Ozzy Osbourne will guest on "The Howard Stern Show" tomorrow (Tuesday, November 30). The program can be heard on Sirius XM radio from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Osbourne has announced a second leg of U.S. dates which will get underway January 16, 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska. The six-week 2011 trek, part of the multi-platinum Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee's in-progress 18-month world tour, will include a pair of intimate shows: January 26 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix and February 1 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Ozzy's longtime friend and musical collaborator Slash will open all the concerts on the second leg.
Osbourne recently completed a run of overseas festival appearances and headlining overseas performances including his first-ever concert in Israel: a September 28 Ozzfest show at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv.
Ozzy's fall dates coincide with the October 5 release of an expanded two-CD version of the "Scream" album. This "Tour Edition" package features seven bonus songs: a mix of previously unreleased tracks and live recordings. Epic also issued a four-sided vinyl edition that includes five bonus tracks: the three aforementioned songs from the "Scream" sessions and the live version of "Let Me Hear You Scream", along with the single version of "Life Won't Wait".
OZZY OSBOURNE fans looking for an other-worldly experience can now reach out to "the other side" via the new collector's edition custom Ouija: The Ozzy Osbourne Edition. The Ouija: The Ozzy Osbourne Edition features the Prince of Darkness on the box with his signature OZZY OSBOURNE logo featured on the game board. One game will be given for each VIP ticket purchased for the 2010-2011 U.S. tour. game from Live Nation Merchandise, under license from Hasbro, Inc. It is available only for concert-goers who purchase any of the VIP packages for the 2010-2011 U.S. tour dates. Developed in the late 1800s as a talking board game, the Ouija board has remained in use for more than 100 years in the U.S.
Details regarding a limited number of VIP packages are as follows:
* The "Ozzy Osbourne Meet-And- Greet Package" is limited to 30 tickets per show and amenities include: premium seating within the first three rows of the stage, meet-and-greet and personal photograph with Ozzy, VIP access to the exclusive pre-concert party hosted by MC Big Dave and a variety of Ozzy tour-related items.
* The "Ozzy Osbourne Possessed Party Package" — available to the first 200 buyers, it includes a ticket located within the first 10 rows of the stage, VIP access to the exclusive pre-concert party hosted by MC Big Dave and a variety of Ozzy tour-related items.
Ozzy kicked off his fall North American arena tour November 12 in Victoria, B.C., Canada, with the first leg of dates set to wrap December 12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ozzy is being joined by HALFORD — featuring legendary JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford — on the 2010 dates. The tour resumes January 16, 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska and will conclude February 22 in Jacksonville, Florida. Ozzy's longtime friend and musical collaborator Slash (featuring singer Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE) will open all the concerts on the second leg.
You've got another thing coming if you think age is going to slow down Judas Priest singer Rob Halford enough to hang up his leather for good. The 59-year-old screaming rocker, who reunited with the "Living After Midnight" band in 2003 after a 12-year separation, is back with new music and a high-profile tour. After releasing the fourth studio Halford album, "Halford IV Made of Metal," this fall, the frontman is touring alongside his old friend Ozzy Osbourne. This includes a Dec. 5 show, featuring Halford tunes and a few Priest hits, at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Vindicator talked to Halford in a phone call to Calgary, Canada, about his memories of Northeast Ohio, how NASCAR influenced his new 14-track album and his long friendship with Osbourne.
Q. First off, how's Calgary?
A. It's cold. Naturally, they had their first blizzard of the season. We had to be escorted into town. It was a 16-hour drive. And the blizzard kind of reminded me of the "Blizzard of Oz." I felt like I was in the thick of it.
Q. So you're not a fan of the cold?
A. Not particularly, even though I have British blood. That's why I moved to Phoenix.
Q. Let's hope it doesn't snow for your upcoming show in Cleveland. Speaking of which, any memories of the Rock Hall city?
A. I have 40 years of metal memories crammed in my noggin. One of the very first shows I did with Priest was, I think, at the Agora Ballroom. It was 1976 or 1978. You kind of cherish those older memories more now than you do the new ones. When you've been around the world so many times, you've kind of lost count.
Q. As for "Made of Metal," what tracks stand out as defining the album?
A. The opening cut, "Undisputed," I see as being in the metal spirit. When I'm talking about the undisputed champion, I'm talking about the survival of heavy-metal music for all of these decades. So that's important to me. That's connecting in the set.
Q. What's up with the NASCAR race car on the album cover?
A. I know a little bit about NASCAR. I like to watch it. It's a tremendously exciting and dangerous sport. So when it came time for the cover, it's like, "Do you want to stand there with a shield and a sword or be in a forest or standing in burning embers?" These are almost the clich d metal-album covers. So I'm trying to put a different angle on an idea.
Q. Hmm, is there a parallel between metal and NASCAR, both being exciting and dangerous?
A. I still think metal is a high-wire act when you walk out on stage. Anything can happen. That's the thrill of rock 'n' roll. It shouldn't be safe. That's just what makes for the electric buzz to be there.
Q. Finally, here we are four decades later, and two of metal's biggest names are sharing the stage. How long have you and Ozzy Osbourne been friends?
A. I don't know; we go way back. We come from the same town in West Midlands in Birmingham, and we've known each other for a long time. He's a good friend of mine. We've traveled very similar journeys, musically at least. So we're good friends. We don't have to say much when we see each other because we've been in a somewhat parallel universe to some degree. He's a wonderful guy, and I'm so happy for him because he's got this great record out. This is his first big tour in a long time. He looks great, sounds great, puts on a great show, and gives his fans what they want.
British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Rock Werchter festival, set to take place June 30 - July 3, 2011 in Werchter, Belgium. Also scheduled to appear are COLDPLAY, THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS and KINGS OF LEON.
Rock Wertcher tickets will go on sale on Saturday, December 4 at 9 a.m.
A four-day pass will be priced 195 euros, while day tickets are 76 euros.
Camping passes are 18 euros for regular camping or 25 euros for early entry passes.
For more information, visit www.rockwerchter.be.
"It's snowing like crazy right now, which is pretty terrific," says a pumped-up Myles Kennedy. Alter Bridge's singer-guitarist is due for soundcheck in 45 minutes at the FZW in Dortmund, Germany, where he and the rest of the band (lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall) will run through a good chunk of tunes from their slamming, rifftastic new album, AB III. "So far, the tour's been great," says Kennedy. "The new songs are going down really well, so you can't beat that."
No, you can't. And you sure can't beat the past couple of years that Kennedy has had. Between jamming with members of Led Zeppelin, cutting a solo album, recording and touring with Slash (a partnership that promises to continue), and now, riding high with Alter Bridge, who are this-close to big-time mainstream acceptance, he's experiencing the kind of success that, just eight years ago, he thought was beyond his reach.
"I had kind of given up the dream in a way," he says of his state of mind circa 2003. "But then I hooked up with Mark and the rest of the guys, and we built Alter Bridge from the ground floor up. And that's the way it should be. Every step, every bit of success, it's gotta be earned. Whatever accolades we get, whatever happens from here, it's because we worked our asses off."
Touring-wise, Alter Bridge aren't booked for that many dates in the States. Does the band plan to concentrate mainly on Europe, or can the US expect to see more of you guys soon?
[laughs] "That's what a lot of people are asking me. I guess it's good to be wanted. The schedule has been hectic, but yes, we are going to be playing in the States. Basically, we're playing in Europe for a few more dates, then we head to the US where we'll be playing until the 20th, I think. Actually, there will be some shows in early January.
"In mid-January, however, I pick back up with Slash, and we're going to be opening for Ozzy. That's going to be a pretty exciting situation, I have to say. To be on stage with one legend and opening for another - somebody pinch me. Sometimes I can't believe how fortunate I am."
By the way, what was the story when Slash appeared with Alter Bridge in Sweden? He was playing a Paul Reed Smith guitar.
"That was pretty amazing, wasn't it? He just showed up. I think he got off the plane, and he just dashed off to our gig. He asked us if he could do a number with us, and of course we said yes, but he didn't have a guitar. So he borrowed one of ours."
People were wondering, Is Slash switching from Les Pauls to Paul Reed Smiths?
[laughs] "No, no, nothing like that. That was just a one-off situation, that night. Yeah, I can imagine the folks at Gibson going crazy at the thought of him switching from Les Pauls. It was a fun show, though. Slash was fantastic, as always."
From what I've heard, Slash wants you to be the sole vocalist on his next solo album.
"That's the plan. I know he's working on some ideas now. I love playing with Slash, and the chemistry I have with the rest of the guys in his band is fantastic. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with for the next record."
I'm curious, however - from what I've read, he offered you the gig as the lead singer in Velvet Revolver. Now, if the other guys in Alter Bridge are going to do Creed at some point, why wouldn't you want to join another band, as well?
"There was talk of that, but no, I was never officially given that offer. I think it was floated around, it was mentioned, and it would be a huge honor because I think the guys in Velvet Revolver are tremendous. But I'm very happy with what I'm doing in Alter Bridge and Slash.
"The whole thing is pretty interesting, though: They had reached out to me in 2002 when they were just getting together. They had sent me a demo tape, and I kind of sat on it for a month, and I didn't…I didn't really follow up on it."
You didn't? Why not?
"You know, I was going through a very strange time in my life back then. I had grown very disillusioned with music and the music business and everything. My mind just wasn't in the right place. I had been in a band called The Mayfield Four - we put out a couple of records and didn't have a lot of success. So we broke up, and I kind of stepped away from music. I went back to teaching guitar for a while. All in all, I think things worked out for the best. The two records they made with Scott Weiland were great.
"It's not that singing for Velvet Revolver wouldn't be enticing, but I've kind of made my plans now and my plate is pretty full. Like I said, I have a fantastic time with Slash and everybody in his band. Between that and Alter Bridge, I've got enough going on."
Plus, you have your own solo record.
"Yeah, I was just finishing it when Slash called me last year. I recorded it in this little studio in Idaho. It was my first time kind of co-producing. I worked with Brian Sperber, who mixed the last two Alter Bridge records, and he did a great job on it. I'm pretty proud of the album. It's probably a little more singer-songwriter oriented than what people have heard from me before. There's piano on it, and it's a little more intimate sounding. I'm thinking of putting it out on December 21, 2012."
Wait a minute…Why so long the wait?
"Because in the Mayan Calendar, that's the date when the world is supposed to end. [laughs] I'd just like to see what happens if I put it out on that date."
Well, jeez, if it doesn't sell, I guess we'll know why. [Kennedy laughs] So before we get to the Alter Bridge record, I have to ask about your association with Led Zeppelin a while back.
"Sure, but I should say that it was never supposed to be 'Led Zeppelin' per se, because how could it be Led Zeppelin? I think they were just itching to play again. Still, they weren't really sure of what they wanted to do exactly. What happened was, I got together with them one day in June of 2008 and we just jammed on some ideas. Everything went really well, and as you can imagine, I was just flattered beyond all belief to be in the same room with those guys. I mean, everything I ever learned about rock, I learned from Led Zeppelin. Just being near Jimmy Page was unbelievable. All the guys! Hearing their stories, the whole experience…it was something I'll always treasure."
Why didn't it work out, though?
"Well, I'm not really sure. Again, I just don't think they really could decide on what they wanted to do. I did get together with them again a few months later, and this time we spent about a week jamming on some ideas. I didn't do any actual writing with them - it was all very informal. There was just so much going on around them, and once all the talk got out about 'Led Zeppelin is going to tour'…I'm not really sure why things didn't happen, but that's OK.
"It's funny you bring up Led Zeppelin, because somebody just gave me a DVD of them playing the O2 Arena in 2007, and man, they were unbelievable. Such a powerful band. They were astounding on that night."
Staying on Zeppelin but segueing into Alter Bridge, it didn't escape me that the sound of your vocals on Slip To The Void, the first cut of AB III, is very reminiscent of Robert Plant on No Quarter.
"You know, it's funny you say that. I didn't think about that vocal effect at all while we were cutting the track. It was never mentioned as a reference or homage or anything like that. It's just something Brian threw on because he thought it would sound cool. And he's not a Led Zeppelin guy at all; it wasn't like he was trying to make me sound like Robert Plant or anything. It just seemed to fit the mood of the song and the lyrics. I never even noticed it myself until very recently."
Then there's the next track, Isolation, sections of which are practically speed metal. What were you guys listening to while making the record?
[laughs] "That's Mark! I know the parts you're talking about. That all comes from his love of speed metal, for sure. His roots are definitely in bands like Slayer and early Metallica. Yeah, I could never come up with riffs and parts like that myself."
But you do swing with them.
"No, I can definitely get into them. But they didn't come from me. That's all Mark."
Lyrically, a lot of the themes on the new record are very dark. Any particular reasons why?
"Speaking for myself, I was questioning a lot of things. How should I say this? The sound of the music and the arrangements, it was all very dark, and it kind of lent itself to some of the emotions I was feeling. Faith, the meaning of life - I was going through a lot of changes; I was disillusioned. The music sort of gave me the liberty to bring these thoughts out. On the other hand, I felt conflicted because I was concerned that I might be exposing too much."
This is the second time you've used the word 'disillusioned' to describe yourself.
"Mmm. I guess so. I mean, I'm basically a happy person. I'm content with my life and my wife and my family. But you do reach a point where you start to question the absolutes that are supposedly out there, and you realize that there simply are no absolutes. Things shatter, they fall apart. I went through a period where I started to think about why certain things happened the way they did. I guess music sort of fills the void for me, if you'll pardon the pun." [laughs]
Let me ask you about your demoing process. Writing-wise, how did this album take shape?
"It's always basically parts. Mark and I will stockpile riffs and sections of music and then we get in a room with everybody and see what flies. We use GarageBand sometimes, but I also use Logic, and Mark likes to use Pro Tools. We put down a lot of riffs and portions of music before we're ready to start recording. Sometimes one of us will have a complete song. On the first album, Mark wrote In Loving Memory all by himself, and on this one I wrote Wonderful Life on my own. Those are exceptions, though."
What's the ratio in riffs and parts you come up with to what actually makes the album?
Mark Tremonti goes shredtastic on his signature PRS. © Sayre Berman/Corbis
[laughs] "It's a pretty big ratio, meaning that a lot gets tossed. But that's OK. You can't be too precious about this stuff; in fact, you almost have to plan on things getting nixed. But I think we overcompensate by coming up with a lot of material. Believe me, I have riffs and pieces of music that I totally love, but if the rest of the guys aren't into them, you can't be too attached - on to the next idea."
Even so, that can't be easy, particularly if the rest of the band is tossing something you feel very strongly about.
"It's not easy, but like I said, you have to learn to move on. We operate on a brutal honesty level. If everybody's not into something, it's not going to work."
Because you're all involved in so many different projects - the other guys are doing Creed, and you're working with Slash and have a solo album coming - does that make it hard for you all to come together as Alter Bridge?
"Actually, it doesn't. In many ways, when we get together in a room, it's as easy as riding a bike - you never forget how to do it. When we come together, things happen very naturally and easily. It doesn't take us any time at all to get into that headspace as Alter Bridge. There's a comfort zone we have now. You know, this band has gone through so much together. We have a real bond that can't be broken."
Do you feel as though you helped the guys find themselves after Creed broke up in 2003?
"I don't know if I'd put it that way. They were definitely starting over, but then, so was I. We all met up and started at ground zero. As Creed, they were playing arenas, but when we started Alter Bridge, we were playing clubs. We grew this thing together. It's been a slow but gradual process, and now it looks like we're going to be able to play arenas in some places. That's very exciting. But it's been a lot of hard work, so we don't take for granted what got us to this place. And we don't take our fans for granted, either."
Australia's FasterLouder recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
FasterLouder: Congratulations on your book making the New York Times bestseller list. You've obviously been through the release process with albums many, many times — where you release an album, you have certain hopes and expectations, you do the media cycle, then wait for the feedback, reviews, and of course the sales reports. Was it different with a book?
Mustaine: Wow, good question! Umm… not really, because when the book came out, the only thing that we were really able to gauge the success on was whether or not it was going to be on the charts, and so if it was successful on the charts we knew we were going to have a winner on our hands. I was just excited because I wanted to be able to share with the fans a little bit more about myself, and what it was like growing up. The truth of the matter is I caused a lot of problems over my career, I made a lot of enemies, and right now I don't really have any enemies anymore, because I've spent the latter part of my career being much more grateful for what I have. I have friends again in this business — I never was friendless, but the people that mattered, I didn't have in my life anymore. It's great to be able to pick up my phone and see a text message from Kerry [King of SLAYER] and it's great to be able to check my voicemail and have a voicemail from
James [Hetfield of METALLICA] or Lars [Ulrich of METALLICA]. [At the beginning of the tour] I went up and told the guys I didn't want to try and fix our relationship, I really wanted to have a new one. And that seemed to be agreeable to everyone, and it started off a really great new relationship with everyone.
FasterLouder: Can you tell us about the direction that the new songs are going in? Will it be continuing the "return of the thrash" of "Endgame"?
Mustaine: It will be more like "Endgame" and maybe a little bit… maybe sticking in that vein and going a little forward toward what I like. I like playing the more aggressive stuff. We were forced in a way to have to do certain things and it's really easy for me to blame somebody, but at the end of the day it was my fault, I could have said no, but I didn't. I was nervous that we were going to end up getting kicked off the label. I figured I would rather go underground and play what I like, and not sell as many records, but still be able to look myself in the face in the morning.
FasterLouder: With David Ellefson [bass] back in the band, has he had much input into the writing?
Mustaine: Well, the writing process right now, we're inviting all four members to get involved, and Andy Sneap, who was a great producer on the last record, too. I'm not ruling anything out, if it's going to be me writing, if it's going to be them writing, but I talked a while ago to some people that I really respected about the potential of writing some stuff with me, so there may even be a collaboration with another songwriter. We've done stuff like that in the past.
THE DAMNED THINGS — the new band featuring members of FALL OUT BOY (Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley), ANTHRAX (Scott Ian, Rob Caggiano) and EVERY TIME I DIE (Keith Buckley, Josh Newton) — will release its debut album, "Ironiclast", in North America on December 14 (one day earlier internationally) via Island/Def Jam.
"Ironiclast" track listing:
01. Handbook For The Recently Deceased
02. Bad Blood
03. Friday Night (Going Down In Flames)
04. We've Got A Situation Here
05. Black Heart
06. A Great Reckoning
07. Little Darling
08. Ironiclast
09. Grave Robber
10. Blues Having The Blues
Check out the song "Little Darling" using the audio player below.
Regarding the track, Buckley told AbsolutePunk.net, "'Little Darling' may have been the most instinctually oriented song on the record as far as the lyric writing was concerned.
"I remember when Joe and Rob and I sat down to go over possible melodies, the first line was the 'example' we gave as to the vocal cadence of the verse. I remember saying, 'OK, so something that SOUNDS like 'little darling',' and went to the drawing board. After nothing really felt right, I realized that those two words were perfect from the beginning. It set the tone for the entire rest of the song which is essentially just a letter of apology for being so absent from certain people's lives."
As previously reported, THE DAMNED THINGS has tapped Brendon Small, the co-creator of Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", to write and direct the video for the song "We've Got A Situation Here".
THE DAMNED THINGS made its live debut on June 1, 2010 at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York.
While each individual in the band has experienced their own successes, THE DAMNED THINGS' debut CD, which combines their love of classic rock anthems and powerful melodies with a heavy metal intensity, turns out to be much more than the sum of the separate parts.
"This is an amalgam of three very different bands," explained FALL OUT BOY guitarist Joe Trohman, who was first introduced to ANTHRAX's Scott Ian three years ago, when the two became fast friends and immediately began writing together. "It seemed unlikely, but it turned out we were on the same page musically. We were both interested in putting together a heavy/classic-rock, blues-oriented, riff-based band while trying to stay away from what makes that sound generic and overplayed."
"We're trying not to over-think it," chimed in Ian. "Nobody's arm is being twisted to be here. We're just doing it as we go along, and this is the natural progression. We're able to do things exactly how we want to do them by keeping it simple and comfortable for everyone."
With Trohman and Caggiano handling the production duties, the group began writing and recording songs mostly in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Buffalo (where Buckley resides). The template began to take shape, combining those elements of classic rock with the heavier aspects of ANTHRAX and EVERY TIME I DIE, and the hook-laden choruses of FALL OUT BOY.
THE DAMNED THINGS is:
Keith Buckley: Lead Vocals
Scott Ian: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Rob Caggiano: Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Joe Trohman: Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Andy Hurley: Drums, Percussion
Josh Newton: Bass
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=150111
Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY have released an original Christmas song, "Christmas Is Here", via iTunes.
Commented the band: "We have been wanting to write an original Christmas song for some time and never had opportunity until now.
"'Christmas Is Here' got started with a simple melody in the spirit of traditional Christmas songs, then Josh [Todd, vocals] took the melody to Keith [Nelson, guitar], who came up with the music and it came together very quickly with all five of us jamming up at the Bastard Ranch where 'All Night Long' [BUCKCHERRY's latest album] was made.
"Like everything BUCKCHERRY, we hope it puts a smile on your face. Merry Christmas."
BUCKCHERRY's latest album, "All Night Long", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.
BUCKCHERRY's fourth studio CD, titled "Black Butterfly", opened with around 47,000 units back in September 2008 to land at No. 8.
BUCKCHERRY recently teamed with the Natural Resources Defense Council to send all the proceeds from sales of their new song "Our World" to the NRDC's Gulf Recovery Fund.
A new version of the song, which was taken from "All Night Long", was made available for purchase as an iTunes exclusive. All the proceeds are going directly to Gulf Coast non-profit groups working to help people, wildlife and fragile ecosystems recover from the BP disaster.
Legendary rocker Sammy Hagar is putting the finishing touches on his autobiography, tentatively titled "Red", for a 2011 release via It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
"The book's basically done, but the editors want me to go deeper in a couple of areas," Hagar tells the Marin Independent Journal. "They said, 'There were problems in VAN HALEN? Well, what kind of problems?' The way I've written this book is that I'm just telling the stories, from childhood until now. It's humorous in places, there are sad things, inspirational things."
According to Sammy, his book won't pull any punches.
"It's sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, tequila and success and cars and money and fame and fortune," he said. "I've gone over the top. It really is crazy. I was shocked when I read my own book. It floored me. I said, 'Wow, what a guy.' I've had the most complete friggin' life on the planet. I can imagine people thinking this guy couldn't have done all that in one lifetime. But I've been a busy boy."
Hagar, the multi-platinum Red Rocker, is best known as the bombastic frontman of VAN HALEN, one of the biggest-selling rock groups in history, and the lead singer of the hard rock group CHICKENFOOT.
The book was acquired by Lisa Sharkey, Senior Vice President and Director of Creative Development for HarperCollins from Frank Weimann, President of The Literary Group International. Senior Editor Matt Harper will edit the book.
Hagar will provide readers with incredible behind-the-scenes stories from his multi-platinum career, including his rise as a solo artist and his eleven years with VAN HALEN, after the controversial departure of original lead vocalist David Lee Roth. During Hagar's time with VAN HALEN, the band released four consecutive No. 1 albums. From worldwide stadium concerts tours to private jets, Hagar enjoyed the trappings of fame and success with VAN HALEN until he was, as he puts it, "unceremoniously fired." Hagar later thrived as a solo act, leading his band, the CABO WABOS, before returning triumphantly to VAN HALEN for an historic reunion tour after which he set off on his own once again.
Honest and compelling, Hagar's account spares no one, least of all himself. Hagar's autobiography reveals the inside story of one of rock music's most recognizable voices, from his humble beginnings in the town of Fontana, California, to his incredible business success with Cabo Wabo Tequila and the Cabo Wabo Cantinas. The book is being co-authored by Joel Selvin, longtime pop music writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA have tapped Roy Z. (JUDAS PRIEST, HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON, HELLOWEEN) to produce their new album, tentatively due in early 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will once again be recorded at Trama Studios in São Paulo, Brazil.
The second and third in a series of video clips featuring footage from the writing sessions for SEPULTURA's new LP can be viewed below.
SEPULTURA debuted a brand new song from its upcoming album during its October 17 appearance at the Fúria Festival at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below.
SEPULTURA will perform their classic 1991 album, "Arise", in its entirety during the group's headlining performance at the 16-year anniversary of the Manifesto Bar in São Paulo, Brazil on Saturday, December 11.
The group's current lineup includes only two of the four bandmembers who performed on "Arise" — guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr.
SEPULTURA will return to the U.S. for two exclusive shows in 2011. Joining them will be fellow Brazilian metallers ANGRA.
The details are as follows:
Jan. 13 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
Jan. 14 - House of Blues - Hollywood, CA
SEPULTURA has added a special event VIP ticket for a pre-show meet-and-greet to take place one hour before doors. Each night, fans will get to meet and greet SEPULTURA.
VIP and reduced-service charge tickets on sale through EnterTheVault.com.
SEPULTURA's latest album, "A-Lex" — the group's first LP to be recorded without either of the founding Cavalera brothers (Max and Igor; on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively) — sold around 1,600 copies during its first week of release in the United States back in January 2009.
On "A-Lex", guitarist Andreas Kisser and his three colleagues, Derrick Green (vocals), Paulo Jr. and new addition Jean Dollabella, dedicated themselves to Anthony Burgess's book "A Clockwork Orange", creating an awesome thrash metal opus around this timeless and exciting subject. The material was produced by SEPULTURA and Stanley Soares at the Trama Studios and was mastered by George Marino at New York's Sterling Sound studios.
Metal Shrine recently conducted an interview with legendary hard rock singer Jeff Scott Soto (TALISMAN, JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Shrine: When did you realize for the first time, that a professional singer was what you wanted to be?
Jeff Scott Soto: Oh, since I was like five years old! Since I saw Michael Jackson doing it at such an early age. It's so true when you see even things like today like Hannah Montana. They're huge now and, obviously, their fan base are kids that are much younger than them. It's exactly the same thing it was for me when I saw Michael Jackson. "That's what I wanna do! If he can do that, and he's just a few years older than me, why can't I?" It was already in my blood, already in my frame of thought. That's what I want to do for a living and that's all I'm gonna do for a living!
Metal Shrine: Working with Yngwie and those two albums, what do you remember from… you didn't audition, do you remember what songs you played or did you just jam?
Jeff Scott Soto: I remember it like it was yesterday. I met Yngwie and I basically got the call… I was surprised I got the call because they didn't expect the demos that I sent them. I was 16 years old when I sang it and I didn't even expect that I would get listened to and when I found out later, that out of the box of tapes that they brought to Yngwie, only two were taken out and played for him. The first one that they played him was the absolute worst one that was in the box and the second one they played him was my tape. Everything else they didn't bother with. That is amazing to me, that they got this 18-year-old kid who was 16 on the demo and that was good enough to play for Yngwie at that point in time compared to everything else that was sent to him. I went down to the studio to meet him and he was working on the instrumental album and he was kind of cold and reserved. He didn't put any real interest into meeting me. He was in the middle of
doing his record and was like, "Yeah, I'll take some time and meet this guy, whatever!" He brought me into a little room, pulled out this acoustic guitar and started playing. "OK, I've got this song so just come up with some melodies!" So I'm kind of singing along and he goes, "OK, this is the chorus and this is the melody for this — ba ba bapa ba!" And I'm just jotting down lyrics as fast as I can and I'm trying to remember the melody and singing it to him, just me and him, like a duet kind of thing and he goes, "Yeah, that sounds pretty cool! Let's put it on tape!" He goes into the control room and they set up the microphone in the room in front of him and they start playing that same song, but with the whole band playing and I was like, "Oh, Jesus, now I've got to sing these lyrics and this melody!" and I'm trying to remember everything right on the spot. I think I even have a copy of that. They mixed me a copy of it on a cassette tape and I still
have that somewhere at home. And that was my audition. I basically sang "As Above, So Below" with my kind of fake lyrics and tried to remember the melody and all he remembered was the soaring high notes I was able to hit at the very end and he said, "Man, sounds cool! Let's get together at my house and demo some more songs and we'll see what happens from here!" And it was about three weeks of that, that we did together and which eventually led to "Welcome to the band!"
Metal Shrine: Wow! When was the last time you met Yngwie?
Jeff Scott Soto: I haven't seen Yngwie in a couple of years. I usually run into him at the NAMM show in Anaheim. He lives in Miami and I live in L.A. and I'm all over the world and I'm basically never around anywhere he's at when he's touring or I'm touring, so the last time I saw him… actually I think I saw him in London, he was playing a gig two years ago and then I saw him at the NAMM show, but I didn't see him this last year, so I'll probably run into him in January.
Metal Shrine: I read in an interview from earlier this year where you called him a "mad genius."
Jeff Scott Soto: Yeah, they were asking me if I had to define him in one sentence.
Metal Shrine: Right! If it came up, would you consider working with him again?
Jeff Scott Soto: I don't know! First of all, that's the key sentence right there: "work WITH him?" I don't really know what it's like to work with him, I know what it's like to work FOR him. To work with him might be a conflict of interest, because he's so headstrong and God bless him for it. He's very headstrong and what he wants and how he wants it and what he he's gonna do and really doesn't want or need any input from anybody else, in how to complete that. So that's not really working with him. If he wanted to work on something where I got to put my influence and I got to put who Jeff Scott Soto is, as much as he's getting to put Yngwie Malmsteen in it, then that would be something I would be very interested in, because obviously we could finally put our history together and do something that actually works for both of us, as opposed to me just being hired by him again.
Metal Shrine: I went through your website and there's like tons of stuff. Do you have any idea, roughly, how many albums you've worked on?
Jeff Scott Soto: I think I lost count after 64. (laughs) It sounds crazy and it sounds ludicrous to think that I've sung on more albums than the biggest bands in the world combined. Thinking of how many albums THE ROLLING STONES have done and how many albums any of the biggest bands. AEROSMITH even. Bands that have been around since the '70s and are still going and I've done more albums than them. OK, it's not with the same group, but the idea that I've done over 60 albums, it makes me go, "What? How is that possible?" I don't even know how that's possible for one artist to do, but God I wish everyone of those went multi-platinum! (laughs)
Metal Shrine: How does it generally work? Do people constantly send you demos and stuff or do you look for stuff as well and think that, "Well, this might be cool! I'd love to do something with these guys?"
Jeff Scott Soto: Well, not so much looking for stuff. A lot of that stuff, especially back in the early days, that's how I make my living. I'm in the music business and music is my business. If I don't want to make a living from music, I would turn all that stuff down. Fortunately I have the versatility and the voice and the choices rather, to be able to do these kinds of things. In other ways, it's actually bad for you because it kind of prostitutes you out there. It's like Gene Simmons said the first time I met him. This is many, many years ago, before I did half the stuff that I have out there now, he went, "Oh, Mr. Soto! The man who'll sing on anybody's album for a buck!" and it was true. Back in the day I couldn't turn things down because not only was it means to support myself, but I also looked at it as a challenge to be able to sing on so many different things and to kind of put myself out there and challenge myself as a vocalist, challenge
myself as a writer and do all the things that I was influenced by, that might channel into something I would do in the future for myself or that I could take something of myself and put it into something that somebody else wouldn't normally expect of me. It was kind of cool that I could wear all these different shoes and all these different albums and all these different projects, because it was just overextending myself of what I would eventually become.
Metal Shrine: Do you remember when you realized that your choice of career was actually going to work? This is really gonna pay off?
Jeff Scott Soto: I looked at it as I had no choice! This is do-or-die and I'm gonna get rich or die trying, like the 50 Cent movie. It's all about… failure is not an option, as far as I was concerned. There was no other thing for me to do. There was nothing else that I wanted or could do besides singing for a living! There was no other option and it had nothing to do with, "Well, I'm making money now!" or "I'm not making money now." It has everything to do with that this is in my blood. It is the only thing I can and want to do.
Metal Shrine: The stuff that happened when you sang with JOURNEY, was there ever anything put on tape or was it just doing live shows?
Jeff Scott Soto: Yeah, we did one song. It was actually for the last show I sang with them before they fired me. It was a big America celebration polo match or something like that. It's kind of a weird thing. It was organized more like a corporate gig, yet they sold tickets to the public, and with that they asked us to write a song in the theme of celebrating America's history and Jonathan Cain kind of whipped up this kind of ballady type of thing, but the lyrics were about the pilgrims coming here and settling down and fighting for our freedom and all this stuff. It wasn't the normal JOURNEY song and it wasn't meant to actually ever be released. It was only meant for us to write for this event and perform it at this event. We recorded a demo of it, just so we could all kind of whip it up and we sang it at this gig and it never saw the light of day after that. I think later, when they were working with another singer before Arnel, they reworked the song
with normal lyrics, like making it more like a love song or a break up song or whatever, but it didn't even end up on the latest album. It was kind of hokey and when you listen to it now you hear this beautiful JOURNEY song with cool melodies and everything and then you hear these lyrics and go, "What?" It didn't really work and I think it actually leaked out there. Some of the fans got wind of it and went, "This is horrible!" Of course this is my one and only representation of me singing for JOURNEY and they go, "This is terrible! No wonder they fired him!" (laughs)
Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with FILTER mainman Richard Patrick. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Oregon Music News: A couple of years ago you put together a band called ARMY OF ANYONE with Robert and Dean DeLeo and drummer Ray Luzier. Why is that band not active today?
Richard: We put that band together and we put a lot of time an energy in it. When it came we looked at each other and said, "Alright then, that was that." We got busy with the bread and butter of our careers; Ray went on to join KORN, the DeLeo brothers reconnected with Scott Weiland and got STONE TEMPLE PILOTS together and I got FILTER active again. ARMY OF ANYONE was a really great experience, it really was. In my opinion, it might have taken too long… you have to realize it was four years of our lives. In retrospect I think had we gotten in the studio and knocked it out quickly it might have taken off. Instead it became this laborious project that was released and we tour behind for eight weeks and that was it. In the end, FILTER is my musical legacy and I'm glad to be back. I'm really psyched about the new album , "The Trouble With Angels". I quit NINE INCH NAILS for this band. I consider Bob Marlette my guru. I think that this is the last producer
I will ever work with. That's the honest truth. He's just so amazing and incredible. I love his songwriting abilities. He likes to make sure that each song has a beginning and an end, good choruses and pays attention to the details. He got the best out of me on this album. He said, "Listen, Rich, I'm glad you're sober, you're happy, you have two adorable kids, a wife, a nice house, but I need that crazed lunatic that started FILTER in 1995. The guy that was writing about public suicides, how it was so much to be on drug, the guy that was writing about how much fun it was to hate God and religion. That's the guy that I need on this album." I have been waiting for so long for someone to tell me that. Right then and there I knew Bob was the guy. We wrote the song "Drug Boy" together. Bob said, "Tell me about how great it was to be on drugs." I told him, "Man, I felt like I was God when I was on them." That's where the line "Tonight these chemicals are God.
Tonight these chemicals are golden sunlight." To me that probably the best lyric I've ever written; because I was able to explain what it feels like when drugs work! I've had ten years of experience having them work. I felt like I had won the lottery. So it wasn't all bad though things did come to a head later on. You remember when THE ROLLING STONES wrote the album "Undercover" and they released that song "Undercover of the Night". If I ran into Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, I would have said something like, "Keith and Mick, why don't you go back and write stuff like 'Honky Tonk Woman' or 'Brown Sugar', the stuff that made you great?" The great rock 'n' roll from the '60s and the '70s. That's basically what Bob said to me. "Dude, you have to get out of this happiness. You have to be the guy that we can all relate to again."
Oregon Music News: Another track that came out of this writing session was a song called "Drowning", which you co-wrote with John 5, who has worked with Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth, K.D. Lang and currently with Rob Zombie. How did you that song come about?
Richard: John 5 and Bob Marlette wrote and collaborated with Roth on the David Lee Roth band record. And Ray Luzier played drums on that album. I've known John 5 for a while and he helped re-introduce me to Bob Marlette. John had this beautiful music and Bob helped him out with it. They worked on the song "Drowning" over a weekend and then they sent it to me and I was blown away. I couldn't believe they did this in his Bob's house. I loved it and all I had to do was sing on it. I can't say enough about Bob. If this record does well enough that we can do another album, Bob will be doing it.
Oregon Music News: Is it a stretch to say that the people who fell in love with "Short Bus" will love "The Trouble With Angels"?
Richard: Not at all. I think that the people that also liked "Title Of Record" and "The Amalgamut" will like the new album. I lost control of the album "Anthems Of The Damned"; I went in a different direction and followed the lead of the producer. I wanted to stay heavy because that's where I live that's what I'm about. I love anger and being aggressive. The focus on that album was the mellow stuff but ultimately it came down to me. The producer, Josh Abraham, and I were at odds and I lost control of that record. I tried to have the album sequenced with the heavier stuff on the front end as to not alienate or scare off the fans of the previous albums. It was a huge departure for FILTER, it was an album that was a tribute to the men and women in the military. It was actually dedicated to a young soldier, a native of Oregon, Justin Eyerly. He was a fan of music and he died serving his country. I think that he was there under a false pretense; I don't think
that George W. Bush was completely honest with us. I think that he wanted to go in there and take it over because of its strategic position in the Middle East. If he had been honest he wouldn't have been able to do it. Justin was one of the ones that paid the ultimate price and "Anthems Of The Damned" was a tribute to them. Though it was a departure I need to do that record to get back to business as usual with the new album. I think I'm sticking with what I know from now on. I still think that the first three albums are to this day very experimental and quite frankly I got away with a lot of stuff on those albums.
In what promises to be the hottest tour of winter 2011, KORN and DISTURBED, two of rock's biggest acts, are teaming up to co-headline next year's "Monster Energy Music As A Weapon V" tour. Support on the trek will come from SEVENDUST and IN THIS MOMENT.
The first dates have been announced and are as follows:
Jan. 14 - Bloomington, IL - U.S. Cellular Coliseum
Jan. 15 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
Jan. 16 - Rockford, IL - Rockford Metro Center
Jan. 18 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
Jan. 19 - Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
Jan. 22 - West Long Branch, NJ - Monmouth University
Jan. 23 - Glens Falls, NY - Glen Falls Civic Center
Jan. 25 - Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center
Jan. 26 - Morgantown, WV - West Virginia University
Jan. 28 - Uncasville, CT - Mohgean Sun Arena
Jan. 29 - Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center
Jan. 30 - Atlantic City, NJ - House Of Blues
Feb. 01 - Winston-Salem, NC - Winston-Salem Entertainment Sports Complex
Feb. 02 - Fayetteville, NC - Crown Center Of Cumberland County
Feb. 04 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Feb. 05 - Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Feb. 08 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
Feb. 09 - San Antonio, TX - Illusion Theatre At Alamodome
Feb. 10 - McAllen, TX - McAllen Convention Center
Feb. 12 - Lubbock, TX - Fairpark Coliseum
Jonathan Davis of KORN and David Draiman of DISTURBED commented on how the 45-city trek across America came about.
"We've both just finished great tours," said Davis. "We headlined Mayhem and DISTURBED headlined Uproar. The DISTURBED guys came out to see us play in Chicago and we got to talking about doing something together. We both agreed that as cool as those types of tours are, they usually only hit major markets, and we both agreed that a lot of our fans just don't live in those cities, etc so we thought it would be cool to team up, put a big show together, and hit every great place that those big tours never get to. Besides all that, with us and DISTURBED together, doing full shows with full production...all I can say is IT'S ON!"
"We are thrilled to launch the 'Monster Energy Music As A Weapon V' tour with our good friends from KORN," said Draiman. "Every year we try to up the ante, and this year, by having KORN co-headline, we really think it's going to be our best tour yet. When the idea first came up, one of the main things both bands agreed upon and wanted to focus on was hitting a lot of smaller markets. It's exciting to bring a show like this to cities that are usually skipped over on some of the other larger rock tours that only hit the major markets. We have a lot of loyal fans in these cities and we wanted to bring them a show that they deserve."
The bands have decided that the first 1000 tickets from each show will be sold at a $5 discount during the on sale weekend in order to reward the early buyers and fans.
"A lot of promoters only offer discounted tickets a day or two before the actual show date," said DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan. "We wanted to do something for the fans that are buying their tickets as soon as they go on sale. To offer a discount upfront made the most sense to us."
"We're tired of promoters offering discounted tickets to last minute folks in order to sell the seats in the back of the gig. We'd rather give our fans a discount for buying early," said KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer.
Previous Music As A Weapon lineups have included CHEVELLE, STONE SOUR, DROWNING POOL, ALTER BRIDGE and others.
Even with Slipknot adjuncts such as Stone Sour tooling around the country, the group is at work on its next album -- and first project since the shocking May death of bassist Paul Gray.
"It's already in motion," drummer Joey Jordison, who has canceled his band Murderdolls' Violent Night, Deadly Night tour slated to begin Dec. 3 due to "an unforeseeable family emergency," tells Billboard.com. "It's definitely exciting. It's a little emotional, of course, but I think it's going to be really, really cool and I think it's gonna be a really, really great record because everyone's really involved in the process."
Schecter Guitar Research is offering fans of DISTURBED and PAPA ROACH the chance to get "up close" and meet the guitarists of these two popular bands. Dan Donegan and Jerry Horton are prominent Schecter endorsees and will be taking time out from the hectic European stage of the "Taste Of Chaos" arena tour for two exclusive signings at the following stores:
Tuesday, December 7
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Guitar Guitar
100 Hagley Road Edgbaston
Birmingham B16 8LA
Tel: 0121 456 1904
Wednesday, December 8
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wembley Guitar Centre
Unit 8 Metro Trading Centre
Fifth Way Wembley HA9 0YJ
Tel: 020 8795 4001
Slipknot's Sid Wilson Talks Bassist's Death, Preps Solo Album
Jordison says he and the group's other members are demoing material for the follow-up to 2008's "All Hope is Gone," and though no firm timetable has been established he expects Slipknot to united in studio during the first half of 2011. "It's going to be a little interesting," he acknowledges, "but I think it's gonna be a healing process for all of us. Slipknot is not going anywhere. We're a family, and losing a family member sucks. You can't help that, but you need to move on, and I think that what we're gonna do might be the most powerful thing that we've ever created."
Jordison says Slipknot will remain an octet, with no replacement for Gray. On stage, however, "we'll have a bass player that's right next to me, to the right behind the stage, to lock in with me. But there's no one right now who will go on stage."
Murderdolls, meanwhile, hope to reschedule the canceled tour dates in 2011 and said in a statement that, "These decisions are never easy to make, and we did everything we could to keep from having to cancel, but this was unavoidable...Sorry ghouscouts, but we'll see you all soon!" The cancelation hasn't dampened Jordison's enthusiasm for the group's new album, "Women and Children Last," however.
"I consider this to be the first Murderdolls record," Jordison notes. "The first one [2002's 'Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls'] is what it was, and it's a great record, but it's more of a glorified demo. This is the first time me and Wednesday actually sat down and wrote songs together, and we put more production into it and it's a more thought-out record than the first one."
According to Kerrang! magazine, SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor will release a Christmas single entitled "X-M@$" on December 12 in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
"It's actually a song that I wrote four years ago just for a laugh," Taylor tells Kerrang! "But when I played it for all of my friends they were like, 'This is fucking brilliant'. For some reason my manager forgot that I'd written it, but then a few months ago he found the song and immediately went, 'We gotta release this in time for this Christmas', and I was like, 'Why the fuck not?'"
According to Oblioo.com, Corey recorded the track on a day off during STONE SOUR's recent U.K. tour at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, West London.
"I wrote this song in my kitchen one winter, listening to people bitch about the holidays," Taylor explained. "Personally, I love the holidays, but they seem to bring on severe stress in most people. So, I wrote this in honor of crotchety, drunken bastards who don't know the difference between a yuletide and a toolshed. Plus, I think it's funny. I bet the U.K. will too. They're some of my favorite people in the world."
Fans will be able to pick up the single from all leading digital retailers, including iTunes, Amazon and Play.com.
Taylor 's book, "Seven Deadly Sins", is tentatively due in March 2011 via Da Capo Press. it is described as "Corey's story, told through the prism of the seven deadly sins." His years of excess eventually made him sit down and start to think about what it was to "sin" and whether "sinning" could — or should — be recast as a good rather than bad thing. Yes, Corey's hurt people, and done bad things, but if sin is what makes the man, then can it ever be wrong? This isn't a straightforward memoir, this is Corey's no-holds-barred story told through his own unique philosophy, honed through years of the craziest and most hedonistic excess in rock.
STONE SOUR, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD will join forces for "The Nightmare After Christmas" tour in January/February.
STONE SOUR's third album, "Audio Secrecy", was released on September 7 and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard album chart, selling 46,000 copies in its first week of release.
Russia's Darkside webzine recently conducted an interview with STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Darkside: How did the record process of [STONE SOUR's new album] "Audio Secrecy" go? I know that you were in Nashville…
Roy: Yeah, well… We all took some time; we were away from each other for the last couple of years and just wrote separately. Then we got together in December in Iowa for a brief rehearsal and then went to Nashville, as you know, [where we] did like a couple of months worth of pre-production, living in a house together which worked out great.
Darkside: So what are the perks of living in the studio? It was in the same house, right?
Roy: Well, not the recording studio, the demo studio, that was in the house. The perks: this is more convenient. Everyone's in the same place together and it's just more intimate, people get to know each other a little better and it's just a better environment for collaboration, I think, for any band. We gotta get along first. Luckily, we do and there's chemistry between all five of us, so it worked out great.
Darkside: How did it feel to get back together after the break, when Corey [Taylor, vocals] and Jim [Root, lead guitar] were with SLIPKNOT?
Roy: It was great. We basically picked up from where we left off three years before that. It's like we didn't miss a day. It's pretty wild, you know. We've been apart from each other for three years and then walked into a studio together and came out with this record. I mean, to me, it's pretty incredible. We didn't know each other from Adam when I first joined the band either, so that was a sign that we have natural chemistry together.
Darkside: What were your motives to be in a rock band?
Roy: Just growing up and listening to the bands like ZEPPELIN and THE WHO. When I was a kid, I was more instinctually a drummer. I wasn't really a drummer yet in my mind; I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. Though my parents knew what I was doing, so they kind of stirred me in the right direction. And my older brother, who is more of a rock 'n' roll guy in the family, he is 10 years older. He would just show me all these records, play them and he'd wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me, "Oh, LED ZEPPELIN and KISS are on TV at 11:30 at night," and I'd watch and he was like, "That's what you should be doing," and I was like, "Yeah, I wanna be that." So seeing it for the first time definitely propelled me into wanna really go for it and be a part of a rock band when I was older. I started playing in bands by the time I was 13-14, just punk rock, hardcore bands and then I just evolved from there. As I got older, I started getting into other
things, I started getting back more into metal and rock and ended up here, you know — fast-forwarding 25-some years later.
Darkside: Nowadays many bands, no matter how popular they are, seem to prefer indie labels to major ones. But you seem to be quite happy with Roadrunner.
Roy: Yeah, Roadrunner has been a part of my life for 15-16 years now. I've been in four different Roadrunner bands, including this one. They've always done right by me and what I love about Roadrunner the most is that they're a world-class label. I mean, they are all over the world and the bands that they have, they really know how to market them everywhere. I think their bands have always had a better exposure than most bands coming out of the States that are on major labels. Because major labels focus on just the States and don't give a shit about the rest of the world. But now I think it's a little bit different, now they are starting to wise up to the situation that there is, you know, more out there, especially for not-so-bigger bands. Roadrunner was like the label that was more about not being indie, but being worldwide.
Florida metallers TRIVIUM will enter Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida on January 2 with the production/mixing team of Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY) and Martin "Ginge" Ford to begin recording their new album for an early 2011 release via Roadrunner Records.
In a July 18, 2010 interview with the WMHB 89.7 FM metal radio show "Metal Mutilation", TRIVIUM guitarist Corey Beaulieu stated about the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2008's "Shogun", "We got done [touring in support of 'Shogun'] at the end of March [2010], and we weren't planning on the [new] record coming out until February or March of next year, so we had the rest of the year to just work on it. And it's worked out really good for us — we didn't feel rushed and we were able to take the time to make sure everything is right." He added, "We did more work on this record than we've done on any other record. The stuff is sounding really awesome and we're having a lot of fun doing this."
Regarding how the addition of drummer Nick Augusto has changed TRIVIUM's sound, Beaulieu said, "I think he fits more of our writing style, 'cause we play a lot of fast, heavier stuff and his drumming is kind of really on the heavier, aggressive side, so, really, just writing the TRIVIUM songs we [normally] do it, his drumming style adds a lot of energy and intensity to the music — he adds a lot of really cool, creative stuff that makes it really interesting and brings the music to the next level. And just working with him, everything is moving pretty fast. He's like a sponge, like the rest of us — he can grasp new songs really fast. If we have a new song, we can start jamming it really quick and kind of move forward and get to the point where we can just focus on the details of the song instead of just trying to get the song down in the first place. It's really helping propel the songwriting to another level where we can move along quicker and get a
lot more work done in a shorter amount of time.
"When people actually get a chance to hear the record, I think they'll be pretty impressed with what's going on, 'cause he's doing some really cool stuff and adding a new flavor to what we do and giving it a new twist. Compared to the last couple of records, the intensity and the energy has really gone up a lot."
When asked if the new tracks are as "shred-happy" as some of TRIVIUM's recent material, Corey replied, "We've been concentrating more on [making] more to-the-point, catchier songs without going off too much — there's no seven- or eight-minute songs on this one. There's a lot of really cool riffs and a lot of really cool parts, and, obviously, there's guitar solos all over the place. It doesn't sound like 'Shogun', but it sounds like TRIVIUM. It's a got a different feel than 'Shogun' — it's a lot more in your face and heavier and faster. It kind of balances out everything — we've got four or five songs that are all screaming, we've got a couple of songs that are all singing, and huge songs that are kind of a mix — kind of 'Acendancy' [2005] kind of vocal style, [with both] screaming and singing, so there's a good variety, which makes it really interesting to listen to, because each song has its own thing going on, so they all stand out really well
and fit together, too. It's got a good balance of everything, but the energy and the intensity is just a lot more up there. I guess if you compare it to anything as far as being aggressive, it's probably more towards 'Ascendancy' than anything else."
With regards to the direction of the new TRIVIUM lyrics, Corey said, "Everything is not finished, but [guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy is] further along in the lyrics than he has been on the last few records. I think there are six or seven songs where the lyrics are pretty much there and then there's some of the newer songs that we've put together that he's still piecing together and figuring out what the songs are. All the lyrics are really cohesive and really kind of all fit together, have the same kind of vibe. It makes the whole record one cohesive piece instead of each song being just randomly about something else."
A new TRIVIUM song, "Shattering The Skies Above", appeared on the extended play (EP) soundtrack for the highly anticipated PlayStation3 (PS3) exclusive videogame "God of War III". The EP, titled "God of War: Blood & Metal", was made available on March 2 via Roadrunner as part of the "God of War III Ultimate Edition", and featured five exclusive unreleased songs from Roadrunner artists, including KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, DREAM THEATER, OPETH and TAKING DAWN.
Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have been forced to cancel all of the shows on their debut headline tour of the U.K. and Ireland due to vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen having to remain under strict medical supervision.
The band had already pulled the first five dates of the tour in the hope that a few days of uninterrupted rest would enable Poulsen to return to full fitness; sadly, this hasn't proved to be the case.
The VOLBEAT members deeply regret the cancellation of the 13 shows; fans will, of course, be able to reclaim their money from point of purchase.
The band's official statement on the cancelation reads as follows:
"As you may or may not be aware, VOLBEAT had to cancel the first five shows of their U.K. tour…
"After the completion of the mainland European shows, Michael was suffering from exhaustion and has had to undergo various tests at hospital.
"We were anticipating the tour going ahead from December 1; however, it has now become apparent that this is not going to be viable, and we are going to have to cancel all the U.K. dates forthwith. We are hoping to be able to reschedule these, but have no fixed dates at this time to be able to do so, hence this being a cancellation rather than keeping all tickets valid.
"Our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience, and we will, of course, let you know as soon as we have further news."
"Heaven Nor Hell", the new video from VOLBEAT, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven", which was released digitally in the U.S. on November 9 and will be made available as a physical CD on December 15.
"Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" was released in Germany on September 10 and in most parts of Europe on September 13 via Vertigo/Universal. The CD was once again recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen. The cover artwork was created by illustrator Karsten Wrysand and can be viewed below.
"Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" features guest appearances by MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Michael Denner, NAPALM DEATH's Mark "Barney" Greenway and KREATOR's Mille Petrozza. Additionally, Jacob Oelund of the Copenhagen rockabilly outfit TAGGY TONES and songwriter Hanrik Hall swung by the studio to lay down some seriously swinging double bass and harmonica.
Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH have set "Surtur Rising" as the title of their eighth studio album, due on March 29, 2011 via Metal Blade Records. Frontman Johan Hegg told Terrorizer magazine, "Obviously, the songs are going to be AMON AMARTH — that's what we've always done — but we wanted to put a little more edge to our sound, so hopefully that's going to come out after the mixing and everything. We've laid down ten tracks, and as is usual for us, every one of them is going to end up on the album."
The drums for "Surtur Rising" were recorded at Park Studios in Stockholm while the rest of the instruments are being laid down at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden.
Surtur is a jötunn, a giant in Norse mythology; according to Wikipedia, "Surtur is foretold as being a major figure during the events of Ragnarök; carrying his bright sword, he will go to battle against the Æsir, he will do battle with the major god Freyr, and afterward the flames that he brings forth will engulf the Earth."
AMON AMARTH's seventh full-length album, "Twilight of the Thunder God", sold more than 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 48 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Twilight of the Thunder God" was recorded at Fascination Street and features several high-profile guest appearances including ENTOMBED singer L.G. Petrov (on "Guardians of Asgaard"), CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist Roope Latvala (who shreds a fierce solo on the track "Twilight of the Thunder God") and Finnish cello metal band APOCALYPTICA (a guest appearance on "Live For The Kill").
DEVIL'S TRAIN, the new band featuring MYSTIC PROPHECY mainman/producer R.D. Liapakis, STRATOVARIUS drummer Jörg Michael and guitarist Lakis Ragazas, has announced the addition of bassist Jari Kainulainen to the group's ranks.
Kainulainen is a Finnish bassist who plays in the power metal supergroup SYMFONIA. He was previously a member of KILLING MACHINE, STRATOVARIUS and the progressive power metal band EVERGREY. Kainulainen plays Ibanez six-string basses and uses Ampeg amplifiers. He is influenced by Geezer Butler, Billy Sheehan, Cliff Burton and Steve Harris.
Commented Liapakis: "Jari is fully professional and has had much experience both in studio and in performing. His playing is the perfect missing part to complete the sound of the band as I pictured it when I first got the idea for DEVIL'S TRAIN as apart from his skilled playing he also enhances his performances with distinctive feeling and groove."
Having spent a month together on the road earlier this year as part of the "Polaris" tour, Liapakis and Michael decided to explore their common love of '80s hard rock/heavy metal by putting together an "old-school heavy/hard rock" band.
DEVIL'S TRAIN is a project Liapakis has been working on with Greek guitarist Lakis Ragazas for the past year and as soon as Michael heard it, he asked to become part of it as the group's drummer.
DEVIL'S TRAIN's as-yet-untitled debut album is being recorded at Prophecy and Music Factory studios and the production is being handled by Liapakis and Christian Schmid. A tentative early 2011 release is expected.
Commented Liapakis: "I am rock and roll down to my veins and I always had diverse influences in my music, a great part of which are expressed in the music I write with MYSTIC PROPHECY. However, the style of music I have been preparing for DEVIL'S TRAIN with Lakis Ragazas isn't the style that would fit MYSTIC PROPHECY and this is why I decided to initiate a side band. Luckily, other people with whom I have common musical background share my vice for rock 'n' roll and Jörg, as I found out when we toured together last January, is one of them. None of us is less of a member on our bands, we just want to have a rock 'n' roll party on the side!"
Swedish metallers BULLET will release their third full-length album, "Highway Pirates", on February 4, 2011. It will be issued on CD, LP and strictly limited-edition vinyl that will only will be available through the Sound Pollution mailorder.
On July 31 2009, BULLET drummer Gustav Hjortsjö was hanging around backstage at the Sävsjö Festival. Suddenly he noticed a familiar face in the crowd: SAXON's legendary singer Peter "Biff" Byford. Gustav was determined not to let this chance go missed. He approached Byford and explained that the singer just had to do a guest appearance on BULLET's next album. "Maybe," Byford replied. "What's the name of the album?" Gustav had no idea. BULLET was still touring in support of the "Bite The Bullet" CD and hadn't really thought a whole lot about the follow-up release. "But which song do you want me to appear on then?" Biff continued. In a state of panic, Gustav mumbled the first reasonably rock and roll-orientated title he could come up with: "Highway Pirates". A month later they met again, at the Skogsröjet Festival in Reijmyre. About 40 seconds into the brilliant hard-hitting title track, you can now hear Biff Byford's contribution: a wolf whistle.
BULLET is up for a new experience with the release of its third album. It is the first time the band has to live up to people's high expectations. This, however, is a natural consequence of the success that came with the group's previous effort, "Bite The Bullet". The album peaked at position No. 3 on the Swedish chart and was followed by a number of live appearances, including a support-act slot with AC/DC at the sold-out Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg.
"Highway Pirates" was mixed by Tobias Lindell, who has previously worked with such Swedish rock bands as EUROPE, MUSTASCH and HARDCORE SUPERSTAR. Their combined efforts have "succeeded in creating a sound that is retro and modern at the same time," according to a press release. "Hampus Klang's and Erik Ahlström's guitar sound is incredibly pure."
"Highway Pirates" track listing:
01. Highway Pirates
02. Back On The Road
03. Stay Wild
04. Blood Run Hot
05. Fire And Dynamite
06. Down And Out
07. Knuckleduster
08. Heavy Metal Dynamite
09. Citylights
10. Into The Night
Swedish female-fronted heavy rock band SISTER SIN has recruited Andreas Strandh as its new bass player.
SISTER SIN's latest video, "Sound Of The Underground", can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Richard Frantzén.
"Sound Of The Underground" comes off SISTER SIN's second album, "True Sound Of The Underground", which sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 97 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22 via Victory Records and was issued in Europe on July 23 through Metal Heaven Records. It was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.
In a recent interview with Sleaze Roxx, SISTER SIN vocalist Liv Jagrell stated about the group's current sound, "We are a heavy metal band. On past records we have been more of a rock band, but on the new album I think we definitely got a lot heavier. You can hear a lot of MÖTLEY CRÜE on our last two albums, but on this one we went heavier. To me this is the sound that SISTER SIN had been searching for on previous recordings but we didn't achieve until 'True Sound Of The Underground' . . . Now we're going for more of a JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and ACCEPT kind of sound. I think we are aiming for a more '80s traditional heavy metal sound."
German thrash metal veterans SODOM have released the following statement:
"After personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby [Schottkowski; drums], it was decided, by mutual agreement, to end the cooperation between SODOM and the drummer Bobby Schottkowski. Tom and Bernemann [guitar] will announce as soon as possible a replacement drummer. The shows from January onwards will be performed as planned and the upcoming tour in February will take place in any case. Until then we will have incorporated the new drummer. We thank you for your understanding and your loyal support."
SODOM's new album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD will be released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.
"In War And Pieces" track listing:
01. In War And Pieces
02. Hellfire
03. Through Toxic Veins
04. Nothing Counts More Than Blood
05. Storm Raging Up
06. Feigned Death Throes
07. Soul Contraband
08. God Bless You
09. The Art Of Killing Poetry
10. Knarrenheinz
11. Styptic Parasite
The "In War And Pieces" track is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
For Thomas "Angelripper" Such, his thrash metal band SODOM is a perfect vehicle to bluntly take a stand. Like few other musicians on this scene, he personifies — along with down-to-earthiness and honesty — a healthily critical position on political authorities and decision-makers from finance and industry. On their latest album, "In War And Pieces", SODOM focuses on the worst excesses of power: arrogance, greed, spotlight-seeking, fanaticism, corruption, cowardice and oppression. Tom strates, "I've always written about what's going on in the world, about the injustice and mistakes that happen everywhere. I know that you can't change anything politically that way, but I would like to at least comment on the situation and generate an awareness of this deplorable state of affairs. Being a singer in a metal band allows me to voice my anger to a large audience."
This uncompromising attitude marks the eleven songs on sodom's latest album which could hardly sound more dynamic and violent. "In War And Pieces" owes its bloodcurdling energy largely to producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., ENEMY OF THE SUN), whose great skill and commitment were instrumental in creating the album's — as Tom calls it — "phat, brutal and open" sound. With Sorychta's support, Angelripper (vocals, bass), Bernemann and Bobby Schottkowski succeeded in adding new impulses to their music without watering down the band's long tradition. "Waldemar is a great musician himself and has done some brilliant work, especially on the guitar sound," Tom explains. "He knows how to get the absolute maximum out of a speaker."
As brutal as the production is the diverse songwriting on "In War And Pieces", a kind of tour de force through the whole history of thrash metal, featuring harsh arrangements, melodic solos and raging vocal attacks. "I feel that we sound more contemporary and structured than we did on our recent releases," Tom analyzes. "At the same time, there are also references to recordings such as 'Persecution Mania' and 'Agent Orange'. After VENOM, SODOM were the world's first angry band, and nothing has changed that." Tom lists as examples the impressive title track, as well as "The Art Of Killing Poetry" with its ultra-deep guitar atmospheres and the German-language song, 'Knarrenheinz', which holds up the tradition of classics such as 'Bombenhagel' and "Ausgebombt". "Knarrenheinz is the mascot on the album cover, that's why I felt he deserved his own lyrics," Tom grins. Talking of album covers: the artwork was designed by Eliran Kantor, who enjoys an excellent
reputation on the scene thanks to his work for renowned acts such as TESTAMENT, GWAR and MEKONG DELTA.
Finnish doom metal band ORDOG will release its third album, "Remorse", on January 12, 2011 via Violent Journey Records. The seven-song CD contains over 70 minutes of music.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Human Shell
02. Betrayed
03. Shadowland
04. Abuse
05. Remorse
06. Boneyard Horizon
07. Meant To Be An End
Commented Jussi Harju (keyboards): "We started composing remorse shortly after 'Life Is Too Short For Learning To Live' was released. In a very short time, Valsu had nine songs ready and after some exploring I was able to compose the keyboards.
"Keyboard-wise, the album has two sides, a more melodic, beautiful side and a more haunting, monotonous side.
"As a whole, the album is more heavier and slower when compared to our earlier work. There are few faster parts here and there but this time they have no major role in any of the songs. There are no short tracks either except for meant to be an end which is an outro track mostly played on the piano.
"Favorite tracks: 'Abuse', 'Boneyard Horizon' and 'Human Shell'."
Valtteri Isometsä (guitars, bass, drums): "This album has been the hardest one to record for the band because of the situations in our personal lives and the fact that we are now living in distinct cities around Finland. But I'm very proud of this album as it appears to be the most personal one for me. Tracks such as 'Boneyard Horizon', 'Shadow Land' and 'Human Shell' tells my feelings of the past two years.
"I hope you'll enjoy this record as much as I do."
Aleksi Martikainen (vocals): "This was the hardest album for me to record vocals mentally and physically, but at last I'm proud to say that the longtime work shows impressing results.
"Lyrical content reflects the feelings of personal remorse and frustration in life. Simple as that. This album also contains lyrical work from Jussi and from Valtteri, [which] is a great thing!
"It's difficult for me to pick favorite song from this album, but I think 'Betrayed' and 'Shadowland' are the ones which are closest to me.
"I like to thank Jussi and Valtteri, and, of course, our live members for keeping everything as one."
For more information, visit www.ordogband.com.
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Following the success of their first U.S. performance with new lead vocalist Todd La Torre, Florida-based melodic metallers CRIMSON GLORY are heading overseas to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
Their European tour schedule for spring 2011 is as follows:
Apr. 27 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Dynamo
Apr. 28 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Boerderij
Apr. 29 - Enschede, Netherlands - Atak
Apr. 30 - Lauda/Königshofen, Germany - Keep It True
May 02 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7
May 03 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
May 04 - Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
May 06 - Haugesund, Norway - Karmøygeddon
May 07 - Essen, Germany - Turock
May 08 - Genk, Belgium - Rondpunt 26
July 15 - Balingen, Germany - Bang Your Head!!!
Among the tour dates listed are a selection of notable festivals, including Keep It True in Germany and Karmøygeddon in Norway. CRIMSON GLORY will also be performing at the Dynamo in Eindhoven, where the band played its first-ever show in Europe 25 years ago.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to perform in front of our many loyal friends and supporters over in Europe, as well as for our new fans and friends, on the 25th anniversary of CRIMSON GLORY," said lead guitarist Jon Drenning.
"Playing in front of our diehard German metal heads at the Keep It True festival will be a real honor for us, as will playing at the Karmøygeddon festival in Norway. We have never performed in Norway before, or in Scandinavia for that matter, and we are honored and excited to finally meet our Norwegian following at such an event We're eager to play Italy again as well; the fans there have always been some of our most wonderful and enthusiastic."
"Playing for our long-time fans in Belgium and the Netherlands is something we're also very excited about," Drenning continued. "The Dynamo in Eindhoven, Holland, has a very special place in our hearts, as it was the first show and venue we ever played in Europe. I remember it well because we performed on the day our first album was released to the general public. So it will be great to perform again at the Dynamo (and maybe play a game or two of spikes!) The Dutch have always been so wonderful to us, and they helped us get off to a great start."
When asked about whether the band had plans to perform wearing their iconic silver masks, Drenning hinted at the possibility of their return. "We have discussed the idea of wearing the masks for a select group of shows at times during our anniversary year, as we've been approached by some promoters who would seriously desire to see it; I'm sure the fans would too," he said. "All I can say is that if the stars align, we would be open to doing it."
Drenning also shared his excitement for the unveiling of their new front man.
"We can't wait for our fans to see and hear Todd La Torre live, as he's every bit as impressive onstage as he is in the studio," he said. "He brings a tremendous amount of passion and emotion to our songs, as [late CRIMSON GLORY singer] Midnight did, and originally intended them to be."
La Torre is probably more anxious than anyone else to hit the stage and meet the fans, and had this to say about performing with CRIMSON GLORY this spring: "I am very excited to be sharing the stage with my fellow bandmates, as well as performing many of the classic songs from the first two albums. I am honored and truly touched by the overwhelming embrace of the fans since officially joining the band on July, 10th, 2010. As the newest addition to the original lineup, I am especially pleased to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band along with all our supporters: the worldwide Crimson Militia; without you, there would be no us. See you next year!"
On Thursday, December 3, Boston's favorite white-trash, hardcore hooligans BLOOD FOR BLOOD will hit the road in Europe as part of the 2010 Persistence Tour. This will mark the first time since 2004 that BLOOD FOR BLOOD fans have been able to see the band live on stage.
As previously announced, BLOOD FOR BLOOD guitarist Rob Lind decided not to join his bandmates on the road and BIOHAZARD's Billy Graziadei will be filling in for him during the trek.
In the statement below, Lind shares his thoughts on not being part of BLOOD FOR BLOOD's current touring lineup, the future of the band and his relationship with his bandmates.
Lind: "A few months ago it was announced in the press that BLOOD FOR BLOOD would be touring again. Specifically, it was announced that BLOOD FOR BLOOD would be doing this year's annual Persistence Tour in Europe (with SICK OF IT ALL, D.R.I., UNEARTH, EVERGREEN TERRACE and others). It was also announced that BLOOD FOR BLOOD would be doing this tour and future shows without me.
"In absence of a response or statement on my part, there was an immediate deluge of speculation, invective and hostility in reaction to the announcement online and in the scene. And it is ongoing.
"With the Persistence Tour looming and BLOOD FOR BLOOD's return to the stage imminent, I just wanted to clarify my position and set the record straight.
"First, let me say that I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support on my behalf. I have never been more sincere in my whole fucking life: it meant more to me than anything that has happened since I started playing music. I will never forget it as long as I live. However, the controversy was misguided and any negativity misplaced.
"I have been working with Buddha [Erick Medina; vocals] and Ian [McFarland; bass] for the last few months now on the future of BLOOD FOR BLOOD and it has been an open and amicable relationship. The core of BLOOD FOR BLOOD has always been our friendship within the band.
"I cannot tour at this point in my life. I hope to be able to again in the future but at present it is simply not possible for personal reasons that I will not get into. I miss it very much (believe me, I would like nothing more than to be getting up on stage with the guys in a few days for the tour's first show). But my inability to tour doesn't alter the fact that BLOOD FOR BLOOD has an enduring legacy and demand. And the fellas in the band miss it all as much as I do.
"After a few months of open dialogue and discussion we (Buddha, Ian, and I) have decided on an arrangement that is best for us all.
"Though I stated I can't play out and tour right now, I am not done with music by a long shot. Nor am I done with BLOOD FOR BLOOD. BLOOD FOR BLOOD will always be a part of me and I will always be a part of BLOOD FOR BLOOD. And the show isn't over...
"The band, with my full support and blessing and friendship, is going to tour again without me until the time comes when I can join them again on the road. This was the plan all along and that had been in the works for a while now. We just had to work out some internal details before I could jump in openly and publicly.
"This is not a tentative or half-hearted arrangement. We intend to continue the band on all fronts. We intend to record again. We intend to play out and tour again (as I stated above, I will join in live whenever possible). And we are psyched about every bit of it.
"On a side note, I have never at any point over the past few years stopped writing music (either for BLOOD FOR BLOOD or any of my other projects). Consequently I am presently hoarding the biggest glut of material in my life. And I can't wait to get to work on it.
"So even though I won't physically be there on stage with the guys, I will be there whole-heartedly in spirit as a member of the band.
"BLOOD FOR BLOOD is back, bitches! I bet club security all over the world is weeping and hiring extra help and taking out better health care policies on their employees!"
Inspired by bands such as SHEER TERROR, BREAKDOWN, CARNIVORE and RAW DEAL, BLOOD FOR BLOOD formed as a reaction to the existing heavy music scene in Boston back in 1995. "We couldn't relate to anything that was going on in Boston at the time," said vocalist Erick Medina. "We wanted to hear music about the shit we saw and faced every day. The scene at the time was a fashion show."
BLOOD FOR BLOOD cultivated a large, and dangerously loyal, fan base since its inception almost a decade ago. Having toured with such acts as DROPKICK MURPHYS, TERROR, and SICK OF IT ALL, exposing their venom to the nation, the band has left an indelible and hungry mark on the scene.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD has five recordings under its belt, with four of them having been released through Victory Records.
Lyrically, BLOOD FOR BLOOD combines the depravity and pain of the world they see outside their door every day with the experiences of their own dead end lives in an outlaw-poetry style that truly affects its listeners in a deep way.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD's last album, "Serenity", was released in May 2004.
BLOOD FOR BLOOD 2010 touring lineup:
Erick "Buddha" Medina - Vocals
Billy Graziadei (BIOHAZARD) - Guitar, Vocals
Ian McFarland - Bass
Neal Dike - Drums
Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI will release their new album, "Ukon Wacka", in Europe on February 4, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika
02. Päät Pois Tai Hirteen
03. Tuoppi Oltta
04. Lonkkaluut
05. Tequila
06. Ukon Wacka
07. Korvesta Liha
08. Koivu Ja Tähti
09. Vaarinpolkka
Check out the cover artwork below.
According to the band, "Ukon Wacka, or Ukon Vakat, is a pagan sacrificial feast from ancient times, on which a special made beer richly flowed. As can be expected from the title, this album has an ancient and very folky feel and is totally in Finnish. To make the lyrics understandable for non-Finnish people, we will add an English description/translation in the booklet as usual. The album consists of 10 songs, among which you will find a song name 'Tequila', which is especially written for (and inspired by) our South American fans, with whom we celebrated such hard times, and who welcomed us so warmly, when we were touring in South America. Another surprise is the title song, 'Ukon Wacka', in which a special guest features: the famous Finnish singer Tuomari Nurmio! Last but not least features a tribute song ('Päät Pois Tai Hirteen') to the Finnish rock band PEER GÜNT, a great and underestimated band. We hope and expect that this album will give you as
much joy as we had making it; a big folky feast for all!"
"Karkelo" (English translation: "Pleasure" or "Party"), the sixth album from KORPIKLAANI, was released on June 26, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Petrax studio in Hollola, Finland.
KORPIKLAANI's previous CD, "Korven Kuningas", came out on March 21, 2008. The CD entered the album chart in the band's home country at position No. 16.
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Reunited Swiss thrash trio CORONER has been confirmed for next year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2011 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ANGELWITCH
CORONER
IMMORTAL
LAWNMOWER DETH
MORBID ANGEL
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
THERION
TRIPTYKON
The Bloodstock Open Air heavy metal festival was established in 2005 to bring a wider choice of heavy metal bands to the U.K. and provide a venue for the best established and unsigned metal bands to perform in front of a large an enthusiastic audience of true metalheads.
Bloodstock Open Air features three days of diverse international heavy metal bands across three stages, a large selection of merchandise stalls, metal karaoke, campsite and a wide selection of food, bars and other refreshments.
Cruz Del Sur Music has inked a deal with Pennsylvania's ARGUS for the release of the band's new album, entitled "Boldly Strides The Doomed".
ARGUS was formed in 2007 and features Bruce Balich of PENANCE fame on vocals. They released their self-titled debut album on Shadow Kingdom Records in 2009, which was greeted warmly by the metal press immediately, Decibel magazine describing them as "a chest-thumping display of epic heavy metal as performed by a bunch of staunch doom metal fans. Indeed, ARGUS are all about big riffs, galloping anthems, dark melodies and tube amps."
The recordings of "Boldly Stride The Doomed" will take place at Soundscape Studios in Pittsburgh. The initial tracking sessions are set to begin this week and will continue throughout December and January. The master of heavy metal wizardry Dave Watson (ICARUS WITCH, MANTIC RITUAL, CROWN THE LOST) will be at the engineering and production helm once again. The album is set to contain approximately eight or nine songs, including track titles such as "A Curse On The World", "The Ladder", "42-7-29" and "Durendal".
ARGUS will perform on April 16, 2011 at the Hammer Of Doom V festival, the annual doom and epic metal appointment in Würzburg, Germany, where they'll have the chance to perform with a cast of incredible bands such as PENTAGRAM, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, ATLANTEAN KODEX, SOLSTICE and many more.
"Boldly Strides The Doomed" will be released by Cruz Del Sur Music simultaneously on CD, vinyl and digital form on May 3, 2011.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/theargus.
Chicago, Illinois-based progressive hardcore band THROUGH THE FIRE has inked a deal with Eulogy Recordings. The group will enter the studio in December to begin recording its second full-length album for a spring release.
Over the course of its four years of existence, THROUGH THE FIRE built a great local buzz and developed into a national touring act. In 2009 the band issued its debut full-length, "The World At Our Feet", via Hotfoot Records. Following the release, the band toured the country with ENDWELL, OCEANO, AMBUSH!, MURDER DEATH KILL, KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS, LIFERUINER and BETRAYAL.
THROUGH THE FIRE is:
Vasilios Merkouris (vocals)
Nejron Zeko (guitars)
Brendan Williams (guitars)
Kevin Kellet (bass)
Sam Goldstein (drums)
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/throughthefirehc.
Drummer Dennis Leeflang has joined vocalist Ted Poley's (DANGER DANGER) solo touring band. Leeflang most recently toured with the '80s hard rock queen, Lita Ford, in the summer and fall of 2009 all over Europe and the United States, playing such prestigious events such as the Bang Your Head!!! and Gods Of Metal festivals, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Dennis joins bassist Doug Odell (ICE AGE), guitarist Maz Mazza (40FT. RINGO, DETROIT CHEETAH), and guitarist/keyboardist Paul LaPlaca (CHRIS CAFFERY, ZANDELLE) as Poley's newest lineup.
Leeflang expresses his excitement to be playing with Ted: "Ted is a drummer himself and we get a total kick about jamming together. He appreciates my playing in a way I'm not used to and at the same time when Ted has a suggestion, it actually makes sense! I'm really looking forward to going on the road with this band next year." The band will make its live performance debut at Klubben Fryshuset in Stockholm, Sweden on December 3, 2010.
Leeflang, who is most known for his work as the long time drummer for Bumblefoot (a.k.a. Ron Thal), guitarist of GUNS N' ROSES, reflects on how busy the last year has been for him, stating, "It's been a pretty hectic year for me, but that's how I like it. I'm a workaholic. I had just started working on new material with Bumblefoot when we got the call from Lita Ford and jumped on the road with her for three months with 36 hours to learn her set. It's been non-stop from that point on. After we got off the road with Lita, I've been locked up in my studio recording for a ton of different projects. Not just playing and recording my own drum tracks, but also engineering a variety of sessions ranging from vocals to strings. Most recently I've been recording drums for, as well as engineering and producing the first album in over 20 years by '80s thrash metal pioneers I.N.C. (INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND). The album will be mixed by Fredrik Nordström (OPETH,
SOILWORK, HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, BRING ME THE HORIZON), which is very exciting. Then there are several local New York City bands I work with and I got married this year. My focus for 2011 will definitely be Ted's band, though. Playing live is what I love the most."
Besides the I.N.C. release, the material Leeflang has been working on with Bumblefoot will also soon be issued. Available online only as individual song releases, fans can expect the tracks to be unleashed over the next few months.
Considering that Poley recently signed with ARM Entertainment (management firm of such notable talent as Bret Michaels, L.A. GUNS and DOKKEN), it appears Leeflang's busy schedule won't end just yet.
Norwegian metallers SUSPERIA have teamed up with former DIMMU BORGIR keyboardist Mustis (real name: Øyvind Mustaparta) to compete to represent their country in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.
Commented SUSPERIA frontman Athera (real name: Pål Mathiesen): "We are not afraid to lose credibility. A competition needs variation. We know how good our music is, with great melodies, energy and hooks in the songs. With this in mind, we want to let the big masses discover our music, and enjoy our hidden treasures."
SUSPERIA has released five albums and one EP, and has toured extensively in Europe. In addition, they were the first Norwegian metal band crack the Top 20 on the official single chart in Norway with their "Devil May Care" EP. Musically, they have evolved from playing what people used to define as black metal to pursuing a more traditional heavy metal/hard rock direction with clean vocals. "It is natural to develop and have new approaches," Athera states.
SUSPERIA was formed in 1999 and has had the same lineup throughout its existence. With the reintroduction of Mustis — who actually played synth on a SUSPERIA demo recording back in 1999 — a new aspect has been added to the band's sound. They are currently discussing a potential collaboration for a new album as well.
Commented Mustis: "It has been very inspiring to gather with SUSPERIA. Since Elvorn and I established our first band already in 1995 as kids, then meeting Memnock and knowing Tjodalv from my early days in DIMMU BORGIR, it felt very natural to sit down and start to be creative again together with my old friends.
"I don't think keyboard is for just any kind of metal band or band in general, but SUSPERIA have the open mind for this and the right elements for sure, and we agree that it can come something really good out of this.
"We made a killer song together that's going to be performed at the Norwegian Eurovision!!
"I really can't wait to perform again with a band that in a very dynamic way lift each other's instruments and Athera's amazing vocals all together."
Athera is currently busy with CHROME DIVISION (also featuring DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath [a.k.a. Stian Thoresen] on guitar), which is planning to release a new album early next year, while Cyrus (real name: Terje Andersen) is touring with DIMMU BORGIR as the group's session bassist. Despite this, the SUSPERIA guys promise to give the Eurovison Song Contest the highest priority.
KRIEG has partnered with Inferna Profundus Records to reissue "Patrick Bateman", the band's definitive black/noise statement from 2003. Based on Bret Easton Ellis' nihilistic novel "American Psycho", "Patrick Bateman" is close to fifteen minutes of the harshest and most feral material KRIEG ever set to tape. This reissue will feature a newly recorded bonus track in a (de)evolution of the spirit of the original recording as well as new packaging and linear notes from main member Imperial.
"Patrick Bateman" reissue track listing:
01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
05. V
06. VI (bonus track)
This recording is considered one of KRIEG's finest displays of raw and savage intensity and will appeal to those not just interested in black metal's extremes but also those into noise and power electronics. A December 2010 release is expected, limited to 500 copies, with the first 100 copies in exclusive digipack with different artwork.
For more information, visit www.inferna-profundus.net.
Norwegian band VREID will release its fifth album, simply entitled "V", on February 7, 2011 via Indie Recordings.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Arche
02. The Blood Eagle
03. Wolverine Bastards
04. The Sound Of The River
05. Fire On The Mountain
06. The Others & The Look
07. Slave
08. Welcome To The Asylum
09. Then We Die
Check out the cover artwork below.
Regarding the new CD, VREID previously stated, "There has been several changes around this time. A lot of new equipment has been used, Hváll [bass] has rebuilt his Studio 1184, and set up a completely new system. Also this is the first time the entire production is done by ourselves. Everything from pre-production, all recording and mixing. This has been very refreshing and liberating, and we are extremely satisfied with the production for this album.
"We had a lineup change as Strom joined us on guitar at the end of last year. This is his first recording with VREID, and he has made a tremendous contribution for the album. He has been working closely with Sture and Hváll with the guitar arrangements, and definitive set his mark on the songs.
"10 songs has been recorded, and it seem that nine of them will make it for the album.
"How does it sound?? Bloody great, if you ask us. Everyone seems very satisfied with the album, and the spirit within the band is fantastic."
VREID's fourth album, "Milorg", was released in North America on October 27, 2009 via Indie Recordings (with distribution and marketing duties handled by The End Records).
An e-card for "Milorg" is available at this location. The e-card features audio samples of all the cuts that appear on the CD.
"Milorg" was released in Norway on January 5, 2009 via Indie Recordings (January 19 in the rest of Europe). The cover artwork was designed by PC Groove.
VREID is the Norwegian band formed by former WINDIR members Hváll (bass), Steingrim (drums) and Sture (vocals, guitar).
VREID lineup:
Hváll - Bass
Sture - Vocals/Guitar
Strom - Guitar
Steingrim – Drums
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