The documentary about legendary Canadian trio RUSH, called "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", was honored in the "Documentary In Feature Film" category at the MPSE Golden Reel Awards Sunday night (February 20) in Los Angeles.
The MPSE Golden Reel Awards acknowledge the year's best work in the various areas of sound editing.
RUSH lost in the "Best Long Form Music Video" category at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13 to THE DOORS film "When You're Strange".
The two-disc DVD release of "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" was certified double platinum last fall by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)
Guitarist Alex Lifeson told The Pulse of Radio that it wasn't until he saw the film himself that he thought there was actually an interesting story to tell about the band. "It's just kind of a, you know, a success story — kids from the suburbs have a dream and they live their dream," he said. "And everybody can relate to that. There's been quite a dynamic in the band, a lot of stuff has happened, so there was a story to tell there. And I don't think I really realized there was one until we actually saw a rough cut and how they pieced it all together and the chronology and the ebbs and flows of the story."
RUSH bassist Geddy Lee told RollingStone.com that the band was initially hesitant when approached by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen about making a documentary, saying, "We thought, 'How foolish are these guys?' We're just this dull band. I remember [drummer] Neil [Peart] asked them rather pointedly, 'What's your angle? What's the story you want to tell?' They said, 'Well, to be honest, we don't know.' We liked that and said, 'Good luck, let you know what you want us to do.'"
"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival last April.
Australia's Faster Louder recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Faster Louder: Congratulations to you and the rest of IRON MAIDEN for winning your first Grammy award ("Best Metal Performance") for "El Dorado" from your new album, "The Final Frontier". How does it feel to finally have that kind of recognition? Is that something that's important to IRON MAIDEN?
Adrian: I don't know, really. I kind of see us as having our own sort of niche. It's a very simple connection with us and our fans and we've always kind of tried to bypass the business or corporate side of it. I don't know that it's that important to us, the Grammys, but it's kind of nice to get that recognition. As a band, we just do what we do.
Faster Louder: Last August, IRON MAIDEN played at the Sonisphere festival in Finland where just after SLAYER played, a freak storm came through and destroyed the second stage and injured a whole bunch of people. What actually happened?
Adrian: It was bizarre! It was just a freak storm. As a matter of fact, when we flew into the airport, we'd heard that there had been a storm only a few hours previously and when we got there it had kind of finished. But there was quite a big plane and it was tilted on its side — its wing was touching the floor and someone said, "Wow, that must have been the plane that the crew were on." So that was quite a shock because that turned out to be the case. Obviously, the crew weren't on it at the time but just after they disembarked, this terrible storm hit. Anyway, we got to the show and we'd heard that we'd had some equipment damage, but Alice Cooper, who had played before us, well all their gear was wrecked and they had to borrow equipment. May have even been from us, I don't know. It was pretty tragic what happened, really. The equipment damage was the least of the stuff that happened. But I guess these things are always a risk.
Faster Louder: What, if any, are the differences between the festival shows and your own shows in terms of song choice or production? Especially with such an extravagant stage show such as IRON MAIDEN's, do you have enough time at a festival to get the whole thing up and running without sacrificing any of the show?
Adrian: We don't sacrifice anything. We've got a great crew and they get everything up and running the way it should be. I know a lot of people will be there to see us, so you got to make sure that you take care of all that. As far as song choice we do exactly the same as what we do on the rest of the tour. Because it's a full show so we can't really change too many songs anyway.
Faster Louder: Recently, Activision announced that they would be discontinuing "Guitar Hero" — a game that IRON MAIDEN contributed four songs to, including "2 Minutes to Midnight", a song that you wrote with vocalist, Bruce Dickinson. Did you ever try and play "Guitar Hero" and were you any good at it?
Adrian: I have tried to play it, but I was absolutely useless at it. I can't understand it at all. When you actually play an instrument and you try to play ["Guitar Hero"] like a real instrument, it just doesn't work. I used to play a lot of soccer but I can't play soccer games. It's really frustrating! I don't know what it is but I'm just not wired up for the computer age.
Faster Louder: Was there ever any tension caused by Janick [Gers, guitar] staying in the band after you rejoined?
Adrian: No, not really. I've known Janick for years anyway. Dave [Murray], Janick and I all get on really well. There's never been any problem. Potentially it's a nightmare, isn't it?! Three guitarists… You can just imagine backstage fights and onstage fights! But there's never been anything like that. I think in any band it's all about chemistry and it's about the band, not the individuals. Certainly with the three of us, we're really aware of that.
Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an interview with MOTÖRHEAD frontman and rock icon Lemmy Kilmister. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Classic Rock Revisited: You really are getting more popular. Why do you think that is?
Lemmy: It seems to be. It is good for the band too, you know. It's okay. It's just that I am too old now to chase all the women involved; which just seems a shame. I think [the filmmakers behind the "Lemmy" documentary] did a really good job with the film. It wasn' t too showbiz and it wasn't too ordinary. The guys who did the movie were all fans, or at least they were when they started it. I don't know if they still are now [laughter].
Classic Rock Revisited: You are not outspoken, but when people ask you something, you tell them the truth. I think people appreciate that.
Lemmy: I have done interviews in the past and they cut everything out except for the outrageous line and then they take it out of context. I think that is just about as dishonest as a person giving a bad interview. I despise people like that; they don't get two tries. It's all just sensation. It is always bullshit. How many times can a rock star go over the top on drugs? How many times can a rock star be unfaithful to his old lady? It is really fucking boring and that is what they do over and over and over. They just print the same shit.
Classic Rock Revisited: At this stage of our life, looking back, was the drug use a positive or negative experience?
Lemmy: It was both, you know. Eric Clapton wrote "Layla" when he was coked out of his mind. Later on it nearly killed him. You've got to try to figure out which is the bigger benefit and which is the bigger loser. It nearly killed him; he was in a very, very bad way for a long time but he came through it. Most people don't come through it because they don't have the money to buy the people to look after them. Most people die a miserable and lonely death because they don't have the people to nurse them and get them through it all.
Classic Rock Revisited: Why have you survived?
Lemmy: Pure dumb luck. Also, I never did heroin.
Classic Rock Revisited: Which was your favorite decade…the '60s, the '70s or the '80s?
Lemmy: Probably the '60s because there were hardly any rules and heroin hadn't shown up so people hadn't started dying. It was incredibly upbeat and we almost did change the world. I guess that was the best one…the '70s were pretty good, too. I have been lucky to have been in the right place at the right time.
Classic Rock Revisited: Did THE BEATLES really influence MOTÖRHEAD?
Lemmy: THE BEATLES had an influence on everybody. They changed the way you looked at things. You have to realize what an incredible explosion THE BEATLES were. You really had to be there but I will try to tell you. They were the first band to not have a lead singer in the band. They were the first band to write their own songs in Britain because we always just covered American songs before that. Everybody was singing at the same time and the harmonies were great. THE BEATLES really turned the whole thing on its head. Daily papers in England used to have an entire page of the paper dedicated to what THE BEATLES had done the day before. When George died, the guards at Buckingham Palace played a medley of George's songs during the changing of the guard; that sort of thing never happens.
Classic Rock Revisited: MOTÖRHEAD were the support act for Ozzy [Osbourne] back on the "Blizzard Of Ozz" tour. I am a huge fan of Randy Rhoads. What was he really like?
Lemmy: He was really a good guy. I never could get over how incredibly little he was. He was little like Ronnie James Dio, they were little guys but they had a lot of heart. You would never believe that voice came out of Ronnie James' s body. It was the same way with Randy because he had small hands because he was a little fellow. Boy, could he play guitar. He became an even better guitar player after he died. It is a well-known mystery that guitar players suddenly get better once they are dead. Buddy Holly was the first. Stevie Ray Vaughan is known by a lot more people than had ever heard of him when he was alive.
According to Alabama Live, the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama will play host to DEF LEPPARD and HEART on June 19. Tickets are $39.50 to $89.50, and go on sale at 10 a.m. March 4 through the Wharf's box office and Ticketmaster.
DEF LEPPARD is reportedly planning to embark on a two-month U.S. summer tour with HEART and KANSAS. The band is also putting together a live album culled from its 2009 tour that may include some new material as well.
As previously reported, DEF LEPPARD and HEART are confirmed for the 18th annual Rock Fest, which is scheduled to take place July 14-17 in Cadott, Wisconsin.
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.
Sweden's GetMetal conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT when the band played in Stockholm on February 17, 2011. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
GetMetal: In which ways is "Blood Of The Nations" different from other ACCEPT albums?
Wolf: It's not really different at all. I think it's just more the same, only better, maybe. We didn't try to be different, we just tried to be as good, or hopefully even better, than the stuff we've done in the '80s. We tried to be as old school as we could, and to stay true to our roots and true to what ACCEPT stands for. And with the help of our producer, I think we managed it remarkably well. It's something that sounds easy, but is really hard to do when it actually comes to it.
GetMetal: The album has reached the highest charts ever in ACCEPT's history. Had you expected that?
Wolf: Hell no! You cannot expect anything like that. Despite all successes with this album — like it's been voted No. 1 record of the year in so many countries in radio stations, TV stations, online publications and magazines — we had no idea it was going to turn into any of this. We were just trying to make the best record we could at the time. We didn't even know how people would react; it could've been a good chance everybody hated it. You never really know.
GetMetal: I have hardly read anything bad about it at all.
Wolf: No, I have not. Hardly ever. But some people have just made up their minds. They don't like the idea of a new ACCEPT album. Weirdly enough, there were even a few incidents where people, before the album came out, they said, "Oh, it's going to be trash, it's not going to work, I know it, I won't like it." And now, when they actually did hear the album, they apologized to us and said, "Oh, I was so wrong, sorry." (laughs)
GetMetal: Do you believe they have accepted Mark?
Wolf: Oh, heck, yeah. I mean, it's more about the fact that we can do ACCEPT without Udo [Dirkschneider] than anything else. It's really that some people were doubtful, and now we're so glad that all this is really history at this point. I mean, we've long moved pass all this stuff. This album is more successful than anything we've done in a long, long time. Maybe more successful than any of our albums, I don't know. So why even think about it at this point?
GetMetal: Lately, the old school heavy metal scene has been sort of falling apart, with all these legends dying, like Dio and Gary Moore. JUDAS PRIEST have decided to quit…
Wolf: I know, the SCORPIONS have done their last album. The last tour, I mean.
GetMetal: Yeah. Does this affect your view upon ACCEPT's future?
Wolf: There's more room for us! (laughs) Just as they're all quitting, we're all getting started. It's weird. It seems like some of these guys are retiring a little too soon. I mean, JUDAS PRIEST, Christ, they're not that old! Why should they retire? I'm sure they have a good reason, but they might even come back one day. After all, I have a few farewell tours behind me. We'll have to wait and see if they're not coming back. I mean, obviously when people are dying, that's more of a final thing. They can't come back, unfortunately. But the trend obviously is that they're not getting younger; nobody's getting younger. One of these days it's getting pretty thin out there. All these first generation metal legends are all going to be gone one day soon, and I wonder; what's going to happen then?
GetMetal: I wonder the same thing.
Wolf: I mean, the only strong band from back in the days is — well, there's always AC/DC — but IRON MAIDEN; they're doing better than ever. They're going to be around for a long, long time, I hope.
TWISTED SISTER, DOWN, DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED and TRASH TALK have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Download festival, set to take place June 10-12, 2011 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ALICE COOPER
ALTER BRIDGE
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
BLACK VEIL BRIDES
BUCKCHERRY
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CLUTCH
DANZIG
DOWN
DUFF McKAGAN'S LOADED
ESCAPE THE FATE
FM
GASLIGHT ANTHEM
GWAR
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
KORN
LINKIN PARK
MASTERS OF REALITY
MR BIG
PENDULUM
RISE TO REMAIN
ROB ZOMBIE
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
THE CULT
THE DAMNED THINGS
THIN LIZZY
TRASH TALK
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DREAM THEATER and BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION are among the confirmed bands for this year's edition of the Bospop festival, set to take place July 8-10 at Evenemententerrein Weert Noord in Weert, The Netherlands.
The Bospop rock festival was started as a small-scale festival for mainly regional amateur bands in 1980 on a DIY stage has now grown into a big musical event with bands of international fame which has won itself a permanent listing on the festival calendar.
For more information, visit Bospop.nl.
Dave Pehling of KTVU.com recently conducted an interview with MONSTER MAGNET mainman Dave Wyndorf. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
KTVU.com: It seems like the last couple of records you did leaned more towards straight-ahead hard rock, but this new album definitely embraces the psychedelic sound of MONSTER MAGNET's early material. Was that a conscious decision to return to your space-rock roots, or did the songs just naturally move in that direction?
Dave Wyndorf: It was definitely a conscious decision to go back. I try stuff, you know? I don't mind going into all the different kinds of music I like, but if I make one record that's a space-rock record, I don't want the next record to be another space-rock record. So the reason that the record sounds different is because this time I definitely looked back and realized it had been a long time since I'd done that. Because we play the stuff live all the time. It's not like I don't play space rock; I play space rock every night [laughs]. But I realized I hadn't put it down. I was like, "You know, we haven't gone and done this kind of stuff with new material in a long time. I want to go back." So that's exactly what it was. I made a decision to do that. There was a couple of other things too. I wanted to make a record that was minimal — as far as the tracks were concerned — and that will play well live.
KTVU.com: It's minimal in some ways, but it also has that really spacious sound with the layers of guitars and effects on your vocals...
Dave Wyndorf: Well, yeah, I can say minimal, but once you go in it's hard not to start fucking around. I mean every record I've ever made could have gone completely over the cliff and turned into a space-rock album. A lot of the delays and stuff I'll actually track on a guitar track, so there will be alternative guitar takes that are drenched in delay that I may not use at the end because it's just too wet. And if I really wanted to go total space rock, I could always pile on the effects during the mix. But I wanted to get a nice balance on this one, because I like songs too. With the space rock thing, something totally drenched in space rock, that should be a dedicated project all unto its own. I don't think it should be just a couple songs here and there. And that's going to come out. I actually going to make a full-on space rock record probably sometime next year.
KTVU.com: So something more along the lines of the "Tab" EP?
Dave Wyndorf: Yeah, kind of like that, but probably more driving. There will probably be more songs. It won't just be one 30-minute song and three shorter songs, but it will be very close to that kind of vibe. I'm going to do it fast and lo fi and a lot of the effects will be played live rather than after the fact.
KTVU.com: That leads me to ask you about the announcement of your own label — Studio 13 — that I saw on the MONSTER MAGNET web site. I immediately thought of it being a parallel to the kind of thing Josh Homme has done with the Desert Sessions recordings he released in addition to proper QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE albums. Are you going to use it for a chance to stretch out without the commercial expectations you have with a MONSTER MAGNET album?
Dave Wyndorf: Absolutely. It's a place for me to go to do stuff with different members of MONSTER MAGNET and special guest stars where we don't have to worry so much about scheduling the way you do when you're making one big long record. And we can do it on our own time and I can write, produce and overdub on my own time in a lo-fi manner so its not a big headache. And we can do the kind of material that wouldn't always show up on a proper MONSTER MAGNET record: weird space rock, space rock proper, dirges, garage rock. A lot of garage psych. That kind of stuff. It's a really great thing for me, because I've got all this material hanging around out there. I'm writing a lot and it's way more than I'm ever going to get to if I keep waiting for it to be on proper MONSTER MAGNET records.
MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil spoke to the Las Vegas Sun about his 2010 Las Vegas arrest and his subsequent 15-day jail sentence for DUI and speeding.
On what happened that fateful night on June 27, 2010:
Vince: "Obviously, it was something that happened, and it should not have happened. There are so many other options that you can take instead of saying, 'Yeah, I can drive home.' But I did it."
On his jail sentence:
Vince: "They were a little harsh in the sentencing. But they wanted to make an example out of me, and it is what it is. … It's not bad, but it's still jail. Jail is jail."
On why he thinks he got the penalty that he got:
Vince: "Well, I think just because of my past (Neil was charged with felony DUI in a 1984 accident in Redondo Beach, California that killed HANOI ROCKS drummer Razzle Dingley and injured two others). 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."
On how his rock lifestyle is winding down:
Vince: "There's not much more you can really do. When it's 30 years with a band like MÖTLEY CRÜE, there are going to be some crazy times. Everyone knows of our exploits, having read all the dirt. … I wrote the book not to talk about what I've done in the past, but to clear things up. So many unauthorized books out there, and I'm reading and going, 'I did what?' "
On whether he interacts socially with any member of MÖTLEY CRÜE and whether he has spoken to any of his CRÜE bandmates about his arrest:
Vince: "They have their own lives in Los Angeles, and I'm here [in Las Vegas]. Nikki (Sixx) has his radio show that he does every day, Tommy (Lee) out on tour, I think, with his solo band. The only time we really talk is when we're doing rehearsals or are out on tour. … It's all business. It's 100 percent business, pretty much."
On whether he, during down moments, thinks of calling or spending time with any of his bandmates:
Vince: "No. No. You know, we don't travel in the same circles. Everybody has their own lives, their own families and kids. It's not like it was when we were 22 or 23, living in the same apartment above the Whisky A Go-Go [in Hollywood]."
Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach has posted the following message on Twitlonger.com, a related Twitter site that allows one to send tweets that require more than 140 characters:
"I can't believe it when so-called 'fans' go out of their way to say hurtful rotten bullshit to people that I care about, ONLY because I care about them. You know who you are.
"You are in no way a 'fan' if you think that I do not deserve happiness in my life.
"There are no 'home wreckers' in my life. My home has been 'wrecked' since last April. I am fucking divorced. I did not date any girls at all until after the divorce papers were filed in a court of law.
"It shocks me when I find a modicum of happiness, only to be thwarted by people who say they like my music? How fucked up is that?
"The happier I am, the more music I can make.
"I have been going through complete misery since last April.
"You wanna be a true fan? Try saying something positive to someone who keeps me from being completely alone. That would be a lot better than me trying to explain 'not all my fans are assholes, I swear.'"
Bach has just entered a Los Angeles studio with his new, young, virtuosic guitarist Nick Sterling and producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, SHINEDOWN, ATREYU, FILTER) to fine-tune the material that will appear on his next CD, tentatively due this summer via the Italian label Frontiers Records.
Due to inclement weather conditions, EYEHATEGOD has been forced to cancel its scheduled appearance tonight at Daniel Street in Milford, Connecticut. The band extends its sincerest apologies to all the fans and friends hoping to rock this evening and plan to return soon to make up the date. MISERY INDEX, THY WILL BE DONE, NIGHTBITCH and GUERRA will perform as scheduled.
EYEHATEGOD will release an official live DVD on March 22 via MVD. Simply titled "Live", the 88-minute production features multi-camera footage from 2009 (Baltimore, Maryland) and 2010 (Cleveland, Ohio), with bonus clips from the last show of their 2010 European tour and videos never before released on DVD.
Said bassist Gary Mader: "Finally, after years of OK bootlegs and a self-released DVD from the Tokyo show in 2002, an official release documenting the blood, sweat, beer and broken glass that fans have come to expect/accept from an EYEHATEGOD show!"
"Live" DVD track listing
* Intro/Feedback
* Story Of The Eye
* Jackass In The Will Of God
* Take As Needed For Pain
* Sister Fucker
* Dixie Whiskey
* White N.gger
* Depress
* Lack Of Almost Everything
* Masters Of Legalized Confusion
* Pigs
* Methampthetamine
* Blank
* $30 Bag
...
* Kill Your Boss
* Left To Starve
* Children Of God
* Blood Money
* Crimes Against Skin
* Dog's Holy Life
* Serving Time In The Middle Of Nowhere
* Feedback/Outro
* Shoplift
* Run It Into The Ground
* Shinobi
* Sister Fucker (Video)
* Anxiety Hangover (Video)
* The Age Of Bootcamp (Video)
Canadian all-girl metal band KITTIE is currently writing material for its sixth album, tentatively due before the end of the year. Guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander writes on her Twitter profile, "This is proving to be the most difficult album I've ever written. Our story, so complex and tragic...Where do I begin?"
KITTIE last year took part in the Thrash And Burn tour alongside ASKING ALEXANDRIA, BORN OF OSIRIS, STICK TO YOUR GUNS, IMPENDING DOOM, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD (first half), EVERGREEN TERRACE (second half), GREELEY ESTATES, PERIPHERY, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE and CHELSEA GRIN.
KITTIE's latest album, "In The Black", sold around 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 132 on The Billboard 200 chart.
KITTIE's previous CD, "Funeral for Yesterday", opened with 9,000 units back in February 2007 to land at No. 101.
"In The Black" was made available in Europe on October 23, 2009 via Germany's Massacre Records.
San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS have been forced to cancel their appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 4-6 in Wacken, Germany.
Commented guitarist Gary Holt: "We are sorry to announce that due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, EXODUS will not be able to perform at this year's Wacken Open Air festival. We look forward to returning for one of the next Wacken festivals, where we hope to make it up to all our amazing EXODUS fans."
EXODUS will open for the legendary British heavy metal act IRON MAIDEN on April 10 at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile. José Luis Corral, the event's producer, states: "We added EXODUS to expose the audience to something more extreme and also to have another classic name fundamental in the history of hard rock [on the bill] and very important for a generation of Chilean metalheads. I think it's the first time they've played together."
EXODUS's latest album, "Exhibit B: The Human Condition", was recorded in December 2009 in Northern California with producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, KREATOR).
The CD sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 114 on The Billboard 200 chart.
EXODUS' previous CD, "The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A", opened with 3,600 units back in October 2007.
"Exhibit B: The Human Condition" was released in North America on May 18, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.
HATRIOT, the new thrash metal project led by veteran San Francisco Bay Area vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza (TENET, DUBLIN DEATH PATROL, EXODUS, LEGACY), has completed work on a four-song demo and is currently seeking a record deal. The band's artwork and logo were created by Mark Devito, while Jim Willard did the photos.
HATRIOT's demo contains the following tracks:
* Weapons And Class Destruction
* The Fear Within
* The Mechanics Of Annihilation
* Globicidle
"The Fear Within" will be released on March 10, to be followed by each of the remaining two songs in one-week intervals.
HATRIOT is:
Steve "Zetro" Souza - Vocals
Andrew Gage - Guitar
Kosta Varvatakis - Guitar
Cody Souza (Zetro's son) - Bass
Alex Bent - Drums
Commented Zetro: "It looks like everyone is excited about HATRIOT just as we are.
"I know a lot of people have been wondering what I was doing musically.
"Basically, last year I was working with these kids, putting songs together and getting to know them. I didn't want to say much because talk is cheap, although a lot of my close friends knew that I was doing this. I don't think they realized the magnitude of it, because in the meantime, I was writing lyrics and recording new songs for DUBLIN DEATH PATROL and also in the last year, I started my own AC/DC tribute [band called AC/DZ] and so for me to just come out of left field with a new original thrash metal project was probably not expected by anyone… Good, that's what I wanted.
"As I'm not as computer-literate as I would like to be, I do read what's on the Internet, but not necessarily chime in, and I know from all my friends and fans from all over the world, they were all wondering if I was going to do another project or quite possibly join EXODUS again and this whole time.
"I knew I was doing this HATRIOT project. I know all the EXODUS fans wanted me back in EXODUS, that is very flattering. For as great as it would be, EXODUS is doing fine right now, and I'm very happy for them.
"If you like 'Weapons and Class Destruction', in the next few weeks, I will be posting the three other finished HATRIOT songs — 'The Fear Within', 'The Mechanics Of Annihilation' and a song called 'Globicidle' — to finish out what presentation HATRIOT has to offer the metal world.
"So now our plans are to find a record deal, and get this thing off to an amazing start.
"Thanks again to everyone, I'm just as excited as all of you are, as you should be, because I know what I have here, and let me tell you this right now, the best is yet to come.
"See all of you soon… I'M FUCKING BACK!!!"
HATRIOT is planning to make its live debut in the spring.
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DEATH RAY VISION, the new project featuring SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio and former OVERCAST/SEEMLESS guitarist Pete Cortese, will enter the studio in mid-March to record four or five songs. No further details are currently available.
According to Fair, DEATH RAY VISION's musical direction "will be based on our old-school influences: CRO-MAGS, INTEGRITY, LEEWAY and RINGWORM."
DEATH RAY VISION is:
Brian Fair - Vocals
Mike D'Antonio - Bass
Pete Cortese - Guitar
Zack Wells - Guitar
Colin Conway – Drums
LD/50 — the San Francisco, California-based band featuring Glen Alvelais (TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN) on guitar, Clark Brown (GEEZER) on vocals, Terry Goss (SCORCHED-EARTH POLICY) on bass, and Tony Providence (A BAND CALLED PAIN) on drums — has scheduled the following shows:
March 04 - San Francisco, CA - Club Cocomo
March 05 - Citrus Heights, CA - The Fire Escape
March 11 - Fresno, CA - The Babylon Club
March 12 - Modesto, CA - The Fat Cat
March 15 - Chico, CA - Lost on Main
March 18 - Livermore, CA - Pine St. Bar and Grill
A promotional video for the upcoming dates can be seen below.
LD/50 recently entered Trident studios in Concord, California with producer Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SADUS, TESTAMENT, NIGHT RANGER, VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, VILE, CATTLE DECAPITATION) to begin recording its full-length debut.
Commented Alvelais: We just finished recording all the drums and even managed to finish a couple new songs that will make the CD. "
According to a press release, LD/50 (which is the abbreviation for "Lethal Dose at 50%") is "like a culture of extreme that has steadily built their fan base to the point of iconic recognition. . . The band has a unique style of perfecting the groove. Mixed with thrash explosive guitar and solos, LD/50 is a band that is not afraid to go into a ballad-style song with growling, screaming vocals and then run into a melodic guitar solo and end with a tricky syncopated rhythm."
Brown, who sang on the last two solo albums from BLACK SABBATH bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler — 1997's "Black Science" (released under the GEEZER banner) and 2005's "Ohmwork" (under G/Z/R) — previously stated about involvement with LD/50, "I tell ya, when Glen called me up to get this thing going, I was fuckin amped!!! I was a big fan of FORBIDDEN back in the day. I remember covering 'Forbidden Evil' in one of my old bands."
He added, "This new stuff we are writing has really brought the best outta me. Every new song Glen hands me is getting better and better. I am constantly blown away. It makes my job so easy as a singer. The vocals just flow outta me like fuckin' water!
"I love the dynamics that we are creating; it can be heavy as fuck, to melodic and mellow but always moving and pulling the listener from one end of the spectrum to the other.
"This first album is gonna flatten the fuck outta the norm and really give the people something to chew on...no bullshit!!"
For more information, visit www.ld-50.com.
Germany's BONFIRE and Ireland's PRIMORDIAL 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:
DORO
ELECTRIC BOYS
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
BONFIRE
PRIMORDIAL
One final act will be announced soon.
Ticket prices — including cabin accomodations — start at only 395 SEK (approximately 43 euros) per person.
Gothenburg, Sweden-based metal band BULT will perform at this year's South By Southwest (SXSW), the annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas. BULT has two gigs booked — one at the Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas on March 13 and the official South By Southwest concert on March 16 at Headhunters in Austin.
According to a press release, BULT's music is firmly rooted in the Swedish metal sound but is more influenced by bands such as MESHUGGAH, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and MASTODON." The band's sound has been described as "hard, angular and crushing music with a peculiar back-and-forth groove with a constant movement forward."
BULT is:
Martin Andreasson: Guitar
Sam Rönnberg: Bass
Cristian Sigurdson: Drums
Jonas Udd: Vocals
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/bultband.
Dutch/Norwegian goth metal band IMPERIA — which is fronted by Norwegian singer Helena Iren Michaelsen (the original vocalist of the Holland-based band SAHARA DUST, which later changed its name to EPICA) — will release its new album, "Secret Passion", on March 25 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at Spacelab studio in Germany. The album's first single, "Let Down", features a guest appearance by cellist Tina Guo.
"Secret Passion" track listing:
01. Touch Of Your Hand
02. Secret Passion
03. Fragile
04. Out Of Sight
05. Let Down
06. Violence
07. Like Rain
08. Suicide
09. Hold On
10. Greed
11. Missing It All
12. My Sleeping Angel
13. Mistress (digipak bonus track)
IMPERIA's sophomore album, "Queen of Light", was released in March 2007 via Massacre Records.
IMPERIA is:
Helena Iren Michaelsen - Vocals
Steve Wolz - Drums
Gerry Verstreken - Bass
Jan "Örkki" Yrlund – Guitar
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/imperiasecret.jpg
Raleigh, North Carolina-based progressive rock/cutting-edge metal band BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME has inked a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records. The quintet will kick off the partnership with the April release of its new album, "The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues".
"We are delighted in the opportunity to join the Metal Blade family," commented BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME guitarist Paul Waggoner. "Their commitment to heavy music over the years is inspiring and we look forward to becoming a part of the ever-growing legacy of the label.
"Our new release, titled 'The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues', will hit the streets in April. We are confident that our dedicated fans will appreciate it and hopeful that we will gain the attention of some new ears as well.
"In closing, I'd like to reference a quote from the illustrious Joe Dirt: 'Life's a garden, dig it.'"
"The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues" will contain the first new music from BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME since the release of 2009's "The Great Misdirect", which sold 13,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 36 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 27, 2009 via Victory Records.
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME supported "The Great Misdirect" with a full-scale North American headlining tour and live dates across Europe, Australia and Japan as well as a U.S. tour as hand-picked support for like-minded rockers MASTODON.
RAW RADAR WAR, the Boston, Massachusetts-based band featuring Jonah Jenkins (ex-ONLY LIVING WITNESS, MILLIGRAM, MILTOWN), will release a new seven-inch single on March 7 via Chainsaw Safety Records. Entitled "On A Field Of White", the concept record details the efforts of Finland's struggle during World War II.
RAW RADAR WAR is:
Jonah Jenkins - Vocals
Charles Corey - Bass
Mike Cahill - Drums
Pat Tapia - Guitar
Mario Travers - Guitar
Metal Callout recently conducted an interview with guitarist Mike Spreitzer of Santa Barbara, California metallers DEVILDRIVER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Callout: Why did you choose the title "Beast" for your new album. Does it have any significant value behind it?
Mike: It came from a couple of different areas. We went in with a mindset of just wanting this record to be so heavy. I think the term "Beast" just describes the record very well and it's a term that Dez's [Fafara, vocals] kids use around the house to describe things that are just bad-ass. I think he just kind of… listening to his kids say it, it just clicked in his head and I think that would be a great album title and he told all of us and we're just like, "Well, it kind of describes it exactly." [The way] we structured a lot of the songs, we just want it to be really heavy and brutal and volatile. I think this is the first time we actually went in with an album title and did not change it when we were done recording, because we loved it so much. It was just right off from the get go we wanted to call the record "Beast".
Metal Callout: You guys chose [to do your recording] down at Sonic Ranch in El Paso. That studio has a lot of history behind it. How do you guys feel to be a part of that history?
Mike: Feels good. This was our third time going there. It's a very good creative environment because it's on a Pecan Ranch. About half hour, forty five minutes outside of El Paso, Texas and its right next to the Mexican border, right next to Juarez, which you know it kind of gives it the nice cool creepy vibe. There's literally nothing to do out there, other than just, you know be creative with the record. Even cell phone reception is pretty bad out there, so your phone isn't rigging off the hook all the time. It's very comforting and it's a very magical place and I can see why a lot of bands like to go out there.
Metal Callout: I head its quite a secluded place, it probably keeps you guys very focused on what needs to be do.
Mike: Well, yes, it does, because there's no distraction, you know?! Other than…whenever time it is to eat lunch, I would say that is the only distraction we have. No, it's a lot of fun. El Paso, Texas, the owner is very cool and he's really much into wine and every now and then he'll break open an insanely expensive bottle of wine for the artists there and he'll take you into town. He's kind of like an El Paso legend, so wherever you go in town, if you're with him, it's like front of the line, you get treated like royalty just being with him all the time. So it's a really cool experience.
Metal Callout: Could you briefly describe the music making process?
Mike: Well, it starts out with thee four of us being….you know, Jon Miller, John Boecklin, Jeff Kendrick and myself just coming up with ideas on our own and I have my own recording studio at my house were we do all the pre-production at. So, basically, I'll start off, you know….I'll start off writing a song for myself and so when the guys come over, I'll show it to them, we'll make changes. They'll say, "I like this part, I like this part," then we'll get it to the point where we are all happy with it, then we'll put it on CD. I would say it takes a good three of four sessions of us getting together. Even once we leave the house the first time you know, people will listen to the CDs and come back a couple of weeks later and then we'll make more changes and once we get the song to the point where we're all happy with it, we'll pass it along to Dez for him to write lyrics to. The same thing goes with the other guys; they'll come up with their own
ideas, they'll come down to my house, I'll record the guitar into my computer, we'll program some drum to it, to get a good vibe out of it. Critique it tell we all like it, then pass it on to Dez.
Swedish hardcore act ANCHOR has inked a deal with Let It Burn Records. The band's new album is scheduled for release in June.
Commented ANCHOR: "We're very happy to announce that our upcoming, yet-to-be-named album will see the light of day this summer through Let It Burn Records. To say that we're excited about this cooperation is a massive understatement. It's a privilege to be working with such a caliber label, one of Europe's longest running, one we've been following for many years and we're anxiously looking forward to see what the future holds for us.
"As we speak we're halfway through a 10-day-session at Studio Bengt, Lund with our friend Gustav Brunn and we already feel like we've outdone all of our previous releases. It feels like we've been moving in a darker and heavier direction. The result this far is mindblowing and we can't bare ourselves to show the world this work."
Inspired by the likes of JUDGE, ENTOMBED, SKITSYSTEM and VERSE, ANCHOR's new music is a natural progression from its most recent releases. The band, which has almost 300 shows in four years (including two full U.S. tours) under its belts, describes its new sound as "harder, filthier and yet more emotional than anything we've done before."
With tempos up to a hyper 247 beats per minute, "Manic Metal" from Drums On Demand ($44.95) features nearly 900 metal drum loops in 12 intense Song Sets. If you play or produce metal or hard rock then you'll want to check out this collection of metal and hard rock drum grooves including plenty of hyper double kick patterns. Each Song Set starts with 4-6 different core loops (grooves or riffs) which are then rounded out with matching fill, alternate, crash and other loops — nearly 70 loops per Song Set.
"With so many loops to choose from — most are 2-measures in length — you can build a drum track that sounds like a real drummer because there's relatively not that much 'looping' going on," says Drums On Demand co-founder Guy Randle. "Between that and our super-organized naming system, I think that's what makes our products different from other acoustic loop products out there."
Like all Drums On Demand volumes, stereo versions are available in 24-Bit Acidized WAV, 16-Bit Acidized WAV and Apple Loop format — as an immediate download or on disc. (REX format is in the works and will be available in mid-March.) They can be used in virtually all popular recording software applications like Pro Tools, Cakewalk Sonar, Logic, Garageband, Cubase, Acid, Ableton Live and many more — including DAWs from Yamaha, Roland, etc.
In addition to the loops you'll also find more than 200 multi-velocity single hits for samplers and midi-based systems. A raw WAV multitrack upgrade ($49.95) is also available for those who want complete control of the mix. Another unique feature of Drums On Demand are "Loop Layers" which are single channel loops (snare, hat, etc.) that you can use to build your own grooves and breakdowns.
Drums On Demand is a leading drum loop manufacturer since 2003. Drums On Demand loops are used on everything from bedroom demos, to No. 1 Billboard albums, to major movies and hit TV shows.
For more information, visit www.drumsondemand.com.
MURDER LEAGUE ALL-STARS, the new band featuring former members of M.O.D., HADES, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, AUTUMN HOUR, SHAT and TEN FEET FROM MURDER, is currently recording its debut album at Trax East Studios in South River New Jersey. A spring release is expected.
The group was recently joined by Rob Gee (real name: Robert Gilmore), the American hardcore/gabber-style producer who has previously collaborated with members of respected rock, metal, hardcore and hip-hop acts such as SLIPKNOT, HATEBREED, BIOHAZARD, WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL and SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
In addition to Gee, MURDER LEAGUE ALL-STARS features Tim McMurtrie (M.O.D.), Jeff Wood (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Dave Lescinsky (AUTUMN HOUR, HADES) and Eddie Night (TEN FEET FROM MURDER).
Riverside, California-based technical/progressive death metallers ARKAIK are hard at work on maerial for their sophomore album, "Metamorphignition", due in early 2012 via Unique Leader Records. According to a press release, the band's "intention is to create a more mature and rhythmically balanced album that expands on their already fierce musical style. It will be an evolution in which the brutality and technical ferocity will not be lost; it will merely be accompanied by more musical elements which will add depth to the sound. The music on the album will be intertwined with a story with the intention of engaging listeners. It will take them on an abstract journey into the transcendental nature of humanity and the cosmos."
ARKAIK plans to head into the studio near the end of 2011.
The CD artwork will be handled by the graphic master Tony Koehl.
ARKAIK's debut album, "Reflections Within Dissonance", came out in January 2010 via Unique Leader. The CD was mixed by Samur Khouja at Seahorse Sound Studios and was mastered by Stefano Morabito of 16 Cellar Studios (HOUR OF PENANCE, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE). The cover artwork was created by Pär Olofsson (ABORTED, EMETH).
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/arkaik.
Finnish death metallers CORPSET have inked a deal with Violent Journey Records. The band's debut album, "Ruins", is scheduled for release on April 27. The CD was recorded at various facilities — from professional studios to a horse ranch in the Finnish countryside — and was mixed and mastered at the Coal Hole studio in Hämeenlinna with the group'a former bassist and studio pro Janne Tauriainen.
According to a press release, "Ruins" is "a ruthless ten-piece of contemporary Finnish death metal. With combining old-school sounds to more modern approach and joining hook-filled melodies with pure aggression, 'Ruins' is sure to put Finnish metal-scene on its knees. CORPSET, holding some familiar names from different well-known Finnish acts in their lineup, has managed to create a breath-taking example of twisted Finnish death metal and is a welcome breeze of fresh air to today's stiff metal soundscapes."
"Ruins" track listing:
01. The Light Divine
02. Castrate
03. Blair
04. Moment Of Clarity
05. Into The Light
06. Give & Go
07. World Hate Center
08. Behind The Sauna
09. V.P.O.
10. Caesar's Palace
A CD-release party will be held on Friday, April 29 at Vastavirta Klubi in Tampere.
CORPSET is:
Jari Kelloniemi - Guitar
Jami Heikkala - Guitar
Timo Hanhijoki - Drums
Petri Palonkoski - Bass
Antti Murtonen – Vocals
Israel-based old-school death metallers SONNE ADAM have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The band's debut album, "Transformation", will be released in Europe on April 4.
Commented Jens Prueter, head of A&R at Century Media Records in Europe, "Back in 1991, Century Media Records released the groundbreaking debut albums by ASPHYX, GRAVE, MORGOTH and UNLEASHED as well as the second album of TIAMAT. It was the year death metal changed the metal world and thousands of bands were founded in garages around the world. 20 years later we are proud to sign a young band from Tel Aviv, Israel that knows the meaning of death, unfortunately, better than most of us.
"SONNE ADAM mix the old doom/death of early PARADISE LOST and technical insanity of early MORBID ANGEL with a fresh passion and raw energy that reminds me of the hunger and dedication I heard in the aforementioned debut albums 20 years ago, without sounding retro.
"Welcome to a new chapter of Century Media death metal!"
The history of SONNE ADAM (which roughly translates into "hate humanity" in Hebrew) dates back to 2007 when a young Israeli duo consisting of Davidov (all instruments) and Dahan (vocals) started a musical project to create "death metal in the vein of early PARADISE LOST but with a more shamelessly evil and blasphemous touch and some MORBID ANGEL thrown in the mix." The band's first recording was an EP titled "The Sun Is Dead" (which so far remains unreleased), followed by another EP called "Armed With Hammers", which caught the attention of underground label Imperium Productions from Germany, which subsequently released it on seven-inch vinyl in 2010. The resulting underground buzz culminated in renowned German magazine Rock Hard naming it "Demo Of The Month" and predicting the band to become a hot topic among all death metal maniacs.
After seeing SONNE ADAM developing into an amazing, highly promising underground act, Century Media Records picked them up for the release of the band's debut album, "Transformation", in cooperation with Imperium Productions, which will handle the album's vinyl version.
The members of SONNE ADAM never thought they would end up on such a renowned metal label. Davidov states, "We didn't imagine that we will receive so much attention when we wrote the album a year and a half ago, when the 'Armed With Hammers' EP wasn't even released yet. Hell, we didn't even know back than how strong the old-school death metal scene will be again. We never were 'label hunters' so it was a big surprise.
"Actually, being from Israel and signing to a big label is more crucial than you think as we are very isolated from our crowd.
"No matter what, our heart is in the underground. Always was and always will be!
"If someone thinks that we are selling out he can go fuck himself. We are very pleased with signing with Century Media."
The cornerstones of SONNE ADAM's sound are heavy, downtuned, diverse and all-consuming lava-esque riffs, unholy, triumphant vocals, thundering drums and a song-writing filled to the brim with fascinating twist and turns. Combined with metaphorical, dark and blasphemous lyrics, "Transformation" ultimately stands out from the mass as an authentic, occult and earnest metal opus that leaves nothing to desire and should find many new supporters among extreme metalheads worldwide. It's an album that propagates originality implying respect for the original precursors and creative ingenuity in equal measure. It's damn great dark death metal, plain and simple…
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/sonneadam.
"New World Shadows", the fifth album from Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 5. This marks the highest chart entry in the group's history, having previously landed at No. 24 with 2008's "The Redshift" and No. 31 with 2007's "Stuck Here On Snakes Way".
"New World Shadows" was released in Europe earlier this month via Lifeforce Records and will be made available in North America on March 1. The CD was recorded at Astia Studio 2 in Lappeenranta and OmG Studio in Karhula, Finland with Teemu Aalto, and was mixed and mastered at Unisound Studio in Örebro, Sweden by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, HAIL OF BULLETS, NOVEMBERS DOOM). Swanö also contributed clean vocals to two songs while Niilo Sevänen from INSOMNIUM added "a few guest growls."
Commented Markus Vanhala added, "Here it is, the OMNIUM GATHERUM musical evolution and career of 15 years in metal and this album surely is finally the musical diamond what we were starting to chase once we started this band. Finally every piece of the puzzle are here and the notes on the right places! This is northern death metal without limitations, really melodic and intelligent but still aggressive while quoting lines from prog to even AOR and no less than having also my teenage idol sir Dan Swanö himself singing some stuff here. Like we say it — this is adult-oriented death metal in its most epic, melodic and purest form!"
"New World Shadows" track listing:
01. Everfields (9:17)
02. Ego (4:07)
03. New World Shadows (6:00)
04. Soul Journeys (4:54)
05. Nova Flame (4:10)
06. An Infinite Mind (5:43)
07. Watcher Of The Skies (4:17)
08. The Distance (3:59)
09. Deep Cold (9:29)
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