Chuck Armstrong of Free Gotham recently conducted an interview with former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans about Mark's new book, "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC". An excerpt from the chat follows below.
Free Gotham: What made you decide to write this book? You were with AC/DC in the '70s, thirty years later, why now?
Mark: I've been approached on a number of occasions to write a book. Obviously, at the outset, publishers wanted me to write basically a tell-all about AC/DC. But it's not a band that you would be in and do that, you know? The timing of the book is interesting. After publishers told me, "You should write about this," I just kept saying I don't think so. I came to a point, though, in my life where there were a couple of things that spun me around on a family level. It just seemed like the right time to sit down and draw a breath, not necessarily to write a book about AC/DC, but write a book, as you know, that is a memoir. It's an autobiography. If I write just about my time in AC/DC, it wouldn't make too much sense because a lot of the things I've done since AC/DC were actually influenced by when I was a kid.
Free Gotham: That makes sense. I mean, the title of the book is inside and outside of the band. It covers everything.
Mark: The majority of the story is with AC/DC. But I was very aware to write about my whole life so far. The timing was right. The time became right for me on a personal level to put my thoughts down on paper. The process was very interesting. When I was writing, man, I was cracking up laughing at some of the stories. We definitely got down to some interesting stuff. There are some great memories, man. I really cherish my memories from my time with the band. We really were a great band. We worked hard, we played hard. There was nothing to stop us. I would've loved to continue on with the band, but that's just the way life is.
Free Gotham: You say you laughed and there are obviously some great stories in the book. There are also some tough stories, though. What was the hardest part about writing the book?
Mark: It surprised me, really. In the book there are a couple of family losses. The one that surprised me was writing about losing my father. I was prepared to write about the other stuff that happened later in life because I've grown to live with that stuff on a daily basis. But, writing about losing my father…you know, it's a memory you'll always have. You'll take that with you. I was 12 years old when I lost my father. But recounting, in detail, what happened say in the last four or five hours, I went right back into pretty sort of graphic detail. I got back into living that. It knocked me around. To go back and relive it, I could even smell things. Part of what caught me on it, though, was at that time my youngest daughter, Virginia, was 12 years old. Looking at that from my father's eyes, I thought about the effect it would have on Virginia. I found that very, very difficult to contend with. And to be quite honest, speaking about it now is not particularly easy. I can feel things welling up. You're writing with an adult sensibility and looking back at that 12-year-old kid and thinking, "Oh my God, what a terrible thing to happen." It was a terrible thing to happen, it's a terrible thing to happen to anyone. The end wasn't pretty, either, you know? In essence, that was the most difficult thing to write about.
Free Gotham: What made you decide to write this book? You were with AC/DC in the '70s, thirty years later, why now?
Mark: I've been approached on a number of occasions to write a book. Obviously, at the outset, publishers wanted me to write basically a tell-all about AC/DC. But it's not a band that you would be in and do that, you know? The timing of the book is interesting. After publishers told me, "You should write about this," I just kept saying I don't think so. I came to a point, though, in my life where there were a couple of things that spun me around on a family level. It just seemed like the right time to sit down and draw a breath, not necessarily to write a book about AC/DC, but write a book, as you know, that is a memoir. It's an autobiography. If I write just about my time in AC/DC, it wouldn't make too much sense because a lot of the things I've done since AC/DC were actually influenced by when I was a kid.
Free Gotham: That makes sense. I mean, the title of the book is inside and outside of the band. It covers everything.
Mark: The majority of the story is with AC/DC. But I was very aware to write about my whole life so far. The timing was right. The time became right for me on a personal level to put my thoughts down on paper. The process was very interesting. When I was writing, man, I was cracking up laughing at some of the stories. We definitely got down to some interesting stuff. There are some great memories, man. I really cherish my memories from my time with the band. We really were a great band. We worked hard, we played hard. There was nothing to stop us. I would've loved to continue on with the band, but that's just the way life is.
Free Gotham: You say you laughed and there are obviously some great stories in the book. There are also some tough stories, though. What was the hardest part about writing the book?
Mark: It surprised me, really. In the book there are a couple of family losses. The one that surprised me was writing about losing my father. I was prepared to write about the other stuff that happened later in life because I've grown to live with that stuff on a daily basis. But, writing about losing my father…you know, it's a memory you'll always have. You'll take that with you. I was 12 years old when I lost my father. But recounting, in detail, what happened say in the last four or five hours, I went right back into pretty sort of graphic detail. I got back into living that. It knocked me around. To go back and relive it, I could even smell things. Part of what caught me on it, though, was at that time my youngest daughter, Virginia, was 12 years old. Looking at that from my father's eyes, I thought about the effect it would have on Virginia. I found that very, very difficult to contend with. And to be quite honest, speaking about it now is not particularly easy. I can feel things welling up. You're writing with an adult sensibility and looking back at that 12-year-old kid and thinking, "Oh my God, what a terrible thing to happen." It was a terrible thing to happen, it's a terrible thing to happen to anyone. The end wasn't pretty, either, you know? In essence, that was the most difficult thing to write about.
According to BBC News, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson has launched an aircraft maintenance business, Cardiff Aviation Ltd, which will be based at the Twin Peaks Hangar at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, United Kingdom. Dickinson, a qualified commercial pilot, and his company is leasing the 132,000 square-foot hangar from the Welsh government.
Cardiff Aviation will maintain airliners and other large aircraft for major and independent airlines. It will also have facilities to complete the full range of ancillary aircraft maintenance and training activities and has the expertise and approvals to certify aircraft from many jurisdictions, including the USA.
Commented Dickinson: "We're coming into this enterprise with the knowledge that we'll also be bringing business to south Wales.
"South Wales has long had an association with the aircraft industry and I am delighted that I am able to have a small part in the continuation of that tradition."
Cardiff Aviation will maintain airliners and other large aircraft for major and independent airlines. It will also have facilities to complete the full range of ancillary aircraft maintenance and training activities and has the expertise and approvals to certify aircraft from many jurisdictions, including the USA.
Commented Dickinson: "We're coming into this enterprise with the knowledge that we'll also be bringing business to south Wales.
"South Wales has long had an association with the aircraft industry and I am delighted that I am able to have a small part in the continuation of that tradition."
California thrash metal veterans SLAYER have released the following "open letter" to their "fans around the world":
"SLAYER fans everywhere — it's time to let you know what is going on with our brother Jeff Hanneman [guitar].
"As you know, Jeff was bitten by a spider more than a year ago, but what you may not have known was that for a couple of days after he went to the ER, things were touch-and-go. There was talk that he might have to have his arm amputated, and we didn't know if he was going to pull through at all. He was in a medically-induced coma for a few days and had several operations to remove the dead and dying tissue from his arm. So, understand, he was in really, really bad shape. It's been about a year since he got out of the hospital, and since then, he had to learn to walk again, he's had several painful skin grafts, he's been in rehab doing exercises to regain the strength in his arm; but best of all, he's been playing guitar. We were all excited when he joined us onstage for the encore a year ago at the 'Big Four' show at Coachella. Since then, we've given him all the time and support he's needed to continue his rehab so he can come back to the band fully recovered and able to deliver the kind of shows we all want him to.
"While Jeff's been doing some writing and has been coming to rehearsal over the past several weeks, he has decided he needs to take more time to continue his rehab. While we want him back onstage with the band, all of us support his decision. So, we're very grateful that Gary Holt [EXODUS] will continue to fill in for Jeff, and will tour with us until Jeff completes his rehab and is ready to return. How long will that be? The best and most honest answer we can give you is 'as long as it takes.' We also wanted you to know that we've been doing some writing and recording for the next SLAYER album — we've tracked a few songs, and will finish the album when we're off the road later this year. Gary will join us on tour in Europe and the U.K. in May and June, and then we'll all see you on this summer's [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem Festival."
In a fall 2011 intervew with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Hanneman said that was kicking back in a hot tub with a couple of beers when noticed a spider bite him on the arm.
"Didn't even feel it," he said. "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill." On his way to the hospital, "I could see the flesh corrupting," he recalled. "The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was. By chance, although it's pretty rare, she had seen a case a little while before. At that point, I was an hour away from death."
Although the spider bite itself was not serious, it had caused bacterial infection in the deeper layers of the skin and tissues of the arm.
"Unbelivably, the doctor was a SLAYER fan," said Hanneman, "First thing he said to me was: 'First I am going to save your life. Then I am going to save your arm. Then I am going to save your career.'"
Hanneman underwent emergency surgery to remove the dead and dying tissue. The doctor was able to save the muscles and the tendons, but the guitarist had a large open wound on his arm. He spent the next two months in hospital, having extensive skin grafts and heavy doses of antibiotics to suppress the infection.
"I had to learn to walk again," Hanneman said: "I hadn't stood up for a month, apart from anything else. The skin grafts were very painful and all the muscles and tendons in the arm where very weak. That was OK, though. I count myself lucky that the nurse and doctor knew right away what had happened to me, because things could have been a whole lot worse."
"SLAYER fans everywhere — it's time to let you know what is going on with our brother Jeff Hanneman [guitar].
"As you know, Jeff was bitten by a spider more than a year ago, but what you may not have known was that for a couple of days after he went to the ER, things were touch-and-go. There was talk that he might have to have his arm amputated, and we didn't know if he was going to pull through at all. He was in a medically-induced coma for a few days and had several operations to remove the dead and dying tissue from his arm. So, understand, he was in really, really bad shape. It's been about a year since he got out of the hospital, and since then, he had to learn to walk again, he's had several painful skin grafts, he's been in rehab doing exercises to regain the strength in his arm; but best of all, he's been playing guitar. We were all excited when he joined us onstage for the encore a year ago at the 'Big Four' show at Coachella. Since then, we've given him all the time and support he's needed to continue his rehab so he can come back to the band fully recovered and able to deliver the kind of shows we all want him to.
"While Jeff's been doing some writing and has been coming to rehearsal over the past several weeks, he has decided he needs to take more time to continue his rehab. While we want him back onstage with the band, all of us support his decision. So, we're very grateful that Gary Holt [EXODUS] will continue to fill in for Jeff, and will tour with us until Jeff completes his rehab and is ready to return. How long will that be? The best and most honest answer we can give you is 'as long as it takes.' We also wanted you to know that we've been doing some writing and recording for the next SLAYER album — we've tracked a few songs, and will finish the album when we're off the road later this year. Gary will join us on tour in Europe and the U.K. in May and June, and then we'll all see you on this summer's [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem Festival."
In a fall 2011 intervew with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Hanneman said that was kicking back in a hot tub with a couple of beers when noticed a spider bite him on the arm.
"Didn't even feel it," he said. "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill." On his way to the hospital, "I could see the flesh corrupting," he recalled. "The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was. By chance, although it's pretty rare, she had seen a case a little while before. At that point, I was an hour away from death."
Although the spider bite itself was not serious, it had caused bacterial infection in the deeper layers of the skin and tissues of the arm.
"Unbelivably, the doctor was a SLAYER fan," said Hanneman, "First thing he said to me was: 'First I am going to save your life. Then I am going to save your arm. Then I am going to save your career.'"
Hanneman underwent emergency surgery to remove the dead and dying tissue. The doctor was able to save the muscles and the tendons, but the guitarist had a large open wound on his arm. He spent the next two months in hospital, having extensive skin grafts and heavy doses of antibiotics to suppress the infection.
"I had to learn to walk again," Hanneman said: "I hadn't stood up for a month, apart from anything else. The skin grafts were very painful and all the muscles and tendons in the arm where very weak. That was OK, though. I count myself lucky that the nurse and doctor knew right away what had happened to me, because things could have been a whole lot worse."
RUNNING WILD – Locomotive
Anthony Morgan
April 2012
Anthony Morgan
April 2012
On July 30th, 2009, German power metallers Running Wild performed what was billed as its 'farewell' show at the 2009 edition of Wacken Open Air. Filmed and recorded for CD and DVD purposes, the performance was issued as The Final Jolly Roger in June 2011 through Golden Core / ZYX. 13th studio full-length Rogues En Vogue had been released in February 2005 via GUN Records, which by 2009 seemed to be Running Wild's swansong effort. However, this wouldn't actually be the group's final hurrah.
"It was about 2006 where I said goodbye to Running Wild for myself," divulges Rolf Kasparek, vocalist, guitarist and co-founder of Running Wild. "I figured out that the last album was so heavy for me to write, and all the ideas didn't come out of me in the right way. There were a lot of things that I had to throw away because I figured they were not strong enough to go on the album. In around 2009 the guys from Wacken came over to me, and said 'Why don't you do a show for the fans to say goodbye?' I said 'Okay, let's try this,' so we did it. At that time I was really sure that I would end Running Wild and not do it anymore, because it didn't feel right anymore.
"When I was writing the Toxic Taste stuff, I figured out how it can feel when you write songs. Everything came out so easy and so natural, and when I was writing that I figured that it was the right feeling again because it felt like the old days. When I was writing songs like 'Under Jolly Roger' or 'Riding The Storm' and songs like that, they were all written in a very short period of time. I said 'Okay, let's try this out,' but in 2009 my batteries were empty so to speak. I really needed a break and really had to go away fully and not do it anymore, because it didn't feel right anymore. Today when I look back though, I see that I just needed a break to refill my batteries again.
"Toxic Taste was just a fun project. It was around 2010 that some record companies came to me, and said 'What about re-recording old stuff from the first nine records?' They're no longer available because of Universal in England owning the rights to them, but not putting them out again. We were talking about that, and said 'Let's do this, and re-record 20 songs or something like that.' They needed some bonus tracks for that, and when I tried to write the bonus tracks the songs for the album came out. The first track that I wrote was 'Piece Of The Action', which was way too strong to be wasted as a bonus track. The second one was 'Riding On The Tide'. The songs that I was writing were way too strong to be wasted as bonus tracks, and didn't make sense to me to be used as such. When I wrote these strong songs it made more sense to do a full album, because four songs were half an album. If I could've written half an album, I could've written a whole album no problem. They said 'Wow, a great idea. Let's do a new record,' which became Shadowmaker.
"Shadowmaker is a very modern version of Running Wild. You hear this is typical Running Wild, but we have choirs on the album and I never did that before. It's new to Running Wild. With this album Shadowmaker, I wanted to make sure it was in the present and that I'm heading for the future. Not holding onto the past and just trying to recreate it, which wouldn't make any sense to me."
The tracks present on April 2012's Shadowmaker were consciously authored within a short timeframe. "They all came just naturally in a way – I was just writing," the singer muses. "The last album took me half a year or something like that to really get the songs right and everything else right, but in this case everything went so naturally. I had a production team this time around, but on the last album I had to do everything on my own. We had to do the record because it was the last record for GUN Records, to fulfil the deal. This time there were some guys helping me out so I could really focus on what was important to me, which was to play guitar and sing the songs and just have an overall look at the production.
"The first song I wrote was 'Piece Of The Action'; I did the song in ten minutes, because the arrangement was there. It took me several hours to put down as a demo for sure, but all the other songs were written in a short period of time. The only song that took longer was the last one that I was writing, which was 'Dracula'. Originally I wanted to take just four days or something like that to do the arrangements and everything to put it down on tape, but the song was done in two hours. All the parts were there, everything. It just felt right, and so it just came out natural. That's why I said 'Okay, the time is right to do a new Running Wild album,' because the feeling was right."
Shadowmaker benefited from the involvement of longtime friend Peter Jordan, as well as Niki and Katharina Nowy. "Katharina is just my assistant; she did everything for me that could take my focus away from music," Rolf enthuses. "Niki Nowy is a mixer and a very great engineer, so that's why he did the co-production. He did the final mix, he recorded all my vocals, and he did the mastering and everything. PJ recorded the chorus and everything; we both did this together, and he did some other stuff in the studio. We worked in about two or three different studios, and put everything together. I could really focus on being a musician during the production, but on the last record it was different. I had to do everything on my own."
However, Shadowmaker can nonetheless be viewed as a solo affair. "This is a solo album, absolutely," the mainman confirms. "Running Wild became a solo project throughout the last 20 years, and this album is really a solo project. I wrote all the songs and all the lyrics, and I played most of the guitars. PJ played four guitar solos on the album because he was involved in the project, otherwise I would have played them all on my own. It's really kind of a solo project."
The compositions 'Black Shadow', 'Shadowmaker' and 'Into The Black' lyrically mark a trilogy of thematically united tracks. "'Shadowmaker' is about old prophecies, about in the Bible where this guy comes around when Judgement Day happens," Rolf discloses. "He's a debt collector of the universe I would say, so everybody will lose their soul. 'Black Shadow' and 'Into The Black' are a statement about what state the world is in today, and what mankind is heading for. If you look at the behaviour of a lot of people, and how they use their computers… A computer is a slave to me, and sometimes it feels like people are becoming slaves to computers. I don't think this is the right way to be. If you just use technology, then it's okay. It's no problem, but when it's the master so to speak you're in trouble. I always use a computer when I'm in the studio and everything for sure. We put down everything using ProTools and do the final mix and master using ProTools and stuff like that for sure, but I'm always aware that this is my slave to work for me. That's why I wrote a song like 'Into The Black', to say 'Something is going very wrong. Just think about that.'"
'I Am Who I Am', meanwhile, is more autobiographical. "It's pretty much my philosophy towards life, how I see things," the axeman states. "I always look behind the curtains. I don't accept the first layers of everything; I just wanna see behind that, what is real. I'm always a guy who takes a stand, and I never give up in a way. I always fight, because I wanna get further with what I'm doing. Not only with Running Wild, but also in my private life. It's my philosophy towards life."
A nod towards the past, tunes like 'Riding On The Tide' and 'Sailing Fire' sport the pirate theme prevalent within former Running Wild songs. "When I was writing the riff for 'Riding On The Tide' itself, it was pirate-esque," Rolf surmises. "The melody for 'Sailing Fire' feels like the open sea and everything. The melody felt like that, and that's why I wrote such lyrics."
1987's Under Jolly Roger was the beginning of Running Wild's association with the pirate theme. "It was a really hard record, because there were a lot of problems in the band," the frontman remembers. "On the other hand though it was very funny because a new kind of image started with this album, with the idea for the track 'Under Jolly Roger'. It was pretty much different, and fans liked the album. We really sold a lot more than the albums before, and the press hated the album (laughs). It was really great for us because fans really took with the band. It became a very special album, and even the song 'Under Jolly Roger' became a very, very special song for Running Wild."
The record pre-dated the emergence of the so-called pirate metal genre. "I think there are a lot of bands out there who are doing their own thing with this, because they don't try to copy Running Wild," Rolf admits. "They just do their own thing; Alestorm and all these bands, they're very much different than Running Wild."
Under Jolly Roger could perhaps become one of several Running Wild albums to be reissued through Universal Records. "I think the first one that's coming out is Gates To Purgatory (December 1984)," the vocalist recalls. "We did some re-releases on Sanctuary which included bonus tracks, so there are no more songs that I have to put on them. This is the problem. I just did an interview with Malcolm Dome though for the liner notes of Gates To Purgatory; maybe he will be doing this for all of the records, but I don't know. I really hope that they put out all of the records, but at the moment they're just trying out the first one."
'Me & The Boys' is seemingly a track penned for the fans of Running Wild. "I wrote the song because when I was growing up, Slade were a very big influence for me," Rolf cites. "That's why I did the song, because I really liked the band and still do today. That's why I wrote that song."
Closing number 'Dracula' took longer to write. "I didn't wanna write a song about the Dracula movies with Christopher Lee," the guitarist stresses. "I was pretty much more into the story of Bram Stoker with not only a blood-sucking guy, the evil guy, but also the tragic figure where he's suffering from the situation he's in, from the curse. He doesn't wanna go to hell. The song is kind of a mixture between pretty much a normal Running Wild part, but on the other hand some parts are different to what I normally write. It's kind of a mixture musically. I just wanted to represent both sides of this person Dracula. Everything came very naturally – one part after the other – so I didn't have to think about it. It just came out like that. When the part came out, I knew exactly which kind of melody I wanted for the vocals and what part of the lyrics should be there to tell the whole story from the beginning to the end."
Live dates aren't pencilled in the calendar for 2012. "The promotion of the album will take me way into the summer, and after that we have to finish Giant X," Rolf clarifies. "We've talked about maybe doing some festivals in 2013. I will ask the guys who played the Wacken show with me if they want to play these shows, but I really can't promise that these three guys (Peter Jordan, bassist Jan-Sören Eckert, and drummer Matthias Liebetruth) have the time to do it. PJ will play live with me though, for sure."
Giant X is a collaboration between the Running Wild singer, and Peter Jordan. "PJ came over with a song," he begins. "I said 'Do you wanna write lyrics for that, and who would you want to sing it?' The song is called 'Burning Wheels'; we put it out on the internet, and many people said 'Wow, this song is great.' I didn't write songs for Giant X. The songs have all been written by PJ, because I didn't want any influences from Running Wild in Giant X. It should sound different, and that's why I just write the lyrics and sing the lead vocals. They're very different lyrics. There's a new song called 'Rough Ride' and it's a very sexual song to speak (laughs), if you read between the lines. The other song we did was 'Now Or Never', which is a song about a guy who's in a very bad situation. He's looking forward though, and he says 'Now or never, I have to get myself together and just look towards the future.' The title for the song 'Burning Wheels' says it all, which is kind of a racing song. There will be totally different stuff on that album though. It will be different than Running Wild, because it's pretty much more typical rock 'n' roll stuff I would say.
"PJ plays all of the guitars and does all of the production. We wanted to get the opportunity to do a full demo with ten songs. but we had to cut it down when I started production for Shadowmaker. I couldn't do two productions together because PJ was involved in the project, in the production for Shadowmaker. Giant X is a rock 'n' roll heavy metal project, but one song has a slide guitar and is very bluesy, and we got a ballad and everything. It's totally different than Running Wild, but also heavy metal and hard rock. Some record companies – even SPV – are very interested in that project."
Giant X is likely to remain a studio project. "When I play live I play as a part of Running Wild," Rolf figures.
Of Running Wild's 14 studio albums, its mainman cannot select a favourite. "There are a lot of songs which are really important to the band, but I could never pick out one album," he insists. "I know that Running Wild's biggest song is 'Under Jolly Roger', or 'Bad To The Bone', or 'Riding The Storm'. They're all great tracks, but I could never really pick a whole album. It's impossible, because I love them all and that's because I did them."
The same can be said for Running Wild albums he favours lesser than others. "For sure, there are some songs which are not as good as I figured when I did a record," Rolf confesses. "Every time I try to put a set list together if we do a tour or festival, it takes me one week to put the list together because there are so many songs that I could play. The fans like so many different songs, so it's pretty hard work."
Running Wild originally surfaced in 1976, using the moniker Granite Hearts. "It was just some schoolmates trying to play rock 'n' roll," the axeman reflects. "We renamed the band Running Wild in '79. I was 18 then, a long time ago (laughs)."
It would be implausible to believe that Rolf felt Running Wild would still exist 36 years later. "When we started out we were kind of amateurs," he reminisces. "When we put out a demo, we were so proud that we had our own demo back then. In the early 80s, when we did the first record we said 'Wow, we have a record.' We were proud of that, but we really hoped that it would last that long. I remember the day when I had the first record, I said 'What will things look like in 20 years? How many records will there be?' It was an interesting question. Today I look back, and Shadowmaker is our 14th studio album. There's been a lot of live stuff, and a lot of singles, EPs and everything. There are a lot of things I've done throughout these 30 odd years."
The early days of the outfit were spent performing at "very very small clubs and everything. We didn't play many shows though. It was very hard in Germany to get any offers for a show, but we always tried. We were in rehearsals for a long time just writing new songs and working on that. At first we just did it for fun, but we really focused on getting professional."
The influence of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) kickstarted Germany's metal scene during the late 70s. "A lot of guys said 'I wanna play heavy metal,' and there were a lot of bands coming up in the amateur scene," the frontman recollects. "Running Wild was one of them, and we just went further than that. In about '83 or something like that, in Hamburg there were a lot of bands playing the small clubs and everything. Three or four times a week you could go to a rock 'n' roll concert."
How much Running Wild can extend its 36-year tenure is hard to determine. "I hope we continue for a long time," Rolf ponders. "I will keep doing it if I feel as good as I feel right now, because the passion to do this is back. I really wanna keep it, but I really can't promise whether I'll do another three or four albums. I really hope so though."
Shadowmaker was released on April 20th, 2012 in Germany, on the 23rd in the rest of Europe, and on the 24th in North America, all through SPV Records.
Interview published in April 2012.
The third annual Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival returns this August and September for more than 30 shows throughout North America. The main stage features multiplatinum rock bands SHINEDOWN, GODSMACK, STAIND and PAPA ROACH, along with breaking band ADELITAS WAY. In addition, the Ernie Ball Stage and Jägermeister Stage in the festival area will include performances from multiplatinum headliners P.O.D., as well as up-and-coming artists DEUCE, FOZZY, REDLIGHT KING, MINDSET EVOLUTION (winner of the 2011 Best Buy Music Gear Battle Of The Bands Powered By Ernie Ball), IN THIS MOMENT, THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH, CANDLELIGHT RED and a local battle of the bands winner.
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage:
SHINEDOWN
GODSMACK
STAIND
PAPA ROACH
ADELITAS WAY
Ernie Ball and Jägermeister Festival Stages
P.O.D.
FOZZY
DEUCE
REDLIGHT KING
MINDSET EVOLUTION
CANDLELIGHT RED
IN THIS MOMENT
THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH
Rockstar Energy Drink Main Stage:
SHINEDOWN
GODSMACK
STAIND
PAPA ROACH
ADELITAS WAY
Ernie Ball and Jägermeister Festival Stages
P.O.D.
FOZZY
DEUCE
REDLIGHT KING
MINDSET EVOLUTION
CANDLELIGHT RED
IN THIS MOMENT
THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH
"This is our first year on the Uproar Festival, and we are honored to be sharing the stage with all the bands...Trust me this is one tour you do not want to miss," says Brent Smith of SHINEDOWN.
GODSMACK's Shannon Larkin proclaims, "Nothing makes us feel more at home than playing the best festival in the U.S. with the baddest-ass line-up of the year! You better hold on to your hats America, 'cause this fall we're coming at you hard 'n loud with the power hour Smackdown!"
The touring music and lifestyle festival continues to grow. Despite encountering hurricanes, floods and other inclement weather in 2011, the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival packed houses, with over 324,800 in total attendance. Uproar expands in 2012 by adding a third stage and more bands to the lineup.
Live Nation is the national tour promoter for the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival.
"We're really excited about this year's awesome lineup," say tour producers John Oakes and John Reese. "It's incredible to have so many of the biggest bands in rock together with some newer bands that are blowing up. By adding a second stage to the festival area and including even more great talent, we're stepping things up a notch for the Uproar fans."
The Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival will entertain fans for a full afternoon and evening, with performances from the hottest rock bands, along with a concourse midway featuring band autograph signings, vendors and other activities. The festival is produced by John Reese, John Oakes and CAA in conjunction with Live Nation.
Look for tour dates, cities and venues to be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information, visit www.RockstarUproar.com.
After three groundbreaking tribute shows entitled "Bonzo: The Groove Remains The Same", as well as popular demand and a collective passion and respect amongst all the participating drummers, past and present to John Bonham, the greatest rock drummer ever, Brian Tichy and Joe Sutton have decided to go for it once again!
Bonzo's Birthday Bash is taking place on May 31; Bonzo's exact birthday! Many of the past drummers who have performed already are back, as well as some new players!
WHITESNAKE drummer and Bonzo Bash founder Brian Tichy says, "When I first thought of this, the idea seemed too cool and simple NOT to try; get a John Bonham replica drum set, complete with gong and timpani, up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favorite LED ZEP song with a house band (THE MOBY DICKS). There are no rules other than to have fun putting your own groove and character into your song choice! It's such a unique night, seeing how all these great drummers approach the same drum set making it their own! And THE MOBY DICKS hold their own as a true force to be reckoned with! We have structure and within the structure there is total freedom, making the pace and vibe of this show somewhere between a backyard party and a.... backyard party with a killer band playing LED ZEP songs! Haha! Our previous shows were named 'The Groove Remains The Same', but this tribute falls on Bonzo's exact birthday and we wanted to let that be known!
"I am a tried and true Zep Head; a total Bonzo freak! Bonzo is my lifelong most 'listened to' drummer! This is a labor of love. The camaraderie and ego-less respect amongst all involved is something very rare to be a part of these days. Ask any of us! We've never been part of a show quite like this before! There has never been a tribute like this to a musician before! John Bonham deserves it! Bonzo's Birthday Bash is the ultimate tribute show and that's that! So get a ticket, get a good seat, grab a now classic 'Bonzo Burger' and get into the festivities!"
The following drummers will take part in the event:
* Steven Adler (GUNS 'N ROSES, ADLER)
* Seven Antonopoulos (OPIATE FOR THE MASSES, LEAVES' EYES)
* Camine Appice (ROD STEWART, VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS)
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, KILL DEVIL HILL)
* Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT)
* Bobby Blotzer (RATT)
* Fred Coury (CINDERELLA)
* Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS)
* Ray Luzier (KORN)
* Khurt Maier (SALTY DOG)
* Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB)
* Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER)
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, S.U.N.)
* Joe Travers (ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA)
* Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO)
THE MOBY DICKS lineup:
* Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE) - bass (Whitesnake)
* Stephen LeBlanc (JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEP EXPERIENCE) - keyboards
* Keith St. John (MONTROSE) - Vocals
* Brian Tichy (S.U.N.) - Guitar, Drums
* Brent Woods (BRENTWOOD FOREST) - Lead And Rhythm Guitars
Tickets will be available at www.hob.com on Thursday, May 3. Tickets are $25 and $30 day of show.
Bonzo's Birthday Bash is taking place on May 31; Bonzo's exact birthday! Many of the past drummers who have performed already are back, as well as some new players!
WHITESNAKE drummer and Bonzo Bash founder Brian Tichy says, "When I first thought of this, the idea seemed too cool and simple NOT to try; get a John Bonham replica drum set, complete with gong and timpani, up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favorite LED ZEP song with a house band (THE MOBY DICKS). There are no rules other than to have fun putting your own groove and character into your song choice! It's such a unique night, seeing how all these great drummers approach the same drum set making it their own! And THE MOBY DICKS hold their own as a true force to be reckoned with! We have structure and within the structure there is total freedom, making the pace and vibe of this show somewhere between a backyard party and a.... backyard party with a killer band playing LED ZEP songs! Haha! Our previous shows were named 'The Groove Remains The Same', but this tribute falls on Bonzo's exact birthday and we wanted to let that be known!
"I am a tried and true Zep Head; a total Bonzo freak! Bonzo is my lifelong most 'listened to' drummer! This is a labor of love. The camaraderie and ego-less respect amongst all involved is something very rare to be a part of these days. Ask any of us! We've never been part of a show quite like this before! There has never been a tribute like this to a musician before! John Bonham deserves it! Bonzo's Birthday Bash is the ultimate tribute show and that's that! So get a ticket, get a good seat, grab a now classic 'Bonzo Burger' and get into the festivities!"
The following drummers will take part in the event:
* Steven Adler (GUNS 'N ROSES, ADLER)
* Seven Antonopoulos (OPIATE FOR THE MASSES, LEAVES' EYES)
* Camine Appice (ROD STEWART, VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS)
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, KILL DEVIL HILL)
* Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT)
* Bobby Blotzer (RATT)
* Fred Coury (CINDERELLA)
* Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS)
* Ray Luzier (KORN)
* Khurt Maier (SALTY DOG)
* Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB)
* Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER)
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, S.U.N.)
* Joe Travers (ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA)
* Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO)
THE MOBY DICKS lineup:
* Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE) - bass (Whitesnake)
* Stephen LeBlanc (JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEP EXPERIENCE) - keyboards
* Keith St. John (MONTROSE) - Vocals
* Brian Tichy (S.U.N.) - Guitar, Drums
* Brent Woods (BRENTWOOD FOREST) - Lead And Rhythm Guitars
Tickets will be available at www.hob.com on Thursday, May 3. Tickets are $25 and $30 day of show.
Veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS will be inaugurating their summer festival season with a performance at the Scion Rock Fest in Tampa, Florida on June 2. With Gary Holt still handling guitar duties for Jeff Hanneman on SLAYER's North American and European tour, EXODUS has invited out none other than former bandmember Rick Hunolt to fill in for the band's upcoming shows.
States Hunolt: "I'm ecstatic, I'm nervous, I'm psyched… all the emotions wrapped up into one! It's been years and I've been practicing hard. I CAN'T WAIT! I'm gonna rip it up!!!"
Longtime EXODUS fans will recall that Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly-acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". "Murder In The Front Row", the recent photo book documenting the pinnacle of the Bay Area thrash scene, aptly documents Hunolt's tenure in the band.
Hunolt rejoined his former bandmates at a special concert in celebration of Holt and Lisa Perticone's wedding on September 24, 2011 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California (see video below). He also performed with them at "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", a special concert which marked the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. The event took place February 4 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California.
States Hunolt: "I'm ecstatic, I'm nervous, I'm psyched… all the emotions wrapped up into one! It's been years and I've been practicing hard. I CAN'T WAIT! I'm gonna rip it up!!!"
Longtime EXODUS fans will recall that Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly-acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". "Murder In The Front Row", the recent photo book documenting the pinnacle of the Bay Area thrash scene, aptly documents Hunolt's tenure in the band.
Hunolt rejoined his former bandmates at a special concert in celebration of Holt and Lisa Perticone's wedding on September 24, 2011 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California (see video below). He also performed with them at "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", a special concert which marked the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. The event took place February 4 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California.
Cobra Metal recently conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Cobra Metal: How have fans been reacting to the new album ["Kairos"]?
Andreas: Great! Fucking great, man. Since the album came out last year, everything was very positive. Great reviews and we've been playing at least 5 songs in our set including the MINISTRY cover ("Just One Fix"). People are relating to the new lyrics very strongly; singing together and stuff. It's great. I wish we could play more, but slowly we'll put in some extra songs. We have Eloy [Casagrande], our drummer, who just joined the band last December pretty much to do the tour in Europe and we only did old stuff (up to the "Chaos A.D." album). So it was really cool to play all the old stuff but now we're playing the new material and slowly we'll change the songs up so it's cool. It's been great to jam the new stuff live.
Cobra Metal: "Kairos" is the first album released by Nuclear Blast. How is the relationship between you guys and your new label?
Andreas: It's great. I think Nuclear Blast has a lot to do with the success of the new album. The support and the belief that they have in SEPULTURA and the record "Kairos" and the momentum of the band. They are a part of that concept and they are like a metal bunch of guys. They are fans and they know the music and they are very happy to have SEPULTURA with them and we feel the same. We are very lucky to have such opportunities and we are very lucky to have a such a label with open arms. It's been working out fantastic.
Cobra Metal: SEPULTURA is in its 28th year of existence. Derrick [Green, vocals] has been in the band for 15 years now. Is the concept behind the new album a statement, "This is SEPULTURA, and there's no need to reunite with Max [Cavalera, guitar/vocals] or Igor [Cavalera, drums]?"
Andreas: People have a very hard time to understand that there's nothing dead growing. Like a reunion. We're going down a totally different path. That's what SEPULTURA is all about. That's our spirit. We started that way and we are keeping it that way. We're going after new things and enjoying learning new things.
Cobra Metal: "Kairos" has a very old school feel compared to other albums of the Derrick Green era. Was this a conscious effort or was it just a natural evolution from the last album?
Andreas: A little bit, yeah. Once we decided to talk about ourselves, obviously you go back and start really remembering where we came from and how things happened. You go places that you don't usually go in your memories and stuff. So we tried to remember the way we made albums and all the limitations of vinyl, we couldn't have too much space. That's why the classic albums have only 8 or 9 songs, which is fucking amazing, so that kind of concept came back. The way we did it with equipment was to use everything on stage and don't go crazy. Just use the sound that we know how to make on stage because the stage really works great and that's the place that we like to be the most. We tried to reproduce that in the studio. The thrash feeling is there as an attitude, not trying to copy riffs and stuff like that. Just trying to bring that vibe back and write with that in mind.
Cobra Metal: How have fans been reacting to the new album ["Kairos"]?
Andreas: Great! Fucking great, man. Since the album came out last year, everything was very positive. Great reviews and we've been playing at least 5 songs in our set including the MINISTRY cover ("Just One Fix"). People are relating to the new lyrics very strongly; singing together and stuff. It's great. I wish we could play more, but slowly we'll put in some extra songs. We have Eloy [Casagrande], our drummer, who just joined the band last December pretty much to do the tour in Europe and we only did old stuff (up to the "Chaos A.D." album). So it was really cool to play all the old stuff but now we're playing the new material and slowly we'll change the songs up so it's cool. It's been great to jam the new stuff live.
Cobra Metal: "Kairos" is the first album released by Nuclear Blast. How is the relationship between you guys and your new label?
Andreas: It's great. I think Nuclear Blast has a lot to do with the success of the new album. The support and the belief that they have in SEPULTURA and the record "Kairos" and the momentum of the band. They are a part of that concept and they are like a metal bunch of guys. They are fans and they know the music and they are very happy to have SEPULTURA with them and we feel the same. We are very lucky to have such opportunities and we are very lucky to have a such a label with open arms. It's been working out fantastic.
Cobra Metal: SEPULTURA is in its 28th year of existence. Derrick [Green, vocals] has been in the band for 15 years now. Is the concept behind the new album a statement, "This is SEPULTURA, and there's no need to reunite with Max [Cavalera, guitar/vocals] or Igor [Cavalera, drums]?"
Andreas: People have a very hard time to understand that there's nothing dead growing. Like a reunion. We're going down a totally different path. That's what SEPULTURA is all about. That's our spirit. We started that way and we are keeping it that way. We're going after new things and enjoying learning new things.
Cobra Metal: "Kairos" has a very old school feel compared to other albums of the Derrick Green era. Was this a conscious effort or was it just a natural evolution from the last album?
Andreas: A little bit, yeah. Once we decided to talk about ourselves, obviously you go back and start really remembering where we came from and how things happened. You go places that you don't usually go in your memories and stuff. So we tried to remember the way we made albums and all the limitations of vinyl, we couldn't have too much space. That's why the classic albums have only 8 or 9 songs, which is fucking amazing, so that kind of concept came back. The way we did it with equipment was to use everything on stage and don't go crazy. Just use the sound that we know how to make on stage because the stage really works great and that's the place that we like to be the most. We tried to reproduce that in the studio. The thrash feeling is there as an attitude, not trying to copy riffs and stuff like that. Just trying to bring that vibe back and write with that in mind.
REVERENCE, the new power metal band featuring vocalist Todd Michael Hall (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, HARLET), guitarist Bryan Holland (TOKYO BLADE, ARREST), drummer Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz (SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY), bassist Frank Saparti (TOKYO BLADE, OVERLOADED, MINDCANDY), and lead guitarist Pete Rossi, will release its debut album, "When Darkness Calls", laer in the year via Razar Ice Records. The CD cover artwork was designed by renowned artist Jobert Mello of Sledgehamer Graphix (PRIMAL FEAR, SABATON, HYSTERIA) and can be seen below.
"When Darkness Calls" track listing:
01. When Darkness Calls
02. Bleed For Me
03. Phantom Road
04. Devil In Disguise
05. Too Late
06. Gatekeeper
07. The Price You Pay
08. Monster
09. Revolution Rising
10. After The Leaves Have Fallen
11. Vengeance Is Mine
12. Lost Generation (bonus track)
"When Darkness Calls" features a guest appearance by SANXTION drummer Tony Rossi.
REVERENCE will embark on a European tour in November. Exact citites and dates will be announced shortly.
For more information, visit www.ReverenceMetal.com.
"When Darkness Calls" track listing:
01. When Darkness Calls
02. Bleed For Me
03. Phantom Road
04. Devil In Disguise
05. Too Late
06. Gatekeeper
07. The Price You Pay
08. Monster
09. Revolution Rising
10. After The Leaves Have Fallen
11. Vengeance Is Mine
12. Lost Generation (bonus track)
"When Darkness Calls" features a guest appearance by SANXTION drummer Tony Rossi.
REVERENCE will embark on a European tour in November. Exact citites and dates will be announced shortly.
For more information, visit www.ReverenceMetal.com.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/reverencecover.jpg
STONE SOUR will release its fourth album in October via Roadrunner Records. The band has yet to reveal the title of the new CD, which is being recorded at Sound Farm Studios just outside of their native Des Moines, Iowa with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE, STAIND).
"This album will be another progression for the band," STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand reecenetly said. "Musically, we have always challenged one another to push things to our limits, and this record is no exception." Rand also shared some details about the album's lyrical and storytelling narrative, saying, "Lyrically, the album follows one character to that complex moment in his life, when he finally has to decide which path to take. It's a spiritual and moral power play for control of what this man will be for the rest of his life. Each song will tell the story from different sides of the character's personality, with the listener ultimately deciding how the story ends."
STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor previously stated about the band's follow-up to 2010's "Audio Secrecy", "I am looking forward to basically becoming a mad scientist in the studio and creating an album that no one wants us to make. I pretty much got permission to do whatever I wanted, which means that I'm essentially going against the grain in an age where people are fucking trying to simply put out singles. We're looking to do a double concept album and really make it destructive."
He added, "Picture [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall' meets [ALICE IN CHAINS'] 'Dirt' on steroids, and that will give you a taste of what I'm shooting for right now. The stuff we have right now is nuclear. It's pretty much going to go all the way. It's dark as shit. There's so much balls out rock on it as well as some good headpunchers and some really cool fucking dark pieces. I'm really excited about it."
Taylor — who is also the frontman for SLIPKNOT — said about the storyline for the next STONE SOUR record, "It's basically the story of a man who's trying to figure it out. He can't figure out if he's happier when he's miserable, or if he's miserable about not being happy. It's almost like a mid-life crisis in a way. He's young enough that he knows that there's still a lot of life to live, but he's old enough to realize that he can't be hung up on the romance of teenage depression and youthful aggression."
"This album will be another progression for the band," STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand reecenetly said. "Musically, we have always challenged one another to push things to our limits, and this record is no exception." Rand also shared some details about the album's lyrical and storytelling narrative, saying, "Lyrically, the album follows one character to that complex moment in his life, when he finally has to decide which path to take. It's a spiritual and moral power play for control of what this man will be for the rest of his life. Each song will tell the story from different sides of the character's personality, with the listener ultimately deciding how the story ends."
STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor previously stated about the band's follow-up to 2010's "Audio Secrecy", "I am looking forward to basically becoming a mad scientist in the studio and creating an album that no one wants us to make. I pretty much got permission to do whatever I wanted, which means that I'm essentially going against the grain in an age where people are fucking trying to simply put out singles. We're looking to do a double concept album and really make it destructive."
He added, "Picture [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall' meets [ALICE IN CHAINS'] 'Dirt' on steroids, and that will give you a taste of what I'm shooting for right now. The stuff we have right now is nuclear. It's pretty much going to go all the way. It's dark as shit. There's so much balls out rock on it as well as some good headpunchers and some really cool fucking dark pieces. I'm really excited about it."
Taylor — who is also the frontman for SLIPKNOT — said about the storyline for the next STONE SOUR record, "It's basically the story of a man who's trying to figure it out. He can't figure out if he's happier when he's miserable, or if he's miserable about not being happy. It's almost like a mid-life crisis in a way. He's young enough that he knows that there's still a lot of life to live, but he's old enough to realize that he can't be hung up on the romance of teenage depression and youthful aggression."
Norwegian singer Liv Kristine (LEAVES' EYES, ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) last year entered Mastersound Studio in Steinheim, Germany — the facility owned by her husband, Alexander Krull (ATROCITY, LEAVES' EYES) — to begin recording her fourth solo album, entitled "Libertine". She collaborated on the effort with Dutch musician J.B. van der Wal (ABORTED, DR. DOOM), who recently joined LEAVES' EYES and ATROCITY as the two bands' new bassist.
Commented Liv: "'Libertine' is truly a milestone in my career; it sums up my most important artistic experiences in my creative journey through life. The more rock and metal-based songs like 'Vanilla Skin Delight' (including superb male vocals from Tobias Regner, the third-season winner of 'Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar', the German reality show in the style of 'American Idol'), 'Paris Paris', 'Solve Me' and title track, 'Libertine', certainly expose some of those magic moments which fans of THEATRE OF TRAGEDY enjoyed and treasured on 'Aegis' and 'Musique'. The ballads 'Silence', 'Love Crime' and 'Meet Me In The Red Sky' will go straight into you hearts, each of them being absolute individual in their emotional expressions and musical compositions. Alex gave each track a perfect sound in the mix by emphasizing on each song's characteristic accent and atmosphere."
She added, "I can't wait to let you hear this album; it is exceptional to me both personally and in my artistic career, and I can't wait to play these songs for you live! The cover and booklet artwork is completed as well. It took a while for me, personally, to find the artistic expression I wished to expose in my pictures, however, Heile and Alex guided me into the right direction, for which I am so happy and grateful."
Liv debuted the title track of her new album, "Libertine" (see video below), at a special concert on December 2, 2011 at Alte Seminarturnhalle in Nagold, Germany under the banner "One Night With Liv Kristine". Liv performed acoustic versions of her original songs as well as a few covers, including tracks from LEAVES' EYES and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY.
Liv Kristine's third solo album, "Skintight", came out in North America in September 2010 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Enter My Religion" was recorded at Mastersound Studio and the artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.
Commented Liv: "'Libertine' is truly a milestone in my career; it sums up my most important artistic experiences in my creative journey through life. The more rock and metal-based songs like 'Vanilla Skin Delight' (including superb male vocals from Tobias Regner, the third-season winner of 'Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar', the German reality show in the style of 'American Idol'), 'Paris Paris', 'Solve Me' and title track, 'Libertine', certainly expose some of those magic moments which fans of THEATRE OF TRAGEDY enjoyed and treasured on 'Aegis' and 'Musique'. The ballads 'Silence', 'Love Crime' and 'Meet Me In The Red Sky' will go straight into you hearts, each of them being absolute individual in their emotional expressions and musical compositions. Alex gave each track a perfect sound in the mix by emphasizing on each song's characteristic accent and atmosphere."
She added, "I can't wait to let you hear this album; it is exceptional to me both personally and in my artistic career, and I can't wait to play these songs for you live! The cover and booklet artwork is completed as well. It took a while for me, personally, to find the artistic expression I wished to expose in my pictures, however, Heile and Alex guided me into the right direction, for which I am so happy and grateful."
Liv debuted the title track of her new album, "Libertine" (see video below), at a special concert on December 2, 2011 at Alte Seminarturnhalle in Nagold, Germany under the banner "One Night With Liv Kristine". Liv performed acoustic versions of her original songs as well as a few covers, including tracks from LEAVES' EYES and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY.
Liv Kristine's third solo album, "Skintight", came out in North America in September 2010 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Enter My Religion" was recorded at Mastersound Studio and the artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.
Mark Holmes of Metal Discovery conducted an interview with guitarist Aaron Aedy of British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST prior to the band's April 26 concert in Nottingham, England. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Discovery: [The new PARADISE LOST album "Tragic Idol"] has a kind of doomy "Icon"/"Draconian Times"-era sound to it, more so than your more recent stuff. Did you just see where the songwriting took you or do you think you're getting more nostalgic the older you're getting?
Aaron: I think it's sort of been heading in this direction anyway for the last few albums, but I think doing the "Draconian Times" shows got back our love of what we were doing. It probably, subconsciously, aided that, I think. Doing the "Draconian Times" shows was great because there was one song we'd never played live and a few other songs we hadn't played for years and it was really cool to go back and retrospectively see how we did things back then. So it probably crept in with the songwriting, I think.
Metal Discovery: That kind of answers my next question as I was going to ask whether revisiting all those songs had any effect on the songwriting.
Aaron: Yeah, I think it must've done, really. But it wasn't like, "Oooo, this is good, let's write another one." It isn't like "Draconian Times", but it's got a bit of the energy of "Icon" and "Draconian Times". It's the hardest I've had to work recording rhythms since "Shades Of God" and "Icon" sort of time. It was quite full-on with the riffs! But it was great, though; it's cool… I'm a guitar player and I want to play guitar!
Metal Discovery: Exactly! Compared to the last album which obviously had the orchestrations and keyboards, this one's more a back-to-basics , stripped-down metal record, I guess. It still sounds pretty epic in places, though, with the layered guitars so by not having the orchestrations and keyboards. Did that force you to work more on getting the guitars to achieve a kind of epic feel?
Aaron: Yeah, I think that was a very conscious effort on Greg's [Mackintosh, guitar] part. I think he wanted to not have that and just work with guitars and, you know, if they needed something when we finished them, you add a little bit. But, yeah, I think it was more about just working the guitars, really.
Metal Discovery: The arrangements sound really well developed, particularly with the layered guitars, but how much did songs change from when they were originally written to the final recorded versions?
Aaron: Well, there's a lot of batting that goes backwards and forwards, but I think they were mostly formed in stone before we went in the studio. The last one that I think was written was "To the Darkness", and that came together about a month before we went into the studio. But, yeah, they were pretty well formed before we went in. We don't like to experiment too much in the studio because it's expensive. We've always been a band which likes to go into the studio pretty much knowing what we're doing. If there's a little bit jiggery-pokery, then you can do it but, as a rule, we like to be fairly safe.
Metal Discovery: [The new PARADISE LOST album "Tragic Idol"] has a kind of doomy "Icon"/"Draconian Times"-era sound to it, more so than your more recent stuff. Did you just see where the songwriting took you or do you think you're getting more nostalgic the older you're getting?
Aaron: I think it's sort of been heading in this direction anyway for the last few albums, but I think doing the "Draconian Times" shows got back our love of what we were doing. It probably, subconsciously, aided that, I think. Doing the "Draconian Times" shows was great because there was one song we'd never played live and a few other songs we hadn't played for years and it was really cool to go back and retrospectively see how we did things back then. So it probably crept in with the songwriting, I think.
Metal Discovery: That kind of answers my next question as I was going to ask whether revisiting all those songs had any effect on the songwriting.
Aaron: Yeah, I think it must've done, really. But it wasn't like, "Oooo, this is good, let's write another one." It isn't like "Draconian Times", but it's got a bit of the energy of "Icon" and "Draconian Times". It's the hardest I've had to work recording rhythms since "Shades Of God" and "Icon" sort of time. It was quite full-on with the riffs! But it was great, though; it's cool… I'm a guitar player and I want to play guitar!
Metal Discovery: Exactly! Compared to the last album which obviously had the orchestrations and keyboards, this one's more a back-to-basics , stripped-down metal record, I guess. It still sounds pretty epic in places, though, with the layered guitars so by not having the orchestrations and keyboards. Did that force you to work more on getting the guitars to achieve a kind of epic feel?
Aaron: Yeah, I think that was a very conscious effort on Greg's [Mackintosh, guitar] part. I think he wanted to not have that and just work with guitars and, you know, if they needed something when we finished them, you add a little bit. But, yeah, I think it was more about just working the guitars, really.
Metal Discovery: The arrangements sound really well developed, particularly with the layered guitars, but how much did songs change from when they were originally written to the final recorded versions?
Aaron: Well, there's a lot of batting that goes backwards and forwards, but I think they were mostly formed in stone before we went in the studio. The last one that I think was written was "To the Darkness", and that came together about a month before we went into the studio. But, yeah, they were pretty well formed before we went in. We don't like to experiment too much in the studio because it's expensive. We've always been a band which likes to go into the studio pretty much knowing what we're doing. If there's a little bit jiggery-pokery, then you can do it but, as a rule, we like to be fairly safe.
ATTIKA 7 (formerly ATTIKA) — the Los Angeles-based heavy metal/hard rock band featuring Tony Campos (SOULFLY, POSSESSED, STATIC-X, ASESINO, MINISTRY) on bass; Evan Seinfeld (BIOHAZARD) on vocals; and songwriter and famed motorcycle builder Rusty Coones on guitar — will release its debut album, "Blood Of My Enemies", on July 31 via THC: Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The CD was recorded with producer Mudrock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK).
Commented Seinfeld: "As I embarked on my journey of musical and personal reinvention, the first step was to put together a band of incredible players, with diverse styles and a unified vision to write, record and perform timeless heavy metal, backed by an authentic outlaw lifestyle.
"After 10 albums and probably around 4000 concerts with BIOHAZARD in over 90 countries, all I can say is that the only thing constant in life is change, and without it, things can become stagnant and repetitious. The creative situation for me playing with Rusty and Tony in ATTIKA fosters my genuine creativity to flow, and allowed us to build something heavy, authentic, new and exciting from the ground up; more than music, but real camaraderie."
The ATTIKA7 sound "boasts very heavy, down-tuned and melodic harmonies, all the while boasting brutal hooks and grooves," according to a press release. "The band draws from several musical influences, including their own additional projects, and has been compared to the likes of BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, GODSMACK, PANTERA, and WHITE ZOMBIE. The timeless no-frills songwriting of ATTIKA 7 is set apart from today's homogenized, derivative copycat bands by so many things, but above all: authenticity."
The majority of the ATTIKA7 album was written by lifetime biker and ATTIKA 7 lead guitarist Rusty Coones while serving a seven-year federal prison sentence for a false conviction. Rather than rat on his friends, Rusty used the tension to teach himself how to play guitar in solitary confinement. The passion and street credibility in his lyrics and riffs speak to the underdogs of the world who will not break, will not bend, but stand against forever.
When Rusty called best friend and riding buddy Evan Seinfeld to check in on whether he knew of a singer who could join his band, Evan immediately jumped in without hesitation. Since then, Rusty and Evan have been writing, recording, living and breathing ATTIKA 7 and haven't looked back.
Commented Seinfeld: "As I embarked on my journey of musical and personal reinvention, the first step was to put together a band of incredible players, with diverse styles and a unified vision to write, record and perform timeless heavy metal, backed by an authentic outlaw lifestyle.
"After 10 albums and probably around 4000 concerts with BIOHAZARD in over 90 countries, all I can say is that the only thing constant in life is change, and without it, things can become stagnant and repetitious. The creative situation for me playing with Rusty and Tony in ATTIKA fosters my genuine creativity to flow, and allowed us to build something heavy, authentic, new and exciting from the ground up; more than music, but real camaraderie."
The ATTIKA7 sound "boasts very heavy, down-tuned and melodic harmonies, all the while boasting brutal hooks and grooves," according to a press release. "The band draws from several musical influences, including their own additional projects, and has been compared to the likes of BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, GODSMACK, PANTERA, and WHITE ZOMBIE. The timeless no-frills songwriting of ATTIKA 7 is set apart from today's homogenized, derivative copycat bands by so many things, but above all: authenticity."
The majority of the ATTIKA7 album was written by lifetime biker and ATTIKA 7 lead guitarist Rusty Coones while serving a seven-year federal prison sentence for a false conviction. Rather than rat on his friends, Rusty used the tension to teach himself how to play guitar in solitary confinement. The passion and street credibility in his lyrics and riffs speak to the underdogs of the world who will not break, will not bend, but stand against forever.
When Rusty called best friend and riding buddy Evan Seinfeld to check in on whether he knew of a singer who could join his band, Evan immediately jumped in without hesitation. Since then, Rusty and Evan have been writing, recording, living and breathing ATTIKA 7 and haven't looked back.
Lansing, Michigan's FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS will release its new album, "Wasted Youth", on July 17 via Artery Recordings/Razor & Tie. The CD was produced by Tom Denney (formerly of A DAY TO REMEMBER) in his Florida studio during the winter of 2012.
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS have taken to Facebook and are asking their fans to select the final cover art for "Wasted Youth". Four options can be found on the band's Facebook page and the design with the most likes by May 4 will be selected as the official album cover. The cover options can be viewed here.
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS recently wrapped up a nationwide tour with Artery Recordings labelmates CHELSEA GRIN, ATTILA and VANNA. They will hit the road this summer as part of the high-profile 2012 All Stars Tour, which kicks off on July 26 and makes stops across the country before concluding on August 25. SUICIDE SILENCE will headline the tour with additional support from UNEARTH and DANCE GAVIN DANCE (both on select dates) as well as THE WORD ALIVE, I SEE STARS, A SKYLIT DRIVE, WINDS OF PLAGUE and ATTILA, among others.
Formed in 2003, FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS has released three full-length albums — "Changes" (2008), "Relentless" (2009) and "Back Burner" (2011) on Rise Records — and a self-titled EP (2003). The band has toured extensively, including taking part in national stints with UNEARTH, FOR TODAY, NORMA JEAN, CHELSEA GRIN and OF MICE & MEN, as well as European shows supporting A DAY TO REMEMBER, BURY YOUR DEAD and more. Revolver magazine said of FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS' music, "The band does manage to create material that will engage even the most jaded heavy-music listener" and Alter The Press said, "They do a great job at the divide between melody and angst, giving enough of each to both move and pump fists, just what every band that walks the line of hardcore needs, wishes for and much, much more."
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS is Dylan Richter (vocals), Kalan Blehm (guitar), Jim Hocking (guitar) and Arvin Sarathy (drums). The band is managed by Dog of The Artery Foundation and represented for touring by Matt Andersen of The Pantheon Agency.
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS have taken to Facebook and are asking their fans to select the final cover art for "Wasted Youth". Four options can be found on the band's Facebook page and the design with the most likes by May 4 will be selected as the official album cover. The cover options can be viewed here.
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS recently wrapped up a nationwide tour with Artery Recordings labelmates CHELSEA GRIN, ATTILA and VANNA. They will hit the road this summer as part of the high-profile 2012 All Stars Tour, which kicks off on July 26 and makes stops across the country before concluding on August 25. SUICIDE SILENCE will headline the tour with additional support from UNEARTH and DANCE GAVIN DANCE (both on select dates) as well as THE WORD ALIVE, I SEE STARS, A SKYLIT DRIVE, WINDS OF PLAGUE and ATTILA, among others.
Formed in 2003, FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS has released three full-length albums — "Changes" (2008), "Relentless" (2009) and "Back Burner" (2011) on Rise Records — and a self-titled EP (2003). The band has toured extensively, including taking part in national stints with UNEARTH, FOR TODAY, NORMA JEAN, CHELSEA GRIN and OF MICE & MEN, as well as European shows supporting A DAY TO REMEMBER, BURY YOUR DEAD and more. Revolver magazine said of FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS' music, "The band does manage to create material that will engage even the most jaded heavy-music listener" and Alter The Press said, "They do a great job at the divide between melody and angst, giving enough of each to both move and pump fists, just what every band that walks the line of hardcore needs, wishes for and much, much more."
FOR THE FALLEN DREAMS is Dylan Richter (vocals), Kalan Blehm (guitar), Jim Hocking (guitar) and Arvin Sarathy (drums). The band is managed by Dog of The Artery Foundation and represented for touring by Matt Andersen of The Pantheon Agency.
FORTÉ was founded in Oklahoma City in 1987 and in those early stages they band played an abundant amount of shows quickly establishing themselves within the flourishing underground metal scene by opening for bands like PANTERA, DREAM THEATER, FATES WARNING, WATCHTOWER, OVERKILL, SAVATAGE and TROUBLE. After signing to Germany's Massacre Records, the band released four critically acclaimed albums throughout the '90s, with their last, "Rise Above", coming in 1999.
Now 12 years later, FORTÉ has returned with a vengeance on their new album, "Unholy War". Due on June 12 via Tribunal Records, the CD has everything fans have come to expect from the band: soaring vocals, razor-sharp riffs and a battering ram for a rhythm section. Ten tracks of traditional U.S. thrashing power metal that will not disappoint the fans. The cover illustration was created by Steven R. Cobb (SOLITUDE, KILLWHITNEYDEAD).
"Unholy War" track listing:
01. Vae Solis
02. Unholy War
03. Dead To Me
04. Take The Mark
05. Absolute Power
06. Undying
07. Stronger Than Death
08. Rain Of Fire
09. Gears Of Damnation
10. Light To The Blind
Now 12 years later, FORTÉ has returned with a vengeance on their new album, "Unholy War". Due on June 12 via Tribunal Records, the CD has everything fans have come to expect from the band: soaring vocals, razor-sharp riffs and a battering ram for a rhythm section. Ten tracks of traditional U.S. thrashing power metal that will not disappoint the fans. The cover illustration was created by Steven R. Cobb (SOLITUDE, KILLWHITNEYDEAD).
"Unholy War" track listing:
01. Vae Solis
02. Unholy War
03. Dead To Me
04. Take The Mark
05. Absolute Power
06. Undying
07. Stronger Than Death
08. Rain Of Fire
09. Gears Of Damnation
10. Light To The Blind
According to The Pulse Of Radio, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello has put out a call for "10,000 guitar players" to join him on Tuesday (May 1) for Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York City. Morello wrote on Twitter, "I'm putting a new band together and ur in it. Our 1st rehearsal is tomm noon (at) Bryant Park in NYC. Looking for about 10,000 guitar players." He added, "Join my new band! Don't have a guitar? Bring a drum. No drum? Bring a kazoo. No kazoo? Just come."
Morello, a staunch progressive and fierce political activist, has performed at a number of Occupy camps around the world, including those in London, Los Angeles and New York.
The demonstration scheduled for Tuesday in New York will feature an "occupation" of Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan as well as a march from Union Square to the lower part of the island.
On Tuesday, which is also known as May Day or International Worker's Day, Morello will also launch his "World Wide Rebel Tour" documentary worldwide for free, with 42 unique, customized versions in 30 different languages.
The 30-minute documentary was filmed at Henson Studios in Los Angeles last August and features an interview with Morello, mixed with live performances of songs from his 2011 album as THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, "World Wide Rebel Songs".
Each version of the film will feature the interview questions in a different language, with Morello's answers subtitled appropriately. Some of the interviews are conducted by fellow musicians such as SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Serj Tankian, CYPRESS HILL's Sen Dog.
Morello will also perform on Tuesday night's edition of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" alongside Ben Harper and THE ROOTS.
Morello, a staunch progressive and fierce political activist, has performed at a number of Occupy camps around the world, including those in London, Los Angeles and New York.
The demonstration scheduled for Tuesday in New York will feature an "occupation" of Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan as well as a march from Union Square to the lower part of the island.
On Tuesday, which is also known as May Day or International Worker's Day, Morello will also launch his "World Wide Rebel Tour" documentary worldwide for free, with 42 unique, customized versions in 30 different languages.
The 30-minute documentary was filmed at Henson Studios in Los Angeles last August and features an interview with Morello, mixed with live performances of songs from his 2011 album as THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, "World Wide Rebel Songs".
Each version of the film will feature the interview questions in a different language, with Morello's answers subtitled appropriately. Some of the interviews are conducted by fellow musicians such as SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Serj Tankian, CYPRESS HILL's Sen Dog.
Morello will also perform on Tuesday night's edition of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" alongside Ben Harper and THE ROOTS.
California death metallers COFFIN TEXTS will release their new album, "The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual", this summer via Dark Descent Records. The vinyl version will be released through Blood Harvest Records and the digital version on iTunes via Apparition Musick. The cover artwork was created by Danille Gauvin.
According to a press release, "The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" "shows COFFIN TEXTS at their very best. While the musicians themselves have developed and perfected their skills, the same spirit and approach to death metal remains true and intact."
Commented the band: "It's finally here! Five years of blood, sweat and tears to get this completed. We want to thanks John Haddad for the great work producing this album and a 'horns up' to all our fans worldwide!!"
"The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" track listing:
01. Atum (Into The Divine Sphere)
02. To Manifest
03. Final Transformation
04. The Sacred Eye
05. Divination
I. Soothsayer
II. The Invocate
III. Eternal Oath
06. Throne Of Genocide
07. Dieties Of The Prime Evil Chaos
COFFIN TEXTS released its debut CD, "Gods of Creation, Death & Afterlife", in 2000. Celebrated in the underground, this is a well-hidden gem and high-class, true death metal with its roots in the ancient Californian death metal style.
COFFIN TEXTS is:
Robert Cardenas - Vocals, Bass
Emilio Marquez - Drums
Richard Gonzales – Guitars
According to a press release, "The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" "shows COFFIN TEXTS at their very best. While the musicians themselves have developed and perfected their skills, the same spirit and approach to death metal remains true and intact."
Commented the band: "It's finally here! Five years of blood, sweat and tears to get this completed. We want to thanks John Haddad for the great work producing this album and a 'horns up' to all our fans worldwide!!"
"The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" track listing:
01. Atum (Into The Divine Sphere)
02. To Manifest
03. Final Transformation
04. The Sacred Eye
05. Divination
I. Soothsayer
II. The Invocate
III. Eternal Oath
06. Throne Of Genocide
07. Dieties Of The Prime Evil Chaos
COFFIN TEXTS released its debut CD, "Gods of Creation, Death & Afterlife", in 2000. Celebrated in the underground, this is a well-hidden gem and high-class, true death metal with its roots in the ancient Californian death metal style.
COFFIN TEXTS is:
Robert Cardenas - Vocals, Bass
Emilio Marquez - Drums
Richard Gonzales – Guitars
BEHEMOTH's return to touring in North America has been nothing short of triumphant. Shows on the Decibel Magazine Tour with WATAIN, THE DEVIL'S BLOOD and IN SOLITUDE have been jam-packed with fans eager to see BEHEMOTH take the stage. The mutual energy between the bands on the stage and the crowds throughout North America is immediately evident.
Commented BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski: "I'm sitting in The Old Absynthe House in New Orleans as I'm writing these words. It's said that Crowley used to spend time here, getting wasted and gaining inspiration. A good place to hang out, my friends.
"BEHEMOTH is having a day off and we have only 10 shows left on the tour.
"This is the fastest-running trek I've ever done in my life!
"There are not enough words to describe how comfortable and happy we are with the fact that we are touring in such noble company and shows are being so massively attended. Every night when I'm off stage, I have the feeling this was the highlight of the tour. People are fuckin' raging and we are feeding on that energy. Thank you."
Nergal continued, elaborating on the inspiration behind the tour, "When I was putting this bill together with my manager months ago, I wanted to recreate the feeling of the early '90s when the 'Fuck Christ' tour hit Europe (BLASPHEMY, ROTTING CHRIST and IMMORTAL). It's fifteen years later, but we are still trying to make an impact, do exciting things, think outside of the box and eventually fuck up the system with attitude that's far from compromise and political correctness. We are on the right path. Join us or step away…"
Kevin and Ian of the "Metal Shop" radio show, which airs airs every Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on the Seattle station KISW 99.9 FM, conducted an interview with Nergal prior to BEHEMOTH's's April 20 concert at El Corazon in Seattle, Washington.
Commented BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski: "I'm sitting in The Old Absynthe House in New Orleans as I'm writing these words. It's said that Crowley used to spend time here, getting wasted and gaining inspiration. A good place to hang out, my friends.
"BEHEMOTH is having a day off and we have only 10 shows left on the tour.
"This is the fastest-running trek I've ever done in my life!
"There are not enough words to describe how comfortable and happy we are with the fact that we are touring in such noble company and shows are being so massively attended. Every night when I'm off stage, I have the feeling this was the highlight of the tour. People are fuckin' raging and we are feeding on that energy. Thank you."
Nergal continued, elaborating on the inspiration behind the tour, "When I was putting this bill together with my manager months ago, I wanted to recreate the feeling of the early '90s when the 'Fuck Christ' tour hit Europe (BLASPHEMY, ROTTING CHRIST and IMMORTAL). It's fifteen years later, but we are still trying to make an impact, do exciting things, think outside of the box and eventually fuck up the system with attitude that's far from compromise and political correctness. We are on the right path. Join us or step away…"
Kevin and Ian of the "Metal Shop" radio show, which airs airs every Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on the Seattle station KISW 99.9 FM, conducted an interview with Nergal prior to BEHEMOTH's's April 20 concert at El Corazon in Seattle, Washington.
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