According to Contactmusic.com, THE KINKS legend Ray Davies is still suffering the after-effects of a shooting in 2004 - he was hospitalised last year when bullet residue formed a clot in his leg.
He was blasted in the leg in January 2004 as he chased a thief who had snatched a purse in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He recovered from the attack after hospital treatment - but has now revealed his leg is still "pretty bad" and gunshot residue in the wound made him "quite ill" late last year.
Davies tells Q magazine, "It's been pretty bad, actually. I got quite sick before Christmas from residue that is still in the leg and which formed a clot. It made me quite ill and I was hospitalised for a bit.
"To put it politely, I don't think it was handled very well at the time: partly because the hospital was busy, and partly due to the nature of the gunshot wound. It was a zigzag bullet."
In November 2010, Davies axed four concerts in New York after doctors ordered him not to fly until his condition had stabilised.
Francis Rossi, known for fronting the multi-million album selling band STATUS QUO, is joining award-winning U.K. radio station Planet Rock for a series of exclusive radio shows. Each week Francis will be playing the music that has inspired him over the years, with stories from four decades as one rock's true originals!
"Over the years I've been in hundreds of radio stations but nobody has ever asked me to have a go myself. This time the only person cracking terrible jokes and missing their cues will be me," said Francis Rossi.
"Planet Rock has always brought rock's greatest artists to the airwaves, giving a rock star's perspective to life on the road, in the studio and to hear stories never heard on radio before. Francis has something to say about everyone and everything, the trouble is stopping him…. and his choice of music makes the show a must listen," said Trevor White, Planet Rock program director.
The series will run on Planet Rock on Sunday evenings from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. beginning on March 6.
Planet Rock broadcasts on digital radio, Sky 0110, Virgin Media 924, Freesat 730, online www.planetrock.com and on iPhone.
According to an ad (see below) that appears in the latest issue of Classic Rock magazine (which isn't on shelves yet but is out to subscribers), JUDAS PRIEST will be supported by QUEENSRŸCHE when the British heavy metal legends embark on a U.K. tour in July.
The dates are as follows:
July 15 - Newport, UK @ Centre
July 16 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
July 17 - Doncaster, UK @ The Dome
July 19 - Glasgow, UK @ SECC
July 20 - Newcastle, UK @ Metro Arena
July 21 - Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
July 23 - London, UK @ High Voltage Festival
July 24 - Bournemouth, UK @ BIC
Note: The above-listed shows should be treated as a **RUMOR ONLY** until they are officially confirmed by JUDAS PRIEST and/or its management.
JUDAS PRIEST announced in December that they will head out on their farewell world tour beginning in 2011. The band intends to hit all major cities across the globe as they sign off on a career that has lasted for nearly 40 years. The "Epitaph" tour will launch in early June and hit a number of European festivals throughout the summer, with more dates yet to be confirmed.
JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing recently answered a number of new fan questions via his official web site. When questioned about his plans for the future after PRIEST completes its farewell tour, Downing replied, "To be perfectly honest I have not given any thought as to possible case scenarios after the final tour. At the moment though I feel that PRIEST has played its part in music history and feel very proud to have achieved what we have. So there is a good positive feeling inside me and of course I feel very indebted to the fans all over the world. As for the future, we probably need the help of Nostradamus."
According to a posting on JUDAS PRIEST's official web site, the band is currently working on new material. The message adds that "all is going really well" and promises that more details will be made available at a later date.
A separate posting on JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton's official web site reads, "As you may already be aware, PRIEST have announced a fair well world tour beginning this summer.
"We are all excited about the tour and are currently having meetings to discuss the stage production, but above all the set list. We intend to include some classic PRIEST songs that we haven't played before and of course the old favorites that everybody will want to hear.
"To put everyone's mind at rest, this is by no means the end of the band. In fact, we are presently writing new material, but we do intend this to be the last major world tour."
JUDAS PRIEST's most recent double-disc concept album, "Nostradamus", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marked the band's highest-ever chart position in the U.S. In Canada, the CD opened at position No. 9 after shifting close to 4,000 units.
JUDAS PRIEST's previous studio CD, "Angel of Retribution", premiered with 58,000 copies in the U.S. back in March 2005 to debut at No. 13.
During yesterday's (Thursday, April 24) press conference to announce nominees and performers for the third annual Revolver Golden Gods awards, legendary rocker Alice Cooper was asked by VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner when Alice's recently recorded album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", will be released.
"Well, we have a whole big tour of big outdoor festival shows coming up and I didn't want to get that confused with that album," Cooper said. "So even though the album's in the can right now ready to go, [producer] Bob's [Ezrin] got to mix it and everything like that. I don't really want it to come out until probably next fall and then we'll be able to do the brand new show with it."
"Welcome 2 My Nightmare" was produced by Bob Ezrin, who also worked on the singer's "Billion Dollar Babies", "School's Out" and "Love It to Death" releases.
"We thought the story was good, but we started talking about 'Welcome To My Nightmare', which I think is our biggest triumph," Cooper told Billboard.com last October. "He mentioned, 'What if Alice had another nightmare?' And we wrote three songs right there. He got really involved in it. Bob is even darker than I am."
Cooper told Billboard.com that he and Ezrin were working on at least 13 songs, including the ballads "I Am Made of You" and "Something to Remember Me By". In addition, Cooper recorded three new songs with original bandmates Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums) and Michael Bruce (guitar).
"When I listen to the first 'Nightmare', I've got all kinds of things going on," Cooper said. "There's a lot of hard rock on it, but it'll go way off in a weird direction in one song and then way off in other direction for another song. So where 'Welcome To My Nightmare' left off, this one starts right up. When it comes out it'll have an entire new production around it, probably as big as the original 'Nightmare' show. It'll be a big moment in my career."
Ronnie James Dio's widow and manager Wendy has revealed to AOL's Noisecreep that Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST), Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA), Lemmy Kimister (MOTÖRHEAD), Alice Cooper, Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and Chris Jericho (FOZZY) are among the artists who will appear on a forthcoming tribute album to Ronnie. Grohl will do the BLACK SABBATH hit "Mob Rules" and Halford will take on "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll". Cooper already has a song in mind, going back to the ELF days, according to Wendy.
"Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio", the revealing memoir of the heavy metal master, will be published in the spring of 2012 via MTV Books.
With nearly five decades of worldwide success and album sales in the tens of millions as the front man of ELF, RAINBOW, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, and, most recently, HEAVEN & HELL, Ronnie James Dio grabbed the mic, took the stage, and led a movement whose influence resonates to this day. In "Rainbow In The Dark", Dio himself will introduce the reader to this incredible life and the over 50 photographs included will provide readers with an unprecedented all-access pass to the rock concert of a lifetime.
Wendy Dio revealed in a recent interview that Ronnie James Dio's memoir was three-quarters written before the singer's death and that she has until June 2011 to finish it so that it could be released the following spring.
"Everything Ronnie did, lyrics or anything, was always handwritten," Wendy told VH1 Classic Rock Nights. "He didn't do anything on the computer. So he would handwrite it and then he'd give it to me and then I'd give it to my assistant, she'd type it up. So that's how it went and, of course, I'd read it along the way and it's very, very interesting. It's just interesting the way his stories are; he was a storyteller. Ronnie was always a storyteller and it's just great stories."
"Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio" was sold at auction to Jacob Hoye, Senior Director of Publishing at MTV Books, by Shawna Morey, in her first deal at Folio Literary Management, LLC.
Renowned for his powerful, hard-driving vocals, Dio lends that unique voice to recount his extraordinary journey from early pioneer in a burgeoning music movement to his undisputed reign atop the heavy metal landscape. He was born in a time and to a family so far removed from the hard-rocking world he would dominate for nearly five decades, but his unbounded passion and peerless talent broke barriers and legitimized heavy metal as an alternative art form. His creative genius made him a legend.
During his life, Dio drew on the energy and devotion of millions of fans from around the world for the strength to create, entertain, and give back. In his death, he leaves us with his own voice and his own story to edify and inspire. He also leaves us perhaps his most important legacy, the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up and Shout" Cancer Fund, a non-profit founded by Wendy Dio, to fund and advocate for cancer research and screenings for society's underprivileged.
The acclaimed documentary examining the life and career of the MOTÖRHEAD frontman and rock icon Lemmy Kilmister, "Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch", sold around 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on Billboard's "Top Music Videos" chart. In addition, both the DVD and Blu-ray disc were among the top 10 best-selling documentaries on Amazon.com. The New York City theatrical release was also extended into its sixth straight week due to popular demand.
Fans and critics alike are devouring the DVD and Blu-ray extras, which stretch to a staggering 4.5 hours of bonus content. Leading the list of extras (the full list is below), is Lemmy and METALLICA's full intimate backstage rehearsal and riveting performance of the MOTÖRHEAD classics "Damage Case" and "Too Late Too Late" — all in 5.1 Surround Sound. (Only "Damage Case" appears in the film.) Also included is 40 minutes of live MOTÖRHEAD, interview outtakes, extended and deleted scenes, Lemmy's full, uncut conversations with Dave Grohl and Billy Bob Thornton, featurettes on Lemmy's longtime MOTÖRHEAD bandmates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, a special featurette on Lemmy's 50th birthday featuring never-before-released footage of METALLICA dressed as Kilmister and performing as "THE LEMMYS," and much, much more.
"Lemmy" U.S. bonus features:
* The Making of Lemmy
* Motörhead Live
* Lemmy & Metallica in Nashville
* (We Are) The Roadcrew
* Lemmy Interview Outtakes
* The Sweet Side of Lemmy
* Funny Stories
* Lemmy's 50th Birthday Featuring Metallica
* Marshall Stack Prototype Test
* Phil Campbell Featurette
* Mikkey Dee Featurette
* Full Dave Grohl & Lemmy Conversation
* Clarke/Kilmister/Taylor - The Early Days of Motörhead
* Meet the Superfans
* Matt Sorum Joins Motörhead
* The Making of "Motörizer"
* Triple H Interview Outtakes
* Everything Louder Than Everything Else
* Lemmy's Bass Playing Style
* Fans Around the World
* Full Billy Bob Thornton & Lemmy Conversation
* The Rocking Vickers (Extended Scene)
* Hawkwind (Extended Scene)
* Who Would Play Lemmy in a Movie?
* Lemmy World Premieres at South by Southwest 2010
Directors/producers Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski create an intimate portrait of a man revered by his longtime fans as well as musicians spanning the musical spectrum. Lemmy has more than a few stories, often littered with drugs and alcohol, to share about his electrifying career with MOTÖRHEAD. He's paved the way for countless metal bands, and from his favorite barstool at the Rainbow to his cluttered apartment filled with memorabilia, Lemmy continues to inspire a new generation of metalheads.
Even before MOTÖRHEAD began, Lemmy had a lifetime of experiences under his belt — he saw THE BEATLES at the Cavern Club, served as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, and played in both Merseybeat and psychedelic rock bands. Although he's 65, this rock god still acts not a day over 25 and doesn't plan to put down his Rickenbacker bass anytime soon.
Filmed over the course of three years, "Lemmy" made its world premiere at the 2010 South By Southwest Film and Music Festival, and has since collected rave reviews at film festivals around the globe. Other interviews featured in the film include musicians Dave Grohl, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, THE CLASH's Mick Jones, JOY DIVISION/NEW ORDER's Peter Hook, Ice-T, David Navarro, PULP's Jarvis Cocker, as well as actor/musician Billy Bob Thornton and professional wrestler Triple H, all of whom make the case that Lemmy is more than just a tremendous musician: he symbolizes what metal is, what it was, and what it should be.
DEF LEPPARD, Great Britain's premiere arena rock band, will make its triumphant return to the U.S. with a summer tour kicking off on June 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Joining DEF LEPPARD for this highly anticipated tour are Seattle rock legends HEART. Tickets for the Live Nation-produced tour will go on sale on beginning March 4 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.
"After having had the last 18 months off, LEPPARD are ready to get back on the road! Add HEART to the bill and it truly makes for a special evening," says DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott.
"Nancy [Wilson, HEART guitarist] and I are really excited to be bringing HEART to the stage this summer with DEF LEPPARD. It's going to be a powerful, monster show. The real thing. The summer of 2011 will be amazing," says HEART singer Ann Wilson.
DEF LEPPARD has partnered with I Love All Access to provide a variety of VIP ticket packages for the show, including premium seats, pre-show parties and more.
DEF LEPPARD's U.S. tour dates with HEART are as follows (with more shows to be announced):
Jun. 15 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Jun. 17 - Tampa, FL - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
Jun. 19 - Orange Beach, AL - Amphitheater at the Wharf
Jun. 22 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun. 24 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
Jun. 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
Jun. 29 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
Jul. 02 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 03 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Stadium
Jul. 05 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
Jul. 12 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Jul. 13 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Jul. 15 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jul. 17 - Cadott, WI - Rockfest
Jul. 20 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
Jul. 24 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Aug. 08 - Sturgis, SD - Buffalo Chip
Aug. 10 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 13 - Des Moines,IA - Iowa State Fair
Aug. 21 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug. 26 - St Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
Aug. 27 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
Aug. 31 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
Sep. 14 - Portland, OR - Sleep Country Amphitheater
DEF LEPPARD will release a brand new live album, "Mirrorball", this summer, featuring a mix of live DEF LEPPARD classics, three brand new studio songs and a bonus DVD that contains energetic live performances and intimate backstage footage captured on the road. Also due this summer is LEPPARD's first coffee table book titled "Def Leppard - The Definitive Visual History", with exclusive photos by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin.
DOWN 'N OUTZ — a project fronted by DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, backed by THE QUIREBOYS and playing rare tracks connected only by MOTT THE HOOPLE — will support Paul Rodgers (BAD COMPANY, FREE, QUEEN) on his U.K. tour in April.
RATT, But…
By: Rob Cavuoto
RATT, like many hard rock bands born out of California in the early '80s, were staples on MTV with such hits in heavy rotation like "Round and Round," "You're in Love," "Way Cool Junior," and "Wanted Man."
In 1984 they released their debut LP Out of the Cellar, and throughout the mid-to-late '80s, released a barrage of commercial hard rock LPs including Invasion of Your Privacy, Dancing Undercover and Reach for the Sky.
As the '90's approached the heyday of hair metal started to wane with the introduction of grudge. Simultaneously, RATT began to experience their own inner turmoil, citing substance abuse and personal issues. Singer Stephen Pearcy left the band in '92, and guitarist Robbin "King" Crosby died of a heroin overdose in 2002. Over the years there were several attempts to reform with multiple line-up changes.
Fast forward to 2010, RATT successfully reformed and released a new CD entitled Infestation with Pearcy on vocals, Bobby Blotzer on drums, and Warren DeMartini on guitar. Notably absent was original bassist Juan Croucier, who was replaced by Robbie Crane. Carlos Cavazo of Quiet Riot fame was added as second guitarist to this latest incarnation of the band.
Being a huge fan of '80s metal and commercial hard rock, working with Guitar International has allowed me to reach out and connect with some of my favorite bands and favorite band members, case in point, RATT's original bassist Juan Croucier.
I was able to connect with Juan last Spring when his old band RATT released Infestation. At the time he politely declined an interview but promised me one at a later date.
After months of my constant pestering and badgering, he agreed to speak with me (I think just so I would stop bothering him). What I got was an eye opening behind the scenes look at fallen super group and the dysfunctionality (if that is a word) that still occurs even after 30 years. In this unbridled and candid interview, we discussed what Juan is up to and what he has been through in his days with RATT.
Ratt Juan Croucier
Juan Croucier
******
Robert Cavuoto: What have you been up to lately with your solo bands and with your recording studio?
Juan Croucier: I have a band called Dirty Rats, and we play the RATT catalogue and a few original songs that never made it to any of the RATT LPs. It's a three piece. I have Pete Holmes from Black n Blue on drums and Johnny Love from Love Hate on guitar.
Then, I have another band that I'm working with call the Hard Rock All Stars. It's the same line up except with Jamie St James from Black n Blue on vocals. For that band we're just doing covers and having a good time. We play locally but hope to start touring more maybe in Vegas or Phoenix. I would love to get out there and play.
I'm also working on a solo project similar to Liquid Sunday, and beginning to put together some new songs for it. That's just me and Pete Holmes. I record the bass, guitar and vocals. I handle the engineering and production. I'm a song writer and I have a ton of songs that I need to get recorded and out there.
I also want to do an acoustic CD and redo some RATT songs which never made it on the RATT LPs. Maybe call it Demos from the RATT Years! Who knows? I have so many of these RATT demos, it could be a few volumes.
Robert: You actually have that many songs that didn't make it to any of the Ratt LPs?
Juan Croucier: Oh yeah. For a typical RATT LP I would present more demos than any other member combined. Unfortunately, with the politics of the group, they would cherry pick one or two songs to allow them room to include their songs.
In my opinion it was an inappropriate way to go at the time, and still believe the strongest songs should go on the record regardless of who writes them. Just because someone in the band wrote a song, it doesn't mean it deserves to go on the LP.
Robert: Did you ever collaborate as a band in writing songs?
Juan Croucier: We had a atypical way of writing, and without getting into a lot of negativity, different things would happen in different ways, at different times. For example, Warren would come up with a riff on guitar and then he would toss around and work on it in a rehearsal studio. Or Robin would get together a musical arrange and he would come to me, and ask what I would sing over this. An example of that was on "Can't Wait on Love" from Detonator.
Stephen wasn't the easiest guy to work with as he refused collaboration. His opinion of collaboration was taking your song home to make any changes he wanted to. There was no communication, conceptualizing, exchanging theories, where the song can go or how it can be interpreted. It made for an uncomfortable situation to put it lightly. Sometimes the producer, Beau Hill, would really work with Stephen to branch out to do things he wouldn't normally do.
RATT Juan Croucier
Juan Croucier With RATT
Robert: Are you looking to produce bands in your studio?
Juan Croucier: I had been producing bands when I was in RATT, like Love Hate. I did demos for many groups in my studio, but the quality wasn't up to professional standards. When RATT broke up, I upgraded by studio and made my living by producing bands. I had bands like KISS to unknowns, and then what happened over time is that people couldn't pay the bills.
At that point, I pretty much became disenchanted with producing. It's a lot of hard work and long hours, so in 2003 I took some time off to refresh. I still wrote and played in bands, I just took some time off from the studio thing. So now I'm getting back in there looking to producing my songs.
Robert: What made you put on the producer hat?
Juan Croucier: At the time RATT was breaking up, I was also going through a bad divorce and I had two young boys who I didn't want to leave, so I didn't want to commit to a long tour away from them. It was a tough time. It really worked for me and my children's needs. Do I regret that? No.
I do regret not putting out more solo CDs sooner. That's something that may have hurt me. Maybe I could've developed my solo career a little better. You make your choices in life and hope for the best.
Robert: When did you start playing and who are some of your early influences.
Juan Croucier: I have three brothers and we are all musicians. I started playing violin in the second grade and played in school band. Two of my brothers were bassists, and one day when I was a teenager I pulled one of my brother's basses from under the bed and started playing around with it. Later, my brother offered to sell me his Fender bass for $100 and a girlfriend of mine at the time bought it for me. I started playing and got really into it.
I was really into the progressive bands like YES and put some bands together and learning songs. I really tried to be an expert on the bass. When the Eagles' "Take it Easy" came out, that's when I realized that I want to start writing songs. I later realized that the jazz fusion thing wasn't the direction I wanted to go in when I saw Stanley Clarke selling out the Roxy, and I really wanted to sell out the Forum. At that point I started going in the rock direction.
Robert: If you could replay any point in your career with RATT, what would it be?
Juan Croucier: That's a tough question, I would say either Out of the Cellar time from '83-'84, or Invasion of Your Privacy right after. For Out of the Cellar, it was a very exciting time and things were changing quickly. MTV just came out and we were getting a lot of attention, but for Invasion of Your Privacy, we finally came into our own and started headlining. So those two points in the saga were interesting times. Bon Jovi even opened up for us for 6 months.
Robert: I think the big question was why you turned down the reunion with RATT so many times. What was the decision behind that?
Juan Croucier: Without adding any fuel to already existing fires, we just couldn't reach an agreement. It's no surprise that we had a lot of issues within the band, such as alcohol abuse and various personal issues. So I was of the opinion that it was one thing to have these issues when you're a young man in your twenties, but it's an entirely different thing to have these same issues when you're in your mid-forties.
If we can do things intelligently, as respectable businessmen, treating each other with respect and taking advantage of this wonderful thing we've and created, then I'm interested. The longer we negotiated, the more I came to see that nothing has changed. From what you've been reading on the internet lately, it's obvious.
Just to be very clear, I would love nothing more than to be in RATT, let's get that really, really clear. I love what we did and am really proud of what we accomplished. I helped build RATT. Why would I want to walk away from something that successful to play local clubs in Hollywood for a dozen people? I'm being honest here.
I would love to be making records and moving forward. But with the personalities involved, we just can't. The collective intelligence of the band is not that high. That's unfortunate and I hate it, but that's what really what prevented us from utilizing RATT to its fullest extent.
It really comes down to mutual respect and having boundaries that you don't cross because you're adults. And when there are no boundaries and there is no respect, and someone can lash out at someone for whatever reason, that really damages things.
I tried really hard. You have no idea how hard. For 10 years I tried. After a while you just give up. At the end of the day it's a sad thing for the fans. They just want to see the band rock out. It's everything behind the scenes that is so embarrassing and to be a part of that is unbearable, if you're of reasonable and sound mind.
Robert: I'm sure you aware of all the recent comments lately by Bobby Blotzer against Stephen Pearcy. Looking in at it as an outsider now, what do you make of it?
Juan Croucier: That nothing has changed and they can't contain the problem. There's so much disfunctionality there I wonder why they try. Life is short and at some point, why are we doing all this for what we're getting. What recently happened seems unnecessary.
When you are going to say something, you need to consider the effect it'll have and what you're looking to accomplish. To besmirch him seems odd. He's your band mate. In any other job, if you made remarks like that you'd probably be terminated. For me it's still embarrassing.
Robert: At some point I have to believe that you must feel good that you're not a part of all this nonsense and drama?
Juan Croucier: Yeah it does.
Ratt Juan Croucier
Juan Croucier
Robert: Were you happy with the way VH1's Behind the Music came out?
Juan Croucier: Yeah I was. It's hard to condense a 10 year career into 45 minutes. The producers were hopeful that they could end the show on a positive note, "RATT has reunited with its original members, and they are moving forward and touring this summer" and so on. We tried it to make it work, but it just started to unravel and what caused it to unravel was that there was a chance for RATT to open for Poison. All the negations got wiped off the table for some reason and the band was like "are you going to do it or not?"
It was disheartening that the patterns that we always had trouble with were still there. Without getting into the details and insulting situations, it was sad to see that so little has changed and no one was in control of anything. That's why it's so hard for me to get involved in a reunion.
Robert: Without giving names, was it always the same one or two people causing all the issues?
Juan Croucier: No it's a combination of everybody, but there are two people in the group who make everything virtually impossible. It's pretty obvious who it is. It's not Robin or me [Laughing]. It's a sad thing. I tried to inject some common sense and it was unfortunate that one of the members could bring himself to be reasonable or remember the things we discussed.
That was always a big problem within RATT. We'd discuss something at a meeting and agree to it, and then it would change [Laughing]. That's fine when it's a minor issue, but when it's major affecting your life and well-being, that's different.
Robert: You have a very interesting story, any plans to write a book like Bobby Blotzer?
Juan Croucier: I don't know, I have notes that I made over the years and stories I jotted down. I also have a ton of concert footage of the shows and behind the scenes footage. I used to set up a video camera at the mixing board of almost every show, and with any left-over tape I would captures us having fun.
So, I have all this stuff and really need to think of the vehicle to get it out there, but there are no plans as of yet. I have to say this about Blotzer's book, he loved to have a good time on tour and he consumed. Let's just say he loved to party. So any recollection of what went down should be taken within that context. It is what it is!
Reporter Magnus Ek of Swedish web magazine CriticalMass.se recently conducted an interview with ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann when the band played in Stockholm, Sweden.
CriticalMass.se: I think "Blood Of The Nations" feels like a natural continuation of the evolution of the ACCEPT sound. How do you plan things when you are starting work on a new album?
Wolf: First, thanks. We are touring this summer and are doing some festivals. Then after the summer tour I will start to write some new material. I am not the kind of person that is writing every day. I can't write under pressure. I have to have an open schedule, with nothing planned.
CriticalMass.se: So you are not the kind of person who will use a soundcheck to try out new ideas?
Wolf: No. First, we don't have that time. We just check that everything is alright on stage for the show. And, as I told you before, I don't write under pressure. And doing soundchecks is a limited amount of time, so no — I don't do that.
CriticalMass.se: I understand that you were very disappointed when Udo Dirkschneider wasn't interested in joining ACCEPT on a permanent basis?
Wolf: Yes!!
CriticalMass.se: How is your relationship with him?
Wolf: Non-existent. We don't talk at all. He decided not to follow the road that the rest of us did. He didn't think that we were able to write any good songs anymore. Hell, I wrote all the hits he still plays with U.D.O. He didn't write any of them, I did! He talks a lot of shit about us in interviews but we don't care. Why should we? We don't want to stoop that low, to throw shit back and forward. We have moved on and made a better album than we ever could do with Udo. And we got good reviews didn't we? "Blood Of The Nations" was voted "the best metal album of the year" last year. I think that says it all, don't you?
DANZIG has announced the following U.S. tour dates:
Apr. 29 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Apr. 30 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre
May 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - Great Salt Air
May 03 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre
May 04 - Kansas City, MO - Voodoo
May 06 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q
May 07 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street
May 09 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock
May 10 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
May 11 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
May 13 - Richmond, VA - The National
May 14 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
May 15 - Albany, NY - Northern Lights
May 17 - Baltimore, MD - Bourbon St.
May 18 - Westbury, NY - Westbury Theatre
May 20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage Ae
May 21 - Columbus, OH - Rock On The Range
May 22 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
May 24 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
May 25 - St. Louis, MO - Pops
May 27 - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Sunshine Theatre
May 28 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
DANZIG is giving its loyal fans the first opportunity to buy tickets. For these shows, tickets will be offered before they go on sale to the general public. Tickets will have reduced service charges compared to the usual ticket outlets.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION — the Anglo/American rock supergroup featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, TRAPEZE), drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa — has scheduled two dates in California in early June:
June 09 - Civic Theatre - San Diego, CA
June 10 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION has joined forces with Planet Rock, the U.K.'s leading classic rock radio station, to offer rock fans the opportunity to download two exclusive free live BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION tracks.
The songs, "Black Country" and "One Last Soul", were originally recorded live in front of a specially invited audience at John Henry's in London, England on September 20, 2010. The live recordings have been exclusively mixed for Planet Rock by BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's producer Kevin Shirley.
To be eligible to download the live tracks, rock fans are being asked to become VIP members of Planet Rock's web site by signing up to www.planetrock.com/vip. Once free membership has been activated, fans will have access to the free download, along with other VIP offers. Additionally, fans will also be able to order tickets for BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's forthcoming U.K. summer concerts in July.
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's sophomore album is scheduled for a June release.
According to TMZ.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil has checked out of the Clark County Detention Center after serving a 10-day sentence for DUI and speeding.
Neil pled guilty in Las Vegas Justice Court last month and will now spend 15 days under house arrest. He will also pay a $585 fine and attend DUI school and attend a victim impact panel online.
Vince told the Las Vegas Sun that he believed his 15-day prison sentence for driving under the influence was too much, saying, "They were a little harsh in the sentencing . . . But they wanted to make an example out of me, and it is what it is." Asked why he thought he got such a "harsh" penalty, Neil added, "Well, I think just because of my past. That kind of factored into it. But I'm going to do it, do my time and put it behind me and move on with my life."
Neil's "past" includes a felony DUI in a 1984 accident that killed HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and injured two others, leaving at least one of them with permanent brain damage. Neil was unharmed, did 30 days in prison, 200 hours of community service, and paid millions in restitution.
Neil failed three field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level almost three times the legal limit during his June 27, 2010 Las Vegas arrest.
SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison has told Kerrang! magazine that fans will get an unforgettable show when the band returns to the stage this summer to play its first concerts since the passing of SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray.
"[These shows] will be the ultimate triumph," he promised. "I have fucking piss and venom in my fucking veins right now. I'm already just thinking about... when we step onto that fucking stage, the eight of us... I don't even know if we're gonna make it through one song. We might destroy everything.
"It's going to be bizarre. I think, honestly, Paul's with us in spirit... It's going to be a really, really explosive show. It's gonna be good for all of us... I think Sonisphere [festival in the U.K.] is going to be an exorcism.
"I think the best thing is to put Paul finally to rest, he wants to see us fucking rock. Once we do that, we'll be at peace and everything can continue from there."
Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb last May at the age of 38 from an overdose of morphine.
SLIPKNOT will make a number festival appearances this summer, including the U.K.'s Sonisphere, Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting and Brazil's Rock In Rio.
Speaking to the Artisan News Service, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor admitted that he is still unsure going back out and performing live without Gray is the right thing to do. "It was a big decision," he said. "There's still a part of me that's kind of on the fence about it. It all comes down to the band at the end of the day and how we handle it. And if we can come together as men and handle it the right way and do it for the right reasons — do it for the fans, do it for the family — it could be the first of baby steps to see what happens in the future." He added, "The wonderful thing and the worst thing about this band is that there's no other band like SLIPKNOT, so we handle things the way we handle it."
If the band sticks to the plan revealed to The Pulse Of Radio by Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT will use a touring bassist for live work but will remain an eight-piece onstage. "We're not gonna have anyone on stage right now," Jordison said. "The bass player, he'll be behind me, you know, when I'm playing to lock in with me, but there's no one right now to go onstage. There's no replacement for Paul right now."
Jordison said late last year that he and other members of the eight-piece band were already separately recording demos of new material, which he hoped to begin recording sometime in early 2011.
But Taylor disputed that, saying he has "no plans" to make a new album with the band anytime soon.
Following the announcement of the Sonisphere show, Taylor tweeted, "Honestly, I don't know how to feel about the tour. But it's for the fans, and for the family. We'll see. I don't know WHEN I'll be ready to make an album. Might not be for years. But we will definitely play shows. We'll see what happens."
Taylor and SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root have been on the road with their other band, STONE SOUR, since early summer.
Jacksonville, Florida is about to become an annual destination for rock music fans across the country. The first annual Welcome To Rockville festival will be held along the beautiful St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville at Metropolitan Park on Sunday, May 8, featuring over 20 bands, including GODSMACK, SEETHER, STONE SOUR, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, PUDDLE OF MUDD, SKILLET, HALESTORM, REV THEORY, MY DARKEST DAYS, Jacksonville's own COLD and many others. The event will feature three stages of continuous music throughout the day.
Tickets for Welcome To Rockville will be priced at $39.50 and the general on sale will begin on March 4 at 7 a.m. at this location. Fans also have the option to purchase a VIP ticket for $90 which includes: VIP entrance to venue, access to VIP lounge area featuring dedicated bar, beverage and food service, premium viewing of main stage (seated and standing areas), seated area with shade for dining and private restroom facilities.
For fans traveling from out of town., Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel is the official hotel of Welcome To Rockville.
Presented by Jacksonville native Danny Wimmer (one of the partners in the massively successful Rock On The Range festival), along with Mike Yokan and Jason Lewis at Orange Garden Productions, Welcome To Rockville will become an annual event unlike anything Jacksonville, Florida has seen in the past.
"Welcome To Rockville for me is a dream come true," Wimmer commented. "I've been very successful in launching some of the biggest rock festivals in North America and to finally bring an event of this magnitude home means the world to me. As a former partner in The Milk Bar I know just how great the rock music fans in this town are. Jacksonville finally has an event to match that passion."
"I'm not from Jacksonville, I've only lived here for a few years," commented STONE SOUR's lead guitarist Jim Root. "I've been all over the world and seen almost every great city there is... After 12 years I decided to call Jacksonville home."
"I'm super excited to be playing Welcome To Rockville," commented PUDDLE OF MUDD guitarist Paul Phillips. "Being from Jacksonville myself, I'm proud to be a part of a great number of bands and musicians that have come from the area. I'm honored to help bring the rock back home!!!"
Mistress Juliya from Fuse TV will be the host for Welcome To Rockville introducing the bands and interacting with fans throughout the day.
"I'm psyched to be the voice of Welcome To Rockville," Juliya remarked. "Florida is the birth ground for so many great bands from the metal and rock scene this festival just brings everything full circle."
Monster Energy Drink and Metro PCS will be the primary sponsors of the event with Monster presenting the main stage and Jägermeister presenting the third stage.
RHINO BUCKET has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 8-11, 2011 in Sölvesborg in southern Sweden.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):
ACCEPT
AGENT STEEL
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
BUCKCHERRY
CLUTCH
CRASHDIET
DAN REED BAND
DESTRUCTION
DOC HOLLIDAY
DOWN
ELECTRIC WIZARD
EVERGREY
FLÄSKET BRINNER
FM
GHOST
GROUNDHOGS
HARDCORE SUPERSTAR
HAWKWIND
HELLOWEEN
ICED EARTH
JASON & THE SCORCHERS
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
JUDAS PRIEST
KANSAS
LEE AARON
MASON RUFFNER
MOLLY HATCHET
MOONSPELL
MORBID ANGEL
MR. BIG
MUSTASCH
NECRONAUT
OVERKILL
OZZY OSBOURNE
RAGE (acoustic)
RAUBTIER
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
RHINO BUCKET
ROB ZOMBIE
SAXON
SPOCK'S BEARD
STRYPER
STYX
THE BREW
THE CULT
THE DAMNED
THE HAUNTED
THIN LIZZY
WALTER TROUT
WHITESNAKE
Canadian heavy metal legends ANVIL have been confirmed for the next Sweden Rock Cruise, set to sail from Stockholm to Turku, Finland and back on April 7-8, 2011.
The billing is shaping up as follows:
ANVIL
DORO
ELECTRIC BOYS
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
BONFIRE
PRIMORDIAL
Ticket prices — including cabin accomodations — start at only 395 SEK (approximately 43 euros) per person.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, former JOURNEY frontman Steve Perry says he's written about 50 songs which are in the running for his upcoming solo album. The still-unnamed project will mark his first new album since 1994's "For The Love Of A Strange Medicine" collection. Perry talked to Classic Rock magazine about the new album, saying, "A little over a year-and-a-half ago, I felt I could maybe come back to it. I have been writing. I have about 50 songs, in a little over a year. I never thought I'd do it again, but I decided to open up that room and see what I could find."
He went on to describe the new songs: "Some of it sounds familiar, some of it sounds contemporary, some of it you can't put a label on — and I've never been big on labels anyway."
When pressed to give fans an idea when the album will be released, Perry said: "I'll be honest, I don't really know how to do that. But I can definitely smell a solo project on the horizon. I will be recording some music."
Norwegian progressive metallers SPIRAL ARCHITECT are preparing to resume work on the material for the long-awaited follow-up to the band's 1999 debut CD, "A Sceptic's Universe". Drummer SPIRAL ARCHITECT writes on the band's official forum, "We've been working on the next album — obviously more off than on — since 1999 (?) and have maybe an hour's worth of music (bits and pieces). The good news is that it looks like there will be continuous work on this album from March this year. Time will tell…"
In a January 2007 online posting, Mickelson stated about SPIRAL ARCHITECT, "A lot of people are annoyed about the fact that we're doing 'everything' else than what we 'should' do — which is making another SPIRAL ARCHITECT album. But the fact is that we've always thought that we will make one when it feels right. Nothing has really ever gotten in the way."
SPIRAL ARCHITECT was founded in 1993 in Oslo, Norway, when lead guitarist Steinar Gundersen (ex-KING'S QUEST) joined the remains of ANESTHESIA consisting of Kaj Gornitzka (guitar), Lars K. Norberg (bass) and Asgeir Mickelson (drums). From the onset, the band set out to branch off from the music of contemporary innovative metal bands like WATCHTOWER, FATES WARNING and PSYCHOTIC WALTZ. The overall idea was to once and for all integrate jazz-fusion elements with uncompromising metal.
"A Sceptic's Universe" was recorded in June 1998 at Village Productions in Texas with producer Neil Kernon (QUEENSRŸCHE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE, NILE) and was released in Japan on December 16, 1999 (with the FATES WARNING cover "Prelude to Ruin", originally recorded for the FW tribute "Through Different Eyes", as a bonus track) and the rest of the world on January 18, 2000.
"In Paradisum", the debut album from SYMFONIA — the new melodic metal project featuring former members of HELLOWEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ANGRA and SONATA ARCTICA — will be released in North America on April 19 via Armoury Records. The CD will be issued in Europe on April 1 through Edel Germany GmbH.
"In Paradisum" track listing:
01. Fields Of Avalon
02. Come By The Hills
03. Santiago
04. Alayna
05. Forevermore
06. Pilgrim Road
07. In Paradisum
08. Rhapsody In Black
09. I Walk in Neon
10. Don't Let me Go
Norwegian metallers INSENSE will release their fourth album, "Burn In Beautiful Fire", on April 8 via Indie Recordings.
IN FLAMES frontman Anders Fridén, who manages INSENSE, stated about the latter act, "The first time I heard them, I wanted more. They have this amazing ability to sound extreme yet poised, dark yet beautiful, hardcore yet soft, technical yet simplistic, all without falling into the 'pathetic' trap. They are an extreme metal band that's comfortable to listen to. They're difficult to categorize that way."
"Burn In Beautiful Fire" track listing:
01. Death For Me, Death For You
02. Surviving Self Resentment
03. Alone In A Crowd
04. Overrated
05. Social Woes
06. Burn In Beautiful Fire
07. Envy The Dead
08. Perversion
09. Nothing to Live For
10. High On Rejection
INSENSE's third album, "The Silent Epidemic", was released in April 2007 in Norway via Black Balloon Records (May 2007 in the U.S. via Candlelight Records). The CD was mixed by Daniel Bergstrand and was mastered at the Cutting Room in Stockholm.
INSENSE's sophomore album, "Soothing Torture", came out in January 2005 via Black Balloon. The follow-up to 2002's "Insense" (This Dark Reign) was recorded between December 2003 and February 2004 at Caliban Studios and Musikkloftet in Oslo, Norway.
INSENSE is:
Tommy Hjelm - Guitar, Vocals
Martin Rygge - Guitar
Ola S. Hana - Bass
Truls Haugen - Drums
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
Swedish metallers REVENGIA entered the studio last year to begin laying down tracks for their as-yet-untitled third album. The band has now issued the following update on the progress of the CD's recording sessions:
"Writing from the studio were we right now are doing some re-amping and vocals.
"As you notice, things are moving slowly. We had our share of trouble during last fall, which led to abandoning the studio facilities we spent many hours building.
"'Back to square one' is an expression so familiar to us, it should be the name of the album (or not...). On the other hand, the results are really good.
"The album will show an updated REVENGIA with some really heavy songs with strong melodies.
"Everybody is contributing [his] outmost to make the best REVENGIA possible.
"We got some vocals to do, then we will shift to mixing mode."
REVENGIA previously described the new songs as "heavy, fast, doomy and melodic, just as usual in REVENGIA-land!"
REVENGIA's last album, "Eraser", was released in Japan on November 21, 2007 via Soundholic Records.
The band in 2007 split with ARCH ENEMY drummer Daniel Erlandsson due to scheduling conflicts. He has since been replaced by Conny Pettersson (ANATA, TRENDKILL, ETERNAL LIES).
For more information, visit www.revengia.se.
Tyler: Your new album "Fallen", from what I've heard so far, seems to be a drastic departure from the traditional Burzum sound. The mix on "Fallen" is much clearer than your previous releases, and the music itself seems to have a more mature sound, while still retaining the classic Burzum ambiance. What caused such a huge change in your writing and general style of playing?
Varg: Well, I am not sure if I agree with you. To me this is just another Burzum album, made and recorded the same was as the others (save the ambient albums). It is more melodic and varied than the older albums, and I use several different vocal styles this time, but apart from that ...
Tyler: Seeing as how a good portion of your fans are unfamiliar with the Norwegian language, what is the general theme or message within "Fallen?" Your previous release, "Belus" dealt with the Norse life-death-rebirth diety of the same name. Does "Fallen" deal with anything in particular?
Varg: It deals with the fallen ... and you are free to interpret that any way you want, or to ignore any meanig I put into it or that you or others may find and just enjoy the music. I will not try to shove some original message down anyone's throat.
Tyler: Going through your entire catalogue, you seemed to find a great balance between pure black metal and dark, ambient tracks. Where did your interest in ambient music begin?
Varg: Probably some time in the 80ies, with Jean-Michelle Jarre and a German band called Software.
Tyler: You have a unique style of playing and an even more unique sound which really helped to define true black metal. Tell us a little bit about your writing process, where you draw your inspiration from, and basically how you get your classic sound.
Varg: There is not much to tell. I am an individual different from all other individuals. We all are. When I make music it will be marked by me. Other bands suffer (and some times benefits) from having several band members, who all provide some of their colour to the music. I am alone, so I think the product is often more .... wholehearted. Some like that. Other don't. And that's all good.
Tyler: You've been a key player in black metal virtually since its inception. In the 20+ years black metal has existed, it has seen some drastic changes (going from lo-fi to hi-fi, up to complete re-definitions of the genre). How do you feel about the current state of black metal, assuming that you've heard some of the newer bands?
Varg: Sorry, but I have not heard any of the newer black metal bands. When I have the time to listen to other music I listen to The Cure mostly. Good music never grow old ... Their Disintegration album is fantastic!
Tyler: Here in the states, black metal has become somewhat of a mainstream phenomenon, while still managing to stay underground. Popular culture stores sell black metal merchandise alongside merchandise catered to the 12-16 year old age groups (examples: Lady GaGa, Justin Bieber, etcÉ) Does it bother you that black metal is becoming a fashion statement, rather than legitimate self-expression?
Varg: Legitimate self-expression? I think even the black metal bands forming in 1992 where made up of sheep; weak followers who just did their best to sound like and look like their idols in Mayhem, Darkthrone and Burzum. Joining a sub-culture, any sub-culture, for whatever reason, is as I see it never a legitimate self-expression. It is always a result of sheep mentality; a wish to belong somewhere. A legitimate self-expression is never something you do because others have done it before you and you want to be like them. Now, with that said, I am not saying it is a bad thing to be a follower. Maybe that is just how human beings are? All of us, to some extent. Anyway; we all like to be so very special and different from the rest, because we know that we really aren't, so we join different sub-cultures, to get a feeling we really are. Blah! Just listen to whatever music you like, dress in whatever clothes you like, and don't care about what others think
or feel about that. Personally I listen to The Cure, and sometimes also Future Sounds of London and classical music, and even balalaika, I usually wear worn-out jogging pants with paint stains all over, single-coloured cotton t-shirts that I bought for 0.49 cent a piece in some super marked, and a Russian army cap that was worn out about a decade ago. Does it matter? What sub-culture do I belong to then? Classical techno-melancholic balalaika bum-look-a-likes?
Tyler: Burzum aside, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? You announced in 2009 that you were going to settle on a small farm in Telemark with your family. Do you enjoy farming, or is it simply a way for you to have your own time away from the public eye to be with your loved ones?
Varg: It's just a home to me, and I do no farming. Privacy equals freedom to me. I'de rather be a nomadic hunter-gatherer than a farmer, by the way ... In my free time? I don't know. The same as most others I guess; watch a DVD that supposed to be good, but wasn't at all, do some research on a subject using the Internett, work out, go jogging, vacuum and wash the 4*4 .... and re-paint the 4*4 in camouflage, sharpen the seax, improve my staff-sling skills, shoot with my traditional longbow and arrows, oil the mail, take my cool Russian 4*4 for a drive through the forest ... stuff like that. Oh, and I work a lot with my own tabletop RPG. The latter seems to be real Sisyphean task, and I'll probably never finish it. Maybe one day I will even grow up ...
Tyler: In order to not take up anymore of your time, I'll end the interview with one final question. is there anything you'd like to say to your fans who have stayed loyal to the name of Burzum?
Varg: Well, I think I should say thanks a lot to all of them; without them I'de be robbing banks for a living now, or something like that. ;-) I hope I have given them something positive with Burzum, and I hope I am able to do that in the future as well. An artist Ð even a simple musician like myself Ð grows from positive feedback, and although he tends to turn into some egocentric prick, like U2's Bono, to use the most obvious example, it does help him create more and better music.
Guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders of South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE makes a guest appearance on vocals on the song "Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness)" from Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based death/thrash metallers NERVECELL. The track will appear on NERVECELL's new album, "Psychogenocide", which is scheduled for release on March 31 in the Middle East via Spellbind Records; on April 29 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland; and on May 2 in the rest of Europe through Lifeforce Records.
Commented NERVECELL: "This particular song is special to the band as it will mark the first extreme metal track ever to include both Arabic lyrics mixed in with English lyrics, and who better else to have come on board and collaborate on this theme with us than the legendary Karl Sanders!
"The word 'Shunq' in Arabic has two meanings: to choke or to be hung by the neck. The song consists mainly of ideas and knowledge gathered from sources that speak about Lucifer and the demons that serve him. The song 'Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness)' speaks about the battle of us humans and these demons in reality, in the end Satan himself brought forth to justice."
The "Psychogenocide" cover artwork was designed by Björn Goosses of Killustrations (ABORTED, SEVERE TORTURE, ZYKLON) and is a concept which NERVECELL has been working on for quite a while. The band is said to be "extremely proud of how it has turned out" as it "perfectly matches the aggression and musical direction of the new album."
"Psychogenocide" track listing:
01. Anemic Assurgency
02. Upon An Epidemic Scheme
03. All Eyes On Them
04. Amok Doctrine
05. Psychogenocide
06. Imprint
07. Shunq (To The Despaired… King Of Darkness)
08. The Taste Of Betrayal
09. Driven By Nescience
10. Nation's Plague
Released in April 2008 in the Middle East (via Spellbind Records), "Preaching Venom" featured PSYCROPTIC's David Haley (also of THE AMENTA, RUINS) on drums. The CD was mixed at Hertz Studio (VADER, DECAPITATED, HATE) in Poland by Wieslawscy Bros. and was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/nervecell.
NECROCURSE, the old-school Swedish death metal band featuring Hellbutcher (NIFELHEIM) on vocals and Nicklas Rudolfsson (RUNEMAGICK) on drums, has inked a deal with Aftermath Music. The group's limited-edition debut EP (only 500 copies will be pressed), "Chaos Carnage Cataclysm", will be released exclusively on vinyl.
Portuguese grind legends HOLOCAUSTO CANIBAL are preparing to enter 213 Studios (HEAVENWOOD, GRUNT) with producer Bruno Silva to begin recording their fourth full-length album, "Gorefilia", for a late 2011 release via Metal Age. The CD will be mixed and mastered at Hertz Studios (BEHEMOTH, VADER, DEAD INFECTION, DECAPITATED, SEVERE TORTURE) in Bialystok, Poland.
According to a press release, "This concept album involves sexual arousal and gratification towards sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme. As always, you can expect self-torture, bizarre love and loads of sperm tainted with blood. Musically, some big changes are expected; however, the band is still committed to death metal and grind."
"Gorefilia" will feature several special guests, to be announced soon.
For studio updates, visit HolocaustoCanibal.com.
Bazillion Points Books has revealed the final cover artwork for "Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries", a mammoth 744-page hardcover journey into black metal, death metal, and beyond by Norway's metal godfather Jon Kristiansen. "The greatest heavy metal story ever told" will be available June 6, 2011, wherever books are sold, and is available for preorder now with two bonus limited patches at this location.
Part anthology, part memoir, and years in the making, "Metalion" includes over 600 reproduction pages from every issue of Slayer mag, spanning from the early 1980s through 2010. In addition, author Jon Kristiansen recounts his life's story, from alienated outsider to central figure in Norwegian black metal to world-weary metal survivor. The book also features over 100 rare photographs, including two color sections and a portrait gallery of photographs taken by Kristiansen himself.
The astonishing combination of archival material includes scores of key historic interviews with the most revered figures in extreme metal, including:
MAYHEM
EMPEROR
SLAYER
KREATOR
NIHILIST
CELTIC FROST
BATHORY
CATHEDRAL
ENTOMBED
MORBID
NAPALM DEATH
METALLICA
OPETH
CRADLE OF FILTH
SADISTIK EXECUTION
USURPER
NIFELHEIM
DARKTHRONE
SODOM
DESTRUCTION
MORBID ANGEL
DEICIDE
EXODUS
DISSECTION
CANDLEMASS
CARCASS
SEPULTURA
GORGOROTH
DEATH
WATAIN
SADUS
SATYRICON
ENSLAVED
PENTAGRAM
JARBOE
IMMORTAL
POSSESSED
OVERKILL
ULVER
DARK ANGEL
"From the start, I made Slayer mag as honestly and as well as I could," says Kristiansen. "I never knew any other way. I hope that I have produced something that will stand the test of time."
Danish extreme metallers CORPUS MORTALE recently enteredAntfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark with producer Jacob Olsen (PANZERCHRIST) to begin recording their third album for a late 2011 release.
Commented the band: "10 [new] songs [were] nailed by [drummer] Rasmus [Schmidt]. In a few days we'll start tracking guitars at the home studio. Vocal sessions are planned for late March or early April. We'll be back soon with some more info on the songs themselves."
CORPUS MORTALE released its second full-length album, "A New Species of Deviant", in September 2007 via Neurotic Records. The CD features the artwork of the label's in-house artist Joel Sta.
"Pimeys" (English translation: "Darkness"), the debut album from ROUTASIELU, the Finnish melodic death metal project led by Tuomas Saukkonen (BEFORE THE DAWN, BLACK SUN AEON), has entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 28.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Alkusoitto
02. Enkeli
03. Sukuhauta
04. M.E.V.
05. Soturi
06. Pesäpallo
07. Kaipaus
08. Pimeä
09. Loppu
10. Ystävä
11. Kehtolaulu
ROUTASIELU is:
* Mikko Heikkilä (BLACK SUN AEON, SINAMORE) - Vocals, Guitar
* Eero Silvonen (DEATH CONFRONTING, THE FINAL HARVEST) - Solo Guitar
* Tuomas Saukkonen (BEFORE THE DAWN, BLACK SUN AEON, THE FINAL HARVEST) - Bass, Growls
* Saku Moilanen - Keyboards
* Pyry Hanski - Drums
For more information, visit www.routasielu.com.
Swedish progressive melodic death metallers SCAR SYMMETRY will release their new album, "The Unseen Empire", in Europe on April 15 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Commented the band's drummer, Henrik Ohlsson: "'The Unseen Empire' seeks to expose the hidden hand of the elite that pull the strings of mankind in order to fulfill their agenda of global domination. The album concept goes from theories of shadow governments to secret ancient bloodlines and even further into speculations of malevolent influence from metaphysical reptilian-based intelligences. Mankind's only hope to survive seems to be an internal awakening where the influence of the unseen empire that rules in secrecy is washed away from the minds of the masses. They want us to stay within the framework of their agenda, hypnotizing us with things that draw attention but has no value. It's time to step outside the framework and make 'the unseen empire' visible!"
Check out the CD cover artwork below.
SCAR SYMMETRY's last album, "Dark Matter Dimensions", was released on October 2, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.
The band parted ways with singer Christian Älvestam in 2008 due to "business and creative differences and lack of interpersonal chemistry." He has since been replaced by Roberth Karlsson (lead growl vocals and backing clean vocals) and Lars Palmqvist (lead clean vocals and backing growl vocals).
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/scarsymmetryunseen.jpg
U.K.'s GODFLESH and Norway's VIRUS have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Hole In The Sky festival (a.k.a. Bergen Metal Fest XI), set to take place August 24-27 in Bergen, Norway. Also scheduled to appear are MARDUK, GHOST and NEGATIVE PLANE.
The organizers previously stated about the event: "Due to issues in regard to the main stage venue, we were forced to sit back and wait until we found a proper solution to the matter. As it happens, it all turned out for the best in the end. The scheduled renovation work for USF is postponed, so we're able to carry on with the same setup as before — two days at the Garage club, finishing of with two days at USF. This has, naturally, caused some delays as we couldn't start the booking process until we knew what we were dealing with."
For more information, visit www.holeinthesky.no.
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