A new book spanning the career of legendary rocker Alice Cooper will be published on June 13 in the U.K., and September 1 in the USA via Omnibus Press. Titled "Welcome To My Nightmare: The Story Of Alice Cooper", it is written by Dave Thompson, who has many rock books under his belt.
The book's official description: "Drawing from exclusive and unpublished interviews with a variety of names and faces from throughout Alice's career, the book follows Cooper's tale from his life growing up as a preacher's son in Arizona, through the early years of struggle in Phoenix and then Los Angeles, and then onto the roller coaster ride that has been the years since then. Includes interviews with original bandmates Michael Bruce and the late Glenn Buxton, drummer Neal Smith, the late Frank Zappa, manager Shep Gordon and producer Bob Ezrin. Includes tributes and recollections from many of the artists who call Alice an influence — from THE DAMNED and THE CRAMPS, to WHITE ZOMBIE and GWAR. Session players and songwriters who have made their own contributions to the Alice story recall their days spent with this Prince of Hell-raisers. The result is a story that alternately thrills, shocks, surprises and delights. Includes full discography and bibliography."
The book's official description: "Drawing from exclusive and unpublished interviews with a variety of names and faces from throughout Alice's career, the book follows Cooper's tale from his life growing up as a preacher's son in Arizona, through the early years of struggle in Phoenix and then Los Angeles, and then onto the roller coaster ride that has been the years since then. Includes interviews with original bandmates Michael Bruce and the late Glenn Buxton, drummer Neal Smith, the late Frank Zappa, manager Shep Gordon and producer Bob Ezrin. Includes tributes and recollections from many of the artists who call Alice an influence — from THE DAMNED and THE CRAMPS, to WHITE ZOMBIE and GWAR. Session players and songwriters who have made their own contributions to the Alice story recall their days spent with this Prince of Hell-raisers. The result is a story that alternately thrills, shocks, surprises and delights. Includes full discography and bibliography."
So, how did all this come about? Was it Alice Cooper reaching out to you or did you call him since Steve Hunter's departured?
Ryan Roxie: Well, the thing that´s been really cool about the Alice Cooper organization is that the relationship I´ve had with them since I moved to Sweden has always been one of support. I had to leave the tour in early 2006 because it came to a point where I really needed to see my kids grow up. I talked to so many rock and rollers who hadn´t had that opportunity. The biggest influence on me making this decision was Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister. We were touring together at the time after my son had been born and Eddie just said point blank, "I didn´t see my daughter grow up as much as I would have liked to and now she´s 18 years old. All through her formative years, I was touring and I would´ve liked to see a lot more of those years.".
I didn´t have the luxury of being able to bring the kids out on the road at the time. It was nothing but support from Alice Cooper and his camp and they basically said to me, "We understand, family comes first."
Every time I talk about Alice Cooper, it's most definitely positive… he´s taught me so much more about music than just playing songs. I respect him and look up to him. So when he came here last summer and he played Gröna Lund and Getaway Festival I was just coming off season one of the "Big Rock Show" (Ryan Roxie´s web TV-show now changing it's name to All Excess with Ryan Roxie.) I was starting to compile interviews for the show I will be releasing called "All Exccess" . I just asked Alice if I could get an exclusive interview and he gave me one of the coolest one on one talks we've ever had. I haven´released it yet, but lookout for it later in the year.
We sat down and we talked about some stuff that I think you´ve probably never heard in interviews before and during the whole course of it, I just felt this "Yeah man, nothing´s really changed. We still have this great chemistry whether it´s off stage or on stage." And at the end of the interview he said "Hey Roxie, you wanna come up on stage and play the encore?" and I said "It would be an honor. It´s so good for me to be seen with you, especially here in Sweden.".
You know that name Alice, I wear it proudly on my shoulders and I try to not use it too much, but hey, it´s Alice Cooper! If you´ve got that ace up your sleeve, you gotta use it. (laughs)....So I went up and did both encores at Gröna Lund and Getaway and it just felt good. When they left I just had this feeling like "Ryan, you gotta put it out there dude!", so before he left I said "Hey Coop, I really appreciate you having me up on stage and anytime there´s an opportunity where I can get up on stage full time, you gimme a call! And he said "You know I will." And the call came, the opportunity came and I couldn´t be more fucking stoked. I´m as excited or even possibly more excited than I was the first time I got together with him, because I know this is sort of a second chance for me to get back up there and really appreciate all the things that I might not have appreciated the first time around.
Even though you put it out there and the way it´s been with Alice Cooper, was it still a hard decision to make? I´m thinking about your kids and stuff like that and also your band Casablanca.
RR: Fast forward from the time when I stopped playing in 2006 to 2012. That´s a good six years in there. During that time I had some of the most rewarding and hardest experiences that I could think of. Both musically and personally. Best experiences and worst experiences to be honest with you. For one, I got divorced from my wife.... but luckily we remain civil and in a good situation when it comes to the kids.
Also, I played in a lot of musical projects, some you might have heard of and others that better be forgotten. (laughs) At the same time I kept doing Roxie 77 which was my own outlet, my own sort of therapy and my own group of great guys.
I think that my two main Swedish bands that I play with (R77 and Casablanca) have pretty much the coolest band members of all time. For example, I just got back from rehearsals just before doing this interview, and my son said "You know daddy, the guys in your band are all really nice. Even Josephine.". (laughs) There´s been nothing but support regarding the upcoming Alice tour and I think (and hope) that they see the advantages of what the Alice gig will bring for both Casablanca and Roxie 77. There´s gonna be a little more international focus put on the bands just in the sense that I´m gonna be playing in front of a more international audience.
I´ve always said that the sum of Casablanca should be greater than its parts. It should be a band that stands on its own because of the songs. If Casablanca are playing shows and I can´t make those shows, the people we´re talking about to fill in are really great quality players. Casablanca will be a power house band with or without me. Both Roxie 77 and Casablanca already have plans of going into the studio and recording more music before the end of the year anyway. I don´t like to sit around and take vacations, unless they involve playing or recording. If the work is there, I´ll do it. And let´s be honest, if you know the songs and you can have a little bit of time to do your homework and rehearse them, it doesn´t take that long to make a rock and roll record. We´re writing songs that are very guitar driven, in your face, like the bands I admired growing up, they made two albums a year, so I don´t find it impossible to do all these things.
There´s a short Casablanca tour coming up. Are you gonna do any of those dates?
RR: Absolutely! The tour for Alice starts until June....so there is a window of opportunity to still play some dates.
Yeah, June 8th
RR: Exactly. Obviously the very last Casablanca shows I´ll most probably be in rehearsals with Alice already, but we have runs coming up all through April and some shows in May as well that I will be able to do. The thing is, you never know in this world what could happen. Like I said, I never shut the door on Alice because I was hoping that door could open up again someday and it appears to have opened and I´m never shutting the door on Casablanca or Roxie 77. I enjoy being in that role in those particular bands, all equally. But just to be honest with you, the tour bus on an Alice Cooper tour is so much fucking better. (laughs)..... It would be scary if it wasn´t. (laughs)
Those dates that you won´t make with Casablanca, who´s gonna step in? I saw a picture where Nicke Borg from Backyard Babies was jamming with you guys. Is that a plan, to have him step in?
RR: Nicke? You know… actually I think Nicke is really busy with his own band Homeland right now , but some of the names that they´ve been circling around, aren´t too far from that. Who knows, maybe I come back to a band where there´s three guitar players? To be honest with you, in my world that wouldn´t be bad at all, because I´m going to a band that´s gonna have three guitar players. There´s gonna be Tommy Henriksen on guitar, myself on guitar and then there´s Orianthi. It´s a bit coincidental that I´m gonna have the opportunity to play in the Alice Cooper band which has an up and coming female guitar player, whereas I´m coming from is a band that has one of Swedens biggest up and coming female drummers. Obviously you know everything about Josephine. You´re her number one stalker, aren´t you?
Absolutely! I just posted the interview with her and I got a lot of feedback on that one and all positive. Another thing with Casablanca is that I´ve read a lot of reviews of the album and they´re all good.
RR: I´m really, really happy about that because I´ve never been in a band that´s gotten good reviews. (laughs)
In that sense it kinda scares me, because do good reviews translate into sales? At the end of the day, and I said this on stage when we did a little acoustic show at Bengans (a Stockholm record store), "I really wanna thank all the people in the press who have given us such favorable reviews, but at the end of the day it comes down to playing in a room with 75 people and having those 75 people think it´s cool. If you people think it´s cool, then the reviews can be validated. "
It helps to have respect from review critics, but it doesn't help if you don't get the respect and admiration from the fans… you have to earn every fan at this point. One positive article isn´t gonna win over a person. They might get interested in the band, but you have to win them over to the live show and it´s most important that I win over as many people as I can that we play for. That´s my goal. If I can get 8 out of 10 people to like my band when I play live, that´s just as good as getting 8 out of 10 in Sweden Rock Magazine.
Right. You were just in New York. Did that have anything to do with Alice Cooper?
RR: (laughs) No, I was actually playing guitar… I was hired to play guitar for an up and coming artist out of Gothenburg. It was amazing. The artist is called 'Kifle' and he´s really got really cool songs and vibe. We went up to upstate New York to record at this place called Waterfront Studios with the producer Henry Hirsch who produced all the big Lenny Kravitz records....Talk about a throw back, old school recording session that fucking kicked ass. To go into that session… I´m not shitting you, I had ONE track per song that I could play on guitar. I had ONE punch in the whole session. This producer was so much about the 'vibe' and he wanted us to play the songs from the top to the bottom like the old school way, because we recorded it on two inch tape and we had this mixing board that was in Abbey Road Studios. Everything about the equipment was analog, vintage. Look out for this guy, because he´s gonna be good!
I played a style of guitar playing that I know I´m capable of, but maybe a lot of people that 'kinda' know about me, they might go "Wow! He´s branching out, playing something different.". No, I have a lot of soulful type of records in my Spotify playlists. This is what this type of music is. Guitar driven, soulful, rock and really vibey.
Cool. The Alice Cooper thing, how does that work these days? Do you have to sign a lot of contracts and get an attorney to look it over? How does it work?
RR: No, the thing with Alice Cooper and that organization is that it´s very old school in the sense that a lot of trust is put in and a lot of deals are made with a handshake. Alice's manager Shep Gordon… let´s put it this way, does not like to write long e-mails. (laughs) E-mails should be the least amount of words possible and I think anyone that´s really kinda successful has that sort of philosophy. This is a little messed up for me because I like to talk, talk, talk, but I´m trying to get better at e-mails being more economical in my word choice..
Basically, Shep sent a message that said "This is when the tour runs from. This date to that date. Are you available?". And basically I responded with "Yes, available." (Or maybe it was HELL YES ;). Then it was like 'Ok, now I'm on the availability list..' But the coolest thing about the whole process was an e-mail from Bob Ezrin. One of my all time favorite producers...all the cool Alice Cooper records, all the cool KISS records, fucking Pink Floyd´s "The Wall"! Bob's email basically stated, "We talked about it, me, Alice and Shep and we think you´re the guy...Congrats.".
I just had a smile on my face from ear to ear when I got that e-mail. It was such a great feeling to be asked to be part of this year´s tour and even a greater feeling who I was being asked by.
Good for you!
RR: Yeah, I´ve never told anyone that story, but it was one of those moments. I´m so blessed and thankful, but I´m always a little bit "Don´t believe it till you´re on the fucking tourbus!". For me, I´m gonna be playing and doing all of these shows and I´ll believe it when we get on that stage and hit that first note with Iron Maiden. Then it will be another experience when we get to come over here to Sweden to play with Alice Cooper in my new country. One other cool thing about the experience is that Roxie 77 is booked on that festival too. (Skogsröjet)
Playing with Iron Maiden in the US means major arenas and a lot of people.
RR: I can hardly wait. I´m so focused on it and that´s what I said I wanted to do last year at Sweden Rock. I made a commitment to myself that no matter what band it was, no matter what situation, I was gonna be touring on a bigger level.
At last year's Sweden Rock Festival, all the guys in Buckcherry, the guys in Rob Zombie, the guys in Ozzy´s band were all coming into Sweden Rock, but then they were all leaving the next day to play another festival show in Germany or whatever! It wasn´t that I was sad or depressed, it was just that I got the inspiration and I wanted to be that guy going on to the next show as well.... so I played it in my head that by next year I was going to be either playing Sweden Rock or be on tour.
I´m convinced that things can happen like that if you really, really put it out there. Throughout the last eight months I´ve been thinking about that, but I was so focused that it wasn´t a complete out of the blue thing because it´s something that I wanted. I use this term and I don´t know where I picked it up from, but it´s called "Ask, believe, receive!". You have to ask for it first and then you have to actually believe it´s gonna happen and then you actually have to let it happen, so those are the words that I just kept saying to myself a lot.
The tour that you´ve signed up for ends in August, but has there already been talk about making the tour longer or to go somewhere else?
RR: When Alice goes on tour it usually lasts for a while, but I don´t know what he´s got up his sleeve this year. There are some special surprises somewhere around August, but that´s the thing, I´ve been told to just "chill out, things will work themselves out". For me it´s win/win. If he stays out on the road, then I'm out on stage doing what I love to do....if not, then I´ll get to spend more time with my two kids Lennon and Natashia Grace..
I´ll make it work either way, but obviously for me, I wanna be on stage as much as possible. All the careers and fake careers that I´ve had whether it´s trying to be a TV host or being the guy that can go around and talk about the greatest guitars in the world (Gibson), nothing makes me happier than being up on stage. I´ve learned that in Sweden it´s very difficult to just do ONE thing bandwise and make a living out of it. I´ve done a lot of things associated with music, but I also realize the one thing that makes me the most happy, is when I can get a guitar strapped around me and someone says "Go out there and make those people jump up and down!". I know I´m good at that.
When do rehearsals start?
RR: We´re talking … late May. First off we´re gonna have guitar rehearsals. We have three guitar players and we´re gonna try to make the most of it. Instead of us playing the same thing, there will obviously be things worked out where we can really use the addition of the third guitar. Sometimes it might be harmonies and sometimes backing up a chord part that needs to be heavier. I´m looking forward to it.
Where are the rehearsals gonna take place?
RR: When we meet for guitar rehearsals that´s gonna be in LA. The tour actually starts in Biloxi, so there´s gonna be some pre production and that´s when we get out the stage. Basically it´s gonna be trying to find a place on stage where Alice doesn´t take a whip to you or stab you. You have to watch out so you don´t get a sword in your throat or something. (laughs) I heard that Tommy the guitar player got stabbed last tour and the sword actually went through the first layer of his leather coat....ouch!
You better check up on your life insurance!
RR: (laughs) Well, I´ve made it this far along. I´ve lived in fucking New York and Los Angeles during the 80´s and 90´s so… but I´ll check it out. (laughs)
Of the people in the band now, I know you´ve played with Chuck before, but have you played with any of the other guys?
RR: I haven't toured with the others besides Alice and Chuck. As for Orianthi, I´ve heard such good things about from everybody that say she´s a really an amazing player! Tommy I´ve known for years but never toured with, and Glen, I´ve been watching his tapes and stuff and he´s just a monster on the drums, so it´ll be great.
I really want to just be able to 'contribute'..... and that´s my role. I´m looking at myself like someone that can come in and really be a part of a band that hopefully when people walk away from a live show, they go, "Wow, Alice has had a lot of bands the last couple of decades, but this one was one of the most entertaining!" That´s my goal.
My idea is to play these songs the way they were recorded so when it comes time for me to play the 70´s albums, play it with the same tone like the 70´s Alice band had.... when it comes time to play the 80´s stuff, play it like that. Obviously you wanna have your own take on it, but at the same time, don´t take away from what the song originally stood for. That´s what the people are coming for and that´s what I´m gonna give 'em.
Do you think you´ll have any way of suggesting songs to play or is he just going with a setlist that he knows?
RR: The thing is, I think as the tour goes on, there might be openings to suggest songs and stuff, but right now I think Alice is really focusing on what he wants to have on the setlist, so when we get down there for rehearsals we´re gonna run it and probably decide if it feels right...if it does, we are ready to immediately roll..... At this point, Alicd knows which songs suit his voice and make him strong in the set and which ones he can relax a little bit on. Alice is like a heavy weight boxer, and during the course of the whole performance you gotta find places to relax a little bit so you finish strong..... I think he´s got a very strong setlist all figured out.
Ryan Roxie: Well, the thing that´s been really cool about the Alice Cooper organization is that the relationship I´ve had with them since I moved to Sweden has always been one of support. I had to leave the tour in early 2006 because it came to a point where I really needed to see my kids grow up. I talked to so many rock and rollers who hadn´t had that opportunity. The biggest influence on me making this decision was Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister. We were touring together at the time after my son had been born and Eddie just said point blank, "I didn´t see my daughter grow up as much as I would have liked to and now she´s 18 years old. All through her formative years, I was touring and I would´ve liked to see a lot more of those years.".
I didn´t have the luxury of being able to bring the kids out on the road at the time. It was nothing but support from Alice Cooper and his camp and they basically said to me, "We understand, family comes first."
Every time I talk about Alice Cooper, it's most definitely positive… he´s taught me so much more about music than just playing songs. I respect him and look up to him. So when he came here last summer and he played Gröna Lund and Getaway Festival I was just coming off season one of the "Big Rock Show" (Ryan Roxie´s web TV-show now changing it's name to All Excess with Ryan Roxie.) I was starting to compile interviews for the show I will be releasing called "All Exccess" . I just asked Alice if I could get an exclusive interview and he gave me one of the coolest one on one talks we've ever had. I haven´released it yet, but lookout for it later in the year.
We sat down and we talked about some stuff that I think you´ve probably never heard in interviews before and during the whole course of it, I just felt this "Yeah man, nothing´s really changed. We still have this great chemistry whether it´s off stage or on stage." And at the end of the interview he said "Hey Roxie, you wanna come up on stage and play the encore?" and I said "It would be an honor. It´s so good for me to be seen with you, especially here in Sweden.".
You know that name Alice, I wear it proudly on my shoulders and I try to not use it too much, but hey, it´s Alice Cooper! If you´ve got that ace up your sleeve, you gotta use it. (laughs)....So I went up and did both encores at Gröna Lund and Getaway and it just felt good. When they left I just had this feeling like "Ryan, you gotta put it out there dude!", so before he left I said "Hey Coop, I really appreciate you having me up on stage and anytime there´s an opportunity where I can get up on stage full time, you gimme a call! And he said "You know I will." And the call came, the opportunity came and I couldn´t be more fucking stoked. I´m as excited or even possibly more excited than I was the first time I got together with him, because I know this is sort of a second chance for me to get back up there and really appreciate all the things that I might not have appreciated the first time around.
Even though you put it out there and the way it´s been with Alice Cooper, was it still a hard decision to make? I´m thinking about your kids and stuff like that and also your band Casablanca.
RR: Fast forward from the time when I stopped playing in 2006 to 2012. That´s a good six years in there. During that time I had some of the most rewarding and hardest experiences that I could think of. Both musically and personally. Best experiences and worst experiences to be honest with you. For one, I got divorced from my wife.... but luckily we remain civil and in a good situation when it comes to the kids.
Also, I played in a lot of musical projects, some you might have heard of and others that better be forgotten. (laughs) At the same time I kept doing Roxie 77 which was my own outlet, my own sort of therapy and my own group of great guys.
I think that my two main Swedish bands that I play with (R77 and Casablanca) have pretty much the coolest band members of all time. For example, I just got back from rehearsals just before doing this interview, and my son said "You know daddy, the guys in your band are all really nice. Even Josephine.". (laughs) There´s been nothing but support regarding the upcoming Alice tour and I think (and hope) that they see the advantages of what the Alice gig will bring for both Casablanca and Roxie 77. There´s gonna be a little more international focus put on the bands just in the sense that I´m gonna be playing in front of a more international audience.
I´ve always said that the sum of Casablanca should be greater than its parts. It should be a band that stands on its own because of the songs. If Casablanca are playing shows and I can´t make those shows, the people we´re talking about to fill in are really great quality players. Casablanca will be a power house band with or without me. Both Roxie 77 and Casablanca already have plans of going into the studio and recording more music before the end of the year anyway. I don´t like to sit around and take vacations, unless they involve playing or recording. If the work is there, I´ll do it. And let´s be honest, if you know the songs and you can have a little bit of time to do your homework and rehearse them, it doesn´t take that long to make a rock and roll record. We´re writing songs that are very guitar driven, in your face, like the bands I admired growing up, they made two albums a year, so I don´t find it impossible to do all these things.
There´s a short Casablanca tour coming up. Are you gonna do any of those dates?
RR: Absolutely! The tour for Alice starts until June....so there is a window of opportunity to still play some dates.
Yeah, June 8th
RR: Exactly. Obviously the very last Casablanca shows I´ll most probably be in rehearsals with Alice already, but we have runs coming up all through April and some shows in May as well that I will be able to do. The thing is, you never know in this world what could happen. Like I said, I never shut the door on Alice because I was hoping that door could open up again someday and it appears to have opened and I´m never shutting the door on Casablanca or Roxie 77. I enjoy being in that role in those particular bands, all equally. But just to be honest with you, the tour bus on an Alice Cooper tour is so much fucking better. (laughs)..... It would be scary if it wasn´t. (laughs)
Those dates that you won´t make with Casablanca, who´s gonna step in? I saw a picture where Nicke Borg from Backyard Babies was jamming with you guys. Is that a plan, to have him step in?
RR: Nicke? You know… actually I think Nicke is really busy with his own band Homeland right now , but some of the names that they´ve been circling around, aren´t too far from that. Who knows, maybe I come back to a band where there´s three guitar players? To be honest with you, in my world that wouldn´t be bad at all, because I´m going to a band that´s gonna have three guitar players. There´s gonna be Tommy Henriksen on guitar, myself on guitar and then there´s Orianthi. It´s a bit coincidental that I´m gonna have the opportunity to play in the Alice Cooper band which has an up and coming female guitar player, whereas I´m coming from is a band that has one of Swedens biggest up and coming female drummers. Obviously you know everything about Josephine. You´re her number one stalker, aren´t you?
Absolutely! I just posted the interview with her and I got a lot of feedback on that one and all positive. Another thing with Casablanca is that I´ve read a lot of reviews of the album and they´re all good.
RR: I´m really, really happy about that because I´ve never been in a band that´s gotten good reviews. (laughs)
In that sense it kinda scares me, because do good reviews translate into sales? At the end of the day, and I said this on stage when we did a little acoustic show at Bengans (a Stockholm record store), "I really wanna thank all the people in the press who have given us such favorable reviews, but at the end of the day it comes down to playing in a room with 75 people and having those 75 people think it´s cool. If you people think it´s cool, then the reviews can be validated. "
It helps to have respect from review critics, but it doesn't help if you don't get the respect and admiration from the fans… you have to earn every fan at this point. One positive article isn´t gonna win over a person. They might get interested in the band, but you have to win them over to the live show and it´s most important that I win over as many people as I can that we play for. That´s my goal. If I can get 8 out of 10 people to like my band when I play live, that´s just as good as getting 8 out of 10 in Sweden Rock Magazine.
Right. You were just in New York. Did that have anything to do with Alice Cooper?
RR: (laughs) No, I was actually playing guitar… I was hired to play guitar for an up and coming artist out of Gothenburg. It was amazing. The artist is called 'Kifle' and he´s really got really cool songs and vibe. We went up to upstate New York to record at this place called Waterfront Studios with the producer Henry Hirsch who produced all the big Lenny Kravitz records....Talk about a throw back, old school recording session that fucking kicked ass. To go into that session… I´m not shitting you, I had ONE track per song that I could play on guitar. I had ONE punch in the whole session. This producer was so much about the 'vibe' and he wanted us to play the songs from the top to the bottom like the old school way, because we recorded it on two inch tape and we had this mixing board that was in Abbey Road Studios. Everything about the equipment was analog, vintage. Look out for this guy, because he´s gonna be good!
I played a style of guitar playing that I know I´m capable of, but maybe a lot of people that 'kinda' know about me, they might go "Wow! He´s branching out, playing something different.". No, I have a lot of soulful type of records in my Spotify playlists. This is what this type of music is. Guitar driven, soulful, rock and really vibey.
Cool. The Alice Cooper thing, how does that work these days? Do you have to sign a lot of contracts and get an attorney to look it over? How does it work?
RR: No, the thing with Alice Cooper and that organization is that it´s very old school in the sense that a lot of trust is put in and a lot of deals are made with a handshake. Alice's manager Shep Gordon… let´s put it this way, does not like to write long e-mails. (laughs) E-mails should be the least amount of words possible and I think anyone that´s really kinda successful has that sort of philosophy. This is a little messed up for me because I like to talk, talk, talk, but I´m trying to get better at e-mails being more economical in my word choice..
Basically, Shep sent a message that said "This is when the tour runs from. This date to that date. Are you available?". And basically I responded with "Yes, available." (Or maybe it was HELL YES ;). Then it was like 'Ok, now I'm on the availability list..' But the coolest thing about the whole process was an e-mail from Bob Ezrin. One of my all time favorite producers...all the cool Alice Cooper records, all the cool KISS records, fucking Pink Floyd´s "The Wall"! Bob's email basically stated, "We talked about it, me, Alice and Shep and we think you´re the guy...Congrats.".
I just had a smile on my face from ear to ear when I got that e-mail. It was such a great feeling to be asked to be part of this year´s tour and even a greater feeling who I was being asked by.
Good for you!
RR: Yeah, I´ve never told anyone that story, but it was one of those moments. I´m so blessed and thankful, but I´m always a little bit "Don´t believe it till you´re on the fucking tourbus!". For me, I´m gonna be playing and doing all of these shows and I´ll believe it when we get on that stage and hit that first note with Iron Maiden. Then it will be another experience when we get to come over here to Sweden to play with Alice Cooper in my new country. One other cool thing about the experience is that Roxie 77 is booked on that festival too. (Skogsröjet)
Playing with Iron Maiden in the US means major arenas and a lot of people.
RR: I can hardly wait. I´m so focused on it and that´s what I said I wanted to do last year at Sweden Rock. I made a commitment to myself that no matter what band it was, no matter what situation, I was gonna be touring on a bigger level.
At last year's Sweden Rock Festival, all the guys in Buckcherry, the guys in Rob Zombie, the guys in Ozzy´s band were all coming into Sweden Rock, but then they were all leaving the next day to play another festival show in Germany or whatever! It wasn´t that I was sad or depressed, it was just that I got the inspiration and I wanted to be that guy going on to the next show as well.... so I played it in my head that by next year I was going to be either playing Sweden Rock or be on tour.
I´m convinced that things can happen like that if you really, really put it out there. Throughout the last eight months I´ve been thinking about that, but I was so focused that it wasn´t a complete out of the blue thing because it´s something that I wanted. I use this term and I don´t know where I picked it up from, but it´s called "Ask, believe, receive!". You have to ask for it first and then you have to actually believe it´s gonna happen and then you actually have to let it happen, so those are the words that I just kept saying to myself a lot.
The tour that you´ve signed up for ends in August, but has there already been talk about making the tour longer or to go somewhere else?
RR: When Alice goes on tour it usually lasts for a while, but I don´t know what he´s got up his sleeve this year. There are some special surprises somewhere around August, but that´s the thing, I´ve been told to just "chill out, things will work themselves out". For me it´s win/win. If he stays out on the road, then I'm out on stage doing what I love to do....if not, then I´ll get to spend more time with my two kids Lennon and Natashia Grace..
I´ll make it work either way, but obviously for me, I wanna be on stage as much as possible. All the careers and fake careers that I´ve had whether it´s trying to be a TV host or being the guy that can go around and talk about the greatest guitars in the world (Gibson), nothing makes me happier than being up on stage. I´ve learned that in Sweden it´s very difficult to just do ONE thing bandwise and make a living out of it. I´ve done a lot of things associated with music, but I also realize the one thing that makes me the most happy, is when I can get a guitar strapped around me and someone says "Go out there and make those people jump up and down!". I know I´m good at that.
When do rehearsals start?
RR: We´re talking … late May. First off we´re gonna have guitar rehearsals. We have three guitar players and we´re gonna try to make the most of it. Instead of us playing the same thing, there will obviously be things worked out where we can really use the addition of the third guitar. Sometimes it might be harmonies and sometimes backing up a chord part that needs to be heavier. I´m looking forward to it.
Where are the rehearsals gonna take place?
RR: When we meet for guitar rehearsals that´s gonna be in LA. The tour actually starts in Biloxi, so there´s gonna be some pre production and that´s when we get out the stage. Basically it´s gonna be trying to find a place on stage where Alice doesn´t take a whip to you or stab you. You have to watch out so you don´t get a sword in your throat or something. (laughs) I heard that Tommy the guitar player got stabbed last tour and the sword actually went through the first layer of his leather coat....ouch!
You better check up on your life insurance!
RR: (laughs) Well, I´ve made it this far along. I´ve lived in fucking New York and Los Angeles during the 80´s and 90´s so… but I´ll check it out. (laughs)
Of the people in the band now, I know you´ve played with Chuck before, but have you played with any of the other guys?
RR: I haven't toured with the others besides Alice and Chuck. As for Orianthi, I´ve heard such good things about from everybody that say she´s a really an amazing player! Tommy I´ve known for years but never toured with, and Glen, I´ve been watching his tapes and stuff and he´s just a monster on the drums, so it´ll be great.
I really want to just be able to 'contribute'..... and that´s my role. I´m looking at myself like someone that can come in and really be a part of a band that hopefully when people walk away from a live show, they go, "Wow, Alice has had a lot of bands the last couple of decades, but this one was one of the most entertaining!" That´s my goal.
My idea is to play these songs the way they were recorded so when it comes time for me to play the 70´s albums, play it with the same tone like the 70´s Alice band had.... when it comes time to play the 80´s stuff, play it like that. Obviously you wanna have your own take on it, but at the same time, don´t take away from what the song originally stood for. That´s what the people are coming for and that´s what I´m gonna give 'em.
Do you think you´ll have any way of suggesting songs to play or is he just going with a setlist that he knows?
RR: The thing is, I think as the tour goes on, there might be openings to suggest songs and stuff, but right now I think Alice is really focusing on what he wants to have on the setlist, so when we get down there for rehearsals we´re gonna run it and probably decide if it feels right...if it does, we are ready to immediately roll..... At this point, Alicd knows which songs suit his voice and make him strong in the set and which ones he can relax a little bit on. Alice is like a heavy weight boxer, and during the course of the whole performance you gotta find places to relax a little bit so you finish strong..... I think he´s got a very strong setlist all figured out.
The first time around, how did you get wind of that Alice Cooper was looking for a guitar player?
RR: Well, I think every single gig I´ve ever gotten has come from some band or someone that I´ve been playing with before. That´s why I always say "Definitely remain friends with the guys in the band you´re in, because you never know what´s gonna happen down the road and how they might be able to open doors for you.".
That´s exactly what happened with the Alice Cooper story. Years before, I played in a band called Candy with Gilby Clarke. That led into me eventually playing guitar for Gilby´s solo band while he was in Guns ´N Roses. There was some talk from the Alice camp of how they might like to have Gilby and myself play guitar for him. Unfortunately Gilby had commitments with his solo record but he gave me his blessings and his support and said "You know what Ryan, you gotta go for this!". I went down and auditioned with the blessings of Gilby and a few other people and because of fate, luck or whatever...I did good enough to get the job. (laughes)
What do you remember from that audition? What songs did you play?
RR: I remember everything about it. For one, Alice was actually there, unlike a certain unnamed but ultimately insane singer I auditioned for, who didn´t even show up (laughes) . Eric Singer played the drums, Bob Daisley played the bass and we jammed on three different songs. "Billion dollar babies", "I´m 18" and "Poison".
It was the pre chorus of "Poison" that I think got me the gig. It got me the gig because even though I´d learned the technical widdely widdely stuff, I was listening to the other guys that were auditioning through the wall and every single one of them was sort of having problems with that pre chorus. The song itself was co-written by Desmond Child and it has a lot of intricate modulations in it. All of the guitar players were sort of stumbling over the part and I just said to myself "You know what, don´t concentrate on that widdely widdely stuff and just play those chords and you nail that part and you have a good shot at getting this gig.". That´s what I did....... or maybe I just had a good hair day (laughs), I don´t know, but that ONE moment lead on to a 10 year adventure. And now, even longer!
During those albums, what was it like writing songs with Alice Cooper?
RR: To sit in the same room with riff ideas that you have come up with, probably in some hotel room or walking around on the streets and you think they sound ok, but then when you sit in the room and Alice starts putting his voice to it ,you start going "Yeah!". All of a sudden it´s an Alice Cooper song!
All the individual ideas that we had I thought were cool, but they didn´t get that 'super coolness' until Alice came in and put his voice on them. The minute Alice puts his voice to it, it becomes an Alice Cooper song. He really puts his stamp on it.
How does Alice write songs? Does he play guitar?
RR: Well, I think he relies a lot on his own experience from all the musicians he´s been with over the years. He´s a musical guy in the sense that he knows what he wants to hear in his head. We had ideas but he always changed them around enough to suit his voice and when his lyrics would come in and really transform the song into an 'Alice Cooper' song. There was never a tense situation and that´s why the albums that we made together and especially the ones that I was able to write on with him, sound like they do.... we would be sitting down in the lounge of the studio or whatever and he could just say "You know what? Today we´re gonna write a song about a trucker who likes to dress up in women's clothing.".
I love that song!
RR: (laughs) "The ballad of Jesse Jane" is the title he would say and then continue with the story of the song "He´s gonna go into a McDonalds…" and then the story got weirder and weirder. When I originally wrote that riff I thought it was gonna be like a cool Stone Temple Pilots esoteric type of song…..it ended up becoming really esoteric but in a tongue in cheek way, so I was very proud of it.
That song is so much Alice Cooper. It´s the essence of Alice Cooper and such a great song.
RR: If I could ever convince him to dust some of those songs off that we recorded for 'The Eyes' and 'Dirty Diamonds' albums...it would be super fun. That´s the thing though, when you get to be at Alice´s status, he´s got so many songs in his catalog. When he does a new record, he´d like to play them all, but because of his history… even if he only plays one 'hit' off of each of the albums he´s ever done, it´s still too long of a set.
Of all the tours you did with Alice, is there one that stands out?
RR: The one that completely sort of did it for me and the one that fulfilled all my expectations and dreams was when Alice Cooper went on the road with Cheap Trick. If anybody knows anything about me they realize that Cheap Trick is my Beatles. I have as much influence of Cheap Trick as I have of The Beatles, and for us to co-headline a tour and share the stage with Cheap Trick was my childhood dream. I did homework every single day growing up listening to Cheap Trick´s " at Budokan", "Heaven tonight", and "In color" … T
Cheap Trick records basically formed what I feel are great songs. If you listen to an album like "Heaven tonight" or even the first Cheap Trick record, those are the days when bands made albums of 10 great songs, not an album of a single here and there and a bunch ofr album tracks, That´s all I wanted to do with my own career- make albums that you enjoy listening to from beginning to end.
Another thing I didn´t know is that you play guitar on that Tal Bachman track.
RR: Yeah, "She´s so high". That´s me ripping off George Harrison.
How did you end up doing that?
RR: Again, knowing people who know people and using the contacts....not abusing them.... One of the co-producers of the first solo record I did, which was called "Dad´s porno mag" was Mark Schulman. Mark plays drums for a bunch of different bands like Simple Minds and Pink and he´s like a monster drummer. He was co-producing the album andI had to get him to mix the album. I said "Man, I wanna put this out, can you please finish what you´re doing?" and he said "I´m really busy with this project and it´s getting a lot of attention from labels and it´s this guy from Canada. He´s trying to form a band and I´m helping him out with it. As asoon as I get his band sorted out, I´ll start working on your album.".
I said "Alright, that´s good. I´ll play guitar for him.". (laughs) And he said "What?". "Yeah, why not? If it´s gonna make you finish the record faster, I´ll go down there and audition for him and I know I´ll get the gig.". It´s so funny that I had this confidence about it,but I knew that if I could get this gig, my record would get put out quicker. I went down and I got the gig and ended up playing guitar on most of the album. We ended up living in Hawaii for basically six months recording an album with Bob Rock and that´s the album you hear.
So you´re on the entire album?
RR: I´m on 10 of the 12 tracks, but none credited. It was a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth for many years. I´m proud of the album but because my name´s not on it, I never really talk about it… My name didn´t get on it because by the time he finished mastering the album , I had gone back to touring with Alice Cooper. I needed to make a living as a musician and it´s not easy to just hang around and not take the opportunity of work when it´s there. I think his ego was a little bit hurt by that and both me and his manager at the time, a nice guy named Jeff who had basically funded so much of the project on credit card, we boht got nixed off the record as well. I think it ended up being a bit of a sour taste in everybody´s mouths for a few years.
To be honest with you, five years ago I found out that here in Scandinavia, a Norwegian artist covered the song 'She's so high' and it became a hit single 'again'. I said "You know what, it´s so stupid. I´m very proud of the album and the song, so why hold a grudge?". So I reached out to him and e-mailed him and said "Let's let this pass. This is why I couldn´t do your tour....". He e-mailed me back and said "You know, I was feeling this way at the time and I was a little bit hurt by this…" we actually, buried the hatchet and 'shook hands' through e-mails and social media , so everything´s cool now.
What was it like working with Bob Rock?
RR: That was actually an experience as well. It´s so interesting to work with people that have made such iconic records. He´s made some of the biggest sounding records (Metallica Black Album) and he has a certain way and a certain technique of doing it, which is totally different than other producers like Tony Visconti that I´ve worked with earlier in my career. It was such a good experience from the sense to go with their work method and achieve the end result because at the end of the day, the end result was a good sounding record.
Bob Rock was bit more meticulous then Tony Visconti or Jack Douglas whom I've made albums with before...... Let me tell you, it wasn´t a cake walk with Bob. You had to play literally a lot of takes and even after the 50th time I thought I got it right, Bob still pushed me to play it a couple of more times. But as I said, at the end of the day I was very pleased with the final mix. No matter how many times he pushed me, it was worth it. I trust his judgment on that. You have to. When someone has that many platinum records on the wall and you don´t, you trust the guy.
Finally, this TV-show of yours that you´re working on, "All excess with Ryan Roxie"?
RR: This is a project I´m going to do my best to release during the course of next year. I´ve already built up a big catalog of interviews with rockers during last year's festival season in Sweden. When friends would come into town I'd say, "Hey, you wanna sit in front of the camera for five minutes and talk a little bit?".
Basically I want to do an interview type show that takes the person, the subject, the rock n roller outside of their comfort zone, maybe just walking around the streets in Stockholm or hanging out somewhere where they´re not used to hanging out.... Just talk to them and talk to them a little bit more one on one. Different than my TV-show (The Big Rock Show) where it was more of a studio variety show. This is more of an on location interview show. Hopefully a little bit deeper because of the similar experiences that I share with them.
What I´m looking for in interviews is just "weird", interesting and inspiring things to talk about. Hopefully we´ll be able to accomplish that.
Like I said, I did a great interview with Alice when he came into town last time and he revealed so many cool things about his career, like who gave him his nickname 'The Coop'. It was actually Groucho Marx who gave him that nickname. Cool stuff like that.
Are you aiming for TV or the web?
RR: I think the interviews are not gonna be long enough to be a full show with just one person. The best thing in the world would be to be a segment on a bigger show.
Eddie Trunk and his buddies have a great rock show called "That Metal Show". It would be so cool if every once in awhile he could say, "Hey, let´s check in with Roxie and All Excess and see what he´s up to!" …..I´d do one of my little snippet interviews. Something like that would be really cool, so we´ll see what happens. But between me and you and the rest of the world, I can´t wait to get up there on that stage with Alice and the rest of the band....that's better than any TV show I can think of. (laughs)
Is there one song that you enjoy playing live more than others?
RR: Absolutely! The opening riff to "School´s out". Every single hand in the audience rises up and starts clapping and fuck it, I just wish I had written that riff! (laughs)
Cool. A final thing here. Ever thought about writing a book? You´ve got to have tons of rock and roll debauchery and rock and roll stories?
RR: I´ve got all that and I´ve lived to tell about it, but guess what? It still ain´t as good as "The Dirt". (laughs) After "The Dirt" was written, why bother? All the rest is just other guys trying to make a buck or two off the genre.
For me, to be honest with you, if I´m gonna write a book, I wanted it to be inspiring in a way. I want it to be like "Hey, this guy has done this and that, but he´s still come out ok and thankful, and....happy."
If I write a book, I want it to be more that than people going "Oh, that´s so disgusting! I can´t believe he did that..I gotta read more". Yeah, I´ve done all those disgusting things, but like the quote in one of my favorite movies called Amadeus.... "I´m a vulgar man, but my music is not.".
I´ve done decadent things in my life, but hopefully I´ve also done things that would inspire younger kids to have that same dream that I had. If I was ever to write a book I´d like younger people to be inspired by what I say, not just entertained by how much of this or that I consumed.
One more thing. Are you now secretly wishing that all this will turn into making another album with Alice?
RR: Why wish secretly? (laughs) Of course I want to. Every time you can make an album with a guy that is a household name, it´s kinda cool. I´ve been able to do that a couple of times. I´ve had a lot of really good experiences with Alice Cooper so of course I would love to do it. At the same time I´m very content and very proud of the records I´ve been able to make with our "unknown" bands, which is Roxie 77 and Casablanca. I´m really proud of those albums as well. There´s a lot of heart and effort that goes into it. Put it like this, I´m just happy when I can put the songs and ideas down with a bunch of great guys and girls and then go out and be able to perform them live. That´s a treat.
It´s more about having an idea and turning that idea into a reality..... then repeat the cycle. If you do that more than a few times, that becomes a career, and if you have a career long enough, that becomes something you actually can look back at and say "That´s what I have done in life." ….I´m still trying to do that. (laughs)
I´m really happy for you Ryan.
RR: Nick, it´s always great talking to you because you can say five words to my 100. (laughs)
The way it should be. Have a good night and I´ll talk to you later!
RR: Thanks buddy!
RR: Well, I think every single gig I´ve ever gotten has come from some band or someone that I´ve been playing with before. That´s why I always say "Definitely remain friends with the guys in the band you´re in, because you never know what´s gonna happen down the road and how they might be able to open doors for you.".
That´s exactly what happened with the Alice Cooper story. Years before, I played in a band called Candy with Gilby Clarke. That led into me eventually playing guitar for Gilby´s solo band while he was in Guns ´N Roses. There was some talk from the Alice camp of how they might like to have Gilby and myself play guitar for him. Unfortunately Gilby had commitments with his solo record but he gave me his blessings and his support and said "You know what Ryan, you gotta go for this!". I went down and auditioned with the blessings of Gilby and a few other people and because of fate, luck or whatever...I did good enough to get the job. (laughes)
What do you remember from that audition? What songs did you play?
RR: I remember everything about it. For one, Alice was actually there, unlike a certain unnamed but ultimately insane singer I auditioned for, who didn´t even show up (laughes) . Eric Singer played the drums, Bob Daisley played the bass and we jammed on three different songs. "Billion dollar babies", "I´m 18" and "Poison".
It was the pre chorus of "Poison" that I think got me the gig. It got me the gig because even though I´d learned the technical widdely widdely stuff, I was listening to the other guys that were auditioning through the wall and every single one of them was sort of having problems with that pre chorus. The song itself was co-written by Desmond Child and it has a lot of intricate modulations in it. All of the guitar players were sort of stumbling over the part and I just said to myself "You know what, don´t concentrate on that widdely widdely stuff and just play those chords and you nail that part and you have a good shot at getting this gig.". That´s what I did....... or maybe I just had a good hair day (laughs), I don´t know, but that ONE moment lead on to a 10 year adventure. And now, even longer!
During those albums, what was it like writing songs with Alice Cooper?
RR: To sit in the same room with riff ideas that you have come up with, probably in some hotel room or walking around on the streets and you think they sound ok, but then when you sit in the room and Alice starts putting his voice to it ,you start going "Yeah!". All of a sudden it´s an Alice Cooper song!
All the individual ideas that we had I thought were cool, but they didn´t get that 'super coolness' until Alice came in and put his voice on them. The minute Alice puts his voice to it, it becomes an Alice Cooper song. He really puts his stamp on it.
How does Alice write songs? Does he play guitar?
RR: Well, I think he relies a lot on his own experience from all the musicians he´s been with over the years. He´s a musical guy in the sense that he knows what he wants to hear in his head. We had ideas but he always changed them around enough to suit his voice and when his lyrics would come in and really transform the song into an 'Alice Cooper' song. There was never a tense situation and that´s why the albums that we made together and especially the ones that I was able to write on with him, sound like they do.... we would be sitting down in the lounge of the studio or whatever and he could just say "You know what? Today we´re gonna write a song about a trucker who likes to dress up in women's clothing.".
I love that song!
RR: (laughs) "The ballad of Jesse Jane" is the title he would say and then continue with the story of the song "He´s gonna go into a McDonalds…" and then the story got weirder and weirder. When I originally wrote that riff I thought it was gonna be like a cool Stone Temple Pilots esoteric type of song…..it ended up becoming really esoteric but in a tongue in cheek way, so I was very proud of it.
That song is so much Alice Cooper. It´s the essence of Alice Cooper and such a great song.
RR: If I could ever convince him to dust some of those songs off that we recorded for 'The Eyes' and 'Dirty Diamonds' albums...it would be super fun. That´s the thing though, when you get to be at Alice´s status, he´s got so many songs in his catalog. When he does a new record, he´d like to play them all, but because of his history… even if he only plays one 'hit' off of each of the albums he´s ever done, it´s still too long of a set.
Of all the tours you did with Alice, is there one that stands out?
RR: The one that completely sort of did it for me and the one that fulfilled all my expectations and dreams was when Alice Cooper went on the road with Cheap Trick. If anybody knows anything about me they realize that Cheap Trick is my Beatles. I have as much influence of Cheap Trick as I have of The Beatles, and for us to co-headline a tour and share the stage with Cheap Trick was my childhood dream. I did homework every single day growing up listening to Cheap Trick´s " at Budokan", "Heaven tonight", and "In color" … T
Cheap Trick records basically formed what I feel are great songs. If you listen to an album like "Heaven tonight" or even the first Cheap Trick record, those are the days when bands made albums of 10 great songs, not an album of a single here and there and a bunch ofr album tracks, That´s all I wanted to do with my own career- make albums that you enjoy listening to from beginning to end.
Another thing I didn´t know is that you play guitar on that Tal Bachman track.
RR: Yeah, "She´s so high". That´s me ripping off George Harrison.
How did you end up doing that?
RR: Again, knowing people who know people and using the contacts....not abusing them.... One of the co-producers of the first solo record I did, which was called "Dad´s porno mag" was Mark Schulman. Mark plays drums for a bunch of different bands like Simple Minds and Pink and he´s like a monster drummer. He was co-producing the album andI had to get him to mix the album. I said "Man, I wanna put this out, can you please finish what you´re doing?" and he said "I´m really busy with this project and it´s getting a lot of attention from labels and it´s this guy from Canada. He´s trying to form a band and I´m helping him out with it. As asoon as I get his band sorted out, I´ll start working on your album.".
I said "Alright, that´s good. I´ll play guitar for him.". (laughs) And he said "What?". "Yeah, why not? If it´s gonna make you finish the record faster, I´ll go down there and audition for him and I know I´ll get the gig.". It´s so funny that I had this confidence about it,but I knew that if I could get this gig, my record would get put out quicker. I went down and I got the gig and ended up playing guitar on most of the album. We ended up living in Hawaii for basically six months recording an album with Bob Rock and that´s the album you hear.
So you´re on the entire album?
RR: I´m on 10 of the 12 tracks, but none credited. It was a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth for many years. I´m proud of the album but because my name´s not on it, I never really talk about it… My name didn´t get on it because by the time he finished mastering the album , I had gone back to touring with Alice Cooper. I needed to make a living as a musician and it´s not easy to just hang around and not take the opportunity of work when it´s there. I think his ego was a little bit hurt by that and both me and his manager at the time, a nice guy named Jeff who had basically funded so much of the project on credit card, we boht got nixed off the record as well. I think it ended up being a bit of a sour taste in everybody´s mouths for a few years.
To be honest with you, five years ago I found out that here in Scandinavia, a Norwegian artist covered the song 'She's so high' and it became a hit single 'again'. I said "You know what, it´s so stupid. I´m very proud of the album and the song, so why hold a grudge?". So I reached out to him and e-mailed him and said "Let's let this pass. This is why I couldn´t do your tour....". He e-mailed me back and said "You know, I was feeling this way at the time and I was a little bit hurt by this…" we actually, buried the hatchet and 'shook hands' through e-mails and social media , so everything´s cool now.
What was it like working with Bob Rock?
RR: That was actually an experience as well. It´s so interesting to work with people that have made such iconic records. He´s made some of the biggest sounding records (Metallica Black Album) and he has a certain way and a certain technique of doing it, which is totally different than other producers like Tony Visconti that I´ve worked with earlier in my career. It was such a good experience from the sense to go with their work method and achieve the end result because at the end of the day, the end result was a good sounding record.
Bob Rock was bit more meticulous then Tony Visconti or Jack Douglas whom I've made albums with before...... Let me tell you, it wasn´t a cake walk with Bob. You had to play literally a lot of takes and even after the 50th time I thought I got it right, Bob still pushed me to play it a couple of more times. But as I said, at the end of the day I was very pleased with the final mix. No matter how many times he pushed me, it was worth it. I trust his judgment on that. You have to. When someone has that many platinum records on the wall and you don´t, you trust the guy.
Finally, this TV-show of yours that you´re working on, "All excess with Ryan Roxie"?
RR: This is a project I´m going to do my best to release during the course of next year. I´ve already built up a big catalog of interviews with rockers during last year's festival season in Sweden. When friends would come into town I'd say, "Hey, you wanna sit in front of the camera for five minutes and talk a little bit?".
Basically I want to do an interview type show that takes the person, the subject, the rock n roller outside of their comfort zone, maybe just walking around the streets in Stockholm or hanging out somewhere where they´re not used to hanging out.... Just talk to them and talk to them a little bit more one on one. Different than my TV-show (The Big Rock Show) where it was more of a studio variety show. This is more of an on location interview show. Hopefully a little bit deeper because of the similar experiences that I share with them.
What I´m looking for in interviews is just "weird", interesting and inspiring things to talk about. Hopefully we´ll be able to accomplish that.
Like I said, I did a great interview with Alice when he came into town last time and he revealed so many cool things about his career, like who gave him his nickname 'The Coop'. It was actually Groucho Marx who gave him that nickname. Cool stuff like that.
Are you aiming for TV or the web?
RR: I think the interviews are not gonna be long enough to be a full show with just one person. The best thing in the world would be to be a segment on a bigger show.
Eddie Trunk and his buddies have a great rock show called "That Metal Show". It would be so cool if every once in awhile he could say, "Hey, let´s check in with Roxie and All Excess and see what he´s up to!" …..I´d do one of my little snippet interviews. Something like that would be really cool, so we´ll see what happens. But between me and you and the rest of the world, I can´t wait to get up there on that stage with Alice and the rest of the band....that's better than any TV show I can think of. (laughs)
Is there one song that you enjoy playing live more than others?
RR: Absolutely! The opening riff to "School´s out". Every single hand in the audience rises up and starts clapping and fuck it, I just wish I had written that riff! (laughs)
Cool. A final thing here. Ever thought about writing a book? You´ve got to have tons of rock and roll debauchery and rock and roll stories?
RR: I´ve got all that and I´ve lived to tell about it, but guess what? It still ain´t as good as "The Dirt". (laughs) After "The Dirt" was written, why bother? All the rest is just other guys trying to make a buck or two off the genre.
For me, to be honest with you, if I´m gonna write a book, I wanted it to be inspiring in a way. I want it to be like "Hey, this guy has done this and that, but he´s still come out ok and thankful, and....happy."
If I write a book, I want it to be more that than people going "Oh, that´s so disgusting! I can´t believe he did that..I gotta read more". Yeah, I´ve done all those disgusting things, but like the quote in one of my favorite movies called Amadeus.... "I´m a vulgar man, but my music is not.".
I´ve done decadent things in my life, but hopefully I´ve also done things that would inspire younger kids to have that same dream that I had. If I was ever to write a book I´d like younger people to be inspired by what I say, not just entertained by how much of this or that I consumed.
One more thing. Are you now secretly wishing that all this will turn into making another album with Alice?
RR: Why wish secretly? (laughs) Of course I want to. Every time you can make an album with a guy that is a household name, it´s kinda cool. I´ve been able to do that a couple of times. I´ve had a lot of really good experiences with Alice Cooper so of course I would love to do it. At the same time I´m very content and very proud of the records I´ve been able to make with our "unknown" bands, which is Roxie 77 and Casablanca. I´m really proud of those albums as well. There´s a lot of heart and effort that goes into it. Put it like this, I´m just happy when I can put the songs and ideas down with a bunch of great guys and girls and then go out and be able to perform them live. That´s a treat.
It´s more about having an idea and turning that idea into a reality..... then repeat the cycle. If you do that more than a few times, that becomes a career, and if you have a career long enough, that becomes something you actually can look back at and say "That´s what I have done in life." ….I´m still trying to do that. (laughs)
I´m really happy for you Ryan.
RR: Nick, it´s always great talking to you because you can say five words to my 100. (laughs)
The way it should be. Have a good night and I´ll talk to you later!
RR: Thanks buddy!
Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin has released the following statement regarding the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame:
"I have waited up to this point to see what would become of the GN'R induction into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I would like to say THANK YOU and GRACIAS to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the acknowledgement of our works over the years as a band. BIG THANKS to all my bandmates who helped get us to where we are today. And, of course, THANK YOU to all of the people on this planet (including, but not limited to, the entire universe and beyond, etc., etc., etc.) who have supported GUNS N' ROSES from day one. Adios, Amigos!"
GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose has announced that he will not attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this Saturday (April 14) in Cleveland, and is declining to be inducted along with the rest of the group.
In a lengthy open letter posted at GUNS N' ROSES' Facebook page, Rose wrote, "I respectfully decline my induction as a member of GUNS N' ROSES to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of 'GUNS N' ROSES.'"
Rose added that the entire situation left him feeling like he was in an awkward position, explaining, "This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn . . . Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' scenario all the way around."
The singer also reaffirmed that there is no chance of the original lineup reuniting, and seemed to speak directly to fans still hoping for a reunion when he added, "Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."
In at least a partial nod to his former bandmates, however, Rose wrote, "For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from GUNS their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine."
Rose's letter seems to have put the final nail in the coffin for fans hoping to see the original lineup perform at this weekend's ceremony. Speculation about such an event has been rampant since the band's induction was announced back in December.
Stradlin is also not expected to attend, while Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum will be on hand. GREEN DAY will give the induction speech.
Along with GUNS, this year's class of inductees includes the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, Donovan, the FACES and Laura Nyro.
"I have waited up to this point to see what would become of the GN'R induction into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I would like to say THANK YOU and GRACIAS to Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the acknowledgement of our works over the years as a band. BIG THANKS to all my bandmates who helped get us to where we are today. And, of course, THANK YOU to all of the people on this planet (including, but not limited to, the entire universe and beyond, etc., etc., etc.) who have supported GUNS N' ROSES from day one. Adios, Amigos!"
GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose has announced that he will not attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this Saturday (April 14) in Cleveland, and is declining to be inducted along with the rest of the group.
In a lengthy open letter posted at GUNS N' ROSES' Facebook page, Rose wrote, "I respectfully decline my induction as a member of GUNS N' ROSES to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of 'GUNS N' ROSES.'"
Rose added that the entire situation left him feeling like he was in an awkward position, explaining, "This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn . . . Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' scenario all the way around."
The singer also reaffirmed that there is no chance of the original lineup reuniting, and seemed to speak directly to fans still hoping for a reunion when he added, "Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense."
In at least a partial nod to his former bandmates, however, Rose wrote, "For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from GUNS their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine."
Rose's letter seems to have put the final nail in the coffin for fans hoping to see the original lineup perform at this weekend's ceremony. Speculation about such an event has been rampant since the band's induction was announced back in December.
Stradlin is also not expected to attend, while Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum will be on hand. GREEN DAY will give the induction speech.
Along with GUNS, this year's class of inductees includes the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the BEASTIE BOYS, Donovan, the FACES and Laura Nyro.
Steven Adler always wanted to be a rock star and in the process found all the girls, fame, money and yes, drugs that come with that job description. He can add one more notation to that legendary resume now as he is most definitely NOT declining the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame like his former Guns N' Roses bandmate Axl Rose. In fact if you talk to those closest to him or spend a few minutes chatting with Steven himself it's more likely that he's had a hotel reservation in Cleveland for QUITE some time. He knows that it's a bummer for fans that the guys can't all get on the same page but appreciates the fact that every single one of the gunners, even Axl, are still alive and still making noise. Steven has a NEW band, simply called ADLER, and has been recording a great new album with producers Jay Ruston (Anthrax) and Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner). He called up LRI along with his guitarist (Lonny Paul) and new singer (Jacob Bunton) to talk about their new music, the Hall Of Fame, Paul Stanley, Dr. Drew and a bunch of other topics. Read on……
Legendary Rock Interviews: Hey guys. This is kind of a new thing for us having all three of you on the line at the same time but thanks for talking to us!! Steven Friggin Adler….how the hell are you?
Steven Adler: I'm great John. Never been better. Where are you at?
LRI: Rockford, Illinois area….a.k.a. Cheap Trickville, Illinois.
Steven: Ohhhhh man…..I LOVE Cheap Trick, LOVE them. I have loved those guys as long as I can remember!!
Lonny Paul: Definitely. Much respect to those guys.
Jacob Bunton: Yeah, we all agree on that one for sure. Thanks for talking to us John.
LRI: Thank YOU. I wanna start by asking you a very simple but obvious question Steven…..Has it sunk in yet about the Hall of Fame? I know you've been a rock star for a long time but was this induction something you ever even considered??
Steven: No, but it's like everything that we dreamed about and believed in and it's something I am proud to notch off on my belt. We accomplished every fuckin thing that I dreamed about doing, even the DRUGS, I WANTED to do drugs. I mean, all of my idols did drugs, I'm only saying it because it's the TRUTH. Most of my idols made albums, toured around the world, fucked girls and yes, did drugs and drank too much. I did every single thing I wanted to do and got every single thing I wanted except I NEVER wanted to get kicked out of Guns N' Roses. I always and STILL think we should be together like Aerosmith or the Stones. We should have been a band that lasted 30 or 40 years like that, that's what my dream was. That part of the dream just didn't happen, first it was me, then Izzy, then Slash and Duff but I still love those guys, even Axl, they're my brothers. We accomplished so many of our dreams and to be able to all be out there still working and creating and more than anything, anything to still have our connections with the fans. We are blessed.
LRI: Well, I think it's pretty cool that you, Duff and Slash are at least respectful of how cool of a moment it is for the FANS. Speaking of that, I read your Metal Sludge interview Jacob and I know you are a huuuge fan of all of this music. What's it like looking over to your left in the studio and seeing Slash playing guitar on your new album and looking over to your right and seeing Steven and Jeff Pilson of Dokken??? That's like a metal kid's fantasy.
Jacob: It was pretty goddamn cool John, it was amazing, I'm not going to lie (laughs). I mean, first of all I'm in the vocal booth and am literally pinching myself while I'm singing and thinking "Everybody on the other side of that glass was hanging on my bedroom wall". It was surreal, almost like that movie "Rock Star" with Markie Mark.
Steven: That's not really Markie Mark, that's Mili from STEELHEART!!! (laughs).
LRI: Okay, you're right on that one sir, it was Mili from Steelheart (laughs).
Steven: You're goddamn right. That guy is fuckin AMAZING, he is the real rock star. (Starts singing….) "STAND UP AND SHOUT!!!"
Jacob: Slash and Steven were so nice to us too. I mean it still seems hard for me to believe it happened but it did. To feel the vibe in the room between these two guys from the original Guns N' Roses is just unreal. These guys, Slash and Steven have been best friends since they were 12 years old and the chemistry is undeniable. I am not lying or exaggerating to say that there is a real energy and love that can be felt when these guys are together and as an outsider, as a fan of the original GNR, it is dynamite to see. Then to get to work with Jay producing when I've ALWAYS loved Anthrax and really love their last album that he worked on and also Jeff Pilson of Dokken who was another idol…..It was goosebumps time.
Lonny: It was awesome. It really was. I'm also a huge fan of John 5 who was also cool enough to come and play on the record.
Steven: John 5 is a guitar hero, a phenomenal artist….period point blank and Slash is the Eric Clapton of our generation. I am so honored that they played on our record because them doing that is really them giving us their blessing. They didn't HAVE to. They don't just play for anyone but they thought enough of what we're doing with the new album and how far I've come personally, with my progress with getting my shit together and also these new guys in our new band Adler. Make no mistake about the name, this is a BAND in the truest sense of the word and to have guys like Slash and John 5 basically give their stamp of approval to what we are doing means the world to us. They liked our music and were as excited about what they heard as we are.
en and Jeff Pilson.....fuuuuuck!
LRI: Lonny, you were a part of Steven's last band, Adler's Appetite. How is this band different beyond Jacob and Johnny obviously being the new guys?
Lonny: Well, it's kind of been a real natural progression. I was in the old band and we were out touring and I was always writing my own stuff. I mean it was fun of course playing the GNR stuff but I was always busy on the bus and in my down time writing for my own stuff. I played Steven some of my stuff and it was really cool because the stuff he heard got him excited enough that he wanted to go back home after the tour and get started from scratch on a new band and use some of these ideas I had as a starting point. We met up with Jacob through our mutual friend and our producer Jay Ruston and suddenly we had our new singer really it all just fell into place.
LRI: I can't wait to hear the entire new album as well as Slash's. It might be a while before we hear the sequel to Chinese Democracy. Steven, we recently interviewed your old managers Alan Niven and Vicky Hamilton as well as you and Slash's longtime friend and author Marc Canter. The Niven one is already up and the others are coming and I was struck by how NICE everyone was in their descriptions of what you brought to the band. We all sort of agreed that in many ways the band was never the same after you and Izzy were gone.
Steven: Man….thank you John. Thank all of you…I love Marc and Vicky. You talked to Marc? I LOVE Marc. I love that man. Marc was huge to Guns N' Fuckin Roses. Huge. Aside from feeding us and having the best Deli in town he and Jack Lue took all of our early pictures that mattered. Have you seen the book RECKLESS ROAD? It's a friggin work of art that book. It's genius and it's that good and that comprehensive because Marc was there for EVERYTHING. What's truly, truly amazing is that as long as Slash and I have known the guy he has never asked us for anything. Nothing. He was just a wonderful person to all five of us and that's a fact. I need him. I'll always need him and he knows it but he has never done anything because there was something in it for him and that just blows my mind. I mean every time I call him or his son I need a favor (laughs). I love Marc and I love his entire family because everything they have ever done was done out of a love for the music, the band and their friends Slash and Steven. When you come out to the coast and meet Marc be sure and look at his ear. Ever since we've known him, ever since we were in junior high, Marc Canter has had a little tiny pencil above his ear. He knows all and sees all!!
LRI: I believe it! Marc gave us a really long interview, in fact, I'm still typing it! I thought to myself, he might know more about GNR than any of you (laughs). He was really hoping that Duff could somehow be the voice of reason and broker a meeting of the minds between AXL and SLASH but….he seems to think that it's all just one big misunderstanding.
Steven: Axl doesn't believe in any of us. I have a feeling if he would've shown up it would only be to perform with his band of scabs. I'm sorry Lonny, sorry Jacob. I promised them I'd shut up (laughs). Those guys are great players, they're great performers but they're not Guns N' Roses. They're just not. I just wanted the same thing all of the fans want which is to show up and play together. It's only rock and roll, it's not that hard, just show up, put the fans first and be a rock and roll band if only for their sake. It's the fucking LEAST we could do after everything the fans have given us. The fans have given us our careers for all these years. The fans were there then and they're still the reason we can play music and have careers. They love the five of us and they'd STILL love us and I don't understand why he can't see that. I'm not saying this out of pride or whatever, I'm saying it because it's the TRUTH, there is not one rock and roll band that the fans have wanted to see a reunion of more than Guns N' Roses. Duff is a smart, smart man. You would have hoped that he could do that like Marc said, somehow make sense of it all to Izzy and Axl but all I know is Axl and Izzy can still no-show if that's what they want and by all indications that's the case. Maybe Slash, Duff and I can still play with a couple other guys and rock and roll. Hell, I will personally guarantee you John that if nothing else I will go up onstage with my drums and play to a cd of Appetite because the fans DESERVE it. I can't speak for Izzy and Axl but I love and respect the fans, GNR has the best fans in the world, the most loyal and sweet fans in the world and it would be a slap in the face to them to not do SOMETHING. It's one thing to get inducted in the Hall of Fame but what I want, what I really want more than anything is just the chance to finish what I started with those assholes (laughs). I'd like to notch that off on my belt that we could get up onstage just once and finish what we fuckin started in that little studio in Silverlake.
LRI: Sorry to go so far back but who knows when I will be talking to a member of GNR again….Is it true that you were really affected by the guys dissing Paul Stanley around the time he was offering to produce you?
Steven: I knew deep down that Paul wasn't the right guy for the job but I just thought the guys could be respectful or professional and listen to him or meet with him because he's fuckin Paul Stanley of KISS. I mean, I know I turned Slash onto them but the rest of the guys were just not as big of KISS fans as I was. Slash was more from an Aerosmith place and I knew that but I worshiped KISS and was just blown away that he would even THINK of working with us. I said, "That's an honor, that's Paul Stanley and he is a rock god" but they just didn't get it.
LRI: You've had plenty of time to think about what you're gonna say in Cleveland at the Hall Of Fame and plenty of time to think about all the crazy business shit involved with the disintegration of GNR. What did Vicky Hamilton do to really set the table for Guns N Roses??
Steven: What didn't she do?? (laughs). I love Vicky Hamilton. There are probably four or five people tops that I will be mentioning by name at the Hall of Fame and they are certainly among the people who TRULY DESERVE to be thanked. I love Vicky and Marc so much because they truly, truly believed in our band and put their own asses on the line for us. The Vicky thing was devastating to me personally. It was just like this reunion bullshit with Axl in that I had no say in it whatsoever. I didn't want to see Vicky leave as our manager, not at ALL, but a couple, a couple of the other guys did. They were concerned and saying "Well, she's a woman and people are thinking she's not doing as good of a job as a man could do". I did not feel that way and I was very hurt when we could not take her with us as our career went forward.
Steven and Izzy gettin ready, Slash warming up Photo copyright by Marc Canter
LRI: Were you there when Kim Fowley was with Axl and the others and was suggesting that Vicky was too "pretty" to be a manager?
Steven: Yes I was and while Kim Fowley might not have been that big of an influence personally on Axl, he was an influence as far as what he had accomplished in the business. Axl agreed with Kim and I didn't. I knew that she was great and she still is. It was beyond ridiculous to say that a woman couldn't have impact on our careers because as I knew full well that Teresa Ensenat and Vicky Hamilton were every bit as important as Tom Zutaut to our success. Axl was all worried about having women involved in our careers when two of the three main people involved in us making it WERE WOMEN!!!! It made no fucking sense to me that he couldn't see that while some women were crazy as fuck some of them are freakin geniuses. Vicky Hamilton is not only crafty but smart as a whip and knew better than anyone how to guide our career.
LRI: You've mentioned that the fact that SLASH has stayed alive and stayed sober for so many years now has been a big inspiration to you. Does it still give you a lot of hope?
Steven: Absolutely John. I mean it really truly is. He knows I am making an effort too and Slash cares enough about me that he really played on our album not because he's been my friend since we were kids but because of all the work I've done. It's been WORK with Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest and all the effort we're making and he sees that and appreciates the new music and new guys I've started working with. These guys are doing as much as I am in this band. It's their band too. If I was making new music with other people I would NOT be as far along as I am now.
Steven, Jeff Pilson, Lemmy and Jacob saying we're number one....
LRI: I'm going to school to be an addictions counselor and I have read Dr.Drew's books and enjoyed them as much as the GNR guys books. So many people slag him and say he's only out for fame and no one can really get sober on a TV show. Do you hear that shit from people?
Steven: There are always going to be people who talk shit but I can honestly tell you that is NOT true about Drew or Bob and that pisses me off when people attack him. He honestly cares about anyone who is dealing with this shit whether they are famous or not. If you need help they are there for you and they will help you if you show the slightest, even the littlest amount of effort. They will help you turn that effort into recovery. Dr. Drew is not taking advantage of anyone in the entertainment business, he is just giving them an opportunity to get their lives and careers together. The guy is a fantastic doctor and a fantastic person and he's made a huge difference in my life.
LRI: I liked the Adler's Appetite EP with Jizzy and the singles you've put out since you started working because they really were good and it was something you could do live besides just that classic era Guns stuff. That said, it's gotta be a whole new feeling being able to have solid producers and a full album to go out and tour on. I mean there's plenty of guys just doing the nostalgia thing and they don't really feel any need to put anything out even if the fans would like them to. Are you writing all the time with these guys? Is that something that is really, really important to you?
Steven: We've got 13 songs but we are still writing constantly. We'll keep writing even after it's released and we're touring. That's what real bands do and that's what we're doing all the time. No more wasting time and not being productive.
Jacob: That sounds good to me.
Lonny: We will always, always love playing the original GNR stuff but it is nothing short of amazing to be able to do that and mix in the new stuff. If you've heard the new single "The One You Hated" you can tell how it's got a lot of spirit and energy.
Steven: We've been having a really fun time in the studio and out of that has come a fun record. Of course it is amazing that it's come together and that we are going to be able to go out there as a real band and play these songs right alongside those songs and it finally all makes sense to me. This is fun just like the beginning of Guns was fun. That's how music and rock and roll should be and this has been the most fun I've had in the studio and in general since Appetite For Destruction. If you really stick to it, believe in what you're doin and get through all of the shit and can manage to have fun again it's possible to actually enjoy the music business even all these years later with all new guys. I'm living proof.
Stream the new song from Adler, "The One You Hated" right here:
GUNS N' ROSES photos courtesy of MARC CANTER, check out the Facebook page for his amazing book RECKLESS ROAD here: https://www.facebook.com/recklessroadbook
Rob Zombie has once again jumped into the world of TV commercials.
Following up his hugely successful commercial for Woolite, Zombie has turned his directing skills towards the ant killing field. This time things get even scarier with "Death Note", a bizarre ad featuring cult fave Clint Howard as a man on the bring of madness due to ant trouble. His only hope is Amdro Ant Block.
This three-part series of Amdro ads depicts various people driven to the edge of insanity (or way over it, in this particular case) by those pesky six-legged creatures, and for this edition, entitled "Death Note", Clint Howard's got nefarious plans for his tiny enemies.
"Working with Clint again was a blast," Rob told FEARnet. (The two previously worked together on "The Lords Of Salem" and earlier on Rob's "Halloween".) "Actually it worked out great since the agency wanted a Clint Howard type for the spot. So naturally I said, 'How about if I just call the real guy and see if he's interested?' He was, and the rest is ant-killing history."
Following up his hugely successful commercial for Woolite, Zombie has turned his directing skills towards the ant killing field. This time things get even scarier with "Death Note", a bizarre ad featuring cult fave Clint Howard as a man on the bring of madness due to ant trouble. His only hope is Amdro Ant Block.
This three-part series of Amdro ads depicts various people driven to the edge of insanity (or way over it, in this particular case) by those pesky six-legged creatures, and for this edition, entitled "Death Note", Clint Howard's got nefarious plans for his tiny enemies.
"Working with Clint again was a blast," Rob told FEARnet. (The two previously worked together on "The Lords Of Salem" and earlier on Rob's "Halloween".) "Actually it worked out great since the agency wanted a Clint Howard type for the spot. So naturally I said, 'How about if I just call the real guy and see if he's interested?' He was, and the rest is ant-killing history."
To mark Record Store Day on April 21, Rhino will offer three colored-vinyl versions of the MISFITS' LP "Walk Among Us", commemorating the 30-year anniversary of the band's 1982 full-length classic. It is a faithful reproduction of the original with music cut from the original analog masters and packaging that duplicates details down to the printed inner sleeve.
Limited to 3,000 total copies in the U.S., "Walk Among Us" will be available for a suggested list price of $17.98. The album will be pressed on red (1,250 pieces), blue (1,250 pieces) and clear (500) vinyl. Color variations will be distributed randomly. There will also be a purple vinyl pressing released internationally that will be limited to 1,500 copies.
About Record Store Day: Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance Of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale.
Record Store Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of April.
Limited to 3,000 total copies in the U.S., "Walk Among Us" will be available for a suggested list price of $17.98. The album will be pressed on red (1,250 pieces), blue (1,250 pieces) and clear (500) vinyl. Color variations will be distributed randomly. There will also be a purple vinyl pressing released internationally that will be limited to 1,500 copies.
About Record Store Day: Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance Of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale.
Record Store Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of April.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/misfitswalk.jpg
DREAM THEATER has annouced a second North American leg of a world tour in support of its acclaimed and globally successful album "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" (Roadrunner). The progressive hard rock icons, who've sold in excess of 10 million records and DVDs worldwide, will launch their summer dates 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.
Joining DREAM THEATER, starting June 16 in Columbus, Ohio and for the rest of the tour, is special guest CRIMSON PROJEKCT featuring Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter, Julie Slick and Tobias Ralph. They'll be performing the songs of progressive rock legends KING CRIMSON.
For the past few months DREAM THEATER has been touring around the world including visits to Europe and Mexico and are set to begin an Asian tour on April 19 in Seoul. The tour will bring the group to Japan, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan and will conclude May 8 in Bangkok Thailand.
DREAM THEATER North American tour dates:
June 15 - Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
June 16 - Montebello, QC - D-TOX Rockfest
June 17 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark
June 19 - Columbus, OH - The LC Pavilion
June 21 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
June 22 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
June 24 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
June 26 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
June 27 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
June 28 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theater
July 01 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
July 02 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
July 03 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
July 05 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
July 06 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theater
July 07 - Austin, TX - ACL Live
July 09 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre
July 12 - Richmond, VA - The National
July 13 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
July 14 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
July 17 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
July 18 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
July 19 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
July 21 - Chester, PA - Harrah's Chester Downs
DREAM THEATER's new album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", sold 36,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8. The band's previous CD, 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", opened with 40,000 units to land at No. 6. This was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Systematic Chaos", which shifted 36,000 copies in 2007 to enter the chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.
DREAM THEATER was among the nominees in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category at the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
When asked for his opinion on illegal music downloading, guitarist John Petrucci told Cotonete in March, "I think it is hurting — it is hurting the industry, for sure. I mean, it's a question of intellectual property. If you're an artist — if you write music, you write books… whatever it happens to be… you write movies — and you're professional, you want to be compensated for your art, for your work; it's property, just like anything else. So the Internet has obviously made it really easy for people to get their hands on things, illegally download stuff for free. I don't think it's right. I think that the industry has always been playing catch-up to the technology, and the technology is just really moving so rapidly. The bills and the laws that are in place are very antiquated at this point and it's hard to really catch up. And even with our album, the very latest one ['A Dramatic Turn Of Events'], it was so hard to keep a leak from getting out there. Once it happens and everybody has the album before it even comes out and they're all commenting on it, and then... Honestly, if you have a band's album already before it comes out, why are you gonna download it from iTunes, why are you gonna go to the store [and buy it]? You already have it. So it's hurting the industry, and you can see it. Recording studios are closing, record companies are folding, bands aren't as successful. Sales numbers for bands are nothing like they used to be — nothing. So bands are more reliant on merchandise and live touring and things like that."
Joining DREAM THEATER, starting June 16 in Columbus, Ohio and for the rest of the tour, is special guest CRIMSON PROJEKCT featuring Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter, Julie Slick and Tobias Ralph. They'll be performing the songs of progressive rock legends KING CRIMSON.
For the past few months DREAM THEATER has been touring around the world including visits to Europe and Mexico and are set to begin an Asian tour on April 19 in Seoul. The tour will bring the group to Japan, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan and will conclude May 8 in Bangkok Thailand.
DREAM THEATER North American tour dates:
June 15 - Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
June 16 - Montebello, QC - D-TOX Rockfest
June 17 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark
June 19 - Columbus, OH - The LC Pavilion
June 21 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
June 22 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
June 24 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theater
June 26 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
June 27 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
June 28 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theater
July 01 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
July 02 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
July 03 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
July 05 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
July 06 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theater
July 07 - Austin, TX - ACL Live
July 09 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre
July 12 - Richmond, VA - The National
July 13 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
July 14 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
July 17 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
July 18 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
July 19 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
July 21 - Chester, PA - Harrah's Chester Downs
DREAM THEATER's new album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", sold 36,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8. The band's previous CD, 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", opened with 40,000 units to land at No. 6. This was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Systematic Chaos", which shifted 36,000 copies in 2007 to enter the chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.
DREAM THEATER was among the nominees in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category at the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
When asked for his opinion on illegal music downloading, guitarist John Petrucci told Cotonete in March, "I think it is hurting — it is hurting the industry, for sure. I mean, it's a question of intellectual property. If you're an artist — if you write music, you write books… whatever it happens to be… you write movies — and you're professional, you want to be compensated for your art, for your work; it's property, just like anything else. So the Internet has obviously made it really easy for people to get their hands on things, illegally download stuff for free. I don't think it's right. I think that the industry has always been playing catch-up to the technology, and the technology is just really moving so rapidly. The bills and the laws that are in place are very antiquated at this point and it's hard to really catch up. And even with our album, the very latest one ['A Dramatic Turn Of Events'], it was so hard to keep a leak from getting out there. Once it happens and everybody has the album before it even comes out and they're all commenting on it, and then... Honestly, if you have a band's album already before it comes out, why are you gonna download it from iTunes, why are you gonna go to the store [and buy it]? You already have it. So it's hurting the industry, and you can see it. Recording studios are closing, record companies are folding, bands aren't as successful. Sales numbers for bands are nothing like they used to be — nothing. So bands are more reliant on merchandise and live touring and things like that."
One of the most legendary, influential and enduring names in the history of rock music, SWEET will release a brand new studio album — their first since "Sweetlife" — on April 27.
With worldwide album sales of more than 55 million copies, SWEET have notched 34 No. 1 smashes across the globe as part of a run of timeless hits that includes "Blockbuster!", "Hell Raiser", "The Ballroom Blitz", "The Six Teens", "Action", "Fox On The Run" and "Love Is Like Oxygen". Seen on "Top Of The Pops" on what felt like a weekly basis throughout the 1970s, their über-harmonious, multi-tracked guitar work and layered production was to provide inspiration to other acts such as QUEEN, the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and, in later decades, DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and THE DARKNESS.
Now comes "New York Connection". Recorded by original member Andy Scott (guitar and vocals) and his current lineup of Pete Lincoln (lead vocals and bass guitar), Tony O'Hora (guitar, keyboards and vocals) and Bruce Bisland (drums and vocals), the new album is a selection of material originally penned by other artists awarded the band's instantly recognizable thumb-print. So it's a boring covers album, then? Well, no. Not really. This time there's a bit of a twist.
Besides some fairly inevitable selections — Andy Scott, who handles lead vocals on this version of "Sweet Jane" has long declared his admiration of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND — SWEET have not only tried their hands at some unexpected choices such as "All Moving Faster" by the New Jersey punk band ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN and THE BLACK KEYS' "Gold On The Ceiling", but where appropriate, they have also mashed in riffs, drum beats or vocal lines from some of their own classic songs. "It's a case of buy one, get one free!" laughs Andy Scott.
Thus their interpretation of "It's All Moving Faster" interpolates the guitar line to SWEET's own "Burn On The Flame", while "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the RAMONES is teamed up with a snippet of "The Ballroom Blitz". Several other examples of this phenomenon abound on the record — see whether you can spot them all! — though the most obvious example is the fusion of the Russ Ballard chestnut "New York Groove" (previously covered by both HELLO and former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley) with Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind". Astonishingly, it works.
"When people hear that one in particular, often they have a solitary word: 'Wow!'" smiles Andy Scott proudly.
However, the equally convincingly rocked-up inclusion of "You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)", a U.K. chart-topper for DEAD OR ALIVE in 1985, perhaps begs the question of how seriously "New York Connection" is intended to be taken.
"It's all meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek," acknowledges Scott. "The whole point of doing something like this was to enjoy it. We had a stab at 'You Spin Me Right Round' as a bit of a wind-up, but it came together so well and sounded so right that it was very hard to turn our backs on. We definitely gave it the SWEET stamp."
If a central thread unites much of the material on "New York Connection", it's that of songs by New York-based artists, songwriters or material that name-checks the Big Apple in its title. "Obviously, some don't fulfill that criteria, but most of them do," explains Scott.
Covered many, many times through the years, "On Broadway" is perhaps best known as a hit for both THE DRIFTERS and George Benson. The band likes to think it fits the album's overall concept by having been recorded by THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS, a side-project of the American punks GREEN DAY. For these purposes the song concerned has been cross-pollinated with SWEET's 1977 chart hit "Love Is Like Oxygen". Reveals Scott: "That one almost didn't make it onto the album as nobody except me could imagine how a hard rock riff could possibly be merged with a pop-soul song. But I think we managed it."
The project was born when Scott's son Damian started messing around with a looped sample that was later integrated into a version of the song that closes the album, namely THE WHO's 1972 standard "Join Together". This was fitting as back in the 1970s the latter's guitarist, Pete Townshend, had gone out on a limb as an important backer of SWEET's crossover from the pop singles market to a harder-edged, more album-based direction. Fans will know that they had also recorded a version of "My Generation" on their 1970s album "Desolation Boulevard".
When SWEET elected to perform "Join Together" on the German TV special "Fernsehgarten" and realized that it fitted their own style so well they began looking around for other tunes to cover. Gradually the project took on a life of its own.
SWEET are on the road for most weeks of the year. They will tour the UK in the autumn to promote "New York Connection".
The complete track listing for "New York Connection" is as follows:
01. New York Groove (written by Russ Ballard)
02. Gold On The Ceilings (THE BLACK KEYS)
03. It's All Moving Faster (ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN)
04. New York Connection (originally the B-side of SWEET's "Wig Wam Bam")
05. Shapes Of Things (THE YARDBIRDS)
06. You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record) (DEAD OR ALIVE)
07. Because The Night (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, also recorded by the PATTI SMITH GROUP) (Lead vocal: Tony O'Hora)
08. Sweet Jan (THE VELVET UNDERGROUND) (Lead vocal: Andy Scott)
09. Blitzkrieg Bop (RAMONES) (Lead vocal: Bruce Bisland)
10. Broadway (written by a team including Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller)
11. Join Together (THE WHO)
With worldwide album sales of more than 55 million copies, SWEET have notched 34 No. 1 smashes across the globe as part of a run of timeless hits that includes "Blockbuster!", "Hell Raiser", "The Ballroom Blitz", "The Six Teens", "Action", "Fox On The Run" and "Love Is Like Oxygen". Seen on "Top Of The Pops" on what felt like a weekly basis throughout the 1970s, their über-harmonious, multi-tracked guitar work and layered production was to provide inspiration to other acts such as QUEEN, the ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and, in later decades, DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and THE DARKNESS.
Now comes "New York Connection". Recorded by original member Andy Scott (guitar and vocals) and his current lineup of Pete Lincoln (lead vocals and bass guitar), Tony O'Hora (guitar, keyboards and vocals) and Bruce Bisland (drums and vocals), the new album is a selection of material originally penned by other artists awarded the band's instantly recognizable thumb-print. So it's a boring covers album, then? Well, no. Not really. This time there's a bit of a twist.
Besides some fairly inevitable selections — Andy Scott, who handles lead vocals on this version of "Sweet Jane" has long declared his admiration of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND — SWEET have not only tried their hands at some unexpected choices such as "All Moving Faster" by the New Jersey punk band ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN and THE BLACK KEYS' "Gold On The Ceiling", but where appropriate, they have also mashed in riffs, drum beats or vocal lines from some of their own classic songs. "It's a case of buy one, get one free!" laughs Andy Scott.
Thus their interpretation of "It's All Moving Faster" interpolates the guitar line to SWEET's own "Burn On The Flame", while "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the RAMONES is teamed up with a snippet of "The Ballroom Blitz". Several other examples of this phenomenon abound on the record — see whether you can spot them all! — though the most obvious example is the fusion of the Russ Ballard chestnut "New York Groove" (previously covered by both HELLO and former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley) with Jay-Z's "Empire State Of Mind". Astonishingly, it works.
"When people hear that one in particular, often they have a solitary word: 'Wow!'" smiles Andy Scott proudly.
However, the equally convincingly rocked-up inclusion of "You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)", a U.K. chart-topper for DEAD OR ALIVE in 1985, perhaps begs the question of how seriously "New York Connection" is intended to be taken.
"It's all meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek," acknowledges Scott. "The whole point of doing something like this was to enjoy it. We had a stab at 'You Spin Me Right Round' as a bit of a wind-up, but it came together so well and sounded so right that it was very hard to turn our backs on. We definitely gave it the SWEET stamp."
If a central thread unites much of the material on "New York Connection", it's that of songs by New York-based artists, songwriters or material that name-checks the Big Apple in its title. "Obviously, some don't fulfill that criteria, but most of them do," explains Scott.
Covered many, many times through the years, "On Broadway" is perhaps best known as a hit for both THE DRIFTERS and George Benson. The band likes to think it fits the album's overall concept by having been recorded by THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS, a side-project of the American punks GREEN DAY. For these purposes the song concerned has been cross-pollinated with SWEET's 1977 chart hit "Love Is Like Oxygen". Reveals Scott: "That one almost didn't make it onto the album as nobody except me could imagine how a hard rock riff could possibly be merged with a pop-soul song. But I think we managed it."
The project was born when Scott's son Damian started messing around with a looped sample that was later integrated into a version of the song that closes the album, namely THE WHO's 1972 standard "Join Together". This was fitting as back in the 1970s the latter's guitarist, Pete Townshend, had gone out on a limb as an important backer of SWEET's crossover from the pop singles market to a harder-edged, more album-based direction. Fans will know that they had also recorded a version of "My Generation" on their 1970s album "Desolation Boulevard".
When SWEET elected to perform "Join Together" on the German TV special "Fernsehgarten" and realized that it fitted their own style so well they began looking around for other tunes to cover. Gradually the project took on a life of its own.
SWEET are on the road for most weeks of the year. They will tour the UK in the autumn to promote "New York Connection".
The complete track listing for "New York Connection" is as follows:
01. New York Groove (written by Russ Ballard)
02. Gold On The Ceilings (THE BLACK KEYS)
03. It's All Moving Faster (ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN)
04. New York Connection (originally the B-side of SWEET's "Wig Wam Bam")
05. Shapes Of Things (THE YARDBIRDS)
06. You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record) (DEAD OR ALIVE)
07. Because The Night (BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, also recorded by the PATTI SMITH GROUP) (Lead vocal: Tony O'Hora)
08. Sweet Jan (THE VELVET UNDERGROUND) (Lead vocal: Andy Scott)
09. Blitzkrieg Bop (RAMONES) (Lead vocal: Bruce Bisland)
10. Broadway (written by a team including Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller)
11. Join Together (THE WHO)
This June Neurot Recordings will issue a special three-way split CD in tribute to late American folk music hero Townes Van Zandt, bearing contributions from Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS, SHRINEBUILDER, TRIBES OF NEUROT, solo artist, etc.), Steve Von Till (NEUROSIS, TRIBES OF NEUROT, HARVESTMAN, solo artist, etc.) and Scott "Wino" Weinrich (SAINT VITUS, THE OBSESSED, THE HIDDEN HAND, SHRINEBUILDER, solo artist, etc.).
After having performed material by Van Zandt solo and through various collaborations on stage over recent years, on solo releases and on random live collaborations, the aptly entitled "Songs Of Townes Van Zandt" brings several songs each from Kelly, Von Till and Weinrich together in praise of his deep musical influence on them all. Through a personal contact of the artists, newly-formed label My Proud Mountain was founded specially in order to release this tribute, with Neurot Recordings handling the North American release of the album on June 12.
Download Scott Kelly's rendition of "St. John The Gambler" for free right here.
"Songs Of Townes Van Zandt" track listing:
01. If I Needed You [Steve Von Till]
02. St. John The Gambler [Scott Kelly]
03. Black Crow Blues [Steve Von Till]
04. Lungs [Scott Kelly]
05. Rake [Wino]
06. The Snake Song [Steve Von Till]
07. Nothing [Wino]
08. Tecumseh Valley [Scott Kelly]
09. A Song For [Wino]
Townes Van Zandt never reached significant fame during his lifetime. Although highly respected by his peers and other songwriters, the mood and atmosphere of his music, coupled with his sometimes dark and sarcastic nature, was not suitable for the commercial country-industry of Nashville. Van Zandt's songs did, however, reach popularity in his day, through artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris. Within his circle of outsider singer-songwriters, he was adored, though ultimately it would be depression and alcoholism that would overshadow his life. Townes' friend, singer Steve Earle, has been quoted as saying, "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." After Townes' death in 1997, the fact that artists as diverse as Robert Plant, MUDHONEY, Norah Jones, Lyle Lovett, and Bob Dylan himself have kept his songs alive and vital, is a testament to the influence and impact of his music.
So now do Steve Von Till, Scott Kelly and Wino stand and sing his tribute, each focusing on the essence of Van Zandt's music and lyrics in his own personal way. The result is a great homage, whose intensity lies in fragility and elementary human truths. Townes Van Zandt's broken-hearted love songs and gloom-ridden tales are most deserving of this tribute and praise.
Stated Scott Kelly: "Townes Van Zandt's music has had a profound effect on me as a man and as a musician. I discovered his songs 13 years ago at the same time as I had already began following a new path for myself as musician, seeking to express myself through a more direct, stripped down acoustic approach. Townes Van Zandt's music is not only brutally honest, he has an ability to paint a picture with his words that is so far beyond the reach and depth of anyone else I have heard to this day. I am honored to be a part of this record and get the opportunity to bring his music to people who are fans of what I have been doing, and I am humbled to be in the presence of my two brothers Steve Von Till and Wino."
Steve Von Till added: "To be able to honor the music of Townes Van Zandt with this project is a true gift. His songs have had a profound influence on me as a songwriter and have been a constant sonic companion since first hearing them. Sharing this tribute with Wino and Scott Kelly, both of whom I admire as human beings and fellow travelers on this journey of songcraft makes it even that much more important to me. I hope that it may bring the soul purifying, down to earth truths of Townes to others who may not have discovered him yet, and that those who already recognize his contribution to the world will appreciate this small offering."
And affirmed Wino: "Circumstance and adventure lead me down the road of playing and writing solely on the acoustic guitar. Born and raised on CSN, Neil Young, amongst others, I still ignored the Americana folk scene. Until Kenny Wagner turned me on to Townes Van Zant. I was still absorbing listening to Scott and Steve's various renditions of his songs when Mr. Connie Ochs gave me 'Abnormal'. It was this that crystallized my endearment to this music; this man, this story, this passion and emotion that has enriched our lives. So I am proud to be a part of this tribute."
After having performed material by Van Zandt solo and through various collaborations on stage over recent years, on solo releases and on random live collaborations, the aptly entitled "Songs Of Townes Van Zandt" brings several songs each from Kelly, Von Till and Weinrich together in praise of his deep musical influence on them all. Through a personal contact of the artists, newly-formed label My Proud Mountain was founded specially in order to release this tribute, with Neurot Recordings handling the North American release of the album on June 12.
Download Scott Kelly's rendition of "St. John The Gambler" for free right here.
"Songs Of Townes Van Zandt" track listing:
01. If I Needed You [Steve Von Till]
02. St. John The Gambler [Scott Kelly]
03. Black Crow Blues [Steve Von Till]
04. Lungs [Scott Kelly]
05. Rake [Wino]
06. The Snake Song [Steve Von Till]
07. Nothing [Wino]
08. Tecumseh Valley [Scott Kelly]
09. A Song For [Wino]
Townes Van Zandt never reached significant fame during his lifetime. Although highly respected by his peers and other songwriters, the mood and atmosphere of his music, coupled with his sometimes dark and sarcastic nature, was not suitable for the commercial country-industry of Nashville. Van Zandt's songs did, however, reach popularity in his day, through artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Emmylou Harris. Within his circle of outsider singer-songwriters, he was adored, though ultimately it would be depression and alcoholism that would overshadow his life. Townes' friend, singer Steve Earle, has been quoted as saying, "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." After Townes' death in 1997, the fact that artists as diverse as Robert Plant, MUDHONEY, Norah Jones, Lyle Lovett, and Bob Dylan himself have kept his songs alive and vital, is a testament to the influence and impact of his music.
So now do Steve Von Till, Scott Kelly and Wino stand and sing his tribute, each focusing on the essence of Van Zandt's music and lyrics in his own personal way. The result is a great homage, whose intensity lies in fragility and elementary human truths. Townes Van Zandt's broken-hearted love songs and gloom-ridden tales are most deserving of this tribute and praise.
Stated Scott Kelly: "Townes Van Zandt's music has had a profound effect on me as a man and as a musician. I discovered his songs 13 years ago at the same time as I had already began following a new path for myself as musician, seeking to express myself through a more direct, stripped down acoustic approach. Townes Van Zandt's music is not only brutally honest, he has an ability to paint a picture with his words that is so far beyond the reach and depth of anyone else I have heard to this day. I am honored to be a part of this record and get the opportunity to bring his music to people who are fans of what I have been doing, and I am humbled to be in the presence of my two brothers Steve Von Till and Wino."
Steve Von Till added: "To be able to honor the music of Townes Van Zandt with this project is a true gift. His songs have had a profound influence on me as a songwriter and have been a constant sonic companion since first hearing them. Sharing this tribute with Wino and Scott Kelly, both of whom I admire as human beings and fellow travelers on this journey of songcraft makes it even that much more important to me. I hope that it may bring the soul purifying, down to earth truths of Townes to others who may not have discovered him yet, and that those who already recognize his contribution to the world will appreciate this small offering."
And affirmed Wino: "Circumstance and adventure lead me down the road of playing and writing solely on the acoustic guitar. Born and raised on CSN, Neil Young, amongst others, I still ignored the Americana folk scene. Until Kenny Wagner turned me on to Townes Van Zant. I was still absorbing listening to Scott and Steve's various renditions of his songs when Mr. Connie Ochs gave me 'Abnormal'. It was this that crystallized my endearment to this music; this man, this story, this passion and emotion that has enriched our lives. So I am proud to be a part of this tribute."
"De Vermis Mysteriis", the new studio album from the Oakland, California hard rock band HIGH ON FIRE, sold around 7,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 63 on The Billboard 200 chart.
HIGH ON FIRE's previous CD, "Snakes For The Divine", opened with around 8,600 units in February 2010 to also land at No. 63.
Released on April 3 via eOne Music, "De Vermis Mysteriis" was recorded in Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer and CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou. The 10-song effort — touted as "direct, eye-opening and powerfully supernatural" — is the band's sixth studio recording and the follow-up to 2010's "Snakes For The Divine" which debuted at No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart and has been called "wonderful" by The New York Times and "an exhilarating rush" by the Chicago Tribune.
"De Vermis Mysteriis" (or "Mysteries Of The Worm") takes its title from a fictional grimoire created by "Psycho" author Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the "Cthulhu Mythos" (Lovecraft mentioned "De Vermis Mysteriis" as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man"). The album carries a deeply mystical undercurrent, incorporating fantastical themes and lyrics detailing, among other things, time travel, a serum called liao that is made out of a black lotus and "a Jesus twin who can see the past through his ancestors' eyes." And that's just scratching the surface!
Musically, "De Vermis Mysteriis" is absolutely explosive, showcasing the California power trio's thundering roar and expanded harmonic and rhythmic palettes while the songs move confidently through multiple riffs and movements. HIGH ON FIRE construct tough, burly stoner metal that is at once devastatingly epic and mercilessly metallic as superstar guitarist Matt Pike's sizzling ax and avenging-angel riffs fuse with Des Kensel's double-kick-drum onslaught and Jeff Matz's concrete crushing, Burton-esque bass guitar. Over the course of forty-five minutes, HIGH ON FIRE have created an amalgamation of fantastical lyrical ideas and brute force musicianship anchored in an endlessly captivating, punkishly frantic sound. Simply put, the band generates awesome on demand and has a virtual chokehold on monolithic-sounding, masterfully crafted epic music. HIGH ON FIRE is a savage bull in the china shop of modern metal.
When asked for comment on "De Vermis Mysteriis", Pike somewhat cryptically replied, "Prepare for your dark journey."
"De Vermis Mysteriis" track listing:
01. Serums Of Liao
02. Bloody Knuckles
03. Fertile Green
04. Madness Of An Architect
05. Interlude
06. Spiritual Rites
07. King Of Days
08. De Vermis Mysteriis
09. Romulus And Remus
10. Warhorn
HIGH ON FIRE's previous CD, "Snakes For The Divine", opened with around 8,600 units in February 2010 to also land at No. 63.
Released on April 3 via eOne Music, "De Vermis Mysteriis" was recorded in Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer and CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou. The 10-song effort — touted as "direct, eye-opening and powerfully supernatural" — is the band's sixth studio recording and the follow-up to 2010's "Snakes For The Divine" which debuted at No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart and has been called "wonderful" by The New York Times and "an exhilarating rush" by the Chicago Tribune.
"De Vermis Mysteriis" (or "Mysteries Of The Worm") takes its title from a fictional grimoire created by "Psycho" author Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the "Cthulhu Mythos" (Lovecraft mentioned "De Vermis Mysteriis" as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man"). The album carries a deeply mystical undercurrent, incorporating fantastical themes and lyrics detailing, among other things, time travel, a serum called liao that is made out of a black lotus and "a Jesus twin who can see the past through his ancestors' eyes." And that's just scratching the surface!
Musically, "De Vermis Mysteriis" is absolutely explosive, showcasing the California power trio's thundering roar and expanded harmonic and rhythmic palettes while the songs move confidently through multiple riffs and movements. HIGH ON FIRE construct tough, burly stoner metal that is at once devastatingly epic and mercilessly metallic as superstar guitarist Matt Pike's sizzling ax and avenging-angel riffs fuse with Des Kensel's double-kick-drum onslaught and Jeff Matz's concrete crushing, Burton-esque bass guitar. Over the course of forty-five minutes, HIGH ON FIRE have created an amalgamation of fantastical lyrical ideas and brute force musicianship anchored in an endlessly captivating, punkishly frantic sound. Simply put, the band generates awesome on demand and has a virtual chokehold on monolithic-sounding, masterfully crafted epic music. HIGH ON FIRE is a savage bull in the china shop of modern metal.
When asked for comment on "De Vermis Mysteriis", Pike somewhat cryptically replied, "Prepare for your dark journey."
"De Vermis Mysteriis" track listing:
01. Serums Of Liao
02. Bloody Knuckles
03. Fertile Green
04. Madness Of An Architect
05. Interlude
06. Spiritual Rites
07. King Of Days
08. De Vermis Mysteriis
09. Romulus And Remus
10. Warhorn
A day before the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, Powerline veteran scribe Carol Anne Szel had a chance to ask KISS drummer Eric Singer some serious Rock Hall questions: The long-lasting KISS snub and the controversy surrounding GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose's decision not to attend this year's ceremony. Here is what Eric had to say about all of it.
Eric Singer: I don't know Axl that well, but he should do what he wants. I don't always agree with the choices he makes or how he goes about it. And I think a lot of the guys that are in a band with him, they'll try to justify it or they'll say whatever. Because the bottom line is they don't want to lose their gig. And they'll lose their gig probably if they really say what they feel. But I think that he has a right to do whatever he wants. And in some ways, honestly, I kind of think, 'You know something, that's pretty cool of Axl.' I think it's pretty cool that he's not only thumbing his nose at them, but that he's giving them the middle finger. I think it's cool. It's like, 'Who the fuck are you guys to dictate what should and what shouldn't be?' It's almost, in a lot of ways, if you want to look at it from this point of view, he kind of has a voice for a lot of people who think the whole thing is kind of a joke.
"Look, I think the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame — and the idea of one — is a very cool thing. But the process by which they go about it is ridiculous. They should put a ballot out where people can call in and vote. Just like they do for 'American Idol' or just like they do for sports all-star teams. Yeah, some of it's based on popularity, but that's what it's all about. The reason bands are popular is because people like them.
"The people on some judging staff, they don't — most of them — never buy music. They go to concerts for free, they go to concerts for free to review it or whatever. I'm not trying to deny that some of them are genuine music fans, but who decides, all of the sudden someone says, 'I'm going to start a club and I'm going to call it the Hall Of Fame and I'm going to decide who will be in my club. And it's going to be based on my own personal bias and opinions.'
"It's like Jann Wenner, people like that, they don't like KISS. They don't like Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] on a personal … they have personal issues with them. So that's gonna be reflected. You're gonna say, 'KISS isn't going to be in the Hall Of Fame' because you don't like some of the members or you don't like the band? So we don't deserve it because a few people on the board don't like it. And that's exactly what's been going on all these years with that thing. And that's exactly wrong, that's not what it should be.
"Carol, it's like you, me and a couple of our friends decide to form a club because we're all real wealthy and we're going to call it the Hall Of Fame and we're gonna pick all these cool bands that we really like. And then we go, 'Yeah, I don't like MÖTLEY CRÜE but I like ALICE COOPER, so we'll put him in.' 'Yeah, MÖTLEY CRÜE … I never liked them either. Okay let's not put them in.' That's basically what it comes down to, that's the attitude. To me it's ridiculous.
"Like DEEP PURPLE. 'Smoke On The Water' has one of the most replicated riffs ever. When you were a little kid and you got a guitar, one of the first songs you tried to learn back in the day was 'Smoke On The Water'. And they sold millions of records, they were huge. I mean, there was a time when (they were) one of the biggest bands in the '70s for sure. And they definitely had impact, there's no doubt.
"So my point is, like, 'What is your criteria based on?' The reason you have merchandising and all the stuff bands do now — like tee shirts, the name on your guitar picks — that was by KISS. KISS definitely influenced bands. So much of big shows and productions and all the pyro. If KISSdidn't do that, all these bands wouldn't be doing that today. You wouldn't have had a MÖTLEY CRÜE. Like SLIPKNOT, MANSON …
"I mean, KISS won the People's Choice award in the late '70s [for 'Beth' in Favorite New Song category], even over bands like LED ZEPPELIN. So now you say they don't deserve it? Tell me one reason why we shouldn't be in the Hall Of Fame? It can only be one reason, because somebody doesn't like them.
"Listen, at the end of the day everybody has an ego. And it's like this, when somebody says they don't like you, even if you say you don't care, well, maybe you are indifferent and don't really care much. But deep down I think nobody likes to be disliked. But I think what's ridiculous is when people don't like you for no reason at all. You know, everyone can choose their reason why they like or don't like something, but to just dislike somebody when you never met them and don't even know them … yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But these people think that way."
Eric Singer: I don't know Axl that well, but he should do what he wants. I don't always agree with the choices he makes or how he goes about it. And I think a lot of the guys that are in a band with him, they'll try to justify it or they'll say whatever. Because the bottom line is they don't want to lose their gig. And they'll lose their gig probably if they really say what they feel. But I think that he has a right to do whatever he wants. And in some ways, honestly, I kind of think, 'You know something, that's pretty cool of Axl.' I think it's pretty cool that he's not only thumbing his nose at them, but that he's giving them the middle finger. I think it's cool. It's like, 'Who the fuck are you guys to dictate what should and what shouldn't be?' It's almost, in a lot of ways, if you want to look at it from this point of view, he kind of has a voice for a lot of people who think the whole thing is kind of a joke.
"Look, I think the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame — and the idea of one — is a very cool thing. But the process by which they go about it is ridiculous. They should put a ballot out where people can call in and vote. Just like they do for 'American Idol' or just like they do for sports all-star teams. Yeah, some of it's based on popularity, but that's what it's all about. The reason bands are popular is because people like them.
"The people on some judging staff, they don't — most of them — never buy music. They go to concerts for free, they go to concerts for free to review it or whatever. I'm not trying to deny that some of them are genuine music fans, but who decides, all of the sudden someone says, 'I'm going to start a club and I'm going to call it the Hall Of Fame and I'm going to decide who will be in my club. And it's going to be based on my own personal bias and opinions.'
"It's like Jann Wenner, people like that, they don't like KISS. They don't like Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] on a personal … they have personal issues with them. So that's gonna be reflected. You're gonna say, 'KISS isn't going to be in the Hall Of Fame' because you don't like some of the members or you don't like the band? So we don't deserve it because a few people on the board don't like it. And that's exactly what's been going on all these years with that thing. And that's exactly wrong, that's not what it should be.
"Carol, it's like you, me and a couple of our friends decide to form a club because we're all real wealthy and we're going to call it the Hall Of Fame and we're gonna pick all these cool bands that we really like. And then we go, 'Yeah, I don't like MÖTLEY CRÜE but I like ALICE COOPER, so we'll put him in.' 'Yeah, MÖTLEY CRÜE … I never liked them either. Okay let's not put them in.' That's basically what it comes down to, that's the attitude. To me it's ridiculous.
"Like DEEP PURPLE. 'Smoke On The Water' has one of the most replicated riffs ever. When you were a little kid and you got a guitar, one of the first songs you tried to learn back in the day was 'Smoke On The Water'. And they sold millions of records, they were huge. I mean, there was a time when (they were) one of the biggest bands in the '70s for sure. And they definitely had impact, there's no doubt.
"So my point is, like, 'What is your criteria based on?' The reason you have merchandising and all the stuff bands do now — like tee shirts, the name on your guitar picks — that was by KISS. KISS definitely influenced bands. So much of big shows and productions and all the pyro. If KISSdidn't do that, all these bands wouldn't be doing that today. You wouldn't have had a MÖTLEY CRÜE. Like SLIPKNOT, MANSON …
"I mean, KISS won the People's Choice award in the late '70s [for 'Beth' in Favorite New Song category], even over bands like LED ZEPPELIN. So now you say they don't deserve it? Tell me one reason why we shouldn't be in the Hall Of Fame? It can only be one reason, because somebody doesn't like them.
"Listen, at the end of the day everybody has an ego. And it's like this, when somebody says they don't like you, even if you say you don't care, well, maybe you are indifferent and don't really care much. But deep down I think nobody likes to be disliked. But I think what's ridiculous is when people don't like you for no reason at all. You know, everyone can choose their reason why they like or don't like something, but to just dislike somebody when you never met them and don't even know them … yeah, that makes a lot of sense. But these people think that way."
Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL have issued the following update:
"Hello, friends in Portland! Unfortunately, we have had some serious troubles with our bus breaking down, and we won't be able to make it to Portland in time for the show on Friday. However, the fantastic club and promoter have been able to help us move the show to this Sunday (April 15)! We can't apologize enough to everyone for the last minute date change, and we hope to still see you all this coming Sunday. Portland — we love you and we are on our way!! Please visit Ticketmaster.com for more information on the rescheduled show."
LACUNA COIL kicked off its "Dark Legacy" tour this past Saturday night (April 7) at Soma in San Diego, California. The band's only headlining run in the United States in 2012 features a set of more than two hours, with material spanning all of LACUNA COIL's albums.
Commented LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia: "The 'Dark Legacy' tour is a dream come true! This tour will present the history of LACUNA COIL, melding old fans with a new generation of Coilers. The 'Dark Legacy' set will offer both the electric and acoustic vibe and absolute melodic epicness!"
Added frontman Andrea Ferro: "We wanted to give our fans a special present for LACUNA COIL's fifteenth anniversary and that was the inspiration for the 'Dark Legacy' tour. The 'Dark Legacy' show will be very special, with a lot of our history in a surprise-filled set. You won't want to miss it!"
LACUNA COIL's new album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band's previous CD, "Shallow Life", opened with 21,000 units back April 2009 to land at No. 16.
LACUNA COIL's 2006 album, "Karmacode", premiered with 34,000 copies back in April 2006 to enter the chart at No. 28. It has since sold more than 200,000 units in the U.S.
The band's 2002 album, "Comalies", has shifted more than 300,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Hello, friends in Portland! Unfortunately, we have had some serious troubles with our bus breaking down, and we won't be able to make it to Portland in time for the show on Friday. However, the fantastic club and promoter have been able to help us move the show to this Sunday (April 15)! We can't apologize enough to everyone for the last minute date change, and we hope to still see you all this coming Sunday. Portland — we love you and we are on our way!! Please visit Ticketmaster.com for more information on the rescheduled show."
LACUNA COIL kicked off its "Dark Legacy" tour this past Saturday night (April 7) at Soma in San Diego, California. The band's only headlining run in the United States in 2012 features a set of more than two hours, with material spanning all of LACUNA COIL's albums.
Commented LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia: "The 'Dark Legacy' tour is a dream come true! This tour will present the history of LACUNA COIL, melding old fans with a new generation of Coilers. The 'Dark Legacy' set will offer both the electric and acoustic vibe and absolute melodic epicness!"
Added frontman Andrea Ferro: "We wanted to give our fans a special present for LACUNA COIL's fifteenth anniversary and that was the inspiration for the 'Dark Legacy' tour. The 'Dark Legacy' show will be very special, with a lot of our history in a surprise-filled set. You won't want to miss it!"
LACUNA COIL's new album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band's previous CD, "Shallow Life", opened with 21,000 units back April 2009 to land at No. 16.
LACUNA COIL's 2006 album, "Karmacode", premiered with 34,000 copies back in April 2006 to enter the chart at No. 28. It has since sold more than 200,000 units in the U.S.
The band's 2002 album, "Comalies", has shifted more than 300,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Canadian female-fronted old-school thrash warriors MORTILLERY have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's new album, "Murder Death Kill", will be released at the end of June.
Says the group: "We are so excited for this opportunity. We feel like we fit right in with Napalm and can't wait to work with them from now on! We're proud to represent western Canada and the thrash community on such a successful label, and we believe this is the right step for MORTILLERY! Thanks so much, and we want Europe to know... We're coming for you!"
Drawing influence from a wide range of artists such as JUDAS PRIEST, ENGLISH DOGS, WARFARE, BROKEN BONES, IRON MAIDEN, CRUCIFIX, SLAYER, W.A.S.P. and early METALLICA, the unstoppable force of MORTILLERY is reminiscent of the glory days of Bay Area thrash as well as the primal aggression of intense hardcore/punk. A must have for fans of THE ACCUSED, ANTHRAX, DEATH ANGEL, DESTRUCTION, DETENTE, DISCHARGE, RAZOR, SACRILEGE, SENTINEL BEAST, TANKARD, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, VIOLATOR and ZNOWHITE.
"Murder Death Kill" track listing:
01. Murder Death Kill
02. Sacrifice
03. Evil Remains
04. Fritzls Cellar
05. Outbreak
06. Despised By Blood
07. Countless Suicide
08. Voracious Undead
09. Without Weapons
10. Mortal Artillery
Says the group: "We are so excited for this opportunity. We feel like we fit right in with Napalm and can't wait to work with them from now on! We're proud to represent western Canada and the thrash community on such a successful label, and we believe this is the right step for MORTILLERY! Thanks so much, and we want Europe to know... We're coming for you!"
Drawing influence from a wide range of artists such as JUDAS PRIEST, ENGLISH DOGS, WARFARE, BROKEN BONES, IRON MAIDEN, CRUCIFIX, SLAYER, W.A.S.P. and early METALLICA, the unstoppable force of MORTILLERY is reminiscent of the glory days of Bay Area thrash as well as the primal aggression of intense hardcore/punk. A must have for fans of THE ACCUSED, ANTHRAX, DEATH ANGEL, DESTRUCTION, DETENTE, DISCHARGE, RAZOR, SACRILEGE, SENTINEL BEAST, TANKARD, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, VIOLATOR and ZNOWHITE.
"Murder Death Kill" track listing:
01. Murder Death Kill
02. Sacrifice
03. Evil Remains
04. Fritzls Cellar
05. Outbreak
06. Despised By Blood
07. Countless Suicide
08. Voracious Undead
09. Without Weapons
10. Mortal Artillery
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/mortillerycd.jpg
British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST will release their new album, "Tragic Idol", on April 24 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded in part at The Chapel studios in Lincolnshire, England and features cover art by by Parisian designer Valnoir, who has previously worked with MORBID ANGEL, LAIBACH, ULVER and WATAIN, among others.
"Tragic Idol" track listing:
01. Solitary One (04:08)
02. Crucify (04:08)
03. Fear Of Impending Hell (05:25)
04. Honesty In Death (04:08)
05. Theories From Another World (05:02)
06. In This We Dwell (03:55)
07. To The Darkness (05:09)
08. Tragic Idol (04:35)
09. Worth Fighting For (04:12)
10. The Glorious End (05:23)
In addition to the standard CD, "Tragic Idol" will be made available in the following formats:
* 180-gram gatefold LP (black vinyl)
* Limited 2-CD box set including:
- Alternative cover artwork in matte/glossy print on the box
- CD Digipak, coated in silver foil, imprinted with glossy varnish
- Extended 24-page booklet, imprinted with glossy varnish and special Pantone gold color
- Bonus CD including one brand new studio track "Ending Through Changes" and the SPEAR OF DESTINY cover version "Never Take Me Alive"
* Strictly limited deluxe box set (box with a golden foil print)
* EMP edition (200 copies) including:
- Limited 2-CD box set
- Gatefold LP (gold colored vinyl)
- 7-Inch (gold colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST army cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- Tragic Idol slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
* Amazon edition (GER 400 copies & FR 200 copies) including:
- Limited 2-CD Box Set
- Gatefold LP (White Colored Vinyl)
- 7-inch (White Colored Vinyl)
- Paradise Lost Army Cap
- A1 Tragic Idol poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
* Nuclear Blast edition (400 copies) including:
- Limited 2CD box set
- Gatefold LP (dark-blue-colored vinyl)
- 7-inch (dark-blue-colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST army cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
Band edition (250 copies) including:
- Strictly limited 2CD box set
- Gatefold LP (dark sand marbled colored vinyl)
- 7-inch (dark sand marbled colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST Army Cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
A track from "Tragic Idol" entitled "Crucify" can be streamed below. Singer Nick Holmes stated about the song, "My father always used to say that typical life stresses were crucifying him. I always thought it was such a dramatic way of stating that. He was just uncomfortable with a situation that would soon be remedied. I also refer to an actual person as a literal crucifixion at the end. The words 'for eternity you're my sentence' is my favorite line on the whole album."
PARADISE LOST's new video, "Honesty In Death", can be seen below. The clip was filmed in the United Kingdom with director Matt Green, who previously helmed the "Cathedrals Of Dread" video for Mackintosh's death metal side project VALLENFYRE.
Commented guitarist Greg Mackintosh: "We are very excited about the premiere of our 'Honesty In Death' video. In my opinion, it is the best video we have ever done. Matt Green, who I had previously worked with on the VALLENFYRE 'Cathedrals Of Dread' video, directed it. He did such a great job with VALLENFYRE that we knew he would be able to do something really special for PARADISE LOST. The result is a very powerful, but very grim short film with brief cameos by the band, that is sure to resonate with people who see it."
"Tragic Idol" track listing:
01. Solitary One (04:08)
02. Crucify (04:08)
03. Fear Of Impending Hell (05:25)
04. Honesty In Death (04:08)
05. Theories From Another World (05:02)
06. In This We Dwell (03:55)
07. To The Darkness (05:09)
08. Tragic Idol (04:35)
09. Worth Fighting For (04:12)
10. The Glorious End (05:23)
In addition to the standard CD, "Tragic Idol" will be made available in the following formats:
* 180-gram gatefold LP (black vinyl)
* Limited 2-CD box set including:
- Alternative cover artwork in matte/glossy print on the box
- CD Digipak, coated in silver foil, imprinted with glossy varnish
- Extended 24-page booklet, imprinted with glossy varnish and special Pantone gold color
- Bonus CD including one brand new studio track "Ending Through Changes" and the SPEAR OF DESTINY cover version "Never Take Me Alive"
* Strictly limited deluxe box set (box with a golden foil print)
* EMP edition (200 copies) including:
- Limited 2-CD box set
- Gatefold LP (gold colored vinyl)
- 7-Inch (gold colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST army cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- Tragic Idol slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
* Amazon edition (GER 400 copies & FR 200 copies) including:
- Limited 2-CD Box Set
- Gatefold LP (White Colored Vinyl)
- 7-inch (White Colored Vinyl)
- Paradise Lost Army Cap
- A1 Tragic Idol poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
* Nuclear Blast edition (400 copies) including:
- Limited 2CD box set
- Gatefold LP (dark-blue-colored vinyl)
- 7-inch (dark-blue-colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST army cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
Band edition (250 copies) including:
- Strictly limited 2CD box set
- Gatefold LP (dark sand marbled colored vinyl)
- 7-inch (dark sand marbled colored vinyl)
- PARADISE LOST Army Cap
- A1 "Tragic Idol" poster
- "Tragic Idol" slipmat
- Hand-numbered certificate of authenticity
A track from "Tragic Idol" entitled "Crucify" can be streamed below. Singer Nick Holmes stated about the song, "My father always used to say that typical life stresses were crucifying him. I always thought it was such a dramatic way of stating that. He was just uncomfortable with a situation that would soon be remedied. I also refer to an actual person as a literal crucifixion at the end. The words 'for eternity you're my sentence' is my favorite line on the whole album."
PARADISE LOST's new video, "Honesty In Death", can be seen below. The clip was filmed in the United Kingdom with director Matt Green, who previously helmed the "Cathedrals Of Dread" video for Mackintosh's death metal side project VALLENFYRE.
Commented guitarist Greg Mackintosh: "We are very excited about the premiere of our 'Honesty In Death' video. In my opinion, it is the best video we have ever done. Matt Green, who I had previously worked with on the VALLENFYRE 'Cathedrals Of Dread' video, directed it. He did such a great job with VALLENFYRE that we knew he would be able to do something really special for PARADISE LOST. The result is a very powerful, but very grim short film with brief cameos by the band, that is sure to resonate with people who see it."
Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH has left the death metal supergroup BLOODBATH. "They have a new singer, which I can't say who it is," Mikael tells Loudwire.
He continued, "BLOODBATH, for me, was never a serious project, it was just something I did for fun. We did a few songs on the last North American tour, we did two songs at the very last show [see video below. — Ed.] because we were touring with KATATONIA, so the whole BLOODBATH band was there. It's still fun, you know? But I think that some of the other guys in BLOODBATH want to take it to the next level, which I don't really want to do because I'm so busy anyways."
He added, "It doesn't really have to do with anything with my screaming vocals, it's just that it's not a progressive project for me. It's just paying tribute to death metal and I've done it for such a long time. And when it stops being fun, I don't really want to participate. We do things so rarely it's always been fun. The shows we've done have been fun, but I don't feel the need to do it."
BLOODBATH's concert DVD, "Bloodbath Over Bloodstock", came out in April 2011 via Peaceville Records. The deluxe mediabook-packaged set features BLOODBATH's August 2010 performance from the Bloodstock festival — one of the U.K.'s leading metal events — consisting of songs from the critically acclaimed "The Fathomless Mastery" (2008) album, as well as other classics and fan favorites. The full package also includes a 16-page booklet and a wealth of extras, featuring bonus footage taken from Germany's Party.San Open Air festival in 2008 and extensive band member interviews.
"Bloodbath Over Bloodstock" was filmed by The Dark Box, a U.K.-based production company that specializes in providing services for the music industry.
"The Fathomless Mastery", the most recent studio album from BLOODBATH, sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 45 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.
BLOODBATH's lineup on "The Fathomless Mastery" was the same as that on BLOODBATH's "Unblessing the Purity" mini-CD, which came out in March 2008:
Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) - Vocals
Martin "Axe" Axenrot (OPETH) - Drums
Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA) - Guitar
Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA) - Bass
Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson (ex-21 LUCIFERS, GENOCRUSH FEROX) – Guitar
He continued, "BLOODBATH, for me, was never a serious project, it was just something I did for fun. We did a few songs on the last North American tour, we did two songs at the very last show [see video below. — Ed.] because we were touring with KATATONIA, so the whole BLOODBATH band was there. It's still fun, you know? But I think that some of the other guys in BLOODBATH want to take it to the next level, which I don't really want to do because I'm so busy anyways."
He added, "It doesn't really have to do with anything with my screaming vocals, it's just that it's not a progressive project for me. It's just paying tribute to death metal and I've done it for such a long time. And when it stops being fun, I don't really want to participate. We do things so rarely it's always been fun. The shows we've done have been fun, but I don't feel the need to do it."
BLOODBATH's concert DVD, "Bloodbath Over Bloodstock", came out in April 2011 via Peaceville Records. The deluxe mediabook-packaged set features BLOODBATH's August 2010 performance from the Bloodstock festival — one of the U.K.'s leading metal events — consisting of songs from the critically acclaimed "The Fathomless Mastery" (2008) album, as well as other classics and fan favorites. The full package also includes a 16-page booklet and a wealth of extras, featuring bonus footage taken from Germany's Party.San Open Air festival in 2008 and extensive band member interviews.
"Bloodbath Over Bloodstock" was filmed by The Dark Box, a U.K.-based production company that specializes in providing services for the music industry.
"The Fathomless Mastery", the most recent studio album from BLOODBATH, sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 45 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.
BLOODBATH's lineup on "The Fathomless Mastery" was the same as that on BLOODBATH's "Unblessing the Purity" mini-CD, which came out in March 2008:
Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) - Vocals
Martin "Axe" Axenrot (OPETH) - Drums
Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA) - Guitar
Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA) - Bass
Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson (ex-21 LUCIFERS, GENOCRUSH FEROX) – Guitar
Jordanian dark oriental metallers BILOCATE have inked a deal with the Italian label Code666 (part of the Aural Music group) for the release of their third studio album, "Summoning The Bygones". The CD was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studio in Sweden with producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, BLOODBATH, AMON AMARTH, SYMPHONY X, PARADISE LOST).
BILOCATE bassist Hani Al Abbadi commented on the deal: "It's an honor to join Code666 roster and a step forward in BILOCATE's musical career.
"'Summoning the Bygones' has the most intense and best material we've done so far. We are pleased to release it with a sub-label of one of the biggest musical companies in Italy — Aural Music."
According to a press release, "Summoning The Bygones" includes a reworked version of the song "Days Of Joy" under a new title, as well as cover version of PARADISE LOST's "Dead Emotion".
The tracks "Hypia" and the 20-minute "A Desire To Leave" feature a guest appearance on vocals by Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE).
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. The Tragedy Within
02. Beyond Inner Sleep
03. A Deadly Path
04. Passage
05. Dead Emotion (PARADISE LOST cover)
06. Hypia
07. 2nd War In Heaven
08. A Desire To Leave
I. Obscurity
II. Surrounding Hell
III …Of Leaving
BILOCATE bassist Hani Al Abbadi commented on the deal: "It's an honor to join Code666 roster and a step forward in BILOCATE's musical career.
"'Summoning the Bygones' has the most intense and best material we've done so far. We are pleased to release it with a sub-label of one of the biggest musical companies in Italy — Aural Music."
According to a press release, "Summoning The Bygones" includes a reworked version of the song "Days Of Joy" under a new title, as well as cover version of PARADISE LOST's "Dead Emotion".
The tracks "Hypia" and the 20-minute "A Desire To Leave" feature a guest appearance on vocals by Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE).
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. The Tragedy Within
02. Beyond Inner Sleep
03. A Deadly Path
04. Passage
05. Dead Emotion (PARADISE LOST cover)
06. Hypia
07. 2nd War In Heaven
08. A Desire To Leave
I. Obscurity
II. Surrounding Hell
III …Of Leaving
BLACK LIGHT BURNS, the avant-garde alter ego of LIMP BIZKIT/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist Wes Borland, is currently mixing its long-awaited sophomore album, "The Moment You Realize You're Going To Fall", for a summer release via Rocket Science Ventures/THC: Music.
"This is a really personal record for me," says Wes. "I spent three years writing it and trying to find the right home, and I am confident it's the best BLACK LIGHT BURNS record yet. I'm really looking forward to working with THC/Rocket Science to get it out to the fans. It's really exciting to be working with a great team who loves the band; I couldn't be happier."
BLACK LIGHT BURNS released its debut album, "Cruel Melody", in 2007 through I Am: Wolfpack, the record label headed by producer Ross Robinson (KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEPULTURA, SOULFLY, LIMP BIZKIT). The group's original recording lineup featured Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS), Josh Eustis (PUSCIFER) and Josh Freese (WEEZER, A PERFECT CIRCLE, GUNS N' ROSES, DEVO). An LP/DVD of unreleased B-side material, "Cover Your Heart And The Anvil Pants Odyssey", followed in 2008. In 2009, after a yearlong stint playing guitar for MARILYN MANSON, Wes and BLACK LIGHT BURNS hit the road for an extended run with industrial powerhouse COMBICHRIST, and contributed the track "I Want You To" to the "Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans" soundtrack. BLACK LIGHT BURNS took a temporary hiatus while Borland stayed busy with the reformed LIMP BIZKIT, who embarked on an ongoing world tour supporting their recently released LP "Gold Cobra". In 2012, BLACK LIGHT BURNS returned, to the delight of fans, with the track "It Rapes All In Its Path" on the "Underworld: Awakening" soundtrack.
BLACK LIGHT BURNS 2012 touring lineup:
* Wes Borland
* Dennis Sanders
* Nick Annis
* Joe Letz
"This is a really personal record for me," says Wes. "I spent three years writing it and trying to find the right home, and I am confident it's the best BLACK LIGHT BURNS record yet. I'm really looking forward to working with THC/Rocket Science to get it out to the fans. It's really exciting to be working with a great team who loves the band; I couldn't be happier."
BLACK LIGHT BURNS released its debut album, "Cruel Melody", in 2007 through I Am: Wolfpack, the record label headed by producer Ross Robinson (KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEPULTURA, SOULFLY, LIMP BIZKIT). The group's original recording lineup featured Danny Lohner (NINE INCH NAILS), Josh Eustis (PUSCIFER) and Josh Freese (WEEZER, A PERFECT CIRCLE, GUNS N' ROSES, DEVO). An LP/DVD of unreleased B-side material, "Cover Your Heart And The Anvil Pants Odyssey", followed in 2008. In 2009, after a yearlong stint playing guitar for MARILYN MANSON, Wes and BLACK LIGHT BURNS hit the road for an extended run with industrial powerhouse COMBICHRIST, and contributed the track "I Want You To" to the "Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans" soundtrack. BLACK LIGHT BURNS took a temporary hiatus while Borland stayed busy with the reformed LIMP BIZKIT, who embarked on an ongoing world tour supporting their recently released LP "Gold Cobra". In 2012, BLACK LIGHT BURNS returned, to the delight of fans, with the track "It Rapes All In Its Path" on the "Underworld: Awakening" soundtrack.
BLACK LIGHT BURNS 2012 touring lineup:
* Wes Borland
* Dennis Sanders
* Nick Annis
* Joe Letz
April 5th, 2012- The Cobra Metal Crew had the opportunity to sit down with Karl Sanders of Nile before their show on Thursday at the House of Blues in Hollywood, CA to catch up and to talk about what's next for the band.
COBRA: Karl! How are you doing man?
KARL: Great to meet you Andrew! I'm doing great. It's a beautiful day here in LA!
COBRA: Fuck Yeah! You guys are about 2 weeks into the tour, how have the shows been?
Karl: So far so good!
COBRA: Right on. You guys have been playing a new song "Supreme Humanism of Megalomania" and as you said, people have been blown away by it.
KARL: Yeah man, it was quite interesting looking out and seeing all the different expressions on people's faces. Like I was saying earlier, I haven't seen that since the days we were opening for Morbid Angel back in 97-98 when no one knew who we were or what to make of us.
COBRA: Speaking of the new record, you guys are going to be releasing "At The Gates of Sethu." When did writing begin and what was the process like?
KARL: Well, we started in May of last year (2011) after we finished our European Tour. We worked on that fucking record for 10 months straight, to the exclusion of all else. (Laughs) Long hours, every day.
COBRA: With each new NILE release, you guys always seem to push the boundaries of what you can do both technically and musically. Do you feel that this new album is a reflection of that statement?
KARL: I certainly do. Someone said to me last night, it was a fan standing outside of Slims in San Francisco, basically it amounted to: If you want to achieve anything, doesn't matter what it is, you're gonna have to work at it. You put the time and the effort and the sacrifice into it. That's what we did when we approached creating this new record.
COBRA: As far as the concept of the new record is concerned, what can you tell us?
KARL: It's in similar territory to other NILE records in that a lot of it stems from Ancient Egyptology and sort of has underlying modern themes tied in. We haven't abandoned our identity and I don't believe you should fuck over your fans. If your fans like what you do, and you change too much of what you do, fans don't like it. What matters to me is when I'm out on tour and I meet the ACTUAL fans and they share their thoughts…those are the people that I listen to. There's a lot of new ideas within the realm of what we do that we tried to incorporate. We studied real hard on the guitar and have lots of new riffs and musical ideas. There are a lot of surprises on the record.
COBRA: Can we expect any guest appearances on this new record?
KARL: Jon Vesano is all over this record. (Our Former Singer and Bass Guitarist who we're still good friends with) Jon did some guest vocals on "Those Whom The Gods Detest" and it made us realize all over again all the things we really liked about Jon's vocals. We wanted to incorporate some of his insanity. (laughs) He's wicked man. He knows how to channel that inner possession. He finds a way to summon it. It's great stuff.
COBRA: When is it scheduled to be released?
KARL: Who the fuck knows! (laughs) I'm guessing late May or early June. Just in time for summer.
COBRA: As far as touring goes, are you planning on touring in support of the new album and if so, when can we expect to see you out here again?
KARL: Of course. We're going to do everything we can to support that record. We put our lives into it.
COBRA: 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of NILE as a band. Are you planning on doing anything special to mark the occasion?
KARL: You're the first person to bring that up. Holy shit! We'll be touring like dogs through the rest of this year and into this year. I guess it'll be like when I had my 40th birthday. We were on tour in Berlin and we stayed up all night, had fun drinking with some German Bands.
COBRA: What's one of the most memorable moments in NILE history for you guys?
KARL: Probably the Wacken Open Air Fest in 2004. We lucked up and we were right before Slayer so yeah, you couldn't ask to draw a better slot. When they brought the lights up and you could see the crowd, you could literally feel the tangible human electricity of all the excited metal fans just ready to rock! (laughs) Another great moment would be when me and Dallas were driving home from Chicago after mixing "Annihilation of The Wicked" and up until that point we had never heard the record in its completed form. We had just heard songs. We were spinning the record and it started dawning on us that the heaviness and power of that record was a bar raising moment for the band.
COBRA: Have you been experimenting with any new instruments?
KARL: Well, there's quite a bit of Glissentar on this record and there's some North African percussion. Not so much new…just the usual assortment of Egyptian type instruments.
COBRA: You guys just recently recruited Todd Ellis on Bass Guitar. How's the chemistry been with him?
KARL: Todd is working hard and trying to do a good job. He seems to be playing the songs pretty well. We scrutinize him pretty hard but he's playing the songs and he's doing a pretty good job.
COBRA: To wrap this up: What do you like to do with your free time when you aren't touring or in the studio?
KARL: I practice guitar. (laughs) Or do Martial Arts. Or be a parent. I have a teenage boy who's a handful.
Nile is currently on tour with The Black Dahlia Murder, Skeletonwitch, and Hour of Penance.
Eric Greif, the former manager of DEATH and president of Perseverance Holdings Ltd., which manages Chuck Schuldiner's (DEATH, CONTROL DENIED) legacy, was interviewed at the DEATH/Schuldiner portion of the Golden Gods: The History Of Heavy Metal exhibition, which opened on April 11 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California. You can watch the chat below. Through rare artifacts from iconic metal bands and interactive experiences, the exhibit teaches visitors about the origins of heavy metal, its many subgenres, the bands that made heavy metal famous and offers a look into the controversy that has surrounded the genre for the past four decades.
Launching on the same day as the Revolver Golden Gods award show taking place next door at Club Nokia at L.A. Live, this is the first major museum exhibition to explore heavy metal in America, and the genre's impact across the globe. Visitors can enjoy a wide-array of items, including:
* Handwritten lyrics and sketches from MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister;
* Several wardrobe pieces, from acts like BLACK SABBATH and GWAR;
* Stage props from bands such as Alice Cooper, IRON MAIDEN, SLAYER and more;
* An interactive "scream booth," designed to introduce metal vocal technique;
* Several famous guitars including Chuck Schuldiner's (DEATH) B.C. Rich Stealth;
* Concert posters, tour books and fan memorabilia
Exhibit runs until February 2013.
Chuck died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.
For more information, go to this location.
Launching on the same day as the Revolver Golden Gods award show taking place next door at Club Nokia at L.A. Live, this is the first major museum exhibition to explore heavy metal in America, and the genre's impact across the globe. Visitors can enjoy a wide-array of items, including:
* Handwritten lyrics and sketches from MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister;
* Several wardrobe pieces, from acts like BLACK SABBATH and GWAR;
* Stage props from bands such as Alice Cooper, IRON MAIDEN, SLAYER and more;
* An interactive "scream booth," designed to introduce metal vocal technique;
* Several famous guitars including Chuck Schuldiner's (DEATH) B.C. Rich Stealth;
* Concert posters, tour books and fan memorabilia
Exhibit runs until February 2013.
Chuck died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.
For more information, go to this location.
ORKAN drummer Rune Nesse has joined Norwegian blackened metallers BYFROST as a permanent replacement for the recently departed Alkolust.
After originally intending not to find a full-time replacement but rather to use session drummers both for live performances and in the studio, BYFROST quickly changed its mind after rehearsing with Nesse.
Commented frontman HeavyHarms: "The Bergen music community is very tightly knit, and we had known of Rune's work for a long time. When our old drummer left, we immediately started rehearsing with Rune and it was obvious that he not only understood BYFROST's music, but that he also shared our vision for the band. So we did the logical thing and asked him to join as a full-time member."
BYFROST's second full-length album, "Of Death", was released last June via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at the Conclave & Earshot Studios in the band's home town of Bergen, Norway, and was produced by ENSLAVED's Herbrand Larsen together with BYFROST, and co-produced by ENSLAVED guitarist Ice Dale. Mastering was carried out by Knut Fug Prytz at the Magica Mastering Studio. Artwork and design were once again in the hands of Christian Sloan Hall, known for his work with bands like DIMMU BORGIR and SLAYER.
Formed in 2007 by HeavyHarms and bassist R.I.P Meister, BYFROST's first release was the "Byfrostmetal" EP, which appeared in 2008 whilst the band was still a four-piece. The debut full-length album, "Black Earth", was released in 2010, by which time BYFROST had become a three piece, and had been joined on drums by Mads Liletvedt (HELLISH OUTCAST). "Black Earth" marked the continuing cooperation between the band and ENSLAVED members Ice Dale, who guested on the album, and Larsen, who, aside from producing both full-lengths, also features on two tracks on "Of Death".
After originally intending not to find a full-time replacement but rather to use session drummers both for live performances and in the studio, BYFROST quickly changed its mind after rehearsing with Nesse.
Commented frontman HeavyHarms: "The Bergen music community is very tightly knit, and we had known of Rune's work for a long time. When our old drummer left, we immediately started rehearsing with Rune and it was obvious that he not only understood BYFROST's music, but that he also shared our vision for the band. So we did the logical thing and asked him to join as a full-time member."
BYFROST's second full-length album, "Of Death", was released last June via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at the Conclave & Earshot Studios in the band's home town of Bergen, Norway, and was produced by ENSLAVED's Herbrand Larsen together with BYFROST, and co-produced by ENSLAVED guitarist Ice Dale. Mastering was carried out by Knut Fug Prytz at the Magica Mastering Studio. Artwork and design were once again in the hands of Christian Sloan Hall, known for his work with bands like DIMMU BORGIR and SLAYER.
Formed in 2007 by HeavyHarms and bassist R.I.P Meister, BYFROST's first release was the "Byfrostmetal" EP, which appeared in 2008 whilst the band was still a four-piece. The debut full-length album, "Black Earth", was released in 2010, by which time BYFROST had become a three piece, and had been joined on drums by Mads Liletvedt (HELLISH OUTCAST). "Black Earth" marked the continuing cooperation between the band and ENSLAVED members Ice Dale, who guested on the album, and Larsen, who, aside from producing both full-lengths, also features on two tracks on "Of Death".
"Liar In Wait", the new album from AMON — the resurrected Florida-based death metal band featuring former DEICIDE members Eric Hoffmann (guitar) and Brian Hoffman (guitar) alongside Jesse "Jecheal" Jolly (PROMETHEAN HORDE, DIABOLIC, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY, AFTER DEATH) on vocals/bass and Mike Petrak (LEPROSY, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY) on drums — will be released on May 23. Pre-orders for the CD — which was recorded and mixed at RedRoom Recorders in Tampa with producer Mark Prator — will be accepted starting on April 18 at Amon.mobi.
In a an interview with U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine, Eric stated about the decision to bring AMON back from the dead, "We were actually going to use the [DEICIDE] name [for the new band], but [DEICIDE members Glen Benton and Steve Asheim] got on the bandwagon faster than us. "They basically took the name, and Glen writes all the lyrics, so the kids are familiar with that, but in the beginning we hired Glen, and we wrote most of the music. So we had to go out and find a singer, which was pretty difficult at the time."
When asked about the musical direction of AMON, Eric said, "[The music's] a little bit more technical than the DEICIDE stuff. It's not too intricate, so it's still catchy at the same time. You'll still have a couple of classic DEICIDE beginnings, and then it'll go into some killer technical, in-your-face shit."
AMON recorded two demos — 1987's "Feasting The Beast" and 1989's "Sacrifical" — before signing with Roadrunner Records and changing its name to DEICIDE. After producing two extremely successful albums as DEICIDE, the band chose to make the AMON demos available on CD in 1993 under the title "Amon: Feasting The Beast".
The Hoffman brothers parted ways with DEICIDE in 2004 after becoming embroiled in a bitter dispute with DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton over royalties and publishing issues.
When asked about the musical direction of AMON, Eric said, "[The music's] a little bit more technical than the DEICIDE stuff. It's not too intricate, so it's still catchy at the same time. You'll still have a couple of classic DEICIDE beginnings, and then it'll go into some killer technical, in-your-face shit."
AMON recorded two demos — 1987's "Feasting The Beast" and 1989's "Sacrifical" — before signing with Roadrunner Records and changing its name to DEICIDE. After producing two extremely successful albums as DEICIDE, the band chose to make the AMON demos available on CD in 1993 under the title "Amon: Feasting The Beast".
The Hoffman brothers parted ways with DEICIDE in 2004 after becoming embroiled in a bitter dispute with DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton over royalties and publishing issues.
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