AEROSMITH singer and "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler stars in a new Burger King commercial promoting the fast food chain's new hot-and-spicy chicken strips. In the 30-second spot, which can be seen below, Tyler works the drive-through greeting female customers with a "Welcome to Burger King, honey!" Steven "also Get(s) A Grip on a couple of female employees, slides across a counter on his butt and rejects a manager's command to wear a hairnet," according to BostonHerald.com.
Burger King's Senior Vice President of North America Marketing, Alex Macedo, told AdAge that the commercial was created to grab attention to the company's menu expansion.
"The big challenge is how do you really grab people's attention?" Macedo said. "And most of all, how do you get them to taste the product? We chose [Tyler as one of the] celebrities to get people's attention faster and to show the diversity that we have with our brand."
Burger King's Senior Vice President of North America Marketing, Alex Macedo, told AdAge that the commercial was created to grab attention to the company's menu expansion.
"The big challenge is how do you really grab people's attention?" Macedo said. "And most of all, how do you get them to taste the product? We chose [Tyler as one of the] celebrities to get people's attention faster and to show the diversity that we have with our brand."
The middle-aged pilot in the England rugby shirt and baseball cap sitting opposite me in a cafe at Gatwick is not exactly how I pictured the lead singer of a world famous rock band.
Gone is the bandana and long hair, and in its place is a man who appears as comfortable discussing Atols as he is performing on stage in front of thousands of people.
As the front man for Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson has headlined concerts around the world for more than 20 years. But this week he will take to a different stage, as the keynote speaker at the Advantage Conference in Malta, discussing the issues affecting the travel industry – a sector that is close to his heart.
" I had a Boeing 757 manual on my lap, reading up, when a little old lady walked up to the pool attendant and asked if it was true that a plane had flown into the twin towers"
Dickinson wanted to be a pilot from the age of five (until his "fascination with guitars took over") and has flown aircraft for a number of airlines, from British World Airlines to Astraeus Airlines until it folded last November. But his career in aviation began at one of the darkest times in the sector's history.
"I'd just completed my line training and was all signed off to fly, and was in New York with the band," he says. "It was a really sunny day, and I was sitting on the roof of the hotel by the pool. I had a Boeing 757 manual on my lap, reading up, when a little old lady walked up to the pool attendant and asked if it was true that a plane had flown into the twin towers. I thought it must have been a small private plane, and went back to my reading. Then more people arrived, and someone said it was some sort of airliner, and
I thought, 'Oh boy…'"
I thought, 'Oh boy…'"
Three weeks after September 11, British World Airlines, which had sponsored Dickinson's training and promised him a job at the end, went bust. "The staff went two ways - half went to Channel Express, now Jet2, and the others, like me to Astraeus," he says.
"There is a place for travel agents on the high street, but they need to reinvent themselves and stop looking like DHSS offices"
In his subsequent years at Astraeus, Dickinson flew several football teams, holidaymakers stranded by the collapse of XL Airways, his own band for its world tours, as well as countless fans as part of special gig "packages".
"I'm my own tour operator," he grins. "I charter a flight and then advertise the packages for around £500, which includes hotels, me flying them there, an onboard goody-bag, and a backstage tour." Dickinson also brings another pilot to fly them home, so he can sit with the fans on the return leg and sign autographs.
But does he have an Atol? "No I don't need one at the moment, but I might need to recheck that when the new reforms come in," he concedes.
Dickinson stayed with the airline, flying and working as marketing director, until its demise last November, which he attributes to "certain management decisions". He remains tight-lipped about what these were, but says: "It was an inevitable consequence. The manager wasn't being allowed to manage. I had a bet it would go in November, and I was right, almost to the day."
Thoughts on the industry
The rocker-turned-pilot is clearly passionate about his industry, and is angry that the government, which he brands a "basket case", is ignoring the sector's concerns.
The rocker-turned-pilot is clearly passionate about his industry, and is angry that the government, which he brands a "basket case", is ignoring the sector's concerns.
Air Passenger Duty, he claims, "is just theft" which should be extended to shipping, including cruises, "if the tax really is about the environment".
Dickinson is also frustrated the government is not addressing the issue of airport capacity in the UK. "Aviation is a massive driver of so much in the UK, especially in terms of employment. We need to develop our regional capacity - it's crazy that people have to drive from Cardiff to Heathrow to get a flight to the US. They should be able to fly direct."
Dickinson admits he is also a fan, albeit a reluctant one, of the Boris Island airport concept.
"I couldn't really see it at first, but looking at the design, it's really quite innovative. It would provide a new Thames barrier - and the airport would be self-sustaining - able to generate its own power by tidal flow. For the money the government is spending on HS2 to get to Birmingham 10 minutes quicker, they could have a massive project in the estuary. With Crossrail there could even be a link between Heathrow and Boris Island, so people could transfer in no time."
He also believes the Heathrow expansion should be considered, and that the airport should focus solely on long-haul. "There is already a good runway at Northolt which short-haul traffic could be diverted to. Heathrow needs to be long-haul effectively, but there needs to be a good connection for short-haul as well," he says.
High street hopes
Dickinson's gripes are not limited to aviation. He believes high street travel agents should be doing more to lure customers away from the internet. "There is a place for travel agents on the high street, but they need to reinvent themselves and stop looking like DHSS offices. They should look at the way estate agents have reinvented themselves - Foxtons for example is like a cafe, where you can go and look at houses on a slideshow. It would be great to see that in travel agencies.
Dickinson's gripes are not limited to aviation. He believes high street travel agents should be doing more to lure customers away from the internet. "There is a place for travel agents on the high street, but they need to reinvent themselves and stop looking like DHSS offices. They should look at the way estate agents have reinvented themselves - Foxtons for example is like a cafe, where you can go and look at houses on a slideshow. It would be great to see that in travel agencies.
"Travel agents can be wonderful," he adds, "but they need to be 24/7 so you can pick up a phone and get a human being, no matter where you are in the world."
And does Dickinson use a travel agent? "Absolutely," he says. "We use a company called Travel by Appointment, which sorts out all the arrangements for the band, and I use them for personal holidays too."
He has travelled around the world, both as a pilot and on the many world tours with Iron Maiden, but Dickinson admits there are still places he wants to visit, in particular Egypt.
"I flew there to pick up the stranded holidaymakers, but I've never actually spent time there. I'd love to do a Death on the Nile type cruise," he says.
But this holiday may be difficult to fit in - Dickinson is now working with the Welsh government to create an aircraft maintenance company, and will continue to fly planes for his business partner who leases aircraft in south-east Asia. He is also spending the summer on an Iron Maiden tour in the US, and the band plans to continue touring every year for the foreseeable future - flown to each destination by Dickinson himself. Minus the bandana and leathers, of course.
At the bottom of the article, we need you to put "Bruce Dickinson is available for corporate speaking engagements through Dave Daniel at Celebrity Speakers on 01628 601411 or dave@speakers.co.uk"
THE CULT will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Wednesday, May 23 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with THE CULT by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the "Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.
For more information, visit RocklineRadio.com.
THE CULT's film clip for their new single, "For The Animals", from their forthcoming "Choice Of Weapon" album, reflects the socially and economically divided world that we find ourselves facing.
"'For The Animals' is a metaphor for people existing in a realm outside of structured society and what cultural editors deem to be relevant," explains THE CULT's lead singer Ian Astbury. "It could be the feral punk rock kids squatting in abandoned homes or the spirited individual who has little regard for social conventions. It's for people who choose not to tow the party line or try to fit in. It's for the free-thinkers who are creative and dynamic."
With the film clip, THE CULT has captured the rising tensions and frustration of a growing group of disenfranchised youth. The provocative clip, from visionary director Michelle Peerali and starring hot young actress Hanna Mosqueda as the lead character, portrays the 19-year-old protagonist transforming from a lost and abandoned youth, overwhelmed by the state of the world large and at her own poor economic status and broken family at home, into an empowered strong woman who finds her inner strength in the end.
In the film clip, we see the lead character navigate a chaotic world looking for an answer only to realize in the end that what she was looking for all along was within her the whole time. "She realizes that the only solution for change is actually within her. It's about her self-awareness, inner strength, and waking her internal life, realizing she has to take command of the situation and has the power to break through," says Astbury, who appears in a cameo role along with band mates Billy Duffy (guitar), John Tempesta (drums), and Chris Wyse (bass). "In the end, she finds others who feel the same way. The message being, 'if you feel you don't fit it, it's okay. There are others out there. The tribe is there.'"
As Astbury sings in "For The Animals", the song and film clip is "for all the fucked up children staring down the barrel of a gun," a real and metaphorical image, the social, economic, and environmental cards this generation of youth has been dealt. It's a theme that is put into sharp focus by an aware Astbury on the band's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", due May 22 on Cooking Vinyl.
"Your choice of weapon can be anything you use to deal with your world. It could be self-knowledge. I think we're at a crossroads, as individuals and as a society, to define our intentions in life. What do you choose to do with your life? What do you need to really flourish? How do I not get stuck being a slave to convention? And as the character in the film clip writes on the wall, 'How many more ways will they find to reinvent boredom?'"
These are just some of the observations THE CULT shares in "For The Animals" and on "Choice Of Weapon".
For more information, visit RocklineRadio.com.
THE CULT's film clip for their new single, "For The Animals", from their forthcoming "Choice Of Weapon" album, reflects the socially and economically divided world that we find ourselves facing.
"'For The Animals' is a metaphor for people existing in a realm outside of structured society and what cultural editors deem to be relevant," explains THE CULT's lead singer Ian Astbury. "It could be the feral punk rock kids squatting in abandoned homes or the spirited individual who has little regard for social conventions. It's for people who choose not to tow the party line or try to fit in. It's for the free-thinkers who are creative and dynamic."
With the film clip, THE CULT has captured the rising tensions and frustration of a growing group of disenfranchised youth. The provocative clip, from visionary director Michelle Peerali and starring hot young actress Hanna Mosqueda as the lead character, portrays the 19-year-old protagonist transforming from a lost and abandoned youth, overwhelmed by the state of the world large and at her own poor economic status and broken family at home, into an empowered strong woman who finds her inner strength in the end.
In the film clip, we see the lead character navigate a chaotic world looking for an answer only to realize in the end that what she was looking for all along was within her the whole time. "She realizes that the only solution for change is actually within her. It's about her self-awareness, inner strength, and waking her internal life, realizing she has to take command of the situation and has the power to break through," says Astbury, who appears in a cameo role along with band mates Billy Duffy (guitar), John Tempesta (drums), and Chris Wyse (bass). "In the end, she finds others who feel the same way. The message being, 'if you feel you don't fit it, it's okay. There are others out there. The tribe is there.'"
As Astbury sings in "For The Animals", the song and film clip is "for all the fucked up children staring down the barrel of a gun," a real and metaphorical image, the social, economic, and environmental cards this generation of youth has been dealt. It's a theme that is put into sharp focus by an aware Astbury on the band's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", due May 22 on Cooking Vinyl.
"Your choice of weapon can be anything you use to deal with your world. It could be self-knowledge. I think we're at a crossroads, as individuals and as a society, to define our intentions in life. What do you choose to do with your life? What do you need to really flourish? How do I not get stuck being a slave to convention? And as the character in the film clip writes on the wall, 'How many more ways will they find to reinvent boredom?'"
These are just some of the observations THE CULT shares in "For The Animals" and on "Choice Of Weapon".
Before legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio died in May 2010, his former guitarist Rowan Robertson got in touch with a Norwegian drummer, Rick Hagan, and started talking about doing a few shows featuring the material from Rowsn's period in DIO, which Ronnie had not played for 20 years. With bassist Are Gogstad and singer Nils Patrik Johansson, the lineup was stable and toured in Norway twice under the name QUEENSTREET. But there was one part missing, and with the addition of 25-year BLACK SABBATH member Geoff Nicholls, THE SOUTHERN CROSS became the natural representation of what DIO musically stood for in the Eighties and early Nineties.
THE SOUTHERN CROSS's 2012 tour sees the band visit highlights from RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO. Songs like "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", "Lock Up The Wolves", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and, of course, the classics "Heaven And Hell" and "Holy Diver" are all featured in the concerts.
So now it's time to dig out your old RAINBOW and SABBATH LPs again and rediscover the power of "Heaven And Hell", "Rainbow Rising", "Mob Rules", "Holy Diver" and all the other immortal records Ronnie James Dio left us with.
The full lineup of the band is as follows:
* Rowan Robertson (DIO, DC4) - Guitar
* Nils Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE) - Vocals
* Are Gogstad (PAUL DI'ANNO, RIPPER OWENS, A.S.C.) - Bass
* Rick Hagan (PAUL DI'ANNO, RIPPER OWENS, 21ST CENTURY ROX) – Drums
* Geoff Nicholls (BLACK SABBATH) - Keyboards
The band has lined up a handful of dates so far for their November tour. Dates (venues to be announced) are as follows:
Nov. 06 - Larvik, Norway
Nov. 07 - Drammen, Norway
Nov. 08 - Bergen, Norway
Nov. 09 - Rjukan, Norway
Nov. 10 - Jevnaker, Norway
Nov. 16 - Rock at Sea - Sweden
In the late 1980s Robertson heard that Ronnie James Dio was looking for a new guitarist. He sent a tape to the record company Phonogram. After six months of waiting, he got a reply that stated that at that moment they were not interested in him. At the encouragement of his friend and fellow guitarist Sean Manning (HURRICANE) the tenacious Robertson then contacted the DIO fan club who then asked him to send his demo tape to them.
Robertson, who was 17 years old at the time, got a great response from DIO after receiving the demo through the fan-club channels. In late January or early February 1989 Robertson was flown to Los Angeles for an audition with DIO. He was auditioned twice. Immediately after the second audition he was invited to join the band. The press-release for the addition of Robertson to DIO was sent out on July 18, 1989 and the press was invited to meet the newest DIO guitarist on July 20, 1989 at Oliver's Pub in New York City.
The first DIO album Robertson started working on with DIO was "Lock up the Wolves". These sessions included Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice and Jens Johansson. The band had already begun writing and recording when Jimmy Bain and Vinny Appice were suddenly excused from the band. They were replaced with Teddy Cook and former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright.
"Lock up the Wolves" was released in 1990, and the band embarked on a tour in support of the album.
Robertson stayed with DIO until Ronnie James Dio rejoined BLACK SABBATH in 1991.
Dio and Robertson had been writing songs for an album to be released in May 1991 which ended up being shelved. When the DIO band was put on ice, Robertson started work on an instructional video for guitar players. It was released on Star Licks in July or August 1991. He then teamed up with vocalist Oni Logan (ex-LYNCH MOB) and drummer Jimmy Paxson (from TRIANGLE) and began to write and record on an album together for Atlantic Records.
THE SOUTHERN CROSS's 2012 tour sees the band visit highlights from RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO. Songs like "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Falling Off The Edge Of The World", "Lock Up The Wolves", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and, of course, the classics "Heaven And Hell" and "Holy Diver" are all featured in the concerts.
So now it's time to dig out your old RAINBOW and SABBATH LPs again and rediscover the power of "Heaven And Hell", "Rainbow Rising", "Mob Rules", "Holy Diver" and all the other immortal records Ronnie James Dio left us with.
The full lineup of the band is as follows:
* Rowan Robertson (DIO, DC4) - Guitar
* Nils Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE) - Vocals
* Are Gogstad (PAUL DI'ANNO, RIPPER OWENS, A.S.C.) - Bass
* Rick Hagan (PAUL DI'ANNO, RIPPER OWENS, 21ST CENTURY ROX) – Drums
* Geoff Nicholls (BLACK SABBATH) - Keyboards
The band has lined up a handful of dates so far for their November tour. Dates (venues to be announced) are as follows:
Nov. 06 - Larvik, Norway
Nov. 07 - Drammen, Norway
Nov. 08 - Bergen, Norway
Nov. 09 - Rjukan, Norway
Nov. 10 - Jevnaker, Norway
Nov. 16 - Rock at Sea - Sweden
In the late 1980s Robertson heard that Ronnie James Dio was looking for a new guitarist. He sent a tape to the record company Phonogram. After six months of waiting, he got a reply that stated that at that moment they were not interested in him. At the encouragement of his friend and fellow guitarist Sean Manning (HURRICANE) the tenacious Robertson then contacted the DIO fan club who then asked him to send his demo tape to them.
Robertson, who was 17 years old at the time, got a great response from DIO after receiving the demo through the fan-club channels. In late January or early February 1989 Robertson was flown to Los Angeles for an audition with DIO. He was auditioned twice. Immediately after the second audition he was invited to join the band. The press-release for the addition of Robertson to DIO was sent out on July 18, 1989 and the press was invited to meet the newest DIO guitarist on July 20, 1989 at Oliver's Pub in New York City.
The first DIO album Robertson started working on with DIO was "Lock up the Wolves". These sessions included Jimmy Bain, Vinny Appice and Jens Johansson. The band had already begun writing and recording when Jimmy Bain and Vinny Appice were suddenly excused from the band. They were replaced with Teddy Cook and former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright.
"Lock up the Wolves" was released in 1990, and the band embarked on a tour in support of the album.
Robertson stayed with DIO until Ronnie James Dio rejoined BLACK SABBATH in 1991.
Dio and Robertson had been writing songs for an album to be released in May 1991 which ended up being shelved. When the DIO band was put on ice, Robertson started work on an instructional video for guitar players. It was released on Star Licks in July or August 1991. He then teamed up with vocalist Oni Logan (ex-LYNCH MOB) and drummer Jimmy Paxson (from TRIANGLE) and began to write and record on an album together for Atlantic Records.
Michael Wilton, guitarist for Queensryche, may not end up on lists for the best guitar players. But it's not because he doesn't have the chops or imagination. His performances on the Dedicated To Chaos album are like mini-sonic vignettes — he moves from clean guitar tones to boulder breaking distorted sounds within a single track and creates this total picture within a single song. Wilton loves the classics as well as the more modern bands and in his playing you can hear this symphony of bent blues notes mixing with muted riffs and intricate arpeggios. The Dedicated To Chaos record is more stripped down than earlier Queensryche albums and since he was the only guitarist playing on the music — Kelly Gray and touring guitar player Parker Lundgren provide minimal parts — he was given free reign to let his guitar freak flag fly.
UG: You really come from more of metal background. You said you listened to bands like Van Halen, UFO, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.
Michael Wilton: Sure yeah for a period of my career definitely. In my formative years. That was more in high school. After that just came hanging out with friends and getting in garage bands and going and investigating other guitar players and mimicking as best as we could in the young days.
Did you pick up on the classic players?
In my very early days obviously I was into Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, the Beatles, John Coltrane, John McLaughlin and all kinds of different genres of guitar players. It wasn't until high school and kind of a social thing that really I jumped into what I called the British Invasion of Metal, which really hit our area in Seattle really hard.
You put some bands together?
Yeah, there was a number of small bands: Crossfire, the Mob, and Joker. I mean there was just a lot of different garage bands.
You were crossing paths early on with future members of Queensryche like Scott Rockenfield?
Yes. After high school I went to the Cornish Institute of Allied Arts and I studied music there for a couple years. Directly after that is when I met Scott Rockenfield and Eddie Jackson.
Jumping ahead a little, "The Lady Wore Black" was one of the earliest songs you ever co-wrote with Geoff Tate?
I think those were the early years and a lot of the songs were semi-derivative from what we were listening to. But definitely as a guitar player I think you can see a common thread of the lineage and how we progressed as players and songwriters.
What was that like doing the first Queensryche album, The Warning, at Abbey Road Studios?
Yeah, being that young age in my early '20s it was an eye-opening experience. One, for the fact of actually moving there and living in a flat in the westend of London for some time. And two, seeing the orchestra arranged by the late Michael Kamen and James Guthrie and being in Abbey Road, which as I said before I am a huge Beatles fan. So it was just eye candy and ear candy everywhere.
When you listen to your guitar playing on The Warning how does it strike you now?
I listen to it as a progression; it's a stair step up the mountain. When I listen to it it kind of sends images in my mind of back when I was recording those songs and how my practice schedule was set up. It was really an exciting and also scary and dangerous time because you don't know really what the outcome would happen. You just kind of believed in something and then you took the risk and after that we had set up a good team and got to tour on that record extensively and meet a lot of bands.
Obviously the risk paid off because you recorded the Operation: Mindcrime album and brought in a huge audience.
I think we were really going on our gut instincts and basically who we listened to and who we liked and it was just kind of a mishmash of all the personalities blending up all the influences. Subsequently there was a lot of influence from Yes, Pink Floyd and the progressive bands with members of Queensryche as well as guitar players from guitar-oriented bands. That was something we just knew we were comfortable with and the themes and the conceptual ideas making it more of a 3D atmosphere was something that really intrigued us and opened the color palette for creativity.
"It was really an exciting and also scary and dangerous time because you don't know really what the outcome would happen."
That multi-media approach culminated with Empire?
Empire was at a stage in our career when we had just pretty much broken the social barrier with MTV with Operation: Mindcrime. That was a full conceptual idea and we toured on that for quite a long time with Metallica and all types of bands like Iron Maiden. Why I'm saying that is after touring for so long and kind of being exhausted on the whole conceptual idea it was kind of natural for a change to metamorphosize and sometimes we just want to write songs. Empire was a collection of songs with not too heavy of a conceptual idea and maybe a little bit thematic. In a sense we wanted to make it sound more palatable. Don't get me wrong because the guitar parts are very critical and they're not really easy to play. But it was more of a sense of making it sound like it's easier to listen to and enjoy and connect with people.
"Silent Lucidity" came from the Empire album. What did the success of the song mean to Queensryche.
That was a song that my high school friend Chris DeGarmo came up with. When he played that for us it was intriguing. But as we consider ourselves musicians we like to stretch the boundaries and "Silent Lucidity" in its pure form was just a very sparse song. But again speaking to a guitar player the intro is kind of a weird timing and it throws it off and it can be pretty tricky. Some of the fingering on it people actually destroy it on YouTube. It wasn't until the idea that Chris said he was hearing orchestration is when the song kind of went into panoramic view and color and everything. It was just a slam dunk I guess.
Do you think your style evolved around playing with Chris DeGarmo?
I think there was a camaraderie. One from a social fact that we were friends since young kids and we went to the same schools and two, we both liked to play guitar and eventually we hooked up. So there's kind of like this genetic musician brotherhood that happened between us. We wrote so much music together and played so many shows together that when we did come together to work on ideas and work on songs, I could kind of sense where Chris was going and what he might play next and he could do the same with me. To me that kind of builds a good guitar duo or a guitar team because you know the strengths of each other. But you also know your strengths and it's the combination that brings together amazing surprises.
How would you describe the differences in the way you and Chris DeGarmo play?
Analytically it's really hard for me. For me it's more of a visual, sensory perception. I just kind of know the way he plays. I don't even know the way I play; I can't describe the way I play. I don't have the right adjectives to describe what I play. I just think Chris is a very strong, melodic guitar player and very talented at songwriting. He's very solid as a performer and his timing is impeccable. As guitar players when you play chords and write riffs or passages, I don't know but I think most guitar players I talk to they hear things. They hear things going against the guitar; they hear notes or vocals or another guitar part or something. You do that enough and it just gets engrained in the way you view your playing and your writing. It just becomes common. But yeah, sometimes it takes people a while to discipline themselves to not just hear a linear passage but something that's three-dimensional.
Hear In the Now Frontier from 1997 had a pretty stripped down version of Queensryche musically.
Yes it did. It was a trying time for the band; we had a lot of things were changing in that era business-wise. The record company was going out of business and people were being hired and fired and it caused a lot of uncertainty in the touring on that record. A lot of that record was more organic and stripped down and not a lot of ear candy. I mean there are some good songs and a lot of Chris's Beatles melody influences in there. We had the whole way that it was mixed and produced was kind of stretched in a different way. Those are some really good songs on there and I think they translate live really well.
Chris DeGarmo left Queensryche at this point.
Yes, that was Chris's last album that he was with the band. Everybody says, "Yeah OK, that's what happened there" [laughs.] That's kind of where he left us.
When you look at the collection of songs on the Sign Of the Times: The Best of Queensryche album that came out in 2007, how do they hit you?
They were all high moments and they were just very amazing elements to subsequently feed my learning and just maturing as a musician. There were so many great things that happened: we got to meet so many great musicians and so many great producers. Everything that surrounded us was in such a positive way and we had such a big huge team. We had a gargantuan record label and a gargantuan management team. Then we got to mess with all the latest gear and we got these NASA rack processing systems and Bob Bradshaw racks and ESP guitars. It was just really so much that it's hard to pinpoint. There's bubbles of great times from winning an MTV Viewer's Choice Award. That was so unexpected and James Brown gave it to us. To playing Rock In Rio with 100,000 people and playing the Grammys. I sat next to Dan Rather the newsguy and there was so many strange, great things that had happened with the band. It's a whole two-thirds of my life.
Some of the songs you did on the Take Cover album were interesting choices like Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and David Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair." Did you listen to those types of bands? The San Francisco bands?
Yeah, sure, I did. I'm actually from San Francisco and I kind of grew up in the '60s. My father always took me to concerts when I was a young toddler.
Who did you see?
I saw the Youngbloods, the Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Country Joe & The Fish, the Rascals and all kinds of stuff that he exposed me to. But yeah, it's quite an amazing 30 years.
You also covered Black Sabbath's "Neon Knights." Were you a Sabbath fan?
Oh man, yeah. In my arsenal of CDs, tapes and records, I had everything by Black Sabbath. I've had the great opportunity to tour with members of that band. For us to do "Neon Knights" was kind of a walk in the park for me because I already knew the song. I remember when we were touring with Alice Cooper and Heaven & Hell and Tony Iommi told me I did an amazing job and incredible justice in the solo section. I said, "Oh, c'mon. You penned the amazing solo there." And he says, "Yours is not too shabby either."
Getting to Dedicated To Chaos, Scott Rockenfield had described the new album as a combination of rock and dance. Would you agree with that?
There's lots of different outer elements that were contributing to that album. Again the band is always looking at different ways to stretch the envelope and stretch the box. Sometimes that's needed and sometimes you just gotta try different avenues you haven't tried before. You do that because you can and you take all kinds of influences. It's a balance of the influences and everything that just produces the music that we do.
Pursuing that line of thinking did you want to search out new guitar tones and sounds that you hadn't used before?
Right. Instead of just using humbucker ESP guitars, I used a lot of different styles of guitars and more boutiquey amps. I've got an old Fender tweed combos and something that's kind of a signature in our clean sound is the old Roland JC-120 combo. I still have that from the Mindcrime days. Tons of little combo HiWatts that I have. What we kinda did was we put mics on all of 'em and I used this radial device that splits the signal and isolates it so you don't get that nasty hum. Then we had mics on different cabinets and we just kind of matrixed them into the recording medium and just brought up the faders to add this sound or that sound. It was kind of a really fun way of recording.
You played all the guitars on Dedicated To Chaos by yourself?
Yeah. Kelly Gray was on our Q2K album that was after the Hear In the Now Frontier and we toured with him. He's known for his producing skills; he produced Candlebox and Nevermore and lots of different bands. He had the hat of engineer/producer so when we'd get to an impasse in a song he could suggest, "Well why don't you try this or try that" and kind of expedite the situation. Parker Lundgren had some input too with little parts here and there. It's just kind of the sum of everything makes it what it is. With the advent of ProTools you have a little more freedom and you don't have the time constraints like you do in the studio. So we could set up really interesting recording scenarios.
Being the sole guitar player must have been a completely different experience than doing the tandem guitar stuff back in the day with Chris DeGarmo.
Right yeah. Each record is kind of a 180 from the last one and keeping it fresh and interesting. There are different ways to use your talent and your creativity and you just use them for the best of your ability for what you're recording.
"Got It Bad" was a great example of your creativity with the big guitar sounds, the funky riffs and the backwards guitar.
Yeah, I have an effect that does that but you can also do it in ProTools. It sounds better with the effect I think. That was the old Eventide H3000 that I have that has a backwards patch. I put it completely 100 percent wet and send it out and send it out and you have a backwards part and it's pretty cool.
Was that some of your inner Beatles coming out?
Oh! On my iPod I've got immense albums of the Beatles. I may have Slayer and Mastodon but I will have the Beatles. When I need lessons in melody and time and space and the space between the notes, which is sometimes as important as the note, I'll listen to the Beatles. Just to hear how melodic and how brilliant they were utilizing that and making it interesting. To me it's my alchemy and it's magic.
There's a really melodic guitar riff on the verse from "Higher." Can you explain how you developed that?
That was actually pretty simple. I had Scott's drum part and that was the first thing that came out of my head. Kelly was with me and we just kept looping it and just built it actually pretty quick.
There's kind of a David Bowie and Nile Rogers vibe on "Wot We Do."
Yeah definitely. Bowie is someone we all listen to and Nile as a guitar player we listen to. Like I said we kinda have an open palette of musical influences.
Your solo in "I Take You" was so lyrical and economical. What is your view on solos?
It depends on what the structure of the music is. A lot of it I take from the melodic lines of the song and trying to find the strongest passage and that's kind of the starting point. Then it's got to work with the feel of the music and trying to make it sit in the pocket and give the song what it needs. That's basically what you got to do and that's how you gotta approach it. You don't wanna go there and just show all flash. You want to do what's right for the song and you've got to determine what's right for the song. So you gotta be objective in your approach and sometimes less is more and sometimes simple is better than intricate and sometimes intricate is better. It's all dependent on the song.
"Big Noize" closes the album and that one has some acoustic guitars in it.
The acoustic was my Taylor that records really nice. I think we used through a Seymour Duncan box where you record direct into ProTools. We kinda used that and a microphone.
Dedicated To Chaos was a different sounding album than other Queensryche records. Did it succeed in bringing the band into a more modern sound?
You kind of never know and it's kind of a crapshoot. I think as an artist you kinda gotta go with your gut feeling. If it hits public taste and collides that's double-plus good.
What was the response to Dedicated To Chaos?
It was released on Roadrunner Records and we toured quite extensively in 2011. The thing with Queensryche and our main body of work is the big albums and when you play it live you've got to give 'em the favorites. So it's like any one of the songs off the later albums post-''97 you've just gotta give 'em a little taste of this and this. It blends in well. To throw a song in off of Chaos people stare at it but then it's like, "Hey, it worked." Certain songs on the older albums because we toured so much back then and wrote 'em in a room together they just work live. Pre-ProTools it was, "Let's get creative and write together in a room." Those tend to for the most part translate live really well. Sometimes you can get overly creative in the ProTools area and it sounds good on the computer but when you play it live it's a different animal. You gotta kind of make some adjustments here and there.
You had a side project back in 2004 called Soulbender. Will you do any more recording with that band.
I plan on it and we have all the demos for the second album. The core band kind of disintegrated so it kind of stopped. It's kind of a purist thing so it's gotta be something that's really special and I just don't wanna piecemeal it out. I want it to be a band so yeah someday.
What about Wratchet Head?
It's kind of a fun thing and that's a little more rock and progressive in nature and lots of guitar. So I have that. I've done lots of recording for film and television and lots of different media. Scott Rockenfield and I did a CD called Mosh Pit which is on Sonoton in Austria and distributed all over the world. Played on various TV shows from sports to cooking shows; you might hear some background guitar and drum stuff on there and it's probably Scott and I.
Both Soulbender and Wratchet Head were heavier bands than Queensryche. Is that where your heart really is musically?
As you grow as a musician you really start to blossom in what you like and the way you play. The way it evolves is perceived differently by everybody. It's really strange. I can jam and play the blues like a blues guy. I've jammed with Lee Oskar from War because he lives up here in Seattle. I can do that thing but I'm definitely in the rock and definitely into the hard rock and definitely into a semi-progressive area of the rock.
Queensryche provides a space for all of those styles?
Queensryche for the most part fills all those roles. We've got some really fun songs to play on guitar. Our current guitar player, Parker Lundgren, when he was working on learning the songs from Rage For Order he didn't realize in-depth how fun and challenging the guitar parts are.
You're such a smart and focused guitar player.
Speaking for myself, I come from the era where efficiency and discipline were really the rules to follow. When I went to school at the Cornish Institute, I was thrust in the arena of these great progressive jazz players and guitar players and piano players. I got into Gamelan music banging bells and drums and stuff in patterns and learning classical piano and all these great composers from the days of yore. That was kind of exciting for me and to take that and make it into something popular. I definitely like to stretch it out because that excites me—the musicianship and the guys playing and just giving you everything from inside their soul. That's where I came from and I kind of get bits of that in everything I do and I create.
When you talk about a very high level of musicianship you have to mention the performances of drummer Scott Rockenfield and bassist Eddie Jackson.
I am fortunate. You bring up a real interesting point because when I'm working on these other side projects and the drummers, I've gotten so used to playing with Scott Rockenfield. He's a machine and I never have to worry. He's always on the beat or behind the beat exactly and he's just incredible. Sometimes you have to adjust to a different drummer's playing and it's kind of strange.
Progressive hard rock icons DREAM THEATER were honored to receive several awards from the leading Japanese rock magazine Burrn! while on their current Asian tour. The band's latest album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", won "Best Album" and "Best Front Cover" in the 2011 readers' poll. In addition to the album being chosen by Burrn! readers, Japanese heavy metal radio personality Masa Ito picked John Petrucci as "Best Guitarist" and Jordan Rudess as "Best Keyboardist" in the 2011 awards. Japan was one of the 14 countries where "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" had a Top Ten debut.
The band — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received the awards this week while on tour in Japan in support of "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which features the Grammy-nominated song "On The Backs Of Angels" ("Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). The Asian tour began April 19 in Seoul, Korea, bringing the group to Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Bangkok, Thailand, where it concludes May 8.
"We want to express a heartfelt thank you to Burrn! magazine, Masa Ito and all of our fans in Asia and around the world who not only voted for us in the readers poll but continue to support us every day," DREAM THEATER said in response to receiving the awards. "All of you keep the dream alive and for that we are eternally grateful."
Next up for DREAM THEATER is their North American summer tour which launches June 15 in Rochester, New York and wrap July 21 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The tour includes stops at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long Island, New York.
The band — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received the awards this week while on tour in Japan in support of "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which features the Grammy-nominated song "On The Backs Of Angels" ("Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). The Asian tour began April 19 in Seoul, Korea, bringing the group to Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Bangkok, Thailand, where it concludes May 8.
"We want to express a heartfelt thank you to Burrn! magazine, Masa Ito and all of our fans in Asia and around the world who not only voted for us in the readers poll but continue to support us every day," DREAM THEATER said in response to receiving the awards. "All of you keep the dream alive and for that we are eternally grateful."
Next up for DREAM THEATER is their North American summer tour which launches June 15 in Rochester, New York and wrap July 21 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The tour includes stops at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long Island, New York.
As far as American metalheads are concerned, Michael Kiske is a perfect example of the age-old question, "Whatever happened to . . . ?" Kiske's adolescent years were comprised of being the vocalist for German semi-underground band Helloween from 1986-93. Helloween toured the U.S. behind the groundbreaking albums Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part 1 and Part 2, and even played an MTV Hells On Wheels "Headbangers Ball" tour concert in 1987 opening for Grim Reaper and Armored Saint (watch Helloween's entire performance from Minneapolis here).
Although Helloween was mostly known as a speed-metal band because it could rip your face off one moment with a track such as "Twilight of the Gods," they could also show their soft side with "A Tale That Wasn't Right." Their most popular songs are the 13 1/2-minute epic "Halloween" from 1987 and the 1989 classic "I Want Out."
Four short years later, Kiske disappeared from the music scene. Sort of. While Helloween replaced him with Andi Deris -- and is still going strong with him -- Kiske moved on.
He put out four solo albums. He took part in a metal opera project called Avantasia with former Helloween mate Kai Hansen on guitars and Edguy singer Tobias Sammet. He hooked up in a band called Place (pronounced PLAHZ) Vendome. And in 2010, Kiske released a duet hard rock/metal album with Amanda Somerville called Kiske/Somerville. Virtually none of that material saw the light of day in America.
But Kiske is back with Unisonic. Their debut self-titled album comes out May 22 in the States, though it has already been released in other parts of the world. Click on the video box to the left for the single "Unisonic." The album even includes a 2011 live-in-Japan version of "I Want Out." Two members of Place Vendome teamed up with Kiske as part of a quartet in Unisonic, and the band added a fifth member on guitar later. That member is none other than Hansen -- who remains the lead singer and guitarist of Gamma Ray following his stint in Helloween.
Kiske's lone writing contribution on Unisonic is the orchestral ballad "No One Ever Sees Me" -- a tune he sings from a woman's perspective.
Kiske has always cited Elvis Presley as his main influence. He's also been one of metal's funniest and most entertaining frontmen -- even when critics claimed he and Helloween split because he supposedly "hated" heavy metal and no longer wanted to be associated with it.
Kiske, 44, and I spoke by phone last weekend:
Hello, Michael. How are you? Are you calling from Germany today?
Yes, I am in Germany. And where are you?
I am in San Antonio, Texas.
Oh, wow, I haven't been there since the '80s! In fact the last time I was in the States was 1996. We did a video for "Always" (for deceased Helloween drummer Ingo Schwictenberg).
I was going to ask you about that, but I'd like to start by saying you've always been one of my favorite singers since the '80s, and it's great to have a chance to speak with you for the first time today.
Well, thank you very much.
Q: Congratulations on the Unisonic album. I've enjoyed it very much thus far. I know Unisonic originally started without Kai, and you have played off and on with him the past couple of years. But how has it been for you to reunite with him for a studio recording after so many years?
A: To me, this is really the most fun part of it. I don't know what it is. When Kai and I are on the road, it doesn't even have to be live playing -- we've been to Spain, Paris, Japan, England just for interviews and traveling around -- it's always a good spirit between me and him. I kind of forgot about it, but it's really reminded me of the old days. That's the essence of making music, in my opinion, and when he suggested he become a member of Unisonic, I thought, "That's a great idea!" The songwriting was going well (before Hansen joined), but it was going slow. So I'm really happy with it. I love Kai. He's really good for my personality.
Yes, I am in Germany. And where are you?
I am in San Antonio, Texas.
Oh, wow, I haven't been there since the '80s! In fact the last time I was in the States was 1996. We did a video for "Always" (for deceased Helloween drummer Ingo Schwictenberg).
I was going to ask you about that, but I'd like to start by saying you've always been one of my favorite singers since the '80s, and it's great to have a chance to speak with you for the first time today.
Well, thank you very much.
Q: Congratulations on the Unisonic album. I've enjoyed it very much thus far. I know Unisonic originally started without Kai, and you have played off and on with him the past couple of years. But how has it been for you to reunite with him for a studio recording after so many years?
A: To me, this is really the most fun part of it. I don't know what it is. When Kai and I are on the road, it doesn't even have to be live playing -- we've been to Spain, Paris, Japan, England just for interviews and traveling around -- it's always a good spirit between me and him. I kind of forgot about it, but it's really reminded me of the old days. That's the essence of making music, in my opinion, and when he suggested he become a member of Unisonic, I thought, "That's a great idea!" The songwriting was going well (before Hansen joined), but it was going slow. So I'm really happy with it. I love Kai. He's really good for my personality.
Q: What is your favorite track off the Unisonic album and why?
A: I really like "We Rise." It turned out to be almost an old Priest classic. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would be. When we got to the mixing stage, I was really surprised how good it turned out. Of course, I like my own one "No One Ever Sees Me." It's about religious sects discriminating against women. The lyrics came to me when I was watching TV. An Indian man -- not American Indians, but from India -- was talking about arranging for his daughter to marry someone. And he said that if she talks about love, "I will kill her with my own hands." And I was shocked by that. I thought, "How could someone treat their own daughter that way?" In Islamic cultures, they kill their daughters if they marry someone they want to be with. How can someone be inhumane like that? They treat women and girls as objects, and I think it's pretty horrible. And you know, ladies, women in those countries are so brainwashed that they're OK with it. They grow up like that. I was shocked when I was watching this.
Well, I have to tell you, Michael, I'm half Indian, so I know all about the topic of arranged marriage that you're talking about!
I just don't respect any form of inhumanity. I don't get it. We have a history here in Germany with the Nazis. But wherever it shows up, it's just a terrible thing.
A: I really like "We Rise." It turned out to be almost an old Priest classic. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would be. When we got to the mixing stage, I was really surprised how good it turned out. Of course, I like my own one "No One Ever Sees Me." It's about religious sects discriminating against women. The lyrics came to me when I was watching TV. An Indian man -- not American Indians, but from India -- was talking about arranging for his daughter to marry someone. And he said that if she talks about love, "I will kill her with my own hands." And I was shocked by that. I thought, "How could someone treat their own daughter that way?" In Islamic cultures, they kill their daughters if they marry someone they want to be with. How can someone be inhumane like that? They treat women and girls as objects, and I think it's pretty horrible. And you know, ladies, women in those countries are so brainwashed that they're OK with it. They grow up like that. I was shocked when I was watching this.
Well, I have to tell you, Michael, I'm half Indian, so I know all about the topic of arranged marriage that you're talking about!
I just don't respect any form of inhumanity. I don't get it. We have a history here in Germany with the Nazis. But wherever it shows up, it's just a terrible thing.
Q: How has it been for you to get back out there on stage again after nearly two decades?
A: In the beginning, there was a lot of pressure. I didn't know if I'd be capable of doing it or how the fans would react. And we started with a festival in front of 30,000 people! Sure, we did two or three warm-up shows, but the first real concert we did was at Sweden Rock. I have to say, it turned out really nice. The audience was so beautiful, and I was overwhelmed with the warmth of the audience. After the gig, we did a signing session, and the people were in a huge line all the way around. They had all kinds of CD's that I had done. Now, I feel very comfortable on stage. It was almost like riding a bike as a little kid. You get back on after 20 years, and you never forget how to do it.
A: In the beginning, there was a lot of pressure. I didn't know if I'd be capable of doing it or how the fans would react. And we started with a festival in front of 30,000 people! Sure, we did two or three warm-up shows, but the first real concert we did was at Sweden Rock. I have to say, it turned out really nice. The audience was so beautiful, and I was overwhelmed with the warmth of the audience. After the gig, we did a signing session, and the people were in a huge line all the way around. They had all kinds of CD's that I had done. Now, I feel very comfortable on stage. It was almost like riding a bike as a little kid. You get back on after 20 years, and you never forget how to do it.
I still have the 1987 MTV concert Helloween did with Grim Reaper and Armored Saint in Minneapolis on VHS.
Oh, man, I was a baby then. But it was the best time of my life.
Q: Was that tour the last time you performed in the States?
A: We did another tour in 1989 with Anthrax. That was a nice tour, but not as long as the Headbanger's Ball tour, which was three months. With Anthrax, it was six weeks, but it was also bigger venues.
Oh, man, I was a baby then. But it was the best time of my life.
Q: Was that tour the last time you performed in the States?
A: We did another tour in 1989 with Anthrax. That was a nice tour, but not as long as the Headbanger's Ball tour, which was three months. With Anthrax, it was six weeks, but it was also bigger venues.
Q: So do you miss playing in the States? Can we expect a tour in the U.S. eventually with Unisonic?
A: Oh, we would love to go to the U.S. But I don't know what the market is like. Over here in Europe, we just entered the charts almost everywhere with the album. And I'm not talking metal charts. I mean official charts. In Germany, it was No. 24. I don't know where we are now. In Europe it's not going to be bad at all. I would love to play the U.S. I have nothing but good memories. But I don't know how it's going to do because the album hasn't been released there yet.
A: Oh, we would love to go to the U.S. But I don't know what the market is like. Over here in Europe, we just entered the charts almost everywhere with the album. And I'm not talking metal charts. I mean official charts. In Germany, it was No. 24. I don't know where we are now. In Europe it's not going to be bad at all. I would love to play the U.S. I have nothing but good memories. But I don't know how it's going to do because the album hasn't been released there yet.
Q: What is your most memorable moment from your time in Helloween?
A: The first tours we did. Keeper 1, Keeper 2. People might say that I say that because I'm back together with Kai, but it's just a fact. When he was in the band, the band was totally functioning. When he wasn't in anymore, it stopped functioning, and it turned into a nightmare, especially for me. There was one special thing in France in a very little village around the Keeper 1 time. We were very successful in France, and we went there to do a show. But the promoter who did the show didn't advertise it, so people didn't know we were there. We played for about 80 people. But it was the most fun we ever had. It was more like a Monty Python thing than a concert.
A: The first tours we did. Keeper 1, Keeper 2. People might say that I say that because I'm back together with Kai, but it's just a fact. When he was in the band, the band was totally functioning. When he wasn't in anymore, it stopped functioning, and it turned into a nightmare, especially for me. There was one special thing in France in a very little village around the Keeper 1 time. We were very successful in France, and we went there to do a show. But the promoter who did the show didn't advertise it, so people didn't know we were there. We played for about 80 people. But it was the most fun we ever had. It was more like a Monty Python thing than a concert.
It was often documented that you and Helloween split because some in the media here said that you hated heavy metal.
That's bull----.
Q: In America, we may wonder more than any other metal fans what happened to you after Helloween because it's been so long since we've seen you or the current edition of Helloween play live in this country. With Unisonic, it's obvious that you don't hate metal or hard rock. So can you clarify what happened after that and why you disappeared, so to speak, for so many years?
A: It had nothing to do with the music. I grew up with that music. There was a lot of anger in me toward the metal scene, especially in Germany. But I always love my Maiden records and Judas Priest records. I'm actually honest with you now, OK? (Helloween guitarist) Michael Weikath was very jealous of individual people in the band. He was working against me when Kai left the band and doing it behind my back. He was trying to get Andi Deris in the band, and after awhile, I got sick of it. I said toward (Hansen's replacement) Roland (Grapow), "I'm thinking of leaving the band." Fans were disappointed. They (media) tried to twist it that "Michael hated metal." But I've always loved metal. But I was pissed then, and I was getting a lot of bull---- when I did a record. If it didn't sound like Helloween, it was enough for (critics) to destroy it.
That's bull----.
Q: In America, we may wonder more than any other metal fans what happened to you after Helloween because it's been so long since we've seen you or the current edition of Helloween play live in this country. With Unisonic, it's obvious that you don't hate metal or hard rock. So can you clarify what happened after that and why you disappeared, so to speak, for so many years?
A: It had nothing to do with the music. I grew up with that music. There was a lot of anger in me toward the metal scene, especially in Germany. But I always love my Maiden records and Judas Priest records. I'm actually honest with you now, OK? (Helloween guitarist) Michael Weikath was very jealous of individual people in the band. He was working against me when Kai left the band and doing it behind my back. He was trying to get Andi Deris in the band, and after awhile, I got sick of it. I said toward (Hansen's replacement) Roland (Grapow), "I'm thinking of leaving the band." Fans were disappointed. They (media) tried to twist it that "Michael hated metal." But I've always loved metal. But I was pissed then, and I was getting a lot of bull---- when I did a record. If it didn't sound like Helloween, it was enough for (critics) to destroy it.
Q: After you went solo and did some of the other projects, how long did it take you to revisit Helloween material for your own listening pleasure?
A: Up to this day, I have not listened to anything Helloween has done after I left.
Q: No, I meant the material you did -- listening to it on your own even while you were doing other projects?
A: Oh yeah, I listen to Keeper once in awhile. But it's just a side of moving on. It's not a bad thing. I went on to do other things like Place Vendome, which came about from Serafino (Perugino) from Frontiers Records. But maybe that's why I don't listen to a lot of what I did in the past. Serafino actually helped get me back to revisiting my past. And even then, it took me about another 3-4 days to realize, "Why do I reject my past of songs that I did?" It sounds stupid, but I did.
A: Up to this day, I have not listened to anything Helloween has done after I left.
Q: No, I meant the material you did -- listening to it on your own even while you were doing other projects?
A: Oh yeah, I listen to Keeper once in awhile. But it's just a side of moving on. It's not a bad thing. I went on to do other things like Place Vendome, which came about from Serafino (Perugino) from Frontiers Records. But maybe that's why I don't listen to a lot of what I did in the past. Serafino actually helped get me back to revisiting my past. And even then, it took me about another 3-4 days to realize, "Why do I reject my past of songs that I did?" It sounds stupid, but I did.
Q: I enjoyed the Kiske/Somerville album you did last year with Amanda. How did the two of you decide to work together, and do you have plans to join forces again for another record?
A: I'd love to. I like Amanda a lot. She's a beautiful person. Smart, attractive lady. Beautiful voice. She's so not difficult. You have women sometimes in metal who can be divas. But she's like a guy. Even if she's sick, like food poisoning, she behaves in a great way. I love the girl. It came together from Serafino, that Italian guy from Frontiers Records. He suggested, "Michael, why don't you do a duet album with a woman?" And I thought, "Wow, that would be really cool!" I'm the type of person who needs to be kicked: "How about this, Michael?" It doesn't happen if I don't have a challenge in front of me. He was helpful with the Place Vendome stuff, too.
A: I'd love to. I like Amanda a lot. She's a beautiful person. Smart, attractive lady. Beautiful voice. She's so not difficult. You have women sometimes in metal who can be divas. But she's like a guy. Even if she's sick, like food poisoning, she behaves in a great way. I love the girl. It came together from Serafino, that Italian guy from Frontiers Records. He suggested, "Michael, why don't you do a duet album with a woman?" And I thought, "Wow, that would be really cool!" I'm the type of person who needs to be kicked: "How about this, Michael?" It doesn't happen if I don't have a challenge in front of me. He was helpful with the Place Vendome stuff, too.
Q: I have a social media question from your Fan Club on Twitter. They'd like to know, basically, if there was a concern that with Unisonic being formed with a few of the members from Place Vendome that the two bands would sound too similar?
A: I don't think so. (Bassist) Dennis (Ward) has his own songwriting style. Dennis wrote a lot of the tracks for Place Vendome. You can't blame him for sounding like his own songs. But you don't know if the production is going to turn out the same way. When I write with Kai, a lot of times it sounds like Helloween. Kai had nothing to do with Place Vendome, so his input doesn't sound like Place Vendome.
A: I don't think so. (Bassist) Dennis (Ward) has his own songwriting style. Dennis wrote a lot of the tracks for Place Vendome. You can't blame him for sounding like his own songs. But you don't know if the production is going to turn out the same way. When I write with Kai, a lot of times it sounds like Helloween. Kai had nothing to do with Place Vendome, so his input doesn't sound like Place Vendome.
Well, Michael, I was on the first 70000 Tons of Metal cruise last year with Kai and Gamma Ray, and this past January with Tobias and Edguy. Hopefully we will see you and Unisonic on next year's trip. Thanks again for taking the time.
Yes, I would love to. Thanks for the support! Take care, bye!
Yes, I would love to. Thanks for the support! Take care, bye!
According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready has told Kentucky radio station WFPK that MAD SEASON, the Seattle supergroup that featured him, late ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley and members of the SCREAMING TREES, could be making a semi-return later this year. McCready said that he plans to reissue the group's one album, 1995's "Above", as well as a live record, and added that there is unreleased material in the vault that he would like to complete and release.
Asked about the unreleased music, McCready said, "We were trying to do another record, but it just didn't work, Layne went off and did ALICE IN CHAINS and then he died. So, what happened was, I had to change the band name to DISINFORMATION. From the DISINFORMATION sessions there are probably twelve songs, and out of that, probably eight that are pretty great. They need to be edited, but they're all music, so we're trying to find singers that are up to the caliber of Layne to do justice to it."
McCready added that he hopes to have the singers in place soon and get the material into the hands of fans before the end of the year.
MAD SEASON officially dissolved in 1999 following the death of bassist John Baker Saunders. Staley died three years later in 2002.
MAD SEASON's sole album, "Above", was certified gold for sales of half a million copies and yielded two Top 20 modern rock singles, "River Of Deceit" and "I Don't Know Anything".
Asked about the unreleased music, McCready said, "We were trying to do another record, but it just didn't work, Layne went off and did ALICE IN CHAINS and then he died. So, what happened was, I had to change the band name to DISINFORMATION. From the DISINFORMATION sessions there are probably twelve songs, and out of that, probably eight that are pretty great. They need to be edited, but they're all music, so we're trying to find singers that are up to the caliber of Layne to do justice to it."
McCready added that he hopes to have the singers in place soon and get the material into the hands of fans before the end of the year.
MAD SEASON officially dissolved in 1999 following the death of bassist John Baker Saunders. Staley died three years later in 2002.
MAD SEASON's sole album, "Above", was certified gold for sales of half a million copies and yielded two Top 20 modern rock singles, "River Of Deceit" and "I Don't Know Anything".
Sepultura as a band are legends. They have influenced countless thrash and death metal bands over the years with classic albums such as "Chaos A.D.", "Roots", "Beneath the Remains". and "Arise." After the whole thing with Max leaving after "Roots" the band has had its ups and downs in popularity, but now they are back with a vengeance. Their latest album "Kairos" is a return to form. If you haven't heard it yet, check it out.
Hi Andreas, thanks for taking the time to do this interview! First of all I wanted to let you know that I thought "Kairos" is one of the best albums that you guys have done in some time. It also seems to be almost unanimously agreed that this is the best album that the band has done with Derrick. Did you guys do anything differently this time around as compared to the last few albums?
We always put all the energy and effort into when we write and record, we always did what we feel and we look for some new ideas and new music while we travel the world. I don't know what you mean by perception but it seems the other way around, finally people are listening to Sepultura for what it is, without the endless comparison with the past.
One thing that I had heard prior to actually listening to "Kairos" was that it was similar in style to "Chaos A.D." which is one of my all-time favorite Sepultura albums. When I heard it, I was like "yup, that totally has a style like Chaos A.D." was this intentional or did things just come out that way?
The album is influenced by the Sepultura history, it has a little bit of everything we ever did plus the new ideas we have now. It is natural that some stuff reminds people of some of the stuff we did in the past, but we didn't try to copy anything, what's done is done. However, the vibes in the studio, plus the signing with Nuclear Blast were great motivations while recording this album, similar with the vibes when we recorded Chaos AD.
Another thing that's been talked about a lot is your choice to cover both Ministry's "Just One Fix" and The Prodigy's "Firestarter". Whose idea was it to do these songs? They are a bit of a strange choice for Sepultura.
Well, Sepultura has done many covers before, including DEVO, U2, Bob Marley, New Model Army plus many other bands that don't have anything to do with heavy music, and we like that challange. I think Ministry and Prodigy are closer to our heavy world than many of bands we did. Epecially Ministry as they influenced Sepultura so much at the beggining of the 90′s. They really showed a new way of doing heavy music and we are very happy to have a chance to pay tribute to this amazing band. Prodigy was a part of a brainstorm we had to try to find bands we like but never had a chance to play their music in our way, so Prodigy came up and we all liked the idea. It is a very aggressive band with a lot of heavy and punk music, they are amazing live and we got our inspiration from the live version of the song.
So what is the concept behind Kairos?
The concept of NOW. What matters is the present, we respect our past, we have a rich beautiful history of 27 years but we are not trapped there, we are here, now! Kairos means time with no chronological order, there's no start no end, it is the moment, a special moment. We talk about Sepultura on the album, we have lyrics to our families, fans, to the labels, press, the experiences we have on the road and all, it is very personal, very honest and strong, it represents what we are now.
Why do you feel that the band has never been able to regain the same level of popularity that it once had with "Arise", "Chaos A.D." and "Roots"? It's not like the quality of the songs have taken a steep drop since that time period.
Don't know, there were not only the changes inside the band but also the changes in our society: technology, computers, downloads, a lot had changed, but is hard to say. We lost a lot when Max left the band. We lost not only the singer but we lost the manager and all the structure that Sepultura had worked for 10 years to build, we had to start from scratch. It was a long and hard road but very positive and a learning experience. We became stronger from all of the trouble we had to keep the band alive, and here we are. For me this is a very successful tale, it feels good to be here now.
Sepultura are the heaviest band I'm aware of to gold in North America, how were you able to cope with the success at that time? You guys had started in complete poverty in my understanding and then ended up touring with Pantera!
No, we didn't start in complete poverty, not at all. My family wasn't rich, but I had a great life growing up in Brazil. Of course it was hard to get albums and equipment to play Heavy Metal but it was a great school to learn to play with every kind of instrument and amps. Sepultura, since day one, even before I joined the band in 1987, was a hard working band. Practicing everyday with a lot of faith in their music. When I joined the band we did "Schizophrenia" and we got the contract with Roadrunner for a worldwide release of the next album, "Beneath the Remains." Regardless of our financial situation we were a band that simply worked our asses off.
I have to ask this about "Roots": Are you proud of the Nu-Metal genre it helped to spawn? People seem to either love or hate that album!
I love that album. It was one of the best experiences of my life. We were in such a special moment that we could do anything we wanted musically and we did! It was new, very different from everything that was going on at the time and it for sure influenced many bands after that. Still very powerful to listen to even today, to work with Ross Robinson and Andy Wallace was a true privilege. Too bad we didn't handle all the bullshit with managers and all that eventually led to the departure of Max.
How come you've kept the band going even without the Cavalera's? Many fans seem to think the name Sepultura should have been retired once Igor left.
I respect what "many fans" have to say: You're entitled to express your opinions and each one of you have one. Of course I don't agree with them all but I respect them all, everyone of you have a Sepultura in your heads. It is very hard to define a Sepultura fan, they are very mixed and from all over the world, the Sepultura spirit is still the same. We are here talking about a new Sepultura album and tour, we still look for new ideas, new groups to have as partners, we go everywhere, we play everywhere, we still bring new topics to our albums. We talk about deep themes, great books and ourselves. Max and Igor left the band, it was their choice, not mine.
What's your stance on downloading and file-sharing? Also, what do you think would need to be done to make both fans happy and musicians able to support themselves?
Well who knows? I guess we don't have much of a choice. You see bands and artists touring like no other time before. Everybody is on the road, albums are not selling the way they did in the past. I think is a positive think, the record labels don't have the same power and everything is more open. There are better chances for young new artists. Let's see, we are still in a transition phase.
What's your favorite Sepultura album of all time? Kairos is not allowed as a choice!
I like them all, each one of them was very special and crucial step forward in our career.
What's the plan for the band after the tour? Take a break, go back in the studio, or more touring?
We have a very busy year ahead of us. After the North American tour we are going to go back to Brazil to do some shows there. At the end of May we are going to Lisbon for the rock in Rio festival, then we will stay in Europe for the summer. We have the Wacken Fest in Germany, Interlaken in Switzerland, Bloodstock in UK, Sweden rock Fest, among others. We are confirmed at the Orion Fest + more Metallica festival that will happen in June 24th in Atlantic City. We have Asia in November and maybe we will be back in the States till the end of the year.
Thanks a lot for doing this, anything else you want to say?
Thank you and a big thanks to all the Sepultura fans. Hope to see you all on the road.
San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD are inviting fans in the Czech Republic to take part in the band's next video shoot. A message on the group's Facebook page states, "Calling all MACHINE HEAD fans in Prague! MACHINE HEAD will be filming a video for the track 'Darkness Within' in the Czech Republic, and we want you in it!
"Only the most die-hard, crazy and insane MACHINE HEAD fans are asked to apply as you will be required to show your passion and intensity on camera. Send your age, contact info and a photo or video proving to us why you should be in the video to darknesswithinvideo@gmail.com.
"Filming will take place between May 4 and May 9."
"Darkness Within" comes off MACHINE HEAD's new album, "Unto The Locust", which sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.
When asked in a July 2011 interview with "Metal Zone" host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone if there is a song on "Unto The Locust" that he is particularly proud of or looking forward to playing live, MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn said, "I always look forward to playing the thrashier songs because I know that it will make the pit go crazy, but there's another song on the record called 'Darkness Within' that's really pretty left-field for us. And I have such a great feeling about it; I think it's gonna be a song that just flips people on their heads and really is able to connect.
"We've been doing this for awhile now and even though we're a super-brutal, heavy band, we've somehow started to infiltrate the mainstream. They didn't really wanna let us in at first, but they were kind of like, 'Alright, we'll let you in.' Especially with the Grammy nomination, it's kind of weird, but I think it's pretty cool. And this song, it's a very dark song, and it's a really good song. I think it's maybe one of the best songs we've ever written, and I'm really proud of it.
"Our drummer, Dave [McClain] had written this really cool, kind of PINK FLOYD-style acoustic riff, and I loved it, and I was just jamming on it one night.
"I had just watched that movie 'Crazy Heart' and they had this one song that was kind of like, the dude was singing in this [lowers his voice] croaky cigarette voice like this. And I was just jamming along, strumming just random words… I was thinking in my head, 'If I ever record this song, I'm gonna drink a pint of vodka and smoke half a pack of cigarettes while I'm tracking it.' [Laughs] I didn't really have lyrics to it. And the next morning, it was in February, so we were having all those rains and it was freezing. I dropped my son, Wyatt, off at pre-school. And it was just the perfect miserable day — it was pouring rain and cold and gray. I live kind of in the hills and so there was all this fog pouring over the hills. And I just sat and I parked. And I was like, 'Alright, let's see what happens.' It was like being in an H.P. Lovecraft poem or something.
"Where I live, in Virginia Hills, which is in Martinez, there's this virus that's going around that's killing all of the oak trees, so all of the oak trees are dying or dead.
"At first I started writing all these lyrics — I just pulled out my iPhone and started typing in the notes — very Lovecraft-ian [words like], 'feted branches and spider webs and whippoorwills'… And then it kind of took on this turn where it just kind of went into how much music has meant to me in my life, that it's basically carried me through my darkest times and what it means to me. For about a half an hour I just sat there typing stream of consciousness and it [turned out to be] probably one of the most prolific writing sessions of my life. And I just basically wrote the whole song right there. And then I came home, had another melody for the chorus, and I dumped out the lyrics there and I put it together. And I called up Dave — we weren't supposed to practice — and I was like, 'Dude, I freaking wrote this amazing song. I wanna jam it with you.'"
"Only the most die-hard, crazy and insane MACHINE HEAD fans are asked to apply as you will be required to show your passion and intensity on camera. Send your age, contact info and a photo or video proving to us why you should be in the video to darknesswithinvideo@gmail.com.
"Filming will take place between May 4 and May 9."
"Darkness Within" comes off MACHINE HEAD's new album, "Unto The Locust", which sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.
When asked in a July 2011 interview with "Metal Zone" host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone if there is a song on "Unto The Locust" that he is particularly proud of or looking forward to playing live, MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn said, "I always look forward to playing the thrashier songs because I know that it will make the pit go crazy, but there's another song on the record called 'Darkness Within' that's really pretty left-field for us. And I have such a great feeling about it; I think it's gonna be a song that just flips people on their heads and really is able to connect.
"We've been doing this for awhile now and even though we're a super-brutal, heavy band, we've somehow started to infiltrate the mainstream. They didn't really wanna let us in at first, but they were kind of like, 'Alright, we'll let you in.' Especially with the Grammy nomination, it's kind of weird, but I think it's pretty cool. And this song, it's a very dark song, and it's a really good song. I think it's maybe one of the best songs we've ever written, and I'm really proud of it.
"Our drummer, Dave [McClain] had written this really cool, kind of PINK FLOYD-style acoustic riff, and I loved it, and I was just jamming on it one night.
"I had just watched that movie 'Crazy Heart' and they had this one song that was kind of like, the dude was singing in this [lowers his voice] croaky cigarette voice like this. And I was just jamming along, strumming just random words… I was thinking in my head, 'If I ever record this song, I'm gonna drink a pint of vodka and smoke half a pack of cigarettes while I'm tracking it.' [Laughs] I didn't really have lyrics to it. And the next morning, it was in February, so we were having all those rains and it was freezing. I dropped my son, Wyatt, off at pre-school. And it was just the perfect miserable day — it was pouring rain and cold and gray. I live kind of in the hills and so there was all this fog pouring over the hills. And I just sat and I parked. And I was like, 'Alright, let's see what happens.' It was like being in an H.P. Lovecraft poem or something.
"Where I live, in Virginia Hills, which is in Martinez, there's this virus that's going around that's killing all of the oak trees, so all of the oak trees are dying or dead.
"At first I started writing all these lyrics — I just pulled out my iPhone and started typing in the notes — very Lovecraft-ian [words like], 'feted branches and spider webs and whippoorwills'… And then it kind of took on this turn where it just kind of went into how much music has meant to me in my life, that it's basically carried me through my darkest times and what it means to me. For about a half an hour I just sat there typing stream of consciousness and it [turned out to be] probably one of the most prolific writing sessions of my life. And I just basically wrote the whole song right there. And then I came home, had another melody for the chorus, and I dumped out the lyrics there and I put it together. And I called up Dave — we weren't supposed to practice — and I was like, 'Dude, I freaking wrote this amazing song. I wanna jam it with you.'"
The soundtrack to the upcoming film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rock Of Ages", which showcases popular rock songs from the '70s and '80s, features the cast — Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand and Julianne Hough — singing some of the greatest hits of the "hair-band" era.
Due to be released June 5 — ten days before the film hits theatres — "Rock Of Ages: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" features the following track listing:
01. Paradise City (Tom Cruise)
02. Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin' But a Good Time (Diego Boneta)
03. Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock 'N' Roll (Diego Boneta)
04. Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
05. Waiting For A Girl Like You Diego Boneta
06. More Than Words/Heaven (Diego Boneta)
07. Wanted Dead Or Alive (Julianne Hough)
08. I Want To Know What Love Is (Malin Akerman)
09. I Wanna Rock (Diego Boneta)
10. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Tom Cruise)
11. Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
12. Shadows Of The Night/Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
13. Here I Go Again (Diego Boneta)
14. Can't Fight This Feeling (Russell Brand)
15. Any Way You Want It (Julianne Hough)
16. Undercover Love (Diego Boneta)
17. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Diego Boneta)
18. Rock You Like A Hurricane (Julianne Hough)
19. We Built This City/We're Not Gonna Take It (Russell Brand)
20. Don't Stop Believin' (Diego Boneta)
Tom Cruise stars in "Rock Of Ages" as Stacee Jaxx, an aging musician whose glory days are long past. Among the tunes Cruise performs are DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", SCORPIONS' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", BON JOVI's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and STYX's "Renegade".
DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen recently told VH1 Classic Rock Nights that he and his bandmates got to meet Cruise and that the actor "was a super-lovely guy." Collen added, "I was so impressed because he hadn't sung before and he had vocal lessons. He was literally doing five hours a day, five days a week, like truly real, getting in there and doing it. And we saw him and he was amazing, it was like Iggy Pop meets someone else and he's in great shape and it was like, 'What!?!' It was surreal, but he really pulls it off and it was like he's a total rock star."
It was previously reported that Cruise was preparing for his role by training with Axl Rose's vocal coach. "He's been studying with — seriously — Axl Rose's voice teacher like five hours a day," director Adam Shankman told The Wrap in April. "The prognosis is more than excellent."
The movie is a love story told through the music of PAT BENATAR, BON JOVI, JOURNEY, POISON, TWISTED SISTER and other artists from the 1980s.
"Rock Of Ages" also stars Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman and many others. It scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 15.
Due to be released June 5 — ten days before the film hits theatres — "Rock Of Ages: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" features the following track listing:
01. Paradise City (Tom Cruise)
02. Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin' But a Good Time (Diego Boneta)
03. Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock 'N' Roll (Diego Boneta)
04. Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
05. Waiting For A Girl Like You Diego Boneta
06. More Than Words/Heaven (Diego Boneta)
07. Wanted Dead Or Alive (Julianne Hough)
08. I Want To Know What Love Is (Malin Akerman)
09. I Wanna Rock (Diego Boneta)
10. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Tom Cruise)
11. Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
12. Shadows Of The Night/Harden My Heart (Julianne Hough)
13. Here I Go Again (Diego Boneta)
14. Can't Fight This Feeling (Russell Brand)
15. Any Way You Want It (Julianne Hough)
16. Undercover Love (Diego Boneta)
17. Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Diego Boneta)
18. Rock You Like A Hurricane (Julianne Hough)
19. We Built This City/We're Not Gonna Take It (Russell Brand)
20. Don't Stop Believin' (Diego Boneta)
Tom Cruise stars in "Rock Of Ages" as Stacee Jaxx, an aging musician whose glory days are long past. Among the tunes Cruise performs are DEF LEPPARD's "Pour Some Sugar On Me", SCORPIONS' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", BON JOVI's "Wanted Dead Or Alive" and STYX's "Renegade".
DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen recently told VH1 Classic Rock Nights that he and his bandmates got to meet Cruise and that the actor "was a super-lovely guy." Collen added, "I was so impressed because he hadn't sung before and he had vocal lessons. He was literally doing five hours a day, five days a week, like truly real, getting in there and doing it. And we saw him and he was amazing, it was like Iggy Pop meets someone else and he's in great shape and it was like, 'What!?!' It was surreal, but he really pulls it off and it was like he's a total rock star."
It was previously reported that Cruise was preparing for his role by training with Axl Rose's vocal coach. "He's been studying with — seriously — Axl Rose's voice teacher like five hours a day," director Adam Shankman told The Wrap in April. "The prognosis is more than excellent."
The movie is a love story told through the music of PAT BENATAR, BON JOVI, JOURNEY, POISON, TWISTED SISTER and other artists from the 1980s.
"Rock Of Ages" also stars Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman and many others. It scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 15.
SPV/Steamhammer has set a June 18 European release date (three days earlier in Germany) for "30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012", a brand new career retrospective from German thrash veterans SODOM compiled by bassist/vocalist, and sole remaining original member, Thomas "Angelripper" Such.
"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set features the single CD "Official Bootleg - The Witchhunter Decade" and double-CD "Thirty Years War", along with 30th-anniversary posters, postcards, stickers and the 32-page book in CD format on the band's history. "The Official Bootleg - The Witch Hunter Decade" will also be made available on colored vinyl.
"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set track listing:
CD - Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade:
01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
05. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
06. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
07. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
08. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)
09. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
10. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
11. Shellfire Defense (Pre-production, 1990)
12. The Saw Is The Law (Pre-production, 1990)
13. Bloodtrails (Pre-production, 1990)
14. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
15. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At WDR Festival, 1992)
16. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)
Thirty Years War Double-CD
CD 1:
01. Burst Command 'Til War
02. Brandish The Sceptre
03. My Atonement
04. Electrocution
05. Christ Passion
06. Tired And Red
07. Baptism Of Fire
08. The Saw Is The Law (Splatting Version)
09. Shellfire Defense
10. Tarred Anf Feathered
11. The Crippler
12. Reincarnation
13. Sodomized
14. Delight In Slaying
15. Into Perdition
CD 2:
01. Gathering Of Minds
02. Unwanted Youth
03. Politoximaniac
04. That's What An Unknown Killer Diarized
05. Warlike Conspiracy
06. Spiritual Demise
07. Book Burning
08. Minejumper
09. Genocide
10. Where Angels Die
11. Hatred Of The Gods
12. Lords Of Depravity
13. Kamikaze Terrorrizer
14. In War And Pieces
15. Hellfire
Double-LP: Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade
Side A:
01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
Side B:
01. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
02. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
03. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
04. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)
Side C:
01. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
02. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
03. Shellfire Defense (Preproduction, 1990)
04. The Saw Is The Law (Preproduction, 1990)
Side D:
01. Bloodtrails (Preproduction, 1990)
02. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
03. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At Wdr Festival, 1992)
04. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)
To order the box set, visit NuclearBlast.de.
Former SODOM drummer Chris "Witchhunter" Dudek died on September 8, 2008 due to vital organ failure.
SODOM in 2010 announced the addition of drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald to the group's ranks.
Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.
SODOM in November 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.
SODOM's latest album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.
"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set features the single CD "Official Bootleg - The Witchhunter Decade" and double-CD "Thirty Years War", along with 30th-anniversary posters, postcards, stickers and the 32-page book in CD format on the band's history. "The Official Bootleg - The Witch Hunter Decade" will also be made available on colored vinyl.
"30 Years Sodomized: 1982-2012" box set track listing:
CD - Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade:
01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
05. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
06. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
07. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
08. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)
09. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
10. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
11. Shellfire Defense (Pre-production, 1990)
12. The Saw Is The Law (Pre-production, 1990)
13. Bloodtrails (Pre-production, 1990)
14. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
15. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At WDR Festival, 1992)
16. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)
Thirty Years War Double-CD
CD 1:
01. Burst Command 'Til War
02. Brandish The Sceptre
03. My Atonement
04. Electrocution
05. Christ Passion
06. Tired And Red
07. Baptism Of Fire
08. The Saw Is The Law (Splatting Version)
09. Shellfire Defense
10. Tarred Anf Feathered
11. The Crippler
12. Reincarnation
13. Sodomized
14. Delight In Slaying
15. Into Perdition
CD 2:
01. Gathering Of Minds
02. Unwanted Youth
03. Politoximaniac
04. That's What An Unknown Killer Diarized
05. Warlike Conspiracy
06. Spiritual Demise
07. Book Burning
08. Minejumper
09. Genocide
10. Where Angels Die
11. Hatred Of The Gods
12. Lords Of Depravity
13. Kamikaze Terrorrizer
14. In War And Pieces
15. Hellfire
Double-LP: Official Bootleg – The Witchhunter Decade
Side A:
01. Sepulchral Voice (Rehearsal, 1984)
02. Obsessed By Cruelty (Recorded Live In Belgium, 1985)
03. After The Deluge (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1986)
04. Conjuration (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
Side B:
01. Proselytism Real (Recorded Live At Metallize Festival, 1987)
02. Conqueror (Recorded Live In Holland, 1987)
03. My Atonement (Recorded Live At Scum, Holland, 1987)
04. Outbreak Of Evil (Recorded Live In Germany, Zeche Bochum, 1988)
Side C:
01. Persecution Mania (Recorded Live In Switzerland, Sargans, 1988)
02. Magic Dragon (Recorded Live In Germany, Braunschweig, 1989)
03. Shellfire Defense (Preproduction, 1990)
04. The Saw Is The Law (Preproduction, 1990)
Side D:
01. Bloodtrails (Preproduction, 1990)
02. Body Parts (Recorded Live In Japan, 1992)
03. Skinned Alive (Recorded Live At Wdr Festival, 1992)
04. Sons Of Hell (Demo Version)
To order the box set, visit NuclearBlast.de.
Former SODOM drummer Chris "Witchhunter" Dudek died on September 8, 2008 due to vital organ failure.
SODOM in 2010 announced the addition of drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald to the group's ranks.
Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.
SODOM in November 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.
SODOM's latest album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.
Rock n roll's biggest stars are to join forces to celebrate the life and work of revolutionary amp pioneer Jim Marshall OBE. Following the sad news of Jim's death earlier this month the event, which was already planned to commemorate Marshall's 50th anniversary, will now be held in honour of the legendary man and his remarkable life.
To celebrate Jim's 50 legendary years of musical innovation, Marshall is taking over Wembley arena for a full on rock and roll riot on Saturday, September 22. The groundbreaking artist lineup is as pioneering as the brand itself and includes global rock royalty from such bands as IRON MAIDEN, SLIPKNOT, WHITESNAKE, CHICKENFOOT, THE CULT, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEEP PURPLE, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH and many more. The Marshall team is bringing together the biggest rock gods on the planet, all of whom are keen to pay their respects to the legend that was Jim Marshall.
IRON MAIDEN's Nicko McBrain will compère the event and will be joined by the world's most legendary guitarists, acclaimed musicians and Marshall enthusiasts. Just added to the bill is ex-JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens, who joins former TRAPEZE, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes. Also scheduled to appear are multiple Grammy nominee and CHICKENFOOT guitarist Joe Satriani, Ozzy Osbourne collaborator and founder of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Zakk Wylde, one of rock's premiere virtuoso guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen, technical wizard and one of GuitarOne magazine's "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" Paul Gilbert, WHITESNAKE's Doug Aldrich and Brian Tichy, THE CULT's Billy Duffy and SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor. There are also further big names to be announced.
Talking about the event, Nicko McBrain commented: "This is truly a celebration of a British icon — Marshall. Beyond doubt, Jim Marshall shaped the sound of rock music for eternity! Words cannot describe how pioneering Jim Marshall was! We're bringing together beyond-legendary artists for a true celebration of Jim's life. There is no better way to commemorate Jim's amazing life than putting on the loudest event ever. Expect pure rock and roll madness amplified to the max by Marshall!"
Talking about the much loved "Father of Loud," Joe Satriani commented: "He created the tone we all cherish in rock: big, bold, and beautiful and in your face. With every power chord, soaring melody and searing lead we will continue to salute his legacy!"
A sentiment echoed by Yngwie Malmsteen, who commented: "Every day I plug in the studio or stage, he will always be there."
Doug Aldrich added; "Jim will shine on forever... He was maybe the single biggest influence in music."
And Glenn Hughes said "A brilliant man and dear friend... rock musos worldwide will miss him dearly..."
With Zakk Wylde concluding: "God bless father Marshall... The saying goes leave this world a better place than before you got here. He did.
Paul Marshall, head of artist liaison and part of the Marshall dynasty, commented: "Family has always been at the heart of everything Marshall does and all Marshall owners are very much part of the 'Marshall family.' It has been so heartening to see the amazing tributes paid to Dad over the past few weeks. He certainly made a huge impact on the world! This event aims to be a fitting tribute to Dad's life and we are honoured so many artists want to get involved!"
Tickets for the event are on sale now priced at £35.00 and are available via LiveNation.co.uk.
Marshall died earlier in the month at the age of 88. A message posted at the web site of Marshall Amplification, the company he founded 50 years ago, stated, "Jim's ascent into the history books as 'the Father of Loud' and the man responsible for 'the Sound of Rock' is a true rags-to-riches tale. Cruelly robbed of his youth by tubercular bones, Jim rose to become one of the four forefathers responsible for creating the tools that allowed rock guitar as we know and love it today to be born. The groundbreaking quartet also included the late, great trio of Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover — together with Jim, they truly are the cornerstones of all things rock."
The site described Marshall as "a legendary man who led a full and truly remarkable life."
The cause of Marshall's death was not announced.
A former singer, drummer and music shop owner, Marshall eventually landed a job as an electrical engineer that helped him design a transportable amplifier to use at his own live shows. Consulting with musicians like THE WHO's Pete Townshend and DEEP PURPLE's Ritchie Blackmore, Marshall refined his invention and opened Marshall Amplification in 1962.
By the mid-1960s, he had created the classic Marshall Stack, consisting of one head containing the actual amplifier, on top of two stacked loudspeaker cabinets each containing four 12-inch loudspeakers arranged in a square layout. The setup has become an iconic symbol of rock music played as loud as possible.
To celebrate Jim's 50 legendary years of musical innovation, Marshall is taking over Wembley arena for a full on rock and roll riot on Saturday, September 22. The groundbreaking artist lineup is as pioneering as the brand itself and includes global rock royalty from such bands as IRON MAIDEN, SLIPKNOT, WHITESNAKE, CHICKENFOOT, THE CULT, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEEP PURPLE, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH and many more. The Marshall team is bringing together the biggest rock gods on the planet, all of whom are keen to pay their respects to the legend that was Jim Marshall.
IRON MAIDEN's Nicko McBrain will compère the event and will be joined by the world's most legendary guitarists, acclaimed musicians and Marshall enthusiasts. Just added to the bill is ex-JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens, who joins former TRAPEZE, DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes. Also scheduled to appear are multiple Grammy nominee and CHICKENFOOT guitarist Joe Satriani, Ozzy Osbourne collaborator and founder of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Zakk Wylde, one of rock's premiere virtuoso guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen, technical wizard and one of GuitarOne magazine's "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" Paul Gilbert, WHITESNAKE's Doug Aldrich and Brian Tichy, THE CULT's Billy Duffy and SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor. There are also further big names to be announced.
Talking about the event, Nicko McBrain commented: "This is truly a celebration of a British icon — Marshall. Beyond doubt, Jim Marshall shaped the sound of rock music for eternity! Words cannot describe how pioneering Jim Marshall was! We're bringing together beyond-legendary artists for a true celebration of Jim's life. There is no better way to commemorate Jim's amazing life than putting on the loudest event ever. Expect pure rock and roll madness amplified to the max by Marshall!"
Talking about the much loved "Father of Loud," Joe Satriani commented: "He created the tone we all cherish in rock: big, bold, and beautiful and in your face. With every power chord, soaring melody and searing lead we will continue to salute his legacy!"
A sentiment echoed by Yngwie Malmsteen, who commented: "Every day I plug in the studio or stage, he will always be there."
Doug Aldrich added; "Jim will shine on forever... He was maybe the single biggest influence in music."
And Glenn Hughes said "A brilliant man and dear friend... rock musos worldwide will miss him dearly..."
With Zakk Wylde concluding: "God bless father Marshall... The saying goes leave this world a better place than before you got here. He did.
Paul Marshall, head of artist liaison and part of the Marshall dynasty, commented: "Family has always been at the heart of everything Marshall does and all Marshall owners are very much part of the 'Marshall family.' It has been so heartening to see the amazing tributes paid to Dad over the past few weeks. He certainly made a huge impact on the world! This event aims to be a fitting tribute to Dad's life and we are honoured so many artists want to get involved!"
Tickets for the event are on sale now priced at £35.00 and are available via LiveNation.co.uk.
Marshall died earlier in the month at the age of 88. A message posted at the web site of Marshall Amplification, the company he founded 50 years ago, stated, "Jim's ascent into the history books as 'the Father of Loud' and the man responsible for 'the Sound of Rock' is a true rags-to-riches tale. Cruelly robbed of his youth by tubercular bones, Jim rose to become one of the four forefathers responsible for creating the tools that allowed rock guitar as we know and love it today to be born. The groundbreaking quartet also included the late, great trio of Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover — together with Jim, they truly are the cornerstones of all things rock."
The site described Marshall as "a legendary man who led a full and truly remarkable life."
The cause of Marshall's death was not announced.
A former singer, drummer and music shop owner, Marshall eventually landed a job as an electrical engineer that helped him design a transportable amplifier to use at his own live shows. Consulting with musicians like THE WHO's Pete Townshend and DEEP PURPLE's Ritchie Blackmore, Marshall refined his invention and opened Marshall Amplification in 1962.
By the mid-1960s, he had created the classic Marshall Stack, consisting of one head containing the actual amplifier, on top of two stacked loudspeaker cabinets each containing four 12-inch loudspeakers arranged in a square layout. The setup has become an iconic symbol of rock music played as loud as possible.
ALTER BRIDGE and CREED axesmith/songwriter Mark Tremonti is gearing up for his first-ever solo project this summer. "All I Was" is scheduled for release on July 10 via Fret 12 Records, a company Mark started with his brother, Daniel Tremonti, and Tom Stanley.
Mark's solo effort, being released under the name TREMONTI, showcases his acclaimed guitar playing and incomparable songwriting. The release also marks his debut on lead vocals.
TREMONTI features Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar and Garrett Whitlock on drums. Mark's ALTER BRIDGE and CREED bandmate Brian Marshal will be stepping in for the bass duties when Tremonti takes to the road later this year. Longtime friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with ALTER BRIDGE, CHEVELLE and TRIVIUM, produced the album.
From the first riffs of album opener "Leave It Alone" to the final notes of the closer "Decay", it is apparent that Mark's playing and songwriting are at a new level. The metal music influences he grew up on ring throughout the album on songs like "So You're Afraid", "Wish You Well" and "Giving Up". Mark finds his voice; literally, stepping up to the microphone for the first time in his career as a lead vocalist. The depth of his voice carries the melodies on songs like "New Way Out" and "Proof". The first single, "You Waste Your Time", will be unleashed at Active Rock radio over the next few weeks and will continue the success at the format that Mark has achieved with both of his other projects.
Mark Tremonti is the Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter known for hiswork in multi-platinum rock juggernaut CREED and with the critically acclaimed, fan favorite ALTER BRIDGE. Having sold over 40 million records worldwide, this is the man behind massive hits like "My Own Prison", "Higher", and "Isolation" — just to name a few. His sound is recognizable and has garnered him a loyal fan base worldwide. Guitar World dubbed him "Guitarist of the Year" three consecutive years in a row, and he ranked as the "fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist ever" in Total Guitar.
"All I Was" track listing:
01. Leave It Alone
02. So You'e Afraid
03. Wish You Well
04. Brains
05. The Things I've Seen
06. You Waste Your Time
07. New Way Out
08. Giving Up
09. Proof
10. All I Was
11. Doesn't Matter
12. Decay
Mark's solo effort, being released under the name TREMONTI, showcases his acclaimed guitar playing and incomparable songwriting. The release also marks his debut on lead vocals.
TREMONTI features Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar and Garrett Whitlock on drums. Mark's ALTER BRIDGE and CREED bandmate Brian Marshal will be stepping in for the bass duties when Tremonti takes to the road later this year. Longtime friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with ALTER BRIDGE, CHEVELLE and TRIVIUM, produced the album.
From the first riffs of album opener "Leave It Alone" to the final notes of the closer "Decay", it is apparent that Mark's playing and songwriting are at a new level. The metal music influences he grew up on ring throughout the album on songs like "So You're Afraid", "Wish You Well" and "Giving Up". Mark finds his voice; literally, stepping up to the microphone for the first time in his career as a lead vocalist. The depth of his voice carries the melodies on songs like "New Way Out" and "Proof". The first single, "You Waste Your Time", will be unleashed at Active Rock radio over the next few weeks and will continue the success at the format that Mark has achieved with both of his other projects.
Mark Tremonti is the Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter known for hiswork in multi-platinum rock juggernaut CREED and with the critically acclaimed, fan favorite ALTER BRIDGE. Having sold over 40 million records worldwide, this is the man behind massive hits like "My Own Prison", "Higher", and "Isolation" — just to name a few. His sound is recognizable and has garnered him a loyal fan base worldwide. Guitar World dubbed him "Guitarist of the Year" three consecutive years in a row, and he ranked as the "fourth greatest heavy metal guitarist ever" in Total Guitar.
"All I Was" track listing:
01. Leave It Alone
02. So You'e Afraid
03. Wish You Well
04. Brains
05. The Things I've Seen
06. You Waste Your Time
07. New Way Out
08. Giving Up
09. Proof
10. All I Was
11. Doesn't Matter
12. Decay
Classic heavy metal band STRIKER has inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records. The Canadians' new album, "Armed To The Teeth", will be released at the end of July. In addition, the CD "Eyes In The Night" and the "Road Warrior" EP will be re-released the same month.
"The enthusiasm we received right from the get-go left no doubt that Napalm will be the perfect label to take us to the next level," the band said in a statement. "We are looking forward to finally releasing the new album and can't wait to hit the road and enjoy a few pints at a venue near you!"
"The enthusiasm we received right from the get-go left no doubt that Napalm will be the perfect label to take us to the next level," the band said in a statement. "We are looking forward to finally releasing the new album and can't wait to hit the road and enjoy a few pints at a venue near you!"
Vocalist Michael Vampire of Los Angeles-based goth-metallers VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE!
"It is with great sadness that I have to announce Philip Kross's [bass] departure from VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE! Philip did an amazing job contributing to VE! the past year and we will never forget the sacrifices he made for the band. We respect Philip greatly and will keep him on all press- and album-related artwork he already completed with the band, including our upcoming release. Philip decided to pursue other musical-related activities and we wish him the best of luck with whatever he decides to do. However, Philip will not be on the VE! lineup for the Vans Warped Tour this summer. Filling in on bass will be Adam Vex. He is known for his work in SUFFER WELL, AESTHETIC PERFECTION, and IMPERATIVE REACTION. We are beyond excited to have Vex filling in and we are positive he will bring an amazing stage show to the Warped Tour this summer. We love all of our fans soo much and we are excited to release 'Hellbound & Heartless' June 19, 2012."
"Hellbound And Heartless", (Hollywood Waste Records) showcases the darker side of VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE!, focusing on message-driven lyrics and deriving musical influence from industrial rock icons such as MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE.
"Hellbound And Heartless" was co-produced by the band and Mike Sarkisyan and Tommy Decker, both members of Grammy-nominated alternative-metal act SPINESHANK. Every song on the album presents a fresh, new morsel of gothic darkness for fans to sink their teeth into.
"I Can't Breathe", the first track to be revealed from the new album, recently premiered with Alternative Press and received an overwhelming positive response.
VAMPIRES EVERWHERE!'s full-length debut, "Kiss The Sun Goodbye", was released in May 2011 through Hollywood Waste/Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and DEFTONES.
VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE lit the scene on fire with the release of the "Lost In The Shadows" EP. The band also completed tours across the nation with the likes of BLACK VEIL BRIDES, X JAPAN and ALESANA, among others.
"It is with great sadness that I have to announce Philip Kross's [bass] departure from VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE! Philip did an amazing job contributing to VE! the past year and we will never forget the sacrifices he made for the band. We respect Philip greatly and will keep him on all press- and album-related artwork he already completed with the band, including our upcoming release. Philip decided to pursue other musical-related activities and we wish him the best of luck with whatever he decides to do. However, Philip will not be on the VE! lineup for the Vans Warped Tour this summer. Filling in on bass will be Adam Vex. He is known for his work in SUFFER WELL, AESTHETIC PERFECTION, and IMPERATIVE REACTION. We are beyond excited to have Vex filling in and we are positive he will bring an amazing stage show to the Warped Tour this summer. We love all of our fans soo much and we are excited to release 'Hellbound & Heartless' June 19, 2012."
"Hellbound And Heartless", (Hollywood Waste Records) showcases the darker side of VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE!, focusing on message-driven lyrics and deriving musical influence from industrial rock icons such as MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE.
"Hellbound And Heartless" was co-produced by the band and Mike Sarkisyan and Tommy Decker, both members of Grammy-nominated alternative-metal act SPINESHANK. Every song on the album presents a fresh, new morsel of gothic darkness for fans to sink their teeth into.
"I Can't Breathe", the first track to be revealed from the new album, recently premiered with Alternative Press and received an overwhelming positive response.
VAMPIRES EVERWHERE!'s full-length debut, "Kiss The Sun Goodbye", was released in May 2011 through Hollywood Waste/Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and DEFTONES.
VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE lit the scene on fire with the release of the "Lost In The Shadows" EP. The band also completed tours across the nation with the likes of BLACK VEIL BRIDES, X JAPAN and ALESANA, among others.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's A LIFE ONCE LOST recently entered Planet Red studios in Richmond, Virginia with producer Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, IMPENDING DOOM) to begin recording its new album for a late 20120 release via Season Of Mist.
"We are hustling along here with this album," states vocalist Bob Meadows. "It's going to be a beast of a record and fans can expect a little more honesty both musically and lyrically with an amalgamation of the ALOL signature style and some other surprises that have yet to be over played within the metal community. We are making this record because we enjoy the art of making music, not because we have to make a new record. As long as we are happy playing in ALOL, we will continue to grow and take our sound further."
After only several days in the studio, the band is making quick progress without sacrificing important details. Meadows adds, "Right now we're halfway done with guitars and bass. I've finished vocals for several tracks and we're looking to finish basic recording and then fine-tune everything for the next few weeks. We're going to be posting some video updates in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for those."
Before leaving to record in Richmond, the band landed a residency for the summer at the infamous Kung Fu Necktie in their hometown.
"We are doing a July residency at the most lawless club in Philly, Kung Fu Necktie (KFN)," states guitarist Doug Sabolick. "Every week we will have special guests playing and each show will be a different line up. Come check out all the new ALOL material as we tighten up our show and get ready to unleash our new album."
Kung Fu Necktie, located at 1250 North Front Street in Philadephia, will host the band for performances on July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Stay tuned for lineup announcements coming soon!
In addition to the KFN performances, the band recently announced a string of summer tour dates with California sludge metal band BLACK SHEEP WALL. The tour kicks off on June 23rd in Richmond, Virginia, ending on July 2 in Philadelphia.
"We are hustling along here with this album," states vocalist Bob Meadows. "It's going to be a beast of a record and fans can expect a little more honesty both musically and lyrically with an amalgamation of the ALOL signature style and some other surprises that have yet to be over played within the metal community. We are making this record because we enjoy the art of making music, not because we have to make a new record. As long as we are happy playing in ALOL, we will continue to grow and take our sound further."
After only several days in the studio, the band is making quick progress without sacrificing important details. Meadows adds, "Right now we're halfway done with guitars and bass. I've finished vocals for several tracks and we're looking to finish basic recording and then fine-tune everything for the next few weeks. We're going to be posting some video updates in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for those."
Before leaving to record in Richmond, the band landed a residency for the summer at the infamous Kung Fu Necktie in their hometown.
"We are doing a July residency at the most lawless club in Philly, Kung Fu Necktie (KFN)," states guitarist Doug Sabolick. "Every week we will have special guests playing and each show will be a different line up. Come check out all the new ALOL material as we tighten up our show and get ready to unleash our new album."
Kung Fu Necktie, located at 1250 North Front Street in Philadephia, will host the band for performances on July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Stay tuned for lineup announcements coming soon!
In addition to the KFN performances, the band recently announced a string of summer tour dates with California sludge metal band BLACK SHEEP WALL. The tour kicks off on June 23rd in Richmond, Virginia, ending on July 2 in Philadelphia.
Oakland, California-based extreme metallers ALL SHALL PERISH have not filed a lawsuit, nor have they authorized anyone to file a lawsuit on their behalf, against fans who illegally downloaded the band's music.
Earlier today, it was reported by both Miami New Times and TorrentFreak that a Panamanian company called World Digital Rights filed a lawsuit last week in Miami's federal courthouse seeking $150,000 in damages, as well as court costs, from 80 anonymous music fans who allegedly illegally downloaded tracks from the group's newest album, "This Is Where It Ends".
The suit (case number 2:12-cv-00225-UA-SPC), which was filed on April 20 in the US District Court For The Middle District of Florida, reportedly seeks to identify dozens of their fans who allegedly shared their music on BitTorrent without permission.
"Upon information and belief, each defendant went to a torrent site to download a torrent file and then downloaded and uploaded the copyrighted Work within the BitTorrent network," court papers read.
In a letter to the Miami New Times, ALL SHALL PERISH's manager, Ryan Downey of Artery Foundation, writes, "The headline [of the Miami New Times article] is factually untrue, the lede is aggressively presumptuous at best and libelous at worst; in fact, by the time it makes it to 'graph 4, it flat out contradicts the headline and lede.
"I can assure you, ALL SHALL PERISH HAS NOT FILED SUIT AGAINST ANYONE.
"The blog says, 'Omar Ortega, World Digital's attorney, could not be reached for comment."
"I have no idea who Omar is, or World Digital, nor does anyone in the band, or their attorney. But we all can be reached for comment EASILY. Had the writer made even the simplest attempt to contact the band, the label, or myself, we could have told him IMMEDIATELY we have no idea what this is about."
In a separate statement posted on ALL SHALL PERISH's Facebook page, the band writes, "ALL SHALL PERISH ISN'T SUING ANYONE, least of all our fans. No idea what this blog is talking about. WE AREN'T SUING ANYONE. We have no knowledge of any lawsuit. Our management and legal representation know nothing about it. Nobody from this blog contacted us to ask about it, either. We are looking into it and exploring our options."
In December 2008, the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) abandoned its litigation campaign against file sharers after having targeted some 18,000 individuals, usually naming dozens or hundreds of defendants per suit.
Most of the defendants settled out of court for a few thousand dollars rather than risk Copyright Act fines of up to $150,000 per purloined music track.
ALL SHALL PERISH's fourth full-length album, "This Is Where It Ends", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Awaken The Dreamers", opened with 5,000 copies back in 2008 to land at No. 126.
"This Is Where It Ends" was released last July via Nuclear Blast Records.
Earlier today, it was reported by both Miami New Times and TorrentFreak that a Panamanian company called World Digital Rights filed a lawsuit last week in Miami's federal courthouse seeking $150,000 in damages, as well as court costs, from 80 anonymous music fans who allegedly illegally downloaded tracks from the group's newest album, "This Is Where It Ends".
The suit (case number 2:12-cv-00225-UA-SPC), which was filed on April 20 in the US District Court For The Middle District of Florida, reportedly seeks to identify dozens of their fans who allegedly shared their music on BitTorrent without permission.
"Upon information and belief, each defendant went to a torrent site to download a torrent file and then downloaded and uploaded the copyrighted Work within the BitTorrent network," court papers read.
In a letter to the Miami New Times, ALL SHALL PERISH's manager, Ryan Downey of Artery Foundation, writes, "The headline [of the Miami New Times article] is factually untrue, the lede is aggressively presumptuous at best and libelous at worst; in fact, by the time it makes it to 'graph 4, it flat out contradicts the headline and lede.
"I can assure you, ALL SHALL PERISH HAS NOT FILED SUIT AGAINST ANYONE.
"The blog says, 'Omar Ortega, World Digital's attorney, could not be reached for comment."
"I have no idea who Omar is, or World Digital, nor does anyone in the band, or their attorney. But we all can be reached for comment EASILY. Had the writer made even the simplest attempt to contact the band, the label, or myself, we could have told him IMMEDIATELY we have no idea what this is about."
In a separate statement posted on ALL SHALL PERISH's Facebook page, the band writes, "ALL SHALL PERISH ISN'T SUING ANYONE, least of all our fans. No idea what this blog is talking about. WE AREN'T SUING ANYONE. We have no knowledge of any lawsuit. Our management and legal representation know nothing about it. Nobody from this blog contacted us to ask about it, either. We are looking into it and exploring our options."
In December 2008, the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) abandoned its litigation campaign against file sharers after having targeted some 18,000 individuals, usually naming dozens or hundreds of defendants per suit.
Most of the defendants settled out of court for a few thousand dollars rather than risk Copyright Act fines of up to $150,000 per purloined music track.
ALL SHALL PERISH's fourth full-length album, "This Is Where It Ends", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Awaken The Dreamers", opened with 5,000 copies back in 2008 to land at No. 126.
"This Is Where It Ends" was released last July via Nuclear Blast Records.
German death metallers OBSCENITY have finished recording their eighth full-length album, "Atrophied In Anguish", for an August release via Apostasy Records. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge Studio in Rhauderfehn, Germany and will contain 10 tracks with a running time of 38 minutes. The cover artwork is being created by Headsplitdesign.
OBSCENITY last year announced the addition of bassist Jörg Pirch (ex-TEARS OF DECAY) and guitarist Christoph Weerts (ex-ASSASINATED) to the group's ranks. The band was also rejoined by drummer Sascha Knust (ex-THE AWAKENING, SETHNEFER).
OBSCENITY in 2010 recruited Tampa, Florida native Jeff Rudes as its new singer.
OBSCENITY's seventh CD, "Where Sinners Bleed", was released in 2006 through Armageddon Music. The follow-up to 2002's "Cold Blooded Murder" was recorded at Soundlodge studio in Rhauderfehn, Germany.
OBSCENITY was previously signed to Morbid Records, which issued four of the band's albums, ending with "Cold Blooded Murder".
OBSCENITY is:
Jeff Rudes - Vocals
Hendrik Bruns - Guitar
Christoph Weerts - Guitar
Jörg Pirch - Bass
Sascha Knust - Drums
OBSCENITY last year announced the addition of bassist Jörg Pirch (ex-TEARS OF DECAY) and guitarist Christoph Weerts (ex-ASSASINATED) to the group's ranks. The band was also rejoined by drummer Sascha Knust (ex-THE AWAKENING, SETHNEFER).
OBSCENITY in 2010 recruited Tampa, Florida native Jeff Rudes as its new singer.
OBSCENITY's seventh CD, "Where Sinners Bleed", was released in 2006 through Armageddon Music. The follow-up to 2002's "Cold Blooded Murder" was recorded at Soundlodge studio in Rhauderfehn, Germany.
OBSCENITY was previously signed to Morbid Records, which issued four of the band's albums, ending with "Cold Blooded Murder".
OBSCENITY is:
Jeff Rudes - Vocals
Hendrik Bruns - Guitar
Christoph Weerts - Guitar
Jörg Pirch - Bass
Sascha Knust - Drums
"Element Nexus", the new video from ANTIKYTHERA, the Philadelphia-based death metal band featuring members of JUNGLE ROT, NIGHTFIRE, BLOOD OF ABEL and INSATANITY, can be seen below. The song comes off the group's upcoming album, tentatively due this summer. The CD was recorded by Len Carmichael, who worked on the latest SWASHBUCKLE album for Century Media and will feature artwork by Mallika Sundaramurthy of Boston's ABNORMALITY.
Formerly known as HER VIRGIN WOMB, ANTIKYTHERA split in early 2011 to form ANTIKYTHERA AND THE GURCHICK TREE.
ANTIKYTHERA's current lineup consists of Joe Boccuto (guitar), James Dorton (vocals), Jesse Beahler (drums), Dave Spencer (bass) and Kevin Elliott (guitar).
Formerly known as HER VIRGIN WOMB, ANTIKYTHERA split in early 2011 to form ANTIKYTHERA AND THE GURCHICK TREE.
ANTIKYTHERA's current lineup consists of Joe Boccuto (guitar), James Dorton (vocals), Jesse Beahler (drums), Dave Spencer (bass) and Kevin Elliott (guitar).
Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have re-signed with Century Media Records. The influential band from Gothenburg released its first album on Century Media in 1999, and has since issued six full-length CDs, two DVDs and a handful of special releases.
Commented Jens Prüter, head of A&R at Century Media in Europe: "I start to believe in Numerology. 13 years ago, DARK TRANQUILLITY signed their first contract with Century Media Records. Friday the 13th of April, I met Mikael Stanne and Niklas Sundin for the Roadburn festival at the lovely 013 venue in Tilburg to receive the signed copies of their 3rd Century Media contract for 3 more albums. The 3 of us had about 13 beers to celebrate it. It's amazing how DARK TRANQUILLITY are able to express their legacy as one of the original godfathers of the melodic death metal/Gothenburg sound without sounding outdated today. They always managed to stick to their roots and develop to new heights at the same time. Looking forward to the next album in 2013. Cheers!"
The band comments: "After such a long history together, we're more confident than ever that Century Media is the perfect working partner for DARK TRANQUILLITY. In a climate where a lot of record labels are weighed down by cynicism or have just plain given up in the face of the rapidly changing industry climate, Century Media are still enthusiastic and forward thinking and take huge pride in releasing great music that matters. Here's to another 13 years!"
DARK TRANQUILLITY's ninth album, "We Are The Void", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 15 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.
"We Are The Void" was released in North America on March 9, 2010 via Century Media Records. The LP was made available in Europe as a CD, digital download and strictly limited-edition die-cut digipak featuring two bonus songs ("Stars Of Nothingness" and "To Where Fires Cannot Feed") and a bonus DVD.
Commented Jens Prüter, head of A&R at Century Media in Europe: "I start to believe in Numerology. 13 years ago, DARK TRANQUILLITY signed their first contract with Century Media Records. Friday the 13th of April, I met Mikael Stanne and Niklas Sundin for the Roadburn festival at the lovely 013 venue in Tilburg to receive the signed copies of their 3rd Century Media contract for 3 more albums. The 3 of us had about 13 beers to celebrate it. It's amazing how DARK TRANQUILLITY are able to express their legacy as one of the original godfathers of the melodic death metal/Gothenburg sound without sounding outdated today. They always managed to stick to their roots and develop to new heights at the same time. Looking forward to the next album in 2013. Cheers!"
The band comments: "After such a long history together, we're more confident than ever that Century Media is the perfect working partner for DARK TRANQUILLITY. In a climate where a lot of record labels are weighed down by cynicism or have just plain given up in the face of the rapidly changing industry climate, Century Media are still enthusiastic and forward thinking and take huge pride in releasing great music that matters. Here's to another 13 years!"
DARK TRANQUILLITY's ninth album, "We Are The Void", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 15 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.
"We Are The Void" was released in North America on March 9, 2010 via Century Media Records. The LP was made available in Europe as a CD, digital download and strictly limited-edition die-cut digipak featuring two bonus songs ("Stars Of Nothingness" and "To Where Fires Cannot Feed") and a bonus DVD.
Finnish melodic death metallers MORS PRINCIPIUM EST have inked a deal with AFM Records. Singer Ville Viljanen states, "We talked to some other labels, too, but AFM seemed the right choice for us. We can't wait to get to the studio in the summer and release the new album at the end of 2012. And then we will see what happens, when the people of AFM starts to work their magic." He adds, "We have been talking with a record label for Japan, Korea and Taiwan release, everything seems OK, but nothing has been signed yet. Also have been talking to a record label for Australia release, again everything seems OK, but nothing has been signed yet. So, as soon as the contracts have been signed, we will let you know."
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST last year parted ways with guitarists Tomy Laisto and Kalle Aaltonen. A new axeman, Andy Gillion from the United Kingdom, has since been recruited.
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST 2012 is:
Ville Viljanen - Vocals
Mikko Sipola - Drums
Teemu Heinola - Bass
Andy Gillion - Guitar
Andhe Chandler - Guitar
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST's third album, "Liberation = Termination", was released in February 2007 via Listenable Records. The follow-up to "The Unborn" was recorded at Astia Studio in Finland and was mastered at Imperial Mastering in Concord, California.
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST last year parted ways with guitarists Tomy Laisto and Kalle Aaltonen. A new axeman, Andy Gillion from the United Kingdom, has since been recruited.
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST 2012 is:
Ville Viljanen - Vocals
Mikko Sipola - Drums
Teemu Heinola - Bass
Andy Gillion - Guitar
Andhe Chandler - Guitar
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST's third album, "Liberation = Termination", was released in February 2007 via Listenable Records. The follow-up to "The Unborn" was recorded at Astia Studio in Finland and was mastered at Imperial Mastering in Concord, California.
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