According to InGoal Magazine, Massachusetts recreational hockey goaltender Liz Conner has had a BLACK SABBATH-themed goalie mask created by Headstrong Grafx.
"I asked specifically for the picture of Henry (the flying devil logo) on the forehead, based on alternative CD art for 'The Devil You Know' and the band name on the chin," Liz said. "My only other stipulation was that the mask not focus 100% on Ozzy. Tony Iommi's riffs are what drew me to SABBATH, and I wanted to make sure he was included somewhere. The rest was all Headstrong."
As previously reported, backup goaltender Chris Mason of the NHL hockey team Nashville Predators recently debuted his new mask, featuring a tribute to British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN in the shape of the band's mascot Eddie.
The design in question utilizes Eddie from the Egyptian-themed cover of MAIDEN's "Powerslave" album, which also produced the single "Aces High" and corresponding Eddie included on Mason's 2011 Winnipeg Jets mask. Both covers were originally created originally by artist Derek Riggs, who inspired the mask's artist, Steve Nash of EyeCandyAir.
"I asked specifically for the picture of Henry (the flying devil logo) on the forehead, based on alternative CD art for 'The Devil You Know' and the band name on the chin," Liz said. "My only other stipulation was that the mask not focus 100% on Ozzy. Tony Iommi's riffs are what drew me to SABBATH, and I wanted to make sure he was included somewhere. The rest was all Headstrong."
As previously reported, backup goaltender Chris Mason of the NHL hockey team Nashville Predators recently debuted his new mask, featuring a tribute to British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN in the shape of the band's mascot Eddie.
The design in question utilizes Eddie from the Egyptian-themed cover of MAIDEN's "Powerslave" album, which also produced the single "Aces High" and corresponding Eddie included on Mason's 2011 Winnipeg Jets mask. Both covers were originally created originally by artist Derek Riggs, who inspired the mask's artist, Steve Nash of EyeCandyAir.
http://www.blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/sabmask1.jpg
http://www.blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/sabmask2.jpg
On November 6, AEROSMITH — Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Brad Whitford (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass) and Joey Kramer (drums) — will release "Music From Another Dimension" on Columbia Records. It marks the band's 15th studio album and their first studio collection of all-new material in 11 years. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and at the band's studio in Massachusetts; it was produced by Jack Douglas, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, with the exception of three tracks produced by Tyler and Marti Frederiksen.
The first in a series of episodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Music From Another Dimension" can be seen
The first in a series of episodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Music From Another Dimension" can be seen
http://vimeo.com/48954533
"Music From Another Dimension" features 15 new tracks, including two songs that audiences in North America were treated to on the first leg of the band's triumphant, sold-out "Global Warming Tour". The CD presents AEROSMITH in ferociously fine form and at the peak of their powers. They're the only band of their stature with all-original members and who are playing better than ever have before. The album abounds with one highlight after another, including "Out Go The Lights", "Oh Yeah", "Luv XXX", "We All Fall Down", "Street Jesus" and "Can't Stop Loving You", on which Tyler duets with Carrie Underwood. The album also includes "Freedom Fighter", which features Johnny Depp on backing vocals.
AEROSMITH wrapped their U.S. tour August 12 in Bristow, Virginia. The dates included the band's triumphant, sold-out return to the legendary Hollywood Bowl (August 6) in Los Angeles, where Depp joined the band onstage. A new leg of fall dates will soon be announced to support the release of "Music From Another Dimension".
"It's not that it took ten years," Steven Tyler says, "but that we were busy getting ready!"
"This is the album we wanted to make since the band got back together in 1984," Joe Perry says. "Can't complain about number one singles or album-driven sold-out world tours, as we blaze the AEROSMITH trail with our fans. But this is the record that when the five of us are in a room yelling turn up the volume, that room could be 1325 Commonwealth Avenue (a reference to the band's first apartment where they lived and wrote their first song)."
A deluxe version of "Music From Another Dimension" will include:
* Four live performance videos: "Rats In The Cellar", "Train Kept A Rollin'", "Oh Yeah" and "Same Old Song and Dance"
* Exclusive interviews with the members of AEROSMITH bandmembers
* Three exclusive new bonus tracks: "Up On A Mountain", "Oasis" and "Sunny Side of Love"
The "Music From Another Dimension" track listing is as follows:
01. Luv XXX
02. Oh Yeah
03. Beautiful
04. Tell Me
05. Out Go The Lights
06. Legendary Child
07. What Could Have Been Love
08. Street Jesus
09. Can't Stop Loving You
10. Lover A Lot
11. We All Fall Down
12. Freedom Fighter
13. Closer
14. Something
15. Another Last Goodbye
AEROSMITH wrapped their U.S. tour August 12 in Bristow, Virginia. The dates included the band's triumphant, sold-out return to the legendary Hollywood Bowl (August 6) in Los Angeles, where Depp joined the band onstage. A new leg of fall dates will soon be announced to support the release of "Music From Another Dimension".
"It's not that it took ten years," Steven Tyler says, "but that we were busy getting ready!"
"This is the album we wanted to make since the band got back together in 1984," Joe Perry says. "Can't complain about number one singles or album-driven sold-out world tours, as we blaze the AEROSMITH trail with our fans. But this is the record that when the five of us are in a room yelling turn up the volume, that room could be 1325 Commonwealth Avenue (a reference to the band's first apartment where they lived and wrote their first song)."
A deluxe version of "Music From Another Dimension" will include:
* Four live performance videos: "Rats In The Cellar", "Train Kept A Rollin'", "Oh Yeah" and "Same Old Song and Dance"
* Exclusive interviews with the members of AEROSMITH bandmembers
* Three exclusive new bonus tracks: "Up On A Mountain", "Oasis" and "Sunny Side of Love"
The "Music From Another Dimension" track listing is as follows:
01. Luv XXX
02. Oh Yeah
03. Beautiful
04. Tell Me
05. Out Go The Lights
06. Legendary Child
07. What Could Have Been Love
08. Street Jesus
09. Can't Stop Loving You
10. Lover A Lot
11. We All Fall Down
12. Freedom Fighter
13. Closer
14. Something
15. Another Last Goodbye
http://youtu.be/otntBKCvDpc
In a brand new interview with Albania's Top Channel web site, WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale was asked what fans can expect from the band in the near future. "I am always reticent to discuss in detail what we're planning as I still enjoy 'surprises.'"
He continued, "In this day and age, with global technology and overwhelming social media, it is getting harder and harder to keep anything secret until they are ready to be presented. We host a very interactive global web site with Whitesnake.com and I answer people's questions as much as I can without giving too much away."
"We are very, very active this year behind the scenes. Many exciting things in the pipeline. Two projects I can tell you about are related to completing the 'Forevermore' project. An in-concert DVD from last year's tour and also a double live CD featuring different shows. It's shaping up very well indeed and I think a lot of people will enjoy re-living the concert experience they had with us in 2011. We have also started Whitesnake TV, which is off to a fantastic start and seems to be making a lot of people happy."
Asked if WHITESNAKE will tour next year, Coverdale said, "There are plans to start in Europe in May, I heard, but as yet there is nothing concrete. But, of course, we hope to be out there again. We have too much fun with audiences to stay at home for too long!"
Regarding whether all his plans involve WHITESNAKE, or if fans can expect any other collaborations or solo projects, Coverdale said, "WHITESNAKE is my priority and at this time I have no other plans to collaborate with other artists. But, you know rock and roll… Everything can change with a phone call."
He continued, "In this day and age, with global technology and overwhelming social media, it is getting harder and harder to keep anything secret until they are ready to be presented. We host a very interactive global web site with Whitesnake.com and I answer people's questions as much as I can without giving too much away."
"We are very, very active this year behind the scenes. Many exciting things in the pipeline. Two projects I can tell you about are related to completing the 'Forevermore' project. An in-concert DVD from last year's tour and also a double live CD featuring different shows. It's shaping up very well indeed and I think a lot of people will enjoy re-living the concert experience they had with us in 2011. We have also started Whitesnake TV, which is off to a fantastic start and seems to be making a lot of people happy."
Asked if WHITESNAKE will tour next year, Coverdale said, "There are plans to start in Europe in May, I heard, but as yet there is nothing concrete. But, of course, we hope to be out there again. We have too much fun with audiences to stay at home for too long!"
Regarding whether all his plans involve WHITESNAKE, or if fans can expect any other collaborations or solo projects, Coverdale said, "WHITESNAKE is my priority and at this time I have no other plans to collaborate with other artists. But, you know rock and roll… Everything can change with a phone call."
Alice Cooper, Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, FLYING COLORS, DREAM THEATER) and Jordan Rudess (DREAM THEATER) have been confirmed for the Rock 'N Roll Fantasy Camp's next Las Vegas event, set to take place February 14-18 at the MGM Grand.
Remember "Welcome To My Nightmare"? Well, now it's time for "welcome to your fantasy" as the king of shock-rock-n-roll Alice Cooper descends upon the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp. No More Mr. Nice Guy? Not really, because he's here to make your rock and roll dreams come true. If you live for metal, glitter, glam and classic rock, then school is definitely IN this Presidents Day. You remember the anthems, the makeup and the boa constrictor. This was metal theater before KISS, BOWIE or any other number of artists that followed. This is the original. This is the Coop — live and in person to hang with you, jam with you and treat you all like his Billion Dollar Babies.
If that weren't enough, campers will get to witness first hand one of music's most accomplished and award winning, self-taught drummers Mike Portnoy, whose progressive metal sound is uniquely influenced by THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, RUSH, QUEEN, IRON MAIDEN and THE WHO. Portnoy's former band DREAM THEATER is best known for the technical proficiency of its instrumentalists, so it is no surprise that campers will be wowed by his metal, pop and straight rock style drumming but also inspired by his skills on the bass, keys and guitar.
So grab your guitars, guillotines, drumsticks and electric chairs for a musician's dream that can only be made real in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. You will meet and work with these amazing headliners as well as perform live on stage with over 15 legendary rock stars. This experience is so amazing, you'll need your professionally recorded song and DVD of your live performance to prove you came, conquered and actually lived the dream. Reserve your space as camp fills up quickly.
For more detail, visit RockCamp.com.
Remember "Welcome To My Nightmare"? Well, now it's time for "welcome to your fantasy" as the king of shock-rock-n-roll Alice Cooper descends upon the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp. No More Mr. Nice Guy? Not really, because he's here to make your rock and roll dreams come true. If you live for metal, glitter, glam and classic rock, then school is definitely IN this Presidents Day. You remember the anthems, the makeup and the boa constrictor. This was metal theater before KISS, BOWIE or any other number of artists that followed. This is the original. This is the Coop — live and in person to hang with you, jam with you and treat you all like his Billion Dollar Babies.
If that weren't enough, campers will get to witness first hand one of music's most accomplished and award winning, self-taught drummers Mike Portnoy, whose progressive metal sound is uniquely influenced by THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, RUSH, QUEEN, IRON MAIDEN and THE WHO. Portnoy's former band DREAM THEATER is best known for the technical proficiency of its instrumentalists, so it is no surprise that campers will be wowed by his metal, pop and straight rock style drumming but also inspired by his skills on the bass, keys and guitar.
So grab your guitars, guillotines, drumsticks and electric chairs for a musician's dream that can only be made real in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. You will meet and work with these amazing headliners as well as perform live on stage with over 15 legendary rock stars. This experience is so amazing, you'll need your professionally recorded song and DVD of your live performance to prove you came, conquered and actually lived the dream. Reserve your space as camp fills up quickly.
For more detail, visit RockCamp.com.
According to WWJ-TV, investigators with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman at last night's KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE concert at DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkson, Michigan.
The woman, a 25-year-old from Orion Township, told police that she was forced into the woods and assaulted by a man around 9:40 p.m. She went home before notifying authorities.
The suspect is described as a white man in his mid-20s, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing cargo shorts and a V-neck shirt.
The woman, a 25-year-old from Orion Township, told police that she was forced into the woods and assaulted by a man around 9:40 p.m. She went home before notifying authorities.
The suspect is described as a white man in his mid-20s, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing cargo shorts and a V-neck shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland County Sheriff's Office at 248-537-3530 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
GUNS N' ROSES will perform at Neil Young's 26th annual Bridge School benefit concerts on October 20-21 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Also scheduled to appear are Young and his band CRAZY HORSE, Jack White, THE FLAMING LIPS, Sarah McLachlan, FOSTER THE PEOPLE, Lucinda Williams, Steve Martin and the STEEP CANYON RANGERS, K.D. Lang and SISS BOOM BANG, and Gary Clark Jr.
The Bridge School, which was co-founded by Young's wife Pegi, works to help people with physical and speech impairments through alternate methods of communication, including music therapy. Each year, Young, who has two handicapped sons, gathers a cross-section of performers to perform acoustically to benefit the school.
Tickets, priced from $35-$150, go on sale on September 14 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 and at the Shoreline Amphitheatre box office.
On September 1, Kristyn Clarke of PopCultureMadness.com conducted an interview with guitarist Keith Nelson of Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY. You can now watch the chat below.
BUCKCHERRY recently completed work on its sixth studio album, "Confessions", for a tentative late 2012/early 2013 release. The group is also planning to put out a short film in conjunction with the CD, which it hopes will make its way into some small film festivals. The record itself will serve as the soundtrack for the film.
Speaking about "Confessions", Nelson told PopCultureMadness.com, "We're still hoping to get it out by the end of the year. But if not, [it will] probably [be out] early next year. We're just trying to tie up some loose ends behind the scenes that really don't have anything to do with the actual material that's on the record. So as soon as we know, we'll let the world know, and we'll get on with it. But it hasn't stopped us from playing shows and doing what we love to do, which is play gigs."
He added, "We're gonna wrap up this tour in a few days, actually, and go home for a couple of weeks and revisit the stuff and get going to rehearsals and tune up all that stuff, so when we head back out at the end of September, we'll be ready to play the entire record."
Asked about the reports that "Confessions" is a "concept" album, Nelson said, "Basically, it kind of started off as a concept record and then evolved away from that, so I wouldn't really call it a concept record right now. But it definitely has a theme to the record. And the record, it evolved into Josh [Todd, vocals] writing a screenplay, basically, loosely based on some events of his life. So the story of the record goes with the film and the film goes with the record and they really work together. It tells a story."
He added, "The whole idea was to, basically, make the record stand alone on its own and the film stand alone on its own, but they could both come together and work really well together. And same thing with the songs — there isn't anything on the record that is so weird that you wouldn't understand it unless you saw the movie. So the record really needs to stand on its own, like every other record we've made."
Todd told an Oklahoma radio station about the "Confessions" screenplay, "It's based around the seven sins and true events that happened in my life as well, when I was younger."
Todd, however, shot down the idea of playing the lead role in the film, although he did say that the band will appear somewhere in it.
He added, "I think (the film is) gonna be a real treat for people who love this band and people who are just discovering BUCKCHERRY for the first time."
As for "Confessions", Todd said that the new disc is "definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it. It's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day."
The Bridge School, which was co-founded by Young's wife Pegi, works to help people with physical and speech impairments through alternate methods of communication, including music therapy. Each year, Young, who has two handicapped sons, gathers a cross-section of performers to perform acoustically to benefit the school.
Tickets, priced from $35-$150, go on sale on September 14 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.com, by calling (800) 745-3000 and at the Shoreline Amphitheatre box office.
On September 1, Kristyn Clarke of PopCultureMadness.com conducted an interview with guitarist Keith Nelson of Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY. You can now watch the chat below.
BUCKCHERRY recently completed work on its sixth studio album, "Confessions", for a tentative late 2012/early 2013 release. The group is also planning to put out a short film in conjunction with the CD, which it hopes will make its way into some small film festivals. The record itself will serve as the soundtrack for the film.
Speaking about "Confessions", Nelson told PopCultureMadness.com, "We're still hoping to get it out by the end of the year. But if not, [it will] probably [be out] early next year. We're just trying to tie up some loose ends behind the scenes that really don't have anything to do with the actual material that's on the record. So as soon as we know, we'll let the world know, and we'll get on with it. But it hasn't stopped us from playing shows and doing what we love to do, which is play gigs."
He added, "We're gonna wrap up this tour in a few days, actually, and go home for a couple of weeks and revisit the stuff and get going to rehearsals and tune up all that stuff, so when we head back out at the end of September, we'll be ready to play the entire record."
Asked about the reports that "Confessions" is a "concept" album, Nelson said, "Basically, it kind of started off as a concept record and then evolved away from that, so I wouldn't really call it a concept record right now. But it definitely has a theme to the record. And the record, it evolved into Josh [Todd, vocals] writing a screenplay, basically, loosely based on some events of his life. So the story of the record goes with the film and the film goes with the record and they really work together. It tells a story."
He added, "The whole idea was to, basically, make the record stand alone on its own and the film stand alone on its own, but they could both come together and work really well together. And same thing with the songs — there isn't anything on the record that is so weird that you wouldn't understand it unless you saw the movie. So the record really needs to stand on its own, like every other record we've made."
Todd told an Oklahoma radio station about the "Confessions" screenplay, "It's based around the seven sins and true events that happened in my life as well, when I was younger."
Todd, however, shot down the idea of playing the lead role in the film, although he did say that the band will appear somewhere in it.
He added, "I think (the film is) gonna be a real treat for people who love this band and people who are just discovering BUCKCHERRY for the first time."
As for "Confessions", Todd said that the new disc is "definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it. It's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day."
http://youtu.be/b6zKVZj3yQI
A preview of the official cover artwork for MANOWAR's new studio album, "The Lord Of Steel", can be seen below.
"The Lord Of Steel" will be released into worldwide retail on September 28 (dates may vary from territory to territory), following a limited-edition pre-release as the "Hammer Edition" in collaboration with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine.
The retail edition of "The Lord Of Steel" will feature different mixes and mastering, an additional song, spectacular new art by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, and other surprises. The album will be available as CD, limited-edition vinyl and digital album.
"MANOWAR have always dared to do things differently. You have to look at these two versions like a movie that comes out in alternate versions; a director's cut or alternate endings or stories even told from different perspectives," explained bassist Joey DeMaio. "For those of you who enjoyed the first taste of 'The Lord Of Steel', meaning the Metal Hammer version, I can tell you that the forthcoming 'The Lord Of Steel' release on Magic Circle Entertainment will be even more unique and yes, more brutal," he continued.
Described by the press as "a brutal and unstoppable force of molten metal" and "flawlessly heavy," "The Lord Of Steel" is a raw-to-the-bone production, merging vintage elements with the trademark sound MANOWAR have developed over the years.
"When you have to make room for literally hundreds of other instruments such as orchestras, choirs, marching armies on 'Gods Of War', for example, you have to create sonic space for that. The fewer instruments you have the louder they can be individually. As an artist you want to give your audience new experiences. This is not 'elevator music.' This is an album that hits you hard right between the eyes and does not let up," said Joey DeMaio.
For their twelfth studio album, MANOWAR have tapped into the world of action heroes and their stories, writing their first song specifically for a Hollywood movie, "El Gringo", and another one, "Expendable", inspired by Sylvester Stallone's action movie franchise "The Expendables". The band has meanwhile confirmed their next movie project, "Soldiers", for "The Expendables 2" star Jean-Claude Van Damme.
From the furious title track and the pumping "Black List", to the power ballad "Righteous Glory" and the Ennio Morricone homage "El Gringo" — "The Lord Of Steel" is full of surprises.
"The Lord Of Steel" (retail edition) will be mixed and mastered by longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and two-time Grammy-award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper.
Coinciding with the release of the album, MANOWAR will kick off "The Lord Of Steel" world tour, with first shows in October and November, in Europe and the United States.
"The Lord Of Steel" will be released into worldwide retail on September 28 (dates may vary from territory to territory), following a limited-edition pre-release as the "Hammer Edition" in collaboration with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine.
The retail edition of "The Lord Of Steel" will feature different mixes and mastering, an additional song, spectacular new art by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, and other surprises. The album will be available as CD, limited-edition vinyl and digital album.
"MANOWAR have always dared to do things differently. You have to look at these two versions like a movie that comes out in alternate versions; a director's cut or alternate endings or stories even told from different perspectives," explained bassist Joey DeMaio. "For those of you who enjoyed the first taste of 'The Lord Of Steel', meaning the Metal Hammer version, I can tell you that the forthcoming 'The Lord Of Steel' release on Magic Circle Entertainment will be even more unique and yes, more brutal," he continued.
Described by the press as "a brutal and unstoppable force of molten metal" and "flawlessly heavy," "The Lord Of Steel" is a raw-to-the-bone production, merging vintage elements with the trademark sound MANOWAR have developed over the years.
"When you have to make room for literally hundreds of other instruments such as orchestras, choirs, marching armies on 'Gods Of War', for example, you have to create sonic space for that. The fewer instruments you have the louder they can be individually. As an artist you want to give your audience new experiences. This is not 'elevator music.' This is an album that hits you hard right between the eyes and does not let up," said Joey DeMaio.
For their twelfth studio album, MANOWAR have tapped into the world of action heroes and their stories, writing their first song specifically for a Hollywood movie, "El Gringo", and another one, "Expendable", inspired by Sylvester Stallone's action movie franchise "The Expendables". The band has meanwhile confirmed their next movie project, "Soldiers", for "The Expendables 2" star Jean-Claude Van Damme.
From the furious title track and the pumping "Black List", to the power ballad "Righteous Glory" and the Ennio Morricone homage "El Gringo" — "The Lord Of Steel" is full of surprises.
"The Lord Of Steel" (retail edition) will be mixed and mastered by longtime collaborators, mixing engineer Ronald Prent and two-time Grammy-award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper.
Coinciding with the release of the album, MANOWAR will kick off "The Lord Of Steel" world tour, with first shows in October and November, in Europe and the United States.
The Hellish Rock Tour in 2007/2008 — featuring HELLOWEEN and their very special guests GAMMA RAY — played 95 shows in 34 countries and left ecstatic metal fans in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America in its wake. HELLOWEEN's Hellish Rock Tour Part II has been announced and will start in March 2013 in Europe and go around the globe, once again featuring GAMMA RAY.
A press release states: "Watch out for the full-on Metal Ax Made in Germany and you can start betting on what kind of awesome final Weikath, Deris, Grosskopf and co. together with Hansen have come up with this time!"
Comments HELLOWEEN guitarist Michael Weikath: "The atmosphere on stage and backstage was very special last time. We will be repeating the party and are looking forward to the tour already!"
Adds GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen: "The Hellish Rock Tour definitely was a highlight of our band's history. We'll absolutely go wild once again!"
A press release states: "Watch out for the full-on Metal Ax Made in Germany and you can start betting on what kind of awesome final Weikath, Deris, Grosskopf and co. together with Hansen have come up with this time!"
Comments HELLOWEEN guitarist Michael Weikath: "The atmosphere on stage and backstage was very special last time. We will be repeating the party and are looking forward to the tour already!"
Adds GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen: "The Hellish Rock Tour definitely was a highlight of our band's history. We'll absolutely go wild once again!"
Next year marks the tenth anniversary of WEDNESDAY 13 — the namesake band led by the MURDERDOLLS frontman — and 20 years of Wednesday 13 releasing music in the horror rock genre. To honor this occasion, Wednesday 13 has been busy preparing a new album and mapping out his touring schedule.
Wednesday 13 will release a new, full-length CD, entitled "The Dixie Dead", in February/March , and fans can once again be a part of it.
As with his most recent album, "Calling All Corpses", Wednesday 13 will give his fans the opportunity to be "buried" in the "The Dixie Dead" CD booklet.
There will be 13 available plots in the "The Dixie Dead" cemetery. The plots will go up for auction this Saturday, September 8 through eBay. Each winning bidder will have his/her name etched on the gravestone for all of eternity and receive an autographed copy of the CD. The lucky #13 (center plot) will also get with an autographed ESP guitar that was used in the recording of "The Dixie Dead" album.
Pictured below is the uncolored, black-and-white version of "The Dixie Dead" cemetery. The completed version will be in full color.
"The Dixie Dead" is Wednesday 13's seventh solo release to be made available through his own record label. This one aims to be his most aggressive undertaking to date. The musician is also working on a host of limited-edition ideas for the initial orders that will be revealed shortly, as well as a few video projects.
As previously reported, Wednesday 13 will release a new EP, "Spook & Destroy", in October to coincide with his international tour that begins on October 25 in Brisbane, Australia and ends on November 18 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The EP features two new songs, re-recordings of fan favorites as well as two remixes from Ross Smith.
Wednesday 13 will release a new, full-length CD, entitled "The Dixie Dead", in February/March , and fans can once again be a part of it.
As with his most recent album, "Calling All Corpses", Wednesday 13 will give his fans the opportunity to be "buried" in the "The Dixie Dead" CD booklet.
There will be 13 available plots in the "The Dixie Dead" cemetery. The plots will go up for auction this Saturday, September 8 through eBay. Each winning bidder will have his/her name etched on the gravestone for all of eternity and receive an autographed copy of the CD. The lucky #13 (center plot) will also get with an autographed ESP guitar that was used in the recording of "The Dixie Dead" album.
Pictured below is the uncolored, black-and-white version of "The Dixie Dead" cemetery. The completed version will be in full color.
"The Dixie Dead" is Wednesday 13's seventh solo release to be made available through his own record label. This one aims to be his most aggressive undertaking to date. The musician is also working on a host of limited-edition ideas for the initial orders that will be revealed shortly, as well as a few video projects.
As previously reported, Wednesday 13 will release a new EP, "Spook & Destroy", in October to coincide with his international tour that begins on October 25 in Brisbane, Australia and ends on November 18 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The EP features two new songs, re-recordings of fan favorites as well as two remixes from Ross Smith.
Bassist Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER) has joined joined forces with Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ADRENALINE MOB) in a brand new project. The as-yet-unnamed group is currently recording its debut album for an early 2013 release via Frontiers Records. The CD is being produced by Sinner and will be mixed by Achim Köhler, who has previously worked with PRIMAL FEAR, AMON AMARTH and BRAINSTORM, among many others. Eleven tracks were written for the effort, which will feature guest appearances by Roland Grapow (guitar; MASTERPLAN, HELLOWEEN), Randy Black (drums; PRIMAL FEAR), Alessandro Del Vecchio (keyboards, vocals) and Alexander Beyrodt (guitar; PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE).
A video clip of the drum-recording sessions at Berlin, Germany's Sound From Below studio with engineer Nikolai Wurk (DUSKMACHINE) can be seen below.
Commented Sinner: "Watch out, this will be a huge album!"
A video clip of the drum-recording sessions at Berlin, Germany's Sound From Below studio with engineer Nikolai Wurk (DUSKMACHINE) can be seen below.
Commented Sinner: "Watch out, this will be a huge album!"
Washington, D.C.-based heavy metallers A SOUND OF THUNDER have entered Assembly Line Studios in Virginia with producer Kevin "131" Gutierrez (SHINEDOWN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, DECEASED) to begin recording their third full-length album, "Time's Arrow". Due in early 2013, the CD will feature 11 new songs combining rousing and catchy traditional metal with crushing modern production.
"Time's Arrow" will feature a guest appearance by Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), who will perform a duet with A SOUND OF THUNDER vocalist Nina Osegueda in the track "My Disease".
"Blaze is a legendary figure in the history of metal, but more importantly he brings incredible power, passion and sincerity to his performances, and that's exactly what we needed on this song," said A SOUND OF THUNDER guitarist Josh Schwartz. "Musically it has little in common with MAIDEN, and sounds more like a cross between BLACK SABBATH and Blaze's first few solo albums... and, of course, A SOUND OF THUNDER."
Commented Bayley: "It has been a real pleasure to work on this song. Filled with passion and intensity, it has an edge. I wish A SOUND OF THUNDER the very best of luck with their project, but with a song this good, I don't think they will need luck."
On August 20, A SOUND OF THUNDER started a Kickstarter.com fundraiser campaign for the recording of "Time's Arrow". The campaign will run for 30 days and offers fans a chance to pre-order the album, have their name printed in the album booklet, reserve an ultra-limited box set edition of the album, and acquire unique and rare items from the band.
A SOUND OF THUNDER will release the "Queen Of Hell" EP in November. Also recorded at Assembly Line Studios with Gutierrez, the effort contains four new tracks and is only available via the band's Kickstarter.com campaign.
A SOUND OF THUNDER is offering its "Queen Of Hell" EP exclusively through Kickstarter.com. The EP serves as a follow-up to the 2012 studio album, "Out Of The Darkness", and teaser for the band's next studio CD, "Time's Arrow", due in spring 2013.
The cover art for "Queen Of Hell" was created by Serbian artist Dušan Markovic and can be seen below.
"We've always wanted to do an homage to the classic fantasy and swords & sorcery themed metal album covers," says Osegueda. "As you can see, we've gone all horns up with the 'Queen Of Hell' art... I finally have the throne of skulls I've always wanted!"
"Time's Arrow" will feature a guest appearance by Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), who will perform a duet with A SOUND OF THUNDER vocalist Nina Osegueda in the track "My Disease".
"Blaze is a legendary figure in the history of metal, but more importantly he brings incredible power, passion and sincerity to his performances, and that's exactly what we needed on this song," said A SOUND OF THUNDER guitarist Josh Schwartz. "Musically it has little in common with MAIDEN, and sounds more like a cross between BLACK SABBATH and Blaze's first few solo albums... and, of course, A SOUND OF THUNDER."
Commented Bayley: "It has been a real pleasure to work on this song. Filled with passion and intensity, it has an edge. I wish A SOUND OF THUNDER the very best of luck with their project, but with a song this good, I don't think they will need luck."
On August 20, A SOUND OF THUNDER started a Kickstarter.com fundraiser campaign for the recording of "Time's Arrow". The campaign will run for 30 days and offers fans a chance to pre-order the album, have their name printed in the album booklet, reserve an ultra-limited box set edition of the album, and acquire unique and rare items from the band.
A SOUND OF THUNDER will release the "Queen Of Hell" EP in November. Also recorded at Assembly Line Studios with Gutierrez, the effort contains four new tracks and is only available via the band's Kickstarter.com campaign.
A SOUND OF THUNDER is offering its "Queen Of Hell" EP exclusively through Kickstarter.com. The EP serves as a follow-up to the 2012 studio album, "Out Of The Darkness", and teaser for the band's next studio CD, "Time's Arrow", due in spring 2013.
The cover art for "Queen Of Hell" was created by Serbian artist Dušan Markovic and can be seen below.
"We've always wanted to do an homage to the classic fantasy and swords & sorcery themed metal album covers," says Osegueda. "As you can see, we've gone all horns up with the 'Queen Of Hell' art... I finally have the throne of skulls I've always wanted!"
Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have tapped noted engineer Chris Lord-Alge (DEFTONES, NICKELBACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) to mix their fourth album, due in early 2013. The band's frontman, Matt Tuck, tweeted earlier today, "Just got the first mixes through off album 4 from Sir Chris Lord Alge, FUCK ME!!!!"
Tuck recently told South Africa's Voice Of Rock Radio that the recording sessions for the band's new CD went more smoothly than those for the group's previous effort, due in part to the experience of collaborating with acclaimed rock producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, GOOD CHARLOTTE) on the group's last LP, 2010's "Fever". "We worked with Don Gilmore again on this new record we just finished," Matt said. "For me, it's a huge compliment that he really didn't have much input, 'cause on the last record he did, and it kind of opened my eyes to write differently and to think about, not slowing things down, but kind of… there's no restraint on screaming and restraint on a million miles an hour. It's not necessary, really. We've kind of done that [already]. So on this record, [he kind of] sat back and let me do it without having much input, which to me, knowing Don, is a huge compliment, 'cause it means I've kind of done it right by my own. So, yeah, we've definitely fucking nailed it on this record. I know it's a long way before coming out and anyone's gonna hear anything, but I've lived with [it] and I know what it is, and trust me, it's good."
Asked about BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's longevity and musical progression over the years, Tuck said, "I definitely think we've got longevity, 'cause we are longevity. We've been doing this eight years now and we're still at the top of the game of… we're still at the top of our tree of our style of music. I mean, no one's really kind of tried to take us over. So we have kind of taken the foot off the gas already a little bit with 'Fever', and the album we just recorded, we've actually backed off a little bit again — not because we don't think people don't wanna hear heavy music, we've actually made it heavier by slowing down and less is more. Like METALLICA's 'black album,' you wouldn't necessarily call it a heavy album, but the sound of it is fucking heavy and it's big and it sounds timeless because of that. It's not a million miles an hour — it's big and heavy and loud. We're not trying to make a 'black' album, we're just trying to kind of take that theory of slowing down, putting less technical bits in and concentrating on the vocals and the meat and bones of the song."
Tuck recently told South Africa's Voice Of Rock Radio that the recording sessions for the band's new CD went more smoothly than those for the group's previous effort, due in part to the experience of collaborating with acclaimed rock producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, GOOD CHARLOTTE) on the group's last LP, 2010's "Fever". "We worked with Don Gilmore again on this new record we just finished," Matt said. "For me, it's a huge compliment that he really didn't have much input, 'cause on the last record he did, and it kind of opened my eyes to write differently and to think about, not slowing things down, but kind of… there's no restraint on screaming and restraint on a million miles an hour. It's not necessary, really. We've kind of done that [already]. So on this record, [he kind of] sat back and let me do it without having much input, which to me, knowing Don, is a huge compliment, 'cause it means I've kind of done it right by my own. So, yeah, we've definitely fucking nailed it on this record. I know it's a long way before coming out and anyone's gonna hear anything, but I've lived with [it] and I know what it is, and trust me, it's good."
Asked about BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's longevity and musical progression over the years, Tuck said, "I definitely think we've got longevity, 'cause we are longevity. We've been doing this eight years now and we're still at the top of the game of… we're still at the top of our tree of our style of music. I mean, no one's really kind of tried to take us over. So we have kind of taken the foot off the gas already a little bit with 'Fever', and the album we just recorded, we've actually backed off a little bit again — not because we don't think people don't wanna hear heavy music, we've actually made it heavier by slowing down and less is more. Like METALLICA's 'black album,' you wouldn't necessarily call it a heavy album, but the sound of it is fucking heavy and it's big and it sounds timeless because of that. It's not a million miles an hour — it's big and heavy and loud. We're not trying to make a 'black' album, we're just trying to kind of take that theory of slowing down, putting less technical bits in and concentrating on the vocals and the meat and bones of the song."
STONE SOUR will film a video for the songs "Gone Sovereign" and "Absolute Zero" on Wednesday, September 26 in the band's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Helming the clip will be director Paul R. Brown, who has previously worked with SLIPKNOT, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KORN, GODSMACK and AVENGED SEVENFOLD.
The official lyric video for "Gone Sovereign" and "Absolute Zero" can be seen below. Both tracks are taken from "House Of Gold And Bones - Part 1", the first half of STONE SOUR's upcoming two-disc concept album. The first CD arrives on October 23, while the second half will come out next year, probably in May. Singer Corey Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that the project has turned out even better than he had hoped. "It's some of the best work we've ever done," he said. "Song-wise, guitar-wise, performance-wise, I mean, everything. It's so good. It's come out so much better than I thought it was going to. It's surpassed all of our expectations. It's really, really good."
Speaking to Rolling Stone about the making of the project, Taylor said, "Even with the time constraints we had, we basically recorded two albums in the time it takes to record one. So we were doing double-duty every day. I was tracking two songs vocally a day just to keep us on a deadline and it really pushed us to strive for excellence."
The singer also said that the band wanted to "really try and go for (a) natural vibe on this without using a ton of samples and really try to differentiate us from everybody else out there . . . we wanted to really capture a unique sound."
"House Of Gold And Bones will follow up the band's third album, 2010's "Audio Secrecy".
Taylor and STONE SOUR guitarist Jim Root just got off the road with their other band, SLIPKNOT, but will tour with STONE SOUR later this year.
"House of Gold & Bones - Part 1" track listing:
01. Gone Sovereign
02. Absolute Zero
03. A Rumor Of Skin
04. The Travellers Part 1
05. Tired
06. RU486
07. My Name Is Allen
08. Taciturn
09. Influence Of A Drowsy God
10. The Travellers Part 2
11. Last Of The Real
The official lyric video for "Gone Sovereign" and "Absolute Zero" can be seen below. Both tracks are taken from "House Of Gold And Bones - Part 1", the first half of STONE SOUR's upcoming two-disc concept album. The first CD arrives on October 23, while the second half will come out next year, probably in May. Singer Corey Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that the project has turned out even better than he had hoped. "It's some of the best work we've ever done," he said. "Song-wise, guitar-wise, performance-wise, I mean, everything. It's so good. It's come out so much better than I thought it was going to. It's surpassed all of our expectations. It's really, really good."
Speaking to Rolling Stone about the making of the project, Taylor said, "Even with the time constraints we had, we basically recorded two albums in the time it takes to record one. So we were doing double-duty every day. I was tracking two songs vocally a day just to keep us on a deadline and it really pushed us to strive for excellence."
The singer also said that the band wanted to "really try and go for (a) natural vibe on this without using a ton of samples and really try to differentiate us from everybody else out there . . . we wanted to really capture a unique sound."
"House Of Gold And Bones will follow up the band's third album, 2010's "Audio Secrecy".
Taylor and STONE SOUR guitarist Jim Root just got off the road with their other band, SLIPKNOT, but will tour with STONE SOUR later this year.
"House of Gold & Bones - Part 1" track listing:
01. Gone Sovereign
02. Absolute Zero
03. A Rumor Of Skin
04. The Travellers Part 1
05. Tired
06. RU486
07. My Name Is Allen
08. Taciturn
09. Influence Of A Drowsy God
10. The Travellers Part 2
11. Last Of The Real
Poland's Metal Centre recently conducted an interview with former EXODUS and LEGACY (pre-TESTAMENT) and current HATRIOT vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Centre: You recorded five albums with [EXODUS] and reportedly you [were] kicked out from the band. Tell us something about this incident?
Zetro: I wasn't kicked out of the band the first time. The band split up after the tour for "Force Of Habit". We were in Japan and [EXODUS guitarist] Gary Holt announced that we were done, so that was it for the first wave of the band. I did quit EXODUS in 2004, during my second stint with the band. I was having a lot of issues at home and couldn't deal with everything. My head was in a different place. I left the band high and dry and I do regret that a lot. We have patched things up and are good friends again, so it is all cool.
Metal Centre: There's no denying that the sound of your voice is very original and definitely is one of the best at thrash metal scene. How did you [develop] such [a] singing [style]?
Zetro: I grew up around hard rock my whole life. My dad was an old-school biker and he had all the [BLACK] SABBATH and [LED] ZEPPELIN records back in the day. I grew up on it. When I found AC/DC, everything changed. I wanted to be Bon Scott. He was the ultimate rock god. I modeled my voice after his and worked on it for years until I found my signature sound.
Metal Centre: You play traditional thrash metal despite the fact that [there are] thousands of bands [out there] playing old-school metal. Don't you think about [adding something new to] your music, something more original, to [make it] more attractive [to the] listeners?
Zetro: I think HATRIOT will stand out from the crowd because of a few things. First off, there is an interest because of my past history. Secondly, this album is going to be so fucking heavy! The guys in my band are younger and they bring a new set of influences to the table. There might be some death and black metal influences in spots. My roots are firmly planted in thrash and I feel that fans of EXODUS, and thrash in general, will love what we are doing with HATRIOT. No doubt about it.
Metal Centre: How does the relationship between you in a band? You're the oldest. Your sons play with you. Other musicians are also very young. Are you the undisputed leader of the team because of your age and experience?
Zetro: I am definitely the guy that guides the boat. My name carries a lot of weight in the business and my experience allows us to not make mistakes that young bands make. The relationship between bandmembers is a strong one. They respect me and I respect them. Every practice is a lesson. I am teaching them what to expect when this thing takes off.
Metal Centre: You have to need very good physical condition to be crazy on a stage during the concerts. Thrash metal scene requires dedication, vitality, energy, and, of course, the headbanging (until the head breaks off). [How do you prepare] for concerts?
Zetro: Well, lately I have been doing a few miles a day on a treadmill and I watch my diet. I can't let these young guys show me up on stage, so I have been working hard at it. I'm not saying I stick with the diet all the time, but I do make an effort to do what I can. Thrash does require a lot of physical discipline. I don't have any remedies, really — just warm-ups and stretching. As the tour goes on, my neck gets used to all the headbanging. It's like working a muscle in. The more you use it, the more you get used to it. It doesn't hurt so bad! I've been headbanging professionally for almost 30 years and you would think I would have slipped a disc by now, but that's not the case.
Metal Centre: You [have been a part of the] thrash metal scene for over a quarter century. Tell me, what has changed in the scene for the better and what for the worse?
Zetro: Well, for the better, obviously the Internet has become a huge marketing tool. You can get your music out to a lot of media without using a label. That is a double-edged sword, though. There are too many bands doing it. The market is way past oversaturated. The technology has hurt the industry. I used to sell two to three hundred thousand copies of an album with EXODUS back in the day. Now the bigger bands, like MACHINE HEAD size, sell sixty thousand and it is considered a success in the industry. This makes concert tickets and merchandise more expensive because the bands can't survive off record sales. Unless you are METALLICA, which we obviously are not, nobody survives off record sales anymore. I have a poster on my wall that is for BLACK SABBATH and EXODUS on tour from 1992 and the tickets were just thirteen dollars. That would be a seventy-dollar ticket now. So that is how it has changed, in my opinion.
Metal Centre: You recorded five albums with [EXODUS] and reportedly you [were] kicked out from the band. Tell us something about this incident?
Zetro: I wasn't kicked out of the band the first time. The band split up after the tour for "Force Of Habit". We were in Japan and [EXODUS guitarist] Gary Holt announced that we were done, so that was it for the first wave of the band. I did quit EXODUS in 2004, during my second stint with the band. I was having a lot of issues at home and couldn't deal with everything. My head was in a different place. I left the band high and dry and I do regret that a lot. We have patched things up and are good friends again, so it is all cool.
Metal Centre: There's no denying that the sound of your voice is very original and definitely is one of the best at thrash metal scene. How did you [develop] such [a] singing [style]?
Zetro: I grew up around hard rock my whole life. My dad was an old-school biker and he had all the [BLACK] SABBATH and [LED] ZEPPELIN records back in the day. I grew up on it. When I found AC/DC, everything changed. I wanted to be Bon Scott. He was the ultimate rock god. I modeled my voice after his and worked on it for years until I found my signature sound.
Metal Centre: You play traditional thrash metal despite the fact that [there are] thousands of bands [out there] playing old-school metal. Don't you think about [adding something new to] your music, something more original, to [make it] more attractive [to the] listeners?
Zetro: I think HATRIOT will stand out from the crowd because of a few things. First off, there is an interest because of my past history. Secondly, this album is going to be so fucking heavy! The guys in my band are younger and they bring a new set of influences to the table. There might be some death and black metal influences in spots. My roots are firmly planted in thrash and I feel that fans of EXODUS, and thrash in general, will love what we are doing with HATRIOT. No doubt about it.
Metal Centre: How does the relationship between you in a band? You're the oldest. Your sons play with you. Other musicians are also very young. Are you the undisputed leader of the team because of your age and experience?
Zetro: I am definitely the guy that guides the boat. My name carries a lot of weight in the business and my experience allows us to not make mistakes that young bands make. The relationship between bandmembers is a strong one. They respect me and I respect them. Every practice is a lesson. I am teaching them what to expect when this thing takes off.
Metal Centre: You have to need very good physical condition to be crazy on a stage during the concerts. Thrash metal scene requires dedication, vitality, energy, and, of course, the headbanging (until the head breaks off). [How do you prepare] for concerts?
Zetro: Well, lately I have been doing a few miles a day on a treadmill and I watch my diet. I can't let these young guys show me up on stage, so I have been working hard at it. I'm not saying I stick with the diet all the time, but I do make an effort to do what I can. Thrash does require a lot of physical discipline. I don't have any remedies, really — just warm-ups and stretching. As the tour goes on, my neck gets used to all the headbanging. It's like working a muscle in. The more you use it, the more you get used to it. It doesn't hurt so bad! I've been headbanging professionally for almost 30 years and you would think I would have slipped a disc by now, but that's not the case.
Metal Centre: You [have been a part of the] thrash metal scene for over a quarter century. Tell me, what has changed in the scene for the better and what for the worse?
Zetro: Well, for the better, obviously the Internet has become a huge marketing tool. You can get your music out to a lot of media without using a label. That is a double-edged sword, though. There are too many bands doing it. The market is way past oversaturated. The technology has hurt the industry. I used to sell two to three hundred thousand copies of an album with EXODUS back in the day. Now the bigger bands, like MACHINE HEAD size, sell sixty thousand and it is considered a success in the industry. This makes concert tickets and merchandise more expensive because the bands can't survive off record sales. Unless you are METALLICA, which we obviously are not, nobody survives off record sales anymore. I have a poster on my wall that is for BLACK SABBATH and EXODUS on tour from 1992 and the tickets were just thirteen dollars. That would be a seventy-dollar ticket now. So that is how it has changed, in my opinion.
Steve Perry, the legendary singer/songwriter, has signed an exclusive publishing administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), for the world outside of the U.S. and Canada, it was announced by Zach Horowitz, Chairman & CEO of UMPG. The deal includes all songs written or co-written by Steve Perry throughout his career, including as lead singer of JOURNEY and his solo work.
"One of the greatest voices in the history of rock also wrote or co-wrote some of rocks greatest songs. We couldn't be prouder that he has chosen to bring those songs to UMPG. We look forward to working with him on both his iconic catalog and his new songs", said Zach Horowitz, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group.
Steve Perry said, "I so look forward to being a part of the Universal Music Publishing Group. I know they really get what songs are about and they still believe in the magic of music".
As the lead singer of JOURNEY and in his solo career, Steve Perry is responsible for writing or co-writing such enduring standards as "Don't Stop Believin'", "Oh Sherrie", "Any Way You Want It", "Foolish Heart", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Open Arms", "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'", "Who's Crying Now", "Lights", "Stone In Love" and more. His songs are a staple on radio playlists and have been featured on television shows such as "Glee" and "American Idol", and in Broadway plays like "Rock Of Ages" and films like "Monster", "Money Ball" and many animated features. The wide appeal of his music is reflected in the diverse array of artists who have recorded cover versions of his songs, including Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow, Martina McBride and RISE AGAINST.
A testament to the timelessness of Perry's music is the phenomenal recent success of "Don't Stop Believin'" in the United Kingdom. Almost three decades after the song was initially a hit, the "Glee" cast version of the tune went to #2 on the U.K. singles chart, spending 29 weeks there, spurring a re-entry on the charts of JOURNEY's original version, which peaked at #6 and spent 59 weeks there.
Steve Perry became the front man for JOURNEY in 1977, providing lead vocals and songwriting on nine albums, including "Infinity", "Evolution", "Departure", "Dream After Dream", "Captured", "Escape", "Frontiers", "Raised On Radio", and "Trial By Fire". "Infinity", Perry's first album with JOURNEY, has sold more than 3 million copies while 1981's "Escape" has sold more than 12.4 million worldwide. The band's "Greatest Hits" album, with most songs written or co-written by Steve Perry, has sold over 25 million albums worldwide, and continues to chart year after year. JOURNEY's catalog has now sold over 60 million albums, placing them as one of the best selling rock bands of all time.
Steve Perry has also enjoyed huge success as a solo artist. His album "Street Talk", also featuring songs he wrote or co-wrote, has sold over 4 million albums and spawned the chart topping hits "Oh Sherrie", "Foolish Heart", "She's Mine" and "Strung Out".
Rolling Stone ranked Steve Perry as one of the "Greatest Singers Of All Time."
"One of the greatest voices in the history of rock also wrote or co-wrote some of rocks greatest songs. We couldn't be prouder that he has chosen to bring those songs to UMPG. We look forward to working with him on both his iconic catalog and his new songs", said Zach Horowitz, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group.
Steve Perry said, "I so look forward to being a part of the Universal Music Publishing Group. I know they really get what songs are about and they still believe in the magic of music".
As the lead singer of JOURNEY and in his solo career, Steve Perry is responsible for writing or co-writing such enduring standards as "Don't Stop Believin'", "Oh Sherrie", "Any Way You Want It", "Foolish Heart", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Open Arms", "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'", "Who's Crying Now", "Lights", "Stone In Love" and more. His songs are a staple on radio playlists and have been featured on television shows such as "Glee" and "American Idol", and in Broadway plays like "Rock Of Ages" and films like "Monster", "Money Ball" and many animated features. The wide appeal of his music is reflected in the diverse array of artists who have recorded cover versions of his songs, including Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow, Martina McBride and RISE AGAINST.
A testament to the timelessness of Perry's music is the phenomenal recent success of "Don't Stop Believin'" in the United Kingdom. Almost three decades after the song was initially a hit, the "Glee" cast version of the tune went to #2 on the U.K. singles chart, spending 29 weeks there, spurring a re-entry on the charts of JOURNEY's original version, which peaked at #6 and spent 59 weeks there.
Steve Perry became the front man for JOURNEY in 1977, providing lead vocals and songwriting on nine albums, including "Infinity", "Evolution", "Departure", "Dream After Dream", "Captured", "Escape", "Frontiers", "Raised On Radio", and "Trial By Fire". "Infinity", Perry's first album with JOURNEY, has sold more than 3 million copies while 1981's "Escape" has sold more than 12.4 million worldwide. The band's "Greatest Hits" album, with most songs written or co-written by Steve Perry, has sold over 25 million albums worldwide, and continues to chart year after year. JOURNEY's catalog has now sold over 60 million albums, placing them as one of the best selling rock bands of all time.
Steve Perry has also enjoyed huge success as a solo artist. His album "Street Talk", also featuring songs he wrote or co-wrote, has sold over 4 million albums and spawned the chart topping hits "Oh Sherrie", "Foolish Heart", "She's Mine" and "Strung Out".
Rolling Stone ranked Steve Perry as one of the "Greatest Singers Of All Time."
German metallers ALPHA TIGER have inked a deal with Century Media Records. The band's new album, "Beneath The Surface", will be released in January .
With their 2011 debut album, "Man Or Machine", the young and wicked ALPHA TIGER from Saxony already won over a lot of fans which was solidified by playing numerous shows and festivals such as German cult festivals Keep It True, Headbangers Open Air and Rock Hard, as well as France's Hellfest.
The energetic quintet led by main composer Peter Langforth and singer Stephan Dietrich mix the classic '80s metal spirit with a fresh attitude while still avoiding the usual retro stereotypes. Especially Stephan Dietrich is leaving most other '80s epigones far behind with a voice that can easily compete with Geoff Tate and Michael Kiske during their QUEENSRŸCHE and HELLOWEEN heydays, respectively. He's backed up by the twin guitar leads of Peter Langfort and Alexander Backasch and the perfectly oiled rhythm machine of Dirk Frei (bass) and David Schleif (drums).
ALPHA TIGER will support W.A.S.P. on a European tour in October/November. To coincide with the trek, the band will release a brand new video for the song "From Outer Space", taken from the upcoming CD.
Stephan Dietrich - Vocals
Peter Langforth - Guitar
Dirk Frei - Bass
Alexander Backasch - Guitar
David Schleif – Drums
With their 2011 debut album, "Man Or Machine", the young and wicked ALPHA TIGER from Saxony already won over a lot of fans which was solidified by playing numerous shows and festivals such as German cult festivals Keep It True, Headbangers Open Air and Rock Hard, as well as France's Hellfest.
The energetic quintet led by main composer Peter Langforth and singer Stephan Dietrich mix the classic '80s metal spirit with a fresh attitude while still avoiding the usual retro stereotypes. Especially Stephan Dietrich is leaving most other '80s epigones far behind with a voice that can easily compete with Geoff Tate and Michael Kiske during their QUEENSRŸCHE and HELLOWEEN heydays, respectively. He's backed up by the twin guitar leads of Peter Langfort and Alexander Backasch and the perfectly oiled rhythm machine of Dirk Frei (bass) and David Schleif (drums).
ALPHA TIGER will support W.A.S.P. on a European tour in October/November. To coincide with the trek, the band will release a brand new video for the song "From Outer Space", taken from the upcoming CD.
Stephan Dietrich - Vocals
Peter Langforth - Guitar
Dirk Frei - Bass
Alexander Backasch - Guitar
David Schleif – Drums
A public memorial service for Eric Cook, guitarist for the legendary power/progressive metal band LETHAL, will be held on Sunday, September 16 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at American Legion Riders Boone Post 4 in Florence, Kentucky.
For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
Arto Lehtinen of Metal-Rules.com recently conducted an interview with Swedish producer and KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal-Rules.com: It's [been] about five years [since the release of the last KING DIAMOND album, "Give Me Your Soul...Please"]. You must have started [putting together] some new songs, new riffs. Can you tell a little bit more, if you have started talking about making new songs?
Andy: Yeah, we did, and we were actually talking about starting writing songs this fall, but I started many years ago. So I think I already have like five or maybe six songs already for the next album, more or less ready, I would say. I don't really think that King [Diamond, vocals] has come that far in the writing process, but he got a lot of ideas in his head about the next album, I know that.
Metal-Rules.com: Do you ever miss the old-school writing process that each member makes their own things at home then you get together in the rehearsal room and start rehearsing? Or is this the normal way to work nowadays?
Andy: Yeah, that's the normal to work nowadays like sitting in front of the computer writing riffs and sending them to each other, I believe. But sometimes you miss the charm with being in the rehearsal room, but for us it's not possible since we live all the world; we've got the bass player in Denmark, we've got Michael [Wead, guitar] in Stockholm, we've got King and Matt [Thompson, drums], they live in Texas. So it's, like, impossible to do it that way nowadays. So we just send it to them, the guys rehearse their stuff and then when we get to the studio, they all know what to do.
Metal-Rules.com: The current lineup of KING DIAMOND has been the most stable. Mike Wead has been in the band a long time and Matt has also been in the band a long time. Do you think this has helped you because having a stable lineup [makes it] easier [to] work nowadays?
Andy: Oh, yes, I think that's very important. I mean, it's important for us, of course, and it's also very important for the fans to have a settled lineup, I think that's really important. I mean, you look at many bands that they fire their members every, like, six months or even more often. But the fans, I would say, get a little confused about that. I mean, we had a very stable lineup now for more than 10 years, and I think that's really important, of course, for us but also for the fans.
Metal-Rules.com: Has it been difficult for you to have different wingmen during the 20 years because the guitarists have come in, then left, then new guys came in and then left?
Andy: No, it's not, really. I mean, it is not a problem. I have my style and I hope that the other guitarist in the band has his style. So I never really had a problem with it; it hasn't really been difficult in that way so I can't really say that, no.
Metal-Rules.com: What about in general the chemistry in the band, because, as I said, that members have come and gone so have you got problems in the band chemistry in general?
Andy: Not in general, but, of course, there has been some members in the past that maybe wasn't the same level as us, I mean, mind-wise or whatever, but I think the lineup we have now is really good. I mean, we played for more than 10-12 years together and we know each other really well so I can just refer to this right now. I'm really happy with what we have.
Metal-Rules.com: Mike Wead is a well-known name in the Swedish metal because he has played in several and known bands, so was it so easy to pick up him to the KING DIAMOND band in general?
Andy: Yeah, but I think it's great. I mean, he's a very good guitarist and I've known him since, I think, 1987, I believe, so 25 years. So I know he's got great ability and he's a great guy, he's a great guitar player, so I think it's just a great lineup right now.
Metal-Rules.com: You have got other bands as well, like this BLACK band [with vocalist Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH) and bassist Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL)]. Some people asked about what happened to it, as it was on hold. Could you tell more about what actually happened with BLACK? There was some huge headlines as "this is a supergroup with former and current members of KING DIAMOND, BLACK SABBATH and HAMMERFALL."
Andy: Yeah, that's right, but we're still actually working on it. I talked to Tony just a few days ago and what we're doing right now is, like, he's going to redo some vocals for the first two songs and then we're going to send that out as a demo tape to a different few record companies and see if they might be interested in releasing the stuff. I met Tony about a year and a half ago, in Sweden, Gothenburg, and I invited him and Magnus down to the studio, because I wanted them to check out the few songs that I had and they liked that very much. So we decided to do like a cooperation. So I sent to Tony a few songs that he put vocals on, but he wasn't really happy with that, I believe. So he wanted to do it again, but then he was really busy with this other band THE CAGE, an Italian band. I can't remember the guitarist's name right now, but he was really busy with that, and he was busy with many other things too. So he didn't really have time back then, and while we were playing at the Sweden Rock [Festival with KING DIAMOND], I kind of almost gave up on BLACK, because I thought nothing is going to happen with that. But then I got in touch with Tony again and he said, "Hey, Andy, I'm ready now. I'm going to send you two new takes of the first two songs you sent me with some vocals." And I'm still waiting for it. But he was supposed to do that, the re-recording, last week, I believe, so any day I will get it now.
Eric Cook, guitarist for the legendary power/progressive metal band LETHAL, has lost his battle with cancer.
The Kentucky-based LETHAL was founded by Tom Mallicoat and the Cook brothers, Eric and Glen. In 1990, after the arrival of drummer Jerry Hartmann, Metal Blade Records released their debut album, "Programmed", which was instantly proclaimed a progressive/power metal classic the world over.
In 1994, LETHAL independently released "Your Favorite God", a five-song EP (featuring new guitarist David McElfresh) which immediately sold out. "Your Favorite God" showed LETHAL going in a heavier direction, with such outstanding songs as "Waiting On The Kill" and "Hard To Breathe".
LETHAL's last release, the album "Poison Seed" (1995), set new standards for progressive metal bands with its sheer musical brilliance, which featured "Down", "Walking Wounded", and the title track.
LETHAL played its first show in ten years at the Chicago Powerfest in 2007 and also performed at Keep It True and Bang Your Head!!! festivals that same year, as well as at Headbangers Open Air in 2008.
Metal-Rules.com: It's [been] about five years [since the release of the last KING DIAMOND album, "Give Me Your Soul...Please"]. You must have started [putting together] some new songs, new riffs. Can you tell a little bit more, if you have started talking about making new songs?
Andy: Yeah, we did, and we were actually talking about starting writing songs this fall, but I started many years ago. So I think I already have like five or maybe six songs already for the next album, more or less ready, I would say. I don't really think that King [Diamond, vocals] has come that far in the writing process, but he got a lot of ideas in his head about the next album, I know that.
Metal-Rules.com: Do you ever miss the old-school writing process that each member makes their own things at home then you get together in the rehearsal room and start rehearsing? Or is this the normal way to work nowadays?
Andy: Yeah, that's the normal to work nowadays like sitting in front of the computer writing riffs and sending them to each other, I believe. But sometimes you miss the charm with being in the rehearsal room, but for us it's not possible since we live all the world; we've got the bass player in Denmark, we've got Michael [Wead, guitar] in Stockholm, we've got King and Matt [Thompson, drums], they live in Texas. So it's, like, impossible to do it that way nowadays. So we just send it to them, the guys rehearse their stuff and then when we get to the studio, they all know what to do.
Metal-Rules.com: The current lineup of KING DIAMOND has been the most stable. Mike Wead has been in the band a long time and Matt has also been in the band a long time. Do you think this has helped you because having a stable lineup [makes it] easier [to] work nowadays?
Andy: Oh, yes, I think that's very important. I mean, it's important for us, of course, and it's also very important for the fans to have a settled lineup, I think that's really important. I mean, you look at many bands that they fire their members every, like, six months or even more often. But the fans, I would say, get a little confused about that. I mean, we had a very stable lineup now for more than 10 years, and I think that's really important, of course, for us but also for the fans.
Metal-Rules.com: Has it been difficult for you to have different wingmen during the 20 years because the guitarists have come in, then left, then new guys came in and then left?
Andy: No, it's not, really. I mean, it is not a problem. I have my style and I hope that the other guitarist in the band has his style. So I never really had a problem with it; it hasn't really been difficult in that way so I can't really say that, no.
Metal-Rules.com: What about in general the chemistry in the band, because, as I said, that members have come and gone so have you got problems in the band chemistry in general?
Andy: Not in general, but, of course, there has been some members in the past that maybe wasn't the same level as us, I mean, mind-wise or whatever, but I think the lineup we have now is really good. I mean, we played for more than 10-12 years together and we know each other really well so I can just refer to this right now. I'm really happy with what we have.
Metal-Rules.com: Mike Wead is a well-known name in the Swedish metal because he has played in several and known bands, so was it so easy to pick up him to the KING DIAMOND band in general?
Andy: Yeah, but I think it's great. I mean, he's a very good guitarist and I've known him since, I think, 1987, I believe, so 25 years. So I know he's got great ability and he's a great guy, he's a great guitar player, so I think it's just a great lineup right now.
Metal-Rules.com: You have got other bands as well, like this BLACK band [with vocalist Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH) and bassist Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL)]. Some people asked about what happened to it, as it was on hold. Could you tell more about what actually happened with BLACK? There was some huge headlines as "this is a supergroup with former and current members of KING DIAMOND, BLACK SABBATH and HAMMERFALL."
Andy: Yeah, that's right, but we're still actually working on it. I talked to Tony just a few days ago and what we're doing right now is, like, he's going to redo some vocals for the first two songs and then we're going to send that out as a demo tape to a different few record companies and see if they might be interested in releasing the stuff. I met Tony about a year and a half ago, in Sweden, Gothenburg, and I invited him and Magnus down to the studio, because I wanted them to check out the few songs that I had and they liked that very much. So we decided to do like a cooperation. So I sent to Tony a few songs that he put vocals on, but he wasn't really happy with that, I believe. So he wanted to do it again, but then he was really busy with this other band THE CAGE, an Italian band. I can't remember the guitarist's name right now, but he was really busy with that, and he was busy with many other things too. So he didn't really have time back then, and while we were playing at the Sweden Rock [Festival with KING DIAMOND], I kind of almost gave up on BLACK, because I thought nothing is going to happen with that. But then I got in touch with Tony again and he said, "Hey, Andy, I'm ready now. I'm going to send you two new takes of the first two songs you sent me with some vocals." And I'm still waiting for it. But he was supposed to do that, the re-recording, last week, I believe, so any day I will get it now.
Eric Cook, guitarist for the legendary power/progressive metal band LETHAL, has lost his battle with cancer.
The Kentucky-based LETHAL was founded by Tom Mallicoat and the Cook brothers, Eric and Glen. In 1990, after the arrival of drummer Jerry Hartmann, Metal Blade Records released their debut album, "Programmed", which was instantly proclaimed a progressive/power metal classic the world over.
In 1994, LETHAL independently released "Your Favorite God", a five-song EP (featuring new guitarist David McElfresh) which immediately sold out. "Your Favorite God" showed LETHAL going in a heavier direction, with such outstanding songs as "Waiting On The Kill" and "Hard To Breathe".
LETHAL's last release, the album "Poison Seed" (1995), set new standards for progressive metal bands with its sheer musical brilliance, which featured "Down", "Walking Wounded", and the title track.
LETHAL played its first show in ten years at the Chicago Powerfest in 2007 and also performed at Keep It True and Bang Your Head!!! festivals that same year, as well as at Headbangers Open Air in 2008.
Denmark's Metal Revolution conducted an interview with vocalist John Tardy of Florida death metallers OBITUARY. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Revolution: In the late Nineties you guys split up, but then you got back together in 2003. Why, and did it have any greater importance to the band, that you had had this break from one another?
John Tardy: There's been a few times in our career where we've taken some time off. I don't know. They were certainly not planned to be that long. A couple of times, we did a lot of tours and had a new album coming out. It was time to take a step back. You really can't come out with an album once a year and tour 12 months a year; it'll wear you out. You're a band, but you gotta build some kind of demand from yourself. So there was times, like "Back From The Dead" had several years in between, but "Frozen In Time" was really the one. I think it was like seven years in between albums when "Frozen In Time" came out. That was definitely one of the times, where I was thinking to myself when we started writing and jamming, I hadn't sung one word of anything in seven years. All of the other guys had kept busy with music, and I didn't do anything musically, so I got a good long rest there for that amount of time, so I was careful coming back to them. But I was even kind of concerned. I mean, what am I gonna sound like after seven years? Am I gonna sound different? Is it gonna be weird? It was cool by the time we got back to the studio and started recording. It was good to feel that the OBITUARY sound came back to us and that was certainly a fun record to do.
Metal Revolution: You've been playing old school death metal for over 20 years and you still produce music and play tons of live shows. Where does all this inspiration and passion come from?
John Tardy: [laughs] Wow. You know, I guess, as cheesy as it might sound, we still have fun with what we're doing. Our new albums, new music kind of keeps us going and makes us excited to play it. "Darkest Day", our last album, we were playing like 6-7 songs off that album, which a lot of bands don't do. A lot of bands come out with a new album, and even their fans may not have heard their new stuff when they're on tour, and a lot of people are always screaming they wanna hear your old stuff. But when that album came out, we were playing so many songs off it, it seemed to go really well, the fans were digging it and it sounded really good and heavy live, so that was a lot of fun for us. It's really fun to play some of the new instead of the old songs you've been playing for years and years. I also do read a lot of fan e-mail, and you do get a lot of encouraging e-mails, and people come out and say that they saw you, and you sounded better than ever kinda stuff, and it really does make a difference. And you play shows, especially in Tampa, and you see guys come out that have come out to see you from the early '80s and early '90s. It's good to see that also, and all those little things add up and keep us going.
Metal Revolution: In 2007 you changed from Roadrunner Records to Candlelight Records. How was your work with Candlelight and has it had any importance to you as a band?
John Tardy: Well, gee… If it was up to us, we'd probably just be with the same record label all the time. Just like our music, me, Donald [Tardy, drums] and Trevor [Peres, guitar], we don't change much on how we do things, we're kinda stuck in the way we do things, but with Roadrunner we kinda felt like they kinda run the game and it got so big and started paying attention to other bands, and it didn't have the time or resources for us. And that's fine, whatever, we'll go some place else. Candlelight was one of the labels we looked at at the time, and they were willing to sign the agreement that we wanted signed. We kinda hung on to what we wanted and they just said yes to it. In those terms, they were good for us, but fact is that they are not a very big record label, and there were lots of things they were supposed to be doing that they wound up not doing. In the long term, there were a few of those albums where they didn't press that many copies; it was, like, the album would come out, and all those copies would be gone, and when that happens, it takes another month to get them out on the shelves, you know. At the end of the day, I don't have any hard feelings towards Candlelight. Whatever happened, happened, but at the end of the day, we just don't feel like they did enough for us, so we've been kicking things around here. We have a couple of albums where we're really dying to do the albums ourselves, but just don't know if we have the time and resources to make that happen and the guys from Century Media actually came to Florida and visited us, and when we were on that last European tour they invited us over to their office on one of our off days and we hung out with them there. They are really a bunch of great guys, they really are into what they do, they really do like and care for their bands and do everything they can for them, so Century Media is gonna be a really good possibility for the next album of ours, you know, for them to maybe do that.
Metal Revolution: You are currently writing a follow-up to the "Darkest Day" album. Will there be any changes in your style or sound or will you stick to the old-school ways?
John Tardy: [laughs] We haven't changed in 25 years, so I wouldn't expect country music to start coming out of us. [laughs]
Metal Revolution: No, but some would say that you changed your style...
John Tardy: Yeah, you know, we took a few months off for the writing purposes and we just wound up doing more fishing and boating and stuff than the writing we were supposed to do, so the album we originally planned on, we really haven't done by now. It isn't anywhere near done. [laughs] So we still have a lot of work to do on it. We did manage to get a whole bunch done, and I know we've got like three songs, you know. The first three songs we finished are just absolutely awesome; I mean, they are just heavy and so cool, I'm really thrilled with the songs we've got. We've got most of the songs general ideas in place, but we do still have a lot of work to do. So now we're gonna be gone in September, we might be in Central America in October, or actually you know, in September and maybe in the beginning of November and at the end of November and December we're gonna be around Europe again, so trying to get the album done before the end of the year is just basically not gonna happen, which we're OK with. We're really not in any hurry to do it. It's not like we're sitting around saying, "Oh my god, we didn't get the album done." It doesn't really matter to us. It gets done when it gets done. After we get back from Europe and take a small break from all the touring, I'm sure we're gonna get back out here and start writing again and hopefully sometime, maybe around festival season, we can have that album finished up and think about some proper release date.
Metal Revolution: In the late Nineties you guys split up, but then you got back together in 2003. Why, and did it have any greater importance to the band, that you had had this break from one another?
John Tardy: There's been a few times in our career where we've taken some time off. I don't know. They were certainly not planned to be that long. A couple of times, we did a lot of tours and had a new album coming out. It was time to take a step back. You really can't come out with an album once a year and tour 12 months a year; it'll wear you out. You're a band, but you gotta build some kind of demand from yourself. So there was times, like "Back From The Dead" had several years in between, but "Frozen In Time" was really the one. I think it was like seven years in between albums when "Frozen In Time" came out. That was definitely one of the times, where I was thinking to myself when we started writing and jamming, I hadn't sung one word of anything in seven years. All of the other guys had kept busy with music, and I didn't do anything musically, so I got a good long rest there for that amount of time, so I was careful coming back to them. But I was even kind of concerned. I mean, what am I gonna sound like after seven years? Am I gonna sound different? Is it gonna be weird? It was cool by the time we got back to the studio and started recording. It was good to feel that the OBITUARY sound came back to us and that was certainly a fun record to do.
Metal Revolution: You've been playing old school death metal for over 20 years and you still produce music and play tons of live shows. Where does all this inspiration and passion come from?
John Tardy: [laughs] Wow. You know, I guess, as cheesy as it might sound, we still have fun with what we're doing. Our new albums, new music kind of keeps us going and makes us excited to play it. "Darkest Day", our last album, we were playing like 6-7 songs off that album, which a lot of bands don't do. A lot of bands come out with a new album, and even their fans may not have heard their new stuff when they're on tour, and a lot of people are always screaming they wanna hear your old stuff. But when that album came out, we were playing so many songs off it, it seemed to go really well, the fans were digging it and it sounded really good and heavy live, so that was a lot of fun for us. It's really fun to play some of the new instead of the old songs you've been playing for years and years. I also do read a lot of fan e-mail, and you do get a lot of encouraging e-mails, and people come out and say that they saw you, and you sounded better than ever kinda stuff, and it really does make a difference. And you play shows, especially in Tampa, and you see guys come out that have come out to see you from the early '80s and early '90s. It's good to see that also, and all those little things add up and keep us going.
Metal Revolution: In 2007 you changed from Roadrunner Records to Candlelight Records. How was your work with Candlelight and has it had any importance to you as a band?
John Tardy: Well, gee… If it was up to us, we'd probably just be with the same record label all the time. Just like our music, me, Donald [Tardy, drums] and Trevor [Peres, guitar], we don't change much on how we do things, we're kinda stuck in the way we do things, but with Roadrunner we kinda felt like they kinda run the game and it got so big and started paying attention to other bands, and it didn't have the time or resources for us. And that's fine, whatever, we'll go some place else. Candlelight was one of the labels we looked at at the time, and they were willing to sign the agreement that we wanted signed. We kinda hung on to what we wanted and they just said yes to it. In those terms, they were good for us, but fact is that they are not a very big record label, and there were lots of things they were supposed to be doing that they wound up not doing. In the long term, there were a few of those albums where they didn't press that many copies; it was, like, the album would come out, and all those copies would be gone, and when that happens, it takes another month to get them out on the shelves, you know. At the end of the day, I don't have any hard feelings towards Candlelight. Whatever happened, happened, but at the end of the day, we just don't feel like they did enough for us, so we've been kicking things around here. We have a couple of albums where we're really dying to do the albums ourselves, but just don't know if we have the time and resources to make that happen and the guys from Century Media actually came to Florida and visited us, and when we were on that last European tour they invited us over to their office on one of our off days and we hung out with them there. They are really a bunch of great guys, they really are into what they do, they really do like and care for their bands and do everything they can for them, so Century Media is gonna be a really good possibility for the next album of ours, you know, for them to maybe do that.
Metal Revolution: You are currently writing a follow-up to the "Darkest Day" album. Will there be any changes in your style or sound or will you stick to the old-school ways?
John Tardy: [laughs] We haven't changed in 25 years, so I wouldn't expect country music to start coming out of us. [laughs]
Metal Revolution: No, but some would say that you changed your style...
John Tardy: Yeah, you know, we took a few months off for the writing purposes and we just wound up doing more fishing and boating and stuff than the writing we were supposed to do, so the album we originally planned on, we really haven't done by now. It isn't anywhere near done. [laughs] So we still have a lot of work to do on it. We did manage to get a whole bunch done, and I know we've got like three songs, you know. The first three songs we finished are just absolutely awesome; I mean, they are just heavy and so cool, I'm really thrilled with the songs we've got. We've got most of the songs general ideas in place, but we do still have a lot of work to do. So now we're gonna be gone in September, we might be in Central America in October, or actually you know, in September and maybe in the beginning of November and at the end of November and December we're gonna be around Europe again, so trying to get the album done before the end of the year is just basically not gonna happen, which we're OK with. We're really not in any hurry to do it. It's not like we're sitting around saying, "Oh my god, we didn't get the album done." It doesn't really matter to us. It gets done when it gets done. After we get back from Europe and take a small break from all the touring, I'm sure we're gonna get back out here and start writing again and hopefully sometime, maybe around festival season, we can have that album finished up and think about some proper release date.
Austrian blackened death metal outfit BELPHEGOR will celebrate its 20th anniversary by playing a number of special "jubilee" shows in 2013.
Commented BELPHEGOR guitarist/vocalist Helmuth Lehner: "Twenty years full of chaos and diabolical musick. Yes...seemingly unreal!
"After fighting 10 months to get my life back, it feels amazing to be able to create the new sound collages coming to you next March!
"Next year we are planning some of our most crushing stage rituals to appease the demons worldwide. Really looking forward to these special jubilee shows in 2013. We're on fire. An honor — this horror!"
Lehner underwent "a serious and difficult" operation last October, which prevented him from handling lead vocals at the band's Extremefest appearances in July. Filling in for him was the band's former bassist, Bartholomäus "Barth" Resch, who was described by Helmuth as "our man behind the curtain since 1998."
Earlier in the year, BELPHEGOR entered Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE) to begin laying down its as-yet-untitled new CD for a March 2013 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The recording sessions and the mixing/mastering process will be completed by mid-October.
Rutan previously stated about the upcoming CD: "I am very excited to be recording and mixing the new BELPHEGOR album at Mana. After many discussions with Helmuth and hearing some clips of new material, I know that the band is very focused and determined on making a harmoniously evil extreme masterpiece. We shall make one beast of an album that the fans have come to expect from BELPHEGOR!"
Commented BELPHEGOR guitarist/vocalist Helmuth Lehner: "Twenty years full of chaos and diabolical musick. Yes...seemingly unreal!
"After fighting 10 months to get my life back, it feels amazing to be able to create the new sound collages coming to you next March!
"Next year we are planning some of our most crushing stage rituals to appease the demons worldwide. Really looking forward to these special jubilee shows in 2013. We're on fire. An honor — this horror!"
Lehner underwent "a serious and difficult" operation last October, which prevented him from handling lead vocals at the band's Extremefest appearances in July. Filling in for him was the band's former bassist, Bartholomäus "Barth" Resch, who was described by Helmuth as "our man behind the curtain since 1998."
Earlier in the year, BELPHEGOR entered Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE) to begin laying down its as-yet-untitled new CD for a March 2013 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The recording sessions and the mixing/mastering process will be completed by mid-October.
Rutan previously stated about the upcoming CD: "I am very excited to be recording and mixing the new BELPHEGOR album at Mana. After many discussions with Helmuth and hearing some clips of new material, I know that the band is very focused and determined on making a harmoniously evil extreme masterpiece. We shall make one beast of an album that the fans have come to expect from BELPHEGOR!"
http://www.blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/belphegorjubilee.jpg
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