)" will be exclusively released in a lavish 2CD/DVD digipak released and will include the following tracks:
CD1:
01. Pandemonium
02. I.N.V.U.
03. Hell On High Heels
04. Wake Up To The Real World
05. Destination Paradise
06. Another Shot Of Your Love
07. Scream
08. Walk Away
09. It Comes At Night
10. Queen Of Dreams
11. Savage Heart
12. Clay
CD2:
01. Yellow Rain
02. Rock The House
03. Back To Back
04. Rodeo
05. Lovegames
06. Future World
07. Little Drops Of Heaven
08. Please Don't Leave Me
09. Red Hot And Heavy
10. Lethal Heroes *
* bonus track
DVD Contents:
01. Pandemonium
02. I.N.V.U.
03. Hell On High Heels
04. Wake Up To The Real World
05. Destination Paradise
06. Another Shot Of Your Love
07. Scream
08. Walk Away
09. It Comes At Night
10. Queen Of Dreams
11. Savage Heart
12. Yellow Rain
13. Rock The House
14. Back To Back
15. Rodeo
16. Love Games
17. Future World
18. Little Drops Of Heaven
19. Please Don't Leave Me
20. Red Hot & Heavy
+ Rockumentary (including backstage footage and interviews with the band)
On Thursday, March 15, the National Theater in Richmond, Virginia will host the biggest Cory Smoot memorial show yet. Joining headliners GWAR will be MUNICIPAL WASTE, GHOUL, and SUPPRESSION in an evening of bone-crushing delight.
States GWAR: "There will be raffles and prizes and excessive drinking and plenty of group hugs as we send off our Scumdog brother in the most grandiose fashion yet!"
All proceeds will go to the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child. Donations can be made here.
The next day GWAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, and GHOUL shall depart on the second half of their U.S. "Return Of The World Maggot Tour". All the dates and details will be announced next week.
It was announced last month that GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease.
Cory, who had played the character of Flattus Maximus for over ten years, was discovered dead on the band's tour bus on November 3, 2011. He was 34 years old.
Metal Blade and GWAR have since set up the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child.
Smoot joined GWAR in 2002 and first appeared on the band's 2004 album "War Party". He was the fifth guitarist to play the character of Flattus Maximus, known by his red face, white dreadlocks, dinosaur-head shoulder pads and reptile feet.
Born August 25, 1977, Smoot previously played in metal bands MISGUIDED and LOCUS FACTOR and continued to play with MENSREA, in addition to establishing his own solo project, THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT.
States GWAR: "There will be raffles and prizes and excessive drinking and plenty of group hugs as we send off our Scumdog brother in the most grandiose fashion yet!"
All proceeds will go to the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child. Donations can be made here.
The next day GWAR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, and GHOUL shall depart on the second half of their U.S. "Return Of The World Maggot Tour". All the dates and details will be announced next week.
It was announced last month that GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease.
Cory, who had played the character of Flattus Maximus for over ten years, was discovered dead on the band's tour bus on November 3, 2011. He was 34 years old.
Metal Blade and GWAR have since set up the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child.
Smoot joined GWAR in 2002 and first appeared on the band's 2004 album "War Party". He was the fifth guitarist to play the character of Flattus Maximus, known by his red face, white dreadlocks, dinosaur-head shoulder pads and reptile feet.
Born August 25, 1977, Smoot previously played in metal bands MISGUIDED and LOCUS FACTOR and continued to play with MENSREA, in addition to establishing his own solo project, THE CORY SMOOT EXPERIMENT.
Florida's industrial metal group DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY has entered the studio to record its fourth album entitled "Adorned In Thorns". The band describes the new music as the heaviest material they've written to date, very dark and cinematic. "It is the type of music you would hear in a movie trailer, we wanted to create something that sonically evolved our sound while continuing to deliver undeniable anthems," states guitarist Dreggs. "The production is sounding massive, we're injecting a lot of punch and polish this time around."
"Adorned In Thorns" is being recorded primarily in Florida, with the mixing sessions slated to take place in Los Angeles. The CD will consist of 10 songs, including "Overdose", "Adorned In Thorns", "Filth" and "Blame It On The Devil", the latter of which can be sampled in the YouTube clip below.
DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY's third album, "Coat Of Arms", was released in April 2010 via Somatic Recordings. The CD was produced by DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY and Jeremy Staska (POISON THE WELL, NEW FOUND GLORY, UNTIL THE END, MALEVOLENT CREATION) and mastered by Adam Ayan (A PERFECT CIRCLE, NINE INCH NAILS, LINKIN PARK).
"Adorned In Thorns" is being recorded primarily in Florida, with the mixing sessions slated to take place in Los Angeles. The CD will consist of 10 songs, including "Overdose", "Adorned In Thorns", "Filth" and "Blame It On The Devil", the latter of which can be sampled in the YouTube clip below.
DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY's third album, "Coat Of Arms", was released in April 2010 via Somatic Recordings. The CD was produced by DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY and Jeremy Staska (POISON THE WELL, NEW FOUND GLORY, UNTIL THE END, MALEVOLENT CREATION) and mastered by Adam Ayan (A PERFECT CIRCLE, NINE INCH NAILS, LINKIN PARK).
Finnish female-fronted heavy rock outfit LULLACRY will release its long-awaited fifth album, "Where Angels Fear", on March 7 in Finland through the band's own label, OUTO Recordings. The CD, which marks the first LULLACRY release since 2005's "Vol. 4", was produced by Mikko Herranen (ex-vocalist for MISERY, INC.), who also sings a duet with LULLACRY vocalist Tanja Lainio in the track "Feel My Revenge". The album was mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers in Helsinki.
"Where Angels Fear" track listing:
01. Antidote To You
02. Still An Angel
03. Thousand Suns
04. Feel My Revenge
05. Bad Blood
06. All Behind
07. Gone Are The Days
08. I Am
09. Broken (Into Pieces)
10. Where Angels Fear
11. Stay
12. Love & War
The first single, "Bad Blood", will be released digitally on February 6. The track is available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below.
Commented LULLACRY guitarist Sami Leppikangas: "Yes, it sure has taken a lot of time and many things have happened.
"Last year has probably been the best we've had in LULLACRY, at least when it comes to vibes. And you can hear that in the album. For the first time we made songs without thinking that now we have to do a goth ballad or a rock song. We just did things more spontaneusly and it led to an album that is a lot more dark, ambitious and multi-dimensional than its predecessors. We also paid a lot more attention to lyrics, and the production was organic, which made the sounds more dynamic on 'Where Angels Fear'.
"It will be awesome to go and play these new tunes to people; we've really waited this for long."
LULLACRY is:
Tanja Lainio - Vocals
Sami Leppikangas - Guitar
Sauli Kivilahti - Guitar
Heavy Hiltunen - Bass
Jukka Outinen – Drums
"Vol. 4" was released in the U.S. in February 2006 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Astia Studios with Anssi Kippo (CHILDREN OF BODOM, ENTWINE) and at Finnvox Studio with Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS). The first single off the album, "Stranger in You", entered the Finnish single chart at position No. 16 upon its release in July 2005. The title cut was backed by a cover of KISS' "I Stole Your Love".
"Where Angels Fear" track listing:
01. Antidote To You
02. Still An Angel
03. Thousand Suns
04. Feel My Revenge
05. Bad Blood
06. All Behind
07. Gone Are The Days
08. I Am
09. Broken (Into Pieces)
10. Where Angels Fear
11. Stay
12. Love & War
The first single, "Bad Blood", will be released digitally on February 6. The track is available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below.
Commented LULLACRY guitarist Sami Leppikangas: "Yes, it sure has taken a lot of time and many things have happened.
"Last year has probably been the best we've had in LULLACRY, at least when it comes to vibes. And you can hear that in the album. For the first time we made songs without thinking that now we have to do a goth ballad or a rock song. We just did things more spontaneusly and it led to an album that is a lot more dark, ambitious and multi-dimensional than its predecessors. We also paid a lot more attention to lyrics, and the production was organic, which made the sounds more dynamic on 'Where Angels Fear'.
"It will be awesome to go and play these new tunes to people; we've really waited this for long."
LULLACRY is:
Tanja Lainio - Vocals
Sami Leppikangas - Guitar
Sauli Kivilahti - Guitar
Heavy Hiltunen - Bass
Jukka Outinen – Drums
"Vol. 4" was released in the U.S. in February 2006 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Astia Studios with Anssi Kippo (CHILDREN OF BODOM, ENTWINE) and at Finnvox Studio with Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS). The first single off the album, "Stranger in You", entered the Finnish single chart at position No. 16 upon its release in July 2005. The title cut was backed by a cover of KISS' "I Stole Your Love".
THE WILDFIRE, the brainchild of a Finnish singer Antti Railio, is a new band that combines influences of heavy metal and rock music to create their own unique sound. Having formerly made his mark in bands such as CELESTY and DIECELL, Antti has spent the last three years touring extensively under his own name, doing acoustic shows and special appearances all around Finland. He is also currently performing in "Dance Of The Vampires", a cult musical running at the Seinäjoki City Theatre.
THE WILDFIRE is:
Antti Railio - Vocals
Arto Pitkänen - Drums
Iiro Juntunen - Bass
Kimmo Perämäki - Guitar
Satu Huhtala - Keyboards
Teemu Koskela - Guitar
The band's as-yet-untitled debut album will be released later in the year.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/thewildfireofficial.
THE WILDFIRE is:
Antti Railio - Vocals
Arto Pitkänen - Drums
Iiro Juntunen - Bass
Kimmo Perämäki - Guitar
Satu Huhtala - Keyboards
Teemu Koskela - Guitar
The band's as-yet-untitled debut album will be released later in the year.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/thewildfireofficial.
Extreme metal supergroup LOCK UP will embark on its first-ever North American headlining tour in February. Support on the trek will come from GOATWHORE and STRONG INTENTION.
LOCK UP bassist Shane Embury will be unable to make the trek and will be temporarily replaced by Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH, S.O.D., VENOMOUS CONCEPT).
"It's a pleasure and an honor to (briefly) step in for Mr. Shane Embury and hold down the bass for LOCK UP for these East Coast shows," commented Lilker. "Hope to see all the grindfreaks come out and experience the mayhem. Full speed ahead, fuckers!"
Originally formed by Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT), Nick Barker (ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR) and Jesse Pintado (NAPALM DEATH, TERRORIZER) to blast out the most caustic, skin-flaying brand of deathgrind, LOCK UP was joined by the raw throat of Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY) for its debut album, 1999's fearsome "Pleasure Pave Sewers", and Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR) for 2002's "Hate Breeds Suffering", touring Japan and then falling into inactivity.
Now joined by guitarist Anton Reisenegger (Chile's PENTAGRAM, CRIMINAL) in place of the late Jesse Pintado, LOCK UP is back in the most uncompromising style possible.
Commented Barker: "After many attempts in the past, sadly to no avail, LOCK UP finally gets to make it stateside for a string of shows with our good friends from Louisiana, GOATWHORE. For us in LOCK UP, to play with GOATWHORE in the U.S. is like a dream tour, as they are one of our favorite bands — and being good friends with them too only makes this package even more special to us. Be prepared North America 'cause we're coming over to blast your minds into deathgrind oblivion!"
The dates are as follows:
Feb. 08 - Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
Feb. 09 - Albany, NY @ Bogies
Feb. 10 - Boston, MA @ Club Lido
Feb. 11 - Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
Feb. 12 - Tortonto, ON @ Wreck Room
Feb. 13 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's
Feb. 14 - Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
Feb. 15 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
Feb. 16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Europa
LOCK UP's third studio album, "Necropolis Transparent", the was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in November-December 2010 at HVR Studios in Ipswich, United Kingdom and was mixed in January.
"Necropolis Transparent" features guest appearances by HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman (and one-time LOCK UP vocalist) Peter Tägtgren along with Jeff Walker (CARCASS, BRUJERIA).
LOCK UP bassist Shane Embury will be unable to make the trek and will be temporarily replaced by Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH, S.O.D., VENOMOUS CONCEPT).
"It's a pleasure and an honor to (briefly) step in for Mr. Shane Embury and hold down the bass for LOCK UP for these East Coast shows," commented Lilker. "Hope to see all the grindfreaks come out and experience the mayhem. Full speed ahead, fuckers!"
Originally formed by Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT), Nick Barker (ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR) and Jesse Pintado (NAPALM DEATH, TERRORIZER) to blast out the most caustic, skin-flaying brand of deathgrind, LOCK UP was joined by the raw throat of Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY) for its debut album, 1999's fearsome "Pleasure Pave Sewers", and Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR) for 2002's "Hate Breeds Suffering", touring Japan and then falling into inactivity.
Now joined by guitarist Anton Reisenegger (Chile's PENTAGRAM, CRIMINAL) in place of the late Jesse Pintado, LOCK UP is back in the most uncompromising style possible.
Commented Barker: "After many attempts in the past, sadly to no avail, LOCK UP finally gets to make it stateside for a string of shows with our good friends from Louisiana, GOATWHORE. For us in LOCK UP, to play with GOATWHORE in the U.S. is like a dream tour, as they are one of our favorite bands — and being good friends with them too only makes this package even more special to us. Be prepared North America 'cause we're coming over to blast your minds into deathgrind oblivion!"
The dates are as follows:
Feb. 08 - Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
Feb. 09 - Albany, NY @ Bogies
Feb. 10 - Boston, MA @ Club Lido
Feb. 11 - Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
Feb. 12 - Tortonto, ON @ Wreck Room
Feb. 13 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's
Feb. 14 - Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
Feb. 15 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
Feb. 16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Europa
LOCK UP's third studio album, "Necropolis Transparent", the was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in November-December 2010 at HVR Studios in Ipswich, United Kingdom and was mixed in January.
"Necropolis Transparent" features guest appearances by HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman (and one-time LOCK UP vocalist) Peter Tägtgren along with Jeff Walker (CARCASS, BRUJERIA).
HELL'S DOMAIN, the Danish thrash metal band featuring former members of HATESPEHERE, KOLDBORN, EXMORTEM and ARTILLERY, made its live debut on January 12 in the group's hometown Aarhus, Denmark. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.
HELL'S DOMAIN was formed by guitarist Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, BOIL) and bassist Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) in 2007 with the intention of churning out some catchy Bay Area-inspired thrash metal. Soon joined by Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY) on drums and Alex Clausen (MONSTAH) on vocals, the band completed its lineup in 2011 with the addition of former EXMORTEM axeman Andreas Schubert.
HELL'S DOMAIN released a three-song demo in 2011. The effort can be streamed at the band's Facebook page.
HELL'S DOMAIN 2012 is:
* Alex Clausen (ex-GROPE, MONSTAH) - Vocals
* Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, HORNED ALMIGHTY) - Guitar
* Andreas Schubert (ex-EXMORTEM) - Guitar
* Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) - Bass
* Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY, GROPE) - Drums
HELL'S DOMAIN was formed by guitarist Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, BOIL) and bassist Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) in 2007 with the intention of churning out some catchy Bay Area-inspired thrash metal. Soon joined by Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY) on drums and Alex Clausen (MONSTAH) on vocals, the band completed its lineup in 2011 with the addition of former EXMORTEM axeman Andreas Schubert.
HELL'S DOMAIN released a three-song demo in 2011. The effort can be streamed at the band's Facebook page.
HELL'S DOMAIN 2012 is:
* Alex Clausen (ex-GROPE, MONSTAH) - Vocals
* Bjørn Bihlet (ex-KOLDBORN, HORNED ALMIGHTY) - Guitar
* Andreas Schubert (ex-EXMORTEM) - Guitar
* Lars Knudsen (ex-CRIONIC) - Bass
* Anders Gyldenøhr (ex-HATESPHERE, ARTILLERY, GROPE) - Drums
Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based extreme metallers KATAKLYSM will release a multidisc DVD, "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined", in the spring via Nuclear Blast. The set will depict the ups and downs of the band's long, turbulent career, as well as footage of KATAKLYSM's performance at last year's Summer Breeze festival, which took place August 18-20, 2011 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany. The cover art for the release was created by artist Colin Marks (ORIGIN, EXODUS, NEVERMORE) and can be viewed below.
KATAKLYSM recently recorded the single "The Iron Will" in Montreal, Canada with guitarist/producer Jean-François Dagenais. It was mixed Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, BEHEMOTH, MNEMIC) in Denmark and will be made available with a video clip on iTunes one month before the release of "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined".
KATAKLYSM's "At The Edge Of The World" video was filmed on March 20, 2011 at the band's hometown show at Club Soda. This concert also marked the end of the group's "Spread the Venom" European/North American tour. The video was helmed by director Tommy Jones (DEATH ANGEL, SOILWORK), who is also working with KATAKLYSM on "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined".
KATAKLYSM's latest album, "Heaven's Venom", sold around 2,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 8 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
KATAKLYSM's previous CD, "Prevail", opened with 2,250 units back in June 2008.
"Heaven's Venom" was produced by Jean-Francois Dagenais and was mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MNEMIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY).
KATAKLYSM recently recorded the single "The Iron Will" in Montreal, Canada with guitarist/producer Jean-François Dagenais. It was mixed Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, BEHEMOTH, MNEMIC) in Denmark and will be made available with a video clip on iTunes one month before the release of "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined".
KATAKLYSM's "At The Edge Of The World" video was filmed on March 20, 2011 at the band's hometown show at Club Soda. This concert also marked the end of the group's "Spread the Venom" European/North American tour. The video was helmed by director Tommy Jones (DEATH ANGEL, SOILWORK), who is also working with KATAKLYSM on "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined".
KATAKLYSM's latest album, "Heaven's Venom", sold around 2,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 8 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
KATAKLYSM's previous CD, "Prevail", opened with 2,250 units back in June 2008.
"Heaven's Venom" was produced by Jean-Francois Dagenais and was mixed by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MNEMIC, DARK TRANQUILLITY).
Former members of DESPISED ICON and BLIND WITNESS have joined forces in a brand new metal/hardcore band called OBEY THE BRAVE.
Originating from Montreal and Ottawa, the group slowly took shape during the past year and was officially announced this week, along with a first string of East Canadian dates.
Commented singer Alex Erian: "Stoked to finally show you guys what we've been up to! It feels great to be playing music again with a few good friends. I can't wait to get this show on the road. We're doing everything DIY for now so help us spread the word if you like what you hear. Not trying to reinvent the wheel. We keep it simple. We keep it real."
OBEY THE BRAVE just released a sample from its first upcoming single, "Live And Learn", and will be posting more songs, videos and show dates in the next few weeks.
Confirmed shows:
Feb. 17 - Sherbrooke, QC @ Le Magog
Feb. 18 - St-Hyacinthe, QC @ L'Espace Temps
Feb. 20 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda w/ Everytime I Die, Terror
Mar. 02 - Kemptville, ON @ Leslie Hall
Mar. 03 - St-Jerome, QC @ Cafe d'en face
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/obeythebrave.
Originating from Montreal and Ottawa, the group slowly took shape during the past year and was officially announced this week, along with a first string of East Canadian dates.
Commented singer Alex Erian: "Stoked to finally show you guys what we've been up to! It feels great to be playing music again with a few good friends. I can't wait to get this show on the road. We're doing everything DIY for now so help us spread the word if you like what you hear. Not trying to reinvent the wheel. We keep it simple. We keep it real."
OBEY THE BRAVE just released a sample from its first upcoming single, "Live And Learn", and will be posting more songs, videos and show dates in the next few weeks.
Confirmed shows:
Feb. 17 - Sherbrooke, QC @ Le Magog
Feb. 18 - St-Hyacinthe, QC @ L'Espace Temps
Feb. 20 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda w/ Everytime I Die, Terror
Mar. 02 - Kemptville, ON @ Leslie Hall
Mar. 03 - St-Jerome, QC @ Cafe d'en face
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/obeythebrave.
Norwegian avantgarde metallers BORKNAGAR have completed work on their new studio album with Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, KATATONIA) in Örebro, Sweden. Entitled "Urd", the CD will be released on March 26 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Century Media Records.
The album's artwork was designed by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, who has not only already worked on the band's previous "Universal" release but also with artists such as SOULFLY, BELPHEGOR, EINHERJER and KEEP OF KALESSIN.
Commented BORKNAGAR mastermind Øystein G. Brun: "The cover and design for 'Urd' is spot on when it comes to portraying the very core of the band. This time around we wanted an earthly expression through our cover and general design to support and empower the main themes on the album. You can almost smell and feel the texture of the old Norse wooden carvings — still there is a sophisticated and eclectic approach to the expression that entwines perfectly into the music. Marcelo Vasco enhanced our ideas into brilliance, he painted the face of the beast that is about to be unleashed..."
"Urd" track listing:
01. Epochalypse
02. Roots
03. The Beauty Of Dead Cities
04. The Earthling
05. The Plains Of Memories
06. Mount Regency
07. Frostrite
08. The Winter Eclipse
09. In A Deeper World
Brun previously stated about the upcoming CD, "Our new album, 'Urd', was finished in mid December and all in all we spent about six months to record, produce and mix it. In the 'Bork-World' this isn't really long, but I can assure you that we have never before invested so much time, energy and effort into one single production. It has been a tough, yet inspiring ride.
"Since June 2011 I have constantly been working with this album, recording, editing and so forth — day and night. The same goes for my comrades. Never before have we made an album where everybody in the band has been so heavily involved and dedicated as this time around.
"'Urd' is surely the peak of our musical journey so far and we are extremely proud to have made this giant of an album! It's massive, it's emotional, it's fast, it's slow, it's epic, and it's progressive… all the ingredients that we have crafted our musical world on! And not to mention the 'golden threesome' on vocals (Vintersorg, Mr. Vortex and Lazare) really shines on this album… Do I need to say more?!"
Regarding where the album title fits in within BORKNAGAR's historical context, Øystein explains, "Our previous album was called 'Universal' and where should we go after an album title with such a magnitude? Well, we decided to head back home to earth. We really wanted to get back to the core of the band, where it all started - the admiration and pondering about nature and mankind's place therein. 'Urd' is the name of one of the norns that according to northern mythology stands under Yggdrasill and weaves the lifeline of mankind. 'Urd' is representing the past, while 'Verdande' is representing the present and 'Skuld' is representing the future. You might very well say that this is an ancient expression of what we today know as DNA. And I have always been very fascinated by the fact that parts and bits of our DNA actually derive from the very beginning of time. All living creatures are somewhat connected to the very first organic cell. That is some of the story behind the album title…"
BORKNAGAR 2012 is:
* Øystein G. Brun (Cronian, ex-Molested) – Clean and Electric Guitar
* Vintersorg (VINTERSORG, FISSION) - Grim Vocals, Clean Vocals and Choirs
* Lars A. Nedland (SOLEFALD, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST) - Keyboards, Clean Vocals, Choirs
* Jens F. Ryland (ICS VORTEX) - Lead Guitar
* ICS Vortex (ex-DIMNMU BORGIR, ARCTURUS, ICS VORTEX) - Bass, Clean Vocals and Choirs
Drums and percussion on "Urd" were performed by David Kinkade (SOULFLY, ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).
The album's artwork was designed by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, who has not only already worked on the band's previous "Universal" release but also with artists such as SOULFLY, BELPHEGOR, EINHERJER and KEEP OF KALESSIN.
Commented BORKNAGAR mastermind Øystein G. Brun: "The cover and design for 'Urd' is spot on when it comes to portraying the very core of the band. This time around we wanted an earthly expression through our cover and general design to support and empower the main themes on the album. You can almost smell and feel the texture of the old Norse wooden carvings — still there is a sophisticated and eclectic approach to the expression that entwines perfectly into the music. Marcelo Vasco enhanced our ideas into brilliance, he painted the face of the beast that is about to be unleashed..."
"Urd" track listing:
01. Epochalypse
02. Roots
03. The Beauty Of Dead Cities
04. The Earthling
05. The Plains Of Memories
06. Mount Regency
07. Frostrite
08. The Winter Eclipse
09. In A Deeper World
Brun previously stated about the upcoming CD, "Our new album, 'Urd', was finished in mid December and all in all we spent about six months to record, produce and mix it. In the 'Bork-World' this isn't really long, but I can assure you that we have never before invested so much time, energy and effort into one single production. It has been a tough, yet inspiring ride.
"Since June 2011 I have constantly been working with this album, recording, editing and so forth — day and night. The same goes for my comrades. Never before have we made an album where everybody in the band has been so heavily involved and dedicated as this time around.
"'Urd' is surely the peak of our musical journey so far and we are extremely proud to have made this giant of an album! It's massive, it's emotional, it's fast, it's slow, it's epic, and it's progressive… all the ingredients that we have crafted our musical world on! And not to mention the 'golden threesome' on vocals (Vintersorg, Mr. Vortex and Lazare) really shines on this album… Do I need to say more?!"
Regarding where the album title fits in within BORKNAGAR's historical context, Øystein explains, "Our previous album was called 'Universal' and where should we go after an album title with such a magnitude? Well, we decided to head back home to earth. We really wanted to get back to the core of the band, where it all started - the admiration and pondering about nature and mankind's place therein. 'Urd' is the name of one of the norns that according to northern mythology stands under Yggdrasill and weaves the lifeline of mankind. 'Urd' is representing the past, while 'Verdande' is representing the present and 'Skuld' is representing the future. You might very well say that this is an ancient expression of what we today know as DNA. And I have always been very fascinated by the fact that parts and bits of our DNA actually derive from the very beginning of time. All living creatures are somewhat connected to the very first organic cell. That is some of the story behind the album title…"
BORKNAGAR 2012 is:
* Øystein G. Brun (Cronian, ex-Molested) – Clean and Electric Guitar
* Vintersorg (VINTERSORG, FISSION) - Grim Vocals, Clean Vocals and Choirs
* Lars A. Nedland (SOLEFALD, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST) - Keyboards, Clean Vocals, Choirs
* Jens F. Ryland (ICS VORTEX) - Lead Guitar
* ICS Vortex (ex-DIMNMU BORGIR, ARCTURUS, ICS VORTEX) - Bass, Clean Vocals and Choirs
Drums and percussion on "Urd" were performed by David Kinkade (SOULFLY, ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).
South Carolina-based extreme metal band LECHEROUS NOCTURNE has set "Behold Almighty Doctrine" as the title of its third album, due later in the year via Unique Leader Records. The CD was recorded at SoundLab Studio in Lexington, South Carolina with longtime engineer Bob Moore.
The "Behold Almighty Doctrine" artwork can be seen below.
LECHEROUS NOCTURNE recently announced the addition of vocalist Brett Bentley to the group's ranks. The band states, "Brett is a beast front man and we are glad to have him in the fold!"
Vocalist Jason Hohenstein announced his departure from LECHEROUS NOCTURNE in July 2011, telling BLABBERMOUTH.NET in a statement, "I was writing/arranging in preparation of the new record when I was asked to leave." He added, "I did not quit! I want to make that perfectly clear."
LECHEROUS NOCTURNE's second album, "The Age of Miracles Has Passed", was released in October 2008 via Unique Leader Records.
The "Behold Almighty Doctrine" artwork can be seen below.
LECHEROUS NOCTURNE recently announced the addition of vocalist Brett Bentley to the group's ranks. The band states, "Brett is a beast front man and we are glad to have him in the fold!"
Vocalist Jason Hohenstein announced his departure from LECHEROUS NOCTURNE in July 2011, telling BLABBERMOUTH.NET in a statement, "I was writing/arranging in preparation of the new record when I was asked to leave." He added, "I did not quit! I want to make that perfectly clear."
LECHEROUS NOCTURNE's second album, "The Age of Miracles Has Passed", was released in October 2008 via Unique Leader Records.
Resurrected German death metallers MORGOTH are working on their first-ever live album/DVD for a summer release via Century Media. The effort is currently being mixed at Unisound Studio in Sweden with Dan Swanö (OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION) and "he is doing an incredible job," the band states.
MORGOTH's 2011 dates celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band's classic "Cursed" album. The setlist consisted primarily of songs from "Cursed" but also included cuts from the classic EPs "Resurrection Absurd" (1989) and "The Eternal Fall" as well as a couple of selected songs off "Odium".
"22 years ago I proudly wore a MORGOTH t-shirt on the group-photo for the first EDGE OF SANITY album," Dan said. "Any metalhead knows that for the really important photos, you only wear what you truly worship!!! Sometime during the mix sessions of the live material I had to pinch my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming! It's always a great vibe when something in your life comes 'full circle,' and this is one of those moments for me!"
MORGOTH will return to North American ground by appearing at Baltimore's acclaimed Maryland Deathfest on May 27. Furthermore, the band will perform at Neurotic Deathfest (The Netherlands), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) as well as the following events in Germany: Winternachtstraum (Arnsberg), Walpurgis Metal Dayz (Passau), Rock Harz (Ballenstedt) and Summer Breeze (Dinkelsbühl).
For a complete list of dates, visit the band's Facebook page.
Video footage of MORGOTH's August 5, 2011 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be viewed below.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Body Count
02. Exit To Temptation
03. Travel
04. Resistance
05. Suffer Life
06. Under the Surface
07. Burnt Identity
08. Sold Baptism
09. Pits of Utumno
10. Isolated
11. White Gallery
MORGOTH is:
Marc Grewe - Vocals
Harry Busse - Guitar
Sebastian Swart - Guitar
Sotirios "Soti" Kelekides - Bass
Marc Reign – Drums
MORGOTH's 2011 dates celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band's classic "Cursed" album. The setlist consisted primarily of songs from "Cursed" but also included cuts from the classic EPs "Resurrection Absurd" (1989) and "The Eternal Fall" as well as a couple of selected songs off "Odium".
"22 years ago I proudly wore a MORGOTH t-shirt on the group-photo for the first EDGE OF SANITY album," Dan said. "Any metalhead knows that for the really important photos, you only wear what you truly worship!!! Sometime during the mix sessions of the live material I had to pinch my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming! It's always a great vibe when something in your life comes 'full circle,' and this is one of those moments for me!"
MORGOTH will return to North American ground by appearing at Baltimore's acclaimed Maryland Deathfest on May 27. Furthermore, the band will perform at Neurotic Deathfest (The Netherlands), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) as well as the following events in Germany: Winternachtstraum (Arnsberg), Walpurgis Metal Dayz (Passau), Rock Harz (Ballenstedt) and Summer Breeze (Dinkelsbühl).
For a complete list of dates, visit the band's Facebook page.
Video footage of MORGOTH's August 5, 2011 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be viewed below.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Body Count
02. Exit To Temptation
03. Travel
04. Resistance
05. Suffer Life
06. Under the Surface
07. Burnt Identity
08. Sold Baptism
09. Pits of Utumno
10. Isolated
11. White Gallery
MORGOTH is:
Marc Grewe - Vocals
Harry Busse - Guitar
Sebastian Swart - Guitar
Sotirios "Soti" Kelekides - Bass
Marc Reign – Drums
Greek misanthropic blackmongers ENSHADOWED have inked a deal with Pulverised Records. Due later in the year, the band's third full-length effort, entitled "Magic Chaos Psychedelia", is "the ultimate combination of orthodox black metal with experimental grotesquery parts. Chaos, ritualism, paranoia — the formulas of how it can be harmonized with the chaos and the utter," according to a press release.
"Magic Chaos Psychedelia" track listing:
01. Stary Throne Of It
02. Is Venit Ex Abyssus
03. Black Holes, Death Planets
04. The Scenario
05. Surrealistic Shade Of Color Black
06. Dethroned
07. Inner Psy-Trip
08. The Dual Hypostasis Of Nihil
09. Magic Chaos Psychedelia
Commented ENSHADOWED guitarist N.e.c.r.o: "This is the right step for us!
"'Magic Chaos Psychedelia' is the most important step of the band until today.
"It's an honor that ENSHADOWED is the new member of Pulverised Records. I knew that they work professionally and I was totally satisfied with my other band's cooperation BURIAL HORDES with them.
"This album is a very personal situation for us. We re-made the songs again and again without any time pressure and therefore, the result was totally creative and powerful. Fotis BenardoSEPTICFLESH was behind the sound engineering. We spent many hours to manage the best sound quality for the recording and the mix. Now Pulverised Records is ready to spread our sick spiritual creations.
"Give yourself the chance to taste the blood of chaos and a magical psy-trip…"
Pulverised Records A&R manager Calvin added: "From the moment we heard the advance tracks from 'Magic Chaos Psychedelia', we knew this beast of an album contains some of the most cynical fuck-off vibe, in stark but perfect contrast with their blackened death riff-heavy grandiose. And also seeing how we have unleashed a slew of almost-exclusive death metal releases last year, ENSHADOWED has clearly proven with 'Magic Chaos Psychedelia' that we will have to derail that path a little in 2012!
"These days, we are extremely selective of the black metal bands that we sign and we have no doubt that the foreboding sounds of ENSHADOWED and the band's unholy stigma of top-notch production and astounding musicianship will once again reign anti-religious terror worldwide!"
ENSHADOWED is:
Serpent - Vocals
N.e.c.r.o - Guitar
Golgotha – Bass
"Magic Chaos Psychedelia" track listing:
01. Stary Throne Of It
02. Is Venit Ex Abyssus
03. Black Holes, Death Planets
04. The Scenario
05. Surrealistic Shade Of Color Black
06. Dethroned
07. Inner Psy-Trip
08. The Dual Hypostasis Of Nihil
09. Magic Chaos Psychedelia
Commented ENSHADOWED guitarist N.e.c.r.o: "This is the right step for us!
"'Magic Chaos Psychedelia' is the most important step of the band until today.
"It's an honor that ENSHADOWED is the new member of Pulverised Records. I knew that they work professionally and I was totally satisfied with my other band's cooperation BURIAL HORDES with them.
"This album is a very personal situation for us. We re-made the songs again and again without any time pressure and therefore, the result was totally creative and powerful. Fotis BenardoSEPTICFLESH was behind the sound engineering. We spent many hours to manage the best sound quality for the recording and the mix. Now Pulverised Records is ready to spread our sick spiritual creations.
"Give yourself the chance to taste the blood of chaos and a magical psy-trip…"
Pulverised Records A&R manager Calvin added: "From the moment we heard the advance tracks from 'Magic Chaos Psychedelia', we knew this beast of an album contains some of the most cynical fuck-off vibe, in stark but perfect contrast with their blackened death riff-heavy grandiose. And also seeing how we have unleashed a slew of almost-exclusive death metal releases last year, ENSHADOWED has clearly proven with 'Magic Chaos Psychedelia' that we will have to derail that path a little in 2012!
"These days, we are extremely selective of the black metal bands that we sign and we have no doubt that the foreboding sounds of ENSHADOWED and the band's unholy stigma of top-notch production and astounding musicianship will once again reign anti-religious terror worldwide!"
ENSHADOWED is:
Serpent - Vocals
N.e.c.r.o - Guitar
Golgotha – Bass
BUFFALO THEORY MTL — the project featuring three former members of the now-defunct Montreal deathcore act GHOULUNATICS — will enter Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Indica studios at the end of January to record six songs for its upcoming second album, entitled "Heavy Ride". The band states, "We still have a bit of arranging to do, but other that that we're ready to go! We are recording in three days, as we have a very limited budget, as most indie bands do, and by recording live, we can get the most out of the sessions." The group adds, "Along with the six new songs, we will be adding the five songs from our first demo EP (March 2010), which will finally get properly mastered. Our first EP was meant to be a demo at the time and was released without being mastered. The EP is now out of print.
The mix and mastering should be done by the end of February and the plan is to release it by mid-March to start touring the new album in April or May."
Interested parties should contact BUFFALO THEORY MTL now at buffalotheory@live.ca or at booking@galyrecords.com.
BUFFALO THEORY MTL is:
Gary Lyons (ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Bass
Pat Gordon (LES EKORCHÉS, ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Guitar
Yannick Pilon (ARSENIQ 33) - Guitar
Brian Craig (ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Drums
Anton Parr – Vocals
The mix and mastering should be done by the end of February and the plan is to release it by mid-March to start touring the new album in April or May."
Interested parties should contact BUFFALO THEORY MTL now at buffalotheory@live.ca or at booking@galyrecords.com.
BUFFALO THEORY MTL is:
Gary Lyons (ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Bass
Pat Gordon (LES EKORCHÉS, ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Guitar
Yannick Pilon (ARSENIQ 33) - Guitar
Brian Craig (ex-GHOULUNATICS) - Drums
Anton Parr – Vocals
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