[Classic_Rock_Forever] Ozzy Osboutnr and Friends, Rush, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Ramones, Megadeth, Manowar, Phil Anselmo, Hellyeah and various hard rock and heavy metal news

0
 

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — who late last year confirmed the recording of their first new album in more than 33 years and a worldwide headlining tour — had to put some plans on hold due to guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with lymphoma. At this time, BLACK SABBATH will perform only one show of this summer's previously scheduled European tour. It will take place Sunday, June 10 at the U.K.'s Download festival.

So as not to let the promoters and fans down, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne will now perform the majority of the previously scheduled BLACK SABBATH European dates (both festival performances and the headlining shows) billed as OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS. These "first-ever" OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS shows will feature appearances by "special guest" musicians, including Geezer Butler (who will join Ozzy for a special BLACK SABBATH set as a show of respect and support to their friend, Tony Iommi) and longtime former Ozzy bandmember Zakk Wylde. In addition, Ozzy will be accompanied by longtime collaborator and friend Slash at select shows, with other "special guests" set to join the tour at various stops along the way (full list of dates, appearances below).

The first official OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS promotional photo can be seen below.

In a recent interview with The Nervous Breakdown, Zakk Wylde stated about the setlist for the upcoming OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS shows, "[Current Ozzy bandmembers] Gus G., Blasko and Tommy [Clufetos] are coming out and doing a bunch of tunes, then I come out with Blasko and Tommy and we end up doing a bunch of stuff from the era when I was with The Boss, from 'No Rest For The Wicked' all the way through everything I've ever done with him. Then Geezer [Butler, BLACK SABBATH bassist] comes out and we do a bunch of SABBATH stuff and at the end, Slash and everybody — Geezer, Slash, Gus — and we all play 'Paranoid'."

OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS tour dates:

May 23 - Helsinki, Finland - Hartwall Arena
May 25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stadium
May 27 - Jelling, Denmark - Jelling Festival
May 29 - Bergen, Norway - Bergen Calling Festival
May 31 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
Jun. 02 - Malmo, Sweden - Malmo Stadium
Jun. 04 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle
Jun. 06 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
Jun. 15 - Vitoria, Spain - Azkena Rock Festival
Jun. 17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
Jun. 22 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun. 24 - Milan, Italy - Gods of Metal Festival
Jun. 26 - Vienna, Austria - Stadthalle
Jun. 28 - Belgrade, Serbia - USCE Park
Jul. 01 - Athens, Greece - Rockwave Festival – Terra
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/ozzyfriendsphoto.jpg
 
RUSH's long-awaited new album, "Clockwork Angels", is being turned into a novel by Colorado-based sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson, who wrote on Facebook, "Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with (RUSH drummer) Neil Peart . . . For more than twenty years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and at last that's happening. I'm writing the novelization of RUSH's forthcoming album, 'Clockwork Angels'."

Anderson added that he worked with Peart to "flesh out the epic story told over the course of the music," which involves "lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life."

The "Clockwork Angels" novel will be released in the fall via ECW Press.

Regarding the book cover, which can be seen below, as well as the rest of the package, Anderson said, "[It is] one of my most beautiful covers ever. The central image is from the forthcoming RUSH album, with the type and cover design by Neil Peart. ECW will publish the hardcover in September (available for preorder now), a full-color volume with paintings and complete lyrics (and the novel itself, of course).

"From the sample pages I've seen already, this will be a gorgeous book.

"The novel is a colorful steampunk fantasy, and I think it has a great deal of heart. Neil and I are very pleased with how it turned out-the creative synergy was amazing.

"'Clockwork Angels: The Novel' follows the story mapped out in the songs of the album, but the book isn't only for RUSH fans (then again, who isn't a RUSH fan???)."

RUSH's first new collection of original material in over five years and their first studio release via Anthem/Roadrunner Records, "Clockwork Angels" will be released on June 12.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/clockworknovel.jpg
 
 
In a brand new interview with Maxim.com, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked if there is anything in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster" that he wishes had been left out. "I'm definitely guilty of poking sometimes," he replied. "I'm Danish, and Danish people sometimes like to stick their finger in somebody else's shoulder and push them a bit. I sometimes think that the metal community is just so fucking serious and up its own ass. Once in a while it needs a little poke, and I don't mind being that guy. Nobody else seems to do it. Sometimes I read, 'Oh, Lars Ulrich, what an asshole,' or, 'Lars Ulrich can't play drums.' I laugh at all of that. People sit there and say these awful things in the chat forums. I think it's really funny when someone sits there and says something that he's typed with his dick, or some 12-year-old who hasn't figured out how to jerk off yet is sitting there typing insults about somebody he's never met. The whole thing's hilarious."

As previously reported, Ulrich has shown up in a new trailer for the upcoming HBO film "Hemingway & Gellhorn". After appearing as himself in the 2004 documentary "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster" and the 2010 comedy "Get Him To The Greek", Ulrich plays an actual character in this film, which is a fictionalized account of the relationship between author Ernest Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. The couple are played by Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman, while Ulrich portrays Dutch documentarian Joris Ivens.

The original HBO Films production is scheduled to premiere on May 28.

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio that while he enjoys appearing in movies, he's not interested in pursuing a full-fledged acting career. "The acting thing is not something that I'm chasing," he said. "The couple, three, four things I've done are all people that have come to me and asked me if I wanted to partake. I'm certainly interested in film, I'm passionate about film, but I can't tell you that it's something that I'm chasing, and I don't have any sort of aspirations about being some next-level actor or anything like that."

METALLICA is also getting into the movie business on its own, producing its own 3D film to be directed by Nimród Antal, best known for the movie "Predators".

The movie, which will be some sort of combination of concert footage and storyline, will begin shooting this August and is tentatively scheduled to arrive in theatres in the summer of 2013.
 
In a brand new interview with MLive.com, legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) was asked what it feels like to be a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "I don't know if it feels like anything at this point in time," he replied. "You just move on and get back to washing dishes, or whatever you do. It's a little overwhelming. Going into it, I was very skeptical. I didn't want to go (to the ceremony) because it was such a mess between the band members, and I've always had issues with the Hall because of bands that haven't been inducted, and why. But eventually, I was inspired to show appreciation to a legion of fans, who have been loyal for so many years. When our moment came, I realized it was really bigger than the guys themselves. It was about the entity that is GUNS N' ROSES. It finally felt legitimate and significant. But I still have issues about the people who have and haven't been inducted. . . If you get DEEP PURPLE in there, I'll shut up. I didn't really pay attention to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame until VELVET REVOLVER was invited to play with VAN HALEN (in 2007). I always thought of it as a big boys' club. There are still a lot of people who haven't been inducted who deserve it."

Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler recently told Rolling Stone magazine, "It's such an honor to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but then I found out that KISS isn't in here, and then I found out the other day that RUSH isn't in there. They've got to be inducted. If it wasn't for those bands and a couple other ones, there wouldn't be a GUNS N' ROSES."

Slash previously told The Canadian Press that he was honored t be inducted into the Rock Hall but also a bit turned off given that the Hall has overlooked so many other great rock bands.

"It's sort of a bittersweet thing too because there's so many artists that aren't inducted, that came way before GUNS did, that really actually almost deserve more to be in there and they're not in there," the guitarist said, listing off Canadian band RUSH, DEEP PURPLE, CHEAP TRICK and KISS as examples. "So it's really hard to sort of feel victorious ... that, to me, just doesn't seem right."
 
Jason Price of Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with Dave Kushner about the VELVET REVOLVER guitarist's latest music endeavor, PUSHERJONES. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Icon Vs. Icon: PUSHERJONES combines visual and musical elements. What can you tell us about the project and how it came about?

Dave Kushner: It all started a few years ago. There is a guy named Don Bernstein, who buys all of the memorabilia for the Hard Rock Cafe. Any of the guitars, instruments or outfits you see hanging in there, he is behind it. He had all of these really great stories and we became really good friends because he would buy stuff from VELVET REVOLVER. We became great friends and when he would come to L.A., he would stay at my house. At one point, he said, "Oh, you have to meet these two friends of mine. They work on 'The Simpsons'." We went out to see Chad Smith's [RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, CHICKENFOOT] band at this place called The Baked Potato. I met Ralph Sosa and Dave Warren, who is now my partner on this project. Again, we got along really great. We were swapping stories and hanging out. At some point I said something like, "Oh yeah, I would really like to do something like the Gorillaz because you could pick and choose your band." I was in VR at the time. Obviously, growing up in Hollywood, I had a lot of favorite musicians. As a musician, you always look for an opportunity to work with different people and not have a big commitment. People shy away sometimes by saying, "Well, I can't really tour now or I can't do this or that… " because everyone is busy and has so many things going on. We just started developing and from that experience with "The Simpsons", I really got into developing story ideas and the story behind each character. We just kinda kept going with it and it became this idea for a TV show. We were always kinda working on one phase of it as we went along, whether it was drawing the characters, writing songs for it, recording music for it, getting different guys to play on it or writing different stories for the character backgrounds. It was a great experience because there were all of these moving parts and you could always jump to different things if you got stuck on one. We just kept going with it and going with it and then one of the old managers from VR sent me an e-mail a month ago asking if we had any songs for "The Avengers" soundtrack. I sent him our song, "Count Me Out", and they apparently liked it enough to use it on the soundtrack. That kinda kick-started everything! We were kinda at the point where were we going to start trying to debut this thing anyway as a show or whatever. There are just so many heads to it, we can kinda go in a lot of different directions.

Icon Vs. Icon: What can you tell us about the characters who make up the band, both the animated form and the players themselves? How does it all tie together?

Dave Kushner: Well, that is a really good question because I don't really have a good answer. Like I said, there are a lot of moving parts. The characters in the story — the story is very similar to my story. It is basically about a band that has been established for a while and they lose their guitar player. The singer has an old friend that he played little league with. There is a guy he knows that is a solid guitar player. This is the kinda guy who has been in obscurity for a while and they basically call him up from the minors to the big leagues, ya know? It kinda goes from there. There are different elements to it. It is basically a comedy but it is based on my experiences in VELVET REVOLVER, whether they are stories that I have heard or stories that I have experienced by being in a band at that level and for lack of a better term, being in bands with people with substance abuse challenges, drinking problems or whatever else. There are many trappings in being in a band at that level but it is kind of a funny way of putting it out there!

Icon Vs. Icon: You are working on an EP. What can fans expect sonically?

Dave Kushner: Sonically, it is going to be like "Count Me Out" as far as the sound goes. We basically recorded the whole thing all at once with myself, Joey Castillo from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and Scott Shriner from WEEZER. We recorded all of the basic tracks for five songs at Josh Abraham's studio, the guy who did the VR record. We did it a couple months ago and now it is at the point where I did vocals with Franky Perez of SCARS ON BROADWAY last night for a song. I think I have got just a few more things to fine tune as far as overdubs and vocals. It should be ready in the next couple of weeks.

Icon Vs. Icon: It sounds like things are moving pretty quickly at this point. How long do you think it might be until this project is in full swing and might end up on TV or wherever it may take you?

Dave Kushner: I really don't know. I am hoping it is very soon. Anything is possible. Fortunately, because of the "Avengers" attachment, it has happened so quickly that there are two or three directions we can go with this thing and now it is just a matter of picking which one is the best. At this point, it is like, do you go focus on the TV show aspect? Do you focus on the music because that is what is purely getting the attention right now? Do you just focus on finishing the EP and getting that out there? Like I said, it is like a two- or three-headed beast! [laughs] We also have to figure out how to do this thing live and we have a few ideas on how to do that. How do we present these characters to the world? There are just so many moving parts!

Icon Vs. Icon: Have you given any thought to potentially playing the EP live, even if it isn't the full blown version of the band you are working towards?

Dave Kushner: I'd like to but it is a matter of not what is the best way but what is the coolest way. For example, I saw DETHKLOK on tour, you know, the "Metalocalypse" band?

Icon Vs. Icon: Oh yeah, sure.

Dave Kushner: I actually went with Scott, our bass player. It was like a year ago at The Palladium. They had an interesting way of how they did it between having video on a big screen and having the band play in front but the band was kinda in the dark but you could still see them. Nowadays with technology there is so much you can do. In Japan, they are doing a lot of cool things with holograms live. Obviously, everyone has been talking about the Tupac thing but before that we had seen this more animated looking style in Japan. People are going to these sold out shows of this animated character, a girl singer. So we are just trying to figure out the coolest way to do it because that is where I come from. All of us are guys who have played in bands and there are certain things you enjoy about that but, then again, can you pull everyone together at the same time? If you can't, then you figure out a way to present this thing live so that it is really cool and it gives people maybe a lot of what they are not expecting.

Icon Vs. Icon: Sounds like you definitely have a full plate at the moment. Do you have any other irons in the fire musically?

Dave Kushner: Right now, I am still kinda talking with guys in VELVET REVOLVER to see what is going on there. Still trying to figure out that stuff. I talked with Duff [McKagan] today about it and anything is possible. As far as other projects, I have been doing a lot of composing for television. I am actually doing music for Vince Vaughn's production company for a show called "Sullivan and Sons", which is on TBS. It is kinda like "Cheers". So I am doing all of that and just trying to keep everything going!
 
Mick Burgess of Metal Express Radio recently conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES keyboardist Dizzy Reed. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Express Radio: Over the years, the band has mainly operated with two guitarists, whether that was Slash and Izzy or Gilby Clarke. You've currently got Ron [Thal] and Richard [Fortus] along with DJ Ashba. Why does the band need a third guitarist?

Dizzy: I think at some point there was the need for three guitar players and it just worked so well that I think it would be hard to go back to two now. They all contribute different parts to the show and it adds to the overall sound of the band. The main thing I see with that is that I think we have three of the best guitar players in the world. It's a treat for me to see them play and I know it'll be a treat for those that come to the shows too. Everyone is in a cool place about it. We are far enough along in our careers to see the big picture and we can leave our egos at the door and enjoy being in GUNS N' ROSES. The guys work so hard to work together and that's so important. A lot of bands don't see that when they are starting out but you do have to be a unit, you have to work together, and this is a prime example of once you do that and you have that level of musicianship, then it's going to be better than everything else in the long run. I appreciate the hard work that they've all put in. So what people will see are three of the greatest guitar players in the world in a great band playing great songs.

Metal Express Radio: Your latest album, "Chinese Democracy", was a long time coming. Did you think that there was a time when it might never have been released?

Dizzy: I knew we'd get there in the end. We just wanted to be sure that we had the best songs that we possibly could and we wanted everything to be right and I think we achieved that.

Metal Express Radio: You were there right from the start of the recording process. How did the finished album differ to those earlier recordings?

Dizzy: There were so many ideas and songs that were tossed about and arranged and those initial ideas were developed over time sometimes into something very different from the original ideas, but I think they picked the right songs and it worked great. There's a lot going on and it takes a few listens to truly appreciate what's going on there, but I think the songs are cool and I think the album still sounds great.

Metal Express Radio: On "Chinese Democracy", you co-wrote "I.R.S.", "There Was A Time" and "Street Of Dreams". How did you go about writing with Axl?

Dizzy: There was no set formula. People who were in the band at the time tossed ideas around and we'd add parts or drop parts. People would try things on their own and we all contributed in our way and developed the songs into what they eventually turned out like on the album. With "Street Of Dreams", we were just playing around with it and one day I sat down and developed the bridge part and the intro and that became part of the finished song. There was a lot of work to put it together but I think the material worked out really well
This year's Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash, to be held on Saturday, May 19, will include a very special addition to the format of the past 11 years. In anticipation of the forthcoming posthumous new Joey Ramone CD, "...Ya Know?", the event will culminate in a live performance of the entire album in advance of its actual release. The set will feature a band of renowned punk musicians, led by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh.

Participants include the following musicians who appear on the "...Ya Know?" album: Richie Stotts, JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson, Jean Beauvoir, Ed Stasium, Al Maddy, Amy Hartman, and Mickey Leigh. Performing at the event will be THE THREADS, THE BRATS, THE INDECENT, Ivan Julian, and The Bullys. Furthermore, special guest appearances are expected by Tommy Ramone, Ross the Boss, Joey Lanz, Mick Stitch, Walt Stack, Yoav, Alex Holyboy, Tish & Snookie, Bebe Buell, Tina Ingrid, Louisa Bradshaw, and George Tabb.

Leigh, who served as executive producer of the CD project, said: "It was of the utmost importance to me that these remaining songs of Joey's be finished properly and made available for the world to hear." This second Joey Ramone solo CD, slated for release May 22 (BMG Rights Management) is comprised of never-before-heard songs written and sung by Ramone, who passed away 11 years ago of lymphoma. The tracks were drawn from a cache of demos and unreleased recordings that Ramone had cut at various times during the last decade and a half of his life. The resulting album is a brilliant encapsulation of the qualities that made Joey Ramone one of rock's most unlikely, yet most beloved, heroes.

Additionally, this year's Bash will be held in a new venue — the Studio @ Webster Hall — to allow for a more intimate setting in which to introduce the songs in their premiere performance. The $40 ticket price includes an advance copy of the CD signed by various musicians in attendance, and the official 2012 Birthday Bash t-shirt, not available elsewhere. As in past years, proceeds from the Bash go to benefit the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research.

Leigh reflects: "Over the past eight years I've been getting a barrage of e-mails and Facebook messages from Joey's fans, wanting to know when this album would be coming out. So having it finally become a reality gives me a feeling of triumph — not for me, but for my brother, and for his fans. And there's not the slightest doubt in my mind that people are gonna be blown away by it."

Called "a riveting collection of first-rate songs that embody Joey's trademark intensity and wit that can stand proudly alongside his most beloved RAMONES compositions," the CD is a fitting if belated follow-up to Ramone's first solo CD, "Don't Worry About Me", which was recorded just prior to his death and released the following year.

The CD's title "...Ya Know?" refers to the phrase that was a ubiquitous staple of Ramone's conversation and adds a significant new chapter to the seminal punk icon's hugely influential body of work. Among the numerous talented artists to whom Leigh and Ramone's manager Dave Frey reached out in bringing the album to fruition was veteran Ed Stasium, who was behind the board for many of the RAMONES' greatest releases, including their early classics "Leave Home", "Rocket To Russia" and "Road To Ruin". In addition to producing 10 of the CD's 15 tracks, Stasium also contributed instrumentation and vocals to each.

The swaggering opening track of "...Ya Know?", "Rock 'n' Roll Is the Answer" (co-written with PLASMATICS guitarist Richie Stotts) was released as a limited-edition seven-inch single for last month's Record Store Day. That song and hometown shout-out "New York City" demonstrate Ramone's knack for channeling his personal passions into bracing anthems. The playfully breezy "Make Me Tremble" (which Ramone wrote and recorded with DICTATORS founder Andy Shernoff) and the bittersweet acoustic ballad "Waiting For That Railroad" find him exploring some of the more introspective territory he had been unable to express within the format of his former band.

Elsewhere on "...Ya Know?", "I Couldn't Sleep" is a collaboration between brothers Joey and Mickey, who also teamed up to record a romantic alternate version of the RAMONES' holiday classic "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" in Joey's apartment. A previously unreleased reprise of Joey's late-period RAMONES tune "Life's A Gas" ends the album on an appropriately uplifting note.

Contributing to "...Ya Know?" is an assortment of musicians and producers whose prior relationships with Joey help to give the album an organic vibe that enhances its power and character. The cast of players includes Joan Jett, and Little Steven Van Zandt, who plays guitar on "Party Line" and wrote the album's poignant liner notes, along with such notables as former RAMONES drummer Richie Ramone, Bun E. Carlos of CHEAP TRICK, Dennis Diken of the SMITHEREENS, Richie Stotts, PATTI SMITH GROUP guitarist Lenny Kaye, punk survivor Holly Beth Vincent, members of the RAMONES' punk-era contemporaries THE DICTATORS, and producers Jean Beauvoir and Joe Blaney.
MEGADETH will perform its 1992 album, "Countdown To Extinction", in its entirety at the Pepsi Center in Mexico City, Mexico on Wednesday, September 19 and at the Arena VFG in Guadalajara, Mexico on Friday, September 21. Local act RAXAS is confirmed as the support act for both shows. Tickets for Mexico City go on sale to the general public Thursday, May 17 and for Guadalajara on on Saturday, May 19.

As previously reported, MEGADETH will also perform its 1992 album, "Countdown To Extinction", in its entirety on September 7 at Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile.

Speaking to the Artisan News, Ellefson stated about the LP, "'Countdown' was really one of my favorite records of the whole MEGADETH catalog... for a number of reasons. Musically, I think it brought together the best of thrash, the melodic part, writing big, hooky riffs. And that record really launched us into the mainstream, which opened up a lot of other opportunites and things for us to do. But more importantly, I think, than all of that, is it was a really cool time when the four of us were really, probably, our most connected together as a band."

MEGADETH's fifth LP, "Countdown To Extinction" was released on July 14, 1992 through Capitol Records. The band's best-selling full-length CD to date, it was certified double-platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of two million copies. The album also produced the band's most successful hit singles, "Symphony Of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets", "Skin O' My Teeth" and "Foreclosure Of A Dream".
 
 
According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, MANOWAR's new studio album, "The Lord Of Steel", will first be released worldwide on June 16, exclusively on iTunes and on the band's own online store, The Kingdom Of Steel. On the same date, U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine will release a special "Steel Edition" of Metal Hammer #233, including the CD and a digital copy of the album.

"The Lord Of Steel" — which was mixed and mastered at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands with the help of longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper — is blazing with pure power, untamed energy, and a sound as raw and wild as a force of nature. Track titles like "Annihilation" and "Hail, Kill And Die!" set the tone for a record that is packed with surprises. In contrast to the 2007 release "Gods Of War", this new album is not a concept album, yet each song tells a different story, retaining the MANOWAR vision of righteousness, honor and everything MANOWAR fans have come to know and love.

MANOWAR fans should expect to have "their heads completely blown off," said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio in a recent interview, and explained that "this album is all about brutality and raw power!"

"We were talking about a concept album but then got inspired to go in a different direction. This is where we are right now," explained DeMaio. "I've been doing research on getting the best microphones and pre-amps for the guitars. The bass sound is death defying. We've done a lot of work on drums too, giving Donnie [Hamzik, drums] room to stretch out. And Eric [Adams, vocals] will simply sound bigger than life, as always."

"The Lord Of Steel" will include the track "El Gringo", which will also serve as the theme song for the After Dark Action franchise film "El Gringo", an action western starring Scott Adkins ("The Expendables 2", "The Bourne Ultimatum"), Christian Slater and Yvette Yates ("Without Men").

"El Gringo" marks the first time MANOWAR has written a song specifically for a movie. The song depicts the struggle of a hero torn between his moral code and financial gain, and the challenge of being true to oneself and the real values in life — a recurring theme in MANOWAR's music.

"Everyone loves action movies! Our music, along with ass-kicking visuals and a great story, are a perfect match, not to mention a chance to actually see the music come alive on screen," said MANOWAR bassist and composer Joey DeMaio. "'El Gringo' has been a great experience, the team at After Dark Films has been a pleasure to work with, and we are ready for more!" he continued.

On March 12, a select group of special MANOWAR fans known as The Circle, who represent the band's worldwide fan base, were invited to a private pre-listening session of the forthcoming MANOWAR album, as well as a tour of Wisseloord Studios.

MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio, and longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper, provided insight into the making of a record, and the specific requirements in the production for a band that is world-renowned for a sound that is louder than any other band and yet equally clear and perfect.

Fans from all over the world were chosen to represent their countries and receive news and updates to share them with their fellow brothers and sisters, and listen to first songs from the new album that is set for release in June/July.

"It was important to us that the fans should be the first to hear the new music. After all, it is all for them!" explained DeMaio.

When asked about the long gap between MANOWAR's last CD and upcoming effort, DeMaio said, "I know that a lot of people don't wanna wait another five years for a MANOWAR record, but we hope that people are gonna think that it was worth waiting the time. Because, you know, you go to a restaurant and you order dinner, if the waiter walks in the kitchen and comes back out two seconds later and puts the dinner on the table, I really don't know what you're gonna get. Every now and then I like McDonald's, too — it doesn't mean something fast is not good — but we're not a fast-food restaurant with MANOWAR. We think it's quality, so we hope you're gonna feel the same way."

MANOWAR will headline several European festivals this summer, celebrating their new album and the 10th anniversary of one of their most popular records, "Warriors Of The World".
 
 
Earlier this week, Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

On the rumors of a possible PANTERA reunion with Zakk Wylde on guitar filling in for the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott:

Anselmo: "Honest to goodness, it's a lot of talk… I'll say this: there would be a number of things that would have to happen before anything like that were to occur. Vince [former PANTERA drummer, and Dimebag's brother, Vinnie Paul Abbott] and I would have to sit down and hash out all kinds of stuff. I have not had that opportunity yet. Rex [Brown, former PANTERA bassist] and I still are very close — we talk, we support each other's music, we're brothers, and all that. However, the Vinnie Paul talk has not happened. That's Vince's choice for right now, and I can't disupute his choice — he's his own man, he makes up his own mind — but I'll leave it like this: my door is wide freaking open. Life is too short, man."

On the idea of getting back on stage and seeing PANTERA fans going crazy to the band's music:

Anselmo: "Of course, when you look at it that way, and just to feel that rush, to play those songs, and to see that particular audience react that way, that would…. Wow, cosmic, to say the least."

On his upcoming solo album:

Anselmo: "Yes, I do have a solo record that is mixed and tracked and all that stuff. All I wanna do is go back and make one more pass on that mix and then get the sucker mastered. I would love to have that out at the end of this year, but if it doesn't happen, because of A) of course, this 'Vulgar Display Of Power' [PANTERA] re-release; I wanna give that time to breathe; and then B) the [new] DOWN [EP], I wanna give that a little time to breathe. If it doesn't happen at the end of this year, I would definitely be looking for that sucker early, early, early, early next year."

"I wrote every note on the record. I wrote every song. Truth be told, I am a creative guitar player. I'm not a technically great guitar player. I've written PANTERA riffs, too. I'll write a riff, but when a guy like Dimebag gets ahold of it, it sounds completely different and probably about 99 to 100 percent better. I have a fantastic guitar player named [Maziar] Marzi Montazeri [ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL], who… Actually, him and Dimebag had known each other since the middle '80s, late '80s, and I've known Marzi almost as long. And really, Dimebag… He was such a killer, killer, amazing player — we all know this — but Dimebag would show so much respect to Marzi. Just to sit there and watch those two guys jam together back in the old days, or just talk guitars… They just had this amazing mutual respect for one another. So Marzi and I have reunited, and he is really an executioner when it comes to right-hand picking, and his left hand blows mine away completely, and he's a great lead player. And the kid who plays drums from WARBEAST, José Manuel Gonzales, he plays drums on my stuff, too. And I've got a local kid playing bass, named Bennett Bartley. And really, man, I orchestrated the whole thing — my words, my songs — but I let Marzi put his fingerprints, so to speak, all over this whole damn thing. Really, man, it's probably — in my estimation — one of the most intense things I've done, ever. What I love about it is you can't slide it into any one particular slot, but it's just as extreme as extreme gets. So I can't wait to catch some feedback on this sucker."
 
Christina Fuoco Karasinski of MLive.com recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On being the underdog of the music world:

Vinnie: "You have those people that are willing to watch us do what we do now in our current band, which is HELLYEAH. Then, you got those people that don't want to let go of what we did in the past with MUDVAYNE, PANTERA, NOTHINGFACE, DAMAGEPLAN. Those people are hard to convince. I feel like we made the kind of record that they want to hear this time around. The previous fans are gonna love the heaviness and the aggressive nature of it. I think anybody that was ever on the fence about HELLYEAH is gonna go, 'Wow, this is what I wanted to hear from those guys.'"

On debuting new music in concert:

Vinnie: "We are firm believers that the first time somebody hears a brand new song from the band, it shouldn't be on a cell phone camera with the distortion or anything where you can't make it out. We want to present it right. The only song [from the forthcoming third HELLYEAH album, 'Band Of Brothers'] that's been released to this point that's out there is 'War In Me'. We've been playing that live every night. It's been going down great. The new single, 'Band of Brothers', when it comes out, then we're going to start doing that live, too. Eventually when the record's out we want to do a whole lot of stuff off the new record."

On recording "Band of Brothers" in Dallas at Paul's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio:

Vinnie: "We turned the big living room into the drum room with a 40-foot ceiling, put the guitar amps into the game room, turned one of the bedrooms into a control room put video monitors up all around. We usually get up around 3 or 4 (p.m.). We'd start barbecuing and after that it's time to do a little drinking and then we start jamming. Everything just flowed real natural. [After taking] a little trip down [down to The Clubhouse, Paul's 'adult entertainment establishment,' to have cocktails] we'd come back and wake up with a hangover and a hangover's inspiration to do it all over again. You gotta have fun doing it. We're definitely very serious."

On the more heavier, more aggressive sound of the new HELLYEAH album:

Vinnie: "On this particular record, we felt like with the first two HELLYEAH records we really stepped outside of the box and experimented with a lot of different styles and things we hadn't done with any of our previous bands. With this record, we wanted to get really focused and get back to our heavy metal roots and see what happens if we made a record that was reminiscent of something that all of us had done in the past. All of us [come] from really metal-based bands and that's what all our roots were, metal. It was a challenge for us to step out and do some Southern rock and a little bluesy stuff and stuff like we did on the first two records. This was more natural."
 
Anthony Morgan of Metal Forces recently conducted an interview with vocalist David Reece, formerly of German metallers ACCEPT and currently of melodic rockers BANGALORE CHOIR. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On YouTube and illegal downloading:

Reece: "With the drinking laws in America, if you drink a couple of beers and you're stopped, then you're going to jail. For somebody to go out and spend their money on tickets when they can sit at home, drink a beer and watch the show on YouTube literally minutes after you're done… I think that's murdered us, and a lot of the American acts. I just did a show with Vince Neil (MÖTLEY CRÜE vocalist) a couple of weeks ago with this young outfit that I'm working with; there were about 2,000 people there, but they had expected twice that for the show. I got home at midnight, and about an hour later I could see pretty much everything I'd done. It's killing us, and the illegal downloading of records through the Internet is killing us, too.

"There are about 10,000 [download] sites right now that have got [the latest BANGALORE CHOIR album] 'Metaphor'. Unfortunately, I think some of the journalists who get the promo CDs and the people who pretend to be DJs who get the promo CDs upload them when they're not really official people in the industry. They don't realize the harm they create. I think the mentality of society is 'take, take, take' — it's not like when I was young. I really liked going to buy records and spending the day listening, following a band, and reading the liner notes. I think everything is so fast that the attention span has died. The loyalty has gone. It's better in Europe I would say; the fanbase that I have in Europe is far stronger than in the U.S."

On new BANGALORE CHOIR album "Metaphor":

"I think 'Metaphor' is a stronger record. I'm proud of 'Cadence'; there's some moments on that record… to be honest, I've done a lot of records in my life, and with every record I always wish I could've done more. After you listen to it when it's finished and you've laboured, you always feel you could've done better. With 'Metaphor' it's more of a group effort, everybody writing material. I feel stronger about 'Metaphor' right now, which I think is a little more in line with 'On Target'. Melodically, I think there's some more similarity there. There's still some of the 'Cadence' elements. I don't know if you would agree with that, but I think because the band was totally more involved on 'Metaphor', it feels a little more natural to me. I wasn't the main songwriter like I was on 'Cadence'. I kind of opened the door on 'Metaphor' and said 'Everybody bring your ideas,' and that's the way I wanted it. I think you hear that on 'Metaphor'. It's a stronger record, I think."

On being a member of ACCEPT:

"The good of it was in those days I played seven days a week, five hours a night in America. You had to emulate a lot of the singers you were copying, so you went out, you had a strong voice, and you sang every night, but you kind of lost your identity. You didn't really know if you're a singer or not, or if you could hit the notes. When I got into ACCEPT, [producer] Dieter Dierks really worked me as a singer, and the result of that was I developed my own style. That's one of the good things. Some of the bad stuff was I was never really comfortable in the group, and trying to replace Udo (Dirkschneider) is a difficult thing. Nobody really can; it's not really ACCEPT without Udo. That's some of the bad, but overall, learning the work ethic and what it takes to be professional and do it was good. It was a whole different atmosphere for me. They don't mess around (laughs)."

On forming new metal group WAITING FOR WAR:

"It's very heavy, kind of melodic JUDAS PRIEST meets AVENGED SEVENFOLD, so that's cool. I'm really enjoying it; the stories are deep, and the hooks are there. The drummer Eric Domagall has a band called DOWNTREAD, and they have a guitarist named Brett Petrusek. They're just monsters; they're fresh, they're hungry. They're maybe 10 years younger than I am, and I'm 50, so… these guys have played around the area. They have a recording studio that's like the old days. The band is always together because they live in the same city; they play a lot of shows, and play a lot of open airs for a lot of the big acts that come through the Midwest. I had gone down to the studio called Pound Sound, and a guy named Jeremy Tappero tracked the vocals for 'Metaphor'. He played some of this band's music, who were DOWNTREAD. I said 'Who is that?' He told me who it was, and I said 'Those guys are great. I'd love to sing on some of their stuff'. He goes 'Well, that's kind of interesting you said that. They're fans of yours, and they would like you to record with them a little bit'. One thing led to another, and then we sat down in a room and just started writing songs. Right now we've finished the third one completely, and there's six more that are floating around. Hopefully, I'll make a record with these guys this year. I've put the feelers out to let record labels know what I'm doing. They've said 'As soon as it's done, we wanna hear it first', which is great. It's nice to have that opportunity (laughs)."
 
German power metallers PARAGON recently entered Piet Sielck's (IRON SAVIOR) studio to record their tenth album for a late summer/early fall release. The band states, "We are now almost finished with the recording of our new album. We only have to add some more backing vocals as well as some more lead guitars by our new guitar player Jan Bertram.

"The recordings went very smooth and in the end we recorded it much faster than the previous albums we did with Piet.

"We recorded ten songs, one intro and a cover version but have no title for the album so far."

The cover artwork will once again be created by Dirk Illing (SCORPIONS, RUNNING WILD), while the photos will be handled by Stefan Malzkorn (GAMMA RAY, SAXON) and the cover layout will be overseen by Claudia von Bihl (Auburn Records, ACCEPT, ANVIL).

Jan Betram previously played with PARAGON's drummer, Chris Gripp. PARAGON bassist Jan Bünning states, "[Jan] is a longtime PARAGON fan and even wanted to join us a long time ago."

PARAGON 2012 is:

Andreas Babuschkin - Vocals
Wolfgang Tewes - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jan Bertram - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jan Bünning - Bass, Backing Vocals
Chris Gripp - Drums, Backing Vocals

Bünning previously stated about PARAGON's decision to once again work with Sielck on the new CD, "We already worked with him on four of our previous albums ('Steelbound', 'Law Of The Blade', 'The Dark Legacy' and 'Revenge') and it for sure [is] like a coming home for us. Piet worked with bands like SAXON and BLIND GUARDIAN and knows best what we have to sound like."

PARAGON's latest album, "Screenslaves", was released in November 2008 via Massacre Records. The CD was produced by Uwe Lullis (ex-GRAVE DIGGER, REBELLION) at Black Solaris Studio in Frankfurt.

Bünning quit PARAGON after the recording of 2007's "Forgotten Prophecies" because of "musical differences" but rejoined the band in 2009.
 
DARK DAY SUNDAY, the old-school thrash band featuring FATES WARNING guitarist Frank Aresti and SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner, will support DREAM THEATER on the following shows:

June 15 - Main Street Armory - Rochester, NY
June 17 - Artpark - Lewiston, NY

DARK DAY SUNDAY will also play on Saturday, June 16 at Lost Horizons in Syracuse, New York.

Inspired by Bay Area thrash bands like METALLICA, EXODUS, and MEGADETH, DARK DAY SUNDAY brings together old and new elements to create a brand new sound. The result: pure, raw energy.

DARK DAY SUNDAY is composed of four guys with a common love for headbanging fury, wailing guitar solos, melodic vocals that simply won't quit, and a rhythm section so in tune with one another you'd swear they were born of the same insanity.

Frank Aresti started his career with seminal prog-metal band FATES WARNING. As inspiration to many later bands, from DREAM THEATER to SLIPKNOT, Frank's guitar playing helped propel the band to commercial success and critical acclaim.

"I love playing with FATES," comments Frank, "but DARK DAY SUNDAY has a special place in my heart. I grew up listening to late '70s British punk and hardcore, then to early American thrash. I absolutely love this music."

In the drummer's seat is one of the most highly regarded metal drummers today, Jason Bittner of SHADOWS FALL. A Berklee College Of Music alum, "Jason brings a great energy to this band," says Aresti. "He lends an aggressive approach, pushing the beat while completely locking up with the rhythm section. It's a powerful feeling when you hear us live."

Rounding out the rhythm section on bass is Ed Lanouette. Ed earned his bachelor's degree at Berklee College Of Music and graduated with a master's degree in jazz performance from the Boston Conservatory. He cites his main influences as Jaco Pastorius and BLACK SABBATH's Geezer Butler.

Soaring above the ferocious riffs and pounding rhythm section is vocalist Marc Lopes. Marc cites his main influence as Bruce Dickinson of IRON MAIDEN. "Bruce has the ability to be melodic and aggressive at the same time," says Marc. "I love that, and that's what I go for in my singing."

When asked about the future of DARK DAY SUNDAY, Frank replies, "I want to take this band on the road, across the world. I want to continue making and recording music as long as we can. And judging how all four of us love doing this, that's going to be a long time."

DARK DAY SUNDAY expects to release its debut album later this year.

DARK DAY SUNDAY is:

Marc Lopes - Vocals
Frank Aresti (FATES WARNING) - Guitar
Ed Lanouette - Bass
Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL) – Drums
 
Vocalist Joey Tempest of Swedish hard rockers EUROPE was interviewed by Musica Metal after the band's May 7 intimate three-song acoustic set at the Feltrinelli in Milan, Italy. You can now watch the chat below.

When describing some of the songs off the band's latest album "Bag Of Bones", Tempest underlined how EUROPE, one of the most successful and recognizeable bands of the Eighties, wanted to say goodbye to that era. He said, "[The song] 'Requiem' [from the new CD] was a requiem for the Eighties. We were saying goodbye. It was called 'Requiem For The Eighties' in the studio. We even had a memorial. We played it in the studio and everybody was like [makes mourning pose] 'Goodbye, Eighties.' It was really serious. But we called it just 'Requiem' in the end. Because we were in a Seventies studio, we were doing classic rock influenced by the Seventies, we felt the vibe. Together with Kevin [Shirley, producer], there was really a great moment."

Photos of the acoustic showcase, which saw Tempest and guitarist John Norum playfully ripping through three songs and a lot of improvisation, are available at the Musica Metal web site.

The setlist for the acoustic show was as follows:

01. Rock The Night
02. Not Supposed To Sing The Blues
03. Final Countdown

EUROPE's ninth studio album, "Bag Of Bones", entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 2.

"Bag Of Bones" was released in Europe on April 27 via earMusic/Edel. The CD, which features a guest appearance by blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), was produced by Kevin Shirley, who has previously worked with IRON MAIDEN, JOE BONAMASSA, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, BLACK STONE CHERRY and JOURNEY, among others.

"It's more organic," Tempest told Metal Shock Finland about the new CD. "Kevin Shirley brought in a warm '70s sound. It's a dynamic record, like vinyl almost.

"One of my [favorite songs on the CD], 'Riches To Rags' has quite a big chorus with exciting riffs.

"It's a journey with an emotional ballad at the end, called 'Bring It On Home'. Very much a classic rock album — more rock than hard rock."

On the topic of "Bag Of Bones" also being released on vinyl, Joey said, "With the new 'Bag Of Bones' cover, there is so much detail on it. It became a bit boring there for a while; everybody was thinking, 'CDs are small, so let's just make something simple.' But we have computers, so we can blow up the cover to use for posters and vinyl, so it's still worth going that extra mile to make great covers. And we're really happy we did that."

The "Not Supposed To Sing The Blues" video was directed by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.

The "Not Supposed To Sing The Blues" digital single was made available on March 9.

Regarding the new CD title, EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland said, "It's not [called 'Bag Of Bones'] because we all have lost tons of weight or found a new interest in archeology or dogs... It's just because it sounds fuckin' cool!"
 
Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with bassist John Campbell of Richmond, Virgina metallers LAMB OF GOD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Assault: I read that you guys started writing for this album even before the touring cycle for the previous album "Wrath" was over, in early 2010 or something like that. So, would you say that it's been one of the longer writing processes for you, compared to any of your other albums?

John: Well, it has been as a group, but when the writing process started on the road, that was Mark Morton [guitar] by himself in a hotel room, working on his laptop and demoing out song ideas. That continued when we got home with Willie [Adler, guitar] doing the same thing at his house, and then when we came together as a band, we had these demos to work from. So, I think the songs had more time to get more developed, and we ended up tracking an amazing record out of it.

Metal Assault: But, I felt "Wrath" had quite a bit of clean guitar usage, and I really enjoyed that. Do you think "Resolution" lacks in that aspect, in comparison?

John: Well, the track "Barbarosa" has some clean guitars in it. The opening for "Ghost Walking" has the acoustic, and then the track called "King Me" has some clean guitars as well. We use clean guitars from time to time. We don't have any sort of measuring stick to tell whether it's enough or not enough, but when we make a record, we do what feels appropriate in terms of mixing the clean and heavy guitars. Primarily we're a heavy metal band, and the gain is on.

Metal Assault: You mentioned Mark Morton. He recently started giving lessons on Bandhappy, which is a community a lot of musicians are getting involved in these days. Have you thought about getting into that as well?

John: Absolutely, I did consider it. I'm not a trained musician, so I'm not sure how exactly it would go over, but I can certainly provide some tips on playing in general, and it's definitely something I'll do in the future, but when I'm home I've got a lot of stuff to take care of. I have two children, and two motorcycles. So I'm kept pretty busy. But I plan on doing something of that sort at some point.

Metal Assault: There's something else I read about you, but I don't know whether it's a reliable source, because it's Wikipedia, which is sometimes just full of shit. But according to that, you invented a three-string bass for yourself. Is that true at all?

John: "Invented" is probably a strong word for it. (laughs) What happened was, I had a guild pilot with my first bass, and the tuning peg that holds the lower string broke. I didn't have the money to go get a new one, so I just took the one that held the high string on it, to move that to the low string, and all of a sudden I had a three-string bass. Somehow I got notoriety out of it. It was really just because of being broke and needing a low string.
 
According to The Pulse Of Radio, a Chicago rally at which RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello was scheduled to perform has had its permit rescinded after it was announced that Morello would be there. National Nurses United had its permit for the May 18 pulled despite having received it months earlier. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city told organizers that the permit was revoked "to accommodate changes to your event, including a performance by a nationally known musician and a significantly increased number of expected attendees."

The event is now set to take place at Petrillo Music Shell, which is a much less prominent location.

Morello told Rolling Stone, "Chicago is my hometown and the mayor is making me feel mighty unwelcome. I don't care what they say or do, I'm coming to rock out and speak my mind. We won't be silenced and we won't be stopped. If (Mayor) Rahm Emanuel is so afraid of my popularity in Chicago maybe I should run against him in the next election. See you in the streets."

National Nurses United is currently attempting to overturn the decision on the rally, which is scheduled to take place during the Chicago NATO Summit 2012.
 
Mark Ashby of Über Rock recently conducted an interview with former VENOM and MPIRE OF EVIL and current DEF-CON-ONE drummer Antony "Antton" Lant (brother of VENOM frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Über Rock: Of course, we all know you spent ten years in VENOM. How do you look back at the time?

Antton: Most of it was awesome. The most fun was the "Metal Black" period. I've known Mike [Hickey, guitar] for a long time and he is a very good friend of mine: at that point it was all about the music, and we were all getting along just fine, but then greed raises its ugly head and it all goes pear-shaped again. The period for the "Hell" album was actually hard work — everything seemed so "forced" and it was all about how we could sound like the band did on the first couple of records. It was forced and horrible.

Über Rock: Then you left after the "Hell" album, which seemed to further consolidate the band's position as returning heroes: what prompted your decision to leave at such a seemingly crucial time in the band's career?

Antton: I don't like "Hell"; the songs aren't that good and the production is crap. The recording process was horrible, too; there were lots of arguments and bad feelings. I played the guitar on a few of the tracks and I honestly thought they were guides for the guitarist to play over but they ended up on the final cut... What I do find funny is that some of tracks Mike and me wrote have ended up on their new album. Go figure, eh! The song "Punk's Not Dead" is 100% Mike Hickey's riff. He brought that to the band back in 2004 and I still have it, plus copies of the "Metal Black" lineup playing it at rehearsals...

Über Rock: More recently, of course, you were one third of MPIRE Of EVIL, with Mantas and Tony Dolan. Many would have argued that this was just the "alternative VENOM" — especially with the very public disagreements between Mantas and Cronos which have blighted a large part of VENOM's career (at least for diehard fans): now that you're outside both bands looking in, as it were, how would you answer such a challenge?

Antton: Well, it was not supposed to be "alternative VENOM," or at least that's what I thought: the plan was to be an original band. Unfortunately, me and my so-called brother fell out a few years back, so I have nothing to do with him anymore, but I should have listened to a few of the things he used to say about the other original members. Megalomaniacs! Ya know, saying that, I've never had any problems with [former VENOM drummer] Abaddon; he's always been cool with me. The arguments started when Jeff ["Mantas" Dunn] started chopping my drum parts up. I recorded all my drum parts separately and gave Jeff the drum files: he then chopped my parts up, taking verses and replacing them with choruses from different songs; he then took so long to mix the tracks that we were running out of time with the record company deadline. I first found out that my parts had been changed when I was cc'ed in on an email to the record company. A lot of those songs sound like that because of me: some of the riffs were not going to be used and I suggested them and I changed some of the bits too. The whole chorus for "Hell To The Holy" was my idea, even the melody. I still have all the original shit without the changes, with my vocal ideas, etc. There was a 12-inch vinyl released but it had nothing to do with me: when I asked about the deal etc, I was accused of calling them thieves. But hold on, if there is nothing to hide well then show me the contract. I can now see what was happening, though, and I guess I was a bit stupid to not see it... having me in the band made the whole three ex-VENOM members thing more attractive to agents — and also the Cronos connection kinda gives it a seal of approval somehow. So, when Jeff heard that I had left VENOM, he thought, "Maybe I can use this in my favour..." He was not my friend. I feel a bit stupid now for not seeing it. Then we talked about touring: I wanted to tour straight after the release of the album, not three weeks before it was released — that's stupid. And I thought we were an original band that was going to throw a couple of VENOM songs into the set. Not a full-on VENOM set: come on, man, what's all that about? I have NO desire to be in a VENOM tribute band, NONE. If I wanted to play VENOM songs all night long, I would still be in VENOM... remember, I left VENOM...? Ya know, I don't see the FOO FIGHTERS playing NIRVANA songs live.

Über Rock: Do you still keep in touch with your brother, musically I mean?

Antton: Nope, he's no longer my brother.

Über Rock: So, if Cronos came knocking at your door and asked you to help, you wouldn't exactly be in a hurry to join up with him again?

Antton: No way, and he knows to stay the fuck away from me, too.
 
Fast-rising Berlin rock band KADAVAR will release its self-titled debut in North America on July 10 via Tee Pee Records. Boasting an absolutely killer sound that will find immediate appeal with fans of BLACK SABBATH, PENTAGRAM, SIR LORD BALTIMORE, WITCHCRAFT and GRAVEYARD, KADAVAR's thunderous gloom sounds as if it was "dug out and dusted off" and is the absolute apotheosis of the "SABBATH sound." You might want to rock a monk's robe or a space suit for this one!

KADAVAR is a big black shape with eyes of fire with an immediate sound that induces "chill and numbs from head to toe." Cathedrals in fog emerge from the speakers as KADAVAR's heavy blues-rock, awesomely loud minor-key dirges and Geezer Butler-esque pressure roll bass lines create a paean to the dark mesmerizing power of the distorted blues. Howled vocals full of ominous messages expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies fly over a seemingly endless supply of monster riffs and rhythm-section chug (including very subtle Ward-like jazz qualities!) that slowly envelope the listener in a hallucinatory haze. Handpicked by both SLEEP and PENTAGRAM as support on each of the Gods of Doom's respective European tours this summer, KADAVAR's strutting style and warm, analog tones are sure to transport audiences to proto-metal oblivion. Heaven's golden chorus sings, Hell's angels flap their wings!

"Kadavar" track listing:

01. All Our Thoughts (4:38)
02. Black Sun (6:17)
03. Forgotten Past (5:41)
04. Goddess of Dawn (4:17)
05. Creature of the Demon (4:54)
06. Purple Sage (8:13)

KADAVAR features Wolf Lindemann (vocals, guitar), Mammut (Rivoli bass) and Tiger (drums).
 
Knoxville, Tennessee hard rockers 10 YEARS will release their new album, "Minus The Machine", on July 31 via their own Palehorse Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The CD marks the band's first release on their new label, after a long tenure at Universal.

10 YEARS will kick off the "Minus the Machine" headlining tour on June 27 in New Orleans, supported by FAIR TO MIDLAND and KYNG. They're hitting over 20 cities nationwide including a date in their hometown of Knoxville, and a handful of festivals like Rockfest and Summerjam. They will be touring to support the release of the new album, and they're excited to play some new songs this time around. This year, the band is playing Rocklahoma, sharing the bill with artists like ROB ZOMBIE, CHEVELLE, SLASH, and CREED.

After a solid and successful two years of Brian Vodinh touring as the band's guitarist, he is looking forward to returning to the drum kit. Brian announces, "Even though I started the band with the intention of playing guitar, for some reason drums have been always been the heartbeat of my thought process for the songwriting. After touring for more than two years with me playing guitar, we collectively decided that it felt like the heartbeat had just changed a little and it was time to pump that old blood back into the veins of 10 YEARS. I will be returning to the drum kit with a renewed passion and drive and with the release of 'Minus The Machine', our fans are in for the most emotional and energetic album and live show they have ever seen from us."

10 YEARS frontman Jesse Hasek explained the decision to release the album independently: "We wanted to create an album that has no boundaries. When you feel like you're being told to go through motions and jump through hoops, it takes the heart out of it. It's better to do what comes naturally and then figure out the after-effect."

After a hugely successful year and a half tour to support their previous record "Feeding The Wolves", the rock quartet is ready to get back on the road and see the fans. "We live and die by the loyalty of the club audiences," said Hasek. "Our fans are loyal. They travel with us, and they want us to be loyal to ourselves. What we tried to do on this album is really give them what they want because they've been so good to us through the ups and downs of our career."
Swedish metallers NECROVATION will release their sophomore album, "Necrovation", on June 26 in Europe and August 14 in the U.S. via Agonia Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Breed Deadness Blood" marks a swift improvement over the band's previous raw death metal style, with more classical and heavy metal influences but still with the classic death metal elements that have been the group's trademark since the beginning. The new album is strongly recommended for those who once liked METALLICA, early ENTOMBED and MORBID ANGEL.
 
"Necrovation" was mixed and produced by Gustav Burn along with the bandmembers and mastered in Necromorbus Studios (WATAIN, DESTROYER 666) in Stockholm, Sweden. The release will be available as a standard, practical CD, limited 12-inch gatefold heavy vinyl with eight pages booklet (first 100 copies of the vinyl on a heavy navy blue vinyl with white haze) and digital download.
 
"Necrovation" track listing:
 
01. Necrovorous Insurrection
02. Dark Lead Dead
03. Pulse of Towering Madness
04. Commander of Remains
05. New Depths
06. Sepulchreal
07. Resurrectionist
08. The Transition
09. Ill Mouth Madness (The Many)
 
 
 

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___

0 comments:

Post a Comment