[Classic_Rock_Forever] Iron Maiden, KISS, Metallica, Slash, Cinderella, Megadeth, Anthrax, The Sword, Testament, Children of Bodom,

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According to the Edmonton Journal, IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson is teaming up with Joe McBryan, owner and operator of Buffalo Airways, who is also a star of the History Television reality-TV show "Ice Pilots NWT". The singer will get a chance to fly one of Buffalo's Second World War-era planes, the venerable DC-3, to Yellowknife.

Edmonton Journal's Sandra Sperounes and photographer Fish Griwkowsky of FisheyeFoto are tagging along for the ride and will file regular Twitter updates on the adventures.

The "Ice Pilots NWT" series focuses on Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways, whose future is under the gun from the effect of an "economic downturn, a dwindling supply of specialty aviation gas and the high cost of flying vintage aircraft," according to the History Channel web site

Dickinson, a commercial airline pilot and established aviation entrepreneur, recently set up Cardiff Aviation Limited to provide specialist aviation technical support services, including training, as well as heavy aircraft maintenance for various jet aircraft types, both narrow and wide body, up to Boeing 767 size. Dickinson and his company are leasing 132,000 square feet of hangar and office space at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, United Kingdom from the Welsh government.
 
KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley will appear on Extra TV's "Mansions and Millionaires: Celebrity Real Estate" this weekend.

The driving force behind the greatest band ever born on American soil will take viewers on an all-access tour of his Los Angeles Italian Villa as well as give a sneak peek of what fans can expect from this summer's concert event of the season, The Tour, and the equally anticipated forthcoming KISS album, the Paul Stanley-produced "Monster".

Check your local listings for airtimes.
 
The four members of METALLICA held a press conference yesterday afternoon (Saturday, July 28) prior ot the opening show of their eight-concert run at Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) in Mexico City, Mexico. You can watch video footage of the question-and-answer session below. A few excerpts follow.

On why METALLICA chose to debut its new stage show in Mexico City:

Lars Ulrich (drums): "We have had a longstanding love affair with all things Mexico, starting back in '93 when we came down here and played five shows at the place we're playing tonight, which resulted in the 'Binge & Purge' box set, which was fantastic. We came back in '99 and played at Foro Sol and did another three nights at Foro Sol a couple of years ago. So when we wanted to do the world premiere of this crazy new show, which is the first new show that we've done since we did 'Death Magnetic' four years ago, we couldn't think of a better place to do it than right here in Mexico City. And obviously, also, we have so many friends here, so many fans, a lot of people who come from Latin America and from a lot of different places. So we figured parking ourselves in Mexico City for a couple of weeks and playing all these shows and premiering this stage and kind of getting the Mexican fans to be part of the initiation of this new stage, we couldn't think of a cooler place to do [it in]. And this whole thing, obviously, as some of you know, is the beginning of the METALLICA 3D movie project, and so that's kind of what we're gonna be spending the next six weeks on. So that culminates up in Vancouver at the end of August, where we're gonna be shooting a movie and playing the last couple of concerts."

On METALLICA's plans to enter the studio in September to start putting ideas together for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic":

James Hetfield (guitar, vocals): "I've been itching to write for a long time — all of us have — so there's lots of ideas. There's been lots of little things that have kind of jumped up and gotten in the way of writing. So we're pretty excited to get writing again. It could go very quick, it could take a long time; we have no idea. That's the beauty of the artform."

Robert Trujillo (bass): "[There are] lots of riffs to jam on, and that's pretty exciting for us. But, like James said, there are a lot of little walls and barriers we've gotta get through, and then we'll be writing like crazy."

On whether METALLICA's collaboration with Lou Reed ("Lulu"), which was recorded in only 10 days, will affect the writing and recording process for the band's next album:

James Hetfield: "I think everything we do affects the next thing somehow. We don't know how that will show up. That is another way of writing. And I think it gave us confidence that we can go in and trust a little more of the moment. There's another side of this that is complete obsessive and perfectionist. So finding a balance is key to doing a METALLICA record."

On how Hollywood has been treating Lars Ulrich following his recent forays into acting — first in the 2010 Russell Brand comedy "Get Him To The Greek" and then again earlier this year in the HBO drama "Hemingway & Gellhorn":

Lars Ulrich: "I think those are two isolated situations. I've always been incredibly interested in film. I've always been incredibly interest in the creative process, whether it's film or music or painting or sculpture or writing, so being around creative people is always fascinating. So when there people call up and say, 'Come and do this for three days,' or 'Come and do this for a couple of weeks,' it kind of perks up my interest. I think the word 'career' is certainly not applicable. I don't have an agent, I don't have anybody. I can tell you that in the wake of the 'Hemingway' movie, [which] was premiered about two months ago, I've gotten this many phone calls [showing a zero sign, using his index finger and thumb] — zero. So there you go; this may be the end of it. But I'm always interested in just different creative outlets and experiences, and as long as they sort of fit in and don't get in the way of anything METALLICA. But film has always been my passion and when I'm not with my family or with METALLICA, I park myself in the film world and I see film and I read about film and I study film. It's always been kind of my great escape. Those were two interesting experiences, but it's not anything that I'm pursuing in relation to a career or any bullshit like that. If I was ever gonna be involved in film, I would probably be more interested in writing or maybe producing. Acting — sitting around in a trailer for eight hours a day for you to get called — it's not exactly my dream gig. But I think writing or producing would be interesting at some point. But acting is not a huge thing."
 
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Jim Barber of The Belleville Intelligencer recently conducted an interview with Todd Kerns, the bassist and backup vocalist in Slash's band as well as a member of SIN CITY SINNERS.

On how excited he still gets before some gigs:

Todd: "[Slash] always laughs because I am like, 'Wow, there's Rick Nielsen from CHEAP TRICK here,' and he has known the guy for a thousand years. His reality is so much different than ours. But that sort of stuff never gets old. I am always very excited by it. Not only is this what I do, but music is also my passion. I love rock and roll music. It's what I grew up on, and it's still the forefront of my interests and the forefront of my thrills, really."

On how far Slash is removed from being a wild and crazy, egomanical rock diva:

Todd: "We're talking about a guy who is in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and has those millions of albums sold, and has worked with everyone from Fergie, to Michael Jackson and QUEEN ... it really doesn't get much bigger in a lot of ways. For all those things, he could be a total monster and a totally awful person, although we would all still put up with it because of all those accomplishments. But he is not. He is one of the kindest people I know. And I am always afraid of saying things like that for fear that it somehow blows an image of him, like he wants to come off as a little darker or a little heavier. He is a serious man, and he is incredibly focused and incredibly driven at a time in his life and career when he really doesn't need to ne. He could be one of those guys that just phones it in. In a lot of ways, I think he is playing better than he ever did. And I think it's a case of him still trying to dig deep and carving out new things and new challenges for himself."

On how much he and drummer Brent Fritz are seen as part of Slash's band, and not simply hired guns:

Todd: "Even when we did the 'Live At Stoke' live CD and DVD, I didn't anticipate it being anything more than a photo of Slash and probably Myles on the cover and inside, because it was always billed as Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and I knew that walking in. Slash is an icon and Myles is a multi-platinum selling artist and has accomplished a great deal on his own. I always knew my place and I am okay with my place. And then all of a sudden they put out this live album and our photos are in it and we're listed as part of the band."
 

Jeff LaBar (Cinderella) Interview

By: Kris Engelhart
Saturday, July 28, 2012

 
 
With over 20 million albums sold and numerous chart-topping hits such as "Night Songs" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)," Cinderella is well known for their infectious brand of bluesy, hard rock. To celebrate their 26th year of touring, they have kicked off a 2012 Summer Tour here in the U.S. We had the unique opportunity to speak with guitarist, Jeff LaBar, and find out all the details.
KE: Hi Jeff, Thank you for taking the time to call in with us here at backstageaxxess.com today and catch us up on things.
Jeff: Not a problem. Thank you for having me.
KE: Cinderella has just kicked off their summer tour. How is that going for you and what can the fans expect to see?
Jeff: It's going great so far. The fans can expect us to be pretty much exactly the same as we always have been. I mean, not to like I guess toot my own horn but we all still have long hair, we're all still relatively thin and we're aging gracefully and we're still putting on a kickass rock show.
KE: Yes, you are. I got the chance to see you last year in Charlotte and it was an excellent show.
Jeff: Thank you very much.
KE: I see that you have a tour stop in Western New York in August at a new venue, Braun's in Akron, NY. Now I know over the years you have opened many clubs. Is there one particular time that stands out? Maybe a crazy story you could share with us?
Jeff: Oh God, I have stories for days. Club openings, you know we used to play arenas too (laughter). We've played arenas, stadiums, clubs, theaters. But this tour is all over the place, we're playing some clubs, we're playing some theaters, and we're also playing some festivals. Stories about club openings, I don't know. I know I've closed a few though. Is this the date near Buffalo?
Ke: Yes it is.
Jeff: I got you. I look forward to it.
KE: Getting back to touring. I know one of the first tours Cinderella ever did was with Loudness. What was that tour like and how would it compare to the tours now?
Jeff: Well, that was our very first tour away from home. After we made the first record, but before the first record came out, we were still playing the same clubs that we were playing before we made the record. So this first tour we got was Loudness and I'm a big fan. My mother's Japanese, why wouldn't I be? I was listening to a lot of that type of music then, the early eighties shredder bands. Yeah, I love Loudness and that was very cool. It was us and Poison actually, us and Poison's first tour, both of us opening for Loudness. It was awesome. It was a small theater, auditorium type of tour, started in Santa Monica. That was my first time in California and it was just a thrill to be on tour. It was kind of the size of the tour we're playing right now. But I got to know them a little bit, they were very cool. They were very funny, funny little Japanese guys. That was the year that David Lee Roth put out "Eat 'Em and Smile," his first solo record away from Van Halen. So it was a big deal. He was putting together his first tour, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, and Gregg Bissonette. They were looking for an opening band, us and Poison were up for the slot. That was the best part of the tour. That was getting to know Poison. Now we have a twenty five year relationship and we've toured together five or six times, something like that. But we were both up for the opening spot for David Lee Roth and we got it. So we did five months with David Lee Roth and he was selling out two nights in some cities in arenas. Then we got on the Slippery When Wet tour with Bon Jovi. So we were on like the two biggest rock tours that year, 86, 87. Bon Jovi and us were on the same label and that was good for Mercury/Polygram. We were selling out like up to five arena shows. So that was a very good year.
KE: I remember those tours and it seemed like Cinderella just took off like a rocket. Were you expecting "Night Songs" to do that well or was the sudden success a surprise?
Jeff: Well, I had no expectations for "Night Songs" although hopes were high because as we were recording it being a new band, the budget was exceeded constantly. Every time we ran out of money we had to go back to the label. So the A&R guy would come out and see what we had so far and determine whether we deserved more money. And they would give us more each time. So it was like, Oh we're doing well. Yeah, I had no expectations. It was all just like, it was overnight for everybody else but for us it was a long journey and some hard work. It was gradual for us from the time that we got signed to the time that the record came out was a year. I know a year doesn't sound like a long time unless you're in it. Even after we had done the record, working the same town with the same people in the same clubs. There was a little hype in Philadelphia and south Jersey. Well actually, there was a lot of hype but it was all local. So, I didn't know how it was gonna do nationally but then slowly but surely the pieces came together. Loudness and Poison and David Lee Roth and Bon Jovi . By the time we got on Bon Jovi, it was blowing up. The record went gold with David Lee Roth and the Bon Jovi tour was ridiculous. "Slippery When Wet" was number one on Billboard and we were number three. The label couldn't have been happier.
KE: It was a great record. I love the gritty, bluesy feel. What were some of your musical influences early on?
Jeff: For me, personally, seventies rock, a lot of British rock from the seventies along with Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Stuff like that. I also listened to Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, a bunch of keyboard oriented music. Then like Black Sabbath. Alice Cooper was a big influence on me. Tom is from an Aerosmith and bluesy kind of background. Both Tom and Eric were big KISS fans. AC/DC, Zeppelin, KISS, Aerosmith, those are the big four.
KE: Is there anybody that you would like to work with, a dream tour maybe?
Jeff: Any dream I would have would be to get on somebody else's big tour. That would be cool. I mean I love what I'm doing. I love headlining smaller venues but it would be cool to get out with like Aerosmith. Never toured with Aerosmith. There are a few bands I've never toured with , Def Leppard. I think those two would be cool. Definitely Aerosmith would be awesome.
KE: Are you working on any new music with Cinderella?
Jeff: I don't know, not now, maybe in the future. I would like to.
KE: What about any side projects? Are you doing any solo material?
Jeff: Yeah, we all do stuff. We're only together a few months out of the year. We're only touring a few months out of the year so we all work in the music business separately. Although me, Tom, and Eric all live in the Nashville area so we see each other but Fred lives out in L.A. He's got a studio and he's working on stuff constantly. Tom's been working on a solo record for awhile. Me and Eric farm ourselves out to other projects and records. Maybe put a solo on this or do a record for someone here and there. I live in Nashville so it's not hard to get work. I've been playing around with a solo record too for a little bit. When I get done with this tour, I'm gonna try and finish at least one song when I get home and just throw it up on You Tube or something.
KE: Well, there certainly are a lot of options out there to get your music out. Do you think it's easier for bands now that they can have that immediate exposure?
Jeff: I think it's easier if you know how to do it. It's easier if you're young and you grew up with this technology. Me, not so much. I grew up when we recorded on tape and you were on a label that gave you a bunch of money and said here, make songs and we'll do the rest. It's not like that anymore. Everything is online. Yeah, I have to have younger people tell me how to do it. It's like dad telling his son, here tell me how to get on facebook. I do that with my wife. I give her my iPhone and tell her, here make a phone call for me.
KE: Speaking of technology, music videos played a big part in the early part of your career. Do you have a favorite video or video shoot?
Jeff: Hmm, my favorite video is "Shelter Me." Do you remember that video?
KE: Yes, that was the one with Little Richard in it.
Jeff: Yes, Little Richard, Pam Anderson, who else was in it? I think Dweezil Zappa was in it. There were a bunch of people. It was so much fun to make that video and the final product is great. All the acted scenes, I mean we're in it not so much. We shot for like half a day and the whole rest of the video took like three. They act out like every line in the song. I just think it's funny and I think it's a poignant video. I don't know if a whole lot of people got that but it's a very cool video for the times.
KE: You did an internet radio show with your wife a few years back, Late Night with the LaBar's. Did you enjoy that and would you be open to doing something like that again?
Jeff: Yes, I would like to get that back up. I'm just trying to see how I can turn it into something bigger. But, yeah, that was fun. We had fun doing that so yes we would like to get that back up and running. We'll try and work on that when this tour is over.
KE: When you're not busy with the music business, what are you doing in your free time, if you have any?
Jeff: I don't really have any hobbies but I cook. I don't know if that's a hobby or a necessity. But I cook at home a lot. I cook Japanese. My mother's Japanese and I've been learning all her recipes. My mom's like most moms, she's the world's best cook. I do a lot of cooking and experimenting not just heating stuff up. I actually cook. (Laughter) If not that, then sitting on the couch watching ESPN. That's about it.
KE: Thanks again Jeff for taking the time to call us today and we look forward to seeing you out on tour this summer.
Jeff: No problem. Thanks again for having me and I'll look forward to meeting you all out on the tour.
 
We would like to thank Sky Nicholas from Union Entertainment Group for setting up the interview with Jeff. For more information on Jeff and Cindrella, please go to: Cinderella .
For more information on purchasing tickets for the Cinderella show in Akron, please go to: Tickets.
 
 
MEGADETH has been forced to postpone its previously announced August 3 concert at Club Tango in Beijing, China "due to issues with the show license for the venue," according to a statement on the band's official web site. The message adds, "We are working on resolving this. We will reschedule and look forward to coming to China soon."

In a recent interview with ChicagoNow.com, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson stated about the recording of the band's latest album, "TH1RT3EN", "The producer in MEGADETH… they come in with all of their acumen and all of their professional abilities but at the same time they have to be able to work with Dave [Mustaine] who is ultimately bringing the vision of MEGADETH to that producer. And if that relationship works, we make great records. If and when it doesn't, we don't. And it's really that simple because a band with a bunch of ideas who can't get them on tape… that ain't a record. So to me, that's the dynamic that has to happen and I think it totally came together on this album."

Ellefson continued, "The creative part of bands can be trying. It can be difficult. You're just laying everything out on the table. Your emotions. In order to make great music and great art you have to make yourself vulnerable. And that's something that a bunch of dudes in a metal band… that challenges that whole dynamic! Yet you have to do it if you really want to make passionate music that translates out of the speakers into people's hearts, ya know? And that's what we're here to do. To get into your head, your heart and your soul. So I think we did it right and it's been great."

When asked what it's like to see the crowd's passionate reaction to MEGADETH's more politically charged music, Ellefson said, "Dave [Mustaine] and I wrote a song together on 'Countdown To Extinction' called 'Foreclosure Of A Dream' which we've now put in the set. We've been playing it. And Dave last night even introduced it and he said, 'This song is just as appropriate twenty years later as it was when we wrote it in 1992.' And boy is that ever the truth. And I think that's the element about MEGADETH is that our songs lyrically and musically have a timeless feature to them. Maybe not all of them but by and large the catalog has that feature. And I really noticed that even when we went out with the 'Big Four' [METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX] and did those shows. Our music didn't sound like, 'Oh yeah, that's a throwback to 1986.' Or 'Remember when that was all popular back in 1991?' MEGADETH doesn't sound like a period piece. It's definitely something that transcends time and because of those lyric topics and the way the lyrics are written they seem to just be something that's kind of like an onging, reoccurring narrative."
 
According to WSBT.com, a television station in South Bend, Indiana, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and his wife were arrested Friday (July 27) for domestic battery in front of a child.

Arrest records indicate the pair were picked up at the Hilton Garden Inn in Elkhart, Indiana, and both were released from Elkhart County Jail on Saturday (July 28).

The Benantes' booking details show a court date set for this Friday, August 3 at 8:30 a.m.

For more information, visit the web site of the Elkhart County Sheriff's Department.

Benante, 49, and his wife Sandra, 41, had their first child, Mia Charley Benante, in 2006. They currently reside in Long Grove, Illinois.

Charlie and ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello (who is Benante's nephew) missed several shows on ANTHRAX's North American tour in February in order to spend time with Charlie's mother, who was terminally ill. On February 4, Benante informed fans via his official web site that his mother passed away.

More recently, Benante was forced to miss a number of shows on this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival while he was recovering from a minor hand injury. Filling in for him is SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner.

In February 2011, Charlie took his then-five-year-old daughter to a Lady Gaga concert at the United Center in Charlie's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Benante said afterwards, "Gaga gave ANTHRAX a big shout-out tonight. She treated my daughter like a little queen and proved again that she is a metalhead at heart!"
 
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Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD entered Magpie Cage Studios last month to begin recording their fourth album, "Apocryphon", for an early fall release via their new label partners Razor & Tie. The CD is being produced and engineered by J. Robbins (CLUTCH, JAWBOX) and will feature cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea).

Asked about the band's decision to work with J. Robbins this time around after self-producing two records and then working with Matt Bayles, THE SWORD guitarist Kyle Shutt told AltPress.com, "We're all huge CLUTCH fans, and we know those guys real well. [James] did two of their last three records, and those sound great, so we figured it was a no-brainer. We called him up and he was into it. He saw our live show at a club in Baltimore on the tour before we came here so he could get a feel of the kind of show we put on because we wanted to make an album that sounds like we do live in a club. And it was great. It was a real speedy process."

On the topic of the musical direction of the new album, Shutt said, "It is a reflection of everything that we [have gone] through and the lessons we learned. We then deal with these situations metaphorically in our lyrics. This record is just 10 banging hard rockers. There's no real 'stick-out' thrash song, or, like, this one is the ballad. I don't think there's going to be any instrumental songs on this record, either, so that'll be a first for us. It's just 10 kick-ass rock songs."

Regarding the subject matter covered in the new songs' lyrics, Shutt said, "There are lyrical themes that weave in and out of the songs, but there's no story or anything like that. With 'Warp Riders', J.D. [guitarist/vocalist John Cronise] had already written [the story] and now he [doesn't] have the time to sit down and write another book. We had the idea to make a comic book for 'Warp Riders', but we had some really poor management at the time, so nothing really came together with that and it was going to cost so much money that it never saw the light of day. It was just a nice thing we did. Now we're moving on to other things."
 
On their brand new album, "Dark Roots Of Earth", San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT explored new territory by the inclusion of blast beats. The reason for this has to do with the collaboration between guitarist Eric Peterson, TESTAMENT's chief songwriter, and Gene Hoglan, the legendary extreme metal drummer (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL) who stepped in when Paul Bostaph was unable to continue after four years with the band following a wrist injury.

"In 'True American Hate' and 'Native Blood', we're doing blast beats, but we're not jumping on the bandwagon like the black metal thing or whatever," Peterson tells Decibel for the magazine's September 2012 cover story. "I almost think we took blast beats to another level because most blasts are over really aggro riffs and screaming. But if you muted the drums in 'Native Blood' and only heard the vocals and guitar and asked somebody, 'What do you think the drums would do here?' it wouldn't be a blast beat; it would be more like [starts humming rhythmic drum patterns]. It wasn't something I went in wanting to achieve, but there was an opportunity to incorporate it."

"I basically got a call from Eric about two weeks before they were going to record," says Hoglan. "Apparently Paul's injury was still in recovery and they were like, 'Can you just come in and do the record?' This was in summer of 2011, the day before I left for a two-week tour with FEAR FACTORY; they wanted me to come in directly after. Eric sent me the song files and after [the FF tour). I drove up to the Bay Area and we started getting down. We spent a week tweaking the songs and getting the arrangements happening, and by the second week I was tracking. Within two weeks, it was rehearse, record, drum tracks done, there you go!

"They actually asked me about the blast beat while we were rehearsing," he continues. "There wasn't a blast beat in the demo track, but Eric was like, 'Hey, what do you think about a blast there?' I like being Eric's drum machine, learning the crazy beats he wants and adding a few of my own. That's one of the reasons we [end up) fleshing out all the songs, because I'll try everything to see what works . It didn't matter if it worked for me; it was more important that it worked for Eric. Ironically, that's the type of blast I'm not super-comfortable with: the black metal blast beat. I'm more into a grind beat with the 1-2-3-4-s-6-7-8 on the snare, the pop, pop, pop coming down with the cymbal."

"It works for certain riffs.' adds TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick, "and as long as you've got somebody who's got that as part of their palette and does it well, you might as well utilize that. It was really revelatory and so different for us."

"I think blast beats would have come with time anyway, and now it was the time," theorizes bassist Greg Christian. "And with the way Gene does it, with such flair, it doesn't necessarily have to be in a death metal sort of way. Like, 'Native Blood' has it in a really melodic part where it sounds more like IRON MAIDEN on steroids than death metal."

The September 2012 issue of Decibel magazine can be ordered here.
 
Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM were forced to cancel several shows earlier this month — including those in Oslo, Norway and Malmö, Sweden — after the band's guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho was rushed to the hospital with extreme stomach pain.

After spending a week and a half receiving treatment in Oslo, Alexi was released from the hospital and the band performed at this year's Ilosaarirock festival, which took place July 13-15 in Joensuu, Finland.

CHILDREN OF BODOM drummer Jaska Raatikainen has posted a lengthy recap of the band's most recent tour, including Alexi's health scare. It follows in its entirety below.

"I am writing this last blog of the summer tour little late but wanted to tell about what happened in the last days on it. It feels different now when everything happened a few weeks ago. Luckily, we were so close to end and had a chance to play most of the shows. Unfortunately, the shows in Oslo and Malmö were canceled, as well as one of the two festivals we were supposed to play in Finland.

"Canceling a show is always such an unpleasant thing to do and it is frustrating when it happens. CHILDREN OF BODOM is not a band that easily cancels a show.

"The half way of the tour is usually the worst and toughest one. You know how long you have already been on tour and you know what there is yet to come. This tour was quite easy and short for us, and like I told before, I enjoy touring in Europe especially in the summer, although I got a little sick at some point, which was not that nice.

"When the tour is coming to its end, I start hoping that there would be little more nice countries and cities you could visit. You hope it wouldn't have ended so soon.

"We played this one festival, Basinfirefest in Czech Rebublik. It was weird mix of folk and metal festivals. Very hot and nice athmosphere, though. Good crowd. Finnish band called APOCALYPTICA also played there after us and it was nice to see friends playing.

"The next day I woke up to bright sunshine. It didn't only look hot outside, it really was very hot. We were in Dischingen at the festival called Rock Am Härtsfeldsee. Nice little village festival again. That day we did a signing session which was something special to our normal daily routines. Only funny thing was that almost every fan spoke German to us. When we spoke English to them, they were quiet or kept talking German. I learned the basics of German in school and we have had German crew guys so we all understand something.

"During the night, heavy thunder storm covered the whole festival area. We heard that some people were injured by some flying items. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Also a good thing was that the show was in a tent and they collected all the people inside and closed it totally.

"We started at midnight. We were tired but happy that everybody was there and enjoying. That night there was supposed to be a shower at some gym hall, but the local promoter turned that to a shelter for campers. Kindly thought, of course, but also it meant that me and Henkka [Seppälä, bass] had to take showers with the garden hose behind a bus. Cold, but did the job nicely. And yes, we were naked hoping the guys from RAGE wouldn't come out from their bus, because it was behind their bus where we were hiding.

"With Full Force got hit the same storm and it was even worse there. People lost their tents, flying placates everywhere and what have you. We even heard that a few people got hit by lightning or something very serious. Hopefully these people are alright now. I slept long and didn't see the mess, basically, at all. These kind of things are usually fixed very fast. That's why there is festival staff working 24/7. Respect! The show there was very good and crowd showed their best to us again. After the show, ELÄKELÄISET (humppa cover band from Finland) asked us to feature on stage. Well, Roope [Latvala, guitar] did, and played banjo on their version of COB's 'Hate Me'. Janne [Wirman, keyboards] was dancing on their 'keyboard stand.'

"During the night I woke up to some loud sound that came under the bus and noticed that we were moving very slowly. I thought it wasn't anything serious. Next day we spent the whole day off at a garage. So no day off in Oslo.

"The show day in Oslo started normally. The stage was already set when I woke up. I sent some e-mails and went to eat. I was supposed to meet some friends after that but then I got a text message where they asked if everything were alright. There was an ambulance next to the bus. I answered yes, but soon after that I heard somebody talking about ambulance, Alexi, hospital and stomach pain. The first thought was of course that will he be back in time. I was afraid of something worse. He was in a hospital over a year ago almost for a week because of something similar. When we heard the results, we called the management to book us new flights home the next morning. We left Alexi behind but he was in good hands.

"The next week was frustrating because nobody wasn't sure when Alexi would get out from the hospital and if we could play Ruisrock, the one of the two festivals in Finland next weekend.

"The night before the show, I got the message that said the show was canceled. Honestly speaking, I was so angry and so frustrated and I believe I wasn't the only one. We didn't know what was the exact reason for the situation. We just heard there was a very bad infection on the stomach area. Alexi will tell the rest if he wants.

"After the Ruisrock weekend, we heard that Alexi will be home on Thursday, a couple days before we had to leave to Joensuu, to Ilosaarirock. So, seems that everybody got home safe and we were lucky enough to play at least one Finnish festival this summer.

"Alexi was a little quiet when I saw him the first time after what happened. Everybody was concerned how the show will go. When I went on stage, I immediately sensed that the show will be good and Alexi will do his job well. We all felt relieved and happy after the show.

"Despite the unfortunate events on this tour, I know I will miss the shows a lot. It is incredible how getting to the stage makes you forget pretty much everything else.

"It was nice to share these experiences with you all. Also thank you so much for your positive feedback. It helped me a lot. Now it is time to create some new material. I will try to keep you updated!"

CHILDREN OF BODOM recently inked a worldwide deal (excluding Japan) with Nuclear Blast Records. The band, which kicked off a year-long celebration of its 15th anniversary with a successful North American tour alongside labelmates ELUVEITIE, has a new studio album planned for release in 2013.

"Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth)", a very special CD+DVD career retrospective in celebration of CHILDREN OF BODOM's 15th anniversary, spotlights specially selected tracks from every one of CHILDREN OF BODOM's critically acclaimed albums (1997's "Something Wild", 1999's "Hatebreeder", 2000's "Follow The Reaper", 2003's "Hate Crew Deathroll", 2005's "Are You Dead Yet?", 2008's "Blooddrunk" and 2011's "Relentless Reckless Forever"), plus two newly recorded (and undeniably fun) cover songs and detailed liner notes penned by the members of CHILDREN OF BODOM themselves. The DVD portion of the package includes "candid touring and backstage footage from around the world", plus the "Shovel Knockout" video.
 
MINISTRY's management has released the following statement:

"[On Saturday] July 28, 2012 [in] Paris [France at] 9:05 p.m. MINISTRY frontman Al Jourgensen collapsed onstage during the live MINISTRY performance and was rushed to hospital via ambulance where he was examined by numerous physicians and diagnosed to have had a full-system collapse due to extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion intensified by the lack of ventilation on stage at the venue. Doctors confirm via blood tests conducted that Jourgensen's alcohol blood levels were well below normal and no narcotics were found in his system.

"As a result, MINISTRY has cancelled today's appearance at the L'Etaples, France Rock En Stock festival in order to allow Mr. Jourgensen a few days rest to recuperate and receive additional medical attention in Switzerland. Jourgensen fully intends to complete the remaining shows on the MINISTRY 'DeFiBriLlaTouR' European leg.

"Jourgensen extends his most sincere apologies to his devoted Parisian fans who displayed so much love, respect and concern for him before and after the MINISTRY show."

Said Jourgensen: "I will make it up to you, somehow. I love Paris, I love the Parisian people. I'm so sorry… but shit happens and the shit hit the fan for me last night."

Jourgensen officially reformed MINISTRY last year after a three-year hiatus and released a new studio album, "Relapse", in March.
 
 
BLEEDING THROUGH was forced to cancel last night's (Saturday, July 28) concert at the House Of Blues in San Diego, California with DEMON HUNTER and CANCER BATS after singer Brandan Schieppati underwent emergency orthodontic surgery.

Commented the band: "Symptoms started to appear [on Friday] and put him in a no-choice position [Saturday] morning. [We] can assure you from the many messages he has sent the band saying 'I am so sorry' he would do it if he could. We all apologize for any trouble this could have caused and appreciate your support."

BLEEDING THROUGH's new album, "The Great Fire", was released on January 31 via Rise Records. The band's guitarist, Dave Nassie, described the CD in a recent interview as "a mix of everything. It has a strong, classic SLAYER element to it — because, you know, who doesn't like that? That's something as a band that we all like. It has a heavy black metal and thrash influence in it. This record is an example of what BLEEDING THROUGH like to do. We follow each other. Nobody really picked a direction and said, 'Hey, we want to sound like this.' Brandan came in with a bunch of really aggressive songs, [Guitarist] Brian [Leppke] had a bunch of aggressive songs. My songs kind of lightened it up a little bit, because we started listening back and realized that there were like 15 songs that were just pissed with no break in it at all. [laughs]"
 
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman joined Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC on stage earlier today (Sunday, July 29) at the Fuji Rock Festival at Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan.

Commented the band: "It was a unbelievably great experience in Fuji Rock! Heaviest band in Fuji Rock ever! CHTHONIC with special guests, Marty Friedman, Musashi, and Shin Ichikawa."

Added Friedman: "Today at Fuji Rock, yes, that is the ultimate K-1 fighter Musashi in there, he joined the band on a song in Taiwanese!! Incredible...Then I played on their final song, 'Quell The Souls In Sing Ling Temple', which is one of my favorite songs of theirs, totally dramatic theme, I loved playing it!"

A photo of Friedman on stage with CHTHONIC can be seen below. Also available is professionally filmed video footage of the CHTHONIC performance.

CHTHONIC's sixth full-length effort, "Takasago Army", was released in North America last September via Spinefarm Records. Produced by Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY, NEMESIS) at Sweet Spot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden, this 10-track outing completes a trilogy of CHTHONIC releases, telling a story that binds together the band's "Seediq Bale" and "Mirror Of Retribution" albums, released in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Friedman will embark on the "Guitar Universe 2012" European tour in October. Support on the trek will come from Israel's Yossi Sassi (ORPHANED LAND) and France's Stéphan Forté (ADAGIO).

As previously reported, three recent albums by 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.
 
 
Jonathan Newsome of Rock. Nothing But… recently conducted an interview with FOZZY frontman and WWE wrestling superstar Chris Jericho. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Rock. Nothing But…: Let's talk a little bit about "Sandpaper". It's the new single from you guys. I personally love the song. I realize most want to leave lyrics open for interpretation, but this song really intrigues me lyrically. Would you mind giving us a little insight as to what the song means to you?

Jericho: Well, this all started with the riff that Rich [Ward, guitar] was playing last summer when we were on tour over in Europe. It sounded, for some reason, I said, that reminded me of sandpaper. So, usually how I write songs is, I'll come up with a song name, and then work my way backwards from there. So, when I heard the riff, and came up with the sandpaper idea, I just put it away. Then, when it was time to write lyrics for it, I don't really know where it came from. I guess, technically, it could be more of for people that kind of rub you the wrong way. An abrasive type of a feeling, kind of a sandpaper type of a feeling. A lot of my lyrics are story based. A lot of my lyrics just kind of sound good with the rhythms that are going on. Kind of an "I Am The Walrus"-type vibe maybe. [laughs] But, I think this one is a little bit deeper where you can create your own mental pictures for what it is. I think more than anything, it's probably about people that rub you the wrong way, and how you deal with them deep within your psyche. Either that or just a good fucking rock and roll song. One of the two.

Rock. Nothing But…: It features M. Shadows from AVENGED SEVENFOLD. How did he become involved with this song?

Jericho: Shadows and I have become really good friends over the last couple years, and when we were in the studio recording that cat scratch, whiplash, that little intro part; I thought, I'm not really feeling it like I am for most of the other stuff. I thought, Shadows might sound good with this. So, I called him up and he started to put some thoughts into it. Worked on it a little bit, and gave me a couple of ideas for the arrangement of the song. So he kind of went above and beyond just to make it, not only what we were asking for, but kind of what he was thinking, too. He put a lot of time and effort into it, so that was great.

Rock. Nothing But…: You are about to hit the road with FOZZY. You guys are playing Uproar this year alongside some of the biggest names in rock. Obviously, performing is something you have a ton of experience at, but do you have any plans to set yourself apart from the other bands on this tour?

Jericho: Well, our attitude is, we want to be the best band in the world. I think that one of the things that we have on our side, when performing, is it's very entertaining, very energetic, very hard-hitting. I think that people who have never seen us live are usually blown away the first time, because they didn't expect it, and we really like that. So, going on Uproar is our first U.S. tour from coast to coast. It's the first time that we've been in front of thousands and thousands of people. Obviously, we have a huge fanbase, but it's going to be ten-fold by the time we finish this tour, as well as during it. So, I think that we are a very road-tested machine like band that will be showing what we can do, and we're excited to have this opportunity. We're going to make the most of it every single night. We want to steall the show every night. We want to be the band, when people say, "You know SHINEDOWN was great, PAPA ROACH was great, but fucking FOZZY just blew us away." We have that power, we have that capacity, so we are looking forward to it.
 
French melodic death metal band DESTINITY have entered Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacon Hansen (DESTRUCTION, MAROON, HATESPHERE, ILLDISPOSED, MERCENARY, RAUNCHY, DEADLOCK) to begin recording their sixth full-length album for a late 2012/early 2013 release via Lifeforce Records.


DESTINITY's last CD, "XI Reasons To See", came out in February 2010 via Lifeforce.

According to a press release, DESTINITY's music is "melodic and anthem-like while being technical and extreme at the same time. This is exactly what makes the band unique and relevant because [they are] not focusing on one single style of metal exclusively. DESTINITY pay attention to the tradition of death and thrash metal and are technically experienced. On the other hand you will find an impulsive, catchy approach to the sound of DESTINITY that will blow you away!"
 
 
NoiseArt Records and Rock The Nation have announced the signing of Hungarian black metal horde BORNHOLM. The band's third album, "Inexorable Defiance", will be unleashed in early 2013.

According to a press release, BORNHOLM "offers an extremely cold, evil version of black metal which has been made even richer by sickening, epic and mind-blowingly aggressive elements. With their incredible, fantastic visual components such as front cover, booklet artwork as well as the official pictures BORNHOLM are way beyond the generic crowd and look down on them from a 'throne of crows.'"

Commented the band: "Since we have began to work on the new album, we felt that is a turning point in our history. We wanted new possibilities, new goals and a higher level of playing this kind of music. Now we proudly announce that we have signed to NoiseArt Records/Rock The Nation and this new era has begun. We want much more concerts in the future and a more professional management and we feel that can be a perfect solution. Our third album, 'Inexorable Defiance', is on the way, we are very proud of it, this is a blueprint of the last years full of majesty, medieval feelings and a unique atmosphere."

"Inexorable Defiance" track listing:

01. Fear Of Wonders
02. Swordbearer
03. Flaming Pride And Inexorable Defiance
04. Walk On Pagan Ways
05. Archaic Pale Visions
06. Throne Of Crows
07. Moonlight Wanderer
08. Equinox
09. The Spiral Path
10. Fiery Golden Dawn
11. Towards The Golden Halls

BORNHOLM is:

Sahsnot - Guitar
Vozargh - Guitar
Renfield - Vocal
Hjules - Bass
D - Drums

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