British metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have added a string of dates in Brazil, in early September, to their upcoming Epitaph World Tour. See their complete tour schedule below.
Judas Priest are looking for fan-input for the set-list. Says the band: "We are planning on possibly doing a track from every album throughout our career in the set list so let us know what your favourites are and maybe we'll pick some of them!!"
Post your Epitaph Tour set-lists requests here.
Despite announcing their final world tour, Judas Priest are writing new material. Says the band in a brief update: "All is going really well - more details later!"
A press release on Judas Priest's final tour reads as follows:
"After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking their very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, Judas Priest - one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, have announced this will be their final world tour!!
However, the mighty Priest will certainly be going out strong as they rock the planet starting in 2011 on the massive Epitaph tour - hitting all the major cities throughout the world they will be playing the songs that helped make the name Judas Priest synonymous with heavy metal!
With all guns blazing and amps cranked to eleven, the band will be giving all their fans one last chance to witness the ultimate metal experience that is Judas Priest!"
Judas Priest Epitaph tour dates:
June
7 - Eindhaar - Tilburg, Holland
9 - Sweden Rock - Solvesborg, Sweden
11 - Sauna Festival - Tampere, Finland
14 - Spektrum - Oslo, Norway
15 - Edward Greig Plass - Bergen, Norway
17 - Copenhell Festival - Copenhagen, Denmark
19 - Hellfest - Nantes, France
20 - Le Zenith - Paris, France
22 - Gods of Metal Festival - Milan, Italy
23 - Sonisphere Festival - Switzerland
25 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, Belgium
27 - Zenith - Munich, Germany
28 - O2 Arena - Prague, Czech Republic
29 - Stadthalle - Vienna, Austria
July
1 - Belgrade Arena - Belgrade, Serbia
3 - Romexpo - Bucharest, Romania
5 - Water Park, P Faliro - Athens, Greece
8 - Akademik Stadium - Sofia, Bulgaria
10 - Kazlicesme Festival Site - Istanbul, Turkey
July
6 - Kautatzogleio Stadium - Thessaloniki, Greece
15 - Newport Centre - Newport, UK
16 - O2 Apollo - Manchester, UK
17 - The Dome - Doncaster, UK
19 - SECC - Glasgow, Scotland
20 - Metro Arena - Newcastle, UK
21 - Civic Hall - Wolverhampton, UK
23 - High Voltage Festival - London, UK
24 - BIC - Bournemouth, UK
July
27 - Atlantico Pavillion - Lisbon, Portugal
29 - Coliseum - La Coruna, Spain
30 - La Cubierta - Madrid, Spain
31 - Bec - Bilbao, Spain
August
2 - Badalona - Barcelona, Spain
5 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
7 - Colmar Wine Festival - Colmar, France
9 - O2 World - Berlin, Germany
10 - Metal Hammer Festival/Spodek - Katowice, Poland
11 - Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary
September
10 - Portuguesa Stadium - Sao Paulo, Brazil
11 - Citibank Hall - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
13 - Chevrolet Hall - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
15 - Nilson Nelson - Brasilia, Brazil
30 - Mexico City Sports Palace - Mexico City, Mexico
October
1 - Telmex Theater - Quadalajara, Mexico
3 - Banamex Theater - Monterrey, Mexico
Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee of Canadian rock legends RUSH spoke to The Plain Dealer about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's upcoming 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels", for which a release date has not yet been set.
"We've got about seven songs written," Lee said. He added, "When you hear the first two songs ['BU2B' and 'Caravan'], which we're playing live now, they definitely have a heavier sound. It's the heavier side of RUSH in the early going. But when I think of all the songs that we've written already, there's quite a lot of diversity there. I think — I hope — RUSH fans will like it. We're certainly going to work hard to make it a great record, as we always try."
As a tribute to the U.S. city that first played the band's music, RUSH has confirmed that the Cleveland performance of its "Time Machine" show on April 15 at the Quicken Loans Arena will be filmed for a full-length release.
Cleveland is remarkable for being one of the very first U.S. cities where RUSH performed, in addition to being the first city to provide American airplay.
This will be a must-see event for RUSH fans in Cleveland — and for everyone able to make the road trip as it is will also mark the first live full-length filming on U.S. soil.
The "Time Machine" tour is an evening with RUSH, where they will perform their classics, give a taste of the future and will — for the first time ever in the U.K. — feature the "Moving Pictures" album live in its entirety.
"'Moving Pictures' is our most popular album and it's the one that seems to have passed the test of time most gracefully," observes singer/bassist Geddy Lee. "We're playing better than ever, and I'm not sure we're quite ready to put that tour away," he adds.
Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY have issued the following update:
"We're truly bummed that our trip to perform for the troops in Iraq at the end of April needs to be postponed due to an injury to our drummer. He's doing well, but unfortunately, is not able to play. These performances for our brave men and women in Iraq and Kuwait are so important to us, we want to bring our rock show the way we always do. We're looking forward to seeing you on the road soon. We appreciate all of the letters our fans have entrusted us with to deliver to your loved ones in the Gulf and we will make sure that they are delivered with a note from us as well."
Added drummer Xavier Muriel: "I busted up my hand and after a minor surgery am recovering well, just not well enough to play by the time we were scheduled to play the shows in Iraq and Kuwait. I'll be healed and ready to rock the shows we have at the end of this month. We will see you soon."
BUCKCHERRY last fall released an original Christmas song, "Christmas Is Here", via iTunes.
The band's latest album, "All Night Long", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.
BUCKCHERRY's fourth studio CD, titled "Black Butterfly", opened with around 47,000 units back in September 2008 to land at No. 8.
Elliot Levin of the NY Hard Rock Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with DOWN drummer and EYEHATEGOD guitarist Jimmy Bower. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: You're a busy guy; between DOWN and EYEHATEGOD alone, you're full time in two bands. Do you consider either one of them your primary band, or do you just do your best to split time between them?
Jimmy: DOWN is my first priority, totally. But since we finished touring "Over The Under", we've been taking a break, you know? So I'm taking advantage of that and doing some stuff with EYEHATEGOD, but looking forward to the DOWN camp and we have a lot of good stuff coming up. A lot of shows coming up, so get the ball rolling.
NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: Back in the '90s, when you were recording "Nola", did you ever think that DOWN would become this wildly popular band it is today? You can't go to any metal show without seeing at least one DOWN t-shirt in the crowd...
Jimmy: No, I had no idea, no idea at all. I personally saw, or heard, the potential, you know? But I didn't think that many people would get into it. That type of music. The whole stoner thing, you know what I mean? It's been twenty years, so you got a generation gap, everything goes in circles, to me at least. But it seems like when we first started doing it, it was such a unique sound, and twenty years later it's still unique and we're still doing it, and the people we've influenced is what blows me away.
NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: I spoke with Pepper [Keenan, DOWN guitarist] over the summer, and he mentioned some new DOWN music, and the possibility of releasing just some singles instead of a full record. Is there any progress on new DOWN songs?
Jimmy: Yeah, I think we have about two or three of them that are done. We're about to start working on that now, and hopefully it will come out soon. We're trying to keep it on the downlow for now, but it's going to be something special.
NY Hard Rock Music Examiner The first DOWN record had a lot more screaming and yelling, at least from Phil's [Anselmo] part, the last one had some more frequent mellow, bluesy moments. What's the vibe on the newest songs? Is it heavier since you said that's your current mindset?
Jimmy: Yeah, it's more back to the first record. The music we were into when that first record came out, like TROUBLE, a certain kind of groove that I think "Nola" has that, a band like DOWN, we can do whatever we want. We can do blues songs, we can do grooving songs or heavy songs or whatever, but I think it's back to the roots of the band, the smart thing to do, for sure. "Nola"-type riffs, just straightforward and heavy.
NY Hard Rock Music Examiner: What's the status of Rex [Brown, DOWN bassist] for this upcoming tour? Is he going to make it out?
Jimmy: I don't know, man, I still don't know about that yet. Just trying to make sure he's all good and healthy. What he went through is pretty serious, so you wanna be delicate about that. We'll see.
Jamey Jasta of HATEBREED and KINGDOM OF SORROW will release a solo album, simply titled "Jasta", on July 26, 2011 via eOne Music.
A record many years in the making, this is a very different project for Jasta.
A three-minute video clip in which Jasta explains his decision to release the CD can be viewed below.
"Jasta" will feature guest appearances by a number of artists, including Tim Lambesis (AS I LAY DYING), pro skater Mike Vallely, Philip Labonte (ALL THAT REMAINS), Randy Blythe and Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), and guitar legend Zakk Wylde.
Jamey will present and perform at this year's Revolver Golden Gods Awards next week at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Jamey will be tour with KINGDOM OF SORROW this summer on the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.
Norwegian melodic power metallers PAGAN'S MIND will release their sixth album, "Heavenly Ecstasy", on May 20 in Germany, May 23 in the rest of Europe and on May 31 in USA/Canada via SPV/Steamhammer. The follow-up to 2007's "God's Equation" was mixed last fall by Stefan Glaumann at Toytown Studios (RAMMSTEIN, MADONNA, WITHIN TEMPTATION) in Stockholm, Sweden. The effort will be made a available in four configurations: A limited-edition digipak with two bonus tracks, 28-page booklet and poster; a double gatefold LP with two bonus tracks on orange-colored vinyl; as a standard jewel case; and as a digital download.
Limited-edition digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks, poster):
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
05. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
06. Revelation To The End (8:32)
07. Follow Your Way (5:18)
08. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
09. The Master's Voice (5:16)
10. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
11. When Angels Unite (2:03)
12. Create Your Destiny (5:49) (bonus track)
13. Power Of Mindscape (4:16) (bonus track)
Jewel case version:
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
05. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
06. Revelation To The End (8:32)
07. Follow Your Way (5:18)
08. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
09. The Master's Voice (5:16)
10. When Angels Unite (2:03)
11. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
Double-gatefold LP (incl. 2 bonus tracks, colored orange vinyl):
LP 1
Side 1:
01. Contact (0:48)
02. Eyes Of Fire (5:48)
03. Intermission (5:41)
04. Power Of Mindscape (4:16) (bonus track)
Side 2:
01. Into The Aftermath (5:18)
02. Walk Away In Silence (5:08)
03. Follow Your Way (5:18)
LP 2
Side 1:
01. Revelation To The End (8:32)
02. When Angels Unite (2:03)
03. Never Walk Alone (6:09)
Side 2:
01. The Master's Voice (5:16)
02. Create Your Destiny (5:49) (bonus track)
03. Live Your Life Like A Dream (5:55)
A brand new song from "Heavenly Ecstasy" entitled "Intermission" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.
Commented PAGAN'S MIND guitarist and producer Jørn Viggo Lofstad: "After considering offers from various labels, we decided to be a part of the new SPV family. Signing with such a respected label gave us the spark to come up with what we think is the most cohesive album we have done, and probably our best offering so far. We can't wait to get back in action and present these songs to you all."
SPV/Steamhammer A&R representative Olly Hahn added:" I'm very happy that PAGAN'S MIND decided to join the SPV family. The band always delivered some of the best and most exciting metal music and with the new album they even put up a dash more!"
In a recent interview with LetsRock.ro, PAGAN'S MIND singer Nils K. Rue stated about the band's forthcoming CD, "I'm really really excited. I have great belief in it, I think the material is extremely strong and that it represent sort of a 'comeback' (since it been over three years since 'God's Equation'). I am sure both fans of PAGAN'S MIND and people who haven't heard us before will appreciate it a lot."
Regarding the musical direction of the new album, Nils said, "There is no doubt it sounds like PAGAN'S MIND, as I believe we have a very distinct sound. It's heavy, melodic and at times intricate — but on the other hand we have shaken off some of the most extreme progressive elements, setting songwriting and melody in total focus. It's atmospheric, very catchy, very heavy, very good."
On the topic of the new CD's lyrical themes, Nils said, "We're inspired by mysticism and 'the unknown,' as always, but this time the lyrics also deal with stuff everyone can relate to. Our lyrics is often metaphorical, which allows the listener to make up their own opinion on the words and meaning — and make it their own personal 'story.' By making the music a little bit more 'straight in your face,' this time so is the lyrics. Nevertheless, the 'sworn PAGAN'S MIND fan' won't be disappointed — there are enough mystic stuff here to blow your mind. To give an example, on a lyric that deals with 'reality,' there are several, but some of the songs has a positive message that tells to believe in yourself and is upbuilding in terms of self-esteem and the power of will, and yourself."
PAGAN'S MIND's last album, "God's Equation", in 2007 entered the Norwegian domestic chart (featuring only Norwegian artists) at position No. 14. It also landed on the international chart (featuring all artists) at No. 35. The CD, which was released in the U.S. in January 2008, was recorded by Espen Mjøen at his Mediamaker Studio in Skien, Norway, and mixed at Toy Town Studios in Stockholm by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN).
Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY have teamed up with the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine (out now) and Sweden's Close Up Magazine (out May 3) to offer you the perfect appetizer for the upcoming album, "Khaos Legions", which will be in stores later this spring all across Europe. Both magazines are featuring a special ARCH ENEMY CD compilation with the title "Dawn Of Khaos", which includes two exclusive new songs of their upcoming album, "Khaos Legions", a rare KISS cover song, two previously unreleased live tracks and seven classic songs taken from previous ARCH ENEMY albums.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone (new song)
02. No Gods, No Masters (new song)
03. The Oath (KISS cover)
04. My Apocalypse ("Doomsday Machine", 2005)
05. Nemesis ("Doomsday Machine", 2005)
06. Dead Eyes See No Future ("Tyrants Of The Rising Sun – Live", 2008)
07. We Will Rise ("Anthems Of Rebellion", 2003)
08. Revolution Begins ("Rise Of The Tyrant", 2007)
09. Ravenous ("Wages Of Sin", 2001)
10. Beast Of Man ("The Root Of All Evil", 2009)
11. Dark Insanity (Live From Metal Female Voices Festival, 2010)
12. I Will Live Again (Live From Metal Female Voices Festival, 2010)
"We are proud that our Swedish brothers in metal return with another great album! And we are glad to present two new songs and 10 more tracks in our upcoming magazine," said Robban Becirovic, chief editor of Close-Up Magazine.
"Khaos Legions" will be released on May 30 in Europe and June 7 in the U.S. via Century Media Records. The CD will mark the band's return to new, original material, after the release of the "Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan" live DVD/CD (2008) and the re-recordings album, "The Root Of All Evil" (2009). The effort was tracked at Sweet Spot Studio in the south of Sweden with engineer Rickard Bengtsson (who produced 2005's "Doomsday Machine").
The "Khaos Legions" artwork, which comes courtesy of renowned artist Brent Elliott White (MEGADETH, DEATH ANGEL), can be viewed below.
"Khaos Legions" track listing:
01. Khaos Overture (instrumental)
02. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
03. Bloodstained Cross
04. Under Black Flags We March
05. No Gods, No Masters
06. City Of The Dead
07. Through The Eyes Of A Raven
08. Cruelty Without Beauty
09. We Are A Godless Entity (instrumental)
10. Cult Of Chaos
11. Thorns In My Flesh
12. Turn To Dust (instrumental)
13. Vengeance Is Mine
14. Secrets
15. The Zoo
16. Snow Bound (acoustic)
The song "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" is available for free download at this location.
ARCH ENEMY drummer Daniel Erlandsson previously stated about the new CD, "We had a very inspiring and creative time writing this album. I think this is definitely evident when listening to the new songs. There's tons of variation in the material, ranging all the way from very melodic to extremely heavy.
"As you can expect there's no shortage of killer riffs and intricate guitar work; the Amott brothers [Michael and Chris] have come up with some very cool yet demanding ideas!
"This album has some of the fastest songs I've ever recorded, along with a bunch of heavy pounding mid-tempo songs.
"As always, it's difficult to describe music in words, but rest assured — this album will be one heavy fucker!"
ARCH ENEMY debuted two brand new songs — "No Gods, No Masters" and "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" — during its very special and intimate showcase on March 14 in Wermelskirchen, Germany at the AJZ Bahndamm, a self-governed youth center which is well known for its various underground metal, punk and hardcore shows with a capacity of 200 people.
The Wermelskirchen show kicked off the campaign for "Khaos Legions". Only 150 die-hard fans plus journalists from all over Europe witnessed the worldwide premiere of two new songs from the upcoming album. It was hot, it was sweaty and it smelled like "khaos."
Internationally acclaimed rock band CROWN OF THORNS, which features in its ranks singer/songwriter/producer Jean Beauvoir from the legendary PLASMATICS, will play two special "surprise" shows in New York City this weekend prior to embarking on a European tour. The details are as follows:
Friday, April 15 at 8:30 p.m.
Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street
New York, NY 10002
Saturday, April 16 at 9:00 p.m.
Don Hill's
511 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013-1314
CROWN OF THORNS' latest album, "Faith", was released in June 2009 via Little Steven Van Zandt's Lost Cathedral label imprint. The disc brought back the trademark CROWN OF THORNS sound that established the band as a rock powerhouse, still keeping intact all the elements of infectious guitar riffs, soaring hooklines, and great melodies.
Beauvoir collaborated with Bob Clearmountain (BRYAN ADAMS, THE ROLLING STONES, BON JOVI, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E-STREET BAND) in the recording sessions for "Faith" as well as Mark Plati (DAVID BOWIE) for the mix — resulting in the best-sounding CROWN OF THORNS album yet.
Massachusetts metallers UNEARTH have set "Darkness In The Light" as the title of their new album, tentatively due this summer via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts with producer (and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist) Adam Dutkiewicz. Sitting in on drums during the sessions was Justin Foley of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED. The effort was mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM) from Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.
Regarding the band's decision to work with Foley on the new CD, UNEARTH previously said in a statement, "Foley was an obvious choice for this album for many reasons, but mainly because of his abilities and knowledge of heavy music as well as his longtime friendship with the band. A decade-plus of friendship has made this an easy transition for the band, Foley and our producer/engineer Adam."
UNEARTH last fall parted ways with drummer Derek Kerswill due to "creative differences." The band stated at the time, "The differences between Kerswill and the band started off as subtle, but became increasingly obvious over the past few months and it was time for both parties to go their separate ways."
UNEARTH recruited drummer Branden Morgan of MISERY SIGNALS to sit behind the kit for the band's European dates as part of last year's Persistence Tour.
U.K.'s Pure Rawk web site recently conducted an interview with Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Pure Rawk: At the start of 2009, you announced this four-album series called the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. What was the reason behind that? Too many ideas for one CD?
Devin: Usually I'll get down the feelings about how I feel about the period of my life at the time. Moments of emotional importance to me. There have been periods of time that have been very intense, not very intense, full anger, full of sadness or just plain boring. After STRAPPING, the amount of things in my life had changed were more than I'd ever had to process in any one time and as a result of that I found that my writing was veering off in four — sometimes even more — directions. At first I was trying to figure out how to make it all speak in one 74-minute long chunk and it just ended up being so disjointed in terms of one song into the next. Like I was trying to fit "Stand" after "Lady Hell", "Addicted" after "Demon League" and it just ended up not working. My first impression was that these songs just had a kind of schizophrenic element that I don't quite understand but allowing them all to be in their own space and allowing them to breathe
a little bit — and not having to be dependent on the transitions of songs to flow between each other — you only got, like, two seconds between each one to make this work, right? Like this the statements started making a lot of sense unto themselves and finding that there were songs and thoughts that ended up being chronologically between the four — the way they've been presented in summarized that whole period of personal change rather than "neuter" them and put them all into one single or double record.
Pure Rawk: HevyDevy. Release all your own stuff on there. Do bands really need labels anymore?
Devin: It's HevyDevy through InsideOut and licensed through Century Media. With bands needing labels — no. But I think the thing is there are a lot of things that need to be done that I don't have the skill-set to be able to do as people who have been doing labels for a long time — and that know how to do it, the press element and all that kind of stuff. The people that work at Century Media are really good people and they know what to do in terms of once the record is done, where gets taken. It's an older model for sure, however, there is definitely things changing. But at this stage, it really helps to have a team together and handle stuff like doing press. I mean, it's one thing for me to go on Twitter and say, "Hey, does anybody want an interview?" and do 400 obscure interviews or to hire a company that works independently for a label and solicit it and get all kinds of stuff. Working with the guys I've been with in England for the past couple of
days are all good interviews. I'm good at what I do, but to be honest, not a whole hell of a lot else! As much as I like to think I'm great doing things, fixing pipes or whatever, I'm shit at most things other than music (laughs). Will I be treading water for the rest of my life? Possibly, but I just enjoy doing what I do. As long as I can make ends meet, I'm more than happy with that.
Pure Rawk: You've got two shows at the Union Chapel in Islington on November 10th and November 13th. Playing "Ki" and "Ghost" under the title "An Evening with the Devin Townsend Project". Apart from the albums, what else can audiences expect? Especially to someone who may not have seen you before?
Devin: I've got four shows that I'm trying to put together. They're a blow-out at the end of the year that allows the whole thing to be summarized and so we're trying to make sure we have these four shows — hopefully four — that we can play the four albums and then some older tracks to film for DVDs. That's the goal at this point and I know those two have been announced. We're looking towards the possibility of others but that's definitely how the end of the year is "supposed" to play out. You know what, though?! At this point I've got so much touring to do that I'm making sure that it's all going to make sense.
When POISON released their first album back in 1986, the hip rock critics panned the band and gave them less than a year to exist. Well, twenty-five years later the band rolls on and drummer Rikki Rockett looks back on his time in Poison with pride and looks forward with eager anticipation. Bravewords.com caught up with the affable skin man to discuss rock's greatest guilty pleasure, Poison.
Bravewords.com: You're on tour this summer with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Fans have been clamoring for this double bill since 1986, but the Motley guys never seemed to take Poison seriously and often put down the band. Has that negative energy passed or will this tour truly be a battle of the bands?
Rikki Rockett: "I never had the negative energy and, honestly, I've always been a Mötley Crüe fan. Let me put it to you this way, recently, I read this article about motorcyclists from an outsider's perspective and if you don't ride a motorcycle you think all motorcycles are the same. You don't know the difference between a Harley, Yamaha or a Triumph until you're in it and then all of a sudden everything seems so different. So for a fan that loves '80s music they don't care about… They like a TESLA song, a Motley song, a BON JOVI song and they don't understand the nuances between the images or this and that. Your general overall fan just likes good music. They like good songs and you can't have just one band in your playlist. In fact, most don't even have one genre in their playlist. Most people like everything. If, for example, you look at my wife's playlist she's got everything from Motley to MAROON 5 to country. You
can't live by bread alone. I think too many bands get wrapped up in this stuff. I had a beer one time with Lars Ulrich and at the same time there was a cover story in Hit Parader about METALLICA versus Poison. I said to Lars, 'are we fighting?' and he said, 'not that I know of'. People get too twisted about this stuff. What's worst is when the band starts to get twisted about it too. I don't know where this stuff comes from. We've always gotten along with Motley, but we went through this little period of time where there were some differences and I do understand Motley going 'we started earlier in rock and if the whole '80s thing is coming down – we need to separate ourselves away from it if we want to continue to have a career.' I get that, but I do think that if you turn tail and run from who you are that can be devastating."
Bravewords.com: Especially, when fans grew up loving your music and that image. Is there really a difference between Home Sweet Home and Every Rose Has It's Thorn?
Rockett: "No, not really. A good song is a good song. Mötley Crüe and Poison have been through similar circumstances. The nuances are subtle from a fan's perspective and the main thing is fans are going to love this."
Bravewords.com: Absolutely and fans are going to get a three hour show filled with about forty top ten hits.
Rockett: "Absolutely and these tours work because fans can bank on getting a lot of bang for the buck. That's why, for example, STYX and JOURNEY go out together. They may not be the hippest bands on the planet, but it doesn't matter because you get great music and you know you're going to get great music. Whereas when people see a bunch of newer bands… you might see eight of them on a bill but, at best, get six good songs. That's why packages like ours work in this touring market. There's not a lot of money to go around and we've done everything we can to keep tickets prices down."
Bravewords.com: Do you adjust your set list at all because Mötley Crüe is coming on after you? Do you include more of the faster songs and pull out some of the ballads?
Rockett: "You know what Mitch, we haven't sat down as a band and talked about it yet."
Bravewords.com: What would you like to do?
Rockett: "I'd like to do everything. Obviously, we have to keep our hits in there because people want that, but I would probably open up with Let Me Go To The Show, drag some of the older stuff out and just challenge ourselves a little bit more. Motley is going to have a bigger show because they're headlining, so I'd rather focus on our songs and what the fans really want. I've been reading on Facebook what the fans really want and they want something different in the set. We need to write down all the hits we need to cover, but from then on change almost everything. Do all different stuff to what we've been doing over the last years. Leave out all the cover songs and just do Poison songs."
Bravewords.com: As a fan, I think that would be the best thing. If you're going to play only (maybe) twelve songs, I don't need to hear your cover of THE ROMANTICS or KISS. I'd rather hear 'Back To The Rocking Horse', 'Play Dirty' or 'Blame It On You'.
Rockett: "That's a great idea by the way. 'Blame It On You' is really a fun song to play."
Bravewords.com: Quite frankly, you could just play the entire first album from start to finish and you're done.
Rockett: "I would love for us to book a couple of special shows where we just go and do the whole Look What The Cat Dragged In album. Then, in the encores, we could do a couple of the other hits from the later records, but just cover Cat from top to bottom. We could do the choreography and everything. Obviously, we can't do everything like it was 1986 nor should we try, but we could be similarly energetic."
Bravewords.com: Do you think this idea is something the band would consider doing at some point? Isn't this is the 25th anniversary of Look What The Cat Dragged In?
Rockett: "You know Mitch, that's exactly what this is and this is exactly what I've been trying to get the band to do. I think we should lead the tour with this or end the tour with it. In the situation that we are in with Motley, I think we need to mix up all of our songs for now, but if we did some of our own shows; I think that exactly what you and I are talking about would be great. I would love it. I would really love it. I think fans would go crazy and we could do the set-up the same way and I could build a kit… By the way the kit I built for this year's tour is a knock-off from the original Open Up and Say Ahh kit."
Bravewords.com: Speaking from a fan's perspective, I think this would be a great way to celebrate the beginnings of the band. I would love to hear 'Blame It On You' (like I said before), but also 'Cry Tough' and '#1 Bad Boy'…
Rockett: "I would absolutely love it. I wish to God I could re-record those songs because I play so much different now. The core of who I am is the same, but I would put so much better of a spin on it now and throw those little things in that I just didn't know back then. They always say that you should really go out on tour first, play all your songs and then come home and record them, but that's not how we work in the music business. We do exactly the opposite, so you don't always get all those choices. We were on a budget on that record. We were banging out four tracks a day."
Bravewords.com: The whole album took only twelve days…
Rockett: "Yeah. That included pre-production and all that. We just had no time. Our main idea when we went in to do that record was not to have a technically proficient record because we just didn't have the time for that, but what we needed to make it do is freaking 'party' (and that's what we needed to do with our videos as well). We just didn't have the budget. You don't want to plant tomatoes in the desert. You plant a cactus in the desert. We decided to take what we knew would grow in that environment and did the best we could with it and that's why I think that record works. That fervent feel of it is contagious. Believe me, we were not at the best place in our lives when we made that record. We had been turned down by every record company and here we were settling… well, at that time we considered it to be settling for an independent, but when I look back I'm glad we did because it put us in the driver's seat. At the time, we
didn't have any money. We couldn't play any gigs for a while because we were concentrating on putting together songs for the album (writing and all that stuff). We disappeared from the circuit so we couldn't bring any money in. We were dirt poor Mitch. We didn't have anything and we weren't at the best place in our lives, but our music 'partied', we lived in that and we decided to make a record that felt like that because if it lived in us maybe it would live in other people too. It worked."
Bravewords.com: It did work. It's been twenty-five years since I first bought it and I'm still not fed up with it yet. I put it on the other day and listened to it from top to bottom. You simply cannot put on that album and only listen to one song. You have to play the whole album. To me, it's still magical. If you ever play one of those albums shows – make sure you capture it on film and put it out on Blu-ray. You'll be able to update the sound like you mentioned before, but without having to re-record the album.
Rockett: "Mitch, maybe you should manage us (laughs)."
Bravewords.com: Speaking of albums – isn't it time for a new Poison album? I see Bret running around doing solo album after solo album and I keep thinking 'wouldn't it be great to have CC, Rikki and Bobby on those tracks'. I want some new Poison…
Rockett: "You know Mitch - here's the thing that drives me crazy, we have learnt so much in our career… in our twenty-five years, yet it amazes me that we are not putting all of those things together (that we have learned) into an album. We could make a really great record at this point. I know I'm a better player than I was even ten years ago. I know everybody is better. Everybody has had more experiences… I can't tell you how overdue a new record is. I am so with you on that. That's what I wanted to do this past summer quite honestly and then we could be going out on this tour with a new record. It's never to late to make a new record in my opinion and maybe it would be really good to do it after we come off of this. We could go back out headlining next year with a new record. I'd love that. It's time… it's time."
Bravewords.com: Do you think it'll happen? Doesn't it get to be annoying to be nothing more than a heritage act at this point (and I don't mean to be negative)?
Rockett: "YES! Absolutely it does. Bret is doing a lot of his own stuff right now, so he feels like he's not being a heritage act. He's spending a lot of time on his own stuff and that makes it fairly difficult to work around."
Bravewords.com: I listened a lot to RATT's new album (Infestation) that came out last year and the guys hit a home run. Then, you hear the new ACCEPT album and it's another home run. There's no reason why Poison can't hit a home run.
Rockett: "I really wish that Ratt album would get some play because it's a great record. Blotzer is playing the best I've ever heard…it's a great great record…"
Bravewords.com: And Pearcy couldn't have sounded any better. As for Poison, what can fans expect apart from concerts?
Rockett: "It's up to us to make a record. We're in control of that and that's what would turn the corner for me."
Bravewords.com: It's long overdue… Will you make another solo album to keep the creative juices flowing?
Rockett: "I'm going to continue to try and convince the band to do another Poison album, but I, for the first time, have decided to think about working on a side project. I really want to do something and I've been talking to a few people and if this tour didn't happen that's what I'd be doing this summer. Obviously, I'm going to have to put it on hold for a little while. I'm all about keeping the focus on Poison, but if Poison is not working next year then that's what I'm going to be doing and I'm going to have fun with it. I've never stepped outside of Poison and tried something in a serious way, but if I do – I'm going to give it everything. I'm not going to half-ass it…"
Bravewords.com: By side project – do you mean another solo album or a new band?
Rockett: "It'll be a new band. The solo record was a fun project, but as a solo artist I wouldn't go out and make a covers record. I would make an album of songs that I wrote. That album was just something I wanted to do and it was a fun thing. I though about going through all the eras of music and I think it would be really fun to step up and do an early punk record of covers. Not in any serious way, but just something fun to do. I made Glitter For Your Soul in my little studio to reconnect to some of those '70s artists. I reached out to all those people and made friends that I still have to this day. Life is about having these new experiences."
Bravewords.com: If you do a side-project, would it be an extension of Poison music or will it be the Rikki Rockett jazz album?
Rockett: "It would be a straight ahead rock record very much like BAD COMPANY. That's my favorite type of rock to play. I like all kinds of stuff – I'm truly a music fan, but this is what naturally comes out of me so why fight it? I love to stretch out and try new things, but I do know who I am and you're not going to get a Rikki Rockett jazz record because there isn't a single jazz fan that would take me seriously, but there's no reason why I can't throw some influence in there if I want to. That's all I need to do to make myself feel good about that challenge."
Bravewords.com: Poison has been around for twenty-seven years or so now – what was the magic that made you last so long? I remember reading Circus or Hit Parader back in the day and you were supposed to be the next one-hit wonder if that…
Rockett: "I have two answers for that. It's like when you have that damn car that for some reason just keeps running even though everything about it was supposed to have broken down. If you really examine it though, first of all, we have a slew of hits and secondly we built a huge following through touring. Every step that we took somebody said, 'this will be the last step Poison takes'. 'They'll have a flop on their second record (the sophomore flop),' and then the second one happened and we did even better. Every step that we took was really digging into the roots of what makes a rock band work and be successful. It's touring and reaching out to the fans – on the first headlining tour Mitch, we played every single 'B' market… we played 'C' markets. Our thinking was, 'if they're not coming to us then we're coming to them'. That was our goal – to hit every city in the United States and that's what we did. Besides
the hits, that's eighty percent of why we've lasted. Same thing with Metallica and I have all the respect in the world for Metallica because they beat the trail. They would do two or three year tours."
Bravewords.com: As far as touring goes – you're essentially a US-only band. You don't head over to Asia, Europe or Australia often if at all. Is there a plan to hit those markets this year or next?
Rockett: "There's an offer for a couple of shows in Australia, but I don't know that we could afford to make it make sense right now. You have to put together a proper tour. We don't want to go over there and disappoint people."
Bravewords.com: Does Poison continue forever and do the occasional tour here and there or is there a five year plan to retirement?
Rockett: "At this point, we have no desire to quit."
Bravewords.com: As long as fans keep showing up – you'll keep playing.
Rockett: "I think so. I know I will. This has been my baby for a really long time and I really love it. By no means am I bored with it, but maybe we could make new songs because I'm a little bored playing the same songs over and over again. Besides that I enjoy it. It's a struggle at times too and you could say we're a comedy of errors, but if it weren't so funny it would be tragic."
Bravewords.com: I really do hope that you can get together and make a new album. Finally, how is your Rockett Drum Works company doing (Rockettdrumworks.com)?
Rockett: "It's going great. I'm finally getting into that spot, where in a year, I can be big enough to support my guys but not this huge company where there are all these board meetings just to do one little thing. Right now, I can turn on a dime and do anything I need to do. I'm in a really great position right now."
For more:
Website: RikkiRockett.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/RikkiRockett
Facebook: Facebook.com/RikkiRockett
Blog: Rikkirockett.wordpress.com
Cleveland, Ohio metallers CHIMAIRA have revealed their new lineup following the recent departures of drummer Andols Herrick and keyboardist/programmer Chris Spicuzza.
CHIMAIRA 2011 is:
Mark Hunter - Vocals
Rob Arnold - Guitar
Matt DeVries - Guitar
Emil Werstler (DAATH) - Bass
Sean Zatorsky (DAATH) - Keyboards/Samples
Austin D'Amond (BLEED THE SKY, THE ELITE) – Drums
Although D'Amond will sit behind the kit for all of CHIMAIRA's upcoming shows, the drum tracks on the band's recently completed new album were laid down by the CD's producer, Ben Schigel, who has previously worked with DROWNING POOL and WALLS OF JERICHO, among others. Tentatively due in August in North America, South America and Japan via eOne Music, the effort is currently being mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, MURDERDOLLS, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) .
CHIMAIRA took part in a live video chat on the band's Ustream channel last night (Thursday, April 14). Footage from the chat can be seen below.
Drummer Andols Herrick announced his departure from CHIMAIRA on Wednesday, citing "some of the same concerns that" keyboardist/programmer] Chris Spicuzza "mentioned in his statement [announcing his split from the group], namely the current state of the music industry and concerns about my future." Andols added, "A major transition in life is much more manageable at 31 than it is in your late 30s or early 40s, so as a guy with literally zero experience in anything else, better now than later. Plus, it would be hard to go back without feeling constantly uneasy about the situation."
Spicuzza announced his departure from CHIMAIRA last week, explaining that the "situation in CHIMAIRA had ultimately become a negative environment that I had to get out of. Secondly, the music industry is completely fucked and honestly, I became concerned for my future. The amount of work and stress I took on got the best of me. I guess if you're not happy or having fun, what's the point?"
Bassist Jim LaMarca left CHIMAIRA last year in order to focus on family life.
Norwegian metallers COMMUNIC will release their new album, "The Bottom Deep", in Europe on July 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. According to a press release, the band's music "includes many elements from various metal genres. Their grasp for variety of power, melody, and intelligent lyrics with a highly progressive musical approach made COMMUNIC one of the best newcomers for years!"
"The Bottom Deep" track listing:
01. Facing Tomorrow
02. Denial
03. Flood River Blood
04. Voyage Of Discovery
05. In Silence With My Scars
06. My Fallen
07. Destroyer Of Bloodlines
08. Wayward Soul
09. The Bottom Deep
10. In Union We Stand (bonus track)
Commented guitarist/mainman Oddleif Stensland: "Writing and recording this album has been an amazing — but strange experience. This time we took control over the production ourselves, resulting in a more honest- and organic-sounding album. Never before have I put so much of my own personal influence and privacy into the lyrics and songs as this time.
"Right now I have a mixed feeling of fear and total excitement as we release the artwork and track listing for this new album. Now there is no return. To open myself this way, exposing my deepest and inner thoughts, in a way I have never done before. It's kinda strange, as it feels like these words and songs came from a part of me that I didn't know about. This is 'The Bottom Deep'. This is the album that I never in my life thought I had to write — but now I know, this will be a totem in my life — forever!"
Dan Swanö, who mastered the album, said: "It was pure pleasure to work with these guys. The mix was excellent to start with, so I finally had the opportunity to work with gentle strokes rather than the big roller that I sometimes have to use to shape up not-so-good mixes. Musically, I enjoyed it very much. It's not easy to label their music (which is good). If I had to mention something, I get that amazing 'epic' vibe of QUEENSRŸCHE '84-'88. They definitely add something to the family of progressive metal"
The CD's artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who had the following to say about the effort: "The first draft of the lyrics from Oddleif made it clear that this is going to be a very personal, dark and vulnerable record — and I wanted the cover to reflect that. The vulture, nature's version of the grim reaper, caresses the dying man, casting a shadow reveling its true intentions and reason for this last visit. I put a lot of myself into this artwork, and I think it turned out great"
COMMUNIC's last album, "Payment Of Existence", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 94. It was released on May 30, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/communicartwork2011.jpg
Montreal's rambunctious and unique classical/black metal ensemble UNEXPECT recently completed work on its sophomore album, "Fables Of The Sleepless Empire", at Badass Studio with producer Jef Fortin. The CD's cover artwork was created by Spanish artist Mario Sanchez Nevado. All inside graphic work was handled by Eric Charron while the photography was taken care of by Elaine Phaneuf.
"Fables Of The Sleepless Empire" track listing:
01. Unsolved Ideas Of A Distorted Guest
02. Words
03. Orange Vigilantes
04. Mechanical Phoenix
05. The Quantum Symphony
06. Unfed Pendulum
07. In The Mind Of The Last Whale
08. Silence This Parasite
09. A Fading Stance
10. When The Joyful Dead Are Dancing
11. Until Yet A Few More Deaths Do Us Part
Regarding the new album release, the group previously said, "After some deep and profound thinking, we finally decided to take back the reins of our destiny and go independent for the release of the next album! We gave this option a lot of attention/thinking time and the conclusion was that we think it's all positive and for the best! And the fact of removing intermediaries will let us be even closer to our public!"
UNEXPECT last year announced the departure of keyboardist Exod. The band said, "The lifestyle and sacrifices that go with touring is not to everyone's taste and it's been the main reason behind his choice. We were already talking about all of this while touring North America in 2008 so it's been a well-thought decision that we all knew of for a long time. That said, it doesn't mean that there won't be more future collaborations with him as we're still very good friends and are, as always, totally musically compatible...as you'll be able to hear on the new album."
UNEXPECT is:
Syriak - Vocals, Guitar
Artagoth - Vocals, Guitar
Leïlindel - Vocals
Chaoth - 9-Stringed Bass
Borboën - Violin
Landryx - Drum
UNEXPECT released its debut album, "In a Flesh Aquarium", in the summer of 2006 via The End Records.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/unexpectcd2011.jpg
TORMENTED, the new Swedish death band featuring current and former members of SCAR SYMMETRY, MARDUK and DEVIAN, has inked a deal with Listenable Records. The group's debut album, "Rotten Death", will be re-released in the summer with a special limited packaging and a new layout.
According to a press release, the members of TORMENTED came together in 2008 with the intention of creating death metal that they themselves wanted to hear.
TORMENTED is:
Andreas "Drette" Axelson - Vocals And Guitar
Claes Holmberg - Guitar
Roberth Karlsson - Bass
Jocke Ölund - Drums
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