Legendry rocker Alice Cooper has announced his band lineup for his 2012 "No More Mr Nice Guy" tour, with guitarist Ryan Roxie back with the band after several years absence.
Ryan joins an extraordinary team. Longtime Alice bassist Chuck Garric, jaw-dropping drummer Glen Sobel and guitarists Tommy Henriksen and Orianthi make up one of the most exciting rock and roll bands in the world today.
"It's great to bring Ryan back into the fold," says Alice, "This band just destroys on stage, and with Ryan back on board, he will only kick things into a higher gear. Ryan Roxie is a fan favorite. He plays like a tornado, and we can't wait to turn him loose and let him tear into this tour."
Tour highlights include Alice's first-ever appearance at Bonnaroo June 9 and a month long North American tour with IRON MAIDEN June 21-July 21, plus several Alice headline shows along the way. The tour then moves to Europe July 27 through August 12.
Ryan Roxie first joined Alice's band in 1996 and toured, wrote and recorded with him for much of the next ten years, including the albums "Fistful Of Alice", "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" and "Dirty Diamonds", along with the live DVDs "Brutally Live" and "Live at Montreux".
Ryan joins an extraordinary team. Longtime Alice bassist Chuck Garric, jaw-dropping drummer Glen Sobel and guitarists Tommy Henriksen and Orianthi make up one of the most exciting rock and roll bands in the world today.
"It's great to bring Ryan back into the fold," says Alice, "This band just destroys on stage, and with Ryan back on board, he will only kick things into a higher gear. Ryan Roxie is a fan favorite. He plays like a tornado, and we can't wait to turn him loose and let him tear into this tour."
Tour highlights include Alice's first-ever appearance at Bonnaroo June 9 and a month long North American tour with IRON MAIDEN June 21-July 21, plus several Alice headline shows along the way. The tour then moves to Europe July 27 through August 12.
Ryan Roxie first joined Alice's band in 1996 and toured, wrote and recorded with him for much of the next ten years, including the albums "Fistful Of Alice", "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" and "Dirty Diamonds", along with the live DVDs "Brutally Live" and "Live at Montreux".
In addition to also working with Slash in SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, Ryan has recorded and released several albums by his own bands, including DPM, ROXIE 77 and CASABLANCA. After relocating to Stockholm several years ago, he has also hosted local radio and TV shows as well as continuing to perform live and record. With bassist Garric marking his tenth year with Alice, Sobel, Henriksen and Orianthi are returning for their second year.
This spring, the U.K.'s biggest radio network, BBC Radio 2, goes rock for six weeks with one of the most iconic guitarists of all time, Slash.
From April 12, rock music legend, solo artist, and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash presents six episodes of the music that changed his life and inspired him to pick up a Les Paul.
From AC/DC and AEROSMITH to METALLICA and MOTÖRHEAD, Slash presents an hour of heavy riffs, screaming solos, crunching guitars, soaring vocals and some of the most essential hard rock ever recorded. Interspersed with stories of rock 'n' roll decadence, anecdotes from the back of the tour bus and an infectious genuine love of the genre, Slash explains how these artists and songs changed his life and fuelled the soundtrack to his world. Expect to hear classic and rare tracks from LED ZEPPELIN, ROSE TATTOO, DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, IRON MAIDEN, QUEEN, MEGADETH, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, tracks from his solo projects, and much, much more.
This is Slash's second stint behind the microphone for BBC Radio 2, having presented a two-hour rock special for the network as part of its Christmas schedule in 2010. Called "Slash's Guitar Heroes", it was a countdown of the VELVET REVOLVER axeman's favorite guitarists of all-time.
In this new series, Slash picks up where he left off, returning to bring the rock back to Radio 2.
The BBC Radio 2 series runs as follows:
April 12 @ 22.03-23.00
April 19 @ 22.03-23.00
April 26 @ 22.03-23.00
May 03 @ 22.03-23.00
May 10 @ 22.03-23.00
May 17 @ 22.03-23.00
Listen in throughout the UK on 88 – 91 FM, on SKY (0102), DAB (12B), Freeview (702), Freesat (702), Virgin Media (902), Talk Talk TV (602), UPC Ireland (908) or globally at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2. You can also "listen again" to the shows on the BBC's web site for up to 7 days after each broadcast.
From April 12, rock music legend, solo artist, and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash presents six episodes of the music that changed his life and inspired him to pick up a Les Paul.
From AC/DC and AEROSMITH to METALLICA and MOTÖRHEAD, Slash presents an hour of heavy riffs, screaming solos, crunching guitars, soaring vocals and some of the most essential hard rock ever recorded. Interspersed with stories of rock 'n' roll decadence, anecdotes from the back of the tour bus and an infectious genuine love of the genre, Slash explains how these artists and songs changed his life and fuelled the soundtrack to his world. Expect to hear classic and rare tracks from LED ZEPPELIN, ROSE TATTOO, DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, IRON MAIDEN, QUEEN, MEGADETH, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, tracks from his solo projects, and much, much more.
This is Slash's second stint behind the microphone for BBC Radio 2, having presented a two-hour rock special for the network as part of its Christmas schedule in 2010. Called "Slash's Guitar Heroes", it was a countdown of the VELVET REVOLVER axeman's favorite guitarists of all-time.
In this new series, Slash picks up where he left off, returning to bring the rock back to Radio 2.
The BBC Radio 2 series runs as follows:
April 12 @ 22.03-23.00
April 19 @ 22.03-23.00
April 26 @ 22.03-23.00
May 03 @ 22.03-23.00
May 10 @ 22.03-23.00
May 17 @ 22.03-23.00
Listen in throughout the UK on 88 – 91 FM, on SKY (0102), DAB (12B), Freeview (702), Freesat (702), Virgin Media (902), Talk Talk TV (602), UPC Ireland (908) or globally at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2. You can also "listen again" to the shows on the BBC's web site for up to 7 days after each broadcast.
There's intricate lore surrounding everything Rob Zombie does.
Every album and film is steeped in deep mythos. Like all great auteurs from Martin Scorsese to Roger Waters, Zombie's output exists in a universe of its own. The world of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects extends far beyond those movies, and fans embrace it as such. Zombie's take on Haddonfield in Halloween and Halloween II is a terrifying psychological space that anyone can fall into far beyond the confines of the screen suburb. Now, he's turned to The Lords of Salem.
His forthcoming film is wrapped elegantly in the same kind of unique and harrowing tale. This time, it's centered on Salem, but it's so much more.
Simultaneously, this modern mythmaker has turned towards recording a new album with guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D, and drummer Ginger Fish. The record stands bound to be another magnificent roller coaster of heavy guitars and even heavier hooks.
In the meantime, he's hitting the road starting May 5, for a massive jaunt with Megadeth that includes stops at festivals such as Rock on the Range. There are all kinds of other cool projects on the horizon too.
In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Rob Zombie talks The Lords of Salem, creating characters, new music, playing live, and so much more.
The characters in your movies are always so vibrant. When you're making a film, do the characters dictate the action?
Yeah, definitely! For the most part, if the characters are interesting, the audience will watch them. You want to give them something interesting to do, of course. A lot of times, I find if I get bored with a movie, I'm just bored with the characters that are onscreen. Nothing is worse than when you're watching a movie and you've got four characters that basically look and talk the same. You start asking, "Wait, which guy is that?" I think defining the characters is probably the most important thing you can do.
Did The Lords of Salem start with the characters?
Nothing ever really starts with the characters. Usually, I have a basic idea for something. It's a thin idea you can explain in two lines like, "What if this happened?" From there, the characters start to emerge. It takes a while to define them. You don't fully define them until you start casting. For me, that's when it starts getting fun because you can really define people and separate them from each other. It really comes to life.
The actors individuality will shine through to a degree.
As much as I like to make the characters on the written page stand out from each other, I like to cast interesting people who are slightly unconventional so they pop off screen. They're not just typical looking because that gets boring too for me. I like character actors above sort of "leading" actors.
You give guys like Sid Haig and Bill Moseley the spotlight.
Sid's a character actor, and he was always in the background in movies. However, I would find him to be very interesting. He was lingering there, and you'd wish he would do more in films. I'd take someone like that and move him to the foreground and get good results that way.
Which characters in The Lords Of Salem stand out for you?
There are two timelines in the movie. There's the present-day storyline, and then there's the 1697 storyline. The main witch character in 1967 is named Margaret Morgan. She's a big character. She really needed to stand out. It was tough to cast. I casted Meg Foster for that role, and it was a big goldmine on that one. It really needed to be something special. Sometimes, roles can veer off into cartoon world if you don't have someone who can infuse them with a reality. She did in a way that I was surprised by, and it worked out fantastically. She's one of the characters that really jumps out for me.
Is there something particularly ominous about Salem?
I definitely think Salem is a great setting for a movie. I hadn't been to Salem in a long time, since I was a kid. When I went back there location scouting, I was really struck by how interesting of an area it is. It's really interesting architecturally and visually. From the little tiny streets and cobblestone sidewalks to the buildings, it's a very specific look. That's why shooting there was so important. I couldn't fake it somewhere else because it had such a rich look. We shot there at the perfect time of year—for once. It was October so the leaves were changing and falling like a snowstorm from the trees. It was visually amazing.
Is it crucial for you to make sure there's always a dose of reality?
It's totally important. I always want to approach it that way because I'm not a fan of things being campy at all. I hate movies like that. I'm not a fan at all. No matter how bizarre and insane the situation is, the actors have to create a reality you can buy into. A lot of horror movies don't do that. You can see no one's taking it seriously. That was a very big feature of '80s horror movies. I like things to be dead serious. The great movies people love are. When someone goes, "Oh, what's your favorite horror movie?" They never mention something that's campy. They say The Shining, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, or other movies where people are taking everything dead seriously. That's always what works the best for me.
Are there any horror authors you come back to?
There are some people I like. I'd read H.P. Lovecraft. I'd read a bunch of Stephen King books when I was a kid as well as Edgar Allan Poe and stuff. I really don't read that much horror fiction at all.
Is this new record going to be another heavy one?
Yeah, that's what we're going to do. Usually, we don't really have a focus when we make a record. We go in and start writing songs, and it goes where it's going to go. We let it go that way. This time, we sort of made a pack that we're going to make a heavy record on purpose and stick to that goal. We have been. We have a lot of songs that aren't 100 percent finished but they're pretty far along. We just want to make a dark, heavy, weird record and stick to that idea. If something comes up that isn't, we won't finish it. We'll stick to the plan. You may say that when you start recording. Then other songs start happening that don't really fit that and you go with it. This time, we're really going to stay on task.
Lyrically, will everything weave together?
I haven't even really started them yet it's so early in the process. I don't really get into the lyrical part of the record until the songs are fairly far along. I never have. It's always the way I've done it for some reason.
Live, this lineup slays. It's going to be great to see out with Megadeth.
Ginger has jumped in and really is a big part of it. For the first time ever, there are four people all on the same page. That's very exciting. I've never had that situation so it's pretty wild.
Can we expect those big grooves on the new album?
Definitely! That's another great feature with Ginger on drums. He's a phenomenal drummer. I didn't know how fucking good he was. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. His strong point is his groove playing, which is great. That's really what we like to do. A lot of drummers can't do that well. They can do other things, but you either have that or you don't. He's really good at that. There are certain songs we've played for years that have never quite sounded right. A song like "More Human Than Human" has a repetitive groove. If you don't really get the groove down, the song can be really monotonous to listen to and he nailed it. That's a really great feature.
Is "Rob Zombie Does Tom Baker" on YouTube's Nerdist Channel a fun new challenge for you?
Well, nothing is more challenging than a movie. Trying to keep a cohesive vision for two hours and making it work, you're not just telling it but getting it done. Making a movie is the hardest thing. Making records and doing tours seem like a complete piece of cake in comparison. Movies have a million moving parts and something can go off the rails at any second. As far as the Nerdist channel, I'm going to start it after we finish the record. I don't know what challenges that will present just yet. It's easier to be entertaining for five minutes than it is for two hours so I think it'll be easier!
Every album and film is steeped in deep mythos. Like all great auteurs from Martin Scorsese to Roger Waters, Zombie's output exists in a universe of its own. The world of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects extends far beyond those movies, and fans embrace it as such. Zombie's take on Haddonfield in Halloween and Halloween II is a terrifying psychological space that anyone can fall into far beyond the confines of the screen suburb. Now, he's turned to The Lords of Salem.
His forthcoming film is wrapped elegantly in the same kind of unique and harrowing tale. This time, it's centered on Salem, but it's so much more.
Simultaneously, this modern mythmaker has turned towards recording a new album with guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D, and drummer Ginger Fish. The record stands bound to be another magnificent roller coaster of heavy guitars and even heavier hooks.
In the meantime, he's hitting the road starting May 5, for a massive jaunt with Megadeth that includes stops at festivals such as Rock on the Range. There are all kinds of other cool projects on the horizon too.
In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Rob Zombie talks The Lords of Salem, creating characters, new music, playing live, and so much more.
The characters in your movies are always so vibrant. When you're making a film, do the characters dictate the action?
Yeah, definitely! For the most part, if the characters are interesting, the audience will watch them. You want to give them something interesting to do, of course. A lot of times, I find if I get bored with a movie, I'm just bored with the characters that are onscreen. Nothing is worse than when you're watching a movie and you've got four characters that basically look and talk the same. You start asking, "Wait, which guy is that?" I think defining the characters is probably the most important thing you can do.
Did The Lords of Salem start with the characters?
Nothing ever really starts with the characters. Usually, I have a basic idea for something. It's a thin idea you can explain in two lines like, "What if this happened?" From there, the characters start to emerge. It takes a while to define them. You don't fully define them until you start casting. For me, that's when it starts getting fun because you can really define people and separate them from each other. It really comes to life.
The actors individuality will shine through to a degree.
As much as I like to make the characters on the written page stand out from each other, I like to cast interesting people who are slightly unconventional so they pop off screen. They're not just typical looking because that gets boring too for me. I like character actors above sort of "leading" actors.
You give guys like Sid Haig and Bill Moseley the spotlight.
Sid's a character actor, and he was always in the background in movies. However, I would find him to be very interesting. He was lingering there, and you'd wish he would do more in films. I'd take someone like that and move him to the foreground and get good results that way.
Which characters in The Lords Of Salem stand out for you?
There are two timelines in the movie. There's the present-day storyline, and then there's the 1697 storyline. The main witch character in 1967 is named Margaret Morgan. She's a big character. She really needed to stand out. It was tough to cast. I casted Meg Foster for that role, and it was a big goldmine on that one. It really needed to be something special. Sometimes, roles can veer off into cartoon world if you don't have someone who can infuse them with a reality. She did in a way that I was surprised by, and it worked out fantastically. She's one of the characters that really jumps out for me.
Is there something particularly ominous about Salem?
I definitely think Salem is a great setting for a movie. I hadn't been to Salem in a long time, since I was a kid. When I went back there location scouting, I was really struck by how interesting of an area it is. It's really interesting architecturally and visually. From the little tiny streets and cobblestone sidewalks to the buildings, it's a very specific look. That's why shooting there was so important. I couldn't fake it somewhere else because it had such a rich look. We shot there at the perfect time of year—for once. It was October so the leaves were changing and falling like a snowstorm from the trees. It was visually amazing.
Is it crucial for you to make sure there's always a dose of reality?
It's totally important. I always want to approach it that way because I'm not a fan of things being campy at all. I hate movies like that. I'm not a fan at all. No matter how bizarre and insane the situation is, the actors have to create a reality you can buy into. A lot of horror movies don't do that. You can see no one's taking it seriously. That was a very big feature of '80s horror movies. I like things to be dead serious. The great movies people love are. When someone goes, "Oh, what's your favorite horror movie?" They never mention something that's campy. They say The Shining, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, or other movies where people are taking everything dead seriously. That's always what works the best for me.
Are there any horror authors you come back to?
There are some people I like. I'd read H.P. Lovecraft. I'd read a bunch of Stephen King books when I was a kid as well as Edgar Allan Poe and stuff. I really don't read that much horror fiction at all.
Is this new record going to be another heavy one?
Yeah, that's what we're going to do. Usually, we don't really have a focus when we make a record. We go in and start writing songs, and it goes where it's going to go. We let it go that way. This time, we sort of made a pack that we're going to make a heavy record on purpose and stick to that goal. We have been. We have a lot of songs that aren't 100 percent finished but they're pretty far along. We just want to make a dark, heavy, weird record and stick to that idea. If something comes up that isn't, we won't finish it. We'll stick to the plan. You may say that when you start recording. Then other songs start happening that don't really fit that and you go with it. This time, we're really going to stay on task.
Lyrically, will everything weave together?
I haven't even really started them yet it's so early in the process. I don't really get into the lyrical part of the record until the songs are fairly far along. I never have. It's always the way I've done it for some reason.
Live, this lineup slays. It's going to be great to see out with Megadeth.
Ginger has jumped in and really is a big part of it. For the first time ever, there are four people all on the same page. That's very exciting. I've never had that situation so it's pretty wild.
Can we expect those big grooves on the new album?
Definitely! That's another great feature with Ginger on drums. He's a phenomenal drummer. I didn't know how fucking good he was. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. His strong point is his groove playing, which is great. That's really what we like to do. A lot of drummers can't do that well. They can do other things, but you either have that or you don't. He's really good at that. There are certain songs we've played for years that have never quite sounded right. A song like "More Human Than Human" has a repetitive groove. If you don't really get the groove down, the song can be really monotonous to listen to and he nailed it. That's a really great feature.
Is "Rob Zombie Does Tom Baker" on YouTube's Nerdist Channel a fun new challenge for you?
Well, nothing is more challenging than a movie. Trying to keep a cohesive vision for two hours and making it work, you're not just telling it but getting it done. Making a movie is the hardest thing. Making records and doing tours seem like a complete piece of cake in comparison. Movies have a million moving parts and something can go off the rails at any second. As far as the Nerdist channel, I'm going to start it after we finish the record. I don't know what challenges that will present just yet. It's easier to be entertaining for five minutes than it is for two hours so I think it'll be easier!
Californian thrash metal outfit Megadeth concluded an inaugural round of international tour dates in support of Th1rt3en (November 2011) on December 1st, 2011 in Heredia, Costa Rica. Following this, bassist David Ellefson browsed through a whole folder of lyrics and ideas that he had compiled. Much of these lyrics and ideas had been compiled in the last several years, lyrics and ideas David wished to place somewhere. This would result in the genesis of Unsung: Words And Images, a book featuring hitherto unpublished lyrics and images.
"The idea of obviously writing music around them and going into the studio seemed a bit daunting, especially at the beginning of a whole world tour for Megadeth," David admits, co-founder of the group. "A friend of mine – Brent Nelson – had written a poetry book called Out Of Darkness and he had done a similar type of thing, putting some really dark, intriguing images next to poetry. That's what really spawned the idea for this book, so Brent actually helped me… I was actually working with Brent on co-writing a couple of pieces anyway, so the idea came together really quickly. I wanted to create this book using the photographs as a way to add depth and thought-provoking impact to the lyric, much in the same way music would do to the words if they were in a song. We got our editor Libby (Calaby) out of London and Raffaella, we used her photo images out of Italy. Very quickly everybody came onboard, and we hussled. Within the course of a couple of months we were able to compile all of the lyrics, find the appropriate images to go with it, and the book was born and done."
These lyrics were never shown to Dave Mustaine and the rest of the Megadeth members for potential use in Megadeth compositions. "I write all the time, and inspiration hits at the dirtiest times," the bassist reveals. "Obviously we went through a season last year doing writing for Th1rt3en, and I find that when I go through these creative seasons I produce a lot of material. Not everything is gonna be right for any particular use. In fact, I don't usually write specifically for anything. I find that usually if I just let my ideas flow, that's really just the best way to create without contriving. A lot of these lyrics were ideas that had really just flowed through me, and I saved them. Obviously pieces of things have gotten used in various settings and situations, but these are lyrics that for whatever reason I didn't feel compelled to put any music around. Using photos instead of music to be sort of the background to the narrative of the lyric I found really intriguing, and a fun, new, and innovative way to create."
Future compositions might actually include lyrics taken from Unsung. "Looking at it now, I can more easily visualise composing music to these lyrics," David reflects. "Now that I see them in front of me visually with the photographs that coincide with them, it actually inspires me. It almost inspires me in a completely different way than just looking at them on a Microsoft Word document on my computer (laughs). I've copywritten them obviously and they're my creations, but if anybody ever wanted to co-write or wanted to write music to these I would be fine with essentially offering them a license. We'd basically become co-writers of a composition together."
As opposed to inking a publishing contract, the lyricist opted to self-publish. "The idea came to me so quickly that I didn't wanna take the time of having to put something together, proposals, shopping and all that," he notes. "I just wanted to put it out and self-publish it, and get the book going. Self-publishing offered me the opportunity to quickly get my idea completed because I was on such a roll with it. Now I'm looking into global distribution through other mainstream outlets like Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com as well."
Situated in Turin, Italy, photographer Raffaella Dagnese was introduced to David through co-writer Brent Nelson. "He had introduced me to her, and we began working," he explains. "Brent actually has a whole catalogue stock of her work, and obviously I didn't wanna use pieces that she had placed elsewhere – I wanted new things. I write and not always with the intention of placement, but I'm just creating and letting ideas flow. She does the same thing with her camera; she takes a lot of photos, and really composes with her camera. What you really have with Unsung is this book of lyrical composition as well as photographic composition, our two creations just intertwining at this point in time. Now that really worked out well for each other."
The editing process differs between unsung lyrics and lyrics committed to tape. "In this case, when I was writing the lyrics a lot of these lyrical ideas were complete," the author clarifies. "When you then introduce a lyric into a piece of music, you end up either editing the music or usually you end up editing the lyric to fit in over the top of the music. The difference between a lyric and a poem is that a poem has to have certain styles, prose and stanzas, and rhyme schemes, and lyrics don't necessarily need to have any of that. Lyrics need to be able to be words that tell stories, but they need to also be musical. I didn't want to edit out the musical cadence that these lyrics already had in them, and the beauty of not having them put to music is that I didn't have to edit my storyline either."
|  |
David isn't a fan of poetry. "Poetry didn't always make sense to me, but lyrics did," he remembers. "Even in high school growing up I read poetry, and it just seemed complicated. It seemed very restrictive and it seemed confining, whereas I thought 'Why can't you just write the idea down on paper?' When I heard lyrics, for some reason they spoke more clearly to me partly because they were in a song and you had the music that also created another emotion.
"The perfect song is when you have music that creates emotion and a lyric that creates maybe even a secondary emotion, or it could be something that really is the icing on the cake of the music. The two really compliment each other in some way, shape or form. This lyric book was my opportunity to put words on paper, and not be frustrated like I was when I read poetry in high school. This was an opportunity for me to just lay it out, be really simple, and be really clear. Sometimes they rhyme, sometimes they don't. I tried to make the storyline just as clear though as it would be if you heard a song on the radio coming to you over your speakers."
A writer in his own right, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based musician has a varied range of favourite lyricists. "I think growing up, the one lyricist to my age group that probably rocked all of our worlds was Neil Peart (drummer)," he discloses. "Rush suddenly became this band that was not only musically progressive and really spoke to our musical sensibilities, but his lyrics added a whole other dimension and also a whole other intellectual dimension to Rush's music. I also liked Steve Harris' (Iron Maiden bassist) lyrical writing, and then out of the more rock genre I always loved how Bernie Taupin wrote lyrics for Elton John's songs. You hear Elton sitting down and playing these songs and they come across the radio, and I couldn't imagine that that was two separate people. That's how perfect that co-writing team works; for Elton to write that music and for Bernie to write lyrics for it was just amazing. Even further than that would probably be Tim Rice writing lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber's music, and one of my favourites is Evita (1978).
"I think Evita is a favourite for me just because of going to South America and Argentina, and it being such a big fanbase for Megadeth. When we first went there back in 1994 it just blew us away; all of a sudden, South America became the new Japan as far as fanaticism. Especially Argentina had this affinity for Megadeth, and two years later when the Evita movie came out that had Madonna in it I thought Madonna and Antonio Banderas did just such a great job. I didn't know really any of that history about Argentina because the original Evita was many years before, before my time really. That recreation with Madonna brought it home to me because I had just been in Argentina. All of a sudden now I'm hearing and reading about the Peróns, and to me that lyrical writing told a great story and of course Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. I'm not a big fan of plays so to speak and of Broadway theatre, but those two really bring it home for me."
Beyond mere enjoyment, the likes of Neil Peart, Bernie Taupin, Tim Rice and so on are inspirations as well. "To me great lyrical writing is story telling," David reckons. "It's one of the things that I really like about Nashville music; I guess by and large that would mean country music, but not necessarily. Years ago when Megadeth went down to Nashville to make the Cryptic Writings (June 1997) and Risk (August 1999) albums with Dann Huff, Nashville all of a sudden seemed like it had embraced pop and rock 'n' roll music. I think that made country music so popular in the mainstream, because all of a sudden it had this real kick ass guitar playing. It became something that was less twang and more rock, and that appealed to me. As we went down to Nashville, as a composer I was really listening and paying attention not only to the instrumentation but especially the lyrics. I still to this day admire how Nashville songwriters can tell such clever stories in such simple and clear ways, and often using very few words."
One Nashville, Tennessee-based songwriter that the bassist admires might come as much of a surprise to Megadeth fans. "More recently is probably Taylor Swift," he chuckles. "That's only because I hear it every day in the car when I drive my daughter to school. There's such innocence in her songwriting, yet I watch her connect with my daughter. With the songs that Taylor Swift writes, she is the voice of this entire generation of young girls. It reminds me of when I was listening to my Kiss records, Kiss singing 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and 'Rock Bottom' (both from March 1975's Dressed To Kill), and 'Shout It Out Loud' and 'Detroit Rock City' (both from March 1976's Destroyer). Those were the soundtrack to my life when I was 13 to 15-years-old, and now I'm watching someone like Taylor Swift do that for my daughter."
Unsung touches upon a wide spectrum of topics. "The first one that I wrote was actually the one that I sent over to Brent Nelson, and then he and I started co-writing," David recalls. "I had most of the idea, but I just couldn't quite finish the idea. That was 'Manuscriptum Regius', which is basically about secret societies as far back as the Book Of Solomon. I've then got other lyrics like 'Goddess Divine' which is very much a passionate, romantic type of lyric, something that is hard to do in a heavy metal / rock band setting.
 | 
|
"I also have other lyrics like 'The Gift Of Desperation' which really talks about hitting bottom, and about how we essentially get reborn and get rebirthed into a second life within one lifetime as a result of our own self-induced failures. 'Action-Reaction' is about a guy and a girl who get into a relationship; the guy is broken, and the woman comes to the rescue. As the guy gets better and becomes more complete in his own life, all of a sudden the relationship changes because the woman is used to being this sort of domineering caretaker. As the man comes into his own manhood he starts to question the validity of the relationship, and all of a sudden the relationship becomes broken again. The one that was originally broken becomes well, and the one who was well actually ends up being the broken one."
The lyricist feels that most of Unsung's content "would be perfect on a metal record. It's funny that this book inspired me… I've always been a fan of Therion because they write these conceptual records and they bring in all this instrumentation, the same way I was a fan of the early Trans-Siberian Orchestra records. Probably the record when I was growing up when I was just a young kid was the cassette my mom had of Jesus Christ Superstar (1970), again by Andrew Lloyd Webber (laughs). I love… I hate to call them concept records, but they're basically sort of linear storytelling and I've never done a record like that. This book opened my mind up to considering doing that one day. Even though this book isn't necessarily a conceptual book with a running theme, it has a lot of different topics that could actually flow together. The book opened my mind to being able to write a story inside of a record."
Such a story forming the backbone of a Megadeth full-length is unlikely, however. "I don't know that Megadeth ever would do a concept album, but I think we could," David offers. "The problem with it is that usually when bands do that… Maybe Queensrÿche being the one exception because they started early on writing records like that, so they became known for it. I think that sometimes when bands start to do that, it generally tends to be frowned upon by the fans as though 'Here comes the narcissistic, self-righteous bloated kind of rock formula or something.' That's definitely something that Megadeth does not do, so I think conceptually we could do it but realistically I'm not sure that it's something we would ever do."
One concept album arguably frowned upon by fans was Nostradamus (June 2008), the 16th studio outing for Brummie metallers Judas Priest. "I listened to some of Nostradamus and I liked the music that I heard on it," the musician begins. "Again though, to me Judas Priest was one of these bands that I loved where every song was three or four punches in the face and with a different concept. I liked that. I think that when a band starts out as a real kick ass rock 'n' roll band or metal band, to try to go into this conceptual thing is too far of a stretch for the fans to follow. That's why, again, this book opened my mind to it. I'm not saying that I would ever even do it, but I've always admired like say Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails mainman) who got into writing film scores. With film scores you're writing music that essentially substantiates the storyline, so music serves a lot of different purposes. That's not to say that each and every one of us needs to do all of that though, because I think we've all got our place in this world and the things that we excel at. I think especially for bands like Megadeth who have a very big fanbase, our fans have come to expect a quality and a style about us. I think that at this point we know what that is, and that's what we feel best doing with our fans."
Some of Unsung's lyrics are of a quite personal nature. "There's a song called 'Sweet Affections' which I started initially writing about the pure innocence of young love before we've had our heart broken, before we've been jaded," David imparts. "As I started to write it my daughter really came to mind, and that really helped me complete the idea of it. There's a couple of songs like that that are personal to me. 'The Cycle' is essentially a three-part lyric and actually a true story of something that happened to a friend of mine, so that real life story inspired me to write that lyric."
Faith is one of many factors which determine Unsung's lyrics. "Faith runs concurrently with life, and by and large it's the seed of life," the author believes. "If you try to live without it then life becomes empty, shallow, and meaningless. When I was 25 I had this 'come to faith' moment where living life the way I was living wasn't working. To me, it's been more about a constant opening of the door and looking deeper into the room. There's one song called 'Fallen Is Babylon' that I actually took out of Revelations 18 and 19, and I think it's pretty obvious what that is about. I also wrote another song called 'How Long', and it was actually inspired by something out of the Old Testament. I think it's a universal cry which we all ask. 'How long must I call for help Lord? Why don't you save me? Why don't you help me?' It's that desperate cry that we all have at various times where we feel like 'Why has God forsaken me? Why am I here by myself?' As the story goes on, we find that the master plan is not always one that we're supposed to know. That comes back to the fact that God doesn't need our help running our lives; he's asked us to do other things, helping other people and helping them enter his kingdom. Meanwhile he takes care of our lives, so sometimes it's a matter of getting ourselves out of our own way."
Unsung: Words And Images was self-published on February 27th, 2012.
Justin M. Norton of Metal Sucks recently conducted an interview with vocalist/bassist Glen Benton of Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Sucks: What about a guy like Rick Santorum, who has some of the same views as your old foe Bob Larson?
Benton: He has as much of a chance of winning as I do [laughs]. Y'know? I can tell you the Democrats are rallying behind Obama and the Republicans are struggling, but will rally around Romney. I hate to say it, but get ready for four more years of Obama.
Metal Sucks: Would you vote Republican?
Benton: I voted for Reagan and I voted for Bush.
Metal Sucks: Did you vote for Bush II?
Benton: Once. I voted for Gore the first time. I was one of the lost Florida votes for Gore [laughs]. I also voted for Obama because I wanted to see change in the country. I travel around the world and don't need to hear fucked up opinions about us. But they are opinions about the guy running the country. We need to bring all our kids home, get the hell out of all these other countries and focus on making this the best country in the world. Why can't we do that? We're falling apart fast. I'm a child of the '70s and I was lucky I was able to taste that innocence.
Metal Sucks: What about someone like Dave Mustaine who became a Christian and supports Santorum?
Benton: He's a prolapsed rectum. One minute you're in, the next you're out. Let's just say prolapsed rectum.
Metal Sucks: Do you get recognized outside of a metal audience or can you do your own thing?
Benton: I'm one of those people that until you get a glimpse you don't recognize me. But I do get recognized. When I'm on my Harley people might pull up. Some people who see me are at a loss for words, like in the supermarket. Is this guy going to beat me to death with a head of lettuce? I have a few fans at the local supermarket so I'm actually treated well.
Metal Sucks: What about all the Internet haters?
Benton: They're a bunch of thirteen-year-old kids with smartphones that have nothing better to do than to go around hurting people's feelings. I think they are the cancer of society that's eating away at the goodness of our country and our moral integrity. They are immature and arrogant. When I was growing up, I was told if you have nothing bad to say about something don't say it at all. If you want to go around saying rotten, horrible things about people you've never met then whatever. I can honestly say I don't read reviews. I don't read interviews. I don't read Blabbermouth. I don't read any of that shit. I watch Fox Channel 13 news, that's it. If you think you are going to affect me, go fuck yourself. Because the only thing you are doing is making yourself look retarded. I'm not exposed to it and my family isn't, either.
Metal Sucks: What about a guy like Rick Santorum, who has some of the same views as your old foe Bob Larson?
Benton: He has as much of a chance of winning as I do [laughs]. Y'know? I can tell you the Democrats are rallying behind Obama and the Republicans are struggling, but will rally around Romney. I hate to say it, but get ready for four more years of Obama.
Metal Sucks: Would you vote Republican?
Benton: I voted for Reagan and I voted for Bush.
Metal Sucks: Did you vote for Bush II?
Benton: Once. I voted for Gore the first time. I was one of the lost Florida votes for Gore [laughs]. I also voted for Obama because I wanted to see change in the country. I travel around the world and don't need to hear fucked up opinions about us. But they are opinions about the guy running the country. We need to bring all our kids home, get the hell out of all these other countries and focus on making this the best country in the world. Why can't we do that? We're falling apart fast. I'm a child of the '70s and I was lucky I was able to taste that innocence.
Metal Sucks: What about someone like Dave Mustaine who became a Christian and supports Santorum?
Benton: He's a prolapsed rectum. One minute you're in, the next you're out. Let's just say prolapsed rectum.
Metal Sucks: Do you get recognized outside of a metal audience or can you do your own thing?
Benton: I'm one of those people that until you get a glimpse you don't recognize me. But I do get recognized. When I'm on my Harley people might pull up. Some people who see me are at a loss for words, like in the supermarket. Is this guy going to beat me to death with a head of lettuce? I have a few fans at the local supermarket so I'm actually treated well.
Metal Sucks: What about all the Internet haters?
Benton: They're a bunch of thirteen-year-old kids with smartphones that have nothing better to do than to go around hurting people's feelings. I think they are the cancer of society that's eating away at the goodness of our country and our moral integrity. They are immature and arrogant. When I was growing up, I was told if you have nothing bad to say about something don't say it at all. If you want to go around saying rotten, horrible things about people you've never met then whatever. I can honestly say I don't read reviews. I don't read interviews. I don't read Blabbermouth. I don't read any of that shit. I watch Fox Channel 13 news, that's it. If you think you are going to affect me, go fuck yourself. Because the only thing you are doing is making yourself look retarded. I'm not exposed to it and my family isn't, either.
ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was in the studio yesterday (Monday, April 9) with producer Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB) laying down tracks for the forthcoming tribute album to Ronnie James Dio. No further details are currently available.
ANTHRAX recently began recording a cover version of RUSH's "Anthem" (from the Canadian rock band's second album, 1975's "Fly By Night") for a separate tribute CD.
ANTHRAX's sold-out March 15 concert at O2 Islington Academy in London, England was filmed for an upcoming DVD.
ANTHRAX's latest album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.
The CD cover artwork for "Worship Music" was handled by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross, who has worked with Marvel Comics and DC Comics and is known for his "Marvels", "Kingdom Come", and "Astro City" illustrations. Ross also did the original artwork for ANTHRAX's "We've Come For You All" and "Music Of Mass Destruction" albums.
ANTHRAX recently completed the second leg of its U.S. tour with TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL.
ANTHRAX recently began recording a cover version of RUSH's "Anthem" (from the Canadian rock band's second album, 1975's "Fly By Night") for a separate tribute CD.
ANTHRAX's sold-out March 15 concert at O2 Islington Academy in London, England was filmed for an upcoming DVD.
ANTHRAX's latest album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.
The CD cover artwork for "Worship Music" was handled by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross, who has worked with Marvel Comics and DC Comics and is known for his "Marvels", "Kingdom Come", and "Astro City" illustrations. Ross also did the original artwork for ANTHRAX's "We've Come For You All" and "Music Of Mass Destruction" albums.
ANTHRAX recently completed the second leg of its U.S. tour with TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL.
Bassist Freddie Vidales will leave ICED EARTH after the Chinese shows laster this month. Due to the band's massive touring commitments, there was immediate need for a replacement, and Luke Appleton (pictured below; of FURY UK, with whom ICED EARTH toured in Europe last winter) has stepped up to the plate and will be joining the tour in time for the June 16 show in Bangalore, India.
ICED EARTH's concert in Bangalore is a first visit to India for the band and the show on August 19 in Limassol marks a much-clamored return to Cyprus, only eight months after their last show there. The show is being filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD/CD release.
"The decision of where to do the next ICED EARTH live album and DVD was not an easy one," says ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer. "We have experienced so many amazing audiences around the world that we really wish we could film them all. However, the electricity and atmosphere of the first show in Cyprus was so killer that we are convinced this is the best place to do our next DVD. Who knows what the future holds? There will be many more albums and touring cycles...your city may be next!"
ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.
Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.
ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.
ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.
ICED EARTH's concert in Bangalore is a first visit to India for the band and the show on August 19 in Limassol marks a much-clamored return to Cyprus, only eight months after their last show there. The show is being filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD/CD release.
"The decision of where to do the next ICED EARTH live album and DVD was not an easy one," says ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer. "We have experienced so many amazing audiences around the world that we really wish we could film them all. However, the electricity and atmosphere of the first show in Cyprus was so killer that we are convinced this is the best place to do our next DVD. Who knows what the future holds? There will be many more albums and touring cycles...your city may be next!"
ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.
Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.
ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.
ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.
Former STRATOVARIUS, REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE and SYMFONIA mainman Timo Tolkki has launched a PledgeMusic.com campaign to support the release of his fourth solo album, "Classical Variations 2: Credo". Tentatively due on October 29, 2012, the double album will include over two hours of music and will feature guest appearances by Tuomo Lassila (the founder of STRATOVARIUS) on drums, Michael Vescera (OBSESSSION, LOUDNESS, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on vocals and Michele Luppi (THAUROROD, ex-VISION DIVINE) on vocals.
PledgeMusic.com encourages fans to contribute funds to the recording of albums and the artists themselves to donate to charity as a part of their fundraising.
Tolkki recently made his "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" book available for free download at this location.
Tolkki is most well-known for his music and thought-provoking lyrics. In many of his songs lies just a hint of the pain he has suffered that has shaped him into the artist he has become.
In the spring of 2004, Timo was overtaken by a nervous breakdown that caused him to be hospitalized. The next few years would completely engulf his life and leave him on the brink of suicide. "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" candidly describes his heart-breaking journey through life and gives his fans just a glimpse into the intricate psyche of Timo Tolkki.
With a touching honesty, he describes his tumultuous childhood, his battle with a debilitating psychosis, and the philosophies that shape much of his deep thinking and views on the world. His story reveals the other side of the man that most people know only as the mastermind of STRATOVARIUS. It is an intimate portrait of his agony, as well as a probing look at an illness that affects millions, yet is widely misunderstood.
Written in a clear and compelling prose, "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" is a bold, honest and ultimately uplifting look at the life of a man and his childhood, growing up as Timo Tolkki.
"Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" was originally published in October 2010 via Goldenworks.
Tolkki drew up and signed an official waiver on May 20, 2008 giving up all rights to the STRATOVARIUS name. The remaining STRATOVARIUS members — Timo Kotipelto (vocals), Jens Johansson (keyboards) and Lauri Porra (bass) — have since recorded and released two additional STRATOVARIUS albums with guitarist Matias Kupiainen.
PledgeMusic.com encourages fans to contribute funds to the recording of albums and the artists themselves to donate to charity as a part of their fundraising.
Tolkki recently made his "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" book available for free download at this location.
Tolkki is most well-known for his music and thought-provoking lyrics. In many of his songs lies just a hint of the pain he has suffered that has shaped him into the artist he has become.
In the spring of 2004, Timo was overtaken by a nervous breakdown that caused him to be hospitalized. The next few years would completely engulf his life and leave him on the brink of suicide. "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" candidly describes his heart-breaking journey through life and gives his fans just a glimpse into the intricate psyche of Timo Tolkki.
With a touching honesty, he describes his tumultuous childhood, his battle with a debilitating psychosis, and the philosophies that shape much of his deep thinking and views on the world. His story reveals the other side of the man that most people know only as the mastermind of STRATOVARIUS. It is an intimate portrait of his agony, as well as a probing look at an illness that affects millions, yet is widely misunderstood.
Written in a clear and compelling prose, "Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" is a bold, honest and ultimately uplifting look at the life of a man and his childhood, growing up as Timo Tolkki.
"Loneliness Of A Thousand Years" was originally published in October 2010 via Goldenworks.
Tolkki drew up and signed an official waiver on May 20, 2008 giving up all rights to the STRATOVARIUS name. The remaining STRATOVARIUS members — Timo Kotipelto (vocals), Jens Johansson (keyboards) and Lauri Porra (bass) — have since recorded and released two additional STRATOVARIUS albums with guitarist Matias Kupiainen.
OPETH and MASTODON will take part in a rare joint in-store signing session on Record Store Day — Saturday, April 21 — at Disc Go Round in Corpus Christi, Texas between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Timing will be limited and the store will be handing out wristbands with purchase of any OPETH records to get priority access.
Disc Go Round
5734 Mcardle Rd. Ste. A
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
For more information, go to this location.
As previously reported, MASTODON will release a split seven-inch single with Canadian singer-songwriter Feist to celebrate Record Store Day on April 21. This very exclusive and highly anticipated pressing features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue".
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.
Timing will be limited and the store will be handing out wristbands with purchase of any OPETH records to get priority access.
Disc Go Round
5734 Mcardle Rd. Ste. A
Corpus Christi, TX 78412
For more information, go to this location.
As previously reported, MASTODON will release a split seven-inch single with Canadian singer-songwriter Feist to celebrate Record Store Day on April 21. This very exclusive and highly anticipated pressing features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue".
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.
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will release a split seven-inch single with Canadian singer-songwriter Feist to celebrate Record Store Day on April 21. This very exclusive and highly anticipated pressing features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue".
"It's a wet dream to have MASTODON take one of my songs and put it into their massive machine," Feist tells RollingStone.com.
"We didn't tell her what to do, and she didn't tell us what to do," says MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher. "'A Commotion' just kind of stuck out to me. I could hear the opening riff, a single A-note."
Feist tells RollingStone.com that she based her decision on which MASTODON song to cover by finding a track whose lyrics resonated with her the most. "MASTODON fans would probably be disappointed to know that I actually didn't know MASTODON very well," She says. "I actually went onto one of those lyric websites, and I scrolled through 50 songs and just narrowed it down to the ones I thought I could wrap myself around the words. 'Black Tongue' is speaking in my kind of elemental language — about diamond and earth and sky. It's all just in a language that I already sort of speak lyrically. It was pretty easy to climb into that one."
In a recent interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor explained how the single idea came about. "We did [the BBC television show 'Later... With Jools Holland'], and right after we got off stage, we went backstage and and we were in the hallway with [Feist], and she was talking to [MASTODON vocalist/guitarist] Brent [Hinds]. They were involved in a conversation and were just like, 'Yeah, let's do that! We should do it for Record Store Day!' Something out of left field and something we'd like to be involved with more of."
He added, "It's fun for us. I mean, most times we end up doing covers of bands that are already sort of heavy or that is already in that vein, like the MELVINS, THIN LIZZY, METALLICA, you know what I mean? What are you gonna do to those songs to make them your own? It's kinda difficult and especially with stuff like METALLICA or the MELVINS where we're so kinda familiar and in love with the versions that METALLICA and the MELVINS and THIN LIZZY have created, you wanna make it sound like theirs because that's what you're so used to hearing. You don't really wanna mess with it. With Feist, it's something that we could really play with and do something different with."
The cover artwork for the MASTODON and Feist split seven-inch single can be seen below.
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.
"It's a wet dream to have MASTODON take one of my songs and put it into their massive machine," Feist tells RollingStone.com.
"We didn't tell her what to do, and she didn't tell us what to do," says MASTODON guitarist Bill Kelliher. "'A Commotion' just kind of stuck out to me. I could hear the opening riff, a single A-note."
Feist tells RollingStone.com that she based her decision on which MASTODON song to cover by finding a track whose lyrics resonated with her the most. "MASTODON fans would probably be disappointed to know that I actually didn't know MASTODON very well," She says. "I actually went onto one of those lyric websites, and I scrolled through 50 songs and just narrowed it down to the ones I thought I could wrap myself around the words. 'Black Tongue' is speaking in my kind of elemental language — about diamond and earth and sky. It's all just in a language that I already sort of speak lyrically. It was pretty easy to climb into that one."
In a recent interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor explained how the single idea came about. "We did [the BBC television show 'Later... With Jools Holland'], and right after we got off stage, we went backstage and and we were in the hallway with [Feist], and she was talking to [MASTODON vocalist/guitarist] Brent [Hinds]. They were involved in a conversation and were just like, 'Yeah, let's do that! We should do it for Record Store Day!' Something out of left field and something we'd like to be involved with more of."
He added, "It's fun for us. I mean, most times we end up doing covers of bands that are already sort of heavy or that is already in that vein, like the MELVINS, THIN LIZZY, METALLICA, you know what I mean? What are you gonna do to those songs to make them your own? It's kinda difficult and especially with stuff like METALLICA or the MELVINS where we're so kinda familiar and in love with the versions that METALLICA and the MELVINS and THIN LIZZY have created, you wanna make it sound like theirs because that's what you're so used to hearing. You don't really wanna mess with it. With Feist, it's something that we could really play with and do something different with."
The cover artwork for the MASTODON and Feist split seven-inch single can be seen below.
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.
You always remember your first! For photographer Mark "Weissguy" Weiss, the first album cover he shot just happened to be TWISTED SISTER's historic, multi-platinum "Stay Hungry". The 1984 album brought us the two rock anthems "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", which will be performed by the BLACK VEIL BRIDES at the Revolver Golden Gods awards on April 11.
How do you top the shockingly memorable image of Dee Snider, screaming and crouching with a rotting giant bone in his clutches? When Weiss was asked to create and photograph TWISTED SISTER's follow-up album, "Come Out And Play", it was a no-holds-barred art director's dream. Weiss concocted a textured manhole cover design that opened to reveal a novel "pop-up" mummy-wrapped Dee Snider resplendent with sharpened teeth, emerging from beneath the pavement.
In September of 1985, a 1,000 pound manhole cover was custom-made with the TWISTED SISTER "TS" logo by Weiss' dad, who also supplied a fully constructed street in Weiss' New York City studio, for Dee to emerge from. After the shoot both items remained in his New Jersey garage for 27 years, until April 1, 2012, when the manhole cover was loaded onto an 18 wheeler for the cross-country trek to its ultimate destination of honor at the Golden Gods: History Of Heavy Metal exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California beginning April 11, 2012.
The truly heavy piece of metal history arrived last week to be displayed along with other heavy metal artifacts, including several of Weiss' iconic photographs from the era. These photographs are taken from Mark Weiss' extensive collection of rock's most enduring images from the "Decade of Decadence."
Mark Weiss' collaboration and history with the iconic rockers he worked with almost three decades ago comes full circle this year, with the recent completion of Dee Snider's release "Dee Does Broadway", as well as rocker Lita Ford's new CD, "Living Like A Runaway", both photographed and art directed by Weiss. Working with two of rock's legendary performers again, Weiss says, "I have always been there for the artists who were there for me when I began my career. We've all had and continue to have, peaks and valleys to overcome in our personal and professional lives. Without their loyalty and belief in my craft, I would have never been able to continue making my rock 'n' roll dreams a reality."
How do you top the shockingly memorable image of Dee Snider, screaming and crouching with a rotting giant bone in his clutches? When Weiss was asked to create and photograph TWISTED SISTER's follow-up album, "Come Out And Play", it was a no-holds-barred art director's dream. Weiss concocted a textured manhole cover design that opened to reveal a novel "pop-up" mummy-wrapped Dee Snider resplendent with sharpened teeth, emerging from beneath the pavement.
In September of 1985, a 1,000 pound manhole cover was custom-made with the TWISTED SISTER "TS" logo by Weiss' dad, who also supplied a fully constructed street in Weiss' New York City studio, for Dee to emerge from. After the shoot both items remained in his New Jersey garage for 27 years, until April 1, 2012, when the manhole cover was loaded onto an 18 wheeler for the cross-country trek to its ultimate destination of honor at the Golden Gods: History Of Heavy Metal exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California beginning April 11, 2012.
The truly heavy piece of metal history arrived last week to be displayed along with other heavy metal artifacts, including several of Weiss' iconic photographs from the era. These photographs are taken from Mark Weiss' extensive collection of rock's most enduring images from the "Decade of Decadence."
Mark Weiss' collaboration and history with the iconic rockers he worked with almost three decades ago comes full circle this year, with the recent completion of Dee Snider's release "Dee Does Broadway", as well as rocker Lita Ford's new CD, "Living Like A Runaway", both photographed and art directed by Weiss. Working with two of rock's legendary performers again, Weiss says, "I have always been there for the artists who were there for me when I began my career. We've all had and continue to have, peaks and valleys to overcome in our personal and professional lives. Without their loyalty and belief in my craft, I would have never been able to continue making my rock 'n' roll dreams a reality."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/deeweiss.jpg
According to the Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators blog, former THE DICTATORS and TWISTED SISTER drummer Richard Teeter has died at the age of 61.
Teeter joined TWISTED SISTER in December 1980 as the replacement for Tony Petri, who left the group for THE PLASMATICS. In April 1981, Teeter — who never appeared on any studio releases from TWISTED SISTER — was replaced by "Fast" Joey Brighton, who was in turn replaced by A.J. Pero from CITIES, another unsigned band with local fame.
Teeter became a member of THE DICTATORS in 1976 and was featured on their albums "Manifest Destiny" (1977) and "Bloodbrothers" (1978) before exiting the band in 1979.
Teeter joined TWISTED SISTER in December 1980 as the replacement for Tony Petri, who left the group for THE PLASMATICS. In April 1981, Teeter — who never appeared on any studio releases from TWISTED SISTER — was replaced by "Fast" Joey Brighton, who was in turn replaced by A.J. Pero from CITIES, another unsigned band with local fame.
Teeter became a member of THE DICTATORS in 1976 and was featured on their albums "Manifest Destiny" (1977) and "Bloodbrothers" (1978) before exiting the band in 1979.
It wasn't prostate cancer that killed guitar legend Ronnie Montrose. He beat that gremlin into the dirt, as he did so many obstacles to his career and musical expression. But Montrose, who was immensely proud of being a "survivor," simply couldn't vanquish the clinical depression that plagued him since he was a toddler.
On March 3, 2012, he sought inner peace by taking his own life. A report by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, released on April 6, confirms the guitarist died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Anticipating the coroner's findings would soon be made public, the Montrose family asked me to write this article. I was a long-time friend and colleague, and the family wanted the painful story to be told by a member of the Bay Area media that Montrose himself knew and trusted.
The family also posted the following statement on ronniemontrose.com:
"By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie's death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible. We can only hope that you will choose to celebrate Ronnie's life, and what his music meant to you, rather than mourn his passing. Ronnie would have wanted it that way. He loved being a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a creator of magic. He fully understood his gifts, and yet he constantly pushed himself to evolve, improve, and make better music. He did this for himself, and he did this for you, because he adored and appreciated his fans. Please keep his energy, his joy, and his love in your hearts."
Montrose did not leave a suicide note, but his wife/manager Leighsa Montrose feels he was probably always planning for an exit.
"Ronnie had a very difficult childhood, which caused him to have extremely deep and damaging feelings of inadequacy," said Leighsa. "This is why he always drove himself so hard. He never thought he was good enough. He always feared he'd be exposed as a fraud. So he was exacting in his self criticism, and the expectations he put upon himself were tremendous. Now I see that perhaps he didn't want to carry these burdens for very much longer."
The torment of self-doubt likely contributed to Montrose's long-term alcoholism. The toxicology report showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.31% when he died—almost four times the legal limit in California. No evidence of other drugs was found in his system.
"I knew I had married an alcoholic, but Ronnie was never anything but loving," said Leighsa. "He could be curmudgeonly and cranky, but he was never angry or abusive to me in any way. He definitely had a reputation for his bad temper and controlling personality when he was younger, but he'd always say that I got the best version of himself, and we were nearly inseparable. We ate every meal together. I went to every show he played."
Famously mercurial, Montrose always seemed to tank a project just when things were getting good. Factor out the depression, and Montrose's frequent conceptual and stylistic shifts seem like the actions of a true artist following his creative muse no matter what the business ramifications might be. But, knowing what Montrose was suffering through every day of his life, a different perspective arises—one of a man in constant evolution and reevaluation because he always felt he had to do much, much better.
And yet, Montrose was thrilled that 2012 was starting off on an "exponential curve." The two-year break from the guitar he took between 2007 and 2009 in order to heal from the daily, painful effects of cancer—when his loyal bulldog, Lola, was constantly at his side, dropping him "down to a good sleep vibe"—did not permanently effect his technique. He had been touring regularly since late 2009, performing solo compositions, acoustic pieces, Montrose songs, and some Gamma material. By 2011, he was truly on fire as a player. Happily, he was captured on video just this past January 27, and the release of his one-and-only DVD, Ronnie Montrose Live at the Uptown, was one of the many joys he was anticipating in 2012. There were also more tour dates stacking up, and a Montrose reunion—celebrating Sammy Hagar's birthday—slated for October.
"He was so looking forward to all the possibilities before him," said Leighsa.
But the deaths of his uncle and his beloved bulldog within three weeks of each other in January 2012 (the week before, and the week after the filming of his live DVD), put Montrose in a reflective state, and likely exacerbated his ongoing depression.
On March 2, Montrose had been drinking heavily, but he got up the next day at 8 am and made breakfast for Leighsa and her mother (who resided at the Montrose home), which was his typical routine. At 10:03 am, Montrose texted Leighsa, asking if she wanted him to bring lunch down to her design studio. As she was on a deadline, and had already arranged to meet him at home for lunch, she declined his "sweet" offer.
The mood abruptly changed when Montrose texted he was glad Leighsa had "figured it out, found the hooch, and stopped him from going down the dark path." At 11:01 am, he added, "I have the .38 in my hand and am ready to go."
"Ronnie always had a dark and bizarre sense of humor," said Leighsa. "And, at this point, I truly thought he was speaking in metaphors."
But the next text—"I'm so sorry. Still have the gun in my hand. I'm going on that voyage. I love you beyond measure"—worried her, and she immediately called him and asked that he come to her studio. He agreed, saying he would be right down.
"After about four minutes, he wasn't here, and I told my mother, 'We've got to go home—something is wrong,'" said Leighsa. "When I turned to look at my phone, I saw the last text from him. I didn't hear it come in. It said, 'I can't. I've got the gun to my head.'"
They rushed home, but it was too late. Montrose was sitting in his favorite recliner in his living room, an unregistered Smith & Wesson Model 38 Special CTG Airweight revolver in his hand, and his cell phone at his feet.
"I looked at his peaceful and calm face, and I said to him, 'You've shown me I have no choice in this matter,'" said Leighsa. "I told him I loved him. I accepted what had happened. And then I sat calmly on the couch and called the Brisbane Police Department."
Ronnie Montrose was pronounced dead by medics from Brisbane Fire Engine #81 at noon.
"My sense of Ronnie as the persistent and decisive adventurer—as well as all his music about space, flight, and travel—speaks volumes about his choice and his action," reflected Leighsa. "Seeing beyond was always what he did best. He was always breaking new ground, following his heart, his intuition, his star. And for reasons we may never fully understand, he made a choice to 'lift off.'
"If you were observant enough, you could catch him at every show noodling a bit of the melody to Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time of Dying.' The song contained the lyrics, 'Well, well, well, so I can die easy. 'Well, well, well, so I can die easy.'"
On March 3, 2012, he sought inner peace by taking his own life. A report by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, released on April 6, confirms the guitarist died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Anticipating the coroner's findings would soon be made public, the Montrose family asked me to write this article. I was a long-time friend and colleague, and the family wanted the painful story to be told by a member of the Bay Area media that Montrose himself knew and trusted.
The family also posted the following statement on ronniemontrose.com:
"By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie's death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible. We can only hope that you will choose to celebrate Ronnie's life, and what his music meant to you, rather than mourn his passing. Ronnie would have wanted it that way. He loved being a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a creator of magic. He fully understood his gifts, and yet he constantly pushed himself to evolve, improve, and make better music. He did this for himself, and he did this for you, because he adored and appreciated his fans. Please keep his energy, his joy, and his love in your hearts."
Montrose did not leave a suicide note, but his wife/manager Leighsa Montrose feels he was probably always planning for an exit.
"Ronnie had a very difficult childhood, which caused him to have extremely deep and damaging feelings of inadequacy," said Leighsa. "This is why he always drove himself so hard. He never thought he was good enough. He always feared he'd be exposed as a fraud. So he was exacting in his self criticism, and the expectations he put upon himself were tremendous. Now I see that perhaps he didn't want to carry these burdens for very much longer."
The torment of self-doubt likely contributed to Montrose's long-term alcoholism. The toxicology report showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.31% when he died—almost four times the legal limit in California. No evidence of other drugs was found in his system.
"I knew I had married an alcoholic, but Ronnie was never anything but loving," said Leighsa. "He could be curmudgeonly and cranky, but he was never angry or abusive to me in any way. He definitely had a reputation for his bad temper and controlling personality when he was younger, but he'd always say that I got the best version of himself, and we were nearly inseparable. We ate every meal together. I went to every show he played."
Famously mercurial, Montrose always seemed to tank a project just when things were getting good. Factor out the depression, and Montrose's frequent conceptual and stylistic shifts seem like the actions of a true artist following his creative muse no matter what the business ramifications might be. But, knowing what Montrose was suffering through every day of his life, a different perspective arises—one of a man in constant evolution and reevaluation because he always felt he had to do much, much better.
And yet, Montrose was thrilled that 2012 was starting off on an "exponential curve." The two-year break from the guitar he took between 2007 and 2009 in order to heal from the daily, painful effects of cancer—when his loyal bulldog, Lola, was constantly at his side, dropping him "down to a good sleep vibe"—did not permanently effect his technique. He had been touring regularly since late 2009, performing solo compositions, acoustic pieces, Montrose songs, and some Gamma material. By 2011, he was truly on fire as a player. Happily, he was captured on video just this past January 27, and the release of his one-and-only DVD, Ronnie Montrose Live at the Uptown, was one of the many joys he was anticipating in 2012. There were also more tour dates stacking up, and a Montrose reunion—celebrating Sammy Hagar's birthday—slated for October.
"He was so looking forward to all the possibilities before him," said Leighsa.
But the deaths of his uncle and his beloved bulldog within three weeks of each other in January 2012 (the week before, and the week after the filming of his live DVD), put Montrose in a reflective state, and likely exacerbated his ongoing depression.
On March 2, Montrose had been drinking heavily, but he got up the next day at 8 am and made breakfast for Leighsa and her mother (who resided at the Montrose home), which was his typical routine. At 10:03 am, Montrose texted Leighsa, asking if she wanted him to bring lunch down to her design studio. As she was on a deadline, and had already arranged to meet him at home for lunch, she declined his "sweet" offer.
The mood abruptly changed when Montrose texted he was glad Leighsa had "figured it out, found the hooch, and stopped him from going down the dark path." At 11:01 am, he added, "I have the .38 in my hand and am ready to go."
"Ronnie always had a dark and bizarre sense of humor," said Leighsa. "And, at this point, I truly thought he was speaking in metaphors."
But the next text—"I'm so sorry. Still have the gun in my hand. I'm going on that voyage. I love you beyond measure"—worried her, and she immediately called him and asked that he come to her studio. He agreed, saying he would be right down.
"After about four minutes, he wasn't here, and I told my mother, 'We've got to go home—something is wrong,'" said Leighsa. "When I turned to look at my phone, I saw the last text from him. I didn't hear it come in. It said, 'I can't. I've got the gun to my head.'"
They rushed home, but it was too late. Montrose was sitting in his favorite recliner in his living room, an unregistered Smith & Wesson Model 38 Special CTG Airweight revolver in his hand, and his cell phone at his feet.
"I looked at his peaceful and calm face, and I said to him, 'You've shown me I have no choice in this matter,'" said Leighsa. "I told him I loved him. I accepted what had happened. And then I sat calmly on the couch and called the Brisbane Police Department."
Ronnie Montrose was pronounced dead by medics from Brisbane Fire Engine #81 at noon.
"My sense of Ronnie as the persistent and decisive adventurer—as well as all his music about space, flight, and travel—speaks volumes about his choice and his action," reflected Leighsa. "Seeing beyond was always what he did best. He was always breaking new ground, following his heart, his intuition, his star. And for reasons we may never fully understand, he made a choice to 'lift off.'
"If you were observant enough, you could catch him at every show noodling a bit of the melody to Led Zeppelin's 'In My Time of Dying.' The song contained the lyrics, 'Well, well, well, so I can die easy. 'Well, well, well, so I can die easy.'"
Reunited British rockers THE DARKNESS will support pop superstar Lady Gaga on her "Born This Way Ball" European tour in August-October. Confirmed dates can be found below.
After thrilling sold-out crowds with their critically acclaimed U.S. tour in February, THE DARKNESS will return stateside this May for select dates as well as three festival appearances: Saturday, May 19 at InfieldFest (Baltimore, Maryland); Sunday, May 20 at Rock On The Range (Columbus, Ohio); and Saturday, May 26 at Rocklahoma (Pryor, Oklahoma).
Hailing from Lowestoft, Suffolk, THE DARKNESS — Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars), Dan Hawkins (guitars/backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums) — are ready to launch a full-scale invasion with the release of their third studio album and first in eight years. Due out late summer, the as-yet-untitled CD marks the follow-up to the group's gold-certified debut, "Permission To Land", which spawned fan favorites "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" and "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" as well as the sophomore CD, "One-Way Ticket To Hell And Back", which featured "One Way Ticket" and "Is It Just Me?".
The video for "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us", the first new song in six years from THE DARKNESS, can be seen below.
"Nothin's Gonna Stop Us" was recorded and produced by the band and Nick Brine in Norfolk, England and mixed in Austin, Texas by Chris "Frenchie Smith". The video for the song was created by artist Thom Lessner and director Ted Passon.
THE DARKNESS made its U.K. live comeback in June 2011 in front of just 200 people at the Norwich Waterfront.
THE DARKNESS' first album, "Permission To Land", was released in 2003, hitting the No. 1 spot in the U.K. chart and winning "MasterCard British Album" at the 2004 Brit Awards (along with "Best British Group" and "British Rock Act").
Between 2003 and 2006, THE DARKNESS was honored with many awards and accolades; along with three Brit Awards, the band won an Ivor Novello in 2004 for "Songwriters Of The Year", four Kerrang! Awards, two Metal Hammer Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and even an Elle Style Award in 2004 for "Most Stylish Band".
After thrilling sold-out crowds with their critically acclaimed U.S. tour in February, THE DARKNESS will return stateside this May for select dates as well as three festival appearances: Saturday, May 19 at InfieldFest (Baltimore, Maryland); Sunday, May 20 at Rock On The Range (Columbus, Ohio); and Saturday, May 26 at Rocklahoma (Pryor, Oklahoma).
Hailing from Lowestoft, Suffolk, THE DARKNESS — Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars), Dan Hawkins (guitars/backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums) — are ready to launch a full-scale invasion with the release of their third studio album and first in eight years. Due out late summer, the as-yet-untitled CD marks the follow-up to the group's gold-certified debut, "Permission To Land", which spawned fan favorites "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" and "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" as well as the sophomore CD, "One-Way Ticket To Hell And Back", which featured "One Way Ticket" and "Is It Just Me?".
The video for "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us", the first new song in six years from THE DARKNESS, can be seen below.
"Nothin's Gonna Stop Us" was recorded and produced by the band and Nick Brine in Norfolk, England and mixed in Austin, Texas by Chris "Frenchie Smith". The video for the song was created by artist Thom Lessner and director Ted Passon.
THE DARKNESS made its U.K. live comeback in June 2011 in front of just 200 people at the Norwich Waterfront.
THE DARKNESS' first album, "Permission To Land", was released in 2003, hitting the No. 1 spot in the U.K. chart and winning "MasterCard British Album" at the 2004 Brit Awards (along with "Best British Group" and "British Rock Act").
Between 2003 and 2006, THE DARKNESS was honored with many awards and accolades; along with three Brit Awards, the band won an Ivor Novello in 2004 for "Songwriters Of The Year", four Kerrang! Awards, two Metal Hammer Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and even an Elle Style Award in 2004 for "Most Stylish Band".
SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery have launched their new project, CALL ME NO ONE, with a first single titled "Biggest Fan". The track, which will be available to purchase on iTunes on April 24, is taken from the outfit's debut disc, "Last Parade", which will arrive on June 5.
"Biggest Fan" is already the #2 most added record at Active Rock, with Loudwire declaring, "with crushing drum patterns, blistering guitar riffs and a serious solo, 'Biggest Fan' is going to pound your ear drums."
Rose told The Pulse Of Radio that CALL ME NO ONE has turned into something bigger than he and Lowery first envisioned. "This isn't really a side project. This is another band," he said. "I mean, other people have done it, but I guess that the closest thing we could compare it to is like STONE SOUR to SLIPKNOT, you know. I mean, we're gonna go ahead and do this, then when this runs its course, it should be right on time for SEVENDUST to get back and rolling."
Lowery recently described the sound of CALL ME NO ONE as "kind of NINE INCH NAILS meets FOO FIGHTERS."
SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby also recently launched a new project, joining forces with CREED/ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips in a new outfit called PROJECTED.
PROJECTED has already entered the studio to begin recording its debut disc, to be made available later in the year.
SEVENDUST itself will begin writing its ninth studio effort this summer, with plans for an early 2013 release. SEVENDUST issued its most recent outing, "Cold Day Memory", in April 2010.
"Biggest Fan" is already the #2 most added record at Active Rock, with Loudwire declaring, "with crushing drum patterns, blistering guitar riffs and a serious solo, 'Biggest Fan' is going to pound your ear drums."
Rose told The Pulse Of Radio that CALL ME NO ONE has turned into something bigger than he and Lowery first envisioned. "This isn't really a side project. This is another band," he said. "I mean, other people have done it, but I guess that the closest thing we could compare it to is like STONE SOUR to SLIPKNOT, you know. I mean, we're gonna go ahead and do this, then when this runs its course, it should be right on time for SEVENDUST to get back and rolling."
Lowery recently described the sound of CALL ME NO ONE as "kind of NINE INCH NAILS meets FOO FIGHTERS."
SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby also recently launched a new project, joining forces with CREED/ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips in a new outfit called PROJECTED.
PROJECTED has already entered the studio to begin recording its debut disc, to be made available later in the year.
SEVENDUST itself will begin writing its ninth studio effort this summer, with plans for an early 2013 release. SEVENDUST issued its most recent outing, "Cold Day Memory", in April 2010.
Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans HEATHEN.
Commented HEATHEN founding member and guitarist Lee Altus: "I'm really happy and couldn't think of a better label for HEATHEN. I've known people at Nuclear Blast, some of whom have been fans of the band going as far back as the early demo days, and have been friends with them for many years. It's amazing for me to think that throughout this band's career, every album we recorded has been released on a different label. I can finally say that we have found home. Nuclear Blast has become a mecca for Bay Area thrash bands and we are happy to join our friends and partners in crime EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT and FORBIDDEN. Now it's time to get to work on the new album!"
Added HEATHEN lead singer David White: "I want to thank all the fans for their amazing support; we do not take any of this lightly! Now we move forward with a true metal record company that really understands what we're all about, 2012 and beyond!!!"
Stated Jaap Wagemaker of the A&R Department at Nuclear Blast in Germany: "It is no secret that the staff of Nuclear Blast has a soft spot for thrash metal. We all grew up here with classics such as 'Breaking The Silence' and 'Victims Of Deception', and who doesn't remember that legendary tour from 1991 with SEPULTURA, SACRED REICH and HEATHEN destroying the stages night after night! We are totally stoked to announce that these legendary Bay Area Thrashers have inked a deal with us and are now labelmates with EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN, ANTHRAX, SEPULTURA, OVERKILL, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD!!!
"Since HEATHEN's reunion for 'Thrash Of The Titans' [in 2001], we had been following the band very closely over the last couple of years with first-hand information from Lee Altus — who is also swinging the axe in EXODUS — and what we heard from him made us very curious! After seeing HEATHEN play an amazing show at Rock Hard and their release of another classic album with 'The Evolution of Chaos', it was very clear to us that the band needed to become part of the Nuclear family as well. Seeing the band play several times at last year's Thrashfest Classics, we were finally able to make this work!! With the signing of HEATHEN, another thrash dream has came true!! Welcome home, guys!!!"
HEATHEN played its first show with returning bassist Jason VieBrooks on February 4, 2011 at Madhouse in San Francisco, California.
VieBrooks replaced previous HEATHEN bassist Jon Torres, who was forced to leave the group in order "to focus on his health."
HEATHEN's current lineup is as follows:
David White - Vocals
Lee Altus - Guitar
Kragen Lum - Guitar
Jason VieBrooks - Bass
Darren Minter - Drums
HEATHEN's latest album, "The Evolution Of Chaos", was released in the U.S. on February 16, 2010. The CD was issued in Japan on December 23, 2009 via King Records and was made available on January 25 in Europe via Holland's Mascot Records.
Commented HEATHEN founding member and guitarist Lee Altus: "I'm really happy and couldn't think of a better label for HEATHEN. I've known people at Nuclear Blast, some of whom have been fans of the band going as far back as the early demo days, and have been friends with them for many years. It's amazing for me to think that throughout this band's career, every album we recorded has been released on a different label. I can finally say that we have found home. Nuclear Blast has become a mecca for Bay Area thrash bands and we are happy to join our friends and partners in crime EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT and FORBIDDEN. Now it's time to get to work on the new album!"
Added HEATHEN lead singer David White: "I want to thank all the fans for their amazing support; we do not take any of this lightly! Now we move forward with a true metal record company that really understands what we're all about, 2012 and beyond!!!"
Stated Jaap Wagemaker of the A&R Department at Nuclear Blast in Germany: "It is no secret that the staff of Nuclear Blast has a soft spot for thrash metal. We all grew up here with classics such as 'Breaking The Silence' and 'Victims Of Deception', and who doesn't remember that legendary tour from 1991 with SEPULTURA, SACRED REICH and HEATHEN destroying the stages night after night! We are totally stoked to announce that these legendary Bay Area Thrashers have inked a deal with us and are now labelmates with EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN, ANTHRAX, SEPULTURA, OVERKILL, KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and TANKARD!!!
"Since HEATHEN's reunion for 'Thrash Of The Titans' [in 2001], we had been following the band very closely over the last couple of years with first-hand information from Lee Altus — who is also swinging the axe in EXODUS — and what we heard from him made us very curious! After seeing HEATHEN play an amazing show at Rock Hard and their release of another classic album with 'The Evolution of Chaos', it was very clear to us that the band needed to become part of the Nuclear family as well. Seeing the band play several times at last year's Thrashfest Classics, we were finally able to make this work!! With the signing of HEATHEN, another thrash dream has came true!! Welcome home, guys!!!"
HEATHEN played its first show with returning bassist Jason VieBrooks on February 4, 2011 at Madhouse in San Francisco, California.
VieBrooks replaced previous HEATHEN bassist Jon Torres, who was forced to leave the group in order "to focus on his health."
HEATHEN's current lineup is as follows:
David White - Vocals
Lee Altus - Guitar
Kragen Lum - Guitar
Jason VieBrooks - Bass
Darren Minter - Drums
HEATHEN's latest album, "The Evolution Of Chaos", was released in the U.S. on February 16, 2010. The CD was issued in Japan on December 23, 2009 via King Records and was made available on January 25 in Europe via Holland's Mascot Records.
British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have teamed up with Decibel magazine to give fans a gold-on-black flexi disc for the exclusive B-side "The Last Fallen Saviour". This track will only be available in Decibel's June issue (out in May), and it comes from the recording sessions of "Tragic Idol", the band's forthcoming studio album which is set to be released through Century Media Records on April 23 in Europe and April 24 in North America. (Note: Decibel issues on newsstands, etc. will not have the flexi; this is an exclusive for subscribers only).
"Tragic Idol" 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.
A track from "Tragic Idol" entitled "Crucify" can be streamed below. 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 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" 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.
A track from "Tragic Idol" entitled "Crucify" can be streamed below. 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 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."
Portuguese gothic metallers MOONSPELL have begun filming a video for the song "White Skies" from their forthcoming album, "Alpha Noir". The cover artwork for the CD — which will be released on April 27 via the band's new label home, Napalm Records — is described as an intricate, marvellous and symbolic creation by Seth Siro Anton, the Greek artist who collaborated with the band on "Night Eternal". Also available is a preview image of the strictly limited edition "Alpha Noir" deluxe box set containing the limited-edition double album mediabook, including two album covers, and "Alpha Noir"'s counterpart "Omega White" and an exclusive MOONSPELL logo pendant.
"Alpha Noir" deluxe box set track listing:
CD 1
01. Axis Mundi
02. Lickanthrope
03. Versus
04. Alpha Noir
05. En Nome Do Medo
06. Opera Carne
07. Love is Blasphemy
08. Grand Stand
09. Sine Missione
CD 2
01. White Omega
02. White Skies
03. Fireseason
04. New Tears Eve
05. Herodisiac
06. Incantatrix
07. Sacrificial
08. A Greater Darkness
Commented MOONSPELL vocalist Fernando Ribeiro: "A true band has to have to a glorious past, a solid present and a bright future. More than that, a true band has to know how to live throughout all these seasons, dealing with their ghosts, their shadows, their aim at the light, moulding darkness with personality, with the impulse to be better, to do better while getting close to theirselves. Their true heart, soul and flesh.
"Never a MOONSPELL album came so close to be absolute like the new opus magna (masterpiece) 'Alpha Noir', scheduled to be proudly released by Napalm Records on April 27th, when spring racks through the wastes of winter, bursting new colours over familiar sights, once silent and white, now fiery under the blackest of suns.
"The concept of this new record, painstakingly composed by the Portuguese gothic metal knights over the past three years, after the public and critically acclaimed 'Night Eternal', is bulletproof. The band managed to split their heart and soul in half and the result is that they came even closer to themselves, the ambitious band they always were, with a undying wish not to claim any throne but to build their own ships that would take them and their fans to 'give new worlds to the world,' like in the age of discovery where the Portuguese were a leading force in the world.
"With their country drowned in a corrosive crisis, MOONSPELL filled their lungs with pride and created an incendiary album, with nine outbursts of their rockiest and thrashier riffs made superiorly dimensioned by the reindivictative lyrical content and songs structure that take you by storm from the first listen on. MOONSPELL has tapped a notch into their energy filled gothic metal by adding a guitar wall forjed by timeless artists like BATHORY, KING DIAMOND or in a twist ofthe knive to old thrash metal legends like ONSLAUGHT, METALLICA early works or even TESTAMENT and ARTILLERY, making 'Alpha Noir' a truly surpring and fresh record where all the songs have a climax effect about them, an high tension charm that will for sure electricize audiences when played on a stage.
"Songs like the title track ('Alpha Noir'), the infectious 'Versus', the wolf hymn 'Lickanthrope' or the Portuguese sung 'Em Nome Do Medo' (In The Name Of Fear) and the closing epic 'Grandstand', might get you a welcoming chilling of the past but make no mistake: 'Alpha Noir' is a leap of faith and belief in their writing skills and progressive musicianship.
"Together with 'Alpha Noir' packed in a deluxe and special edition on digipack, MOONSPELL and Napalm offers no live DVD, making-of or any kind of filler. Instead they put in the table another offerend: 'Ómega White', the musical twin of 'Alpha Noir', a collection of eight songs of pure atmosphere and shadow, close to their breakthrough album 'Irreligious', in a just homage to their TYPE O NEGATIVE and SISTERS OF MERCY roots. Tracks like the erotic 'Herodisiac', the catchy 'White Skies' or the heartbreaking 'Whiteomega' will for sure keep you in dark company through a night of fear and loss, both soothing and provoking."
"Alpha Noir" deluxe box set track listing:
CD 1
01. Axis Mundi
02. Lickanthrope
03. Versus
04. Alpha Noir
05. En Nome Do Medo
06. Opera Carne
07. Love is Blasphemy
08. Grand Stand
09. Sine Missione
CD 2
01. White Omega
02. White Skies
03. Fireseason
04. New Tears Eve
05. Herodisiac
06. Incantatrix
07. Sacrificial
08. A Greater Darkness
Commented MOONSPELL vocalist Fernando Ribeiro: "A true band has to have to a glorious past, a solid present and a bright future. More than that, a true band has to know how to live throughout all these seasons, dealing with their ghosts, their shadows, their aim at the light, moulding darkness with personality, with the impulse to be better, to do better while getting close to theirselves. Their true heart, soul and flesh.
"Never a MOONSPELL album came so close to be absolute like the new opus magna (masterpiece) 'Alpha Noir', scheduled to be proudly released by Napalm Records on April 27th, when spring racks through the wastes of winter, bursting new colours over familiar sights, once silent and white, now fiery under the blackest of suns.
"The concept of this new record, painstakingly composed by the Portuguese gothic metal knights over the past three years, after the public and critically acclaimed 'Night Eternal', is bulletproof. The band managed to split their heart and soul in half and the result is that they came even closer to themselves, the ambitious band they always were, with a undying wish not to claim any throne but to build their own ships that would take them and their fans to 'give new worlds to the world,' like in the age of discovery where the Portuguese were a leading force in the world.
"With their country drowned in a corrosive crisis, MOONSPELL filled their lungs with pride and created an incendiary album, with nine outbursts of their rockiest and thrashier riffs made superiorly dimensioned by the reindivictative lyrical content and songs structure that take you by storm from the first listen on. MOONSPELL has tapped a notch into their energy filled gothic metal by adding a guitar wall forjed by timeless artists like BATHORY, KING DIAMOND or in a twist ofthe knive to old thrash metal legends like ONSLAUGHT, METALLICA early works or even TESTAMENT and ARTILLERY, making 'Alpha Noir' a truly surpring and fresh record where all the songs have a climax effect about them, an high tension charm that will for sure electricize audiences when played on a stage.
"Songs like the title track ('Alpha Noir'), the infectious 'Versus', the wolf hymn 'Lickanthrope' or the Portuguese sung 'Em Nome Do Medo' (In The Name Of Fear) and the closing epic 'Grandstand', might get you a welcoming chilling of the past but make no mistake: 'Alpha Noir' is a leap of faith and belief in their writing skills and progressive musicianship.
"Together with 'Alpha Noir' packed in a deluxe and special edition on digipack, MOONSPELL and Napalm offers no live DVD, making-of or any kind of filler. Instead they put in the table another offerend: 'Ómega White', the musical twin of 'Alpha Noir', a collection of eight songs of pure atmosphere and shadow, close to their breakthrough album 'Irreligious', in a just homage to their TYPE O NEGATIVE and SISTERS OF MERCY roots. Tracks like the erotic 'Herodisiac', the catchy 'White Skies' or the heartbreaking 'Whiteomega' will for sure keep you in dark company through a night of fear and loss, both soothing and provoking."
Finnish crusaders of epic heathen metal MOONSORROW have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The band comments, "MOONSORROW are thrilled to start working with Century Media, a label that is home to many fellow artists already! We never make our music half way or with compromises and we know our art is in good hands with people who have the same mentality in running a record label. Now, after a year since the release of our last album we are ready to begin creating something new. The new chapter in this epic journey of MOONSORROW!"
Jens Prüter, Head Of A&R at Century Media in Europe, states: "I followed MOONSORROW since their early days and I'm very proud to welcome them now to Century Media Records. They'll be in good family along with their countrymen FINNTROLL , TURISAS and INSOMNIUM. Two of the band members already have some history with us: Henri Sorvali is also part of FINNTROLL (even if he rarely plays live with any band) and Marko Tarvonen once moved from drums to guitar in the overlooked death metal allstar band CHAOSBREED, who released an album that is as 'brutal' as its title.
"Much has been said about the dark soul of Finnish metal. A sound that is hard to copy for any non-domestic band. A sound out of endless woods, deepest sorrow and epic majesty. MOONSORROW are probably the most epic of all Finnish bands, not only because most of their songs are over 10 minutes long (sometimes even over 30 minutes), but mainly because they are able to tell stories that are older than written culture. You can follow them even if you don't understand a single Finnish word. MOONSORROW are able to take you on journey through heathen times. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who can't wait for the next chapter."
2011 saw the release of MOONSORROW's most majestic album of the year, "Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa", a full-fledged concept effort about a world after annihilation.
MOONSORROW 2012 is:
Ville Sorvali – Bass, Lead Vocals
Henri Sorvali - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Mitja Harvilahti - Guitar, Vocals
Markus Eurén - Keyboards
Janne Perttilä - Guitar, Vocals
Marko Tarvonen - Drums, Vocals
Jens Prüter, Head Of A&R at Century Media in Europe, states: "I followed MOONSORROW since their early days and I'm very proud to welcome them now to Century Media Records. They'll be in good family along with their countrymen FINNTROLL , TURISAS and INSOMNIUM. Two of the band members already have some history with us: Henri Sorvali is also part of FINNTROLL (even if he rarely plays live with any band) and Marko Tarvonen once moved from drums to guitar in the overlooked death metal allstar band CHAOSBREED, who released an album that is as 'brutal' as its title.
"Much has been said about the dark soul of Finnish metal. A sound that is hard to copy for any non-domestic band. A sound out of endless woods, deepest sorrow and epic majesty. MOONSORROW are probably the most epic of all Finnish bands, not only because most of their songs are over 10 minutes long (sometimes even over 30 minutes), but mainly because they are able to tell stories that are older than written culture. You can follow them even if you don't understand a single Finnish word. MOONSORROW are able to take you on journey through heathen times. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who can't wait for the next chapter."
2011 saw the release of MOONSORROW's most majestic album of the year, "Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa", a full-fledged concept effort about a world after annihilation.
MOONSORROW 2012 is:
Ville Sorvali – Bass, Lead Vocals
Henri Sorvali - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Mitja Harvilahti - Guitar, Vocals
Markus Eurén - Keyboards
Janne Perttilä - Guitar, Vocals
Marko Tarvonen - Drums, Vocals
EX DEO, the Ancient Roman-themed arsenal fronted by KATAKLYSM singer Maurizio Iacono, has completed work on its sophomore album, "Caligvla", for an August 31 release via Austria's Napalm Records. The CD was mixed by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-François Dagenais, who has previously worked with MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX and DESPISED ICON, among others. The artwork and layout for the album will be handled by SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton.
Commented the band: "Eight months in the making and we are sure we have a classic album in our hands, producer JF Dagenais has done a fabulous and great production, all guests appearances are massive, the gods are pleased. Expect the artwork to be unveiled very soon and also a new teaser trailer. Where all have failed in the past... EX DEO will succeed, Roma caput mundi!! Epic Roman-inspired metal!!"
EX DEO debuted a brand new song "I, Caligvla", on April 1 at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as part of the "Paganfest America Part III" tour with TURISAS, ALESTORM, ARKONA and HUNTRESS. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.
In addition to the previously announced guest appearances by ALL SHALL PERISH guitarist Francesco Artusato and TRISTANIA singer Mariangela Demurtas, "Caligvla" will feature contributions from SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton and GRAVEWORM's Stefano Fiori. Every invited guest on the album is of Roman or Greek descent.
"Caligvla" track listing:
01. I, Caligvla
02. The Tiberius Cliff (Exile To Capri)
03. Per Oculos Aquila
04. Pollice Verso (Damnatio Ad Bestia)
05. Divide Et Impera
06. Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Light
07. Teutuborg (Ambush Of Varus)
08. Along The Appian Way
09. Once Were Romans
10. Evocatio: The Temple Of Castor & Pollux
EX DEO recently canceled its participation in the "Paganfest America Part III" tour due to delays in the production of "Caligvla". The band still performed with Paganfest on April 1 in Montreal at Club Soda and April 2 in Toronto at The Opera House.
EX DEO last year completed a North American tour with NILE, PSYCROPTIC and KEEP OF KALESSIN.
"Romulus", the debut album from EX DEO, landed at position No. 90 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.
Commented the band: "Eight months in the making and we are sure we have a classic album in our hands, producer JF Dagenais has done a fabulous and great production, all guests appearances are massive, the gods are pleased. Expect the artwork to be unveiled very soon and also a new teaser trailer. Where all have failed in the past... EX DEO will succeed, Roma caput mundi!! Epic Roman-inspired metal!!"
EX DEO debuted a brand new song "I, Caligvla", on April 1 at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as part of the "Paganfest America Part III" tour with TURISAS, ALESTORM, ARKONA and HUNTRESS. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.
In addition to the previously announced guest appearances by ALL SHALL PERISH guitarist Francesco Artusato and TRISTANIA singer Mariangela Demurtas, "Caligvla" will feature contributions from SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton and GRAVEWORM's Stefano Fiori. Every invited guest on the album is of Roman or Greek descent.
"Caligvla" track listing:
01. I, Caligvla
02. The Tiberius Cliff (Exile To Capri)
03. Per Oculos Aquila
04. Pollice Verso (Damnatio Ad Bestia)
05. Divide Et Impera
06. Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Light
07. Teutuborg (Ambush Of Varus)
08. Along The Appian Way
09. Once Were Romans
10. Evocatio: The Temple Of Castor & Pollux
EX DEO recently canceled its participation in the "Paganfest America Part III" tour due to delays in the production of "Caligvla". The band still performed with Paganfest on April 1 in Montreal at Club Soda and April 2 in Toronto at The Opera House.
EX DEO last year completed a North American tour with NILE, PSYCROPTIC and KEEP OF KALESSIN.
"Romulus", the debut album from EX DEO, landed at position No. 90 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.
Norway's ANGERMAN has inked a deal with Wormholedeath/Aural Music Group. The band will enter Realsound Studio in Parma, Italy on April 23 with producer Wahoomi Corvi (CRYSALYS, THE WAY OF PURITY, HATERIAL) to begin recording its debut album, "No Tears For The Devil", for a late 2012 release.
Commented the group: "ANGERMAN is extremely proud to announce the beginning of this adventure with Wormholedeath! The label has the same frame of mind as the band and therefore we feel very comfortable with Wormholedeath. ANGERMAN is looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Wormholedeath."
Wormholedeath A&R representative "Worm" stated: "No bla bla bla at this time... We wanted and chased a band like this worldwide, for a long time. Now we found it and I am not sure it's just a case that we found it in Norway. ANGERMAN are what we really wanted to sign in terms of music quality, target and sound to demonstrate that we are not only an extreme label but we can work with productions that could fit the mass market and wider audience. Listen to the demo I got and understand why I signed them. Also, after a day and night together, I understood that these guys are true and I really loved the way they are. No frills this time, just ANGERMAN and a dream come true, thank you Norway, once again!!!"
Commented the group: "ANGERMAN is extremely proud to announce the beginning of this adventure with Wormholedeath! The label has the same frame of mind as the band and therefore we feel very comfortable with Wormholedeath. ANGERMAN is looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Wormholedeath."
Wormholedeath A&R representative "Worm" stated: "No bla bla bla at this time... We wanted and chased a band like this worldwide, for a long time. Now we found it and I am not sure it's just a case that we found it in Norway. ANGERMAN are what we really wanted to sign in terms of music quality, target and sound to demonstrate that we are not only an extreme label but we can work with productions that could fit the mass market and wider audience. Listen to the demo I got and understand why I signed them. Also, after a day and night together, I understood that these guys are true and I really loved the way they are. No frills this time, just ANGERMAN and a dream come true, thank you Norway, once again!!!"
Guitarist "Metal" Mike Chlasciak (HALFORD, SEBASTIAN BACH, TESTAMENT, PAINMUSEUM) was a special guest judge for the School Of Rock's all-star "Metal Fest" competition that took place this past Saturday, April 7 at New York City's Gramercy Theater.
Metal Mike judged competing bands from nine School Of Rock locations, with the winning honors ultimately going to the Tenafly, New Jersey school for their rendition of METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets".
During the evening, Mike additionally joined the winners for a performance of HALFORD's "Locked And Loaded".
"I had a great time with the young metalheads," said Mike. "It is just killer to see so much passion and talent. I have seen the kids perform great tracks by JUDAS PRIEST, NIGHTWISH, MAIDEN, DEATH and SABBATH, among others, and let's face it — carrying the torch is what it is all about. For me, the big picture is partly about embracing the up-coming generation of metal musicians and giving them a supportive hand to help them grow and become as great as they wish to be."
Mike is currently putting the finishing touches on his solo album, "The Metalworker". The CD features Mike along musicians Kevin Talley (DAATH, MISERY INDEX, SIX FEET UNDER), Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X) and Carlos Zema (ex-OUTWORLD).
Metal Mike judged competing bands from nine School Of Rock locations, with the winning honors ultimately going to the Tenafly, New Jersey school for their rendition of METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets".
During the evening, Mike additionally joined the winners for a performance of HALFORD's "Locked And Loaded".
"I had a great time with the young metalheads," said Mike. "It is just killer to see so much passion and talent. I have seen the kids perform great tracks by JUDAS PRIEST, NIGHTWISH, MAIDEN, DEATH and SABBATH, among others, and let's face it — carrying the torch is what it is all about. For me, the big picture is partly about embracing the up-coming generation of metal musicians and giving them a supportive hand to help them grow and become as great as they wish to be."
Mike is currently putting the finishing touches on his solo album, "The Metalworker". The CD features Mike along musicians Kevin Talley (DAATH, MISERY INDEX, SIX FEET UNDER), Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X) and Carlos Zema (ex-OUTWORLD).
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED — the project led by acclaimed metal drummer Richard Christy (ICED EARTH, DEATH, LEASH LAW, CONTROL DENIED, BURNING INSIDE) — has been added to Orion Music + More, the two-day festival created by METALLICA that will take place on June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
An entire stage at Orion Music + More devoted to punk and thrash music — Damage Inc. Stage — will be headlined by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and SEPULTURA, and will feature up-and-comers TORCHE, RED FANG, KYNG, LANDMINE MARATHON, BLACK TUSK, THY WILL BE DONE, and more.
Orion Music + More will feature multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of METALLICA's bandmembers' many personal interests. METALLICA will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and play "The Black Album" in its entirety one night and "Ride The Lightning" in its entirety the other. This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012.
Orion Music + More has launched a complete web site where fans are able to explore the full Orion Music + More lineup by clicking any band name for a bio, video, streaming music and more. They will also be able to use the Custom Scheduler to make their own personalized lineup.
Tickets for Orion Music + More are currently on sale for $150 for a two-day pass including all fees. Visit www.orionmusicandmore.com to buy tickets.
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED 's "Zerospan" video can be viewed below. The clip was directed and edited by Mike Schiff (CHARRED WALL's previous video, "Ghost Town") and Sean McEwen ("Albino Farm"), with special effects/make-up by Brian Spears and Pete Gerner from G and S Effects ("Stakeland"). The lead actor in the video is Bryan Haeffele.
Commented Christy: "I'm so excited that fans will finally be able to see the 'Zerospan' video after many months of hard work! For fans of horror like myself, this video is the perfect mix of technological horror and all out brutality. The 'Zerospan' video is like a mini horror film and the story follows the lyrical subject matter perfectly and creates a haunting vision of a man absorbed by the world's ever-growing technology. What it comes down to, though, is that it's pretty much just a kick-ass heavy metal video! Big thanks to Mike, Sean, Brian, Pete, Bryan, Metal Blade, and everyone who helped make this video awesome!"
"Zerospan" comes off CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED's sophomore album, "Cold Winds On Timeless Days", which sold around 1,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 14 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.
The self-titled debut album from CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED opened with around 2,200 units to enter the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart at No. 6.
"Cold Winds On Timeless Days" was released on October 11, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. Audiohammer's Jason Suecof produced and Mark Lewis mixed, while mastering was handled by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York.
The writing process for "Cold Winds On Timeless Days" actually began while the band was mixing its 2010 debut. Christy used his experience on the first album to write songs that catered not only to each member's playing style, but to Jason Suecof's production style. The result: demos that turned out nearly identical to what ended up on the album.
With 12 songs clocking in at 58 minutes, fans are getting a lot more music this time around. Recording twelve songs in a short amount of time is no easy feat, but one that was accomplished because of the stellar talents in the band. Christy elaborates further: "I wanted to get a natural sound out of this album, I wanted everyone to be well rehearsed, not that I wanted the album to be rushed, but I wanted the spontaneous live feel and not over think anything too much." Christy describes "Cold Winds on Timeless Days" as a "perfect storm of producing."
"Cold Winds On Timeless Days" track listing:
01. Timeless Days
02. Ashes Falling Upon Us
03. Zerospan
04. Cold Winds
05. Lead The Way
06. Forever Marching On
07. Guiding Me
08. The Beast Outside My Window
09. On Unclean Ground
10. Bloodworm
11. Admire The Heroes
12. Avoid The Light
The cover artwork for the album can be seen below.
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED's recording lineup:
* Richard Christy - Drums
* Jason Suecof - Guitar, Producer
* Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH) - Vocals
* Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT) – Bass
An entire stage at Orion Music + More devoted to punk and thrash music — Damage Inc. Stage — will be headlined by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and SEPULTURA, and will feature up-and-comers TORCHE, RED FANG, KYNG, LANDMINE MARATHON, BLACK TUSK, THY WILL BE DONE, and more.
Orion Music + More will feature multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of METALLICA's bandmembers' many personal interests. METALLICA will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and play "The Black Album" in its entirety one night and "Ride The Lightning" in its entirety the other. This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012.
Orion Music + More has launched a complete web site where fans are able to explore the full Orion Music + More lineup by clicking any band name for a bio, video, streaming music and more. They will also be able to use the Custom Scheduler to make their own personalized lineup.
Tickets for Orion Music + More are currently on sale for $150 for a two-day pass including all fees. Visit www.orionmusicandmore.com to buy tickets.
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED 's "Zerospan" video can be viewed below. The clip was directed and edited by Mike Schiff (CHARRED WALL's previous video, "Ghost Town") and Sean McEwen ("Albino Farm"), with special effects/make-up by Brian Spears and Pete Gerner from G and S Effects ("Stakeland"). The lead actor in the video is Bryan Haeffele.
Commented Christy: "I'm so excited that fans will finally be able to see the 'Zerospan' video after many months of hard work! For fans of horror like myself, this video is the perfect mix of technological horror and all out brutality. The 'Zerospan' video is like a mini horror film and the story follows the lyrical subject matter perfectly and creates a haunting vision of a man absorbed by the world's ever-growing technology. What it comes down to, though, is that it's pretty much just a kick-ass heavy metal video! Big thanks to Mike, Sean, Brian, Pete, Bryan, Metal Blade, and everyone who helped make this video awesome!"
"Zerospan" comes off CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED's sophomore album, "Cold Winds On Timeless Days", which sold around 1,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 14 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.
The self-titled debut album from CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED opened with around 2,200 units to enter the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart at No. 6.
"Cold Winds On Timeless Days" was released on October 11, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. Audiohammer's Jason Suecof produced and Mark Lewis mixed, while mastering was handled by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York.
The writing process for "Cold Winds On Timeless Days" actually began while the band was mixing its 2010 debut. Christy used his experience on the first album to write songs that catered not only to each member's playing style, but to Jason Suecof's production style. The result: demos that turned out nearly identical to what ended up on the album.
With 12 songs clocking in at 58 minutes, fans are getting a lot more music this time around. Recording twelve songs in a short amount of time is no easy feat, but one that was accomplished because of the stellar talents in the band. Christy elaborates further: "I wanted to get a natural sound out of this album, I wanted everyone to be well rehearsed, not that I wanted the album to be rushed, but I wanted the spontaneous live feel and not over think anything too much." Christy describes "Cold Winds on Timeless Days" as a "perfect storm of producing."
"Cold Winds On Timeless Days" track listing:
01. Timeless Days
02. Ashes Falling Upon Us
03. Zerospan
04. Cold Winds
05. Lead The Way
06. Forever Marching On
07. Guiding Me
08. The Beast Outside My Window
09. On Unclean Ground
10. Bloodworm
11. Admire The Heroes
12. Avoid The Light
The cover artwork for the album can be seen below.
CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED's recording lineup:
* Richard Christy - Drums
* Jason Suecof - Guitar, Producer
* Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH) - Vocals
* Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT) – Bass
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/charredwindsnew.jpg
AHAB, the German funeral doom metal band featuring former MIDNATTSOL members Daniel Droste (guitar/vocals) and Christian Hector (guitar), has revealed the track listing for its third album, "The Giant", to be released later in the year via Napalm Records. The CD features cover artwork (see below) by acclaimed artist Sebastian Jerke (LONG DISTANCE CALLING) and a guest appearance by ENSLAVED vocalist/keyboardist Herbrand Larsen.
"The Giant" track listing:
01. Further South
02. Aeons Elapse
03. Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead)
04. Antarctica The Polymorphess
05. Fathoms Deep Below
06. The Giant
07. Time's Like Molten Lead (digipak and vinyl bonus track)
08. Evening Star (vinyl-only bonus track)
The first in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from "The Giant" recording sessions can be seen below.
AHAB's sophomore album, "The Divinity Of Oceans", was released in July 2009 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "The Call of the Wretched Sea" contains seven songs and is based on the wreckage of the Essex.
AHAB is named after Captain Ahab, a character in the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Along with its name, the band also draws thematic and lyrical inspiration from "Moby Dick" — some songs even feature direct quotations from the book.
AHAB is:
Daniel Droste: Guitar, Voices, Synths
Christian Hector: Guitar
Stephan Wandernoth: Bass
Cornelius Althammer: Drums
"The Giant" track listing:
01. Further South
02. Aeons Elapse
03. Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead)
04. Antarctica The Polymorphess
05. Fathoms Deep Below
06. The Giant
07. Time's Like Molten Lead (digipak and vinyl bonus track)
08. Evening Star (vinyl-only bonus track)
The first in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from "The Giant" recording sessions can be seen below.
AHAB's sophomore album, "The Divinity Of Oceans", was released in July 2009 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "The Call of the Wretched Sea" contains seven songs and is based on the wreckage of the Essex.
AHAB is named after Captain Ahab, a character in the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Along with its name, the band also draws thematic and lyrical inspiration from "Moby Dick" — some songs even feature direct quotations from the book.
AHAB is:
Daniel Droste: Guitar, Voices, Synths
Christian Hector: Guitar
Stephan Wandernoth: Bass
Cornelius Althammer: Drums
Los Angeles-based goth-metallers VAMPIRES EVERWHERE! will release their sophomore album, "Hellbound And Heartless", on June 19 via Hollywood Waste Records. This release showcases the darker side of VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE!, focusing on message-driven lyrics and deriving musical influence from industrial rock icons such as MARILYN MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE.
"Hellbound And Heartless" was co-produced by the band and Mike Sarkisyan and Tommy Decker, both members of Grammy-nominated alternative-metal act SPINESHANK. Every song on the album presents a fresh, new morsel of gothic darkness for fans to sink their teeth into.
"I Can't Breathe", the first track to be revealed from the new album, recently premiered with Alternative Press and received an overwhelming positive response.
VAMPIRES EVERWHERE!'s full-length debut, "Kiss The Sun Goodbye", was released in May 2011 through Hollywood Waste/Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and DEFTONES.
VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE lit the scene on fire with the release of the "Lost In The Shadows" EP. The band also completed tours across the nation with the likes of BLACK VEIL BRIDES, X JAPAN and ALESANA, among others.
"Hellbound And Heartless" was co-produced by the band and Mike Sarkisyan and Tommy Decker, both members of Grammy-nominated alternative-metal act SPINESHANK. Every song on the album presents a fresh, new morsel of gothic darkness for fans to sink their teeth into.
"I Can't Breathe", the first track to be revealed from the new album, recently premiered with Alternative Press and received an overwhelming positive response.
VAMPIRES EVERWHERE!'s full-length debut, "Kiss The Sun Goodbye", was released in May 2011 through Hollywood Waste/Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Fred Archambault, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and DEFTONES.
VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE lit the scene on fire with the release of the "Lost In The Shadows" EP. The band also completed tours across the nation with the likes of BLACK VEIL BRIDES, X JAPAN and ALESANA, among others.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale called people who read gossip tabloids "sour vicarious-living parasites" in a new interview with Spinner. The private life of Rossdale and his wife, NO DOUBT singer Gwen Stefani, has been tabloid fodder in recent months due to previously unrevealed relationships in Rossdale's past and rumors about the couple divorcing. Rossdale said at one point in the interview, "There are five or six cars that follow Gwen and the kids around every day, and I'm lucky if I can catch up."
He added, "People ask me how I put up with that? Well, until I walk through an airport and I don't see everyone reading those magazines, I have no choice. As long as people are buying in, it will feed itself. It's been like that forever. Throughout history there have been schools of great learning, artists, thinkers, and explorers — and then you'd have these sour vicarious-living parasites."
Rossdale has made headlines recently due to a teenage affair with British transgender singer Marilyn, his alleged fling with singer Courtney Love while dating Stefani, and speculation that he and Stefani were splitting.
Paparazzi constantly stake out their home, taking pictures of the couple and their two young sons. When asked how he feels about people knowing him not from his music but just from being married to Stefani, Rossdale replied, "I don't sweat it. The world is massive, and there are so many things to be in to: another band, a novel, TV, Cheetos, or nothing."
Despite the press attention, Rossdale told The Pulse Of Radio that he and Stefani are always willing to talk with fans who want to come up and say hello. "We try and be super gracious to anybody that comes up, because it always takes a bit of courage to do that stuff, and so the wackiest thing you could ever do is be like graceless in that situation and make someone feel bad when they're already in a potentially vulnerable position, you know," he said.
BUSH released its first album in a decade, "The Sea Of Memories", last year. The set contained the band's first chart-topping hit in 12 years, "The Sound Of Winter".
The latest single and video from the disc is "Baby Come Home".
BUSH starts a tour as openers for NICKELBACK on Tuesday (April 10) in Moline, Illinois. Also on the bill are SEETHER and MY DARKEST DAYS.
He added, "People ask me how I put up with that? Well, until I walk through an airport and I don't see everyone reading those magazines, I have no choice. As long as people are buying in, it will feed itself. It's been like that forever. Throughout history there have been schools of great learning, artists, thinkers, and explorers — and then you'd have these sour vicarious-living parasites."
Rossdale has made headlines recently due to a teenage affair with British transgender singer Marilyn, his alleged fling with singer Courtney Love while dating Stefani, and speculation that he and Stefani were splitting.
Paparazzi constantly stake out their home, taking pictures of the couple and their two young sons. When asked how he feels about people knowing him not from his music but just from being married to Stefani, Rossdale replied, "I don't sweat it. The world is massive, and there are so many things to be in to: another band, a novel, TV, Cheetos, or nothing."
Despite the press attention, Rossdale told The Pulse Of Radio that he and Stefani are always willing to talk with fans who want to come up and say hello. "We try and be super gracious to anybody that comes up, because it always takes a bit of courage to do that stuff, and so the wackiest thing you could ever do is be like graceless in that situation and make someone feel bad when they're already in a potentially vulnerable position, you know," he said.
BUSH released its first album in a decade, "The Sea Of Memories", last year. The set contained the band's first chart-topping hit in 12 years, "The Sound Of Winter".
The latest single and video from the disc is "Baby Come Home".
BUSH starts a tour as openers for NICKELBACK on Tuesday (April 10) in Moline, Illinois. Also on the bill are SEETHER and MY DARKEST DAYS.
Arizona-based death/thrash metallers SARGON have completed work on their new EP, "The Bitter End", at Arcane Digital Recording studios in Chandler, Arizona with producer Ryan Butler (EXHUMED, MISERY INDEX, LANDMINE MARATHON). This marks the first SARGON recording to feature bassist Kelly Conlon (DEATH, MONSTROSITY) and new drummer Rickard Stjernquist (JAG PANZER).
SARGON once again utilized the services of Panamanian guitar virtuoso Rod Denis, who previously recorded lead guitar tracks on the band's full-length debut album, "In Contempt", released last year via Old Cemetery Records.
Due to be released digitally on Tuesday, April 24, "The Bitter End" will feature the following track listing:
01. The Bitter End (Conlon, Van Kwartel)
02. Wretched Affliction (Van Kwartel)
03. Thrash N' Roll (Van Kwartel) (remastered bonus track from "In Contempt")
SARGON 2012 is:
Frank Van Kwartel: Guitar, Vocals
Kelly Conlon: Bass
Rickard Stjernquist: Drums
SARGON is scheduled to perform at the Central Illinois Deathfest on Friday, July 13.
SARGON once again utilized the services of Panamanian guitar virtuoso Rod Denis, who previously recorded lead guitar tracks on the band's full-length debut album, "In Contempt", released last year via Old Cemetery Records.
Due to be released digitally on Tuesday, April 24, "The Bitter End" will feature the following track listing:
01. The Bitter End (Conlon, Van Kwartel)
02. Wretched Affliction (Van Kwartel)
03. Thrash N' Roll (Van Kwartel) (remastered bonus track from "In Contempt")
SARGON 2012 is:
Frank Van Kwartel: Guitar, Vocals
Kelly Conlon: Bass
Rickard Stjernquist: Drums
SARGON is scheduled to perform at the Central Illinois Deathfest on Friday, July 13.
Stockholm, Sweden-based label Threeman Recordings, which is owned and run by members of ENTOMBED, recently launched a new collaboration with Ninetone Records. The first release under this arrangement will be a single for the re-recorded version of the song "Amok" from ENTOMBED's 2007 album, "Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments", produced by Patrik Frisk (CORRODED). A May 23 release is expected.
"Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments" was released in the U.S. on July 31, 2007 via Candlelight/Threeman Recordings. The 10-song effort marked the group's first release with drummer Olle Dahlstedt (ALPHA SAFARI, ex-MISERY LOVES CO.), who replaced Peter Stjärnvind in 2006. Mastering duties were handled by Soren Elofsson at Cosmos Mastering in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 3. This was the highest chart position in the band's career.
The current lineup of ENTOMBED features Victor Brandt (TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER, AEON, SATYRICON) and second guitarist Nico Elgstrand (who previously played bass for the group).
In a May 2011 interview with the Stormbringer.at webzine, ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to "Serpent Saints", "We're just taking our time getting the pieces together properly this time. We just wanna make sure that it's a really good album. Now we have a complete lineup again also, and a lot of fresh, new blood as well. So it's gonna be fun to create something new now. . . We wanna get the group together and get a strong foundation to create something good; that's the goal here. . . We'll just concentrate on [creating] something great."
He added, "I [try not] to focus on too much at the same time. [My attitude] is 'Let's just make one great song to start with,' and then we'll take it from there. . . We have a pretty broad palette of things we can do, and we'll try and find a place for anything. 'Cause we enjoy everything from the fastest death/black metal stuff to whatever, so the songs that we come up with, we'll just have to find a space for them — some stuff might be [releases as] an album, some stuff might be a single…"
He continued, "I think it's kind of boring, in a way, to just think in terms of a full-length] 'album,' especially when nobody seems to really create classic albums anymore, and a lot of people don't even buy them anymore. If wanna record our favorite cover songs, there should be a place for that as well.
"It's been four years [since the last album came out] and I feel that we have so much creativity in the band and so many things that we can all put under this roof of things that we like collectively. And what I wanna do is for us to find a way to channel all our creativity and also make it the best and the greatest it can be."
"Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments" was released in the U.S. on July 31, 2007 via Candlelight/Threeman Recordings. The 10-song effort marked the group's first release with drummer Olle Dahlstedt (ALPHA SAFARI, ex-MISERY LOVES CO.), who replaced Peter Stjärnvind in 2006. Mastering duties were handled by Soren Elofsson at Cosmos Mastering in Stockholm, Sweden.
"Serpent Saints - The Ten Amendments" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 3. This was the highest chart position in the band's career.
The current lineup of ENTOMBED features Victor Brandt (TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER, AEON, SATYRICON) and second guitarist Nico Elgstrand (who previously played bass for the group).
In a May 2011 interview with the Stormbringer.at webzine, ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the long-awaited follow-up to "Serpent Saints", "We're just taking our time getting the pieces together properly this time. We just wanna make sure that it's a really good album. Now we have a complete lineup again also, and a lot of fresh, new blood as well. So it's gonna be fun to create something new now. . . We wanna get the group together and get a strong foundation to create something good; that's the goal here. . . We'll just concentrate on [creating] something great."
He added, "I [try not] to focus on too much at the same time. [My attitude] is 'Let's just make one great song to start with,' and then we'll take it from there. . . We have a pretty broad palette of things we can do, and we'll try and find a place for anything. 'Cause we enjoy everything from the fastest death/black metal stuff to whatever, so the songs that we come up with, we'll just have to find a space for them — some stuff might be [releases as] an album, some stuff might be a single…"
He continued, "I think it's kind of boring, in a way, to just think in terms of a full-length] 'album,' especially when nobody seems to really create classic albums anymore, and a lot of people don't even buy them anymore. If wanna record our favorite cover songs, there should be a place for that as well.
"It's been four years [since the last album came out] and I feel that we have so much creativity in the band and so many things that we can all put under this roof of things that we like collectively. And what I wanna do is for us to find a way to channel all our creativity and also make it the best and the greatest it can be."
Swedish black metallers WATAIN have been forced to cancel the first five shows (including one headlining performance) of their previously announced North American tour — scheduled to start tomorrow (Wednesday, April 11) in Columbus, Ohio — due to delays in the visa process.
Comments the band in a collective statement: "It's not the first time the law stands in our way trying to prevent us from doing our work, and just like all the previous times, it will lay broken and humiliated eventually. We are content we will be victorious. Meanwhile, we ask all our U.S. supporters to have patience and prepare themselves for the coming of WATAIN!"
WATAIN's first show as part of the Decibel Magazine Tour 2012 — alongside BEHEMOTH, THE DEVIL'S BLOOD and IN SOLITUDE — will now take place on Monday, April 16 at Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kansas.
As previously reported, WATAIN will make an in-store appearance on April 25 at Dark Realm Records in Downey, California between 3:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
WATAIN will release a new DVD, "Opus Diaboli", in North America on June 5. The production commemorates the band's 13 years of chaos by providing a visual and audio documentation of their ceremonial anniversary concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it. "Opus Diaboli" is an epic 90-minute journey into the forbidden realms of wild-hearted Satanic metal and the manifestation of a unique band that has truly chosen a path few have ever dared to tread upon.
Comments the band in a collective statement: "This movie was first meant to be the recording of our 13-year anniversary concert, but as everything with WATAIN, it took on a life of its own and become one of our most ambitious projects to date. It is a very personal and emotional piece of work and is certainly not for the faint of heart. But for those who wish to explore the glimmering abyss of WATAIN further, this will be a rewarding release for sure. The box version of 'Opus Diaboli' [available exclusively through the band's own Wolfwear.net] contains an exclusive photobook. It was an overwhelming experience going through the massive archives in search of photos that best sum up the storm of passionate turmoil that has marked the WATAIN journey, especially since we wanted to stay away from live photos and focus more on moments off stage. The results were however very satisfying and offer a rare and spicy mixture of photos of which most have never been published previously. We are also proud to announce that this will be the first release on our own label His Master's Noise, a name originating from BATHORY who had it in mind for their own label back in the early 1980s. Just like with our merch store Wolfwear.net, from which the limited box set will be available, this time we have chosen to stand by our own and do things our way."
"Opus Diaboli" DVD: A four-panel digipack including the DVD, two audio CDs featuring the full concert plus a 16-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.
"Opus Diaboli" box: Limited 12-inch box including the DVD, two audio CDs and two LPs featuring the full concert plus an exclusive 64-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.
Comments the band in a collective statement: "It's not the first time the law stands in our way trying to prevent us from doing our work, and just like all the previous times, it will lay broken and humiliated eventually. We are content we will be victorious. Meanwhile, we ask all our U.S. supporters to have patience and prepare themselves for the coming of WATAIN!"
WATAIN's first show as part of the Decibel Magazine Tour 2012 — alongside BEHEMOTH, THE DEVIL'S BLOOD and IN SOLITUDE — will now take place on Monday, April 16 at Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kansas.
As previously reported, WATAIN will make an in-store appearance on April 25 at Dark Realm Records in Downey, California between 3:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
WATAIN will release a new DVD, "Opus Diaboli", in North America on June 5. The production commemorates the band's 13 years of chaos by providing a visual and audio documentation of their ceremonial anniversary concert performance in Stockholm and the long years of physical, intellectual and spiritual work leading up to it. "Opus Diaboli" is an epic 90-minute journey into the forbidden realms of wild-hearted Satanic metal and the manifestation of a unique band that has truly chosen a path few have ever dared to tread upon.
Comments the band in a collective statement: "This movie was first meant to be the recording of our 13-year anniversary concert, but as everything with WATAIN, it took on a life of its own and become one of our most ambitious projects to date. It is a very personal and emotional piece of work and is certainly not for the faint of heart. But for those who wish to explore the glimmering abyss of WATAIN further, this will be a rewarding release for sure. The box version of 'Opus Diaboli' [available exclusively through the band's own Wolfwear.net] contains an exclusive photobook. It was an overwhelming experience going through the massive archives in search of photos that best sum up the storm of passionate turmoil that has marked the WATAIN journey, especially since we wanted to stay away from live photos and focus more on moments off stage. The results were however very satisfying and offer a rare and spicy mixture of photos of which most have never been published previously. We are also proud to announce that this will be the first release on our own label His Master's Noise, a name originating from BATHORY who had it in mind for their own label back in the early 1980s. Just like with our merch store Wolfwear.net, from which the limited box set will be available, this time we have chosen to stand by our own and do things our way."
"Opus Diaboli" DVD: A four-panel digipack including the DVD, two audio CDs featuring the full concert plus a 16-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.
"Opus Diaboli" box: Limited 12-inch box including the DVD, two audio CDs and two LPs featuring the full concert plus an exclusive 64-page booklet with historical photos and flyers.
Legendary grind merchants PHOBIA are set to scathe the masses with their fifth studio offering, "Remnants Of Filth", on June 5 through Willowtip Records. Produced and mixed by Scott Hull (PIG DESTROYER, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED) at Visceral Sound Studios in Bethesda, Maryland and engineered by Mike Harrison at Winter Skies Productions in San Antonio, Texas, the CD offers up 18 pile-driving, socio-political grind hymns in 19 minutes. The band — vocalist Shane "The Pain" Mclachlan, bassist Calum MacKenzie, drummer Bryan Fajardo and guitarists Dorian Rainwater and CC Loessin — has crafted one of the most punishing efforts of their winding discography of wrath.
Comments Mclachlan of the offering: "'Remnants Of Filth' is a brutal, in-depth grind record that I feel represents what this band is all about, from past to present. This is total brutal grindcore at its best with nothing less than the 100% punk-as-fuck attitude to compliment what this band is all about!"
"Remnants Of Filth" track listing:
01. Assertion To Demean
02. Contradiction
03. Submission Hold
04. Plagued By The System
05. Dementia Having Overdose
06. Got The Fear
07. Infraction Of Pride
08. Resolution
09. Let It Go
10. Deaden To Believe
11. Vengeance Will Be Mine
12. No Sympathy For The Weak
13. Freedom Isn't Free
14. Atrocious Atrocity
15. Filthy Fucking Punks
16. Constrain Relations
17. Resuscitate
18. Inaction
PHOBIA will be devastating stages throughout North America in the coming months.
Formed in Orange County California in 1990 by Shane Mclachlan, PHOBIA have been punishing ears with their murderous socio-political grinding noise assault for over two decades, dealing out their savage combination of the energy and ideals of hardcore punk with the power and brutality of early grind.
Comments Mclachlan of the offering: "'Remnants Of Filth' is a brutal, in-depth grind record that I feel represents what this band is all about, from past to present. This is total brutal grindcore at its best with nothing less than the 100% punk-as-fuck attitude to compliment what this band is all about!"
"Remnants Of Filth" track listing:
01. Assertion To Demean
02. Contradiction
03. Submission Hold
04. Plagued By The System
05. Dementia Having Overdose
06. Got The Fear
07. Infraction Of Pride
08. Resolution
09. Let It Go
10. Deaden To Believe
11. Vengeance Will Be Mine
12. No Sympathy For The Weak
13. Freedom Isn't Free
14. Atrocious Atrocity
15. Filthy Fucking Punks
16. Constrain Relations
17. Resuscitate
18. Inaction
PHOBIA will be devastating stages throughout North America in the coming months.
Formed in Orange County California in 1990 by Shane Mclachlan, PHOBIA have been punishing ears with their murderous socio-political grinding noise assault for over two decades, dealing out their savage combination of the energy and ideals of hardcore punk with the power and brutality of early grind.
Dutch death metallers BODYFARM have inked a deal with Cyclone Empire. The band's full-length debut, "Malevolence", will be released later in the year.
According to a press relese, BODYFARM's "crushing death metal will appeal to fans of bands such as MASSACRE, HAIL OF BULLETS, MALEVOLENT CREATION, GOD DETHRONED and BOLT THROWER."
Commented BODYFARM: "We are very proud to announce that we have signed a record deal with Cyclone Empire Records. This is a milestone for us, since we have found a reliable, experienced and professional record company in Cyclone Empire Records. We're having a very good feeling about the collaboration between BODYFARM and the Empire and the future looks bright!"
Formed in 2009 by Quint Meerbeek (drums) and Thomas Wouters (guitars, vocals), BODYFARM's self-titled debut EP came out in 2010.
BODYFARM is:
Quint Meerbeek - Drums
Thomas Wouters - Guitar/Vocals
Mathieu Westerveld - Bass
Bram Hilhorst – Guitar
According to a press relese, BODYFARM's "crushing death metal will appeal to fans of bands such as MASSACRE, HAIL OF BULLETS, MALEVOLENT CREATION, GOD DETHRONED and BOLT THROWER."
Commented BODYFARM: "We are very proud to announce that we have signed a record deal with Cyclone Empire Records. This is a milestone for us, since we have found a reliable, experienced and professional record company in Cyclone Empire Records. We're having a very good feeling about the collaboration between BODYFARM and the Empire and the future looks bright!"
Formed in 2009 by Quint Meerbeek (drums) and Thomas Wouters (guitars, vocals), BODYFARM's self-titled debut EP came out in 2010.
BODYFARM is:
Quint Meerbeek - Drums
Thomas Wouters - Guitar/Vocals
Mathieu Westerveld - Bass
Bram Hilhorst – Guitar
Finnish black metallers BEHEXEN have inked a deal with Debemur Morti Productions. The band's as-yet-untitled fourth album is tentatively due at the end of September. The nine-song CD will feature cover artwork by K. Lehto from Crimson Wine. The CD and vinyl layout will be completed by Babalon Graphics.
BEHEXEN's third album, "My Soul For His Glory", was released in 2008 via Hammer Of Hate.
Debemur Morti Productions previously reissued the BEHEXEN / HORNA split.
According to a press release, "BEHEXEN, with original members Torog and Horns, is, and always will be, black metal in its blackest and rawest form."
BEHEXEN's third album, "My Soul For His Glory", was released in 2008 via Hammer Of Hate.
Debemur Morti Productions previously reissued the BEHEXEN / HORNA split.
According to a press release, "BEHEXEN, with original members Torog and Horns, is, and always will be, black metal in its blackest and rawest form."
__._,_.___
.
__,_._,___
0 comments:
Post a Comment