[Classic_Rock_Forever] KISS, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Soundgarden, Megadeth, Anthrax, and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news

0
 

Rock legends KISS are rolling out into London in July and taking over the U.K. with not just a single release, but also a book release and an intimate show at London, England's Forum on July 4.

Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer will be performing to their KISS Army of fans at the celebrated London venue for one night only as a fundraiser for the Help For Heroes charity. The band has always supported the U.S. troops at their gigs over the years but this year, on Independence Day, the U.S. rockers will be backing our wounded, sick and injured servicemen and women by raising money with this unique concert. All proceeds from the concert will go to the charity.

Ahead of the new KISS album, "Monster" (due out in the autumn), the band will also be releasing a single on July 2. Also, KISS are happy to announce that they will further be raising funds for our wounded, sick and injured troops as all proceeds from the single will be donated to Help For Heroes.

Paul Stanley states: "The greatest national treasure of any free country is the army that defends it at all cost. Bringing attention to the obligation we all share to those returning heroes has been our mission in the U.S. and now the U.K. We pay tribute to those brave men and women and urge everyone to show their thanks with donations."

Bryn Parry, CEO and co-founder of Help For Heroes, "We are absolutely delighted to have the support from KISS and are certain the concert will be a huge success! The money raised will be used to provide direct, practical support to those wounded in the service of our country. We have already spent or allocated £millions and we have a shopping list of future projects that will ensure they get the very best. We may not be able to prevent them from being hurt but we can certainly do our bit to help them get better."

When the world's most visual band release anything, EVERYONE notices. And the launch of their latest book is no different! KISS "Monster" is a collection of artworks, 126 photos from the band's 40-year career including never-before-seen images from the world's greatest rock photographers.

Not known to do things by halves, KISS "Monster" really is a beast of a book at approximately 3 feet high by 2.5 feet wide and 2 inches thick. HUGE, in fact! It weighs approximately 4 stone. A must for fans of the band, KISS "Monster" will be available fully signed by all four band members and limited to only 1,000 copies worldwide.
 
 
On their own, "Family Guy" and KISS are two of the most recognizable names in entertainment. Today, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and KISS are proud to announce an upcoming co-branded "Family Guy"/KISS product line that will hit shelves this coming fall. Moving forward, Fox Consumer Products and KISS will look to create a line of co-branded merchandise inspired by other prominent guests from the show.

The "Family Guy"/KISS line is an organic collaboration that taps into the band's references within the show. So far, KISS has appeared three times on the series, providing viewers with insightful and hilarious nuggets that include Peter Griffin's love for the band and the fact that Lois Griffin once dated KISS' bass-playing Demon, Gene Simmons before he became famous.

To support the program, Fox Consumer Products and Live Nation Merchandise, KISS's licensing agent, will be looking for partners in the following categories: vinyl figures, bobble heads, apparel, plush, novelty, barware, social expressions and fine art.

According to KISS' lead singer/guitarist and co-founder Paul Stanley, "With KISS merchandise, endorsements and co-branding heading to the billion-dollar mark we are focusing more and more on the upper-tier, blue-chip opportunities for prestige partnerships. 'Family Guy''s track record and consistent success with it's demographic makes this match up ideal."

"Lois, our night together is a memory I will cherish," said Gene Simmons.

"KISS and 'Family Guy' coming together for a line of products is a great mash-up of two iconic brands that speaks directly to fans who will be able to enjoy something a little different and special with what we have in store," said Jeffrey Godsick, president of Fox Consumer Products.

"KISS is the leading concert artist brand with a huge and growing base of licensed product worldwide. The ever-increasing KISS Army legion of fans are the most loyal in the music industry. KISS loves 'Family Guy' and are very excited to be in partnerships with Fox Consumer Products," said Doc McGhee, KISS's longtime manager, who brokered the deal.

Outside of co-branding efforts, Fox Consumer Products is developing character collections based on Stewie, Brian, Peter and Quagmire, while expanding into new product categories. One new area includes pet products. A deal with Fetch… for pets!, already in place, will introduce a full range of pet toys, clothing, collars, leads, bowls and even backgrounds and accessories for fish and reptile tanks starting in 2013.
 
 
 
 
ALICE COOPER drummer Glen Sobel, who ha also worked with SIXX: A.M., Vivian Campbell and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, is debuting his new Mapex MyDentity drum set on the current leg of the ALICE COOPER "No More Mr Nice Guy 2012" tour.

Mapex recently filmed a promotional video of Glen showing off the new MyDentity line and how anyone can custom order kit details such as sizes and drum and hardware finish options via an online kit builder program.

Glen's new MyDentity kit is outfitted with a custom Gibraltar rack, another new addition to his setup.

ALICE COOPER and band will be joining up with British metal titans IRON MAIDEN for a month of shows starting June 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
http://youtu.be/N5hQOzXMksQ
 
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/sobelkit.jpg
 
 
Want to rock Slash's rig? Now you can with the new AmpliTube Slash for iPhone app. Play through a rock icon's pedals and amplifiers, all from the convenience of your iPhone or iPod touch.

AmpliTube Slash is a full-featured mobile guitar effects processor and recording studio app that lets you play, practice and record with Slash's signature gear, anytime and everywhere. AmpliTube Slash lets you configure a flexible guitar signal chain complete with 3 inline stompbox effects, an amplifier head and cabinet combination, and a single-track recorder (expandable to 4 tracks) for capturing your musical ideas quickly and easily.

AmpliTube Slash features models of all the legendary signature gear used by Slash in the studio and in his live performances. Now you can rock models of the legendary Marshall JCM Slash Edition Silver Jubilee, the Marshall AFD100, 6 Slash's signature guitar pedals, and play along with Slash's extensive discography or any music from your music library. Also included is a collection of Slash guitar tone preset settings, provided as starting points for your own tone tweaking or playing along.

AmpliTube Slash also features a robust "song" player section that allows you to play along with songs or backing tracks by importing them directly from your device iPod library or from your computer. The song section also features links to the new "Apocalyptic Love" album, and links to Slash music available on the iTunes store that can be purchased and added to your library and the app for play-along. The Song section also includes our popular SpeedTrainer learning/practice feature which can slow down or speed up the tempo of audio material without affecting pitch. A digital chromatic tuner and metronome are also included.

If you currently own AmpliTube for iPhone, upgrade to version 2.5 (now available as a free upgrade), and all AmpliTube Slash gear models will be available as in-app purchase, either as a complete set or a-la-carte. This is recommended if you'd like to use the AmpliTube Slash models with your other AmpliTube for iPhone app.
 
Rob Zombie recently spoke to Artisan News about "The Lords Of Salem", his sixth film as a writer and director and first all-out excursion into supernatural horror. You can now watch the chat below.

Although Zombie began shooting "The Lords Of Salem" earlier this year, he still has work to do. He wrote in an online posting last week, "For those of you wondering if 'The Lords Of Salem' is finished, the answer is no. I had to take a break due to the MEGADETH tour and a few other things. I will be returning to work on the film in July to finish it up." Zombie recently wrapped a U.S. trek with MEGADETH.

Zombie posted four new photos from the film at the site to whet fans' appetites.

He told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he had some very specific ideas about the kind of horror movie he wanted to make this time. "With a lot of the movies over the years that we thought were, you know, very scary — 'The Exorcist' or 'The Shining' — there was the time to let it play out. They just had a different pace, you know, it sucks people in. And that was one of the main things that I was thinking that I wanted this film to have, 'cause I think a lot of times now horror movies are getting so short and so choppy, you can't do that. And that's why I think a lot of people got so scared with 'Paranormal Activity', 'cause you fell into the rhythm of the movie, and then it started seeming real to you."

The movie, about a 300-year-old coven of witches seeking revenge on the modern-day town of Salem, marks Zombie's first collaboration with the producers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise.

Zombie has spent much of June in the studio working on a new album, his first since 2010's "Hellbilly Deluxe 2". The new, yet-to-be-titled CD is set for a late 2012 release. Zombie said recently that he had "not felt this much excitement within the band since recording the first 'Hellbilly Deluxe' record almost 15 years ago" and promised a "dark, heavy, weird" record.
http://youtu.be/B2cv_UGnV98
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/lordsofsalem2012.jpg
Bob Marlette has signed on to handle producing duties on the next ROB ZOMBIE studio album.

Bob has worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

Rob and his band of maniacs — John 5, Piggy D and Ginger Fish — entered the studio earlier this month to begin recording the next chapter in the Zombie musical legacy. This new, as-yet-untitled CD is set for a late 2012 release.

"It has been way, and I mean way too long without any new music. I am dying to get back to it," said Zombie. "I have not felt this much excitement within the band since recording the first 'Hellbilly Deluxe' record almost 15 years ago. We have been working on tons of songs for quite some time and I can safely say this will definitely be our best record yet."

Rob Zombie's fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on February 10, 2010, selling 49,000 copies in its first week of release. That total was less than 50 percent of the number of copies that his previous effort, "Educated Horses", sold in its first week back in April 2006, when it moved 107,000 copies to land at No. 5 on the chart.

A new video interview with guitarist Kim Thayil of reformed grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN conducted at this year's edition of the Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, can be seen below.

When asked about what SOUNDGARDEN's forthcoming album sounds like, singer Chris Cornell told NME TV, "It's kind of hard to describe. It's sort of like picking up where we left off. There's a lot of different feels on the album. We're a band where every single member contributes music. So that creates diversity and a lot of different songwriter partnerships and things that we only do as a group. I think it's a very rich album with a lot of different moods to it."

"Live To Rise", the first SOUNDGARDEN song in almost 16 years, was made available as a free download on iTunes beginning April 17 as part of the promotion of "Marvel's The Avengers". The seven-day promotion included an exclusive clip, "The Face Off", from the superhero team-up movie, which came out on May 4.

"Live To Rise" was written specifically for "Marvel's The Avengers" after SOUNDGARDEN was approached about contributing a song to the film.

"The hard part of writing a song for a film is it has to act as a SOUNDGARDEN song, first and foremost, then obviously, it has to coexist with the film," Cornell told Billboard.com.

Cornell told Seattle radio station KISW that fans should not think of "Live To Rise" as an indication of what the rest of the group's new record will sound like. Chris explained, "Some of the songs on our new album are pretty far left of center, and sort of zero in on more of a hardcore SOUNDGARDEN fan and not necessarily a family that goes to see a film like that. Although ['Live To Rise' is] not really what I think of as a necessarily family-friendly song, but it's as close as we've ever come."

The singer added that the tune wasn't specifically based on the movie, saying, "I think a film like this appeals to little kids all the way to old people because it's an action film, it's comic book characters, but it's also pretty witty dialog and accomplished actors doing it. So it had to be somewhat open to all of that. But also first and foremost it has to be a SOUNDGARDEN song."

SOUNDGARDEN officially reunited in early 2010 after disbanding in 1997. Since then, the group has played one full-length North American tour, a batch of festival and club gigs, and some overseas shows.

The group also released a career retrospective called "Telephantasm" as well as a concert album titled "Live On I5", which was recorded on its last tour before breaking up.

A release date and title for the new SOUNDGARDEN album have yet to be announced.
http://youtu.be/JeQvXgnNkjo
 
NME TV conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine at this year's edition of the Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

MEGADETH's setlist for the Download festival performance was as follows:

01. Never Dead
02. Head Crusher
03. Hangar 18
04. She-Wolf
05. Trust
06. Poison Was the Cure
07. Sweating Bullets
08. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
09. Public Enemy No. 1
10. Symphony of Destruction
11. Peace Sells
12. A Tout Le Monde
13. Angry Again
14. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

MEGADETH was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's tenth Grammy nomination was for its single "Public Enemy No. 1", off MEGADETH's latest album, "TH1RT3EN", which came out on November 1, 2011.

"Public Enemy No. 1" actually marked the second Grammy nomination for music from "TH1RT3EN", as the song "Sudden Death" was first unveiled in the 2010 video game "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" and received a "Best Metal Performance" nod.
http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=175434
 
 
Merlin Alderslade of Metal Hammer TV conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian at this year's Download festival, which was held June 8-10 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

When ANTHRAX was given the choice of playing this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival main stage or the festival's Jägermeister Stage, the band opted to headline the latter, and to do something special for the crowd.

Since vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoined the ANTHRAX lineup two years ago, ANTHRAX has made one of the most impressive comebacks in rock 'n' roll. As one of the "Big Four," the original architects of speed and thrash-metal, ANTHRAX joined METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH during the summer of 2010 on a series of "Big Four" shows in ten European cities, followed by a "Big Four" show outside of Los Angeles at the Coachella site (April 2011), and the big "homecoming" event for the New York-born-and-bred band members at Yankee Stadium last September.

The band released "Worship Music" on September 13, 2011, its first new album in eight years and the first with Belladonna on vocals in twenty years. "Worship Music" debuted at No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart, received stellar reviews that included being named one of the best albums of the year in countless media outlets.
 
A three-and-a-half-minute clip in which ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante describes the drum kit that he is using while on tour in Europe can be seen below.

When ANTHRAX was given the choice of playing this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival main stage or the festival's Jägermeister Stage, the band opted to headline the latter, and to do something special for the crowd.

Since vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoined the ANTHRAX lineup two years ago, ANTHRAX has made one of the most impressive comebacks in rock 'n' roll. As one of the "Big Four," the original architects of speed and thrash-metal, ANTHRAX joined METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH during the summer of 2010 on a series of "Big Four" shows in ten European cities, followed by a "Big Four" show outside of Los Angeles at the Coachella site (April 2011), and the big "homecoming" event for the New York-born-and-bred band members at Yankee Stadium last September.

The band released "Worship Music" on September 13, 2011, its first new album in eight years and the first with Belladonna on vocals in twenty years. "Worship Music" debuted at No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart, received stellar reviews that included being named one of the best albums of the year in countless media outlets.
 
ICED EARTH will hit the road next week as part of a five-week North American tour with VOLBEAT, HELLYEAH and THE SIXXIS.

Commented ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer: "I'm completely stoked. VOLBEAT is one of my all-time favorite bands, and Michael [Poulsen], and the boys are great people. There is a lot of mutual respect and admiration, and I think we are in for a hell of a good time! This will be a package that won't soon be forgotten, I'm sure of that."

To coincide with the upcoming trek, ICED EARTH will release a limited tour edition of its latest album, "Dystopia". Currently available only at the merchandise stands on the trek, the two-disc "Dystopia Tour Edition" contains the original full-length album, as well as B-side covers of IRON MAIDEN's "The Trooper" and BLACK SABBATH's "Mob Rules", as well as the classic 17-minute ICED EARTH track "Dante's Inferno", re-recorded with vocalist Stu Block. The bonus disc also contains both music videos from "Dystopia" — the title track and "Anthem" — as well as a "Making Of Dystopia" studio interview with the band, and exclusive cell phone skins and desktop backgrounds.

Bassist Freddie Vidales recently left ICED EARTH and was replaced by Luke Appleton of FURY UK.

ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.

Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.

ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.

ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.

"Dystopia" track listing:

01. Dystopia (05:49)
02. Anthem (04:54)
03. Boiling Point (02:46)
04. Anguish Of Youth (04:41)
05. V (03:39)
06. Dark City (05:42)
07. Equilibrium (04:30)
08. Days Of Rage (02:17)
09. End Of Innocence (04:07)
10. Soylent Green (bonus track) (04:20)
11. Iron Will (bonus track) (04:15)
12. Tragedy And Triumph (07:44)
13. Anthem (String Mix) (04:51)
GODSMACK bassist Robbie Merrill was recently asked by Loudwire when fans can expect to hear the follow-up to the band's last collection of all-original music, "The Oracle", which came out in 2010. "We're going to Europe next week, we're there for a month, and then we're home for a month before [the] Uproar [tour]," he said. "We've actually been writing on tour, or trying to anyway. So after that, what I hear is that at the beginning of next year we're going to go in, start writing, and hopefully we'll have a new disc out in 2014."

The Rockstar Energy Uproar Tour kicks off on August 17 in Bonner Springs, Kansas and features STAIND, SHINEDOWN, PAPA ROACH and a number of other acts. Merrill said about the tour, "We're all friends with them so to me it was going to be fun and it was going to be a nice easy summer . . . (each show) should be a good day."

Merrill told The Pulse Of Radio about a hidden talent of his that he gets to utilize whenever GODSMACK goes on tour. "I'm a cook," he said. "I can cook. I make a killer chili. I call it 'chicken sink chili' and I just — whatever's in the kitchen I use. The last few years I've been really doing some really cool stuff in the crockpot and the boys on my bus love me 'cause I set up some really good grub every day when we're on tour."

GODSMACK issued a concert album last month called "Live And Inspired", which also featured newly recorded studio covers of some of the band's favorite classic rock songs, including JOE WALSH's "Rocky Mountain Way", METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters", THE BEATLES' "Come Together" and PINK FLOYD's "Time".

Later this year, the group will also perform as part of ShipRocked, a five-day cruise that will feature a lineup of rock acts including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SEVENDUST and more.
 
Southern California's heavy fuzz rock legends FU MANCHU have commenced the songwriting process for their next album, tentatively due in 2013.

Says the band: "We have recorded every FU MANCHU record on this 4-track machine [see photo below], starting with the 1995 'Daredevil' release. We didn't use this for the final recordings that were released, but the entire record for each release was done on this first, then we would go into a real studio."

FU MANCHU will celebrate the 15th anniversary of its 1997 classic "The Action Is Go". To follow up on the overwhelming response they received from their "In Search Of…15 Years" tour, the hardworking group will be undertaking a headlining tour with a set comprised of this entire fourteen-track album from start to finish. Many of these songs will be performed live for the first time ever.

To coincide with the tour, the band will be reissuing the original album on 180-gram vinyl with double gatefold packaging on the band's own At The Dojo Records worldwide. The band will also be selling the vinyl reissue as well as the original CD at these shows.

Originally formed in 1985 as a BLACK FLAG-influenced hardcore punk band called VIRULENCE, FU MANCHU has since become one of hard rock's most celebrated names. The band released its first single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990 and in the years following, helped give rise to a celebrated style of heavy music tagged "stoner rock" alongside peers such as KYUSS, MONSTER MAGNET and SLEEP. Since its inception, the quartet has built itself a fanatical army of loyal enthusiasts all drawn to the group's ridiculously catchy, unpretentious music, guitar-driven sound and carefree lyrics centered on "old muscle cars, choppers, vans, skateboarding and science fiction."

In addition to frontman/guitarist Scott Hill, FU MANCHU features guitarist Bob Balch, bassist Brad Davis and drummer Scott Reeder.
On May 10, Jason Saulnier of the MusicLegends.ca web site conducted an interview with former ANTHRAX and current RED LAMB guitarist Dan Spitz. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

RED LAMB's self-titled debut album was released in February via iTunes. The 12-song effort was co-produced by Dave Mustaine (MEGADETH) and Spitz and is described in a press release as "explosive hard rock, pop punk, alternative rock, with a taste of thrash." The CD was mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, 3 DOORS DOWN, DROWNING POOL, MEGADETH) and it features cover artwork by John Lorenzi, who worked on the last three MEGADETH studio albums — 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame" and 2011's "TH1RT3EN" — as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest". Grammy Award winner Chris Vrenna (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON) handled all synths and additional programming on the entire CD.

RED LAMB features Spitz (lead guitar, guitar, bass guitar, programming, background vocals, engineering, co-producer), Patrick Johansson (drums; YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, W.A.S.P.) and Don Chaffin (vocals and video productions).

"Red Lamb" track listing:

01. Watchman
02. The Cage
03. Get Up
04. Runaway Train
05. Angels Of War
06. Puzzle Box
07
. Keep Pushing Me

08. Warpaint
09. One Shell (In The Chamber)
10. Standby Passenger
11. Temptation
12. Don't Threaten To Love Me

"The Cage" video can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Metal Insider, Spitz stated about Mustaine's involvement with RED LAMB, "Dave heard what used to be my project [DEUXMONKEY] before RED LAMB and we were just cruising into the studio in one of his crazy cars, I think it was an Aston Martin or something. And he just fell in love with the music, and as a friend offered, 'Can I take this from you and kind of help?' At that point in time, I was wearing 50 hats, so it became quite difficult. It was just a blessing for Dave to say, 'Yeah, absolutely!' and that's where we started. His credit is he's a co-producer; we worked together on taking that material that was already recorded. All the music was done by me and recorded and we edited the music and moved verses and choruses around, shortening songs and got rid of the seven-minute solo if there was one. [laughs] . . . Dave worked with Donnie consistently day in day out on all the vocals. . . And previous to that, via electronic means, meaning e-mail and so forth, me and Dave took all the lyrics that I had written for the CD and we dissected those the same way we dissected the music. And Dave co-wrote every song on the album with me as far as the lyrics go and so that's his role in it. He's the co-writer on every song. So it's a wonderful collaboration."

In a December 2010 interview, Mustaine revealed that he helped fine-tune the songs on RED LAMB's debut album after hearing some of the material in its early stages of development.

"[Dan] was working on a little side project, and I'd heard it a while ago and it kind of went by in passing 'cause he was just starting it," Mustaine said. "And I heard it about three weeks ago; he was almost done. And I said, 'Man, I love this record.' I said, 'And do you think it's done?' And he goes, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'Why? What do you think?' And I said, 'Well, I would kind of do this and that.' And he goes, 'Really? Go ahead.' And I went, 'Really?' So I rolled up my sleeves and I completely dedicated myself to Danny's record for the last three weeks, working tirelessly in my studio on this record with him. And it's that good. I heard it and I just went, 'Oh my God!' It's like a cross between, say, DISTURBED, SOUNDGARDEN and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE kind of thing. Little bit of some smatterings of ANTHRAX because of the speed stuff, but it's much more modern and much more heavy sounding."
On May 10, Jason Saulnier of the MusicLegends.ca web site conducted an interview with former ANTHRAX and current RED LAMB guitarist Dan Spitz. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

RED LAMB's self-titled debut album was released in February via iTunes. The 12-song effort was co-produced by Dave Mustaine (MEGADETH) and Spitz and is described in a press release as "explosive hard rock, pop punk, alternative rock, with a taste of thrash." The CD was mixed by Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, 3 DOORS DOWN, DROWNING POOL, MEGADETH) and it features cover artwork by John Lorenzi, who worked on the last three MEGADETH studio albums — 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame" and 2011's "TH1RT3EN" — as well as the band's 2007 box set, "Warchest". Grammy Award winner Chris Vrenna (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON) handled all synths and additional programming on the entire CD.

RED LAMB features Spitz (lead guitar, guitar, bass guitar, programming, background vocals, engineering, co-producer), Patrick Johansson (drums; YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, W.A.S.P.) and Don Chaffin (vocals and video productions).

"Red Lamb" track listing:

01. Watchman
02. The Cage
03. Get Up
04. Runaway Train
05. Angels Of War
06. Puzzle Box
07
. Keep Pushing Me

08. Warpaint
09. One Shell (In The Chamber)
10. Standby Passenger
11. Temptation
12. Don't Threaten To Love Me

"The Cage" video can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Metal Insider, Spitz stated about Mustaine's involvement with RED LAMB, "Dave heard what used to be my project [DEUXMONKEY] before RED LAMB and we were just cruising into the studio in one of his crazy cars, I think it was an Aston Martin or something. And he just fell in love with the music, and as a friend offered, 'Can I take this from you and kind of help?' At that point in time, I was wearing 50 hats, so it became quite difficult. It was just a blessing for Dave to say, 'Yeah, absolutely!' and that's where we started. His credit is he's a co-producer; we worked together on taking that material that was already recorded. All the music was done by me and recorded and we edited the music and moved verses and choruses around, shortening songs and got rid of the seven-minute solo if there was one. [laughs] . . . Dave worked with Donnie consistently day in day out on all the vocals. . . And previous to that, via electronic means, meaning e-mail and so forth, me and Dave took all the lyrics that I had written for the CD and we dissected those the same way we dissected the music. And Dave co-wrote every song on the album with me as far as the lyrics go and so that's his role in it. He's the co-writer on every song. So it's a wonderful collaboration."

In a December 2010 interview, Mustaine revealed that he helped fine-tune the songs on RED LAMB's debut album after hearing some of the material in its early stages of development.

"[Dan] was working on a little side project, and I'd heard it a while ago and it kind of went by in passing 'cause he was just starting it," Mustaine said. "And I heard it about three weeks ago; he was almost done. And I said, 'Man, I love this record.' I said, 'And do you think it's done?' And he goes, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'Why? What do you think?' And I said, 'Well, I would kind of do this and that.' And he goes, 'Really? Go ahead.' And I went, 'Really?' So I rolled up my sleeves and I completely dedicated myself to Danny's record for the last three weeks, working tirelessly in my studio on this record with him. And it's that good. I heard it and I just went, 'Oh my God!' It's like a cross between, say, DISTURBED, SOUNDGARDEN and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE kind of thing. Little bit of some smatterings of ANTHRAX because of the speed stuff, but it's much more modern and much more heavy sounding."
 
 
 
Do you love to sing? Would you like to learn more about your voice and its potential? Former AFTER FOREVER and current REVAMP singer Floor Jansen can teach you all there is to know in a customized program and help you reach whatever goal you've set for yourself! Beginner or experienced; Floor can teach you to improve your skill set and enjoy singing to the max!

What can you expect from Floor's 100% customized lessons? Learn and work on:

* Warming-up exercises;
* Breathing and breathing support exercises;
* The proper use of vocal techniques;
* Song interpretation;
* How to train, not strain, your vocal cords;
* How to use several proven vocal methods such as Complete Vocal Technique (CVT).

After your lessons are finished, Floor will provide you with a detailed evaluation of your progress and a personal advice on how to keep practicing at home so you can continue to improve your skill set.

For more information, watch the video below and visit www.floorjansen.com.
 
"Phantom Antichrist", the new album from German thrash metal veterans KREATOR, has registered the following first-week chart positions:

Germany: #5 (the band's highest chart entry ever)
Switzerland: #22
Austria: #31
Netherlands: #87
Spain: #89
Belgium: #115
USA: #130
Canada: #118

"Phantom Antichrist" sold 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 1 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

KREATOR's previous album, "Hordes Of Chaos", sold around 2,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 165 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at No. 7 on the Heatseekers chart.

Released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records, "Phantom Antichrist" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK, DEVIN TOWNSEND, AMON AMARTH).

The cover artwork for the standard edition of "Phantom Antichrist" was created by Wes Benscoter (SLAYER, DIO, BLACK SABBATH) and can be seen below.

The limited edition of "Phantom Antichrist" was made available as two-disc digipack, including a bonus DVD.

"Phantom Antichrist" formats:

- Jewel case CD *
- 2LP yellow vinyl *
- 2LP bi-colored vinyl (red/black): limited to 500 copies, hand-numbered *+
- 2LP picture vinyl **
- CD/DVD digi limited edition: 2 digipacks in a slipcase. **
- Limited mailorder edition: metallic box including CD/DVD digi limited edition, T-shirt, exclusive CD "Live In Wacken", poster, signing card, limited to 500 copies, hand-numbered **+

* = Featuring artwork by Wes Benscoter (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER)
** = Featuring artwork by Jan Meininghaus
+ = only available at www.nuclearblast.de/shop

"Phantom Antichrist" track listing:

CD:

01. Mars Mantra
02. Phantom Antichrist
03. Death To The World
04. From Flood Into Fire
05. Civilisation Collapse
06. United In Hate
07. The Few, The Proud, The Broken
08. Your Heaven In My Hell
09. Victory Will Come
10. Until Our Paths Cross Again
11. Iron Destiny (Japan exclusive)

Limited-edition bonus DVD:

* Conquerers Of The Ice – The Making Of Phanom Antichrist
* Harvesting The Grapes Of Horror
* Live at Wacken Open Air in 2011 and 2008 (mixed by Klaus Scheuermann, edited by Marcel Schleif and Stephan Lier)

Wacken Open Air 2011:

01. Choir Of The Damned
02. Hordes Of Chaos
03. War Curse
04. Coma Of Souls / Endless Pain
05. Pleasure To Kill
06. Destroy What Destroys You
07. Phobia
08. Terrible Certainity / Reconquering The Throne
09. Flag Of Hate / Tormentor

Wacken Open Air 2008:

10. The Patriarch
11. Violent Revolution
12. People Of The Lie
13. Europe After The Pain

The "Phantom Antichrist" video can be seen below. The clip was helmed by Poland's Grupa 13, which has previously worked with BEHEMOTH, ELUVEITIE, SONATA ARCTICA and DECAPITATED, among others.

In a recent interview with Suicide Scriptures, Petrozza stated about "Phantom Antichrist", "We made sure that it contains all the trademarks that we're known for — crushing brutality, riffs that are very hard to play, lyrics that talk about things that I get angry about. You know, the full treatment, basically. We didn't try to do anything different. The only goal that we set for the band was we wanted to top everything that we'd done before and make this record an exciting record. That's always the main goal."

He added, "First off, we don't plan ahead too much. I take a long time to prepare the songs at home, in my little home studio, and then when I feel that have something lyrically and musically that I feel is good and exciting and powerful, then I play it to the other guys and then we discuss it. And we might come up with new ideas or we might arrange the songs differently, or we tear them apart and put them back together. It's a long process. We started this in the beginning of 2011, and we kept writing and rehearsing the songs until January 2012."

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "Phantom Antichrist", Mille said, "Many things: injustice; the crisis in Greece; me thinking that religion is obsolete now in this day and age; personal things. I think the lyrics for 'From Flood Into Fire', they're very different, but it's very hard for me to explain what it's about. I want people to listen to it and leave room for their own imagination. I go to the movies all the time and I'm a big movie nerd, and I hate watching a 'making-of' [documentary featuring behind-the-scenes footage] before I go into a movie. So if I would explain the lyrics right now, [it would lose the magic]."

On the topic of the "Phantom Antichrist" artwork, Mille said, "I got in touch with [artist] Wes Benscoter in the middle of June last year and I gave him a couple of songtitles. And I told him that the album might be called 'Phantom Antichrist'. I already had the idea and I told him what the lyrics were about — it's all about the apocalypse, evil in the world… typical KREATOR topics that I always write about. I think he had 'Pleasure To Kill', and he knew about the band. I liked this AUTOPSY cover that he did, and then I found that he did a lot of great stuff for BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER and many, many bands. . . I talked to one of my colleagues that plays in a German band and he told me that he would draw, with a pencil, artworks and then he would give it to a professional artist. I don't have that much influence on the artwork. I think it's best to give an idea and maybe a title or something, maybe some music even… I think that's more of letting the artist be the artist. He needs to create the visual as we do with the music."

KREATOR is:

Miland "Mille" Petrozza – Vocals, Guitrar
Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar
Christian "Speesy" Giesler - Bass
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil - Drums
 
Rob Urbinati of Canadian thrash metal veterans SACRIFICE is one of three musicians who have recorded special guest appearances on "Icarus", the new album from German thrashers DEW-SCENTED.

Commented Urbinati: "SACRIFICE have been honored by DEW-SCENTED in the past with a cover song, now I am honored to be included on the track 'Gleaming Like Silver'."

DEW-SCENTED covered SACRIFICE's "Apocalypse Inside" song on 1999's "Ill-Natured" album.

"Icarus" will be released on July 31 in North America via Prosthetic Records (one day earlier internationally through Metal Blade Records).

DEW-SCENTED vocalist Leif Jensen previously described the "Icarus" main theme as "a modern-times, very apocalyptic adaption of elements of the Icarus myth, using a lot of its symbolism while interlinking with several other personal or observant subjects in true DEW-SCENTED fashion." While the album — recorded at Soundlodge Studio and produced by Jörg Uken (NIGHTFALL, SUICIDAL ANGELS, GOD DETHRONED) — is not quite a concept album per se, Jensen said "Icarus" "has a pretty coherent lyrical flow, and that helps to enhance and also to intentionally enlarge the atmosphere and vibe created by the music." The "Icarus" cover artwork was once created by Björn Goosses of Killustrations.

DEW-SCENTED's new lineup is as follows (pictured from left to right in photo below):

Rory Hansen - Guitar
Marvin Vriesde - Guitar
Leif Jensen - Vocals
Joost van der Graaf - Bass
Koen Herfst - Drums

The new DEW-SCENTED lineup will play its first shows on July 20 at Metalsplash festival and July 21 at Queens Of Metal festival.
 
EMI Label Services has set a September 3 release date for SACRED MOTHER TONGUE's brand new EP, "A Light Shines...". This is the band's debut release on EMI Label Services and precedes SACRED MOTHER TONGUE's second album, "Out Of The Darkness", which will be made availale early next year.

"A Light Shines..." is a defining moment for SACRED MOTHER TONGUE, their stake in the sand as one the most exciting bands in British metal. Opening with the powerhouse chorus and heavy-as-hell guitars of "Evolve/Become" and followed by the thumping darkness of "Seven", it's instantly apparent that SACRED MOTHER TONGUE has made a quantum leap on from its well-received debut album, "Ruin Of Man", in 2009, from which they reinterpret "A Final Idea" as an acoustic number on this EP.

And now, SACRED MOTHER TONGUE in 2012 is channelling the melodic power of METALLICA, the dark demons of ALICE IN CHAINS and the visceral intensity of MACHINE HEAD to create a vital update of all these influences coupled with a whole heap of skyscraping ambition. And it's that ambition that saw them head to China last month on tour, from which comes the final track, "City Is Crying", another new song which received its live debut on those foreign shores.

"A Light Shines..." EP track listing:

01. Evolve/Become
02. Seven
03. A Final Idea (acoustic)
04. City Is Crying (live from China)


SACRED MOTHER TONGUE will play its first U.K. show in support of "A Light Shines..." on July 5 at The Intrepid Fox in London's West End. With a live show of quite spectacular proportions in the works this is a must-see showcase where SACRED MOTHER TONGUE will unveil many of the tracks from the forthcoming album, "Out Of The Darkness", in a small venue, ahead of a full headline tour later this year. This is a one-off free gig and support comes from CYPHER 16 and IMICUS.

SACRED MOTHER TONGUE's stunning sonic arsenal features the bruised power of vocalist Darrin South and guitarist Andy James, whose six-string skills have gained him worldwide acclaim both from his peers and on YouTube where his guitar tutorials now have over 4 million views.

Completed by Josh Gurner on bass, famed for his stage-diving antics while still shredding the fretboard, and drummer Lee Newell, who is also the rhythmic powerhouse behind FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM's live performances, SACRED MOTHER TONGUE are renewed, revitalized and ready to take on the planet.
 
EX DEO, the Ancient Roman-themed arsenal fronted by KATAKLYSM singer Maurizio Iacono, will release its sophomore album, "Caligvla", on August 31 via Austria's Napalm Records. The CD was mixed by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-François Dagenais, who has previously worked with MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX and DESPISED ICON, among others. The artwork and layout for the album were handled by SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton. The booklet for the new album will feature commentaries and descriptions from frontman Iacono with his views on each song. The limited first pressing will be released as a six-panel digipack featuring the bonus track "Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Light", a song dealing with Caligvla's madman rival emperor Nero. In addition, catch Iacono's girlfriend and Colombian model Suzzy in the upcoming video "I, Caligvla". Shooting commences June 22 in Philadelphia, where Caligvla's twisted dominion will come to life again!

Commented the band: "Eight months in the making and we are sure we have a classic album in our hands, producer JF Dagenais has done a fabulous and great production, all guests appearances are massive, the gods are pleased. Expect the artwork to be unveiled very soon and also a new teaser trailer. Where all have failed in the past... EX DEO will succeed, Roma caput mundi!! Epic Roman-inspired metal!!"

EX DEO debuted "I, Caligvla", on April 1 at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as part of the "Paganfest America Part III" tour with TURISAS, ALESTORM, ARKONA and HUNTRESS. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

In addition to the previously announced guest appearances by ALL SHALL PERISH guitarist Francesco Artusato and TRISTANIA singer Mariangela Demurtas, "Caligvla" will feature contributions from SEPTICFLESH's Seth Siro Anton and GRAVEWORM's Stefano Fiori. Every invited guest on the album is of Roman or Greek descent.

"Caligvla" track listing:

01. I, Caligvla
02. The Tiberius Cliff (Exile To Capri)
03. Per Oculos Aquila
04. Pollice Verso (Damnatio Ad Bestia)
05. Divide Et Impera
06. Burned To Serve As Nocturnal Light
07. Teutuborg (Ambush Of Varus)
08. Along The Appian Way
09. Once Were Romans
10. Evocatio: The Temple Of Castor & Pollux

EX DEO recently canceled its participation in the "Paganfest America Part III" tour due to delays in the production of "Caligvla". The band still performed with Paganfest on April 1 in Montreal at Club Soda and April 2 in Toronto at The Opera House.

EX DEO last year completed a North American tour with NILE, PSYCROPTIC and KEEP OF KALESSIN.

"Romulus", the debut album from EX DEO, landed at position No. 90 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
 
Three recent albums by pioneering guitarist Marty Friedman — whose groundbreaking work with MEGADETH and CACOPHONY continues to receive international acclaim to this day — will be released in North America by Prosthetic Records on August 14. Two of the titles — 2010's "Bad D.N.A." and 2008's "Future Addict" — have until this year only been available in Japan, where Friedman now lives, while 2006's acclaimed "Loudspeaker", originally released Stateside by Shrapnel Records, will be made available domestically once again. You can head over to the Prosthetic store now to pre-order a bundle consisting of all three titles.

Friedman rose to prominence when he co-founded the revolutionary guitar band CACOPHONY with his friend Jason Becker. From there, he joined metal legends MEGADETH in 1990, who would soon go on to write and record the thrash metal classic "Rust In Peace". Throughout his decade-long stint with the iconic group, during which the band sold 10 million albums worldwide, aside from lending his unmistakable "exotic" sound to the band, Friedman co-wrote the music to several notable songs, including the title track to the multi-platinum "Countdown To Extinction", "Youthanasia"'s fierce opening statement "Reckoning Day" and "Cryptic Writings"' haunting "Trust".

During his tenures with MEGADETH and CACOPHONY, Friedman recorded four solo albums for the seminal guitar label Shrapnel Records. He continued making solo albums after he left MEGADETH in 2000, releasing seven — including "Music For Speeding", which was released in the U.S. by Steve Vai's Favored Nations in 2003 and supported by an American tour alongside Chris Poland and Alex Skolnick — over the past decade alone. Until now, most of those releases have been unavailable outside of Japan, where Friedman moved in 2003.

In Japan, Friedman became an enigma of sorts: Armed with a fluency in the Japanese language, he left a platinum-selling American band to start from nearly zero to pursue his longtime dream of becoming a unique part of the Japanese domestic music world. That mission was accomplished, for between his solo releases and works with Japanese musicians, Friedman has performed at the largest venues in Asia, including three shows at Budokan, and played on and wrote several Japanese Top 10 hits, including a #1 single in 2011 and a #3 single in 2012.

At the same time, Friedman also became a popular Japanese television personality who not only hosted several programs, but was even featured in national ad campaigns for Fanta and Sumitomo Bank. He estimates he has made well over 400 network TV appearances in Japan, including three televised sold-out solo performances with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Although Friedman has focused on his Japanese music career for the past several years, he has recently remained active in the international metal scene by guesting on albums by the likes of Jeff Loomis, SKYHARBOR and FIREWIND; by voicing the character of "Mr. Gojira" on Cartoon Network's "Metalocalypse"; and through periodic tours outside of Japan, including a 22-country European trek with his solo band last year.
 
On April 19, guitarist Dave Carlo of Canadian thrash metal veterans RAZOR was diagnosed with Stage 2 oral cancer. He is currently undergoing treatment.

RAZOR bassist Mike Campagnolo tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "We are working on new material for another album and we were blindsided by this news, but Dave is in great spirits."

Formed in 1984 in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, RAZOR split up in 1992, but reformed in the late 1990s to record another album, titled "Decibels", in 1997. The band dissolved again, and reformed in 2005.

Carlo has been the only permanent member in the band's 28-year history.

RAZOR is:

Dave Carlo: Guitar
Bob Reid: Vocals
Rob Mills: Drums
Mike Campagnolo: Bass
 
Portland rock band EMBERGHOST has announced that Michael Derks of legendary metal band GWAR will join EMBERGHOST as the featured guitarist on their "Not Long For This Earth" project. Derks connected with EMBERGHOST via mutual friend Kristen Randall (WINDS OF PLAGUE, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS), who was announced last week as the replacement for departed keyboardist and co-vocalist Sarah Jennings.

Derks says of his new venture: "Kristen and I have been talking about doing a project for years, and when she introduced me to EMBERGHOST, I saw the perfect opportunity to do something different."

EMBERGHOST vocalist Parker adds, "It's really exciting to get to work with someone of this caliber. Mike brings a unique perspective to this project, and it will be better for it."

"Not Long For This Earth", which the band has all but completely funded on Kickstarter, is EMBERGHOST's acoustic retrospective celebrating the work they did with Sarah, who succumbed to brain cancer in 2010. Produced by Rob Daiker, "Not Long For This Earth" is a collaboration with members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and is expected to be released this fall.

Derks will continue his work with GWAR, and appears with EMBERGHOST courtesy of Metal Blade Records.
 
LYNYRD SKYNYRD's Rickey Medlocke and Peter Keys and .38 SPECIAL's Bobby Capps have been added to the list of musicians who have recorded guest appearances on the forthcoming solo album from POISON singer Bret Michaels, "Bret Michaels And Friends: Get Your Rock On". Also scheduled to appear on the CD are Ace Frehley (KISS) and Michael Anthony (CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN), Phil Collen (DEF LEPPARD), Joe Perry (AEROSMITH), Loretta Lynn, Lil Jon and Sal Coz Costa (MY DARKEST DAYS).


In a recent interview with Gimme Noise, Bret stated about his upcoming CD, "My album will be out this summer and I'm really proud of what we've done with it. It's actually going to be called 'Bret Michaels And Friends: Get Your Rock On', and I'll explain why: It's really not just a Bret Michaels album. I had so many other talented artists come in and support that it's really a 'Bret Michaels And Friends' album. There's a staggering amount of talent on this album. . . It's been such a fun project for me and I'm excited to share it with the fans."

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in February, Bret revealed that his new solo album will feature a remake of the POISON smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a duet between him and Loretta Lynn>. He said, "For me, growing up in a family that my father loved country music and 'Coal Miner's Daughter', this is gonna be a really awesome time."
Finnish melancholic dark rock/metal icons AMORPHIS will play an acoustic show at Sampomäki in Sammatti, Finland on July 1.

Sampomäki is the birthplace of Elias Lönnrot, the man behind the Finnish national epic "The Kalevala", which AMORPHIS is known for using as a source for its lyrics.

AMORPHIS' latest album, "The Beginning Of Times", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 16 — the best chart position ever scored by an AMORPHIS album in that country. The CD also landed at position No. 1 on the Finnish chart.

Released on May 27, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records, "The Beginning Of Times" is described as "the most challenging AMORPHIS album so far in terms of both music and lyrics." Its central character is the iconic hero of Finnish mythology, Väinämöinen, whose tale has been masterfully retold by lyricist Pekka Kainulainen.

"The Beginning Of Times" was produced by the band; vocals were recorded under the guidance of Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH, TAROT) in his home studio in Kuopio. Like its predecessors, the album was mixed by Mikko Karmila. Its cover artwork shows Travis Smith's magnificent interpretation of the mythological birth of the world from a goldeneye's egg.
 
 
ANTIKYTHERA (formerly HER VIRGIN WOMB), the Philadelphia-based death metal band featuring members of JUNGLE ROT, NIGHTFIRE, BLOOD OF ABEL and INSATANITY, will release a new album, "Cosmicism", this summer. The CD was recorded by Len Carmichael (SWASHBUCKLE, THE BINARY CODE) and will feature artwork by Mallika Sundaramurthy of Boston's ABNORMALITY.

According to the band's official bio, "ANTIKYTHERA's music has been described as a mix of "And Time Begins" by DECREPIT BIRTH, "Conquering The Throne" from HATE ETERNAL, "Gateways To Annihilation"-era MORBID ANGEL, and early SPAWN OF POSSESSION. They bring an intense, energy-filled live performance everywhere they go whether they are playing in fron of 5 or 500 people. They don't try to be the most technical, the heaviest, the slammiest, the fastest, or anything else. They just play the kind of death metal they have fun playing, and hope that you have fun listening to them do it."

Upcoming ANTIKYTHERA shows:

June 14 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Cheyenne Saloon (Las Vegas Death Fest Pre Party)
June 15 – Denver, Co @ Bar Bar
June 16 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
June 17 – Ft. Worth, TX @ The Rail Club
June 30 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
.

__,_._,___

0 comments:

Post a Comment